Official 2011-2012 NFL Thread

[LittleHurt05]

One thing I hate about MNF is the length of the game. 3.5 hours for a football game? Come on. You don't need a 2.5 minute time out after a kickoff, or punt, or timeout, or injury etc. Get the guys on the field and playing the f***ing game.

 

And they are way too damn positive about each player. Jaworski just loves every single player and they are all so awesome at football. Be critical once in a while.

[southsider2k5]

And they are way too damn positive about each player. Jaworski just loves every single player and they are all so awesome at football. Be critical once in a while.

 

I think it was Jaws that made a joke about how "I love every call". I am guessing they are told not to talk about players.

[bmags]

I don't like Tirico as a play by play. I hate the sound of Gruden. I used to love jaws on NFL Replay. But none of them beside tirico is a broadcaster, tirico just doesn't fit my tastes. If this game is so important to espn PLEASE steal Aikman. Aikman is the best.

[lostfan]

All I'm saying is this, who do you think makes the best 5 for our Oline. In an unbelievable turn of events, I can't think of anyone that really needs replacing right now. 5 weeks ago I would have said they all need replacing. Omiyale tends to make everyone around him look worse. But I really have a hard time benching spencer right now. I'm not so sure that our best 5 wouldn't be:

LT-Webb LG-Louis C Garza RG Spencer RT Carimi.

It feels funny to not b**** about the line. I think as of right now, Williams is better at LG than Carimi is at RT. Yes, I think that highly of Williams where he is right now... it's not a knock on Carimi. I want Carimi eventually to be a franchise lineman (but I'm only saying this because of his draft status... this once applied to Williams too).

[LittleHurt05]

Now that the Bears have the tiebreaker edge over ATL, TB, and PHI, they really should be fine getting in at 10-6.

 

I figure there will be five games where the Bears are favored (SD, KC, @DEN, SEA, @MIN) so they may not even have to beat Detroit to make it in, especially since the game at Oakland should be winnable as well.

 

It would be nice to split with Detroit and tie them in record since they still have 2 vs. GB and have to go to New Orleans. That being said, I don't think it is a must-win anymore. As long as the Saints win the South, Dallas is the only potential playoff team that the Bears would have to worry about the tiebreaker.

[southsider2k5]

It would be nice to split with Detroit and tie them in record since they still have 2 vs. GB and have to go to New Orleans. That being said, I don't think it is a must-win anymore. As long as the Saints win the South, Dallas is the only potential playoff team that the Bears would have to worry about the tiebreaker.

 

The problem is if you lose to Detroit again, there is a real good chance you open with them in the playoffs, at Detroit.

[cabiness42]

The problem is if you lose to Detroit again, there is a real good chance you open with them in the playoffs, at Detroit.

 

No, there's no chance of that. The two wildcards never play each other in the first round. The third and fourth best division winners, which are going to be New Orleans and New York in some order, will host the two wild cards, which will be Detroit and Chicago. Green Bay and San Fran will have the byes.

[southsider2k5]

No, there's no chance of that. The two wildcards never play each other in the first round. The third and fourth best division winners, which are going to be New Orleans and New York in some order, will host the two wild cards, which will be Detroit and Chicago. Green Bay and San Fran will have the byes.

 

So if we are the last wild card we go into Green Bays bracket if we win the wild card weekend game? Ugh, that's not any better.

[Balta1701]

I'd say a much bigger issue if the Bears fail to handle the Lions next week is that it's got to be really hard to have 3 playoff teams from 1 division and 1 each from the other 3. If the Bears have 2 losses to the Lions, they are really counting on none of the other teams sitting around 4-4 to step up and hit a series of wins over the next few weeks (Dallas, for example, has Buffalo, Washington, Arizona, and Miami on its schedule the next 4 weeks, and could easily be sitting at 8-4 after that streak.)

[StrangeSox]

So if we are the last wild card we go into Green Bays bracket if we win the wild card weekend game? Ugh, that's not any better.

 

The NFC Superbowl team is going to have to play at Lambeau in January, no good way around that.

[LittleHurt05]

So if we are the last wild card we go into Green Bays bracket if we win the wild card weekend game? Ugh, that's not any better.

 

But if they are the 1st wild card, and the 3rd division winner beats the other wild card, you are in Green Bay's bracket anyway. The only way to avoid them is if both wild cards pull the upset, then the better wild card goes to San Fran.

[southsider2k5]

But if they are the 1st wild card, and the 3rd division winner beats the other wild card, you are in Green Bay's bracket anyway. The only way to avoid them is if both wild cards pull the upset, then the better wild card goes to San Fran.

 

You can push the game a week later. Any little bit helps.

[bmags]

In more realistic goals. Vegas to begin the year put the bears at over under 8.5 wins. So many people hated us and picked the under they moved it to 8. I'd take a moral victory at 9 wins, and shoot Bill Barnwell a big haha.

[cabiness42]

I'd say a much bigger issue if the Bears fail to handle the Lions next week is that it's got to be really hard to have 3 playoff teams from 1 division and 1 each from the other 3. If the Bears have 2 losses to the Lions, they are really counting on none of the other teams sitting around 4-4 to step up and hit a series of wins over the next few weeks (Dallas, for example, has Buffalo, Washington, Arizona, and Miami on its schedule the next 4 weeks, and could easily be sitting at 8-4 after that streak.)

 

Both wildcards from the same division happened twice in 2007 and once in 2006. It can happen, especially when you have three strong teams in the same division as one really weak team. Dallas is the biggest threat, because the Bears don't play them and don't control the tiebreaker with them. Having already secured wins against Atlanta, Tampa, and Philly makes the scenario more likely, since those teams probably have to get to 11 wins to beat out the Bears, and honestly, I think the Bears and Lions can both win 11 games.

[southsider2k5]

In more realistic goals. Vegas to begin the year put the bears at over under 8.5 wins. So many people hated us and picked the under they moved it to 8. I'd take a moral victory at 9 wins, and shoot Bill Barnwell a big haha.

 

It is amazing how much the season has changed. That 8 win number seemed like a sure under when the line was playing like Swiss Cheese, and Martz was doing nothing to help them.

[cabiness42]

You can push the game a week later. Any little bit helps.

 

I think it would be a loss either way, but I'd almost rather catch the Packers in the divisional round after they've had a bye than the championship round. I haven't looked up the actual numbers, but it seems that #1 seeds lose more often in that round than the championship round.

 

[southsider2k5]

I think it would be a loss either way, but I'd almost rather catch the Packers in the divisional round after they've had a bye than the championship round. I haven't looked up the actual numbers, but it seems that #1 seeds lose more often in that round than the championship round.

 

It also means that Green Bay has to win another game. The odds of them losing aren't good, but the chances go up with every extra game they play.

[Balta1701]

Both wildcards from the same division happened twice in 2007 and once in 2006. It can happen, especially when you have three strong teams in the same division as one really weak team. Dallas is the biggest threat, because the Bears don't play them and don't control the tiebreaker with them. Having already secured wins against Atlanta, Tampa, and Philly makes the scenario more likely, since those teams probably have to get to 11 wins to beat out the Bears, and honestly, I think the Bears and Lions can both win 11 games.

Here's the kicker though...if the Bears lose next week to the Lions...that makes the Bears 5-4 on the season. 7 games to play...getting to 11 wins means the Bears need to go 6-1 in their last 7 games, including 1 game on the road at Lambeau. That's do-able against their schedule...but it's ugly. The Bears do not want to be in that boat.

[RockRaines]

It feels funny to not b**** about the line. I think as of right now, Williams is better at LG than Carimi is at RT. Yes, I think that highly of Williams where he is right now... it's not a knock on Carimi. I want Carimi eventually to be a franchise lineman (but I'm only saying this because of his draft status... this once applied to Williams too).

Carimi was the best lineman went he went down, even Tice said that. Lance Louis played like an animal last night, if he can keep that up we may see Carimi challenge Webb for the LT position.

[Steve9347]

last night when the ESPN crew were making their picks, they were all laughing at Ditka for picking the Bears. Cris Carter says, "The Eagles have Asomugha, watch out Cutler". Whatever, Asomugha was irrelevant for the entire game

Asomugha is completely worthless in a zone defense, which is what the Eagles play. They f***ed up getting a man-CB for big money.

[Steve9347]

That game last night was a thing of beauty. It's incredible how well this scheme works against Vick, and how incredibly good the coaching staff is looking right now. Our slow start is on Martz for abandoning the run, again, to start this season.

[lostfan]

Carimi was the best lineman went he went down, even Tice said that. Lance Louis played like an animal last night, if he can keep that up we may see Carimi challenge Webb for the LT position.

If Carimi is going to replace anybody it's going to be Webb... but Webb isn't really playing like that needs to happen. He was earlier in the season but not now.

 

This is a good problem to have.

[bmags]

Here's the kicker though...if the Bears lose next week to the Lions...that makes the Bears 5-4 on the season. 7 games to play...getting to 11 wins means the Bears need to go 6-1 in their last 7 games, including 1 game on the road at Lambeau. That's do-able against their schedule...but it's ugly. The Bears do not want to be in that boat.

 

When we played the lions at ford field, I kept saying that we will probably lose this game, but we'll win in Soldier. I doubly believe that now. We had 1.2 billion false start's that game. Our new and improved safeties + oline has me excited. But I'm not guaranteeing anything against a team with Calvin Johnson.

 

Also, no commentator mentioned the malaise with which the Eagles receivers seemed to play with last night. Jackson and Maclin both looked completely disinterested.

[bmags]

When we played the lions at ford field, I kept saying that we will probably lose this game, but we'll win in Soldier. I doubly believe that now. We had 1.2 billion false start's that game. Our new and improved safeties + oline has me excited. But I'm not guaranteeing anything against a team with Calvin Johnson.

 

Also, no commentator mentioned the malaise with which the Eagles receivers seemed to play with last night. Jackson and Maclin both looked completely disinterested.

 

I forgot why i singled Balta's post out. When I looked at the bears schedule 2 weeks ago, I counted 5 winnable games, 2 tossups and 2 losses. I counted the iggles as one of the losses and lions as one of the tossups. Going 1-1 in that 2 game stretch is good, but going 2-0 in that game stretch is a catapult. Very happy with Lovie Smith right now.

[Steve9347]