The offseason and the NFL

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

Curious - how many of you are NFL fans...like serious NFL fans? Sunday boredom attracts me to the NFL more than anything else. I try to go out and do stuff on Sundays, but if I'm feeling particularly lazy on a Sunday, I'll crash on the couch and catch some NFL action. I like to watch the Lions build a lead, and see if they can piss it away in the 4th quarter better than Michigan State did the previous day.

I definitely don't hate the NFL. I casually keep up on scores, standings, playoff races, etc. I feel though that the compelling, and I mean TRULY compelling games are way too few and far between. I'll drop what I'm doing to watch a Patriots/Colts game. That's really about it. How the hell is it that a Big East conference game between say, Rutgers and WVU, intrigues me more than a 1st round playoff game between the Giants and Bucs?

And no, anti-playoff honks, I don't think the fact that the NFL having a playoff has anything to do with it. I just don't find many of the matchups to be very interesting, postseason or otherwise. I think this is really just the case, in general, between college vs pro. NCAA basketball has one of the largest playoffs known to organized sports, but even still, I find a run of the mill Big Ten game more watchable than any NBA game.

So in even simpler terms...the NFL is watchable. It's a nice alternative, especially when college football has ended, and NFL playoffs are starting up. It's good timing and it fuels a football fix that you're still yearning for after the BCS title game.

But...it's just not the same.

[RumpleForeskin]

I like college football more than the NFL until the Bowl games come around. Then, I despise the game and everything about it. The money and the bureaucratic bullshit behind it all is what ticks me off about the game.

After reading a multitude of articles and being involved in a lot of discussions about the kids, the schools, the schedules, and the whole buildup just before the season begins, I get excited. Im talking the kind of excitement when I woke up on Christmas morning as a kid. Its awesome. Then, the games start. UofH v Rice, Notre Dame v Michigan, Florida v Tennessee, OU vs Texas, and so on and so on. The games usually live up to the billing. I'm loving it all, more than the NFL. I'm at b-dubs jarring back and forth with OU fan, LSU fan, USC fan, and Tennessee fan. Just kickin' back with some beers watching all the games from noon until midnight while mixing in a game or twelve of Golden Tee while licking my fingers after I have just finished a basket of wings. College football is THE best sport....until bowl season. Then it sucks. No true outcome of who the champion is except for that classic game between USC and Texas a couple of years ago.

Thats when I look back and tell myself every year that the NFL is better from a macro standpoint. It has a true ending unlike the college football season. Also, fantasy football is quite intriguing to me. I play a lot of it and it has risen my interest levels for other pro teams. Its just another thing to make you watch the games and get The NFL Sunday Ticket.

The college game is more entertaining, but I just can't get it out of my head about the problems it has once December hits every year. Fix it and I will probably share the same sentiments as Mgo.

[Dinsdale]

I'm kind of in the same boat.

I follow the NFL fairly closely, but it's just not the same. The pace of the game is slower. And I think the big difference for me is the wide variety of styles in D1, as opposed to the NFL.


I mean, come on... you hear an NFL announcer talk about some team runnin the "West Coast offense"... and it doesn't look any different from the other team's offense. Very rare you see anything besides a "pro set," or whatever they call that one formation that's ever used in the NFL. The Colts are the only team that really looks any different on offense, and that's almost kinda-sorta a Run and Shoot variant, without all the lineup shifts.


On the other side of the coin, there's possibly more of the 5-star-off-the-chain athletic plays in the NFL, and definitely more bigtime bone-jarring-hits. Better precision QB/reciever timing in the NFL. But I think CFB more than makes up for it with the faster pace of play. And watching a spread go up against a monster defensive stopper team will never get old... don't really see that in the NFL.


And maybe most important of all -- in CFB, when a guy makes a routine tackle on special teams, he doesn't dance around like he just won the Heisman and is getting an all-expenses=paid trip to Disneyland for it. Although I'd like to see coaches beat even more class into their players than they do now.



As fat as the off-topic hoops... I dig the CBB, too. Although I'll disagree, since I'd rather watch two bottom feeding NBA teams than a regular season matchup of two unranked college teams. Don't get me wrong, I love them both (I was a serious hoopster as a young'un), but CBB seems to revolve around "two dribbles and a kickout until a defender trips or the shot clock say 1." For similar reasons I prefer CFB, I prefer NBA to CBB -- less predictable.


BUT -- there's few things greater in the sporting world than March Freaking Madness.

[Dinsdale]

at b-dubs jarring back and forth with OU fan, LSU fan, USC fan, and Tennessee fan.

Something else that's better with CFB.

Hanging out at a sports bar getting bellottied on a saturday. While the Ducks gear prevails, along with stinky Beavs shit, every now and then, someone from somewhere else is catching a game, and they'll usually give you a whole new perspective on the CFB world... unless it's an SEC BSH, then they're usually being ridiculed for being a mouthbreathing dumbfuck. Then, every once in a while, you'll see some fucking idiot UDub fan gearing up in Duck Country. They usually don't make fun of those guys -- they just drag them out back and beat their ass.


Someone who is better at math than myself, answer me a question -- how far off is September? Let's get it on.

[RumpleForeskin]

On the other side of the coin, there's possibly more of the 5-star-off-the-chain athletic plays in the NFL, and definitely more bigtime bone-jarring-hits. Better precision QB/reciever timing in the NFL. But I think CFB more than makes up for it with the faster pace of play. And watching a spread go up against a monster defensive stopper team will never get old... don't really see that in the NFL.

The thing about CFB in that regard is that "effort" factor where you see an RB from a smaller school taking on "Goliath" so to speak and they make that rediculous run where he should have been down way before he was actually tackled.

[Goober McTuber]

Dinsdale,

I agree with much of what you said regarding football, but when it comes to basketball, the NBA blows goats. I used to be a huge NBA fan, but it’s not even basketball anymore. They don’t call blatant traveling, palming or three-second violations, and I swear there’s not a single NBA referee who consistently calls charging/blocking properly.

Total bullshit. I can’t remember the last time I watched an entire NBA game. I haven’t watched as much as two minutes of a game this year

[War Wagon]

...he should have been down way before he was actually tackled.

Probably has more to do with a whole lot of college kids who can't tackle for shit and will be telling stories on Sundays like Dins does 24/7.

Don't get me wrong, I loves me some CFB, especially when my dog's in the hunt. And I'm down with those CFB fans who don't really have an NFL homer team they root for, but do have an alma mater whose colors they bleed....

...but c'mon. Comparing the watchability and sheer talent level of CFB to the NFL is akin to comparing the Toledo Mud Hens to the NY Yankees. As in, there is no comparison.

[Nacho]

I think it is more where you live than anything else.

In a state like Oklahoma the NFL is an after thought. In a state like Texas it isn't. In fact high school football might be bigger in Texas then the college game.

It would be interesting to see what fans that live in states or cities that have both a good NFL team and a good CFB team think.

I prefer the pro game.

[RumpleForeskin]

In a state like Texas it isn't. In fact high school football might be bigger in Texas then the college game.

This is probably true. High-school football is on whole other level down here. Just look at this stadium:

[Dinsdale]

They don’t call blatant traveling, palming or three-second violations, and I swear there’s not a single NBA referee who consistently calls charging/blocking properly... I haven’t watched as much as two minutes of a game this year

^^^^^ Think that one through, Goobs.


First, Stern did his absolute damndest to try and ruin the Association. And he came pretty darn close. Once the auto-marketing that Magic and Hick provided waned, they were so desperate for a "face of the game" they seemed to forget that there's supposed to be a basketball game going on. Michael Jordan really was quite a bit better than everyone else post Bird/Johnson. Since this is basically irrefutable -- answer me this, Stern -- Why did the best player need the refs' help?

That era turned so many hoops fans off from the game, it's still yet to recover. And Stern continues to be a complete freaking moron, but his hand has been forced in certain areas. But what still irks me to this day, is they still use the Jordan clip to promote the NBA in their TV commercials...

Jordan gets the last shot (:shocker:)... gets the ball with one of the league's premiere defenders on him... takes that catchers-mitt-sized hand of his and actually grabs Bryon Russel around the hip, flagrantly throws him to the floor, and who woulda thunk it... he knocked down the wide open shot created by one of the more flagrant fouls in late-game history.

It's bad enough it happened in the first place, but copies of the film should be destroyed, not used to promote NBA greatness.


And then as Jordan's star faded, what does Stern do? Well, since fans and TV viewers were leaving in disgusted droves because of the rigged officiating, he decides he needs a new "face of the game," and to facilitate this, and era of rigged officiating that would make pro wrestling blush was born.

Last I checked, catching the ball on the low block, then bending at the waist, then moving away from the basket to place the shoulder against the body of a defender, the throwing the defender away for an open dunk isn't a defensive foul -- it's offense...

Wait... unless it's Shaq doing the flagrant fouling,. Then your big man is on the bench with 5 in the first half, and you were never given a chance to win from before the opening tip. Arvidas Sabonis might have gone to the Hall of Fame after just a few seasons if the officials actually did their job -- he was a so far superior player to Shaq, he almost got around the rig-job and delivered... almost.


So I can certainly see why people feel the way they do about the NBA. The NBA and Stern fully deserve every bit of criticism they get. Stop rigging games, and the fans might come back someday.


BUT... back to your statements.

Don't know if you heard, but the issue has been adressed. Not because Stern saw the need -- I'm sure he was figuring out some new rules that allowed LeBron to take 12 steps to the basket and punch someone for a 5-point play. But there was this pesky referee game-fixing scandal, which basically forced Stern to actually do his job properly (something he's never done in all his 100 years as commish), and adress things.


So this season, we have the "points of emphasis"... c'mon, it's Stern -- you didn't expect him to do something positive without gaying it up at least a little bit, did you?

No more palming the ball, "if it æffects the gameply." I figured once that became a rule, Starbury and Damon Stoudamire would have just retired. If Michael Jordan was a rook this year, he'd be riding the pine, since they don't allow p-layers to shuffle their feet to start their dribble (just like when Jordan played in the 84 Olympics and had the refs scratching their heads saying "dude, why do you keep doing that every time you touch the ball?"). The big guys aren't allowed to camp in the lane. The remnants of Illegal Defense are still somewhat randon, with certain teams' defensice schemes seeming to want to have a guy in no-man's land to try and rotate to a double.


As far as chage/block... a little better than in the past, but still needs work. This season, they seem to have a new guideline for charging/blocking -- if the guy is wearing a Blazers' uniform, the foul is on him. It's gotten to the point where neutral announcers are commenting on it. There is still the "whiners get the calls" mentality, which certainly needs to stop (although it's not as bad as it once was). The Zers are short on whiners, and our franchise player very very very rarely even looks at the refs sideways.



But all in all, if you're a hoops fan, you might give the NBA another chance. It took WAY too long, but the people have spoken, and Stern is at least trying. Don't get me wrong, the man is incompetant, but at least he's trying.


Some of the rookie refs that replaced the corrupt ones are pretty brutal, but they'll learn, I hope. And Violet Palmer still needs to go -- I don't have a problem with female refs, but I have a problem with shitty ones. She definitely landed in the Good Old Boys ref network, which is too bad... ego before product.


Although I suppose for you Goobs, it could be tough. The Bucks freaking suck.

[Dinsdale]

It would be interesting to see what fans that live in states or cities that have both a good NFL team and a good CFB team think.

What if we have neither?


Uhm, errr.....



I meant Ohio... yeah, that's it.

[WolverineSteve]

I dig the NFL, but I love CFB. Maybe if the Lions were better I would get more into it. I buy the NFL ticket, have for the last four years. I play fantasy football (won both leagues I was in this year...Rack Me) which helps because even games that appear shitty on the surface have some value. Sundays I have a few buds over, grill something, drink a shitload of beer, and watch as much of the games as we can. I can do the NFL casually like this. CFB is different. I need to be alone (if I'm not at the game) and focus on every play. I live and die with each game, the wins feel awesome and the losses hurt like hell. The NFL losses don't really bother me, perhaps I'm just conditioned that way after following the Lions for decades now.

[Goober McTuber]

Although I suppose for you Goobs, it could be tough. The Bucks freaking suck.

I'm a Celtics fan. This year.

Sincerely,

KFC Goober

[Dinsdale]

I'm a Celtics fan. This year.

Sincerely,

KFC Goober

Nice. He'll be switching his allegiance this evening, and hopping on the new badwagon after tonight, though. What a huge regular season game, since we've kind of been deprived of huge games for a couplefew years now.

[Goober McTuber]

...but c'mon. Comparing the watchability and sheer talent level of CFB to the NFL is akin to comparing the Toledo Mud Hens to the NY Yankees. As in, there is no comparison.

Watchability and talent level are two entirely different things. Obviously the NFL has a higher talent level, but a lot of us find CFB to be much enjoyable viewing for a number of reasons. Once the team at Forklift U strings together more than one good season, perhaps you’ll see the light.

[M Club]

I dig the NFL, but I love CFB. Maybe if the Lions were better I would get more into it. I buy the NFL ticket, have for the last four years. I play fantasy football (won both leagues I was in this year...Rack Me) which helps because even games that appear shitty on the surface have some value. Sundays I have a few buds over, grill something, drink a shitload of beer, and watch as much of the games as we can. I can do the NFL casually like this. CFB is different. I need to be alone (if I'm not at the game) and focus on every play. I live and die with each game, the wins feel awesome and the losses hurt like hell. The NFL losses don't really bother me, perhaps I'm just conditioned that way after following the Lions for decades now.

i grew up a bears "fan" [gained football consciousness while living in chicagoland in '85] but only kept them as my sunday mistress when i married michigan football. by 16 she was old and haggard and i just couldn't be made to run around anymore. the only reason i kept tabs on the nfl afterward is b/c i lived in michigan, and who can resist watching the lions find yet another way to lose comically? the best was turning it on halfway through the 4th quarter with them up 231-9 and thinking, this is going to be the best one yet, and sure enough they'd deliver.

[Sky]

I prefere everything college to the pros. I think there is more parity, more heart, and more unique matchups. The last one has to do with the huge number of college teams but I would rather watch two MAC or MWC teams go at it than watch the Brown and Bengals piss down their legs.

I do love Bret Favre (I assume most of America does) so by default I root for the Pack.

That being said, I am a huge FFB nut and had a great run this year which made me watch even more games. Still, I wasn't rooting for teams, just certain players.

[Dinsdale]

I would rather watch two MAC or MWC teams go at it than watch the Brown and Bengals piss down their legs.

And another thing...


the fans.


I've been to multiple games in Seahawk Stadium (screw corporate names), which is said to be the loudest most raucous stadium in the NFL (Arrowhead is in the discussion, as well). This is based on the $5 sound=meter the sidelines chick is holding, but whatever.


I've also been to numerous games at Autzen, which obviously gets its mentions for all-out volume and raucousness.


Having experienced both multiple times...


Get the fuck out of here, NFL.

Autzen holds about 10,000 less people, and it still aint. Even. Close.

Not even worth mentioning in the same breath... and they freaking serve alcohol at Seahawk Stadium (although at Autzen, you can walk into the training facility next door and drink brews to your heart's content, which I assume most other schools have a similar setup. Hell, they have bands playing during halftime in the Beer Center).


Both the passion and knowledge of the CFBers is so far above that of NFL fans, it makes up a big part of why CFB is more fun.

[War Wagon]

Both the passion and knowledge of the CFBers is so far above that of NFL fans...

:hugerollseyes/LMFAOthingy:

Half the crowd at CFB games are students and you're telling me they're more knowledgable and passionate than NFL fans who fork over gigantic $um$ for season tickets every year?

Get the fuck outta' here.

[Dinsdale]

Yes.

That's what I'm saying.

And since you're Mizzou fan, NOW would be an excellent time to eject.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

Whitey - The (obvious) fact that the NFL is a product of more talent doesn't necessarily make the match-ups more interesting...in my opinion, of course. To me, there's a lot more that goes into the intrigue-factor of a game beyond just the talent on the field. The love, the hate, the history and tradition - these are all things that just exist on a much greater level in CFB.

However, as it DOES relate to the talent debate - I think (as dins eluded to) that the "lack of talent" can actually work in favor of CFB sometimes. The talent gap that exists in CFB between certain programs creates situations in which these teams must become more innovative, and therefore "less predictable" which can make watching the games more exciting. The game and styles of play in CFB are constantly evolving, and that's partially what makes it more interesting to me.

[Dinsdale]

As far as the "knowledgibilty" of the respective fans...


Take a gander at the NFL Forum. Then browse this forum.


'Nuff said?

[Terry in Crapchester]

I think it is more where you live than anything else.

Disagree. I live in an area where it is NFL first, second and third. Yet I prefer the college game. I don't dislike the NFL, I just like college football better (except for its postseason).

Admittedly, some of that might come from my particular circumstances. I attended a school that I consider to be the mecca of college football (which might sound arrogant, but OTOH, I'm certainly not the only one who has that particular opinion). By contrast, most of the college graduates who live in this area went to a school which has either Division III football, club-level football, or no football at all, so they didn't get the Division 1-A experience up close and personal like I did.

I've said this before, and to me, the biggest difference between college and the NFL is the fans. Other people have said that they live and die with the college team they follow, and that's true for me as well. There's a much more intimate connection between a university and the teams who represent it than there ever could be between a major metro area and the professional teams who represent it. The largest college campuses in the country have maybe 50,000 -- 60,000 students at any given time. By contrast, the smallest metro areas that have professional teams at the highest level have populations ten times that amount -- if not more.

OTOH, the Buffalo Bills are one of the few NFL teams with a college football-type fanbase (and yes, the Chiefs are in that discussion as well). With the Bills, from the fans' perspective perhaps they are the surrogate for the college team most of the fans never got a chance to root for.

Both the passion and knowledge of the CFBers is so far above that of NFL fans...

:hugerollseyes/LMFAOthingy:

Half the crowd at CFB games are students and you're telling me they're more knowledgable and passionate than NFL fans who fork over gigantic $um$ for season tickets every year?

Get the fuck outta' here.

Think that one through for a sec, Whitey.

First of all, "half" the crowd at CFB games are not students. Or at least, they aren't at ND. ND has about 10,000 students (admittedly, about 90% of whom probably attend the games regularly). But ND also has a stadium that holds 80,000.

And going back to my experience at ND . . . it wasn't uncommon to have some of the football players in one or two of your classes, or to have a handful of football players living in your dorm. You got to know those guys in a way NFL fan could never get to know the players who play for the team he roots for. So yeah, that's going to translate into a much more passionate fanbase.

As for NFL fan, while there are exceptions to the rule (and NFL markets differ significantly in this regard), a lot of the fans regularly in attendance at NFL games are the corporate type. Tell me you knew.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

At most college stadiums there is what's referred to as the "student section." If Whitey believes that half of the stadium is designated for students, then he's clearly letting his ass do the talking.

I've been to a few Michigan games. A very strong percentage of folks at these games make up the senior citizen demographic. I guess it's never too late to get a start on your education.

[Dinsdale]

Terry made such excellent points, yet he barely scratched the surface.

How could he?

Along the Terry lines...


When I think of Notre Dame football, I think of the Golden Dome. I think of slapping the "Play Like A Champion Today" sign. I think of Touchdown Jesus.

When I think of Oregon football, I think of Autzen Stadium and its beautiful backdrop and the ear-shattering crowd. I think of Donald Duck. I think of beer.


When I think of the Indy Colts, I think about stealing off in the night and fucking over a fanbase.


When I think of the NFL in general, I think of billionaires holding cities hostage fopr tax money to increase their profitability.



College football is all about the program and tradition. Not about individual players and contract holdouts. Not about free agency. Not about money.


I've never really felt hatred for a particular NFL division the way I hate the SEC. I've never been driven to near-tears when my NFL: rooting interest lost its shot at the title. I've never agrued about who the real champion of the Super Bowl should have been, or who had the right to play in it.



There's a world of difference.

[Mr T]

I have friends who grew up in the NE. All of them say pro sports are more closely watched up north.

I use to watch NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL but then the 1990s came. Havent really cared for any of them since then.

If you live in the south, CFB is life. I would rather watch the first round of the D3 playoffs then the first round of the NFL playoffs

The only thing the NFL has over CFB is overall talent but you could say that about any college sport compared to a pro sport.

So congrats NFL you have the talent, CFB will just take everything else.

[RumpleForeskin]

I think the passion of a true CFB fan goes beyond the any knowledge of an NFL fan. NFL fan has so much information in front of him/her by just turning on the TV or jumping over to ESPN. An NFL fan can disguise himself/herself as a big time fan by just reading a few ESPN articles and watching ESPN News from time to time. Its so easy to get all the info you want without even trying. The passion that goes behind CFB fan takes effort to really know what you are talking about. Look at Paul; he really doesn't know shit about the NFL other than what Orc says and what the front page of ESPN.com gives him. With college football, there is so much more to know and learn because of the "diversity" of it all. Like Dins said earlier, the mulittude of offenses and plays are far more vast and have a ton of more variables than the NFL. The NFL offers more playmaking scenarios than that of CFB, but following the NFL can be done by just about anybody.

[Dinsdale]

I can rattle off where any team finished in the NFL this season, give or take a win or loss.

I pretty much have no clue how Central Florida did this year (decent, I'm pretty sure). I couldn't tell you who the starting QB for Vandy was this year, and I'd have to ask one of the SEC folks here (once they got done drooling on the front of their shirts and climbed off their cousin).


When an NFL team lines up, I already have what's about to happen narrowed down to one of three scenarios. In CFB, the day I start having this clairvoyant clue is the day someone starts paying me to be their DC.


The list goes on.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

I think we're forgetting one of the biggest factors here...college football is played on Saturday. You can drink 'til you bleed booze without the slightest worry of work the next day...for most people, anyway. Sunday is just kind of a downer. Sunday is to the weekend what the redheaded stepchild is to the family. You've got diet football enjoyed by fans who enjoy diet beer. It's fitting, I suppose.

[War Wagon]

Whitey - The (obvious) fact that the NFL is a product of more talent doesn't necessarily make the match-ups more interesting...in my opinion, of course. To me, there's a lot more that goes into the intrigue-factor of a game beyond just the talent on the field. The love, the hate, the history and tradition - these are all things that just exist on a much greater level in CFB.

Magoo - Your opinion duly noted, but the match-ups in the NFL are every bit as intriguing, especially come playoff time, to which CFB can't hold a candle.

As for hate, history, and tradition... dude. I can't speak to all NFL rivalries, but I can speak for two that go back 40+ years. Chiefs-Raiders and Chiefs-Broncos. Fans of these teams hate on each with as much passion and verve as any two teams in CFB, bar none.

I'm sure that there are other NFL rivalries just as intense:

Raiders-Broncos
Bears-Packers
Vikings-Packers
Jets-Patriots
Redskins-Cowboys

Just to name a few.

However, as it DOES relate to the talent debate - I think (as dins eluded to) that the "lack of talent" can actually work in favor of CFB sometimes. The talent gap that exists in CFB between certain programs creates situations in which these teams must become more innovative, and therefore "less predictable" which can make watching the games more exciting. The game and styles of play in CFB are constantly evolving, and that's partially what makes it more interesting to me.

What a bunch of horseshit.

Good football is good football and bad football is bad football, period.

Blocking and tackling are what this simple yet difficult game boils down to and aren't "evolving" in any way, shape, or form. Those teams that are exceptionally good at it win championships. Those players who are exceptionally good at it play on Sundays.

[RumpleForeskin]

I think we're forgetting one of the biggest factors here...college football is played on Saturday. You can drink 'til you bleed booze without the slightest worry of work the next day...for most people, anyway. Sunday is just kind of a downer. Sunday is to the weekend what the redheaded stepchild is to the family. You've got diet football enjoyed by fans who enjoy diet beer. It's fitting, I suppose.

Uh-oh. Sounds like somebody's got a case of the Mondays.

[War Wagon]

I think the passion of a true CFB fan goes beyond the any knowledge of an NFL fan.

What?

Yeah, and any tard who this they are the same is an iodot.

An NFL fan can disguise himself/herself as a big time fan

However, it's quite difficult for you to disguise your dumbfuckery.

The passion that goes behind CFB fan takes effort to really know what you are talking about.

I'm passionately certain that everyone just got dumber by having read that.

Look at Paul; he really doesn't know shit about the NFL

Paul has forgotten more about Football than you'll ever know. Dumbfuck.

With college football, there is so much more to know and learn because of the "diversity" of it all. Like Dins said earlier, the mulittude of offenses and plays are far more vast and have a ton of more variables than the NFL. The NFL offers more playmaking scenarios than that of CFB, but following the NFL can be done by just about anybody.

You are the dumbest person on the planet and that last paragraph is a damning summary of your contribution to it.

Please Kill yourself.

[War Wagon]

As far as the "knowledgibilty" of the respective fans...


Take a gander at the NFL Forum. Then browse this forum.


'Nuff said?

Quite enough.

You tend to get unmercifully punked when you show your ignorance in the NFL forum, whilst here you just hope for gentle reach arounds.

I can see why you like it here better.

[Mr T]

Look at Paul; he really doesn't know shit about the NFL

Paul has ctrl-pasted more about Football than you'll ever know. Dumbfuck.

FTFY...


Rivalries are just as good in the NFL? How so?

The packers lost twice to the bears. Do the packers care? No
T.O. plays for the cowboys. Yeah rivalries matter in the NFL.

40+ years...wow. You know CFB has some rivalries that double and even triple that.

Ps. Are you fucking retarded? Comparing NFL rivalries to CFB rivalries? That is like saying LSU could beat the patriots.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

What a bunch of horseshit.

Horseshit? It's my opinion, jackass. My reasoning behind why the college game is more interesting to me is no more or less horseshit than why you feel the NFL is more compelling. It's simply an opinion based on personal taste.

Good football is good football and bad football is bad football, period.

The pros have better players. That doesn't necessarily make the games themselves more entertaining for me. If you feel differently, sobeit.

Blocking and tackling are what this simple yet difficult game boils down to and aren't "evolving" in any way, shape, or form. Those teams that are exceptionally good at it win championships. Those players who are exceptionally good at it play on Sundays.

I didn't suggest that the fundamental aspects of the game are evolving. I suggested that styles of play are evolving -- the way an offense goes about trying to achieve a touchdown. In case you haven't noticed, the game has evolved significantly in that aspect since the 1800s. Gone are the days of running into the line three times and punting, with final scores of 6-3. Tell me you knew?

As I said, change, and the ability to come up with new and fresh attacks is an absolute necessity for some programs that simply aren't able to out-talent the upper echelon teams. The NFL doesn't offer a different array of these types of offenses and styles and schemes because the talent level is pretty equal across the board. There's just no need to change anything.

[PSUFAN]

I've been a Steeler fan since I was a wee tyke. I have always attempted to follow them and watch all of their games. In the late 90s, I lived for a while in CA. It was a lot harder to get good PSU info out there, whereas for every Steeler game, there were numerous bars to watch the games with a room full of fellow Steeler fans. We used to watch the games at Yankee Doodle's in Santa Monica.

Nowadays, I still watch every Steeler game, but I don't go out of my way to watch other teams play. Occasionally I'll see a good game and really enjoy it, but the overall level of play in the NFL is slipping, IMO. Of course, the playoffs are usually very entertaining...they have been this year.

Pittsburgh is pretty NFL-crazy. I have gotten extremely tired of media coverage of the NFL. I like to start paying attention when the ball goes up in the air on the kickoff, and not a minute before.

[RumpleForeskin]

Hey, Whitey, besides just pointing out my grammatical errors in my post, how 'bout making a fucking point, dipshit. I love your MO, "The NFL is better. NaNuhNaNuh BooBoo!" Fucking solid dialogue we got going here, Carl errr Slingblade.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

A lot of us upper midwestern folk feel that football is great in any environment, but is meant to be played in the motherfucking cold. That's a big reason I'm looking forward to the Packers v Giants game. I'm hearing -1 as the low, and 15 as the high in Green Bay this weekend. Good, good stuff. And that's one cool thing the NFL has on CFB - the possibility to play a postseason game in frigid weather.

[Dinsdale]

A lot of us upper midwestern folk feel that football is great in any environment, but is meant to be played in the motherfucking cold.

A lot of us upper leftern folk believe football is suppopsed to be played in the soggy mud.


Which the era of the mud is dying quickly. I believe the three muddy D1 schools are all playing on artificial turf now... pretty sure the Fuskies do, too. From a practical standpoint, there's no comparison. While in the early season, grass would the easy and proper (The Mid/Upper Willamette Valley, where both Oregon schools are, is the grass seed capital of the world, and for good reason -- grass grows at an amazing clip in the valley) -- the field would be nice, and it could be repaired to perfection in less than a week. But by late season, all of a sudden it's quicksand, and daylight hours start diminishing quickly, what light there is through the clouds. "Back In The Day," the fields could get pretty ugly by late November.


Most of the large U&L high schools have gone to carpet, as well. It's definitely taken something away from "U&L Style" football. In days past, it could be pretty difficult to run the ball. The short pass route and screens were the order of the day in the sloppy-muddy. A team had to have absolute perfection between OL and RBs to pull off any sort of running game.


Good old days. Things change.

But I like that Green Bay and Chicago still play their NFL games outside, like it's supposed to be.

[BSmack]

Pittsburgh is pretty NFL-crazy. I have gotten extremely tired of media coverage of the NFL. I like to start paying attention when the ball goes up in the air on the kickoff, and not a minute before.

Pittsburgh is just plain football crazy. Yea, the Steelers get the lion's share of the coverage, but the local Pittsburgh media also cover the CFB and even HS football to a far greater extent than anything you'll see in say CNY, where the locals are trying their hardest to forget they have a D-1 football team in their midst or in Buffalo where the UB Bulls could gang rape a whole sorority house and not make the front page.