2016 NFL Season

[epilogue]

wat

those are his conference winners/wildcards and super bowl pick.

Thank you.

[epilogue]

Picks

Cardinals
Panthers
Packers
Giants

Vikings
Buccaneers


Steelers
Patriots
Chiefs
Jaguars

Bengals
Raiders

Steelers over Cardinals

I've already seen that Super Bowl. Please pick another. Thank you.

[Monkey_Driven]

Tomorrow night's game will probably be the only Thursday night game that has even a somewhat high quality of play.

[Green Habit]

Emmanuel Sanders gets extended this afternoon, and tonight is a whole bevy of 2015 Broncos goodness on NFL Network. Nice way to close out the last day of the offseason!

[doug rr]

Emmanuel Sanders gets extended this afternoon, and tonight is a whole bevy of 2015 Broncos goodness on NFL Network. Nice way to close out the last day of the offseason!

i'm having dinner delivered the next 2 nights

GO BRONCOS


fuck the raiders

good luck joey

this is getting close

[Simple Torture]

Anybody else always have a twinge of regret when watching football, knowing that you're getting excited about this sport while the men playing it are slowly killing themselves with tiny traumatic brain injuries...knowing that in a few years many of them will be unemployed with few prospects, especially since they were exploited while "attending" college...knowing how rampant opioid abuse is among current and former players just to deal with the pain of getting around every day...and knowing that so many of these players won't even recognize their families in their twilight years?

Spoiler: show

JUST KIDDING GUYS GET READY COME ON GET READY





Don't forget to check out who's going to be on your TV this week here: http://506sports.com/nfl.php?yr=2016&wk=1

And if you're not sick of 538 in the election thread, see their updated odds here: http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/201 ... edictions/

[epilogue]

In total honesty, ST...

Yes. I think about that a lot, actually. If things don't change I can see a version of myself that doesn't watch the game anymore.

[Simple Torture]

My wife and I talk about this all the time. We've always agreed that we'd never let our kid play football--we only have a daughter right now, so it's kind of a moot point, but that only adds to the hypocrisy of watching 12 hours of football coverage per week, listening to hours and hours of podcasts, and reading a few dozen articles per week. At least I don't play fantasy anymore and pretend to "own" these players--nor do I go to games or buy much merchandize--but it's not like my hands are clean. I just can't stop--it's like a weird addiction.

[epilogue]

It doesn't help that it's the only sport I watch/follow with real passion.

I also really like soccer. Maybe that can replace football for me? I don't know...

[96583UP]

i don't feel bad for them, notwithstanding the inevitable crippling, because they get paid so much money. there are people suffering much worse on this planet getting paid next to nothing for their labor.

Lowest NFL Salary (Rookie Minimum) in 2015 $435,000
Median NFL Salary in 2015 $860,000
Average NFL Salary in 2015 $2,150,000
Highest NFL Salary (Drew Brees) in 2015 $23,800,000


"As Chairman and CEO at GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC, Lloyd C. Blankfein made $22,586,152 in total compensation. This information is according to proxy statements filed for the 2015 fiscal year."

[verb_to_trust]

It's not even really that great of an on field product anymore is it? The last few years when I turn on a game it's pretty tough to watch.

[Green Habit]

Can't believe I'm saying this but 96583UP pretty much nailed it. There are tradeoffs with everything in life, and some people enjoy high risks with high rewards, that's their decision to make. I'd also add that there are plenty of dangerous professions in the world, and it's tough to absolve your hands of every single one.

[Mecca]

i miss hank williams jr

[Green Habit]

i miss hank williams jr

Man, with this year's election he could have said some crazy shit.

[Mecca]

i miss hank williams jr

Man, with this year's election he could have said some crazy shit.

you're basically hitler

[Bammer]

ST you fucking sexist prick. Just because she's a girl your daughter can't play football?

WTF. I swear, it's people like you...

[Simple Torture]

i don't feel bad for them, notwithstanding the inevitable crippling, because they get paid so much money. there are people suffering much worse on this planet getting paid next to nothing for their labor.

Lowest NFL Salary (Rookie Minimum) in 2015 $435,000
Median NFL Salary in 2015 $860,000
Average NFL Salary in 2015 $2,150,000
Highest NFL Salary (Drew Brees) in 2015 $23,800,000


"As Chairman and CEO at GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC, Lloyd C. Blankfein made $22,586,152 in total compensation. This information is according to proxy statements filed for the 2015 fiscal year."

I have this weird thing where I can feel compassion for someone no matter how much money they make. I should probably get that checked out.

Can't believe I'm saying this but 96583UP pretty much nailed it. There are tradeoffs with everything in life, and some people enjoy high risks with high rewards, that's their decision to make. I'd also add that there are plenty of dangerous professions in the world, and it's tough to absolve your hands of every single one.

That's a much more measured response, and I get it. The only wrinkle I'd throw in would be: it's not like the current crop of NFL players have been told since high school that playing football could lead to dementia in their 40s; when they thought about the risk involved, I'm sure they were thinking sprains, broken bones, torn ligaments, etc.--the kind of stuff that can heal, and even if it does become chronic, it doesn't rob you of your mind, memories, personality, and so on. If in ten years it's become standard practice for peewee football permission slips to say, "The nature of the game leads to traumatic, long-term health problems even without a severe injury event," we can start saying, "Well, the players knew about the danger all along." It's more like the asbestos industry than something like, say, the coal-mining industry at this point: the league has juuuuust come around to admitting that this is a serious problem after years of denial, so at least the culture can start to change and more information can get into the hands of potential players.

But as my post above said, let me be clear: I'm going to watch 3 hours of football tonight, 2+ hours of pregame Sunday, ~9 hours of games Sunday, and then probably a bit on Monday night. Try to tear me away and you'll get bite marks.

[Simple Torture]

Can't believe I'm saying this but 96583UP pretty much nailed it.

And yeah, let's not this slip by unmentioned: you should probably get checked out for a head injury as soon as possible.

[Simple Torture]

It's not even really that great of an on field product anymore is it? The last few years when I turn on a game it's pretty tough to watch.

We talked in the NFL thread last year about how the product seems to have suffered in the past few years. I think it comes down to QB play for the most part (games end up lacking pace, long drives, etc.). You're also getting more teams winning divisions with something that isn't considered a "good" record--over the past 6 seasons, there have been 7 teams (so about one per year) that won their division with 9 wins or fewer, and 4 of them were 8-8 or worse (2 division winners with losing records, the '14 Panthers and the '10 Seahawks). The 6 seasons before that, just 5 teams at 9-7 or worse won their divisions (and only 1 of them was 8-8; no team won their division with a losing record over that stretch). There are also fewer super-power teams, record-wise: the '15 Panthers ended a drought of 3 seasons where no team had 14 or more wins (there was only season during the 2004-2009 stretch when no team won 14 or more). There were six teams from '04-'09 with 14 or more wins; there have been just 3 from '10-'15.

Conclusion: the NFL is getting more mediocre.

[Simple Torture]

That's just looking at records, of course. You can have an entertaining game between two 8-8 teams, but that's not the sort of game the networks generally show unless you're in-market; you're more likely to get a division winner from last year vs. a cellar dweller from last year, especially early in the season.

I'm also more optimistic about QB play in the league this year, hoping that some of the young guys from the past few seasons can take leaps forward. The only really high-potential dumpster fires on the horizon are probably LA, DEN, PHI, MIN, DAL, SF, and, of course, CLE. But even some of those players could over-perform.