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[soulja224466]

I was actually thinking about trying to go to that game. I live three hours away from Charlotte, so it can't really be a spur of the moment thing for me. As you probably know, all the games sold out before the season started, but eBay is a pretty good place to get tickets. There are also a lot of scalpers in Charlotte, and if the Panthers lose this weekend, the tickets won't be in very high demand.

As for the view, it's awesome in the upper deck. I actually prefer it to the lower deck due to the angle. The stadium was built up instead of out, so you don't feel like you are that far away. When you look at the field, you only see a handful of rows below you, and you have a unique view of the football game. You see how plays develop with the above angle, much better than you could on TV. For your first NFL game, there are a lot worse stadiums to go to than Bank Of America.

I live in richmond, so i'm at least 5 hours away, so i know what you mean. Thanks for the info man.

 

[tmdorsey]

Arizona at Detroit, 1:00 p.m.
Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 1:00 p.m.
Buffalo at Miami, 1:00 p.m.
Carolina at New Orleans, 1:00 p.m.
Cincinnati at Baltimore, 1:00 p.m.
Houston at N.Y. Jets, 1:00 p.m.
Minnesota at Chicago, 1:00 p.m.
New England at Cleveland, 1:00 p.m.
San Francisco at St. Louis, 1:00 p.m.
Tennessee at Indianapolis, 1:00 p.m.
Denver at San Diego, 4:05 p.m.
Kansas City at Oakland, 4:05 p.m.
Green Bay at Philadelphia, 4:15 p.m. *upset special*
N.Y. Giants at Washington, 4:15 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Jacksonville, 8:30 p.m.
Dallas at Seattle, 9:00 p.m.



BTW, Saints/Falcons matchup from Sunday is going to be on NFL Network's Game of Week tonight. Woo-hoo!!!!!

 

[DarienA]

Great we're without Jamal again this Sunday.... man injuries are kicking our ass this year... well that and an unreliable in big games against winning teams QB....

 

[bionic77]

Great we're without Jamal again this Sunday.... man injuries are kicking our ass this year... well that and an unreliable in big games against winning teams QB....

You were supposed to humilate the Pats last Sunday, WTF happened?

Sadly, I could see the Ravens winning 10 games and missing the playoffs while in the NFC 8 games will probably be enough to get in.

 

[levious]

yeah, Billick keeps talking as if the playoffs are a given... great to have confidence in your team, but I hope he's looked at the standing recently.

 

[Lucky Forward]

USA Today has a nice article on the Ravens' Ed Reed:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/ravens/2004-12-01-reed-mission_x.htm

 

[DarienA]

You were supposed to humilate the Pats last Sunday, WTF happened?

Who talked that crazy mess? I wasn't optimistic about us being able to keep up with them before the game started ...and in the 2nd half apparently I was right. Our defensive pass rush was ass last week... IMO that was the beginning of our end... well that and the fact that the defense had trouble tacking Dillon, they are usually sure tacklers too....

Sadly, I could see the Ravens winning 10 games and missing the playoffs while in the NFC 8 games will probably be enough to get in.

I would not be surprised at all....

 

[bionic77]

Who talked that crazy mess?

Well that was mainly me. I am always hopefull of seeing Brady humiliated whenever there is even a remote chance of it happening. I was hoping the Raven's D would get some picks and win it for them.

Oh well. There is always next week.

 

[Eminem]

Ricky Williams NFL career is over. =D

/me does jig

 

[theo]

Arizona at Detroit, 1:00 p.m.
Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 1:00 p.m.
Buffalo at Miami, 1:00 p.m.
Carolina at New Orleans, 1:00 p.m.
Cincinnati at Baltimore, 1:00 p.m.
Houston at N.Y. Jets, 1:00 p.m.
Minnesota at Chicago, 1:00 p.m.
New England at Cleveland, 1:00 p.m.
San Francisco at St. Louis, 1:00 p.m. The Rams like to lose to horrible teams.
Tennessee at Indianapolis, 1:00 p.m.
Denver at San Diego, 4:05 p.m.
Kansas City at Oakland, 4:05 p.m.
Green Bay at Philadelphia, 4:15 p.m.
N.Y. Giants at Washington, 4:15 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Jacksonville, 8:30 p.m.
Dallas at Seattle, 9:00 p.m.

 

[TheDuce22]

I just want to remind all the people picking greenbay that philly has beaten every NFC opponent they have faced by double digits and the so called questionable defense has allowed fewer points than any other in the NFL (tied for 1st with baltimore). That is all.

 

[firex]

Ricky Williams NFL career is over. =D

/me does jig

http://www.carlosloozer.com/stickywilliams/index.htm

old? maybe, but still funny.

 

[Bowser]

Here's a fun fact:

Julius Peppers had two sacks through seven games.
He's ranks #2 in the NFC in sacks now.
The difference? Seven sacks in four games.
What a monster.

WEEK 13

Sunday, Dec. 5

Arizona at Detroit, 1:00 p.m.
Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 1:00 p.m.
Buffalo at Miami, 1:00 p.m.
Carolina at New Orleans, 1:00 p.m.
Cincinnati at Baltimore, 1:00 p.m.
Houston at N.Y. Jets, 1:00 p.m.
Minnesota at Chicago, 1:00 p.m.
New England at Cleveland, 1:00 p.m.
San Francisco at St. Louis, 1:00 p.m.
Tennessee at Indianapolis, 1:00 p.m.
Denver at San Diego, 4:05 p.m.
Kansas City at Oakland, 4:05 p.m.
Green Bay at Philadelphia, 4:15 p.m.
N.Y. Giants at Washington, 4:15 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Jacksonville, 8:30 p.m. (*upset special*)

Monday, Dec. 6

Dallas at Seattle, 9:00 p.m.

 

[Spectral Glider]

I just want to remind all the people picking greenbay that philly has beaten every NFC opponent they have faced by double digits and the so called questionable defense has allowed fewer points than any other in the NFL (tied for 1st with baltimore). That is all.

Total points against can be a misleading stat though. Case in point, Steelers are next in line with 168.....except their defense wasn't on the field during two INT returns given up for touchdowns. Total points actually given up by the Steeler D? 154. And I'm sure there's plenty of other teams around the league that need their D number adjusted for turnover returns or punt/kick returns against.....Philly isn't one of them though, I checked. Baltimore too goes lower than Philly because we just witnessed Boller give up 7 in the endzone last week. Not sure how many others they had that were not against their actual D.

That being said, I'm taking the Eagles simply because it's in Philly. Otherwise, the game really could go either way.

 

[TheDuce22]

Well considering most people use yardage allowed to rank the defenses I would say points allowed is at least more accurate than that. Aikmans efficiency ratings factor in everything and Eagles are 1st in the NFC.

http://msn.foxsports.com/story/3205882

 

[soulja224466]

Well considering most people use yardage allowed to rank the defenses I would say points allowed is at least more accurate than that. Aikmans efficiency ratings factor in everything and Eagles are 1st in the NFC.

http://msn.foxsports.com/story/3205882

if aikman had something negative to say about philly, you'd be whining that he was an eagle hater since hes an ex cowboy.

 

[DarienA]

Favre haters will have another reason to pull their hair out if GB beats the Eagles... is Ahman Green playing in that game or are his ribs still keeping him out??

 

[Spike Spiegel]

NFC Final Playoff Spot Contenders:

1. Panthers (4-7)
Have won 3 straight

2. Cowboys (4-7)
3-4 in NFC looks good!

3. Cardinals (4-7)
On the Navarre b'wagon?

4. NO, TB, CHI, DET (4-7)
Enigmas and mediocrities

5. StL, NYG (5-6)
Just don't deserve it

Hey, that's the best shot the Saints have had at getting to the playoffs in a long time.

 

[Dilbert]

Bill Simmons' column on how bad the NFC is this year is HYSTERICAL:

Through 12 weeks, we know that the NFC has four good teams: Philly, Green Bay, Minnesota and Atlanta. That's Round 2 of the playoffs. We just don't know the matchups yet.

Unfortunately, we still need to have a Round 1.

And that's the problem. The NFC has six playoff spots. You can't trade any of these spots. You can't auction them off on eBay. You can't roll them over until next year. Because the No. 1 and 2 seeds get a bye in Round 1, the No. 3 and 4 seeds need someone to play, and only because we need two more games that weekend for gambling purposes. In fact, there's a decent chance that one or more of the following QBs -- Joey Harrington, Shaun King, Vinny Testaverde, Eli Manning, Chad Hutchinson, John Navarre, Brian Griese, Aaron Brooks -- could be making an appearance as a starter in Round 1. If this happens, you might never hear from me again after that week -- I'll be parking my new yacht in Greece next to the Onassis family.

(Note: When I handed in this column, I had John Navarre's name as "Josh Cezanne" until my editors alerted me otherwise. I'm not making this up. Either this is the most obscure starting QB in history, or I'm turning into my Mom.)

The good news for Vinny, his AARP card is ready for pickup.
Here's how wide-open those final two spots are:

# The 6-5 Seahawks are leading the West by one game. They have lost five of their last eight. They lost to a 4-6 Bills team at home last week by 29 points. They have Jerry Rice starting at WR, wearing Steve Largent's number and running fly patterns with a pitchfork sticking out his back. They are being routinely outscored on Sundays by Rashard Lewis, Ray Allen and even Vlad Radmanovic. On the bright side, it's only Year 6 of Mike Holmgren's five-year plan.

# The 5-6 Rams are trailing the West by one game. They have lost four of their last five games by a total of 82 points. Their fans aren't just booing during games; they're doing everything short of throwing their own feces. Their coach has become such a punchline, a reader e-mailed me this week and asked if I could start using the word "Martzian" in columns, as in, "When I locked my keys in the car, that was pretty Martzian of me." Their collapse in Green Bay was almost a cry for help, like when little kids need attention and start breaking soda bottles on a sidewalk.

# The 5-6 Giants are tied with the Rams for the final playoff spot. They have lost four straight games and five of their last six. Their best defensive player is out for the year. Their rookie QB looked so atrocious last week, Babe Laufenberg called to congratulate him. Their second-string QB is Kurt Warner, who fumbled the clipboard 13 times on the sidelines last week. Their third-string QB is Jesse Palmer, who has to leave this Sunday's game early because he's going to Maxim's Christmas party. On the bright side, they hate their coach.

# Seven 4-7 teams are trailing the final playoff spot by one game: The Bucs, Panthers, Bears, Saints, Cowboys, Cardinals and Lions. You could describe five of those seven as "truly terrible." As for the Bucs and Panthers, they're probably better than anyone else in the NFC other than the Big Four ... but neither of them would crack the Top 12 in the AFC.

And, just because I'm a Giants fan, I gotta pass this along from the same column:

REDSKINS (-2) over Giants
Washington scored 23 points total in the last three weeks. The Giants scored 30 points total in the last three weeks. This is the kind of game where Fox should try a crazy experiment -- like the Hilton Sisters working as sideline reporters, or the cast of "House" announcing the third quarter. "You're risking a quarterback's life!"

 

[Eminem]

i've lost a lot of respect for simmons lately and think he's on his way completely downhill...but i gotta admit, that was fucking hilarious.

Their second-string QB is Kurt Warner, who fumbled the clipboard 13 times on the sidelines last week.

:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol


and after kicking myself the last 3 weeks, i finally bet on the colts. $100 on them to win by 11. of course now manning will get injured in the 1st quarter and they score 6 points all game.

 

[Matlock]

COLTS (-11) over Titans
Indianapolis 49, Tennessee 21. Congrats, guys -- you did it again. You still have to win consecutive games in New England and Pittsburgh next month.

(Seriously, does it help the Colts for Manning to throw another TD when they're already winning by 25? That's all about ego at that point. And if he's slumping off the field in January again -- the chin strap dangling from his helmet, making the Peyton Manning Face because Pittsburgh or New England "miraculously" forced him into four killer turnovers -- maybe he'll realize that you can't win the Super Bowl in November, and you certainly can't win it by scoring 131 points in three games against Houston, Chicago and Detroit. None of this crap matters. January is the only month that matters. End of story.)

:lol

Panthers (+1) over SAINTS
How 'bout a round of applause for John Fox, one of the few good football coaches around? The Panthers start out 1-6, lose their best two backs and their best receiver, lose the anchor of their defensive line, lose a heartbreaker to the Raiders ... and Fox keeps them playing hard for three straight wins. Now they're probably the best bet for that sixth playoff spot. Amazing. Well, not that amazing -- it's the NFC. But definitely cool.

:lol I'm crying here!

 

[soulja224466]

I think the rams or seahawks will get hot and surprise some people. Both teams are playing way below their talent level.

 

[Eminem]

(Seriously, does it help the Colts for Manning to throw another TD when they're already winning by 25? That's all about ego at that point. And if he's slumping off the field in January again -- the chin strap dangling from his helmet, making the Peyton Manning Face because Pittsburgh or New England "miraculously" forced him into four killer turnovers -- maybe he'll realize that you can't win the Super Bowl in November, and you certainly can't win it by scoring 131 points in three games against Houston, Chicago and Detroit. None of this crap matters. January is the only month that matters. End of story.)

It's this kind of East Coast bias shit that makes him seem like an ass. Sounds like he's a little scared Manning might beat his Pats this year. Did Peyton anally rape Simmons' grandmother while pouring sugar down his gas tank? What the fuck does he have against him?

 

[levious]

Aw shucks, we'll get em next year

 

[firex]

Favre haters will have another reason to pull their hair out if GB beats the Eagles... is Ahman Green playing in that game or are his ribs still keeping him out??

my hate for Favre is strong but my hate for TO and the Eagles is stronger.

 

[Eminem]

my hate for Favre is strong but my hate for TO and the Eagles is stronger.

i loathe both...but i know the eagles will make the playoffs. the packers still have the chance to go on a big losing streak and somehow miss the play-offs(I can dream, can't i?)

so, go eagles. but whichever team loses, I win.

 

[firex]

well, realistically, if the Eagles make it to the super bowl (which seems likely, but I have a feeling that if they play Atlanta in the NFC championship game the Falcons may beat them) they're going to get completely destroyed by whichever AFC team they face, except for maybe the Colts (but could the Eagles put up 100 points to beat the Colts?).

It seems most likely to me that the Eagles would wind up facing either the Colts, Pats or Steelers. And against the Pats and Steelers they'd get crushed, against the Colts they would have a chance (only because of the bad colts D) and the only other team I think could really make it to the super bowl is the Chargers, who would match up similar to the Colts.

I just think the Eagles are getting vastly overrated this year. Sure, they have a great record, but they're in the NFC and their schedule has been crazily easy this year. IMO they're going to get exposed like the Chiefs did last year.

I don't actually see GB beating the Eagles this sunday, but I'm still going to hope it happens.

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

the nfc now is a lot like the afc was 10+ years ago. you had bum teams like the broncos, bills, chiefs, raiders, etc. who put up exciting games within the conference, but every superbowl was a complete joke. the niners, cowboys, redskins and giants were dominant forces, and it seemed like there was no real shot for the AFC to ever win one of those superbowls.

i get a buffalo bills vibe from the eagles in general. they always seem to put up a pretty good record, but they never do anything meaningful. i think the superbowl will be a "good" game this year, but i will be shocked if the NFC wins it

 

[Eminem]

earlier this year i said i guaranteed the steelers don't make the SB...i still stand by that. if the eagles don't make in in the NFC, i really have no idea...but i pray the eagles lose in the NFC championship AGAIN...it would be beautiful.

picked colts in preseason to win it all, and i'll still stand by that. unless the pats or steelers fall really bad, colts will play the first week of the play-offs at home, where they'll win.
second round is the problem...but i think this year they can go on the road and win one game...definitely prefer pitt over new england. i don't think even the steelers can stop the colts offense...and even the colts offense on a bad day is too much for big ben and the steelers offense to outscore. the pats are a different story, however. when they need to put up points, they can.

so i pray the colts will only have to face one(between the steelers/pats) at home, and not both. if they play both on the road and still make it to the superbowl, they deserve the trophy without even playing the nfc team =p

 

[bionic77]

earlier this year i said i guaranteed the steelers don't make the SB...i still stand by that. if the eagles don't make in in the NFC, i really have no idea...but i pray the eagles lose in the NFC championship AGAIN...it would be beautiful.

picked colts in preseason to win it all, and i'll still stand by that. unless the pats or steelers fall really bad, colts will play the first week of the play-offs at home, where they'll win.
second round is the problem...but i think this year they can go on the road and win one game...definitely prefer pitt over new england. i don't think even the steelers can stop the colts offense...and even the colts offense on a bad day is too much for big ben and the steelers offense to outscore. the pats are a different story, however. when they need to put up points, they can.

so i pray the colts will only have to face one(between the steelers/pats) at home, and not both. if they play both on the road and still make it to the superbowl, they deserve the trophy without even playing the nfc team =p

Betting against Big Ben makes U 2 dum 4 skool!!

I think the Colts can beat either team, but now way they put up 40 points like they are agains the teams they played the last month. It is hard enough to fun the ball at Heinz field when the weather is good, no way you can run and gun when it gets bad. And who knows, maybe the refs will let us rape the Colts recievers like they let the Pats get away with every year. Personally I would love the Colts to play the Pats first and lose. I think we have the Pats number this year, but I could see the Colts winning at Heinz, I could also see them losing as well.

Big Ben and the Steelers are going to have a good passing week this week and for the rest of the season. When Ben needs to make a play he almost always comes up with something. And he hasn't lost us a game yet, really important for a qb.

 

[firex]

Barring any of the usual things that can totally change the outcome for a team (like major injuries), I think the steelers really are on track to go to the SB. They just look like the healthiest and most balanced team. A few weeks ago I would have said their wins against the pats and eagles were due to home field, but now I'd say it's just the team's strength. They play tougher than anyone else and have managed to avoid really serious injuries from it, and even without their real star this year (Duce) they've won pretty well.

I really, really hope the Pats face the Colts at home so the Colts can beat the hell out of them, since my Tom Brady hate is way stronger than even the Favre/TO hate. But I do agree that if the AFC championship winds up being Colts/Steelers that it's really a wash. The Steelers' D is pretty good (not Baltimore good, but very close) so I think they could manage to get a pick or two off Manning, maybe (or if for some reason a lot of run plays are called, they could contain Edge). And the way the Steelers play, they run the ball a lot and could, IMO, get a lot of yards against the Colts on the ground. Ben isn't an elite passer like Peyton and he isn't as smart, but it's obvious he's pretty intelligent and the Colts' secondary isn't that great (although they do have one guy who's actually pretty good... I should look up his name, but he's got a fair amount of picks this year). One thing I will say, though, is that it obviously isn't decided until the end of the season, and the Colts' D has actually shown a little improvement in their past couple games. If they can actually get to being decent enough to stop a lot of scoring, then they really can win the SB this year.

But whether the Eagles make it or not, well, whichever NFC team makes it, they're doomed pretty much. Like FMT says, the NFC now is like the AFC from 10 or so years ago.

 

[Eminem]

I think the Colts can beat either team, but now way they put up 40 points like they are agains the teams they played the last month.

Oh, I definitely agree. I just think 28+ will be enough against the Steelers. Cold is basically nothing...if it's snowing or anything like that the Colts have some problems.

If the Colts can get 28-30+ at Heinz, I say they win easily. I'm not disrespecting the Steelers, but I just don't think they're capable of matching the Colts offense. And once the Colts get a good lead, especially in the play-offs, they won't be afraid to run Edge and kill the clock.

But again, who knows. I just like to speculate on my pre-season SB pick =p

 

[Eminem]

and also....i'd totally rather see the Broncos come into Indy over SD, but the way it's going, I dunno if that's gonna happen. SD is a very scarey darkhorse.

 

[bionic77]

Oh, I definitely agree. I just think 28+ will be enough against the Steelers. Cold is basically nothing...if it's snowing or anything like that the Colts have some problems.

If the Colts can get 28-30+ at Heinz, I say they win easily. I'm not disrespecting the Steelers, but I just don't think they're capable of matching the Colts offense. And once the Colts get a good lead, especially in the play-offs, they won't be afraid to run Edge and kill the clock.

But again, who knows. I just like to speculate on my pre-season SB pick =p

A lot of this is going to depend on the game plans that the coaches come up with. I really think the Steelers are the most complete team in the NFL right now. For Indy to beat anyone in the playoffs they need Peyton to have 4-5 TDs every game, and sometimes that has not even been enough. The Steelers have won every single way this year: passing, rushing, defense, special teams. I always think a balanced attack with a solid gameplay is going to win out over a one trick pony.

Then again, maybe Manning will prove me wrong and throw 20 TDs in the playoffs.

 

[Unresponsive Bee Victim]

i get a buffalo bills vibe from the eagles in general

I feel that way too, it pains me too put down the best team we've had in Buffalo but we were the lone contender in a shiitty confrence while all the power resided in the NFC. Thats why we lost all the Super Bowls, but we should've won 25, ok, I'm gonna go cry now, damn you Norwood.

 

[Eminem]

I always think a balanced attack with a solid gameplay is going to win out over a one trick pony.

NO. NO. IMPOSSIBLE. (remembers the Raiders/Bucs superbowl and kills self)....most people forget the Raiders are my AFC team...but since they are worthless(though improving), I took up the Colts after a few weeks since i live in indiana. not a true colts fan for sure though...just rooting for them this year.


but, we'll see what happens come play-off time =)

 

[EAJAPAN]

Arizona at Detroit, 1:00 p.m.
Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 1:00 p.m.
Buffalo at Miami, 1:00 p.m.
Carolina at New Orleans, 1:00 p.m.
Cincinnati at Baltimore, 1:00 p.m.
Houston at N.Y. Jets, 1:00 p.m.
Minnesota at Chicago, 1:00 p.m.
New England at Cleveland, 1:00 p.m.
San Francisco at St. Louis, 1:00 p.m.
Tennessee at Indianapolis, 1:00 p.m.
Denver at San Diego, 4:05 p.m.
Kansas City at Oakland, 4:05 p.m.
Green Bay at Philadelphia, 4:15 p.m.
N.Y. Giants at Washington, 4:15 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Jacksonville, 8:30 p.m.
Dallas at Seattle, 9:00 p.m.

 

[andthebeatgoeson]

Micheal Irving reads GAF!

He just used the word 'Stinkston' talking about Todd Pinkston. He had a slip of the tongue.

 

[Flizzzipper]

CBS' Thurston Long skit is the stupiest shit I've ever seen.

 

[Luscious LeftFoot]

Miami off to a good start... :lol

 

[Mooreberg]

14 seconds into the game and the Patriots have 7 points. At this rate they will win 5022 - 0!

 

[Slo]

It's on.

 

[DarienA]

Go Will Demps and Ed Reed!!!!! Now come on turn this turnover in to a TD! Nice run CHESTER! Down to the 11.

 

[Tamanon]

WTF? NFL.com's Gamecenters now have commercials while updating the page. Malarkey.

 

[Wellington]

:lol! Buffalo and NE with TD kick returns, Car with a 49 yard return.

 

[Flizzzipper]

My god, the Colts ran 3 pass plays and totally faked out the Titans on two of them. Too bad Pollard dropped the wide open TD pass.

 

[Tamanon]

Wish they were showing a better game than the Pats/Browns. Wish Indy/Tennessee was showing, I mean it's only an AFC SOUTH DIVISIONAL MATCHUP WHICH THE JAGS ARE CONCERNED WITH!

Oh well guess I'll watch the Bucs/Falcons.....Pats game looks like it'll be a blowout, shocker.

 

[DarienA]

Oh WTH 4th and 1 and we don't go for it and instead choose to kick a field goal? WTF Billick.

 

[Eminem]

My god, the Colts ran 3 pass plays and totally faked out the Titans on two of them. Too bad Pollard dropped the wide open TD pass.

no kidding. such an easy catch too...no one within 7 yards of him all round. damnit.

 

[Pimpwerx]

*cough* Good job by Feely on that drive. Special teams letdown two weeks in a row. PEACE.