The "Watered down" NFL. Garbage product.

[Stillriledup]

Most of you guys grew up watching Bradshaw, Swann, Stallworth, Lambert, Ham and the players of the 70s, you remember those teams of the Steelers, and the Cowboys and the Vikings. You also remembered The Joe Montana era and the Steve Young era and what you see now is essentially a different sport.

The rules are different, there's a lot more scoring, a lot more "Fake good teams" who just don't show up for whatever reason. You have Philly get embarrassed by a bad Giants team and they can barely score a point, than they come out and lay 50 pts on the Raiders, who are better than the Giants? You have the Jets, give up 50, they get annihilated by FORTY points and then magically they win the next game vs a 'quality' opponent?

You have Miami get destroyed in the 2nd half by the Patriots, they quit like dogs and their body language was pathetic and then they magically transform into a winning team the next week? Same thing with the Redskins, they got humiliated by Denver in the 2nd half looking like a bunch of clowns and yet, here they are coming back the following week as winners vs a decent (enough) team.

If you want to handicap the current NFL, you don't want to use any logic, you want to bet on teams who were garbage in the previous week, teams like the Eagles, Jets, Fins, and Skins who all got crushed last week, turn into world beaters overnight.

So i know you guys would say "but SRU, don't you want parity, don't you want everyone to have a chance" and to that i would say i don't mind different teams having a shot, but i don't want to sacrifice quality to get it. What i'm seeing is NOT quality play, you have Seattle almost losing to Tampa at HOME?

This is a hard game, you have rules to protect the QBs, they want scoring, they have changed the rules so there is more scoring, you have very inconsistent performances weekly, jekyll and hyde league, the top teams don't consistently show up, there are SO many more injuries nowadays than you used to have in the 70s and 80s...at least it seems like that anyway.

The NFL is like seeing a really hot chick and saying to yourself "geez, she's hot" and then you turn around and 5 seconds later, you see the same girl and she's ugly. That is what happens in the NFL, you sit there and watch a 3 hour NFL game and after the game say "good performance, those guys are good" and then the next week, that same "good" team is crap.

[wiffleball whizz]

Well said!!!!!

Next weeks bets.....raiders

[LottaKash]

SRU, this year especially, I have the same thoughts running thru this old brain of mine, as well....

Maybe I have seen too much sports and way too many games, but this year I am having a hard time getting into a sport that I have loved for so many years....

Totally unimpressed by any one team so far....Sure, I have seen a game or two this season that was enjoyable and entertaining, but for the most part, I tend to nod off a bit more than usual these days....Old age maybe has something to do with it...

Still, when it is game on, I can still stay the course with no troubles....haha...

Well, at least I am getting my proper rest...

[wiffleball whizz]

It will never get better.....only more offensive driven

Wait until a big name qb goes down how it becomes even more unwatchable with 49-42 finals

Nfl is bull.....the xfl should have waited 10 years and branded the no holds barred rules

Will never forget opening nite of the xfl being at the meadowlans racetrack watcing from the owners boxes I really liked the xfl

[Robert Goren]

With the hard salary cap and QBs eating a huge amount of it, all teams have issues. Throw a few injuries and you have league of team that can be exploited. It just a matter of a team running into another team that can exploit them. Add to the mix that there are a lot of bad coaches in the league right now, Almost anything can happen and does. Take a team like Seattle. They lose 3 offensive tackles and a couple of players on defense and they become beatable by even bad teams. The run option is known for eating up QBs, but it also apparently eats up tackles.

[MutuelClerk]

Totally agree SRU. It's hard to watch. Hard to enjoy. Maybe were all getting old and saying it was better when we were kids. In something's that's probably true. In this case it's not.

[gheuks]

The NFL is all about parity. There will never be a dynasty like we saw in the past.

[Robert Fischer]

Originally Posted by Stillriledup

If you want to handicap the current NFL, you don't want to use any logic, you want to bet on teams who were garbage in the previous week, teams like the Eagles, Jets, Fins, and Skins who all got crushed last week, turn into world beaters overnight.

It's hard to bet teams like the Eagles, Jets, Fins, and Skinsor the teams they played: the Raiders, Saints, Bengals, Chargers and think you have any degree of certainty.

I'm the world's worst football handicapper, but there has to be some fundamental similarities to other fields of speculation.

[Robert Fischer]

Yea, the league is watered down.
I agree on that point.

I still find it entertaining.

It's a pro sports business, and the more you see that as a fan, the harder it can get to suspend disbelief.

I'm not big into NFL betting, but I notice some of the stuff, and I am a nut about coaching and strategy and notice some of that stuff... sometimes I have to remind myself to have a good time.

^I know this isn't particularly useful to someone who has action.

[Valuist]

I think some teams play well the following week after getting destoyed. We saw it this week. Nobody likes getting embarrassed. The Steelers and Raiders have plenty to be embarrassed about after yesterday.

[Marshall Bennett]

Originally Posted by Valuist

I think some teams play well the following week after getting destoyed. We saw it this week. Nobody likes getting embarrassed. The Steelers and Raiders have plenty to be embarrassed about after yesterday.

Add the Saints to your list. They'll probably take out their frustrations by destroying Dallas at home next week.

[Stillriledup]

Originally Posted by MutuelClerk

Totally agree SRU. It's hard to watch. Hard to enjoy. Maybe were all getting old and saying it was better when we were kids. In something's that's probably true. In this case it's not.

I thought of this, is it just a case of "missing the old days"?

I just want it to MEAN something. I want my 3 hours of sitting in front of the tube to matter. If i watch something and then 7 days later i watch it again, i want to be able to somewhat validate what i was watching, and a lot of times, i'm not able to do that.

Maybe because the players are so big, fast and strong, there are many more injuries...or, maybe there were massive injuries "back in the day" and we just didnt hear about it because there being no internet or social media.

Like RG says, you have a ton of injuries and even good teams can become bad overnight.

[cj's dad]

Originally Posted by Stillriledup

Most of you guys grew up watching Bradshaw, Swann, Stallworth, Lambert, Ham and the players of the 70s, you remember those teams of the Steelers, and the Cowboys and the Vikings. You also remembered The Joe Montana era and the Steve Young era and what you see now is essentially a different sport.

The rules are different, there's a lot more scoring, a lot more "Fake good teams" who just don't show up for whatever reason. You have Philly get embarrassed by a bad Giants team and they can barely score a point, than they come out and lay 50 pts on the Raiders, who are better than the Giants? You have the Jets, give up 50, they get annihilated by FORTY points and then magically they win the next game vs a 'quality' opponent?

You have Miami get destroyed in the 2nd half by the Patriots, they quit like dogs and their body language was pathetic and then they magically transform into a winning team the next week? Same thing with the Redskins, they got humiliated by Denver in the 2nd half looking like a bunch of clowns and yet, here they are coming back the following week as winners vs a decent (enough) team.

If you want to handicap the current NFL, you don't want to use any logic, you want to bet on teams who were garbage in the previous week, teams like the Eagles, Jets, Fins, and Skins who all got crushed last week, turn into world beaters overnight.

So i know you guys would say "but SRU, don't you want parity, don't you want everyone to have a chance" and to that i would say i don't mind different teams having a shot, but i don't want to sacrifice quality to get it. What i'm seeing is NOT quality play, you have Seattle almost losing to Tampa at HOME?

This is a hard game, you have rules to protect the QBs, they want scoring, they have changed the rules so there is more scoring, you have very inconsistent performances weekly, jekyll and hyde league, the top teams don't consistently show up, there are SO many more injuries nowadays than you used to have in the 70s and 80s...at least it seems like that anyway.

The NFL is like seeing a really hot chick and saying to yourself "geez, she's hot" and then you turn around and 5 seconds later, you see the same girl and she's ugly. That is what happens in the NFL, you sit there and watch a 3 hour NFL game and after the game say "good performance, those guys are good" and then the next week, that same "good" team is crap.

No, I grew up watching Starr, Unitas, ray Berry. Lenny Moore, Paul Horning and early on Jim Brown. I find it interesting that every player you mentioned was a Pittsberg Stiller. Try to expand your horizons !!

[Stillriledup]

Originally Posted by cj's dad

No, I grew up watching Starr, Unitas, ray Berry. Lenny Moore, Paul Horning and early on Jim Brown. I find it interesting that every player you mentioned was a Pittsberg Stiller. Try to expand your horizons !!

That was the best team of the 70s and one of the all time great teams. The reason i mentioned them, is because they were the team you could set your watch by, they always won and their players always played..not like some of today's players who have season ending injuries on the first cut they make in the first practice of the season.

[newtothegame]

If you look at the number of suspensions, still relatively small in terms of the number of players....but, I believe the injuries are due to performance enhancing drugs. These guys are taking their bodies to the limits in strength and weight training. Then they go out and run low forty times and have collisions with other guys running just as fast. When you get three hundred pound guys colliding at these freakish speeds (for humans), things are going to break and contort in ways they are not supposed to.

Just look at the number of hamstrings.....like tightly wound guitar strings...pop!
Concussions seem to be higher then normal as well......

All of this leads to a watered down product. Add in the fact of the league trying to "control" the hits....(and they are making it worse in my opinion)....
Well, this is what we get!