# 2012 NFL Pre-Draft Discussion **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 8, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215 "2012-02-08T18:05:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 46
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/901 "2012-04-18T01:44:24Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > Comfortable? At home? ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/902 "2012-04-18T01:53:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Let’s play “Find the win so the Browns can avoid going 0-16.” From the [nfl.com](http://nfl.com) schedule page for the Browns. That’s unusually harsh - usually anything NFL related, at least preseason, tries to play up that every team has a chance. In any case, they play the Giants in week 5, so there’s your win right there. Beat the last 5 super bowl champs they played, including the Giants in 2008. Thursday night game at the Ravens. I never quite understood why they do this - the Browns have gotten a primetime game most years against a division rival, but usually an away game. Wouldn’t you want the underdog team to be at home to give the game the best chance of being competitive? ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/903 "2012-04-18T02:41:37Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > From the [nfl.com](http://nfl.com) schedule page for the Browns. That’s unusually harsh - usually anything NFL related, at least preseason, tries to play up that every team has a chance. You weren’t making that up. I told myself before last season started that I wasn’t going to buy into any of the preseason hype, but in the end I ended up buying in a little. This year, the Browns are officially on Prove You Don’t Suck status with me. I’ll watch them the same way I watched the Cavs this year, with no expectation of success and my primary interest in seeing what pieces the team has. From this season onward, I refuse to get excited about them until they actually produce on the field. I will fully expect gut-wrenching losses in the 4th quarter; complete ineptitude any other time is a given. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/904 "2012-04-18T02:42:49Z")
The 49ers’ schedule is very interesting. The league took three games that could have been the dreaded 10:00am start and gave them 1:15 games at Green Bay and New Orleans, and a Sunday Night game at New England. There are also three back-to-back road trips. The Vikings/Jets early in the season has week-long layover written all over it. The same strategy worked well last season, when they beat the Browns and the Eagles without going home in between. The really intriguing bit is the Thursday Night/Monday Night/Bye Week stretch right in the middle of the season. As for the prime-time matchups: Week 2 hosting the Lions - Handshake rematch Week 7 hosting the Seahawks - Alex Smith’s best regular-season game was at Seattle Week 9 visiting the Cardinals - SF/Arizona primetime games are always a hoot Week 11 hosting the Bears - If both teams wore throwback uniforms, would anybody notice? Week 15 visiting the Patriots - Is there any chance in frozen hell this game is flexed out? ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/905 "2012-04-18T02:54:49Z")
I’m liking the Bears schedule early on, but it looks to get rough late in the season. They have an early bye, 3 of the last 4 games are on the road, and 4 of the last 6 are division games. Granted 2 are against the Vikings, but those could still be game-changers. And the release of the schedule reminds of my favorite Deadspin article (which I Googled before finding it had been reposed an hour ago): [Your Football Team Will Win 11, Maybe 12 Games Next Season](http://deadspin.com/5902823/your-football-team-will-win-11-maybe-12-games-next-season-deadspin-classic) ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/906 "2012-04-18T03:13:08Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I’m liking the Bears schedule early on, but it looks to get rough late in the season. They have an early bye, 3 of the last 4 games are on the road, and 4 of the last 6 are division games. Granted 2 are against the Vikings, but those could still be game-changers. > > And the release of the schedule reminds of my favorite Deadspin article (which I Googled before finding it had been reposed an hour ago): > [Your Football Team Will Win 11, Maybe 12 Games Next Season](http://deadspin.com/5902823/your-football-team-will-win-11-maybe-12-games-next-season-deadspin-classic) Lots of Primetime for the Bears. That hasn’t bode well in the recent past, but it should mean a lot of publicity. Hopefully the topic is a dynamic Cutler-Marshall duo and not a story of arrests and hold outs. Haven’t scanned it too closely to see how difficult it will be, but I was a little surprised that there’s no Thanksgiving day game. With road games against both the Lions and Cowboys I figured we’d be playing somewhere on Turkey day. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/907 "2012-04-18T05:36:44Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > This may not be appropriate for this thread, but I’m not sure if it deserves its own, and this is sort of a catch all for off-season NFL stuff so… is Eli Manning the greatest QB in NY Giants history? The only real competition would be Conerly and Simms. Tittle and Tarkenton were great, but not overly successful in their Giant years. My main reason for asking is evaluating the success of the draft day maneuvering in 2005. I was saying back in 2008 that Eli would surpass Simms, and I think he has. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/908 "2012-04-18T07:59:46Z")
The Browns get to play the AFC West, the Colts, the Bills, and the Redskins. They’ll win a game. The Jets have a fairly easy schedule (hello NFC West!) but it’s front-loaded. I can easily see them starting 1-4 or 0-5 with the Bills, at Pittsburgh, at Miami, 49ers and Texans. And that’s a team that will implode easily. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/909 "2012-04-18T14:24:29Z")
I’m somewhat new at draft-watching and such, but I have to wonder if the Steelers will grab a quarterback this year or next. Big Ben does take a lot of hits, and it’s never too soon to start grooming for the future. That and I get the sense this may be Troy’s last year. He’s too smart to keep playing and he knows he hasn’t been what he was. I think he’d enjoy teaching a rookie his tricks. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/910 "2012-04-18T14:45:56Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > This may not be appropriate for this thread, but I’m not sure if it deserves its own, and this is sort of a catch all for off-season NFL stuff so… is Eli Manning the greatest QB in NY Giants history? The only real competition would be Conerly and Simms. Tittle and Tarkenton were great, but not overly successful in their Giant years. My main reason for asking is evaluating the success of the draft day maneuvering in 2005. Nitpick: Eli was drafted in 2004, not 2005. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/911 "2012-04-18T14:50:43Z")
I kind of crapped myself when I saw the Buccaneers’ schedule, but apparently it’s [one of the easiest](http://www.nflschedulesupersite.com/2012-nfl-strength-of-schedule/). Weird. ---
**Author:** ![2gigch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2gigch1/32/3313_2.png) [@2gigch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2gigch1)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/912 "2012-04-18T15:55:42Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Thursday night game at the Ravens. I never quite understood why they do this - the Browns have gotten a primetime game most years against a division rival, but usually an away game. Wouldn’t you want the underdog team to be at home to give the game the best chance of being competitive? Not as bad as it first looks - the Ravens will be coming off a Sunday night game with the Patriots. The chances that the Ravens will be distracted or worn down are as great as you are going to get. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/913 "2012-04-18T15:56:32Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Nitpick: Eli was drafted in 2004, not 2005. Correct, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/914 "2012-04-18T18:29:19Z")
I heard Colin Cowherd this morning accuse the NFL of conspiratorially scheduling Jets games to Tim Tebow’s benefit (good teams early so Sanchez looks bad, prime-time games late when Tebow has presumably taken the starter job). Silly radio blabber or what? ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/915 "2012-04-18T19:33:25Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > I heard Colin Cowherd … You answered your own question. Anytime you find yourself listening to a radio show that refers to you, the listener, as bovine … well, you may want to think about it. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/916 "2012-04-18T19:34:18Z")
Indeed. That is fucking ludicrous. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/917 "2012-04-18T20:15:12Z")
I know about Colin being stupid, but he also pointed out the Jets and Broncos never play at the same time all season. I was wondering about the broken clock factor. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/918 "2012-04-18T20:33:11Z")
I don’t think it’s ridiculous. The schedule is mostly arbitrary, so they could make those sorts of predictions or influences. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/919 "2012-04-18T20:40:34Z")
Although I doubt it happened like Cowherd says, I probably wouldn’t be shocked if it turned out to be true. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215/920 "2012-04-18T20:44:52Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > I know about Colin being stupid, but he also pointed out the Jets and Broncos never play at the same time all season. I was wondering about the broken clock factor. Well yeah, because the Broncos generally play afternoon games… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215.md?page=45) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-nfl-pre-draft-discussion/612215.md?page=47)