WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
All of you are proving the Pats fans right. "Everybody does it" has never been an adequate defense. Children could tell you this.
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NFL Off-Season |OT2| My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Draft
- Thread starter Buckethead
- Start date
Alligatorjandro
Banned
I hope the last game is Pats at Jets.Seeing the Pats wrap up homefield would crush Jet fans souls.
So I'm thinking about seriously getting into NFL for next season. I've not picked a team or anything and probably won't for at least a season, so I can get a feel for the different teams, fans and their general style of play etc.
Really new to the sport, just learnt a bit about what the draft is, for example. Seems like a great way to keep the sport competitive by giving the worst teams the choice of the best college players, or an option to get a good deal in a trade. My favourite sport football (soccer to you guys) doesn't have such balance, and the best teams continue to buy the best teams because they have the most money. It's a depressing cycle really.
When does the season start? If anyone from Futbol GAF posts in here you could help me out in figuring the sport.
Really new to the sport, just learnt a bit about what the draft is, for example. Seems like a great way to keep the sport competitive by giving the worst teams the choice of the best college players, or an option to get a good deal in a trade. My favourite sport football (soccer to you guys) doesn't have such balance, and the best teams continue to buy the best teams because they have the most money. It's a depressing cycle really.
When does the season start? If anyone from Futbol GAF posts in here you could help me out in figuring the sport.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Well, basically, who do you like right now? Player wise. Any roots in America?
Nobody, the only players I know are Eli Manning and Mark Sanchez, but I don't particularly like them, I'm just aware of them. I've got no roots in America whatsoever, just enjoy watching the sport, it's a good use of my Sunday evenings and Friday Night Lights is a fairly good show.
The regular season starts in early September, the preseason starts a month earlier in August. It's pretty cool to see someone completely new to the sport try to get into it.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Well, then pick a color! I don't know.
Whats your favorite club? What do you like about them?
You're well-spoken and like SOCOM. You should root for the Green Bay Packers.
It's always entertaining when it happens in the Soccer thread, and it feels strange to be that guy.
Is the pre-season just friendly games so teams get used to their new plays/players before the real season kicks off? And can any team play any other team?
In the real season are all the teams split into divisions? What are the divisions? Location based?
My football club is Liverpool, who play in Red. Although I don't just want to pick a team based on colour. For example, if I picked a soccer team based on colour I could support Stoke, or Manchester United, both of which would make me want to jump out of the window.
I expect it will take me a good few months or maybe even a year until I decide on a team I feel I wish to support.
Very true. All I know about the Packers is they once had Bret Favre? Is that correct?
Yep.
He will always be loved by ALL Packers fans.
Major_Lazer
Member
Welcome aboard!!! I was in the same position as you 5-6 years back. I am a massive Arsenal fan but in the last 5-6 years or so i have gotten more and more into the NFL. It's alot harder when you dont live in the US as you dont get the understanding of the game when you are younger but ive taught myself with Madden and even joined a local league and played Safety for 2 seasons which all helped me understand and love the game.
Since im guessing you are a Liverpool fan who are owned by that Boston Sports Group now, you could take the easy road out and become a Pats fan but then everyone will assume you are a bandwagoner just like every other Pats fan in existence.
PhoenixDark
Banned
Well if you want to cheer a good team who plays hard and keeps their noses clean, I suggest the Detroit Lions
Didn't know the Pats were from Boston. I said to myself immediately that I wouldn't become a Pats fan because, as far as I know, that's the equivalent to becoming a United fan, and it's basically just a place for all the glory supporters to come together and support a team because they can't handle losing every once in a while. Fuck that.
For example, Lunchbox.
I'll give them a watch when the season begins, sounds like a respectable team. I'll also give the Baltimore Ravens a watch because I liked The Wire. God typing that makes me laugh.
Which teams do George Gillet or Tom Hicks own? They can fuck off out of existence.
Alligatorjandro
Banned
Choose the New England Patriots.
Yeah.
But then he betrayed them and played for a rival team before retiring as an old, broken man.
Sviatoslav
Member
Liverpool huh? Then you should support a team with a great history but is decidedly average right now. I welcome you to America's Team, the Dallas Cowboys!
When the user BaltimoreLarry gets unbanned, he's going to give you a big hug for saying that.
Sounds pretty good to be honest, I'll give them a look too.
Major_Lazer
Member
I can tell you are a good man already (for a Reds fan anyway). I dont think Hicks or Gillett own any team in the NFL, they are more in the NHL and MLB. Ravens are a good choice, with BaltimoreLarry gone we need a resident crazy fan.
Dallas are quite similar to Liverpool i guess, both used to be good, both very wealthy clubs and both aboslutely pathetic recently.
Futurevoid
Member
Most of what's mentioned is pay from the players and it amounts to money for big hits, interceptions, fumbles etc. Whenever any of these players are asked (including Pierce) whether they payed out for injuries - you'll get a pretty direct no out of them.cajunator said:
Now, do I believe that? I'm not that naive and that's why I've maintained the players should be punished even more severely than these coaches for being the hypocrites they are (I WANT LIFETIME HEALTH CARE FROM OWNERSHIP! *goes and tears a dudes ACL for $2000*).
That having been said, it is apparent that the Saints coaching staff was involved at the highest levels of the program and even worse kicked in money. Jacquian Williams and Devin Thomas were pretty adamant in their assertion that Kyle Williams was concussion prone so they were looking to put a big hit on him. That didn't just come from them watching game film. It's likely that the defensive coaches pointed it out and made it clear that it was something they could take advantage of. Not necessarily injure but put enough of a hit and you dislodge the ball. Now, did those coaches rub their fingers together and guarantee paychecks for a guy to be re-concussed? Or for tearing a guys ACL?
The Saints weren't just stupid in getting caught but were so brazen the coaching staff felt the need to pay the players to do things other teams get for free with mere suggestion. If the players want to give each other a grand for a big play, that's one thing. When it's administered by the coaches - I think it does change the dynamic a bit and that's why this is getting more play and "outrage" if you will. The fact they were told to stop and kept going - well that lovely bit of hubris is what earned them the punishment they got. In the case of Williams, that recording of his defensive meeting likely cost him his NFL career.
Grover Cleveland
Member
You should join me in Panthers-GAF. We're a team on the rise with no prior winning history, so you wouldn't be looked on as a glory-hunter or a bandwagoner, but a trendsetter and a trailblazer. Also we have no players with criminal convictions like some of the other teams have...
If you really wanted to stick it to United, you should root for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers owned by the Glazers. Every dollar they spend on feeding their quarterback, comes straight out of United's war chest for midfielders.
Welcome aboard! To answer your questions:
Yes, pre-season is pretty much a showcase for new players and and audition for players on the bubble of being cut. The regular starters don't get much playing time the first couple of games, but gradually increase to get them conditioned for the regular season. There are 4 pre-season games.
The NFL is split into two conferences, the AFC and the NFC. Each conference is split into four divisions: North, South, East and West. It's pretty much location based, though you have a couple of teams that don't geographically make sense.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC East
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New York Jets
AFC South
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans
AFC West
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Oakland Raiders
San Diego Chargers
NFC North
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals
St. Louis Rams
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Root for the Chargers. We're a lonely bunch on GAF. 
I don't think I could support a team with any relationship with United, even by proxy.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Arnold, I think the Ravens are for you. New enough where everybody who supports them is a lifelong anyway, they're not a terrible team, they have some character and they fucking hate the Pats.
Match made in Hamsterdam.
Match made in Hamsterdam.
Pre-season is four weeks long and is mostly used for talent evaluation and to warm up for the regular season. I wouldn't call them friendly games, but they are less competitive in that teams don't play their starters the entire game.
The league is split into two conferences, each with four divisions that have four teams each. Divisions are loosely location based, but there is the occasional team that is out of place (Dallas in the NFC East).
Sviatoslav
Member
Welcome aboard! To answer your questions:
Yes, pre-season is pretty much a showcase for new players and and audition for players on the bubble of being cut. The regular starters don't get much playing time the first couple of games, but gradually increase to get them conditioned for the regular season. There are 4 pre-season games.
The NFL is split into two conferences, the AFC and the NFC. Each conference is split into four divisions: North, South, East and West. It's pretty much location based, though you have a couple of teams that don't geographically make sense.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC East
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New York Jets
AFC South
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans
AFC West
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Oakland Raiders
San Diego Chargers
NFC North
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals
St. Louis Rams
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Root for the Chargers. We're a lonely bunch on GAF.
Two really helpful posts, thanks guys. Dallas being in the same division as the Giants seemed odd to me too.
A couple of questions, in a season, does every team play every other team in their conference, or their division? And if so, what's the point in the divisions. Also, does that mean the only way the New York Jets and Giants can meet is in the Superbowl? If so, isn't that a wee bit shit. Derby matches are the best parts of soccer.
I'll get them on my watch list alongside the Cowboys and Packers.
Major_Lazer
Member
Are you from the UK Arnie?
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Man, remember when people held Flacco and Ryan up as examples of why it's okay to start QBs their rookie season? Lol.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Arnie, any team can play any other team during the regular season.
Also, the Cowboys were the 90s Pats. So, if you pick them I hate you. Sorry.
Also, the Cowboys were the 90s Pats. So, if you pick them I hate you. Sorry.
Futurevoid
Member
This will help on that question:Arnie said:
So in your example, the Giants and Jets meet every four years in the regular season based on the rotation. They just played the AFC East this past season so they faced the Jets as part of that rotation.
So can someone outline the point of the divisions and conferences? /\ sweet, thanks.
I get it. So outside of a Superbowl meet, or if they place in the same divisional position, they won't meet in a league match for another 4 years.
Got it. I'd imagine that makes the derby matches pretty special.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
See above. It's a way to break the teams down to make playoffs make sense. Somewhat.
Division Champions are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. Two wildcard team are chosen from the top 2 remaining team.
The playoffs are divided by conference. So 6 teams in the NFC (Division Champs + 2 Wildcards) face off in the NFC. Same in the AFC.
The champions of the NFC face the AFC.
So there's a regular season that leads into a cup competition, if you will.
Major_Lazer
Member
You have to be a Giants fan then, their kicker is straight outta Scotland and one of their decent defensive players was born in London (Osi Umenyiora). Doesn't hurt they won the Superbowl last year as well....
Although the Eli virgin factor could hurt that decision.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Bandwagon. Stay away!
Sviatoslav
Member
Jumping on the bandwagon would be disgusting. Almost as bad as two-teaming.
Futurevoid
Member
- The 4 division champions from each conference (the team in each division with the best record), which are seeded 1 through 4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record.Arnie said:
Two wild card qualifiers from each conference (the non division-champions with the conference's best winning percentages), which are seeded 5 and 6.
The playoffs then proceed with the Wildcard round, divisional, and the championship game. The winner of the championship game wins the conference. The two conference champions meet in the Super Bowl to determine the World Champion.
Giants-Gaf is welcoming of all who maintain one team loyalty!WanderWind said:
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Shit is fascinating. I understand all this shit because I've been a fan since birth, but I just realized I can't explain it.
Christ, I better have a daughter or I'm screwed.
Christ, I better have a daughter or I'm screwed.
ConradCervantes
Banned
We don't have enough people in Packer-GAF, so we're gladly accepting applications.
Divisions are largely regional and most rivalries stem from those divisional matchups. One of the things I love about the NFL as its one of the few pro sports where there are still pretty fierce rivalries. I will always root for the Falcons and Bucs to lose, am less hard on the Panthers because I think its good for NC to have a football team
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Then your purposefully being cognitively dissonant because in the last couple months there's been enough former players and several anonymous players, still playing, that have let it be known this stuff isn't uncommon.
Edit: Is it every organization? Probably not. Do at least some players and coaches on most teams make comments about taking people out of games? I can't imagine they don't. Especially given the recent news from the payers.
"Damnit, son, just watch the game and be quiet!"