Super Bowl LIII

[Ralph-Wiggum]

That is.... very specific.

I can’t help but think a match-up with New Orleans would’ve been more interesting. Brees wouldn’t have been lost in the lights like Goff seemed. It’s not a great sign for a game when the most exciting plays were two dropped passes.

[Moliere]

My favorite dumb comment from the announcer is when he (I don't know which one) said "we will never see this again in our lifetimes" referring to Brady winning 6 Super Bowls. Taken literally, how does he know that? It's not inconceivable that within the next 60 years another Tom Brady comes along.

[Jaymann]

My favorite dumb comment from the announcer is when he (I don't know which one) said "we will never see this again in our lifetimes" referring to Brady winning 6 Super Bowls. Taken literally, how does he know that? It's not inconceivable that within the next 60 years another Tom Brady comes along.

That idiot Mahomes will probably win 7 or 8.

[msteelers]

My favorite dumb comment from the announcer is when he (I don't know which one) said "we will never see this again in our lifetimes" referring to Brady winning 6 Super Bowls. Taken literally, how does he know that? It's not inconceivable that within the next 60 years another Tom Brady comes along.

I’ll take that bet. The Patriots domination is going to be very hard to duplicate anytime soon. Possible? Sure. Likely? No.

[Remus West]

I rofl'd when I heard no one had even been in the redzone yet.

There was only one redzone snap in the entire game. The Patriots scoring run after Gronk's catch. 1 play inside the redzone has to be some sort of record for any game let alone a superbowl.

[El Guapo]

That is.... very specific.

I can’t help but think a match-up with New Orleans would’ve been more interesting. Brees wouldn’t have been lost in the lights like Goff seemed. It’s not a great sign for a game when the most exciting plays were two dropped passes.

Yeah, this Super Bowl has to make Saints fans even more pissed off, if that's possible.

[Isgrimnur]

I rofl'd when I heard no one had even been in the redzone yet.

There was only one redzone snap in the entire game. The Patriots scoring run after Gronk's catch. 1 play inside the redzone has to be some sort of record for any game let alone a superbowl.

Spoiler:

The Rams ran 0 plays in the red zone tonight. The Patriots ran 1.

No other #SuperBowl has seen the teams combine for fewer than 5 red zone plays (SB II, SB XXXV).

II: Packers 33 - Raiders 14
XXXV: Ravens 34 - Giants 7

[Unagi]

Both teams seemed to be playing with the understanding that the winner would go to the White House.

[El Guapo]

[Isgrimnur]

This is why no one likes you.

[LawBeefaroni]

Well, I had 0-0 in my big square so I was pretty happy after the 1st Quarter but also had 0-3 so that Pats FG at the end was a bitch.



Was Gurley hurt? Didn't have sound.

[coopasonic]

I am not reading through all the posts to see if it was mentioned, but the best thing about the game was the Game of Thrones ad.

I was randomly wearing a Darth Vader T-shirt yesterday... I was afraid people would take as as an indicator fo the team I was rooting for. For the record, I was rooting for the food to be good. It was.

[Isgrimnur]

Was Gurley hurt? Didn't have sound.

No.

[McNutt]

My biggest surprise was that the big bag of frozen buffalo wings from Costco weren't too bad. I made my own sauce to make them uncomfortably hot and enjoyed them. Nowhere as good as homemade wings, but they'll do in a pinch.

[Default]

It was a great game to do laundry to.

[LawBeefaroni]

Was Gurley hurt? Didn't have sound.

No.

Why didn't he get the ball? I saw maybe 8 touches. Baffling.

[El Guapo]

Was Gurley hurt? Didn't have sound.

No.

Why didn't he get the ball? I saw maybe 8 touches. Baffling.

People are thoroughly baffled about Gurley at this point. Something has to be wrong with him - either he has some injury that the Rams aren't disclosing, or there's some mental issue or something.

[stimpy]

Well, I had 0-0 in my big square so I was pretty happy after the 1st Quarter but also had 0-3 so that Pats FG at the end was a bitch.



Was Gurley hurt? Didn't have sound.

A friend of mine somehow picked the 0 line on 4 different strip cards for the first quarter, 1 for $500, 1 for $200 and 2 for $100. $900 for $90 investment.
How does that even happen???
I won $400 in Texas Hold-Em and $200 on the strip cards for the 2nd quarter, so I aint complaining.

[naednek]

I think it’s just you. Romo has a good reputation as a color commentator.

I'll chalk it up to tuning in during the rare moments of suckitude then. Stumbling, incoherent, grasping at something interesting to say. I don't have any specific examples, just random moments with the sound unmuted for a few minutes at a time.

Shrug. Didn't have much to work with, from what little I saw of the game.

There wasn't anything interesting to say about that game. But as a whole, Romo is quite good at his job. Sometimes it makes you wonder why he sucked so bad as a QB.

[gameoverman]

I don't think it was because Gurley has a problem, I think it was the coaching. They could have used Anderson but didn't do that either. It looked to me like they came out from the beginning with the idea that they'd mix up the run and pass. I think that's part of the reason they did so poorly. If you run the ball, even unsuccessfully in the first quarter, you take all the pressure of your young QB. Give him a chance to settle in and there's no easier way to do that then running the ball. Some analysts say that the Patriots intimidate other coaches so much that the other coaches change what they do in a misguided attempt to trick the Patriots. The Rams sure didn't look like they were doing what worked for them all year. This is not a way to minimize the Patriots' win by the way. I give them full credit for earning the win by doing what they do. Winning the psych war is part of that.

[NickAragua]

I think it’s just you. Romo has a good reputation as a color commentator.

I'll chalk it up to tuning in during the rare moments of suckitude then. Stumbling, incoherent, grasping at something interesting to say. I don't have any specific examples, just random moments with the sound unmuted for a few minutes at a time.

Shrug. Didn't have much to work with, from what little I saw of the game.

There wasn't anything interesting to say about that game. But as a whole, Romo is quite good at his job. Sometimes it makes you wonder why he sucked so bad as a QB.

Yeah, I like Romo as an announcer/commentator. Unlike a lot of the other guys, he's got a lot of insight into how the game works and sounds like he's genuinely interested in what's going on. For example, there was a bit near the end where he pointed out that the Patriots basically ran the same play three times in a row, just throwing to different players. I'm not knowledgeable enough about football to figure that out without a lot of effort, but it's nice that someone's around to explain it to me.

[stessier]

Was Gurley hurt? Didn't have sound.

No.

Why didn't he get the ball? I saw maybe 8 touches. Baffling.

People are thoroughly baffled about Gurley at this point. Something has to be wrong with him - either he has some injury that the Rams aren't disclosing, or there's some mental issue or something.

According to Will Brinson on Barnwell's podcast, from the people he talked to Gurley is healthy but has the football equivalent of the yips.

That would be kind of crazy if true. Like, does he see a hole and decide it's just not big enough to fit through?

[Jaymann]

More like he looks into a hole and sees Cthulhu at the bottom.

[GreenGoo]

For example, there was a bit near the end where he pointed out that the Patriots basically ran the same play three times in a row, just throwing to different players. I'm not knowledgeable enough about football to figure that out without a lot of effort, but it's nice that someone's around to explain it to me.

Lol, this exact example came to mind after I commented here and tried to reflect on what I had seen.

I don't recall what the middle play was but the first play was a little hook and drift in the middle (maybe tight end or running back? I wasn't paying that close attention). The last play was a corner route for a wide receiver, I think. Let's say it was the exact same play 3 times, with the pass going to 3 different receivers on their own routes, and the commenter is correct. Who cares? The only time "the same play" matters is when the same player gets the ball. If I run the ball off tackle to the fullback for 3 plays in a row, that's noteworthy. Especially if it works (why isn't the defense able to stop it?), and especially if it doesn't work (why is the offense doing it over and over again if it isn't working?). If it sorta works, shrug.

If all receivers run the same route patterns over multiple plays, and the QB sees a different receiver open each time and throws to him, that the play is the same play is not particularly noteworthy. In fact, it's not that uncommon at all. *If* it was the same play and the same receiver ran the same route was being thrown the ball several times in a row, *that's* noteworthy, because again, the defense is failing to adjust.

So I guess I'm glad his comments were useful to you. That's cool and all, I guess. I found it of limited value, and mildly irrelevant. Perhaps I'm being overly critical. Sure. Oh well.

[LawBeefaroni]

Was Gurley hurt? Didn't have sound.

No.

Why didn't he get the ball? I saw maybe 8 touches. Baffling.

People are thoroughly baffled about Gurley at this point. Something has to be wrong with him - either he has some injury that the Rams aren't disclosing, or there's some mental issue or something.

According to Will Brinson on Barnwell's podcast, from the people he talked to Gurley is healthy but has the football equivalent of the yips.

That would be kind of crazy if true. Like, does he see a hole and decide it's just not big enough to fit through?

For a runningback, probably fumblitis. Or he's scared of contact.

[El Guapo]

For example, there was a bit near the end where he pointed out that the Patriots basically ran the same play three times in a row, just throwing to different players. I'm not knowledgeable enough about football to figure that out without a lot of effort, but it's nice that someone's around to explain it to me.

Lol, this exact example came to mind after I commented here and tried to reflect on what I had seen.

I don't recall what the middle play was but the first play was a little hook and drift in the middle (maybe tight end or running back? I wasn't paying that close attention). The last play was a corner route for a wide receiver, I think. Let's say it was the exact same play 3 times, with the pass going to 3 different receivers on their own routes, and the commenter is correct. Who cares? The only time "the same play" matters is when the same player gets the ball. If I run the ball off tackle to the fullback for 3 plays in a row, that's noteworthy. Especially if it works (why isn't the defense able to stop it?), and especially if it doesn't work (why is the offense doing it over and over again if it isn't working?). If it sorta works, shrug.

If all receivers run the same route patterns over multiple plays, and the QB sees a different receiver open each time and throws to him, that the play is the same play is not particularly noteworthy. In fact, it's not that uncommon at all. *If* it was the same play and the same receiver ran the same route was being thrown the ball several times in a row, *that's* noteworthy, because again, the defense is failing to adjust.

So I guess I'm glad his comments were useful to you. That's cool and all, I guess. I found it of limited value, and mildly irrelevant. Perhaps I'm being overly critical. Sure. Oh well.

I remember during that I was wishing that he would say a little bit about the significance of them running the same play / formation three times in a row. He seemed to take it as a given that it was significant, but I didn't really know why.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

According to Will Brinson on Barnwell's podcast, from the people he talked to Gurley is healthy but has the football equivalent of the yips.

That would be kind of crazy if true. Like, does he see a hole and decide it's just not big enough to fit through?

It's a shame because he was such a big part of the Rams passing game. Anderson had been running well, but he's not the receiving threat that Gurley is. Having Gurley in the game opens the lanes up for everyone else, just because he requires attention as a receiver.

[GreenGoo]

I remember during that I was wishing that he would say a little bit about the significance of them running the same play / formation three times in a row. He seemed to take it as a given that it was significant, but I didn't really know why.

My knowledge is limited, and I suspect many here know far more than me, especially about modern day NFL. I did play for over a decade however as a yout though, and at the most basic level, running the same play over and over again means a couple of things. a) You've found a weakness in the defense that you'll continue to exploit until they manage to stop you. b) The defense is either failing to recognize what's happening or is recognizing what's happening and is unable to stop you. This is most clearly illustrated by running plays, as they are literally the same play, the same ball carrier, the same blocking pattern, the same hole, the same everything. If the defense can't recognize it and adjust and stop it, then holy shit.

That (sort of) comes apart though on a passing play, as you actually have multiple potential ball carriers, and with man to man defense (which I think it was in this case), it's more like each defender is seeing the same pattern being run, so you have "the same play" on a macro (offense) and micro (individual defender vs receiver) level. The coach can do something about it on the macro level if he recognizes it (perhaps zone works better?), although it's much harder if the QB is spreading the passes around, as it's not a single weakness in the defense since each man to man match up is like it's own little defense/offense puzzle.

Ok, I'm doing a terrible job at this. My initial point is that when a QB spreads the ball around to multiple receivers, it's *almost* like running different plays. It's not, and a good coaching staff will pick up on it almost right away and do something about it, but it's not as obvious and what you do about it is not as easy to determine as compared to running the fullback off the right tackle 3 times in a row.

I think the commentator was just making an observation, rather than making an observation about something significant. And that's cool. Discussing it here has actually made me lighten up about my critical viewpoint. It is worth noting, at least in passing. In my defense he did seem to put a lot of emphasis on it, like it was a big deal. In any case, I guess it was less about the observation and more about how he observed it. Shrug. I thought it was dumb at the time, and I think now I was being too judgmental. Meh.

[The Meal]

[Steron]

My favorite dumb comment from the announcer is when he (I don't know which one) said "we will never see this again in our lifetimes" referring to Brady winning 6 Super Bowls. Taken literally, how does he know that? It's not inconceivable that within the next 60 years another Tom Brady comes along.

That idiot Mahomes will probably win 7 or 8.

Damn. That's just hurtful. Us Chiefs fans have been waiting decades to have a QB worth anything. We love us some Mahomes.

[Jaymann]

My favorite dumb comment from the announcer is when he (I don't know which one) said "we will never see this again in our lifetimes" referring to Brady winning 6 Super Bowls. Taken literally, how does he know that? It's not inconceivable that within the next 60 years another Tom Brady comes along.

That idiot Mahomes will probably win 7 or 8.

Damn. That's just hurtful. Us Chiefs fans have been waiting decades to have a QB worth anything. We love us some Mahomes.

He just looks like an idiot, but plays like a maniac. I'm just jealous because the Chargers have no backup plan. I mean seriously, Gino Smith?!?

[Steron]

My favorite dumb comment from the announcer is when he (I don't know which one) said "we will never see this again in our lifetimes" referring to Brady winning 6 Super Bowls. Taken literally, how does he know that? It's not inconceivable that within the next 60 years another Tom Brady comes along.

That idiot Mahomes will probably win 7 or 8.

Damn. That's just hurtful. Us Chiefs fans have been waiting decades to have a QB worth anything. We love us some Mahomes.

He just looks like an idiot, but plays like a maniac. I'm just jealous because the Chargers have no backup plan. I mean seriously, Gino Smith?!?

Totally agree. Looks weird and talks like Kermit the Frog. As long as he can keep winning neither of those things will matter. I work with a Bolts fan and he says the same thing about the Chargers long-term QB plans.

[stessier]

I don't know if there has ever been a more appropriate use of the bigimg tag.

[Trent Steel]

Trent Brown is Large McHuge.

[Isgrimnur]

Trent Brown is Large McHuge.

6'8", 380 lbs. >ding<

[Isgrimnur]

Kaepernick's collusion case appears to be going well:

Settlement

The NFL and lawyers for players Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid jointly announced Friday that they had settled a complaint of collusion by the players, who claimed football team owners blackballed them because they had protested racial injustice and police brutality by kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem before games.

Terms of the settlement were confidential.
...
In a joint statement Friday, the NFL and lawyers for the players, Mark Geragos and Ben Meiselas, said: "For the past several months, counsel for Mr. Kaepernick and Mr. Reid have engaged in an ongoing dialogue with representatives of the NFL."

"As a result of those discussions, the parties have decided to resolve the pending grievances. The resolution of this matter is subject to a confidentiality agreement so there will be no further comment by any party."

[LordMortis]

It's none of my business but on the surface I am sad because I think Kaepernick's fight has held institutionalized racism in the US to fire for, what three years running, with no retreat. I think this has been good for the struggle to pull this nation out our brutal past. Nothing has been solved but nothing will be solved without a spotlight. Now these years later, the settlement as stated from you quote feels like a reduction to a cash payout to single person.

Of course, that's feel like and the real settlement is none of my business... For all I know both parties could be creating an anonymous trust to fight institutionalized inequality or racial double standards and I'll never know.

[Jaymann]

It was leaked that the settlement by the NFL includes holding hands and singing Kumbaya before each preseason game. Critics complained this is just a ploy to drum up interest in a weak product.

[stessier]

[Isgrimnur]

Papa John departs

Papa John's founder John Schnatter is leaving its board of directors as part of a settlement resolving a bitter dispute for control of the world's third-largest pizza chain.

The company said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday it would co-operate with Schnatter to find a mutually acceptable independent director who would not be affiliated with Schnatter or hedge fund investor Starboard Value LP, which owns a nearly 10 percent stake in the restaurant chain.

Schnatter, who owns about 30 percent of the company's shares, would resign from the board if the independent director is appointed before the annual stockholder meeting slated for May, Papa John's said. Schnatter stepped down as chairman last summer, following reports he had used a racial slur on a media training conference call.

Schnatter has filed several lawsuits against the company in a bid to regain control of the company he founded in his father's tavern. In January, he claimed a victory when a court ordered the board to give him some internal documents, including text messages related to his firing, which Papa John's had until then refused to share.

After learning that Papa John's would not nominate him to its board this year, Schnatter last Friday submitted a letter nominating himself, according to a regulatory filing and a person familiar with the matter. The moves laid the groundwork for a costly and distracting proxy battle that the settlement now helps avoid, the person said.

As part of the agreement, Papa John's has agreed to share with Schnatter all of the company's records, giving him the option to sue if those documents revealed wrongdoing by the company, Schnatter said in a statement

Schnatter, in return, has agreed to dismiss lawsuits he filed against the company.