NFL 2018 Season

SO! How did everyone's teams do in their first preseason games today? The Skins started off strong but wound up folding to the Pats and getting an injury on one of their top draft picks for their trouble. Can't say I was too surprised, honestly. Well, I guess I shouldn't be too disappointed. Historically, it's always seemed like the Skins do poorly during regulation games if they do well in preseason. If they screw up early on, maybe it can get the bad juju out of their systems for when it really counts.

Watched Cleveland lay waste to New York, 1st and 2nd round draft picks going after each other. It was quite fun to watch. Maybe New York finally has a coach that will respect Eli's Super Bowl rings this year.

What say y'all?

 

The Texans o-line and backup QBs looked decent against the Chiefs. It's hard to tell anything in the 1st preseason game though. Watson is the real deal if he can stay on his feet. Hopefully. Maybe.

NFL football in Houston has always been full of controversy and disappointment. But I keep hoping. I think I'll see the aliens land their spaceships on Earth before I see a Houston team in the Super Bowl.

 

49ers looked ok for what little the stars did. I was impressed with Mullens though, leading that final drive for the win. Him and CJ might be in competition with each other.

Of course after one week, that's pure overreaction and I could be off base.

 

So the Redskins 2nd round draft pick RB Derrius Guice is out for the whole season with a torn ACL. Fuck sakes, we just cannot catch a break!

 

My Pats showed that, even with the 'B' team, they can still adapt over the course of a game and come out winners. We're really more worried about coaches retiring than Brady.

 

New "helmet-lowering" penalty will be nigh-impossible to enforce correctly.

One Super Bowl play has been highlighted to demonstrate this - Malcolm Jenkins clobbers Brandin Cooks, there's helmet-to-helmet contact, and it looks pretty savage. Then on repeat viewings, it looks like the helmet contact wasn't intentional, that Jenkins tried to lead with his shoulder, but Jenkins can't retract his head into his body like a turtle. (I mean, the head has to go somewhere, and often this is going to result in helmet-to-helmet when there was no intent, and refs guessing randomly as to the intentions of players.) And the penalty isn't just for helmet-to-helmet, it's for helmet to any body part.

 

Yeah they outlined the new H2H rules last night in the Broncos/Vikings game and they're positively idiotic. You're going to have zebras with slide rulers running around all the time trying to figure out if anyone did a "bad touch tell an adult!" play that will ruin the game even more. I do believe something should be done about all the horrendous injuries that have plagued the league in recent years but this feels like a knee-jerk checkbox so Goodell and the owners can crow that they're "doing something". Feh!

 

Vikes' first and second teams utterly dominated on both sides the ball - albeit against the Broncos. The third team didn't look too good, but since they pretty much already had their 53 coming into camp, most of those guys are playing to make other teams. Other then working out the OLine (which is always a WIP for the Vikings), the only real battle is for the third RB spot. And I suppose how long it is before Hughes takes Waynes's job.

And after Cousins making a throw that maybe only three other guys in the NFL can make and seeing Keenum sail (badly) three of his four attempts, can the media just stop with the "Was it really an upgrade?" nonsense.

Leave it to Levy to make something sound more complicated than it already was.

 

Still quite heartbroken that Cousins went to the Vikings, knowing his potential. However, at least he seems to be somewhere that he can be respected and allowed to grow and be a part of the future of a decent team. I wish him and the Vikes all the best!

Vance Joseph looked noticeably worried last night - as well he should. He allowed the Vikes to walk the dog on them to an unacceptable level, even for a preseason game. I have a very strong feeling that, if he doesn't start bringing his A-game to the program, Mr. Elway will be showing him the door, possibly even before the end of the regulation season, depending on how they do. I realize the exhibition games don't mean anything in the mathematical aspect of the season, but you can also see hints of both profound greatness and epic failure in these things, and I sure didn't see much of the former last night in Denver. Time will tell...

 

Broncos seem the be pulling squarely from the Redskins playbook, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Should be interesting when those two teams play each other on Friday. I'm sure it will be like watching a short bus that has steering wheels at every seat.

I really hope they get rid of Paxton Lynch. He's useless as tits on a board.

 

Looks like Ritchie Incognito has finally fallen completely off the sanity wagon...

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2018/08/richie-incognito-patriots-dez-bryant

 

Cap implosion in 2020!

 

Suh's still in the game, eh? I guess he got his clete raking under control finally.

 

The Colts went 3-1 in the preseason. The obvious focus is on the return of Andrew Luck who looked solid if not spectacular in the warmup games. We'll see if Frank Reich's offensive system will help Luck to thrive once the season opens against Cincy next Sunday, but I'm just happy to have Luck back at all. However, I fear the Colts simply don't have enough on defense or in the backfield to truly compete against Houston and Jacksonville in this division.

Mostly I'm just happy football is back.