# NFL Week 2 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 18, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653 "2009-09-18T23:25:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [September 21, 2009, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/61 "2009-09-21T03:54:24Z")
> [@HongKongFooey](#): > > I’m admittedly biased but the only dirty hit I noticed was Harrison’s late hit on Cutler which deserved a penalty and might get a fine but wasn’t all that bad. Carter’s hits on Olsen were clean. You are insane. Carter very clearly led with his helmet. And “wasn’t that bad”? That’s the exact same hit that ended Palmer and Brady’s seasons. Does it need to destroy a knee to be considered “that bad”? ---
**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:** [September 21, 2009, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/62 "2009-09-21T04:12:07Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Your prejudices are showing. I know you’re a big Chicago homer, and I know you resent when NFC East games get broadcast in primetime, but try and show a _little_ perspective. Of the four teams listed above, the one whose week 1 offense should get the adjective “inept” is…? > > The Bears looked downright pathetic last week; not even in the same league as either the Cowboys or Giants. Yet you think Steelers @ Bears is a bigger matchup than Giants @ Cowboys? In what universe? Pot…kettle, kettle…pot. The Steelers are the defending champs. The Bears made the most compelling change in the entire offseason. It’s do or die for the Bears in Cutler’s first home game. The Bears and Steelers rarely face each other. Both teams are looking to fill the loss of 2 of the NFLs most recognizable players. This is a compelling game nationally. It led just about every media discussion all week long. Fans from both the AFC and NFC North will be watching intently. The Giants and Cowboys game is more of the same. We’ve seen this game a thousand times and these two incarnations of the two teams are the least compelling in a while. The Giants have a bunch of no-names at WR and the Cowboys are without TO. By far the most talked about aspects of this game were the Cowboys new stadium and the number of punts which will strike the video screen. Even as a divisional game it’s meaning is meager due to it being only the second week of the year. This is only a locally interesting game. It’s a snoozefest for 75% of the country. The Jets-Pats tilt suffers from much of the same, though it’s better than the Giants-Dallas game because of all the media hype around the “trash talk” from the Jets and Co. and the uncertainty of a Brady return to the Meadowlands as well as the interest in seeing the touted rookie QB with a big week 1. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/63 "2009-09-21T04:12:30Z")
Tough night for Romo. Eli Manning’s wife is smoking. ---
**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:** [September 21, 2009, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/64 "2009-09-21T04:30:18Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > …Eli Manning’s wife is smoking. Cite? ---
**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:** [September 21, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/65 "2009-09-21T04:45:51Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Pot…kettle, kettle…pot. > > The Steelers are the defending champs. The Bears made the most compelling change in the entire offseason. It’s do or die for the Bears in Cutler’s first home game. The Bears and Steelers rarely face each other. Both teams are looking to fill the loss of 2 of the NFLs most recognizable players. This is a compelling game nationally. It led just about every media discussion all week long. Fans from both the AFC and NFC North will be watching intently. > > The Giants and Cowboys game is more of the same. We’ve seen this game a thousand times and these two incarnations of the two teams are the least compelling in a while. The Giants have a bunch of no-names at WR and the Cowboys are without TO. By far the most talked about aspects of this game were the Cowboys new stadium and the number of punts which will strike the video screen. Even as a divisional game it’s meaning is meager due to it being only the second week of the year. This is only a locally interesting game. It’s a snoozefest for 75% of the country. > > The Jets-Pats tilt suffers from much of the same, though it’s better than the Giants-Dallas game because of all the media hype around the “trash talk” from the Jets and Co. and the uncertainty of a Brady return to the Meadowlands as well as the interest in seeing the touted rookie QB with a big week 1. The Vikings could claim the most compelling offseason change, but the Bears are right up there. The rest of the country doesn’t share your resentment of the NFC East, and no doubt the ratings will be rock solid for NBC on tonight’s broadcast. It’s obviously not comparable to an afternoon matchup, but I bet it will draw higher numbers than last week’s Bears-Packers SNF game despite the offseason Cutler drama. I notice you glossed over my primary complaint, where you used “inept” to describe the week 1 offense of the Giants as opposed to the Bears. If the Giants were inept, the Bears were historically awful. EDIT: I just noticed this: “The Giants have a bunch of no-names at WR and the Cowboys are without TO.” Coming from a Bears fan? Really? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/66 "2009-09-21T04:53:04Z")
I’m wondering if commentators will FINALLY admit that the Patriots are not their old selves. That SHOULD have been obvious last week, when the Bills outclassed them nearly the whole way, before finally handing the game to the Pats with a ridiculous mistake. But the entire week, every commentator I heard said almost EXACTLY the same thing: “THAT’S what makes the Patriots so awesome. Even when they stink, they KNOW HOW TO WIN, and always FIND A WAY TO WIN.” Just ONE person saying, “Brady isn’t anywhere close to 100%, the defense sucked, the offensive line was weak, and the Pats were dang lucky not to lose” would have been refreshing. ---
**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:** [September 21, 2009, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/67 "2009-09-21T05:14:59Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > The Vikings could claim the most compelling offseason change, but the Bears are right up there. The rest of the country doesn’t share your resentment of the NFC East, and no doubt the ratings will be rock solid for NBC on tonight’s broadcast. It’s obviously not comparable to an afternoon matchup, but I bet it will draw higher numbers than last week’s Bears-Packers SNF game despite the offseason Cutler drama. Ratings aren’t an indicator. Ratings are why the entire country gets force fed the NFC East because those teams reside in most of the biggest media markets. I’m guessing tonight’s game will have a tidy rating, I never said the game sucked, but that’s going to be largely on the backs of the NYC and Dallas/Houston markets. You know any game with NYC and Texas teams is going to pull big numbers because they have a shit load of people. Defining a “big game” is not measured by ratings. If last weeks Bears-Packers game out rates the Giants-Cowboys game it would be a huge upset simply based on the relative numbers of TV sets in the respective markets. I define a big game as one that’s compelling to serious and casual football fans alike across the entire country. One who’s implications, story lines and water cooler discussions impact fans who don’t wear the teams involved’s colors. > [@](#): > > I notice you glossed over my primary complaint, where you used “inept” to describe the week 1 offense of the Giants as opposed to the Bears. If the Giants were inept, the Bears were historically awful. That’s not very important at this point of the season. It’s week 2, expectations rule. A team struggling terribly can be, and often is, more compelling than one running on all cylinders. Nobody said that big games are defined by the previous week’s performance. If it was then neither the Giants or Pats deserve to be considered. By that math the Saints-Eagles and Seahwaks-Niners games are the biggest. > [@](#): > > EDIT: I just noticed this: “The Giants have a bunch of no-names at WR and the Cowboys are without TO.” Coming from a Bears fan? Really? Who ever said that great WRs a big game make? Context please. I said that the Giants-Cowboys game was less compelling than the many that came before, notably last seasons games which featured Plax and TO dramas unfolding. Is there anyone in this thread who isn’t a Giants or Dallas fan who would have chosen the Sunday Night game over the Steelers-Bears game if they could only watch one of those games this week? Hell, I bet that many Eagles fans were more interested in seeing what the Steelers would do than seeing their divisional rivals play for the umpteenth time at this point in the season. ---
**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:** [September 21, 2009, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/68 "2009-09-21T06:27:18Z")
Yes, handwave away all concrete datapoints. > [@Omniscient](#): > > That’s not very important at this point of the season. I didn’t say it was important. I said your bias was showing because you described the Giants offense in week 1 as “inept” while glossing over the Bears offense, which was orders of magnitude worse. > [@](#): > > Who ever said that great WRs a big game make? Context please. I said that the Giants-Cowboys game was less compelling than the many that came before, notably last seasons games which featured Plax and TO dramas unfolding. I can hardly keep up with these moving goalposts. I was merely pointing out the hypocrisy of a Bears fan citing the lack of big name receivers as a reason the Giants-Cowboys game wasn’t as compelling a matchup as the Steelers-Bears. > [@](#): > > Is there anyone in this thread who isn’t a Giants or Dallas fan who would have chosen the Sunday Night game over the Steelers-Bears game if they could only watch one of those games this week? Before they started, you mean? I’m guessing most people, not just the ones in this thread. I would guess that if you removed the fans of the Steelers, Bears, Giants and Cowboys, most people would have rather watched the Giants-Cowboys since it projected to be a good game whereas Steelers-Bears looked to be a laugher. EDIT: After posting last time I remembered the Eagles, who also have a claim for most interesting offseason storyline. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/69 "2009-09-21T06:53:55Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Ah, what a wonderful day this has been. Would it be poor form to stop into the Steelers thread? No, why would it be? The Bears won a well-played game. As for the missed field goals that cost the Steelers the game, that happens sometimes. Ask Scott Norwood. > [@](#): > > Also, is there a dirtier team in the NFL than the Steelers right now? There should be at least 3 fines levied from the Bears game this week against them yet only 1 penalty called. The only “questionable” hit I saw the whole game was the roughing the passer penalty on Harrison, and truth be told I think that some of those penalties are absurd. I’ll accept that the quarterback needs some protection, but when a guy fights through a block, how is he supposed to stop on a dime? Oh, the quarterback doesn’t have the ball anymore, can’t touch him! Now, seriously, what other hits did you have an objection to? ---
**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:** [September 21, 2009, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/70 "2009-09-21T08:02:49Z")
I was hoping the Packers fans would do what the Browns fans failed to do and take Chad Johnson into the stands and hurt him. Your incident is less shameful, at least he jumped to Bengals fans. In our incident, he found some Browns fans who were more concerned about getting camera time than selling out to jump to. On the plus side, at least some of our guys filled up a big cup with piss and dumped it on him. He was unhappy. Still, he shouldn’t leave the stands in one piece. ---
**Author:** ![UncleNito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/7cd45c/32.png) [@UncleNito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleNito)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/71 "2009-09-21T12:15:13Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > I define a big game as one that’s compelling to serious and casual football fans alike across the entire country. One who’s implications, story lines and water cooler discussions impact fans who don’t wear the teams involved’s colors. > > [snip] > > Is there anyone in this thread who isn’t a Giants or Dallas fan who would have chosen the Sunday Night game over the Steelers-Bears game if they could only watch one of those games this week? Hell, I bet that many Eagles fans were more interested in seeing what the Steelers would do than seeing their divisional rivals play for the umpteenth time at this point in the season. Me, but I’m an NFC North fan. I can’t agree that an interconference game is bigger than a rivalry game in what is traditionally one of the strongest divisions in football. Same reason Packers-Bears is a bigger game than, say, Giants-Colts would be. I think most people would take NYG-DAL over CHI-PIT. Most fans are sophisticated enough to know that “story lines” don’t determine playoff spots. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/72 "2009-09-21T13:28:17Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > I was hoping the Packers fans would do what the Browns fans failed to do and take Chad Johnson into the stands and hurt him. Your incident is less shameful, at least he jumped to Bengals fans. In our incident, he found some Browns fans who were more concerned about getting camera time than selling out to jump to. > > On the plus side, at least some of our guys filled up a big cup with piss and dumped it on him. He was unhappy. Still, he shouldn’t leave the stands in one piece. LOL, want do you want the fans to do, shank him? He’s covered in protective gear. Worst they could do is tell him “fuck off”, dump beer on him or spit on him. Green Bay fans seemed much cooler with it than the Browns fans did, although I did notice the one guy on the left flipping Chad the bird, although he didn’t look too unhappy. And yes, Chad is an attention whore. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/73 "2009-09-21T13:42:08Z")
At the end of the Cowboys game somebody should have hacked into the mega-jumbo-tron and put Jessica Simpsons face up there laughing madly with flames behind her. ---
**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:** [September 21, 2009, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/74 "2009-09-21T13:50:52Z")
I was in the car for 8 hours yesterday, so not only did I miss the Packers game, the radio stations I got rarely gave any analysis or information on the game. Maybe that was a blessing though. Here is what I said in a thread earlier: “The Packers announced their cuts, and cut my guy Jamon Meredith. After trading Tony Moll their backup LT, they now have one true LT on the roster, Chad Clifton. I’m scared if he goes down.” I’m now officially scared. Not that Clifton was doing an outstanding job, but Colledge couldn’t get the job done in the least. First, RT, now LT are question marks. That’s not good. Not that I’m panicking, but this is the second year in a row the O Line has been a major question mark. They’ll have to get something figured out soon. ---
**Author:** ![UncleNito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/7cd45c/32.png) [@UncleNito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleNito)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/75 "2009-09-21T13:52:06Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > And yes, Chad is an attention whore. Which is why what the Packer fans did was worse for Mr. Johnson than what the Browns fans did. By flipping the bird and yelling F bombs into the camera, they guaranteed that the footage would never be shown. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/76 "2009-09-21T14:11:44Z")
> [@UncleNito](#): > > Which is why what the Packer fans did was worse for Mr. Johnson than what the Browns fans did. By flipping the bird and yelling F bombs into the camera, they guaranteed that the footage would never be shown. I’ve seen it reaired three times now – the finger-flip was blurred, but it’s being reaired (just not during _Football Night In America_). ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/77 "2009-09-21T14:27:39Z")
I saw it on Sportscenter. they pixilated the finger but they showed it. The guy flipping the bird just makes himself look bad, not Ocho. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/78 "2009-09-21T15:24:31Z")
Meh. I thought the whole spectacle was pretty lame. The wall there in Green Bay appears to be quite a bit higher than the one in the Dawg Pound was. How funny would it have been if there _weren’t_ any Bengals fans in that bottom row and Cheeseheads simply let OchoTaco fall after he tried to leap up there? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/79 "2009-09-21T15:39:29Z")
Why would he have fallen? ---
**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:** [September 21, 2009, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653/80 "2009-09-21T15:49:29Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I’m wondering if commentators will FINALLY admit that the Patriots are not their old selves. > > That SHOULD have been obvious last week, when the Bills outclassed them nearly the whole way, before finally handing the game to the Pats with a ridiculous mistake. But the entire week, every commentator I heard said almost EXACTLY the same thing: “THAT’S what makes the Patriots so awesome. Even when they stink, they KNOW HOW TO WIN, and always FIND A WAY TO WIN.” > > Just ONE person saying, “Brady isn’t anywhere close to 100%, the defense sucked, the offensive line was weak, and the Pats were dang lucky not to lose” would have been refreshing. Well, I am not a commentator, but I am a Patriot fan, and I will say it. Brady looked off the entire game yesterday, missing passes left and right that he would normally hit with his eyes closed. During this entire week of trash talk from the Jets about how they were going to pressure him and come at him, etc., I was thinking “Bring it on, dipsticks!” I mean, standing in the pocket under pressure and methodically picking defenses apart is Brady’s _forte_! But his accuracy was shit, so even through he was often throwing it to the right receiver, it was high or behind or whatnot. Don’t even get me started on the redzone offense. As for the defense, I was feeling great after the first half. They looked rock solid against both the pass and the run. And then…what? I have no idea. Suddenly it was like a different team out there - couldn’t stop a rookie QB and a career 3rd-down back! Painful. There was almost no pressure on Sanchez whatsover, and receivers were wide open. I could have hit some of those passes! Seymour’s absence was felt big time in that second half. All in all, an embarrassing loss for the Pats. There’s no other word for it: embarrassing. :mad: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-2/510653.md?page=5)