Football Losing It's Luster?

[ravensfan2430]

I was wondering if football is starting to lose it's luster with anyone other than myself?  I get it, it doesn't help when your team isn't playing well, but regardless, I feel as though these games are borderline unwatchable.

 

There are flags on what seems like every play, I can't tell what a catch is anymore, most every hard hit is a penalty, QB's are nearly untouchable...

 

It is tough for me to enjoy watching any game now.   Anyone else agree? Disagree?

[Shutdown215]

I agree, there is blurred lines on catches and the game play itself. I haven't been interested much since deflate gate

[flynismo]

I wouldn't disagree. It certainly isn't nearly as fun or interesting as it was not too long ago. The 2000s were an epic decade for football. We got to watch some of the greatest QBs to ever play in their primes (Manning, Brady, Favre, Warner), some of the greatest WR to ever play in their primes (Moss, TO, Harrison, Holt) during an era when it was an accomplishment to pass for 3k yards / 20 TDs, or to rack up 1000 yards receiving.

Edited November 16, 2015 by flynismo

[ravensfan2430]

I wouldn't disagree. It certainly isn't nearly as fun or interesting as it was not too long ago. The 2000s were an epic decade for football. We got to watch some of the greatest QBs to ever play in their primes (Manning, Brady, Favre, Warner), some of the greatest WR to ever play in their primes (Moss, TO, Harrison, Holt) during an era when it was an accomplishment to pass for 3k yards / 20 TDs, or to rack up 1000 yards receiving.

Agreed.  Those guys were a lot of fun to watch.

[Purple_City39]

Football hasn't lost it's luster, just the team we all like sucks.  For all those great players you can name from the past there are great players currently.

 

Manning from the past to Rodgers of today.  Holt, Moss, Harrison, and TO to A.Brown, Julio, AJ, and ODBJr.  Peterson is still running wild, Lynch, Le'Veon is ridiculous, Charles is too (the last two are out now).

 

Seeing defenses do well in this NFL time period is amazing.  The 2008 and 2011 Ravens, the Seahawks for the past few years minus this year, Jim Harbaugh's 9ers.  The Cardinals are a very interesting time.  The Pats, hate em or love em, are undefeated yet again after the halfway mark

 

There's a lot of interest in today's NFL.  The Ravens sucking up a storm is the real problem

[flynismo]

Agreed.  Those guys were a lot of fun to watch.

Absolutely, but it was the time period that really made them even more special...Peyton throwing 49 TDs was just insane. Nowadays, "40 is the new 30" lol...throwing 40 tds now is like throwing for 30 ten years ago...it was a heck of an accomplishment, but far from unheard of...now you need to throw 30 TDs just to avoid the bench ha

[flynismo]

Football hasn't lost it's luster, just the team we all like sucks.  For all those great players you can name from the past there are great players currently.

 

Manning from the past to Rodgers of today.  Holt, Moss, Harrison, and TO to A.Brown, Julio, AJ, and ODBJr.  Peterson is still running wild, Lynch, Le'Veon is ridiculous, Charles is too (the last two are out now).

 

Seeing defenses do well in this NFL time period is amazing.  The 2008 and 2011 Ravens, the Seahawks for the past few years minus this year, Jim Harbaugh's 9ers.  The Cardinals are a very interesting time.  The Pats, hate em or love em, are undefeated yet again after the halfway mark

 

There's a lot of interest in today's NFL.  The Ravens sucking up a storm is the real problem

Absolutely, there's a ton of talent in the league today as well. It's just that the league has made it a little too easy for offensive stars to shine.

[Purple_ICE 81]

I was wondering if football is starting to lose it's luster with anyone other than myself? I get it, it doesn't help when your team isn't playing well, but regardless, I feel as though these games are borderline unwatchable.

There are flags on what seems like every play, I can't tell what a catch is anymore, most every hard hit is a penalty, QB's are nearly untouchable...

It is tough for me to enjoy watching any game now. Anyone else agree? Disagree?

Verrry interesting, I too feel that there are definitely "boring weeks" or slower weeks with little production. And as the game changes and they continue to add stupid new rules or change old ones it seems that touch football might be in the NFLs future. Yesterday for example I was watching the Ravens game with an avid female fan and during the Kendrick Lewis unsportsman like penaltt where he put a questionable late hit on Yeldon I think it was, she was stunned by the call although I called the penalty before the flag was even thrown.

And also Odell Beckham's overturned "Megatron rule" catch where he clearly caught the ball maintained full possession while inbounds before having it ripped out of his hands while out of bounds...by former Ravens CB Rashaan Melvin. One ref signaled TD while the other overruled it, and the Giants lost.

Fans like big hits and bone crushing plays but the NFL does not, and with all the injuries players suffer I truly question what might become of the NFL 10 years from now. They make rule changes every damn off season and some of them are kind of questionable, I'd appreciate if the NFL left the constant rule changes to more minor changes and tweaks.

Edited November 16, 2015 by Purple_ICE 81

[izvoodoo]

I mean, if you started an activity that had the injury rate football does without the history of the sport it would be considered child abuse.

 

Honestly I get a little annoyed sitting there waiting to see another payer I admire get injured.  

[berad]

The officiating has taken an inordinate amount of time - and lots of highly publicized 'questionable' calls - this season, across all games. Every game there are random stopages, every drive there is a strange referee huddle that goes unexplained. That's one place the league has to look at.

 

Expanding replay to judgement calls and penalties wouldn't work anyways because of the ego on a lot of these officials, can't admit they were wrong. Listen to Dean Blandino re-write history every week if you care to lose a few brain cells.

[Edgar]

i have been thinking and feeling the same. it might be as you say, the fact that we are losing but i still enjoy watching Ravens games.

 

i remember a time not long ago when Sunday/Monday night football was must see. i find myself less interested. I don't know the last time i watched ESPN and am thinking of ditching NFL network as I find it tedious and insipid(apart from the fact that i never watch- in actuality, the NFL network is freaking Doestoyevsky compared to ESPN).

 

Referees in general seem to be clueless. The NFL itself with it's constant self promotion, hero worship,gratuitous flag waving and false overtures at caring about anything except making money has become tiresome.

[Ravens4Real]

Just because our team sucks doesn't mean the whole sport is taking a hit. Ratings are at an all time high. I still enjoy watching other games. Probably nothing else I'd rather watch than football.

[redrum52]

The NFL has put an awful product on the field this season.  It's not just cause we're losing.  This season's been bad.

[Purple_ICE 81]

I agree, there is blurred lines on catches and the game play itself. I haven't been interested much since deflate gate

All the legal drama of the NFL is certainly a bore. Blowing up all that GATE BS only to lift the suspension, along with other cases of player Vs Goodell, long periods of blown up media coverage court cases and appeals and stuff.

This is football not law and order.

[berad]

Just because our team sucks doesn't mean the whole sport is taking a hit. Ratings are at an all time high. I still enjoy watching other games. Probably nothing else I'd rather watch than football.

 

This is also true. I'll be lamenting in a few months when it's not on but there are places for improvement.

[757RavensFan]

Verrry interesting, I too feel that there are definitely "boring weeks" or slower weeks with little production. And as the game changes and they continue to add stupid new rules or change old ones it seems that touch football might be in the NFLs future. Yesterday for example I was watching the Ravens game with an avid female fan and during the Kendrick Lewis unsportsman like penaltt where he put a questionable late hit on Yeldon I think it was, she was stunned by the call although I called the penalty before the flag was even thrown.

And also Odell Beckham's overturned "Megatron rule" catch where he clearly caught the ball maintained full possession while inbounds before having it ripped out of his hands while out of bounds...by former Ravens CB Rashaan Melvin. One ref signaled TD while the other overruled it, and the Giants lost.

Fans like big hits and bone crushing plays but the NFL does not, and with all the injuries players suffer I truly question what might become of the NFL 10 years from now. They make rule changes every damn off season and some of them are kind of questionable, I'd appreciate if the NFL left the constant rule changes to more minor changes and tweaks.

 

Honestly believe we cut him prematurely.  He's doing pretty good w/ the team that torched him last year.  

[Sami84]

Honestly believe we cut him prematurely.  He's doing pretty good w/ the team that torched him last year.  

 

maybe we don't have good coaches?

[usmccharles]

I agree it gets annoying when we don't even know what a catch is anymore... Or blatant missed calls, etc... Problem is, we aren't going to stop watching....

[Purple_ICE 81]

Honestly believe we cut him prematurely.  He's doing pretty good w/ the team that torched him last year.

Mehh I don't think so, he is a guy who makes a few plays but also gets burned alot too. A lot of teams gameplan against him and know he can get burned.

Project player who our weak secodary doesn't have time to develop

[757RavensFan]

Football has the same excitement to me. It just sucks knowing that your team isn't playing for anything but pride at this point and even that is questionable. 

[fistfullwales]

All the legal drama of the NFL is certainly a bore. Blowing up all that GATE BS only to lift the suspension, along with other cases of player Vs Goodell, long periods of blown up media coverage court cases and appeals and stuff.

This is football not law and order.

 

ODBJ didn't catch the ball, pretty clear on that one.

[sflegend89]

The officiating has been terrible but other than that it's more so that we just suck this year. If we were 7-2 would you still make this thread? There's your answer.

But I do agree that it's an odd year in the NFL, very few teams finding consistent success, I've never seen so many talented teams put such a poor product on the field (Ravens, Colts, Cowboys, Seahawks). Injuries certainly have a lot to do with that I suppose.

[bMore Heathen]

It's defiantly a different game than the game I played and watched growing up. The rules changes every year, and there are disparities not only between games with officials, but in the same game, fouls aren't called evenly. And this isn't about the Ravens, the were 3 spots in the Seatle game in a row that were HORRIBLE. How can these guys not see it on the field? Requiring them to stop the game and check the spot.

So many games where the clock is miss managed upstairs, sideline communication coming and going at will, review after review slowing down the game. It's just different, and it's getting watered down. Thursday night football every week, red zone, an entire network dedicated to the game where they discuss the same few plays form the week before for 5 days straight. Every idiot in the world tweeting comments and opinions all the time. Draft talk in Febuary on all the major sports networks...

Add to that the shortened training camp and practice schedule and the product on the field just isn't as good. It's just not the same game I loved growing up. I guess I'm old.

Edited November 16, 2015 by bMore Heathen

[Purple_ICE 81]

ODBJ didn't catch the ball, pretty clear on that one.

Not sure what that has to do with the quoted post...

But in regards to the ODB catch when you have one ref signalling TD and the other ref signalling incomplete then both signal TD only to have it ultimately reversed...looking like a damn replacement ref scenario... it makes you question what's a catch and what's not anymore.

[fistfullwales]

Not sure what that has to do with the quoted post...

But in regards to the ODB catch when you have one ref signalling TD and the other ref signalling incomplete then both signal TD only to have it ultimately reversed...looking like a damn replacement ref scenario... it makes you question what's a catch and what's not anymore.

My bad, meant to quote your other post. Refs have been terrible though.

[redlobster]

I have found myself barely watching on sundays anymore, just feel like I've lost interest in it.

[rmcjacket23]

It's defiantly a different game than the game I played and watched growing up. The rules changes every year, and there are disparities not only between games with officials, but in the same game, fouls aren't called evenly. And this isn't about the Ravens, the were 3 spots in the Seatle game in a row that were HORRIBLE. How can these guys not see it on the field? Requiring them to stop the game and check the spot.

So many games where the clock is miss managed upstairs, sideline communication coming and going at will, review after review slowing down the game. It's just different, and it's getting watered down. Thursday night football every week, red zone, an entire network dedicated to the game where they discuss the same few plays form the week before for 5 days straight. Every idiot in the world tweeting comments and opinions all the time. Draft talk in Febuary on all the major sports networks...

Add to that the shortened training camp and practice schedule and the product on the field just isn't as good. It's just not the same game I loved growing up. I guess I'm old.

Yes, that game is dead. And it should be, because the game you grew up watching being played like that wouldn't be around 25-30 years from now. 

 

So the game either evolves so that it can survive, or it dies. 

[rmcjacket23]

Not sure what that has to do with the quoted post...

But in regards to the ODB catch when you have one ref signalling TD and the other ref signalling incomplete then both signal TD only to have it ultimately reversed...looking like a damn replacement ref scenario... it makes you question what's a catch and what's not anymore.

There's no version of the NFL where that's a catch.

 

There's certainly questionable calls about what is and isn't, but that play doesn't even pass the eye test, which is the most subjective measurement possible.

 

In a schoolyard game where there's no such thing as penalties and its being played by twenty 40 year old, has been, high school mediocre players, that's an incomplete pass.

[sflegend89]

I have found myself barely watching on sundays anymore, just feel like I've lost interest in it.

 

Same here but I thinks that just comes back to the Ravens being a dumpster fire. When your team is good you care about the sport more as a whole, when your team is bad you don't care as much about the sport and no other teams' games interest you because ultimately your team is out of contention so who cares about anyone else.

[salamander]

The Ravens doing so poorly has put a damper on my enthusiasm this year, although I am still going to root for them to win every week. I am tired of and unaccustomed to such sloppy play from the Ravens, it's depressing actually to see this team implode. My annoyance with bad refs is growing with every season and bad calls throughout the league truly detract from the enjoyment of any team I am watching. I love this game and the Ravens playing some decent ball by the end of the year will help me be enthused again. If the Ravens continue to suck this bad through game 16, then it's gonna be a long winter waiting for the Ravens to give me a sense of optimism and enthusiasm again.