The American Football Thread

[ThunderTitan]

The rules are'nt clear to Americans for another.

[Caradoc]

The main problem with soccer in the US is lack of opportunity for advertising. The networks can't figure out how to make money from it.

From the fan standpoint, it's not so much the low scores, it's that there is too little action. Too much standing around and kicking the ball out of bounds. And it is ultimately unsatisfying to have games resolved by the kick off. Imagine the NBA with tie games turning into free throw shooting contests instead of overtime.

Now back to the "American Football" thread.

[ThunderTitan]

Imagine the NBA with tie games turning into free throw shooting contests instead of overtime.

Ever hear of a Silver Goal?!

[Gaidal Cain]

Also, Soccer players don't wear helmets and pads.

Yes, and incidently, that also explains why no one in the US cares about sports like basketball and baseball...

Seems like all they do is kick a ball around.

Well, one can pretty much boil any game down to such a sentence and make it look absurd (except cricket, but that's absurd from the start, so I guess it doesn't really matter).

[gravyluvr]

The batters wear helmets in baseball.

Baseball, Basketball, and Football were created and developed in the US and have been growing since the 1800s, 40s and 20s respectively.

Any sport created after that has grown up under a global eye but these sports were local first and were developed and delivered to the world as very different from the sports they derived from. Baseball from rounders, basketball from ???, and football from soccer.

And I have to admit that these are the three sports that I watch the most... Baseball from April - October, Football from September - February (college til NY), Basketball-College April/May and some pro playoffs.

[Corribus]

Yes, and incidently, that also explains why no one in the US cares about sports like basketball and baseball...

Well the reason nobody cares about baseball and basketball (which isn't really true) is not because of the games themselves (although I do like football much better than the other two - I think they are more exciting games), but the organizations that run them (MLB and NBA, respectively). The NFL is much more effecient and more importantly has a salary cap that leads to "parity" - as they call it. I find baseball slow and boring, but more than that, with few exceptions, it's always the same teams - the ones with the most money - competing for the top prize.

[jeff]

I find baseball slow and boring, but more than that, with few exceptions, it's always the same teams - the ones with the most money - competing for the top prize.

Too true, and the NBA has reduced Basketball to being not much more than a professional wrestling version of the game with a lot of over priced egos showboating. This in part explains why they get their butts kicked when they play in international tournaments, the referees expect them to play basketball, you who dribble once in a while.

[gravyluvr]

As a former baseball player and as an avid softball player to this day, I think that baseball suffers popularity to the mass audience more from the fact that the game itself is not as easy to attach itself to a highlight real. Coincidentally, I think soccer suffers from the same.

In football the highlight real show a very short play that results in a touchdown or critical stop or change of posession. In basketball an entire play is a highlight real at times. For baseball they pretty much just show the home runs.

In order to score a run in baseball, sometimes it takes 36 pitches, a walk, a steal, a hit-n-run, a hit the other way, a fielder's choice and a sacrifice fly. How do you put that on a highlight real? My favorite part of a baseball game is the mental battle between the pitcher and hitter and I know that doesn't translate to TV or a highlight real.

In soccer, some of the best action in the game results in a change of posession, not a score. Some guy yelling goooooooaaaaaalllll!!!! twelve times on a highlight real gets a little old.

[ByteBandit]

I don't mind watching Baseball. I like watching the M's. Ichiro has brought baseball back alive where I live. I could care less about basketball. (Most in the Pacific Northwest are not concerned about the Sonics moving to Oklahoma City). But Football. We will do ANYTHING to keep our Seahawks! Washington State put itself on the fast track for debt to keep them here, years ago. Same for the M's. But won't lift a finger for the Sonics. Shows you the sign of the times.

[Caradoc]

Baseball is a game of shifting potentials (like soccer). Each pitch, each out, each play sets the stage for the next. It is also the only sport I know of where there is no time limit.

MLB has been ruined by the greed of the owners, especially those on the East Coast with big media markets. This guarantees that the Yankees always get into the playoffs, since they can buy all the players they need. If we can't have a hard salary cap, I would propose a simple rule: Teams that are over the cap cannot qualify for a wild card. That would at least give the small market teams a chance.

[jeff]

At last it's here, well almost. It must suck to be a Packer fan, fortunately I'm not.

[Ed Robinson]

I can't believe the Pat's schedule this year. I could see them going undefeated in the regular season barring injuries. The Giants will be no shows. In my opinion Philly was the toughest game we played last year. I'm really starting to get worked up.

[Vlad976]

Unlike some of the local over-optimistic Bears fans who claim we're going to go 11-5, I just don't see it. Even in this weakened division, I think we'll be very lucky if we can sniff 7-9. Injuries, usual QB issues, etc...

That being said, I'm happy football is back.

[Caradoc]

Well, here's your chance to sound off about the Cowboys. They're my team and always have been. When I was a kid, we only had one TV station in town and all they carried was the Cowboys. And, boy, did they stink back then. So my experience with pro football was 12 games of the Cowboys struggling to not be stomped, followed by the Bears and Giants or someone appearing in the playoffs. Bad times and good, I've stuck with them. So say what you want, it won't matter to me at all.

That said, this looks to be the best Cowboys team in a long, long time. We've plugged the gaps on defense with the arrival of Adam Jones and Zack Thomas. Romo is maturing and TO has grown up. All and all, they look like the best team in the NFC, so I'm gonna step up and predict a superbowl.

[Ed Robinson]

TO will never grow up...

Bring your popcorn...

[Corribus]

Well, here's your chance to sound off about the Cowboys.

Hail to the Redskins.

[Ed Robinson]

Wellllllllllllll, with Tom Brady out for the season, maybe the other sorry teams in this division will have a chance, That said, however, he'll be back so everyone enjoy your season in the sun.

[Kalah]

Isn't that the first time, like ever, that he's injured?

[Vlad976]

First major injury maybe. He was taken out of the 2002 AFC title game with an ankle injury. He's played through other minor injuries.

Bears beat Colts 29-13. W00t!

[Ed Robinson]

Anyone see the end of the Denver/San Diego game? I would have been upset by the bad calls if they hadn't helped Denver. After the playoffs last year, with LT sitting on the bench with a towel wrapped around his head and that sorry excuse for a quaterback Rivers I really can't feel bad for the Chargers.