The NFL Superbowl Thread! Back Again With Big Prizes*

NFL has already HAD at least 2 games in Wembley, have they not? I know they had at least one pre-season game...perhaps it's now up to 3 games?

Acceptance is acceptance (measured in either $ or Pound Sterling). Whether or not their 'real' fans is irrelavant. Who cares if they are dedicated followers of fashion? Those hoi-polloi or well-healed pay for expensive tickets and that shows NFL has a viable product in UK-land. Wave your hands and obfuscate if you must - the bottom line is about profit is being made and the NFL product is taking its market spot.

october 2011

"ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is interested in adding a second regular-season game in London and says the move will be discussed at the owners meetings this week.

"It's been tremendously successful," Goodell said before the Buffalo Bills' game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. "Fan reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, and we want to build on that."

The commissioner said the league was happy with the game it played in Mexico City in 2005 -- the first regular-season game outside the United States -- but noted the NFL is focusing on adding a regular-season game in England.

The league played its first regular-season game in London in 2007 when the New York Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins 13-10. Since then, there have been three other annual games played at Wembley Stadium, and on Oct. 23 the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take on the Chicago Bears in the English capital.

I'm a purist Raggie. Money is the root of all evil.

Had the banks a viable product in 2008?

WWW is a viable product and that's a joke however skilful it is. Turnips are a viable product. You're obfusticating using expressions like "viable product". Have you seen the accounts of the last Wembley NFL game? It was a gig. The idea that it might become a national cherished institution is laughable.

As long as it's just an annual society jamboree for the chattering classes, a jape really, a trip to London, it will escape scrutiny by those who might see its growth as reducing their own cash flows.

Just watch the buggers go to work if the threat became serious.

What is the relevance here to anything discussed?

Nowhere did I say or even imply "it might become a national cherished institution".

IMHO, I think you couldn't stay on point even if you had a GPS. You keep wanting to continue to debate about soccer vs American football and I'm not into your debate.

The simple point is that NFL and NFL merchandise is a money-maker in UK and is gaining popularity - not losing it.

Sophistical amusement. What else? Philosopher king ****.

A cursory examination of the difference between an entity created on a sheet of paper and one that evolved. NFL is a hybrid of rugby with a forward pass, platoons of players and expensive kit.

Rugby was created too. Thomas Arnold, the headmaster of Rugby School, a shitbag in other words, needed more efficient use of the limited space of his playing fields on games afternoons. With rugby he could get 30 kids on the mudpan as most of the game was a heap of players.

I like NFL. In fact I like a bunch of guys trying to beat another bunch of guys at anything provided they mean it.

What Plato would have made of a helicopter shot of a stadium and its surroundings during a night game is anybody's guess.

What's the point to that as many of these team games are creations and re-creations and/or copy-cats of one another. Baseball, when it came across the pond with the colonists has been reputed to be a variant of Rounders. And the point of that is ...? "

American, or grid-iron football, is akin to a war game of territorial ... land or goal acquisition. Yes...there's a relationship and a roots tracing to early rugby or 'association' football. All team sports games had to have roots from something that preceded it. The fact remains that in North America this brand of football caught on well with the North American public when the forward pass was allowed.


If Plato were found inside a helicopter he'd mostly likely wonder what the hell he is doing in the belly of a noisy metal "Bird" and wonder when he's going to be someone's lunch? After all, his reference point might be the stadiums where Christians and lions met up. - gladiators getting ready to becom lion sized snacks.

Good afternoon. We made it through the wild card games; many of us bruised up a bit.
Only Liontamerx and Mysteryman had the Denver Tebows. Andy attributes the outcome more to Pittsburgh playing badly than the Broncos doing exceptionally well. He makes no excuses about the Steelers' injuries being a factor.
The final score was 29-23. Johnboy predicted the winning team would score 28 points. He wins 1 point, joining George who got a point for being closest in the Giants' game and Andy who was closest in the other two games.
Liontamerx finished 4-0 in the wild card games - corralling 8 points. At 6 points are Thack, Mis Cowdoc, Andy, McGentrix, Edgar and Mysteryman. Johnboy has 5. Eleven players came in at 4 points. George is at 3 points followed at 2 points for Rhys, SoupKitchen, Rockhead and Parados.
CoinToss and the best ESPN guy have 4 points while the worst ESPN guy has 2 points.

I am tweeking the rules a bit as we now pick through to the end; choosing winners in games that pit teams which supposedly are more evenly matched (i.e. closer to being tossups).
The tiebreaker thing will still award 1 point to the player who is closest to the winning team's score but there will be a 2 point bonus if the player also picked the winning team to actually win.

I will have the schedule for the rest of the way posted shortly. Remember you have to pick to the end in one sitting.

Thanks, Johnboy.

Okay. Here is my draft attempt at the brackets. Please hold off on posting picks until someone can verify that this is correct. Perhaps someone has a format that is easier to use. I think this is relatively painless but I am coming up with who the home teams will be on the 21st.

Saturday, Jan 14th-
GAME #1 (4:30 pm ET)- New Orleans @ San Francisco
GAME #2 (8:00)- Denver @ New England
Sunday, Jan 15th-
GAME #3 (1:30)- Houston @ Baltimore
GAME #4 (4:30)- New York Giants @ Green Bay

Sunday, Jan 21st-
GAME #5- Pick between your choice to win GAMES #1 and #4
GAME #6- Pick between your choice to win GAMES #2 and #3

SuperBowl Sunday-
GAME #7- Pick between your choice to win GAME # 5 and GAME #6

REMEMBER! You must pick ALL 7 games by 1:30 pm SATURDAY Jan 14th.
You need to include what you think will be the final scores in the games.
You do not need to have participated in the Wild Card games this past weekend to join in. There are still plenty of points to be passed out.

Saturday, Jan 14th-
GAME #1 (4:30 pm ET)- New Orleans @ San Francisco (42-28)
GAME #2 (8:00)- Denver @ New England (31-14)
Sunday, Jan 15th-
GAME #3 (1:30)- Houston @ Baltimore (21-14)
GAME #4 (4:30)- New York Giants @ Green Bay (28-21)

Sunday, Jan 21st-
GAME #5- Pick between your choice to win GAMES #1 and #4 - SAINTS! (45-28) (wishful thinking on my part, but I'm willing to go down with the ship)
GAME #6- Pick between your choice to win GAMES #2 and #3 - New England (35-14)

SuperBowl Sunday-
GAME #7- Pick between your choice to win GAME # 5 and GAME #6- SAINTS! (27-24) (I'm not exactly confident here)

Texans over Ravens?

My ouija board says it'll be a close game. I'm a long time Bum Philips/Oilers fan.

Saturday, Jan 14th-
GAME #1 (4:30 pm ET)- New Orleans (35-23)
GAME #2 (8:00)- New England (38-17)
Sunday, Jan 15th-
GAME #3 (1:30)- Houston (30-17)
GAME #4 (4:30)- Green Bay (38-23)

Sunday, Jan 21st-
GAME #5- Green Bay (35-30)
GAME #6- New England (38-35)

SuperBowl Sunday-
GAME #7- Green Bay (40-30)

Saturday, Jan 14th-
GAME #1 (4:30 pm ET)- New Orleans @ San Francisco NO
GAME #2 (8:00)- Denver @ New England NE
Sunday, Jan 15th-
GAME #3 (1:30)- Houston @ Baltimore HOU
GAME #4 (4:30)- New York Giants @ Green Bay GB

Sunday, Jan 21st-
GAME #5- Pick between your choice to win GAMES #1 and #4 GB
GAME #6- Pick between your choice to win GAMES #2 and #3 NE

SuperBowl Sunday-
GAME #7- Pick between your choice to win GAME # 5 and GAME #6 NE

There only possible score is 17-10.

Thank you.

show off

You missed putting down the scores of the AFC and NFC championships.

(you're paying attention... )

Saturday, Jan 14th-
GAME #1 (4:30 pm ET)- New Orleans @ San Francisco 38-20
GAME #2 (8:00)- Denver @ New England27-21
Sunday, Jan 15th-
GAME #3 (1:30)- Houston @ Baltimore 24-17
GAME #4 (4:30)- New York Giants @ Green Bay 35-17

Sunday, Jan 21st-
GAME #5- New Orleans @ Green Bay37-32
GAME #6- Baltimore @ New England 34-21

SuperBowl Sunday-
GAME #7- Green Bay 38-23