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Goodell says the players should stand. Says the owners will be meeting to discuss making it mandatory. I suspect they will split the baby and allow players that don't want to stand to stay in the locker room until after the anthem.

Second prediction is that unless viewership and opinion makes an almost full recovery, Goodell will be out before this season ends.

Hogan starting over Kizer.

Kizer has shown some flashes of ability, but you can't argue those stats. You also can't put it on the WRs or anyone else when a second year rookie comes in and drives the team to two touchdowns. And here's the best thing I can say about Hogan: As a Steelers fan, I'd take him over Dobbs and Jones right now. Ben is going to retire, and I'd feel ok with Hogan at the helm over those two.

Although, to be fair, he'd still fail because Tomlin is our coach.

Vince wrote: Says the owners will be meeting to discuss making it mandatory. I suspect they will split the baby and allow players that don't want to stand to stay in the locker room until after the anthem.

That's an option for compromise, but the players will rebel against that because they'll claim their first amendment rights are being violated. I think the NFL is going to offer them a lot of ad time and money towards various organizations to support their cause.

Vince wrote: Second prediction is that unless viewership and opinion makes an almost full recovery, Goodell will be out before this season ends.

Goodell might be gone, but it'll have nothing to do with viewership and opinion. The right leaning media outlets have really been hammering a false narrative on the anthem thing. The NFL is not hurting in ratings. It's a lie. Are they down? Yes, but it's not the doom and gloom Fox News has been saying. (I'm specifically pointing to them right now because I just had this debate with a Fox News watcher.)

We all know you can make numbers tell any story if you present them a certain way. Remember how Forrest Gump was proven, in court, to have not made a profit?

The story is NFL ratings are down 10% and it's because of the anthem protests. Yes, there are people not watching because players are taking a knee, but also because Kaep hasn't been hired yet. (You don't hear about that group on the news.) However, did you know that at the end of week 3 or 4, I forget which, ratings were up 3% over the previous year? Weird how that didn't get more traction. Did you know that the NFL on FOX has equal or increased ratings over last year? Have you heard a single NFL ratings report that mentions cable cutting? Ratings of everything are down, yet we're pretending this is only hitting the NFL?

Long story short: Yes, people aren't watching over the protests, but the NFL is doing just fine.

For example: Record ad revenue in 2017.

Anyway, aside from the public disasters stemming from his player discipline Goodell has done a good job for the NFL. The ratings and opinion thing isn't on him at all, so why would they fire him for that? That's not on him. The NFL had no rule about the anthem. What is he supposed to enforce?

No, if he gets fired or leaves, it'll be because of Ezekel Elliot. You may hear a different story publicly, but the real story is Jerry Jones is the most powerful owner and he's not happy with Goodell.

Goodell will be gone because the front office has been handling personnel issues horribly. He is straight up a liberal progressive like his father and he runs his business like one. He gave the league a black eye (excuse the pun) with how he handled the Ray Rice thing. Not much has improved since then. He's done a shit job handling this. NFL attitude needs to be "we are protecting the brand above all. We pay you millions to play ball. Be a SJW on your own time. Make us look bad and you're gone."

Let them bitch. Where else are these losers going to make this sort of bank?

Numbers are down. Not all on this. Lot of things coming together (as I've already talked about) that are contributing. This will be the catalyst for ditching Goodell, though.

Vince wrote: Goodell will be gone because the front office has been handling personnel issues horribly.

I thought he hasn't had power over personnel since last year? Didn't the owners take it away from him after the Ray Rice thing?

Also, I was reading an article that I thought I had posted in this thread that his contract extension, just done in August I believe, was almost rubber stamped, but Jones stepped in at the 11th hour to make it just a touch more difficult.

New contract will extend him through 2024.

People whine and complain about the job Goodell is doing because they want someone to blame for the Ray Rices not being punished more and the flag kneeling thing. Fact is Goodell, who I do not like as a person, has done a great job on the business side of things. He just never should have been involved in player punishment issues.

So for him to be fired for the kneeling, the owners would have to think the hundreds of millions (billions?) Goodell has increased the profits of the NFL is worth less than the mostly false narrative about the "massive" number of people tuning out over the anthem thing.

Oh, and keep in mind the owners and NFLPA are already scheduled to meet to discuss resolving that issue once and for all. So I'm not sure who you're watching or reading that's making the Goodell claims, but his job is safe.

UNLESS...

Zeke's punishment makes Jones retaliate.

Some player I never heard of dropped the gauntlet, threatens to quit if forced to stand for the anthem.

http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/trend ... /623933189

He's actually on my fantasy team. Not a massive name. It's worth noting that he deleted the tweet almost immediately.

Not the first player to quit over his convictions. Several Mormons have refused to play in the NFL because of the Sunday thing. Ricky Williams famously quit because he loved marijuana more than football. (Then later returned when he realized he needed money to pay for marijuana.)

The players kneeling for the anthem need to understand that they're hurting their cause. They...sorry, I mean Kaep's left wing girlfriend...stupidly picked a protest that actually offends/disrespects a class of people that the majority of citizens consider heroes. Nobody is talking about injustice and equality. We're only talking about the appropriateness of standing vs kneeling for the anthem. Kneeling for the anthem actually makes us even more divided.

And it's actually pretty much just, "We hate Trump," right?

GORDON wrote: And it's actually pretty much just, "We hate Trump," right?

No, that was just one weekend when he said the NFL should fire the 10 or so players kneeling and called them “sons of bitches”. In response the whole league took a knee.

We’re now back to only a handful of players kneeling.

I think it's because they hate Trump.

We had the same problems under Obama, but there weren't any protests.

GORDON wrote: We had the same problems under Obama, but there weren't any protests.

Actually, Kaepernick started doing the kneeling thing two season ago. That was during Obama's term. Other players followed suit, but it was under a dozen. Trump's tweet caused the mass protests around the league, but again, the following week they have ended.

Man, that's one crazy girlfriend.

Kaep suing the NFL claiming collusion.

Good luck. You have to prove NFL owners have plotted against you. The problem there is YOU opted out of your contract in SF. Also, all reports say Baltimore was going to sign you until your dumb ass girl friend posted a picture of Baltimore's owner and Ray Lewis as a slave owner and slave. Additionally, studies have proven there are fans tuning out because of the protests you started, including completely abandoning their favorite teams. That means signing you is also a bad business decision.

By the way, a QB who is AMAZINGLY popular, to the point where a team would benefit from ticket sales and ratings, and has won a playoff game named Tim Tebow is unemployed too. Must be collusion!

Green Bay is fucked.

Winston hurt.

Leisher wrote: The players kneeling for the anthem need to understand that they're hurting their cause. They...sorry, I mean Kaep's left wing girlfriend...stupidly picked a protest that actually offends/disrespects a class of people that the majority of citizens consider heroes. Nobody is talking about injustice and equality. We're only talking about the appropriateness of standing vs kneeling for the anthem. Kneeling for the anthem actually makes us even more divided.

This is correct. I think one of the big mistakes the NFL has been making with this is that they think they can tell people how they should be interpreting the kneeling. It's one thing to say you have a first amendment right to do this (agree so long as the NFL decides to allow it), it's another to say the fans don't get to interpret the protest as they see it.

Michael Bennett is pretty dumb.

Bennett wants the NFL to give Kaep a job with a team before the players negotiate with them over the anthem.

So Mr. Bennett, what player do you want fired to make room for Kaep? How is it fair that person? Do you also plan to tell your nearby Kroger to hire your brother-in-law or you won't shop there?

How can you think it's ok to make demands upon private business owners? They pay you. They do so because the public pays for the product. You, Kaep, and your ilk are hurting the profits of that product. What makes you think you can demand anything? What kind of jackass thinks they have a right to protest at their fucking job?

Lynch gets tossed for getting physical with ref.

Physical contact with an official carries a fine of $30,387.

Hey, for fun, go back to that Jets-Patriots game from last weekend. Watch that controversial negated Jets TD and see how many Patriots players touch the official after that play. (Hint: It's 3.)

Weird how there weren't any penalties, ejections, or fines there...

I'm working a double tonight (installing and configuring two new switches) so I can't watch, but what the fuck happened at the end of that Chiefs/Raiders game?

The "win percentage" for KC actually hit 100% and they still lost.

Their damn defense got me -3 points too because of that last drive. Fuck.

Leisher wrote: Michael Bennett is pretty dumb.

Bennett wants the NFL to give Kaep a job with a team before the players negotiate with them over the anthem.

So Mr. Bennett, what player do you want fired to make room for Kaep? How is it fair that person? Do you also plan to tell your nearby Kroger to hire your brother-in-law or you won't shop there?

How can you think it's ok to make demands upon private business owners? They pay you. They do so because the public pays for the product. You, Kaep, and your ilk are hurting the profits of that product. What makes you think you can demand anything? What kind of jackass thinks they have a right to protest at their fucking job?

Actually, in light of Bennett's less than honest story about what happened with the Las Vegas police, I'm curious as to why anyone would quote him when dealing with any of these stories. This guy obviously has an ax to grind.

Leisher wrote: I'm working a double tonight (installing and configuring two new switches) so I can't watch, but what the fuck happened at the end of that Chiefs/Raiders game?

The "win percentage" for KC actually hit 100% and they still lost.

Their damn defense got me -3 points too because of that last drive. Fuck.

Was moving through airports, but apparently the odds machine cannot handle an untimed down to end the game. 3 penalties on the 3 prior plays as I understand it. Will have to watch when I get home