NFL Conference Championship games thread

[phungi]

Trivia question: when was the last time both visiting teams won in the AFC and NFC Championship games? (No Googling)

[Gray_Ghost]

@straight_man

The announcers, like the NFL, tend to way downplay brain trauma, since it’s the thing that could kill the whole sport. It can get pretty ridiculous, though.

From this youtube clip, it looks like Ridley went down in a fencing position. Left arm extended, right arm curled. Not good. Not good at all.

He only has his own dumb ass to blame though, IMHO, with the way he dropped his head to put the hit on Pollard. What ever happened to, “See what you hit”?

[Intergalactic_Gladiator]

@Gray_Ghost

From this youtube clip, it looks like Ridley went down in a fencing position. Left arm extended, right arm curled. Not good. Not good at all.

He only has his own dumb ass to blame though, IMHO, with the way he dropped his head to put the hit on Pollard. What ever happened to, “See what you hit”?

Greg Easterbrook wrote about this in his column a week or so ago. He opined that an offensive player should be held accountable in head to head hits just like a tackling defender would be. It is against NFL rules to strike with the helmet or otherwise use is as a weapon and I find myself agreeing. Yeah Ridley did a good job of punishing himself with the hit, but imagine if the NFL fined him as well. I’d like to see it happen – maybe the NFL could announce that they will enforce this next year.

[Uncle_Jocko]

@I_Made_French_Toast_For_You

[wet blanket]

I’m a bit of a football novice, but didn’t he fumble the ball because he was momentarily knocked the fuck unconscious? And if he was, why is everyone being so blase about it?

[/wet blanket]

Go Ravens.

I, too, was surprised there wasn’t any mention how bad Ridley looked. He was obviously knocked cold, with some spasms in his extremities. I was glad to see him start to get back up - I thought he might be dead. And not a peep about it from Nantz.

And then that long-lasting scrum for the ball … since it was right next to where Ridley was lying with the training staff, at one point I started to fear that Ridley had gone into cardiac arrest or something and that’s what the big pile of humanity was about. It would have been nice for Nantz to be a bit more, well, descriptive.

@Intergalactic_Gladiator

Greg Easterbrook wrote about this in his column a week or so ago. He opined that an offensive player should be held accountable in head to head hits just like a tackling defender would be. It is against NFL rules to strike with the helmet or otherwise use is as a weapon and I find myself agreeing. Yeah Ridley did a good job of punishing himself with the hit, but imagine if the NFL fined him as well. I’d like to see it happen – maybe the NFL could announce that they will enforce this next year.

And I agree with this, too. Players have to be smart enough to not lower their heads and lead with the helmet. And if a running back happens to do it, yeah, they need to get flagged. That’s a much more valid foul than somebody’s hand grazing the quarterback’s facemask.

[Little_Nemo]

@Mince

I’m quite sure you’re aware they do.

Yes, I remember back twenty years ago when we considered it a bad season because we lost the Superbowl. But seventeen years of not winning a playoff game and thirteen years of not even making the playoffs has caused us to lower our standards. Nowadays, we’d be happy to lose a Superbowl.

[wedgehed]

@RyJae

The wedgie statue angered the football gods against Atlanta. So I agree

I’m an Atlanta fan, could you explain?

[Hal_Briston]

@wedgehed

I’m an Atlanta fan, could you explain?

Here ya go.

[wedgehed]

@Hal_Briston

Here ya go.

Thanks, I totally missed that. I really didn’t expect my Falcons to win, but, DAMN, it hurts to lose after being up 17-0.

Plus, I don’t see why some folks in this thread are down on Atlanta fans. You try being an Atlanta sports fan for a while & see how you like it.

:smack:

[Richard_E.Nixon]

@Omniscient

3 really bad calls I noticed in this game. The non-catch by Douglas. The missed defensive holding/PI on White and the bullshit roughing the passer call against the Falcons.

I don’t think the 4th down play was outside the rules. As to the roughing the passer call, the 49ers fumbled on that drive anyway. Besides, if Brady had been hit like that the NFL would have stopped the game.