The NFL Thread - Root for your favorite team (or laugh at the Browns, whichever's easier)

[HodgePodgeRogerDodger]

McVay is going down swinging.

McGay went down all right.

McVay with a pussy run up the middle on fourth down. Predictably stuffed and the 49ers win.
If you're going to go for it on fourth down, at least try.

You either go full Dan Campbell or Nick Sirianni. There is no alternative. You need to be so used to doing it that it feels like 2 and 1.

 

[Kermit the Frog]

You either go full Dan Campbell or Nick Sirianni. There is no alternative. You need to be so used to doing it that it feels like 2 and 1.

Yeah, honestly I'd rather my team lose putting the ball in the hands of its best player(s) trying to make a play. They have Stafford with Nacua and Adams, two very reliable receivers, but decide on a run up the middle hoping the offensive line holds up. What a fucking NERD playcall that was.

 

[Absolutego]

Wow I'm so happy about this win.

I'm super excited for the rest of the season.

You grinded it out to a win with your targets consisting of a pair of tight ends with barely 20 starts between them, WRs all on their 5+ team, and CMC. With your backup QB playing through a calf injury.
Against a top 10 defense this season.
Division games are weird, particularly for us, but come on, man, the teams outside your division you play up until the bye are the Bucs (almost as injured as you are), the Falcons, the Texans, the Giants, the Panthers, and the Browns. Like, two of those are challenges.
I wish you'd been blown out. I'd revel in it. But doing that well against the fucking Rams means you will probably be competing for a wild card spot by the end of the season, if the Niners keep it up.

 

[-VorpalAnvil-]

last week:
"hurr the 49ers havent played anybody"
now:
It turns out they've beaten a pair of top 5 defenses on the road with half the team on IR.
Get rekt faggots.

 

[SteinserGate]

Stroud talking like he's 35 already
View attachment 7991259

Tbf, I've seen his high school highlights that consisted of "scramble to the right and outrun everyone then chuck the ball 50 yards" and "black qb designed run plays".
That hasn't been something he has really done since then, more or less molded into a classic whyte precision passer with the occasional scramble to the right. Makes sense with context.
He also wasn't very fast in HS, lol.

Mediascum baiter HOF moment. CJ is pretty prone to just going into "stream-of-consciousness mode" during interviews.

Also, thank you Puka for 24.5 fantasy points. The Rams Defense, however, should be joint executed for giving me -2.

 

[-VorpalAnvil-]

Part of it is sheer neglect. The other part is rule changes, parents not letting kids play ball in favor of numerous things (soccer, lacrosse, cutting off their genitals, letting them be groomed online), black parents setting up schools where the entire purpose is kids that are 1-2 years old than everyone else play with kids 1-2 years younger than them (I know a few people who coach, not solely black parents, but a fuck ton of Highschool teams are 19 year olds beating the fuck out of 17 year olds who made varsity), and in general rule changes.

Rule changes that made the game less physical have made it a lot more dangerous. That might sound paradoxical, but it’s more players will do retarded shit like sliding in open field surrounded by 5 defenders because they’ll get a flag if touched.

 

[Leaf Wage Slave Jr]

With the way his career is going, I feel like Stroud is quickly spiraling into having a Cam Newton-esque existential breakdown. He had a decent rookie season where everyone kissed his ass over how great of a talent he was, and now suddenly it has all been taken away as the Texans have stalled as a team.

Granted he doesn't come across as having anywhere near the gigantic ego Newton has, but it obvious from some of the things he has been saying that his sophomore slump last year definitely delivered a blow to his personality.

-side eyes Jayden Daniels and my Commies-

Honestly it’d be on brand.

More to the point, I don’t know what the hell happened to Stroud though , but I think we can all agree on what to narrow it down to - was his rookie year an anomaly, or was that the only year the Texans O-Line apparently gave a shit?

Considering the other 2023 Top 10 QB’s include Bryce Young (is he Bad, or is it just he’s on the Panthers) and Anthony Richardson (is fucking horrible), I’m not sure whether that draft class is showing how incredibly weak that QB class was, or if College Teams have just mastered the art of scheduling to strength and padding stats…

 

[Dragged Into Sunlight]

The Black guy actually isn’t terrible and is in the deep hole of realizing that the Cowboys have no chance.

Scooter is great because they all want to go off on massive tangents during their group show and he'll straight up talk over them until they stop in order to keep the conversation on topic.

So, taking bets who's the first Coach to be fired this year? Early contenders are what, Daboll, McDaniel, and Callahan, with Harbaugh the Older being an outside contender?

Also lul there's already rumors of the Giants wanting to trade Russ, who the fuck would take him?

Also something about the Chiefs, but they're playing choke artists who've lost their QB, and Derrick Henry's crown is losing its luster in recent weeks. Seriously, how many of Lamar's MVP's were "He's the best Black QB"?

My dream scenario is the Dolphins fire McDaniel and Grier and they hire Harbaugh after he's canned by the Ravens. Harbaugh may have his faults but he's a great coach and leader and will provide the culture that the Dolohins have been missing since Shula. Shula really doesn't get enough credit. Despite how ass we have been for 25 years, we still have the 4th best win percentage in NFL history. If only Dan hadnt run into the 49ers dynasty... At least we still have 17-0 and 18-1 to hang our hats on. I will forever love that wonderful doofus Eli Manning for what he did and will celebrate when he gets his gold jacket. Him winning that Super Bowl and wiping the smug off the Patriots will forever be one of my favorite sporting moments.

And another take I need to get out of my brain this morning is it's a shame what they did to the Manningcast. They've tried to make it a variety show and it fucking sucks now and people have stopped watching. In the beginning there was a lot of indepth conversation on tactics and dove really deep into the Xs and Os but just like Romo, they were told to dumb it down. Now we just get awkward skits and cringe inducing celebrity guests. It's actually fun when they get some celebrity that is obviously a real fan and can talk football, but they're few and far between. Jeff Daniels for as much as I hate his politics was a real fan so that was pretty good but then they followed it up with Daniel Jones who had the charisma of drying paint or someone like Schwarzenegger who was just on to pimp his book. Bellichick was phenomenal on the show and should have been a permanent fixture on the show instead of going off to tarnish his legacy at UNC. God, I hate that so much stuff that is good has to be dumbed down foe the average mystery meat American to comprehend. Let them talk schemes and coverages and predict threads and the normies can watch Aikman and Buck drunkenly shit on teams on the main broadcast if they want something easily digestible.

 

[HodgePodgeRogerDodger]

Is Mike McDaniels black enough to say nigger with a hard r? Academic racists, please respond.

 

[HackerX]

With the way his career is going, I feel like Stroud is quickly spiraling into having a Cam Newton-esque existential breakdown. He had a decent rookie season where everyone kissed his ass over how great of a talent he was, and now suddenly it has all been taken away as the Texans have stalled as a team.

Granted he doesn't come across as having anywhere near the gigantic ego Newton has, but it obvious from some of the things he has been saying that his sophomore slump last year definitely delivered a blow to his personality.

That's heavily underselling Cam Newton. The dude did eventually flame out, but he has a handful of good-to-great years, plus a Super Bowl run and MVP season. Stroud had a really good rookie year, but that's it so far. I'm not even sure how that happens. Yeah, I get defenses eventually figure guys out to an extent, but there can't be a way to permanently neutralize a guy unless he only has one specific trait/skill. Can they?

-side eyes Jayden Daniels and my Commies-

Honestly it’d be on brand.

More to the point, I don’t know what the hell happened to Stroud though , but I think we can all agree on what to narrow it down to - was his rookie year an anomaly, or was that the only year the Texans O-Line apparently gave a shit?

Considering the other 2023 Top 10 QB’s include Bryce Young (is he Bad, or is it just he’s on the Panthers) and Anthony Richardson (is fucking horrible), I’m not sure whether that draft class is showing how incredibly weak that QB class was, or if College Teams have just mastered the art of scheduling to strength and padding stats…

QBs are fascinating in that regard. You can get a good barometer from the physical traits for most positions, but there are always negative outliers. (Trent Richardson comes to mind). Whereas QBs are a fucking coin flip regardless of how physically gifted they are. It's still insane how Buffalo made Josh Allen into Josh Allen, or Baltimore made Lamar into Lamar.

Is Mike McDaniels black enough to say nigger with a hard r? Academic racists, please respond.

You need to be black to say that? Hehehe, ruh roh Raggy.

 

[Drama Fan]

https://x.com/BleacherReport/status/1974122726991540698

The Panthers are so bad that they got some millennials willing to put away the podcasting microphones.

 

[Froggy Fresh Sextape]

More to the point, I don’t know what the hell happened to Stroud though , but I think we can all agree on what to narrow it down to - was his rookie year an anomaly, or was that the only year the Texans O-Line apparently gave a shit?

They had a very easy schedule his rookie year, they have a new OC now who sucks even worse than the last one and they actively made the OL worse (they traded away Tunsil and were replacing linemen with guys who got cut from other teams for being bad.)

He's in a terrible situation. Also, his biggest flaw in college was an inability to sense pressure. Bad OL play has caused that to morph into seeing ghosts. He struggles to go through progressions because he is afraid of getting hit.

This is pretty similar to what Mac Jones went through (good rookie season, McDaniels got replaced by fucking Matt Patricia and bad OL play just killed his confidence) so it's possible he finds success on another team.

 

[HodgePodgeRogerDodger]

@HackerX i mean do you think he can get away with it in the locker room.

Also, what’s the current insulting nickname list for QBs?

I have this:

Jordan Manlove
Glass Joe/ Toey Joey
Jared Goof
Brock Turdy
Gayleb Willams
Patrick Muttholmes
Throws Pix/ Blows Dix
Lamar Jackson
Tua TurnDaBallover
Brown’s Franchise QB
Baker Midfield
Ack! Jones
Gaylen Squirts

 

[SteinserGate]

@HackerX i mean do you think he can get away with it in the locker room.

Also, what’s the current insulting nickname list for QBs?

I have this:

Jordan Manlove
Glass Joe/ Toey Joey
Jared Goof
Brock Turdy
Gayleb Willams
Patrick Muttholmes
Throws Pix/ Blows Dix
Lamar Jackson
Tua TurnDaBallover
Brown’s Franchise QB
Baker Midfield
Ack! Jones
Gaylen Squirts

Michael Penis Jr.
Shat Prescott
Geno Shit
Ashwagandha Rogers
Flaccid Flacco
Russell Wilson
Jaxson Shart
Jew Jew McCarthy

 

[Franz Joseph]

With the way his career is going, I feel like Stroud is quickly spiraling into having a Cam Newton-esque existential breakdown. He had a decent rookie season where everyone kissed his ass over how great of a talent he was, and now suddenly it has all been taken away as the Texans have stalled as a team.

Granted he doesn't come across as having anywhere near the gigantic ego Newton has, but it obvious from some of the things he has been saying that his sophomore slump last year definitely delivered a blow to his personality.

There were issues with Stroud coming out of OSU, the main one being he was a one read and throw guy and once you took away that initial option he was slow at reading a defense. It was only a matter of time for other teams to pick up on that. What I find interesting is that when talking about Stroud's struggles, there are some that hand wave them away with "Muh shitty coaching staff, Muh shitty Oline!" And yes this is true, but let's not totally let Stroud off the hook here for his subpar play.

 

[DSP's Tax Lawyer]

There were issues with Stroud coming out of OSU, the main one being he was a one read and throw guy and once you took away that initial option he was slow at reading a defense. It was only a matter of time for other teams to pick up on that. What I find interesting is that when talking about Stroud's struggles, there are some that hand wave them away with "Muh shitty coaching staff, Muh shitty Oline!" And yes this is true, but let's not totally let Stroud off the hook here for his subpar play.

The problem with the shitty Oline is that he can't develop. Having a great rookie year is a good sign. But teams figure you out in the second season so you need to develop into a better QB that can read defenses and understand the game more. Its hard to read the game when you have less time in the pocket

 

[Xavier Renegade Angel]

https://x.com/BleacherReport/status/1974122726991540698

The Panthers are so bad that they got some millennials willing to put away the podcasting microphones.
View attachment 7995248

Damn sooo big a week ago. Fuck the panties

 

[HackerX]

The problem with the shitty Oline is that he can't develop. Having a great rookie year is a good sign. But teams figure you out in the second season so you need to develop into a better QB that can read defenses and understand the game more.

Yeah, but I'm curious as to the extent of two things here (Note- These aren't necessarily questions, but more of a discussion prompt/open-ended since I think it's particularly fascinating.):

1) What do defenses "figure out" when it comes to QBs? It's a given there are obvious tendencies, like how Stroud (allegedly) looks down the field, how he maneuvers inside the pocket, what kinds of routes he favors, where he likes to place the ball, etc., but there's definitely something more to it. Assuming what the guy you replied to said about Stroud being a one read guy is true (hell if I know. I don't watch the Texans), that's not completely abnormal to an extent.
Most pass plays are designed with one target in mind, with a backup option and/or a checkdown, so wouldn't it be a matter of just simplyfing the game down?

Maybe that's what defenses figure out I guess, but it'd make sense if Stroud's current woes are him having too much freedom in pass play decision making.

2) What does Stroud need to "understand more"? Is he just missing reads, late throws, making poor decisions, etc? Personally, I'd kinda do what I mentioned above. Keep the plays limited to 1-2 true targets, have a checkdown option, and build from there. It sure as hell helps if you have a running game though, and the Texans are 24th in rushing which ain't great.

Again, I don't particularly follow Stroud nor the Texans, so I'm not sure what Stroud's or the Texans strengths sre supposed to be. I don't recall all that much hoorah about Stroud as an athlete. Was he supposed to be one of those "elite decision maker" types? I get that there are obvious drawbacks with running a simple offenses, but a good OC can, and will, figure out ways disguise the everloving hell out of it. But then you start running into timing, execution, discipline, and all that, but that's a different conversation.

Idk. I'm just of the mind if something's not working, you start reeling back to a point where it is working, and go from there. If Stroud can't do that, then he's fucked no matter what.

Its hard to read the game when you have less time in the pocket

What's Stroud's pocket presence even like? Sure, a great offensive line helps, but IMO the difference between a solid QB and a great QB is being able to navigate a pocket that is slowly collapsing or being moved. Like where a dude steps up or to the side to buy an extra second or two. It's great if the QBs athletic enough to threaten the scramble, but that's the difference between a 5 yard run and a backbreaking 25 yard reception. The kinda shit that accomplishes big yardage, gasses the defense, and drives momentum. (Albeit sometimes you get the 80 yard Daniel Jones runs, but that's not the norm for players not named Lamar Jackson.)

Damn sooo big a week ago. Fuck the panties

I always feel bad for fans of teams like that. Where they're don't have a history. Where they've had the occasional really good team, but typically range from downright awful to middling. While also being from a smaller market with a bottom 5 fanbase. Certainly doesn't help when your owner is a retard. I can't help but notice the juxtaposition with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Came in the league at the same time, bottom third fanbase, smaller market, similar success, etc, but at least their ownership seems stronger.

Say what you want about Shahid Khan, but the dude invests in the Jaguars. His biggest issue is he trusts the football guys he hires too much, and for too long. That's got obvious drawbacks, but at least it's not the worst kind of problem to have.

 

[Froggy Fresh Sextape]

What do defenses "figure out" when it comes to QBs? It's a given there are obvious tendencies, like how Stroud (allegedly) looks down the field, how he maneuvers inside the pocket, what kinds of routes he favors, where he likes to place the ball, etc., but there's definitely something more to it.

Tendencies. Brock Purdy would be the best example here. 49ers vs Ravens in 2023 they figured out you could drop into coverage and then an LB slightly underneath to the side to create an "open" receiver to his left, he'd roll out to the left and throw, and that's how they got four picks. It was already obvious from film he preferred rolling out to the left and he'd throw at the first receiver he saw in space.


Stroud I dunno except his rookie season he feasted on rolling out and throwing to Nico running a fade down the sidelines. I guess you could just contain whatever side Nico's on. I honestly think this is mostly an OL and confidence problem though.

 

[break these cuffs]

https://x.com/BleacherReport/status/1974122726991540698

The Panthers are so bad that they got some millennials willing to put away the podcasting microphones.
View attachment 7995248

David Tepper is doing God's work and I take back every bad thing I've ever said about him.