NFL Week 9 game thread

soxhop411

news aggravator
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Dec 4, 2009
46,278
The problem with the taunting rule is that it's not like the tuck rule, which was a questionable rule which was enforced correctly on a change-of-possession play that required the official to make a call; taunting is inherently in the eyes/ears of the beholder, and has no impact on the outcome of a play. Refs sometimes ignore it, and other times seem to go out of their way to look for it - so it's ripe for abuse.
Scroll back, I totally called the penalty BS when it was called. I agree with you, but he was clearly walking toward the Steelers' bench, he was clearly celebrating the sack after already doing some sort of helicopter kick. Unfortunately, he gave the ref the ability to inject himself in the game.
What’s the nfl going to do when a playoff or Super Bowl game gets decided by this bullshit.

it’s as bad as the “human element” in baseball.
 

mr_smith02

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Nov 29, 2003
4,353
Upstate NY
None of the Steelers’ fans I know will be saying that, including this one.

I think you’re overestimating the quality of this roster. There are many reasons why it was a game, not least of which their inexperienced OL, limited QB, and mismatched offensive scheme. Inability to adjust in-game has always been a hallmark of Tomlin-coached teams. They don’t consistently throw the ball down the field and they can’t run the ball, which allows the D to stack the box. They have a lot at the skill positions but it doesn’t work with this OC/QB/OL combo. The fact that this game was close was not anomalous, but wholly predictable. This is what they are. They’re third or fourth in a tough division.

They need to move on from Ben, I still don’t see the attraction to Matt Canada, and the OL just needs time and draft reinforcements.
So, none of the issues you outline above fall on the shoulders of the head coach?
 

Ed Hillel

Wants to be startin somethin
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Dec 12, 2007
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I’ll never forget that bag job Corrente put on the undefeated Pats in Denver. The one ref who’s always seemed like he’s had an agenda.
 

lars10

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Jul 31, 2007
11,619
The problem with the taunting rule is that it's not like the tuck rule, which was a questionable rule which was enforced correctly on a change-of-possession play that required the official to make a call; taunting is inherently in the eyes/ears of the beholder, and has no impact on the outcome of a play. Refs sometimes ignore it, and other times seem to go out of their way to look for it - so it's ripe for abuse.
I think we're in violent agreement.
 

Vinho Tinto

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Dec 9, 2003
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Auburn, MA
So, none of the issues you outline above fall on the shoulders of the head coach?
Tomlin had at least a say in Big Ben returning and Canada’s promotion. The Steelers have had one of the worst attacks in the league for a few years. He is the head coach and deserves most of the blame.

But I don’t view Tomlin as holding the team back. They were 1-3 and primed for a meltdown after losing to the Packers. They’re now in the playoff mix. He deserves a lot of credit for that.
 

HomeRunBaker

bet squelcher
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Jan 15, 2004
30,096
He’s fucked up like 5 calls in 3 min
Griese was a special kind of stupid tonight. Did you see the offsides on the PAT how he wanted to run the offense out there to go for 2……in a tie game!!!! Between Griese, Nagy, and the officials (and nobody is more lenient on these guys than me) that was as mesmerizing of a Monday Night as I’ve had in a long time.
 

luckiestman

Son of the Harpy
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Jul 15, 2005
32,622
Griese was a special kind of stupid tonight. Did you see the offsides on the PAT how he wanted to run the offense out there to go for 2……in a tie game!!!! Between Griese, Nagy, and the officials (and nobody is more lenient on these guys than me) that was as mesmerizing of a Monday Night as I’ve had in a long time.
i thought go for 2 was Levy but i have volume low
 

Bergs

funky and cold
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Jul 22, 2005
21,627
Great response. I wait all night for responses like that. Keep working it to see if you can make me the straw man for the NFL’s misguided enhanced enforcement of that rule.
Great response. I wait all night for responses like that. The fact you took three sentences to make an incorrect statement doesn't really trump the fact I only took one to rebut it.

You made an unsubstantiated and frankly (based on all the NFL I've watched this year, which is embarrassingly too much) incorrect claim about the as-to-now "standard" for calling that. Literally every other invocation I've seen of it this year involves "in your face" type close proximity stuff, with a heavy verbal/shouting element. This didn't.

Please do try to dig up examples of similar calls this season, though. I'll be happy to claim a draw if you can find one, and a loss if you can find two.

On the ridiculousness of the rule itself, we are in complete agreement.

You can build and burn your own straw man; I'm fresh out of matches.
 
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Bergs

funky and cold
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2005
21,627
i thought go for 2 was Levy but i have volume low
No, That was Griese, and that booth is horrible. Levy won't stfu (and can't see, apparently), Reddick is full of platitudes and "have to"s and storytelling, and Griese is dumb as a stump. Added bonus is that Reddick and Griese have approximately the same speaking voice, which is...fun, I guess?
 

Fred in Lynn

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Jan 3, 2013
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Great response. I wait all night for responses like that. The fact you took three sentences to make an incorrect statement doesn't really trump the fact I only took one to rebut it.

You made an unsubstantiated and frankly (based on all the NFL I've watched this year, which is embarrassingly too much) incorrect claim about the as-to-now "standard" for calling that. Literally every other invocation I've seen of it this year involves "in your face" type close proximity stuff, with a heavy verbal/shouting element. This didn't.

Please do try to dig up examples of similar calls this season, though. I'll be happy to claim a draw if you can find one, and a loss if you can find two.

On the ridiculousness of the rule itself, we are in complete agreement.

You can build and burn your own straw man; I'm fresh out of matches.
The Post reports that the NFL has called 35 taunting calls in 136 games leaguewide through Week 9; they called 5 through nominally the same number of games last year, and 8, 20, and 13 in previous seasons, respectively.

Your second paragraph makes out of whole cloth a standard in the rule that doesn’t exist. Section 3, Article 1(c) states that a player will be called for Unsportsmanlike Conduct he “[commits] baiting or taunting acts or words that engender ill will between teams.” Your implied requirement that such an act be committed “in the face” of another player simply doesn’t exist anywhere in the rulebook. You said you have watched an embarrassingly high number of games this year, so it’s not clear why you assigned me to research the subject (a task which doesn’t seem to have much of a purpose considering the language of the rule).
 

Bergs

funky and cold
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2005
21,627
The Post reports that the NFL has called 35 taunting calls in 136 games leaguewide through Week 9; they called 5 through nominally the same number of games last year, and 8, 20, and 13 in previous seasons, respectively.

Your second paragraph makes out of whole cloth a standard in the rule that doesn’t exist. Section 3, Article 1(c) states that a player will be called for Unsportsmanlike Conduct he “[commits] baiting or taunting acts or words that engender ill will between teams.” Your implied requirement that such an act be committed “in the face” of another player simply doesn’t exist anywhere in the rulebook. You said you have watched an embarrassingly high number of games this year, so it’s not clear why you assigned me to research the subject (a task which doesn’t seem to have much of a purpose considering the language of the rule).
Holy shit. What in the everlasting fuck are you talking about? "makes out of whole cloth a standard"? Huh?

Let's take a step back here: My "no it isn't" was a response to your contention that (and I quote) "It’s a ridiculous rule, but it is a rule and that’s how they’ve been enforcing it." (emphasis on bolded)

You quoting the rule has literally nothing to do with the bolded point. As I said (again, I quote) " Literally every other invocation I've seen of it this year involves "in your face" type close proximity stuff, with a heavy verbal/shouting element. " Again, this has nothing to do with the actual verbage of the rule, but the established standard (thus far) of invoking it.

As of this moment, I stand by that assessment. That said, I haven't seen every call in every game, so if you had seen events counter to my assessment (other than the one in the Steelers/Bears game), I would have been happy to change my mind. Sorry that asking you to come up with supporting evidence to your contention that "that’s how they’ve been enforcing it" (emphasis on bolded) constituted "assigning you to research the subject."

Good grief, man.
 
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