Welcome Mate, Do I read this as Essen Crow Don.........Do you support both??? HEH TBJ, you are gunna be FAMOUS over here!!!!!!! Get ready for the book signings and TV interviews :rofl: Hey, you could even do special comments on the TV for our footy games!!!:rofl: OR a weekly radio spot describing the punts!!! :grin: Bloody hell Mate, YOU COULD BE FAMOUS!!! (sorry, could not resist)
How does the man do it. Not Ben..but tbj. One of my favorite threads on this board..and I have no damn clue why.
Welcome aboard my friend. Im tbj's agent. Please feel free to pm me with any offers you might hear about for interviews etc. Flights to Australia are welcomed and of course....WE fly only first class.
One of the reasons I onjoy this thread each week is because it has actual information in it, rather than speculation and opinion. That the information is backed up by good analysis makes it that much better.
Thanks TBJ, Always love the read. I think we should send this in to the Melbourne 24 hour sport station SEN down here - maybe that could do a phone interview with you - how's the voice? As an aside. The AFL fixture (you call it Schedule) was realised for next year today. With 16 teams and only 22 weeks - we have all sides play each other once - and then you get to play another 7 teams a second time. Instead of this being - random - weighted by positions last year (eg bottom teams play the bottom teams) - use a formula It is decided by league based on 'maximising attendances' - so the nice games are always playeed (for example it would be JEts vs Giants). What this means is that certain teams always getting a better deal than others EVERY YEAR. Question. I have previously thought that the NFL fixture was set using a pre-determined formula - you play teams in your divsion twice and then certain other teams based on where you finished last year. So is that true? And do you believe it is fair?
:rofl: Actually, truth be told, I enjoy all of your posts the most. Its like watching Monty Python but instead, the talk is about the Jets and it comes from a much bigger island. JOKE! You Aussies know how much we have enjoyed the taking over of the board by the boys down under. In fact, since Benny is in his 30's now, I would advise the scouting team for the Jets to find our next punter now. He is probably in his early teens, so lets get crackin.
Pfft as if we'd leave the Jets now. Have you seen some of the other Aussies AFL teams? All shizen yet they're still fans so you know they're loyal :lol: But still... I'm in my teens, pick me pick me!
:rofl: So you guys are in for good..even after Bens retirement. I know I have seen it before...but are you guys telling me that they dont show the Jet games at all down there? Even on tape? Do you get any highlights of the game or Ben?
Well for every game so far this year except half of last weeks I have been relying on the game threads when I stay up for the game. Fairly sure it would be the same for others. That was until someone linked me to sopcast I think it was. First time watching the Jets live :up: Foxtel (satellite TV) shows other teams barely ever the Jets. We can get highlights off NFL.com but that's about it. But I did see Justin Miller's kickoff TD return from a few weeks ago as the "Play of the Day" on the sports report.
You Aussies are too funny! Me on Australian soprts radio? Hey, why not.... I've been on radio in NY a few times as a stupid call-in listener. I think I was even sober once! Since there are some new readers to the BG report, I can include some more basic stuff next week, as I did last year, explaing what a fair catch is, a touch back .... things like that. Jaywayne.... WE? :wink: LMAO. Welcome aboard, E Don! St Kilda, as far as that AFL schedule, I think that's lousy. The NFL schedule is much more even. Each year the teams play the other 3 in their division twice. Then those four teams will play one game apiece against two other divisions on a rotating basis each year. There are 8 divisions total, so every 4 years or so, the Jets will have played every team at least once. That leaves two game remaining for this year. Those two games are based on a team's won-loss record the year before. Since we came in last, we play the last place team in the AFC West division, while NE who won our division last year will play the top finisher in the AFC West from last year. It's basically a fair and balanced schedule. We play the same teams that the other teams in our division will play... except for those two games, when weak teams play weak teams and strong teams play strong teams. The NFL does fool around some in the interest of making $. Since most of the money comes from television, this year they reserved the right to change a Sunday day game to a nationally televised Sunday night game, for the bigger audience. They naturally want to pick games that feature the better games for higher ratings. They used to have a fixed schedule for the night broadcasts, but sometimes by the time the game is played, one or both teams may be out of the playoff race. That hurt the TV ratings. The kind of schedule the AFL is using would cause a tremendous uproar here. Even the NFL isn't willing to make the fans that angry. We do look forward to playing the NY Giants every few years though.
Damn, you caught the WE huh tbj...thought maybe, with the hangover and everything, you would stare right past that one. haha. Hey..all kidding aside..you do a helluva job with these threads. Even better than the thread itself is listening to the enjoyment our new found friends get from the job you do. Great stuff.
i am now a jets fan for life...im gotten into the game more and the players, team etc... that im not a jet for life. also, noticed Ben has 12 inside 20's already this year comapred to 16 last year...is that a telling stat???
Punting stats are hard to interpret. As far as the inside the twenty stat, Graham has had more opportunities to increase that number because the team usually moves the ball closer to the other end of the field than they did last year. I tend to look at TB's (touchbacks) vs. inside the twenty. He has 4 TB's and 12 inside the twenty. Last year he totalled 6 TB's and 18 inside the twenty. At least one of his TB's this year should have been downed inside the five though. Brad Smith had his foot on the goal line when he touched the ball.... rookie mistake. It just isn't very easy to compare punters based on stats. The average return is an indicator of both hang time and how well a team covers punts on special teams. Something else stats can't show... how well a punter uses the sideline. Keeping the ball in the middle of the field allows the returner more directions to run in. A good punter will use the sideline to cut the returners options down. That makes it easier for the punt coverage team. Against teams with very good return men, a good punter will kick away from that player. Long low punts are very dangerous.... even though they make for a nice stat line in gross average. That makes it much more difficult for the punt coverage team. You want your coverage team to arrive at the punt returner when the ball does. That's what a good hang time does for a team. Ben's numbers have been hurt by several plays this year. The mistake Brad Smith made, and that shank after he rocketed that one punt for 70 yards that was called back on a penalty. Those two plays alone cost him 70 yards on his gross (44.3 vs.49.0) average and even more on his net average. If those two plays don't happen the way they did, he'd be he #3 punter for gross average in the NFL right now!
