NFL Season 2010. 'Bout GOD DAMNED TIME!

[Havok]

Seemed like the longest off season EVER!

Vikings @ Saints just kicked off. Taking the Vikes.

[Guardsman Bass]

Finally.

I missed the first half, but managed to catch the whole second half. Yay Saints victory! Brees looked pretty good for the most part (Favre looked terrible in the second half).

[weemadando]

We were taking guesses on the breakroom at work as to how long it would take for Favre to gas/get injured. He's just pushed it too long.

[Master of Ossus]

Favre looked completely out of sorts in the game. Collinsworth blamed Percy Harvin for a couple of the miscues, but several of his throws just missed. I wonder how much of this is because he missed training camp, how much of it is the loss of Sidney Rice (terrific player, btw), and how much is just because the hourglass is running out on his career.

AP looked amazing--player of the game, despite the Saints' victory (even more than Brees). His line did nothing to open holes for him, and he took a lot of punishment, but he kept his feet going and picked up a lot of yards.

[RedImperator]

Not expecting tons out of the Eagles this year, though the defense looked better in the preseason than most people expected. But the O-line is a shambles and nobody knows what to make of Kolb yet. He's got some nice weapons downfield (unlike McNabb did for most of his career), but other than a few good games he had last year, he's looked lost every time he's been out on the field in a real game. The running game....okay, ha-ha, this is an Andy Reid team, so it doesn't matter what kind of running game we have.

[The Spartan]

On the one hand, I expect (in the demand sense of the word) that the Texans have at least a wild card berth this year. Doesn't have to result in a win, just a playoff game.

On the other, I'm skeptical that we've improved enough that we'll have the record necessary to grab a playoff game. Particularly with our schedule and having to face our nemesis: The Colts.

Maybe we'll have a second winning season, at least.

[Tsyroc]

I was kind of glad to see Leinart go. I'm not sure the alternatives at QB are the answer but I wasn't expecting much out of the Cardinals this year anyway. It's not like they were consistently great over the last two years either. They were very hot and cold. So anything around .500 or better will be pretty good in my book.

Anyway, Leinart didn't seem terrible but he certainly didn't seem great either. Plus if the rest of the team wasn't behind him then it wasn't worth keeping him around given the kind of salary he was pulling down. It is kind of odd that he signed with the Titans since Norm Chow (former USC and Titan's offensive coordinator) had wanted Leinart instead of Vince Young and now Chow is gone and the Titans are signing Leinart as a backup to Young. Pretty weird.

[Raptor 597]

First off I gotta say one thing, WHO DAT!?! I'm a little hungover today, too much Maker's Mark. But it was a good game, not great though I am definitely pleased. Gregg Williams is continuing to improve the defensive scheme which is key if they wanna make a return trip to the show. The offense didn't perform to snuff, I'm ok with that they always sort themselves out and once that machine gets rolling it ain't gonna stop. They made some good off seasons pickups and trades aswell, I'm glad they got rid of Mike Bell and picked up Chris Ivory outta no where. I was at the preseason game aganist the Chargers and the offense performed well, and it was good to see they have alot a depth was guys like Daniel, Ivory, and Arrington being healthy again.

As for the Vikings, Childress looked nervous to give Favre for the ball for any amount of time especially in the first. He just didn't look comfortable in the pocket waiting, I don't know how long he'll keep it, I don't see making the whole season they better keep Jackson sharp. And as for AP, he was beasting out their I was cringing every time they gave him the ball; he looks good and said he's determined to fix his ball handling issues so that shows character for taking the blame for last year. And Havok, man it was the shortest off season for me, the euphoria made it breeze on by.

[LMSx]

As a Seahawks fan I'm expecting 0-4 wins as Pete Carroll accepts having sold talent for pennies on the dollar in exchange for a clean start next year with a new franchise QB (I've heard 2011 is going to be a bumper crop).

Last year I started following the Eagles and Texans as Plans B so there better be some goddamn success this year, people.

[The Spartan]

You've started following the Texans? That's semi-masochistic.

Most Houston sports fans fall within the "long suffering" category of fan. Only the Rockets have championships; while the Astros had one really good run and have now reverted to their true form of vacillating between mediocrity and royally sucking. Our football teams have only ever reached a point of "not quite good enough". That was back before the Oilers left, though.

[That NOS Guy]

Usually I at least get some excitement from the start of the new football season, and yet this year, I find myself mustering zero for the New Look Eagles (tm).

[Havok]

Vick will be in by mid season.

[That NOS Guy]

Vick will be in by mid season.

Incorrect, the Eagles hate running the ball.

[Patrick Degan]

As for the Vikings, Childress looked nervous to give Favre for the ball for any amount of time especially in the first. He just didn't look comfortable in the pocket waiting, I don't know how long he'll keep it, I don't see making the whole season they better keep Jackson sharp.

Favre is finished. He doesn't have it in him to last a whole four quarters anymore, and that still-hurt ankle has cut his mobility almost down to nothing. And with the beatings he suffered last year, especially in the NFL Championship, it will take just one good hit and he'll have to be scraped off the turf with a stretcher. He really should have hung up the cleats in February and followed Kurt Warner out of football while he was still, if not quite on top, at least at a plateau in his career. He's not going to be leaving the NFL with a second Super Bowl ring on his hand. It would be a pity if he left it in a wheelchair instead.

[Medic]

This is vexing.
I joined a fantasy league for the 1st time although I wasn't present for it (I had duty) and auto-drafted. In general, I was screwed by 1) getting no bona-fide #1 WR and 2) a lot of rookies, although Ryan Matthews is the safest of the bunch. (the other 2 are Jahvid Best and Dez Bryant)

To anyone seeing the Colts @ Texans game though should know my frustration about now: my starting receivers are Jacoby Jones (who's also a returner, thank the fantasy gods) and Pierre Garcon. At this moment before the 1st half is even up, they account for 4 drops, each of them had a TD reception go off their hands! BOTH!

edit: was to wasn't... I would not have touched Dez Bryant with a 10-foot-pole, by definition of being a rookie WR, which is fantasy poison. I'm not starting him this week but that might change if Garcon's rep is so bad after this game he loses snaps in the Colts offense.

[Medic]

Holy crap, the Patriots juggernaut might be back. I had a feeling I should bench Cedric Benson (it wasn't easy) but I had no idea this was in store.
Also, he threw a pic already (that's inevitable) but it looks like the greatest show on turf might be moving to grass. I got 3 games televised here (Armed Forces Networks sole forte: out of 11 channels 3 are NFL ) and the Lions Bears game isn't one of them, I just see the stats: over 200 yard for Cutler in the 1st half. It's only the Lions but those WR's are fleet of feet.

[Elfdart]

I often adopt a shitty team in the off-season, much in the same way Brangelina might adopt an orphan from some ghastly shithole. So I spent the last few weeks thinking that the Browns might accomplish something.

But they just got handled by a wretched Tampa Bay team that I had pegged as the worst in pro football. Back to the short bus for the Browns.

[Elfdart]

I saw the highlight of Julius Peppers laying waste to Matthew Stafford. Stafford's throwing shoulder had 500# fall on top of it and he's done. What happened to left tackles who would do a takedown on a defender and take the penalty rather than getting the QB hurt?

[Falkenhayn]

Trent Edwards. Yup.

[The Spartan]

WE WON!!!! WE BEAT THE COLTS!!!!

[Guardsman Bass]

Good job.

The Eagles seem to have had a pretty good comeback with Vick, although they threw that all away when they decided to do a shotgun offense on a 4th & 1, then run it up the middle anyways.

[LMSx]

WE WON!!!! WE BEAT THE COLTS!!!!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T baby. Well timed bandwagon!

From the box score it sounds like that Miami game last year where they just ran and ran and ran and never gave the Colts the ball back. Except this time the Colts couldn't pull something out- and there was no fumblerooski like some other late Texans 4th quarter leads.

And, uh, Pete Carroll? 15 more games to play but the Hawks already look infinitely more watchable then the trainwreck the last two years.

[Master of Ossus]

I'm so glad to see that Alex Smith has really matured since last year. He only threw two picks (one of which was his fault), but two more of his throws could easily have been intercepted where a Seattle DB dropped the ball. He also left at least two TD's on the field when he missed wide-open throws that would have scored, including one on a fourth-down play early in the game that would've completely changed the complexion of the game. Looks like we're in for another season without the playoffs.

[RogueIce]

But they just got handled by a wretched Tampa Bay team that I had pegged as the worst in pro football. Back to the short bus for the Browns.

Oh, we won? I wouldn't know, since I can't actually watch it or anything. Fucking blackouts.

Not that I'm surprised we aren't selling out games. I don't really remember the Bad Old Days of the orange jerseys, eithers. But apparently we suck that much now.

Oh well. There's always away games, right?

[Steve]

Well, the Bucs had an ownership committed to spending the money and winning. They even paid up to the Raiders and got Gruden before heading to the Super Bowl.

Then the Glazer Brothers just had to buy Manchester United. Now they're letting the Bucs lie fallow while they try to keep their precious English Soccer club ownership sticker.