NFL Thread 2014

[Juventino]

Is RG3 even playing? I thought he was benched, even though he's healthy again. It's a shame his career is in a downward spiral because of bad injuries. During his rookie season I really loved seeing him play.

MetLife Stadium looks pretty damn spectacular. Have fun, Alex!

 

[chygry]

Az and Juventino you guys are from Europe, right? Mandieta6 i know is an Israeli, no idea about Juventino (location states Holland). I think i don't know anybody who watches American football, especially people from Europe watching NFL. This post hasn't got much meaning, it's just merely an observation, not judging you guys or anything! I know people have different interests and everything. :P

 

[MaestroZidane]

I just looked at both Giants and Redskins record... yeah, you might as well be watching a friendly. Hopefully it's still a good game for you to enjoy.

Is RG3 even playing? I thought he was benched, even though he's healthy again. It's a shame his career is in a downward spiral because of bad injuries. During his rookie season I really loved seeing him play.

MetLife Stadium looks pretty damn spectacular. Have fun, Alex!

RG3 seems to have lost all his confidence, that's what is being said. Some are even speculating that his career may be over because of this.

On other news, Cam Newton was in a car accident and hurt his back.. . Hope he gets well soon.

 

[ShiftyPowers]

Az and Juventino you guys are from Europe, right? Mandieta6 i know is an Israeli, no idea about Juventino (location states Holland). I think i don't know anybody who watches American football, especially people from Europe watching NFL. This post hasn't got much meaning, it's just merely an observation, not judging you guys or anything! I know people have different interests and everything. :P

How many people do you think watched the Premier League in America when I started watching it?

 

[chygry]

How many people do you think watched the Premier League in America when I started watching it?

Oh i haven't got the slightest idea to be honest. Not much i guess? And what year was it when you started following football? Just curious. Football or soccer however you prefer to call it, is not as popular as let's say basketball, baseball and even hockey in the US. But during the recent years it has been picked up more and more.

I also remember reading about how Thierry Henry could walk the streets of New York during his time with the NY Red Bulls (he's still with them right? only playing his last season?) without anyone recognizing him. He said that he actually enjoyed it and could live like a normal person. I believe there was a similar case with Messi, until somebody heard about the guy being in town and then everybody went pretty much crazy heh, and his privacy was ruined by a bunch of people.

 

[ARIAGA II]

I just looked at both Giants and Redskins record... yeah, you might as well be watching a friendly. Hopefully it's still a good game for you to enjoy.

They'll both be contenders for the NFC South.

 

[ShiftyPowers]

Oh i haven't got the slightest idea to be honest. Not much i guess? And what year was it when you started following football? Just curious. Football or soccer however you prefer to call it, is not as popular as let's say basketball, baseball and even hockey in the US. But during the recent years it has been picked up more and more.

I also remember reading about how Thierry Henry could walk the streets of New York during his time with the NY Red Bulls (he's still with them right? only playing his last season?) without anyone recognizing him. He said that he actually enjoyed it and could live like a normal person. I believe there was a similar case with Messi, until somebody heard about the guy being in town and then everybody went pretty much crazy heh, and his privacy was ruined by a bunch of people.

The first club match I really cared about was the 1999 Champions League Final. I got pretty into Championship Manager the next season which sparked my really serious interest in the sport at club level. The first game I remember watching was the 1994 World Cup Final, but I know that me and a friend were following the whole tournament because it was in the US, I just don't really remember it aside from kiiiinda remembering that the USA played really good against Brazil.

That Thierry Henry story might very well be true, but I heard it first over a decade ago from Franz Beckenbauer about his time with the NY Cosmos. In fact, taking this off into a tangent, the documentary about the Cosmos is really good and they interview everyone involved including Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto, and Cryuff (who says that he loved how they did penalty shootouts starting from 35 yards out with the player getting 5 seconds to take a shot once they touch the ball for the first time, and still advocates that FIFA use the rule)... but unfortunately they couldn't get Pele ($$$) which is a shame because a lot of the documentary obviously centers around him.

 

[Juventino]

It's funny, because video games also sparked my serious interest in the major American sports. I couldn't watch live games as a kid, but the NBA Live, Madden and NHL games made me aware of the teams and star players. The first live NFL games I watched were the 2003 (Pats - Panthers), 2004 (Pats - Eagles) and 2005 (Steelers - Seahawks) Super Bowls. Those were the only games broadcasted every year by the BBC I think. In 2006 I finally got a channel dedicated to American sports and I started following the NFL also during the regular season. Before that I already had access to the NBA and MLB which I also followed pretty closely.

 

[Mandieta6]

I watched that Cosmos doc years ago and it was really brilliant. That penalty idea was top, too.

 

[yoyo913]

In fact, taking this off into a tangent, the documentary about the Cosmos is really good and they interview everyone involved including Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto, and Cryuff (who says that he loved how they did penalty shootouts starting from 35 yards out with the player getting 5 seconds to take a shot once they touch the ball for the first time, and still advocates that FIFA use the rule)... but unfortunately they couldn't get Pele ($$$) which is a shame because a lot of the documentary obviously centers around him.

I remember watching that doc a while ago and I remember it being pretty entertaining. Who was that crazy Italian striker on the team?


Here is a penalty shootout from those days:

 

[chygry]

The first club match I really cared about was the 1999 Champions League Final. I got pretty into Championship Manager the next season which sparked my really serious interest in the sport at club level. The first game I remember watching was the 1994 World Cup Final, but I know that me and a friend were following the whole tournament because it was in the US, I just don't really remember it aside from kiiiinda remembering that the USA played really good against Brazil.

Mmm... The first tournament i watched was the 1998 World Cup, that's when i kind of fell in love with the Holland team. I remember feeling pretty sad after they were knocked out by Brasil in the semis during that penalty shootout. I watched Euro 2000 more seriously, i think i pretty much watched all the games. Only for Holland to get knocked out again in a penalty shootout in the semis again.

Ironically i started watching club football only after the Euro 2000, so i didn't even see that legendary 99 final. I could only watch Champions League matches until 2004 or 2005 i believe. Since back then there was no channel around here broadcasting the league matches, and i was a little bit too young to go to watch the matches in some bars, which was basically the only way to see the EPL. : D

Luckily there was this program called "Eurogoals" on Eurosport every Monday, which showed EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 match summaries and all the goals. So i didn't miss out completely. Actually it still exists i believe.

Oh and i don't know if you've seen this, but this is a video of Clint Dempsey walking around in US and asking people about himself heh. Well basically you could put together a clip like that anywhere. You could just talk to 100 people and select the 5 silliest for example.

It's funny, because video games also sparked my serious interest in the major American sports. I couldn't watch live games as a kid, but the NBA Live, Madden and NHL games made me aware of the teams and star players. The first live NFL games I watched were the 2003 (Pats - Panthers), 2004 (Pats - Eagles) and 2005 (Steelers - Seahawks) Super Bowls. Those were the only games broadcasted every year by the BBC I think. In 2006 I finally got a channel dedicated to American sports and I started following the NFL also during the regular season. Before that I already had access to the NBA and MLB which I also followed pretty closely.

Oh i see. That makes sense then i guess. :P Actually i learned about a lot of football players by playing Fifa 2000 after the Euro 2000 the same way, well kind of. So along with the Champions League i got a pretty good overview of the whole thing

I remember watching that doc a while ago and I remember it being pretty entertaining. Who was that crazy Italian striker on the team?

.
Yup i think i've seen it too. It was on TV a couple of years ago i believe. I wasn't sure if it was the same one, but after seeing that penalty clip plus you mentioning that Italian striker pretty much clarifies it. It was Giorgio Chinaglia. I believe he had some kind of a problem with Pele, neither of them wanted to pass the ball to each other or something silly like that.

 

[ARIAGA II]

Chinaglia died last year I think

 

[Juventino]

Is this the Cosmos doc you guys are talking about? I'm curious to see it.

 

[chygry]

Yup that should be it. At least it's the one i've seen.

 

[MaestroZidane]

They'll both be contenders for the NFC South.

 

[ShiftyPowers]

I wasn't sure if it was the same one, but after seeing that penalty clip plus you mentioning that Italian striker pretty much clarifies it. It was Giorgio Chinaglia. I believe he had some kind of a problem with Pele, neither of them wanted to pass the ball to each other or something silly like that.

Pele's problem with Chinaglia was that Chinaglia had a problem with Pele and was out to prove that he was the better player. He tried to do this by saying things like "Pele needs to pass me the ball more".

 

[Alex]

I'm through my pre-game warm up and ready for my NFL debut!

Go Giants!!!!

 

[ShiftyPowers]

How was your NFL Experience, Alex?

 

[Alex]

It was fucking cold....but good. I enjoyed it. Though I don't think it was the best game. It generally lived up to expectations though. Not sure I'd do it again though. It wasn't bad, just nothing really stood out to me as amazing. The game goes soooo long with so little action - I find it ironic now that quite a few Americans I know bag out cricket for this exact reason.

Beckham Jr was an absolute standout. I'd also have thought Washington were EASILY the better side for the first half. They generally made yards much easier, and seemed to get loads more first downs. Giants just seemed to do it when it mattered, and then ran away with it in the end.

I also like the fact that in our national football codes - Aussie Rules and Rugby League, players have to be much more rounded. Whilst they do still definitely have specific roles, they all have to do a bit of everything. NFL they learn one job, and that's it. I don't like that. Even NBA, the best centres can shoot from the outside, the best guards can grab rebounds or block etc. I think NFL is too specialised.

All of that said, Hayne's skillset is certainly up there. I think when you've said that Hayne rarely had to run through the high traffic the NFL players run through, that you're not really noticing some key differences. I) Hayne has no blockers, this is illegal in rugby, and it's purely about getting past them yourself.
II) NRL spread players wider, but have 13 on the field, not 11.
III) All of the defence in rugby league is worried about the guy with the ball. Unlike American Football where half of them aren't even watching the ball, just blocking guys from tackling etc.

Take those few things into account, and I think Hayne breaking the line in rugby league so often means much more. If he can learn the basics of American football positioning, and can catch a pigskin anywhere near how gee catches our big fat easter eggs, he could be an awesome wide receiver.

 

[ShiftyPowers]

There's a difference between cricket lasting DAYS and football lasting 3 hours.