The OFFICIAL Unofficial Achewood Message Board
Trivial Pursuits => Sports & Leisure => Topic started by: AugustWest on August 10, 2010, 01:37:23 pm
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We doing football this year?
Who wants to be Commish?
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a. Hells yes.
b. Not me, matey.
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I won it so I'll run it.
Like Al Davis on a vodka and benzedrine Vegas run
OH HELLS YES!!!
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Yinz can count me in. This year I won't let the damn machine pick my players.
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Not committing, mind, but am interested in looking at how this thing works. What's the address?
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A couple comments/requests:
I'm about 90% sure I'll be on the road or away from a computer the afternoon of Sept. 3. How tied are you to that date and time?
Only 1 IR slot?
I like the 3 individual defensive players. Cool addition.
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What's the address?
http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/
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I like noon PST of any day between now and then.
Noon PST is fine w/ me. But I (like all the rest of my fellow state employees) am being furloughed on 9/3, which is also the Friday before Labor Day. So we're headed to STL a day earlier.
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So in.
I'm not a fan of 2 DEF/2 QB in a league of 8-10 (if we get that many). With 6 teams off in weeks 8 and 9, there's a good chance you can get stuck without two options. Only 1 of those positions means everyone can carry two if they want, and have a choice to make every week. RB is different because so many teams play two regularly, so it's possible to have enough options there.
I'm also concerned about having 9 positions to fill and only 6 bench spots. I hesitate to increase the bench because it's better when more starters are either playing or available, so I'd lean towards reducing the number of positions (cutting TE, DL, LB, and/or DB).
How does the IR slot work? And is it possible to change how the can't-cut list works? I remember some people getting owned by that last time.
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We've only got 4 players. C'mon folks! We need at least a couple more.
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is there like an autodraft thing? i can't afford the time for a new hobby but if it can be mainly hands-off i'll join in
ninja edit: with zero expectations of winning, of course
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I'm in as the Habaneros. I may edit that if something more awesome springs to mind. I think the radchili password influenced my choice.
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The Terror Mosque has joined the fray.
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Atlanta Autopilots will take the field whenever their programming instructs.
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That gets us up to 7. Boy howdy do we need one more team.
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We really kinda need one more person to try out the fun and joy of fantasy football, folks, or the rest of us will not be allowed to play by The Man.
I'm looking at you, Wombat!
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I'm looking at you, Wombat!
If you are, you are a silly person!
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I just don't wanna sign up for a fantasy team and end up not paying any attention because my life is a trainwreck again.
I have figured out my own pattern, you see.
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Shit, I think I busted this at the last minute. 10 would be good, though . . . . heh heh heh . . . . ok, I'm sorry for fuck*ng it up.
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My daughter will play if we need a 10th player. If nobody has signed up by noon or so tomorrow, I'll get her set up to play.
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She won't do anything rude like win, will she?
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Shit, I think I busted this at the last minute. 10 would be good, though . . . . heh heh heh . . . . ok, I'm sorry for fuck*ng it up.
Are you Buck Naked?
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She won't do anything rude like win, will she?
Not on purpose.
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Fuck it - let 'em join. We're going to be screwed otherwise.
Paul, I am, of course, the Venomous Monkeys.
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We have ten!
I'm trying not to think depraved thoughts about Teen Girl Squad.
That's my daughter!
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don't worry woodrow i'm sure my incompetence will at least guarantee you won't be in last place
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I'm on autopilot because I have no idea who is who.
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Ah well, good luck everybody! Maybe this year I figure out the DirecTV fantasy player tracker doohickey.
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I get Purple Jesus my first week?
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so i'm looking at the matchup schedule and i have a bye week every week but week one. wtf is up with that.
edit: oh. it's fuck*ng with me.
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I have a team with Cowboys and Patriots on it. This is what I hate about fake internet football.
Also I apparently draft solely on upside.
This should be interesting.
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How does one maneuver their teams? Apparently there is a drag and drop feature, but I don't know what I am dragging or where to drop it.
Also, you can trade players?
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To move players within your team: Grab the blue block on the left for the player you want to move, then drag it down to where you want to move him (e.g. the bench). Players who you can legally swap for him will light up yellow, and then when you drop it there it'll automatically move that guy to the other spot. Click "Submit Changes" at the bottom when you're done.
To pick up free agents: click Players: Add up near the top under My Team. It'll walk you through finding who's available, and once you've picked someone, deciding who to drop from your roster. Note that certain guys (the big stars/top ranked players) may not be cut from your roster, they're marked as such.
To make trades with other teams: click Players: trade near the top under My Team. Find the team you want to trade with, then the player you want to trade. It'll walk you through marking who you want to offer. The other team will then get a notification, and they can accept or decline (and then counter-offer, if desired).
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Used to be you could switch to classic style to where you didn't have to drag and drop. Not sure if it's still an option. I gotta say, the more I look at my team the happier I am with it. This probably bodes pretty ill. Also, Paul, you can trade as well as add free agents, but in my experience most people just add folks as oppose to try to come up with some Herschel Walker-type monstrosity. Plus trades get voted on, if I recall.
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Yeah, when a trade comes up, you get an e-mail allowing you to vote on it (non-votes are considered "yes"). The key here is "Vote on whether you think this trade is fair," not "Do you want to shoot this trade down just because you don't like it." If someone having a shitty year starts trading away all their best players to one team for crap, vote that shit down. Doesn't come up too much, fortunately.
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You vote on all trades, not just your own?
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Yup. You don't HAVE to vote, though, if you think it's an OK trade or you just don't give a shit, don't bother clicking through.
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You vote on all trades, not just your own?
You pretty much just vote on your own by virtue of submitting the request. As was mentioned earlier, mostly you're just voting to make sure someone who is out of the playoffs isn't dumping his best players to get his friend an advantage. The only other issue would maybe be someone trying to trade TO for Brees or something, to take advantage of someone who doesn't know much about football.
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I've never been much of a trader. If there's a real obvious need-for-need situation (I have four good relief pitchers but no outfielders! You have five good outfielders but no relief pitchers! Let's talk!), then fine. But too often I feel like I'm being taken for a ride.
The league I used to be in had two guys who were wheeler-dealers, who loved making the deals for their own sake. One of them in particular was really persistent, e-mailing me and IMing me daily when he wanted to make a deal. He would spend a lot of time talking about how great the guy he wanted to trade to me was, how it would be good for my team. Which always led to the question, "If this guy is so great, then why do YOU want to make this deal?" He rarely had a good answer for that.
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Arian Foster delivered a third of my point total this week by himself. I drafted him in the 10th round. So there's that.
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I think I'm 2-2 to start the season. Fuck the Chefs.
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But did you see that punt return (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmXRGoAbRws)?
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I saw lots of horrible things in that game. That was but one of them.
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Its just the inevitable outcome of having Norv Turner as head coach.
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I don't think Norv is the only problem. The Bolts have had so many problems in the front office since, well, forever. I think, Ash, you have it exactly right. I also think that the window may have alread closed - we should have made a few moves when we had Gates and Tomlinson in their prime. I think our troubles drafting in the secondary kind of screwed us, and then we sort of used up Tomlinson and didn't have the greatest O-line, and now I'm depressed.
Gee, thanks guys!
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The San Diego Chargers placed veteran long snapper David Binn on "Reserve-Injured" on Wednesday due to a hamstring injury. The longest-tenured Charger will miss the rest of the season. Binn played in 256 of the last 257 regular-season games San Diego has played and all 12 of its playoff games dating back to his rookie season in 1994.
Dammit! This guy's been like a rock! Hell, he dated Pamela Anderson and that didn't take him out!
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How can a quarterback named Manning earn negative fantasy points?
Edit: Nevermind. Last minute TD kept that sign of the Apocalypse sealed.
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All I need for a win is for Colston to catch like 5 90-yard touchdown passes. In the next six minutes.
Yep, it's fantasy football, all right...
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My squad seems to be shaping up ok. It's gratifying to have the team do well after a live draft.
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Results of idle research: I think this (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200011050sea.htm) is the box score from the first NFL game I attended in person (I might have gone to one before this). Check out the first downs and total yards. I don't understand why this happens.
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The first NFL game I ever attended, my brother got pneumonia and ended up in the hospital.
Ah, Buffalo.
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The NFL is the only one of the big 4 that I have not seen a game in person. Went to at least 5 games at OU and probably 25 at OSU so that probably counts. Especially OU.
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What's the big 4, NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL?
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What's the big 4, NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL?
That would be it. During the trip for my first MLB game my little league baseball team played pool baseball with Joe Carter. We were both from Oklahoma City. It is probably the only picture I have.
I went to my only NBA game to yell stuff at Gilbert Arenas. It was before the whole gun thing, and I was yelling good things. It was super icy in OKC and maybe 2000 people were there tops.
I went to my only NHL game randomly because of free tickets. It was hella sweet- way cooler than I thought it would be. I was offered some free Denver Broncos tickets around the same time but didn't go.
Dayum, we all know about the Joe Carter home run, but here are two pretty kick ass trivia facts about him, from wiki:
Carter has the unique honour of being the first person to score a run in a World Series outside of the United States (Game 3, 1992 World Series) and the last person to do so (Game 6, 1993 World Series), a distinction that will remain in place until Toronto wins the American League pennant again (in 1993 there were two Canadian teams, but the Montreal Expos never reached a World Series and exist today as the Washington Nationals). He is also the only player ever to both record the final out in one World Series, and get a series-clinching walk-off hit in another.
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I believe this is the first (or maybe second) NFL game I attended:
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199611100was.htm
Truly redonkulous. Redskins up by 14 in the 4th, Cardinals tie it. Both teams missed field goals in OT before the Cardinals finally hit one. Boomer Esiason all throwin' for 500 yards.
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I've been to several NFL games and multiple MLB games. I don't have much interest in hockey, so an NHL game is unlikely. Haven't been to an NBA game, but been to lots of college basketball. Oddly enough, I did go to a couple of ABA games as a kid. Go Colonels!
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Yeah, but Alex Van Pelt. I work with a guy who played corner against Vince Young in high school. He admits that VY burned him pretty badly.
It's somewhat charitable to consider the NHL still part of the big four, and I like hockey more than base or basketball. I've seen ten or fifteen NHL games and one NBA game. Also some semipro hockey and college FB. I'd like to go to an NHL game in the next few seasons. I'm not sure how ugly they get - I was surprised at how chippy it got in the stands for SD - Sea on Sunday.
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A few years ago a group of soccer supporters went to a Caps game. Apparently the other hockey fans were quite annoyed and how they kept standing and cheering and whatnot. From this I gather one watches hockey while sitting quietly in the manner of an opera or Japanese wrestling.
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It's more the standing part. Caps fans are plenty loud, but the expectation is that you're sitting down until something big happens (i.e. a goal or a fight).
I had Caps season tickets for two years, during their LAST good phase (when they won two division titles and traded for Jaromir Jagr). Don't go all that often any more, but at least once a season. Been to a handful of NFL and NBA games. I actually think one is better off watching a football game at home, in terms of actually seeing what's going on in the game, not to mention not freezing your ass of in December and not having to pay $8 for a beer. But there is something about the overall spectacle of a live NFL game with 80,000 of your closest friends that makes it worth doing every once in a while.
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i ain't payin two hundred a seat to watch the falcons do anything.
growing up in ohio in the eighties, i got to see the reds post-machine and the bengals' one good season with boomer. the browns and indians were across the state so they were the enemy. still: reds? bengals? ugh. this is why i'm not so much a sports fan.
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I've seen a mess of MLB games at Shea and Citi and The Big A and Dodger Stadium, of course, and a few NFL games in Buffalo and that's really it in the terms of the major league games.
I doubt I could fit in the seats at Fenway and I doubt I could spend nine innings in fuck*ng Yankee Stadium without leaving on a fuck*ng stretcher.
I love the hell out of live minor league hockey, in person watching dudes from farms in Alberta just wailing on each other over and over again trying to get called up as an enforcer, but the NHL bores me... probably mostly because it is almost as bad of a television sport as soccer and since they're in the majors already, they don't fight nearly as much.
The NBA... eh. Eh. I just can't generate much more feeling about the NBA than "meh".
I did rush the field after the one Big East Championship 'Cuse won while McNabb was there, winning on a last-second touchdown. That was fun as hell.
I was bigger than a lot of the opposing team's players and a lot of them were crying, which was... weird.
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There used to be an ECHL team in the Maryland 'burbs (they since moved to Mississippi or someplace like that where they don't naturally have ice, ever). I organized a couple of group outings to their games with the promise "If there isn't a fight, I will personally refund the cost of your ticket." I never had to pay.
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I have seen an ECHL game. That was pretty fun, even though I no nothing about hockey.
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I was in Pittsburgh to play the Pitt Panthers and I broke curfew to have a cabby take me down to Three Rivers Stadium. There was no game or event that night so I scaled a fence or two and avoided the office side and...found myself the field. I ran around on what I thought was the TarTan (it was Astro by then)Turf and took pictures of my feet on the endzone logo until some dude yelled at me to get the hell out. I asked him which way was the quickest and he actually told me, and nice enough too. I asked him how often he had to boot someone and he said "Tonight?" which answered my question.
Did I ever tell y'all about the time I put a curse on the Buffalo Bills?
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I've seen maybe 100 Oilers games in person and at least that many Astros games. I've also seen the Rangers play a few times in Arlington and I saw St. Louis game once. I've seen a ton of Rockets games even though I like basketball the least of the big three sports.
Houston doesn't have a NHL team, but they had the Aeros back in the 70s with Gordie Howe and his two sons. Saw them play a bunch. I don't know what league they were in, but it wasn't the NHL. I remember they played against the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers before they joined the NHL. The Aeros folded instead of trying to join the NHL. My memory is foggy on this, but it seems like they had a season ticket drive and they had to sell some certain amount of season tickets to get into the NHL, maybe 8000 seats, and they failed. Anyway, I saw them play a few times, that was a lot of fun.
Now there is another Houston Aeros team which I saw play once with free tickets. I didn't enjoy it as much as I did when I was a kid.
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Houston doesn't have a NHL team, but they had the Aeros back in the 70s with Gordie Howe and his two sons. Saw them play a bunch. I don't know what league they were in, but it wasn't the NHL. I remember they played against the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers before they joined the NHL.
World Hockey Association. WHA.
(I love me some defunct sports team history.)
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I used to watch the Anchorage Aces play a lot. They actually played pretty good hockey. I missed the year of the NHL lockout, when Scotty Gomez came back and played with them. I've heard it was like watching an adult play against Pee-Wees.
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All I need to get a record of 3-1 is for Miami's Defense to score 54 fantasy points.
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Hell, the Giants probably scored that last night, yeah?
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Just out of curiousity, does anybody know what it means when a player's score is in blue and has an asterisk by it?
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It means that guy got points for something atypical of the position. A good example is if an offensive player makes a tackle after a turnover, he gets 1 point for that.
If you go to your matchup page, you should be able to click on the score for anyone who is so starred, and it'll tell you what the extra points came from.
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Dear The Eagles -
Do you think you could possibly wait to let your QB of record get killed in the fourth quarter next time? Thanks! XOXO
(And yes I know Vick did it himself, it's just... gah.)
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I'd just like to point out that Eli Manning's total of -3.75 fantasy points this week is the perfect example of how I hate quarterbacks who may look somewhat competent but do the little things that make them a big bag of team-dragging suck.
I know you played and all, but I ain't never see competence from Eli Manning.
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Ah, the "game manager".
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I got Roddy White on my fantasy team. His accomplishment in the SF game is a classic example of the inner conflict that besets fantasy players - what if one of your players has a career night against your favourite (RL) team?
On that topic, goddamnit Clements, how could you not cover the ball when you get hung up in traffic on an interception return? All you guys had to do was sit on it for 90 seconds and you would have won.
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It means that guy got points for something atypical of the position. A good example is if an offensive player makes a tackle after a turnover, he gets 1 point for that.
If you go to your matchup page, you should be able to click on the score for anyone who is so starred, and it'll tell you what the extra points came from.
Ah. Thank you, that makes perfect sense. I tried clicking on it on the "My Team" page and it just went back to My Team. Which wasn't helpful at all.
I had five of them to look at, so I was wondering what was up.
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I'd like to interject fuck Eli Manning.
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Also, some people don't know (or don't care) that the bye weeks have started.
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I'd like to interject fuck Eli Manning.
Why, the Chargers got rid of him in rare example of foresight. That should be a crown jewel in the GM's crown. (or head of player personnel - whatever).
Or is that more "grudge fuck"?
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Haters gonna hate.
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Tangentially related to a discussion of Eli Manning: Shawne Merriman has played his last game as a San Diego Charger.
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In my other league (also on Yahoo), I lost last week by 8 one-hundredths of a point. That's .08. What the fuck is that, half a yard? I blame Brett Favre.
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At this point, everything bad in football is Favre's fault. Fuck THAT guy.
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Seriously. Does Cort's insult generator have "dong photographer" on it? It should. If he hadn't fumbled handing off to Purple Jesus a couple times (I have AP on that team too), he'd have gained two more yards and I'd have won.
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Seriously. Does Cort's insult generator have "dong photographer" on it? It should. If he hadn't fumbled handing off to Purple Jesus a couple times (I have AP on that team too), he'd have gained two more yards and I'd have won.
The insult generator in question: http://i.imgur.com/V6ibh.jpg?ref=nf
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Truly, reality television is a "skank forger".
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Truly, reality television is a "skank forger".
Those aren't forged skanks, they're real skanks.
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Those aren't forged skanks, they're real skanks.
They've been smelted and forged. Possibly even tempered.
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But rarely sharpened.
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Certainly endrunkened, though.
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the fuck am i supposed to do with one defensive back on my team on a bye week.
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the fuck am i supposed to do with one defensive back on my team on a bye week.
Yeah, I hadn't anticipated how byes and individual defensive players would sort of cobble things up. Not a fan of that.
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the fuck am i supposed to do with one defensive back on my team on a bye week.
It's called "go pick up another one, and waive some deadweight lump." Doesn't have to be at the same position. You have Matt Leinart, for instance, jettison that loser.
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drop-forged full-tang skank
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drop-forged full-tang skank
No thanks on the skank tang, if it's all the same to you.
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It's called "go pick up another one, and waive some deadweight lump." Doesn't have to be at the same position. You have Matt Leinart, for instance, jettison that loser.
operative clarification emboldened. thanks for the tip.
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operative clarification emboldened. thanks for the tip.
Didn't realize you didn't know that. Sorry.
Still, I'm not sold on three different individual defensive positions with the small number of bench spots, especially with two actually DEF spots.
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Yeah, I kinda like either team defense or individual players, not both.
Also, I'm going to Colts-Redskins on Sunday night, which puts me in the old "do I root for the home team, or for my fantasy player?" conundrum. But it's free and I'll probably be drunk as shit, so whatever.
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You are actually attending the game? Root for Peyton to get Pollarded.
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of course matt cassel has a great day when i bench him for roethlisberger's return. of course.
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I'm losing to a guy whose record is 1-4 and is starting a WR on a bye. Granted, that WR plays for Carolina, so he's sort of always on a bye, but still.
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roethlisberger had as big a day as drew brees, but matt cassel had even more fantasy points than that. no telling what my other qb is going to do. didn't help that i had 2 (two!) players on MY team that were on THEIR benches. and not my bench.
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My opponent also started at least one guy on IR.
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niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice my other qb is vince young. of course he got hurt in the first quarter.
go autopilots!
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Yeah, the no-room-on-bench-for-defense-players thing kind of sucks, but I made a huge upgrade at LB this week. On the other hand, though, I dropped Justin Tuck the week before he and every other Giant DL got 3 sacks.
Also upon review of tonight's game, I kind of feel bad about having Chris Johnson and the Tennessee D. It felt like cheating.
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This may have been my worst week ever for playing fantasy football, and my first league had all its stats compiled longhand on legal pads.
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so i guess i have to hope for tony romo to get injured on like the first cowboys possession and justin tuck to get a bunch of penalties, plus ahmad bradshaw with a massive game tomorrow. clever trick there, august, with both defensive lines in the arizona/seattle game.
i *WILL* win at least one more matchup this season. the odds of me only having one win are super-low, aren't they?
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Why oh why can't I save some points from week to week? I have delivered unto Paul a major crushing (it helps that he left four players on the bye week in his starting lineup, but I doubt that would have mattered). I only need about 150 of these 250 points right now, would like to save the extra 100 for later pls.
Also, fuck the Denver Broncos.
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Why oh why can't I save some points from week to week? I have delivered unto Paul a major crushing (it helps that he left four players on the bye week in his starting lineup, but I doubt that would have mattered). I only need about 150 of these 250 points right now, would like to save the extra 100 for later pls.
Facing me is like a bye week. I've decided, as a sociological experiment to see how well my team does without making a single move all season. I'm observing and learning how to play the game.
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Facing me is like a bye week.
Great, so I lost to my bye week last week.
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clever trick there, august, with both defensive lines in the arizona/seattle game.
Yabbut your Washington defense scored the same alone as the two of them put together.
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Yabbut your Washington defense scored the same alone as the two of them put together.
Guess who had DeAngelo Hall and his 4 INTs in the line-up! Me (I did).
I was also the beneficiary of Darren McFadden's monster day, so I guess I shouldn't be too upset with Denver in that regard. But I made it through six weeks of the suicide pool only to pick Denver this week, so fuck them. (I bet a lot of people crashed & burned with the Saints this week, too.)
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I won a match?
Okay, I'll admit I haven't a clue how this works. Even after it was explained to me, I still can't figure out how to change my roster and the rules pages are as impenetrable as the bible and possible longer.
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I won a match?
Okay, I'll admit I haven't a clue how this works. Even after it was explained to me, I still can't figure out how to change my roster and the rules pages are as impenetrable as the bible and possible longer.
Indeed, you are 2-4, soon to be 2-5.
OK, let me try to 'splain this.
On your roster page, you have the active positions (QB, RB, team DEF, etc.) and six bench (BN) positions. If you are using the drag & drop interface, you drag the little blue box for the bench player and drop it on the box for the guy in the line-up you are replacing. These must be position for position; that is, you can only place your active QB with another QB. (The exception is the W/R/T position, which can be a WR, RB, or TE at your option.) The player you are replacing goes to your bench and is still in your possession.
Reasons for substituting: starting player is on a bye week, starting player is injured enough to miss a week (but not out for the season), you think the bench player has a better match-up.
Now, what if you need to sub out your QB but don't have a QB to replace him with? That's where waiver wire pickups come in. When you're looking at your roster page, up near the top is "Players: Add." That'll give you a list of all available players. You can use the "position" drop-down to filter on the position you're looking for, and the different columns to sort by stats ("Actual rankings" is useful, as are % owned, total fantasy points, and in some cases yards gained, receptions, what have you. The default ranking is "projected ranking" which is completely useless at this point in the season).
When you find the guy you want, click the green plus sign to pick him up, but then you will be asked who you want to let go. This does NOT have to match the position--you can pick up a QB, and drop any player you wish to make room for him. The player you drop will go back into the pool, and any other team can pick him up. So before you drop a guy, you'd best be sure you won't want him back later. Certain guys you are not allowed to cut; they tend to be the big stars (mine are Manning, Peterson, and Antonio Gates) so you don't want to drop them anyway.
All waiver wire claims are subject to the waiver wire pecking order from Monday to Wednesday. That is, if you try to pick up a guy on Monday or Tuesday, it won't be processed right away. If more than one team tries to claim the same guy, on Wednesday morning he'll go to whichever team has the better waiver order priority (which is visible in the standings table, but I have no idea how it's determined). From Wednesday through Sunday, it's open season, and whoever you pick up will go on your roster immediately.
Reasons for picking up a guy off the waiver wire: starting player is on the bye week and you have no one available on your bench. Starting player is injured and out for the season. You have realized the guy you have sucks and is irredeemable, and there has to be someone better out there. You have heard of some great new player who's come out of nowhere and you want to pick him up.
Does that help? Other questions?
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Yes, you've answered the big question. I thought the blue box was the active players and I didn't understand how to change that.
Edit: Okay, actually that didn't work for me. The only place it's allowing me to drag any player is into the "empty" spot and then it will only allow me to drag that player back to it's original spot. I'm doing something wrong obviously, but I have to go right now. I'll look at this when I get back home tonight.
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If Eli Manning and Brandon Jacobs can team up for more points than Lister's TE, I might win tonight. We're neck and neck in points at the moment - no thanks to Donovan McNabb's choke performance.
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I think you're pretty safe, Jay. Witten's best would be about a 10-12 point day, and between Manning and Jacobs you've easily got that covered as long as they are not actually dead*.
I just hope I lose by more than the 5 points I would've had if I'd noticed that Malcom Floyd was out this week.
*this can happen!
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And, checking on this after posting, I see that you're now ahead of me despite Manning's -2 points.
I might go watch this game just for the novelty of not being at work during it.
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Hooray! Tony Romo's collarbone is broken! My season is over!
Hoo fuck*ng ray!
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oh god i'm sorry august i didn't mean it i didn't know that would happen
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What's the big idea puttin' the hex on my QB? You some kinda ju-ju man?
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Edit: Okay, actually that didn't work for me. The only place it's allowing me to drag any player is into the "empty" spot and then it will only allow me to drag that player back to it's original spot. I'm doing something wrong obviously, but I have to go right now. I'll look at this when I get back home tonight.
If you are having trouble with the drag & drop interface, try the "classic" interface (there's radio buttons at the bottom of your roster for that). That will give each player a drop-down menu showing which positions he's eligible for.
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if i hexed him it'd be the first and only time it ever worked, and i didn't really want it to work THAT well :x
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I think you're pretty safe, Jay. Witten's best would be about a 10-12 point day, and between Manning and Jacobs you've easily got that covered as long as they are not actually dead*.
Eli has previously contributed negative points to my total, and Jacobs is splitting time with Bradshaw, so in my view this was far from a done deal. Combine that with the opening quarter to this game and I was watching my chances slip away. In a catch up game the RB gets few touches, and the QB takes sack after sack and throws high risk balls. Witten on the other hand is money in the bank. Had he not fumbled he would have been close to 18 points, and that was with Kitna throwing to him for most of the game.
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Which one of you poor fuckers has Randy Moss? Who do you want to see hire him?
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Randy Moss serves primarily as a way to get lesser receivers the ball - assuming he's in an offense that can actually get the ball to receivers.
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Well, right now he primarily serves french fries or some shit.
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randy moss's owner? yep, that would be me. (._. )
so, not like it matters, or anything. it isn't like he's on the do-not-drop list. huh? oh, he is? oh, okay then.
dude's been underperforming the whole season, regardless of team. yesterday projected 8.05 pts, reached 0.92. my qbs teamed up for 6.03 pts yesterday. team defenses? 10 pts combined. maybe the odds aren't against me finishing the season with a single win, i dunno. to win this week i need kevin walter to get over 62.8 points on his own. maybe next year i'll have a better chance.
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Oh holy crap. Serves me right for not reading the news this morning. Maybe the Raiders will pick him up.
(jaydub dies laughing)
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It was looking like I might just pull it off, and then Squab threw a TD. Oh well. Maybe the Colts will go with the popular "only field goals from here on out" option.
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It was looking like I might just pull it off, and then Squab threw a TD. Oh well. Maybe the Colts will go with the popular "only field goals from here on out" option.
I hadn't seen Monday Night Football since it moved to cable. Those announcers were hella annoying. I'm not exactly a big Texans fan, but I really didn't want to listen to them stroking Manning's cock for 3 hours.
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I call THESE GUYS the the bungees, because they make me want to jump off a bridge.
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to win this week i need kevin walter to get over 62.8 points on his own.
/me cuts
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Actually, I did. I noticed yesterday that Squab's pick damn near won it for me. Then I was worried when he threw his TD, and then Arian Foster (nice name) did come roaring back. Viniateri helped, too, but I wasn't expecting that what with Big Baby Head and all.
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Squab (boyo, I like that) turned the ball over and took enough sacks to net me less than three points.
I can't think of him with any other name now. I was watching the thing on tape delay last night while reading Touamb and read Paul's comment about stroking Manning's cock right as Gruden started lionizing him. It was one of those moments where I wanted to explain to my wife what I was laughing about - but the telling would require so much backstory that the funny wouldn't translate.
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Personally, I wouldn't mind more game sound and less booth chatter but I predict they better have some dude with a finger hovering over the cut button unless America is ready for some guy telling another dude he's gonna pluck his ears off and wipe his girlfriends pussy with them after the game.
I mean, just for an example.
Oh, totally. I was thinking about this a couple weeks ago. I frequently want to mute the sound because those fucks can be so irritating but I still want to hear the game. They should have like a separate channel for people who don't give a fuck what two or three schmoes have to say but still want to hear the crowd, coaches and players, and who don't mind, or in my case would totally love, some colorful language. I guess they couldn't get away with it on the major networks, but the cable and satellite companies could offer a package or something.
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Pats lose to Browns. You suppose that bugs Belichick more because he used to coach there?
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is this points lead of mine a trick or something. let's be realistic here.
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I've got a pretty snappy lead as well.
Seriously, though - how fuck*ng terrible is Dallas? I'm shocked.
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well remember romo is out with his collarbone (again, not my fault, i swear)
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I think it's possible for me to come back against the Autopilots, but depending on a WR, RB, and LB to beat a QB and a K by like 20 points is kind of a losing proposition.
And yeah, Dallas is exactly this bad. What scares me is the similarities to the Chargers.
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I think it's possible for me to come back against the Autopilots, but depending on a WR, RB, and LB to beat a QB and a K by like 20 points is kind of a losing proposition.
And yeah, Dallas is exactly this bad. What scares me is the similarities to the Chargers.
Oh no you di'int.
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yeah but remember lister, it's my autopilots you're up against. last week that qb and k combined for 5 points, your wr rb and lb combined for over 40. see? my points lead is a trick to give me undeserved confidence.
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I've got a pretty snappy lead as well.
Seriously, though - how fuck*ng terrible is Dallas? I'm shocked.
Thank God for Peyton Hillis.
Also, WTF, the Raiders are sorta kinda in contention?
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I am expecting the worst in every case right now. Even though I just looked up flights to Tempe.
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Thank God for Peyton Hillis.
Also, WTF, the Raiders are sorta kinda in contention?
After all the talking heads shitting on the AFC West, it would be funny if it was a dogfight to the very end.
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This is why things are going so swimmingly for the Bolts:
In his first eight years as Charger special-teams coach, Steve Crosby had one long snapper for the 128 games he coached: David Binn. In the first six games of this year, Crosby had five. Detailing them:
Week 1 -- David Binn. Placed on IR after one game (hamstring).
Week 1 -- James Dearth Placed on IR after two days in camp (broken foot).
Weeks 2-3 -- Ryan Neill. Placed on IR after two games (knee).
Weeks 4-5 -- Ethan Albright. Released. "He was 40 years old,'' said Crosby; 39, actually.
Weeks 6-9 -- Mike Windt Active for four games.
I asked Crosby how Dearth got hurt. "Damned if I know,'' he said. "He was at practice, his foot hurt, he got it examined, and it was broken.''
The Chargers, 4-5, have allowed touchdowns on punt and kickoff returns, have had a kicker injured slipping on artificial turf indoors, have had four punts blocked and a fifth (Sunday at Houston) deflected, and, arguably, have lost four games this year directly attributable to special-teams gaffes.
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Week 1 -- David Binn. Placed on IR after one game (hamstring).
IR for a hamstring? What, did a marauding Visigoth slash it with an axe? Admittedly for a guy who needs to fire the ball 8 yards back between his legs and straighten up in an instant to block, healthy hamstrings are vital.
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All I really know about David Binn is that he played in the Super Bowl for the Chargers (remember that?) so he's been on the team for-fuck*ng-ever. His hamstring probably just got old. He also dated Pam Anderson, so maybe that contributed.
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fuckin nailbiter ain't it lister
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Man my team got sideways this week.
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i don't even know your team's name. and of course, my 20pt lead was completely washed away. no second victory for me.
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fuckin nailbiter ain't it lister
I just got home from work. Tough beat, man.
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My team is, as always, the Venomous Monkeys.
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Well, my team is going well. This has come to be my "real" team, and the other league I'm in my "afterthought" team. That team had two players go to "doubtful" and not play, and I didn't bother to log in and check Sunday morning. So of course I lost by 15 points.
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I'm doing better in this league than my other one. In my other one, I keep putting TO on the bench when he decides to play, even though I felt so smart for snapping him up when nobody wanted him. He's only the #3 WR in history, riding the pine.
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I was recently had a conversation about The Texans (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmcd9/5093173321/). I said "hey, remember a couple of weeks ago when everybody thought the Texans were really good?" Sheepishly "yeah, I sorta remember that."
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Texans are ok. They still have the RB of the year. It's just that SD is finally getting up on step.
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Man my team got sideways this week.
? sideways sounds bad, but you got like the 3rd higest points you've had all season. sideways = good now?
I'm doing better in this league than my other one.
fuck i hope so, seven-and-two.
what kills me is that i'm in 8th place in both pts for and pts against, but 10th in win/loss. four of my games have been relatively close, four have been blowouts, and the only one i won is against whoever's "buck naked." who is that?
just so i'm set on everything, this is the last week for trades, and then we have seven more weeks of just bench-juggling?
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I should have clarified that we got sideways on someone else, as opposed to the other way around.
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As a bonus, I had quite forgotten about this great penalty call (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xag52o_ben-dreith-best-referee-announcemen_sport).
Also, I know I've shared this here, but it's always good to remember that Jim Rome is a douche (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HNgqQVHI_8).
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Jim Rome defines smarm.
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Phil Hendrie's Jim Rome impression was fuck*ng amazing.
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Phil Hendrie's Jim Rome impression was fuck*ng amazing.
Is this available for the home viewer that you know of? I would like to partake in this.
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Well that (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-bills-merriman) didn't last long.
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Get that man some HGH, stat.
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I give Merriman 5 years post-retirement to be taken for all of his savings by some dubious "investment."
What I'm saying is I don't think the man is very bright. I base this on his "I won't get ACL surgery" decision, his "I will take banned substances" decision, and his "I will let Tila Tequila in my house" decision.
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I read recently that 75% of all NFL players are broke or have serious financial difficulties within three years of retirement.
Basically Merriman would do good if he lasts five years.
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I thought I was in good shape going into Sunday night, then I realized my opponent still had Tom Brady going. And Mr. Brady proceeded to go OFF with four TDs. Peyton Manning, on the other hand, pretty well did nothing. So it goes.
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now i know what it must feel like to be the detroit lions
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I thought I was being attentive by picking up Pennington since Henne got benched and he was my bye week fill in for Brees.
Then Pennington got hurt after two throws and 19 yards.
Henne filled back in and had a nice game.
Then Henne got hurt too. Tyler Thigpen finished the game.
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After this week there will be no Flippers at my QB slot, I tell you what.
Insert "hanging Chad" joke here...
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I thought I was being attentive by picking up Pennington since Henne got benched and he was my bye week fill in for Brees.
Then Pennington got hurt after two throws and 19 yards.
Henne filled back in and had a nice game.
I did that with the Lions (King vs. Stanton), so you can see how much I know. The bad thing is that I won some games going to King this year.
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Why is Yahoo telling me to drop my PK? As far as I can tell, he's doing fine; apparently some couple-thousand fantasy teams dropped him today.
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Why is Yahoo telling me to drop my PK? As far as I can tell, he's doing fine; apparently some couple-thousand fantasy teams dropped him today.
Is it that poor fucker who missed three last night? They're probably anticipating him getting the hook.
Edit: One reason why things are tight for me this week
Cribbs, who dislocated all of the toes on his right foot except for his big toe Sunday, might be ready for Week 11's game in Jacksonville, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
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I didn't have the stomach to sit through my DVR recording of Dallas whipping the Giants, but the box score shows him making both of the attempts he was put on the field for.
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I didn't have the stomach to sit through my DVR recording of Dallas whipping the Giants, but the box score shows him making both of the attempts he was put on the field for.
Nah, I thought you were talking about Nick Folk for the Jets. (Or, as my lovely and genteel wife has taken to calling him, Dick Fuck.)
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Ye gods, 58 FP for that Vick character.
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Nick Folk was money for me last year. Dallas couldn't finish drives, so he was kicking field goals left and right. Now I guess its wide left and wide right.
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I wish I had the Bears defense this week. The sky is the limit against Tyler Thigpen.
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Surprise, surprise. My opponent did indeed have the Bears defense, and as such enjoys a move into first place. Congrats, Lister.
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Today's bad decision: Starting the Rams' Defense and resting the Bucs'
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welp, this was my best week ever. from last to tied for last. at least i broke my streak of six losses.
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none for myself nor for paul, our matchup is done
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I don't have anyone either.
In my family league I'm going up against my middle brother (in first place). I'm up by 37 and he has Denver's kicker. Ha ha (/Nelson).
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And, for your moment of NFL history, there's this guy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwq7BYOnDrM).
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And, for your moment of NFL history, there's this guy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwq7BYOnDrM).
That reminds me. I need to get a flu shot.
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Man knows how to throw a punch. Wonder what Rapey said to him.
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And, for your moment of NFL history, there's this guy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwq7BYOnDrM).
He had a nice chat with Allen Iverson. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6Tn0L0t4rQ)
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Damnit, I was supposed to start Deion Branch in place of Percy Harvin and got distracted by Thanksgiving. Hope Harvin scores more than 24.
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Hey, I'm shocked that Merriman is on IR and out for the season.
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Also, so you say McDaniels used to work for Belichick (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Broncos-McDaniels-fined-100K-total-for-illegal?urn=nfl-289649)?
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I hate the freakin' "Questionable" injury status. Antonio Gates is gonna cost me another one.
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Manninglicious. That guy can't play us for some reason.
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Agk, I hate game-day decisions on players who play on Sunday night. Got nothing from Malcom Floyd and didn't find out he was out until it was too late to sub for him.
It was a brief, but sweet run at the top of the league.
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I hate the freakin' "Questionable" injury status. Antonio Gates is gonna cost me another one.
Right. Antonio Gates.
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Manninglicious. That guy can't play us for some reason.
That was the opposite of the Monday night game a few weeks back (http://touamb.com/index.php/topic,5738.msg162811.html#msg162811). You'd think the strategy the Chargers defense was using (hit the quarterback on every play) would be a "no-duh", but I'm pretty sure everyone tries that. Why did the Chargers succeed where others fail? Towards the end of the game, Manning was looking like a deer in the headlights - flinching and throwing wildly. Amazing.
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I liked the little bit they were showing with Peyton flinching before the hammer comes down (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm17QlAt3Vk).
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I'll not tempt the Fates by gloating overmuch, but there was no way I was thinking I'd escape with a win holding a 10 point lead with Patrick Willis and Larry Fitzgerald up. Gotta love the Niners' running game.
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Right. Antonio Gates.
Yeah, at 250-108 I can't exactly pin this one on one guy, can I. Hellooooooooo .500!
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Careful with Vince Jackson there, Mayor - I think he got hurt in practice.
In my other league, I have Frank Gore, and it says he's undroppable, with a broken hip. Hopefully that will change.
Also, I appear to be beginning a late-season swoon.
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who's "Buck Naked" again? looks like i might have a third win this season if he leaves stafford and two IR players on his roster.
maybe i shouldn't say anything.
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I believe Vincent Jackson got hurt during the first series. So technically, he did play, but put up a nice big goose egg. Yay!
Yeah, it sometimes takes them a day or two to change "can't cut" status on a guy with a season-ending injury, but they'll get to it.
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Buck's team has been a zombie for a few weeks. I padded my wins in wk11 against a roster with 3 inactives.
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In my other league, I have Frank Gore, and it says he's undroppable, with a broken hip. Hopefully that will change.
Yeah, tell me about it.
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In my other league, I have Frank Gore, and it says he's undroppable, with a broken hip. Hopefully that will change.
He's on IR now.
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Yep, and also on the scrap heap.
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Yep, and also on the scrap heap.
Yeah, I just went ahead swapped him for Westbrook.
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I got Tolbert for him. I'm such a homer.
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I got Tolbert for him. I'm such a homer.
So'm I. That's why I've got Justin Smith for DL. Tolbert makes sense though. Chargers have a good running game and use it quite a bit. If they can get ahead in the score they'll grind the game down with runs.
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Did we cover A. Johnson's beat down of Finnegan? That's been a subject of much derision around the water cooler here. How many folks in the NFL do you think would pay $25k and no suspension to punch ol' Cort multiple times?
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I got Tolbert for him. I'm such a homer.
I already had Tolbert.
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Also used to be the long ball guys (WRs and DBs both) were pretty much the only players who talked real obvious shit, and then only if they were good. Finnegan isn't that great (yeah, yeah, pro-bowler, but not really) and it looks to me like he got his mouth shut for him.
However, I think the league made a mistake not suspending them both. I'm not convinced the NFL handles this kind of stuff (violence between players) very well. They don't really have the institutionalized, unwritten rules that the NHL has.
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Did we cover A. Johnson's beat down of Finnegan? That's been a subject of much derision around the water cooler here. How many folks in the NFL do you think would pay $25k and no suspension to punch ol' Cort multiple times?
From a Houston sports columnist:
"Text from NFL player: If Dre passed a hat around the league, he could pay his fine and have money left over for a new car."
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I wonder what will happen next time Finnegan decides to step to one of these WRs that has 5" and 40 lbs on him.
"$25k? Don't mind if I do!"
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Damn, picked up Quintin Mikell just for today's game, but Yahoo already froze him to the bench. I had at least 5mins to kickoff!
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Bad day to start Eli and bench Brandon Jacobs :/
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fuck me in the eye, i'm barely beating the zombie with five zero-point players
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I don't remember which league it was, but I got beat by a zombie player this year too. I manage to do it once a year.
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GODDAMNIT. GOD DAMN IT.
edit: /me shoots his tv
my qb gets sacked twice and int'd once in the first half. my zombie matchup opponent has the defense that's done this. HE HAS FIVE PLAYERS THAT DIDN'T PLAY. and he's now got 21 points on me, with another half to go. how many points can benjarvusgreenellis score tomorrow? like eighty?
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I was playing against a zombie, too, and as a bonus it had Favre.
Who is Terror Mosque, anyway?
Edit: The Terror Mosque was Paul.
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i don't know what happened here but i'm back in the lead for now
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My two QB's combined for -5 points this week. Thanks guys!
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i don't know what happened here but i'm back in the lead for now
let's just say my 7 game win streak is looking shaky, unless Sanchez thows 5 TDs to the tight end and LT gets lost on the way to the stadium.
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I'm sorry I'm a zombie. I never could figure out how to maneuver players and kinda got frustrated and gave up. I promise I'll do something this week.
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Broncos paying three head coaches simultaneously (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-broncos-mcdanielsfired).
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Shanahan, McDaniels, and the new guy? How long are they going to be paying Shanahan for?
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Shanahan, McDaniels, and the new guy? How long are they going to be paying Shanahan for?
Maybe longer than the Redskins end up paying him!
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Two weeks to go in the regular season. No playoff spots locked up yet. Buck Naked, Atlanta Autopilots, and Terror Mosque are all out of playoff contention. Seven teams battling for four spots.
The Lab Rats, Venemous Monkeys, and the Habeneros are all in good shape at 9-4. They can all clinch playoff spots with a win.
A Dude's Stew is holding down the #4 spot at 8-5, and control their own destiny. Win out and they're in.
Banana Town, Space Fuzz, and Teen Girl Squad are all on the outside at 7-6. They need to win and get help.
Banana Town vs. Lab Rats and Space Fuzz vs. Habeneros are therefore big matchups this week.
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I'm not going to go back and check the numbers. I know Weis sucked at Notre Dame, and Mangini's been uneven, but McDaniels started ok. Of course, Belichick Started shitty at Cleveland and didn't do great for the Jets. One problem is that all coaches at any level (ie coordinators) seem to think they can be head coaches, either at prestigious FB schools or in the NFL, and that may not be the case.
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This humble pie tastes like a car tire and it goes down like peanut butter, that’s how it feels. Sunday can’t come soon enough.
Sione Pouha (http://www.nfl.com/players/sionepouha/profile?id=POU433355) majored in behavior science at Utah. I would have thought such an expressive phrase (although a somewhat scarmbled mataphor) would have come from an English major. Fun facts: He did his LDS mission in Pittsburgh, and created a beverage marketed (online and in California) as a "relaxation drink"
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Sione Pouha (http://www.nfl.com/players/sionepouha/profile?id=POU433355) majored in behavior science at Utah. I would have thought such an expressive phrase (although a somewhat scarmbled mataphor) would have come from an English major. Fun facts: He did his LDS mission in Pittsburgh, and created a beverage marketed (online and in California) as a "relaxation drink"
It didn't get much better for Sione and crew today. Sanchez earned me -9.3 points. I guess the questions about his effectiveness are going to get some new legs.
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God damn it, Rogers, if you're going to be a hero and not slide, at least do it in the fourth quarter.
Also: Holy crap, the metrodome roof (http://imgnook.com/mcxo.gif). (Warning - 7 Mb .gif)
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So, does that make it easier for them to get the new stadium they've been wanting?
[or send them out here to LA if not?]
lol rite
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OK, so long as the SIX guys I have going tonight don't collectively put up negative points, I'll have a W and still be in this thing.
Normally I would post something elaborating on what fantasy matchups hinge on the Monday night game, but with TWO games tonight, there's too much. So we'll review tomorrow after the dust settles.
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i know i'm completely out of the running, but i was really surprised at how close our matchup was this week nabu. stupid matt cassell getting hurt means i trade for a kyoobee who posts negative 7. thanks, matt
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Squab!
After that 4th Q comeback, that was one hell of an egg to lay.
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Your TOUAMB league review going into the final week of the season:
The Venomous Monkeys and Habaneros won this week to secure playoff spots. Jockeying for seeding still remains.
The Lab Rats lost, A Dude's Stew won, they're both 9-5. They can each clinch a berth with a win (or losses by both 8-6 teams, see below).
Banana Town and Teen Girl Squad both won to get to 8-6. They need to win this week, have either or both of the 9-5 teams lose, and then prevail on total points. TGS is about 400 points back of all three of the other teams, though, so they may be SOL regardless.
Space Fuzz lost to drop to 7-7, and they are mathematically eliminorted. Sorry, Egg Man.
Key games this week, then:
Banana Town vs. Habaneros, who hopefully will rest their starters like the Colts do.
Lab Rats vs. TGS
A Dude's Stew vs. Autopilots, which should be a win for the Stew, but stranger things have happened.
Good luck, all.
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ouch, mayor
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ouch, mayor
Don't get me wrong, I'll be rooting for you more than anybody, but you are 3-11.
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you want to help then give me a good qb
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Trades are over as of 2 weeks ago. Watch the waiver wire for drops and see if you can find some good matchups for whatever's available week to week.
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Sans Diego and Francisco play today at Qualcomm. The Chargers are 7-6, and the '9ers are 5-8. The teams are one game out of first place in their respective divisions.
That . . . is not good.
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Turner looks like the poster boy for death by hypertensive crisis.
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Round our house we call him Craggle Rock.
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Sans Diego and Francisco play today at Qualcomm. The Chargers are 7-6, and the '9ers are 5-8. The teams are one game out of first place in their respective divisions.
That . . . is not good.
Love Rich Eisen trying (not very hard) to sell it that this game is worth watching to anyone other than die-hard fans. Dude, when a 5-8 team is one game out of first, that's fuck*ng awful, and you shouldn't be showing the game. This kinda shit almost makes me feel like they should adopt the seeding thing. NFC West shouldn't send a team to the playoffs this year. Sorry, fuckers - you suck!
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and turn the nfl into the bcs?
how about different divisions all equal size realigned every year with names like division eight or eisenhower division
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fuck*ng Vincent Jackson. Worthless for two weeks, so I put you on the bench, and THEN you catch three touchdowns.
Oh, and Antonio Gates didn't play. I am so screwed.
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and turn the nfl into the bcs?
how about different divisions all equal size realigned every year with names like division eight or eisenhower division
No, the NFL is sort of like the BCS now - all AQ divisions, and the playoffs have to take a team from each one, no matter how bad they actually are.
ACC & Big East? Sure you get a bowl game! You all suck? No problem. = NFC West? Sure you send a team to the playoffs!
They ought to have lower leagues. I'll admit my ignorance of it, but my understanding is that in the UK, or perhaps all of Europe, if your team sucks they don't get to play with the big boys anymore. That would increase the sting a bit. Of course, heads would roll way more often than they do know, and of course the owners would never go for it. But that would be glorious. You win 2 games or less? You are non-competitive. Go to the 'B' league.
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No, the NFL is sort of like the BCS now - all AQ divisions, and the playoffs have to take a team from each one, no matter how bad they actually are.
ACC & Big East? Sure you get a bowl game! You all suck? No problem. = NFC West? Sure you send a team to the playoffs!
They ought to have lower leagues. I'll admit my ignorance of it, but my understanding is that in the UK, or perhaps all of Europe, if your team sucks they don't get to play with the big boys anymore. That would increase the sting a bit. Of course, heads would roll way more often than they do know, and of course the owners would never go for it. But that would be glorious. You win 2 games or less? You are non-competitive. Go to the 'B' league.
I believe you mean relegation. It could work in MLB. The bottom two MLB teams would be demoted to AAA at the end of the season, while the top two AAA teams would be promoted to the majors. The same would happen between AAA and AA and so on.
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I believe you mean relegation. It could work in MLB. The bottom two MLB teams would be demoted to AAA at the end of the season, while the top two AAA teams would be promoted to the majors. The same would happen between AAA and AA and so on.
They would just have to blow up the whole minor league affiliation to big-league teams thing first, and make every team in the country an independent entity. No problem!
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I believe you mean relegation. It could work in MLB. The bottom two MLB teams would be demoted to AAA at the end of the season, while the top two AAA teams would be promoted to the majors. The same would happen between AAA and AA and so on.
Yeah, that's it. They should take the Panthers and make them an Arena League team.
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So the Chargers were without Gates, Crayton, and Floyd yesterday. Three of their top four receivers. They kept talking about how Rivers has thrown to 17 different receivers this year, and I'm thinking yeah, little dinks and dunks, some guys who who targeted twice, whatever. But 11 of them are in double-digits for receptions, and 10 of them have scored. In contrast: New England - 12 players, 6 double-digits, 6 scored. Atlanta - 13 players, 8 double-digits, 9 scored. If the Pats had a game and Welker, Branch and Gronkowski were out, would they be worried?
I guess the whole thing is skewed because their leader from last year just came back, and maybe I'm talking myself into something, but they did look pretty good yesterday.
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Recently they keep talking about what a good head coach/attractive head coaching candidate Ron Rivera is.
Guess what, fuckheads? The only reason the Chargers do so well is that Norv is a good off. coordinator and Rivera is a good def. coordinator. They should have both those guys, and then have an actual head coach. Why is it so hard for people to understand that just because someone is a good coordinator does not necessarily make them a good head coach? Cam Cameron, anyone? Turner? Wade? McDaniels? There is no end to this list. Weis? If Rivera leaves this year and is a bust at head coach I am going to be pissed.
Not everyone can do every job.
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On a happier note, McNabb has been benched for Grossman. Ha ha, enjoy your firing, Shanny!
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Playoff Machine (http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/machine)!
Not related to George Michael's Sports Machine. Well, related, I guess. Have fun! Although they keep saying the Bolts have a good chance, they sure didn't seem to be in it with many of the scenarios I plugged in.
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They would just have to blow up the whole minor league affiliation to big-league teams thing first, and make every team in the country an independent entity. No problem!
They're not now?
Playoff Machine (http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/machine)!
Not related to George Michael's Sports Machine. Well, related, I guess. Have fun! Although they keep saying the Bolts have a good chance, they sure didn't seem to be in it with many of the scenarios I plugged in.
Wait, so people outside of DC have heard of George Michael's Sports Machine? Man, that show was popular considering it aired at like 12:30am Monday morning or something.
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It was syndicated, I think. I used to watch it.
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I sure remember the Sports Machine. I also remember the disappointment when I realized that it was all a prop and he only pushed one button.
Also relevant: SNL's skit - the George F. Will Sports Machine.
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Huh. I always though George Michael was just a local sports dude with a 2nd TV show other than the news. Like Gordon Peterson with Inside Washington but with sports instead of congress.
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I thought he was the lead singer to Wham!
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I loved the damn Sports Machine.
It was, like, 11:30PM Sundays on the Utica NBC.
It was made obsolete by Sportscentre in the same way that Weekend Update has been made unnecessary by The Daily Show (seriously, SNL, let it go) but...
In its time, I loved the fuckin' Sports Machine.
I distinctly remember them making a video called "The Mookie Mash" to the tune of "The Monster Mash" when Mookie Wilson went on a brief home run tear upon being traded to the Jays.
And you can't get much more up my alley than a parody of a novelty song about Mookie Wilson.
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I watched it every week up in Alaska. Of course, we didn't have cable and there wasn't an internet, must have been the mid-80s or so . . . basically George Michael was the only place to get what he provided.
Two movies, 8 Seconds and The Rookie, were inspired by stories featured on The Sports Machine. Michael made a cameo appearance in the former, as well as in The Silence of the Lambs and Tin Cup. The Sports Machine was also featured in There's Something About Mary.
I may not be paying close enough attention in general. I did not realize he was in Silence of the Lambs. Did everyone else know all of these things?
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They're not now?
Well, they're typically independent as business entities, but the big league club supplies the players. The Nats will call players up from their triple-A affiliate at Syracuse throughout the season as players on the big league club get hurt or play shitty or whatever. Occasionally from the double-A team in Harrisburg if someone's ready for a big jump. Then you have high-A Potomac, low-A Hagerstown, the short-season NY-Penn league team, and the rookie league team in Florida. It's like a big ladder that young guys have to work their way up after being drafted.
So if you blew up the affiliation system, and every single minor league team in the country was on their own in terms of acquiring players... that would be a freakin' mess.
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The New York - Penn League is where my internet name comes from, in fact.
There are a few independent minor leagues, actually, but it is much harder to actually work your way into the majors through them.
Even if you get plucked out of the independent leagues, it usually just puts you into the higher affiliated minors to work your way through that again.
The progression through the affiliated minors (Rookie leagues - shortseason A - fullseason A - AA - AAA - majors) is generally the way to go.
In the low minors, even into the Eighties there were very rarely teams that are independent for one year or two while they were looking for affiliation if they were profitable enough to survive without an affiliation for a time but even then, they generally field teams of players contracted into major league systems that were just loaned to them for the season. It is almost unheard of these days, though.
Also, these days it is common for the major league team to own one or two of its minor league teams outright, generally a low-minors team that is geographically close to the parent club, for the purposes of cross-promotion and for ease of using the minor league teams for rehabilitation assignments for returning major leaguers from injury.
If your major league star needs to play in four or five games to get back into playing shape, why not own the single-A team an hour away from your city and keep the profits from the increased attendance to see the major league player in the minor league park, you know? Why not keep the profits from locals who don't wanna pay major league prices but wanna see pro baseball?
The Mets do this by owning their Brooklyn shortseason-A team, the Yankees do this with their Staten Island team, I think that the Red Sox own their Lowell, Mass team... I think that the Angels might own their Rancho Cucamonga team... and so on like that.
It is a little bit cynical but it maximizes the profits associated to owning a functional monopoly on high-level professional baseball.
I personally believe they're slitting their own throats because part of what developed baseball fans in smaller markets was minor league baseball in more rural markets but... I'm just Cassandra on this topic.
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Baseball would NEVER sacrifice long-term health for short-term profit. That's just crazy talk. It'd be like starting World Series games at 9 PM, having 5-day stretches with no games during the playoffs, or focusing their national coverage on two teams that in the same division so no one's familiar with other teams.
Also, Favre is playing. WTF.
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Also, Favre is playing. WTF.
Not for long. Ouch.
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Atlanta Autopilots 160.38
A Dude's Stew 159.58
(lol?)
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Is anyone else rooting HARD for a team to make the playoffs outta the NFC West with a losing record?
Am I the only sick fuck who has always wanted to see this?
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End regular season. Lister's Lab Rats won to clinch third place. A Dude's Stew lost, but back into the playoffs anyway as both Banana Town and Space Fuzz fall.
Your semi-finals, then:
Venomous Monkeys (Nabu) vs. A Dude's Stew (Asherdan)
Habaneros (jaydub) vs. Lister's Lab Rats (Lister)
There's also the consolation bracket for 5-8, but really, who gives a shit?
Good luck evry'buddy.
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Is anyone else rooting HARD for a team to make the playoffs outta the NFC West with a losing record?
Am I the only sick fuck who has always wanted to see this?
Nope. Me too. I want to see an 11-5 team have to go on the road to play a 7-9 team, and just brutalize them in from of the hometown fans.
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wait am i in the running for fifth place? how the eff did that happen. i mean, i'm happy i'm not in last place any more, but really? fighting for fifth? wow.
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Hell, I want to see a 7-9 team go on a tear and get to the Super Bowl, if not win it outright. Just so we can have absolute media spasms about how the NFL playoff system is broken and how to fix it.
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And we can hear, again, how the Oakland Raiders won it all as a wild card team.
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Ryan Leaf to pen three autobiographies (http://www.kfbb.com/sports/local/CMRs-Leaf-to-pen-autobiography-112212124.html).
Maybe, Ryan, that could be just one book. Or, better, a pamphlet. Or, better still, some graffiti on the back of the Great Falls bus station.
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A law in all pro sports where if you don't have a winning percentage over .500, your playoff spot is vacated and the playoffs are re-seeded accordingly would be AWESOME.
Of course, I'm the guy who believes that baseball, hockey and baseball all need to contract to 24 teams and the NFL expand to 40 teams.
I got weird ideas.
But I'd be an INTERESTING Commissioner of All Sports, anyway.
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My radical idea to fix the NBA: The first three quarters of most NBA games are complete bullshit, right? It's played at half- to three-quarter speed, and then in the fourth they finally get serious. My idea: instead of a single, four-quarter game, play a best of five set where each game is 12 minutes. Like a volleyball match. (OT of each individual game would only be one, maybe two minutes.) W-L in the standings would be based on sets, while individual game records would be the first tiebreaker.
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Oh man.
I guess that the free-throw-shooting-contests at the end of all NBA and major college basketball games bore me so much that I reflexively didn't write it.
If there was some way to have that not happen, I could enjoy basketball a LOT more.
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Is anyone else rooting HARD for a team to make the playoffs outta the NFC West with a losing record?
Well, yeah - but I'm a Niner's fan so the record weirdness isn't my principal reason.
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So, anyone have Arizona's defense this week?
Merry Christmas! Kitna wants 30,000 passing yard before he retires and he's whipping the damn thing everywhere.
Pick-sixes for everyone!
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Kitna is going to be just the most garbagey QB in a list of good ones. 4 sacks and two pick-sixes in like 20 minutes.
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Also, when you only have one good player on your team, you should try to get the ball to him.
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i had arizona's d but dropped them and picked up tampa, wish i'd done so a few weeks ago. sure i might not have a chance at winning the league but damned if imma quit just because of that
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No need for me to pull for the Raiders next week, so that's a relief.
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Eliminated by the Bengals. Apt for this season, though. In fake internet football news, it's a real shame that a D that produced 4 points would've been my best choice this week. I'm still hoping for a bailout game by Vick on Tuesday now.
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I am not as much into football as you all are?
But the Terri-Bowl between two teams with losing records for the NFC West next week just continues to amuse me.
Oh man.
Oh man.
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I'm curious to see if Norval suffers the ax. I am sort of leaning toward it happening, but I'm wondering how the lockout will affect things. Do you want to pay your lame duck coach to dick around for an extra year, not actually coaching games? Or do you want to get the guy of the future in and have him have an extra year to build your program? I'm not sure how much more time Norval has on his contract, though.
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Thought for the day: According to Steve Young's wiki page, he will continue receiving large payments until 2027 from the annuity purchased for him by the USFL's Los Angeles Express.
The league ceased operations in 1986 after losing most of its claims in an antitrust suit against the NFL. As of 2010, Young continues to receive his annuity. Payments started at $200,000 per year in 1990 and will continue to increase annually. In 2027, the final year of the contract, Young will receive $3.173 million.[1]
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That'll buy a whole lot of...
Special Mormon underwear.
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The Texans have been finding interesting ways to lose each week. They have been starting slow and playing catch up only to lose it at the end. Today they got out to a quick start and then died in the second half and lost it at the end. Very entertaining games every week.
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Thanks to the uncharacteristically wussy people of Philadelphia, the semi-finals will be strung out until Tuesday.
The Monkeys are 16 up on the Stew. The Stew is still very much alive, with three players still to go, not least of all Drew Brees. The Monkeys have just one defensive player left, and if I were Nabu I'd be very nervous about this.
The Habaneros are 37 up on the Lab Rats, which is a wider cushion, but still not safe. Lister has three players left, jaydub two. This one could very well come down to what Michael Vick does for Lister and the Eagles on Tuesday afternoon.
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Yeah, my whole week did not go well.
Who the fuck is signing those checks for Steve Young?
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Who the fuck is signing those checks for Steve Young?
An insurance company.
My darling daughter already has me beat and she has SIX players left.
I suck.
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I can't imagine what the premiums would be to underwrite any portion of a company in competition with the NFL - although I guess they must have figured that football is popular enough that the pie is big enough to share? Plus this was 25 years ago or so. Just seems like you've got to know that's going to be a rough go.
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I can't imagine what the premiums would be to underwrite any portion of a company in competition with the NFL - although I guess they must have figured that football is popular enough that the pie is big enough to share? Plus this was 25 years ago or so. Just seems like you've got to know that's going to be a rough go.
No, it was an annuity. The USFL (or whatever team owner it was) paid some insurance company a lump sum 25 years ago, equal to the present value of the stream of payments he has received and will continue to receive until 2027. Well, not equal exactly because the insurance company needs to make a profit on the deal.
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Herschel Walker beat the Express on a late TD run [/size]
Herschel Walker Cuyler Them Dogs Is Hell Don't They (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7RT5M44AVM)
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SQUIDBILLIES FOR THE BLOCK!
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Here's an item relevant to our Lambeau Leap discussion. Apparently it's a thing the league typically turns a blind eye to, but don't overdo it.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Video-Chiefs-get-penalized-for-overdoing-the-La?urn=nfl-300605
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That's awesome. "Only one man is permitted to jump into the stands."
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That's still not as bad as the "All Football Games Must Be Delayed On Flimsy Pretenses If It Increases The Chances of Favre Playing A Marquee Television Game" rule.
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The Habaneros are 37 up on the Lab Rats, which is a wider cushion, but still not safe. Lister has three players left, jaydub two. This one could very well come down to what Michael Vick does for Lister and the Eagles on Tuesday afternoon.
The gap widened a bit with the Monday Night game. Lister's Saints players did exactly squat, while Roddy White turned in a pretty good performance for a guy listed as "Questionable" on the injury report. Tomorrow I see if my lead plus the contributions of Quintin Mikels (sp?) is enough to hold off Michael Vick.
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Right, not even Michael Vick can score 44 points, right? Except when he put up 58 on the Redskins in November.
In the other semi-final, Brees and Moore weren't exactly spectacular, but good enough to give the Stew a 5-point lead on the Monkeys. Asherdan has Vikings' tight end Visanthe "how did it look?" (http://deadspin.com/5104415/visanthe-shiancoe-becomes-a-big-bright-shining-star) Shiancoe going this afternoon, while Nabu has Vikings D-lineman Jared Allen. Were I betting on this, my money's on the Stew, but stranger things have happened.
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Yeah, I'd have been better off if Brees hadn't thrown that TD there towards the end. I wouldn't want all my eggs in a TE's basket (sorry about reinforcing the image of Shiancoe's basket for y'all) but then again Jared Allen won't be catching Vick, so it's almost certainly over for me.
I went into the postseason in first place in both my leagues, and I'm fixing to get knocked out in the first round in both of them. Maybe I should have rested my starters. I do have Vick in my other league, but I'm down like 50, so I don't know.
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Former Fighting Irish player Dan Quinn's Wiki page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Quinn_(fighter)). Didn't know where else to put this. I especially like:
While attending the school, he was involved in a bitter feud with evil Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz and genetic miscreant starter, Frank Stamms. Quinn alleged that Holtz assaulted players, engaged in illegal point shaving by not allowing him more time on the field to make "spectacular fuck*ng plays."
and
Quinn went on hiatus from MMA for four years, during which time he discovered the secret of cold fusion with stevia, the violin and prison, all in that order.
Solid work, Mr. Quinn.
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Oh man. That didn't turn out very well. I recorded the game but I don't think I want to watch it.
While there's a long list of woulda-coulda-shoulda's, apparently T.O. was the one player making up for my other streaky WRs. Welker did his patented team-first disappearing act, and Colston had about a 20-yard TD annulled by a false start. Jacoby Ford won this year's "standout special teamer in a losing cause" award*.
Chris Johnson? That commercial with the eggs and the watermelon, over and over and over. I'm now kind of rooting for Jeff giraffeer to be fired so that the team's policy of spending no money** will take its full effect on the field. Also, this is an awesome word filter edit.
*Also known as "The Cribbs"
**Unless it's on someone who can't handle the pressure of being an NFL quarterback!
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It's amazing to me that Jeff giraffeer has lasted so long. A lifetime of watching Bud Adams meddle with the team and then fire one good coach after another when his meddling's didn't work out. I haven't paid much attention to what's going on in Tennessee, but I assumed that someone else is running the team nowadays. Adams must be 90 years old. Edit: He's 83.
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Oh hells yes. Nabu had a glimmer of hope when Jared Allen scooped up a fumble, but in the end Asherdan gets juuuuuust enough out of Shiancoe to win by the aforementioned 68 one-hundredths of a point. Nabu continues the fine TOUAMB fantasy sports tradition of the #1 regular season team getting knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.
Vick's disappointing evening means the Habeneros win convincingly over Lister's Lab Rats. I'm sure a lot of fantasy football owners nationwide are cursing Michael Vick this morning. After all he did for you, people!
So it's A Dude's Stew (Asherdan) vs. Habaneros (jaydub) for the champeenship. Good luck, gentlemen.
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thought i had a chance at glory (fifth! after being last!), but my guys snatched defeat from the jaws of victory just like they like to do
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Yeah, the Jared Allen fumble came too little, too late. However, last night was a fine example of what they always say the value of playing fantasy football is - being interested in games and players that you normally wouldn't be. Like I learned last night that Jared Allen is a showboating, overpursuing showboaty-overpursuer. For a guy who gets a lot of good press, he's very Ray Lewis-like in getting to the pile late or running off the screen and out of the play. To be fair to him, by the end they were basically triple-teaming him and daring other players to fuck up Mike Vick's shit. And they did.
Also, fuck giraffeer. The guy is done. He needs to be fired. His guys aren't playing for him anymore. I think it'll happen, because he isn't a VY fan and Adams is. And Jehu I hope we don't end up with Gruden.
Interesting (to me) point I recently read: Shanny has been nothing without Elway and is a mediocre coach at best who just lucked into getting a HOFer to make his bones with. I won't disagree.
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what
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Also, fuck giraffeer. The guy is done. He needs to be fired. His guys aren't playing for him anymore. I think it'll happen, because he isn't a VY fan and Adams is. And Jehu I hope we don't end up with Gruden.
You're a Titans fan? I knew you carried the torch for the Chargers. If Norval gets the axe, what would you think of Chucky at the helm there? At least we wouldn't hear his witticisms on Monday Night anymore.
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I should have added a carriage return there. That was what I meant - I might have to take a year or two off if we get Gruden, although he's proven he can win it all whilst capitalizing on another coach's hard work, so maybe . . . .
Seriously, though - I thought I lost last week, and now I'm in the championship? I'm not complaining, but did they re-score and decide Jared Allen's calf-roping sack dance was worth five points or something?
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I guess a 0.68 margin of victory is shaky before the stat corrections go out. I thought my matchups against Ash's team were more winnable.
Intersting move starting KC and Oakland's defenses. Expecting that game to be a snore?
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Th' hell? They must have adjusted something.
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You're a Titans fan? I knew you carried the torch for the Chargers. If Norval gets the axe, what would you think of Chucky at the helm there? At least we wouldn't hear his witticisms on Monday Night anymore.
Somehow, looking back and my response, I still didn't make it clear. Chargers only, no splitting the fanship. I was just commenting on the Titans, and that led into my abject terror at getting Gruden. I guess they're giving Norval and AJ another year, though. This way they can fire them five games into the season next year (barring a lockout) and next year will be in the shitter, too.
Speaking of that, is Marty's 14-2 the best season a coach ever got fired after? What's the next best - is it even 8-8?
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Hmm, I'd thought the Bucs fired Dungy after the '99 loss in the NFC championship, but it turns out he was fired after a 9-7 2001 season. This is a surprisingly difficult question to google.
Also I made roster changes today for no real reason. Simpson, eh?
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Brady started? On behalf of my TE (and Nabu's benching of Brady) I'm delighted but mystified. Hope he doesn't take a helmet to the knee.
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Yeah, I got screwed there, and despite SD's handing Denver a beating (so far), Phil doesn't have much to do with it. Then again, Sanchez seems to have taken the day off as well, so who knows. Strange day, strange season.
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Yeah, I'm hoping St Louis gets behind by a bunch, then starts flinging to Amendola. A bunch of my starters apparently played, but generated 0 points. I wasn't expecting much from Sanchez, but still...
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Yeah, I'm hoping St Louis gets behind by a bunch
And stays there. I want another shot at the Saints next week. I don't care what happens after that.
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Kolb = <5>
Woodhead = <.5>
Pollard = 0
However
Fitzy = 21
Foster = 41
Jennings (the Jax one) = 22
Oak D = 31
Strange. Most of my benchings were good, other than Tawmmy.
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Huh. I didn't really expect Seattle to win. Wow.
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So. Funny.
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What will be funnier is if Seattle beats the defending champions on Saturday.
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I think Seattle will find that to be a bit of a challenge. Also, in unrelated news, I hate Pete Carroll.
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Wow, both of those teams sucked pretty badly.
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I think Seattle will find that to be a bit of a challenge. Also, in unrelated news, I hate Pete Carroll.
If it makes you feel any better, he probably got the Seahawks paid less than the Trojans in a usual season.
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If it makes you feel any better, he probably got the Seahawks paid less than the Trojans in a usual season.
Can!
I think Seattle will find that to be a bit of a challenge.
Totally. But hey, they beat Chicago. It could happen. Anyway, I obviously gave up hope for any real post-season glory earlier this year, basically after we lost to New York. Oh hell, it was really after Denver beat us. Also because I am from Seattle. At this point I just want to win to shut Saints fans up (my friends in particular) until September. They're worse than Red Sox fans.
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ain't no fan worse than a giants fan
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At this point I just want to win to shut Saints fans up (my friends in particular) until September. They're worse than Red Sox fans.
You are a good person and I like you, but this is crazy talk right here.
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If it makes you feel any better, he probably got the Seahawks paid less than the Trojans in a usual season.
My problem with him is that he made me feel sympathy for USC, which sucks by itself, by indulging in all his shenanigans and then running off to leave them holding the bag. A lot of people took it in the shorts so he could bail for Seattle. I hope nothing but bad things for him.
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Heh.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5124/5318663315_e0379ec7d6.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cromni/5318663315/)
You are a good person and I like you, but this is crazy talk right here.
Yeah, you right.
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The fun thing about Red Sox fans is how their team spends enough money as the second richest team in the game, putting third place way off in the distance, but they somehow manage to have an insane inferiority complex anyway. That's gotta take some fuckin' mental gymnastics.
That's what's great about cheering for the Mets.
"Yeah, we're supposed to be rich but our team is owned by assholes so... lets not take this TOO seriously. Lets have some laughs with this."
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At this point I just want to win to shut Saints fans up (my friends in particular) until September. They're worse than Red Sox fans.
The Saints fans I've met are just exuberantly for their team. They aren't assholes about it. Hey, they had an awesome team last year, let them have their fun.
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Congrats to Nabu, who went from the disappointment of narrowly losing the semi-final to the champeenship in something like 72 hours. Jaydub takes second, Lister third. Condolences to Asherdan, who on the flip side of Nabu's run, went from a spot in the championship game to no trophy at all in relatively short order.
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That's what's great about cheering for the Mets.
"Yeah, we're supposed to be rich but our team is owned by assholes so... lets not take this TOO seriously. Lets have some laughs with this."
Me too - the Chargers have (and have had) such a fantastic team on paper, but are sort of epically mismanaged where it counts. We probably should have three rings or so by now. Have to laugh to keep from crying.
I had lots of time for the Sox fans (my brother is one) when they broke the "curse" but now I just want them to shut the fuck up.
Related: both my bosses are Lions fans from way back. It's like they won the Super Bowl this year for them.
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Also, thanks to all for another fun season! And thanks to Arian Foster for being my tragically-named sleeper.
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I got a letter from the commissioner of the NFL today!
With one of the most exciting regular seasons now completed and the playoffs about to begin, let me first thank you and all NFL fans for your incredible support. Many fans have been asking me where we stand on signing a new collective bargaining agreement with the players union. Let me update you and be clear at the outset:
I know we can and will reach an agreement.
My goal as Commissioner now is to help our teams and players find a solution that is fair to everyone and ensures that football becomes more popular, accessible, and fun. We want the next decade to be the best yet for our fans, and I’m ready to work day and night to make that happen.
We've come a long way. Compare where we are today with 10 years ago. From player accountability to player safety, more and better television coverage, upgrading the in-stadium experience, innovations like the RedZone channel, the Draft in prime time and playing the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl, we are focused on doing what’s best for the players, teams, and fans. My priority is and always will be the game and the fans who love our game.
The NFL is great because fans care deeply about it. Economic conditions, however, have changed dramatically inside and outside the NFL since 2006 when we negotiated the last CBA. A 10 percent unemployment rate hurts us all. Fans have limited budgets and rightly want the most for their money. I get it.
Yes, NFL players deserve to be paid well. Unfortunately, economic realities are forcing everyone to make tough choices and the NFL is no different.
These are not easy negotiations, but the outcome can be positive. If both sides give a little, everyone, including fans, will get a lot and the game will improve through innovation.
Even in difficult economic times, a new CBA presents us with the opportunity to secure the future of our game. You may ask how will the NFL look under this vision?
A significant change would be to resolve fan complaints about preseason by modifying our 20-game format. Fans tell us they don’t like the quality of the preseason games, and we’re listening. An enhanced season of 18 regular season and two preseason games would not add a single game for the players collectively, but would give fans more meaningful, high-quality football.
Our emphasis on player health and safety is absolutely essential to the future of our game. We are strictly enforcing rules that protect players from unnecessarily dangerous play, especially involving hits to the head. We are changing the “play through it” culture to a “player-first” culture to ensure that if a player has a head injury, he doesn’t play again until his health is certain. We are also addressing the potential wear-and-tear on players in the way they train in-season and off-season.
It’s not just the health of players that concerns us. We must ensure the health of the league. That includes a new system that properly compensates proven veterans and retired players by shifting some of the outrageous sums paid to many unproven rookies. Earlier this year, Sports Illustrated published a list of the 50 highest-paid American athletes that included five 2009 NFL rookies. Every other athlete on the list was a proven veteran. In 2009, NFL clubs contracted $1.2 billion to 256 drafted rookies with $585 million guaranteed before they had stepped on an NFL field.
Don’t get me wrong: top draft choices will continue to be highly paid. All we’re asking for is a return to common sense in paying our rookies. Other leagues have done this and we can too.
These improvements and more will lead to better football, plain and simple. A forward looking CBA that is fair to players and clubs will lead to a great future for the NFL and our fans.
My job is to represent the game — the fans, teams, players, coaches and business partners. Protecting the integrity of the game and ensuring it thrives is a responsibility I take very seriously.
This is about more than a labor agreement. It’s about the future of the NFL. We have to improve and will be relentless in our quest. The commitment to our fans is to make the NFL experience even better in the years ahead. With a responsible CBA, we will fulfill that vision.
Happy New Year and enjoy the playoffs.
– Roger Goodell
So, wait - 18 games of real football is the same for star players as 16 games and two pre-season? Um, no. That innovation will shorten careers significantly. I will buy the whole "not paying rookies an arm and a leg" thing, but those are going to have to be short contracts. And what about a 7-9 team making the playoffs? I don't see that mentioned as something to look at.
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"ensures that football becomes more popular, accessible, and fun."
Eliminate the TV time-out and we'll talk. Until then kindly fuck off.
Or switch to the MLS system where center field front row tickets cost $30 with no service fees. Either way.
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Bolts give their special teams coach the hook (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/football/nfl/01/03/chargers.crosby.ap/index.html?xid=si_nfl).
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So, Jim Tomsula is the (interim?) coach of the 49ers. He got the win the other day. Last week he had this to say:
I'm a football coach. I'm Jim Nobody from Nowhere. I keep my spoon in my soup. I don't eat anybody else's soup. I just do my job.
Are we sure this isn't Singletary in disguise?
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He head coached in NFL Europe. Now he's the D-line coach for the Niners. Supposedly the way this is supposed to go is the owner will hire a general manager, who will then determine who he wants as a head coach. When that guy (the coach) comes in, he'll look at the staff in place and decide who stays and who goes. On the one hand, this was a nice feather in the cap for Jim Nobody. On the other hand, the incoming administration might decide he's too big for his britches and give him the heave-ho (which, given the stoutness of the Niners against the run would be a mistake IMO). I'm sure Tomsula has already done that calculus and his statements are to indicate he's perfectly happy with his current (D-Line) role and won't make waves for whoever's next.
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But . . . but . . . he doesn't eat anybody else's soup!
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Are we sure this isn't Singletary in disguise?
I'm not a doctor! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGfueEHj1Ks&feature=player_embedded)
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out of curiosity, i checked and found that i only kept three players from the first game through the last, and one i'd dropped for a game and picked back up after a supreme letdown by the jagoff i grabbed to replace him for the week he was injured:
matt cassell*
adrian wilson
ahmad bradshaw
*that guy i dropped
i made a LOT of changes and almost all were for the better. maybe next year i'll be a contender - but i won't hold my breath.
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Yes yes yes fuckity yes!
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Pete Carroll's "Win Slightly Less Than Half The Time" motivational speeches finally paying off.
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I watched it with my friends who are huge Saints fans, and I could only give them about five seconds worth of shit before I felt bad. Poor guys, first team to lose in the post season to a team with a losing regular season record. I am owed a 12 pack though, and I made that bet when we were down 10-0.
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I'm pulling for Balt vs Atl or Balt vs GB, I guess. As long as the NFC wins it all I'll be cool.
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So that didn't quite shake out. I'm going to pull for Chicago, actually (even with Cuttlegiraffe) because of Mom. Please dear God let the Jets not win it all.
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And once again, the filter abides.
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For some reason I kind of like the Bears, and was only upset for about 20 minutes after they beat the Seahawks on Sunday. If it can't be Seattle, let it be Chicago (but yeah Cutler makes it hard to pull for them, the fucker). If Pittsburgh wins it all I'm going to murder someone.
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Why are we supposed to hate Pittsburgh?
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I don't care what y'all think of Pittsburgh, but Super Bowl 40 still smarts a bit for me.
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I officially give a rat's ass who wins the Super Bowl now. Don't like any of them. I guess if I was forced to choose I'd pick the Jets, because I find Rex Ryan's style to be entertaining compared to the boring platitudes that we usually get from athlete interviews.
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I don't care what y'all think of Pittsburgh, but Super Bowl 40 still smarts a bit for me.
A friend of mine has his 40th birthday on that day. Naturally he's throwing a bash :)
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Pittsburgh has enough for right now, is my issue. Well, plus Ben is rapey, which isn't cool. Plus I hate Hines Ward. Plus the fans that I know (that I work with) deserve a smack in the mouth. Other than that, I'm down.
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Rothlesberger raped somebody?
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he was charged with sexual assault (again) and the charges were dropped (again) but this time he was penalized by the league so as to miss the first four games of the season. the only good qb i drafted.
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To be fair, Sanchez was accused of rape during his college days as well.
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To be fair, Sanchez was accused of rape during his college days as well.
I don't like him any better.
My QB is a paragon of virtue, when it comes to not raping people. He's an enormous asshole, but he doesn't rape anyone.
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Heh (http://www.onionsportsnetwork.com/articles/jay-cutler-proves-naysayers-wrong-by-defeating-shi,18898/).
CHICAGO—Silencing once and for all the multitude of critics who said he did not have what it took to be a postseason quarterback, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler led the Bears to the NFC Championship Game last Sunday by defeating the 8-10 Seattle Seahawks, by far the worst team ever to make the playoffs. "I think I've demonstrated what I'm truly capable of when I'm playing to my strengths," said Cutler, who threw for two touchdowns against Seattle's godawful 27th-ranked defense and had a four-game interception streak snapped only because Seahawks safety Jordan Babineaux inexplicably muffed a pass thrown at the goal line. "People got to see my true potential today." Cutler will play his first postseason game against an opponent with a winning record Sunday.
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Packers struggled against Caleb Hanie? I predict a long Super Bowl for them.
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I'm happy for you dude, but I can't think of a Super Bowl I could be less interested in. I mean, it would be kind of nice to see the Steelers lose, and I guess I'll cheer the Packers on for one day, but I honestly do not give a fuck. I barely even dislike the Steelers. I like Tomlin and pulled for them when Dennis Dixon was starting. And it'd be nice to see Aaron Rodgers not win a Super Bowl. Basically the only way I'll end up caring is if Dixon gets to start, but isn't he injured anyway?
Oh well, I'm clearly in the minority (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/preview08/columns/story?id=3530077) (if this 2 and 1/2 year old article is true anymore, but judging by how many Steelers and Packers fans there are in Utah alone by my own count, it seems right).
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Could be better, could be worse. It's gonna be a long off-season.
Fuck it: let's go Red Wings!
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A looooooooot of people from my hometown are Steelers fans, so my FB feed is all "Go Steelers!" an' shit.
My hometown is actually closer to Baltimore, Washington, AND Philly than Pittsburgh, so I think these people are deluded, but that's just my opinion.
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Philadelphia: 0 rings
Baltimore: 1 ring*
Washington: 3 rings
Pittsburgh: 6 rings
Hmm.
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Well, yeah. It's easier to cheer for a winner, of course. When I was a kid it was the Terry Bradshaw Steelers all winning Super Bowls, so it's no wonder so many of my peers are on their bandwagon.
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Philadelphia: 0 rings
Baltimore: 1 ring*
Washington: 3 rings
Pittsburgh: 6 rings
Hmm.
Why the asterisk?
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FTFY
Indeed. "Wow, thanks Mean Joe!"
I'm sure Nabu can and will answer, but I'm guessing it's something to do with the theft of teams to and from Baltimore. Baltimore actually has two Super Bowl titles, but only one of them belonged to the Baltimore team that was there when I was a kid, and that team is now in Indianapolis.
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The Houston Oilers were in the same division as the Steelers and therefore their constant whipping boys. The Oilers greatest moment was losing to the Steelers in the AFC Championship game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979%E2%80%9380_NFL_playoffs#AFC_Championship:_Pittsburgh_Steelers_27.2C_Houston_Oilers_13). I firmly believe that the Oilers were the second best team in the NFL that year. But the Steelers were one of the best teams in history (http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/football/teams/greatest.html) (they're listed #7).
I've always admired the Steelers. I admire their accomplishments on the field and I admire their loyalty to their staff.. They are a class organization.
PS - It was a catch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgSqto3FBcc#t=7m43s). Also, I want Bum Phhillips coat.
But these days, if I'm a fan of any team it would be the Packers because they have something that the Steelers or Oilers never had and no other NFL team will ever have again, public ownership (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Bay_Packers#Public_Company). The Green Bay Packers really are Green Bay's team. Also, I'm a big fan of Clay Mathews who's uncle Bruce played 18 seasons for the Oilers.
And if we're picking winners I think the Packers have the better team this year and will likely win the game. Aaron Rogers is on fire!
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Yeah, Balt - Indy - Cleve - Balt - Cleve, whatever.
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Also, my team was originally an LA team and I am having a tough time stomaching the idea that they might go back, so I don't know where that leaves us.
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that... won't be a problem.
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that... won't be a problem.
I'ma let you finish, but I won't underestimate the NFL's desire to find a way to separate all those consumers from their lucre, no matter how many times it's failed in the past.
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FTFY
Nice call. I saw a poll on ESPN (mobile) asking if Mr. Rapey or Bradshaw was the better quarterback. I know it's hard to compare players across generations, but it seems pretty hard to make the case for the skullet. Nevertheless, he was winning by a 3-1 margin.
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PS - It was a catch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgSqto3FBcc#t=7m43s). Also, I want Bum Phhillips coat.
Oh HELLS yes. And the hat. And the fuck*ng glassses.
My problem with this Super Bowl is that I have vague, semi-positive feelings toward both teams. I sort of like them both and at right about the same level for each. Not sure who I'm rooting for, if anybody.
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There are accusations and there are accusations, and basically the only reason Ben skated on these charges is because of colossal ineptitude on the part of the investigating officers along with some good ol' plausibly deniable assistance from the club owner. "The police didn't tell us we shouldn't erase the surveillance tapes or clean the crime scene with bleach! Whoops, our bad."
I hate it because I really like the Steelers. I like the owners, I like their style, I like Mike Tomlin and Hines Ward. I want to cheer for them. But what Ben did to that girl is reprehensible and I can't cheer for his "redemption" to come after ten whole months of not being accused of sexual assault.
Fortunately, the Packers are my favoritest NFC team and I love Aaron Rodgers for being a class act in every way.
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Yes. Pulling for the NFC hard this year. I have a hard time rooting for colossal fuckheads on teams I like. Fortunately it hasn't happened too much. Yeah, my QB is a douchebag, but he hasn't done anything actionable. Closest I've come is Todd Bertuzzi playing for the Wings, and I can't endorse him. He punched Steve Moore hard enough in the back of the head to end his career. Granted, you play hockey and dish it out, you know you're going to get it coming back, but still.
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Is it best to start a new thread once the Super Bowl is over? I don't know. If so, maybe someone can split this, but:
The Chargers just signed Bob "I never drank milk as a kid" Sanders. Is it possible that we might get four games out of him, maybe? Like it'll matter, with no football this year, but still.
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I see two options with Bob Sanders.
1: He plays early and maybe the Chargers win some games before mid-October. He gets hurt just as the rest of the team remembers that they can play football, too.
2: He gets hurt in pre-season and returns just in time for the standard mad scramble to beat out whoever's ahead of the Chargers in the division.
Either way ends on a stretcher in someone else's building in the divisional round of the playoffs.
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So what do we title this new thread. In order to make the season longer we've got to shorten it with a strike.