NFL

With Frank Reich getting fired and Bryce Young not looking anything like the player he was at Bama (granted he's not working with much), this inquiry seemed highly relevant to me and the NFL could look very different if the dominoes fell in a different formation.

Pretty straightforward: Lovie said fuck it and coached his boys to win their second game of the year in the last week of 22, ultimately losing the first overall pick in the draft and instead picking 2 overall. Thus, Chicago does not get the first pick and Carolina would not be able to trade up to number 1. Houston would not have traded that first pick, and they'd have their choice of the 2 consensus top QBs.

I'm not saying Stroud wasn't their guy. He may have been that dude regardless and they very well could have picked him. But most prognosticators assessed Young as the safer prospect with a higher ceiling.

What if Houston gets that first pick and drafts Young? Does Chicago trade their pick still? Does Chicago stay put? Who do they snag at 2 if so? Does Carolina still try to move up to 2 to get a QB? Does another team like Indy get into the mix? What does Chicago's future outlook look like without those potential picks going forward? Same question about Carolina, reversed. Do they keep all those picks and have a better outlook? What if Chicago doesn't get Moore in a deal? What if the Panthers QB has Moore as his WR1 instead of Theilen? How does Houston look relative to how impressive they've been? Does Carolina still have 1 win? Is Reich still there?

So many dominoes, how would the NFL look if the first domino never happened? Which ones did I miss? Just curious of others thoughts!

So, I absolutely despise kickoffs. They have become an absolute waste of time, talent and most of all, a waste of opportunity for exciting moments and plays in football. Special teams players work their asses off all week (and all year) just to run down the field and watch the ball go through the endzone. I actually feel bad for these players.

Depending on the source, the return rate is anywhere from 20-32%. Source aside, no matter the real number, that's atrocious. We've all watched most kickoffs go through the endzone and just result in the receiving team getting the ball at the 25. So much that you might as well just start there and scrap the kickoff completely. OR, hear my proposal for kickoff reform, that I think would substantially impact the game and make every kickoff an exciting play.

Change #1: I propose that any kickoff that goes through the endzone without touching ground in the field of play (goal line to goal line) is an automatic 20 yard penalty. Receiving team starts on their own 45. Any kick that hits ground in the field of play, then goes through the endzone, will be spotted at the last point of contact in field of play. This will immediately make the kicker position a skill position as opposed to just a biggest leg contest. It will completely change how receiving teams position guys, and change how kicking teams scheme their attacking players. Receiving teams may line up 3 receivers across the field, maybe two. And they will never just let a ball hit the ground and bounce to a stop. But no matter what, it encourages a ball in play scenario every time.

Change #2- Adopt the CFL's "no yards" rule. For those unfamiliar, there is no fair catch rule in CFL. Instead the kicking team has to give a 5 yard buffer zone in all directions (which they call a halo) to the receiving player up until the moment he touches the ball. This creates an opportunity for a return on every reception, while also giving a window for the returner to take a knee if he chooses too. In CFL, breaching that 5 yard halo results in a 15 yard penalty from the point of reception. I would adopt this.

How do you all feel about this?

Also, I would love to hear any other suggestions to make kickoffs relevant plays.

I'd love to hear from the traditionalists as well that think this is fucking stupid and feel things are fine as is, but mostly, i wanna know why you think it's fine as is

NFL just posted a job opening for a Senior Director of Field Research and Stadium Projects.

Job Description

The Sr. Director of Fields, Field Research and Stadium Projects will lead and be on-site for all neutral site games to oversee all field-related planning and will liaise with member clubs to maintain high standards of excellence of field surface. This individual will lead all surface research, whether natural or synthetic, manage consultant experts as well as direct engagement with manufacturers, other sports leagues and the 32 clubs. In addition, this individual will collaborate on internal processes, project management, stadium and game day preparations, and issue tracking/reporting.

Responsibilities:

Field Research Workstreams and Committees

• Liaise with Health & Safety, as well as 3rd party consultants, on improved testing/tracking options and protocols
• Oversee NFL-NFLPA Joint Mandatory Practices for fields/playing surfaces and liaise with Management Council on updates/modifications
• Joint Surface Committee research and support
• Lead team responsible for overseeing and executing field maintenance plans during Halftime rehearsals at Super Bowl

International & Neutral Site Games

• Lead field surface project plans for practice and game fields for all Neutral Site Games (International Series, Pro Bowl, Super Bowl, etc.) to ensure consistency across all games.
• Procure and facilitate storage of all necessary equipment and tools for field preparation (e.g., paint machines, blowers, mowers, grow lights, field and bench area tarps, grow blankets, etc.)
• Maintain and manage field equipment warehouse inventory and shipping for all neutral site and international games
• Oversee League-hired grounds crew for all Neutral Site Games including scheduling, communications, onboarding paperwork, travel, housing, etc.
• Oversee budget for all field projects
• Identify, source and oversee any ancillary support required (e.g., fertilizer, sand, specialty equipment).
• Lead efforts with Sod Farms for all neutral site games

Stadium Operations & Game Day Support

• Primary responsibility for sharing turf/field research with clubs to aid them in field selection, replacement, preparation etc. This includes practice surfaces as well
• Part of a team that Liaises with 32 Club Field mangers to ensure day-to-day compliance with field policies & best practices
• Visit and review all new field installs, field issues/concerns, oversee compliance with NFL-NFLPA CBA/Joint Mandatory Practices
• Advise Clubs that have new stadium projects and/or renovation plans on field surfaces, best practices, field dimensions, etc. and conduct on-site walkthroughs during construction phases to ensure construction details comply with the renderings
• Review and edit relevant sections of the Game Ops manual.
• Attend periodic in-person meetings, including the Combine, Field Managers meeting, etc.

Watching JP this episode knowing how it would end broke me. Damn sad. Thoughts on the episode?

Felt like there were a lot hyped rookie offensive lineman and even though the position can be hard to grow into from college to pros I didn’t know if one of these rookies has stood out at all?

Fandom aside, dude looks like he washes his hair every day and never lets it gain any moisture. That is all.

Everybody likes to talk about various injuries to their favorite teams, so use this thread to vent about all the players your team has lost to the football gods.

Has he dropped from top coach all time in your mind seeing his record after Brady left?

Conducting a little bit of an experiment with this discussion... when you hear the term "finesse" (typically in a derogatory manner), which teams from across the decades spring to mind?

Welcome to week 12 of the official r/NFL Power Rankings! What an exciting week of games. Without Canada, the Steelers stock is rocketing. The Packers played their best game against their best opponent, the Eagles Eagled and the Bills Billed. What impact will The Cowboys winning like Kramer at the dojo have? How many spots will the Vikings fall after Dobbs continues to learn the playbook? Is it time to admit the broncos could be good? Discuss! 30/32 Reporting

#		Team	Δ	Record	Comment

1. | | Eagles | -- | 10-1 | Are the Eagles beneficiaries of luck? Probably. But for the third game in a row, they’ve done enough to for luck to matter. Part of that is a wild split between their first and second half performances. The 2023 Eagles have a tendency to start games slow, but by EPA/play, they are the best 2nd half team in the NFL by quite the margin. The resilience of the team to fight back in consecutive games against top QBs is part of their DNA, led by the unflappable Jalen Hurts. Next up, an NFC Championship rematch with the 49ers.
2. | | Ravens | -- | 9-3 | 9-3 sitting pretty atop the AFC. Sunday night's showdown was a tale of two Ravens teams; a dominant defense refusing to lose and a sputtering offense suffering an identity crisis. I believe most tuned in Ravens fans had an uneasy feeling heading out west and it was all but coming to fruition. Failed 4th downs, missed challenges, and a nigh impossible sub 50 yard miss from Tucker had the Ravens leading by the slimmest of margins with 2:30 left to go in the 4th despite being +4 in the turnover battle. It all compiled to a dreadful "here we go again" sinking feeling but luckily for us no one outchargers the Chargers. An absolutely sick and brilliant 4th down play design by Mike Macdonald sealed the deal. Looking ahead the Ravens get a week off to heal up some key contributors(Ronnie Stanley, Marlon Humphrey) before an absolute gauntlet of a schedule to close out the season(Rams, Jags, 9ers, Dolphins, Steelers). No time to rest for the coaching staff though as Todd Monken and crew have a long week ahead of self-scouting and working out the kinks if this team is ever going to reach their Super Bowl potential.
3. | | Chiefs | -- | 8-3 |
4. | | 49ers | +1 | 8-3 | The 49ers have finally gotten payback for a moment that lives in every fans memory. Brock Purdy, Deebo Samuel, Fred Warner, George Kittle, Nick Bosa and Charvarius Ward celebrated their 31-13 victory over the Seahawks Thursday with Turkey and Cornbread which they also shared with the 49er fans in attendance. The team heads to Philly for a rematch of the NFC Championship game on Sunday. There is no love lost between these two franchises, with both fans and players trading barbs since the Eagles came away victorious in the playoffs.
5. | | Cowboys | +1 | 8-3 | Dallas has a top 5 MVP odds player, a top 8 OPOY odds player, and TWO top 4 odds players for DPOY. Highest scoring team in the league, highest point differential in the league, thirds fewest points allowed in the league. 5th in total offense, third in total defense. After a bit of a midseason droop, Dallas has been on fire lately. They are getting QBs benched, coaches fired, and Dolly Parton jamming out in the stadium. Its go time.
6. | | Dolphins | +1 | 8-3 | The first Black Friday game in NFL history ended in a bittersweet way for all Dolphin fans. While we did go on the road and demolish the Jets 34-13, we ended up losing our best pass rusher and a budding star in Jaelan Phillips for the rest of the year due to the shitty MetLife turf. After battling injuries throughout the year, Phillips was finally finding his groove and had recorded at least 1 sack in his last 5 games. An incredible force in the run game who recorded 5 TFL in the past two games, he also had the highest motor of any player on our defense. Fortunately we have a very good player in Andrew Van Ginkel (PFF's #9 Edge rusher) who will be doing his best to fill in Phillips shoes.
7. | | Lions | -3 | 8-3 | The Detroit Lions are now 0-13 all-time on Thanksgiving when the moon is in waxing gibbous. These astrological fates took aim at the offense to ensure victory, turning the greatest strength and core of the Lions identity, the offensive line, into a pressure-generating clinic, disrupting time for Goff who, in turn, played one of his worst games of the season. Unfortunately with the Lions, anything but perfection will open doors for mass panic and worry, as it is well documented that this team has been wholly unable to get any sniff at success in the Super Bowl era. Despite the shadow of history, however, the turnover and o-line issues seem correctable, and this coaching staff has shown the ability to admit and correct issues within the team before they fester. Detroit will look to get back to offensive form against the New Orleans Saints next week, where Dan Campbell will be facing his former employer for the first time in his Lions tenure.
8. | | Jaguars | +1 | 8-3 | The Jaguars demonstrated to the Texans that they're not the same team from earlier in the year. While a far cry from flawless, the team put up a performance that makes it clear they're a squad capable of, and ready to play good football. The Jags' schedule from here on out is mostly lax sans a firey Baltimore team due to be faced in a few weeks. If they can keep their performances up, the #1 seed is a real possibility with a little help. Also, the offficiating for this game was fucking horrid, and it's disgusting to watch zebras shift things so wildly every week.
9. | | Bills | +1 | 6-6 | How many back breaking losses can one franchise take? The easy excuse is to say the officiating was blatantly one-sided. Im usually against that argument, but this time? I mean it was pretty awful… Still, this team failed to put away a game that was well in hand. That’s become a hallmark of the McDermott era —the Bills have been mediocre in one-score games, and downright bad in overtime. Sure, this week we were a Cook drop or a couple of Tyler Bass misses away from it being a non-issue, but the defense folding at the end of the game falls on coaching. The playoffs are still decently attainable, but to get there this team will have to put away a couple of talented opponents.
10. | | Browns | -2 | 7-4 | Scorigami! The Browns managed to cough up the ball enough to give the Broncos a massive edge in a game that also cost them Garrett. Could it get worse? Sure. Dorian Thompson-Robinson is in the concussion protocol.... So come on down future Browns legend Joe Flacco! The Browns will face the so-so Rams in LA next sunday.
11. | | Texans | -- | 6-5 | Takes deep breath Referees in the NFL have a very hard job and it’s completely understandable that from time to time they might miss a call or two, or three, or eight. I’m not going as far as to say they had a bias against Houston because the Jags also had a huge no-call too, but I don’t believe anyone can say that it wasn’t an egregiously officiated game from Clay Martin’s crew. Anyways, as to what the Texans could control…for as statistically great of a day as CJ Stroud had on Sunday, the final two drives really put into focus what needs to be worked on. For the second straight week Stroud faced 4th and short and went for the homerun ball instead of trying to pick up the first. I love Stroud’s boldness, but this type of play, along with a couple of ugly sacks on the final drive that hurt Matt Amendola’s FG chances, has derailed late drives in close games. The Texans secondary once again was missing Jimmie Ward and Trevor Lawrence took full advantage as Calvin Ridley couldn’t not get open, and once again Tytus Howard went down with a knee injury putting the O-Line back into question. While the division may be all but out of reach, the Texans are still firmly in the wild card chase with a schedule that includes three of the other teams also in the hunt over the next 6 weeks.
12. | | Steelers | +1 | 7-4 | The Bengals have a defense who statistically hover around 30th. The Steelers just got rid of Matt Canada. Something's gotta give, and it did on Sunday. The Steelers had offense. In fact, over 400 yards of it, which apparently is the first time that's happened in eleventy billion years by the way pundits make it sound. Also, the reports of Pat Friermuth's demise were greatly exaggerated. It just turns out that you need to use him to get production out of him. Who knew, right? Being real for a moment, which is it really? Was getting rid of the OC that much a jolt? Are the Bengals that woeful on defense? It's probably a little bit from Column A, and a little bit from Column B. But in what ratio? That remains to be discovered over the coming weeks. Also worth noting that for once, Jaylen Warren was opening up the run game for Najee Harris, not the other way around. This backfield is becoming a two-headed monster. Now, the Steelers have shown that they can hurt you with a power run game from Harris, or have best-in-league pass pro from Warren along with his versatile quicks. There's a lot more to say about Dionte's attitude, Faulkner's new duties, the easy schedule to close out the season...but it should be said in the coming weeks as these things develop a bit more. Right now, this is a solid running team with a new attitude who are playing to the right strengths of the right players on offense.
13. | | Broncos | +4 | 6-5 | In a universe where the gods exert control over the fates of mortals, true miracles happen only where the gods arent looking. It is in these blind spots that the Broncos have found success. With each successive miracle, though, the likelihood of drawing the gaze of the football gods increases, and the inevitability of a correction grows. The most fun is had in things that the gods do not intend. Our most recent heist stole from the natural order our fifth consecutive victory. We may have been slightly favored in this contest, but last season saw so much hope spilled that nothing is left for us to take for granted. We venture on, ever guarded against confidence, silently fearful of each opponent, constantly hoping that our spilled hope congeals into something resembling pride. The coagulated dread of a near decade of failure lurks as a deadly clot, circulating through our bodies and threatening to burst through the thin walls of our playoff dreams.
14. | | Seahawks | -2 | 6-5 | Life is full of mystery. Are we the only intelligent life in the universe? What comes after death? Why are the Seattle Seahawks such masochists? After showing out strong and taking down the Lions in week 2, the Seahawks have had a tough go of things. The offense has been... brutal. Zero offensive touchdowns against the contenders we have played (3 points against Baltimore, 6 against the 49ers) is not going to cut it. Going 0-2 against the Rams is not going to cut it. The defense has had their struggles as well. Devon Witherspoon is the bright spot of this team, making plays consistently. Seattle is lucky to be in the playoff picture, but the Packers and Rams loom in the shadows. Seattle now has a 3-week stretch of Dallas, San Francisco Part II, and Philly. Going 0-3 is not a death sentence, but the Seahawks reallyyyy need to come away with at least one victory. Let's see what you've got, Pete.
15. | | Colts | +3 | 6-5 | If the season ended today, the Indianapolis Colts would be in the playoffs! Yes, the same Colts who lost rookie QB Anthony Richardson for the season after four games. The same Colts who started the year without All-Pro RB Jonathan Taylor, who will potentially now miss even more time with a new thumb injury. Fiery head coach Shane Steichen has turned this team around on the backs of Gardner Minshew and Zack Moss, and with the weakest schedule in the league still to come and the two toughest matchups both coming at home (PIT, HOU), the Colts are solidly in contention for their second playoff appearance in five seasons. For the Shoe!
16. | | Vikings | -2 | 6-6 | Brian Flores deserves a ton of credit for how much he has turned around the Vikings' defense -- from 9th-worst defensive DVOA last year to 9th-best this year (and 8th in EPA/play allowed) -- and that's after losing six of last year's starters, including key pieces like Za'Darius Smith, Eric Kendricks and Dalvin Tomlinson. Flores has revamped the defense with a unique zone-blitz identity, and last night his defense held their opponent to just 12 points, despite the offense throwing four separate interceptions. Unfortunately the Vikings' offense deserved to lose more than the defense deserved to win, and now the Vikings head into the bye contemplating whether to hand the reins over to rookie QB Jaren Hall or veteran backup Nick Mullens or to stay the course with the Passtronaut despite the heavy turblence.
17. | | Rams | +4 | 5-6 | Welcome back Kyren Williams. That was about as complete and balanced as a win could possible be: 33 passes for 229 yards, and 33 runs for 228 yards. Don't look now, but with a win over the Browns, a SEA loss @ DAL and GB loss vs KC, the Rams will sneak into the 7 seed.
18. | | Packers | +6 | 5-6 | I've maligned our defensive coordinator and our special teams unit frequently in these writeups, but am I about to give them a little credit? Rashan Gary was a monster with 3 sacks and the DL sustained constant pressure against Goff, forcing 2 huge fumbles from Jared and three fourth down stops. Defense played a very solid "bend-don't-break" type of game, generating enough big plays to frustrate the Lions offense. The special teams unit got a 4th down stop of their own and downed three punts inside the 10. Despite missing an extra point (that's three games in a row now, Carlsen has to be better), a pretty solid game from the third unit. Of course the big focus for most is on Jordan Love and Christian Watson's excellent game, but this is merely a continuation of the positive trends from the offense over the last month or so. Still stuff to improve upon all around but this felt like our first real complete game since the Bears in Week 1. But then again it's the Lions on a waxing gibbous thanksgiving game so how impressive it is really?
19. | | Bengals | -4 | 5-6 | The Bengals somehow kept the game close despite not being able to move the ball or prevent the Steelers from moving the ball. Maybe getting Tee Higgins healthy will give Jake Browning another chance to show off his full potential, but the more likely scenario is that the Bengals will tank the remainder of the season and try again next year.
20. | | Saints | -4 | 5-6 | Pain
21. | | Chargers | -2 | 4-7 | This fucking team. They score 38, they need 41. They have arguably the best game of Herbert's career, the receivers can't catch a thing. Defense steps up and holds the AFC #1 seed to 13 points (until a garbage time score), offense scores less than 17 for the first time all season. This fucking team.
22. | | Falcons | +1 | 5-6 | Terry was fired up like this was his Super Bowl, and thankfully his best free agent acquisition, Jesse Bates, played like it. Although Pitts only caught two passes for 22 yards, MVP Bijan and London were each dangerously close to 100 yards each. Big props to Ridder, who handled pressure better than weeks past, took baby steps again as he remains unfazed by Arthur Smith's game of musical chairs. When this offensive line is playing up to its potential and salary, they are a collective force. Fotunately, this in-sync play is coming at a time the offense needs to be relied on more, and Atlanta ran the ball 41 times behind that line, with Allegier and Patterson carrying 10 and 8 times respectively. They played to their strengths and won, maybe Arthur should consider that again next week. The Falcons have a very winnable game next with, with Saleh having worse quarterback problems than Atlanta, and this season has already proven nothing is given. Shoutout to Koo, who (with a Justin Tucker miss) has become the NFL leader in field goal percentage.
23. | | Buccaneers | -3 | 4-7 | I don't mean to get political but what the fuck is a well coached football team???? The NFC South is just 4 kids stacked on top of each other in a trenchcoat. It looks like a football division, it acts like it's one, and it demands to be taken seriously, but everyone just points and laughs at the poorly masked incompetence of it. If you told me that after this week the Buccaneers would be one game behind the division leader and an NFC South a coach would've been fired I would've been happy because that meant "Either Buccaneers won or Bowles got fired". It was neither as the Tampa Bowles got Minshew'd and Todd continued his best impression of a human that's possessed by a Ditto.
24. | | Raiders | -2 | 5-7 | Getting real close to mock draft season boys.
25. | | Titans | +2 | 4-7 |
26. | | Jets | -1 | 4-7 | It turns out that benching a terrible quarterback and replacing him with another terrible quarterback is not going to suddenly jumpstart the offense. Fire Joe Douglas.
27. | | Bears | +2 | 4-8 | I remember my first time. It was not pretty. I couldn't quite stick it in, but had to settle for some shots from a distance. It definitely felt like I blew it early (though it ended up finishing fine after all was said and done). It wasn't what you'd call 'must watch' primetime viewing. Congrats to Matt Eberflus on his first NFC North win!
28. | | Commanders | -2 | 4-8 | For anyone who had the volume off during this game so you could hear your drunk uncle talk about the government, you should know that Tony Romo was literally frothing at the mouth in describing Dallas as a Super Bowl bound team. When will they ever learn? Cowboys fans, your destiny is to be a perennial competitor in the top half of the league who leaves the playoffs by the divisional round, either by the hand of Aaron Rodgers or the carousel of 49ers QBs. Our destiny is to be a perennial bottom 10 team that yours gets to dunk on - learn your place, fools. In good news for Commanders fans, it seems that getting bent over by Tommy Devito was okay, but letting Dak Prescott beat you is going too far - thus ends the reign of Jack Del Rio at Defensive Coordinator. At 4-8, attention now turns to draft prospects and the awkward cheering for your team to both win and lose every week. You'd think it uncomfortable, but this is where Commanders fans have spent our lives. A season like this feels like visiting my parents house. My next prediction - stealing one or two more wins that keep us just out of reach of the top talent in the draft followed by a controversial coaching hire whose either a well-known fraud, a washed old guy, or Matt Patricia. Wake me up when it gets interesting.
29. | | Giants | +1 | 4-8 | In a game where both teams had a large portion of their fanbases rooting for a loss, the Giants decided to suck just a little less than New England and eek out a second straight win under Tommy DeVito. While The Paisano Prince still has a ways to go in terms of avoiding sacks and pulling the trigger on open throws, he has easily exceeded any expectations that could be placed on a rookie UDFA practice squad QB. Jalin Hyatt had the best performance of his rookie season and the defense continues to impress, but is this a scrappy Giants team or one that simply took advantage of a weak part of their schedule? We may get our answer after the bye, when New York takes on a rising Green Bay Packers team.
30. | | Cardinals | -2 | 2-10 | Since the 2017 season, the Rams are 13-2 against the Cardinals. Coincidentally, 2017 is the year the Rams hired Sean McVay. Hard to say if these two events are linked. It’s actually insulting that you all don’t put mass amounts of money on the Rams to win. Put down $20 for Tyler Higbee to score a touchdown, it’s literally free money. If you are a Rams fan, congrats on having three bye weeks in a season, that must be nice. If you are a Cardinals fan, I implore you to specifically boycott watching games vs. LA. Just don’t do it. You know what will happen: Cardinals will score early in the game, misleadingly showing they’re going to compete, Rams decide to go up by 30 points, Kyler Murray gets hurt late in the game, REPEAT AD INFINITUM. Go do something else. Be a Suns or Diamondbacks fan. Just refer to this image any time you want to watch this team
31. | | Patriots | -- | 2-9 | Poplar Trees are fast growing and easy to propagate. In the spring right before leaves bud, you can cut Poplar branches of 1-2 feet in length and just shove one end in the ground to plant a new tree. The situation on the ground in Foxborough is getting weirder by the day. It’s a bit like a Pug or a French Bulldog where it has gotten so ugly that it’s crossed the line back into beautiful (to some). The absolutely mind boggling turnovers are no longer heartbreaking disasters. They bring sweet blessed relief (to some). A significant contingent of fans are celebrating the tank in full throat. For them, the worst thing that could happen this week was a win against the Giants. It was a challenging game to lose, but the local militia had the on-field leadership to get the job done. I know. I know. “Welcome to the neighborhood, Pats fans. This is a way of life for some of us.” I get it. I grew up here. I was drinking Apple Slice(™) at tailgates prior to watching Tony Eason (‘83 draft #15) take the field against Dan Marino (‘83 #27) This is me kicking around back in my old stomping grounds and finding a familiar comfort. It may not be living high on the hog, but we have fun where we can. Dark times call for dark humor. It’s that or give in to a bitterness and anger that I just can’t be bothered with. Football is fun. It’s a game. The hard times make the good times all the sweeter. There is a pattern of pruning I am personally drawn to called “pollarding” where you cut all growth from a tree above shoulder height. If you do it at the right time when a tree is still in its juvenile phase, the tree will not only survive but thrive. In this way you can harvest wood from the same tree every 3-5 years without having to kill it.
32. | | Panthers | -- | 1-10 | Another loss. A close game with a potential game tying drive in grasp but a disastrous 4th down screen play shattered all hopes. You would think that this is news but unfortunately losses are not news anymore, just the norm. The big news out of the Carolina Panthers organization is that Tpper has decided to fire head coach, Frank Reich, after going 1-10 in the first 11 games of his tenure. Reich era over in record time. Now, was Frank doing a great job? Not at all. The offense looked pitiful and he is an “offensive minded” head coach so that had to hurt his chances but what was he supposed to do? The O Line is comparable to the Berlin Wall in 1989, simply not there anymore. Terrible trench play and an abundance of injuries have made it IMPOSSIBLE for Bryce to have time to do anything, and in the rare instances he does have time, he looks solid. Our wide receivers don’t get open often. Is that Frank? It could be with his schemes and concepts but they also need to be able to play football, which they don’t do often. The defense has looked fine especially considering how many injuries there have been so no analyzation there but the major offensive woes cannot all fall onto Frank’s shoulders. Fitterer assembled this joke of a team under Tpper’s extremely watchful eye. Have you ever worked a job and the big boss is constantly breathing down your neck telling you everything is wrong when they don’t even touch the day-to-day operations? It’s really hard to succeed right? Well that’s what happened to Frank. He had to meet with Tpper every week? FOR WHAT?! Got damn let the football minds be football minds. Tpper needs to sell this team if he truly cares about the organization. And Fitterer is simply a yes man, which Tpper loves. Back to the regular job analogy: The kiss ass right below the big boss that you know sucks at his job but will laugh at all the big bosses shitty jokes and golf with him just to lose on purpose and inflate their ego (even though its already huge. How is it getting inflated?) That is Scott Fitterer. Now I don’t think Tpper will sell any time soon but if he fires Fitterer, there is hope to be had. On to he Bucs next week I guess. Winnable? I don’t even know anymore. We are going to be down bad for a bit but these are the times that make the potential good times so much sweeter (or so I’ve heard. It’s pretty dark and terrible down here at rock bottom). Keep Pounding.

Leaderboard for receiving TDs among active players: https://stathead.com/tiny/aCboK

Rk	Player	TD	From	To	G
1	Davante Adams	91	2014	2023	145
2	Mike Evans	90	2014	2023	148
3	Jimmy Graham	86	2010	2023	191
4	DeAndre Hopkins	75	2013	2023	156
5	Travis Kelce	74	2013	2023	154
6	Tyreek Hill	73	2016	2023	119
7	Stefon Diggs	67	2015	2023	131
8	Julio Jones	64	2011	2023	160
9	Keenan Allen	59	2013	2023	137
10	Adam Thielen	59	2014	2023	146

Which WR will finish with more when it's all said and done, Adams or Evans?

TNF on Prime Video

Seahawks-Cowboys: Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, Kaylee Hartung

Also: KCPQ-Seattle, KDFW-Dallas

Sunday 12/3:

CBS

Broncos-Texans: Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, Evan Washburn

Cardinals-Steelers: Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, Melanie Collins

Colts-Titans: Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan, AJ Ross

Chargers-Patriots: Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta, Aditi Kinkhabwala

Panthers-Buccaneers: Tom McCarthy, James Lofton, Jay Feely, Tiffany Blackmon

FOX

49ers-Eagles: Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi

Lions-Saints: Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston, Pam Oliver

Dolphins-Commanders: Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth, Kristina Pink

Falcons-Jets: Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, Shannon Spake

Browns-Rams: Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez, Laura Okmin

SNF on NBC

Chiefs-Packers: Mike Tirico, Jason Garrett, Melissa Stark

MNF on ABC&ESPN

Bengals-Jaguars: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters

*sorry I know I missed a week but my wife and I welcomed our first child the other week and things have been a bit busy since then. Should be back though to normal going forward now.

Layout:

— Individual Team News + Stone’s Cold Takes

— Miscellaneous/Other NFL News

— Picks of the Week

— Featured Team of the Week - Carolina Panthers

Arizona Cardinals (2-10):

• Lost 37 to 14 against the Rams

Tough loss for the Cardinals despite QB Kyler Murray overall playing well. Big thing here for the Cardinals was that they were not able to establish and stick with the run game very well. There are clear holes on this team in multiple different places and there is going to need to be some significant moves made in order to make this team a contender again for the playoffs. It will be interesting how they end up treating the draft given that they could end up with one of the top picks if not potentially the top pick depending on how things pan out with the Panthers the rest of this season.

Atlanta Falcons (5-6):

• Won 24 to 15 against the Saints

Great team win for the team as QB Desmond Ridder found ways to once again turn the ball over multiple times. At least now it appears he is making some pretty dang good throws but he still is far from being the QB the Falcons need for the future. The defense has proven to hang in there and give the offense a chance all year this year and a pick six by Jessie Bates III was a big difference maker in this game since the Saints were in the red zone threatening to score.

Baltimore Ravens (9-3):

• Won 20 to 10 against the Chargers

Great win for the Ravens on a day where the offense did not have to do too much. When you win the turnover battle 4 to 0 there really aren’t going to be many games that you lose. Overall though the receiving unit looked good in a game where they lacked TE Mark Andrews and it appears that the Ravens are going to keep on rolling. The Ravens know how to play hard nose football and in this game especially it goes to show what good coaching can do for teams. The Ravens find ways to constantly compete despite their talent.

Buffalo Bills (6-6):

• Lost 37 to 34 against the Eagles

What a game. The Bills lost a tough one though and the schedule does not appear to really get any easier. QB Josh Allen threw an interception in the 4th quarter that gave the Eagles back the momentum. Despite making huge plays before that pick and after. The interception is what gave the Eagles the key opening and life they needed to be able to get their offense going. Once again the Bills lost in an overtime game after only being able to come up with a field goal in overtime that was followed by a TD by Philly. What as interesting to me was that it appeared that they took WR Stefon Diggs out quite a few times on key 3rd down plays. It does not appear that any controversy is brewing but it just seems interesting that you would take him off the field in those situation where he would likely be helpful to the team in taking attention from others or to just get open himself. Either way the Bills need to do something fast because they are slipping out of playoff contention with each week that they lose.

Carolina Panthers (1-10):

• Lost 17 to 10 against the Titans
• Fired HC Frank Reich

Hard fought game by the Panthers that still ended in the Panthers losing again like they have done all season long basically. Owner David Tepper left the locker room very angry and ended up firing HC Frank Reich shortly after it appears. There is some concern here because it is believed that ownership wanted QB Bryce Young but the coaching staff wanted QB CJ Stroud the whole time. I will say the disaster that has been the Panthers this year stretches much further than just the QB or coaching staff with them needing to rebuild in just about every part of this team offensively.

Chicago Bears (4-8):

• Won 12 to 10 against the Vikings

Not really much good to say here despite the win. The defense looked good but they were playing QB Josh Dobbs who has been known this year to have a few good games before falling apart. On offense the Bears were horrible and didn’t manage a touchdown all game. I would still say nothing has changed in Chicago and that they are more than likely headed for a total rebuild this offseason from the front office to the QB position but we shall see. The sad thing is that the main issue here may be with the ownership group but that is not going to change anytime soon.

Cincinnati Bengals (5-6):

• Lost 16 to 10 against the Steelers

With QB Joe Burrow being out for the rest of the season it is hard to get excited to watch the games because he is so much of the team. Clearly the defense will still play well but in order to make playoff runs and actually win you need QB Joe Burrow playing. It was clear that moving the ball on offense was going to be a struggle and it doesn’t make it any easier when you are playing the Steelers who are considered by many to have one of the better defenses in football. Even with inspired play from the skill position players on this team it is clear that this season is not going to be their season to win the Super Bowl or event potentially make the playoffs.

Cleveland Browns (7-4):

• Lost 29 to 12 against the Broncos

The AFC North has been hit hard by QB injuries with QB Deshaun Watson also being injured and out for the rest of the season. His loss definitely hurts but I feel like hurts more emotionally for this team than it does physically. QB Watson had not really been himself since joining the Browns so the QB play does not fall off much when he doesn’t play but there was always that hope that with him they would have a chance to win and see him return to form. The game against the Broncos was just a mess in terms of them turning the ball over 3 times. When that happens it makes it a lot easier on the opposing team to be able to find ways to win rather than lose.

Dallas Cowboys (8-3):

• Won 45 to 10 against the Commanders

Dak Prescott has been playing really well lately along with the entire team. This game was a good one too because the run game really got going as well with RB Tony Pollard averaging over 6 yards per carry. If the Cowboys can continue playing like they did against the Commanders there may not be a team that can beat them. The problem is that they don’t always do this. The Cowboys may be considered the most complete team as we are getting ourselves into this last stretch of the season which could bode well for them as one dimensional teams get figured out or have to rely too much on one side of the ball.

Denver Broncos (6-5):

• Won 29 to 12 against the Browns

It appears the HC Sean Payton may actually know what he is doing again. The Broncos are back to playing the brand of defense they were last year and it appears the offense is starting to click a little more as well but did not have to do as much on a day where the defense provided. QB Russell Wilson is still looking far from being back to his old self but there are definitely more flashes of the old Russ over the last few weeks. Denver could be an interesting team to watch as we head down this last stretch in the season to see how they close things out.

Detroit Lions (8-3):

• Lost 29 to 22 against the Packers

The main story here for why the Lions lost is because they turned the ball over 3 times and did not force any turnovers out of the Packers. The game just looked like one where the Lions came out expecting to win and allowed the Packers to come out an punch them in the chin a bit. QB Jared Goff looked off and gave up all 3 turnovers via fumbles. He still threw the ball pretty well and thankfully he is not someone who is super fumble prone so it shouldn’t be an issue going forward. Definitely a rough loss though against a divisional opponent that could mean more down the line depending on how things shake out.

Green Bay Packers (5-6):

• Won 29 to 22 against the Lions

Great game for QB Jordan Love that should silence his doubters for at least a week. Avoiding turnovers was the main thing that helped take this team to victory. It still hurts that they don’t have RB Aaron Jones to supplement the rushing game but if WR Christian Watson can make plays like he did the other day then this team should be just fine. The nice thing here too is that the offensive line kept QB Jordan Love clean which has not been the case all season long. Right now the Packers are the first team out of the playoffs so very reasonable to believe they have a chance if they continue to play the brand of football they did on Thanksgiving.

Houston Texans (6-5):

• Lost 24 to 21 against the Jaguars

Tough fought game but the Texans came up just short. It looked like for a second that the Texans were going to be able to pull of another come back and at least tie the game but the field goal miss hurt. QB CJ Stroud overall played pretty well but there are certain times where he just needs to throw the ball away rather than take the sack. Overall the main thing that did not go right for the Texans the other day was there running game did not ever get established. If they could have done that they could have done a better job of controlling the game and helping keeping guys off of QB CJ Stroud. Either way this was a great game and one that the Texans can feel comfortable with despite the loss because they are hanging with the AFCs best.

Indianapolis Colts (6-5):

• Won 27 to 20 against the Buccaneers

Great win for the Colts. They are finding ways to win and it is really showing that HC Shane Steichen must be a pretty dang head coach. He is winning with a mediocre receiver room and QB Gardner Minshew at QB against the Bucs who have a good passing offense and a top tier defense in the NFL. It has definitely been helpful for the Colts to have RB Jonathan Taylor back as he is making things a lot easier on everyone on the offensive side of the ball.

Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3):

• Won 24 to 21 against the Texans

Great win by the Jaguars. They are needing to make sure they win the types of games they just did if they are going to have a good chance at taking the number 1 seed in the AFC. They have played well overall this year and QB Trevor Lawrence had a great game. Need him to avoid turning the ball over but it was good to see him make some plays with WR Calvin Ridley. It still has felt like this whole season those two have been figuring each other out. The key with this team though is that they have lots of weapons on offense and can really spread the ball around.

Kansas City Chiefs (8-3):

• Won 31 to 17 against the Raiders

Despite going down by 14 points to start off the game the Chiefs righted the ship and ended up easily handling the Raiders. QB Patrick Mahomes had a good game after a few lackluster performances which is good to see as he was able to get WR Rashee Rice more involved who led the team in receiving. IT seems like Rice has been the guy he has been hoping would step up all season so hopefully now they are finally able to get on the same page going forward. The defense struggled stopping the run but were able to the keep the Raiders from scoring for most part besides early in the game so won’t hold that against them

Las Vegas Raiders (5-7):

• Lost 31 to 17 against the Chiefs

Tough loss for the Raiders who were feeling pretty good early on after getting out to an early lead before the Chiefs just poured it on and their defense put the clamps down on the Raiders. QB Aidan O’Connell continues to play well though and being able to do what he did against the Chiefs is no joke since their defense has made most QBs look bad this year. The other good things for the Raiders is that RB Josh Jacobs played really well. This team is one that is playing different since firing HC josh McDaniels.

Los Angeles Chargers (4-7):

• Lost 20 to 10 against the Ravens

The Chargers are going to do what they do and that is disappoint. This game was no different than any other for them. Despite some decent performances from certain individuals, overall the team as a whole fell short once again. It is really tough here because on paper the Chargers have all the talent in the world and arguably are a much more talented team overall than the Ravens. HC Brandon Staley should be updating that resume which he should have been doing the past few years. Also, this can’t look good for OC Kellen Moore who has not really brought anything new to the Charger offense. Sure seems like the Chargers are going to miss the playoffs and be in difficult conversations this offseason.

Los Angeles Rams (5-6):

• Won 37 to 14 against the Cardinals

The Rams came to play and made easy work of the Cardinals. QB Matt Stafford was very efficient and RB Kyren Williams had a great game rushing for well over 100 yards. The Rams are hanging around and with QB Matt Stafford healthy they are a sneaky good team that could make some noise in this last part of the season. It is going to be key for them that WRs Nacua and Kupp figure things out with Stafford to keep the offense rolling against some of the tougher defenses in the league.

Miami Dolphins (8-3):

• Won 34 to 13 against the Jets

Great win for Miami to go in and take care of business against a Jets team who has a really good defense that makes things difficult for just about everyone. Despite the struggles from their offense at times, the Dolphins defense actually was just about able to match turnovers with the Jets defense and then it was clear that the Dolphins had a much better offensive plan and players who were able to take advantage of holes and score points. The only concern I have here is that QB Tua Tagavailoa is still the weakest link on the offense and they will go as far as he will let them. My worry is that when he has to make off schedule plays or deal with pressure that he will crumble like he has done so many times in the past.

Minnesota Vikings (6-6):

• Lost 12 to 10 against the Bears

Tough loss for Minnesota who was coming off a high of QB Josh Dobbs playing inspired football. He ended up throwing 4 interceptions and managing to only score 10 points. The Vikings are headed into a bye and it is critical they make the right decisions here going down the stretch since they are very much in the playoff race but have a lot of options at QB, none of which are ideal. If I were them I have been waiting for this to happen so that they can put QB Jaren Hall in to see what they have with him and then go from there.

New England Patriots (2-8):

• Lost 10 to 7 against the Giants

The defense looked good against a bad Giants offense but the offense continues to look horrible. People try to blame it all on QB Mac Jones or on the offensive scheme but at the end of the day I think a lot of it has to do with the playmakers they have on offense not being who everyone hopes they would be. There is not a true #1 receiver on the team and not even a top #2 receiver in the group. The best receiver on the Patriots would likely be the third option on most other teams. HC Bill Belichick’s days as GM and Coach are almost certainly numbered and we may even see him leaving New England all together.

New Orleans Saints (5-6):

• Lost 24 to 15 against the Falcons

The Saints offense played well until they had to get the ball in the end zone. It is weird for them because the defense is good and so is the offense but for some reason when they get down to the red zone they can’t seem to put things together to score. I don’t know if it is just because QB Derek Carr and co. are still learning the offense and getting comfortable with each other but they should have enough going on with RB Kamara and jack of all trades Taysom Hill to make things easier on them to get in the end zone. Once again because the division is so bad as a whole the Saints still have a chance to make the playoffs but they have a lot to figure out on the offensive side of the ball.

New York Giants (4-8):

• Won 10 to 7 against the Patriots

What an ugly game but the Giants found a way to win in part due to a field goal miss at the end of the game for the Patriots. I would still not be thrilled if I am Giants fan and almost would have preferred a loss for the draft pick. QB Tommy Devito played interception free football and then rookie WR Jalin Hyatt had over 100 receiving yards in a bit of another breakout performance. When they score 10 points the Giants are not going to win many games and need to figure something out if they want to even be competitive in their remaining games.

New York Jets (4-7):

• Lost 34 to 13 against the Dolphins

Will Aaron Rodgers still come back this year? That has to be the question a lot of folks minds as the Jets have struggled in recent weeks. They benched QB Zach Wilson because they were looking for someone to blame and surprise surprise the result was just as bad if not worse against a defense that has been known for being bad all season long. The offensive line is still really bad and with all the turnovers on offense it made things extremely difficult on a good Jets defense to stop the Dolphins. They are always having to try and find ways to save the offense rather than just playing good solid defense that can rely on the offense to score at least 20 points a game.

Philadelphia Eagles (10-1):

• Won 37 to 34 against the Bills

What a win for the Birds! They got late life when QB Josh Allen threw a 4th quarter interception and the Eagles just kept rolling from that point on. QB Jalen Hurts was dynamic and RB Deandre Swift is back to making plays all over the field. Also, WR Devonta Smith was making plays all over the field the other day. The Eagles are finding ways to win and despite an overall rough performance by the defense they managed to find a way to pull through and get the win in the end. Good that they have gotten these early wins in their tough stretch because it sets themselves up well for the rest of the season even if they do end up dropping a game or two more against some of these tough teams they are going through right now.

Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4):

• Won 16 to 10 against the Bengals

The Steelers finally gained over 400 yards in their first game without OC Matt Canada and while in the first week it did not result in a bunch more points, it did result a refreshed feel from the team. QB Kenny Pickett looked a lot more comfortable and there were a lot more throws down the field and over the middle. Overall just the vibes from the team seemed a lot better. I imagine that as the new offense in implemented we will see more and more points scored and the Steelers could be a sneaky good playoff team with the change made resulting in a different offensive performance from what we had become accustomed to over the past few years.

San Francisco 49ers (8-3):

• Won 31 to 13 against the Seahawks

Good win the for the Niners especially in a game where QB Brock Purdy had a “off day” for his high standards he has set. It is good for the team to win these still handily and show that they are able to win games in a lot of different ways. The Niners appear to be getting rolling again now at the right time and keeping the team healthy, especially RB Christian McCaffrey will be key down this last stretch of the season.

Seattle Seahawks (6-5):

• Lost 31 to 13 against the 49ers

It was very clear that the Seahawks have a lot of work to do after watching them play the Niners. QB Geno Smith looked out of sorts and the running game couldn’t get going. The defense looked lost for the most part despite making the good play to get the interception off QB Purdy. Recently though the biggest difference from last year is that QB Geno Smith does not look as good as he did last year.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7):

• Lost 27 to 20 against the Colts

The Buccaneers feel like a team that is always just almost there. I would still say the biggest issues here are the lack of a threat in the run game despite them to doing a decent job of sticking to it most of the time and then a really bad offensive line. Despite that normally being the biggest issue RB Rachaad White had a great game and was a big reason why the Bucs were in this game til the end. In a bad division the Bucs still have plenty of opportunity to turn things around but if they don’t figure it out here soon they will even be out of time to pull something off depending on how the the Falcons and Saints finish out the year.

Tennessee Titans (4-7):

• Won 17 to 10 against the Panthers

Nothing too special or fancy about this game. It was just a hard fought game and the Titans just ended up outlasting the Panthers in this one. RB Derrick Henry was able to find the end zone a couple of times and QB Will Levis played a turnover free game. That Titans are always a tough game for teams because they are well coached. At this point I imagine they are really trying to see what they have though in this team to understand how best to position themselves this offseason. They may still have an outside chance making the playoffs but if they don’t see significant improvement from their offense they aren’t going to make it.

Washington Commanders (4-8):

• Lost 45 to 10 against the Cowboys

Rough loss for the Commanders and it feels like this team has just kind of fallen apart since the trade deadline when they got rid of some of their best defensive players. QB Sam Howell appears to still be playing well but I imagine a total rebuild is coming this team’s way. It will be interesting how they handle things in the offseason and in the draft. They will likely have a lot of options with where they end up falling in the draft. To be able to compete with the likes of the Cowboys and the Eagles a lot of work needs to be done.

Picks of the Week:

• Falcons -2.5 v. Jets +2.5
• 49ers -2.5 v. Eagles +2.5
• Seahawks +9.5 v. Cowboys -9.5
• Colts -2.5 v. Titans +2.5
• Chargers -6 v. Patriots +6
• Lions -4 v. Saints +4
• Cardinals +5.5 v. Steelers -5.5
• Dolphins -9.5 v. Commanders +9.5
• Broncos +3.5 v. Texans -3.5
• Panthers +5.5 v. Buccaneers -5.5
• Browns +4.5 v. Rams -4.5
• Chiefs -6.5 v. Packers +6.5
• Bengals +8.5 v. Jaguars -8.5

Featured Team of the Week: Carolina Panthers

*links for the Diner and the jersey are at the link in my bio

Do you still believe in rookie QB Bryce Young. If so get his jersey here.

Restaurant of the Week: (Midnight Diner)

No need to explain their hours here because they are always open which also makes them the perfect choice for this week’s restaurant because it has been a rough one for the Panthers. So any day, any time if you need some comfort food for what has been a rough season, Midnight Diner has got you covered. Here I am big fan of their Brunch Burger, Chicken & Waffles, and their Cool Ranch Wrap to give y’all some variety. Don’t worry there are lots of desserts as well since those are typically the best way to drown our sorrows. I will let y’all just check out the menu and choose for yourself.