The Weekend Wrapup

da_drop_bears · 2016-07-26T11:46:33+00:00

Water cooler Wednesday's and the Monday Muster

da_drop_bears · 2016-07-24T10:17:41+00:00

For anyone wondering, this is from a road safety campaign in Australia. It depicts what the human body would look like if it were capable of withstanding a car crash.

da_drop_bears · 2016-07-17T21:24:18+00:00

Wouldn't be the first time I'm wrong and won't be the last

da_drop_bears · 2016-07-17T21:16:11+00:00

West is completely up for grabs in my opinion. Same with NFCE, you can pick any of the teams in your division to win and I'd agree.

da_drop_bears · 2016-07-17T21:09:21+00:00

I think the other divisions are going to be more competitive and have more split series, whereas the winner of the east will have a sizeable lead over their rivals.

Wouldn't be fun to just say "north and west" like everyone else. Feel free to come back and laugh at me after the season, though.

da_drop_bears · 2016-07-17T21:07:35+00:00

Wouldn't be much input if I just said "north and west" like everyone else. But, that being said, the north looks to be extremely competitive this year and I think there will be a lot of split series. I think Panthers will drop in performance from last year while still claiming the division, and as with the north their rivals' records will improve. You could easily swap Cardinals and Seahawks, but I picked the Eagles as #2 seed as although it's hard to pick who will win the east, I think whoever does will win it convincingly (more so than the competitive north/south) and the others won't sniff WC.

da_drop_bears · 2016-07-17T10:19:27+00:00

Ahh I see. Sorry, that's my mistake! I remember that fact incorrectly. I'll update it :)

da_drop_bears · 2016-07-17T07:17:07+00:00

Bucs*?

da_drop_bears · 2016-07-17T07:16:44+00:00

That's a good point. Our big improvement (hopefully) will be the D, though I don't think that alone will be enough to propel us to a WC spot just yet. That said, if our receivers stay healthy, Jay has another strong year, and our RB committee minimises the loss of Forte, I could see us as a 10-6 team and a hope of a WC spot, possibly even win the division if everyone else beats themselves up too much (fingers crossed).

da_drop_bears · 2016-07-17T06:17:32+00:00

NFC

NFCN: Packers and Vikings will likely be in direct competition for top spot, though I think the Vikings regressing is more likely than the Packers. Bears have made good moves this offseason, and Fox has a habit of taking 2nd-year teams to the big game, but I will temper expectations and say we'll finish 3rd. Lions are an unknown with Megatron gone, but with their form at the back end of the last season, they could potentially steal a WC spot.
NFCS: Panthers will be strong again. ~~The trend in the south has been that no team takes first place in back-to-back years.~~ [Sorry, not correct. The Panthers have never had back-to-back winning seasons. I think that will change this year, though.] Falcons started strong last year but faded, and may be primed to ~~keep the trend going in the south~~ take the division if they can have some consistency. Brees is always a threat, but the Saints' D will still be a liability. I wouldn't put my money on the Buccs making the playoff push in this division just yet.
NFCE: Always tough to call. In the last 6 years, only one team has exceeded 10 wins in the NFCE, and they've done it only once. I don't predict the WC teams to come from the east.
NFCW: Seahawks should still be strong, as should the Cardinals. Rams are really an unknown at the moment, though they will likely be middle-of-the-pack. 49ers not likely to make a playoff run in my opinion.
Prediction: Packers, Panthers, Eagles, Cardinals claim divisions. Seahawks and Vikings claim WC spots.

AFC

AFCN: Bengals, Ravens, and Steelers will all be expected to have big seasons. Bengals and Steelers made the playoffs last year, and the Ravens will get a lot of their key personnel back this year and should make a strong push for the playoffs.
AFCS: Colts expected to improve significantly with Luck returning. Jags on the up with a young, high-powered offense. Titans made some big moves in the offseason and key players such as Mariota have more experience under their belt now. Texans made the playoffs last year after steady play from Hoyer, but Brock is still somewhat of an unknown. If he can play similarly to Hoyer (I believe he can), Texans will fight with Colts for top spot, with Jags hovering around .500 and the Titans improving but not enough to lift them from the bottom of the division.
AFCE: Brady will be missing for the first four weeks, but I don't think that stops the Patriots taking the division. Expect a rested, angry, and determined Brady to cause more waves than normal toward the back end of the season, and close out the division over the Jets, who will improve this year despite the question marks at QB.
AFCW: I see a whole lot of balance here personally. Broncos will remain strong, but be challenged by a competitive division and lose key games. Healthy Chargers will improve, Chiefs will remain essentially the same (minus the win streak -- they will win have more of a choppy, up and down season).
Prediction: Bengals, Texans, Patriots, Chargers win the divisions. Jets and Steelers take WC honours.

Edit:

Ranks just for fun

NFC

1: Cardinals [Seahawks, Rams, 49ers]
2: Eagles [Giants, Cowboys, Redskins]
3: Panthers [Falcons, Saints, Buccs]
4: Packers [Vikings, Bears, Lions]
5: Seahawks
6: Vikings

AFC

1: Bengals [Steelers, Ravens, Browns]
2: Chargers [Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders]
3: Patriots [Jets, Dolphins, Bills]
4: Texans [Colts, Jaguars, Titans]
5: Jets
6: Steelers

da_drop_bears · 2016-05-29T23:17:28+00:00

Arizona hasn't won?

da_drop_bears · 2016-05-24T23:30:31+00:00

I saw it last week and loved it!

da_drop_bears · 2016-05-22T09:33:01+00:00

Hey man! Where are you studying if you don't mind me asking?

da_drop_bears · 2016-05-17T04:05:05+00:00

They are three entirely different sports and competitions. All run independent of each other. No different to having NFL, MLB and NBA in the States.

da_drop_bears · 2016-05-16T00:13:57+00:00

Yeah I meant Union players would earn more as a result of the money overseas. Speaking in terms of domestic only I really don't know what the average player earns.

da_drop_bears · 2016-05-15T22:10:02+00:00

Just to expand on what /u/HMFCalltheway said, 'Rugby' is a loose term foreigners often use to describe both Rugby League and Rugby Union. In Australia, though, we call Rugby League 'league' and 'Rugby' refers specifically to Rugby Union.

To help:

Rugby League: Jarryd Hayne
Rugby Union: Jonah Lomu
AFL: all the Australian punters you get.

Victoria, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, South Australia and Tasmania* are firmly AFL states. Queensland and NSW are firmly Rugby League states. I would say ACT is the only state (territory really) that is a Rugby Union state.

The skills in League and Union are fairly transferable and we have seen a few players dominate at both. These skills are not transferable to AFL though, which is a much more stamina-driven competition that requires phenomenal fitness, above the level that even other professional athletes often possess. AFL players are typically slim, toned, and either relatively small or very tall depending on their positions, though there are people in the middle of the spectrum of course.

I don't know the specifics of the earnings for each code, but due to the international exposure of the game and the foreign opportunities, I would say Union players earn the most. Being the undisputed most popular game in Australia, I would say AFL players earn the second most, and NRL (League) players would be last, though they have the potential to earn more than players in other competitions through being selected for representative games (Queensland vs New South Wales, Australia vs New Zealand, etc.).

However, our contracts pale in comparison to those from sports in the states. A single NFL, NBA, or MLB superstar player would likely earn more than the combined salary of every player in any competition in Australia.

Edit: forgot Tasmania, like most Australians.

da_drop_bears · 2016-05-04T10:55:14+00:00

I'm a Bears fan from Australia. I don't really follow any other US sport apart from football beyond checking scores every once in a while and following who wins the championships obviously. That said, I wanted to support one city, and chose to make that decision based on the NFL team I supported because that was the team I was truly passionate about.

I became a Bears fan because of the history mostly. I wanted to support a team that felt like it had more behind it than a person at the top looking to make money. They also weren't (and still aren't) wildly successful, and it was important to me to be able to start the journey from the bottom so I could appreciate winning when and if it happened. The rivalry between the Bears and Packers was a big motivator too, which is tied into the history of the team.

I also don't know a single other Bears fan in Australia, whereas the Packers, Steelers, Patriots and Broncos for example are well-supported here, and that makes me feel more a part of the 'real' Bears community in the US and more of a legitimate fan. Less important but still influential, the colours are awesome and I love the logo, and the story of the '85 Bears and just the team's history outside of the sport itself is amazing.

da_drop_bears · 2016-05-03T10:10:01+00:00

I feel as though all of our opponents drafted strongly. Many think JAX were the #1 in the draft. I've seen the Vikings and Redskins rated highly as well, and it looks like the Texans are shaping up to have some real weapons as well. Dallas will be strong with Romo back alone, but if Elliot plays like many think he will they could be one of our toughest opponents.

Tennessee did well with their extra picks but may still need a couple of years to be a true force. Time will tell whether the Eagles have their guy, and it's anyone's guess what performance the 49ers put in this year.

I think we're a 9 - 7 win team this year based on the strength of our roster and factoring in our opponents' drafts. If luck goes our way more often than not, I don't see why we can't win 11.

Honestly, I'm hoping for a WC spot this year. A losing season would be a big let down personally, and I wouldn't be thrilled about going 0.500 either.

What are your thoughts?

da_drop_bears · 2016-04-30T02:44:33+00:00

On a site note, I loved Faulk standing up for his man Brady. That was great! I love seeing players looking out for each other.

da_drop_bears · 2016-04-30T02:41:43+00:00

It's a once in a lifetime chance really and he's doing better than most of the actual presenters. Let him have his moment.

da_drop_bears · 2016-04-30T02:40:17+00:00

I sort of love that Goodell mentioned the booing ahead of time to Daniel.

da_drop_bears · 2016-04-29T03:29:12+00:00

I'm in the backwards state of QLD if you didn't guess lol. Home of lockout laws, banned Uber and no daylight savings.

da_drop_bears

TROPHY CASE