2023 Conference Championship Games

[Citizen]

The game's best catcher getting a gruesomely broken leg is a bit more than "nicked up."

[RichardBak]

Baseball jumped the shark a long time ago. I don't even recognize the game I grew up playing and watching in the '60s and '70s. I don't even know what it is anymore.

[Brian wolf]

Great news Lions fans with Ben Johnson returning to the offense.
I think he would have been a great fit in Seattle but reports suggest he might have asked for too much money. Belichick is still out there, which shows teams feel he isnt the same coach without a player like Tom Brady.

This offense for Detroit can be a monster again if they can add another receiver and linemen though the draft and free agency.
I would try to replace Reynolds with Evans from TB but he will probably stay there. Tyler Boyd or Gabe Davis could be good options ...

[Brian wolf]

Last comments on this thread for me ...

--Like I stated on the Pro Football Journal site today, Kyle Hamilton for Baltimore was a monster in that championship game and has a bright future. He reminds me of a faster version of John Lynch. Will the Ravens keep Queen, Madubuike, Van Noy and Clowney? McDonald could try to bring a couple of players to Seattle.

--Like others have stated, Campbell made the wise call on taking the FG before the half but the Lions wish they could have scored a TD ... they kind of butchered the clock and after Goff missed a wide open receiver in the endzone, they never threw into the endzone the rest of the drive.

--Some people have criticized Goff's play in the second half, but had Jameson Williams caught Goff's perfect throw into the endzone, down 27-24, they would have re-took the lead with a wild finish. Goff cannot throw and catch his own passes. Drops on both sides of the ball killed their team. Will be an exciting off-season with Johnson coming back to coach.

[RichardBak]

Jameson has a ton of speed and he learned to run better routes, but those dropped balls have been a bug throughout his career.

[GameBeforeTheMoney]

From the perspective of this dinosaur, analytics is usurping common sense in sports. That's why Campbell went for it on those two 4th downs instead of attempting the FG.
Among other things analytics has given us are entire lineups filled with guys hitting 18 home runs with 156 K. I gave up on baseball. It's like watching a loop of Dave Kingman.

Yeah, analytics has killed baseball for me, and while I'm not a basketball fan, it's become harder to watch. Baseball is basically a home run derby, and basketball is a three-point shooting contest. I get it, those are the highest-scoring plays, but it's like when, Madden or whatever NFL video game, you find the one play that gives you a touchdown every play and you start calling that play the whole game. It becomes boring in minutes.

Fortunately, the NFL is not at that point. However, it is at the point where coaches get all the credit for being "aggressive" and no blame for being "conservative." Sometimes it's better to just kick the field goal or extra point. There was no guarantee the Lions would have scored even if they had converted the fourth downs.

Yes - and that's a real overlooked point with this whole thing. Teams often don't score after they go for it on fourth down even when they make it. Totally agree that analytics have overtaken common sense in football.

As Nigel Tufnel's high school football coach might have said, "There's a thin line between aggressive and stupid."

[JohnR]

Good thing the NFCC was last Sunday instead of today. Atmospheric river hitting bay area has scary wind gusts that would have wreaked havoc with the passing game. Miserable fan experience as well.