# NFL Week 9 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 6, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073 "2011-11-06T17:23:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**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 8, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/141 "2011-11-08T21:31:23Z")
I think if you matched it up against the AFC North, team for team, the only team that wins that battle is Green Bay. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/142 "2011-11-08T23:17:54Z")
> [@furt](#): > > How in Og’s name is that on Maclin? It was a bad pass that he had to leap to get; the only chance that throw had was if he was hit dead in stride. > > Overreact one way, then overreact the other, eh? > > Sun, Nov 13 Arizona > Sun, Nov 20 at NY Giants > Sun, Nov 27 New England > Thu, Dec 1 at Seattle > Sun, Dec 11 at Miami > > 4-1 against that slate gets them to 7-6 going into the stretch. They’re not out of it yet. 4-1 is pretty ambitious. I see two likely losses though I’ll acknowledge 3 games they should win. But New England and at Giants should be losses. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/143 "2011-11-08T23:21:43Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Why is it that no one is on bye this week, but 4 teams are next week? > > Incidentally, the Browns have the Rams and Jags over the next two weeks. They could conceivably become the shittiest 5-5 team in history. The screwy bye week schedules are a result of potential lockout scheduling. This week would have been the latest the NFL could have started and had enough games to get in enough of a season. ---
**Author:** ![Jules\_Andre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jules_andre/32/9334_2.png) [@Jules\_Andre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jules_Andre)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/144 "2011-11-09T00:08:02Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I don’t see how it’s Maclin’s fault. The pass was awful and he had to stretch out to get it. If the ball had been better placed he wouldn’t have lost his balance. It wasn’t Maclin’s **fault** (God, it just never ends around here) so much as an observation that for the third time this season, Maclin essentially had a game end in his hands. He dropped an easy pass in one. Fumbled in another. And while he made a great catch, he was tripped by a turf monster and fell a yard short without anyone touching him. You’ll notice I don’t say he cost them the game, just that he blew the final play. It follows naturally with the second part of that quote (which was the important part all along). The Eagles keep doing the exact same things over and over again. It’s honestly comical at this point. Five losses, five blown 4th quarter leads. Three times Maclin had a hand in ending the Eagles’ final drive. Five games with a red zone turnover, all five losses. I’ve never seen anything like it. > [@](#): > > The two-deep-safeties look (whether or not it’s a pure Tampa 2) has always given Vick trouble. Except the week before where he shredded it and made the entire country think the team was back. I think it’s Chicago specifically, because of their scheme and because their LBs are so good. ---
**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 9, 2011, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/145 "2011-11-09T00:37:11Z")
It sure sounded like you were blaming Maclin for the final play. The Cowboys weren’t playing with two deep safeties. ---
**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 9, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/146 "2011-11-09T01:41:00Z")
[This video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRBDMMVctu8) does a decent job of covering what it’s like to be a Browns fan. I don’t know how much longer Browns fandom is going to hold out by the way. There’s no city that has ever given so much to its sports teams and gotten so little back. Now I know a lot of you will say “I’m a fan of \_\_\_\_ bad team, and I’m very dedicated!” and I don’t doubt you. But I think you have to go through the Cleveland Sports Fan Experience to really get a grasp on how crazy it is. We have more wild, devoted support after the third straight 5-11 season in totally garbage meaningful games than some teams do during playoff runs. But I don’t know if it’ll hold up for much longer. I was that home opener in 2004 and then again this year, and the vibe was totally different, even though the home opener should be the purest form of excitement with no ball-kicking dissapointments yet. It wasn’t bad and probably still well above average, but it wasn’t nuts. It’s weird - the team started 3 and 2 and that’s better than any start in quite a while, but it was so obviously the team was bad and lucky to have such an easy schedule so even during that start everyone was depressed. Myself I kept thinking to myself “man, I wish we could go back to the level of play of the 5-11 2010 team”. That’s some awesome nostalgia there. ---
**Author:** ![Jules\_Andre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jules_andre/32/9334_2.png) [@Jules\_Andre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jules_Andre)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/147 "2011-11-09T01:42:53Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > It sure sounded like you were blaming Maclin for the final play. > > The Cowboys weren’t playing with two deep safeties. You know, I’ve watched that play a dozen times now, and I take back what I said. It was Maclin’s fault. The pass was a little high, but it wasn’t behind him, and he didn’t even break stride to catch it so it wasn’t like he had to really jump or dive. He lost his fucking feet and blew the play. He gets the first if he doesn’t slip, and he slipped. And yes, the Cowboys played predominantly in a two (very, very) deep look. Vick even commented on it after the game, saying their safeties were playing “500 yards back” to stop the big play. The difference between the Cowboys and the Bears is that the Cowboys don’t have the linebackers to cover the deep middle. Chicago was able to stick seven or eight in the box on every play and their LBs are still good enough to get the deep middle. ---
**Author:** ![Jules\_Andre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jules_andre/32/9334_2.png) [@Jules\_Andre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jules_Andre)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/148 "2011-11-09T01:48:04Z")
> [@furt](#): > > Overreact one way, then overreact the other, eh? > > Sun, Nov 13 Arizona > Sun, Nov 20 at NY Giants > Sun, Nov 27 New England > Thu, Dec 1 at Seattle > Sun, Dec 11 at Miami > > 4-1 against that slate gets them to 7-6 going into the stretch. They’re not out of it yet. Mathematically, no, the Eagles aren’t done.[ESPN](http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7207129/cincinnati-bengals-make-playoffs-espn-insider-nfl-playoffs-predictor) (Insider) says they have a 15.8% chance of making the playoffs. [FO](http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/playoffodds) says 9.1%. But I think they’re essentially done. I don’t think 9-7 wins the NFC East for the Eagles (the tie breakers don’t look good). That means 10-6 minimum, which then means 7-1 for the Eagles in the last eight. I wouldn’t take 1000:1 odds on that. And it’s even worse for the wild card, where even 10-6 won’t really help. ---
**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 9, 2011, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/149 "2011-11-09T05:32:19Z")
Pats cut Albert Haynesworth. Buccaneers put Gerald McCoy on IR. I am very excited about the possibility of getting Haynesworth; he really belongs at the three-technique. ---
**Author:** ![Jules\_Andre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jules_andre/32/9334_2.png) [@Jules\_Andre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jules_Andre)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/150 "2011-11-09T07:38:25Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Pats cut Albert Haynesworth. Buccaneers put Gerald McCoy on IR. I am very excited about the possibility of getting Haynesworth; he really belongs at the three-technique. [Didn’t they already sign McCoy’s replacement?](http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7209238/tampa-bay-buccaneers-sign-john-mccargo-losing-gerald-mccoy-season) When it comes to Al, the Eagles and D-Line coach Jim Washburn are rumored to be interested. They were constantly mentioned together in the offseason, too. I don’t know if he’s worth it at this point. Did he do anything at all in New England? ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/151 "2011-11-09T07:47:18Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Damn Gruden lays it on thick. All I could think through the whole show is, he must get paid by the word. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2011, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/152 "2011-11-09T12:31:36Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Pats cut Albert Haynesworth. Buccaneers put Gerald McCoy on IR. I am very excited about the possibility of getting Haynesworth; he really belongs at the three-technique. The problem isn’t the defensive scheme, it’s him. He’s a fat, lazy, often injured bastard who only worked hard to get paid and is constantly bitching about everything. He’s unmotivated, has no respect for coaching, and is a 5 year old brat in the body of a 30 year old. You want him? You can have him. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/153 "2011-11-09T12:45:12Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > 4-1 is pretty ambitious. I see two likely losses though I’ll acknowledge 3 games they should win. But New England and at Giants should be losses. I didn’t say they _would_ go 4-1, just that it’s far from implausible. The point spread will be within 5 for both games. Heck, I wouldn’t be shocked if they went 5-0 against that slate. I also wouldn’t be shocked if they went 2-3. It’s the NFL. > [@Jules\_Andre](#): > > You know, I’ve watched that play a dozen times now, and I take back what I said. It was Maclin’s fault. The pass was a little high, but it wasn’t behind him, and he didn’t even break stride to catch it so it wasn’t like he had to really jump or dive. He lost his fucking feet and blew the play. He gets the first if he doesn’t slip, and he slipped. You’re right; he didn’t have to jump. Both feet were off the ground and his arms were extended all the way over his head, but if Maclin had prepared for the game properly by growing to 6’6", that wouldn’t have been necessary. ---
**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 9, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/154 "2011-11-09T14:50:01Z")
> [@Jules\_Andre](#): > > [Didn’t they already sign McCoy’s replacement?](http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7209238/tampa-bay-buccaneers-sign-john-mccargo-losing-gerald-mccoy-season) They signed John McCargo, who is less of a “replacement” and more of a warm body. He was a first round pick, but he started just one game in five seasons for the Bills. He has 2.5 career sacks, 1.5 of which came in a meaningless game against the Eagles’ backups in 2007. > [@Hamlet](#): > > The problem isn’t the defensive scheme, it’s him. He’s a fat, lazy, often injured bastard who only worked hard to get paid and is constantly bitching about everything. He’s unmotivated, has no respect for coaching, and is a 5 year old brat in the body of a 30 year old. > > You want him? You can have him. He’s also a very, very good under tackle with nose tackle size- or at least he could be. The Buccaneers need some bulk up front. Yes, I want him. It’s not like we’re going to be paying him lots of money. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/155 "2011-11-09T15:16:13Z")
So the 49ers have more wins than the rest of their division put together; has anyone ever done that over the course of a season? They also could clinch a playoff berth with 6 weeks remaining if everything falls out right. (Which involves them winning two straight, Seattle and St. Louis both losing this weekend, and St. Louis beating Seattle in two weeks). Their remaining schedule includes 5 division games and 3 tough extra-division games (home to New York and Pittsburgh and at Baltimore). 15-1 would be a bit of a stretch, but 14-2 looks pretty likely. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/156 "2011-11-09T15:38:44Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > He’s also a very, very good under tackle with nose tackle size- or at least he could be. The Buccaneers need some bulk up front. Yes, I want him. > > It’s not like we’re going to be paying him lots of money. You don’t really believe he would be any different? ---
**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 9, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/157 "2011-11-09T15:47:51Z")
Sure. He was productive in Tennessee. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/158 "2011-11-09T16:37:48Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Sure. He was productive in Tennessee. But then went and failed with two different teams. No reason to think that TB will get anything more out of him. ---
**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 9, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/159 "2011-11-09T16:53:46Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > So the 49ers have more wins than the rest of their division put together; has anyone ever done that over the course of a season? Well there was the 2007 Patriots who went 16-0. The rest of their division won all of 12 games. That’s the only time I found since realignment. I highly doubt it happened prior to realignment when there were 5 teams per division. There are a couple other times when a team got within a couple of games of it, but the Pats are the only one to pull it off. ---
**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 9, 2011, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073/160 "2011-11-09T17:30:06Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > But then went and failed with two different teams. No reason to think that TB will get anything more out of him. He went and failed with two different teams who run schemes he doesn’t fit. He was quite good during his first season in Washington (in a 4-3). Not good enough to justify his contract, but good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-9/602073.md?page=9)