2011 NFL Thread: The Lazarus Season - Part 5

[enterthemadness]

I've been to Ericsson Stadium twice...I aint calling it Bank of America.

 

[Hound55]

Well for the first point, there's no doubt this is going to be a highly motivated Steeler team playing some pretty good football at the moment. However, we've got alot of pride on the line, years of being downtrodden & underestimated, coupled with a confidence drawn from the Week 1 win. It had better be a damn sweep, splitting the regular season is a fail in my book.

It boils down to us NEEDING this game & you guys WANTING revenge.

As to winless teams, I don't think the Colts will go without ONE W this year, they've been damn close a few times & there's just too much veteran leadership there in that organization. Miami on the other hand, with Sparano constantly under pressure & from every appearance cracking....

I'm the other way around, I reckon the Dolphins will take a W before the Colts will.

That said I could see both going winless...

As for the question of *****ebag fans... let those who aren't Dukees throw the first stone.

In fact, between the Blue Devils and the Lakers I don't think I can even talk basketball around you anymore...

 

[Genesis 1.0]

lulz, sure ya can, it just won't be all civil & junk.

 

[Wheels]

As a UNC and Hornets fan, I think I can be civil. The NFL is more important to me anyway.

 

[Boom]

Andy Dalton won Rookie of the Month over Cam Newton...

 

[Wheels]

Andy Dalton won Rookie of the Month over Cam Newton...

Whaaaa?

 

[IKB]

Deservedly so.

When Cam goes 4-0 during a month, I'll imagine he'll win it too.

 

[Wheels]

Deservedly so.

When Cam goes 4-0 during a month, I'll imagine he'll win it too.

His team went 4-0. It's not a team award.

 

[IKB]

His team went 4-0. It's not a team award.

Guess him playing pretty well along the way had nothing to do with it, then.

 

[Wheels]

Guess him playing pretty well along the way had nothing to do with it, then.

I'm not saying that, but Cam is playing better imo. It's not his fault that the defense blows.

 

[Rowsdower!]

Well for the first point, there's no doubt this is going to be a highly motivated Steeler team playing some pretty good football at the moment. However, we've got alot of pride on the line, years of being downtrodden & underestimated, coupled with a confidence drawn from the Week 1 win. It had better be a damn sweep, splitting the regular season is a fail in my book.

It boils down to us NEEDING this game & you guys WANTING revenge.

As to winless teams, I don't think the Colts will go without ONE W this year, they've been damn close a few times & there's just too much veteran leadership there in that organization. Miami on the other hand, with Sparano constantly under pressure & from every appearance cracking....

While I understand your position on the Steelers/Ravens game, I would argue that the Steelers also "need" to win this game, for sheer morale and confidence. Granted, they can take pride in winning 2/3 of the matchups they had with Baltimore last year but every new season is a clean slate, and the Steelers need to prove to everyone that they're still the dominant team in the division (or that they at the very least share that title with Baltimore). While it's awesome that they beat the Pats and have looked pretty damned good for the past four weeks, that week 1 loss was spirit-crushing for both them and their fans. I think plenty of us were prepared for the Steelers to lose in Baltimore but NO ONE expected them to get destroyed. So the only way to really prove that they've turned the corner and are back to the badass team that fans want them to be is to beat the Ravens.

As for the Colts winning one game... maybe, but Painter is made of fail. He might pull out a win late in the season when some team is resting its starters as it prepares for the playoffs, but that's about the only way I can see it happening. I think maybe if the Colts had a solid RB like St. Louis does, they could get by with a backup and win some, but Addai is injured and isn't that good when he's healthy anymore, and the other guys are mediocre.

 

[Rowsdower!]

I'm not saying that, but Cam is playing better imo. It's not his fault that the defense blows.

Yeah, Cam is awesome. One of the most impressive rookie QBs I have ever seen. But unfortunately, quarterback was not the only problem that Carolina needed to address in the offseason.

 

[IKB]

I'm not saying that, but Cam is playing better imo. It's not his fault that the defense blows.

Cam's playing some good football, when it comes to quarterbacks all that matters, as far as the media are concerned, are wins though. Even if they're the ugliest wins imaginable, "finding a way to win" beats putting up pretty numbers and losing every time.

Just look at Vince Young's rookie year.

 

[CConn]

Those types of player awards (No matter monthly or yearly, or even in other sports) always take team success into some consideration. That's part of the concept; who can lift up their team enough to win games.

 

[Raiden]

Personally, I think Luck would be wasted if Colts drafted him, because like Cam Newton I think Luck is a QB who is ready to start from Day One, but Payton Manning will definitely come back and perhaps still have another 2 years or so in him. So benching Luck for a couple of years, even for Manning, is a waste of a talent. At least in Miami, Luck will not have any QB controversy, and Henne will be demoted to a backup if the team drafted Luck.

 

[IKB]

Have to agree with that.

It won't hurt for Luck to ride the bench and learn from Peyton Manning for a few years, but he's definitely the most pro-ready quarterback I can remember since Peyton himself.

He's just the type of guy you want to see playing on Sundays, as soon and for as long as possible. Either way, I don't doubt for a second that he's going to be a success. The kid just has it.

 

[bored]

Meh, good chance he'll be taking his talents to South Beach anyway

 

[DoomsdayApex]

Deservedly so.

When Cam goes 4-0 during a month, I'll imagine he'll win it too.

In my opinion, Cam is a shoe in for Rookie of the Year. Dalton is a good QB too but Newton is the Top 5 in terms of passing yardage and he's inevitably going to shatter the rushing TD/yardage record for a QB.

On top of that, Newton has already broken several records in just 7 games and out-thrown Manning during his rookie year in that time period.

 

[IKB]

In my opinion, Cam is a shoe in for Rookie of the Year. Dalton is a good QB too but Newton is the Top 5 in terms of passing yardage and he's inevitably going to shatter the rushing TD/yardage record for a QB.

On top of that, Newton has already broken several records in just 7 games and out-thrown Manning during his rookie year in that time period.

True, but the Panthers lack of a defense is a huge factor in that.

If Dalton leads the Bengals to the playoffs, for only the third time in the past twenty years, I like his chances over Newton's.

 

[BlackLantern]

Newton makes for a better story....and let's not BS here, a lot of fans still have an issue with black quarterbacks

 

[Boom]

Eh, I'm not so quick to put the Bengals in playoff talk.

They can only afford to lose four more games just to be in the wildcard hunt. They've still got to go up against the Steelers twice, the Ravens twice, and the Texans. And the Bengals are notorious for losing games they should win. So in no way do I consider their games against the Titans, Browns, Rams, and Cardinals as safe bets.

At best, I predict a 9-7 season. But considering the fact that they came into this season with a rookie QB, a rookie WR, a first-year Offensive Coordinator, and a young team overall, I'd be perfectly content with a winning record.

 

[DoomsdayApex]

True, but the Panthers lack of a defense is a huge factor in that.

If Dalton leads the Bengals to the playoffs, for only the third time in the past twenty years, I like his chances over Newton's.

Good point, but here in lies the problem with Dalton, he's virtually an unknown in the league. He hasn't made a giant splash and the media is generally favoring Newton over Andy, at this point anyways.

 

[Boom]

I wouldn't say he's an unknown. ESPN just hates covering the Bengals.

For instance, his touchdown pass to AJ Green this last Sunday was a thing of beauty. It was shown maybe once or twice on ESPN. Meanwhile, the insult to professional football that was the Miama vs Denver game was shown all week long. And they had the audacity to call those "highlights" .

But I've seen plenty of people within the NFL give a shout-out to Dalton.

 

[bored]

Newton has the advantage of having entered the league with a lot more hype.

 

[DoomsdayApex]

That is what I was referring to.

Dalton's qualities will be slightly be overlooked because of that reason. The Bengals isn't a squad that ESPN showcases very often.