"Bad football" to quote Tom Brady. We're seeing a lot of it.

[VectorPrime]

See this is kind of why historically most of the best pro-athletes of all time make bad coaches. Brady and now Rodgers have likely fallen into the same trap where after being so good for so long (leaving aside Rodgers choking in the playoffs every time since 2010) that it’s difficult for them to see the flow of the game through the eyes of his other teammates. For example it’s not difficult for them to see this or that, so why is the receiver having trouble at it? Why did the tackle not see the rusher when it was so “obvious”? Etc.

 

[Bourne Patriot]

It’s because the D are all wearing single digit numbers.. Tom foresaw this.

 

[Bill Lee]

We just talking about right now.

Obviously it's a long season

That's kinda like saying it was looking good for the Japs the day after Pearl Harbor, knowing the war was far from over.

 

[Calhoun44]

It's funny that people are saying it's bad football, because I am thoroughly enjoying the games way more this year than I have in about 5 years or so. I am not a X's and O's guy or understand the technical side of playing the game, but from an entertainment viewpoint (and a non-fantasy football participant) I really like the lower scoring games and the less pass-happy offenses. I watched pretty much every game yesterday in condensed mode and I only fast forwarded through a couple games. Anyway, just my two cents.

 

[patfanken]

I am willing to give Tom a pass. He's got a lot of chit in his life that is no doubt affecting him. I am not a Tampa fan, and I have not watched a lot of their games. I look back to how he handled his last year year here and I see a lot of parallels to how this season has started for him, albeit from my view at 30,000 feet. When I see him barking at guys on the sideline like a grumpy old Dan Marino, I wonder how much of that is him and his current emotional state. I am also aware that I don't want yet another Tom Brady thread, so... Aaron Rodgers, on the other hand, is the poster child of over rated QBs. He does not raise the level of play of his team mates, and Brady has done just exactly that for 20+ years.

And since we are discussing Aaron Rodgers...

@RobertWeathers

I can see WHY Tom is so "grumpy". His football life is VERY likely to be over in 2 month, so being 3-4 on a team that seems to be TANKING, is not the way, I assume, he was hoping to go out.

The Bucs are a LONG way from being out of the playoffs. They COULD go on a hot streak and their division positively SUCKS. I saw a little bit of a Bucs game early in the season, and saw no apparent drop off in Tom's arm strength, velocity, or accuracy.

Could it be that Max Kellerman is going to be right 10 years later, and Tom has finally reached the "cliff"?????

 

[Disco Volante]

Ugly low scoring football with coaching being more important is 10x more interesting to me than the absurd no-defense shootouts every week the league was trending towards

 

[Steve102]

I can see WHY Tom is so "grumpy". His football life is VERY likely to be over in 2 month, so being 3-4 on a team that seems to be TANKING, is not the he was hoping to go out.

The Bucs are a LONG way from being out of the playoffs. They COULD go on a hot streak and their division positively SUCKS. I saw a little bit of a Bucs game early in the season, and saw no apparent drop off in Tom's arm strength, velocity, or accuracy.

Could it be that Max Kellerman is going to be right 10 years later, and Tom has finally reached the "cliff"?????

His numbers aren't horrible. They aren't elite, to be sure, but far from bad. He's not the reason they are losing. I don't know where I heard it, but someone once said he can't throw the ball and catch the ball.

 

[Calhoun44]

Ugly low scoring football with coaching being more important is 10x more interesting to me than the absurd no-defense shootouts every week the league was trending towards

I agree. I also see defensive backs being way more adept at being in position and also it seems like the refs are not calling the stupid ticky tack DPI as much. The call that bugs me the most is the underthrown ball that the defender gets penalized for when they are in perfect position. I think the defender has earned that spot on the field and the WR should have to battle through the contact to make the catch. I really like defensive games, so these games are generally more interesting to me.

 

[upstater1]

It's funny that people are saying it's bad football, because I am thoroughly enjoying the games way more this year than I have in about 5 years or so. I am not a X's and O's guy or understand the technical side of playing the game, but from an entertainment viewpoint (and a non-fantasy football participant) I really like the lower scoring games and the less pass-happy offenses. I watched pretty much every game yesterday in condensed mode and I only fast forwarded through a couple games. Anyway, just my two cents.

I love a hard-hitting defensive game myself. This isn't what I'm seeing. I'm seeing teams that are incapable of doing some very basic things. Offenses are reduced the college style routes, where player after player is sent out on a curl route. Rinse and repeat. Over and over again.

This is very boring football.

 

[Steve102]

I love a hard-hitting defensive game myself. This isn't what I'm seeing. I'm seeing teams that are incapable of doing some very basic things. Offenses are reduced the college style routes, where player after player is sent out on a curl route. Rinse and repeat. Over and over again.

This is very boring football.

Guys don't tackle. Lots of kill shots but fewer and fewer guys know how to tackle.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I can see WHY Tom is so "grumpy". His football life is VERY likely to be over in 2 month, so being 3-4 on a team that seems to be TANKING, is not the way, I assume, he was hoping to go out.

The Bucs are a LONG way from being out of the playoffs. They COULD go on a hot streak and their division positively SUCKS. I saw a little bit of a Bucs game early in the season, and saw no apparent drop off in Tom's arm strength, velocity, or accuracy.

Could it be that Max Kellerman is going to be right 10 years later, and Tom has finally reached the "cliff"?????

Watched every Tamper game. Tom still has his speedball & long ball. MAYBE his peripheral vision and reaction time regarding safeties encroaching the ball is dropping but I don't see it. He does seem depressed. 2019 Tom.

 

[Sicilian]

I love a hard-hitting defensive game myself. This isn't what I'm seeing. I'm seeing teams that are incapable of doing some very basic things. Offenses are reduced the college style routes, where player after player is sent out on a curl route. Rinse and repeat. Over and over again.

This is very boring football.

Agreed. I love defensive football. Not only does it feel more like "real" football stylistically, but it makes the big offensive plays feel awesome and EARNED. Seeing a goal scored in hockey feels momentous because it is relatively rare and hard to do. Compare it to basketball, where scoring a bucket is ho-hum until the very end of the game where it actually impacts the immediate result.

But what I've seen a lot more this year isn't defenses making great plays, but receivers dropping passes, OL completely whiffing on assignments, and offensive penalties calling back otherwise great looking plays. As a fan of the team on defense, you take it because you're glad your team is winning, but it doesn't feel like they made something happen. It feels like they were just less inept than the offense.

 

[Sicilian]

Watched every Tamper game. Tom still has his speedball & long ball. MAYBE his peripheral vision and reaction time regarding safeties encroaching the ball is dropping but I don't see it. He does seem depressed. 2019 Tom.

That's how it looked to me too. Was it even Tom himself who said in an interview once (paraphrasing), "Guys know, if I'm yelling at you it's because I care and know you can do better. If I'm not it's because I've given up on you." Maybe it wasn't Tom who said it but someone ABOUT Tom, but it's true. Anger in this case is better than indifference, and man did he just look dejected against the Panthers by the end. A physical embodiment of Belichick in 2009 when he said "I just can't get this team to play the way I want them to..."

 

[TheRainMaker]

The problem is the league is lacking true super star players. There's not a lot of them.
Injuries are getting out of hand.
Becoming a HC had gotten way too easy and there are many coaches who don't deserve it. I'm pro player, but coaching makes a huge difference - ask Troy Aikman.
The rise of Fantasy Football/rule changes have ruined the league.
Networks aren't like what it was 20+ years ago. Announcers are bad and production is lazy. TNF on Amazon was a terrible move.
Lack of rivalries. In fact, they are non existent.

 

[VrabelJr]

I’ve been beating this drum all season long. It has to be the coaching. While young coaches being too aggressive is part of the blame the bigger problem is the teams with young coaches just about all suck in the trenches with San Francisco being the exception. They think they can playcall their way out of lacking fundamentals.

 

[VrabelJr]

Also just because games are lower scoring doesn’t mean we’re seeing better defensive play. The equilibrium of suckage in football is low scoring games. We’re seeing a lower quality product on offense and defense.

 

[Jim Beankie]

I am willing to give Tom a pass. He's got a lot of chit in his life that is no doubt affecting him. I am not a Tampa fan, and I have not watched a lot of their games. I look back to how he handled his last year year here and I see a lot of parallels to how this season has started for him, albeit from my view at 30,000 feet. When I see him barking at guys on the sideline like a grumpy old Dan Marino, I wonder how much of that is him and his current emotional state. I am also aware that I don't want yet another Tom Brady thread, so... Aaron Rodgers, on the other hand, is the poster child of over rated QBs. He does not raise the level of play of his team mates, and Brady has done just exactly that for 20+ years.

And since we are discussing Aaron Rodgers...

@RobertWeathers

Rodgers may still be getting over his breakup to Shailene and is now with some spiritual guru named Blu. Hopefully he doesn't fail any drug tests, although I'm sure that's a joke in the NFL, anyway.

Did he date AT&T gal or am I totally missing this long running joke?

 

[Stu Pidassle]

And a lot of that talent feels really top heavy in terms of what they're paying for them. Going ham on a #1 WR looks great and is a shortcut to having an explosive offense, but if you don't also invest in your OL and complimentary weapons, a good defense is going to expose you.

Or put another way, MIA looks better with Tyreek Hill on the field, but you can only go so far with Tua as QB.

This all comes back to the discussion about building a team vs. assembling a collection of talent. Top heavy rosters with a few superstars at the glamor positions don't work out when the games start.

 

[venecol]

May not be a coincidence that the NFL merger with online betting & fantasy football has an effect on the product. It seems more about making money than maintaining the minimum standards of the game. Parity due to suckitude is a boom for the casinos.

 

[Steve102]

Rodgers may still be getting over his breakup to Shailene and is now with some spiritual guru named Blu. Hopefully he doesn't fail any drug tests, although I'm sure that's a joke in the NFL, anyway.

Did he date AT&T gal or am I totally missing this long running joke?

I don't know when or how it's started, but either Robert or I posted a pic of Lily in an Aaron Rodgers thread that had de-evolved into a thread with pretty girls in it. It became a thing. The thing is, we don't post pics of her being all sexy 'n chit (anymore), just her being cute. Headshots, or innocuous pictures. Now anytime anyone mentions AR, you get Lily.

Now you're in on it.