NFL Discussion Thread

You knew Seattle was destined to win when they got the two point conversion. I knew it was over right then.

 

Bostick is going to have a bad night.

 

I was talking about the vegas line, not who I think was favored.

Seattle was a 7.5 fave NE 7

 

Woo wee boy. Papa Wilson came to play, riding on the defense of course.

 

wilson didn't come to play wilson was pathetic he didn't play good at all greenbays special teams gave away that game. You can't say wilson came to play because he had a horrible performance.

 

Like I said, he played absolutely awful until the very last drive of the 4th quarter + overtime

 

Bottom line Greenbay gave away the game, Seattle didn't win that game there is a difference.

 

So pumped, I can't really imagine how the Pats can blow it now. Definitely one of the best teams they've fielded for years.

 

Seahawks fans probably thinking the same thing, 5 turnovers, 0 QBR for Wilson at half time. Down 12 with 5 to go..still win.

I'm sticking to my guns and picking Seattle to win.

 

Wilson played like shit the entire game. Did you see him crying in the interviews after they won? He even basically said he had a terrible game and his team didn't give up on him and that's why they won.

If Wilson doesn't show up in a big way at the SB, Brady will decimate him.

 

QB edge - Pats
HB edge - Hawks
WR edge - even
TE edge - Pats
OL edge - Pats
DL edge - Hawks
LB edge - Pats
CB edge - even
Safety edge - Hawks

Keep in mind that Seattle's "elite" DL wasn't able to generate much pressure against GB who has a comparable or slightly worse OL than the Patriots.

Thomas and Sherman may be running at less than 100% too which will be a factor if true.

The Patriots have Gronkowski healthy in the playoffs for the first time ever. This cannot be overstated - he is such a pivotal piece in the offense.

Also to note, the Patriots just held Luck (who is arguably better than Wilson having done more with less & having a better offense) to a worse passer rating than Wilson last night who had an abysmal 44.3 QBR in his own right.

 

Thomas and Sherman have already been cleared to play, I don't see their health being too big of a problem. It's gonna be about the Patriots aggression. The Packers made the mistake of playing scared for much of their time on offense. If the Patriots are actually aggressive and believe in their system, they will be able to score pts.

However I'm not going to underestimate the Seahawks, any other team playing the way they did on Sunday would have been buried, but their defense keeps them in games they have no business being in. The fact they played so poorly and still won (albeit luckily but it's the same as winning skillfully) showed me just how hard it's going to be to knock them out.

The Broncos looked better in many phases on paper last year too, and they lost by 35. While I don't expect a blowout, I do think that Seattle being the favorite by Vegas odds is justified.

Lastly, while blowing out any team in a Championship setting is impressive, the Colts are/were a fraudulent team. Yeah, Luck has some gaudy stats against literally the shittiest division we've maybe ever seen. Seriously, who can't beat the Titans, Jaguars, and Texans with ease? Absolutely abysmal division and the Colts were as fraudulent as could be. When they neededed a win for seeding and got crushed by Dallas it was pretty evident how bad they really were. There was no way they'd have even been in the AFC Title game if Peyton wasn't hurt. Not to mention the Bengals are another bust playoff team so there was never really an impressive win for the Colts as much as there was good fortune.

Basically, the Pats and Seahawks escaped their biggest tests, the Ravens and Packers. While the Seahawks needed pretty much every bounce from god to do it, it still makes me wonder what it takes to bury them.

I'm indifferent in who I'm rooting for and may not even watch the game as the match-up doesn't intrigue me as much as NE-DAL or NE-GB would have.

 

I'm glad you are confident in Sherman and Thomas not being hindered at all but I'm not in the same boat as you. Sherman has supposedly suffered an Ulnar Collateral Ligament Damage/Tear and Thomas has supposedly dislocated his shoulder.

Earl Thomas - Dislocated Shoulder
You'll need to wear the sling for a few weeks, but it takes about 12 to 16 weeks to completely recover from a dislocated shoulder. You can usually resume most activities within two weeks, but avoid heavy lifting and playing sports involving shoulder movements for six weeks to three months.

Richard Sherman - Ulnar Collateral Ligament Damage/Tear
The UCL usually does not heal sufficiently on its own with non-operative treatment. To return to throwing, surgery is often necessary. Return to sports after injury without surgery may take three to six months and may take nine to 18 months following surgery.
Rehabilitation to improve strength endurance and proper throwing mechanics is initiated. This may be carried out at home, although usually referral to a physical therapist or athletic trainer is recommended.


If the reported injuries are true then they won't be near 100% in only 2 weeks.

 

Next guy up for Seattle even if they're not 100 percent. Vegas has the odds at Seattle by 1 last I checked.

Essentially a pick'em.

It's still going to be hard to move the ball on Seattle. Russell Wilson is where this game will be decided.

All I heard on ESPN was Sherman has a sprained elbow. Hardly sounded as dire as you describe the potential injury but perhaps ESPN is trying to just hype up the game as much as possible.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...d-sherman-suffered-sprained-elbow-mri-reveals

Schefter already also reported that Thomas is definitely playing. So while they might not be 100 percent, they'll still be there. It sounds like Sherman will be fine.

Pretty simple to me, Seahawks offense comes to play and they can win, it doesn't, they probably wont.

This aint the Colts though, this is a game New England can certainly lose. Just because Seattle played awful against GB doesn't mean they'll replicate that shit show of a performance. If anything I think it gives them more confidence than ever.

 

The espn report cited that Sherman couldnt even raise his arm up on that side....which isn't very effective if you're going to be a corner. This also means don't expect him to make any interceptions. Also, I think it started as Seattle favorites but some places have pats as slight favorites.

I want the seahawks to win, but if I were really to bet my money, I'd probably put it on the Pats

 

They said that during the game he would keep it level, where does it say he couldn't raise it after the game? Do you really think they'd clear him to play if he could risk further injury + potentially his career by playing?

I don't care about the line, or who wins even, I am just going to trust a great defense over a great offense any day of the week. That's why I put more trust into Seattle winning than New England winning.

 

What you are forgetting is that new England has a great defense now too. I'd fish a myriad of stats out for you to prove my point but I'm on my phone and doing do would be too much of a chore. The major one is the pats and points allowed in the last quarter. Every time the pats have list a super bowl it's been the defense choking and not being able to hold the lead. There hasn't been many points allowed since the pats started gelling and even then majority of them were in garbage time after a blowout.

 

Last time they faced a great defense was probably that 17-14 game that they lost that costed them their undefeated season. You wouldn't blame the offense for that loss?

I equate this Seahawks team to that Giants team, and they're probably even better.

As for the Pats being better than that 18-0 team, I don't think so tbh. I think they can win, certainly.

I'm just sticking to my guns, I picked the Seahawks back in November and I'm sticking to my pick lol. Not saying I won't be wrong.

 

This is one of the SB, I don't have a clear pick on. A great offense and alright defense, vs a great defense and alright offense. Pretty tough. If my life depended on it, Id say Pats, for no particular order reason aside from Seattle injuries.

 

No I wouldn't. Brady led them down to be in a position to win and the Giants made a miracle helmet catch. The previous times we were in the super bowl we had the likes of Sergio brown propping up the back end of their defense. I'd say the 18-0 team is worse than our current team for sure. We had the amazing offense but we had no defense at all. We now have some balance and a defense that is stout. The times NE won they were known as a defensive team led by powerhouses such as Ty Law and Willie Mcginest.

Fair enough though with your pick, I thought it was largely up I the air until just recently. I'm trying to remain objective but no doubt a bit of bias is slipping in.