-
Posts
8,535 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
4
Everything posted by Maximus Decimus
-
This is a feature of modern Christmas due to social media. Somebody will have an idea that gets shared on social media, a few copy and before you know it if you're not doing it your kids are missing out. I initially refused to do Elf on the Shelf because it seemed like a terrible idea. Instead of one night where the kids might catch you out, you now have 3 weeks plus of it. My lad had asked for one, and then went and wrote a letter to Santa that he put in his stocking. Heart-broken, I gave in. After around 5/6 years my ideas are well and truly spent. Now my lad knows, I've given him the responsibility this year of doing it for his sister! Christmas Eve boxes are another one that seemed to come from nowhere.
-
Pronouns and Sports
Maximus Decimus replied to Maximus Decimus's topic in Any Other Business / Any Other Sports
Now I think about it, I wouldn't be surprised if the Mitchell and Webb sketch was responsible for much of my thoughts on the matter! There's always been an element if suspending disbelief when it comes to sport, but that really did burst the illusiory bubble. -
They mentioned something on Thursday's game about how the Jets would have a 28% chance of making the playoffs if they won. I looked it up and saw that they were right, but also that the Bears (who at the time were 4-3) had only a 5% chance. A big part of this is their run-in as they have the Lions, Packers and Vikings still to play twice. However, it also turns out the NFC is looking a lot stronger than the AFC this year once you take out the Chiefs and the Bills. There's a real chance a team at 8-9 could make the playoffs in the AFC but they'll need at least 11-6 in the NFC.
-
I'm unapologetically judgmental about this. For me it's like a lack of self-control and the epitome of the modern world's inability to have any restraint whatsoever. It always starts with the ridiculous outliers who'll have it up this week, which puts pressure on the flakey ones like my sister to put theirs up earlier than they would and before you know it you look like Scrooge because you won't put the tree up before December. That's how we've progressively gone from a few days before Christmas to November being the norm.
-
Thanks for this, although I was specifically meaning from the defense POV. I feel like I quite regularly see the above situation, and I'm disappointed because it is still a second down whereas if they declined the penalty it would now be third down. I understand that they know what they are doing, but I always feel like the extra 5 yards isn't worth the attacking team having a least 2 more shots at the first down. As for the second example, I think this is what I suspected it might be although I felt like maybe the defense had to have a certain number of players set. I do remember the Dak example but tbh it seems pretty fraught and dependent on how quick the Umpire is. I take it once the Umpire has placed the ball down, they are free to snap it as long as the attacking team doesn't have too many players on the field?
-
What a bizarre game. Following on from the errors of the first half and a very stop start affair, we saw a decent second half with a few excellent TDs by the Jets. However, at 14-10 the Texans had about a 45yd field goal that they got to make it 14-13. Unexpectedly, a flag came out and the Texans were given a 1st down so back to 14-10. They don't make anything of it, and the kicker comes out again but hits the post off a 26 yarder! The Jets went up the field and scored to end it as a contest.
-
Oh wow, this is the most Jets performance ever. They penalise the kicker on a 4th and 21. They bombed a touchdown by the runner letting go of the ball thinking he'd scored. Bodies are falling all over the place. Somehow it's still 0-0 but not for long I suspect.
-
So I've been watching a lot more NFL this year and there are still a couple of things I don't understand. Sometimes there'll be a situation where the attacking team is something like 2nd and 10, and there'll be an incompletion but a flag will come in against the attacking team. The refs will come in and say something like '5 yard penalty, repeat 2nd down.' As a fan, I'm always disappointed by this because I feel like the attacking team has another shot at it and I'd rather see a 3rd and 10. I understand that they can decline it, but in situations like that they don't seem to very often. The second one is a bit more technical. Sometimes the attacking team is trying to get going quickly because the clock is winding down. However, when I've seen it, they seem to have to wait for the referee or the defense or something like that before they can snap the ball. What exactly are the rules regarding when they can and when they can't snap?
-
It was, but it wasn't as bad by virtue that the Bears had done a bit of a get out jail free thing to put themselves in a winning position anyway. And tbh I was still stewing by the Jets season being over after another shocker.
-
Talk about a real sucker punch. I stayed up to watch the Bears somehow get in front after being dominated.
-
Jets season effectively over after 8 games. What a total disaster. They haven't played well of course across the board especially Rodgers given his expectations, but I make that 3 games where Zuerlein has missed a kick that affected the win. He had a kick to win against Denver, missed 2 kicks against the Bills (albeit in torrid conditions) to tie it up and missed 1 kick and 1 extra point today that allowed the Patriots to win.
-
Your second favourite sport
Maximus Decimus replied to gingerjon's topic in Any Other Business / Any Other Sports
I tried to understand it by reading about it, and I actually thought the idea might be that it has to bounce. That would at least make some sense IMO. It doesn't seem to happen a lot, but in theory it could be 30 all and you could be 20 metres out with seconds on the clock and just boot it out to guarantee a point. Way easier than a field goal for instance. -
Your second favourite sport
Maximus Decimus replied to gingerjon's topic in Any Other Business / Any Other Sports
So let me get this straight, if you can punt the ball out on the full behind the posts you get a point? Seems like madness. -
Your second favourite sport
Maximus Decimus replied to gingerjon's topic in Any Other Business / Any Other Sports
I've just this week got multi-room. It's purely coincidental that it comes days after trying to watch the NFL with my near-80 year old Irish inlaws in the room... -
I'm sure it is, but when you see it 30/40 times a game it soon loses its allure. Funnily enough, it's a similar criticism I would have had for basketball. As RL fans, we often use the line of not wanting a game to be like basketball. However, having been to a few games I kind of get it now and the game can ebb and flow quite well. The actual getting of a basket isn't that impressive, it's often more about creating the opportunity to shoot.
-
Your second favourite sport
Maximus Decimus replied to gingerjon's topic in Any Other Business / Any Other Sports
Yeh I get that, and I suppose they are quite alike in that respect. As I'm familiar with boxers, certain matchups are exciting for a variety of reasons. If I knew the relative form of different cricket teams, I'm sure the test series would be similar. For me, to truly enjoy a sporting event, I need to believe that there is meaning behind it. The fans need to care and the players need to care. I'm really put off if I think that there isn't that much on the line. With sports like darts, tennis, snooker etc, I just can't get interested by anything but the big tournaments. Cricket tests seem a bit like this as an outsider. As I said I enjoy the ashes, because there is something truly riding on it - bragging rights. When I'm talking about NFL, I often use cricket as an example of getting used to a sport that has plenty of stoppages and not being bothered by it. -
Your second favourite sport
Maximus Decimus replied to gingerjon's topic in Any Other Business / Any Other Sports
Bear Down! -
Some sports have a fundamental feature that I find too frustrating to watch properly. Union, even without the pro-RL baggage, has penalty kicks. I can't get my head around a sport that relies on infringements for so many of its points. GAA is like this for me. I find the constant kicking for 1 point unappealing, it doesn't seem like an incredible skill. AFL is similar, they kick it over everybody's head from far away and the crowd goes wild. I'm sure both are very difficult, but they just aren't aesthetically pleasing as a main form of scoring.
-
Your second favourite sport
Maximus Decimus replied to gingerjon's topic in Any Other Business / Any Other Sports
I'm the current lone NFL advocate, but that is a very recent thing. No doubt at different times I would pick Darts or Boxing. Darts is another fairly recent rediscovery, but boxing is one relatively constant feature. I wouldn't call myself a diehard but there's few sports that can get me hyped like a big fight. I probably buy 3/4 a year. I like American Football as a sport but I also enjoy the over the top American nature of it. I get the problem with stoppages, but you can get used to it. I've always passively followed the Premier League (and love the big tournaments) but just don't really enjoy football as a spectator sport a lot of the time. I also find it a deeply unsatisfying sport from a competitive point of view. I'm really surprised to hear so many people talk about cricket as one of their main sports. I quite enjoy the Ashes, but I would honestly hear them talking about different test series on the news and wonder who really cares about that. The whole test series structure just seems a bit like glorified friendlies to me.