Football season is here!!!

[DarthPenguin]

Yeah, if he can back up his attitude with his play on the field then they will work with him. They will have known what to expect prior to drafting him tbh. Being fair to him, there is probably an adjustment factor involved in no longer having his dad as his head coach for the first time in several years with that leading to quite a difference in what he can get away with.

[KarateKen]

A crazy man walked into a building in New York and opened fire, killing four people before committing suicide.  He had a note saying that he had CTE from playing football in high school.  It appears he intended to target the NFL offices in New York but accidently went into an elevator that goes to a different location. The gunman never played in the NFL but blamed football for causing his brain damage. 

One of the victims was a police officer who had two children and a third on the way.

Tragic and scary situation for sure.  

[bushido_man96]

Terrible all around.

[KarateKen]

ESPN is acquiring NFL Network and NFL RedZone, among others, in exchange for giving the NFL a 10% equity share of ESPN.  Lots of unanswered questions about what this will lead to. How will this change ESPN's coverage of the NFL? How will this impact the fan experience? Will ESPN be willing to hold the NFL accountable and run negative stories, or will they ignore them now that the NFL has some ownership in the network?  

The general feelings early on seems to be that this is a great deal for the NFL and ESPN, but a major conflict of interest for the consumer, especially when you consider that the NFL will now have a financial interest in ESPN Bet, an ESPN app designed for sports gambling.

For this deal to go through it requires federal approval, and the NFL has started to lobby congress for exactly that.  If the deal does not get approval, then all of this will disappear, so none of this is official, yet.  I'm guessing that since the NFL is such a rich and powerful force, they will likely get what they want. 

This is a complex issue and there is a lot of information to unpack here, so if you care to learn more, I hope you read about it, but there is simply too much to go over in one post. 

[sensei8]

Perhaps ESPN is taking over the world like Disney. ESPN will start streaming WWE Raw and all PLE in 2026; Netflix honeymoon with WWE is apparently short lived.

[sensei8]

Raiders VS Seahawks pre-season game ending in a 23-23 tie. Not a bad game on both sides of the ball. Raiders demonstrated that they just might have a better season this year as opposed to previous seasons.

Maybe!!

My Cowboys will be traveling to California for their first pre-season against the Rams August 9, 2025.

I can only hope that my Cowboys will demonstrate the same strength as my wife’s Raiders did yesterday.

Maybe!!

Edited Saturday at 04:34 AM by sensei8

[KarateKen]

1 hour ago, sensei8 said:

Perhaps ESPN is taking over the world like Disney. ESPN will start streaming WWE Raw and all PLE in 2026; Netflix honeymoon with WWE is apparently short lived.

Since ESPN is owned by Disney, that would be a possibility.  Seems a lot of brands are trying to do that.  Disney, WalMart, Amazon, NFL, Apple, Nike, ect.   

The NFL will continue to broadcast Christmas games on Netflix and Thursday games on NFL Prime, as well as FOX, NBC, and CBS on Sunday's, however ESPN is going to get more games if this deal goes through, also, this could have an impact on how the NFL decides to negotiate future deals with those networks once the current contacts run out.  The one with FOX ends in 2033, but the NFL I think has an opt out clause for 2029 if they choose, not sure though.  I remember back in the 90s when FOX landed the NFL, it was a complete shock to everyone, now they might have new challenges with keeping the games after the current contract.  While more people are cutting the cord, and especially young people are not watching as much TV as past generations, streaming is the future of live sports.  

[KarateKen]

1 hour ago, sensei8 said:

Raiders VS Seahawks pre-season game ending in a 23-23 tie. Not a bad game on both sides of the ball. Raiders demonstrated that they just might have a better season this year as opposed to previous seasons.

Maybe!!

My Cowboys will be traveling to California for their first pre-season against the Rams August 9, 2025.

I can only hope that my Cowboys will demonstrate the same strength as my wife’s Raiders did yesterday.

Maybe!!

I never watch preseason because it is nothing like the regular season.  Some fans say that the preseason is a way to get an idea of how good their team will be.  It isn't.  For one thing many of the players who decide the preseason game will either be cut or get little playing time during the regular season.  Also, teams do not prepare for preseason games the way they do the regular season.  Thus, I put zero merit in how well a team does in the preseason.  As a Lions fan I remember that in 2008 the team went 0-16, the first team in history to lose every single game in a 16-game season.  Their preseason record that year? 4-0.  

[KarateKen]

On a personal note. I was able to visit Green Bay last week and get a tour of Lambeau Field.  There was not a game, but we got a tour of the field and got to see the stadium, and visitors were allowed to watch practice.  I am not a Packers fan, but I almost came out of there as one.  They have an incredible story.  Green Bay is only 107,000 people, and the season ticket waiting list is 150,000.  Imagine the waiting list for tickets being larger than your cities population.  Amazing.   The team is also owned by shareholders, not some rich jerk like Jerry Jones.  A small town in northern Wisconsin has the greatest football story ever told.  If you get a chance to go, I recommend it.  Packers fan or not, it is very cool to experience Lambeau Field.  

[sensei8]

4 hours ago, KarateKen said:

I never watch preseason because it is nothing like the regular season.  Some fans say that the preseason is a way to get an idea of how good their team will be.  It isn't.  For one thing many of the players who decide the preseason game will either be cut or get little playing time during the regular season.  Also, teams do not prepare for preseason games the way they do the regular season.  Thus, I put zero merit in how well a team does in the preseason.  As a Lions fan I remember that in 2008 the team went 0-16, the first team in history to lose every single game in a 16-game season.  Their preseason record that year? 4-0.  

It’s very true that the pre-season games shouldn’t be taken seriously because those games don’t count as far as standings are concerned. Those games are more for the coaches than us fans.

I don’t watch pre-season games either but when your wife is a die-hard Raiders fan and says that we’re going to watch a Raiders pre-season game, then guess what I’m gonna do?  Exactly!! I’m going to watch the Raiders pre-season games whether I like it or not. Remember, a happy wife, is a happy life.

Speaking about Raiders pre-season games, my wife, Linda, our son, Nathan, and myself are going to Allegiant Stadium here in Las Vegas, NV next Saturday to watch live the Raiders VS 49ers pre-season game. Why?? Because my wife wants to finally see a live Raiders game and pre-season game tickets here are far more affordable than regular game tickets. I’d rather see the Raiders VS Cowboys regular season game live in October but, sheesh, lowest ticket for that game is $500 per ticket…ah…NO…I don’t think so.

So, Raiders VS 46ers pre-season game is a done deal. Linda had the nerve to try to get me to wear a Raiders Tropical Black and Silver sun hat to the game. I told her that will never happen!! I’m gonna wear my Cowboy hard hat, so poo-poo!!

GO COWBOYS!!

Edited Saturday at 10:10 AM by sensei8