2014 General NFL Thread

[SKO]

I haven't watched a college game in it's entirety since 2012, probably. At first it was mostly just that I worked a lot of Saturdays with the job I had and then I usually had stuff to do, but after a while I noticed I really didn't miss it that much. As for the NFL I won't pretend the Bears sucking ass isn't the main cause of my general meh attitude toward the sport right now, but frankly even in years past when they blew I'd catch every other game I could, and right now I just don't even bother. By this time next year I'll have a baby and way less time to spend on stupid shit like arguing over Jay Cutler's every bowel movement and I'm not really looking at it as the end of my youth so much as a welcome graduation to doing more important and less irritating shit with my life.

Regardless, Pen sucks. 

You'd think so, but as evidenced by the fact that Slaky's heroically voluminous Twitter output has not been slowed by reproduction, that's not necessarily going to be the case.

Also, congrats, man.

Oh I don't expect my twittering and whatnot to go down. I just don't know how often I'll be able to devote not only three uninterrupted hours to the game itself plus lord knows how much time composing 9,000 word screeds about things. I especially doubt I'll have time to watch the All-22 footage, read pro football focus grades, and all of the other crap I do that make me the anal-retentive, pedantic, argumentative prick you all know and love. I may have to watch sports like a sane person, in short.

And thanks.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

I only care about the Bears.  Since I stopped playing fantasy football 3 years ago I make no effort to watch any other games.  Even if the kids and family aren't occupying all of my time like they always do on the weekends, and I find myself suddenly free on a Sunday night to watch SNF, I end up doing something else with my rare, precious free time.

Basically, if the Bears are going to continue to suck, then I'm with Eli--the league can fold for all I care.

[InternetApex]

I only care about the Bears.  Since I stopped playing fantasy football 3 years ago I make no effort to watch any other games.  Even if the kids and family aren't occupying all of my time like they always do on the weekends, and I find myself suddenly free on a Sunday night to watch SNF, I end up doing something else with my rare, precious free time.

Basically, if the Bears are going to continue to suck, then I'm with Eli--the league can fold for all I care.

I can't say for certain that if the Bears get a decent team in a few years that I won't regain maximum levels of interest in them. That's the kind of piece of shit bandwagon fan I've become. And I don't give a shit.

I remember dozens of shitty Bears and Cubs teams that I watched like my life depended on it and thought it counted toward some super fan status that I could point to as my reward weather they won or lost. It turns out none of it counted for shit. Watching the 2002 Cubs and Bears every single day until the end of their miserable seasons didn't make me a better fan. It just made me angry and less available to do things that might have actually improved my life.

[SKO]

I only care about the Bears.  Since I stopped playing fantasy football 3 years ago I make no effort to watch any other games.  Even if the kids and family aren't occupying all of my time like they always do on the weekends, and I find myself suddenly free on a Sunday night to watch SNF, I end up doing something else with my rare, precious free time.

Basically, if the Bears are going to continue to suck, then I'm with Eli--the league can fold for all I care.

I can't say for certain that if the Bears get a decent team in a few years that I won't regain maximum levels of interest in them. That's the kind of piece of shit bandwagon fan I've become. And I don't give a shit.

I remember dozens of shitty Bears and Cubs teams that I watched like my life depended on it and thought it counted toward some super fan status that I could point to as my reward weather they won or lost. It turns out none of it counted for shit. Watching the 2002 Cubs and Bears every single day until the end of their miserable seasons didn't make me a better fan. It just made me angry and less available to do things that might have actually improved my life.

Pretty much this. I honestly thought this year was going to be the payoff. Maybe not a superbowl, but this is the year I thought all of the time spent defending Cutler and Emery and Trestman and this new seemingly intelligent, analytical front office approach the Bears were using would be rewarded with at least a competent, playoff caliber team that you can start to bank on being a yearly contender for the division and a deep playoff run instead of a team that might be a wildcard option if they get all of the breaks. None of it's paid off. This team is no better off than it was with Lovie and Angelo, just different in the ways it chooses to suck, and it's drained any enthusiasm I have for continuing the charade. Win. If you do I'll bandwagon and be right there, if not, fuck it, you've taken enough of my time and energy.

[PenFoe]

I only care about the Bears.  Since I stopped playing fantasy football 3 years ago I make no effort to watch any other games.  Even if the kids and family aren't occupying all of my time like they always do on the weekends, and I find myself suddenly free on a Sunday night to watch SNF, I end up doing something else with my rare, precious free time.

Basically, if the Bears are going to continue to suck, then I'm with Eli--the league can fold for all I care.

I can't say for certain that if the Bears get a decent team in a few years that I won't regain maximum levels of interest in them. That's the kind of piece of shit bandwagon fan I've become. And I don't give a shit.

I remember dozens of shitty Bears and Cubs teams that I watched like my life depended on it and thought it counted toward some super fan status that I could point to as my reward weather they won or lost. It turns out none of it counted for shit. Watching the 2002 Cubs and Bears every single day until the end of their miserable seasons didn't make me a better fan. It just made me angry and less available to do things that might have actually improved my life.

Pretty much this. I honestly thought this year was going to be the payoff. Maybe not a superbowl, but this is the year I thought all of the time spent defending Cutler and Emery and Trestman and this new seemingly intelligent, analytical front office approach the Bears were using would be rewarded with at least a competent, playoff caliber team that you can start to bank on being a yearly contender for the division and a deep playoff run instead of a team that might be a wildcard option if they get all of the breaks. None of it's paid off. This team is no better off than it was with Lovie and Angelo, just different in the ways it chooses to suck, and it's drained any enthusiasm I have for continuing the charade. Win. If you do I'll bandwagon and be right there, if not, fuck it, you've taken enough of my time and energy.

So basically you guys are just Bears fans and not really football fans?

Not sitting in judgment (THIS TIME) just clarifying.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

I only care about the Bears.  Since I stopped playing fantasy football 3 years ago I make no effort to watch any other games.  Even if the kids and family aren't occupying all of my time like they always do on the weekends, and I find myself suddenly free on a Sunday night to watch SNF, I end up doing something else with my rare, precious free time.

Basically, if the Bears are going to continue to suck, then I'm with Eli--the league can fold for all I care.

I can't say for certain that if the Bears get a decent team in a few years that I won't regain maximum levels of interest in them. That's the kind of piece of shit bandwagon fan I've become. And I don't give a shit.

I remember dozens of shitty Bears and Cubs teams that I watched like my life depended on it and thought it counted toward some super fan status that I could point to as my reward weather they won or lost. It turns out none of it counted for shit. Watching the 2002 Cubs and Bears every single day until the end of their miserable seasons didn't make me a better fan. It just made me angry and less available to do things that might have actually improved my life.

Pretty much this. I honestly thought this year was going to be the payoff. Maybe not a superbowl, but this is the year I thought all of the time spent defending Cutler and Emery and Trestman and this new seemingly intelligent, analytical front office approach the Bears were using would be rewarded with at least a competent, playoff caliber team that you can start to bank on being a yearly contender for the division and a deep playoff run instead of a team that might be a wildcard option if they get all of the breaks. None of it's paid off. This team is no better off than it was with Lovie and Angelo, just different in the ways it chooses to suck, and it's drained any enthusiasm I have for continuing the charade. Win. If you do I'll bandwagon and be right there, if not, fuck it, you've taken enough of my time and energy.

So basically you guys are just Bears fans and not really football fans?

Not sitting in judgment (THIS TIME) just clarifying.

Yeah.

I'm also following NIU so that's it--not otherwise interested in NCAA or NFL football, save for NIU and the Bears.

[Eli]

So basically you guys are just Bears fans and not really football fans?

Not sitting in judgment (THIS TIME) just clarifying.

I think I used to be more of an actual football fan. But, like Mike, I stopped playing fantasy football and no longer have any incentive to spend a nice Sunday afternoon watching a random Browns game on TV.

But probably more so, I've been surprised at how all of the negative stuff from the past few years has affected my view of the game. It just feels unseemly watching crummy people do obviously damaging things to each other, all under this ridiculously over-the-top spectacle that not only pretends it's fine, but somehow glorious.

Maybe I'd feel differently if the Bears were sitting at 7-1 right now but, truthfully, I hope not.

[Slaky]

I haven't watched a college game in it's entirety since 2012, probably. At first it was mostly just that I worked a lot of Saturdays with the job I had and then I usually had stuff to do, but after a while I noticed I really didn't miss it that much. As for the NFL I won't pretend the Bears sucking ass isn't the main cause of my general meh attitude toward the sport right now, but frankly even in years past when they blew I'd catch every other game I could, and right now I just don't even bother. By this time next year I'll have a baby and way less time to spend on stupid shit like arguing over Jay Cutler's every bowel movement and I'm not really looking at it as the end of my youth so much as a welcome graduation to doing more important and less irritating shit with my life.

Regardless, Pen sucks.  

You'd think so, but as evidenced by the fact that Slaky's heroically voluminous Twitter output has not been slowed by reproduction, that's not necessarily going to be the case.

Also, congrats, man.

Reproduction actually increases my output. Ah hell nothing can slow me down.

[flannj]

I only care about the Bears.  Since I stopped playing fantasy football 3 years ago I make no effort to watch any other games.  Even if the kids and family aren't occupying all of my time like they always do on the weekends, and I find myself suddenly free on a Sunday night to watch SNF, I end up doing something else with my rare, precious free time.

Basically, if the Bears are going to continue to suck, then I'm with Eli--the league can fold for all I care.

I can't say for certain that if the Bears get a decent team in a few years that I won't regain maximum levels of interest in them. That's the kind of piece of shit bandwagon fan I've become. And I don't give a shit.

I remember dozens of shitty Bears and Cubs teams that I watched like my life depended on it and thought it counted toward some super fan status that I could point to as my reward weather they won or lost. It turns out none of it counted for shit. Watching the 2002 Cubs and Bears every single day until the end of their miserable seasons didn't make me a better fan. It just made me angry and less available to do things that might have actually improved my life.

Pretty much this. I honestly thought this year was going to be the payoff. Maybe not a superbowl, but this is the year I thought all of the time spent defending Cutler and Emery and Trestman and this new seemingly intelligent, analytical front office approach the Bears were using would be rewarded with at least a competent, playoff caliber team that you can start to bank on being a yearly contender for the division and a deep playoff run instead of a team that might be a wildcard option if they get all of the breaks. None of it's paid off. This team is no better off than it was with Lovie and Angelo, just different in the ways it chooses to suck, and it's drained any enthusiasm I have for continuing the charade. Win. If you do I'll bandwagon and be right there, if not, fuck it, you've taken enough of my time and energy.

So basically you guys are just Bears fans and not really football fans?

Not sitting in judgment (THIS TIME) just clarifying.

Yeah.

I'm also following NIU so that's it--not otherwise interested in NCAA or NFL football, save for NIU and the Bears.

Me too. Except it's the Bears and Michigan.
So that's working out really well for me.

[SKO]

So basically you guys are just Bears fans and not really football fans?

Not sitting in judgment (THIS TIME) just clarifying.

I think I used to be more of an actual football fan. But, like Mike, I stopped playing fantasy football and no longer have any incentive to spend a nice Sunday afternoon watching a random Browns game on TV.

But probably more so, I've been surprised at how all of the negative stuff from the past few years has affected my view of the game. It just feels unseemly watching crummy people do obviously damaging things to each other, all under this ridiculously over-the-top spectacle that not only pretends it's fine, but somehow glorious.

Maybe I'd feel differently if the Bears were sitting at 7-1 right now but, truthfully, I hope not.

That, and honestly just the stupidity that surrounds the NFL in general. Elite quarterback debates, discussions of toughness, talk about locker room cancer and leadership issues, each week being a fucking referendum on EVERYTHING. It's tiring.

I'm aware baseball and basketball and hockey have their share of meatballs and stupidity but the NFL leads the charge and actively cultivates it. Other than the Stats vs. Scouts debate in baseball which, frankly, I feel like has been pretty much won, there's just not as much noise to tune out with baseball. I mean we can bitch about Gordo and his anti-Ricketts agenda all day long but I'd still rather do that than hear yet another debate about whether or not Peyton Manning (WHO HAS A FUCKING SUPERBOWL RING) can win a big game.

Football's product is still the most exciting in my opinion when you boil it down to the game itself, but they've added so much rotten detritus on to that product in their attempt to dominate the 24 hour news cycle all fucking year long that the weight of bullshit that comes with enjoying football is only cancelled out if your team wins and wins a lot and makes it worth it. The Bears are not worth it.

[SKO]

Or maybe my entire sports life is just cyclical. From 2003-2009 (with the brief exceptions of 2005-2006) I probably focused more hope and energy on the Cubs than anything else. By the time the Zambrano-Lee-Ramirez-Soriano Cubs finally ended all of the years of "will they/won't they" with "they won't and you might as well tune out for about 5 years till they find some new guys," well, my beautiful double-chinned sulk-faced savior had arrived to the Bears and they got the bulk of my attention. Now that I'm pretty damn sure that's a failure and the Bears aren't going to be relevant till they rebuild, well, lucky for me the Cubs and their new sparkly-eyed, dong-hitting savior are here to be my pride and joy for awhile.

[Quality Start Machine]

I, for one, am anxiously awaiting the first "Adrian Peterson overcomes adversity" story.

[Saul Goodman]

The NFL folding would also mean not having to hear about the opinions of scumbags like Mike Florio or snarky know-it-all-except-how-not-to-run-publications-into-the-ground Hub Arkush anymore, which would be quite nice.

[ChuckD]

I haven't watched a college game in it's entirety since 2012, probably. At first it was mostly just that I worked a lot of Saturdays with the job I had and then I usually had stuff to do, but after a while I noticed I really didn't miss it that much. As for the NFL I won't pretend the Bears sucking ass isn't the main cause of my general meh attitude toward the sport right now, but frankly even in years past when they blew I'd catch every other game I could, and right now I just don't even bother. By this time next year I'll have a baby and way less time to spend on stupid shit like arguing over Jay Cutler's every bowel movement and I'm not really looking at it as the end of my youth so much as a welcome graduation to doing more important and less irritating shit with my life.

Regardless, Pen sucks.  

You'd think so, but as evidenced by the fact that Slaky's heroically voluminous Twitter output has not been slowed by reproduction, that's not necessarily going to be the case.

Also, congrats, man.

Reproduction actually increases my output. Ah hell nothing can slow me down.

I'm like 90% sure Slaky was requesting an Inbox invite from me (on Facebook, albeit) while his new baby was crowning.

[PenFoe]

I haven't watched a college game in it's entirety since 2012, probably. At first it was mostly just that I worked a lot of Saturdays with the job I had and then I usually had stuff to do, but after a while I noticed I really didn't miss it that much. As for the NFL I won't pretend the Bears sucking ass isn't the main cause of my general meh attitude toward the sport right now, but frankly even in years past when they blew I'd catch every other game I could, and right now I just don't even bother. By this time next year I'll have a baby and way less time to spend on stupid shit like arguing over Jay Cutler's every bowel movement and I'm not really looking at it as the end of my youth so much as a welcome graduation to doing more important and less irritating shit with my life.

Regardless, Pen sucks.  

You'd think so, but as evidenced by the fact that Slaky's heroically voluminous Twitter output has not been slowed by reproduction, that's not necessarily going to be the case.

Also, congrats, man.

Reproduction actually increases my output. Ah hell nothing can slow me down.

I'm like 90% sure Slaky was requesting an Inbox invite from me (on Facebook, albeit) while his new baby was crowning.