The NFL Thread (with added College Football)

[UK Redsox]

Permanent UK based team by 2022 ?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/american-football/35360989

[usav]

My predictions for the rest of the season:  anyone but the Patriots.   Actually, that's not a prediction, it's a demand.

[UK Redsox]

My predictions.....

Brady over Manning
Palmer over Newton

Palmer over Brady

[ADVILLAFAN]

Fancy the Patriots to beat the Broncos and the Panthers to beat the Cardinals.

Would like the other 2 in the Super Bowl preferably.

Got my ticket for the Los Angeles Rams Vs the New York Giants at some rugby ground today.

[DaveD]

Jerod Mayo put on IR, Jamie Collins questionable for Sunday, Dante Hightower still carrying an injury. Patriots linebacker corps latest area to be looking a little thin.

I've gone for Washington v Cincinatti this year...

[cdbearsfan]

Waiting for the hugely-dubious late call to save the Patriots here...

[cdbearsfan]

Phew!

[Villa in Denmark]

It was the missed PAT in the first quarter that cost them. They wouldn't have needed to go the 2 pointer.

I know Belichick is an arse, but I can't be too hard NE, I still remember them getting their arses handed to them by Jim McMahon, Walter Payton, Richard Dent and Mike Singletary in Superbowl XX, then thinking the answer to their QB problems was Doug Flutie.

The same way I'll always have an irrational dislike for the Seahawks for employing Brian Bosworth.

[DaveD]

Unfortunately I was right to be worried - Denver shredded our puny OLine and that was the difference.  Feel sorry for the Ghost, he's hardly ever missed a kick for us, and our D were bloody brilliant in the last 3 quarters to keep us in it to the end. Great season overall considering the players we lost in the off season and then the injuries we had during.

ViD - yeah, that was the year I started following them. We were pretty uniformly dreadful between then and the Belichick years, one Parcells inspired season apart. Probably why I've never taken winning for granted. That and being a Villa fan, obviously.

Carolina walking this. Can't see the Broncos stopping them either. Cam Newton is awesome, and he has a damn fine all round team around him. So many weapons and no obvious weaknesses.

[UK Redsox]

O fer 2 for my predictions.

[ADVILLAFAN]

The O-Line was the big problem for the Pats, when the opposition can continually get pressure on the QB when only rushing 3 guys, then that spells trouble.

Carolina deserve to be in the Super Bowl, only 1 loss all season is pretty damn good.

Happy either way, Panthers seem quite a nice bunch and it would also be nice is Peyton won a 2nd Super Bowl and then retired.

[cdbearsfan]

Wanted Carolina to win, but was hoping for an exciting game,  not one that was basically over after the first quarter.

[UK Redsox]

Looks like Megatron is joining Charles Woodson in retiring

[cdbearsfan]

A shame for the league, but good news for Da Bears, if true.

[ADVILLAFAN]

If it is true then there has to be a chance that the Lions will draft a WR with their 1st draft pick too. They could possibly do with drafting a DT too, although on an article I read this morning that is probably the deepest position in the draft.