NFL 2008 Regular Season Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Kirk Gunn]

I also heard Brady's rehab reacted positively to the antibiotics, so if any news to the contrary comes out, please post a link.

Achieving an 11-5 record with a backup QB and 14 players on injured reserve is an accomplishment for any team.... but still hurts to miss the Playoffs. Another oddity this year is a 12-4 team playing on the road against an 8-8 home team in the first round...

 

[Patrick Sun]

As is a 11-5 Falcons team going on the road to play the 9-7 Cardinals in AZ.

The Pro Bowl in 2010 is moving to Miami, being played the week before the Super Bowl.

Aloha, Hawaii: Pro Bowl reportedly moved to Miami in 2010 - Shutdown Corner... - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

 

[RobertR]

I'm very tired of Mike Shanahan in Denver. He has one playoff win in 10 years (the Super Bowl wins an ever more distant memory), and shows no clue about how to improve the defense or special teams. The problem is, Patrick Bowlen seems utterly mesmerized by the man. Sigh...

 

[Robert Crawford]

Maybe not so mesmerized as Shanahan has been fired according to ESPN.

 

[RobertR]

Wow, I'm stunned. Thanks for the info, Robert.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

What timing, Robert! As Robert Crawford stated, it's just been announced that Shanahan's been fired. You certainly have a lot of power. Can you make a statement regarding your disbelief that Lions owner Wm. Clay Ford is still in charge in Detroit?

 

[James L White]

me too
this change was long overdue

 

[RobertR]

Hehe, consider it done.

 

[Ockeghem]

Shanahan is fired, and so are Mangini, Crennel, and Marinelli, as is the offensive coordinator (Martz) for the 49ers. And Holmgren decides to retire. What a week in the NFL. I fully expect Belichick to be next, especially since he obviously can't get enough wins for his team to make the playoffs.

Regarding Shanahan, he hasn't done very much since Elway retired. This got me to thinking whether he truly is a great coach. I don't know. But it's something I've thought about for years with regard to other coaches, in various sports. One of these coaches is Phil Jackson. Given what I have heard Jackson say to his teammates during timeouts, and from what I have seen during various games, I've not been impressed with him as a coach even when he was with the successful Bulls teams. (I did like him as a player, however.) IMO, sometimes the talent of a given team covers a multitude of weaknesses -- coaching and otherwise -- that otherwise might not be revealed.

Having said this, I suppose that there is something to keeping a team of egos together as a tightly knit unit, able to win games under the most adverse of conditions. Perhaps this is one of Jackson's strengths.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Great accomplishment, but I'm OK with the Pats missing the playoffs this season. Not because I dislike them or anything, but the 2008 Pats are 1-4 against the seeded AFC teams, with the 1 win being against a team they also lost to (the Dolphins). They lost to the Chargers (yup), the Steelers, and the Colts. They did not play Baltimore or the Titans.

Chargers will make more noise in the playoffs than the Cards or the Vikes, I bet.

 

[RobertR]

Shanahan was able to do what Dan Reeves (a good, but not great coach) couldn't do--win Super Bowls with Elway, and he deserves credit for that. The 10 post-Elway years, however, were enough to conclusively prove that Shanahan could NOT start over and build a contending team. This makes him inferior to the truly great coaches, IMO.

 

[Steve_Tk]

Broncos, 49ers, Jets, Browns, Rams, Raiders, and Lions so far will have a different head coach at the start of 09 then then did in 08. And that's just the start, I bet somone else will lose their job.

My predictions

Ravens over Miama
Colts over Chargers
Eagles over Vikings
Falcons over Cards

Panthers over Falcons
Giants over Eagles
Steelers over Colts
Ravens over Titans

Panthers over Giants
Steelers over Ravens

Panthers over Steelers in Superbowl

 

[Ockeghem]

I agree with this as well. They defeated the Colts last year (how I was convinced that the Colts would be traveling to Foxborough!). With a healthy Rivers, the Chargers could, if the ball bounces the right way for them, make it to the AFC Conference Championship game.

That being said, I think the Colts and Titans are eventually going to be butting heads with one another. I would love to see the Steelers take it all, but what with Big Ben and his recent injury, I don't know if that is going to happen at this point.

 

[Malcolm R]

The Steelers fans I know aren't exactly broken up about the possibility of Ben being out of the starter's position. Byron Leftwich has played quite well when he's been on the field this year. I'd like to see Leftwich start if Ben is anything less than 100% tip-top on game day. And if Ben does start, I don't want the coach to hesitate to give him the hook if he's ineffective or tosses a couple of early interceptions.

 

[Ockeghem]

Malcolm,

I don't know what football league you've been following, but Ben Roethlisberger does not throw interceptions.














Just kidding, of course. I understand the concern. I was thinking the same thing during the Jets / Dolphins game. If Favre has one glaring weakness, that's it. And it's infuriating at times.

 

[Ockeghem]

Did the Chargers just defeat the Colts for the second consecutive year in the playoffs? I'm surprised. Now they get either the Steelers or the Titans. Yikes....

 

[ThomasC]

Why in the hell did NBC hire Millen?!?!?!?!

 

[Malcolm R]

To complete their "most annoying commentators" set? They've already hired Madden, Michaels, and Collinsworth.

I was rooting for the Colts, but they certainly deserved to lose after that debacle. Stupid penalties, non-existent offense, inability to stop Sproles. They just handed them the game.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Yea, talk about hiring someone with zero credibility. When Millen said you win games in the trenches at the line of scrimmage, I almost threw something at the TV. If he had actually pursued that philosophy in his eight years here, he may still have a job. :rolleyes

The Chargers win really surprised me. While San Diego always plays the Colts tough, with LT and Gates both banged up I didn't think they would have enough horses to win the game. Indy's lack of a running game really hurt them late in the game -- they were not able to get a critical first down to run out the clock.

 

[Kirk Gunn]

Man, eating a crow omelet this morning.... thank gawd I'm not a betting man C'mon Ravens !