butta54 371 Posted August 30, 2015 (edited) I'm not sure if there is anyway to structure this conversation. Just focusing on the NFL I guess, but feel free to bring up your favorite college team or the game in general. I love football simply because it is a very complex sport with so many layers to it that can affect how your team performs especially when getting to the NFL level. Some will say HS is the most difficult (and it can be), but the NFL you are adding in the fact that players are grown men and sometimes older than the coach. So every level has it's issues. Where else do you get such a chess match of lining up the formations and personnel.....the layers of psychology of trying to get players to execute to the highest level while avoid the pitfalls of a celebrity life.....to the evaluation and work of the draft and building a team through free agency. Just exciting TV all around. But I guess at the heart of it. I love watching football and coaching it because it is such a hard sport that QUICKLY separates the men from the boys as you are forced to meet with failure and overcome it as quickly as it arrives or risk being completely defeated. It is a great sport and watching it as a fan is just your team representing your city as you represent them...displaying the personality of the people and giving the city a reason to rally around something. SO many reasons....but what's yours? Edited August 30, 2015 by Buttriots 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Piggly Wiggly 960 Posted August 30, 2015 The strategy, the logistics, the physicality and violence, the chess matches and in-game adjustments, the unpredictability, the fact that it's played in any element (minus lightning), the lead-up to each week and the fact it's not dragged out like an 82 or 162-game season, etc., etc. 9 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge+ 3,436 Posted August 30, 2015 This song/video pretty much sums it up. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted August 30, 2015 I like it because I like I'm a degenerate gambler. >_> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bay 2,003 Posted August 30, 2015 Excitement, hard hits. That's all i need. Lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FartWaffles 1,857 Posted August 30, 2015 I actually really detest football. I just pretend to like it so I can fit in with you guys. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted August 30, 2015 (edited) Because Bernard Pollard hit Tom Brady's knee one year and we got to see an entire season without that whiny ugg-wearing bitch boy back there. On a more serious note, I think the sheer difficulty of it is what makes me love the NFL so much. I particularly enjoy watching good cornerbacks like Sherman, Haden, Revis, Grimes, Harris Jr, and now Xavier Rhodes, because they might be the select group of people with the hardest job in the world. Edited August 30, 2015 by BwareDWare94 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ATL_Predator+ 1,196 Posted August 30, 2015 Defense, Defense, and more Defense. I don't care too much for offensive football whatsoever. I like low-scoring, chess match type games. Where one slip up on D could decide a game because the offense can't figure out what the hell is going on...where pressures are coming from, coverages, etc. I hate how the NFL is more favorable to players on offense with penalties and such...makes the defenders job tougher than it already is, and to me those are the guys that should be getting the real money. Offense knows what they're running and will generally do what they wish...it's the defenses that can reverse that line of thinking and dictate to how the offense plays...that are truly special and to me what makes football great. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
butta54 371 Posted August 30, 2015 Because Bernard Pollard hit Tom Brady's knee one year and we got to see an entire season without that whiny ugg-wearing bitch boy back there. On a more serious note, I think the sheer difficulty of it is what makes me love the NFL so much. I particularly enjoy watching good cornerbacks like Sherman, Haden, Revis, Grimes, Harris Jr, and now Xavier Rhodes, because they might be the select group of people with the hardest job in the world. Agreed CBs have the hardest job in the NFL. Have to move backwards while some of the fastest athletes in the world run routes at full speed at you. There is a very fine art to coverage with multiple aspects. Coaching DBs this year I have realized how hard it is to even teach these skills and how much CONFIDENCE plays into good DB performance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteVo+ 3,702 Posted August 30, 2015 As far as the specifics of the game: The strategy, the logistics, the physicality and violence, the chess matches and in-game adjustments, the unpredictability, the fact that it's played in any element (minus lightning), the lead-up to each week and the fact it's not dragged out like an 82 or 162-game season, etc., etc. ^Fucking nailed it. Bravo, Phil. But just as much as the game itself, it's the gravity of Sundays. It's the feeling of waking up Sunday knowing it's game day. The rush of going to the grocery store and hurrying home. The anticipation when the pre-game shows come on at noon. The all-day event of game after game, trying to follow everything around the league while being glued to the TV when the Eagles are playing. Honestly, so much of it has to do with the 16-game format. If hockey teams only played once per week, I'd be fucking glued to the TV every time the Flyers played. 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted August 30, 2015 Defense, Defense, and more Defense. I don't care too much for offensive football whatsoever. I like low-scoring, chess match type games. Where one slip up on D could decide a game because the offense can't figure out what the hell is going on...where pressures are coming from, coverages, etc. I hate how the NFL is more favorable to players on offense with penalties and such...makes the defenders job tougher than it already is, and to me those are the guys that should be getting the real money. Offense knows what they're running and will generally do what they wish...it's the defenses that can reverse that line of thinking and dictate to how the offense plays...that are truly special and to me what makes football great. I particularly hate when a defensive battle is going on the NFL and people are spouting off shit like "This isn't good defense, it's inept offense!" No, it isn't. Sometimes people forget that these are professional athletes and that alone throws the idea of ineptitude out of the window. Yes, certain single individuals are truly inept at the NFL level (Ryan Lindley), but if it's a low scoring game, the high level of defensive play should be appreciated. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DBR96A 87 Posted August 30, 2015 (edited) What I love about football: 1. The organized chaos. There are 22 players on the field at any given time, and much of the action looks like a scrum, but there's a strategy to everything they do. If even one player screws up his assignment, the butterfly effect can prove disastrous for his team, and bountiful for his opponent. 2. The physicality and psychology. Football is a test of will, and teams exert it through their strength, speed and discipline. Every collision is a test of that will, and the most resilient team wins. The battle makes each victory sweeter, and each defeat more agonizing. Then it's right back to work, preparing for the next game. 3. The significance of every game. Major League Baseball has 162 games, and the NBA and NHL each have 82 games, so the abundance of games makes them less special. The NFL has 16 games, though, and college football has 12 games, making each one significant. Each weekend is a release of pent-up energy and suspense. 4. The atmosphere. There's nothing in sports quite like a frenzied crowd in the stands, 60,000 to 90,000 strong, exploding with joy and making the stadium shake with each big play by the home team. Every game day is a day of fun, with pre-game tailgate parties, and post-game unwinding at the bar watching other games. 5. The camaraderie. Football gives complete strangers something to talk about, and friendships can form when people have common hobbies and interests. Bonus points if they also have common team allegiances. Relaxing with food, drink and other people for three hours during a game is a good bonding ritual. 6. The travel opportunities. Football games are a great excuse for people to travel. When the new schedule is released in April, football fans can circle a weekend or two on their calendars and make arrangements. Road trips in particular are great, because getting to the destination becomes part of the fun. So that's what I love about football. Edited August 30, 2015 by DBR96A 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DBR96A 87 Posted August 30, 2015 (edited) I particularly hate when a defensive battle is going on the NFL and people are spouting off shit like "This isn't good defense, it's inept offense!" No, it isn't. Sometimes people forget that these are professional athletes and that alone throws the idea of ineptitude out of the window. Yes, certain single individuals are truly inept at the NFL level (Ryan Lindley), but if it's a low scoring game, the high level of defensive play should be appreciated. I hate that too. Shootouts can be fun sometimes, but so can defensive struggles. It's awesome watching two teams with good defenses smack the shit out of each other, and it makes victory sweeter for the winning team. One game I'll always have fond memories of was the second matchup between the Steelers and Ravens in 2010. Ben Roethlisberger had his nose broken; Heath Miller was damn near decapitated, and the game in general was full of bone-crushing hits, but a key play late in the game by Troy Polamalu swung the momentum, and a key play by Roethlisberger decided the game. The Steelers won 13-10, but it was a compelling game nonetheless, especially since the AFC North was on the line. I was on edge all game, but boy, did I sleep well that night! Edited August 30, 2015 by DBR96A Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seanbrock 1,684 Posted August 30, 2015 Personally I love it and was inspired to play it because my family loves the Eagles and every time the Eagles played it was on my TV my whole life. I remember I really started to get into football in 1999, the year the Eagles drafted Donovan McNabb. They sucked that year but I remember pretty vividly him taking over for Doug Pederson. McNabb, Dawkins, Duce Staley and Hugh Douglas. I will always have love for those dudes because they gave me some of my earliest and most fond memories of the game. I started playing football at age 11. Same year I got my PS2 and it came with Gran Tourismo which was cool, but I went out and got Madden 2001 with Culpepper on the cover and that's where I fell in love with the game even more. I played ball all the way up until my sophomore year in HS. Got expelled my junior year and the coaches hated me so I didn't play my senior year but my love for the game grew stronger. I remember before I started posting on message boards I would watch all the NFL network specials, I would read books and I would use my directv to check stats. There was a channel for it lol. When I started posting on message boards though starting with the Eagles message board is when I started to learn a lot more about the game and about how the NFL works. I gravitated to the smarter fans because I'm sure you guys all know how dumb fans on team boards can be. Then came TGP (TFP). I won't lie, I was probably more knowledgable than your average fan for sure but when I came here I learned a lot about the NFL. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted August 30, 2015 (edited) There is nothing more boring than a game that ends based on who gets the ball last. Great defense=Unpredictability. That's exactly why the college game has lost a good bit of its appeal, especially at the FBS level with the exception of a handful of conferences (SEC, Big 10). Edited August 30, 2015 by BwareDWare94 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CampinWithaMissingPerson 2,025 Posted August 30, 2015 Phil nailed most of it. Just to add on some personal shit; one of my earliest football memories was my dad making a bet on the 1994 Orange Bowl and watching it at our house with all the lights off in the living room and my mom sleeping just me and him and he let me stay up late and watch. Florida State versus Nebraska for the title. He put the bet on Nebraska to cover (17 1/2 point underdogs.) As a kid watching football was something I could do with my dad that we both liked. Then with friends we actually played, then we got into Pop Warner and then into HS football etc. A lot of the time my mom would have to go to work on Saturday and if she couldn't find a sitter or daycare she'd bring me to work and I'd sit in this office room and watch football on the TV (where I saw the 96 Jags-Bills wildcard game and fell for Jags for good.) In 4th grade the only hot teacher I had in my entire schooling career Ms. Hinson (who then recently graduated from FSU) would bring in current or former players and the teacher across the hall (who just graduated from UF) would do the same. They were both probably getting smashed now that I think about it But yeah, was cool to see those players as a kid (only one I remember was Kearse, prob because he was the only one who was good beyond college as well as a local.) So it's always just kind of been around me as a kid so it was a kind of communal thing too, an institution and when I was stuck in boring situations it was something to be entertained by on the TV. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bucman 891 Posted August 30, 2015 Phil nailed it. Can't think of a better sport to sit around and watch with family. Especially on the holidays. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theMileHighGuy 656 Posted August 31, 2015 I love football for many reasons. Many of which Phil mentioned. In school, I loved football for the team aspect, the camaraderie, the going to war with your brothers. Watching football on gameday makes me very nostalgic for that. I love football because it is first and foremost a team sport. On almost every play, every guy out there is going 100%, each player means something to each play. You really can't say that about any other sport. It's very, very rare that one player can dominate a game on his own. Even the greatest RBs and QBs are nothing without their o-lines, the great receivers nothing without their QBs, and so on. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BenGone 35 Posted September 1, 2015 Because it's like chess with real people. Every game is an emotional roller coaster. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites