NFL Thread 2013-14

ha_rooney said:
The MNF game on Eurosport will apparently have no studio analysis, just the original feed from America. I guess that means loads of shit adverts :(
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fecks sake, why buy the rights then feck it up and make it unwatchable? BBC all over again pretty much.
 
Skywarden said:
I was impressed too. Very fun to watch Niners last season but this season they've seemingly upped their game.

Clay Matthews though. :drool:
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The Niners definitely have and much of that is down to Kaepernick. Since he replaced Smith, hw has been among the league leaders in yards per attempt. I felt this was what we were missing most with Alex Smith - not taking the chance with the deeper through. I don't know how much was down to Smith, and how much down to playcalling etc, but we just always seemed to look for the short throws and never tried to stretch the defense.

Now that Kaepernick has had a full preseason to build up understanding with the offense and the receivers (and particularly Davis), then I think it will pay dividends.

I also think the our offense will be more balanced against other teams - Green Bay have been thinking all summer about stopping our running game, so our approach against them was always going to be pass-orientated.

Agree re: Matthews though - very good player. In saying that, absolute idiot for the late hit on Kaepernick. Am happy that that cost them 7 points - even though it should have been 4th down. On that subject - don't forget that their head coach had the option of declining the penalty on the play before that which would have put the Niners at 4th and 2, rather than 3rd and 7 I think it was. I couldn't believe he accepted the penalty and gave the Niners another shot at the end zone.

Another playcall that really stood out was at the end of the game when Harbaugh went for it on 4th and 2. They lined up as if to go for it, hoping to draw the Packers offside, then called out - all of which is fairly standard in that situation. You could see that the Packers weren't going to bite, but you also saw by their reactions that they then expected the Niners to punt. Sending the offense back out really made a statement - and then Boldin (who else) was open for the catch.

As big a game as that was, we have an even bigger game next week against the Seahawks...bring em on!!
 
Earthquake said:
Really liked the 49ers going for it after not catching out the Packers. Quality.
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I remember reading this article about a high school coach whose team never punted the ball - they always went for it on 4th down:

http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=892888

A couple of highlights of the link:

Keeping the offense on the field on fourth down allows for more creative play-calling. Third-and-long does not have to be a passing down. The Little Rock school can run the ball, throw a screen pass or use any number of formations. Defenses do not know whether to use a nickel or dime defense. And Pulaski's offense has less pressure on third down.
"We don't really worry too much about it," quarterback Spencer Keith said. "We just get as many yards as we can. We don't have to go for the first down."
If Pulaski converts on fourth down, it creates a momentum change similar to a turnover. Other high school coaches have told Kelley they would rather see his team punt.
The Bruins even avoid punting when the defense has stopped them inside their own 10-yard line.
"You can just tell people are in the stands thinking, 'You're an idiot,' " Kelley said.
Kelley supports this rationale with numbers analysis.
If Pulaski has a fourth-and-8 at its own 5-yard line, Kelley said his explosive offense likely will convert a first down at least 50 percent of the time. If it fails to convert, statistical data from the college level shows that an opponent acquiring the ball inside the 10-yard line scores a touchdown 90 percent of the time. If Pulaski punts away (i.e., a 40-yard punt with a 10-yard return) the other team will start with the ball on the 38-yard line and score a touchdown 77 percent of the time. The difference is only 13 percent.
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and on using onside kicks 75% of the time:


The Pulaski coach has adopted an unusual approach to kickoffs as well. About 75 percent of the time, he uses an onside kick instead of a standard kickoff. To illustrate why, Kelley again relies on numbers.
If his team does not recover the onside kick, the opponent likely will field the kick around its own 47-yard line. On a typical kickoff, the other team usually starts around the 33-yard line.
"You're only giving up 14 yards," Kelley said. "And you get a chance to get the ball."
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Always felt teams should go for it on 4th down more often - the crux of the game is you have 4 attempts to gain 10 yards. Why have the midset that you're going to sacrifice 25% of your opportunities?

It's the same with teams taking a knee, or just going with a succession of inside running plays to end the first half - particularly if they are losing. Why not go for it? I know the risk is you try a hail mary and you might get picked off, but surely the reward outweighs the risk? I don't remember seeing too many 99 yard pick-sixes off hail mary throws.
 
RDCR07 said:
The Giants working out with FA's Brandon Jacobs and Willis McGahee.
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They need a lot more help than either of those two can give. Probably they'll sign Jacobs given his history there, unless of course he's bloated up to 350lbs or something.
 
swooshboy said:
snip
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Boldin was a terrific transfer. Severely weakened Ravens' offense and it will show in a couple of games. Boldin will run riot in Niners offense, absolutely positive he'll end up as thier top receiver this season.
 
RG3 is back. Lets see if he can stay healthy & can run as well as he did prior to his injury. This should be a really good game...
 
American coverage is always better anyway, bar C4 who have Carlson. I think this actually looks quality.

Obviously the only downside is adverts every 2 minutes (because that's how the states roll) :lol:
 
JP77 said:
American coverage is always better anyway, bar C4 who have Carlson. I think this actually looks quality.

Obviously the only downside is adverts every 2 minutes (because that's how the states roll) :lol:
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I'll take that over what the BBC done every day of the week.


Looks like the Eagles studied the Giants last night.
 
Hard to tell but didn't look to be a backward pass.

Edit: TD given.
 
This Chip Kelly offense is very exciting. I've not seen a team go so quickly. It makes the Pats no huddle seem slow in comparison.
 
Shit review.

These constant breaks are getting a bit annoying.
 
True, glad I'm not an American, I'd probably never get through a full show without smashing my foot through the screen.
 
Fumble!!! Eagles have the ball, again.
 
TD!! Great protection, nice throw.
 
Intercepted!!!!

Washington doing their best NYG impression.
 
Lovely throw. TD eagles.

Surprised they didn't throw a flag on Jackson for pushing down the Redskins player after the late hit.
 
Booooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

So far, so good for Chip Kelly. Exciting offense and a very good half for the Eagles.

Redskins probably wish they could restart the season.
 
And a poor start to the second half.

Great run by Shady :drool:
 
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