NFL 2016: Offseason: OTAs / Dead Zone / Gumbie Loves Kickers!

Stop watching the Bears.

You're welcome!

Satellite radio. I am MUCH more pleasant to be around when I'm listening instead of watching a game.

kaostheory wrote:

As we're renting, DirectTV isn't an option.

Depending on the details here, you very well may fall under FCC rules that prevent "unreasonable" restrictions to satellite TV access.

But that aside, let's talk options.

1. Sunday Ticket streaming: You can buy a Sunday Ticket streaming package from DirecTV. They restrict this to people who cannot get DirecTV. Telling them that you're renting and that the landlord prevents installing a dish is usually sufficient. Or, signing up using the information (and credit card) of a trusted friend or family member who fits the bill is an option.

2. NFL GamePass + a VPN: In the US, NFL GamePass is for watching re-plays of games on demand. Outside the US, however, it is for live games. Using a VPN to route your traffic to an outside-the-US source, you can sign up for GamePass and stream live games. The device doing the streaming will need to be connected to the VPN while streaming. (It used to be that you only needed the VPN for the signup process, but I think now the VPN is required during the streams too).

3. SlingBox: Like Bubs mentioned, you could get a SlingBox set up in a residence with access to the TV you need, and use it to access that TV over the Internet. A friend of mine in the Air Force did exactly this to get access to his TV service while on foreign deployment. Harass a trusted family member to letting you set up an extra cable box + SlingBox off in a closet.

4. NFL2Go: The further down the list we go, the sketchier it gets. NFL2Go is basically a service selling bootleg stream access. (Or, more accurately, selling access to the raw streams the NFL sends out, stripped of their DRM protection). Basically the same stream as what you'll get from NFL GamePass, a lot cheaper ($25 for the season), but with less guaranteed reliability. Was incredibly popular with the cord cutter crowd that was OK dipping into this gray market space. Sign-ups are rate limited through an invite system, so there's some process involved there.

5. Individual game streams from link sharing sites: On any gameday, you can find re-hosted versions of game streams in an "nflstreams" section of a particular website where people go to upvote and downvote links. Have a good adblocker installed (if you don't have uBlock Origin installed, you are doing computers wrong and should fix that right now), as these re-host page tend to exist to serve up ads, and they're typically not Google Adsense.

NFL Mobile allows you to watch live games and/or Red Zone if you're a Verizon customer. If only phones all had HDMI out ports still...

6. Neighbor's window.

Edit: Also, the Czech Bowl is a thing that's happened twenty-three times already, the last one ending yesterday on a botched call. Also, probably shouldn't name football teams "Lions" if one has a choice.

2. NFL GamePass + a VPN: In the US, NFL GamePass is for watching re-plays of games on demand. Outside the US, however, it is for live games. Using a VPN to route your traffic to an outside-the-US source, you can sign up for GamePass and stream live games. The device doing the streaming will need to be connected to the VPN while streaming. (It used to be that you only needed the VPN for the signup process, but I think now the VPN is required during the streams too).

Awesome, cutting the Comcast cord just became a lot more feasible. Do you think I need to sign up with a new account over a VPN, or just access my current one over a VPN? Also, can you recommend a good (free) service? I guess I could just set up a quick OpenVPN in the Singapore region in AWS on the free tier if needed.

I wouldn't go near any free VPN services. Either set yourself up one on a cloud instance, or use a reputable VPN provider like Private Internet Access or IP Vanish.

I would think signing up under your existing account would be OK, so long as you were doing everything GamePass related over the VPN. But, this is one of the options on the list that I don't have direct experience with, though I'm thinking it may be the option that I make use of this season.

garion333 wrote:

NFL Mobile allows you to watch live games and/or Red Zone if you're a Verizon customer. If only phones all had HDMI out ports still...

I'm certain NFL Mobile blocks Chromecast, but I'd imagine one could pull it off using a less user-friendly screen mirroring method?

The PUP list for the Ravens looks ugly. Not terribly confident in our season.

*Legion* wrote:
garion333 wrote:

NFL Mobile allows you to watch live games and/or Red Zone if you're a Verizon customer. If only phones all had HDMI out ports still...

I'm certain NFL Mobile blocks Chromecast, but I'd imagine one could pull it off using a less user-friendly screen mirroring method?

Yeah, used to work on Chrome cast. That's how I rocked the NFL in...2012?

You know, I never did look into other methods.

Greg Jennings retired today. Let's relive his very NSFW and very best highlight:

Spoiler:

f*ck you, Gumby!

Spoiler:

And there's Darren Sharper. Yeah...

Rat Boy wrote:

Greg Jennings retired today. Let's relive his very NSFW and very best highlight:

Spoiler:

f*ck you, Gumby!

Spoiler:

And there's Darren Sharper. Yeah...

That is.... Amazing.

So, while Chris Berman will be taking the victory lap this NFL season at ESPN, his long time broadcast friend Tom Jackson has apparently already been booted. Now let's all watch Rich Eisen, Steve Mariucci, Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, and Michael Irvin yell and howl at things on Sunday morning instead. Or BBC America's airing of really old Doctor Who episodes; whichever warms you up on gameday these days.

A sign that training camps are about to open: Deadspin's Why Your Team Sucks series is back.

So far it's just TEN and CLE.

Cleveland. *snort*

IMAGE(https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--44ImiQlR--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/hesuz2f3zp0cybaaxzwj.gif)

Rat Boy wrote:

So, while Chris Berman will be taking the victory lap this NFL season at ESPN, his long time broadcast friend Tom Jackson has apparently already been booted. Now let's all watch Rich Eisen, Steve Mariucci, Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, and Michael Irvin yell and howl at things on Sunday morning instead. Or BBC America's airing of really old Doctor Who episodes; whichever warms you up on gameday these days.

Ill just watch FFNow on the Deuce so I can set my line-up.

Rat Boy wrote:

whichever warms you up on gameday these days.

Since I'm back on the west coast, my pre-game ritual is "waking up".

Enix wrote:

A sign that training camps are about to open: Deadspin's Why Your Team Sucks series is back.

So far it's just TEN and CLE.

Cleveland. *snort*

Best comment on Cleveland:

It’s going to be pretty ironic in 2020 when Johnny Manziel is the homeless drunk guy giving advice to Jimmy Haslam on which QB we should draft that year.

SUPER IMPORTANT

Ryan Fitzpatrick signed to a 1 year, $12 mil deal with the Jets.

TOTALLY SHOCKING

I am surprised he caved and settled for a 1 year deal. Not that NFL contracts are guaranteed anyway...

This is actually Fitz getting what he wants. The Ringer had a thing I thought was funny:

Oh, to be a Jets fan.

The Jets wanted to leverage FitzMagic into a cheap 3-year deal, with $12 mil this year and then $12 mil split over the next 2 years.

It's easy to understand why Fitz wasn't looking to take on those extra cheap years.

$12 mil is still cheap for a starter. There was no way the Jets were going to go into the season with Geno because of $12 million.

Did Foles sign somewhere already? I figured the Jets would grab him.

I personally enjoy the heck out of Deadspin's Why Your Team Sucks, mainly because the fan emails are always so entertaining. Great line from the Cowboys one.

I really wish I could stop being a fan of the Cowboys until Jerry dies, but unfortunately that’s just not how fandom works. I keep hoping that during one of the 80,000 times a game that they cut to Jerry’s stupid face up in the owner’s box, a red dot will appear on his forehead and the TV feed will suddenly cut out.
MilkmanDanimal wrote:
I really wish I could stop being a fan of the Cowboys until Jerry dies, but unfortunately that’s just not how fandom works. I keep hoping that during one of the 80,000 times a game that they cut to Jerry’s stupid face up in the owner’s box, a red dot will appear on his forehead and the TV feed will suddenly cut out.

That's superb.

Jayhawker wrote:

Did Foles sign somewhere already? I figured the Jets would grab him.

No, he's still out there. He'll likely end up somewhere when someone has a QB injury. Not necessarily a starter injury, just anyone.

It's not lost on anyone else in the league that the NFL coach that he had his most success with is on a new team with Blaine Gabbert as the current projected starter, and has had no interest in bringing Foles in. And that's with Kaepernick spending the offseason up to this point not having medical clearance to practice. Still no Foles interest.

Foles is the starter in Dallas in week five after Romo goes down and the current backups have failed for a few weeks.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

Foles is the starter in Dallas in week five after Romo goes down and the current backups have failed for a few weeks.

Of the realistic scenarios in which Nick Foles sees the field, this one is up there on the list.

*Legion* wrote:
Jayhawker wrote:

Did Foles sign somewhere already? I figured the Jets would grab him.

No, he's still out there. He'll likely end up somewhere when someone has a QB injury. Not necessarily a starter injury, just anyone.

It's not lost on anyone else in the league that the NFL coach that he had his most success with is on a new team with Blaine Gabbert as the current projected starter, and has had no interest in bringing Foles in. And that's with Kaepernick spending the offseason up to this point not having medical clearance to practice. Still no Foles interest.

And the coach he had success with also traded him away.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

I personally enjoy the heck out of Deadspin's Why Your Team Sucks, mainly because the fan emails are always so entertaining. Great line from the Cowboys one.

I really wish I could stop being a fan of the Cowboys until Jerry dies, but unfortunately that’s just not how fandom works. I keep hoping that during one of the 80,000 times a game that they cut to Jerry’s stupid face up in the owner’s box, a red dot will appear on his forehead and the TV feed will suddenly cut out.

Speaking of WYTS, here's Jacksonville.

The Jalen Ramsey burn is the best.