The buddy I watch games with at the bar claimed he was going to fly home to MN and cut Ponder if he didn't shape up. What the fuck happened to the guy that was the only QB without an INT through week, what? 4 or 5? All-Day has been picking up the slack, and Ponder needs to throw more on the flats to the most dangerous man in the NFL when it comes to open field, Percy Harvin (Who, if we make the playoffs, has a solid MVP candidacy going).
The Jets lost that game when they didnt go for it on 4th and short at the 2. Thats what happens when youre OC has little tiny baby balls.
I always find this uber conservative play calling odd. Even Harbaugh was guilty of it this week. It was 3rd and 8 for the 49ers and they ran the ball instead of trying to pass and get a first down to end to game. Maybe he did it because he was afraid Alex Smith might turn it over, but if that's the case you might as well not even take the field. I keep thinking that NFL philosophy is going to shift in these situations, but I guess coaches are too afraid for their job security in case these calls flop.
The amazing part is: isn't this exactly the reason they brought in Tebow? They brought him in for situations just like this. Only need a few yards, will he throw it or will he run, and they still didn't go for it. What happened to the "Kitchen Sink" offense they were going to throw at the Patriots? What the fuck?
The funny thing is that I think the reason there is so much risk is that they don't call the plays enough. I mean, if they called the fourth down plays, the edge cases, the aggressive plays more often, statistically it appears that they'd be successful enough to make it worthwhile. But if you call one fourth down all season, it becomes a glaring error when it goes badly.
That was just hilariously terrible playcalling. Just throw the fade and McCourty will give you the touchdown.
It's called Marty-ball. Patented by San Diego fans back in '05. Cover-2, run run run, kill that clock for your 4 point lead.
I think it's becoming a scheme issue. The Vikes never throw down field (only 8 20+ yard pass attempts in the first 7 games), so defenses have started to figure out that they can crowd the short and mid game with defenders. I don't know why the Vikes refuse to open the game up more because when he has to throw down the field he's played much better. As far as personal deficiencies, Ponder's biggest weakness is that he bails out of the pocket too much instead of stepping up and when he's scrambling away from pressure his passes sail on him - 7 of his 9 interceptions have come when he was scrambling.
Yes, this is exactly why they brought in Tebow, or its why they should have brought in Tebow. I had to watch the 3rd and 4th quarter scared as fuck on Gamecast waiting for the Tebow stream to pop up. Nope, a healthy dose of Sanchize. Thank fucking god. If they went with the Kitchen Sink offense or just you know, threw a deep ball, the Patriots would have been fucked.
If you didn't watch the Bengals game the safest bet it sports is Marvin Lewis losing at least one ridiculously stupid challenge during prime time.
Well, this isn't news: <a class="postlink" href="http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8536374/the-patriots-flawed-other-week-7-news" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/853 ... eek-7-news</a>
Let me ask a question, and don't jump out with a stupid answer unless you have a decent idea. Quarterback Arm Strength: Why is it talked about like a fixed number? Its like they're talking about height. Nerve damage aside, why can't these guys do some bicep and tricep curls to increase arm strength? Couldn't a guy coming out of college or early in age like Mark Sanchez be able to creep up arm strength during the offseason at a decent pace? I know injuries can happen while pumping iron, but they should be able to increase it by something if the do some form of resistance training right? I just don't get it.
Explain to me why a beanpole like Tim Lincecum could throw a baseball at 97 miles an hour at his peak. I imagine a lot of it is mechanics.
I think it has more to do with mechanics/genetics than anything. If lifting weights was all it took, you'd have very good location pitchers who could simply lift to get their velocity up to Major League standards, and become Hall of Famers.
And its shoulder strength, not arm strength. Hence why Brady Quinn and his glamorous biceps only has a decent arm. And to be honest, lifting might inhibit arm strength cause extra muscle buildup in the shoulders might lessen mobility and flexibility which would impede the mechanics needed for a good motion
There is also a neurological component. Two people whose joints are articulating through the same motion are likely achieving it by recruiting different sets of muscle fibers depending on how their brains originally learned the motion and any nerve damage they have had. As far as training, throwing is a pretty complicated motion. I would expect actually throwing would be one of the best ways to exercise those muscles, and nfl quarterbacks put in so many reps that they are probably pretty close to optimal already. Strengthening any of the individual muscles would affect coordination more than anything.
Yeah, I imagine once you've gotten your mechanics locked in, the last thing you want to do is set yourself back by adding arm strength, thus throwing off your coordination. That said, if these guys start lifting early and build that strength up while simultaneously perfecting their throwing motion, I imagine they could get used to it and be able to throw really deep.
It isn't even that so much as the whole motion being limited by the weakest involved muscle. Even if you build up your triceps and chest, if some core or back muscle isn't equally built up, you would have to use less than maximum strength in the stronger muscles to throw with accuracy. It would obviously be possible to identify and focus on the limiting groups, just difficult and time-consuming. You would probably just get a better return on your time investment working on things like mechanics, footwork, or reading defenses. I know that about half the MLB teams let their pitchers do long toss work-outs. Then again, the other half ban it. Throwing a ball isn't a terribly natural motion, and it puts a lot of stress on the joints involved. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if there were high school kids with fringe talent throwing weighted footballs somewhere.
Do Detriot receivers dip their hands in teflon before each game? They drop almost literally everything. Edit: Progress - Detriot receivers are holding onto the ball for the entire process of the catch before fumbling it.