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Post by Big Blue on Feb 8, 2021 22:55:49 GMT
At the risk of a forum ban I’ll start a thread on American Football - specifically last night’s Super Bowl.
In my dee-fense I will say that I very rarely watch any American football and certainly don’t stay up until 3.30am to do so. I also understand the rules a bit, probably more than the convolution that is Rugby Union and I’ve played that! It was also the chance to see a truly exceptional athlete and leader take charge of a game full of action.
On the offense (sic) I will say it was a fabulous match for the first three quarters. It was all over by the 4th but I resisted the urge to go to bed to see and hear Tom Brady lift the trophy. Mahones looked well off the mark as the Kansas City quarterback that’s been the king for two seasons and seen as the successor to Brady’s crown in the NFL but there were a couple of superb throws under pressure that if luck had turned his way would’ve given him a Bowl win over the GOAT.
Amazingly the points for Tampa Bay all came from the players Brady brought in for this “I can do it without Belicek” season and do it they did. The fact that the Patriots didn’t make the playoffs for the first time since Brady was the quarterback kind of proves who the leader was out of coach and captain.
Apologies if none of that meant anything to many of you but it was a fabulous game and an amazing end to the season. To put the views of the unknowledgeable into perspective W2.1 asked me today “why didn’t you come to bed until 3.30?” When i explained an hour long football game takes three and a half hours she looked at me as if I were somehow deranged.
I was up at 0730. Still buzzing.
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Post by Tim on Feb 9, 2021 8:49:44 GMT
This is the first time for about 30 years that I haven't watched it.
Normally me and a few mates congregate at someone's house with a few light refreshments and all sorts of unhealthy food (away from the watchful eye of our wives) to partake. It's the only time I watch American Football and after all this time I think I understand some of what goes on.
Monday is usually a day of rest involving a few games of snooker nearby to let the alcohol leave everyone's system before heading home in time for tea.
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Post by PetrolEd on Feb 9, 2021 9:17:32 GMT
I always try and catch the superbowl but like Sunday night make it to half time and then give up. No doubt about Brady being the GOAT. Can't think of anyone in any sport thats had so much influence and success in different teams.
In the 80's they used to show a fair amount of American Football on Channel 4 and I got really into it as a kid. I was a 49ers fan which was the famous Rice/Montana combo.
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Post by Blarno on Feb 9, 2021 9:27:25 GMT
Hand egg.
Never understood it.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Feb 9, 2021 9:43:46 GMT
Not a sport for me, I'm afraid. I went to a couple of Super Bowl parties in South London in the early 90s when it was popular and they always ended up with everyone in the kitchen getting pissed while one diehard watched the (lack of) action in the lounge.
Tom Brady seems a decent enough athlete for his age but can't compare to the likes of Ronaldo or even our own Jimmy Anderson still doing it on the world stage late in their career.
I'm not going to go on about the Glazer Gimps milking Man Utd to prop up their Buccaneers franchise either.
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Post by cbeaks1 on Feb 9, 2021 10:52:21 GMT
Brady is an exceptional player, but a very very bad athlete by standard measurements. Very good at avoiding injury, and not being a bit crippled at 43 is unusual. I love Jimmy Anderson and his joints will have taken a battering, but he will rarely have been hit by 300lb men.
Mahomes is about as talented as it gets (also in baseball) but 2 starting tackles were missing so he had large angry men in his face on almost every snap.
It is a great game to play, and watch, but the 3 hours + and the 40 minute half time in the SB are not good.
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Post by PG on Feb 9, 2021 13:08:52 GMT
In the 80's they used to show a fair amount of American Football on Channel 4 and I got really into it as a kid. I was a 49ers fan which was the famous Rice/Montana combo. That was when I started watching it too. IIRC C4 bought the rights as it was really cheap as nobody thought the UK would ever get interested. I remember that they had a good way of also explainin gthe rules in the first few televised games and after that, it all started to make sense. It's basically like Rugby League with more padding and forward passes allowed. It got such a cult following that some games actually got played in London at one point. But I lost interest later on and haven't watched the SB in years. |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Feb 9, 2021 13:15:53 GMT
Games are still played in London, Spurs’ new stadium is set up with a full American football pitch under their grass so they can fulfil their NFL games quota.
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Post by cbeaks1 on Feb 9, 2021 13:36:11 GMT
Games are still played in London, Spurs’ new stadium is set up with a full American football pitch under their grass so they can fulfil their NFL games quota. So much nicer than Wembley. |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Feb 9, 2021 13:38:52 GMT
Games are still played in London, Spurs’ new stadium is set up with a full American football pitch under their grass so they can fulfil their NFL games quota. So much nicer than Wembley. The stadium, yes. The football under Mourinho less so. |
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Post by PetrolEd on Feb 9, 2021 13:39:16 GMT
Games are still played in London, Spurs’ new stadium is set up with a full American football pitch under their grass so they can fulfil their NFL games quota. So much nicer than Wembley. I hate Wembley |
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Post by Big Blue on Feb 9, 2021 17:09:30 GMT
I'm not going to go on about the Glazer Gimps milking Man Utd to prop up their Buccaneers franchise either. Buccaneers have a trophy to show for the spending  |
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Post by LandieMark on Feb 9, 2021 17:16:02 GMT
Not something I have ever watched so can't say whether it would appeal or not.
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Post by Tim on Feb 9, 2021 17:34:19 GMT
I can understand people making a fuss about Brady but in simple terms I don't consider him to be an outstanding athlete.
His main job is for someone to throw him a ball (a very firm throw I'll grant) and for him to maybe take a few steps before throwing it, again firmly and this time with accuracy, to someone a distance away.
In terms of what he's required to do it's less strenuous than, say, playing 1 hole of golf. He could easily be 30 stone just so long as he can keep throwing.
Once he's thrown the ball he can go for a nice sit down for a while.
HAving said that I know quarterbacks occasionally go for a run down the field and sometimes get hit hard by big fat bastards whose sole aim on the pitch is to hit the QB hard but a scrum half, for example, works a lot harder during a game of rugby.
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Post by cbeaks1 on Feb 9, 2021 18:31:10 GMT
It’s about processing things before the snap and then processing and decision making in the 2 to 3 seconds after that. Very rare skills hence the $30 to $50m per year for the good ones.
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Post by racingteatray on Feb 9, 2021 19:15:29 GMT
Not something I have ever watched so can't say whether it would appeal or not. Not watched it either, although given my almost total disinterest in watching other people play sport on television, I suspect I know the answer as to its appeal to me without needing to watch it. |
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Post by Big Blue on Feb 9, 2021 22:14:38 GMT
The QB learns a few thousand plays and decides which one is going to be most effective at what time. The ball is thrown with accuracy not simply because the QB can throw it like a bullet but also because he knows there will be a receiver there.
As to fitness: as he moved into his 40s Brady ran his own fitness and diet regime. The Patriots wouldn’t allow him to bring his own personal trainer into the camp, insisting he follow the Patriot’s regime, and that’s why he moved on. You can’t compare “athletes” across sports. In squash you get “squash fit” meaning you know how to position yourself, leading to fit young men being thrashed by some fat old git despite running ragged round the court. Same for golfists: they are fit and their muscles are stretched correctly but I don’t fancy their chances in a 100m sprint. Mentally however I don’t see a sprinter having the mental capacity to sink even a one yard putt on the 18th at The Open with several thousand onlookers.
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Post by Stuntman on Feb 9, 2021 22:23:21 GMT
I've enjoyed American Football on and off since the 1985/86 season (Chicago Bears winning Superbowl XX I think it was). I didn't watch the game at the weekend but I totally get what all the fuss was about. Well done Jeff for staying up and seeing it through  |
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Post by PG on Feb 10, 2021 11:34:13 GMT
Games are still played in London, Spurs’ new stadium is set up with a full American football pitch under their grass so they can fulfil their NFL games quota. Well, I've learnt something new today. |
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Post by Tim on Feb 10, 2021 12:00:59 GMT
The QB learns a few thousand plays and decides which one is going to be most effective at what time. The ball is thrown with accuracy not simply because the QB can throw it like a bullet but also because he knows there will be a receiver there. As to fitness: as he moved into his 40s Brady ran his own fitness and diet regime. The Patriots wouldn’t allow him to bring his own personal trainer into the camp, insisting he follow the Patriot’s regime, and that’s why he moved on. You can’t compare “athletes” across sports. In squash you get “squash fit” meaning you know how to position yourself, leading to fit young men being thrashed by some fat old git despite running ragged round the court. Same for golfists: they are fit and their muscles are stretched correctly but I don’t fancy their chances in a 100m sprint. Mentally however I don’t see a sprinter having the mental capacity to sink even a one yard putt on the 18th at The Open with several thousand onlookers. Understood, all I meant was that Brady could be a fat piece of shit, so long as he could throw and think about the plays then he'd be fine. |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Feb 10, 2021 12:18:23 GMT
Games are still played in London, Spurs’ new stadium is set up with a full American football pitch under their grass so they can fulfil their NFL games quota. Well, I've learnt something new today. It's a brilliant piece of engineering: |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Feb 10, 2021 12:26:23 GMT
The QB learns a few thousand plays and decides which one is going to be most effective at what time. The ball is thrown with accuracy not simply because the QB can throw it like a bullet but also because he knows there will be a receiver there. As to fitness: as he moved into his 40s Brady ran his own fitness and diet regime. The Patriots wouldn’t allow him to bring his own personal trainer into the camp, insisting he follow the Patriot’s regime, and that’s why he moved on. You can’t compare “athletes” across sports. In squash you get “squash fit” meaning you know how to position yourself, leading to fit young men being thrashed by some fat old git despite running ragged round the court. Same for golfists: they are fit and their muscles are stretched correctly but I don’t fancy their chances in a 100m sprint. Mentally however I don’t see a sprinter having the mental capacity to sink even a one yard putt on the 18th at The Open with several thousand onlookers. I wonder why they never seem to use more than 6 in a match then? |
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Post by cbeaks1 on Feb 10, 2021 13:05:49 GMT
There would generally be at least 75 to 100 plays selected from a lot more that would be ‘installed’ during the week. The offensive coordinator would send in the plays but the QB assesses the defensive alignment and personal and can audible into a different play if they think it has more chance of working. Even stuff that looks the same probably isn’t.
You can’t be fat and super slow as movement in the pocket, and escaping pressure if required, are hugely important skills for a QB.
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Post by Ben on Feb 11, 2021 7:51:42 GMT
Hand egg. Never understood it. +1. Much too complicated. |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Feb 11, 2021 19:05:02 GMT
Did anyone see the lightweight have to be led away after a couple of shandies? 😀
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Post by Big Blue on Feb 12, 2021 14:41:54 GMT
Did anyone see the lightweight have to be led away after a couple of shandies? 😀 middle class Americans are notoriously shite at drinking. I remember visits by myself and other English school friends in late teens to US family members where our age group peers were shocked by the time we got to our fourth gin and tonic. We’d only just got going at that point. |
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Post by Roadrunner on Feb 12, 2021 19:56:01 GMT
Did anyone see the lightweight have to be led away after a couple of shandies? 😀 middle class Americans are notoriously shite at drinking. I remember visits by myself and other English school friends in late teens to US family members where our age group peers were shocked by the time we got to our fourth gin and tonic. We’d only just got going at that point. Just like at my Californian cousin's wedding back in 1995. After an evening of drinking the hotel's 'beer' and then doing a couple of tequila slammers, I was wondering when we were going to start drinking and they were astounded that I wasn't flat on my back. |
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Post by PetrolEd on Feb 13, 2021 10:47:27 GMT
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