The NFL 2012 Season

[robeiae]

Originally Posted by kenthepen

I hope all the officials choke on their flags. This was a game defined by penalties NOT called: starting in the first half with a Raven giving a 49er a shot to the head after the whistle, right in front of the linesman who was marking the ball.

Ed Reed's blatant offside on the 49ers two-point conversion attempt.

The helmet-to-helmet hit on Crabtree on the 49ers 2nd to last play.

The defensive holding on 4th and goal.

Ravens win because they played aggressively, outside the rules, and were not reined in by the absentee officials.

Pitiful. They're still a group of thugs.

Please. The 49ers could have been called for a bunch of other penalties, too. And the Raven player who pushed the official appeared to have gotten stomped in the back by a 49er.

Last play? Could have just as easily been offensive interference.

It wasn't the best called game, no doubt, but the game was there for either team to win or lose. Officials didn't decide it, the players did.

[Shadow Dragon]

Originally Posted by Snowstorm

I agree with you. The only thing is the talking heads whine about the refs to "let them play!" and not be too quick to throw the hankies. Me: if it's a rule, it's a friggin' rule, regardless of the game.

I knew there'd be some complaining. The Ravens had calls go against them that kept some of the 49ers drives alive, and a bad call that gave Akers a second shot at a fieldgoal that he missed. Hell, their defenders also got away with holding during the game.

In the end, the 49ers lost the game because they were horrible in the first half and blew their chance late in the fourth. If it wasn't for that power outage, this would have been a blowout anyways.

Don't get me wrong. I'll give the 49ers all the credit in the world. That blackout gave them the chance to regroup and they took full advantage of it and made this game far closer than it should have been. They're a good team that could be back, but don't blame the refs for them losing.

As a side note, before the season started, Flacco was asked if he thought he was an elite quarterback. He said that he thought he was the best quarterback in the NFL. At the end of the season, he's Superbowl MVP. I'll give it to him. He didn't just talk the talk but he walked the walk.

[Ed Panther]

Joe Flacco has a td/int ratio of 18-2 in the playoffs the last three years, and that's with two game-winning touchdown passes dropped. Today he tied Joe Montana's playoff record.

Flacco is better than Tom Brady, and several others. It's between him, Rodgers, Brees, and Eli now. (though i'd love to see how Brees would fare when he doesnt play in a dome/tropical weather 11 games a year, and instead had to play in the AFC north. Yes, playoffs means a hell of a lot more than regular season. Flacco had half as many touchdowns in the playoffs this year as he had during the entire regular season. That's a big game quarterback. He's currently the biggest big game quarterback in the league, no doubt about it.

[Vandal]

Congrats to Ravens fans.

Ray Lewis, please go away.

[Ed Panther]

Originally Posted by kenthepen

I hope all the officials choke on their flags. This was a game defined by penalties NOT called: starting in the first half with a Raven giving a 49er a shot to the head after the whistle, right in front of the linesman who was marking the ball.

Ed Reed's blatant offside on the 49ers two-point conversion attempt.

The helmet-to-helmet hit on Crabtree on the 49ers 2nd to last play.

The defensive holding on 4th and goal.

Ravens win because they played aggressively, outside the rules, and were not reined in by the absentee officials.

Pitiful. They're still a group of thugs.

Crabtree wasn't a defenseless receiver.

A blatant pass interference on the pass inside the 5 to Torrey Smith on the second drive wasn't called.

Oh, and on the play the Ravens had to kick a field goal at the one yard line, Flacco got hit two yards out of bounds! The Ravens should've had a first and goal at the one.

Really? Bunch of thugs? You sound like a drunk racist.

[Ed Panther]

Originally Posted by Snowstorm

I agree with you. The only thing is the talking heads whine about the refs to "let them play!" and not be too quick to throw the hankies. Me: if it's a rule, it's a friggin' rule, regardless of the game.

Like, for example, Flacco being hit two yards out of bounds?

[thothguard51]

The two best teams of the 2012 season played and the best referees played as well. Period.

Congrats to the Ravens on a winning season.

And for the 49ers and their very inexperienced QB, (only 10 starts in 2 years), congrats as well and I suspect the QB will be even more dangerous in 2013 now that he has playoff experience.

[Bebop]

Originally Posted by Shadow Dragon

I knew there'd be some complaining. The Ravens had calls go against them that kept some of the 49ers drives alive, and a bad call that gave Akers a second shot at a fieldgoal that he missed. Hell, their defenders also got away with holding during the game.

In the end, the 49ers lost the game because they were horrible in the first half and blew their chance late in the fourth. If it wasn't for that power outage, this would have been a blowout anyways.

Don't get me wrong. I'll give the 49ers all the credit in the world. That blackout gave them the chance to regroup and they took full advantage of it and made this game far closer than it should have been. They're a good team that could be back, but don't blame the refs for them losing.

As a side note, before the season started, Flacco was asked if he thought he was an elite quarterback. He said that he thought he was the best quarterback in the NFL. At the end of the season, he's Superbowl MVP. I'll give it to him. He didn't just talk the talk but he walked the walk.

Agreed. The 49ers got out played, simple as that. That Baltimore defense was tight- pretty much shut down the run game. The refs stayed out of the game for the most part it's true, but that helped and hurt both teams, and without that power outage (btw, Jim Harbaugh was nowhere to be seen during that time - then he surfaces when the lights are about to come on like we're not to suspect anything- either that, or there was just too much bootyliciousness on that halftime stage!) but w/o the outage, I agree, I don't think the niners would have gotten their traction all night.

Flacco played a great game. Elite? I'd say so. And a cool customer he was last night. He sat on the bench between possessions, looking around like he's thinking, 'What's everyone so excited about?' Kaepernick, on the other hand, looked a little thrown, his timing behind the line of scrimmage was a bit off. But this guy will be back and he will be a great quarterback someday.

Congratulations to Ravens fans- what a game, what a season- all those injuries, the Torrie Smith and Ray Lewis narratives. Quite a story.

[Lavern08]

*Pokes head in*

Go Skins!

*Scurries out*

[Shadow Dragon]

Originally Posted by Lavern08

*Pokes head in*

Go Skins!

*Scurries out*

Hey, the Skins got a win over the team that ended up as champions and caused them to fire their offensive coordinator. Actually, considering that second part, the Ravens/Redskins outcome was one of the best things that could have happened for the Ravens. So, I'm definitely grateful for them.

Anyways, how's this for microscopically small odds, the last four season the Eagles' home opener was against the team that went to and won the Superbowl: Saints, Packers, Giants, and now the Ravens.

[blacbird]

When I was a high school basketball player, we played a game in which we got behind 14-0 in the first five minutes. We spent the entire rest of that game clawing and scratching to catch up, and did in the final minute tie the score. At the very last tick of the clock, an egregiously bad foul call was made that sent one of the opposing team to the free-throw line with no time left. He missed the first free throw, but made the second, and the game was over.

We were all furious. The call was as bad as any I've ever seen; the "fouled" player wasn't even touched by anybody. We growled our way back to the locker room, started throwing things around, etc.

The coach called us all together, made us sit down on benches, and told us: "We didn't lose that game because of the bad call at the end. We lost it in the first five minutes."

The 49ers didn't lose the game on a questionable call at the end. They lost it because they played a horrible first half, committed three turnovers to the Ravens' one, and allowed the longest kick runback in Superbowl history at the start of the second half, letting Ravens returner Jacoby Jones run untouched 108 yards. A horrible play on pass defense earlier allowed Jones to make a great catch, get up and run into the end zone for another Ravens touchdown.

The 49ers deserve admiration for getting back into the game and having a shot at the very end, but if they'd played better in the first 30 minutes and 11 seconds, they wouldn't have had to worry about officiating at the end.

Oh, and Jacoby Jones, not Joe Flacco, should have been MVP. That's not a knock on Flacco, who played great and now established his image among the true elite QBs in the league. But Jones made the two game-changing plays. The ball he caught for the touchdown was one of Flacco's worst throws of the day.

caw

[Ed Panther]

Originally Posted by blacbird

When I was a high school basketball player, we played a game in which we got behind 14-0 in the first five minutes. We spent the entire rest of that game clawing and scratching to catch up, and did in the final minute tie the score. At the very last tick of the clock, an egregiously bad foul call was made that sent one of the opposing team to the free-throw line with no time left. He missed the first free throw, but made the second, and the game was over.

We were all furious. The call was as bad as any I've ever seen; the "fouled" player wasn't even touched by anybody. We growled our way back to the locker room, started throwing things around, etc.

The coach called us all together, made us sit down on benches, and told us: "We didn't lose that game because of the bad call at the end. We lost it in the first five minutes."

The 49ers didn't lose the game on a questionable call at the end. They lost it because they played a horrible first half, committed three turnovers to the Ravens' one, and allowed the longest kick runback in Superbowl history at the start of the second half, letting Ravens returner Jacoby Jones run untouched 108 yards. A horrible play on pass defense earlier allowed Jones to make a great catch, get up and run into the end zone for another Ravens touchdown.

The 49ers deserve admiration for getting back into the game and having a shot at the very end, but if they'd played better in the first 30 minutes and 11 seconds, they wouldn't have had to worry about officiating at the end.

Oh, and Jacoby Jones, not Joe Flacco, should have been MVP. That's not a knock on Flacco, who played great and now established his image among the true elite QBs in the league. But Jones made the two game-changing plays. The ball he caught for the touchdown was one of Flacco's worst throws of the day.

caw

It wasn't really a bad throw, though. He threw the ball on the run but most importantly, he looked to already have started running before he saw Jones, so it wasn't like he was able to use the running as a way of stepping into that throw. That throw was ONLY arm, and went 55 yards. Though since Jones was so open, he should've taken an extra half second to put his body into it, but then again he was probably afraid of getting hit from behind.

Another thing that's not being mentioned is that everyone is going on about how Boldin was so incredible, which he was, but on the drive the Ravens got a 3 and out then a terrible punt and big return before the Gore touchdown, Flacco threw a perfect pass to Boldin that would've been over 50 yards, but Boldin dropped it. If he catches that, the Ravens probably win 45-20 or something. There's a big difference between giving up 2 touchdowns in a few minutes, and responding to a touchdown with a 50+ yard pass.

Thank goodness they won anyways.

[Shadow Dragon]

Well, I guess continuing to use this thread is better than starting one just for offseason stuff. Anyways, free agency has begun and many teams are scampering around, trying to find that perfect free agent to fit their hole. The Ravens have certainly been busy in the beginning of it, but not necessarily in a good way. They've lost Ellerbe and Kruger (I'm kind of happy they didn't overpay to keep those two), traded Boldin for a low draft pick, and released Pollard. So far, aside from resigning a couple people, they've only landed Canty, a defensive lineman from the Giants.

[mirandashell]

Ah! I shall have to catch up with the Bear's website when I get home.

[thothguard51]

The Washington Redskins are still hampered by 18 million dollar salary cap reduction penealty because of the way they structured salaries in the non-salary cap season of 2010. This puts the skins at a very large disadvantage for the 2013 season, especially within the NFC east...

They won't be making any big name signings and have already had to release pro-bowlers Hall and Alexandre. The defensive secondary is still a big problem for the skins and they don't have any high draft choices.

Not sure the skins are going to be able to repeat their late season success from last year but I still be rooting for them...

[mirandashell]

I like the look of the Bears new signings. We badly need a stronger O line.