NFL Playoffs, here we are again...

[Sluggo42]

So last year my Seahawks took it all, for their first SB win ever. After a shakey start we find ourselves as the #1 seed with home field advantage again.

Of course I predict a repeat, with the Hawks beating the best from the AFC. My personal preference would be the Pittsburg Steel crew, yet I predict the NE pats.

 

What say you?

[JBones]

As much as I hate to admit it, I think the Cowboys are playing the best in the NFL right now. If Peyton can get his stuff together, I'd like to see a Broncos-Packers Super Bowl.

[Mr_Theoo]

Seattle has the best chance because everyone has to come to their house. AFC is pretty much all the pats.

[Jmikecpa]

I am going with New England...which just kills me as an Eagles fan.  They finally have a D that can match the offense led by Brady and have just figured out a game plan weekly that tears opponents apart. 

[silver & black]

The Raiders... of course!

[wbealsd]

Keeping peace within the family leaves me no choice but to go with the Patriots

[MGoBlue100]

Lions fan here; laughed out loud at Suh's "excuse" for stepping on Rodgers.  Don't believe Lions are good enough yet; think Dallas will win at home.  Foresee Patriots and Seahawks in the SB.

[RookieBlue7]

Pats vs Cowboys, Brady gets one for the pinkie

[silver & black]

Anyone but the Patr*ots!

[jdiddyesquire]

Man, I'm still weeping over the Chargers collapse. WTF.

 

Wife is a Cowboys fan. I am forced to root for them to maintain marital bliss. Forgive me.

[jaxbeachpackerfan]

Guess.

[BK in TEXAS]

GO PACK GO!!!!!

[hckymeyer]

Ditto BK, as my 3yr old says "Go Cheeseheads!!"

[Kor.A.Door]

LIONS!!!!!!

I think they are not quite ready yet as well, but crazier things have happened in the playoffs

[revkev]

Let's make it three, three, three for the Packers!

[Sluggo42]

I want the lions too lefty, so Golden Tate can meet the LOB for real.

[jpcgolf]

Sadly, after another horrible year for the Redskins, I don't really care who wins, but I want to see a Patriots Seahawks matchup.  It would be fun to see how the amazing defense of the Seahawks tries to contain Gronkowski.

[westy]

So how does everyone feel about a US franchise coming to London? Shameless profiteering?

 

This weekend in England saw the 3rd round of the FA Cup, soccers oldest cup competition. It starts in the summer with preliminary rounds that amateur teams can enter and ends in May the next year. The 3rd round is the special one though, the teams form the premiership join the fray and can get drawn against teams up to 7 or 8 leagues lower, multimillionaires against builders who play soccer on Saturdays for a few pounds. And every few years one of the big boys gets turned over....

 

Anything like that in Gridiron? Not a structure I understand.

[jaxbeachpackerfan]

Let's make it three, three, three for the Packers!

That would be four, four, four for the Packers!  Perhaps I was too subtle for you!!!

[Sluggo42]

Nah, we need a repeat by the Hawks, which will then add Fitz next year, and then three-peat, which I'm not sure if it's ever been done.

 

We knew AZ was done, and I was a bit sad Pitt lost, as I would have really liked them to meet us in the SB for payback, but meh...

 

Can dalton get over his endless playoff losing streak to beat the Lucky Colts? Hmmm?

 

Can the kittens maul romo to victory, or will mediocre Matthew choke out again?, even though choking is Romos specialty?

 

Looking forward to a couple great games today!

[silver & black]

So how does everyone feel about a US franchise coming to London? Shameless profiteering?

 

It's a very bad idea. It has nothing to do with "growing the game" as Goodell has said. It has everything to do with lining the owners' and his own pockets, and nothing else.

 

Goodell should be relieved of his duties ASAP! He is without a doubt the worst commissioner the NFL has ever had.... and he may very well be one of the worst in all of pro sports.

 

The game has become watered down and almost unwatchable under his tenure.

[westy]

Wise words Id suggest silver - but the more full stadiums at Wembley then the more likely it is one of your franchises disappears to become London.

 

there'd be moral outrage should one of our soccer teams go to Asia (which we suspect has been talked about). Even the discussion of a game from our league season being held abroad caused uproar.

 

Mind you consider this - a top flight English soccer team will play 38 league matches, up to 10 cup matches and for the best clubs up to 10+ games in Europe (Europa and champions league). Ok some teams don't have more than 25k people watching them, but others fill their 60k+ stadiums for every one of those games. Season runs from August to May.

 

Is the american football season long enough? I guess some franchises pretty much never make the post season as well? oh and we know a thing about copy nicely making money out of the fans over here.....

[silver & black]

The NFL season is plenty long. It's 4 pre-season games and 16 regular season games, not counting playoff games. Goodell wants to expand it to 18 regular season games. The players are all but toast at the end of the regular season as it is. The players are not for the extended season at all. Most fans understand the consequences of the longer season, as well. None of the players wants to move himself and his family to another country, away from family and friends.

 

Goodell is all about "safety", hence, the watered down game and fines.... which are nothing more than more revenue for the league. Not only that, the fines are totally ridiculous, and so inconsistent, as to be laughable. In the same breath, he wants to extend a brutal season that is already too long. He's a f***ing joke!

[Sluggo42]

No kidding silver...

[RookieBlue7]

The NFL sending a team overseas would be complete stupidity.  The homegames there alone would put the opponents at a disadvantage every time, having to get over the jetlag in a week and the very next week be back at home.  My Falcons went there this year, the players all talked about the adjustment to the time there and how adjusting when they got back home was just absurd.  That hurts teams for 2 games, not one.  If they want a team in Europe, bring back the NFL Europe, put a whole league there and make it a feeder league to the main NFL league.  And it'd be a good alternative for players looking to skip the college game and be a good minor league system.  Perhaps that could also help with some of the things such as players taking money for different stupid things in college.  If money is that important to them, they'd have an out.  Then the college game could go back to being what it once was, an opportunity for student athletes to compete and get an education at the same time.  Keep the rule in place that you have to be 3 years removed from high school to be in the big boy league.

[westy]

Its interesting that nearly every big university in the UK has an American football team - not necessarily something very impressive to watch (college sport is not the same in Europe, aside from Oxford v's Cambridge at Rugby) as our best sportsmen generally head to Rugby, soccer or track and field.

 

obviously since the death of NFL Europe the only route to the NFL for Brits would be US colleges or to be an amazing athlete that got spotted. Also NFL a Europe lost money - so don't see that coming back.

 

weve already got two codes of rugby in the UK (and France, NZ and Australia) and frankly I don't really see grass roots gridiron taking off in a big way here so players in any franchise would almost definitely come from the states. Plus the Aussies have got their mental Aussie rules football (those boys fitness and toughness puts everyone to shame) and the Irish have Gaelic football (equally bonkers).

 

do I think we should have a team in your NFL? Nope, it's mad and offensive to the US city that loses its franchise. But will it happen? Reckon we'd get 70-80k people in a stadium for 8 home games and the TV rights might tip the balance.

 

So which US franchise has the owner most likely to do the dirty then?

[Sluggo42]

So was the pass interference on Dallas?

 

Uh, yes...

[Kenny B]

So how does everyone feel about a US franchise coming to London? Shameless profiteering?

 

This weekend in England saw the 3rd round of the FA Cup, soccers oldest cup competition. It starts in the summer with preliminary rounds that amateur teams can enter and ends in May the next year. The 3rd round is the special one though, the teams form the premiership join the fray and can get drawn against teams up to 7 or 8 leagues lower, multimillionaires against builders who play soccer on Saturdays for a few pounds. And every few years one of the big boys gets turned over....

 

Anything like that in Gridiron? Not a structure I understand.

 

So how do the Brits feel about Steven Gerrard coming to America?  $6M a year, I guess its a good deal.  Hope Alex Curran comes with him!!  Wow!

[Jmikecpa]

So was the pass interference on Dallas?

 

Uh, yes...

As a former college linebacker that made a living covering receivers in that manner....no doubt a flag should have been thrown.  I want more credit as a cover guy if you can now get away with that.

[revkev]

So was the pass interference on Dallas?

 

Uh, yes...

 

Oh man there is so much here - of course it was and it certainly influenced the outcome of the game.  However like most, in fact almost all, bad calls Detroit had ample opportunity to overcome it and they did not.  But it was a remarkably bad call never the less.

 

Silver I have to disagree with you that Goodell is about safety although I think you hit it on the head towards the end of your post - He couln't care less about safety - he's about covering the NFL's butt and doing as little as possible to avoid more lawsuits.

 

Football has issues because of the inury factors - lots of moms are not allowing their children to play the sport.  We will see what the future brings but some changes need to be made or there will be no one left to play the game.  That would be sad.