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2020 NFL Season

JWCowboy

Probably not Al Bundy
And BTW - I'm not implying that Belichick is not a great coach, he's a heck of a coach. All I'm saying is a good QB is more important that a good coach. Coaches get WAY too much credit in this sport fan's opinion. Now college, that's a different story....(see Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney - of course Dabo has the current best QB in the country right now, even if he does have Covid, and while I love Coach O at LSU - it's pretty obvious they had a great QB that led them to a championship last season) anyway I digress. Point is....having a good QB is the most important aspect of the game. Again, no disrespect to Belicheck but Elmer Fudd probably could have won Super Bowls with Tom Brady as his QB. (This is kind of what happened in last season in the NCAA with the aforementioned Coach O and Joe Burrows)
 
6-2 Bills....Josh Allen, a solid QB and probable future star
5-2 Ravens - Lamar Jackson, a solid QB and probable future star
7-0 Steelers - Big Ben, a future hall of famer QB
5-2 Titans - Tannehill a solid QB who is flourishing and having one of the best seasons of his career
5-2 Colts - Phillip Rivers, potential hall of famer (should be - he's been a heck of a player for a LONG time)
7-1 Chiefs - Mahomes - arguably the best QB in the NFL, already won a Super Bowl and will likely be the future face of the league for a long time
5-2 Packers - Rodgers, future hall of famer
5-2 Saints - Breese, future hall of famer
5-2 Bucs - Brady, future hall of famer and undoubtedly the GOAT
6-1 Seahawks - Russel Wilson, solid veteran who's already won a super bowl
5-2 Cardinals - Kyler Murray, like Lamar Jackson & Josh Allen above, a very talented young player and probable future star

So there you go. There's the current best teams in the NFL and it's glaringly apparent what they all have in common.....

Limey here, so we don't really have that much exposure to the NFL but I'm a recent convert, been watching it for a few years now.

Good summary. Aside from the teams you've mentioned, I'd say at the other side of the tables Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow look very special indeed. Justin Herbert's team have often squandered leads at the end of matches, their game management needs to improve. Joe Burrow, is a prospect needs more protection though - hope the Bengals can improve their O-Line.
Lamar Jackson was incredible last year but this year he's not looked quite the same this year, he had an absolute stinker against the Steelers, big injury as well in the Ravens O-Line.

I'm not one for predictions, but in the AFC the Steelers look like they have the best defence (TJ Watt's having a superb season), and Big Ben's a solid decision maker with great weapons (JuJu etc). Chiefs have Mahomes, but the Titans showed if they play the running game and hold the ball/keep Mahomes in the dugout, the Chiefs can be beaten (especially if Chris Jones isn't playing).
In the NFC, the Bucks have Brady with some weapons, solid defence. Seahawks - DK Metcalf - wow what a WR! His pick six saving tackle is one of the highlights of the year, but Russell Wilson is having an amazing season so far.
 

JWCowboy

Probably not Al Bundy
Again, not to belabor the point, but to clarify, a good coach is important, just not AS important as a good Quarterback. I'd say in level of importance for a typical NFL Franchise it is: Quarterback > Head Coach > General Manager > Owner.
 

JWCowboy

Probably not Al Bundy
Limey here, so we don't really have that much exposure to the NFL but I'm a recent convert, been watching it for a few years now.

Good summary. Aside from the teams you've mentioned, I'd say at the other side of the tables Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow look very special indeed. Justin Herbert's team have often squandered leads at the end of matches, their game management needs to improve. Joe Burrow, is a prospect needs more protection though - hope the Bengals can improve their O-Line.
Lamar Jackson was incredible last year but this year he's not looked quite the same this year, he had an absolute stinker against the Steelers, big injury as well in the Ravens O-Line.

I'm not one for predictions, but in the AFC the Steelers look like they have the best defence (TJ Watt's having a superb season), and Big Ben's a solid decision maker with great weapons (JuJu etc). Chiefs have Mahomes, but the Titans showed if they play the running game and hold the ball/keep Mahomes in the dugout, the Chiefs can be beaten (especially if Chris Jones isn't playing).
In the NFC, the Bucks have Brady with some weapons, solid defence. Seahawks - DK Metcalf - wow what a WR! His pick six saving tackle is one of the highlights of the year, but Russell Wilson is having an amazing season so far.

Sounds like you've taken to it like a duck to water! Very astute and impressive observations, and yes Russell Wilson is indeed a delight to watch. Funny thing is the older I get, the less I pay attention to football and in general I think there is way too much emphasis on sports in our culture. But every fall, as the weather gets cooler, I do feel the pull of sitting down and watching a good competitive football game and most often it doesn't matter who it is playing.....

and while I know it's not that important, especially considering the pandemic and the election and the racial unrest and goodness knows all the real world craziness we are dealing with right now, but it is a nice escape to be able to watch a sporting event and forget about all that for a short little while.
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
And BTW - I'm not implying that Belichick is not a great coach, he's a heck of a coach. All I'm saying is a good QB is more important that a good coach. Coaches get WAY too much credit in this sport fan's opinion. Now college, that's a different story....(see Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney - of course Dabo has the current best QB in the country right now, even if he does have Covid, and while I love Coach O at LSU - it's pretty obvious they had a great QB that led them to a championship last season) anyway I digress. Point is....having a good QB is the most important aspect of the game. Again, no disrespect to Belicheck but Elmer Fudd probably could have won Super Bowls with Tom Brady as his QB. (This is kind of what happened in last season in the NCAA with the aforementioned Coach O and Joe Burrows)
Yeah 12 wins might have been a bad prediction... what saddens and surprises me was to hear Bill cry and moan this weekend about the cap and how the system has him in a corner right now. To my mind his classical Stoic genius was to look at potential difficulties and problems and figure out ways to work through them better than anyone the game has ever seen. He beat the NFL for years by figuring out how to win in a system designed to prevent you from winning all the time. To hear him moan about the system made me think for the first time that he's tired, discouraged, and that he might be losing his fastball... because beating the system IS his fastball.
 

JWCowboy

Probably not Al Bundy
Yeah 12 wins might have been a bad prediction... what saddens and surprises me was to hear Bill cry and moan this weekend about the cap and how the system has him in a corner right now. To my mind his classical Stoic genius was to look at potential difficulties and problems and figure out ways to work through them better than anyone the game has ever seen. He beat the NFL for years by figuring out how to win in a system designed to prevent you from winning all the time. To hear him moan about the system made me think for the first time that he's tired, discouraged, and that he might be losing his fastball... because beating the system IS his fastball.

While I am by no means a Pats fan, I admit I like Belichick. He was born in my hometown when his dad was an assistant at Vanderbilt, and I think he's always kind of displayed a soft spot for the beleaguered Commodores. I grew up in west Nashville near the campus and have always cheered for them (which ain't easy let me tell you - we Vandy fans are among the most long suffering in sports) Belichick and the Patriots signed two undrafted Vandy players, Adam Butler in 2017 who ended up making the roster and is now a starter, and then Ralph Webb in 2018 who almost made it with a great preseason but had the unfortunate luck to be competing against a loaded backfield including fellow SEC stud Sony Michel from Georgia. Then they drafted CB Joejuan Williams in the second round last year. At Super Bowl media day a couple of years ago Belicheck is answering reporters questions (which in of itself was always entertaining with him) and upon seeing reporter Adam Sparks from The Tennessean who was wearing a Vandy hat, Belicheck says "Anchor Down" (The 'Dores motto/slogan) I've also always gotten a kick out of the way he used to cut off his sweatshirt sleeves to thumb his nose at the league that mandated what apparel the coaching staffs were required to wear. Belicheck's girlfriend Linda Holliday is from Franklin (swanky high dollar suburb just south of Nashville) and in 2014 they completed the Country Music Half Marathon (one of the largest in the country with around 30,000 runners) They had much better weather than my wife and I who ran it the year before in the pouring rain...

So anyway, yeah I kind of like old cantankerous "Evil Genius" Belichick.
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
He has a soft spot for Vandy indeed and also for the USNA where his Dad coached forever. Belichik endowed a coaching book collection to the Academy. He also has developed a soft spot for BC over the years. He meets with the players during spring ball and again either in summer camp or during the season. Not much gets him away from the film room during the season. @JWCowboy
 

JWCowboy

Probably not Al Bundy
I love watching the service academies play football. Always make it a point to watch the Army/Navy game. When I was a kid I remember Navy playing at Vanderbilt (I went to all the home games with my Dad and older Brother) and they brought a large contingent of cadets to the game and it was a blast. I was fascinated by the uniforms, the precision marching, the flags, the band, etc. Not too long ago Vandy played a road game at West Point (we lost of course, what a shock right?) I didn't go but some good friends of ours made the trip and loved it, and I've always wanted to go up there above NYC and watch a game on that campus above the Hudson.

Navy ended up with some darn good teams for a number of years. I was living in Atlanta when Paul Johnson brought the triple option to Georgia Tech and I always enjoyed watching them play as well. The Yellow Jackets had some absolute studs come through that program during my years in ATL (Calvin Johnson, Demaryius Thomas, Michael Johnson) I enjoyed riding MARTA down to the North Avenue stop, getting a hot dog at the Varsity, and sitting in the stands of that stadium with the Atlanta skyline to the east.

Football is good stuff.
 

Chandu

I Waxed The Badger.
If the Vikings only win one more game this year and it too is against the Packers, it won't be a terrible season.
 
Sounds like you've taken to it like a duck to water! Very astute and impressive observations, and yes Russell Wilson is indeed a delight to watch. Funny thing is the older I get, the less I pay attention to football and in general I think there is way too much emphasis on sports in our culture. But every fall, as the weather gets cooler, I do feel the pull of sitting down and watching a good competitive football game and most often it doesn't matter who it is playing.....

and while I know it's not that important, especially considering the pandemic and the election and the racial unrest and goodness knows all the real world craziness we are dealing with right now, but it is a nice escape to be able to watch a sporting event and forget about all that for a short little while.

I'm in agreement. Being a 'Limey' everything seems to revolve around soccer around here be it culture, politics, news and so on and everything is incredibly tribal, and one of the reasons I've been really enjoying watching NFL is that in the UK it has no cultural context, so I can just enjoy watching the sport for what it is. I enjoy the plays, and I'm learning about the tactics but not supporting a team makes it quite enjoyable for being able to watch a game without it mattering who's playing.
 

JWCowboy

Probably not Al Bundy
I'm in agreement. Being a 'Limey' everything seems to revolve around soccer around here be it culture, politics, news and so on and everything is incredibly tribal, and one of the reasons I've been really enjoying watching NFL is that in the UK it has no cultural context, so I can just enjoy watching the sport for what it is. I enjoy the plays, and I'm learning about the tactics but not supporting a team makes it quite enjoyable for being able to watch a game without it mattering who's playing.

I'm with you. I love watching great athletes regardless of which team they play for. What's been interesting in the NFL (and in college football as well for that matter) is how over time offenses have evolved from primarily running the ball to passing the ball. Over the last 20-30 years that shift has been quite profound.
 
Sadly, my Cowboys suck again. Lost their starting quarterback, then the backup. Now they are starting someone I have never heard of. They likely won't win another game this year. I agree that quarterback is the key ingredient in a winning team.
 
Sadly, my Cowboys suck again. Lost their starting quarterback, then the backup. Now they are starting someone I have never heard of. They likely won't win another game this year. I agree that quarterback is the key ingredient in a winning team.

Dak seemed to be single handedly carrying the team til his injury, he had more yards than any other QB at the time. Hope he make a full recovery.

****

Does anyone listen to NFL commentary on the radio? Does anyone have a recommendation for a station that I could listen to live online on Sundays?
 
Dak seemed to be single handedly carrying the team til his injury, he had more yards than any other QB at the time. Hope he make a full recovery.

****

Does anyone listen to NFL commentary on the radio? Does anyone have a recommendation for a station that I could listen to live online on Sundays?
I’ve listened to the radio when I attended the games, but I haven’t attended a game in almost 30 years. Back then it was KRLD for the Cowboys. I’m sure if you visit the team’s website it will be on there somewhere. Or could it be that radio is so old fashioned that no one pays attention to it anymore?
 
Oh my, Garret Gilbert is starting for the Cowboys this week. They have sunk to a new low.

I saw highlights and he didn't seem that bad, but the Cowboys seem to find a way to lose.

***
I'm early in my days as a NFL viewer and I've been enjoying seeing the differences of the 3 QB's at the top of the draft come into the game.

Joe Burrow, comes across as a very sensible, well considered young man and that seems apparent when he's on the field. In contrast Tua is a rock star, has the confidence and persona of one, I can see the media switching between either loving or hating him according the day. Justin Herbert, seems to be quietly going about being a superb QB, but the Chargers can't quite cross the line.
 
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