NFL (since 2016)

[crystal falace]

"Free agency started last night and was pretty crazy some huge money being spent. Osweiler getting £18m a year for the Texans, leaving the Broncos without a QB, Giants have spent a fortune on good but not great players, Oliver Vernon has more guaranteed money than JJ Watt. lots more deals but cant be bothered to list them all."

[southbankbornnbred]

"The Skins will get almost nothing out of Mark Sanchez...because there is almost nothing in there! He promised a lot when at college, but was never anything more than average even at his 'peak'. But the worst thing that ever happened to him (and one of the worst things to happen to the hapless Jets for a good twenty years) was when Rex Ryan and the backroom team traded up to get him at #5 in the 2009 draft. From the Jets perspective, they overspent on him massively - he was never worth the trade-up. And that meant they passed on good players such as Clay Matthews in that draft. Once Matt Stafford was off the board, there were no other good QBs, so the premium for even average QBs was very high. After Stafford and Sanchez, the next best QB in the draft was Josh Freeman - so you can see it wasn't a draft blessed with QB talent. That all put a lot of pressure on a pretty average QB at the Jets, which - as a franchise - had no offensive nous at all (Ryan is a superb defensive coach, but did not have a clue how to run an offense and nor did his support team). So an at-best 'decent' and mostly average QB was left to try to carry a team with traditionally poor offensive records. He actually did OK for the first two years, but then he got found out and, without decent weapons, he was totally exposed. From Sanchez's perspective, Ryan was not the coach he should have gone to play for. Other NFL coaches would at least have knocked him into shape a little more. Instead, he was left to do his own thing - and he was talented enough for that. So his form and confidence fell off a cliff after two seasons. And then the Butt Fumble happened and we all pissed ourselves laughing at the all-round incompetence. You have no hope with Sanchez. He'll flatter to deceive you in the odd game, but he just doesn't have the capacity/talent."

[Far Cough]

El Scorchio 3:03 Mon Dec 10 Re: 2016 NFL Season Haha

[crystal falace]

"Yeah Gordon has caught almost everything thrown his way, seems to have learnt the playbook very quickly too which a lot of people struggle with in New England. He's not quite the athletic freak he used to be put still plenty fast enough to gain enough separation where he can then use his size and strength to do the rest."

[ooooh Morley Morley]

"re Sanchez.... How the fuck do you review and assess various available QBs and yet you still come up with Sanchez as your candidate. What a clusterfuck that was... Doug Williams is still in the franchise, he was a better option."

[southbankbornnbred]

"CF, Yep, I hear that. Gordon has very good hands. And quite how Gronk stands up these days is beyond me - his knees must be fecked. I'm no fan of the Patsies, but he is one tough son of a *****."

[On The Ball]

Takashi Miike 12:44 Mon Dec 10 Things certainly seemed to lift as soon as Sanchez was benched.

[El Scorchio]

Far Cough 12:20 No it wasn't- they didn't pass it forward :)

[crystal falace]

"Yeah I get that, but even if you're going to go with that strategy I would probably rather had Josh Gordon on the field as he's a far better athlete who's standing jump probably means he can get higher than Gronk, and he's not playing through several injuries like Gronk is this year."

[southbankbornnbred]

"Let's face it, Belichick doesn't make too many bad calls. Unfortunately (I still seethe over his leaving the Jets ""on a napkin""!). ;-)"

[southbankbornnbred]

"But CF, remember, many hail mary passes don't make it to the end zone. We just tend to remember those that do - because they make for TDs and incredible moments. Often when there's just a second or two left on the clock, it's more of a huge heave downfield with, at best, a pass being caught by the offensive side 20 or so yards out - the hope being that any receiver might then, by some miracle, make it to the end zone. It's always a desperation call because the chances of being picked off are so high. You always put your big, agile guys with good hands down the field when the opposition lines it up. That's why Gronk was there. He just got out ran by a quicker guy when they two laterals worked."

[Takashi Miike]

"gruden's post match press conference was painful. i've never seen a coach with a redder face, and the constant neck rubbing showed how wound up he was. when a group of players stop giving a shit, it's time for a change"

[Far Cough]

"Unbelievable, Miami with all those laterals, were playing like the All Blacks on that last play"

[Grumpster]

Most NFL QB's worth a wank can throw the ball 70 yards if on the move and accuracy isn't needed. That fucker Mahomes can throw it 80 yards kneeling down!

[Grumpster]

"The massive issue I had with the Fins winning TD, was that the cameras didn't pan in on either Brady or Belichek's faces afterwards to see their scowls! :o)"

[crystal falace]

Just don't thinkt here was ever going to be any way where Tannehill would be able to thro a hail Mary 70 yards in the air which is what he would have had to do for it to be a jump ball in the end zone

[southbankbornnbred]

"Let's face it, the number of times a play like that works you can count on one hand. In ""normal"" circumstances, the play ends in mid-field, with a tackle, or Gronk bats the long pass away and - as happens far too often for my liking - the Patsies win the game. Even though it was the Fins, I'm kinda pleased it didn't happen like that again."

[southbankbornnbred]

"Of course Gronk would be on the field. There was a strong likelihood that the play would be a hail mary - or something similar (probably massively overloading one corner) and so he's an obvious choice to have on there at that point. Instead, the Miami QB had little option than to throw the ball much shorter than he would have liked in desperate circumstances. It was just a good piece of improvisation by the Fins. Usually those sorts of things go wrong and taper out after a lateral or two. This time it worked. Wasn't Gronk's fault, or even a particularly bad call by Belichick. It was just good play from Miami, combined with that little bit of luck you need. I've seen Gronk bat down a hail mary or two in his time."

[crystal falace]

"Just don't understand why Gronk was on the field for that Miami play, I understand he's usually there for a hail Mary as he's a giant and can go over people to knock the ball down, but there was no chance Tannehill was going to launch that ball 69 yards in the air to reach the endzone. Devin McCourty would have chased Drake down and pushed him out of bounds before he reached the endzone."

[ironsofcanada]

"After last night, It sounds like Chicago might be another team riding a defence to a late season surge. The NFC playoffs looks to be pretty interesting. Goff without Gurley clicking looked awful, in the highlights and stats at least."

[claret on my shirt]

"Raiders take the lead over the Steelers, can my tanking Raiders beat the scum Steelers :)"

[Grumpster]

Kittle is a fantastic TE. 210 yards and a TD in the first half. Needs 5 yards to break the all time game record.

[southbankbornnbred]

"That Fins play was extraordinary. Unfortunately, I'm not remotely interested in the Fins or Patsies - as a Jets fan it's a little like being asked for a preference in a Millwall v Spurs game. So I'll just shrug my shoulders and pretend it never happened!"

[zebthecat]

"Fins! I need to find my old Bob Griese shirt (it is in a box in the attic somewhere), have grown a bit since I was 4 mind."

[ironsofcanada]

"medwayhammer1 11:22 Sun Dec 9 Congrats. Sometimes, some seasons things like that can kick start your team (or be a great consolation - I say from following the Saints, pre-Brees)"

[medwayhammer1]

"Excactly Irons...im a big fins fan so not just the play, but in the last second against the Pats of all people...like a last second winner against Millwall or something :-)"