NFL - American Football

[Invicta Informant]

With the Super Bowl just over a week away, I don't think anyone could have predicted the Cincinnati Bengals to make there. Not even most of their diehard fans. This was a team a few seasons ago that were nicknamed the 'Bungles' because of their poor performances. I think a lot of neutrals will be supporting them.

 

The Los Angeles Rams like Tampa Bay last season will be playing in their own stadium, but that does not mean anything with how this season has gone. Indianapolis were widely expected to make the postseason but collapsed right at the end of the regular season. Miami had a losing 1-7 but turned their season around to almost make it, but still had winning 9-8 record (and still sacked their Head Coach Brian Flores, and as a Dolphins fan I consider that a very poor move). The No. 1 seeds in both the AFC and NFC losing in the Divisional Playoff round (essentially the quarter-finals for the Super Bowl).

 

I personally would like to see Cincinnati win. Not because I don't like the Rams but because of Stan Kroenke. It is not just Arsenal fans who dislike him. The city of St. Louis for instance. Urinating Tree on YouTube (who I know is not going to be everyone's cup of tea) did a video on the team (but mostly talks about Kroenke) back in January 2017 which is still relevant for the most part.

[Ozexpatriate]

2 hours ago, Invicta Informant said:

Miami had a losing 1-7 but turned their season around to almost make it, but still had winning 9-8 record (and still sacked their Head Coach Brian Flores

The NFL is now in full "Defend the shield" mode. I don't know how widely the tumult around Flores is being reported in the UK.

 

It is reported here that Flores:

• was offered payment by team ownership to lose games to improve their draft status,
• was fired despite two winning seasons (with the implication that this was for not following ownership direction)
• was told (accidentally by Pat's head Coach Bill B. via SMS who mixed up the Brians on his 'phone) three days before his "Rooney Rule" interview with the Giants that the Giants would hire Brian Daboll as their new head coach 

The NFL is trotting out "diversity is key to everything we do" messaging. I imagine they were delighted with the "product" over the last two weeks with all six divisional playoffs / championship games going down to the wire. Now they're in full damage control ahead of their biggest event.

 

Edited February 3, 2022 by Ozexpatriate

[Ozexpatriate]

Then after two years of indecision, the Washington Football Team, announced their new name as the "Washington Commanders" to an overwhelming response of "meh", if not downright ridicule.

[Ian J.]

I wondered if WTFT might become the 'Washington Warriors', but 'Commanders' will probably work out OK in the long run.

 

Nice to see a couple of non-regulars reach the SB. I'll be happy whoever wins, but if the 'Beagles' do it that would be fun.

[Jeff Smith]

I always associated the Washington Redskins with apples.........

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, Jeff Smith said:

Washington Redskins with apples

I can recommend Cosmic Crisp apples, developed by agricultural researchers at Washington State University - a cross between Honeycrisp and Enterprise varieties. Organic (non-GMO) versions are available.

 

Of course in this Washington, most people are Seahawks fans.

 

The Apple Cup is the annual rivalry game between the University of Washington and Washington State University.

 

Edited February 4, 2022 by Ozexpatriate

[ejstubbs]

10 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

I don't know how widely the tumult around Flores is being reported in the UK.

 

The story made it in to the Gruaniad, which seems to have a not insignificant US Online readership, and has a US Sports section online and in its app:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/feb/01/brian-flores-sues-nfl-dolphins-broncos-giants-racism-black-head-coaches

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/feb/03/flores-reminded-us-the-nfl-values-black-players-for-our-bodies-not-our-minds

[Invicta Informant]

11 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Then after two years of indecision, the Washington Football Team, announced their new name as the "Washington Commanders" to an overwhelming response of "meh", if not downright ridicule.

Similar story when the Cleveland Indians of MLB changed their name to the 'Guardians'. When looking at previous baseball teams based in Cleveland, I thought the 'Spiders' would have been a better sounding name. In Canadian Football the Edmonton Eskimos or now called the 'Elks', which sounds fine to me.

 

A few people have now started referring to Washington after the name change as the 'Commies'. 'Washington Warriors' would have had sounded better, or even the 'Senators' (formerly used by MLB). Looking at how the franchise is run, I would have thought they would have changed the name to either the 'Reds' or the 'Skins'.

 

There is still a team in the NHL called the 'Blackhawks' who continue to use Native American imagery. Also in College Sports, there is the Florida State Seminoles, but they have permission from the Seminole Tribe of Florida to use the name and imagery, much to the disapproval of other Seminole people in other states.

[Jamiel]

10 hours ago, Ian J. said:

I wondered if WTFT might become the 'Washington Warriors', but 'Commanders' will probably work out OK in the long run.

 

Nice to see a couple of non-regulars reach the SB. I'll be happy whoever wins, but if the 'Beagles' do it that would be fun.

Tony Kornheiser said 'Sooner or later someone is going to call them the 'Commies', where is Senator McCarthy when you need him?'.

[Ozexpatriate]

9 hours ago, Invicta Informant said:

There is still a team in the NHL called the 'Blackhawks' who continue to use Native American imagery. Also in College Sports, there is the Florida State Seminoles,

Others remain.

 

NFL Kansas City Chiefs

MLB Atlanta Braves

NCAA University of Utah Utes

 

The University of Illinois are still the Illini, but retired their Chief Illiniwek mascot.

 

The local ice hockey team, the Portland Winterhawks dropped their old uniforms which were derived from the Chicago Blackhawks uniforms. The new logo is a big improvement. The "winter hawk" is a made up term.

[Jeff Smith]

I thought all the Utes are in Australia!

[Jamiel]

Are you ready for some football?

[rockershovel]

"Winter hawks" sounds like another derogatory nickname for "seagull"

[Ozexpatriate]

Schoolchildren in Cincinnati were given the day off today in anticipation of a win - at least they still have the day off.

[Ian J.]

I felt the SB ended in a bit of a damp squid. The second half just didn't have much energy compared to the first, and the Beagles seemed to squander their chances.

[Ozexpatriate]

As they say "defense wins championships".

 

It might not have been quite as exciting as the last six playoff games, but it wasn't a blowout, the lead changed after the two minute warning, the outcome remained in question into the final minute and ended with a "one score" deficit. That's a big win for the NFL.

 

And the MVP did not go to a quarterback, but the player I thought most deserving.

 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Ozexpatriate

[Invicta Informant]

I thought Super Bowl was a game that Cincinnati were not allowed to win. The officiating and refereeing all season long has been inconsistent and poor (it has been the season of so-called 'Refball'). I thought English Football was bad. But there are some great players on the Rams teams that thoroughly deserved a Super Bowl Ring though.

 

The biggest loser of the Super Bowl I feel is the NFL's credibility.

 

At least the USFL (United States Football League) is coming back this April.

 

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by Invicta Informant

[Ozexpatriate]

8 hours ago, Invicta Informant said:

The biggest loser of the Super Bowl I feel is the NFL's credibility.

Not because of officiating - despite an obvious (on replay, but not from where the side judge was) missed call in the SuperBowl.

[rockershovel]

Most handling codes suffer from reffing issues - look at Peyper's howler in the SH Tours. 

 

Meanwhile.... Green Bay Packers v NY Giants at Tottenham was, predictably saturated by secondary sellers using multiple lines and auto-redialling. No 2 Son got on the queue after 10 seconds with 320,000 odd ahead of him... I'd rather foreseen this and allocated my 6N budget to secondary tickets which were selling rapidly .....

 

Right now we are trying for face value tickets for Vikings v Saints as a late birthday treat for No 1 Son... but drew a blank after nearly 6 hrs in the queue. So it goes. 

Edited July 26, 2022 by rockershovel

[Ian J.]

I tried for an hour, but had 175k ahead of me at 09:30, gave up at 11:00 with 144k still ahead of me. There are only around 66k seats at Tottenham, so it was clear I wasn't getting any at normal prices. I'm absolutely not going to pay scalp prices, those scalping w****rs can f**k off.

[rockershovel]

Ermmmm..... OK then. 

 

To put it in perspective, secondary market prices for the NFL games this year seem to be comparable with tournaments like 6N. I don't know how they compare with round-ball prices, because I don't really understand why people pay good money to watch a team that last won a major trophy in 1966. 

 

Last year you could get tickets at face value until a few days beforehand, we did. 

 

American fans are accustomed to this sort of thing. We met two Americans in the pizza place afterwards, they had flown across for 2 weeks to see the two games in London and reckoned it a bargain compared to the cost of a trip (including travel and accommodation, America being what it is) to see two games in the USA. 

 

Try adding up the cost of a trip to 6N in Cardiff, including doing business with the infamously rapacious hoteliers of that fair City. 

 

Ticket costs in the US are all over the board, but surprisingly cheap for Giants and Jets - about the only thing in NY that IS cheap. No 2 Son went to NY to watch Giants play on a total budget of $500, about four years ago. 

 

My main criticism of the London NFL games is that they have tended to be big on expansion franchises and one-sided blow-outs. I really enjoyed the Dolphins / Jaguars game last year, they have learnt that lesson. 

 

Now they have brought over probably the best-known names this side of the Atlantic, barring only Chicago Bears or Dallas Cowboys. OF COURSE interest is huge. I will probably never get the chance again to see the Packers, given that Green Bay is hardly a holiday destination. 

 

Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and go for it. 

[Jeff Smith]

Going to see games live is I guess of special interest to some.  Reversing the countries and for a different sport, I am happy watching cricket on tv in the US and even if in the UK would still rather watch it on tv!

[Ian J.]

So from the three pre-season games, I'm getting a hopeful feeling the Falcons might actually be competitive this year. True, such games can't be taken as a genuine indicator of how things will actually turn out in the main season, but the players seem to be playing better 🙂

[Ozexpatriate]

52 minutes ago, Ian J. said:

So from the three pre-season games, I'm getting a hopeful feeling the Falcons might actually be competitive this year.

So long as Marcus Mariota doesn't get hurt (again).

 

He played college ball at the University of Oregon and naturally was (and still is) closely followed here. He had the liabilities of a 'mobile' quarterback* in that they can get hurt running the ball and he didn't live up to the hype of a Heisman winner when he led the Titans, but, certainly here, people thought he was better than his results.

 

* None as badly as RGIII. 

 

He's still very highly regarded here, unlike the clown car in Seattle.

[Ian J.]

We have Desmond Ridder from the last draft, and apart from the first throw interception in last night's game he's been showing some pretty competent chops. Whether he'll be our long term QB1 is not certain, but only time will tell on that front. Mariota is on a two year contract, so I think the thought with him was to be QB1 for a temporary period while the organisation figures out how to deal with the QB after Ryan's departure to Indy.