dviking’s profile

The angle with penalties does change the point.
In football (at every level) facemasking is illegal. Do it and you are charged with a penalty.
In hockey, fighting also gets you a penalty.

The difference is, no NFL team has a brute on the bench who's job it is to go out an purposely facemask a player that put a hard hit on a player. NFL players will call out dirty players, and they seem to be able to deal with it.

And, to send the goon out to go start a fight with the intent of swinging momentum, or to send a message may work, however, that doesn't make it right. Throwing a bean ball at a hitter's head sends a message in baseball, doesn't make it right, and players do get hurt/killed as a result.

As I said in the other thread, I don't expect the NHL to take action as so many fans seem to enjoy it. It's just not the hockey I grew up playing.
So, meatsaber you don't have to worry, I won't ruin it for you. I still have the NCAA!

posted at 01:47 AM on January 09

I guess if it were always the enforcer fighting the other team's enforcer, or at least an enforcer fighting someone that clearly took a cheap shot, then I'd agree with fighting having a place.
That's not the case, so I'm not for it.

The game can be played without goons that can barely skate.

Not sure I understand the Lorenzo Neal slant. Has he been fighting too? He plays a position well, and what he does is part of the game. There is no penalty for blocking someone. What Laraque does results in a penalty. Now if Neal's job was to go out and fight any player that made a extra hard hit on one of his teammates, then I'd understand the link.

posted at 05:37 PM on January 08

While I obviously do not have inside information on his contract, given that he violated a direct order makes it more like he resigned rather than was terminated.

Hard to believe that any long-term contract would not have provisions for leaving early built into them, so I have to believe that there was language in his contract covering this. If there were no stipulations against interviewing for other jobs, and Jagodzinski was truly fired just for looking, they BC might be on the hook for some money.

I'm sure more details will be coming.

posted at 05:13 PM on January 07

As someone that has played a fair amount of hockey, though very little at a level at which fighting was allowed, I think it is a bit of an over-simplification to say that NHL fighting is not done on an emotional level.
Sure, there are the enforcer related fights, however, I don't think the enforcer explains the fights one sees towards the end of a game that out of reach, or those in the playoffs in which one team is about to close out a series. Frustration accounts for those fights, not enforcer mentality.

That the high school and college levels seem to be able to play without fighting makes me question the need for it in the NHL. Though I think the league will be slow to take action as the fans tend to love the fights.

This past week's outdoor game between the Blackhawks and Red Wings brought back memories. All the games for the first 10 years I played were outside! Tough sport to say the least!

posted at 12:37 AM on January 04

Bmoskowitz, umm, me thinks you need to familiarize yourself with how the playoffs work in the NFL.

posted at 04:21 PM on January 02

The main issue with having the Pro Bowl right before the next season is that no one would want to get dinged up right before games that count.
With the game the week before the Super Bowl, even fairly major injuries would have time to mend.

posted at 12:37 PM on January 02

I kind of like it.
I rarely watch the game with current set up as after the Super Bowl the Pro Bowl is so anti-climatic. This way the game takes place while I still have some interest in NFL football.

Does suck that players from the Super Bowl teams won't be playing, but in other All Star games some good players opt out each year, so I really don't see that as too big of an issue.

Having it the week before the Super Bowl almost mandates that it take place in the same city as the Super Bowl, which I think is fine. More people will get a chance to see the Pro Bowl than they do now. In a few years when the Super Bowl comes to Dallas, I would consider going to the Pro Bowl, especially if I can score some comp tickets.

posted at 07:22 PM on January 01

As a Viking fan living in Dallas, I had to love the outcome of today's games.

First the Vikes took care of business, yes, it was mostly the Giant's second string, and then the Eagles embarrass the Cowboys.

Should be fun to watch the self-destruction of the boys in the media over the next couple of week. Jones has said that Phillips was in place, we'll see now that they're out of the playoffs.

posted at 11:42 PM on December 28

I put the Yankees with the Cowboys as teams that I love to hate.
Both have owners that don't give a shit about the sport, just want to buy championships as if that somehow makes them better men.
With any luck the Yankees will self destruct.

posted at 01:13 AM on December 24

Maybe we could tie the points awarded for a field goal to the distance of the kick. And, I would use the line of scrimmage as the determination point.

Kick a field goal from inside the 20 get one point. Over 20 but less than 30 yards get two points, anything over 30 yards gets the full 3 points.

posted at 05:15 PM on December 22

Rcade, while I agree that the recent play of the Cowboys may have lessened some of the hate, I still can not think of a team that generates anywhere near the hate that the Cowboys do. Even cases of intra-divisional/geographical rivalries (Green Bay and the Vikings, for example), don't rise to the level of hatred for the Dallas team.

Just too much to love about hating them.

posted at 12:16 AM on December 22

While I love the idea, don't see any chance it would be considered.

However, I do think something should be done to make the extra point more exciting. Perhaps moving it back ten yards?

posted at 03:38 PM on December 21