The NFL and NBA thread

[wozhere]

Originally Posted by tygrkhat40

I am sick to f***ing death of f***ing Bill Belichick, f***ing Tom Brady and the f***ing New England Patriots

Originally Posted by will101

Quit holding back, and tell us how you really feel.

Originally Posted by ultimatewarlord

The answer is jealous.

It's a shame that the NFL's greatest all-time dynasty is led by unlikable cheaters. As a Bills fan, I could live with a division rival being that dynasty, if their leaders were admirable and classy. I'm also a Cowboys fan, so, of course, not a fan of 49ers, Redskins or Steelers, but can respect achievements of people like Walsh, Montana, Gibbs, Noll etc... and I've liked the Cowboys less since way back to when Landry left... and in Bills SB Bowls years, when Miami was the hated enemy, you couldn't help it in acknowledging what a tremendous player Marino was... I agree with you, brother Ti-Cat, and it ain't about no jealousy thing.

[ultimatewarlord]

SUMMARY: In his book "Ineffective Habits of Financial Advisors", former Buffalo Bills special teams coach John Steven Moore had this to say:
"The wind can blow hard off of Lake Erie. It blows easterly, swooping over the left rim of Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium, down to the field and then back up over the luxury suites on the right. It can swirl and have a modest impact on the outcome of a football game. You can't control the wind, but you can use it to your advantage -- make it an opportunity."
"I was the special teams coach for the Buffalo Bills in the early 1980s. In our pregame warm-up, as we prepared to play the New England Patriots, the wind was blowing hard. I figured we could create a wind tunnel if we opened the east-side tunnel door of the stadium when New England was kicking against the wind. I worked with our equipment managers and told them, on my signal, to open the doors. Thinking back about it, I do feel a little bad for the New England punter. On his first punt against the wind, the ball came off his foot nicely, but then the wind puntied it right back at him. In a game with dozens of consequential plays, sometimes it's just one that can make a big difference. I used the wind to our advantage. We won the game and that's why I only feel a little bad."

SUMMARY: In their September 20, 2015 home game against the defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots, the Buffalo Bills illegally used artificial stadium noise to attempt (unsuccessfully) to slow down the Patriots offense.
According to the NFL rules on crowd noise: "Noise of any kind (music, horns, gongs, drums, etc.) that is under club control must cease when the play clock (40 or 25 second) is running and the visiting team is in possession of the ball." The league sent a memo in August of 2015 clarifying and reminding teams of the rule. The memo said:
"The home team is permitted to play audio while the visiting team is on offense and the play clock is running. The audio must cease by the time the play clock reaches 20 seconds, or when the visiting team’s offense reaches the line of scrimmage, whichever occurs first. Pursuant to this policy, the visiting team’s offense is considered being at the line of scrimmage when the center touches the ball."
Reported Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, during the game "on multiple occasions the very loud third-down train horn blared when it arguably shouldn’t have." Continued Florio, "The Patriots used the no-huddle offense on multiple occasions, and on multiple occasions when the Patriots used the no-huddle offense the Bills were blaring the train horn."

[wozhere]

Teams have been using tricks re weather as part of their home field advantage since the beginning of time... for instance, in hot weather sites, visitors bench on sunny side of stadium and visitors made to wear dark uniforms. If Bills take advantage of their howling winds, so be it... weather is weather, is part of the game, what are ya gonna do?

Many teams in NFL and NBA have used/do use 'canned' noise. I don't like it and should be stopped, for sure, I agree. But teams prepare (or should be prepared) for noisy, hostile environments... they use hand-signals and silent counts etc. regardless of whether a train is going through the stadium or not.

None of this stuff compares to spy-gate or deflate-gate, imho

[Arturo2nd]

Originally Posted by cardinalcary

Teams have been using tricks re weather as part of their home field advantage since the beginning of time... for instance, in hot weather sites, visitors bench on sunny side of stadium and visitors made to wear dark uniforms. If Bills take advantage of their howling winds, so be it... weather is weather, is part of the game, what are ya gonna do?

Many teams in NFL and NBA have used/do use 'canned' noise. I don't like it and should be stopped, for sure, I agree. But teams prepare (or should be prepared) for noisy, hostile environments... they use hand-signals and silent counts etc. regardless of whether a train is going through the stadium or not.

None of this stuff compares to spy-gate or deflate-guy, imho

Spy-gate was over the line. Deflate-gate was a bogus controversy. It is hard to be in a division with a dominant rival. It is even harder when the management of one's own team is inept.

I began withe the 49ers in 1957, when they blew a big halftime lead to the Detroit Lions for the Western Conference title. The team's founder/owner/general manager had died in mid-season that year. We were to endure the Y.A.Tittle traded for a backup tackle, losing to the Rams and Colts twice a year, and a record of 57-74-7 during the 1960s. Dick Nolan would give us three division crowns to start the 1970s before a the next seven years of 33-69. (Monte Clark was forced out after the lone winning season in that stretch.) Bill Walsh gave us 2-14, followed by 6-10, and then the Joe Montana era. From 1981 to 1998 the good times rolled with Five Super Bowl wins, the last in 1994. DeBartolo, Walsh, McVay, Seifert, and Mariucci left or were forced out over the years and the Niners reverted to the mean. Sucking and rebuilding created a talented core that Harbaugh nealy drove to greatness, before dueling egos forced him out and here we are at 8-35 over the past 3 seasons.

Here in the East Bay, we have often been blessed with two teams. But it has never been really urgent after the Raiders were snatched away in 1982. Even when they came back in 1995 and went to a Super Bowl, it was more soap opera than football team. Maybe it's like forgiving your wife and sticking with her for the sake of the kids after she's been getting some on the side. Something funny is probably in the room with the sex. Any way, the Raiders were pretty consistently the most stupid and self-sabotaging team in the NFL. It never seemed like a good idea to make an emotional commitment to them. Besides,that loyalty formed as an 8-year old can even survive a bunch of front running jerks jumping on the bandwagon in the '80s. (Where were you when we were getting our asses kicked and fumbling punts in the '60s and '70s? I could get tickets anytime back then.) Now they are leaving again. Once a cheater, always a cheater.

Fear not. Tom Brady is 40 and Belichick is 65. The Patriots can't last much longer. Just hope and pray that your owners stumble into hiring that brilliant GM or coach that can give you those blessed years of winning.

But, remember, even the Yankees have had their down periods.

[ultimatewarlord]

Yeah. Spygate was a shocker. I've just read about it. No wonder former NEW YORK JETS staffer Roger Goodell hit the Pats with the loss of a 1st Rd pick.

SUMMARY: On November 12, 2006 -- two months after the NFL sent its initial 2006 memo forbidding videotaping from the sidelines, endzones and "other locations accessible to club staff members during the game" and one year before the New England Patriots infamous Spygate "scandal"-- the Jets were caught filming the Patriots plays and defensive signals from both endzones of Gillette Stadium. The Patriots had the New York Jets employee removed from the area, according to published reports.

Confessed Jets head coach Eric Mangini, "we taped the game is what we taped, and we taped end-zone copy of the game, and we tape a double-end zone, which is standard operating procedure for us. We request that every single road game, and it's usually granted if physically it's possible. And when people request it from us, we do the same thing: We grant it."

When confronted, Mangini nervously denied that the Jets videotaping included the Patriots defensive signals, but the Jets' tapes of the game were never reviewed by the league so his statement was never verified. What they videotaped didn't matter, though, because after the 2006 NFL memo was sent, the league's newly articulated rule prohibited all video recording (of any part of the game) from the coaches' booth, on the field, in the locker room or any other location that is accessible to coaches or team personnel.

[tygrkhat40]

If I hadn't made it clear before, I hate the New England Patriots and I'm not a fan of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. I do, however, have tremendous respect for them. As a football fan, they're great to watch. There are few QBs who can do what Tom Brady is doing now, when they're 25, and he's 40. I agree that Spygate is a blot on the Hoodie's CV, but he ranks with Halas, Brown, Lombardi, Shula, Walsh and Gibbs as the greatest coaches in NFL history.

It has been said that everyone loves a sports dynasty, and I suppose that's true. Except if it's your team that's being tormented by the dynasty. Ask Browns, Bengals and Oilers fans of their opinion of the 70s Steelers; or Giants, Redskins and Eagles fans about the Cowboys; or LA Rams fans of the 80s 49ers; or Dolphins, Jets and Patriots fans of the 90s Bills. And when your dynasty is in effect, you get more media exposure. And as the old saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt.

The last Bills game I went to was the 2015 season finale, where they beat the Jets to keep them out of the playoffs. As my sister and I were leaving the stadium, we talked to some Jets fans, giving our honest regrets on the Jets' season ending without a playoff berth. They responded with hope that the Bills were on the upswing. We then both agreed that we did have one thing in common, we hated the Patriots and Brady.

When Belichick and Brady finally call it quits, every AFC East city (and maybe Indianapolis and Denver) should throw parades celebrating the fact we'll never have to see their fucking faces again.

[LaughingBoy]

Originally Posted by Brian249x

Spy-gate was over the line. Deflate-gate was a bogus controversy. It is hard to be in a division with a dominant rival. It is even harder when the management of one's own team is inept.

With all respect, I must disagree. Since 2005 when Brady and Peyton Manning lobbied the league to allow teams to provide their own balls, the much reviled patriots have always been top 3 teams every year in fewest fumbles. And usually number 1. Given what a huge part of the game turnovers are, fumbles are a big deal. It's not just brady throwing under inflated balls (Or Giselle handling them), it's running backs and wide receivers handling those easy to grip under inflated nerf balls. Better grip=less fumbles.

To me, deflate gate calls into question much of what the patriots have done. There's no denying that bellichick is an evil genius and can coach the hell out of a team, reinventing them from week to week. Possibly the best coach of our era. Or brady, with his ..ahem...quick release. He might have the best throwing mechanics in the game. But in as many close games as they've had those fumbles matter. And while you can argue a good coach stresses the fundamentals(and bellichick is a GOOD coach), it's statistically impossible for the patriots to have had the run they've had leading the league in fewest fumbles.

(You can call me petty and childish for not capitalizing proper nouns...but...I REALLY hate the patriots!)

[LaughingBoy]

[QUOTE=Brian249x;4252092

I began withe the 49ers in 1957, when they blew a big halftime lead to the Detroit Lions for the Western Conference title. The team's founder/owner/general manager had died in mid-season that year. We were to endure the Y.A.Tittle traded for a backup tackle, losing to the Rams and Colts twice a year, and a record of 57-74-7 during the 1960s. Dick Nolan would give us three division crowns to start the 1970s before a the next seven years of 33-69. (Monte Clark was forced out after the lone winning season in that stretch.) Bill Walsh gave us 2-14, followed by 6-10, and then the Joe Montana era. From 1981 to 1998 the good times rolled with Five Super Bowl wins, the last in 1994. DeBartolo, Walsh, McVay, Seifert, and Mariucci left or were forced out over the years and the Niners reverted to the mean. Sucking and rebuilding created a talented core that Harbaugh nealy drove to greatness, before dueling egos forced him out and here we are at 8-35 over the past 3 seasons.[/QUOTE]

I'm sorry Bri, as a Hawks fan I feel your pain. The down cycles just suck a bag of dicks. Having good teams in your division lifts the levels of competition.

The fact that your ownership allowed ego to fire Harbaugh just defies belief. But Harbaugh was no prince either, but he usually told it like it was.

Here's to hoping that you guys get new, better ownership.

[ultimatewarlord]

Originally Posted by LaughingBoy

With all respect, I must disagree. Since 2005 when Brady and Peyton Manning lobbied the league to allow teams to provide their own balls, the much reviled patriots have always been top 3 teams every year in fewest fumbles. And usually number 1. Given what a huge part of the game turnovers are, fumbles are a big deal. It's not just brady throwing under inflated balls (Or Giselle handling them), it's running backs and wide receivers handling those easy to grip under inflated nerf balls. Better grip=less fumbles.

To me, deflate gate calls into question much of what the patriots have done. There's no denying that bellichick is an evil genius and can coach the hell out of a team, reinventing them from week to week. Possibly the best coach of our era. Or brady, with his ..ahem...quick release. He might have the best throwing mechanics in the game. But in as many close games as they've had those fumbles matter. And while you can argue a good coach stresses the fundamentals(and bellichick is a GOOD coach), it's statistically impossible for the patriots to have had the run they've had leading the league in fewest fumbles.

(You can call me petty and childish for not capitalizing proper nouns...but...I REALLY hate the patriots!)

Now the strange thing about that is the fact that the Colts averaged fewer fumbles over that period than the Pats. Also in the 2nd half of the AFC Championship against the Colts when the balls had supposedly been re-inflated, LaGarrette Blount ran all over the Colts D

I can't be bothered to argue with you anymore because you're gonna believe what you want to believe.

[will101]

Originally Posted by LaughingBoy

The fact that your ownership allowed ego to fire Harbaugh just defies belief. But Harbaugh was no prince either, but he usually told it like it was.

Saying it was nothing but egos that got Harbaugh fired is the common story, but is not really accurate. He inherited a talented team (which also illustrates that Mike Singletary is a terrible coach), gave them discipline and made them winners, but he worked them too hard. His teams were notorious for fading late in a game. His final season he decided that he would call the plays personally, giving the OC almost nothing to do. Between his play calling and almost working the team to death, the Niners only scored 33 points in the fourth quarter that season, the lowest number for any team since the 1982 strike season. The decision to fire him was likely made after he threw a tantrum on the sidelines as the Niners were shut out in the second half by the 0-11 Raiders, a team that had given up 50 points the week before.

And I don't know where this "told it like it was" stuff came from. His press conferences were legendary for gibberish and doubletalk that had the guys on Comcast Sports Bay Area (the channel that showed the PCs live) scratching their heads as they tried to figure out what he said.