NFL Preseason Thread *Predictions/Discussions*

[Tekumel]

For the love of god...all I want to see is the Rams pull their head out of their ass and give me an 8-8 season. I love my team to death, but...it's hard to remain a fan after getting hit with 3-13. Linehan took a lot of shit for that, but honestly I can't blame him. It's hard to have a productive offense when your O-Line is a game of musical fucking chairs.

Bulger's not a bad QB. He just needs the protection...hard to make plays when you've got 2-3 linemen/LBs wrapped around you.

Bruce retiring really hurt, but I think they still have a lot of talent in their WR pool.

Jackson needs to step up at RB and bring his A game back. Despite the fact that he's the jersey I own I'll be the first to admit he's not a top notch running back, but the guy is a freight train if he can get some blocking. If he gets taken out somehow, I have no confidence in any of their backups.

I really hope Chris Long plays out. The D-Line has been mediocre at best.

I really want to see Will Witherspoon wake up. The guy seems like he's got the potential to be a one man wrecking crew, but something's holding him back.

The backfield...ugh, these guys hurt my head. The 4 starting CBs & Safeties are strong. I don't know what the hell is going on back there.

[BarthelloSylph]

For the love of god...all I want to see is the Rams pull their head out of their ass and give me an 8-8 season. I love my team to death, but...it's hard to remain a fan after getting hit with 3-13. Linehan took a lot of shit for that, but honestly I can't blame him. It's hard to have a productive offense when your O-Line is a game of musical fucking chairs.

Bulger's not a bad QB. He just needs the protection...hard to make plays when you've got 2-3 linemen/LBs wrapped around you.

Bruce retiring really hurt, but I think they still have a lot of talent in their WR pool.

Jackson needs to step up at RB and bring his A game back. Despite the fact that he's the jersey I own I'll be the first to admit he's not a top notch running back, but the guy is a freight train if he can get some blocking. If he gets taken out somehow, I have no confidence in any of their backups.

I really hope Chris Long plays out. The D-Line has been mediocre at best.

I really want to see Will Witherspoon wake up. The guy seems like he's got the potential to be a one man wrecking crew, but something's holding him back.

The backfield...ugh, these guys hurt my head. The 4 starting CBs & Safeties are strong. I don't know what the hell is going on back there.

Bruce didn't retire. He signed with the Niners.

Jackson is a top notch RB. He can be top 3-4.

[Plow]

You forgot Eli, Plow.

Fixed it 1 minute before you posted ;p

Hasselbeck and Big Ben - on and off? Wow. I could go searching for numbers to back up my opinion, but so could you probably. But I would LOVE for either to be on my football team. They are SOLID QBs, definitely in the top 6-7

And Rivers being a great QB? I think we've got an NC State grad or Chargers fan on our hand here. He manages a great offense and tries not to get in trouble (ala Campbell). He also talks waaaaaaay too much shit for someone who doesn't really back it up individually on the field

As far as Hasselbeck and Big Ben in "on and off," Big Ben is hard to explain-- at his best he's too good to be a "non-superstar," but considering the quality of the defense, the oline, and the coaching in Pitt, he's got to win playoff games pretty much every year to be up next to a freak of nature like Palmer or the people that do win playoff games with less of an overall team. Hasselbeck plays an easy schedule behind a freakish line, meh, he's got to win in the postseason as well.

And yeah, I was pissed at rivers running his mouth last year, but that kid is young, but past the point of unproven, and in a few years I doubt anyone will be willing to argue he's not top notch. I mean, he lost to a 17-0 team by 9 points in the AFC championship his 2nd year starting. The team that finally beat them scored 5 more points.


Edit: Tebow is an athletic freak in every way, he'll have no problem developing into an NFL qb, he's just "run first" because it works so damn well for what he's doing right now. His arm is already pretty sick as is.

[Man0warr]

Romo is definitely 3rd. He has so much raw skill and talent, needs some more experience and some actual playoff wins for people to take him serious. Cowboys were the 2nd highest scoring team last year thanks to Romo and Witten+TO, and that fact won them alot of games that would of been lost (Bills and Lions game come to mind.) because of the terrible pass defense they had.

[Deejay]

I agree on Romo. He's ridiculously talented, but I'd pick any top 10 QB over him for one game.

[Trichocyst]

92.5% QB rating and 63% accuracy, I'd say Big Ben deserves his accolades. People tend to forget his absurd rookie campaign and focus on his accident.

[Plow]

I agree on Romo. He's ridiculously talented, but I'd pick any top 10 QB over him for one game.

Over Romo for one game I'd take Peyton, Brady, Palmer, and a 100% healthy top form McNabb, that's about it I think. A couple years from now I think there will be a few more, but not really atm.


Also, Packers are officially screwed if Rodgers demands a trade.

[Tekumel]

Bruce didn't retire. He signed with the Niners.

Jackson is a top notch RB. He can be top 3-4.

Ugh, you're right. Bruce did go to SF. I tried to block it out of my brain.

As for Jackson, I dunno. He's been up there, but he's also topped the league in negative rushes. Yeah yeah, there's the analogy for Babe Ruth and strike-outs but...I dunno. I just don't see it. I guess part of it IS the fact that he's a power back instead of finesse. Living in San Diego it's hard to see through the "OMG LT LT LT" glare.

[recuperi]

Big ben is on and off because of one bad season where he went through a fucking windsheild and had surgery. Talk about high expectations. Also think charting rivers in the "top notch" category is stretching it. I'm a chargers guy, picked them in the superbowl, but he's not in the league with Palmer, Hasselbeck, Brees, Ben.

He's gotta be in the league with at least Brees; I mean, he replaced him didn't he? I can agree he ain't Palmer or Ben but the guy was the reason Brees was traded IIRC. But yeah I'd take Rivers and Brees down a step from top notch basically because it's their system that keeps their numbers up (bunch of screens and the such with LT and Bush). I really think Ben helped make that team a lot more of a passing team than it was traditionally (in terms of recent years not long time ago).

Edit: obviously you already know it's coming from a Chargers fan but I'm arguing for other reasons

[Mizango]

Neither has VY? He was also a beast in college and his coordinators/offensive players aren't exactly spectacular.

Actually Vince was in a 2 read system when in Austin. If his primary receiver was covered he has a check down receiver to immediately throw to. I know you probably think its the hater in me but you have Google at you disposal.

He had trouble with the playbook in college, which is why his wonderlick (sp?) test went public so fast and got out of hand.

[Tyche]

I was being sarcastic. I think ben is probably a top 5 QB in the league. Edit: you was talking about rivers. The chargers thought Brees would never be the same after surgery. boy were they wrong. No, he's not as good as Brees.

[Deejay]

I was being sarcastic. I think ben is probably a top 5 QB in the league. Edit: you was talking about rivers. The chargers thought Brees would never be the same after surgery. boy were they wrong. No, he's not as good as Brees.

You mean "boy were the Dolphins wrong." They could have signed him but opted to get the Free Agent with the broken leg instead of broken arm.

[Tyche]

If the Fins would have signed him, they'd still suck. Management was terrible from the top of the office (rumors of selling the team) to the bottom (underachieving players).

[Mizango]

If the Fins would have signed him, they'd still suck. Management was terrible from the top of the office (rumors of selling the team) to the bottom (underachieving players).

Can't be stated enough. Everything the Dolphins represented that season was God awful. There were rumors RAMPANT of Huizinga selling the team, Green is the stater, Drafting Ted Ginn, Cleo Lemon, Cam Cameron.....

They sucked from fluke to fin. >.>

[Deejay]

They'd suck but they wouldn't be 1-15 suck. They had Chambers, Ginn, and a somewhat decent defense at the time.

[Akiyama]

Neither has VY? He was also a beast in college and his coordinators/offensive players aren't exactly spectacular.

VY may not have been in a passer friendly offense, but his TD/INT ratio is god awful at 21/30. D: That's all I meant.

[Plow]

Fins still haven't figured out how to recover from losing the biggest beast of a RB the league has seen in recent history to dumb drug laws, they built the whole team around having a decent reciever, a functional QB, a decent defense, and 45 runs a game for 4.5 yards a carry.

[Akiyama]

Also, Plow. Nice cheap shot there about Campbell and Auburn, lol. I think he's god. Sure, okay. I could have said he was pretty good, and commented that VY hasn't lived up to the hype, but yanno. No need reading that part. =P So you know, if I had to pick between the two with the same offense at my disposal, I'd probably take VY due to his dual threat ability while Campbell isn't nearly as quick as on his feet. It's sort of like comparing Vick's mobility to Dante Culpepper's mobility of a few years ago.

Then again, you don't have to believe me, because we all know what a biased asshole I am.

Also, while they are in college, I will compare them being from college. When they get to the NFL, I don't give a god damn where they went to school. I just care about how they do in the NFL.

As far as Tebow goes, I don't see him as an NFL ready QB honestly. He shut a lot of people up in terms of his passing ways, but he still needs a lot of polishing. Good thing he's a junior. If I had to pick a NFL ready QB in the SEC (since we're talking about Tebow and all), I'd go with Stafford out of Georgia.

[Plow]

Also, Plow. Nice cheap shot there about Campbell and Auburn, lol. I think he's god. Sure, okay. I could have said he was pretty good, and commented that VY hasn't lived up to the hype, but yanno. No need reading that part. =P So you know, if I had to pick between the two with the same offense at my disposal, I'd probably take VY due to his dual threat ability while Campbell isn't nearly as quick as on his feet. It's sort of like comparing Vick's mobility to Dante Culpepper's mobility of a few years ago.

Then again, you don't have to believe me, because we all know what a biased asshole I am.

Also, while they are in college, I will compare them being from college. When they get to the NFL, I don't give a god damn where they went to school. I just care about how they do in the NFL.

As far as Tebow goes, I don't see him as an NFL ready QB honestly. He shut a lot of people up in terms of his passing ways, but he still needs a lot of polishing. Good thing he's a junior. If I had to pick a NFL ready QB in the SEC (since we're talking about Tebow and all), I'd go with Stafford out of Georgia.

lol you know the Young comments are based on all the previous discussions about him, and I'm obviously exaggerating

practice squad level wr's, barely 3rd string rb's yada yada

[Akiyama]

Well until he has a semi-decent year where he doesn't throw less TDs than INTs, then I won't get off his case. I mean.. I liked Alex Smith coming out of college, and I liked Jay Cutler coming out of college. I'd say mean shit about them too, but we never talk about them, lol. We talk about Leinart though... and I personally can't stand him either. I called him retiring from the NFL after ~5 years though. I don't think he likes it much. D: