Comments on: Week 12 Morning Aftermath

By: psuzanner

psuzanner — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:11:46 +0000

Football is Warfare are you kidding??? They have no idea about the effects of a concussion. Merril Hodge was on life support right after his concussion. Footballs a game. We’re talking about the rest of a man’s life! Clearly no one close to you has ever suffered a brain injury. You should be ashamed of yourself! The bottom line is football is a GAME!

By: psuzanner

psuzanner — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:04:05 +0000

52-0 Patriots over the Titans
5:38 left in game, Bellicheck isn’t running up the score. Rodney Harrison says Bellichek says ‘play the full 60 minutes’. He leaves Brady in as QB.
38-17 Saints over Patriots
5:38 left in the game, Bellicheck takes Brady out of the game and puts in the second string QB.
Whose running up what score? Who’s a sore LOSER?

By: shaggeez

shaggeez — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:48:47 +0000

i did not see the 9 finger thing for vy, but regardless of whether it was for mcnair or for his streak, if thats the best you can do to slam him, then i think he and his team will take that any day. the guy had a hell of a game, has thrown the ball pretty well over his last 5 games, particularly with his deep ball.
why turn a very positive turnaround story into something about his ego. he has the right to feel confident in his abilities. to play in the league as a starting qb, you have to have confidence in your abilities or you end up like those bums in cleveland.

By: psychobob671

psychobob671 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:23:18 +0000

What they need is a full time professional in the booth overseeing the games and replays and making sure
everything is legit, otherwise the refs system is fine and every team takes it’s turn in the barrel of bad calls except NE,Indy,Minny and Dallas.

By: 12+81=7

12+81=7 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:03:56 +0000

# Fan_Of_ Four says: November 30, 2009 9:56 AM
“Next time Florio Jr has another game, whatever sport it is I recommend you try officiating it whether it’s Football or not, you will soon see how fking hard it truly is.”
Yea well, I don’t think anyone is betting big bucks on any of Florio Jr’s games. Those refs are expected to know the rules, and be able to enforce them. If it is to hard for them to be able to do their job correctly, then they should not be reffing. There have been to many mistakes that have been game-changing.

By: licavoli

licavoli — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:07:48 +0000

VY’s 9 was for McNair, his spiritual mentor.

By: clavette

clavette — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:13:48 +0000

if only there was an option to choose what game you wanted to watch every week. oh wait thats right, direct tv has that… well only when it doesnt rain or snow or if its cloudy out

By: jd

jd — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:43:44 +0000

Add me to the group of people who live in LA but would prefer to watch the best NFL game of the day. I love the NFL but not the chargers or whatever team gets moved here. Like so many others, I’m a transplant and root for the team I grew up with.

By: clavette

clavette — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:32:05 +0000

if you’re too stupid to know how to spell belichick’s name then please shut the hell up about your useless opinion on how he was wrong in going for it on 4th

By: footballrulz

footballrulz — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:31:45 +0000

@ Patrian
The game was in the hands of his players. His OFFENSIVE players. They failed to gain a yard or two.
I understand your point but go read Sando’s post. It lays out the details in a perfectly logical format. It was statistically more probable that their offense could gain a yard or two than his “gassed” defense being able to stop Peyton & the Colts that particular Sunday.
He decided to risk the game with his offense as opposed to his defense on that particular Sunday. Had they made it, we’d all be glorifying his brilliance.
BTW, nice post sando.

By: BernardPollardIsAnAss

BernardPollardIsAnAss — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:28:41 +0000

“In 2005, the Colts won their first 13 games, lost two of their next three, and then fell in the divisional round to a Steelers team that won four in a row to get into the playoffs and vanquished the AFC North champions on their own turf in Cincinnati.”
Ah… memories. The Steelers win a title after taking down the better team with a cheap shot to the QB’s knee while hitting a 60 yard bomb. What a shame. Bengals really had a shot that year.

By: Gonzaga27

Gonzaga27 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:26:44 +0000

“I hate the way our identity has changed”??? throwing darts from the bench I see Mr. Urlacher .. If your defense was so good the past couple years and your identity was so sound then why were you watching the playoffs on your couch with Mr. Orton…. WAKEUP MOUTH!!!! YOUR TEAMS IDENTITY IS LOSING FOOTBALL GAMES AND SPECIAL TEAMS!!

By: sand0

sand0 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:25:20 +0000

Speaking of bad calls, Florio you should post something about the the horrific section of the Vikings/Bears game. Not that the calls mattered in the end, but the refs managed to throw flags on I believe 6 consecutive plays and 3 of them were flat out bad calls and one of them was a ticky tacky facemask call on Peterson. Also they didn’t give the Vikes a free play on Bears offsides because I am pretty sure no Viking jumped the officials just botched it when the Bears jumped across the line.
I know it is hard to have controversy in a blowout win but there was a several minute sequence where the down didn’t change and it was absolutely unwatchable.

By: Football is Warfare

Football is Warfare — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:14:37 +0000

Regarding Point 9:
I think the NFL is becoming too sensitive regarding this whole concussions thing. Granted, their overreaction is justified, after the Congressional hearings on the matter. The last thing the league wants is the U.S. government making rules about how the players should be evaluated, so they’re doing their best to show the gov’t that they are on top of the problem. (But, if the government is gonna stick its nose into any sport regarding concussions, shouldn’t boxing be on the radar? No, it’s not a mainstream sport, anymore.) I just hope that whatever system the league decides to use placates the government and still allows for guys to play tough.
Let’s face it, Roethlisberger and Warner both wanted to play, and could have. Last year, they would have played. Football is a rough sport, and it should stay that way. Guys are gonna come off to the sidelines seeing stars some times. Look, it’s only in the case of repeated concussions (like what’s been happening to Westbrook) where you start to worry. I’ve had a few concussions, any one in sports has; but just cause you blacked out for a little while doesn’t mean you’re gonna end up like Muhammed Ali.
We all know that the league needs to address this issue. I just hope that the system that is put in place allows for a player to come back a week after a mild concussion, when they clearly appear fit to do so (as did Warner and Roethlisberger).

By: Patrian

Patrian — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:42:49 +0000

Belichec’s call was the wrong one IMO for ONE reason alone.
If they had punted AND the Colts still won, then you would say the Colts BEAT the Patriots by out playing them on the final drive.
By going for it and FAILING to convert, you lose the game largely in part due to a coaches decision.
If I was a coach, I would put the game in the hands of my players when possible. That way, when or lose, it was what they deserved.

By: Deb

Deb — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:36:50 +0000

@IanWhetstone …
You fail to see the point in full-time officials. Hmmm. I fail to see the point in full-time players. What do they find to do all week? It’s not like they train so they have the stamina to run up and down the field on every play … work out with their teammates so they function together like the proverbial well-oiled machine … watch film so they know how they’d react in various situations … run simulation drills so they’re prepared for the unexpected … study playbooks so they have a full understanding of the complicated rules of the game. Gosh no! So what oh what would those silly officials find to do all week?
All the other major sports have full-time officials. The most experienced NFL officials are getting older. Bad calls are commonplace, and despite the insistence of some half-witted whiners, they affect EVERY team and are undermining the integrity of the game. You’ve got refs giving teams extra timeouts, spotting balls in the wrong places, invoking rules that don’t exist, trying to review plays that aren’t reviewable–come on! These guys need to be properly trained and practiced. That can’t happen when they’re working full-time jobs all week.

By: Twiz

Twiz — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:34:50 +0000

Florio, did you take a stupid pill this morning? This month, year, decade?
Yes, both the Cardinals game and the Steelers game were exciting right to the end, but it is also possible that had both teams had their starting QB’s playing, their respective teams may have been much further ahead.
I’m not saying they should have played, but if you are going to look at it as the fans shouldn’t bitch cause they got an exciting game, then you have to look at it the other way as well.
The answer is something we will never know, cause both QB’s were forced to the the right thing, sit out because of lingering symptoms!

By: DocBG

DocBG — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:32:35 +0000

just a thought here, but maybe bad calls are a GOOD thing for the game. no matter how you slice it, 1/2 of the teams are losers on any given sunday, by having bad calls, you give a good chunk of those fans something to rationalize the loss with. no one wants to say that their team was the crappier team that day, and didnt play like they had a clue what was going on. if there is a percieved bad (intentionally or accidental) call, then the fans of the losing team have something to hang their hats on for the week and a reason to watch next week.
Listening to some oakland fans, they honestly believe that if the calls where right, that the raiders would win the division every year. we all know thats not the case, but it gives the fans an outlet for their anger other than their own team. Even now, people from losing teams or from teams that lost are convinced that they would have won if not for some bad calls, and those from winning teams have to point out bad calls also called against their team…. no one says “my team really sucked on sunday and got their asses beat for a solid 60 minutes” when in reality, sometimes that happens (or in detroits case, nearly all the time).

By: boltmancraft

boltmancraft — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:31:41 +0000

Why would anyone in L.A. WANT to watch the Colts? They had lost to Houston only once, and the second time sure as hell wasn’t gonna be yesterday. Meanwhile, the Chargers, a team whose home stadium is only 100 miles away, put on a near-perfect performance in their quest for a fourth consecutive division title. What are they complaining about, unless, of course, the male population of SoCal has a man-crush on Peyton.

By: bobbyllama

bobbyllama — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:27:23 +0000

Mike: Thought you would be man enough to admit that you were wrong, as usual, about the Colts losing yesterday.

By: meatball4415

meatball4415 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:17:38 +0000

I have to give Vince Young credit for the 99 yard drive he put together against the Cards on Sunday. However, since we are talking about officiating, there has a blatant hold on the 4th and goal play that allowed Vince to stay alive. The right tackle collared the DE and basically had an arm around his neck. i know holding can be called on virtually every play, but I don’t know how you can keep the flag in your pocket when there is a big time hold right at the point of attack. Yes the cards shouldn’t have let the Titans march down like they did, but a hold is a hold.

By: sand0

sand0 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:10:44 +0000

It is hilarious to me that I’ve heard at least a dozen analysts criticize Belichec’s decision to go for it on 4th down and not one of them even has a basic understanding of the situation and the pro’s and con’s of it and what was risked.
All you hear about is how he didn’t trust his defense and this and that and the other thing. That is all irrelevant.
Had the Patriots converted the 4th down the game is over. If they fail to convert the down, the Colts gain 35 yards of field position compared to where they would have started on average after a punt. He lost 35 yards of field position, nothing more, nothing less. And if they get the first down, which their offense will do 60% of the time, then the game is over.
Give the Colts the ball via punt and Peyton will chew up that 35 yards against prevent defense 75% of the time. It won’t get difficult for an offense with that QB against a gassed defense until the red zone anyways.
People have done computer simulations as well that show Belichec obviously made the correct call, and those don’t even take into consideration the fact that his defense was gassed and hemoraging yards.
It is just funny to see a guy make clearly the correct decision and get so much flak for it. With that said the Steelers/Ravens situation was completely different and shouldn’t be talked about in the same article.
In fact Harbaugh’s decision was more questionable than Belichec’s. But that is part of why Belichec is such a great coach. He makes the mathematically correct call while other coaches might be coaching to avoid armchair analysts come Monday.

By: BullwinkleTMoose

BullwinkleTMoose — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:58:34 +0000

Mr Florio,
As much as I like your postings, I need to point out an error with your claim about the Vikings reaching 10-1 for the third time in team history.
It’s actually the 5th time.
They were 10-1 in both 1969 and 1973 en route to 12-2 seasons and Super Bowl appearances. While they both ended in Super Bowl losses, the result was much better than your analysis indicated.

By: Football is Warfare

Football is Warfare — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:33:16 +0000

I thought this was a set of Ten commentaries, not-to-be-confused-with-the-other-ten-set-of-commentaries-on-sporting-news. Where’s the rest?

By: stetai

stetai — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:20:55 +0000

Let’s clear up the Brett Favre postseason stigma.
In the 90′s under Holmgren, Favre was magnificent, and that includes 3 NFC championship appearances, 2 titles, and 1 Super Bowl, so he was always capable of winning the “big game”.
In the 00′s when they finally got back into the playoffs under Sherman other than the Rams game which was all his fault (but the Rams were simply better anyway), the entire team played poorly and was coached miserably and they had no defense under Sherman ever. And Brett was awesome until his defense gave up 4th and 26, so scratch that year from the negative play.
In the late 00′s in Brett’s old man tour, Brett was magnificent until he hit below zero temps. And it anyone actually saw that game the entire team played like garbage. And while Brett ended the game with an INT, he also hit a 99 yarder in the only good play the Packers had that day.
The point is, Brett has had some bad games, but mostly good to great games and if anyone looks back they’ll see that. His most recent playoff series (which is WAY more relevant than something from 2002), Brett was awesome until they played in below zero weather. So seeing as how the Viking playoff games will either be played at the Metro or Superdome, Brett will be just fine, and there is not enough evidence to say it’s more likely he’ll play crappy than good. It’s actually quite the opposite.

By: footballrulz

footballrulz — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:19:11 +0000

Vikes Fans
The past is exactly that–the past and has no bearing on the present. You have assembled a VERY good team. Unfortunately there are abobut 4-5 other VERY good teams out there. You can stack up against either of them. When the playoffs come it’s just a matter of how the games go, who catches the breaks, who doesn’t. You’ve got as good a chance as any.
Bright side is–either way, you’ve got your next governor. (I’m sorry, that’s just laying out there to be used. Only an attempt at humor)
As far as Cutler is concerned, Rodgers has the same Oline problem as Cutler (although it does seem to be improving sightly) but he has better receivers & RB’s. Get Cutler some help and he should improve but I have a feeling the Bears spent way too much to get him.
GB3Pack4–not a doctor but I do know there are varying degrees of dislocations which also are impacted by where they occur. Evidently Urlachers wrist was badly dislocated–like to the extent of pointing the wrong way. Stafford has dislocated shoulder which is painful but can take more abubse. Rodgers played with one for 5-6 games last year. Stafford’s looks worse than Aarons was and it might eventually sit him down.
@phayes526–Not defending Florio by any means but he did address the McNair angle
“For the Titans sake, it was hopefully a tribute to the late Steve McNair”.

By: CardsReds

CardsReds — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:17:44 +0000

Sorry Vikings fans but one thing to remember in both the 1975 and 1998 seasons…….the Super Bowl was hosted in Miami….as is 2009…..Just saying…

By: Complete Fan

Complete Fan — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:09:08 +0000

Both the NFL and CFL need full time officials. There were tons of officiating mistakes in the Grey Cup game and that became a big part of the story.
You can’t afford to have the Super Bowl come down to bad calls.

By: leatherneck

leatherneck — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:59:46 +0000

GB3Pack4 – I’m not a doctor, I don’t even play one on the Internet.

By: Notoroius B.U.G.

Notoroius B.U.G. — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:57:14 +0000

PercyHarvin is right. Past has nothing to do with the present. Vikes have just as good of a shot of winning this year as any other team.
Maroney is just as likely to drop the ball; Manning is just as likely to throw a pick…
2009-2010 is a new year, with a new QB and a new attitude…