Game Thread: Super Bowl LVI: Cincinnati Bengals vs LA Rams (630 EST Kickoff)

[AlexanderFan]

I think the spectre of all those losses in Detroit looms over the feel of Matthew Stafford as a quarterback and potential HoFer. He’s more than likely accustomed to taking chances due to the dearth of talent around him his entire career (Megatron excluded), which has resulted in a lot of turnovers. To have had so many terrible seasons resulting in so many high draft picks, Detroit never really did well in the draft. It seems they are just a more quiet, but equally poorly run, Midwest Raiders.

He made some amazing throws in that game, and one interception wasn’t his fault (to be fair he gets credit for a lot of yards after catch so it kind of equals out). Collinsworth brought up how he never looks where he’s throwing and he does create a lot of windows to throw to receivers. I think he’s a very solid and talented quarterback who should easily get in if he can stack two more solid seasons with the Rams.

 

[CoachJeff]

You mentioned 4800 yards and 41 TDs.

Cooper Kupp: 1,947 yards for the year with 16 TDs. <-- this guy is the reason why his number is inflated somewhat.

Take Kupp out and you have 2853 yards and 25 TDs.

Yes he will be a HOF one day, but doesn't mean he's a great QB. He's average. I'm not here to debate.. just my perspective.

This is a really bad analysis.

 

[Bazza]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1493342097142779909

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Hearing that OBJ's injury was an ACL. Not confirmed yet.

Artificial turf sucks.

Since he blew it non-contact, and had already blown the other, he probably has the knee arch defect...

 

[81usaf92]

You're half right - he had a good year.

He MIGHT go into the Hall of Fame, but it's far from a slam dunk. The circumstances of his rise to Super Bowl champion might give some vindication to his career since it validates the argument "well, he was a good QB on a bad team." He may get in similar to Joe Namath on that score.

Then again, Eli Manning is going to go and has no business at all making it, but I digress.

I mean I have to honestly ask if Stafford is better than Phillip Rivers because he has a Super Bowl, and the answer always comes back “no”. You could really make the argument that Rivers would have had multiple if not for Brady and the Patriots standing in his way. Everyone is going to use the Lions argument for Stafford, but when you factor in that guys like Mark Sanchez (tie now ) and Baker Mayfield had more playoff wins going into this years playoffs than Stafford then you realize that at some point those constant top 5 picks have to eventually pay off with playoff appearances and a few wins. I mean yes playoff wins shouldn’t be a deciding argument to a HOF career but now we are using one SB win to fast pass a guy to the HOF who had only played 3 playoff games in 12 years in the league.

Stafford deserves the HOF more than Eli, but he isn’t a head liner if he retires now. I mean I don’t even think Ben Roethlisberger is a first ballot since Brady just retired in the same season. Stafford is probably looking at 2-3 HOF classes after he is eligible before going. But that is only because the Super Bowl boosts him there. Otherwise he is more of a 4-7 ballot guy. I don’t think 1 season on a team that bought a super bowl championship changes the previous 12 years of just an above average career.

 

[jthomas666]

LOL

Super Bowl referee says no flag needed on controversial Tee Higgins touchdown - Sports Illustrated

Should there have been a flag thrown?

www.si.com

 

[Its On A Slab]

No calls until the game deciding drive went to the end zone… absolutely filthy officiating.
Filthy

Exactly. The yellow flags started flying when, for the most part, the officials let them just play the game.

Didn't want to spoil the LA love fest. Ruin the old school rap fiesta and the big market home team's win in the new stadium.

I was having a hard time getting the game to stream on my big screen, watching it on my phone. Even then, the false start was so glaring. Too bad you can't get a review on something like that. Even a middle school referee would see that and call it.

 

[AlexanderFan]

LOL

Super Bowl referee says no flag needed on controversial Tee Higgins touchdown - Sports Illustrated

Should there have been a flag thrown?

www.si.com

Offensive pass interference was not even mentioned lol. Shove down facemask pull on a player who has equal right to the ball, and the ref is like, “ well technically he didn’t twist the facemask.” Pathetic excuse.

 

[81usaf92]

Since everyone said that “this is Rodgers year”. Here is a tribute to the Arrogant Rodgers himself. Enjoy the last Dance

 

[DzynKingRTR]

LOL

Super Bowl referee says no flag needed on controversial Tee Higgins touchdown - Sports Illustrated

Should there have been a flag thrown?

www.si.com

This same ref catches his wife with another man. "Well technically she didn't get pregnant from it, so it isn't cheating."

 

[Tidewater]

Local place here makes a Vegetarian pizza that's better than any I've ever had.......so that's what it would be.

I've heard it said, "Pizza is like sex. When it's good, it's great and when it's bad, it's still pretty good."

 

[TideEngineer08]

LOL

Super Bowl referee says no flag needed on controversial Tee Higgins touchdown - Sports Illustrated

Should there have been a flag thrown?

www.si.com

Did IndyBison write this article?

 

[AlexD]

Exactly. The yellow flags started flying when, for the most part, the officials let them just play the game.

Didn't want to spoil the LA love fest. Ruin the old school rap fiesta and the big market home team's win in the new stadium.

I was having a hard time getting the game to stream on my big screen, watching it on my phone. Even then, the false start was so glaring. Too bad you can't get a review on something like that. Even a middle school referee would see that and call it.

As someone who did not care who won. I would say the refs let the bengals get away with a lot the whole game and even that whole last drive they had a few VERY obvious PI that went uncalled so they had to finally call something or it would have been a fixed game. They were basically doing the barn strategy of PI every play. Just so happened the first time they called was the least obvious. But the others were none arguments. But I don't have a dog in this fight. Just tired of refs either way.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I've heard it said, "Pizza is like sex. When it's good, it's great and when it's bad, it's still pretty good."

"Bad" sex is like a "bad day" fishing, it's still better than a good day at the office.

 

[AlexD]

sigh the quality of this board is more and more like tigerdroppings and less and less football like 10 years ago

 

[DzynKingRTR]

As someone who did not care who won. I would say the refs let the bengals get away with a lot the whole game and even that whole last drive they had a few VERY obvious PI that went uncalled so they had to finally call something or it would have been a fixed game. They were basically doing the barn strategy of PI every play. Just so happened the first time they called was the least obvious. But the others were none arguments. But I don't have a dog in this fight. Just tired of refs either way.

Most rational people's issue wasn't the calls or noncalls themselves, but the inconsistencies. They went almost the whole game not calling anything and suddenly started calling everything.

 

[81usaf92]

Most rational people's issue wasn't the calls or noncalls themselves, but the inconsistencies. They went almost the whole game not calling anything and suddenly started calling everything.

It’s more like the 2020 NFCCG. There were alot of no calls until there wasn’t. But everyone wants to harp on one of the calls at the end of the game instead of complaining about an inconsistent game as a whole.

 

[AlexD]

Most rational people's issue wasn't the calls or noncalls themselves, but the inconsistencies. They went almost the whole game not calling anything and suddenly started calling everything.

I understand that but you can only let so many blatant no called PI on one drive go and they had already let at least two on that drive by that point. So they called the 3rd PI maybe 4th. And other than the LB those were easy calls you have to make or you know its rigged so can't say calling everything when it became that obvious. Granted I have not seen a team get away with so many delay of games and pre snap stuff as the rams this year. But also if I recall the bengals should have gotten flagged for late hit on the punt to start that drive. So complain away but at some point flags have to be thrown. Refs suck but this is not the best case to show it and as a former coach I hate/understand them more than anyone. No matter what happened called or not this discussion would be happening it just would be the flip side. Long story short the calls made were right, could the rams have been called maybe but the calls made were correct also. no point arguing it or the inconsistencies cause you can only have so many chances to get away with PI and stuff especially when the field is condensed and all eyes are on you.

 

[Bazza]

I've heard it said, "Pizza is like sex. When it's good, it's great and when it's bad, it's still pretty good."

There's another version told to me by a retired Army Colonel I had the pleasure of working with.

"There's no such thing as bad chili.....some's just better than others."

 

[DzynKingRTR]

There's another version told to me by a retired Army Colonel I had the pleasure of working with.

"There's no such thing as bad chili.....some's just better than others."

Evidently he never had skyline chili.