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Wish there was more information.

Back on June 30, NFL.com announced that 96 of the most memorable games in NFL history would be uploaded to the NFL's official YouTube channel throughout the season. Typically, the NFL will upload 1 Super Bowl game on Tuesday, then 3 or 4 more games on Friday depending upon the match-ups each week. For example, last Sunday the Chiefs played the Broncos so the NFL uploaded the 1994 Monday Night Football classic between Joe Montana's Chiefs and John Elway's Broncos on the Friday before the game. Because the Rams are playing the Patriots this week, the NFL uploaded Super Bowl XXXVI in full HD for our viewing (dis)pleasure. If anything, I hope this will distract you guys for a little bit from the crap-fest that is the 2016 Rams. It always pains me to watch the last 1:30 of the game, but man that was a great Super Bowl. Anyways, here's the link:
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Other Rams uploads include:
1985 NFC Divisional Playoff (DAL vs LA)
2000 MNF Week 16 (STL vs TB)
2001 NFC Championship (PHI vs STL)
2003 NFC Divisional Playoff (CAR vs STL)

The NFL will also release Super Bowl XXXIV Rams/Titans sometime before the end of this season. I will definitely let you guys know as soon as they do.

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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/11/30/report-nfl-planning-four-games-in-london-next-year/

Report: NFL planning four games in London next year
Posted by Michael David Smith on November 30, 2016

The NFL’s presence in London is set to expand again next year.

For the first time, the league will play four games in London in 2017, London-based radio presenter Will Gavin reports.

The NFL first played a regular-season game in London in 2007 and has had one regular-season game there every year through 2012. In 2013 the NFL expanded to two games in London, and for the last three years the league has played three games in London. Four games would be a first, and another sign that the league is serious about growing its footprint in the United Kingdom.

Other recent revelations about the NFL’s plans for London include the fact that early kickoffs are being scrapped, and games in London will begin at 1 p.m. Eastern. It’s also been revealed that the Jaguars’ annual “home” game in London will be against the Ravens next season.

One thing that is not clear yet is whether the NFL will play three games at Wembley Stadium and one at Twickenham Stadium, or two games at each. Once soccer team Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium opens, likely in time for the 2018 season, the NFL plans to play two games a year at that stadium.

What is very clear is this: The NFL believes it’s in London to stay. American football across the pond isn’t going away.

Okay, Jeff Fisher has to be messing with everyone. How could a man work in the league for this long if he were actually this dumb and uninformed? NFL coaches are stupid in many ways, but they’re at least obsessive about their jobs. Today, the Rams head coach appeared to be using years-old intel to plan Sunday’s game against the Patriots.

When asked about the Patriots’ trio of running backs—the question didn’t mention their names, but they’re LeGarrette Blount, Dion Lewis, and James White—Fisher said, “They’re all different.” He complimented LeGarrette Blount, whom he signed with the Titans as an undrafted rookie, but cut before the regular season. Then, Fisher talked about “Brandon” and “Danny.” Via NESN:

“I’ve been impressed with Brandon and what he’s done out of the backfield. You’ve got to deal with him, in addition to Danny. You’ve got playmakers all around, so we have to play sound defense.”

The audio’s here, at about the five-minute mark, if you want to analyze whether Fisher knew he was wrong. Brandon Bolden, who used to play a larger role with the Patriots, has one rush for four yards and two catches for 15 yards this season. Danny Woodhead hasn’t played for the team since 2012. It feels safe to say that “Brandon” and “Danny” do not plan to have major roles in New England’s running game this weekend.

http://deadspin.com/jeff-fisher-is-ready-to-face-patriots-running-backs-br-1789528753

http://www.footballzebras.com/2016/11/29/week-13-referee-assignments-2016/

• Rams at Patriots — Jerome Boger

Boger's 2016 NFL officiating crew consists of umpire Rich Hall, head linesman Ed Camp, line judge Dana McKenzie, field judge Eugene Hall, side judge Walt Coleman IV (son of active NFL referee Walt Coleman), and back judge Tony Steratore.

Boger's crew was involved in two controversial calls during a St. Louis Rams–San Francisco 49ers game at Levi's Stadiumon November 2, 2014. Just before halftime, Rams' return specialist Tavon Austin attempted to run back a missed 55-yard field goal attempt by 49ers' kicker Phil Dawson from out of the end zone, and after crossing the goal line, he was tackled at the 1-yard line by the 49ers' Derek Carrier, and into the end zone for what was nearly a safety.

However, Boger explained: "The ruling on the field was that the ball carrier (Austin) brought the ball out onto the field of play, and that there was contact by the defender (Carrier) that forced him back into the end zone."

Near the end of the game, with the 49ers trailing 13–10 and out of timeouts, quarterback Colin Kaepernick attempted a quarterback sneak at the Rams' 1-yard line for a potential game-winning touchdown. However, Kaepernick fumbled the snap before the football broke the plane of the goal line under a pile of players. Boger ruled that there was nothing on the replay that could change the original ruling on the field, in which the Rams recovered the fumble.

Don't blame their fanbase for being positive and upbeat about their chances of beating the Rams, but Fisher's Rams have a habit of winning games they're not supposed to.
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http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...eads/its-jeff-fishers-nightmare-week.1135634/

It's Jeff Fisher's nightmare week

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59-0 vs. the Titans
45-7 vs. the Rams (in London)

Hopefully after Fisher gets fired, he can get a job in the AFC East, ideally to replace Bowles.

Rams need to go 3-2 the rest of the way to finish their customary 7-9.
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He sure has nice hair though..

Jeff Fischer, Marvin Lewis, Rex Ryan, John Fox and a few others should never be allowed to coach in the NFL again.. incompetence trumps experience.
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Fisher has 163 coaching losses ( 2 behind Dan Reeves for most ever)...Too bad he can't tie the record Sunday..
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Rams have a heck of a front 4, prob the best in the league. They'll need to get Brady quick if they have any chance of winning.
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It's all based on Donald. If the Pats keep Donald from dry humping Brady, they may be able to hang a 40burger on the Rams.
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Hope one of our media members ask him on today's conference call what was so damn funny about Rodney Harrison getting cheap shotted when we played them and knocked out for the playoffs in 2006. Scumbag coach hiding behind his Competition Committee membership gets a free pass at everything.
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Fischer is currently in a spat with Eric Dickerson, who has said some unkind things about the Rams performance. Apparently Fischer told the Rams Hall of Famer that they players are "uncomfortable" with Dickerson being allowed in their sideline during games. So Dickerson said fine, I won't come to another Rams game as long as you are the head coach.

Granted I doubt Dickerson will have to stay away long to keep that promise, but still, dumb move by Fischer.

Eric Dickerson’s words regarding Jeff Fisher don’t mesh with Dickerson’s actions
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It would be nice to win by 73-3
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We are not a complete team yet. By that I mean we are not working on all cylinders on offense and still need to get better on defense. I am not expecting Pats to be #1 on Offense and Defense but we need to get better overall.

I am ok putting up with torture that is our defense for 60 mins if they give up 17 points or less each game and hope offense plays well enough to score more points. There are some games we know we can win but the way we are playing now, I wouldn't take any game for granted.

I hope our O-Line plays well against the stout D-line of Rams. This will tell us a lot about how we can handle defenses like Denver, Kansas City and Seattle in playoffs.
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That DL has as many sacks as and less hurries than the Pats DL and the Pats DL doesn't have Aaron Donald.
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Well seeing that they've given up

28 points to the 49ers
32 to the Buccs
30 to the Bills
31 to the Lions
49 to the Saints
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That's why the Pats can never beat his teams badly enough for me. I'd be aware of some cheap shots this week too. If the Pats see any, the OL should be instructed to dish out some payback and end Aaron Donald's career.
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I wouldn't wish any injuries to the players but I hope one of our hard hitting defenders runs into Jeff Fisher trying to tackle one of their receivers
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Just win and no Patriot injuries.......

The games they should run away with usually are sphincter tighteners.........
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I honestly think he has something majorly bad on someone high up in the league...i just cannot understand why he still has a job it really makes no sense. Like marvin lewis i understand hes been at the same place and clearly the bengals ownership do not care about mediocrity but Fisher has had multiple jobs and sucked everywhere he goes. Like maybe for the Rams to move to LA they had to keep Fisher as head coach. I DUNNO
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My concern this week is not about winning. I assume the Pats win. I don't don't want Aaron Donald to get any hard shots on Brady. Andrews did okay vs Atkins though.
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Fisher was probably an ideal coach to have for a franchise that was moving and had zero Super Bowl expectations this year since he had experience presiding over a team that moved in the past.
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Never count out the Rams, they can win any game anywhere. As soon as you think they are out they pull out a shocker.
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Since 2009 Jeff Fisher is 45-61 with zero playoff appearances. He hasn't had a winning season since 2008 or won a playoff game in 14 years.

That is beyond terrible.
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What I want to see is the Pats OL play well and the DL get pressure. IF those 2 units win I will be happy and feel like they made a positive step forward even if vs an overall bad team.
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Since 2001, rookie quarterbacks playing in Foxboro have averaged 201.9 passing yards and a 51.7 passer rating with just four touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
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Tough Defense. Happy this one is at home.
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Not sure you can call it a tough defense when they just gave up 49 points and 555 yards. Ya it was the Saints, but still.
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Tough defense? Yep, it'll be a nightmare for Goff to deal with our defense. I like TB12's chances against the Rams defense. Yep, they got a well-respected line, but not much else. We have the right players and coaches to deal with a good D line.

Practice Report 11/29: Defense Looking for Bounce-Back Performance

Myles Simmons


The Rams got back on the field Tuesday afternoon to begin preparing for another significant challenge in the 9-2 Patriots, who L.A. will face on the road this Sunday. The session was the latest step for the Rams in moving past their poor performance in Week 12 against New Orleans, a 49-21 loss.

It was a particularly disappointing showing for Los Angeles’ defense, as the unit surrendered 49 points, 555 total yards, 27 first downs, and nine plays of at least 20 yards.

“We just didn’t play gap-sound football. We didn’t really play disciplined, and they did a pretty good job scheming us up to where we couldn’t really get a good rush and get pressure,” defensive end William Hayes said. “They got the best of us. And my goal is to go out there and get ready to compete this week. They did a hell of a job.”

“We just [got] outplayed,” safety T.J. McDonald said. “You’ve got to [take] your hats off to them, they did a good job against us. But for us, we weren’t on all of our details. Everyone wasn’t doing their job. Our eyes were bad. And so, we’ve got to chalk that up, learn from it, and move on.”

Moving on — it’s sometimes easier said than done. Even though the Rams have started implementing their game plan for New England, there’s still a bit of leftover motivation from what happened in the Bayou.

“We definitely [used] the 24-hour rule — we’ve got to put it behind us,” McDonald said. “But we definitely don’t have a good taste in our mouths right now. And we want to come this week with a sense of urgency, working hard, and get back on the right path.”

In fact, the defense apparently addressed how anxious it is as a unit to compete once again.


“I know defensively, that’s something we talked about today and if I could get on the field today, I’d be more than ecstatic to,” Hayes said.

“We were ready to go play yesterday after feeling how we felt on Sunday,” McDonald said.

And there’s a balance of taking what you need from one game but not letting it affect too much of what you’re doing going forward.

“You can’t just forget about it,” McDonald said. “There’s definitely things that we need to fix. So we went through it.”

ut essentially, both McDonald and Hayes expressed that the defense’s performance was unacceptable against New Orleans.

“I just think week in and week out, you just want to be able to put your best performance on the field. And that’s what we didn’t do,” Hayes said. “Like I said, I was embarrassed. Giving up seven touchdowns and just letting them have their way with us — that’s now how our defense is. We really take a lot of pride in our craft and what we put on tape.”

“I know this year hasn’t been going where we want it to go as an overall team,” Hayes continued, “but defensively, I know when we step out there on the field, we can never accept that.”

The slate does not get any easier for Los Angeles’ defense, as the unit will face a New England offense led by Tom Brady — who has been spectacular since returning from his four-game suspension to open the season. He’s completing 68.4 percent of his passes and has thrown 18 touchdowns to just one interception in seven games.

“He’s a great quarterback. Everything speaks for itself — he’s done some great things in this league,” McDonald said. “Their team in general, they do everything right. They stick to what they do and they do it well. So we’ve definitely got a great challenge ahead of us. And it’s a good challenge for us to get back on the right track and feel a lot better of ourselves.”

That’s part of how the Rams have continued to stay positive and focused in the midst of a 1-6 stretch over their last seven games.

“It’s the opportunity each day, as you prepare, to go out and have a chance to win another football game. That’s what it’s about, that’s how our league is,” head coach Jeff Fisher said. “Obviously, we had to put it behind us real quickly and recognize what happened in the game [against New Orleans] and understood why. Now let’s accept this great challenge.”

“Now we’re ready to go back out there and getting back to playing defense like we know how to play — getting back to playing football how we know how to play,” McDonald said. “Our offense did a lot better job this week, and we’ve got to be able to hold our end. We’re anxious to just put it all together.”

[www.therams.com]

Embarrassed Rams defense eager to redeem itself against Tom Brady and the Patriots

aints receiver Michael Thomas pulls in a touchdown reception over Rams defenders T.J. McDonald (25) and E.J. Gaines on Sunday. After a sub-par performance against New Orleans, the Rams say they are eager for the chance to regroup this week against the Patriots. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)



By RICH HAMMOND / STAFF WRITER

THOUSAND OAKS – How poorly did the Rams play on defense last week? They’re openly talking about their eagerness to get back on the field and face New England and quarterback Tom Brady.

For most teams, anxious would be a better word than eager. The sight of Brady and the Patriots, dominant NFL forces for almost two full decades, rarely is a welcoming one for NFL defenses, but the Rams seem nearly blind with anger after their devastatingly poor effort against New Orleans last Sunday.

“That was embarrassing,” defensive end William Hayes said after Tuesday’s practice at Cal Lutheran. “We should have played for free, the way we got our (butts) kicked out there.”

The direct deposits from owner Stan Kroenke will continue as scheduled, but Rams defenders didn’t mince words Tuesday. They’re expected to be the strength of the team, and they’re coming off a game in which they allowed 555 yards, third-most in any game in the Rams’ 80-year history.

Now, with the Rams (4-7) holding on to the potential of a winning season by their fingernails, they must fly to New England, likely play in frigid weather and attempt to stop the ageless Brady.

“We’re ready,” safety T.J. McDonald said. “We were ready to go play (Monday), after how we felt on Sunday. We put it behind us, and now we’re ready to go back out there and get back to playing defense how we know how to play. We want to put it all together.”

That’s what it will take against the Patriots and Brady, who rarely has been slowed since he returned from a season-opening, four-game suspension related to the “Deflategate” controversy.

Brady has an NFL-best quarterback rating (116.7) and is second in the league in yards per pass attempt (8.6) among quarterback who have attempted at least 100 passes. Brady has thrown for 314.4 yards per game, fourth-best in the NFL, and has totaled 18 touchdowns and one interception in 256 attempts.

Brady, who turned 39 in August, is on pace for one of the best statistical seasons of his storied career.

“He’s a great quarterback,” McDonald said. “Everything speaks for itself. He has done some great things in this league, and continues to. They have a great offense, and the team, they do everything right. They stick to what they do, and they do it well. We’ve definitely got a great challenge ahead of us, and it’s a great challenge for us to get back on the right track and feel a lot better about ourselves.”

The Rams’ defensive breakdown against the Saints was staggering, apparently even to them. The Rams had allowed a total of 50 points in their previous four games, then allowed 49 against the Saints.

The concern for the Rams is that while Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who passed for 310 yards and four touchdowns, has a different style than Brady, both are elite quarterbacks who can throw to a balanced group of receivers. If Brees can carve up the Rams, couldn’t Brady do the exact same?

“When a guy is smart, like him and Tom are, you can’t make any mistakes,” McDonald said. “The littlest mistakes are going to hurt you. It’s not something where you can just get back and play the next play. A lot of those (mistakes) are touchdowns. You definitely have to be on everything.”

It’s not all doom and gloom for the Rams. Perhaps they can take some hints from the New York Jets, who played Brady and the Patriots tough last Sunday until a fourth-quarter collapse and a 22-17 loss.

Brady attempted a season-high 50 passes but completed only 30, for 286 yards. Brady registered season-lows in completion percentage (60.0), yards per attempt (5.7) and quarterback rating (89.2).

Also, until Brees, the Rams had some success this season against elite quarterbacks. They were shredded by Detroit’s Matthew Stafford, but held Arizona’s Carson Palmer, the New York Giants’ Eli Manning and Carolina’s Cam Newton to efforts that, for them, were considered subpar.

But this is a bounce-back challenge unlike any the Rams have faced in many years.

“Giving up seven touchdowns and letting them have their way with us, that’s not how our defense is,” Hayes said. “We really take a lot of pride in our craft and what we put on tape. I know this year hasn’t been going the way we wanted it to go, as an overall team.

“Defensively, I know when we step out there on the field, we can never accept that. That’s the thing that’s bothering me right now. I just haven’t been able to be happy. I won’t be happy until Sunday comes around. It was just embarrassing all the way around.”

[www.ocregister.com]

A big sign to me that something is wrong with this regime is our last draft. Arguably the worst receiving unit in the NFL and Fisher drafts TWO WR and TWO TE, and they barely play at all. We have 3 new receivers on the roster and how many balls have been thrown there way? Cooper was a dogsht pick to me as how many undersized WR do you need? He Austin 2.0 minus the game changing speed. The most glaring obvious inability of Fisher is judging WR talent. Make that offensive talent.

Hurley could be the Best ONE CUT ZONE RB in the leauge. Put him in Denver he would break records. So how does Fisher take advantage of that? He drafts monster sized power run blocking lineman.

...Maybe it's just me...
..but I still like this stupid team and I hope they get their shit together, play hard, inspired football and look really good the rest of the season.

That'd be neat-o.

I made this thread because this is all I am seeing/hearing, and I am not seeing the results nor do I see them anytime soon until those changes are made. Unless the results are somewhere down the road like depicted above???...

Check out @NoPlanB_'s Tweet: Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/NoPlanB_/status/803712140351827968?s=09

Yeah

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Here's my fantasy of the season if Goff started from day 1...

1. @ SF L28-0 (no change)

Part of me wants to think the Rams would have had a different game plan and easily beat this terrible team, but I am going to assume the exact same Dolphins game plan -- for Goff's first real game -- would have been used, which is exactly what the Rams did in this game for real anyway so no change. The torches and pitchforks are out with people screaming "why did he start a rookie so obviously not ready and not even try to win this season?" 0-1

2. v. Seattle W9-3 (changes to loss)

I think we would have seen more Fisherball here despite fan sarcasm that we can't even open up the offense for the #1 pick. The play-not-to-lose strategy worked thanks to Wilson's bad wheel and Keenum successfully protecting the football, but I do not think the rookie would have been ready for this test. The Seachix would have found a way to get to Goff and force some turnovers and another ugly loss. 0-2

3. @ TB W37-32 (no change)

I think this is where the Rams would have let the reins loose a bit more and we would have seen the Goff we saw flashes of in the NO game. Not great, but a couple TDs and a couple dimes/darts. Tampa hadn't found their footing yet, so I think a relatively high score in the 20s happens, but the defense allows less and the Rams still come out on top. 1-2

4. @ AZ W17-13 (changes to loss)

I see this as pretty much the Seattle summary. Goff makes an extra rookie mistake or two; meanwhile Arizona probably doesn't turn it over 5 times to let Fisherball succeed. A pretty comfortable Cards win instead, the pitchforks come out again over another lost "7-9 b.s." season. 1-3

5. v. Buffalo L30-19 (changes to win)

This is the first game that I think it clicks and Goff becomes "NFL ready", and he starts to equal what the Rams were getting from the QB position with Keenum. I don't think Goff lights it up but plays a game manager well, the defense doesn't collapse and it's a much lower scoring close game that the Rams find a way to win at home. 2-3

6. @ Detroilet L31-28 (changes to win)

Obviously the Detroit secondary is awful in this game, and I think Goff puts up his first big numbers of his career (300+, 3 TDs) and the Rams win this one by a couple scores. 3-3

7. v. Giants L17-10 (no change)

There's just something about the Giants, and I think Fisherball plays into them and Goff struggles. Pretty much see the same result with a similar score, but maybe the Giants even winning more easily. A solid step backwards from the Rams fans excitement of the previous weeks. 3-4

8. v. Carolina L13-10 (no change)

Another game I see playing out pretty much exactly the same, Carolina somehow eeking out a win. A rookie QB bump game where Goff takes a step backwards. 3-5

9. @ Jets W9-6 (changes to loss)

There's something about Rex that just makes this game tough, and I think Goff presses in this game to try to right the ship and mistakes give away the winnable game. 3-6

10. v. Miama L14-10 (changes to win)

Goff ends the three game losing streak with a solid game. Without the handcuffs we saw on him in this real game, I think the offense has decent success to complement a good defensive showing and the Rams win this by a couple scores. 4-6

11. @ NO L49-21 (no change)

I think this game is competitive instead of a laugher with Goff now having 10 games of experience under his belt. Sure he makes mistakes and of course is still fighting Fisherball, but overall the team is stronger and more confident. In the end though the Saints just have too much firepower and still win a close game at home. 4-7

Wulp that's it, a long way to end up right back at the same 4-7. And looking at the rest of the schedule I don't think there would be much difference between Goff with 11 games experience and Goff with 2 games experience in terms of win-loss chances to close out the year.

Maybe this is a stupid exercise and feel free to put dislikes and shoot me's (I don't get offended), but it's actually my way of putting a positive spin on things. I've been so angry about Fisher not starting Goff from the day he was drafted, but I think in the end it just ends up the same diff. Either way, Goff is going to go into next season with some valuable game experience under his belt. The focus will shift to how to improve the o-line, get Gurley untracked, get some WR weapons, plug the defense holes and somehow do it with fewer draft picks. In short, all the usual offseason fun.. but at least without the QB specter looming over it all, finally. I've gotta take that as a win.

https://theringer.com/best-moments-...ry-harbaugh-belichick-81d22cbcaa36#.dqelpt8yv

Palpably Unfair and Unfairly Pleasing
Celebrating some of the best moments in football rule book loophole history
Katie Baker
Staff Writer, The Ringer

(Getty Images/Ringer illustration)

In a report issued by the NFL Rules Committee in 1940, according to an online league presentation called Bent but Not Broken: The History of the Rules, representatives outlined their vision for the growing football league. “Each game should provide a maximum of entertainment insofar as it can be controlled by the rules and officials,” the document said, adding that “the number of plays per game of a type that will be pleasing to the audience” was an important metric. If that’s the case, unless you’re a suffering Cincinnati Bengals fan, Baltimore coach John Harbaugh’s play calling Sunday was a football success.

With 11 seconds remaining and the Ravens holding a 19–12 lead against the Bengals, the Ravens lined up to punt on fourth down. Instead of sending the ball to Cincinnati for one final prayer, punter Sam Koch dawdled after the snap while his teammates played a mutant version of Red Rover and did anything they could, including draw flags upon flags, to buy him some time. Per the NFL’s tome of rules and regulations, a game won’t be extended on an offensive penalty, the way it would on a defensive infraction.

And so, as the clock expired, Koch retreated to the end zone for a meaningless safety to finish the game. As The Ringer’s Rodger Sherman pointed out, this wasn’t Harbaugh’s first time dabbling in these dark arts. And as Stephen Amell, better known as Green Arrow, noted: “John Harbaugh complaining about the Patriots using odd formations loses a little luster after what the Ravens did to end the game.” Indeed, Harbaugh has not only been a master of tactics, he’s also been a student. It’s the loophole of life, and it moves the ball.

Good NFL coaches are like lawyers who contemplate fact patterns and plumb procedural nuances. They are like artists using negative space, finding purpose in the absences. They are like good teens or hedge fund managers, seeing rules as creative challenges. They are infuriating or brilliant; crazy like a fox or too clever by half.

And it’s not just the coaches; smart players can find ways to exploit loopholes or push boundaries. (If they’re good enough at it, they might inspire a new rule with their name.) And it isn’t a new phenomenon. Here, we celebrate some of the best memories in football rule book loophole history.

Most Omniscient Deity

Bill Belichick has, over the years, become the patron saint of finessing NFL rules. (One New York Times article used the phrase “Belichickian subterfuge”; insert your own Spygate joke here.) In the playoffs following the 2014 season, the New England Patriots confounded the Ravens with some strategery meant to jumble up who was and was not an eligible receiver on a play.

The gambit worked, Harbaugh lost his mind (he later called the play “deception,” which, yeah!) and Tom Brady had this to say: “Maybe those guys gotta study the rule book and figure it out. We obviously knew what we were doing and we made some pretty important plays.” Later, against the Indianapolis Colts, Belichick had more tricks up his sleeve. If you ever want to get the man talking, this is the subject.

Most Influential Interpretation

In 1932, during the NFL championship game against the Portsmouth Spartans, the Chicago Bears’ Bronislau “Bronko” Nagurski faked a running play on fourth-and-goal, took a few steps back, and threw a successful forward pass to break a 0–0 tie. Forward passes back then were exceedingly rare and heavily penalized if not successful.

Portsmouth raged, arguing that Nagurski wasn’t the mandated 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage, but the complaints fell on deaf ears. And that offseason, NFL bigwigs who had taken note of the entertainment factor of the passing play changed a number of rules — including one allowing passes to be thrown from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage.

Best Loophole Play Nickname

The Holy Roller. In 1978, Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler had the ball on the San Diego Chargers’ 14-yard line, down six with 10 seconds to play. As he was about to be sacked, he fumbled the ball forward — later, he would say that he “fumbled it on purpose” — in the hopes that his teammates might be able to recover it.

They were: Raiders tight end Dave Casper fell on the ball in the end zone to tie the game. (Oakland would win on the PAT.) The NFL later changed the rules to say that on any fourth down, or any down in the final two minutes of a half, the only offensive player who can advance a fumbled ball is the one who first lost the ball. It is sometimes called the Ken Stabler Rule.

Worst Loophole Play Nickname

Buddy Ryan’s “Polish Goal Line” and “Polish Punt Team” strategies aren’t exactly politically correct, but they are fascinating. A page from Ryan’s playbook shows how the legendary coach mapped out his plays situationally. In the event that a defense is trying to stop the other team inside the 5, he wrote, and also wants to run down the clock, the solution is to send too many men onto the field and eat the half-the-distance-to-the-goal-line penalty, which in this case wouldn’t advance the ball by much.

The defense still needs a goal-line stand, but Ryan’s playbook seems confident about that part: “WE WILL THEN GO BACK TO OUR REGULAR GOALLINE DEFENSE AND STOP THEM TO WIN THE GAME.” (Some felt that the Giants tried a version of this in Super Bowl XLVI, although others weren’t so sure it was intentional.)

Best Tweet

“that’s what happens when the Qb scrambles…..” Seattle Seahawks corner Richard Sherman tweeted to Deadspin earlier in November, ominous ellipses and all, after the site’s Twitter account posted a GIF of Sherman leveling Buffalo Bills receiver Walter Powell in the end zone. “check the rule book ……” he added. According to that rule book, “if the quarterback leaves the pocket area with the ball in his possession, the restrictions on illegal contact and an illegal cut block both end.” Game on!

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Best Potential Rule Book Nerd Coaching Tree

“There’s a lot of crazy rules,” Powell said in 2015. “Like on kickoff returns, if they kick it near the sideline, I could step out of bounds, hop back in with one foot, and if I catch it, it’s a penalty and we get the ball at the 40. There’s a lot of stuff people don’t know.” This rule comes up from time to time (Leon Washington exploited it for the Jets in 2008) and was in the news again recently when Green Bay kick returner Ty Montgomery downed the ball at the 2 — but with a foot out of bounds, which gave the Packers the ball at their 40 instead.

It wasn’t the first time Green Bay had done this. Randall Cobb did it in 2012. And Cobb himself potentially learned it from Chad Morton, the former Washington kick returner who successfully pulled it off in 2004 and later coached Cobb on the Packers. Morton is now an assistant special teams coach for Sherman’s Seahawks; may he become the Bill Parcells of obscure rules.

Best Ups

As Jonathan Jones wrote in a great Sports Illustrated piece about NFL coaches and the rule book, some rule manipulations are letter-of-the-law, while others use athleticism not envisioned by the rule writers to, well, leap right over them. That’s what the Seahawks’ Kam Chancellor does when he leaps over the long snapper on place kicks, but avoids “land[ing] on the player.” It’s what Broncos rookie Justin Simmons did this year in Week 10. And it’s what Seattle’s Bobby Wagner did, twice, against the Cardinals in October.

Best Drops

Cripes, I wish this stuff happened all the time. Is this what Aussie Rules football is like? As always, viva Doug Flutie.

Best Internet Comment That I Can’t Stop Thinking About

Responding to information about the Ricky Williams Rule (hair is considered part of the uniform, and can thus be pulled) and the Greg Pruitt Rule (no tearaway jerseys allowed), one commenter mused: “Is there anything to prevent a running back from wearing fake tear-away dreadlocks? This just seems like a viral video waiting to be made.”

Best Idea Utilizing High School Punks

All hail the wacky A-11 Offense, the brainchild of a California high school director of football operations who used a rule book loophole regarding legal punt formations to turn football into a psychedelic free-for-all. Alas, it was too beautiful for this cruel world; the A-11 offense was essentially banned after a season.

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Best Game Your Grandfather Likes to Go on About

In the 1954 Cotton Bowl, between Alabama and Rice, the Owls’ Dicky Moegle ran for three touchdowns: a 79-yarder, a 34-yarder, and a 95-yard phantom play in which he became the first runner to score a touchdown “while flat on his back 38 yards away from the goal line,” according to the Reading Eagle.

That’s because as he took off on a sure run toward the end zone, Alabama captain Tommy Lewis, who was on the bench, lunged out and tackled Moegle. This was not specifically disallowed per the rule book, and officials had to exercise their discretion to award Moegle a touchdown in the event of a “palpably unfair act.” (If you think that’s a fun set of words, I’ve got something better: The Eagle’s sub-headline says: “Alabama Captain Praised by Coach Despite Grid Boner.”)

Closest We’ve Come to Getting Some of That Sweet, Sweet Palpably Unfair Action in the NFL

Yes, the NFL claims that it will be cracking down on these creative violations going forward, but sadly the league did not get a chance to have to do so in what would have been the best/worst way. During Super Bowl XLVII, which ended with a Niners punt return, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was caught on tape telling some of his fellow players on the sideline to do whatever it might take to stop a potential game-winning return, including jumping out onto the field to make the tackle.

“I mean, they might be able to get a touchdown on that,” he said, “but I don’t know.” When a teammate asked why he shouldn’t make the tackle himself, Flacco said, “I will — I’m going to.” He never needed to, ultimately, and who knows if he was even serious? But man, just allow yourself to imagine. The subsequent chaos would have been truly elite.

Best Lookin’ Out

Not technically a loophole, I guess, but mad props to the Packers’ Jordy Nelson for trying to bail out his coach by stuffing a wadded-up flag in his pants, the football equivalent of swallowing the weed when the cops come.

Best Screw-You Shenanigans

When college football changed its rules to speed up the game by starting the clock upon a kickoff rather than upon the ball’s reception, Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema fought back, intentionally going offside twice at the end of the first half. “I knew the rule and wanted to maximize it,” Bielema said. “It worked exactly as we envisioned it.”

Best Rule, Period

The “Fair Catch Kick” has become a bit of a unicorn in the football world. Some of the NFL rules are archaic holdovers from when the game more closely resembled rugby; it’s kinda like how certain old towns still have weird laws on the books about how three girls sharing an apartment is considered a brothel.

Anyway, when teams make a fair catch, they have the option to embark on their regular first-and-10 … or to take a kick from the fair catch spot toward the uprights for three points. (There’s no snap, the opposing team must stand back 10 yards, and the ball can be placed or drop-kicked — no tee.)

The set of circumstances in which a fair catch kick would even make sense is extremely specific; John Madden lamented that he never got the chance to try. The rule doesn’t come up much. (It almost did in Super Bowl XLVII!) But when it does — even if it hasn’t been successful since 1976, despite Mason Crosby’s best efforts in 2008 — it is silly and glorious, “a play of the type that would be pleasing to the audience” indeed.

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An earlier version of this piece incorrectly described the Ken Stabler Rule. The rule allows only the offensive player who committed the fumble to advance the ball; anyone can recover the ball.

I think the playoff picture looks like this after this weekend:

1. Bama
2. Clemson
3. Washington
4. Penn State

If the above scenario plays out, I think Ohio State ends up on the outside looking in. Unless the committee goes full on hypocrite and reverses its criteria that they used to keep TCU/Baylor out in 2014 (not winning your conference). Penn State will own not only the h2h against tOSU but will also have 2 top 10 wins and own the conference hardware. I cant foresee them taking what is essentially 3rd place in the B1G over the champ or another conference champ.

I think poor Oklahoma State is going to get screwed if they win too, since the loss to CMU was straight up a failure of the refs to make the correct ruling and they would be a 1 loss team who would be in the discussion otherwise.

With most of us expecting a coaching change who would you like keep (other than the obvious) and who would let go of on the roster?

On the bubble, keepers

Oline
Barnes - Although he's not a very good starting center I think if you could retain him as a backup/ possible starter if you can't fill his position in the offseason.
Brown - Again, he looks like a solid backup, possibly a starter under the right blocking scheme.
Robinson - I think you only keep him because of where he was picked at the draft. Maybe another coaching staff will have better luck in coaching him up at LT or Guard.
Donnal - After rewatching the Saints game other than his one false start he played pretty well. Gave up one pressure but stood his ground and looked like he had a good bend to him. I say keep him and let him finish out the rest of the season at LT to see what he's got. What do we have to lose?
Battle - Another guy who needs a long hard look at in the offseason. I honestly don't think he'll be retained by another staff because he's a complete project and we already have one of those. But I'd like to see what he has to offer incase Grob doesn't work out.

WR/TE's
Britt - He's probably having one of his best years as a pro, the 28 year old is on pace for his first 1,000 yard season. Whats even more impressive he's the only WR who shows up week after week even with sub-par QB play. The only reason why I would put him on the bubble is because he takes plays off he usually has his best seasons on contract years, and you can't have that with your #1 WR. He's more of a #2
Thomas - Who? What has this guy done? How can you not get on the field with this current WR roster? It could be the decision of the coaching staff. I'd see what he has next offseason with a new staff. Cut bait if he doesn't standout.
Cooper - Again who? The guy has played a handful of downs and has looked pretty good when given the chance, but that's the thing he needs to be given the chance. Another coaching decision im sure
Spruce - Keep him on the roster for 2017, even tho he's been injured he looks like he could be a player.


Dead weight, cut bait

Oline
Whichmann - Sorry but the kid has been outright terrible. I saw a member of the saints Dline split a double team with him and Barnes and hit Gurely for a loss. Just terrible. He needs to go byebye.
Saffold - While i like that he's very versatile he cannot seem to stay healthy. He gets bumped to LT and boom he gets hurt. What's the point of having him on the roster if he spends half of his career riding the bench due to injuries? Peace be with you.
Rhaney - Why is he still here? The guy plays like garbage. He can throw onehelluva chop block tho, lol.

WR's
Quick - I know there are still some quick moms out there but the guy has completely disappeared since what, week 4? The guy has had his chance.
Marquez - He wouldn't even get on the field on any other roster. I know he plays Special Teams but I feel Thomas can fill in for him and there will be other UDFA's we can pick up that will do his job.

Dline
Sims - Really doesn't offer much more other than 15 yard penalties
Hayes - An aging player that needs to be replaced by younger talent. I think the Rams made a mistake letting go of Long because Hayes is a solid backup player, nothing more.
Cam Thomas - He's had a couple good moments but mostly gets pushed around and doesn't offer in much of movement. Again we outdid ourselves by not resigning Fairley. He basically signed in NO for the minimum and has been very solid.

QB
Case Keenum - While i was rooting for him to succeed when he was starting, my expectations needed to be given a shot of reality once teams started adjusting to our anemic offense. He's a solid backup but offers nothing more than a game manager.