NFL

[King Kunta 97]

Good to see another long suffering Demons\Rams fan condemned 84!

I'm reasonably optimistic about our fortunes this year the Defensive line (Quinn, Langford, Brockers, Long) we have put together along with our cornerbacks (Finnegan and Jenkins) provides the makings for a very strong defence.

But the fortune of the season will be down to the offensive line and whether they can give Bradford time to make a play and open up some holes for Jackson

[Gorgoroth 12,447]

Agree, if Bradford gets some time to make decisions and plays we will do a lot better. last year he never got decent pockets and scrambled a lot.

[King Kunta 97]

Yeah plus you could tell his ankle was worrying him and his mobility wasn't there.

Also having his number one target in Amendola free of injury, working out of the slot position will go a long way in keeping the chains moving.

[Guest King Cuthbertson]

Very happy to see that OneHD is still covering the NFL this season. Three games a week again. Bring it on. I thoroughly enjoy getting up a couple hours early on a Monday morning for some NFL. Good times.

http://nfldownunder....2012-nfl-season

It's a shame the ESPN game on Monday night disappeared. I can't be bothered getting up at 3am to watch one of those CBS games.. Sunday night on NBC and Monday night on ESPN was brilliant..

Thanks Rupert.

[pantaloons 2,019]

It's a shame the ESPN game on Monday night disappeared. I can't be bothered getting up at 3am to watch one of those CBS games.. Sunday night on NBC and Monday night on ESPN was brilliant..

Thanks Rupert.

The CBS coverage is actually my favourite. As a KC fan, I love the AFC coverage on CBS. I also find the commentary more insightful, and usually as soon as a flag is thrown their commentators are right onto it and know what it's for, whereas flags squally take the Fox commentary team by complete surprise and if it's against a lineman or someone out of picture you're left waiting for the call. Small thing, I know, but I like the coverage on CBS. Oh, and their music s awesome!

I set the recorder for all the games, and wake up around 5am so I can watch a couple hours and fast forward through the ads and some stoppages. Works a treat.

[Macca 16,174]

Here's a couple of podcasts by Bill Simmons and his Cousin Sal of ESPN . They usually do a weekly podcast during the season where they do a preview for the weeks upcoming games .

In these 2 podcasts they do their season predictions . Although their podcasts are mainly lighthearted and quite often funny , they are also quite informative ...

B.S.Report part 1 ... http://espn.go.com/e...play?id=8313963

B.S.Report part 2 ... http://espn.go.com/e...play?id=8317602

Season kicks off on Thurs (10am AEST) . Dallas @ NY Giants .

Edited September 3, 2012 by Macca

[Macca 16,174]

Well it all kicks off tomorrow . You can click on any team for further news , information and fixtures .

Apart from tomorrow's game , other good match-ups are the 49ers @ Green Bay and Pittsburgh @ Denver . The Colts @ Chicago and Washington @ New Orleans will have great interest as well with Luck and RG3 unveiled . Bring it on !

Week one ...

THURS, SEPT 6

10.30 AM Dallas 28 at NY Giants 21 (OneHD and ESPN)

MON, SEPT 10

3.00 AM Indianapolis 21 at Chicago 41 (OneHD)

3.00 AM Philadelphia 17 at Cleveland 16

3.00 AM New England 34 at Tennessee 13

3.00 AM Atlanta 40 at Kansas City 24

3.00 AM Jacksonville 23 at Minnesota 26

3.00 AM Washington 40 at New Orleans 32 (Fox 2)

3.00 AM Buffalo 28 at NY Jets 48

3.00 AM St. Louis 23 at Detroit 27

3.00 AM Miami 10 at Houston 30

6.25 AM San Francisco 30 at Green Bay 22 (OneHD)

6.25 AM Seattle 16 at Arizona 20

6.25 AM Carolina 10 at Tampa Bay 16

10.20 AM Pittsburgh 19 at Denver 31 (OneHD and ESPN)

TUES, SEPT 11

9.00 AM Cincinnati 13 at Baltimore 44 (ESPN)

12.15 PM San Diego 22 at Oakland 14 (ESPN)

Edited September 26, 2012 by Macca

[Macca 16,174]

Bill Simmons writes a weekly sports column for ESPN in the 'Grantland' pages . Here's this weeks column with his predictions further down the page in this link ... http://www.grantland...terbacks-league

Here are some of his quotes ...

Falcons (-2.5) over CHIEFS

Feels like a "fool's gold" victory much like the one Dallas just had — Atlanta comes through outdoors on the road against the banged-up Chiefs, everyone gets a little too excited, and ultimately, it doesn't mean much. Here's where I remind you that Rex Grossman and the Redskins beat the Giants in Week 1 last year, followed by people picking up Rex in fantasy leagues and stuff.

BRONCOS (+2) over Steelers

Revised Gambling Rule No. 39: "Never bet against Peyton Manning at home during a nationally televised night game, not even after he's had four neck surgeries and can't totally turn to his right."

Edited September 9, 2012 by Macca

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

Well it all kicks off tomorrow . You can click on any team for further news , information and fixtures .

Apart from tomorrow's game , other good match-ups are the 49ers @ Green Bay and Pittsburgh @ Denver . The Colts @ Chicago and Washington @ New Orleans will have great interest as well with Luck and RG3 unveiled . Bring it on !

THURS, SEPT 6

10.30 AM Dallas at NY Giants (OneHD and ESPN)

MON, SEPT 10

3.00 AM Indianapolis at Chicago (OneHD)

3.00 AM Philadelphia at Cleveland

3.00 AM New England at Tennessee

3.00 AM Atlanta at Kansas City

3.00 AM Jacksonville at Minnesota

3.00 AM Washington at New Orleans (Fox 2)

3.00 AM Buffalo at NY Jets

3.00 AM St. Louis at Detroit

3.00 AM Miami at Houston

6.25 AM San Francisco at Green Bay (OneHD)

6.25 AM Seattle at Arizona

6.25 AM Carolina at Tampa Bay

10.20 AM Pittsburgh at Denver (OneHD and ESPN)

TUES, SEPT 11

9.00 AM Cincinnati at Baltimore (ESPN)

12.15 PM San Diego at Oakland (ESPN)

Cheers for that. Spewing I can't watch the Minnesota game. My vikings are pretty ordinary but I hope to see a massive improvement from Ponder this year. I still miss the line up of Smith,Carter,Reed,Cunningham and Moss. They were the most exciting offence to watch. Still can't believe Dallas got up over the Giants but NY never have an awesome record but still find ways to win at the end of the year.

[pantaloons 2,019]

Bill Simmons writes a weekly sports column for ESPN in the 'Grantland' pages . Here's this weeks column with his predictions further down the page in this link ... http://www.grantland...terbacks-league

Here are some of his quotes ...

Good Call from Simmons. I picked Atlanta too - Hali, Flowers, Lewis out. We weren't going to stop them, but 40-24 is pathetic. My main concern is Cassel, he's just not good enough in an increasingly QB-driven league.

[Macca 16,174]

Good Call from Simmons. I picked Atlanta too - Hali, Flowers, Lewis out. We weren't going to stop them, but 40-24 is pathetic. My main concern is Cassel, he's just not good enough in an increasingly QB-driven league.

Packers go down as well . Those 49ers came to play . Great defence , too good .

Some interesting results this morning - not the least being Washington's win over the Saints . Haven't seen any highlights but RG3 looks like he had an impressive debut .

[Macca 16,174]

Cheers for that. Spewing I can't watch the Minnesota game. My vikings are pretty ordinary but I hope to see a massive improvement from Ponder this year. I still miss the line up of Smith,Carter,Reed,Cunningham and Moss. They were the most exciting offence to watch. Still can't believe Dallas got up over the Giants but NY never have an awesome record but still find ways to win at the end of the year.

Nice O/T win to your blokes 'cfh' . Peterson had a good game with 2 TD's . Whilst he's firing you've always got a chance . Saw the Gabbert TD throw with 27 seconds remaining but the Vikings must have done well to draw level with a field goal .(in regulation) . At Indianapolis next for the Vikings . Chance to go 2 and 0 .

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

Nice O/T win to your blokes 'cfh' . Peterson had a good game with 2 TD's . Whilst he's firing you've always got a chance . Saw the Gabbert TD throw with 27 seconds remaining but the Vikings must have done well to draw level with a field goal .(in regulation) . At Indianapolis next for the Vikings . Chance to go 2 and 0 .

A bloody great win. Just like Neeld I believe in Ponder. We have tried the old blokes Favre was ok but Mcnabb was a disaster. We are always a chance with AP in the side. Every time he gets tackled I cringe though. I didn't see the Indy game but they should be a harder task then Jacksonville. When the Jags scored that touchdown I thought my barracking for teams curses them. The dee's,Vikings and Sabres haven't had much to crow about as of late.

[Macca 16,174]

A bloody great win. Just like Neeld I believe in Ponder. We have tried the old blokes Favre was ok but Mcnabb was a disaster. We are always a chance with AP in the side. Every time he gets tackled I cringe though. I didn't see the Indy game but they should be a harder task then Jacksonville. When the Jags scored that touchdown I thought my barracking for teams curses them. The dee's,Vikings and Sabres haven't had much to crow about as of late.

Just finished watching SNF . Peyton is back ! A great performance against that Steelers defence . Denver could be a real chance after that win . Elway would be well pleased .

Luck had a reasonable debut against the Bears so the Vikes will want to be on their game again . The Colts don't appear to have much of a running game though . Doesn't get any easier for my Packers - we've got Chicago on Friday (our time) .

Double header tomorrow with the Ravens at Cinci followed by the Chargers at Oakland . Couple of fierce divisional rivals there .

Looks like we're getting at least 6 televised games a week (all up) . The only downer is that Foxtel haven't got a 'Late' game again next week . That will hopefully change going forward .

Edited September 10, 2012 by Macca

[Gorgoroth 12,447]

Close for the Rams but no cigar

Watched the Ravens and they look good, very very good. Also watched the Denver game and agree Manning looked pretty switched on.

The other MNG between the Raiders and chargers started really well then started to get messy after the first quarter.

[Macca 16,174]

Highlights of the round for me were the following ...

RG3's debut in New Orleans . To go into the Superdome and get a win was a mighty achievement . The Redskins could create some havoc in that division .

Manning and Denver's win over Pittsburgh . Peyton just looked like the Peyton of old . They'll be hard to beat if he stays healthy .

San Francisco's win at Green Bay . The score flattered the Packers in all reality . The all round strength of the 49ers is what makes them such a good team . Well coached as well .

The Ravens were excellent , coached by the other Harbaugh . Flacco continues to get better and better . Baltimore could not have started the season more impressively .

How 'bout those Cowboys ? A good win in NY . Houston and New England did it easy and the Jets were very good , racking up 48 points against the Bills . Tebow took a backseat for now but I wonder what Rex has got in store for us with Tim !? Sanchez was terrific .

The Eagles got up in a close one . They ran the ball 30 times and Vick threw it 56 times - phew ! I think I tipped 'em to get to the Championship game (along with Green Bay) . Both teams need to get better (esp the Packers) . Like to be able to revise that tip and include San Francisco right now !!

Those Rams had a real chance but Detroit were too good . Atlanta and Chicago had good wins and KC need to get some players back from injury .

Really good 1st week .

Edited September 11, 2012 by Macca

[King Kunta 97]

Yeah the 49ers looked scary good, defence was just as tough as last year. They hit so darn hard you can hear it when you watch them Willis, Aldon Smith, Bowman, Rogers all pack a mighty punch, can't see them losing to any NFC West rivals unfortunately.

Liked the way the Rams played, we were never going to be able to go toe-to-toe with them but our opportunistic defence managed to make plays, picking off 3 of Stafford's balls. Also really liked Bradford in the 4th managing two scoring drives without key offensive linemen.

Was also good to see Sanchez play well, he is under a lot scrutiny from the NY media who are extremely critical of the high draft pick. Hopefully he can silence the doubters and continue to keep Tebow off the field.

[Macca 16,174]

This weeks games and here's the weekly podcast from Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal (their tips and prognostications!)

http://espn.go.com/e...play?id=8366836

FRI, SEP 14

10.20 AM Chicago 10 at Green Bay 23

MON, SEP 17

3.00 AM Kansas City at Buffalo

3.00 AM Cleveland at Cincinnati

3.00 AM Minnesota at Indianapolis

3.00 AM New Orleans at Carolina

3.00 AM Houston at Jacksonville

3.00 AM Oakland at Miami

3.00 AM Arizona at New England Fox 3

3.00 AM Tampa Bay at NY Giants

3.00 AM Baltimore at Philadelphia OneHD

6.05 AM Washington at St. Louis

6.05 AM Dallas at Seattle

6.25 AM NY Jets at Pittsburgh OneHD

6.25 AM Tennessee at San Diego

10.20 AM Detroit at San Francisco ESPN & OneHD

TUES, SEP 18

10.30 AM Denver at Atlanta ESPN

Edited September 14, 2012 by Macca

[King Kunta 97]

Isn't tomorrow on ESPN?

[Macca 16,174]

Isn't tomorrow on ESPN?

My listings has a college game scheduled . 'NFL Network' are covering the Packers/Bears match . From memory we don't always get those NFL network games .

Might change at the last moment but I'm not holding my breath . Obviously us Packer fans are annoyed but I reckon most fans of the NFL would have been looking forward to seeing that match-up .

Edited September 13, 2012 by Macca

[Arrow 1,257]

Bears to win today is my pick. Green Bay's defence is absolutely appalling, their secondary would be upgrded if I jogged out there.

Washington to back it up again this week I hope too, RGIII is god.

[King Kunta 97]

Washington to back it up again this week I hope too, RGIII is god.

His stats were good, but he threw lots of screens and short passes where the wide receiver made the play. Rams defence is far superior to the Saints outfit that was rolled out last week, especially at the corner's, plus Fisher and co. will plan for the Baylor style offence they ran last week. The Rams Skins game will be in the trenches whoever can run the ball better will win the game and with Rams o/line possibly losing 3 of its starters from last week Washington probably have the edge.

[Clintosaurus 6,966]

NFL Network games will be ONE from next week and ESPN a few weeks after that.

[Macca 16,174]

Packers = Defence . Who'da thunk it !

7 sacks and 4 interceptions . Maybe that secondary has a bit of fire-power . We beat those Bears at their own game . Cutler 11/27 . Who knew !

And Cedric Benson ran the ball for 81 yards . With Starks still to return , Green Bay might just have a decent running game . Great win . We're not goin' away !

NFL Network games will be ONE from next week and ESPN a few weeks after that.

Good work 'Cs'

ps ... Just need Collingwood to lose now ....C'mon Eagles !

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

I can't believe some were saying the packers were done and the NFC was to be competed by the 49ers and Bears. Talk about Jumping to a quick conclusion. Question is Macca can your cheese heads keep up that defence every week? If they can you are on a good thing. I think they learnt from last year that they can't keep relying to win with just an offence.