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NFL Week #19 THE PLAYOFFS

#241
IotaNet said:
Rubbish.
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Of course it is now that you won. I'm no Seahawk fan, all I'm saying is it was not far fetched for people to think Seattle would win.

The Bears played a fine game from the highlights I saw. I did not watch the game, but I think the final score does not reflect the Bears dominance today.

-Mike
 
#243
bassybill said:
As a total outsider, reading this thread is hugely entertaining - even more so because for at least 50% of it I don't understand what the hell you're all talking about!

It reads just like the football conversations we have over here. Same old same old... when it comes to football, EVERY fan is an expert (that applies just as much here as it does over there, of course).

So far, I've worked out the following, without really understanding very much at all.

Saints - ouch.
The game between Seattle and Chicago was totally predictable (after it had actually been played, of course ;)).
The Jets are doing well - I'm pleased about this just because I love New York.

Anyway, carry on having fun, guys. :D :hyper:

I might even try to watch some of this sport again (I tried for a while a few years back and could never really get into it).
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Having said that, I don't believe it's possible for us over here to understand your football on a gut level - it's just not entrenched deeply enough in our national consciousness. In the same way, I don't think anyone in the US can truly understand our game (soccer, as you call it).
 
#244
basstotheface said:
No hate here, just don't like how you are handling winning. I want to see how bad you handle losing.
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Dude -- I am always the first poster on TB after a Bears loss -- and I always take my lumps. ALWAYS. Don't even go there. :scowl:

This is the NFC Championship game -- and a team that most folks have been doubting since the first game of the season.

I think I'm entitled to crow a little.
 
#245
bassybill said:
Having said that, I don't believe it's possible for us over here to understand your football on a gut level - it's just not entrenched deeply enough in our national consciousness. In the same way, I don't think anyone in the US can truly understand our game (soccer, as you call it).
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I think it's just harder since you don't grow up with it, like forigen languages. If you're interested, watching enough games will get you sucked in.
 
#246
Sundogue said:
Will this suffice for all you rivalry naysayers? Is THIS enough on the line for you outsiders?
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Finally, a Bears/Packers game with more on the line than fans who hate each other.

But it will be no more important than another New England/Pittsburgh game as long as the Patriots wake up and put the Jets away. Yes, I know you don't care about anything besides beating Chicago, which is probably why you think this NFCCG is one of the most epic games in NFL history.

I just don't get how the historic battles between Chicago and Green Bay in the 40's and 50's matter in this game. Unless I am way off in my estimates, there is no one posting in these threads that is old enough to remember any of those games.

-Mike
 
#247
IotaNet said:
Dude -- I am always the first poster on TB after a Bears loss -- and I always take my lumps. ALWAYS. Don't even go there. :scowl:

This is the NFC Championship game -- and a team that most folks have been doubting since the first game of the season.

I think I'm entitled to crow a little.
Click to expand...

A little, but it was pretty harsh, and kind of weird, to go back and highlight everyone that rooted for the Hawks, and then tell them that Seattle had no chance at winning.

Most people I know rooted for the Hawks simply for the Cinderella story factor, not many people though they were a better team than the Bears.
 
#248
bassybill said:
Having said that, I don't believe it's possible for us over here to understand your football on a gut level - it's just not entrenched deeply enough in our national consciousness. In the same way, I don't think anyone in the US can truly understand our game (soccer, as you call it).
Click to expand...

I think that is mainly because of how we are raised. Most American kids watch unbelievable miracles occur in football, and that will always remain with us. Plus there is always the get together factor that a football game has in America. Same goes for other countries and "soccer". So it is really really difficult to fully embrace a sport you haven't grown up watching.
 
#250
Darkstrike said:
I think it's just harder since you don't grow up with it, like forigen languages. If you're interested, watching enough games will get you sucked in.
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I think you're right as far as getting it on a technical level, or even a "recent convert" fan level. But not the gut level I mentioned, in my opinion. My football experiences go back so far, and are so diverse, and we talk/live/breathe it so much over here, that it becomes part of who you actually are. I couldn't even begin to describe my life with football over the last 40 odd years, there's just too much of it. "Fever Pitch" was about the best attempt I've read to capture this, but it still fell short, imo, just because it's so very hard to put into words (and even harder to put into a film, although I did enjoy watching it).

It's clear that applies to our US friends with their game and that's why I've enjoyed these threads. But it also means that I'm forever excluded from living it the way they do, and vice versa when we're talking about Americans who enjoy (and sometimes play very well) our game.
 
#251
basstotheface said:
Most people I know rooted for the Hawks simply for the Cinderella story factor, not many people though they were a better team than the Bears.
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Pretty much my angle right here. I didn't sit down and watch game film or analyze stats before I said I "hoped" the would win. But hey, I got laughed at anyway for even thinking the Seahawks had a chance.

If anything, these playoffs are showing us that the NFC North fans have some issues. :D

-Mike
 
#252
basstotheface said:
I think that is mainly because of how we are raised. Most American kids watch unbelievable miracles occur in football, and that will always remain with us. Plus there is always the get together factor that a football game has in America. Same goes for other countries and "soccer". So it is really really difficult to fully embrace a sport you haven't grown up watching.
Click to expand...
Exactly.
 
#255
MJ5150 said:
I just don't get how the historic battles between Chicago and Green Bay in the 40's and 50's matter in this game. Unless I am way off in my estimates, there is no one posting in these threads that is old enough to remember any of those games ...
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I'm not trying to be difficult or a homer here -- trying to educate.

In the Midwest, Bears/Packers is like ...

Ohio State / Michigan
Yankees / Red Sox
Alabama / Auburn

... its just one of those things you get conditioned toward. Bears coaches can get fired for not beating Green Bay often enough.

You're also talking about two of the most storied Franchises in the NFL. The Chicago Bears have the most Hall of Fame members of any NFL team -- 26. Guess who has the second most? The Green Bay Packers with 21. George Halas. Bart Starr. Vince Lombardi, Dick Butkus. James Lofton. Paul Hornung. Gayle Sayers. Walter Payton.

You've got future HOF'ers from these teams playing right now. Brian Urlacher? Yep. Devin Hester? Yep. Brett Favre? Like him or hate him, yep. Charles Woodson? Yep Donald Driver? Probably.

These teams ARE the NFL. That's why the rivalry is so intense and that's also why the rivalry matters.
 
#256
bassybill said:
I think you're right as far as getting it on a technical level, or even a "recent convert" fan level. But not the gut level I mentioned, in my opinion. My football experiences go back so far, and are so diverse, and we talk/live/breathe it so much over here, that it becomes part of who you actually are. I couldn't even begin to describe my life with football over the last 40 odd years, there's just too much of it. "Fever Pitch" was about the best attempt I've read to capture this, but it still fell short, imo, just because it's so very hard to put into words (and even harder to put into a film, although I did enjoy watching it).

It's clear that applies to our US friends with their game and that's why I've enjoyed these threads. But it also means that I'm forever excluded from living it the way they do, and vice versa when we're talking about Americans who enjoy (and sometimes play very well) our game.
Click to expand...

I see where you're coming from now, and I do agree, and it's kind of what I ment, but I explained myself badly using the language analogy. By that I ment more that it's part of our lives, all our lives.

Part of it too could be that most UK guys have no dog in the race, as it were, sure you can pick teams to like, for various reasons, but that's more "a team you like", than "your team", if you get me.
 
#257
IotaNet said:
I'm not trying to be difficult or a homer here -- trying to educate.

In the Midwest, Bears/Packers is like ...

Ohio State / Michigan
Yankees / Red Sox
Alabama / Auburn

... its just one of those things you get conditioned toward. Bears coaches can get fired for not beating Green Bay often enough.

You're also talking about two of the most storied Franchises in the NFL. The Chicago Bears have the most Hall of Fame members of any NFL team -- 26. Guess who has the second most? The Green Bay Packers with 21. George Halas. Bart Starr. Vince Lombardi, Dick Butkus. James Lofton. Paul Hornung. Gayle Sayers. Walter Payton.

You've got future HOF'ers from these teams playing right now. Brian Urlacher? Yep. Devin Hester? Yep. Brett Favre? Like him or hate him, yep. Charles Woodson? Yep Donald Driver? Probably.

These teams ARE the NFL. That's why the rivalry is so intense and that's also why the rivalry matters.
Click to expand...

A bigger stat would be that both teams have the most NFL championships.

By the way everybody I take what I said about pro rivalries back. I watched the Ravens-Steelers game and realized, hey, these guys really hate each other for no reason.
 

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