Week 1 - Football is back!!!

[Paullyboy]

Watching the game, it didn't feel like Manning was doing anything that extraordinary. He obviously looked completely in control and dominant, but it wasn't until I read stuff post-game that I realised he'd equalled a record for most ever TD's in a game. He seemed like if he really wanted he could have easily added more if not for this ridiculous notion in American sports that it's not classy to put your foot on the throat of an underperforming team.

 

[Monk]

Manning was in auto-pilot today, still threw for $4.50 and 7 TD's...

Also :lol: at the Raven players crashing into eachother on the fair catch.

 

[legend]

IMO, only Atlanta has a comparable passing attack to the Broncos with the Saints a distant third. Manning should easily get to 55 td's this year.

 

[dragonfire]

IMO, only Atlanta has a comparable passing attack to the Broncos with the Saints a distant third. Manning should easily get to 55 td's this year.

in what regard? yards/touchdowns?

 

[Dragon2010]

Manning was in auto-pilot today, still threw for $4.50 and 7 TD's...

Also :lol: at the Raven players crashing into eachother on the fair catch.

Jacoby Jones is out for weeks due to his own team-mate running into him.

IMO, only Atlanta has a comparable passing attack to the Broncos with the Saints a distant third. Manning should easily get to 55 td's this year.

Providing he stays fit and healthy. Let's not forget, Ravens were very well under-par. I can't see him repeating that. Watching the game, he didn't look phenomenal he was just up against a shit-house Ravens defence. He's a great QB regardless. Lol at Flacco though.

Also, lol at this.

[youtube]MH9kSlO5dZc[/youtube]

 

[legend]

in what regard? yards/touchdowns?

Receivers. White, Jones and Gonzalez are very formidable IMO but the lack of a slot receiver in Welker's class puts them behind the Broncos. Having said that, I was disappointed with Decker's production against the Ravens.

 

[kurt faulk]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9642601/jim-harbaugh-san-francisco-49ers-calls-nfl-ruling-read-option-plays-flawed-bit-biased


49ers coach Jim Harbaugh didn't get his way. But Friday, he got the final word on the interpretation of what is a legal hit on a quarterback in the read-option offense, saying a league ruling was "flawed and a bit biased."

The subject has become a hot issue for Sunday's much-anticipated playoff rematch between the Green Bay Packers and host San Francisco.


Jim Harbaugh and Clay Matthews seem to have different interpretations of what defenders can do to a read-option quarterback. What do the rules say? Demovsky analysis

In the NFL's weekly rules video that was sent to reporters on Thursday, NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino showed several read-option plays and spelled out when a quarterback who is in the act of running the read-option can be hit.

"The quarterback can be hit like a runner until he's clearly out of the play," Blandino said in the video.

On Friday, the oft-emotionally charged Harbaugh didn't hold back when he spoke to the media, noting that the league's competition committee said it didn't have the "the appetite to look at it any further. So that's where we're at."

"I believe that when a quarterback is handing a ball off or faking a ball -- in the read-option case, he's reading on an option play and he's as defenseless as a quarterback who's in the act of throwing," Harbaugh said.

49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick had a record 181 yards rushing in the team's playoff win against Green Bay in January. This week, Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews said the Packers will try to hit Kaepernick to slow him down.

"One of the things that the referees have told us is that when these quarterbacks carry out the fakes, they lose their right as a quarterback, a pocket-passing quarterback, the protection of a quarterback," Matthews said Wednesday on ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike." "So with that, you do have to take your shots on the quarterback, and obviously they're too important to their offense. If that means they pull them out of that type of offense and make them run a traditional, drop-back, pocket-style offense, I think that's exactly what we're going for. So you want to put hits as early and often on the quarterback and make them uncomfortable

these read option qbs better be prepared to get hit early and often this season. we'll see how long they last.

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[abpanther]

I know he is whinging alot but I tend to agree with him, why should a QB lose his protection when carrying out a read option fake? How is it any different than a fake draw or hand off?

Regardless, I think he's doing a great job of distracting the Packers, hell we beat them Week 1 last year with Smith at QB and we only ran a handful of read option stuff last year against them in the playoffs, I suspect they're gonna be prepared for it and Harbaugh will have something else up his sleeve for them

 

[Jono078]

Can't wait for it all tomorrow morning!

 

[kurt faulk]

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you can't have it both ways. when a qb runs the read option there's a good chance he will be a rb. the defensive players can't wait for the qb to tell them he's a qb on this play, they have to assume he will run the ball. everyone knew the rules before they drafted these qbs.

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[abpanther]

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you can't have it both ways. when a qb runs the read option there's a good chance he will be a rb. the defensive players can't wait for the qb to tell them he's a qb on this play, they have to assume he will run the ball. everyone knew the rules before they drafted these qbs.

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What do you mean both ways, if a QB performs a normal hand off, he doesn't lose his protection does he? You can't smash the QB moments after he's handed it off because you thought he was gonna run with it. Why shouldn't a read option QB be treated the same? What because they're faster and more athletic?

You know it's also an option out of the read option to fake the hand off and throw the ball, so how does that work? What if the QB fakes the hand off and starts looking up to scan the field and throw he can still get smashed with no protection because the defender thought he was gonna take off and run with it?

 

[Raider_69]

TBH ab, that's the risk you run with the read option. If your going to fake the QB being used as a RB, you have to accept you are forgoing some of the protections that are afforded to pocket passers.

Harbaugh is just sooking, like he always does. If you dont want your QB hit, put him in the pocket and protect him. If you your going to fake him with the read option, you have to expect the defense is going to assume he's taking the ball and hit him if they get the chance

it's up to the officials to make sure the contact is fair and legal. Harbaugh needs to harden the f**k up. The whole point of the read option is deception, if your attempting to deceive the defense into thinking you've got the football when you dont, you cant really complain when the defense hits you.

Kaepernick can always do what RG3 did a number of times last year, carry the fake out and when players get near him, literally he threw his hands up to show he didnt have the ball to avoid hits.

 

[abpanther]

Yeah I can see it both ways, just saying I don't see why a handoff should be governed any different based on what the QB may or may not do. It also seems that because the read option is the minority, the majority are happy to make the QBs open game to try and stop it.

Also find it funny to see the angst towards Harbaugh's comments, hopefully it's having the same affect on the Packers players as it does on you lot haha

 

[dogslife]

This isn't a new rule, I'm not sure why Harbaugh has his knickers in a knot all of a sudden.

It's pretty simple really, if you've got the ball in your hand you're gonna get hit.

 

[abpanther]

It's pretty simple really, if you've got the ball in your hand you're gonna get hit.

Yeah but that's not the issue, the issue is when the QB doesn't have the ball. They're saying that if a read option QB is carrying out a hand off he's fair game to be hit with no QB protection rules because he's a threat to fake the hand off and take off. I just don't see why a read option handoff should be treated any differently to a normal handoff. I mean if Peyton Manning gets smashed one second after handing the ball off he's sure as shit gonna get a penalty, why shouldn't it be the same for a read option QB? What because they're fast and athletic.

Of course once it's clear that he's faked the handoff and is not in the process of trying to throw the ball he should be fair game and treated like a runner, but until then surely he should have the same protection as a QB faking a normal hand off and looking up to throw the ball?

 

[kurt faulk]

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a qb faking a normal handoff has his back towards the defense. the read option qb faking a handoff is reading the defense. he is hardly defenseless.

i don't understand what the issue is. if he doesn't want to get hit release the ball earlier. if he waits to the last second the defender will just assume he has the ball.

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[abpanther]

So who's got an upset special of the week?

I reckon the Panthers are a shot of knocking over Seattle this week

 

[dogslife]

So who's got an upset special of the week?

I reckon the Panthers are a shot of knocking over Seattle this week

Bengals, Falcons, Eagles and Giants are all a very good chance imo

 

[abpanther]

The Falcons winning would be an upset?

Geez is your confidence shot already haha

I'd only really consider the Eagles an upset from that lot, despite them all being away teams

 

[dogslife]

The Falcons winning would be an upset?

Geez is your confidence shot already haha

I'd only really consider the Eagles an upset from that lot, despite them all being away teams

Well they're paying $2.40 so the bookies think so ;-)

All the teams I listed are paying good odds.