2014 NFL Season

[Self]

Per Mr. Pocoroba, the new season has started and I didn't want GreenHabit to have to start another thread. And I want to get under Pete's skin.

[tommymtcom]

I've never watched NFL before, can someone give me a brief overview of everything I would need to know to full appreciate the upcoming season.

[Green Habit]

Per Mr. Pocoroba, the new season has started and I didn't want GreenHabit to have to start another thread. And I want to get under Pete's skin.

The start of training camps are always a good time to get this thread started.

[doug rr]

I've never watched NFL before, can someone give me a brief overview of everything I would need to know to full appreciate the upcoming season.

just root against the patriots

[Kaius]

da Bears

[Fuck You Jobu]

I've never watched NFL before, can someone give me a brief overview of everything I would need to know to full appreciate the upcoming season.

https://screen.yahoo.com/bill-swerskis- ... 00191.html

[Green Habit]

WTF, Tony.

http://tbo.com/sports/bucs/nfl-holding- ... -20140720/

I wouldn’t have taken him. Not because I don’t believe Michael Sam should have a chance to play, but I wouldn’t want to deal with all of it. It’s not going to be totally smooth … things will happen.

[Fuck You Jobu]

WTF, Tony.

http://tbo.com/sports/bucs/nfl-holding- ... -20140720/

I wouldn’t have taken him. Not because I don’t believe Michael Sam should have a chance to play, but I wouldn’t want to deal with all of it. It’s not going to be totally smooth … things will happen.

I wonder how long he'll be on NBC...

[Norah]

my token bitching about the new thread

[pnjguy]

Tony Dungy is the worst. Always has been.

"Hey, buy my book about parenting even though my son committed suicide."

[Electromatic]

Man am I glad to be almost done with NFL silly season.

[Green Habit]

WTF, Tony.

http://tbo.com/sports/bucs/nfl-holding- ... -20140720/

I wouldn’t have taken him. Not because I don’t believe Michael Sam should have a chance to play, but I wouldn’t want to deal with all of it. It’s not going to be totally smooth … things will happen.

I wonder how long he'll be on NBC...

My guess is he'll issue some sort of clarification along the lines of not wanting a "media circus" around the team.

[Self]

My guess is he'll issue some sort of clarification along the lines of not wanting a "media circus" around the team.

Not because I don’t believe Michael Sam should have a chance to play, but I wouldn’t want to deal with all of it. It’s not going to be totally smooth . . . things will happen.

And that’s where Dungy’s comments become troubling. If everyone refused to hire minorities because it could cause a distraction, no minority group would ever make any progress. Dungy has praised the late Chuck Noll for adding Dungy to the Steelers’ coaching staff in 1981, at a time when most NFL teams didn’t have any African-American assistant coaches. What if Noll had declined to hire Dungy because he worried that some of the white assistant coaches would have a problem with a black colleague?

[Electromatic]

We've already made too much of the Tony Dungy comments,

The guy was interviewed, and he gave an unwise opinion when he should have completely talked around it, because nothing good comes of giving an opinion of Michael Sam other than that he should have been picked higher.

There are 400 articles on it right now, and none of them matter, because, Sam DID get drafted, he IS going to get a chance to play in the NFL, he's going to a great defense so he might only crack the practice squad (and people will decry that too), and whether Tony Dungy is wrong or right is irrelevant and insignificant because Tony Dungy only gets paid to talk about the NFL now so his opinion is sort of inconsequential anyway. He inserted himself likely unwittingly into a story where he doesn't belong.

Everyone writing a story is interested in people looking at their story, hoping that someone is offended enough to click.

The guy came out and declared, and probably lost a lot of money in doing so, but he's going to play in the league, and it's only a really big deal that he's gay to the media, a few people in the locker room and a few hardcore people in organizations on either side of the issue. He's not the first gay guy in the league just the first guy with the courage to tell everyone. Lets get on with the freaking football.

[red calzolaio]

good for Dungy. now moving on.

must have been difficult for ESPN to actually be at the Bills training camp today!

really looking forward to this season...WAHOOOO!!!

[Lament]

Wasn't Dungy the guy begging teams to give Vick and Burress second chances?

Michael Sam will produce 1/100 the "circus/distraction" that Vick did. Hell, Michael Sam will produce 1/100 of the "circus/distraction" that Johnny Manziel will/has/currently is.

[Mecca]

Wasn't Dungy the guy begging teams to give Vick and Burress second chances?

Michael Sam will produce 1/100 the "circus/distraction" that Vick did. Hell, Michael Sam will produce 1/100 of the "circus/distraction" that Johnny Manziel will/has/currently is.

you're going to have egg on your face when Michael Sam starts his own traveling circus

[Thejambi]

Pretty sure he is referring to locker room environment and potential harassment/distain from other players.

[Green Habit]

My guess is he'll issue some sort of clarification along the lines of not wanting a "media circus" around the team.

Nailed it.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... -comments/

On Monday afternoon while on vacation with my family, I was quite surprised to read excerpts from an interview I gave several weeks ago related to this year’s NFL Draft, and I feel compelled to clarify those remarks.

I was asked whether I would have drafted Michael Sam and I answered that I would not have drafted him. I gave my honest answer, which is that I felt drafting him would bring much distraction to the team. At the time of my interview, the Oprah Winfrey reality show that was going to chronicle Michael’s first season had been announced.

I was not asked whether or not Michael Sam deserves an opportunity to play in the NFL. He absolutely does.

I was not asked whether his sexual orientation should play a part in the evaluation process. It should not.

I was not asked whether I would have a problem having Michael Sam on my team. I would not.

I have been asked all of those questions several times in the last three months and have always answered them the same way—by saying that playing in the NFL is, and should be, about merit.

The best players make the team, and everyone should get the opportunity to prove whether they’re good enough to play. That’s my opinion as a coach. But those were not the questions I was asked.

What I was asked about was my philosophy of drafting, a philosophy that was developed over the years, which was to minimize distractions for my teams.

I do not believe Michael’s sexual orientation will be a distraction to his teammates or his organization.

I do, however, believe that the media attention that comes with it will be a distraction. Unfortunately we are all seeing this play out now, and I feel badly that my remarks played a role in the distraction.

I wish Michael Sam nothing but the best in his quest to become a star in the NFL and I am confident he will get the opportunity to show what he can do on the field.

My sincere hope is that we will be able to focus on his play and not on his sexual orientation.

[Chris_H_2]

Would people have been less offended if he said he wouldn't have drafted Michael Sam because he doesn't think he's that good?