NFL Week 10

The Game Room
21

The Buccaneers-Panthers game will be closer than everyone expects.

NFL experience-years of the Bucs’ offensive starters, not including this season: 0, 4, 2, 7*, 4, 4*, 6, 1, 1, 5*, 6*.

Those asterisks are for Earnest Graham, Jeff Faine and Jeremy Trueblood, who are injured and will have rookies starting for them; and Cadillac Williams, who will get the start, but probably will see fewer snaps than LeGarrette Blount ®.

On defense: 1, R, 1, 3, 3, 5, 2, 2, 13, 5, R.

There are four- four- players starting on defense who have been NFL starters before this season. The defensive starters have 388 career starts between them. That might sound like a lot, but 192 of them (ie., just short of half) belong to Ronde Barber*, and Barrett Ruud and Sean Jones account for another 121 between them. The other eight average 9.375 career starts.

If the Bucs aren’t the youngest team in the NFL, they’re damn close. Teams this young are exactly the sort that go to 1-8 Carolina and find themselves down a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

  • I just noticed that Barber will probably notch his 200th consecutive start in Week 17 of this season. By way of comparison, that’s just eight fewer games than Peyton Manning has started.

Smith, Carter or Klingler were all drafted before the Marvin Lewis era. They’ve been decent at finding talent in the draft since then.

I don’t understand the Bengals at all. They’ve known since preseason that their offense only works when they run the no-huddle - but they won’t run the no-huddle unless they absolutely have to. What gives?

22

What do you mean it doesn’t matter? If they go 8-0 the rest of the way they will be 10-6, which means that they would have split with the Steelers and Browns and would have aced the Ravens. They would get a wild card with that record.

The Bengals won a lot of close games last season…they are losing the very same games this season. All of their losses have been by 8 points or less except for the Patriots in week one. They (stunningly, in my opinion) didn’t return the same nasty, gritty defense from last season. Their playcalling on offense has been awful. The run game from last season is gone because they won’t stick with it. Benson has been running hard, but they use him stupidly. “1st and ten, Benson for 5 yards, 2nd and 5, Benson for 4 yards” So now its third and one. Benson leaves the field, the offense comes out in a shotgun formation with an empty backfield and four wideouts. Pass incomplete. Punt.

This little scenario has played itself out so many times this season its disgusting. Its like Bob Bratkowski our o-coordinator forgot basic football. He always wants to get too cute for his own good.

And Marvin Lewis is a lame duck coach, he will be gone after this season and I don’t blame him. Mike Brown is the worst owner/GM combination in the NFL, and that includes Al Davis. Heck, at least Crazy Al has won a Super Bowl a couple times.

23

What ever happened to Tiki Barber as a broadcaster? I was looking forward to him being the former player on the broadcast team of one of the network crews - he’s one of the rare former players that has charisma and isn’t a retard. Yet he doesn’t seem to have a broadcasting job anywhere. I wonder why.

24

He’s going through a somewhat acrimonious divorce, and it turns out he was banging an intern at NBC (which may have contributed to his contract not being picked up). I think he’s currently recording sideline commentary for the next Madden game.

25

He was apparently canned by NBC for the whole dumping his pregnant wife for a 23 year old blond thing.

He’s now an analyst for Yahoo Sports. I think he’s at his best when he’s disparaging Tom Coughlin. That seems to signal to the Giants that it’s time to buckle down and start playing hard.

26

Addendum to my Bucs post above: they drafted three players in the 7th round this year, and all three will start today.

27

Big game in Chicago today. One of these teams are looking at the beginning of the end. If the Bears get the win I’ll be surprised if Childress hangs onto his job for even another week. If the Vikings continue their resurgence and the Bears continue their slide, proving all the pundits right, then Lovie can get a head start on packing up his desk because he’s gone at the end of the season. Both teams have a lot of divisional games remaining in the second half and whoever peaks now will have a good chance at winning the division.

Speaking of the pundits, I find this universal dismissal of the Bears is a bit bizarre. Granted they’ve been playing poorly lately and they have issues on offense but the defense is still excellent and they have weapons on offense. Cutler is inconsistent as usual but that necessarily implies that there are highs and lows, and those highs mean the Bears will keep winning some games.

I like my guys at home this week. The defense will be up and the Viking offensive line might actually be playing worse than the Bears line right now. Favre is going to be on the run and it’s chilly and windy in Soldier Field which will cause issues. Not sure what the status of Harvin is going to be but if he’s limited at all that’s a big loss for the Viking offense. Peterson scares me as usual but the Bears last few games have kept him in check. Cutler should handle the weather better and if they stick with the ground game for another week Forta could be a impact player.

No result would surprise me though, a blowout either way, overtime, sloppy game, sharp game lots of passing, rushing, 6-3 final…literally everything is in play.

28

Loved the onside attempt.

They’re going to try to kill Edwards.

29

Hey, look, it’s Matt Schaub!

30

I’m rooting for the Bears but I don’t really feel good about their chances today.

31

Bears game is off to a rough start. Like the offensive play calling and Cutler has been sharp, but the WRs are really letting him down. Defense is getting pounded a bit and Peppers isn’t doing shit. Lots of help from the refs too. Favre and Chilly seems dedicated to the run which is bad for the Bears. Hopefully Favre will do what he’s done all year and start audibling to the pass as the game goes on giving the pass rush opportunities. The Bears have been lucky to force a pair of FGs thus far.

32

First time I’ve seen holding called on the QB there.

Peyton Hillis is a superhero.

33

Browns’ blocking has been excellent.

34

Why did the Vikings take Adrian Peterson off the field on that last series? WTF?

35

LeGarrette Blount is a beast.

ETA: Stop giving the ball to Javarris James, you assholes!

36

That was a highlight play right there.

37

So Chad “Brittle” Pennington lasted all of one play today.

38

And he missed the second one after an intentional grounding. Could be just the reversal we needed. With the way Hester and Knox have started they ought to give Aromashodu an opportunity finally.

39

Too bad I can only watch it via grainy web video. Game’s blacked out here, like every other Bucs home game this season. :frowning:

40

I have no idea who TJ Ward thought he was covering.