NFL 2012

Sorry!

This pretty much comes down to Roethlisberger's injury. With him, they're the favourite, without him, they lost to the Browns. Which is what usually happens to playoff teams when their starting QB gets hurt. The Texans were able to limp into the playoffs with TJ Yates last year, but they are a much more balanced team and frankly Yates played a lot better than Leftwich or Batch. If Roethlisberger can't come back, or worse comes back too soon and re-injures himself, they might not win another game.

Just kidding, even if the Steelers signed Donovan McNabb out of retirement, the Chargers would find a way to lose.

IIRC, the Niners spent two time-outs in the first half due to crowd noise/unpreparedness/didn't-like-the-look. Also, I'm not sure that he wasn't fooled a few times, the offense scored all of 17 points against a Saints D that's hardly been fearsome this year. Thats' hardly sensational offense. The way their defense was handling Brees and the Saints O-line I'm thinking the score would have been similar if Alex Smith had just handed off to Gore for the first three quarters. Instead they only went to Gore in the fourth. So what I guess Kaepernick gives them is another way to play offense that also works.

That being said, I feel like the Saints are close to something with their defense now, especially if we get a guy or two back from injury in the secondary. The linebacker corps of Hawthorne, Lofton and Vilma may not be a new Dome Patrol, but they're no pushovers either. The offense should be OK as long as we don't play that Niner D again this year. That's tough, even with a fourth-string guard in the lineup. It didn't feel like we were playing poorly, we just met a better and more complete team that featured a new-look offense we weren't sufficiently prepared for. And that defense is still the best I've seen in the last three-four years.

Have you watched Alex Smith play much? Burning all three time outs before the end of a half is kind of his specialty. Like I said earlier, the bar just isn't that high. This game, when Kaepernick didn't completely light up the field, is still only two yards short of Alex's second-best game of the season, and 40 yards better than his season average. If you want to talk about what Kaepernick didn't do against the Saints, look at what Alex did do against the Jets. That was a game where the Niners completely dominated almost every facet, to the point where the Jets defense basically gave up and the offense got shut out. Alex had 143 yards and no touchdowns.

Could the Niners have won this game with Alex starting? Probably, because the team is just that good. But that's not the point, the point is who gives them a better chance to win in January? If you've watched Alex play this season (and last season, and every game in his miserable career), it's pretty clear he is not and never will be a franchise QB. Kaepernick has completed passes in every game that Alex flat-out cannot throw. In two games, against some of the better teams in the NFC, he has put up more yards than Alex has against all but the worst teams on the schedule. Basically, Kaepernick's floor looks to be about the same as Alex's ceiling, and he can only get better from here.

Don't get me wrong, I like what I've seen of Kaepernick. I'm more just blown away by how downright great that defense is.

The reaction in Seattle today was mostly disgust at the down slide of the defense the last several weeks. That greatly overshadowed the PED issue with the two corners, mainly because there seems to union backing of the two players to contest the findings on process grounds, something Florio on PFT has reported. So many think the process will drag out and may not be resolved until after the season.

Ugh, I wish pro sports would just admit that nobody gives a shit about steroids. They just need to invent a drug that strengthens ligaments.

Also, when did PED become a thing? Too many TLAs.

Steroids got such a negative sound to it, y'know? PED:s make for COUS. I don't believe they exist.

Bledsoe was healthy in the playoffs and Brady was still the starter. In fact, brady got knocked out for the last series in the AFC Championship game vs the Steelers and Bledsoe came in and threw a bomb for a TD to win the game, leading to a QB controversy in the Super Bowl week.

The talk around the team was Brady was set to replace Bledsoe anyway, the injury just forced it a little earlier than Belichick wanted.

EDIT: I totally Fox Newsed that game. After googling it, Bledsoe did replace Brady but he didn't do anything super heroic, and it wasn't in the last series.

Double Edit!
From the article I googled:

I am sure the Kaepernick vs Smith debate will continue to rage on but I feel I should mention that two of SF's potential scoring drives on Sunday were negated because David Akers is in a slump.

Also the Saints were on a 5-1 run, so beating them in New Orleans even if it was by a mere 10 points with not enough offense or whatever these dumb complaints are is nit-picking.

God, I love watching the Eagles be ridiculous.

Agreed. Based on what I've seen, the offense just works better under Kaepernick. However, it also drives me crazy when you hear the media saying that "Kaepernick led the Niners offense to 2 straight 30 point games"; that's bullshit as well.

They tested positive for Aderall. If they had tested positive for a steroid I think the suspension would have been longer.

Players always say they were taking Adderall, but that doesn't mean it was Adderall.

Yeah, isn't it used as a masking agent?

Browner is claiming his sample was mishandled, and it also turns out he's been in the league regular testing program all along due to some pre-Seattle incident.

Sherman was supposedly claiming he accidentally drank water that had Adderall in it that belonged to a teammate who has a prescription, but he is denying that now.

I'm sure there's a big culture of leaving prescription-amphetamine-laced water lying around the locker room, don't worry.

That about puts the fork in Seattle's chances for a playoff spot, though. Which, even though I hate the Seahawks, is a bummer way for things to turn out.

I am glad SF has depth at some positions, since Kyle Williams tore his ACL and Kendall Hunter is out for the year.

On the same play, by the same guy! But sure, Vilma wasn't involved in any sort of bounty program.

It depends on what happens this week at Chicago. The suspensions won't start until after that game, so if the Seahawks can pull this game out the they still have a decent chance at 10 wins with three of the last four at home and the one remaining road game after this being against the Bills in Toronto.

He's been injured and suspended and has lots of catching up to do. On a more serious note - Williams tore his ACL there? Bummer, it didn't look like a violent situation IIRC.

Don Banks has compiled a nice list of teams in the NFL who have made a QB change similar to the Niners this year. The most obvious parallel would seem to be the Ravens.

Huh, Trent Dilfer was so mediocre I forgot there was someone worse than him starting earlier that season.

I liked Tony Banks better when he was in Genesis.

And they went 5-3 with him! I don't remember any of this media shitstorm over Banks getting benched, but that was probably because he got benched after back to back losses, and he didn't look good on paper. Or it could just be because nobody talked about the Ravens before they won the Super Bowl.

Matty Ice is pretty much my least favorite nickname ever and I actually cringe every time I hear it. I'm not sure why. Is this totally irrational or does anyone else dislike it?

Definitely cringe-worthy.

What would you prefer? Mattural Ice?

It's a terrible nickname. Worst nickname in sports, I say with no research at all to back it up.

Negative. Anything following the "A-Rod" pattern shares the distinction of being the worst nickname in sports.

Ugh.

I don't see how "first initial-shortened last name" compares at all to anything involving the world "Matty."

You realize you've just sealed your fate.

Matty-Bow could be the worst of both worlds.

Truly, this is the Day by Day embed of NFL thread posts.

GODDAMNIT

it's a play on a nickname for shitty beer that only fratdouche binge drinkers enjoy

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29/653

Matty-Boh, it's pretty awful. Your new nickname, btw, is also a play yet another fratdouche beer, Natty Boh.

However, I really think Doug Martin's main nickname is awful.

The Muscle Hamster?

Muscle Hamster is AWESOME. He's like a Japanese pro wrestler. "Weighing two hundred and forty pounds... MUUUUUUUUUUSCLLLLLLLLLLLLLLE HAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMSTERRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

No, the worst of both worlds would be spelling it Mat Tebow. Just ugh.

I do not know who you are beyond the fact that now we are sworn enemies.