American football

Ryans has done a great job turning that team around. From worst to playoffs in one season feels miraculous, but plenty of growth still ahead for the Texans. Could be dangerous with this young core for years to come. Only problem with being ahead of the rebuild curve is the media pressure that comes with it. Gonna be a lot of hot takes and shots fired when next season starts, but assuming no one who supports them cares about next season right now..

My friends got me into American Football a couple of years ago via a fantasy league and it's now a Sunday night staple in my house. I don't really have a team other than watching out for whoever's on my fantasy team in any given season but have really enjoyed watching the Lions and Texans turn things around, particularly as I've ended up with half the Texans team in fantasy this year.

I came plum last in our league this year (only 4 teams so everyone has super teams), I had a lot of guys who were surefire big scorers in previous years but who had poor years this time round like Diggs, Kupp & Ekeler. We get to hold onto three players each year so I'm currently thinking Tyreek, CJ Stroud and then tossing up between Lamar and Garrett Wilson for the last one. Might seem odd but I'm thinking a potential post-superbowl dropoff for Lamar (who had a few shocking weeks early season this year), and that Wilson might finally pop off next year with Rogers as QB.

Does anyone else play and/or have any tips for the draft? My best year was when I had no idea and just let the computer play for me...

Also Tomlin never being under .500 for the 20 years he’s coached the steelers is so impressive. Yeah they haven’t come really close to a Super Bowl run recently, but not sure how much responsibility/blame can be laid at Tomlin’s door, but to keep a modern nfl team together and competitive speaks to his man management and also how they coach up younger players over there.
Would still prefer the bills and jaguars in the playoffs to the steelers, but getting this team to the edge of the playoffs is an achievement in and of itself..

Back to my predictions from the start of the season

(see here - https://www.lfgss.com/comments/17112705/)

Predictions of Division winners

AFC East - Bills
AFC North - Ravens
AFC South - Jags
AFC West - Chiefs

NFC East - Eagles
NFC North- Lions
NFC South - Atlanta
NFC West - 49ers

I thought that Atlanta would be better with a strong ground game of Bijan and Algier and enough Kyle Pitts to keep things moving. Was not expecting Baker to play so well.

I hope the Eagles don't fuck it up. This looks like the kind of game that the Cowboys are good at losing. Rivera ends on a high.

I might sweep the AFC predictions if the Bills play well and the Titans are the same ones that the Texans played. BUT I think that Jags game is going to be either a nail biter or a complete blowout .

Looking forward to many hours of football tonight. I will be with @Soul (in spirit) and rooting for the Packers today against the Bears. Love has been playing out of his skin the second half of this season and the Pack would be a great addition to the playoffs.

It has been a really good season.

Nice to have seen the Jags and Ravens live this year with @Soul and @cornelius_blackfoot , especially in Lamar's MVP season.

Fuuuuucccckkkkk! Division Champs!! 4th seed in the AFC!

What a collapse by the Jags! Well played by Vrabel and the Titans. Last gasp from that group i expect them to be dismantled on the off season.

Win and in so far for us.

🤞🏻

Apologies to Soul but I’m a Bears and Cards fan for the next few hours, hoping to scrape the Saints through by the skin of our teeth.

My glass is half empty.

It’s all good; we can’t all be friends.

Not great management from Love. Shouldn’t have allowed the sack and loss of field for the FG. Shit FG attempt to boot.

Going to be a tough game.

The fire Dennis Allen train gathers more momentum as our HC throws his team under the bus

https://x.com/covers/status/1744114358903349567?s=46&t=vPFCbCvj75rMBIEEMdi8gg

GO Pack GO

Youngest team ever to make the post season. Didn’t see that coming at the start of the season…

:)

Sorry dude - classy victory to finish out the season for you guys. Got the Falcons coach booted out too. Got to feel good.

Can't imagine we'll go much further but the 2nd half of this season has been much improved for us.

Falcons have fired Arthur Smith. Unsurprising. I bet they send his stuff back via UPS though.

(Smith is a son of one of the FedEx founders)

Rivera, Eberfluss, Dennis Allen, O'Connell

Who else do we think will go?

Panthers GM fired.

More heads will roll today.

Rivera too

Please let Dennis Allen be added to that list.

I’d actually be happy if he just stuck around to run the defence again but unlikely I guess

Seems jameis and the offense took it on themselves to say “fuck the falcons” and get Jamaal Williams a touchdown

https://youtu.be/FRTS--FQyqs?si=lETDA24g1aWvfeHH

I follow cheo hodari Coker on Twitter (I’ll never be calling it X) and he’s been calling for jameis to start and Dennis Allen to go all season long!

Got to say tepper comes across as a “dick” and I’m pretty sure he’s now the owner whose taking over the Snyder mantle of “worst in the league” still burns me that he didn’t give steve wilks a fair shake after he’d turned them around as interim HC last season.

He’s not the only one!

See above Twitter link and DA response

"Billionaire investment person is a petulant child" shocker! Film at 11....

Tepper comes across as a massively impatient dick who cannot resist meddling. "It's my toy and I'll play with it how I like!". I base my impression on his behaviour. Look at the way he fell out over the practice facility with the local government.

I think he will probably try to move the team at some point but I can't see the other owners accepting that unless he has a really good plan. Looking at US cities I struggle to see where he would move to. So many of the large cities are already well served. He could aim for a San Antonio / Austin team but Jerreh would shoot that down, as would McNair.

Your comparison to Snyder is pretty spot on.

Please let Dennis Allen be added to that list.

I’d actually be happy if he just stuck around to run the defence again but unlikely I guess

Sadly I don't think Gayle will make any sudden moves. I think you'll have another season of Carr and a .500 record before anything changes. There is just enough of a core to keep things interesting. But your D is pretty old and your offense only has a couple of bright spots, but is also old. And the salary cap shenanigans cannot continue. Carr leaves after next year and things get blown up to start again. The parallels with Baker in TB will be strong.

I think Atlanta does something good in the off season for coaching, picks up a better collection of QBs and goes back to dominating the division.

Jags have fired their entire defensive staff.

Vrabel fired from the Titans! Eh! Can’t get my head round that one.
Would he be in line for the patriots job if it becomes available? Is the Titans a destination other HC candidates would want to head to? Levis good but the sample size if small, no Derrick Henry, defence that plays hard, but not many options on offense!?
Feels like Vrabel kept them competitive through force of will/coaching.

@Aroogah maybe it was them pulling on the old oilers colours and getting beat by the replacement team not once but twice that got that bad juju going..

Vrabel fired from the Titans! Eh! Can’t get my head round that one.

Yeah. I don't get that either. They are in complete scorched earth and rebuild for the Titans. What Carthon does next will be super interesting. I don't know that they have a lot of really strong HC candidates out there unless they throw the bank at Harbaugh and convince him to leave Michigan.

Would he be in line for the patriots job if it becomes available?

Unlikely. But I could see him at a number of teams. He ticks a lot of the boxes for San Diego. Imagine what he could do with Herbert given what he could squeeze out of Tannehill, Mariota and Levis. Las Vegas is another strong candidate.

He would be lights out for the Bears.