NFL 2018

[Bababooey]

Wow tarzan, sounds like you saw the unitas era and the move to indy in the 70's. Still a fan even after they moved, huh? I guess the browns didnt move to baltimore until the 90s, so for that long baltimore didnt have an nfl team...


Trubisky isnt as consistently accurate as you'd like, but he's completing about 65% of his passes so that's about average. He had 5 int's against the rams and vikings, two pretty good defenses (rams gave up 30pts to the eagles but were put in a lot of bad situations by turnovers on offense and special teams). Mitch's TD-INT ratio is 23-12, so about 2-1, which is the minimum for a good ratio imo.

He's not as good as mahomes or watson, who were drafted after him last year, but i think there's room for improvement. He started way less games than those 2 guys in college, so i think another year or two of 'seasoning' will make him a better player. But he'll probably never be as good as mahomes, who is probably the mvp this year. Watson isnt lighting the league on fire this year but has better stats than mitch and has led the texans to the #2 seed in the conference.

But ur right hawk, it's mitch's running ability that helps him move the ball. For a while there he was the #2 running qb in the league behind Cam newton, not bad.



Yeah, you run into a lot of cheeseheads in IL, just cant let them get you down.

 

[shithawk420]

Lol I don't take it too seriously.we have fun but there are people that really take this shit serious.my buddy is a bears fans and his wife is a Packers fan so we can't say anything bad about the packers when she's around.the thing that kicks me is she's from fucking HINSDALE! wtf is it with these west Chicago suburbanites rooting for the Packers?i just don't get it.fucking wierdos just gotta be special or something.apparently she has stocks of the packers.suppossedly the Packers are owned by the fans? I don't mean to offend anyone.just trying to keep a 100 year old tradition alive.and for fucks sakes it been 8 years since the bears went to the playoffs.i think after all the jokes and laughs at the bears we should get to have some fun,right baba? Lol speaking of jokes how about those browns? I think they will look pretty good next year.seriously

 

[rolandomota]

Fucking cowboys man they will be out in the first playoff game the offense plays like shit and if defense has a colt day that makes the offense even worse kick the damn 3 points you fuckers and stop missing easy touchdowns. Dak Prescott's new nickname....Sack Prescott

 

[Bababooey]

I think a lot of cheeseheads move to IL for work or to be near chicago, cant blame them, theyre probably glad to be out of that forsaken state.

Sounds like that hinsdale woman, her family grew up in wisconsin before moving to IL, and if they have shares of packers stock then they must be long time fans. The packers are the only publicly owned team in the league, maybe all of american professional sports. Not sure how that affects how theyre run, maybe the stockholders select a board of directors who then select team managment, like a regular corporation? Doesnt guarantee success, but maybe it's better than having douchebag rich people as owners (here's looking at you, ford family [lions], mccaskeys [bears], spanos's [chargers])


We'll see how the bears do, theyre guaranteed to host at least one playoff game, so that's something new. But they have to play the vikings in the last game of the season, and might play the vikes in the 1st rd of the playoffs too. Minny scored 40pts after firing their off coordinator, if they got a good O to do with that D, it's not going to be fun playing them.



Hey Rolando, long time no see. The cowboys laid an egg against the colts for sure, but im thinking it's more of an aberration than a sign theyre broken. Sometimes these interconference games, between teams that dont play each other much, you get surprising results.

But i heard Dak is leading the league in fumbles, and also is #2 in sacks taken, so yeah, his pocket awareness needs a lot of work. It's also his 3rd full year as a starter so you'd think he'd be better in that respect than he is.

Jerry says he's going to extend Dak in the offseason, he wont get rodgers money (30+M a year) but he might get 25+M a year for 4-5 years. Not sure if he's worth that much, his legs add value but his passing and pocket presence are average to below average. But you could do a lot worse at QB than Dak i guess, as long as you have a solid team around him he'll make enough plays to help win a bunch of games, and it seems like he's disciplined and works hard and is a team leader, so maybe he'll keep improving and be worth a fat contract. Maybe...

 

[shithawk420]

Oh yeah.i hear you.i can't stand the old broad who owns the bears.she got rid of the honey bears.thats really fucking petty.she has no business in this business anyway.she only got it after her husband died.fucking old bitter bitty

 

[pop_rocks]

what a weekend of games!
we got to see some big upsets this weekend and things are all crazy going into the last couple weeks of the season
bears clinch a spot in the playoffs!
after being picked to finish last in a lot of the polls, the bear look like one of the most dangerous teams in the nfc right now
kalil mack has taken that defense to another level but they have playmakers at all levels on the field
/sack machine kalil mack has become a one man highlight reel even getting sacks with his back to the qb
trubs dosent have to be a great qb this year, he just has to become a good qb and let the rest of the team do the heavy lifting for now
/as long as he dosent make any stupid mistakes i think the bears can go as far as the defense takes them
dem'boys got their asses whopped by the colts, but indy is a team on the rise
luck looked good but it was the colts d that put up that fat zero for the c'boys
they looked great and were able to keep the cowboy offense in check bottling up elliot and cooper
i dont have the numbers in front of me but they werent good
rams looked terrible
the team kept things interesting but goff had his worst game of the season
he made a ton of bad throws and at one point looked like he was reaching for anything he could
the defense wasnt half bad but nowhere near as intimidating as they were earlier in the season
they will need to turn things around if they want to make a serious push in the playoffs
even tho hes young, i believe in mcvay and im expecting them to get back on track
tonight game between the saints and carolina takes on more significance now that lar has lost
this is the point in the season where champions are made and you want to see your team doing its best

thats cool that you like indian food baba
the spices they use are totally different that a lot of what most of us are used to plus they like it HOT
/if an indian person tells you something is hot, you best believe that! goes for thai people too
the mrs really enjoyed the food and we had enough left overs for her to take to work today for lunch
i had fun and we will definitely be going back and trying more things
but me, im ready for a burger tonight

 

[Bababooey]

Yeah, bears won the north, first time in 8 years, and they have an outside chance of getting a playoff bye if they can catch the rams, but their remaining 2 games are against the niners and vikings. Niners are only 4-10 but have won 2 in a row against broncos and hawks, and nick mullens seems like a pretty good backup QB. If garappolo takes a while to come back from injury, or is injured again, the niners might be ok with mullens.

So a lot still to play for, and nothings a given, especially with eddie jackson possibly suffering a high ankle sprain vs the packers. Jackson is the bears' ball-hawking safety with a nose for the end zone. Along with nickelback's bryce callahan's season ending broken leg, bears D is suffering injuries at a bad time.



Goff had one terrible interception that he flipped over his shoulder while a defender was tackling him to the ground. Ive seen some bad int's (cutler once threw 4 ints to the same defensive back in one game) but that one was pretty puzzling to me.

I think if goff can get his feet set and step into a throw, he's still very good, but when he's being pressured and has to throw while moving, his accuracy suffers a lot.

Mitch isnt as accurate as goff but his accuracy doesnt suffer as much when he has to throw on the move. And mahomes is excellent at throwing on the run.



Theres one fantasy analyst, matthew berry, that thinks sean mcvay will be a top 5 nfl coach of all time when his career is done. Granted, mcvay's career is likely to be 30+ years away by the time he retires, because he's so young, but that's how much esteem he's held in by a lot of experts.



Yeah, i like cumin and curry and turmeric, those are all flavorful spices that you dont often find in american food. But a burger sounds good, i havent had a homemade burger since labor day, lol, maybe ill defrost some patties and cook a few on the skillet...


Y'know hawk, i dont miss the bears having cheerleaders so much, although that would give me something to look at when the team sucks. And she seems to be hands off on managing the team, which is good, just let ryan pace do his job on drafting, hires, contract signings. Bears had a rep as being cheap years ago, but they gave market leading contracts to khalil mack and julius peppers (9 years ago), big contracts to cutler (ugh) and other players, so i dont think that's true anymore, if it ever really was. In a hard cap league, every team has to make decisions on who to pay and who to let go, sometimes they work out sometimes they dont...

 

[shithawk420]

Well,call me old fashioned,but I think it's just part of the game to have cheerleaders.its not like I oggle them I just think old tradition should be considered.and it's kinda embarrassing when the bears are one of the only teams to not have cheerleaders.think of it this way.dont you think morale would be 1000 times more? Especially in the playoffs?

 

[pop_rocks]

for some teams the cheerleaders have become a headache and PR pita suing about being underpaid or how they were "forced" to attend fancy parties and stuff
/of course im way oversimplifying this
fwiw, the girl has been in cheer since she was 5yo and has competed at a national level
what you see on the sidelines of an nfl game is nothing like real cheer
do the bears have a mascot?

thats interesting about the packers being the only publicly owned nfl team
/you might be right about them being the only public franchise in any major sport
most teams enjoy a lot of public money so it would make sense that the cities they represent should have some stake
in teh franchise
also consider that while the original owner may have played a big part in forming the franchise (or even the league in the case of oakland), the new owners often dont have that connection to the sport
just look at whats going on in denver and how multiple families are fighting for control of the team
in teh end i guess its all about a business to some and every team is just a brand
/ends cynical rant

goff is going througha tough patch and i agree he is a better qb when he has a clean pocket to throw from
but now that teams know this they are getting after him and trying to preasure him every chance they get
maybe mcvay need to work a few more short plays underneath into the offense to help slow down the pass rush
but the bears only rushed three or four on most packages and dident blitz that much and still pressured him on just about every play
mack is going to be a super star in chicago and i hope he plays there for a long time
hes following in the footsteps of some great players before him and will earn his spot alongside greats such as urlacher and singletary
the rams have an easy schedule to get right with but once you get to the playoffs there are no easy days

right now i thing the saints are the #1 team in the nfl with la'cocs playing up there right along side KC (2/3)
rams are probably at #5 -6
guess whos #4
you guessed it, da bearhhhs

a homemade burger sounds like it would hit the spot right now baba!
i snagged a bunch of really good sausages today (kielbasas and some brautworst) so we are having sausage with grilled onions and peppers tonight with mashed potatoes on the side
maybe tomorrow we will get some burgers, fudruckers often has mid week deals!
hope you are having a great week

 

[Bababooey]

Hey Hawk, i hear ya, but i think Pop is right, modern nfl cheerleaders are mostly just eye candy. They're good dancers, and maybe some have a gymnastics or athletic background, but it's not like a traditional cheer squad, theyre not making pyramids or doing flips up in the air. And dont get me wrong, i love looking at half-nekkid women as much as the next guy, but internet porn has ruined me: with a few clicks of a mouse i can see hot nekkid women as much as i want. Or, you know, so i've heard...

The bills, browns, packers, giants and steelers dont have cheergirls. And pop is right, a bunch of teams have been getting sued for unfair pay for their cheerleaders, they basically make minimum wage and dont get paid for all the hours they work, not to mention some sexual harassment incidents.



I mean, if the bears ever got cheerleaders, id check them out for sure, but it's not that big a deal imo. But ive been wrong before.



The bears have Staley as a mascot, named after the founder of the franchise. Dont recall seeing him much during games, but makes sense that they have a dude in a bears costume at the very least.


Yeah, i read recently that the rams pass blocking went from a top 5 unit the first 11 games to a bottom 5 unit the last 3 games. Not sure why that is, unless they had some off line injuries, although the bears and eagles pass rush is pretty stout. But yeah, maybe more screens or slants will help jumpstart the offense.



Mack is a difference maker but im worried that the defense isnt the same when he's injured; he was hobbled 2-3 games with an ankle injury and the D struggled during that time. But I guess thats true for any important player in any sport.



Saints have the inside track on home field throughout the playoffs but the offense hasnt looked good the last 3 games. Brees has probably lost the mvp to mahomes during that time, i think he was the 31st ranked fantasy QB last 3 games, meaning only 1 qb was worse than him. Still, their D has been very stout and their next 2 games are at home (last 3 were on the road).



It's funny you mentioned sausages the lady snagged some from a local butcher, they were frozen but once defrosted we'll try them out. I havent been to fuddruckers in ages but they do make a really good burger.

 

[shithawk420]

just heard they are having honey bears auditions!

 

[pop_rocks]

good luck hawk, i hope you make teh squad
/just kidding around brother

is the 32nd ranked qb for the past few weeks j.goff?
im all for mahomes making the mvp because not only has he put up the numbers, but hes elevated the chiefs to one of the top teams in the afc
if they can beef up on defense they should be regulars in the post season
even if not as long as mahomes i whippin em they will be a tough team to beat
he gets my vote for league mvp
who would be your top three picks,baba
how about you hawk
lets hear from the rest of you guys too, who are the three best players in the nfl this year?
/pops picks are: 1. mahomes 2. brees 3. rivers (yeah all qbs i know)
kind of bumbed that there is no thursday night game tomorrow but we have extra football this saturday with the chargers/ ravens and the redskins/titans
i think the skins still have a shot at the post season so that should be an interesting game and the cocs are playing red hot right now
even tho they have clinched a playoff spot, i see this weekends rams game against the cardinals as a must win
the cards are in the pits and i wouldent be surprised to see them let their head coach go after this season ends

i love sausages man and we are having them again tonight with brussel sprouts
what kind did she get? i bet they are bomb diggity man, meat purchased froma a butcher shop is usually way better than what you get from the major chains
thats one thing we dont have enough of here in san diego, really good meat markets
i cant bieleve that its already mid week and christmas is just around the corner
i cant wait and hope everyone has a great time during the holidays
im all ready for the big day as far as the gifts go and i am already filled with holiday cheer, that and a bunch of liquor
merry christmas guys!

 

[shithawk420]

Don't really have a top 3 but Khalil Mack is an absolute beast.hes looking like the next Urlacher.

Agree with mahomes

 

[shithawk420]

..

 

[Bababooey]

I think some businessman bought the honey bear name and is running the group independently of the football team, they do modelling and perform for companies, whatever that means. So there are auditions, but you wont see them at bears games.


I just looked into it a little more and apparently mccaskey got rid of the honey bears after the '85 superbowl season, because that's when their contract ended; ever since the bears have never won another superbowl.

I'd be more interested in getting them back if it removes the 'curse of the Honey Bears' and the team wins another superbowl, more so than ogling nice bodies in hot pants and midriff shirts, though thats a plus too.



I think the 32nd ranked qb the last 3-4 weeks has been josh rosen. The cards offense has been a little bit better since firing "run david johnson up the middle 70% of the time" mike mccoy, but josh has continued to have a bad rookie season. Strange because he was touted to be the most pro ready qb in the draft, but maybe he'll turn out like goff or trubs: terrible as a rookie, much better 2nd year with new coaches and receivers.

Strangely enough, the best fantasy qb the last 4 weeks has been josh allen of the bills (well, mahomes had a bye during that time so only had 3 games the last month). Allen is still rough as a passer but shows flashes of 'huh, that was a pretty good read and throw' and has also put up a lot of yards and tds on the ground. He was a special combination of size and athleticism in the draft but no one saw him being the white michael vick.



Ur right, no more thurs games but two saturday games makes up for it. Only games between winning teams is ravens at chargers (sat night), steelers at saints (sun) and chiefs at hawks (sun night), so those should be entertaining.



She got some veal brats and some jalapeno cheddar brats, they were pretty good although she said the latter tasted a bit spoiled. I didnt notice it though. We ate them with some baked potatoes, i was trying to copy off of you

although i didnt mash them...

 

[shithawk420]

I could care less about actually watching the cheerleaders.theres unlimited porn for that.but I think it would be good for morale.

Never had veal brats.sounds good and pricey.made some beer brats the other day.probably make some Buffalo and terryaki wings sunday

 

[pop_rocks]

buffalo wings are some of my favorites, hawk
i cant handle the heat like i used to but still like the ones made with franks red hot sauce (or the equivelant)
we have also subed in cholula, a really nice mexican hot sauce (it has a nice chili taste but also garlic and other stuff too), for our hot wings
man, i might have to fry up a bunch of wings myself this weekend
the jalapeno and cheddar sausages sound good
man there is something about good sausages and potatoes, must be the irish in me, but i can eat that morning, noon and night

i think allen is a good young qb and could put the bills back on the map
/i tihnk allen and mayfield have had a very good start to their careers and turned their teams around
the bills play the pats this weekend and that could be an interesting game
the patriots are slumping right now and i wouldent take the bills lightly, im sure they would like nothing more than to play spoiler at this point

that is an interesting observation about how the bears have not won a superbowl since letting the honey bears go
im sure its jsut coincidence but still, why temp fate if you dont have too
maybe if kalil mack wore a tighter jersey it could help, would it hurt him to show a little more skin?
speaking of mack, i dont see him as the league mvp (unless he leads the bears to a deep playoff run/super bowl) but i think he is the defensive player of the year
donald is a one man wrecking crew and leads the league in sacks and pressures, is constantly taking on double teams and still able to be disruptive but i think mack has made the biggest contribution to his team difference
i guess it comes down to how you want to read it, are we just looking at stats or overall contribution to the team
its going to be a fun weekend of games and the playoff picture continues to develop
hope you guys wrap up the week strong

 

[Bababooey]

The veal brats didnt taste like anything special, it was probably a waste of good meat because the purpose of sausages is you take cheap cuts, grind them up, mix them with fillers and seasonings and then you have something tasty. Not sure how expensive it was, probably wasnt cheap but i think we got only a lb or so (5 sausages) so didnt break the bank.

I love wings but usually oven roast my chicken, dont like frying it because of the grease spatter and smell. And sometimes that hot oil pops and hits ur skin, yow!


There are a lot of irish bars in and around chicago but the most irish thing they have on the menu would be 'irish nachos', which is just like regular nachos but using french fries instead of tortilla chips. Heh. Occasionally youll see one with a more authentic irish or british menu, and i always like getting the bangers and mash, which is sausages and mashed potatoes. Solid comfort food.



Im surprised josh allen has been so effective lately, he had a couple stinker games earlier this year, then was out with an injury, but since then has been able to lead the offense enough to win some games. After the draft, I thought he was just some physical specimen who could throw the ball a mile but wouldnt be accurate or effective enough to do much in the league, but he's makes enough good throws and scrambles really well to put some pts up for the bills. Also doesnt hurt that the bills have had a really good defense after a rough start to the season.



If the patriots lose to the bills, u know it's not a good year for brady-belichick.



As far as ur earlier mvp question, i'd pretty much go with ur ranking, mahomes, brees and rivers. Mahomes is having a historically great season, brees was too but the last 3 games dropped him behind mahomes, and rivers is having one of his best years and led his teams to a bunch of wins. Maybe gurley can crack the top 5 as a RB but he's got a sore knee so may not put up numbers these last 2 games.



I forgot to mention, pro bowl voting came out, chargers lead the league with 7 players (derwin james is a starter at safety), bears had 4 i think (all on defense).

 

[pop_rocks]

there are a couple good pubs here in san diego. but like you said, most irish places are just using it as a gimick
put up a bunch of guiness posters and serve "irish" sounding things (american versions of irish food)
there is one english place we used to go down by the air port that had like a full on pub and on the other side of a patio a tea room
they also have a shop that sells real english foods imported from england
/when you are craving some spotted dick
i like their beers and the fish and chips are legit

i saw the pro bowl nominations
the chargers led the league with 7 , i think hicks and mack were selected
in some ways i felt gurley had a sub par year, he is playing ok and has good numbers, but hes been surprisingly absent against some of the tougher defenses
so there is a lot of talk about where bell is going to land next season
i even heard the chiefs name mentioned, they have the cap space i tihnk with mahomes playing on his rookie contract
but i wonder if andy reid wants to invite the headaches? i tihnk he will land in oakland (or where ever thay end up playing)
the raiders have nothing going for them at the moment so he will bring some star power right out of the box, they have the cap space, plus i see them desperate enough to being bell in board
/i hear they ahve signed the turn over machine nathan peterman so i wonder if they plan on keeping carr around
i think the bills could use a #1 reciever and some O'ine help but they have some good pieces in place
i think allen is going to be a good qb one of these days if he continues to develope
plus any offense that has shady in the backfield is a step up

no joke about frying with oil and the splatter, baba'
last tiem we made the rolled tacos the mrs took over for a second and got splattered on the hand and arm with burning hot oil
it wasnt so bad that she had to go to the hospital, but it was bad
we iced the shit out of it that night and the next day i went and got some burn cream too
cant wait for this weekends games!

the holidays are right around the corner and for a lot of us, today was the last day of work
i hope all you guys have a great christmas no matter how you spend the day
ive had a lot of fun with you goons, spouting off at the mouth and doling out my bad taeks on the nfl and hope you all have a great christmas
/this goes double for you baba'! i hope you have the best holiday of all brother!

 

[Bababooey]

Thanks for the holiday wishes, Pop, and same to you. It's been an honor and a pleasure talking football with you and the rest of the regulars here at icmag.



Supposedly leveon wants to play with the colts next year, indy has an insane amount of cap room for this offseason, something like 120M (total cap is 180 or 190M) so they could definitely afford bell, who would probably be paid something like 16M a year for 3 years. They dont really NEED him, they have some good and cheap RB's in marlon mack and nyheim hines, but pairing a 3 down, elite back like bell with andrew luck, along with another good receiver, that could take that offense over the top, like averaging 35+pts a game.



I was wondering about those rolled tacos you said you made, they're basically taquitos like you buy in the grocery, or that taco bell sold this past month? Just a taco you fill with meat and cheese and roll up and deep fry? I'd be worried about the filling leaking out in the pan. Also, do you use a toothpick to hold it closed during frying?

Sorry to hear your woman got burned during cooking, blisters are the worst. Makes me wonder about the deep fryers they have in restaurants, maybe because theyre deeper and youre not standing so close theres less chance of burns. I know they sell countertop versions of deep fryers, i never did buy one because i try not to do that much frying, but anything that lessens chances of a burn cant be bad.


Hope everyone enjoys today's games. Second to last week of the season, it's championship week in most fantasy leagues, as well as some playoff spots still being fought over in real life. Ravens beat down the chargers last night, chargers still have a playoff spot locked up though it hurts their chances of overtaking the chiefs. Thought the bolts would pull another 4th quarter comeback but two late turnovers (one returned for a TD) doomed them. That ravens D is probably the league's best though, theyre #1 in least pts given up. Chargers D played well, kept it within one score, the fumble returned for a TD you cant blame on them.

Titans won as well yesterday so are in the mix for a playoff spot too.