The NFL

[Owlman]

Okay. What about fantasy football

[Simitar]

Holy shit. Eagles secondary is STACKED.

Nnamdi, Samuel and Rodgers-Cromartie.

[Hizzy III]

The Eagles had roughly $40 million to work with. Them coming in late to sign Nnamdi was pretty brilliant, especially after Houston decided to go with the fail safe of Joseph. That set the market and the Eagles were able to get Nnamdi for about $2-4 million less per anum as a result.

I wouldn't be surprised if Samuels is traded, though.

DRC is alright but probably not quite as good as some think.

[Hizzy III]

He also said that Nnamdi wasn't a true shutdown corner. He may be right about whatever points he's trying to make, but sounding like a 76-year old stroke victim probably isn't going to help his point resonate with his audience.

http://www.csnwashington.com/pages/vide ... 3Qvh4mby0d

Brutal. Is it the juice?

[Bklyn]

Nnamdi hasn't put up the numbers like he did 3 years ago...but I don't think QBs throw his way much anymore either. I read that like 2 years ago his completion defense was like 7% of all pass plays (meaning that receivers on his side of the field caught a pass 7% of all pass plays).

I'll see if I can find it. I read it after the season completed, so it's like a couple years old (if I can find it)...

Hizzy, the link doesn't work for me.

[Owlman]

As you've said, it's because they don't throw against him. It is a waste for Philadelphia to have 3 outstanding couners unless one of them moves to safety. That's a lot of money to have someone ride the bench for half the plays otherwise.

[Hizzy III]

http://www.csnwashington.com/pages/vide ... 3Qvh4mby0d

See if this works.

[Johnette's Daddy]

As you've said, it's because they don't throw against him. It is a waste for Philadelphia to have 3 outstanding couners unless one of them moves to safety. That's a lot of money to have someone ride the bench for half the plays otherwise.

From what I recall hearing on the radio:

In 11 games, teams attempted 33 passes against Assante Samuel last year - he intercepted 7 and deflected 14. I don't know how many were caught, but if dude picked of 20%+ and knocked away another 40%+, that's ridiculous coverage.

Of course, in 16 games, teams attempted 13 passes - total - vs. Asomugha. Less than once per game.

[Hizzy III]

I'm going to go "out on a limb" and say that if Houston can't win ten-plus games this year, after having a horrible defense last year and still losing five games by only seven points or less, changing to a respected, proven defensive coordinator in Wade Phillips (god bless poor Frank Bush), having a B+ draft or better as well as an "A" FA signing period, and getting a healthy DeMeco Ryans and Connor Barwin back (plus a non-suspended, non-"athlete-training-syndrome" Brian Cushing) from injury and playing an overall less-difficult schedule, Gary Kubiak has nothing else to justify keeping his job (particulary after having enjoyed an unprecendented six seasons as HC with no playoff appearances).

My god! My NFL experience as of late has been like Steve Urkell trying to get into Beyonce's panties.

I guarantee you that Bill Belicheck, Tony Dungy and Jimmy Johnson would routinely have this team at twelve-plus wins.

Hell, Bum Phillips would have this team at 11-5 annually, if not better.

Grrrr!!

[Owlman]

Texans' Schedule:

Day Date Opponent Time (CT) TV Prediction
Sunday 9/11 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS Noon CBS WIN
Sunday 9/18 at Miami Dolphins 3:15 p.m. CBS WIN
Sunday 9/25 at New Orleans Saints Noon CBS LOSS
Sunday 10/2 PITTSBURGH STEELERS Noon CBS LOSS
Sunday 10/9 OAKLAND RAIDERS Noon CBS WIN
Sunday 10/16 at Baltimore Ravens 3:05 p.m. CBS LOSS
Sunday 10/23 at Tennessee Titans Noon CBS WIN
Sunday 10/30 JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS Noon CBS LOSS
Sunday 11/6 CLEVELAND BROWNS Noon CBS WIN
Sunday 11/13 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Noon CBS WIN
Sunday 11/20 BYE WEEK
Sunday 11/27 at Jacksonville Jaguars Noon CBS WIN
Sunday 12/4 ATLANTA FALCONS Noon FOX LOSS
Sunday 12/11 at Cincinnati Bengals Noon CBS WIN
Sunday 12/18 CAROLINA PANTHERS Noon FOX WIN
Thursday 12/22 at Indianapolis Colts 7:20 p.m. NFLN LOSS
Sunday 1/1 TENNESSEE TITANS Noon CBS WIN

10-6 overall,
4-2 in AFC South
8-4 in AFC

[Hizzy III]

Texans fans are willing to accept 10-6, but let's be honet. With that schedule, a quality HC with six years' experience shouldn't do any worse than 11-5 overall.

Screw Jax. The Texans, if they're serious, should go 4-0 against Jax/Tenn. And despite the obligatory Peyton Manning fellatio, the Texans shouldn't go any worse than 1-1 against them. Otherwise, you can't take them seriously.

Indy is far from invincible.

This division is hardly overwhelming.

[Owlman]

can't go by it from year to year, but the Texans have one of the hardest schedules based on last year's performances

[Bonfired]

Playing the NFC South this year accounts for some of that...they had three 10+ win teams last year. Having a last-place schedule only affects two games on your schedule, so the whole "last-place schedule" angle is usually overblown. Whoever gets to play the NFC West is going to appear to have a weaker schedule. That may actually be the case, as I don't see any of those four teams being appreciably better this year than last.

If the Texans can get through those first six games at no worse than 3-3, the rest of the slate sets up pretty well.

[Hizzy III]

I don't know if Tampa will be a repeat ten-win team in 2011. They beat one winning team last year (the Saints at NO when the Saints were in a stretch where they were playing crappy football). That said, the Bucs should be a strong eight win team at the least. They may even better than they were last year but the schedule may not bare that out.

In any case, the Texans have to win a few games versus pretty good teams on the road. They've gotta win a couple of games out of @ NO, @ Tampa, @ Indy, @ Jax and @ Baltimore. They just have to. They also have to hold serve at home, winning at least six games, IMO. They can't slip up versus the Bengals, Raiders, Browns and Panthers. They also need to take care of the Dolphins.

Also, I hope Earl Mitchell isn't just one of those training camp all-pros and is actually developing into what will be a quality 3-4 NT, even if he's "only" 300 lbs.

[Bklyn]

Whatever, fuck you

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/684 ... son-eagles

pay DeSean his money. I don't care about advanced metrics. When he lines up and runs a fly, the safety rolls and coverages change. That's something you can't metric against...and what BTwice (Berrian) does not give you.

[AlabamAlum]

I'd like to see him in a Saints uni.

[Hizzy III]

The only concern with DeSean is his frame. A couple more years of punishment could turn him into Peter Warrick. COULD, that is. In the meantime, why assume the worse? Pay him.

At least the Eagles aren't letting it get out of control like the Titans are with Chris Johnson.

[Bklyn]

These are non-guaranteed contracts. Give him a deal with a decent signing bonus and cut him if he becomes ineffective. However, he's a game changer that metrics don't accurately capture it.

[Bklyn]

Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, even Maurice Jones-Drew, move over. The biggest Twitter trash-talker might be New York Giants vice president of communications Pat Hanlon.

Hanlon was at it again Wednesday, calling out fans for questioning the Giants' offseason moves.

On the same night that wide receiver Steve Smith signed with the Eagles, an NFC East rival, a fan tweeted: "Can you say definitively the Giants are better than last year?"

Hanlon's reply: "Can you say we're worse, knucklehead?"

Another fan tweeted: "All teams need to rebuild at one point, I'm not going to panic until the season begins." To which Hanlon says: "Re-build my ass! I got your re-build."

To this tweet from a fan: "Giants off-season can be summed up w/ one word: Debacle," Hanlon responds: "Thanks Lombardi. Cause I know you know."

Another fan said the Giants are worse on paper than they were last year.

"We don't play on paper. You know what you can do w/ that paper?" Hanlon responded.

In the past, Hanlon has used Twitter to poke the New York Jets.

Back in May, Hanlon responded to coach Rex Ryan, who said the Jets would have beaten the Packers had they made it to the Super Bowl, by tweeting: "You gotta be in it to win it" and repeated a Giants motto: "Talk is cheap."

Taking a further jab at Ryan, he tweeted: "Tom Coughlin wrote a book, too. It was about a team and an HC that won a Super Bowl."

The comments prompted Ryan to seemingly joke to ESPNNewYork.com's Jane McManus: "My big thing is, I think I can whip Pat. I'm worried about him throwing a BlackBerry at me."

Despite some of the more inflammatory tweets Wednesday, Hanlon's basic point seemed to be that Giants fans shouldn't panic just because the team hasn't made a substantial splash in free agency.

"Typically, we try to make our noise in Jan-Feb," he tweeted, as well as, "You like winning? Sit tight."

[Hizzy III]

Man, the Texans legitimately have FIVE guys who can run the football right now. What a nice problem to have. If only we had five CBs who were as good.