Playoffs? Don't talk about playoffs. Are you kidding me? NFL Playoff thread.

[Neil]

Doesn't change the fact that barring something crazy those were the only legitimate contenders. 

That's retarded.

Mad Ravens weren't included.

Last year your method would have produced the unstoppable Cardinals and Bills, so fuck you.

[Alcibiades]

Doesn't change the fact that barring something crazy those were the only legitimate contenders. 

That's retarded.

Mad Ravens weren't included.

Last year your method would have produced the unstoppable Cardinals and Bills, so fuck you.

My method wasn't just wins/losses you Canadian potato, life is hard.

[crazy canuck]

Once and for all, Neil is Albertan.

[Neil]

At any rate, setting aside Alci's conflict with all mankind, this year is a terrible shame.  It always seems like there's a plucky surprise in every Championship game.  This year, it's just a bunch of massive powerhouses.

I think I'll cheer for Seattle, since they've never won a Superbowl.  Mind you, New England has never won a Superbowl without an asterisk, but they're just too reprehensible to cheer for, or even watch.

[sbr]

I disagree. I dislike all 4 teams left, but I prefer to see the best 4 (and Vegas'preseason best 4 btw) left rather than some crappy yet lucky team mucking things up.

Sorry ravens fans.

[Neil]

Any four teams that are left are the best four.  That's how it works.  I just prefer it when one of the best four is a surprise.

[sbr]

Any four teams that are left are the best four.  That's how it works.  I just prefer it when one of the best four is a surprise.

Disagree, again.  I think the 16 game regular season does a much better job of telling who the better teams are than one random game in January.  Anyone who thinks the 2007 Giants were a better team than the 2007 Patriots is a dumbass.  The Giants were better that game, and they deserved to win and deserved to be called champions, but they were not the best team that year.  I think if those teams played 10 times the Patriots win 6-7 of them, because they were better.

It is the system, and it makes for a very fun playoff when one loss can end your season, but it does not always crown the best team, just the team that won the tournament.

[Ed Anger]

I think that all right thinking people agree that the Pats should be launched into the Sun.

[Neil]

Any four teams that are left are the best four.  That's how it works.  I just prefer it when one of the best four is a surprise.

Disagree, again.  I think the 16 game regular season does a much better job of telling who the better teams are than one random game in January.  Anyone who thinks the 2007 Giants were a better team than the 2007 Patriots is a dumbass.  The Giants were better that game, and they deserved to win and deserved to be called champions, but they were not the best team that year.  I think if those teams played 10 times the Patriots win 6-7 of them, because they were better.

It is the system, and it makes for a very fun playoff when one loss can end your season, but it does not always crown the best team, just the team that won the tournament.

Aha!  I have you now!  You've admitted that the Patriots are good, and thus invalidated your argument via taint.

[CountDeMoney]

Last year your method would have produced the unstoppable Cardinals and Bills, so fuck you.

The Cardinals were unstoppable:  on the road in Seattle.

And one day, the Bills will be unstoppable.  The transition back to the Joe Ferguson unis speaks to this inevitability.

[katmai]

Neil rooting for the Seahawks?!?

Isn't that like sign of the apocalypse?!?

[Neil]

Neil rooting for the Seahawks?!?

Isn't that like sign of the apocalypse?!?

I cheered for the Seahawks when they made the Superbowl.

Still, I'm going to be pulling for the NFC no matter what, even though the AFC will probably win due to superiority.

[Ed Anger]

No Steve Largent, no love from me.

[sbr]

Judge nixes preliminary approval of $765M NFL case

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A federal judge denied preliminary approval of a $765 million settlement of NFL concussion claims, fearing it may not be enough to cover 20,000 retired players.

U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody asked for more financial information from the parties, a week after players' lawyers filed a detailed payout plan for her review.

''I am primarily concerned that not all retired NFL football players who ultimately receive a qualifying diagnosis or their (families) ... will be paid,'' Brody wrote in a 12-page opinion filed Tuesday morning.

The proposed settlement, negotiated over several months, is designed to last at least 65 years.

The awards would vary based on an ex-player's age and diagnosis. A younger retiree with Lou Gehrig's disease would get $5 million, those with serious dementia cases would get $3 million and an 80-year-old with early dementia would get $25,000.

Some critics have argued that the NFL, with more than $9 billion in annual revenues, was getting away lightly. But the players' lawyers said they will face huge challenges just to get the case to trial. They would have to prove the injuries were linked to the players' NFL service and should not be handled through league arbitration.

Layn R. Phillips, a former federal judge from California hired by Brody to lead settlement negotiations, had called the deal fair.

The NFL would also pay an additional $112 million to the players' lawyers for their fees and expenses, for a total payout of nearly $900 million.

More than 4,500 former players have filed suit, some accusing the league of fraud for its handling of concussions. They include former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett and Super Bowl-winning quarterback Jim McMahon, who suffers from dementia.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/judge-nixes-preliminary-approval-765m-174514871--nfl.html

[crazy canuck]

I am shocked that class action lawyers would rather take the certainty of their pay day over actually working for their contingency fee.