Triumphrat

MassiveAttack

Let's get this out of the way: Armoured yank ball means that people are armed against the sheer force of a 220lb. defensive back making a clean and brutal hit. In other words, those pads keep the NFL from being any more of a replica of Roman gladiator/Christian bit than it already is.

Rugby fans have a point. Of course, you all don't have a paid and pissed-off professional hitting the hole in your offensive line and brutalizing the QB with an obscene PSI. Let's be clear...hits in the NFL require pads, lest death or vegetation. EDIT - like motorcycles

Period.

Phew. That said. Discuss your team! We all ride British bikes but damnit if we don't love American football, right?

dogtired

WARNING: - Blatant small hijack of thread!

A lot of Australians (especially from the southern half) tend to look upon all the padding as somewhat... ummm, what is the right word, "soft"? Possibly because our native game here has no padding, and the impact speeds are generally higher and from 360 degrees.

That said, I can appreciate the sheer athleticism of your sport, don't understand it, but yeah, it is very watchable. But any sport played at its highest level is worth watching.

Back to the thread topic!


Tell me, is it the same there as everywhere else in the world, are the supporters there very tribal? And is there one team who has a larger percentage of obnoxious supporters than any other? Like, is there a team everyone loves to hate for reasons unknown? Wether it be through success or just plain obnoxious supporters?



Oh, and is Debbie still cheerleading for Dallas?

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Can a storm be officially designated as a tornado without touching down at a trailer park?

MassiveAttack

A huge post/question to digest. For starters, Yes, the NFL is extremely tribal/provincial. The divisions are are arranged by by locale and/or media market. Example: New Orleans Saints vs Atlanta Falcons. You seem like a great guy, but I'd never invite you or my worst enemy to a NO/ATL game. Jesus...it's the worst thing in the world.

The people who disparage American football have never had the thuggish PSI levied on them.

While I enjoy contintental sports - the real balls is the NFL. Distilled from 'universtiy.' The fastest, meanest, and most on-point SOB's gathered together, if only to show the world what an athlete can do

Teddydog1

Bah. I HATE American football. Boring, boring, boring. Seriously, 3 1/2 hours to play a 60 minute game? Yeah, most of the athletes playing are topped out at their peak and go like mad, but only for a few seconds and then it's "time out" while we have 5 commercials, move the ball, reset the clocks, get something from the 'fridge, take a pee, and bitch about our wives/girlfriends/husbands, whatever. To me, it's like the Nascar of athletics. Extremely specialized, over marketed, and over rated. Give me rugby league/union, Aussie rules football, or proper football.
By the way, did you know that Chelsea are 5 points top of the table? Blue is the color! Or should that be colour?

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Waiting for the spring!

MassiveAttack

It's a chess match, Teddy.

Precisely why thinking NFL fans are never bored.

naskie18

GO PANTHERS!!!!

(Yeah, here I am disproving your point about it being locale based! Ah well, I do root for the Lions as long as they're not playing the Panthers....)

Everybody hates either New England or Indianapolis, mostly due to the tremendous success they've both had in the last decade. I'm pretty sure you aren't allowed to like them both. Dallas and Pittsburgh both have large percentages of obnoxious fans, those are probably the two most popular, although a lot of people love to hate them for that same reason.

So, that being said, what're your thoughts on last night's 4th and 2 call? Oooh, look, can of worms

Hockey, basketball, and baseball are all similar in length as well.

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MassiveAttack

naskie, I fail at HTML quotes.

I'm a Bellichick fan. Am convinced that the the John Williams Vader music plays every time his team takes the field.

He screwed the pooch. However, if The Longest Yard were made, he'd be a genius. I admire him not wanting to give Manning the possession, even if it was 70-ish yards.

Had it worked, he'd be hailed a genius. As it stands, he'd vilified.

Choices.

Chess.

edit: I'M A SAINTS FAN!!!!elventy!!

You are disowned

naskie18

I get them right about 75% of the time...hence my edit in the previous post

And I'm with you on the 4th and 2 call, I'd have rather seen it turn out differently, but the call itself doesn't bother me.


If it makes you feel any better, I've got Brees on my fantasy team Now, not to turn this solely into an NFC South discussion...but man was I disappointed when the Panthers forgot to show up for the second half of that game with the Saints

neuroboy74

re: going for it on 4th down . . . the nfl is a very risk averse league, but history shows that the coaches that go for it more on 4th down tend to be some of the best coaches. they know that odds and they know that going for it is more often than not a good bet.

exhibit a: http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2...urth-down-bid/

exhibit b: http://www.advancednflstats.com/2009...-vs-colts.html


re: pads in football. . . i think i'm probably getting in late to a discussion that's already happened but i think it's like an arms race and that the hits are so brutal *BECAUSE* the pads are so thick--not vice versa.

to that end. . . http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...984299454.html

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MassiveAttack

Huge fan of this post. Unlike me, you linked to your point.

If you're in New Orleans, PM regardless of team.