The NFL Thread

[Donte77]

Unfortunate, but it proves you can be great at the skill positions, but if your Line sucks you can't do much with it.

Just ask Barry Sanders why Emmit Smith has rings and he doesn't... O line makes or breaks a team.

[Buscemi]

Before you can get a great quarterback, you need a great line in front of him. Too many GM's fail to realize that.

[Donte77]

Yeah because they are all trying to get the next Montana or Favre and not realizing that they will get turned into Andrew Ware (Heisman winner) with a sieve for an O-Line like the Lions had for decades.

[KeyserSoze]

Donte - On the other hand, look at the O-Line the Steelers won the Super Bowl with last year

[W]

Look at the front line for the Chiefs... Went from a good/decent team with Willie Roaf, Will Shields, Brian Waters, Casey Weigman, John Tait.

Roaf retires 2006
Shields retires 2007
Weigman moves to Denver in 2008, becomes Pro-Bowler
Tait moves to Chicago in 2004
Waters is still there, only played 2 games this year.

2003 was their best year (the last year all of them played together), they went 13-3 and got a bye in the playoffs. This line + Priest is why (Gonzo and Dante too, they needed a lot of offense considering how horrible their D was/is plus they had no recievers). Running behind this line is why Priest broke so many records. With a great OL, you don't need a passing game or a defense.

[Buscemi]

The first key to The Greatest Show on Turf was when Orlando Pace was drafted with the first pick in 1997 (actually second if you count Isaac Bruce, who was drafted in 1995). After that, they built the team (the signings of Warner and Faulk, Torry Holt being drafted, etc).

[W]

Pretty decent OL overall there. Pace was great, don't get me wrong, and Timmerman was a very good guard, but the rest were fairly average.

[W]

I almost forgot the Crack Circle. Nate Newton, Erik Williams, Larry Allen, Stepnowski, and Tunei.

[KeyserSoze]

The first key to The Greatest Show on Turf was when Orlando Pace was drafted with the first pick in 1997 (actually second if you count Isaac Bruce, who was drafted in 1995). After that, they built the team (the signings of Warner and Faulk, Torry Holt being drafted, etc).

There was also a little bit of luck involved. If Trent Green doesn't break his leg in that final pre season game, maybe Warner never gets his shot and there is no Greatest Show on Turf.

[W]

Or maybe Trent Green would be seen as a great QB? He had 16 TDs to 5 INTs (8 games, 5 starts) with 101.8 rating in 2000 (year after he was hurt).

Warner was great with two of the top ten receiving corps of all time (Holt, Bruce, Hakim, and don't forget Faulk + Fitz, Boldin, Breaston). Basically, he's had pretty good luck in the "surrounding cast" category.

[Geezer]

Those Tennessee Titans are looking amazing right now. Once a joke, 10-6 is a real possibility. Trade Vince Young? How about keep him and ride him to the top! He looks poised, his passing has improved immensely, and his legs are still a deadly weapon. Plus he is having fun out there, which is so important for him. Oh yeah, and Chris Johnson is the best RB in the game. No one can move like him. He breaks one 80 yard run a game, just get him in space and watch out. The Colts are in trouble next week, you watch. Today's game made me so happy, I was jumping and yelling and screaming. I haven't been that happy watching a football game that I can remember. Not bad getting that from a 5-6 team.

[W]

I've never really doubted Vince for being an NFL QB because he can just get it done, doesn't have quite the athletic talent that Vick did, but makes much better decisions. You can do so many things with him that you can't do even with the top tier quarterbacks, like the option. As of right now, I'd say that the Titans aren't making the playoffs considering the teams they'd have to leap to get there, though.

Also, though he's rising pretty quickly, I'd put Chris Johnson at #2 because he doesn't have near the pop that AP has. Peterson's got the speed, cut moves, and decision making that Johnson has, but also can hit pretty hard and shed defenders much better.

The Titans may have a worse chance winning next week since the Colts stunk it up in the first half vs. the Texans. There's no way Indy isn't running on all cylinders next week after the defense gets chewed out and (I believe) Freeney gets back out there.

[Geezer]

I've never really doubted Vince for being an NFL QB because he can just get it done, doesn't have quite the athletic talent that Vick did, but makes much better decisions. You can do so many things with him that you can't do even with the top tier quarterbacks, like the option. As of right now, I'd say that the Titans aren't making the playoffs considering the teams they'd have to leap to get there, though.

Also, though he's rising pretty quickly, I'd put Chris Johnson at #2 because he doesn't have near the pop that AP has. Peterson's got the speed, cut moves, and decision making that Johnson has, but also can hit pretty hard and shed defenders much better.

The Titans may have a worse chance winning next week since the Colts stunk it up in the first half vs. the Texans. There's no way Indy isn't running on all cylinders next week after the defense gets chewed out and (I believe) Freeney gets back out there.

I've never doubted Vince either, but I know someone on here thought they should trade him, get rid of him, throw him to the wolves.

The Titans are one game out of a spot right now, the Steelers are flailing, the Ravens haven't played that well all season... and the Titans are playing scary good football. They refuse to lose. 99 yards to win a game on the last play? You can't diminish the impact that will have on your team, and they've done this sort of thing for 4 straight weeks.

AP is not as fast as Chris Johnson and he doesn't have the same moves. He definitely has more power to break tackles and physically man handle defenders, but he doesn't have the ability to run around defenders that Chris Johnson has. You get Johnson in space and there isn't a defender in the league that can catch him. The guy runs a 4.23 40! He is on pace for over 2000 yards in his second season. AP hasn't done that yet in his career. He also doesn't have the fumbling problem that has followed Peterson, or the injury history. If I'm picking a running back to build my franchise around, I'm taking Johnson over Peterson.

The Colts are beatable. They have flaws on defense. They won't be able to move the ball on the ground against the Titans. They don't care as much about the game because they already have the division won. Peyton Manning is deadly against any team, and he Titans need to play 60 minutes of their best football to win, but they have been doing that for 5 weeks now, and they are only getting better. The Texans should have beaten the Colts twice, and they blew it because they don't know how to close out games. The Titans are better than the Texans. I really see them pulling the upset. Do you really think this Colts team goes undefeated? And if not, who beats them?

[W]

Right now I think Minnesota is the best team in football. With their defense, Favre, receiving corps, AP, offensive line... I don't really see a weakness unless Favre breaks down like last year and they're not running him as hard.

I think the Saints lose tonight. I just have faith in New England today for some reason. If they get past there, both them and Indy have relatively soft schedules the rest of the way, though any team can beat any other on any given Sunday.

[transformers2]

I think AP and Chris Johnson are about even. Johnson is more explosive and a better playmaker but Peterson is better-desicion maker and his power is unmatched.

On to the Titans they are very impressive right now. They might make the playoffs. I dont know they were lucky to pull out that victory last week against the Cardinals but time well tell and the playoffs are for sure a possbilty. Onto the Steelers and Ravens these are very much alive and Baltimore has been repeatdly shafted you take about 3 or plays away from this team and they are an 8 win team. I am predicting that Pittsburgh will make the playoffs they are too good not to make it.