Macca

Was wondering why the Vikes are 9.5 favourites and then realised that it's another London game - but we are talking about the Cleveland Browns. Anyway, Minnesota are the 'road' team so you can include them in your tips. Panthers Dallas Oakland

Leaderboard in the comp 5 - Clintosaurus 4 - Dappa Dan 3 - JV7, Go the Biff 1 - Macca 0 - The usual suspects So it's on to week 8 (1 point only) ... Atlanta & the Vikings look likely but it gets tough after that (as is normally the case) All 3 of the evening games are good match-ups and also, the Dallas/Washington game has a lot riding on it. So too the Oakland @ Buffalo encounter. It's a reasonably good round of games this week. Week 8 'Guess the Lines' podcast with Bill Simmons & Cousin Sal

Yeah, that closes the argument alright. Fisher was diabolical and what was it? 5 years? He makes McCarthy look like a veritable genius.

Not sure you're wrong just yet Dappa but we really had to beat the Saints to have any realistic chance of salvaging the season. Detroit at Lambeau are next up and they'll fancy their chances. Could be a fierce encounter, all the same. Anyway, I've moved on (kinda, sorta) but it's difficult to jump into a different mode so quickly. At some stage I'll start having a closer look at Hundley but it's always been about winning games and winning the division at Green Bay. But you've got your 10+ years franchise QB by the looks of it ... he has that look of class about him that separates the gun players from the rest. The Eagles are now equal 2nd favourites (along with the Steelers @ 8-1) to win the SB, after starting the season at 60-1. No prizes for guessing who the favourites are (again)

We have a new leader ... Leaderboard in the comp 5 - Clintosaurus 4 - Dappa Dan 3 - JV7, Go the Biff 1 - Macca 0 - The usual suspects .

Well, I've always said that we all know our own team's very well but for your sake, I hope that you're wrong Your next 4 are ... @ Jets, @ Panthers, vs Dallas then @ Seattle. That's a tough run made all the more tougher if the Jets prevail in that first encounter.

I'd rather have expectations and then get disappointed with a playoff loss haha I'm now in 'MFC coached by Neeld mode' ... anyone want that misery back? The Pats are showing us how good they can be in this game ... Belichick is the best coach/manager in world sport. Just like the Pats, the Falcons will get their mojo back at some stage ... Panthers losing today helps and the jury is out on the Saints.

At least your whole season isn't over ... from what I saw from the Packers today, we'll be lucky to win 2 more games. Atlanta will still win enough games to be thereabouts. Anyway, McCarthy decides that we're now a team that predominately runs the ball - good luck with all that Mike. The bottom line is that we can't win without Rodgers.

Here are the games again along with Bill Simmons' latest column ...

Dodgers through to the WS and we await the result of the Houston/Yankees ALCS for their opponent. The MLB would almost certainly prefer an LA vs NY match-up but Houston is the USA's 4th largest market. Game 6 in the ALCS and it's still scoreless (top of the 5th) ... the Yankees lead the series 3 - 2. Sabathia throws for the Yankees tomorrow if it goes to game 7.

Yeah that was a wild finish ... un-timed downs aplenty. KC brought back to the field a bit and the Raiders win an important divisional game ... last score wins it again.

Carolina Dallas Denver

Not exactly current TV but I happened upon this excellent podcast series about Seinfeld (the TV series) The guys from 'Post Show Recaps' are A1 and well worth a listen. The perfect companion to a great show. Click here ... Seinfeld: A Podcast About Nothing (all 173 episodes are covered)

I would have thought that by now we'd have 15-20 regular contributors on the thread but there's still time. Quite honestly, I really only pushed along the tipping comp as a way of attracting more people here ... it sort of works in a sense but the principle reason I'm here is to discuss all things NFL. I neglected to mention the AFC divisions in that earlier post but it's hard to see the Pats not winning the East even though they haven't hit their straps yet. KC are also favoured to win the West but Denver may push them. With Carr back the Raiders might get on a roll. The South is definitely up for grabs (is Luck back soon?) whilst the North will probably come down to the Steelers or the Ravens. It could be one of those seasons like we've just had with the last 2 years of the AFL ... get hot at the right time and any number of teams can win it.

You make some very valid points. I'm coming to terms with it all re the Packers but this upcoming game against the Saints might give us an insight into the short-term future of the team. If McCarthy can somehow eke out a win first up with Hundley as the starter, then I may entertain the thought of at least a 9 win season. Lose it and we then front up to a Detroit team who will really fancy their chances (that game is at Lambeau as well) 1 win (however small) can make a load of difference. Oh, and your thread is up to 200 pages. That's quite an achievement Dappa considering the site is largely devoted to our beloved Demons.

The NFC is an absolute crap-shoot now ... there's any number of teams who could win any of the 4 divisions. In the South, there's 2 or 3 teams. In the North there's 2 or 3. In the West there's probably only 2 in contention and in the East, the Eagles are in the box seat but it's not done yet. Dallas will start winning eventually and the Giants can play spoiler. The last time Rodgers did his collarbone the other 3 teams in the North couldn't take advantage and win enough games ... 9 wins might suffice but the Packers are up against it. If Rodgers can get back though ... The Saints are -4.5 favourites at Lambeau in the early odds and they might get on a roll ...and the Panthers are lurking. That division could get really tight. @ New England this week will be tough for the Falcons. Leaderboard in the comp 4 - Dappa Dan 3 - JV7, Clintosaurus 1 - Go the Biff, Macca 0 - The usual suspects A big 2 points on offer this week - it's time to make a move ...

Romo or the Kap were never really in the picture ... one pundit was quoted as saying that it takes 3 years to properly learn the McCarthy playbook (as a QB) However, I often struggle with those sorts of comments as our game plan often revolves around Rodgers throwing the ball through the eye of a needle to a well-covered WR. Apart from that, he occasionally hands it off to a RB. And we're going to ask Hundley to do the same? Hundley has a gigantic job ahead of him and I wish him all the luck in the world - he's going to need it. In terms of degree of difficulty, Hundley has just been handed a very tough assignment. Your former coach (Andy Reid) is handling Alex Smith to a nicety ... now that is coaching. Doesn't ask him to do too much and surrounds the bloke with all-around weapons. I've always been a fan of Reid.

We're lucky in the sense that we've got a number of 50/50 games coming up but the onus will be on the coaching of McCarthy. The next 6 ... vs Saints, vs Detroit, @ Bears, vs Ravens, @ Steelers, vs Bucs. There's 3 wins in that lot if McCarthy coaches great. Maybe 4 wins but that's a stretch. So we could be 7 & 5 or maybe even 8 & 4 after 12 games ... or we could lose 4, 5 or all 6 of those games and that would just about be it. But again, McCarthy has to coach great, we can't rely on or even expect Hundley to be great. We're about to find out whether McCarthy can coach under great adversity. I don't hate McCarthy, I just don't rate the bloke. He's Mr Average in my eyes and I want great.

I'd much rather Rodgers played a role in a similar vein to Peyton or Brady ... in fact, Elway reeled Peyton way back in, in that SB winning year. No individual is bigger than the team and Green Bay need to look no further back than Vince Lombardi for that line of thinking ... with the Demons it is obviously Norm Smith. The same principles apply. Mourinho preaches it and so too did Ferguson. McCarthy often looks like he is awe-struck by Rodgers yet Belichick seems to treat Brady like just another commodity. I'm not for one minute apportioning any blame on Rodgers either. The Packers play a flawed system in the sense that it needs a super-talented QB in order for it to work. Hundley could find himself throwing interceptions and/or getting hurt himself. I'm not confident tbat both those issues won't occur.

Just a final word on the Packers and the loss of Rodgers ... I originally thought we'd be behind 3 teams in the NFC this year - Atlanta, Dallas & Seattle. Detroit were a danger as well as the Vikings (with Bradford) But the way the games are panning out, those 5 teams have got their issues and whilst the Eagles, Panthers & Rams have ramped it up, those 3 teams still need to maintain their good form. So, the year was opening up for a number of teams to achieve a high seed in the playoffs. Green Bay were over the more difficult part of their schedule (already played Seattle, Atlanta & Dallas) so a more conservative approach against the Vikings (with a stand-in QB) was all that was really needed. Then half way through the first quarter Rodgers is scrambling around (for the umpteenth bloody time) and then goes down again. Belichick wouldn't have had Brady doing as such so why does McCarthy persist with this high-risk QB play? Crazy stuff. Our strength is also highly predicable so it was only a matter of time before Rodgers was hurt again. They'll target him even more now. McCarthy = Chris Scott and the Packers have a one-dimensional game like Geelong has. Good enough to win enough games to make the playoffs but there are always 1 or 2 teams who are our achilles heel. 49ers then Seattle then Atlanta. McCarthy has had 10 years to build a running game and/or to bring in some tight ends but nothing has changed. We're basically a team that totally relies on Rodgers finding his wide receivers. It should be remembered that our defence was the 5th best for points allowed in 2010/11. Since then, our defence has gone backwards. Unless some sort of miracle occurs, the Packers have thrown away an absolutely golden opportunity this season. And you've got to take your chances when they present themselves.

Might be right hand side of the collarbone instead of the left ... throwing arm vs non throwing arm. My point still stands with regards the high risk game that he plays. Three times this year he's been hit hard in a similar way ... in 3 separate games. Oh ... and the Giants won And I did foresee the Packers or the Pats losing. Had an uneasy feeling and there it is.

The pain threshold is less with repeat injuries ... he looked almost matter-of-fact about it. The worry is that the bone might be somewhat shattered. It's 12 full weeks to the playoffs so a 16 week injury?

From my point of view the only thing I'm really interested in is why they are calling it a season ending injury. Last time he broke his collarbone they were adamant it was only a 6 week injury (he came back in 8 weeks)

Normally collarbone fractures are a 7 or 8 week injury but they are saying season. If it's in the same spot as his previous break, it could be a bad break. I'm also annoyed that we don't play a more conservative game with Rodgers using more tight ends and our running game continues to be sub par. It was an accident waiting to happen the way McCarthy coaches the team. And I've been saying it for years now. We all know are own teams well.

I'm not a happy camper ... can't you tell? Season is over and Rodgers injury sounds like it might even be career threatening. My apologies to you and all for losing it. I should have stayed away from thread today.