NFL Week 15, so go fuck yourselves

[derspiess]

Can't we all just root for the Patriots to lose out and then the Bengals and Ravens can both get in?  I like that plan a lot.

That'd be nice.  They might drop the game at Baltimore, but I don't see any way they'd lost to Buffalo at home.

[CountDeMoney]

My shithead older brother used to trade me Steve Grogans for my best football cards.  Told me he was a sure thing for the HoF.  Yeah, I got wise-- by around 1987.

I always liked those mid 80s Patriots teams with Raymond Berry;  some great players on those teams, the patron saint of white tailbacks Craig James, Andre Tippett, Ray Clayborn and of course, the greatest special teams player of all time MOSI TATUPU.  Fun, fun teams to watch.

[katmai]

My shithead older brother used to trade me Steve Grogans for my best football cards.  Told me he was a sure thing for the HoF.  Yeah, I got wise-- by around 1987.

I always liked those mid 80s Patriots teams with Raymond Berry;  some great players on those teams, the patron saint of white tailbacks Craig James, Andre Tippett, Ray Clayborn and of course, the greatest special teams player of all time MOSI TATUPU.  Fun, fun teams to watch.

I've mentioned it before, but first NFL game I ever went to was the Pats vs Seahawks back in '85

[Neil]

Tucker was insane, but you know who I have mega-respect for?  Ray Rice.  He's got the TD on that last play, but he goes down for the team so they can run the clock.  Here's a guy who has hardly broken any big runs and hardly scored this year, and he makes a team play like that?  What a mensch.

Yeah, heady play;  not only unselfish, but he knew not to give the Lions any time at all.

I think Schwarz is going to catch shit for leaving all 3 timeouts on the board after that play;  the fans don't appreciate the appearance of giving up, even if the cause was lost.

I was really surprised Detroit abandoned the run so quickly after the success in the 1st half.  Stafford is a slinger, but it's unnecessary to throw the ball that often when you're keeping things tight and wearing down the opponent with the run, which they were doing well into the 2nd quarter even if the scoreboard didn't reflect it at the time.

Yeah.  That Smith INT should never have been thrown (let alone thrown so badly).  3rd and 2?  When your backs are probably getting 4 ypc?  That's not how you build a winning franchise.

Retards on call-in shows might give him shit.  Actually, I was wondering what the hell was happening too at first.  Then I did the math.  When the game's over, it's over.

Man, I love this old-time football.

[Neil]

Can't we all just root for the Patriots to lose out and then the Bengals and Ravens can both get in?  I like that plan a lot.

That'd be nice.  They might drop the game at Baltimore, but I don't see any way they'd lost to Buffalo at home.

They'd have to go full retard.  Even then, I'm sure they'd make up a rule to get the Patriots over.

[CountDeMoney]

I've mentioned it before, but first NFL game I ever went to was the Pats vs Seahawks back in '85

  Another fun team to watch in the mid-80s.  Dave Krieg, Kurt Warner and John L. Williams in the same backfield FTW.  Largent, the born-again goofball.  Kenny Easley!

Those Seahawks teams were nightmares against the spread.  Ugh, you touched them at your peril.

[Syt]

http://www.pittsburghsportingnews.com/why-ill-never-attend-another-nfl-game/

Over the past few years, the NFL has been the ultimate hypocritical league in professional sports in a number of different areas. The first and most discussed one is the whole player safety issue, which the league says it cares so much about. That topic is for another day, but really? You want to add additional games, add Thursday night games and have a team in London, but you're concerned about player safety?

Oh.

But getting back on track here, the other way the league is hypocritical is the way that it markets its games. Lately, whether its the weather or other circumstances keeping fans away, Pittsburgh Steelers home games have been rather, dare I say, empty? The ticket sales are still there, but the fans aren't. As long as the sales are there, the game won't be blacked out. That's where the NFL tries to use its leverage with fans. Fans have to sellout the game in order for it to be broadcasted.

But you know what's funny? When watching an NFL game, how many commercials do you see for the Red Zone channel or NFL players endorsing a big television? The commercials will let you, the fan, know that from the comfort of your own house, you can enjoy the action as if you were at the game. Now that there really makes me want to sit in the freezing cold with one view of the game.

Now I get it, it's about the experience. Being surrounded by 60,000 other fans taking in a football game is a cool experience.....except when it isn't.

And that very reason right there, is why I'll never attend a football game again unless I'm covering it for work.

Pittsburgh fans are a passionate, loyal bunch. They win together, lose together and want to fire every coach when their team doesn't win. But from an outsider's perspective, they really aren't that bad.

When I was young, I headed to Heinz Field with my dad and stepmom to watch the Lions and Steelers. I've been a huge Oregon Ducks fan since I was a kid, and was excited to see Joey Harrington live, in person. I had my No. 3 jersey on and expected to receive some verbal abuse, despite being 13 or so.

At halftime, my dad and stepmom get up to get some hot chocolate. As soon as they walked down the steps, I have a beer thrown on me. Yes, a 13-year-old kid is soaked from a beer because of the jersey I had on. Accident?  Maybe, except for hearing "Lions suck"  as it struck me.

No big deal. Crossing the line, yes, but no big deal.

Then you have a trip that my father and I made to Philadelphia to watch the Raiders take on the Eagles. As a big Raiders fan, my dad tried to make it to any game within a five-hour trip to see them play. When we got to the stadium, he had an Eagles mock-turtleneck on, with a Brian Dawkins jersey. He just looked at me and said that he's a lot of things, but he's not stupid enough to wear a Raiders jersey in Philadelphia.

Good call, Dad.

The Eagles fan base had a Randy Moss jersey on fire in the parking lot, and surrounded a Raiders fan in the stadium, throwing out threats left and right. The security guard came over and kicked the Raiders fan out, not the Eagles fans.

And lastly, I went to Cleveland with some friends to watch the Steelers take on the Browns. You remember that game, right? It was the only game Ben Roethlisberger lost in Cleveland, and it was negative degrees out. My friend Melissa had on a Hines Ward jersey, and despite her small frame, she had Browns fans getting in her face screaming at her.

All because of a game.

All because of a team we decide to root for.

Aren't games supposed to be fun?

Lately, all you hear about are the tragic events that come from games. Last week, there were up to four people stab following a game in Denver. The week before that, there was a death in the parking lot after a game in Kansas City.

These aren't the only cases. Not at all.

After a Thanksgiving game against the Oakland Raiders, a Cowboys fan was beaten unconscious.

And you want me to go to games where the fans are like this? Some experience.

Again, not all fans are like this, and Steelers fans haven't been involved, to my knowledge, in something like this in the confines of Heinz Field or the parking lot.

When I have children, it's going to be hard to tell them that we can't go to a game because the fans are like savages. Sure, the opposition may have said something to instigate the fight, but does that warrant being knocked unconscious?

You don't hear about these things happening in the NHL, NBA and outside of the Bay Area, the MLB.

Each Sunday, I'll sit at home on my warm couch, watch football and know at the end of the day, I'll be safe and won't have to deal with the issues that going to an NFL game presents.

TLDR: Fans in stadiums are stupid, raving mad idiots, and you're far better off watching the NFL from home.

[Sophie Scholl]

TLDR: Steelers fans are the classiest bunch out of the misfits that attend live football games.  As reported by The Pittsburgh Sporting News.

[Syt]

TLDR: Steelers fans are the classiest bunch out of the misfits that attend live football games.  As reported by The Pittsburgh Sporting News.

Yeah, they only throw beer cups at kids instead of stabbing people.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Can't we all just root for the Patriots to lose out and then the Bengals and Ravens can both get in?  I like that plan a lot.

That would require them to lose to Buffalo in the last game.   It would be awesome though, for obvious reasons.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

TLDR: Steelers fans are the classiest bunch out of the misfits that attend live football games.  As reported by The Pittsburgh Sporting News.

Yeah, they only throw beer cups at kids instead of stabbing people.

Or building snowballs around batteries.

[derspiess]

My shithead older brother used to trade me Steve Grogans for my best football cards.  Told me he was a sure thing for the HoF.  Yeah, I got wise-- by around 1987.

I always liked those mid 80s Patriots teams with Raymond Berry;  some great players on those teams, the patron saint of white tailbacks Craig James, Andre Tippett, Ray Clayborn and of course, the greatest special teams player of all time MOSI TATUPU.  Fun, fun teams to watch.

I've mentioned it before, but first NFL game I ever went to was the Pats vs Seahawks back in '85

Mine was 1981, Oilers at Bengals.  First year Bengals wore the stripes and the first year they went to the Super Bowl.

[Valmy]

Tucker was unstoppable, though.  Had my doubts on that last one but he got it good enough.

Never doubt Tucker.   He has Texas powah....which seemingly is only bestowed upon kickers.  PKU.

[Valmy]

I have never been to a NFL game 

A couple times in the 80s and early 90s we looked into getting Cowboys-Redskins tickets but each time the prices were over $200.00 a ticket which is a lot now but was outrageous then.  I attended quite a few Cowboy scrimmages when they had training camp in Austin though.

[Admiral Yi]

I've been to one preseason game.