NFL Week 3

[CountDeMoney]

Don't they drop the hat where they stepped out though?  What could possibly be going through that guy's head?  "He stepped out of bounds <x> yards away, so I'll just throw this hat in front of him!"

Maybe he's from the Lingerie League, and thought he was throwing a dollar bill.

[derspiess]

Of course, he didn't have to throw it that fucking far.

You can just imagine the "AW FUCK!" moment the ref had as soon as the hat left his hand and he saw how far it was going to go.

[dps]

Hey dumbass - I was agreeing with the point you were making.  That NFL players could, if they felt that strongly that it is unsafe, refuse to play.

And then all hell would break loose.

Thing is, I'm not sure a work stoppage or refusal to play would be the best move, even if legal--perhaps a petition to get the courts to compel the league to end the lock-out with the referees;  that would be a proactive legal act to address the issue and still allow the league to continue operations, wouldn't it?

Except it undercuts their fundamental argument - it can't be all that unsafe if the players are still willing to play.

The problem is, the NFLPA's argument in this essentially comes down to saying that the league, by using replacement refs, isn't doing enough to stop NFLPA members from taking cheap shots at each other.

At any rate, I think too much is being made about the poor quality of the replacement refs.  Officials have always blown calls, and if I wanted to bother, I could go back to past years and find calls and non-calls at least as egregiuosly wrong as anything that has happened this year.  Having said that, I don't think that there's any doubt that the quality of officiating is down this year.

[MadBurgerMaker]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mudzft57NN8

Here's a video of it (mute before :10 if you don't want to hear some dude talking about it).  He was in bounds the whole time, it looks like, although I suppose he may have been out at some point before (why didn't the guy nearby throw it then though?).  The ball also goes flying by right after he gets back up.

[dps]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mudzft57NN8

Here's a video of it (mute before :10 if you don't want to hear some dude talking about it).  He was in bounds the whole time, it looks like, although I suppose he may have been out at some point before (why didn't the guy nearby throw it then though?).  The ball also goes flying by right after he gets back up.

He certainly doesn't seem to have gone OOB.  OTOH, if he hadn't slipped, it looks like he would have ended up even further away from where the pass was thrown.

[Valmy]

MUST DESTROY ALL PENSIONS BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY

It seems like the refs are fine with the league going to 401ks for the new officials but they do not want them reneging on the deals they already agreed to.  That does not seem to unreasonable to me.  I wonder why the NFL is going so hard core about this.

[dps]

MUST DESTROY ALL PENSIONS BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY

It seems like the refs are fine with the league going to 401ks for the new officials but they do not want them reneging on the deals they already agreed to.  That does not seem to unreasonable to me.  I wonder why the NFL is going so hard core about this.

I'm guessing (and it's only a guess, I don't know for sure) that it's more of a power play by the league than anything to do with the economics.  I heard on the radio yesterday that the dollar amount involved is only $25 million.  OK, to you or me, saying "only" $25 million sounds silly, but compared to the league's revenue, that's practically pocket change.  Of course, that assumes that the dollar figure is accurate.  Even the guy talking about it seemed unsure if that figure was correct.

[CountDeMoney]

Of course, he didn't have to throw it that fucking far.

You can just imagine the "AW FUCK!" moment the ref had as soon as the hat left his hand and he saw how far it was going to go.

Yeah, we've all done it.  Tossed something and it's not even halfway there, and you're like, shit.

[derspiess]

I gotta say, an NFL pension is pretty frickin' sweet if you can get it.

[Neil]

I gotta say, an NFL pension is pretty frickin' sweet if you can get it.

And now you can't.  Screwing everyone with a 401k is an article of faith for business leadership as it accomplishes three main goals:

1) It gets more money into the stock market, creating the illusion of growth.

2) I reduces costs, as you don't have to take responsibility for oldsters anymore.

3) It screws your employees, who are of an inferior social class.

[CountDeMoney]

"Broncos linebacker Joe Mays has apologized for his vicious hit on Texans quarterback Matt Schaub on Sunday, but the NFL doesn't think an apology is enough. And the league office doesn't think a heavy fine is enough, either. Instead, Mays has been suspended for one game for his helmet-to-helmet hit, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Mays will appeal the suspension. The hit was absolutely brutal, knocking Schaub's helmet off and knocking off a piece of Schaub's ear, too. Amazingly, Schaub only missed one play, which the Texans' medical staff apparently felt was sufficient to be sure that Schaub hadn't suffered a concussion."

[sbr]

"Broncos linebacker Joe Mays has apologized for his vicious hit on Texans quarterback Matt Schaub on Sunday, but the NFL doesn't think an apology is enough. And the league office doesn't think a heavy fine is enough, either. Instead, Mays has been suspended for one game for his helmet-to-helmet hit, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Mays will appeal the suspension. The hit was absolutely brutal, knocking Schaub's helmet off and knocking off a piece of Schaub's ear, too. Amazingly, Schaub only missed one play, which the Texans' medical staff apparently felt was sufficient to be sure that Schaub hadn't suffered a concussion."

That hit was brutal, and was the second on Schuab in a short (maybe in a row) that should have been flagged.

[derspiess]

That's outrageous.  He should be suspended through week 9

[Neil]

That's outrageous.  He should be suspended through week 9

Broncos vs Bengals?  Surely the field will collapse under the weight of all that orange.  Although at least with the Bengals it makes sense.  They're named for tigers.  With the Broncos, the orange alternate jerseys are just there to ensure maximum retinal bleeding.

[MadBurgerMaker]

That hit was brutal, and was the second on Schuab in a short (maybe in a row) that should have been flagged.

Yeah, second in a row. The one right before got flagged for driving him into the ground.