NFL 2015

red terror

True, but NFL is appealing. Will be interesting to see where it lands.

raznomore

I have always had an interest but not always the pay tv connection to follow on a regular basis. I've recently gotten right back in to the NBA because of Steven Adams and now because of Hayne(plus Im a grown ass man and can afford pay TV) I am seriously interested in the NFL.
 
 
Was a Raiders fan because I was a rap fan then followed the Packers because they won a lot. Now I have no affiliation and just want to watch this season and decide on which team to follow based on style of play.

barbarian

Love this quote from a Slate artice re DeflateGate:
 
" All of this was done for the purported purpose of protecting the fairness and integrity of a league that includes a team whose name is a racial slur"

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Razbra" data-cid="513352" data-time="1441329841">
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I have always had an interest but not always the pay tv connection to follow on a regular basis. I've recently gotten right back in to the NBA because of Steven Adams and now because of Hayne(plus Im a grown ass man and can afford pay TV) I am seriously interested in the NFL.
 
 
Was a Raiders fan because I was a rap fan then followed the Packers because they won a lot. Now I have no affiliation and just want to watch this season and decide on which team to follow based on style of play.
</div>
</blockquote>
I'm a Patriots fan, started following them in 1998 when I spent 3 months in Boston - was a good time to start supporting them I guess as the success was just around the corner.
 
Although, TBH I prefer the history of NFL etc to following the seasons accurately ... I only really keep up near Superbowl time.
 
I used to love playing Madden though.

mariner4life

Hayne with a few highlights again today. Flattening a defensive back after a catch looked good for the highlight reel. Couple of nice runs, and a tackle on punt coverage. He's certainly giving this a real shake.

KiwiMurph

Yep Hayne looks likely to take Kendall Hunter's spot on the 53 man squad. Hunter on the come back from an ACL injury but doesn't seem to be the same player. Plus while not as polished, Hayne looks versatile.

raznomore

Noted that while people are loving the novelty of seeing a guy run back everything of the punt the experts are now starting to ask if Hayne knows when to leave the ball and when its on to catch.
 
He picked up a bouncing ball of a punt where most returners apparently would have left it(Im not an expert) and only made 5 yards. If he leaves the ball his team goes to the 20 yard line automatically. If he fumbles the ball the ball it gets worse from there.
So while some are loving his athleticism and America is being forced to admit that there are in fact athletes from other countries who may be pretty good there are just as many people, smart people who can see the chinks in his armour and his progress must be tempered by the fact he isn't playing against the super stars of the sport yet.
 
My worst thought for Hayne is that he gets a sky high punt that allows one of these 10 second runners to get to him and they fold him in half. Being negative gets old though. Loving this story and I hope he gets the opportunity prove himself against the best.

taniwharugby

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Nepia" data-cid="513384" data-time="1441341080">
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I'm a Patriots fan, started following them in 1998 when I spent 3 months in Boston - was a good time to start supporting them I guess as the success was just around the corner.
 
Although, TBH I prefer the history of NFL etc to following the seasons accurately ... I only really keep up near Superbowl time.
 
I used to love playing Madden though.
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</blockquote>
 
Madden was hgow I learnt NFL, and the Patriots were my team I used, which woulda been in the mid-late 90s as well...it inspired me to watch Super Bowl now and again

Sneakdefreak

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote">
 
 
My worst thought for Hayne is that he gets a sky high punt that allows one of these 10 second runners to get to him and they fold him in half. Being negative gets old though. Loving this story and I hope he gets the opportunity prove himself against the best.</blockquote>
 
He'll just wave it off if it is a sky high punt.

mariner4life

And as expected (ok expected for the last 3 weeks) Hayne makes the niners roster. Fucking awesome and well done him. Now the challenge of making an impact on regular season play. 
Great story to have followed.

barbarian

Incredible achievement. We'll be talking about this for decades to come. God help us if he ever gets close to scoring a touchdown, it might end up as a public holiday in Australia.

NTA

Or in Sydney anyway. Let's not forget barb, that outside of two states, they could give less fucks, and in the AFL states they've already had a few of their blokes play NFL as kickers, leaving at later stages of their career (Bennett, Rocca, Graham, etc)
 
Its mostly the Daily NRLegraph doing the flogging.
 
 
I think its great.

barbarian

I think they do care Nick, not as much maybe as Sydney but there still is plenty of coverage. A quick scan of the Melbourne Age and Perth Times websites shows that Hayne is pretty high up on the homepage.

canefan

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="mariner4life" data-cid="513634" data-time="1441492520">And as expected (ok expected for the last 3 weeks) Hayne makes the niners roster. Fucking awesome and well done him. Now the challenge of making an impact on regular season play. 
Great story to have followed.</blockquote>He has the ability to do many facets of the game; punt returns, running back, he could receive screen passes and run, he could play defence on punt returns. I think he'll get his chance and he might be given more to do as he continues to prove he's up to it

nzzp

I'm bloody well amazed. This is an amazing achievement - not too dissimilar to a baseball player coming here and making the Black Caps. Well, OK, maye something Rugby related, but Rugby doesn't lend itself to niche players.
 
the point is there is massive, massive competition, with (literally) tens of thousands of effectively semi-pro athletes at College level working to make a roster. Hayne looks like he has made it on his own, and he's got enough upside that it's not even a commercially driven call. So, I'm bloody impressed. I would have given him f-all chance of getting there when he started, so well done that man.
 
Will make sure to watch the 49ers this year, even if Colin makes my eyes bleed from time to time...

canefan

Kaepernick spent much of the summer with Kurt Warner, hopefully it will make him better in the pocket. Now if the reformed O line can keep him upright....

Sneakdefreak

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote">
 
Will make sure to watch the 49ers this year, even if Colin makes my eyes bleed from time to time...
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Could be worse, could be Blaine Gabbert....
 
Yay for Hayne and sucks for Paul Lasike who got cut by the Cards. Other notable cuts were QB Tim Tebow (Eagles), QB Matt Cassell (Bills), DT Darnell Dockett (49ers) and CB Will Blackmon (Seahawks).
 
Let's play some football.

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Sneakdefreak" data-cid="513747" data-time="1441524115">
<div>
Could be worse, could be Blaine Gabbert....
 
Yay for Hayne and sucks for Paul Lasike who got cut by the Cards. Other notable cuts were QB Tim Tebow (Eagles), QB Matt Cassell (Bills), DT Darnell Dockett (49ers) and CB Will Blackmon (Seahawks).
 
Let's play some football.
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</blockquote>
I'm not sure old angry man Paul Kent (or the rest of the league media world) could have handled it if a guy from 'union' (rugby to us Kiwis) made the NRL, especially as he's not a top star in the game, because they've been telling us for a few weeks now only the superior athletes in the NRL can do it.
 
I watched some youtube clips of Lasike playing rugby for BYU and players of his skill are a dime a dozen in NZ rugby (and NRL as well TBF) so maybe Hayne's achievement might merely open the gates a little if Lasike got that close?*
 
 
*TBF I didn't see many clips of his NFL playing so can't discount that he just suits the game better.

ACT Crusader

Fantastic news all round. Hayne makes the cut and Tebow doesn't.

Bovidae

Paul Lasike has been signed to the Chicago Bears practice squad.
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/71814615/kiwi-nfl-hopeful-paul-lasike-signed-to-chicago-bears-practice-squad'>http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/71814615/kiwi-nfl-hopeful-paul-lasike-signed-to-chicago-bears-practice-squad</a>

The Silver Fern

NFL 2015