American Football & Basketball

Off Topic
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These sports really aren’t that popular over here. In Europe, I guess it’s mainly soccer. I’ve been interested in basketball for a while now, but always thought of A. football as a boring sport where the game constantly gets stopped. After watching a Chris Johnson highlight reel today, though, I thought to myself: I owe it to myself to watch a few good games.

So, here’s a request to everyone who loves these sports!

I need a few good matches to torrent and watch so I can figure out the basic sports dynamics. Would appreciate any recommendations.

G

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[quote]G87 wrote:
These sports really aren’t that popular over here. In Europe, I guess it’s mainly soccer. I’ve been interested in basketball for a while now, but always thought of A. football as a boring sport where the game constantly gets stopped. After watching a Chris Johnson highlight reel today, though, I thought to myself: I owe it to myself to watch a few good matches.

So, here’s a request to everyone who loves these sports!

I need a few good matches to torrent and watch so I can figure out the basic sports dynamics. Would appreciate any recommendations.

G[/quote]

I’m going to go ahead and pretend like you didn’t say football was boring. To better specify some recommendations, are you a fan of low-scoring, hard-hitting affairs, or high-scoring and fast-paced games?

Offhand, you can download last year’s Super Bowl game (Giants and Patriots) if you want to see a great football game. It’s kind of brain-wracking to think about all the games in the history of the NFL to recommend.

If you want to see better football, try college football. :wink:

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[quote]G87 wrote:
These sports really aren’t that popular over here. In Europe, I guess it’s mainly soccer. I’ve been interested in basketball for a while now, but always thought of A. football as a boring sport where the game constantly gets stopped. After watching a Chris Johnson highlight reel today, though, I thought to myself: I owe it to myself to watch a few good matches.

So, here’s a request to everyone who loves these sports!

I need a few good matches to torrent and watch so I can figure out the basic sports dynamics. Would appreciate any recommendations.

G[/quote]

2007 Fiesta Bowl game, Boise State v. Oklahoma. It had everything. Come from behind almost-victory, the underdog beating the traditional powerhouse, trick play after trick play, overtime, and a marriage proposal.

As an Oklahoma fan, that game broke my heart, but it was by far the best game I’ve ever seen.

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Just to be clear, they play games not matches.

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Games it is! I stand corrected :).

Thanks, pushmepullme. I’ll check that game out.

SSC, I’m not even sure what to say… But, I can tell you that the reason I always found the game boring were frequent stops. Does that help? And why’s college football better?

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[quote]G87 wrote:
Games it is! I stand corrected :).

Thanks, pushmepullme. I’ll check that game out.

SSC, I’m not even sure what to say… But, I can tell you that the reason I always found the game boring were frequent stops. Does that help? And why’s college football better?[/quote]

I’m American and I used to find it boring. You may still find it boring if you just watch games with no understanding of how difficult it is to do what they do. Or no beer and opposing fans.

2 Reasons I started to get into it. Playing football with friends gave me a better understanding of the pace of the game, and playing flag football with good d1 level athletes when you see how fast they make their moves and decisions.

College helps because when you’re watching your alma mater play, with 80,000 other fans wearing the exact same color for the first game of the season and it counts as much as a playoff you can’t help but feel the energy. There is no playoff system in D1 A College football so the best way to win the championship is to go undefeated so EVERY Game counts.

Football is the ultimate T-Sport. Which is why Americans love it so much. When you think testosterone you think Maximum strength, you can’t pace yourself when you need maximum strength. The only way to regain it is to have a break, which you get in Football with every down. You have Agression, Maximum impact/contact, accuracy, speed and heart when you understand that you can’t help but like it.

I’d say stick to highlights, then last years Giants/patriots game and you can get into it. Some really good college football games to watch are Texas and USC from 2005(I think) it’s the year when Texas won the Championship, and Florida’s championship against Ohio State. The Florida game is where you see how incredibly dominant a team can be when it has 10x more Strength and Speed then the other team, similar to the Giants Defense when they played the patriots.

You have to remember when you see it some of these guys are 6’5 265 +/- lbs breaking through 350+ lbs lines to tackle a quarterback in less then 3 seconds.

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[quote]G87 wrote:
Games it is! I stand corrected :).

Thanks, pushmepullme. I’ll check that game out.

SSC, I’m not even sure what to say… But, I can tell you that the reason I always found the game boring were frequent stops. Does that help? And why’s college football better?[/quote]

Working and dealing with Europeans for the last 12 years, yours is a common lament I’ve heard and something that Americans find hard to identify with since all of our sports are that way.

Another good game to check out would be last night’s Giants v Panthers game. The Michigan v. Colorado from 1996 is a fantastic game. Maybe the best game to watch would be the 1981 AFC Playoff game between the Chargers and Dolphins. Or, my personal favorite, the November 21, 1987 game between Syracuse and West Virginia. There are so many great games, but these are all right up there.

Just to clarify someone’s earlier point about college football being better, I think he means more enjoyable to watch. The NFL is the pinnacle of American football and has the most talented teams and highest level of execution. There’s just no comparison on that basis.

DB

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The Saints vs. Chargers at Wembley this year was very high scoring. Would be pretty fun to watch. Also check out canadian football league games. The pace is faster, people move around more, and more scoring than NFL or american college football.

I was so bummed when Baltimore dropped their CFL team. :frowning:

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[quote]Doug Adams wrote:
The Saints vs. Chargers at Wembley this year was very high scoring. Would be pretty fun to watch. Also check out canadian football league games. The pace is faster, people move around more, and more scoring than NFL or american college football.

I was so bummed when Baltimore dropped their CFL team. :-([/quote]

I do like the fact that if a punt goes into the end zone, the receiving team gets 1 point. I think that would spice up the punt return game in the NFL and bring back the “coffin corner” skill.

Also, on the pace of the game, go watch a non-televised game. TV timeouts diminish the game.

DB

10

I’m a college football fan so be aware of my own bias, but NFL vs. College football is the same sport with two very different flavors. However, our European friend isn’t likely going to be able to really appreciate those differences right off the bat.

NFL Pros:

  • The best athletes the U.S. has to offer are playing America’s favorite sport at its highest level. If you want to the most well executed football in the world, watch the NFL.

  • Teams and players are very evenly matched. There are about 4 elite teams, 4 garbage teams, and 28 teams that are a couple of plays or injuries away from being 8-8. That means games are usually pretty competitive, even if it’s a 9-5 team playing a 5-9 team.

NFL Cons:

  • The players and teams are so evenly matched that it benefits teams to “play not to lose”. That is, don’t take risks, don’t try to make things happen, play not to lose. It can be frustrating to watch teams continually run draw plays on 3rd and 9 because they don’t want to risk a sack, fumble, or interception.

  • The atmosphere surrounding the game is significantly more sterile and business-like than the college game. It is sometimes clear that the players are playing for their paychecks, and not because they give a damn about winning.

College Football Pros:

  • Teams “play to win”. College football rewards teams that take risks and shake things up. So you see a lot more teams throwing deep, blitzing the house on 3rd and long, running reverses and trick plays, etc…

  • Atmospheres at college games are much more lively, much more similar to European Soccer matches (from what I can tell) than NFL games. The crowds can often make a significant impact on the outcome of the game, whereas NFL teams might as well be playing in an empty warehouse for all the impact the crowd has.

College Football Cons:

  • Games are often a mismatch between powerhouse schools and cupcake schools. There are a LOT more blowouts in College Football than in the NFL.

  • Close games are often decided by mistakes and miscues. Some people hate seeing a great game decided on a dropped pass. You see this in college a lot more often than in the NFL.

Neither a PRO nor a CON:

  • Momentum means a great deal in college football. College football games often look like a tug-of-war, where domination of the game flows back and forth between the two teams.

Big leads mean much less in the pros, and that can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your opinion.

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Great College Football Games you might want to check out (all of these games were GREAT football games, and most had National Championship implications):

2005 Rose Bowl (#4 Texas (10-1) vs. # 11 Michigan (9-2))

2006 Rose Bowl (#2 Texas (12-0) vs. #1 USC (12-0))

2007 Fiesta Bowl (#9 Oklahoma (11-2) vs. # 10 Boise State (12-0))

2006 Insight Bowl (Texas Tech vs. Minnesota) *don’t remember team details

2003 Fiesta Bowl (#2 Ohio State (13-0) vs. #1 Miami (FL) (12-0))

2005 #2 Texas (1-0) @ #3 Ohio State (2-0)

[b]2008 #5 Texas (5-0) vs. #1 Oklahoma (5-0)

2008 #1 Texas (8-0) @ #5 Texas Tech (8-0)[/b]

Yes, there’s also 2008 #2 Texas Tech (10-0) @ #5 Oklahoma (9-1), but that one was a bloodbath

2008 #1 USC (2-0) @ Oregon State (1-2)

2008 #2 Florida (11-1) vs. #1 Alabama (12-0)

2002 Alabama (1-0) @ #3 Oklahoma (1-0)

Old-School Special:
1971 #1 Nebraska (11-0) @ #2 Oklahoma (11-0) - dubbed afterward as “The Game of the Century.”

I’ll let someone else find NFL games.

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[quote]tGunslinger wrote:

  • Atmospheres at college games are much more lively, much more similar to European Soccer matches (from what I can tell) than NFL games. The crowds can often make a significant impact on the outcome of the game, whereas NFL teams might as well be playing in an empty warehouse for all the impact the crowd has.

[/quote]

Wow how can you say that? True a regular season College crowd is more amped and quite loud, but have you ever watched ANY football playoff game? Those crowds are extremely live and impact the game.

Even during the regular season the Seahawks home games are ridiculous, as are KC(when they are playing well) Jets games (J-E-T-S, JETS! JETS! JETS!) The Dog pound in Cleavland, Even the Dallas Cowgirls have a great crowd presence. I’ve seen many a false start penalty or time out called due to crowd noise. Teams even practice with speakers blaring when they are going into hostile territory or if they have a division rival game coming up. The 12th man exists in the NFL.

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There is a cost of entry associated with any sport. If you don’t understand the rules, history, tactics, players, and particulars of a sport, you are less likely to enjoy when it is played, regardless of the aptitude possessed by the athletes. I think that Gridiron and Basketball are both like this. Where half of the enjoyment is understanding the match-ups, the planning and the preparation.

Gridiron can be pretty boring if you’re not indoctrinated into it, because of all the stoppage, but if you think of it as a game of match-ups, a strategic metaphor of offense and defense expressed through advancement and holding. Then the tensions of a game begin to rise, and you can begin to see where the excitement is found.

If there is a legitimate criticism of modern NBA basketball, I would say that there is often far too much Referee involvement, and far too many games come down to who can tactically get the right foul calls at the right times. When that happens, 47 minutes of gameplay almost feel invalid. But, it makes up for it by having, generally, 47 minutes of fast-paced, athletic powerhouse performance.

Soccer is boring for a lot of Americans I think because it is so low scoring, and it takes so long to score a goal. But when you really take the time to involve yourself in that effort it takes to score just one stinking goal, then every shot on goal, and every breakaway possession, and every tackle and interception…etc. begins to excite.

But all of that aside, if you aren’t rooting for someone, the enjoyment of any sport diminishes. Acknowledge when the opposition has a good play, but keep cheering for your team and you’ll have a good time even if you’re watching curling.

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The most exciting NFL games that I’ve watched (in order):

2005 AFC Divisional Playoffs - PIT @ IND; A guy in Pittsburgh literally had a heart attack at the end of this game. He recovered in time to see us win the Super Bowl though.

Super Bowl XLII - NE vs. NYG; Probably the biggest upset since the Jets beat the Colts in Super Bowl III.

Super Bowl XXXIV - TEN vs. STL; Best Super Bowl I had ever seen before XLII.

2000 AFC Wildcard Playoffs - BUF @ TEN; Best special teams play I’ve ever seen. AKA The Music City Miracle.

1989 AFC Wildcard Playoffs - PIT @ HOU; This is the first football game I can remember watching. I think I was 7 years old.

2000 Regular Season - STL @ TB; This was a rematch of the 1999 NFC title game. Crazy back and forth game.

2003 Regular Season - IND @ TB; Peyton Manning leads one of the best comebacks of all time.

1992 AFC Wild Card Playoffs - HOU @ BUF - The Bills make the best comeback in NFL history.

1998 NFC Wild Card Playoffs - GB @ SF; Terrell Owens makes winning TD catch with :03 on the clock, getting smashed by two Packer defenders. Thus, TO was born.

2007 Regular Season - CLE @ CIN; The two powerhouses of mediocrity combine for almost 100 pts in a battle of tough defensive units.

And now some Steeler games that almost gave me a stroke:
2005 Regular Season - PIT @ SD; One of Big Ben’s most important comeback wins from that year.

2004 AFC Divisional Playoffs - NYJ @ PIT; I thought my dad was going to buy it at the end of this one. Thank God it’s a bitch kicking FGs at Heinz Field.

2006 Regular Season - PIT @ CIN; I love this one because we came back and won in OT to knock Cinci out of the playoffs despite the fact that the game meant nothing to us.

2008 Regular Season - BAL @ PIT, PIT @ JAX, SD @ PIT, DAL @ PIT, and PIT @ BAL; This season the Steelers are going to put me on blood pressure meds. Every fucking week is insane.

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Wow. Thanks to everyone for the great responses. It’s gonna be a couple of weeks until I can actually watch all these games, but I’m gonna get to torrenting them tomorrow.

Gunslinger, I can tell from your pro-con blow-by-blow that you prefer the College version :slight_smile: I guess you could compare this to the top leagues or local leagues in soccer, to some extent. I have friends who root for awful local teams playing in awful local leagues. The soccer in itself is horrendous, but it’s all about the spirit to them. To me, it’s a lot more enjoyable to watch world cups and the big leagues.

I would suppose that there is far less of a difference in ability between college football and the NFL, though: I’m guessing most of the guys in the former go on to play in the latter! Plus, larger-scale competitions draw huge crowd support in soccer. I’m in no way a connoiseur of the game, but that’s the impression I get, anyway.

Malevolence, I guess it’s just a matter of exposure and experience. OK, I doubt I’ll ever find baseball or cricket interesting, but as far as basketball, soccer, football variants, and most other sports go, I’m pretty open-minded. BTW, in high-level football, there’s a fair amount of bitching and crywing wolf as far as fouls go, too. Sure can ruin a good moment.

Steel Nation - hahaha, I realised all the games involved Pittsburgh, and only then did I notice your home state :slight_smile:

I gotta say, you Americans get the best of too many things. Cheap goods, good food, and college-level sports that are well-funded (!) and actually generate public interest (!!) + local support (!!!). Fuck my place of residence :frowning:

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[quote]G87 wrote:
I would suppose that there is far less of a difference in ability between college football and the NFL, though: I’m guessing most of the guys in the former go on to play in the latter! Plus, larger-scale competitions draw huge crowd support in soccer. I’m in no way a connoiseur of the game, but that’s the impression I get, anyway.

Steel Nation - hahaha, I realised all the games involved Pittsburgh, and only then did I notice your home state :slight_smile:

I gotta say, you Americans get the best of too many things. Cheap goods, good food, and college-level sports that are well-funded (!) and actually generate public interest (!!) + local support (!!!). Fuck my place of residence :([/quote]

About 2-3% of NCAA Division IA college football players end up on an NFL roster for more than 3 years. That’s not a lot, but I don’t know anything about European football, so to you that could very well be “most” of them.

Yeah, I am obviously biased, as my screen name and avatar will attest. But at least I’ll admit it!

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they play basketball in europe, its just boring after in comparison to an american girls high school game.

the boston celtics > spain’s olympic team.

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One thing to note, college football is way different than professional.

In college:

  1. Only have to have 1 foot down for a completion

  2. Teams can score above 50 points, a LOT.

  3. Stat whoring for heisman trophy nod. (1st and goal from the 1, Tebow QB run 3 plays in a row, etc)

  4. Reliance on white QBs to run and not pass. It’s damn near glorified rugby. And if you watch U of Texas games, you’ll hear the announcers suck dick about how Shipley and McCoy’s dads were roommates and that McCoy is the new Jesus… even though it’s 5 yard passes to shipley who runs for 25.

I recommend watching any New England Patriots game from last year up until the Super Bowl.

And the guy up there ^^^ recommended pretty much every Steelers game ever. I recommend not doing that because defensive games bore me to tears… I need to see at least a few touchdowns, but not 10 like college.

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[quote]dollarbill44 wrote:
Another good game to check out would be last night’s Giants v Panthers game.
[/quote]

For the record, I was at this game. I sat in section 201, and had the perfect seat in the house for that missed field goal for the win.

I was off the fucking walls.

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[quote]msd0060 wrote:
I recommend watching any New England Patriots game from last year up until the Super Bowl.

And the guy up there ^^^ recommended pretty much every Steelers game ever. I recommend not doing that because defensive games bore me to tears… I need to see at least a few touchdowns, but not 10 like college.[/quote]

  1. The Patriots played in some very boring football games last year. Two exceptions are NE vs. BAL and NE vs. PHI. Those were tight ones that were pretty exciting. And the Super Bowl of course.

  2. Yeah our games have been short on offense and heavy on violence this year. I can understand if that’s not your thing. But when the weather gets cold, Steeler fans get a little thirsty for blood.