2013 NFL Week One Game Thread

[WaffleRecord]

A bad penalty and that INT killing the Chargers right now

[bondom34]

I changed the channel and this happens....gotta remember the Chargers can always blow a lead!

[Bank Shot]

Chargers gonna Chargers

[TheChosen618]

It must suck to be a Chargers fan. These dudes always choke whether it's big leads or in big games.

I remember last season when the Broncos came back down 0-24 against the Chargers on MNF and won 35-24. This time is probably a little bit better though since it wasn't against a Division rival.

[blazza18]

Same old Chargers. Would suck to be a fan of them.

[Slava]

Can't feel bad when it happens to Rivers

[righterwriter]

Not sure if Risdon reads this, but I thought it might be a good place to comment on the part in his $.10 column about the Packers-Niners fracas and ensuing impact on the game.

http://football.realgm.com/src_article/ ... er_week_1/

After describing what happened (the offsetting penalties), Jeff wrote:

"The next play resulted in a touchdown on a play that should have been fourth down and a kicking situation. Cynical Packers' fans know this movie all too well, after last year’s ridiculous Golden Tate affair was incorrectly ruled against them as well. This official error directly impacted the situational football at the end of the game. It overwhelms and detracts from what was otherwise an entertaining, high-flying affair..."

I dislike this sort of argument about "what could have been, if only..." This point about how the "situational football was impacted at the end of the game" simply overlooks and ignores too much about what transpired over 60 minutes. In the end its just an excuse for why the Pack lost and attempts to taint a well earned 49ers win.

If the Niners had won by less than that 4 pt margin created by the official misruling, then more of an argument could be made for Green Bay. But trying to let the Packers off the hook by creating some hypothetical scenario that had them winning if only the Niners had been up by 2pts instead of 6pts is a bit silly. There was plenty of football to be played where the Packers could've simply been more effective in their execution than SF on both sides of the ball, and they weren't. That's why they lost, not because of "directly impacted situational football" from something that happened in the 1st half.

And for the record, the NFL admitted that Staley should not have been penalized for confronting Mathews after the personal foul, making the argument completely moot.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100000 ... d-nfl-says

I've been reading Jeff for years now because I enjoy his work, but I've noticed an anti-49er bias from him ever since Harbaugh took over, specifically after the "Handshake Incident" which embarrassed Jeff's favorite team after a loss. I'd ask him to take a step back and assess whether this bias exists and if so, either admit it or try to change it so that his assessments are more accurate and less about seeing things through his somewhat tainted perspective based on a personal dislike for the team/coach/franchise, etc.

[Rafael122]

RG3 finally starting to look more like his old self but it's too little too late.

I've hit my yearly tolerance of Gruden already. It's gonna be a long year of Monday nights.

If this game had a 5th quarter, the Skins would have won. It's funny, I was listening to a local radio show here in DC, Lavar and Dukes. Arrington said that he hopes us fans don't take the pitchforks out and go after Shanny and RG 3, to expect rust, etc, and that's what happened. RG 3 looked like a guy who hadn't played in a game in 9 months. They turned it around in the 2nd half, somewhat, but the missed field goal and the safety, that was the game right there.

[CBS7]

Risdon

=Icness

[karkinos]

It must suck to be a Chargers fan. These dudes always choke whether it's big leads or in big games.

I remember last season when the Broncos came back down 0-24 against the Chargers on MNF and won 35-24. This time is probably a little bit better though since it wasn't against a Division rival.

lol last year's comeback was pretty epic

[inquisitive]

Texans finally woke up in the 2nd half...Cushing with play of the game!

[Higga]

Extremely disappointed with the Skins last night. RG3 looks like he's still hurt. I don't care about his #s in the 2nd half, that's Jason Campbell style garbage time stat padding. The D got roasted early, but seemed to figure things out as the game went on, but still too many missed tackles. And on offense it was more than just RG3. Way too many penalties and mistakes. Just a **** all around, save for Ryan Kerrigan who balled. Of course he may have a concussion now, as if playing the Packers in Green Bay wouldn't be tough enough...

[bwgood77]

It must suck to be a Chargers fan. These dudes always choke whether it's big leads or in big games.

I remember last season when the Broncos came back down 0-24 against the Chargers on MNF and won 35-24. This time is probably a little bit better though since it wasn't against a Division rival.

It does suck. I couldn't sleep last night. Broncos, Saints, Bucs, Browns and Ravens last year. Blew every single one of those games in epic fashion. I mean the 24-0 lead against the Broncos, 4th and 29 against the Ravens.

Last night was awful. All in all, they overall played better than I expected, but blowing that 21 point lead, the penalty on the fg, the Rivers int. Just brutal. It felt like I was watching Breaking Bad again from the night before. I just felt the impending doom coming and couldn't stop it.

[desertlakerfan]

And for the record, the NFL admitted that Staley should not have been penalized for confronting Mathews after the personal foul, making the argument completely moot.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100000 ... d-nfl-says

That's really all that needs to be said. Now the packer slurping media can get over this "they've been screwed again!" bull they've been running with since sunday and realize that it should of never been offsetting penalties to begin with.

Sorry cheeseheads, this isn't fail mary part 2 like you're trying to make it out to be.

[Icness]

Not sure if Risdon reads this, but I thought it might be a good place to comment on the part in his $.10 column about the Packers-Niners fracas and ensuing impact on the game.

http://football.realgm.com/src_article/ ... er_week_1/

After describing what happened (the offsetting penalties), Jeff wrote:

"The next play resulted in a touchdown on a play that should have been fourth down and a kicking situation. Cynical Packers' fans know this movie all too well, after last year’s ridiculous Golden Tate affair was incorrectly ruled against them as well. This official error directly impacted the situational football at the end of the game. It overwhelms and detracts from what was otherwise an entertaining, high-flying affair..."

I dislike this sort of argument about "what could have been, if only..." This point about how the "situational football was impacted at the end of the game" simply overlooks and ignores too much about what transpired over 60 minutes. In the end its just an excuse for why the Pack lost and attempts to taint a well earned 49ers win.

If the Niners had won by less than that 4 pt margin created by the official misruling, then more of an argument could be made for Green Bay. But trying to let the Packers off the hook by creating some hypothetical scenario that had them winning if only the Niners had been up by 2pts instead of 6pts is a bit silly. There was plenty of football to be played where the Packers could've simply been more effective in their execution than SF on both sides of the ball, and they weren't. That's why they lost, not because of "directly impacted situational football" from something that happened in the 1st half.

And for the record, the NFL admitted that Staley should not have been penalized for confronting Mathews after the personal foul, making the argument completely moot.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100000 ... d-nfl-says

I've been reading Jeff for years now because I enjoy his work, but I've noticed an anti-49er bias from him ever since Harbaugh took over, specifically after the "Handshake Incident" which embarrassed Jeff's favorite team after a loss. I'd ask him to take a step back and assess whether this bias exists and if so, either admit it or try to change it so that his assessments are more accurate and less about seeing things through his somewhat tainted perspective based on a personal dislike for the team/coach/franchise, etc.

Funny, Packers fans think I hate them too. And what part of "Matthews should have been ejected" makes me have a bias against the Niners? He's one of my favorite players today, his dad makes my top 3 all-time favorite players.

As for Harbaugh, he's arrogant beyond his level of accomplishment and that bugs me. The same is true of Rex Ryan, Mike Leach, Will Muschamp, and a lot of other coaches. I loathe people that put their own cart before their horse. Jim Schwartz is probably king of that mountain, and I have never hidden my derision for his coaching style. In fact it helped me land a job at Bleacher Report covering the Lions.

The only team I actively root against in any sport is the Boston Celtics. I know too many people on too many NFL teams to have an attachment or rooting interest one way or the other anymore.

[RIPskaterdude]

Harbaugh is arrogant behind his level of accomplishment? He's a proven winner as a coach in any system he's apart of, and was 5 yards from a Super Bowl ring after only 2 years with an NFL team and a QB who was playing in only his 10th game.

And he was right to call you out. It shouldn't have been a flag on the Niners, so it would have been a first down immediately. In fact, if they were going by the rules, Matthews should have been ejected as well. But everyone wants to talk about a play that wasn't even in the 2nd half of the game.

[Icness]

Harbaugh is arrogant behind his level of accomplishment? He's a proven winner as a coach in any system he's apart of, and was 5 yards from a Super Bowl ring after only 2 years with an NFL team and a QB who was playing in only his 10th game.

And he was right to call you out. It shouldn't have been a flag on the Niners, so it would have been a first down immediately. In fact, if they were going by the rules, Matthews should have been ejected as well. But everyone wants to talk about a play that wasn't even in the 2nd half of the game.

Staley shouldn't have been flagged, I thought that was obvious. Or as I wrote later down:

4. Another thought on the Matthews/Staley fracas in the Packers/Niners game: the NFL needs to borrow from hockey when things like this happen. I love the concept of making players involved in scrums like that both have to sit out a series as punishment for going at it hard enough to draw flags. My old friend Mark Crouse, a huge hockey guy, came up with a plan I like: the instigator (Matthews in this case) gets the only enforced penalty and the ejection, just as it would be in hockey. What comes after that is all offsetting.

Which would have given the Niners a first & goal.
But they didn't, and it absolutely changed the scoring dynamic of the game. You play differently when trailing by a FG than trailing by a TD. If you don't, you're either an idiot or Mike Martz. Packers fans have every right to be upset about the blown call, even if they unwittingly benefited from it by getting to keep Matthews in the game. I guess that sort of cancels it all out in a karmic way.

As for Harbaugh, he was rubbing many people the wrong way long before he had any success with the Niners. He came into the NFL thinking he was awesome. Even though he is a very good coach, he should have had some NFL merit to base that on to act with his nose so high. It helps him a lot that he's got a friggin' loaded roster, much of which was there before he was. Being better than Mike Singletary at head coaching is sort of like being a better driver than an Amish kid.

[Celtics_Champs]

Wasn't Harbaugh douche nation since his playing days? Icness point is valid.

[Wavy Q]

Meh, i'd rather have a douchy HC than a boring PC coach.

He may be a douche but he's our douche

[NeedsMoreCheese]

The other thing about the Packers-Niners thing that was overlooked is Mike McCarthy still makes horrible decisions. Had he declined the penalty against the niners the play before it would have been 4th down and that play never happens. But most Packer fans tend to overlook their coach making stupid decisions, just like the fail mary game. The Packers line was getting murdered in the first half and he refused to adjust to it with his play calling until the second half. Had he done so earlier they likely would have been in a position to win the game somewhat easily. But no its always the refs fault.