Well, the NFL Hall of Fame game is underway. We’re still in the first quarter, about halfway through with the Steelers leading 7-0 over the (s)Aints.

So.. who else is eagerly awaiting the return of THE National. Football. League.?

Oakland Raiders.

offspring22 - 05 August 2007 06:28 PM

Oakland Raiders.

You’ve my deepest sympathies, lol.

Straight up Eagles fan myself.

I once tried watching NFL.

I almost killed myself before i managed to reach for the remote.

I am sorry, but there is only one kind of REAL football and that is Aussie Rules Football, anything else is just a poor imitation

Soccer is full of ballerinas dancing around in shorts

NFL is full of pussies who need padding to protect their delicate bodies

Rugby and all of its variations is quite simply just pointless

Nic - 06 August 2007 01:21 AM

I am sorry, but there is only one kind of REAL football and that is Aussie Rules Football, anything else is just a poor imitation

Soccer is full of ballerinas dancing around in shorts

NFL is full of pussies who need padding to protect their delicate bodies

Rugby and all of its variations is quite simply just pointless

Blasphemy! Though to be perfectly fair, I’ve no bloody clue what Aussie Rules Football is, lol.

Screw the NFL...I’m holding out for the NCAA. 

This crap about NFL players being weak because they wear padding is a joke.  Your average NFL’er would destroy your average Aussie rules player… For that matter your average rugby player as well.  It’s a simple question of physics.  These guys are bigger, stronger, faster and more explosive than any other collective group of professional athletes on the planet.  I’m not saying rugby isn’t tough, or that Aussie rules isn’t tough.  Hell, I won’t even go so far as to say football (soccer) isn’t tough.  What I will say is this… Give me your best, put them in the same pads on the same field of battle and let them go one on one with the likes of Ray Lewis or Shawne Merriman.  I guarantee you that guy will be feeling internal organs he didn’t know he had as he pisses blood for the next six months.  Take away the pads and he dies, just like many football players did before the sport voluntarily adopted padding during Teddy Roosevelt’s administration to save itself from being banned.

Now then, I am extremely excited about the return of football season!  I will be enjoying a lot of this season’s action on my new 1080p plasma display.  Oh yes, I will be able to detect Tom Brady’s 5-o’clock shadow even before Giselle can feel the stubble.  I have to admit some timidity over the situation of my Cowboys, but if Wade is as good of a head coach as his dad was and if Tony Romo can overcome “the snap” then there shouldn’t be any problems.

And NCAA football gets me just as excited!  I have a sneaking hunch that this will be the year of the little guy, especially after Boise State showed everyone what was possible at the end of last season.  Can my Mustangs finally overcome the lingering pain of the Death Penalty and make a bowl game for the first time since the 1980’s?  Will USC finally get schooled by someone from within the Pac-10?  Will Miami finally do something stupid enough to become the second school ever to receive the death penalty?  And of course, what will be this season’s big BCS controversy?  Can’t wait!

Mad Dawg - 06 August 2007 09:58 AM

Now then, I am extremely excited about the return of football season!  I will be enjoying a lot of this season’s action on my new 1080p plasma display.  Oh yes, I will be able to detect Tom Brady’s 5-o’clock shadow even before Giselle can feel the stubble.  I have to admit some timidity over the situation of my Cowboys, but if Wade is as good of a head coach as his dad was and if Tony Romo can overcome “the snap” then there shouldn’t be any problems.

Oh God. A cowboys fan. XD. Only thing worse than a Cowboys fan is a Giants fan.

Not sure I will be into the NFL as much as the NCAA, but I don’t know how avoidable either will be. My uncle will be back into Fantasy Football, and also has season tickets to Virginia Tech like every year, so i will be hearing a lot about both. I sort of hope I get to go to a VT game again this year. And of course I will check up on UT Vols and the Titans, no matter how bad they are :P

Mad Dawg - 06 August 2007 09:58 AM

This crap about NFL players being weak because they wear padding is a joke.  Your average NFL’er would destroy your average Aussie rules player… For that matter your average rugby player as well.  It’s a simple question of physics.  These guys are bigger, stronger, faster and more explosive than any other collective group of professional athletes on the planet.  I’m not saying rugby isn’t tough, or that Aussie rules isn’t tough.  Hell, I won’t even go so far as to say football (soccer) isn’t tough.  What I will say is this… Give me your best, put them in the same pads on the same field of battle and let them go one on one with the likes of Ray Lewis or Shawne Merriman.  I guarantee you that guy will be feeling internal organs he didn’t know he had as he pisses blood for the next six months.  Take away the pads and he dies, just like many football players did before the sport voluntarily adopted padding during Teddy Roosevelt’s administration to save itself from being banned.

Take out the constant time outs and then we’ll see who’s fast.. I also doubt NFL players are faster than rugby league players.

Plus you haven’t addressed the fact that with the constant stop-start, it makes the most boring sport on the planet.

Mad Dawg - 06 August 2007 09:58 AM

This crap about NFL players being weak because they wear padding is a joke.  Your average NFL’er would destroy your average Aussie rules player… For that matter your average rugby player as well.  It’s a simple question of physics.  These guys are bigger, stronger, faster and more explosive than any other collective group of professional athletes on the planet.  I’m not saying rugby isn’t tough, or that Aussie rules isn’t tough.  Hell, I won’t even go so far as to say football (soccer) isn’t tough.  What I will say is this… Give me your best, put them in the same pads on the same field of battle and let them go one on one with the likes of Ray Lewis or Shawne Merriman.  I guarantee you that guy will be feeling internal organs he didn’t know he had as he pisses blood for the next six months.  Take away the pads and he dies, just like many football players did before the sport voluntarily adopted padding during Teddy Roosevelt’s administration to save itself from being banned.

Here here!  Well met MD.

Now then, I am extremely excited about the return of football season!  I will be enjoying a lot of this season’s action on my new 1080p plasma display.  Oh yes, I will be able to detect Tom Brady’s 5-o’clock shadow even before Giselle can feel the stubble.  I have to admit some timidity over the situation of my Cowboys, but if Wade is as good of a head coach as his dad was and if Tony Romo can overcome “the snap” then there shouldn’t be any problems.

And NCAA football gets me just as excited!  I have a sneaking hunch that this will be the year of the little guy, especially after Boise State showed everyone what was possible at the end of last season.  Can my Mustangs finally overcome the lingering pain of the Death Penalty and make a bowl game for the first time since the 1980’s?  Will USC finally get schooled by someone from within the Pac-10?  Will Miami finally do something stupid enough to become the second school ever to receive the death penalty?  And of course, what will be this season’s big BCS controversy?  Can’t wait!

NCAA all the way baby.  Can’t wait to see how my Tigers are going to do this year.

Oh.. and Nascar sucks.

Nic - 06 August 2007 01:21 AM

I am sorry, but there is only one kind of REAL football and that is Aussie Rules Football, anything else is just a poor imitation

Soccer is full of ballerinas dancing around in shorts

NFL is full of pussies who need padding to protect their delicate bodies

Rugby and all of its variations is quite simply just pointless

So I wonder who moderates the moderators er instigators?

Throw out the line and reel them in You make it too easy!

olicollett - 06 August 2007 11:27 AM

Oh.. and Nascar sucks.

Indeed. In more NFL related talk, the Steelers looked very good in the HOF Game. Indy and Dallas are playing thursday at 20.00 EDT on FOX which will be interesting to watch. Want to see Dallas get smacked about ^_^.

Oli, I love you, man.  But…

olicollett - 06 August 2007 11:00 AM

Take out the constant time outs and then we’ll see who’s fast.. I also doubt NFL players are faster than rugby league players.

Do you honestly think anyone will buy that the average rugby player (league or union) is faster than any NFL wide receiver or defensive back?  We’re talking about sub-4.3 times in the 40 here.  Most of these guys ran track in the off-season while in high school and college.  Some of them have competed at the NCAA level against guys like 100m world record holder Michael Johnson.

olicollett - 06 August 2007 11:00 AM

Plus you haven’t addressed the fact that with the constant stop-start, it makes the most boring sport on the planet.

Opinions are like assholes… Nevermind.  I’ll avoid the cliche and just say that, for those of us who understand that American football is a chess match played with world class athletes battling for sometimes inches of ground, the stops and starts don’t really bother us much.

olicollett - 06 August 2007 11:27 AM

Oh.. and Nascar sucks.

I fully agree with you on this one.  NASCAR is the motor sport version of professional wrestling.  Other than the millions of dollars it makes for a handful of suits and drivers, its only real purposes are to serve as a backdrop for shitty Hollywood movies and to give us one more stereotype for laughing at rednecks.  Personally, I’m a fan of the ALS (GT1 and GT2) and the WRC.  I have these weird beliefs that race cars should be attainable at your local dealership and that, every once in a long while, cars turn right.

Britannia - 06 August 2007 10:34 AM

Oh God. A cowboys fan. XD. Only thing worse than a Cowboys fan is a Giants fan.

I’m a native Texan.  Who did you expect me to cheer for… The Toronto Argonauts?

Besides, I love being hated for the same reason everyone hates the New York Yankees.  It’s flattery at its best. 

Britannia - 07 August 2007 08:33 AM

Indy and Dallas are playing thursday at 20.00 EDT on FOX which will be interesting to watch. Want to see Dallas get smacked about ^_^.

Who handed Indianapolis their first loss last season?  Cowboys 21 - Colts 14… Somewhere, the 1972 Miami Dolphins celebrated the defeat.

I know it’s just a pre-season game and we didn’t even get to see the superstars but for the first quarter and a half, but man of man did the Cowboys looked good last night!  Of course, EVERYTHING looks good on my new plasma screen. 

Mad Dawg - 10 August 2007 11:02 AM

I know it’s just a pre-season game and we didn’t even get to see the superstars but for the first quarter and a half, but man of man did the Cowboys looked good last night!  Of course, EVERYTHING looks good on my new plasma screen. 

I will give you that - Dallas did look solid all four quarters. Which, as an Eagles fan, makes me want to hit something lol.

I’ve watched a few games from time to time. One of my best friends was an exchange student in Portland OR and played in the quarterback position. Got some insight and deeper understanding of the game that way. Still I must say this game appears from an outsider to be an acquired taste - it really takes some time to appreciate it, most are probably bored before that happens like Oli.

I do have some gripes though. I still cannot understand why the game is called football. Gimme a break! Football? Beats me! The ball is comparatively rarely kicked at all! There’s much more throwing, catching, running and rumble going on, all in padded armour. The game could be renamed to Armourball or Armorball whichever spelling you prefer if you want a short name. Or why not Pauseball, Breakball or Ovalball, with all the stops in between and the shape of the ball taken into consideration.

Another thing that is plain silly is the use of the moniker World Series in Superbowl or World Champions for the winners of the Superbowl. The NFL is a national league and so the winners of the Superbowl are National champions not World champions, comprende?

OK, I’ll promise to watch Superbowl the next time around to catch the halftime show at least. I will spend a lot more time watching the NHL games.

Let me see if I can help…

BioTracer - 12 August 2007 03:28 AM

I do have some gripes though. I still cannot understand why the game is called football. Gimme a break! Football? Beats me! The ball is comparatively rarely kicked at all! There’s much more throwing, catching, running and rumble going on, all in padded armour. The game could be renamed to Armourball or Armorball whichever spelling you prefer if you want a short name. Or why not Pauseball, Breakball or Ovalball, with all the stops in between and the shape of the ball taken into consideration.

The first inter-collegiate American football game was played between Princeton University and Rutgers University in 1867.  The game was very much “soccer-like.” That is to say it most closely resembled what the rest of the world currently calls “football.” The annual rivalry was so popular that eventually other universities in the region began to participate, but not just any universities… The ultra-competitive Ivy League schools found the game to be one more thing they could hold over each others’ heads as bragging rights for victories on the field piled up.  As such, ultra-competitive but also ultra-snooty Harvard University became involved.  Harvard, whose students were apparently more up to date on the class distinctions of Victorian England, decided that what football, a game very popular with the British peasantry, needed to make it acceptable was elements of rugby, at that time considered a gentleman’s sport in Britain.  And so American football is in fact a marriage of football (the early predecessor to what we call soccer and the rest of the world calls football) and rugby.  From there the game has evolved to what it is today in much the same way that warfare has evolved over the ages.  One side figures out how to have an advantage (such as the option, the shotgun and the west coast offense).  The other side counters with their own advantage (such as the zone, pass rush and 3-4 defense).  Rules are made as needed based on the evolution of how the game is played.  For instance more pressure on quarterbacks has resulted in more rules meant to protect quarterbacks from career-ending injuries.

BioTracer - 12 August 2007 03:28 AM

Another thing that is plain silly is the use of the moniker World Series in Superbowl or World Champions for the winners of the Superbowl. The NFL is a national league and so the winners of the Superbowl are National champions not World champions, comprende?

Any true American football fan knows that the correct term for the winners of the Super Bowl is “Super Bowl champions.” While there is currently little doubt that the Super Bowl champions of any given season would completely destroy the corresponding season’s Arena Football League champions, Canadian Football League champions, NFL-Europe champions, et. al, to refer to them as “World Champions” is both incorrect and inappropriate.  It is true that this term was used in the past, but in an ever shrinking modern world we should all know better.

As far as Major League Baseball using the name “World Series,” I’ll leave it to a baseball fan to discuss.

We own it. The Japanese play the second best baseball in the world, and they clamor over each other to play baseball in the US. Hell, even in Cuba the latest smuggling ring revolves not around illicit drugs, but their best baseball players trying to get to the states.

Quidditch.

Just because I was curious I looked up some of the fastest 100meter times for NFL players vs Rugby players..  It would seem that the NFL has had several people that were sub 10 second 100 meter runners when they were competing at track events.

I can’t seem to find a single rugby player that can run the 100 meter in less than 10 seconds.  Bryan Habana is somewhere between 10.12 and 10.5 seconds.  I could not find an officially sanctioned time for his best 100 meter run.  He was the guy that raced the cheetah.

If you read around about what rugby players have to say about who is the better athlete most of them will easily admit that NFL players have them beat in size, strength, and speed.  Where as rugby players feel they have better hand eye coordination and better endurance.  I watch both rugby and NFL and I would say that I’ve seen hard hits in both sports, but in the NFL hard hits are the norm.  You don’t see as many hard hits in rugby game.  Most open field tackles in a rugby game end up being a leg grabbing type of thing as opposed to a straight up you have to run me over.  With that being said a scrum is probably a rougher place to be than the line of scrimmage in NFL.  Mainly because the same things are going on but the rugby guys don’t have the extra padding. 

They can both be exciting sports to play and watch.  Why not enjoy them both as being different sports that don’t need to compete with each other?

mohaughn - 14 August 2007 10:22 AM

They can both be exciting sports to play and watch.  Why not enjoy them both as being different sports that don’t need to compete with each other?

Hey, I like rugby!  In no way am I putting it down.  What I AM doing is defending American football against this pervasive load of crap that it is somehow weak.

Rest assured that this September, when I am not watching American football on my enormous new plasma television, I will be cheering on Ireland and USA in RWC action.