Super Bowl 43 (LXIII)

[Mark in Oshawa]

Ok...who outside of the US and Canada actually watched this game or cared to? Anyone have an opinion on what was actually a really good NFL game? I was rooting sort of (I have no real strong rooting interest for any NFL team) the Steelers but I did enjoy the fact the Cardinals made a game of it and there was some outstanding runs and plays.

Larry Fitzgerald really showed his stuff in the last quarter as a receiver, the Steeler's defence made some great plays and intercepted one pass and took it the length of the field for a touchdown, and both quarterbacks made amazing escapes and throws when they were needing big gains. It was a good game.

So....was I the only regular on this forum who admits it was on or what?

[schmenke]

I watched the Aussie tennis final :)

[Mark in Oshawa]

Schmenke....it seems THAT was a good match as well...maybe not as good as that match at Wimbledon, but good just the same.

[christophulus]

I watched the first half and the half time performance, and found it surprisingly entertaining, not really watched NFL before. Had to call it a night around 2am local time though, by which point they'd just started the second half...

Seriously, two hours to play 30 mins of 'football'?

[Mark in Oshawa]

I watched the first half and the half time performance, and found it surprisingly entertaining, not really watched NFL before. Had to call it a night around 2am local time though, by which point they'd just started the second half...

Seriously, two hours to play 30 mins of 'football'?

Christophulus, to understand that is to understand the nature of the game. They stop the clock to sell you stuff...lol. Actually, the way the line pounds the crap out of each other and the nature of the hits, modern "football" is what it is, a ized and strategic version of rugby. The time between plays is pretty much needed.

It is an acquired taste....

[christophulus]

Christophulus, to understand that is to understand the nature of the game. They stop the clock to sell you stuff...lol. Actually, the way the line pounds the crap out of each other and the nature of the hits, modern "football" is what it is, a ized and strategic version of rugby. The time between plays is pretty much needed.

Yep, although I was watching it on the BBC so I was treated to random comments from a presenter who wasn't entirely sure what he was on about..

It was enjoyable, just a shame it was on at an unsociable time over here!

It was enjoyable, just a shame it was on at an unsociable time over here!

It's a total fecking disgrace that it was on over here.

[schmenke]

...30 mins of 'football'?

Less than that if I'm not mistaken :mark:

[MrJan]

I've watched a few Superbowls before and a couple of regular season games as well as playing Madden on the PS2 so have a vague idea of what was going on. Epic finish, although i felt gutted for the Cards because they'd really dug in at times to stop the Steelers and to lose in the last 35 seconds sucks, especially after a couple of big drives which put them in front.

I know that they sell stuff and that the hits are fairly hefty but I still think the length of time to play the sport is stupid. I mean it's not even as if it's the same guys in offence and defence, much prefer Rugby where the blokes wear hardly any padding and tackle each other repeatedly without have a little rest and punching their chest. There is so much testosterone in American Football that it comes across as a far more homoerotic sport than all our poncy soccerball players, just the players in NFL don't quite realise how gay they are.

[Jag_Warrior]

There is so much testosterone in American Football that it comes across as a far more homoerotic sport than all our poncy soccerball players, just the players in NFL don't quite realise how gay they are.

I think they come to the UK once a year. You could always tell them how gay they are the next time they're there. Let us know how that works out... :p :

But to Mark's point, yeah, this was one of the best Super Bowls I've watched. Helluva catch by Santonio Holmes! I used to be a big NFL fan (L.A. Rams all the way!!!), but I pretty much stopped watching over a decade ago. At best, I'll catch the Super Bowl some years.

[Easy Drifter]

I watched most of it Mark. Good game but I was for the Cardinals. They made it a lot closer than expected.
Of course had to put up with crappy Cdn. commercials instead of new US ones. At least we didn't get the 'Princess'. Actually I flipped to Discovery Channel during most commercials.
For those over the pond if you think football is slow try most baseball games.
As far as hitting goes do not forget most of those linemen are 250 lbs. and up. Most linebackers are well over 200 lbs, usually about 225. That is a lot of power hitting you when you weigh 180 or so.

[chuck34]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/01/26/athlete.brains/index.html?iref=newssearch

Interesting about the head injuries these guys get.

Makes me wonder though, are their brains messed up before or after they play. :-)

Seriously, it was a great game until the last (real) snap. To not even review if Warner's arm was going forward or not was complete BS!

[MrJan]

I think they come to the UK once a year. You could always tell them how gay they are the next time they're there. Let us know how that works out... :p :

Are you telling me that when players are chest pumping and showing off all their muscles that they don't look in any way gay? And the last thing I want to do is tell them, big guys like that who don't like to think of themselves as a bit gay are really agressive :p :

Agree that Holmes' catch was pretty awesome, couldn't believe it on the replay when it showed he had his feet down. Also credit to Fitzgerald (??) who pulled off a pretty nice catch for Arizona's TD just before that.

I know what you mean about baseball Drifter. In the UK we have like one game a week shown in the middle of the night and when I was a student I used to tune in to it ocassionally. Don't forget though that we have cricket which instead of lasting for a few hours takes 5 days :D Mind you cricketers probably hit the ball more often :p :

[Mark in Oshawa]

I've watched a few Superbowls before and a couple of regular season games as well as playing Madden on the PS2 so have a vague idea of what was going on. Epic finish, although i felt gutted for the Cards because they'd really dug in at times to stop the Steelers and to lose in the last 35 seconds sucks, especially after a couple of big drives which put them in front.

I know that they sell stuff and that the hits are fairly hefty but I still think the length of time to play the sport is stupid. I mean it's not even as if it's the same guys in offence and defence, much prefer Rugby where the blokes wear hardly any padding and tackle each other repeatedly without have a little rest and punching their chest. There is so much testosterone in American Football that it comes across as a far more homoerotic sport than all our poncy soccerball players, just the players in NFL don't quite realise how gay they are.

Jan, the size of the linemen mean the hits are that much bigger and the style of game dictates those rests to a point. Rugby is an awesome game but I have been told by a buddy of mine who has played rugby and Canadian football (mostly like the American version with a bigger field, different blocking rules and a 30 second play clock as opposed to 45 for the American game) said both are very physical and the type of hurt and pain inflicted is just different.

What many who don't understand gridiron football is the need for the equipment. If you hit people (and the rules of the plays and how they start pretty much dictate it) in rugby like you do in football, the injuries would go up. The collisions in gridiron football are far more sudden. You play the game in bursts rather than a steady fight and flow. In Rugby, as nasty as scrums are, the collision factor is low.

I have watched everything from Aussie Rules to Rugby and back to gridiron football both NFL and Canadian and all have their toughness factors.

The beauty of the stop and go effect in North America is it allows strategy and very complicated defenses and offensive plays to be scripted. The fan in the stands or at home can try to guess what will happen next and if you are playing, guessing right or reading the opposition right will make or break you. It is thinking about what has to happen, and then having the physical tools to make it happen. Rugby and Aussie rules are more like Soccer or Hockey in that you have a flow and you operate almost on instinct.

I can love and appreciate all forms of "football" for their merits.

I just was curious how the overseas contingent viewed the Super Bowl. IMO with the exception of the last 5 or 6 years, the Grey Cup (Canada's Football Championship which is over 110 years old) usually is a FAR better game.

[AAReagles]

....i felt gutted for the Cards because they'd really dug in at times to stop the Steelers and to lose in the last 35 seconds sucks, especially after a couple of big drives which put them in front..

Yeah I was rooting for the Cards too, but their late (regular) season implosion was bound to resurface somewhere during the playoffs.

Particularly their defense giving up so many big plays... so many times. It would have been more difficult scoring with a hooker at motel drive than on these guys.

Anyways they made it farther than anyone expected.

[Mark in Oshawa]

AAReagles...lol...their defense would have been shredded if Peyton Manning and the Colts were the opposition. Big Ben just gets enough done to win....

[AAReagles]

That's right. So my hat is off to him and their solid defense. :up:

[Andrewmcm]

What many who don't understand gridiron football is the need for the equipment. If you hit people (and the rules of the plays and how they start pretty much dictate it) in rugby like you do in football, the injuries would go up. The collisions in gridiron football are far more sudden. You play the game in bursts rather than a steady fight and flow. In Rugby, as nasty as scrums are, the collision factor is low.


Isn't that chiken and egg though - the hits are hard in American football because the equipment makes them complacent hence the tackling is less refined? If you took the padding out would tackling become a more refined art? Likewise if equipment was put into rubgy and Aussie Rules would the tackling be more brute force?

[Easy Drifter]

I agree on the Cdn. game Mark. But that was a really good Super Bowl.
I only played high school football as a defensive end at a light, even for those days 180lbs. My best game was against a team whose offensive line averaged 285 lbs! That was more than the Argo Defensive line of the time.
The weird thing was they were a passing team and the line was so slow I could dodge them so I spent most of the game in their backfield. If they had run the ball more I would have been useless.

Much later I had a funny one in a touch leaugue. I have small hands so never was much of a receiver nor was I very fast. As we were heading over to start the game the ball was thrown to me and was very high. I did a running jump and one handed it, much to my amazement. :eek: The other team had been watching. For most of the game I received double coverage. I don't think I caught a pass in the game. :D

[Jag_Warrior]

Are you telling me that when players are chest pumping and showing off all their muscles that they don't look in any way gay? And the last thing I want to do is tell them, big guys like that who don't like to think of themselves as a bit gay are really agressive :p :

When I played ball, we might slap each other on the butt after a great play... we even took showers together. Back then and to this day, I still look at myself in the mirror after I lift weights. It's either vanity... or I might be all kinds of gay too. The only sure way to really find out is to send your girlfriend over to my house on a long weekend and see how she's walking when she returns home... if she returns home. ;) :)

What you're saying, I've heard in regard to pro wrestling. But to be quite honest, I've not heard it applied to American football or basketball. But hey, maybe there are gay bars all across the U.S. where guys with lisps are gettin' their ya-ya's while watching NFL games. I'd rather count the JPM (jiggles per minute) of the cheerleaders than look into that though. :p :

[Jag_Warrior]

Yeah I was rooting for the Cards too, but their late (regular) season implosion was bound to resurface somewhere during the playoffs.

Particularly their defense giving up so many big plays... so many times. It would have been more difficult scoring with a hooker at motel drive than on these guys.

Anyways they made it farther than anyone expected.

I didn't watch many games this season. But yeah, the Cards seemed pretty hot & cold in the ones I did catch.

What killed me about this game was the penalties on both teams - at the worst possible time. I don't fault the officials, because most were good calls. But in addition to some truly highlight film category plays, there were a lot of penalties in this one.

[Tazio]

Ok...who outside of the US and Canada actually watched this game or cared to? Anyone have an opinion on what was actually a really good NFL game? I was rooting sort of (I have no real strong rooting interest for any NFL team) the Steelers but I did enjoy the fact the Cardinals made a game of it and there was some outstanding runs and plays.

Larry Fitzgerald really showed his stuff in the last quarter as a receiver, the Steeler's defence made some great plays and intercepted one pass and took it the length of the field for a touchdown, and both quarterbacks made amazing escapes and throws when they were needing big gains. It was a good game.

So....was I the only regular on this forum who admits it was on or what?The fix was in before the real coin flip!
The one that the advertisers arranged to keep it close! :laugh:

[MrJan]

When I played ball, we might slap each other on the butt after a great play... we even took showers together. Back then and to this day, I still look at myself in the mirror after I lift weights. It's either vanity... or I might be all kinds of gay too. The only sure way to really find out is to send your girlfriend over to my house on a long weekend and see how she's walking when she returns home... if she returns home.

What you're saying, I've heard in regard to pro wrestling. But to be quite honest, I've not heard it applied to American football or basketball. But hey, maybe there are gay bars all across the U.S. where guys with lisps are gettin' their ya-ya's while watching NFL games. I'd rather count the JPM (jiggles per minute) of the cheerleaders than look into that though. :p :

No need to get all defensive :p :

Just saying that most American Football players come across as ever so slightly insecure, well done to you for feeling the need to say what a manly man you are though ;) Cheers lovey :D

Edit: Oh and don't think it's just with NFL, rugby is a stupidly homoerotic sport too, all those men in a scrum holding onto each other.

[Easy Drifter]

Taz: You have your sports mixed up. That is the Daytona 500. :grenade: :angel:

[El Libertador]

I said I wouldn't watch it, but my mom was sick and had it on so I watched from the middle of the second quarter on. I'm not a huge football guy (I did the watching every second of every New England Patriots game last year with the 18-0 deal and then...that other game), I watch the odd Patriots game if there's nothing better to do. However, giving credit where credit is do, that was a really entertaining game.

And Easy Drifter's got it right...

[Jag_Warrior]

No need to get all defensive :p :

Just saying that most American Football players come across as ever so slightly insecure, well done to you for feeling the need to say what a manly man you are though ;) Cheers lovey :D

Edit: Oh and don't think it's just with NFL, rugby is a stupidly homoerotic sport too, all those men in a scrum holding onto each other.


It is what it is, brother. I like to lift weights and I like girls. If that's wrong, I don't wanna to be right (James Brown, I believe? :D ).

I've never given that topic much thought. Possibly you're seeing what you want to see... er, not that there is anything wrong with that. ;)

[MrJan]

Hey, if you have to get all juiced up to feel like a man then that's fine with me :p :

[steve_spackman]

Ok...who outside of the US and Canada actually watched this game or cared to? Anyone have an opinion on what was actually a really good NFL game? I was rooting sort of (I have no real strong rooting interest for any NFL team) the Steelers but I did enjoy the fact the Cardinals made a game of it and there was some outstanding runs and plays.

Larry Fitzgerald really showed his stuff in the last quarter as a receiver, the Steeler's defence made some great plays and intercepted one pass and took it the length of the field for a touchdown, and both quarterbacks made amazing escapes and throws when they were needing big gains. It was a good game.

So....was I the only regular on this forum who admits it was on or what?

i prefer Rugby to Grid Iron..the thought of watching a bunch of guys in armour doesnt really do it for me.

[schmenke]

I prefer rugby (union) too but the sport gets precious little air time on this side of the pond :mark:
I find rugby is a much better spectator sport because it has far fewer stoppages.

[Mark in Oshawa]

i prefer Rugby to Grid Iron..the thought of watching a bunch of guys in armour doesnt really do it for me.

If you actually grew up playing some form of it Steve you wouldn't see the downfalls at all. Since I have played (very badly I admit) just about all forms of football recreationally at some point in my life, I can see the strategies, weaknesses and strengths of all of them. To each their own....

The concept of belonging and overcoming adversity in team sports is one of the things I miss in my adult life. Playing rec football in school and the meshing of all the guys working as a team is accentuated in football since one player cannot really carry a team.

[Jag_Warrior]

Hey, if you have to get all juiced up to feel like a man then that's fine with me :p :

Where I grew up, men were men, women were scarce... and sheep were scared. :p

[MrJan]

Where I grew up, men were men, women were scarce... and sheep were scared. :p

Not too different from where I live :D :D

[Jag_Warrior]

The concept of belonging and overcoming adversity in team sports is one of the things I miss in my adult life. Playing rec football in school and the meshing of all the guys working as a team is accentuated in football since one player cannot really carry a team.

Same here. That's the one aspect of my youth that I miss the most. As you move through life and career, it's more dog eat dog, even from those within your own organization... especially from those within your own organization.

I'd changed my sig several weeks ago, but hearing Springsteen sing "Glory Days" during half time made me think back fondly.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Same here. That's the one aspect of my youth that I miss the most. As you move through life and career, it's more dog eat dog, even from those within your own organization... especially from those within your own organization.

I'd changed my sig several weeks ago, but hearing Springsteen sing "Glory Days" during half time made me think back fondly.

Being on a team that WINS gives you pretty strong memories. I can imagine the bonds that those Steelers will have with each other since for a lot of them this is their second championship.

[Jag_Warrior]

Being on a team that WINS gives you pretty strong memories. I can imagine the bonds that those Steelers will have with each other since for a lot of them this is their second championship.

The basketball team that I was on in high school set a record for consecutive wins in our state. As far as I know, the record still stands (2 1/2 seasons unbeaten). They continued to win even after I was off the team. But I remember the night that we started the run by finishing that first season unbeaten and winning the championship. Our coach came in and talked to us and said, "no matter what you go on to do in life, you'll always remember this night." That's been over a quarter of a century ago, and even with other successes and failures in life, he was absolutely right: I have never forgotten how good that felt or the confidence it gave me. Not everybody on that team were friends. But we pulled together to do something pretty special. Whenever I run into one of the guys from those teams, we have that bond. That's why the song "Glory Days" hits me the way it does now.

And that was just high school basketball. I can't imagine what it would be like for the guys who win something HUGE like the World Cup, the World Series or the Super Bowl.

[Tazio]

The basketball team that I was on in high school set a record for consecutive wins in our state. As far as I know, the record still stands (2 1/2 seasons unbeaten). They continued to win even after I was off the team. But I remember the night that we started the run by finishing that first season unbeaten and winning the championship. Our coach came in and talked to us and said, "no matter what you go on to do in life, you'll always remember this night." That's been over a quarter of a century ago, and even with other successes and failures in life, he was absolutely right: I have never forgotten how good that felt or the confidence it gave me. Not everybody on that team were friends. But we pulled together to do something pretty special. Whenever I run into one of the guys from those teams, we have that bond. That's why the song "Glory Days" hits me the way it does now.

And that was just high school basketball. I can't imagine what it would be like for the guys who win something HUGE like the World Cup, the World Series or the Super Bowl.
I know a psychiatrist that deprograms football (American) players
He said is job has become a little easier since steroids were banned.
Football (I played plenty) like most sports, is much more fun to play than to watch IMO.
The rules that they have in the current NFL are down-right silly.
I guess if I still drank, all those stoppages to view instant replay
would give me the opportunity to go to the fridge, and/or take a leak! :dozey: :rolleyes:

[Rollo]

I was rooting sort of for the Steelers

Yeah I was rooting for the Cards too,

You lot are keen ;)

[Tazio]

You lot are keen ;)
The only thing that really matters is that AZ. covered the 6.5 point spread!
I'm out of here chief :p :

[ShiftingGears]

I watched some of it and found it boring.

[AAReagles]

... What killed me about this game was the penalties on both teams... I don't fault the officials, because most were good calls. But in addition to some truly highlight film category plays, there were a lot of penalties in this one.

:laugh: Tell that to Mike Holgrem. Though the '3-blind-mice' (NFL refs) hendered him and his team in Super Bowl XL (40), the Seahawks had no business being there if they couldn't put away a team that the opponet's QB had a rating of less than 27. As the "Sports Babe" use to say on her radio program - "Score MORE points!"



Then again, me being a Croakland Fader (aka Oakland Raider) fan I haven't got much room to talk - except when the game is on of course, and it's usually not good, as far as my language goes.

Though there was a recent time when we saw light at the end of the tunnel, when Gruden came on board and got discipline on the team again where they were actually committing less penalties than their opponets. And were even making the playoffs and winning those games. Then Old Man Potter (aka Al Davis) stepped in....

Now they're just another joke in the NFL:

Announcer: "... Less than 43 seconds to go!... he takes the snap... he's back to pass!!..... TOUCHDOWN RAAIIIDERSSS!!!... oh, wait a minute... looks like there's a flag on the play..."

Ref: "Face-mask... Offense... Number 67... 15-yard penalty.... repeat 3rd-down..."

Me: "Good f@#$ing grief!! stupid-@#$% ^$#*&ers!! " :mad:







You lot are keen ;

Like they say "if you can't beat em', join em'." :blackeye:

[Mark in Oshawa]

Reagles...you ever remember the good ole days when the Raiders would score tons of points, kick the crap out of teams on defence and win? I bet Davis forgot how he got there. Al Davis is the biggest jerk in the NFL any more and it is why I gave up on the Raiders. I think it was around the time they left Oakland actually.....


For those who find NFL boring, watch CFL!!! lol. (30 second clock and 3 downs for 10 yards, with a much larger field makes a HUGE difference. Oh yes...and no wimpy fair catches!)

[Tazio]

Reagles...you ever remember the good ole days when the Raiders would score tons of points, kick the crap out of teams on defence and win? I bet Davis forgot how he got there. Al Davis is the biggest jerk in the NFL any more and it is why I gave up on the Raiders. I think it was around the time they left Oakland actually.....


For those who find NFL boring, watch CFL!!! lol. (30 second clock and 3 downs for 10 yards, with a much larger field makes a HUGE difference. Oh yes...and no wimpy fair catches!)Being a San Diegan since 1960 I know of one other reason not to like that reptilian piece of three day old Brylcream.
He personally gave Eugene Klien a massive coronary. You don't find a lot of his fans around these parts tiger!
Peace my man ;)

[Mark in Oshawa]

Being a San Diegan since 1960 I know of one other reason not to like that reptilian piece of three day old Brylcream.
He personally gave Eugene Klien a massive coronary. You don't find a lot of his fans around these parts tiger!
Peace my man ;)


Tazio...good point. I forgot about that. I have read a lot about those old Raider teams and how Davis got control of the team and I had forgotten that.

It is a shame guys like Madden and Stabler and all those great characters from that 70's era Raider team are such good guys and yet they have to be linked with the old reptile, who has done some good in his day on other levels yet has been so greedy and contrarian at the same time.

[Tazio]

:laugh: Tell that to Mike Holgrem. Though the '3-blind-mice' (NFL refs) hendered him and his team in Super Bowl XL (40), the Seahawks had no business being there if they couldn't put away a team that the opponet's QB had a rating of less than 27. As the "Sports Babe" use to say on her radio program - "Score MORE points!"



Then again, me being a Croakland Fader (aka Oakland Raider) fan I haven't got much room to talk - except when the game is on of course, and it's usually not good, as far as my language goes.

Though there was a recent time when we saw light at the end of the tunnel, when Gruden came on board and got discipline on the team again where they were actually committing less penalties than their opponets. And were even making the playoffs and winning those games. Then Old Man Potter (aka Al Davis) stepped in....

Now they're just another joke in the NFL:

Announcer: "... Less than 43 seconds to go!... he takes the snap... he's back to pass!!..... TOUCHDOWN RAAIIIDERSSS!!!... oh, wait a minute... looks like there's a flag on the play..."

Ref: "Face-mask... Offense... Number 67... 15-yard penalty.... repeat 3rd-down..."

Me: "Good f@#$ing grief!! stupid-@#$% ^$#*&ers!! " :mad:







:
Dude I lived it!
I was at the game of the infamous "Holy Roller". ---Raider Nation----- :dozey:
------oooow scary ---- :crazy:
I bet your even proud that Jack Tatum has never given Darryl Stingley an iota of empathy!
A Kiss Concert/Raider game.
No difference in their constituency
Freak show and joke of the NFL :laugh:

[Tazio]

Tazio...good point. I forgot about that. I have read a lot about those old Raider teams and how Davis got control of the team and I had forgotten that.

It is a shame guys like Madden and Stabler and all those great characters from that 70's era Raider team are such good guys and yet they have to be linked with the old reptile, who has done some good in his day on other levels yet has been so greedy and contrarian at the same time.I must concur Davis was instramental in getting the merger!
I remember when John Madden, and Joe Gibbs were assistants to Don Coryle
at San Diego State :crazy:

[Mark in Oshawa]

......A Kiss Concert/Raider game.
No difference in their constituency
Freak show and joke of the NFL :laugh:

Kiss fans at least only dress up once a year. The Raider nation probably wears that stuff to bed....

[Roamy]

I didn't watch many games this season. But yeah, the Cards seemed pretty hot & cold in the ones I did catch.

What killed me about this game was the penalties on both teams - at the worst possible time. I don't fault the officials, because most were good calls. But in addition to some truly highlight film category plays, there were a lot of penalties in this one.

Wrong
F____K the Steelers
F____K the Refs
F____K that Francisco guy who couldn't get to the back of the endzone

The officiating was Horrendous - But one thing is that the Cardinals will be back. Oh and
F____K Rooney spouting his Obama crap when getting his trophy - No room here for that either.

So there you have the "REAL" report

[Tazio]

:up: :rolleyes: ;) Ahhh meant for Mark :laugh:

[Mark in Oshawa]

Wrong
F____K the Steelers
F____K the Refs
F____K that Francisco guy who couldn't get to the back of the endzone

The officiating was Horrendous - But one thing is that the Cardinals will be back. Oh and
F____K Rooney spouting his Obama crap when getting his trophy - No room here for that either.

So there you have the "REAL" report


Bitter??? The Ref's didn't make too many calls I didn't instantly agree with and they didn't blow a one. And I would have said so if I thought otherwise. I was cheering for the Steelers mainly to rile up the ole man who thought he liked an underdog.

As for Rooney wearing the Obama hat, the man is entitled to his opinion......

[wedge]

AAReagles...lol...their defense would have been shredded if Peyton Manning and the Colts were the opposition.

Depends which Peyton Manning turns up. The one who's on fire when going for plays or the one who throws duds and is looking to get sacked.


Dude I lived it!
I was at the game of the infamous "Holy Roller". ---Raider Nation----- :dozey:
------oooow scary ---- :crazy:
I bet your even proud that Jack Tatum has never given Darryl Stingley an iota of empathy!
A Kiss Concert/Raider game.
No difference in their constituency
Freak show and joke of the NFL :laugh:

Looking back I can't believe I used to like the Raiders. But that was when I played too much Madden games, the legendary Madden/Raiders combo, loved Public Enemy (Chuck D - eastsider wearing Raiders cap before the east coast/west coast nonsense) and the stereotypical Raiders fan was no different to soccer hooligans.

[Tazio]

Depends which Peyton Manning turns up. The one who's on fire when going for plays or the one who throws duds and is looking to get sacked.



Looking back I can't believe I used to like the Raiders. But that was when I played too much Madden games, the legendary Madden/Raiders combo, loved Public Enemy (Chuck D - eastsider wearing Raiders cap before the east coast/west coast nonsense) and the stereotypical Raiders fan was no different to soccer hooligans.Interesting post 'dge I have to disagree on the Manning issue Pittsburgh’s line play was too overwhelming! Cards played them very tough. It was obvious when Pit played S.D. and the Balt. That they had an overwhelming advantage in this department Phillip Rivers went into the Pit. game as the hottest QB in the League having just disposed of Indy barely. On a separate issue, the rules protecting the QB are foolish! They are only in place because of the value of the player. They wear the same pads as the rest of the players. They can hit any other player as hard as they want unless it is in violation of another rule! The NFL has turned into a "Jive" sport. Inequity guaranteed in every game.

[Roamy]

Bitter??? The Ref's didn't make too many calls I didn't instantly agree with and they didn't blow a one. And I would have said so if I thought otherwise. I was cheering for the Steelers mainly to rile up the ole man who thought he liked an underdog.

As for Rooney wearing the Obama hat, the man is entitled to his opinion......

one of many

http://www.azcentral.com/closeup/articles/0203spt-closeupholmestd.html

[555-04Q2]

I never understand the interest in American Football. The players spend more time standing around waiting for the game to restart and slapping themselves on the backside than they actually spend playing. And they look ridiculous in all that safety gear they wear. Give me rugby any day of the year :)

[Mark in Oshawa]

I never understand the interest in American Football. The players spend more time standing around waiting for the game to restart and slapping themselves on the backside than they actually spend playing. And they look ridiculous in all that safety gear they wear. Give me rugby any day of the year :)

What you have to understand is in Rugby, no one runs top speed and throws themselves in a head on collision every 45 seconds or so. Pull apart the scrum into two lines and let them charge at each other. Do THAT repeately and you will soon see why the helmets and pads. Now I agree on the game being slow after watching Rugby but I have watched enough Rugby to know that game too has its slow points and spots where everyone is standing around....

as for the slapping on the backside...I agree, too much of that crap....

[stevie_gerrard]

I would like to admit that i watched this game too :) ive been watching superbowl for the past few years and watching the NFL on Channel Five in the UK a lot when i get the chance. I unfortunately don't have the willpower to stay up till 4am every weekend to watch the NFL, but for the few years i have been watching it, i have thoroughly enjoyed what i've seen. Have to say that this years final was really exciting, with a lot of good plays, and a tight finish which makes the game even more interesting. I was willing for the cardinals to pull it off but it wasnt to be in the end.

I don't have a NFL team that i follow throughout the season, nor am i an expert in NFL, but i have to say that this is a sport that i do thoroughly enjoy when its on. I'd rather watch that than the NBA.

[Tazio]

I would like to admit that i watched this game too :) ive been watching superbowl for the past few years and watching the NFL on Channel Five in the UK a lot when i get the chance. I unfortunately don't have the willpower to stay up till 4am every weekend to watch the NFL, but for the few years i have been watching it, i have thoroughly enjoyed what i've seen. Have to say that this years final was really exciting, with a lot of good plays, and a tight finish which makes the game even more interesting. I was willing for the cardinals to pull it off but it wasnt to be in the end.

I don't have a NFL team that i follow throughout the season, nor am i an expert in NFL, but i have to say that this is a sport that i do thoroughly enjoy when its on. I'd rather watch that than the NBA.Steve it was an exciting game In fact even if it was a regular season game it was very well contested. The problem I have with American football is that I remember the sport before they introduced so many ticky -tacky rules. One player got called for running over the holder on a field goal attempt. I’ve never even heard of that one. Then you have a guy like Ben Rothlisberger who is 6'6" about 255 lbs escaping tackles in the backfield
and as soon as he gets hit (barely) after he throws a pass out come the hankies. If the NFL ever wants to make the game truly equitable they have to do away with the special QB rules including being able to intentional ground a pass if your outside the distance of where the tackles line up. And allow instant replay challenges on bad penalty calls by the officials. This may insure the team that performed the best wins. The only problem with that it is it will drag the game out even more. Did you notice that you didn't miss a single bit of action due to commercial? If the game goes long enough without injuries, time outs and scoring. An extended drive that meticulously move the ball slowly down the field you will eventually have an "official (or official's) time out". Which would be more honestly called a commercial time out!

[555-04Q2]

What you have to understand is in Rugby, no one runs top speed and throws themselves in a head on collision every 45 seconds or so. Pull apart the scrum into two lines and let them charge at each other. Do THAT repeately and you will soon see why the helmets and pads. Now I agree on the game being slow after watching Rugby but I have watched enough Rugby to know that game too has its slow points and spots where everyone is standing around....

as for the slapping on the backside...I agree, too much of that crap....

I hear what you are saying about slow periods in rugby too. But in football, I think the longest ever continuous play I witnessed before resetting was about 40 to 50 seconds. That was it. Back to standing around again. At least in rugby, you can get 5 to 6 minutes of continuous play and 20 to 30 phases if you are lucky.

As for the armour footballers wear, some of the tackles are pretty spectacular and the protection obviously helps, but they wear to much and look ridiculous if you ask me.

[schmenke]

American football teams consist of over 40 players, with any one seeing action in short spurts for the duration of the game. Total "play" time may only be a few minutes for each. Far more time is spent sitting on the sideline benches.
Rugby teams consist of 15 players with all pretty much on the pitch for the entire 80-minute duration of the match.

I don't doubt the conditioning of many NHLers, but I have far more respect for the overall fitness of rugby players.