# NFL Week 4 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 29, 2019, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006 "2019-09-29T17:38:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/21 "2019-09-30T01:30:59Z")
As a Texans fan, watching Bill O’Brien coach the Texans, and knowing he has 3 more years left on his contract, is like being trapped in a loveless marriage. Both people are trying to run the clock out until the kids graduate high school, both are wondering where it went wrong, and both have no idea how to fix it, except to endure until its more acceptable that they be apart. Or you could say what I read today about O’Brien’s coaching: Watching O’Brien coach is like watching a wounded animal die. At least we’ve the Astros and, soon, Rockets basketball. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/22 "2019-09-30T01:46:59Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > I don’t like Burfict, but isn’t the Indy player trying to get up there, and keep advancing the ball? It doesn’t look like the Indy player is trying to give himself up there. Perhaps Burfict should have hit him with his shoulder instead, or the Indy player should have stayed on the ground? > > 20 years ago, that was a fine play. Yes, hitting with your shoulder is _usually_ preferred over making a full-speed headshot with your helmet against theirs. That’s kind of the point. When it’s coming from the dirtiest player in the NFL who has made a habit of such plays through his career he loses the benefit of the doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/23 "2019-09-30T01:48:21Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > As a Texans fan, watching Bill O’Brien coach the Texans, and knowing he has 3 more years left on his contract, is like being trapped in a loveless marriage. Both people are trying to run the clock out until the kids graduate high school, both are wondering where it went wrong, and both have no idea how to fix it, except to endure until its more acceptable that they be apart. > > Or you could say what I read today about O’Brien’s coaching: Watching O’Brien coach is like watching a wounded animal die. > > At least we’ve the Astros and, soon, Rockets basketball. What stinks is that Watson is an incredible quarterback wasted on that team. ☹ And regularly getting the crap beat out of him in the process. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/24 "2019-09-30T02:12:23Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Yes, hitting with your shoulder is _usually_ preferred over making a full-speed headshot with your helmet against theirs. That’s kind of the point. > > When it’s coming from the dirtiest player in the NFL who has made a habit of such plays through his career he loses the benefit of the doubt. Agreed, he’s a first class shitbag on the field. He gets no benefit of the doubt. Just making an observation based on what it looked like the Indy player was trying to do. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/25 "2019-09-30T02:20:18Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > What stinks is that Watson is an incredible quarterback wasted on that team. ☹ > > And regularly getting the crap beat out of him in the process. He should be incredible. David Carr was pretty good in college too. Different coaching staff here, and situation, but Texans fans have heard this song before. I feel for Watson, and wonder what he could do with, say, Sean Payton coaching him. He won’t make it through 16 games. 12 sacks before today, six more today. That’s 72 for the year, says ‘On-Pace Guy.’ I don’t care if most are his fault: fucking set up an offense where 90 percent of the time, he can make two reads and dump it. Let him freelance the other 10 percent of the time. The stupid bastards won’t do it. For awhile, Houston was getting over 5 per rush from the RBs. Did they reinforce success, give their QB a respite from the beating? Nope. They coach about as well as they do the General Manager job. Just infuriating to watch as a fan. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/26 "2019-09-30T02:44:35Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > Agreed, he’s a first class shitbag on the field. He gets no benefit of the doubt. Just making an observation based on what it looked like the Indy player was trying to do. A tackle in that situation was absolutely warranted. With his knee still down he’d be “tackled” with literally a touch. It wasn’t a late hit, just a really bad one. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/27 "2019-09-30T03:13:29Z")
I am so sick of relay in the NFL. We will be having 5 hour NFL games within 5 years. We’d better review if the kicker washed his hands in the locker room bathroom at halftime. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/28 "2019-09-30T03:27:02Z")
Saints win a bruising defensive struggle! 2-0 without Brees (not counting the game he was knocked out of), both wins against good teams (SEA and DAL). ---
**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 30, 2019, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/29 "2019-09-30T03:34:47Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > … > > 20 years ago, that was a fine play. 20 years ago, traumatic brain injuries were just weak players getting their bell rung. ---
**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 30, 2019, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/30 "2019-09-30T03:57:19Z")
Random footnate, but TJ Hockenson suffered what looked like a pretty severe concussion as a result of trying to hurdle a defender. Wouldn’t be shocked to see that next up on the list of illegal plays next season. Mostly I think it just makes these runners look like idiots. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/31 "2019-09-30T04:25:13Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Saints win a bruising defensive struggle! 2-0 without Brees (not counting the game he was knocked out of), both wins against good teams (SEA and DAL). They’re a tough team overcoming massive difficulties. The kind of team that wins championships. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/32 "2019-09-30T04:31:29Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Random footnate, but TJ Hockenson suffered what looked like a pretty severe concussion as a result of trying to hurdle a defender. Wouldn’t be shocked to see that next up on the list of illegal plays next season. Mostly I think it just makes these runners look like idiots. The first time Hockenson did that move today, I told my son that that looked like a real good way to blow out your knee. The second time he did it, he ended up concussed. So I may have gotten the injury wrong, but it’s definitely a pathway to getting hurt. Plus, both times he did it, he just looked like a damn fool. His timing was way off and he didn’t get anywhere near the height needed to clear another human being. I don’t know if they need to add it to the list of illegal plays, but coaches should tell their players to stop trying so hard to make the highlight reel. ---
**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 30, 2019, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/33 "2019-09-30T04:37:42Z")
So after the Browns started the season looking sloppy, undisciplined, and badly schemed, and the ratbirds were crushing cupcake teams, it seemed obvious that the rats (given pittsburgh and cinci are probably not going anywhere this year) would win the division. But the Browns’ problems seemed to be the sort of shit you could mostly correct just by getting their shit together, and it looks like the ratbirds might’ve looked good because they played bad teams, so the Browns going to crackmore and winning convincingly is a pretty big deal for the division. I was pretty sure the Browns were going to lose this week, so I’m pleasant surprised that it looks like we might deserve to be favorites to win the division. It’s too bad all the Cinci/Pittsburgh games come later in the year. Almost always when those teams are good the Browns have to play them early on, and now that you’d expect them to beat them, they gotta play a murderer’s row of games before they get any easy teams to beat. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/34 "2019-09-30T04:45:34Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > The first time Hockenson did that move today, I told my son that that looked like a real good way to blow out your knee. The second time he did it, he ended up concussed. So I may have gotten the injury wrong, but it’s definitely a pathway to getting hurt. Plus, both times he did it, he just looked like a damn fool. His timing was way off and he didn’t get anywhere near the height needed to clear another human being. > > I don’t know if they need to add it to the list of illegal plays, but coaches should tell their players to stop trying so hard to make the highlight reel. Chris Carson (Seahawks RB) has been vaulting defenders successfully for years. It works well if you are talented enough to pull it off. ---
**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 30, 2019, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/35 "2019-09-30T09:14:43Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Random footnate, but TJ Hockenson suffered what looked like a pretty severe concussion as a result of trying to hurdle a defender. Wouldn’t be shocked to see that next up on the list of illegal plays next season. Mostly I think it just makes these runners look like idiots. It’s explicitly illegal in high school ball. Way, way too easy to hurt yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/36 "2019-09-30T14:02:54Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > It’s explicitly illegal in high school ball. Way, way too easy to hurt yourself. And it only works when the tackler is trying to go low. Which they weren’t. Either time. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/37 "2019-09-30T16:14:37Z")
The NFL disagrees with me on Burfict, and agrees with Atamasama. [Burfict suspended for the rest of the year.](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27735755/oakland-raiders-vontaze-burfict-suspended-rest-season) I guess they figured a shorter suspension wouldn’t have the required deterrent effect. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/38 "2019-09-30T16:39:25Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > The NFL disagrees with me on Burfict, and agrees with Atamasama. I’m secretly Tom Brady, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/39 "2019-09-30T16:49:07Z")
Congratulations on being the GOAT NFL QB. I’m certainly not going to cry for Burfict. Evidently NFL VP for football operations Jon Runyan, who’d played the game a little in his time, got tired of suspending the guy over and over, and it not sinking in: > [@](#): > > …Following each of your previous rule violations, you were warned by me and each of the jointly-appointed officers that future violations would result in escalated accountability measures. However, you have continued to flagrantly abuse rules designated to protect yourself and your opponents from unnecessary risk. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006/40 "2019-09-30T16:51:45Z")
And once again, I know nothing about football. Somehow, my Saints pulled off a 12-10 win over the Cowboys. Defense is really playing well. Bridgewater–not so much. He holds the ball too long, and can’t seem to pull the trigger on anything longer than about 15 years. I guess he’s doing a good job of avoiding mistakes…but playing not to lose and playing to win are two different things… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-4/841006.md?page=3)