londonguy-American football
The 85 Bears are the bane of my existence as a Vikings fan. In high school, I got forced into moving into the Chicago area after living in the Twin Cities area and have forever been hearing about how great the 85 Bears are. I mean, they were great, but there are fully grown men in the Chicago area who would fellate the 85 Bears, including the late Walter Payton. Frankly, I'm glad I no longer live there.
Then again, the most beloved team hasn't been named yet, because the Cubs haven't won the World Series in forever.
American Football is similar to a game the rest of the world know as rugby, in which the places don't wear all that padding and helmets. Except in rugby the ball can't be passed or thrown forwards.
Londonguy:
Our dopey leader of the National Football League strongly wants to move forward with making it an international sport. At least one game is scheduled in London for next year and his plan is to eventually have at least two permanent teams in Europe. London and probably Germany to start.
MH , yeah I heard about that. Sounds like you don't agree with the idea of that happening?
Personally I think most US football fans would love rugby, it's a lot more physical, tactical and brutal imho.
Da '85 Bears team had intrateam strife and drama. Stars and Super Stars and a Coach who never found a need to give Walter Payton a chance to score a TD in the SuperBowl. Ditka refuses to step outta the limelight. Yeah, Chicago and the US loved them.
Londonguy-
I understand his idea. Expanding the league into Europe has the potential of generating a lot of cash for league. Logistically, I don't understand how it will work with teams flying over to Europe. But that's not my main dislike of the him.
Have you read about thd civil lawsuits over head injuries? He is afraid of lawsuits by former players so he is making rules that dramatically changes how one person can hit or tackle another player.
@motorhead,
What do you think that the long term effect of this ongoing concussion controversy will have on the NFL and football in general?
I just read a long piece about this topic. The stats comparing the growth of soccer interest among young boys in USA and the precipitous decline in football participation by those same young boys suggest that something major is happening that will affect American football in the near future. The thesis of the piece was that American moms are refusing to let their young boys play football out of fear for one of these injuries.
Something similar is happening in Canada with hockey. Soccer is booming. Youth hockey is declining among young boys (booming with young girls, however, but from a very low base). Fighting in NHL hockey and the accompanying deleterious long term health effects is now a serious issue. More and more of Canada's hockey moms are becoming soccer moms.
The core of the 85 Bears won just one Super Bowl and head plenty of othe playoff flame outs. Montana's 49ers of that same era won a lot more consistently with a lot less drama.
I have to admit they were one of my favorite teams the night I sat in the Orange Bowl watching the Dolphins (still the only undefeated team) humiliate them. :)
Bless the Giants of February 2008.
@Londonguy - Love rugby played in college and for a bit after. I think if the US in general could learn the rules and truly understand how tough a game rugby is from a physical and conditioning standpoint the game is they would love it.
@Londonguy, As a former Rugby football player (wing 3/4 or occasionally inside half) I can assure you that the prissy sport known as American football has little in common with real rugby football. In the NFL mockery of the real sport; the field is much smaller, they constantly stop play (even when no one is injured), all the players are muffled in gear similar to a 14th century knight and their are great numbers of officials all over the field.
Additionally, in the NFL faux version, players who begin the game are regularly replaced during those constant, irritating stoppages. They (the NFL) even allows complete replacement of the players every few minutes. In recent years the NFL has also begun to regulate what manner of contact is permitted when attempting to tackle an opposing plater. Now the ever present and overly officious referees will stop play (again) and penalize a team because someone was too assertive.
O' for days when 30 hardy (and somewhat less than completely sane) men would walk onto a full sized pitch in shorts and a sturdy cotton shirts to enjoy 80 minutes of unrestrained battle, paused only long enough to remove the injured from the field of play, allowing at it's conclusion the surviving players to stand (stagger) proudly and salute a vanquished (or victorious) opponent with a pint raised high.
How could the 85 Bears have played 28 years ago? How could I go from being a young man to being an old man? My CF was not even born in 1985. Feeling old.
Interested in what you guys said about rugby.
@ Slick, I have rarely seen Aussie rules but from what have it's a lot different from rugby.
@ ime. I agree with you, I only started to see the beauty of the game about ten years ago. Much more of a mans game than soccer.
Yes! When looking at a single year the '85 Bears have serious consideration for greatest ever(and they are in my book).
I say this because in the '80s you had Gibb's Redskins, the Montana/Walsh/Rice '49s, and LT led Giants. Yet that year the Bears absolutely destroyed those great teams.
If going undefeated is the sole requirement to be considered the greatest, that would make Rocky Marciano greater than Muhammad Ali and that, he ain't.
SS,
You sort of just proved my point. First off, one on one competition is MUCH different than a team sport.
Second, a number of, lets say boxers, have gone undefeated, but only ONE pro football team.
End of story!
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