The NFL Thread

[t3ch]

The Skins lost their RB for the year and have some other injuries coming off a week against a team they, and their fans, vastly underestimated.

; )

I live in Redskins town and everyone was extra obnoxious this week. Lots of moronic and belligerent NFL fans (redundant?); one guy called another redskins fan "a fucking faggot" because he sarcastically clapped at an interception. Other people kept screaming for a holding or pass interference penalty on EVERY SINGLE PLAY that didn't go the skins way.

So of course in true t3ch fashion I made sure to clap and yell loud enough to combat the 30-40 'skins fans and yell things that were quite obviously mocking them and rooting on my boys. Ex., after a redskins offensive play a flag was pulled and one of the main whiners instantly yelled, "ABOUT TIME, he's been pass interferring the entire game!" It ended up being a holding call AGAINST the Redskins, so I clapped loudly and yelled, "YES, GOOD, ABOUT TIME, he's been holding the ENTIRE GAME."

Morons. Go Panthers. Go Bills when they play them next, too.

 

[t3ch]

Toon, http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000...urrent-playoff-run?module=HP11_content_stream

 

[Toon Wolf]

Toon, http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000...urrent-playoff-run?module=HP11_content_stream

Thanks Tech, that's a great read about a very exciting up and coming young team. Who shutout the Redskins 23-0 today, and honestly that scoreline flattered the Redskins. If the Bills hadn't had a couple of miscues in scoring range (suspect INT in the endzone- it looked like pass interference to me), it could have been 30+ points and the Redskins only got inside the Bills 30 yard line once all game and that was on the last drive they had in the 4th quarter. Dareus got 2.5 sacks on the Redskins QB. 5 and 2...

Let's go Buffalo!

 

[Wolf Hunting]

I know I could probably find it on the net, but could one of you nice knowledgeable guys explain to me how the 'Transfer' system works in American Football.
Is it spread evenly across both conferences?
I think the team that finishes bottom gets the best pick... but who gets the best pick if there are 4 bottom teams?

How does it work?
Do all the head honchos from every team gather in a dirty big room with lists of draft choices available and bid like a human Ebay?
How does that side of it work?

 

[t3ch]

I know I could probably find it on the net, but could one of you nice knowledgeable guys explain to me how the 'Transfer' system works in American Football.
Is it spread evenly across both conferences?
I think the team that finishes bottom gets the best pick... but who gets the best pick if there are 4 bottom teams?

How does it work?
Do all the head honchos from every team gather in a dirty big room with lists of draft choices available and bid like a human Ebay?
How does that side of it work?

There is no transfer system; the word "transfer" has a completely different connotation. Deals are done as trades between teams, either for other players or for draft picks. You don't see players sold for cash to other teams, and that wouldn't work in the NFL anyways since there are salary caps; wouldn't make a difference if you $20M or $20T.

When a players contract ends, one of three things happen. The player can re-sign to the team, for one. Or maybe he wants a new team; the player enters the market as a free agent, during which time he can go to any team for any price. Or maybe his current team puts the Franchise Tag on him. This normally happens with players important to the team that the organization doesn't want to risk losing. The player then has to play for that team for the next year; it's usually done as a stop-gap between contract negotiations though, rather than "you will play for us dammit". Franchising a player is expensive however; you have to pay the player the average of the top 3 (?) players at the position for that single year.

There can't be 4 bottom teams. There are 32 teams rated 1-32. If they tie overall record, there are tiebreakers like strength of schedule, conference/division records, and coin tosses. Crappiest team gets the best pick. Conferences have nothing to do with drafting or free agency, it's only how to split the league up for playoff purposes. There is no bidding with draft picks either, you get whatever player you want when it's your turn. The team still has to sign that player to a contract after, but it's pretty rare for those negotiations to fall through. There is now a rookie wage scale in place, so you know how much and how long to expect on your contract depending on which spot/round you were drafted in.

 

[Wolf Hunting]

Thanks t3ch, so who rates Joe Bloggs at ... University, who says he's better than Frank Smith at the .... University?
How many players are up for grabs come picking time?

So the worst team get the best pick, so do the best team get the dross at the end?
And I suppose that if there are still players up for grabs when the best team have been and done.... they just go and.... mow the lawn somewhere?

And vice versa, is there ever a shortage of players? Does a situation ever arise when all the available players have been picked and the (say) 3rd, 2nd & top teams still haven't picked?

How many players can a team choose get or would a shit team be allowed more picks than a top team, or is it a case of 'how much money do we have to throw at this?'

Also please... How does it physically take place? Do they come to a venue in groups of say 3 or 4 teams of head honchos and push pieces of paper around, or is it all done over the phone?

What sort of salary is at the top of the cap?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

College football is massive over there, isn't it? Nearly as big as the NFL in terms of crowds as far as I recall, especially in places that aren't particularly near a franchise. So I imagine they just rank them on stats/performances in that competition. Plus a lot of the players go to college on sporting scholarships so you already know before they start higher education that they're promising players who will be being watched by scouting teams across the country from the start.

 

[t3ch]

Thanks t3ch, so who rates Joe Bloggs at ... University, who says he's better than Frank Smith at the .... University?
How many players are up for grabs come picking time?

Scouting system isn't any different from other there, so there's that similarity. Just instead of lower leagues we have college. With the amount of money and spotlight involved in college football it's easy for good players to make themselves known and talked about, and there are plenty of sports shows arguing over teams/players.

So the worst team get the best pick, so do the best team get the dross at the end?
And I suppose that if there are still players up for grabs when the best team have been and done.... they just go and.... mow the lawn somewhere?

The first round teams go 32-1, though there are normally some traded draft picks, so some teams pick several times, others pick zero. The other rounds the teams can get pretty mixed up due to a number of factors and isn't really worth getting into. There are 7 rounds of the draft, anyone who isn't drafted is an undrafted free agent and can try out for or be signed by any team.

And vice versa, is there ever a shortage of players?

You're funny. ; )

How many players can a team choose get or would a shit team be allowed more picks than a top team, or is it a case of 'how much money do we have to throw at this?'

Ranking has no bearing on the draft other than order, and again, money has nothing to do with anything. You get to pick whoever you want when it's your turn. In a vacuum, each team gets 1 pick per round. That's the draft system, end of story. However, with the numerous trades and conciliatory picks and etc it's never really that simple. I think the max picks per team per year is... 10? Typically when big trades go down it'll be for something like "two first round picks, 2012 and 2013" or "a 3rd round in 2013 and 2nd round on 2014", etc.

Also please... How does it physically take place? Do they come to a venue in groups of say 3 or 4 teams of head honchos and push pieces of paper around, or is it all done over the phone?

The draft takes... 3 days? The first round is a big deal and all the projected top picks are invited to the televised event. Each team is represented and has a "war room" where a dozen or two people from the teams are strategizing on who to pick. Each team has I think 8 minutes to make a selection, and is handed to the commissioner at the podium for announcement.

The 2nd day is rounds 2-4? 2-3? The names are just announced with much less affair after the first round as far as I know. I've never really cared about the draft so I'm not too familiar with the actual proceedings of it.

What sort of salary is at the top of the cap?

My team had the #1 overall pick this year and was a QB (high paid position). He got a 4 year $22mil contract. This was the first year in the new rookie wage scale though. In the past decade or so each new top group of picks was getting more and more money and it was getting extremely out of hand.

Last year's #1 overall pick, also a QB, got a six-year, $78 million deal, which has $50 million of guarantees and has a maximum value of $86 million. The largest contract ever for an NFL rookie.

 

[t3ch]

College football is massive over there, isn't it? Nearly as big as the NFL in terms of crowds as far as I recall, especially in places that aren't particularly near a franchise. So I imagine they just rank them on stats/performances in that competition. Plus a lot of the players go to college on sporting scholarships so you already know before they start higher education that they're promising players who will be being watched by scouting teams across the country from the start.

Yeah college ball is huge here. Some people like it because they like rooting on their alma matter, others find it more entertaining, others just like "how pure" it is compared to the NFL (even though that's horseshit). Sort of like how some people don't like watching the Premier League because of all the sponsorship and money and it's more about the game.

The crowds can definitely get huge, 50k+ for numerous teams every single game is about the norm. Some even have stadiums as large as 70, 80, 90.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

The concept of "college" sports is massively different between the two countries. I met a couple of American guys when I was living in Germany, got talking, I let it slip that I played football for the University of Manchester. They didn't quite get that it was basically decent standard parks football and nothing more.

 

[Stan Hullis]

OMG you must be some like totally awesome soccer star...what are you doing teaching in Germany?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

The kids I taught were under the impression that I was good mates with David Beckham because of a throwaway remark I made when I first went there. I never bothered correcting them. Their innocence didn't deserve wrecking at such an early age.

 

[t3ch]

The concept of "college" sports is massively different between the two countries. I met a couple of American guys when I was living in Germany, got talking, I let it slip that I played football for the University of Manchester. They didn't quite get that it was basically decent standard parks football and nothing more.

:icon_lol:

Yeah a little different.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Looks about the same.

 

[Toon Wolf]

Great effort at explaining the draft system t3ch! What is interesting is that the USA has probably the most egalitarian sports system around in the NFL. The whole concept is to have as much parity between teams as is possible, and the draft loads the dice in favour of the poorest teams. 2 or 3 years ago the Detroit Lions, after years of bad drafting, finished the season 0-16, meaning they didn't win a single game. They have a couple of really good drafts and are now serious contenders for the Superbowl or at least to be in the hunt. My team, the Buffalo Bills, have a similar sorry tale of drafting poorly. But they have picked up some great players who went undrafted and have moulded them into a group of emerging stars who a year after finishing 4-12 with the 3rd worst record in the NFL are challenging to win their division this season. In terms of the competitiveness of the league the NFL>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Premier League. And I actually think I have too few 'greater than' signs there. It is one of the greatest things about the NFL that a team can literally go from worst to first in the space of 2 to 3 years. You just know that will NEVER happen in the PL, where absolutely everything is set up to favour the already rich and successful teams. The PL is completely anti-competitive and is one of the worst leagues in the entire world of sport.

 

[Psychowolf]

I do love the draft system in American sports. It makes terrible seasons a little easier to go through knowing the future can be bright rather than the system we have here where a terrible season means you can lose the best you have and potentially go from bad to worse. Colts this season are 0-8 and seemingly challenging Miami to be the worst team in the league this year. The prize for that is possibly Andrew Luck. I don't know much about the guy other than he's a QB and very highly thought of. A player that could very well lead a team to a Superbowl in the future.

While not NFL, the NHL also has a very similar (if not identical, doesn't seem much difference in my limited knowledge of both) draft system. A good example I can give is using my Flyers. 06/07 they had the worst season in the franchise history and finished last. Amongst the bottom 5 teams were also Chicago and Washington. 3 years and some nice draft picks later, Washington win the regular season while Flyers and Chicago make the Stanley cup Final.

 

[Wolf Hunting]

Who are you referring to here t3ch?
"Last year's #1 overall pick, also a QB, got a six-year, $78 million deal, which has $50 million of guarantees and has a maximum value of $86 million. The largest contract ever for an NFL rookie. "

What would you say the average QB get, or Aaron Rodgers at Green Bay?

 

[Toon Wolf]

Who are you referring to here t3ch?
"Last year's #1 overall pick, also a QB, got a six-year, $78 million deal, which has $50 million of guarantees and has a maximum value of $86 million. The largest contract ever for an NFL rookie. "

What would you say the average QB get, or Aaron Rodgers at Green Bay?

To answer your first question, I'm guessing that it's Sam Bradford of the St Loius Rams he's talking about, but I might have had a mental block about another QB who was drafted.

As to your 2nd question, the Bills current starting QB, Ryan 'The Amish Rifle' Fitzpatrick (see my avatar), just signed a new contract last week that puts him in what is referred to as the 2nd tier of QBs, ie not the very elite like Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, but in the next group down, and he signed a 6 year deal for $59million, with I think $30m of that guaranteed. Peyton Manning signed a new deal that was worth I believe $18-20m a year.

 

[VanWolfie]

I'm impressed at how much you guys in the UK know about American football. Guess it's one of the advantages of globalization. The one I like is that I can live in my chosen land and favourite city and still watch the Wolves every weekend. Simply unheard of a few years ago but what a pleasure!

 

[Wolf Hunting]

Thanks Toon, looking at those pics earlier, wouldn't it be fantastic if British football could take the College Football model and make it work over here?
I don't know how many are attending in those two football matches, but it looks an awful lot more than our 28,000...

What makes it so much more popular than our beloved football?
Is it the mix of fans?
Is it perceived as a day out thing with all the tailgate parties and barbq's etc
Is it how it's marketed?
Is it how it's priced?

So, a couple more questions... Is there any crowd disturbance/fighting? Are they seperated in any way, or is it a choice thing, buy a ticket wherever?
How much is it to get in?
When we watch it over here, do they actually have breaks in the play for adverts (dictated by the TV company), much like Sky do over here, making a game of 4x15 minutes last around 3 hours.