It's Football Season, MKF!

[gorn]

A quick and by no means thorough search of these forums failed to reveal a Football thread. I found some general Sports threads, but I don't want to lose track of my posts in hockey scores or golf talk (nothing wrong with either sport - I encourage you to make your own thread if that's your thing!).

This thread is just gonna be about Football - Football of the American, helmet & pads, 4 downs, Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders variety. The kind of Football where only 1 or 2 guys on your team actually use their foot on the ball!

Talk about your favourite team, your jersey or pj's, what kind of nachos you're making for the game, how much beer you've got stocked, whatever! As long as it's vaguely about Football, this is the place for it!

This being Football, trashtalk is highly encouraged.

[EasierSaid]

The Niners = football perfection. Count the rings, then listen to the awesome song.

[dlline]

Hey, they may be the champions of indictments and actual number of appearances in General District Court, but they're still my Bengals and I love 'em.

Again, I say Who-Dey!

[woahnellie]

who-fuckin-dey!! i know you mentioned the number of court appearances but you also failed to mention our numerous amount of superbowl rings HAHA! this year hopefully

[gorn]

@ EasierSaid - didn't know you were a football fan, but I'm not even slightly surprised you'd like the 49's. My condolences on the death of Bill Walsh; one of the best coaches that ever stood on a sideline ...

@dlline - I can't claim to be the biggest Bengals fan, but if EasierSaid is going to talk about awesome songs then you need to play her some Bootsy Collins.

[woahnellie]

you asked for bootsy you get bootsy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vby2hKBkkk

and some more:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ4RcdvnQ84

[tarawhipped]

I've been a Patriots fan since the early 80s, and my hatred of the Chicago Bears dates back to the '86 Super Bowl. Living in Chicago for the past 9 years has been great in that I've gotten to watch the Bears suck for most of it. Ever since the Pats finally made good, I've mellowed a bit, and come to the realization that I shouldn't blame the Bears for '86 so much as the Pats themselves. Nevertheless, I'll continue to take an unseemly amount of joy in every Bears defeat. They deserve it for The Super Bowl Shuffle alone.

I still can't stand the Patriots' current logo, however. It's always reminded me of the U.S. Postal Service emblem.

-Cam

[Willowtree252]

Let me say hello fellow football fans I just wanted to tell y'all I love ALL FOOTBALL no matter who is playing!!!!! Peewee, Middle school, High school, Pro football you name it I love it so Go football MKF !!!!!!!!!

[littlewicca]

hey, is weird, i call football what yall call soccer ^^ i dont like tv sports anyway but just wanted to say that. Hope the team my friends like to win, i hate really hate my football and all tv sport, i only like extreme tv or live sports

[cattwoman]

Football. *sigh* I love football. I cannot wait.

GO Seahawks!

[gorn]

I know it's just Pre-Season, but I can't help getting excited about hearing the Monday Night Football music again! Think we'll see Hank Williams Jr., or do we have to wait for the Regular Season to start?

[EasierSaid]

Gorn - Just out of curiousity, are you not surprised by my Niner-fandom because of my love for SF, or because I have--like all Niners fans--an aura of championship glory about me? (You're a Cowboys fan? What great games the Boys and Niners have played over the years...) Thanks so much for the condolences. Bill Walsh was an amazing man, and I admit to tearing up when I read that he had passed (though I wasn't surprised, as he had been battling cancer for a while - man I hate cancer). He was such a legend in the Bay Area, between Stanford and the Niners, and it's weird to have him gone. It's amazing how many head coaches in the NFL got their starts working for him, and how many coaches got their start working for those disciples (I think there's a family tree available online, maybe on wikipedia - it's a truly impressive sight). Football would not be what it is today without him and the West Coast offense, that's for sure. He will be missed.

Cam - Pats fan... my whole family is filled with Pats fans, and it's been kind of cute watching them get all excited about their dynasty (three rings... oooooo!). All ribbing aside, what a fun franchise to follow after the days of the old three-point stance helmet wearing Pats, despite the new postal delivery logo. Maybe the team will give new, positive meaning to the old phrase "mailing it in." *groan* This year should be interesting, with Moss, Welker, etc. I'm looking forward to seeing how that goes. Colts fans must be super worried.

Niners play tonight, and I'm part interested, part disinterested. Interested because I want to see how the offense works without Norv Turner and with new WRs and a fully-healthy Vernon Davis; disinterested because it's pre-season, and those games tend to really just be extended tryouts for special team guys, practice squad guys, etc. I just hope nobody gets hurt (but then I hope that every week). Go Niners!

[Foomatic]

The Niners = football perfection. Count the rings, then listen to the awesome song.

Amen.

[gorn]

EasierSaid,
The aura of championship glory you refer to wouldn't have anything to do with last year's season, would it? I didn't think 49's fans had much to strut about, but I might be mistaken - I was too busy watching the Cowboys going to the Playoffs (and Romo quite literally snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory, but let's not talk about that ...). As for those old Cowboys/49's games of years past, intensive counseling and therapy has erased most of 80's sports history from my mind, particularly January 10th 1982. I don't know what you're talking about, I can't hear you, la la la la la la la ... happy place! happy place! happy place!

It's kind of hard to get excited about Pre-Season, granted, but I'm thinking about adding Gore to my fantasy roster and I want to see how his hand is doing.

[dlline]

Saturday Night...Paul Brown Stadium... Cincinnati.

Bengals versus the Ain'ts.... I mean Saints.

Can I hear a big Who-Dey!?

[woahnellie]

Who-dey!!!! who fuckin dey!! NOOOOOBOODY

[woahnellie]

in my # 9 jersey ready for a win

[gorn]

Had our fantasy draft today. Got a couple of bright spots, but overall I think things could've been better. I didn't prep as much as I should've (it was my first live draft), and Mrs. Gorn kept stealing my magazine so she could pick HER team. Ah, well - at least there was plenty of beer!

The couple of bright spots I got - Peyton Manning, Cedric Benson, T.J. Housyourmama, & Randy Moss.

Mrs. Gorn picked a WHOLE LOT of Oakland Raiders for her team ... she must know something I don't.

[dlline]

The couple of bright spots I got - ... T.J. Housyourmama ...

Hey, gorn. Be nice. I think T.J. Houshmenzadeh is the only Bengal who didn't get a free ride in a Cincinnati cop car last year. That alone should give you hope for your team.

As far as the Bengals sound whipping at the hands of the Saints.... well, it's preseason, so they're just gettin' warmed up. (I'm sure this will come back to haunt me, but I'm a Bengals fan... I can take it!)

So, I'll just say Who-Dey and hope for the best. Welcome to the Jungle.

[gorn]

No offense to T.J. Houswhatever! I'm hoping he has the best year of his career! I only call him "Housyourmama" because of that ESPN commercial.

[EasierSaid]

Woot Foo! Good to see another Niner fan in these parts.

Gorn - Man, you had to bring up that the Niners have pretty much sucked since 2003. I see how you are!!! In all seriousness (well, maybe not *all* seriousness), I'm feeling really good about this Niners squad. The last few years have been rough - it's tough when you're owned by John York, a.k.a. Mr. Do-I-really-have-to-put-money-into-the-team-I-inherited-but-won't-sell-despite-everyone-wanting-me-to? Add in all of the talk about moving to Santa Clara (WORST. IDEA. EVER.)... it's been rough. BUT NOW, now, we have $80mil man Clements in an all around improved D, Alex Smith coming into his own, Vernon Davis back from his broken leg boo-boo, Frank Gore surprise stud, awesome coach Nolan who rocks the old school suits hard, etc., etc... it's a good time to be a fan right now. Very positive vibes, though I wish everyone would get off the "sleeper" train, as everyone knows "sleeper" is just another way to spell "jinx." Don't need jinxies to ruin my good vibe, you know?

Funny that you would bring up the 80s teams though - your early 90s teams just about killed me (and Steve Young - man, he pretty much thought he was cursed for a bit there). I liked that rivalry a lot, though it doesn't feel like it exists much anymore. It feels like they're trying to drum up a Seattle-SF rivalry, which is LAME because there's no natural rivalry there other than geographical proximity, and the Boys are off being everyone's rivals. Maybe if we both get good in the next few years it'll come back.

As for this season's team, Niners have looked good in both of their preseason games, which means absolute squat. I'm again just hoping nobody gets hurts - especially after last night's NYG-Bal game. More injuries than touchdowns? No thanks. We could get run the rest of the pre-season and I couldn't care less; just don't dislocate/rupture/break/snap/pull/tweak anything guys!

p.s. Good picks for your fantasy team gorn - who else did you get (D, second RB, etc.)? What's your team name, and who got stuck with TO? Hope your wife has an insurance policy with all those Raiders. Outside of their D, not much going on over on that side of the Bay but chaos and contract holdouts! I had a friend last year whose team name was "Lamont Jordan or Bust" - halfway through the year he just changed it to "Lamont Jordan: Bust". Just flounder, baby!

p.p.s. I'm excited about the Bengals this year; mostly because I like Carson Palmer. He seems like a nice guy, and it was very inspiring seeing him come back last year from that knee injury. I hope he has a good year.

[dlline]

Funny that you would bring up the 80s teams though -

That is a funny thing to bring up considering my Bengals and our Super Bowl history. I mean, please, two losses to the '49rs. Ack! I have to admit that I loved those Niner teams, first led by Joe Montana and then Steve Young. Those were great teams, and I have nothing but respect for them, despite those two heartbreaking losses in the 80s. Actual geography keeps me from knowing a lot about this year's team, and I'd probably get shot by my girlfriend, who is a rabid fan of the Redskins, if I were to admit to my begrudging like of the Niners.

p.p.s. I'm excited about the Bengals this year; mostly because I like Carson Palmer. He seems like a nice guy, and it was very inspiring seeing him come back last year from that knee injury. I hope he has a good year.

Yeah, that shot to the knee still gives me nightmares, especially considering how many times I saw it replayed on TV. I'm excited about Carson Palmer too, mostly because he's come back so strong. He really does seem like a nice guy, and considering the criminal record of the Bengals, nice guys are a good thing to have.

Good luck this year. BTW, gorn, major kudos to you for starting this thread. I'm loving it.

Diane

[kisstheviolets]

i wish i knew the first thing about football! i grew up in southern california when all of the football teams were leaving LA (and as far as i knew the chargers were a joke) and i wasn't very sporty anyway. so the extent of my football interest was watching the superbowl and rooting for the redskins whenever appropriate because it seemed patriotic (did i mention i was a nerd as a child?).

and when i moved to massachusetts four years ago i was taught the only four words one really needs to know when it comes to football in new england: "go pats! &"tom brady." and my patriotism found expression again.

that said, i'm enjoying reading you all enjoy this thread so much! maybe i'll learn a thing or two.

[gorn]

Glad folks are diggin' the Football Thread! I confess it isn't very Willow & Tara-ish, but it's something I love and I didn't see another thread around dealing with it.

EasierSaid, my fantasy team is as follows -->

QB - Peyton Manning (Indianapolis)
RB - Cedric Benson (Chicago)
RB - Thomas Jones (NYJets)
WR - T.J. Housyourmama (Cincinnati)
WR - Randy Moss (New England)
WR - Santonio Holmes (Pittsburgh)
TE - Jeremy Shockey (NYGiants)
WR/RB - Marc Clayton (Baltimore)
WR/TE - Jason Witten (Dallas)
K - Jason Elam (Denver)
DEF - Buffalo Bills

And on the Bench, I've got -->

RB - Sammy Morris (New England)
WR - Mushin Muhammed (Chicago)
QB - Byron Leftwich (Jacksonville)
K - Martin Gramatica (Dallas)
RB - Michael Turner (San Diego)
DEF - Indianapolis Colts


Not the worst of teams, but I feel I'm pretty weak once you get past the Big Names. If they replace Rex Grossman at Chicago, then I might start using Mushin Muhammed a bit more. Michael Turner is kind of my "diamond in the rough" pick - he's a great runner, but he plays 2nd fiddle to LaDanian Tomlinson. Should #21 get injured or go out for some reason, though, then I might suddenly have the next big RB star right in my line-up. We'll see.

[woahnellie]

lol i do the fantasty draft on nfl.com, i have 3 teams. i'll have to look through them and shout out some good players.

[EasierSaid]

Gorn - That's a pretty good team! I think Peyton is going to have a big year - it's like when you get him you don't necessarily need a top 5 RB. Little worried about Ced-Ben, just because he's never carried the load before, but then, just because he hasn't so far doens't mean he can't! Awesome that you got Witten. I don't know why, but I think he's going to have a good year. Did anyone pick up Leon Washington? He should be a pretty good handcuff for Jones as Jets RB. (Just a thought )

I'm looking forward to this year's draft; I have a few sleepers that I have my eye on. Hope I get them!

ETA: Last preseason game of the year tonight, Chargers vs. Niners. On the one hand, the Prospectors get to try out their sleeper mojo against the best team in the National Football League. On the other hand, re-read the previous sentence. (Oof, the Chargers are good...) In the interest of domestic tranquility I hope the football gods take mercy and make it a 14-14 tie with no substantial injuries to either team's players.

[gorn]

Opening game of the season starts tomorrow! Colts vs. Saints! I was pretty excited when pre-season started, but it seems like it's gone on and on forever! I'm still a little nervous about the rest of my fantasy team, so I'm hoping Peyton Manning comes out and throws 10 touchdowns.

Nothing like a football game on a Thursday, MKF!

@EasierSaid - yeah, I've got a pretty good feeling about Jason Witten, too. But if things don't work out, I've also got Jeremy Shockey. QB & TE look to be my strongest positions. But who knows? Cedric Benson and Thomas Jones might surprise me.

[Boschi]

I've been a Patriots fan since the early 80s, and my hatred of the Chicago Bears dates back to the '86 Super Bowl.

Wow. Flashback. I haven't kept up with football much for the past, oh, decade or so, but I still have a distinct memory of losing 5 bucks to my dad over that game. Huh.

A million years ago I was a Redskins fan (I grew up around D.C.), what the heck are they up to lately?

[EasierSaid]

Dear Mr. Brees,

Please score lots of touchdowns tonight, and throw for lots of yards. Thank you.

Best,

Your Fantasy Team Owner

p.s. Please do not thrown interceptions. Thanks!

******************************

Boschi - you probably would feel right at home watching the Redskins these days, as Joe Gibbs is coach again (it's a little bit of a time warp to watch him pace the sidelines). They're a questionable team, but their new young QB has some potential. Probably more of a spoiler than a contender, but that can be fun to root for sometimes, too.

On another general note - I'm watching the NFL Networks pregame show and Kelly Clarkson is singing. Girl is packing some junk in those really weird pants! Nice to see some curves combined with a real voice in a pop star (no lipsyncing - so odd in this day and age).

[tarawhipped]

Boschi, I actually stopped following football for awhile after that debacle. Combined with the Red Sox/Mets World Series that fall, it was a tough time to be a New England sports fan (okay, we had the Celtics & Bruins, but still). Fast forward about 7 years, and I was out and hanging with the lesbians, which means...football! So stereotypical, though it's ironic that my big ol' crush on Brett Favre started after I was firmly out of the closet. Hmmm.

Heather, your letter is far too genteel. Threaten to bust him down to peewee or something, would ya? Ang and I were recently watching Ken Burns' Baseball, and it occurred to me that the reason I like football so much is because after 5 months of having my guts metaphorically twisted and ripped out by the Red Sox and Cubs, I'm ready to watch some enormous guys beat the crap out of each other. Right now I just wish they could do it to the Cubs' bullpen. Sorry for all the baseball OT.

FOOTBALL! *grunts*