I've never, not once, watched the SuperBowl for the half-time show. I think the only two shows I actually remember watching were Katy Perry (don't judge) and Bruno Mars. Both were moderately entertaining, because a live montage of their songs is reasonable for me as I've never really listened to any of their music, and would be hard pressed to name 2 songs or any of their albums. When it comes to bands I actually like, like Aerosmith, or the Stones, or Foo Fighters, I almost don't want to watch them because they won't do justice to the songs that I know and love. So yeah, I'm OK with Gaga doing the show, because it's not something I give a shit about anyway. It's a good reason to grab food and drinks.
I was hoping for a good game last night. It had all of the parts to be one, including pouring rain but it was a big old dud.
Was that the most Chargery way to lose a game ever? Up by two scores in the last 10 minutes of the game, two straight fumbles and a pick to just give it away? Wow. So Las Vegas Chargers? LA?
Odell Beckham Jr is a stud athlete but also a complete head case. I feel like he's got all the talent but is worse than T.O. Hopefully he grows up.
I honestly thought the vikings were going to struggle more given their QB situation. Thinking about it though, while he's had a rough start to his career Bradford has actually been pretty decent the last couple of years. The vikings may have backed into their franchise QB. He's not ever going to be a superstar, but Eli Manning and Flacco have won super bowls too. If they can make him into an Alex Smith style game manager with that defense, yikes. The chargers always do this shit. A few years ago they had the #1 offense and defense, but still couldn't make the playoffs.
It's really going to boil down to the offensive line, especially considering Bradford's injury history. Last night's game was reassuring because Bradford was kept clean and upright all night and they actually got something going with the running game. If they can keep that up then yeah, they're a legitimate contender.
Even if Bradford goes down I don't think they're in too much trouble. The vikings are a legit contender, and they're built to take injuries. Losing Bradford would hurt, but isn't going to affect the team's overall performance that much. Roster depth is probably their biggest strength. Worst case scenario they could trade for Kaepernick, or just put in some check it down Brad Johnson type who doesn't need to do a whole lot other than not completely fuck up. If I were vikings fan I would be eyeing the whole thing with anxious suspicion, and mentally preparing for whatever incredible scenario they blow a playoff game. GB's offense still doesn't have their shit together. I'm not there yet, but I'm starting to get worried that we really are starting to see a decline in Rodgers. They need to drop the focus on the deep ball, which teams are clearly anticipating and have figured out how to defend. He's mobile, but these plays are starting to look like the Schottenheimer schemes. They run slants and quick releases, but too many are plays that are low percentage home run hitters without enough time to develop unless you have an all star offensive line, which the packers do not. I hope they get back to a more traditional west coast offense, and play to Rodgers' strengths. The offense that worked four years ago clearly isn't working now. After twenty games of these issues they need to go back to the drawing board. For shits and giggles I'm going to throw out my early season predictions. I think the ravens, cowboys, raiders, and redskins, are all going to flop and miss the playoffs. The eagles are a much better team than people realize and will make the playoffs, possibly the super bowl. The vikings and the seahawks are the other two best teams in the NFC. In the AFC the chiefs are more dangerous than people realize, and the Texans beat out the colts for their division. Broncos and patriots are the two best teams in that conference, but any team that isn't the patriots who makes the super bowl will be a major underdog. The days of AFC dominance are over. I don't know what to think about the cardinals who probably have a top 5 team in talent, but look so confused right now they'll likely miss the playoffs. Fischer is a much better coach than people realize and it was only a matter of time before he made the rams competitive, even if they might not be a true contender just yet. Wentz is the clear favorite for rookie of the year so far. Nobody is doing MVP stuff that really jumps out yet.
With Bradford playing the way he is right now the Vikes are a legitimate Superbowl contender. If he goes down and the Vikes have to go back to Shawn Hill the defense will have to basically pitch a shutout; realistically they'll become merely a playoff team but not one that has a good shot at the Superbowl.
FUUUCK. I don't even know what's happening. Dallas is playing like Romo never existed while the Packers look like complete shit. And why in the fuck did they not leave Lacy in to run that TD in? W? T? F?
And when Romo gets back he's gonna start and Jerry is gonna forget all about Dak. With Dak they're a Superbowl team, with Romo they're someone's first round practice. I'm in the heart of Cowboys country and this is why my standard line is that I cannot root for them so long as romo is on the roster. Because as long as he is, Jerry will start him. And as long as jerry starts him, they will always suck. That being said, anytime the fudge packers lose is always a good day. Especially when they lose like that.
They need an offensive rewrite. The old playbook is out and the coaching staff have convinced themselves it just needs a few adjustments. If they didn't have Aaron Rodgers the ineptitude of these schemes would cost McCarthy his job.
One thing I see mentioned in a lot of Packers spaces is that Rodgers mechanics have gone to shit - or they've always been shit but when he was younger he had the athleticism to compensate for his shitty mechanics and now that he's gotten older that elite athleticism has left him. Another sentiment I see mentioned a lot is that Rodgers just seems really unhappy. Don't know how much relevance or truth that has, but now that I'm thinking about having watched him play this year he's constantly frowning or scowling after a bad play. It looks like both a physical and mental issue with him.
I've wondered that too. He often looks like they've been struggling long enough that he's just pissed off and expects things to go poorly. He has lost some of his mobility, but his mechanics have never been that bad. Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, and all the other mobile QBs have similar problems with mechanics. It's part of the reason it took so long for the NFL to warm up to that prototype. When you're throwing on the run that often it's not going to be the textbook motions every time. My thinking is that it's still the playbook above all else, but the whole thing reeks of locker room dysfunction. Not sure what that would be beyond general frustration.
I'm of the opinion that Green Bay had mostly been overachieving because of Rodgers, Matthews, and Woodson covering for a lot of the team's flaws. The defense isn't great, their running game is usually lousy, and Nelson is their only real weapon on offense. I think this is just what the team looks like when Rodgers isn't playing extremely well.
I'm now 1-5 in the Fantasy because I believed in the Pack. NOTHING is better than Chicago at Green Bay, and I'll be watching and rooting for the Pack, but they can bite me this year.
I really like the way the Pack look tonight. Obviously not having Lacy, or a RB really in general, is not ideal, but alternating Cobb and Montgomery in the backfield has really opened their playbook into some interesting sets. Both of those guys are extremely versatile, so getting them the ball in space has opened up some of those throws in the flats and across the middle for Adams and such. Maybe this will "RELAX" some of the critics...