# NFL Week 8 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 30, 2009, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679 "2009-10-30T00:57:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**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:** [November 2, 2009, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/101 "2009-11-02T04:15:17Z")
Well, [the Yankees’ ALCS win last Sunday decisively beat Giants-Cardinals](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/26/yankees-beat-giants-sunda_n_334436.html). I would guess that a top-flight game that didn’t have a New York team in it- say, Pack/Vikings, Cowboys/Eagles or Colts/Pats- would have been a different story. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/102 "2009-11-02T05:33:39Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Why in the hell do I only get 2 games to watch today, one at Noon and one at 3? That combined with the no night game means I hardly get any fucking footabll today. What is the love of fucking Christ is this? I so feel your pain. BUT…Red Zone is my friend. The BF got it for us last weekend, and I was skeptical, but 6 hours of whip-around coverage makes me almost (ALMOST) sated with football. > [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > Sometimes I hate fantasy football. I should be thrilled that the Panthers whupped the Cardinals and got 6 (!) turnovers from Kurt Warner. But Warner’s my FF QB (and I was playing Boldin too, who left early with an injury) and it caused me much couch confusion. That really must have been tough. Me? I have no such confusion, as I do not play (or get) fantasy football, so my glee and joy could be heard throughout the neighborhood. Poetic justice for last year’s playoff game - which, if I remember correctly, started Delhomme’s interception/collapse/epic fail issues. I noticed that the Panthers ran the ball a metric fuck-ton today, so Fox has obviously decided that the way to deal with Delhomme’s interception issues is to never, ever have the ball touch free air. ---
**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:** [November 2, 2009, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/103 "2009-11-02T06:20:17Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Well, [the Yankees’ ALCS win last Sunday decisively beat Giants-Cardinals](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/26/yankees-beat-giants-sunda_n_334436.html). > > I would guess that a top-flight game that didn’t have a New York team in it- say, Pack/Vikings, Cowboys/Eagles or Colts/Pats- would have been a different story. [This article](http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2009/10/ny_yankees_win_in_game_6_beats.html) looks at it a little more broadly. Nationally… > [@](#): > > In the overnight metered-market ratings, the Yankees’ 5-2 win for the ALCS title did an 11.4 rating in an 18 share, according to a Fox representative. The Giants’ 24-17 loss to the Cardinals did a 10.4 rating in a 16 share, according to NBC. Pretty close race between the two, Baseball being helped by the big NYC market tilting even more heavily towards the Yankees. Perhaps it’s safe to say that NYC is a Yankees town first and a Giants town second, not a big shock I suppose. However, in the previous week… > [@](#): > > SNF had done better than playoff baseball last Sunday, when the Falcons-Bears game drew 18.2 million viewers compared to 5 million for Game 3 of the NLCS, and even had a higher rating in the Los Angeles market, according to a USA Today story. But this week’s baseball game was of a much bigger magnitude, with the Yankees securing a World Series bid. The NFL absolutely pummeled playoff baseball the week before, with LA tilting even farther in favor of football even though the Dodgers were involved. So, it seems that there’s a pretty big difference between a decisive MLB playoff game and a non-decisive game. I think if the NFL had rolled out a Giants-Eagles, Pack-Vikings or maybe even the Baltimore-Denver games as their SNF game they’d have probably at least been neck and neck nationally with baseball, and I bet Favre Bowl II would have absolutely slaughtered it. ---
**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:** [November 2, 2009, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/104 "2009-11-02T06:24:57Z")
The Cards just got a quick reminder of how quickly things can go bad with Warner. When he is on top of his game, he is HoF material. When it slips even a little he can turn it over like no one else. ---
**Author:** ![UncleNito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/7cd45c/32.png) [@UncleNito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleNito)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/105 "2009-11-02T12:58:36Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > I’m getting awfully sick of seeing the Colts try the quick-sub without letting the defense change their guys out. They get warned for it every week - the NFL ought to just start flagging them the first time. QFT. I especially hate the way Peyton Manning pouts when the refs blow the play dead because the Colts tried to cheat. It was nice when the refs explained yesterday that the 49ers would not be charged with the timeout they called, because the Colts did not give them adequate time to substitute. ---
**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:** [November 2, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/106 "2009-11-02T14:15:38Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > I noticed that the Panthers ran the ball a metric fuck-ton today, so Fox has obviously decided that the way to deal with Delhomme’s interception issues is to never, ever have the ball touch free air. The only question is why it took John Fox until Week 5 to figure this out when his #1 back was the league’s best all-around rusher last season and his backup posted ~900 yards. ---
**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:** [November 2, 2009, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/107 "2009-11-02T14:20:11Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > The only question is why it took John Fox until Week 5 to figure this out when his #1 back was the league’s best all-around rusher last season and his backup posted ~900 yards. Made even odder by the fact that Fox is a run-first, ball-control, field-position coach. ---
**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:** [November 2, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/108 "2009-11-02T14:23:15Z")
Yes. I’m wondering if he’s been trying to placate Steve Smith, T.O.-style, but I bet Smith would be happier with being targeted twice and winning the game than being targeted 10 times and losing. Apart from anything else, there is just no credible receiving threat aside from him on the team, so the only possible way to get him single coverage is to establish the run. ---
**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:** [November 2, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/109 "2009-11-02T21:22:25Z")
Of course, considering Smith’s 17-yard run in the game they could placate him by working him into the run game. 🙂 ---
**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:** [November 2, 2009, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/110 "2009-11-02T22:15:39Z")
Gah I can’t stand the gigantic amount of ESPN’s self-pimpage over the monday night games. I tune into sports center because I want to see some highlights and instead I have to sit through 20 minutes of staring at the empty stadium where the monday night game will be played hearing again for the 40th time the injury status of some player. Then we get a few minutes of highlights and it’s back to talking about how this particular Monday Night Football game WILL BE THE GREATEST CONTEST HUMANITY HAS EVER WITNESSED. ---
**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:** [November 2, 2009, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/111 "2009-11-02T23:21:40Z")
I got around to watching the 49ers/Colts game. It was nice to see the defense knock Peyton off his game so much, but it was heartbreaking to see the 49ers have the big dog on the ropes and unable to finish them off. ---
**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:** [November 2, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/112 "2009-11-02T23:35:56Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > Sometimes I hate fantasy football. I should be thrilled that the Panthers whupped the Cardinals and got 6 (!) turnovers from Kurt Warner. But Warner’s my FF QB (and I was playing Boldin too, who left early with an injury) and it caused me much couch confusion. > > Big win for the Panthers though, who finally got back to their strength, letting Williams and Stewart carry them. Jake didn’t do much, but it was what he _didn’t_ do that counted most: turn the ball over. Dump/trade Boldin. I’d assume have a guy like Mike Wallace. ---
**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:** [November 2, 2009, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/113 "2009-11-02T23:38:06Z")
What, are you nuts? Boldin scored 11 times in half a season last year. No reason he can’t do it again when he’s healthy, especially considering that Fitzgerald is now considered the Cards’ de facto #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:** [November 3, 2009, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/114 "2009-11-03T03:07:20Z")
Why exactly did San Diego let go of Drew Brees? Were they really that enamored of Philip Rivers? ---
**Author:** ![Ring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Ring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ring)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/115 "2009-11-03T04:01:29Z")
New Orleans second kickoff was from the 15 yard line, what happened? As I was walking into the room I heard something or other about a thrown bottle, did it hit someone or what? ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/116 "2009-11-03T04:44:40Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Yes. I’m wondering if he’s been trying to placate Steve Smith, T.O.-style, but I bet Smith would be happier with being targeted twice and winning the game than being targeted 10 times and losing. > > Apart from anything else, there is just no credible receiving threat aside from him on the team, so the only possible way to get him single coverage is to establish the run. Is it possible he’s trying to give Delhomme time to get his confidence back? Otherwise, I have no explanation for why Delhomme hasn’t been benched already. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/117 "2009-11-03T04:52:22Z")
> [@Ring](#): > > New Orleans second kickoff was from the 15 yard line, what happened? As I was walking into the room I heard something or other about a thrown bottle, did it hit someone or what? No, the Saints were penalized for a group celebration after the score. ---
**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:** [November 3, 2009, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/118 "2009-11-03T05:03:13Z")
How did the Saints get this good all of a sudden? What’s changed from last year? Brees is looking like Peyton Manning. Has his O-line personel changed or something? This was the first time I’ve actually watched them play this year. They’re ridiculously efficient in their passing game. As a Vikings fan, I can see NO is going to be the team to fear in the post season. ---
**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:** [November 3, 2009, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/119 "2009-11-03T05:05:08Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Why exactly did San Diego let go of Drew Brees? Were they really that enamored of Philip Rivers? Brees had a nasty torn rotator cuff injury. Some people thought he wouldn’t even recover from it, which is why there wasn’t a ton of interest in him in FA. He’d also only had one good year and that point and a few mediocre to bad ones. > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > How did the Saints get this good all of a sudden? What’s changed from last year? Brees is looking like Peyton Manning. Has his O-line personel changed or something? This was the first time I’ve actually watched them play this year. They’re ridiculously efficient in their passing game. > > As a Vikings fan, I can see NO is going to be the team to fear in the post season. Brees has been good for years now, what’s changed is the NO defense is playing way better this year. Last year Brees was a few yards from setting the all time passing yardage record. ---
**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:** [November 3, 2009, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679/120 "2009-11-03T05:16:08Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Why exactly did San Diego let go of Drew Brees? Were they really that enamored of Philip Rivers? Can’t blame the Chargers on this one. Brees was very good, not great, in San Diego. Philip Rivers is probably better than what Brees was then, it’s not like they downgraded and you can’t necessarily give Brees all the credit for what’s happening in New Orleans since the move. Safe to say it worked out pretty good for both of them. > [@Kolga](#): > > Is it possible he’s trying to give Delhomme time to get his confidence back? Otherwise, I have no explanation for why Delhomme hasn’t been benched already. The explanation is that the other options are equally shitty. Matt Moore? AJ Feely? Now, if you think the team is dead in the water you go with Moore just to see what’s there, but if they are done already so is Fox at the end of the year and he doesn’t want to admit that. > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > How did the Saints get this good all of a sudden? What’s changed from last year? Brees is looking like Peyton Manning. Has his O-line personel changed or something? This was the first time I’ve actually watched them play this year. They’re ridiculously efficient in their passing game. > > As a Vikings fan, I can see NO is going to be the team to fear in the post season. Their defense is what changed. The offense was this good last year when Colston was at a 100%. The defense improved a shit load. David Thomas should be tarred and feathered. He is partly responsible for the injury to the Center (which gave Atlanta another TO) and then he follows that up by botching the onside kick. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-8/515679.md?page=7)