National Football League Thread

[PsychicVibe]

41 minutes ago, Matto_lsi said:

Not that I'm deluded enough to think the era of Jed York being a total fucking moron is anywhere near over, but at least the Niners have a chance of not being a totally pathetic waste of space next year like they have since Harbaugh left.  The last couple years of attempting to rival Cleveland for their spot at bottom of the barrel, coupled with all the politics (whether you agree or not is irrelevant, I want to keep my sports and politics separate), I just haven't been very interested.  I only watched 1 game this past season, the Super Bowl (which I admit, was a great game and had a fantastic ending).  Maybe next season will be worthwhile for this long time football fan.

 

 

I feel your pain, Matto. You aren't the only one who gave up on the Niners because of York's meddling and incompetence. It showed up in stadium attendance and cost York revenue and asset value. So, York did something very smart in hiring Lynch and Shanahan to long term contracts; he is financially motivated to stay out of the way.

 

I watched every Niner game last year; they were always entertaining even when they were losing all of those close games. Then when Garoppolo started, they went undefeated. I made a lot of money riding on the Niners down the home stretch.

 

Don't let the politics keep you away from enjoying a new golden era for the Niners.

 

 

[Beyondthegrave07]

4 hours ago, acasser said:

 

Funny thing:  Of all the QBs being touted as 1st-round picks and potential franchise guys, the only one I want the Jets to draft is Josh Allen.  Josh Rosen is a walking concussion to me, and that's a problem in today's NFL -- especially with the Jets not having the offensive line to adequately protect a guy right now.  I'm not really sold on Sam Darnold.  And Baker Mayfield screams "Johnny Manziel 2.0" to me, which would be an awful thing to have around the distractions of NYC.

 

Yeah, Allen has his issues such as accuracy.  But I like the rest of his game and his measurables seem like they should translate to NFL success, especially if someone can fix the accuracy stuff.  So he's the one guy I'm comfortable with the Jets taking at #6 or even moving up to snag.

 

....

 

As for Big Blue?  If they take anything other than a QB at #2, they're dooming themselves to a decade of mediocrity.  Because this is their best chance to get a franchise QB to replace the zombified remains of Eli Manning, and unless you think Davis Webb can be that guy there isn't another path for them to get one.  And without that great QB, it's hard to win in today's NFL.  Not to mention that they don't have the infrastructure to support a good RB even if you believe one should be taken that high, because the Giants' offensive line might be the worst one in the sport and they're about to lose their two best linesmen to Free Agency.

 

If the Giants are going to stay in their draft slot and not take a QB, they need to take that mammoth Offensive Guard and start rebuilding their line.

I agree with Mayfield. He screams Johnny Football. I don't think Allen would be as bad as Russell (I mean, how could he!?!). But I think he will have the same accuracy problems that we seen from him. 

 

I actually think Rosen is the most NFL-ready out of this QB class, but his future health is definitely a concern as you said.

 

Doomed for 10 years if they took Barkley? That's crazy. Free agents pop up all the time and with a good defense, you can win football games. We've seen it with Peyton and we've seen it with Bortles. 

 

They could also get lucky and get a Russell Wilson in the 3rd or 4th round. It's not insane to think it could happen.

[PerryToxteth]

PsychicVibe called it - Sherman to Niners!!

Pretty impressive.

[skidmarkgn]

I'd like to see the details of the Sherm contract with the 9ers.  I heard a quick description of it and it sounded pretty heavy.  9ers are definitely rolling the dice this upcoming year.  Not sure what the cap situation is in San Fran but they've committed a healthy sum to a QB who's never started a full season (or even a half for that matter) and an aging CB who's coming off of a nasty injury.

 

Either way though, I wish the best for Sherm and the 9ers.  Can't wait to see Wilson play against him twice a year. 

 

Also... half of me thought the Rams would take a stab at him with the way they're hoarding corners this year ?

[Matto_lsi]

14 hours ago, PsychicVibe said:

 

I feel your pain, Matto. You aren't the only one who gave up on the Niners because of York's meddling and incompetence. It showed up in stadium attendance and cost York revenue and asset value. So, York did something very smart in hiring Lynch and Shanahan to long term contracts; he is financially motivated to stay out of the way.

 

I watched every Niner game last year; they were always entertaining even when they were losing all of those close games. Then when Garoppolo started, they went undefeated. I made a lot of money riding on the Niners down the home stretch.

 

Don't let the politics keep you away from enjoying a new golden era for the Niners.

 

 

 

5 hours ago, skidmarkgn said:

I'd like to see the details of the Sherm contract with the 9ers.  I heard a quick description of it and it sounded pretty heavy.  9ers are definitely rolling the dice this upcoming year.  Not sure what the cap situation is in San Fran but they've committed a healthy sum to a QB who's never started a full season (or even a half for that matter) and an aging CB who's coming off of a nasty injury.

 

Either way though, I wish the best for Sherm and the 9ers.  Can't wait to see Wilson play against him twice a year. 

 

Also... half of me thought the Rams would take a stab at him with the way they're hoarding corners this year 

 

I really hope it can be a golden era for them.  At this point I'd take a winning season.  Sadly, I think that while some of their staffing decisions are good, they dropped way too much money in the wrong places.  I mean Jimmy G did fine at the butt-end of the year when teams had no time to prepare for him, but there's no way to know how good he'll be in his first full season as a starting QB.  Same shit happened with Kaepernick, same money too.  I mean, really?  They didn't learn the first time?  Kaep isn't a bad QB, but he's not a league elite, and once teams got a good year of tape on him, his production came to a crashing halt.  I really hope things turn out better to Jimmy.  But I have to wonder if giving him Tom Brady money (hell, MORE than Brady has ever made, actually) was really the right move when they're trying to rebuild so many aspects of their team.

 

And on that note... oh man.  Hi skid, good to see you again.  All those talks, what, 2 years ago?  About my Niners and your Hawks, and now the part of your team I hated the most has joined my team.  FFS.  I see him as a much more distracting Deion.  He'll join the team for 1 year (I know it's a 3 year deal, but he won't stay more than 1 year), he'll make a lot of noise, and then move on to the next team.  But if we can get a SB win out of it like we did the season Deion joined us, then I guess it's fine, lol.  I still can't stand the guy though.  He's all mouth, and at 30 his on-field skills will probably start diminishing soon, making him a TO style liability.  I agree with some, maybe even most of the new staffing decisions, but this one, and the money being doled out to some of these people, is just atrocious.  Nearly $30 mil a year for an untested QB who started a few late season games last year?  Up to $13 mil a year for an injured, aging CB who's always been a bigger distraction than talent?  Don't get me wrong, he's got skills, but his success on LOB was due mainly cause no one wanted to temp the Seattle safeties.  I never considered him the biggest talent in that secondary, let alone the league.  All this just doesn't seem like the best use of their cap space.  For starters, I'm pretty sure Jimmy G would have taken half that and been damn happy about it (which would have equaled Brady's salary from last year!).  Sherman might not have settled for less, but I doubt any other team would have offered him this much this quickly.

 

I guess we'll see how it plays out next season, but with NFC competitors like the Eagles, Vikings, Rams (who are in our division), and a few others who had pretty outstanding years last year, I'm not getting my hopes up.  Granted, we won't have to play them all during the regular season, but that'll just make the playoffs (cue Jim Mora soundbite) that much harder, if we can manage to get there.

[skidmarkgn]

6 hours ago, Matto_lsi said:

 

And on that note... oh man.  Hi skid, good to see you again.  All those talks, what, 2 years ago?  About my Niners and your Hawks, and now the part of your team I hated the most has joined my team. 

 

Up to $13 mil a year for an injured, aging CB who's always been a bigger distraction than talent?  Don't get me wrong, he's got skills, but his success on LOB was due mainly cause no one wanted to temp the Seattle safeties.  I never considered him the biggest talent in that secondary, let alone the league.  All this just doesn't seem like the best use of their cap space.  For starters, I'm pretty sure Jimmy G would have taken half that and been damn happy about it (which would have equaled Brady's salary from last year!).  Sherman might not have settled for less, but I doubt any other team would have offered him this much this quickly.

 

I guess we'll see how it plays out next season, but with NFC competitors like the Eagles, Vikings, Rams (who are in our division), and a few others who had pretty outstanding years last year, I'm not getting my hopes up.  Granted, we won't have to play them all during the regular season, but that'll just make the playoffs (cue Jim Mora soundbite) that much harder, if we can manage to get there.

 

Good to see you too Matto.  I was kind of wondering if San Fran fans would accept Sherm as a part of their team after all the years of bitterness between the two.  It looks like it's about a 50/50 split.  I'm personally sad to see him go but if it means they can give Earl an extension than so be it.  A lot of people, for a lot of years said the only reason Sherm had the numbers he had at Seattle was because he had Earl backing him up, guess now we'll find out.

And who knows, maybe a change of scenery will change his attitude a bit.  Seems like ever since Pete made the dumbest call in SB history Sherm and Bennett changed as people, they've always been boisterous and loud but there was a fun behind it now it just seems like they're addicted to being angry and miserable... and they're dragging the team down with 'em.  Sherm and his sideline blowups, Bennett diving for the Jags' centers knees twice on a kneeldown, they're just different.

 

Anyways, guess we'll just have to sit back and watch both our teams do what they can to get the Rams, 

[Conker]

Well who saw this coming http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22740371/former-minnesota-vikings-quarterback-case-keenum-intends-sign-denver-broncos

 

Be interesting to see if he can repeat last seasons form 

Edited March 13, 2018 by Jare

[Oowa]

5 hours ago, Jare said:

Well who saw this coming http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22740371/former-minnesota-vikings-quarterback-case-keenum-intends-sign-denver-broncos

 

Be interesting to see if he can repeat last seasons form 

Also 

 

Norwell to the Jags

Allen Robinson to the Bears and Sammy Watkins to the Chiefs

[PerryToxteth]

6 hours ago, Jare said:

Well who saw this coming http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22740371/former-minnesota-vikings-quarterback-case-keenum-intends-sign-denver-broncos

 

Be interesting to see if he can repeat last seasons form 

 

Rumors are rampant in the "Bold North" about QB's. Cousins has been the headliner the last few weeks but now Brees' name came up in the last day. It's a constant QB carousel and my head is spinning!

i honestly don't know what the Vikes should do. Brees is obviously great, but 39; Cousins is the marquee FA, but is he worth it? I liked Keenum but in reflection of last season, he may have just been on fire, rather than being that good. Kinda like riding a hot goaltender in the NHL playoffs. I don't think you can rely on Teddy as a starter until he does something worthwhile on a field. And Bradford's knee is that of an octogenarian. 

Maybe we'll trade up and take one of the Browns' top picks...

[acasser]

Kirk Cousins is going to get grossly overpaid -- he's not an elite QB, but he's going to get paid at the top of the market because he's a free agent.  I'm praying that he picks Arizona or Minnesota because while the Jets can pay him, they can't put the pieces around him for him to be really successful out of the gate.  And he'll get crushed in New York if he's getting $30 million/season and the team isn't any better than it has been for a while.

 

Minnesota makes more sense for Cousins because the rest of the team is already there.  Maybe only for a year or two before salary cap constraints tear apart that group to some degree, but he can keep them competitive.  On the other hand, I don't think Drew Brees makes as much sense for the Vikings as a long-term play.  Sure, Brees only has a year or two left and could help Minnesota win, but once he's done the Vikings will be in a position where they need to find a good QB again and won't have many options.  And given the year-to-year variance around the NFL, it's a high-risk/high-reward bet to go to Drew Brees.

 

Though now I'm starting to worry that the Jets are going to have to trade up to get a QB at the top of the draft.  Sure, Cleveland only needs to take one guy, the Giants say they aren't going to draft a QB early, the Colts don't need to, and the Broncos may not need to at this point.... but somebody is going to trade up.  And Buffalo is positioning themselves to be one of those teams.

[Conker]

Drew Brees is re-signing with the Saints http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22745688/drew-brees-agrees-re-sign-new-orleans-saints-two-year-50-million-deal

[skidmarkgn]

Gotta feeling the Cousins contract is the beginning of a bubble bursting.  Players (probably more QB's than anything for now) are going to start demanding the same and owners aren't gonna have any of it.  It already started in baseball this year with players turning down 9 figure contracts feeling they deserve more.  Then when they were still unemployed come Spring, they accused teams of "purposely tanking" as the reason instead of their (and their agents) blatant greed.  Come new CBA time, I wouldn't be surprised if the guaranteed contract issue causes a year of no football.

[Avatar_Of_Battle]

I hear Amendola is expected to, or already has, sign with the Dolphins.

Edited March 13, 2018 by Avatar_Of_Battle

[acasser]

1 hour ago, skidmarkgn said:

Gotta feeling the Cousins contract is the beginning of a bubble bursting.  Players (probably more QB's than anything for now) are going to start demanding the same and owners aren't gonna have any of it.

 

If the NFL is going to have its' financial bubble burst, it's going to happen when the television rights come back up for re-negotiation.  If the ratings continue to dwindle and the number of empty seats at stadiums continues to rise, there's no way the NFL is going to get the sort of money from the networks that they're accustomed to.  Heck, even if that stuff doesn't happen, ESPN may not be an option because Disney is drowning in losses (and apparantly girding up to take on Netflix in the overall content market, which takes a lot of money).

 

That being said?  I think Kirk Cousins may be able to start a trend for the high-end players, at least for a while.  Cousins got a fully guaranteed deal.  I think some other guys can do the same if they're willing to leave some money on the table.  And I think that trend can last until a team gets burnt by a spectacular backfire on such a deal, either because the player is always injured or because he doesn't perform anywhere near to his contract value (relative to the NFL, not the real world).  It won't be a ton of players, and it won't be journeymen, but I don't think the Cousins deal is going to be the anomaly.

 

And while I have this space and it's on my mind, I'd like to congratulate the Denver Broncos for signing the next Brock Osweiler.  I'm forever leery of guys who have that one superb outlier season right before they become a free agent, and Case Keenum fits that to a "T".

[Cobby_]

Redskins got a good WR in Paul Richardson. I was hoping he would stay but I'm glad he got his payday. 

[skidmarkgn]

1 hour ago, Green said:

Redskins got a good WR in Paul Richardson. I was hoping he would stay but I'm glad he got his payday. 

 

Lot of money for a guy who's only had 1 healthy season, but when he's on the field he's definitely pretty damn good.  Who knows, maybe Jordy Nelson won't be asking for the moon and Seattle can try to sign him.  He and Baldwin could provide some serious leadership in the locker room.

[ShadowStar83x]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000921414/article/inside-kirk-cousins-historic-contract-with-minnesota-vikings

 

I have a feeling this will come back to bite Minnesota in the ass. Also, it'll make more want their contracts fully guaranteed.

[PerryToxteth]

2 hours ago, Meta Knight said:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000921414/article/inside-kirk-cousins-historic-contract-with-minnesota-vikings

 

I have a feeling this will come back to bite Minnesota in the ass. Also, it'll make more want their contracts fully guaranteed.

 

You could be right, but Cousins for $28 mil a season, or Keenum for $18 mil, I'll take Kirk. I know it's all guaranteed but I don't know enough, or care enough, about salary cap voodoo economics to know the full ramifications regarding that.

What I do know is that Vikes fans are hoping for some continuity at the QB position. We have had horrible luck at the position since...um...let me think...ahhh...Tarkenton! Just in the last five years, we had Keenum, Bradford, Sean Hill, Bridgewater, Matt Kassel, Christian Ponder, etc., etc. If we can get three good years out of the same guy, it'll be miraculous. Last 3-year starter Vikes had was Daunte Culpepper over a dozen years ago. And his run ended because he got hurt. 

[dmsleight]

https://247sports.com/nfl/seattle-seahawks/Bolt/Seahawks-discussing-Earl-Thomas-trade-with-multiple-teams-116282391

 

Wow! SHs are in rebuild mode?  I guess they have to be with their aging D.  Everybody with a big contract not RW is on the block.  My expectations for this year are shriveling.

 

It looks like they might get a haul for him.  1st, 3rd + __!  You'd have to at least entertain that thought. A 1,3,5 would be pretty good compensation, doncha think?  Knowing the SHs, theyll want a player thrown in there instead.  Earl wants to fill his new spacious wallet on an extention too.  thats no doubt what has spurred their willingness to talk trade.

 

Look out Avril, your next...

[PerryToxteth]

2 hours ago, dmsleight said:

https://247sports.com/nfl/seattle-seahawks/Bolt/Seahawks-discussing-Earl-Thomas-trade-with-multiple-teams-116282391

 

Wow! SHs are in rebuild mode?  I guess they have to be with their aging D.  Everybody with a big contract not RW is on the block.  My expectations for this year are shriveling.

 

It looks like they might get a haul for him.  1st, 3rd + __!  You'd have to at least entertain that thought. A 1,3,5 would be pretty good compensation, doncha think?  Knowing the SHs, theyll want a player thrown in there instead.  Earl wants to fill his new spacious wallet on an extention too.  thats no doubt what has spurred their willingness to talk trade.

 

Look out Avril, your next...

 

Did I somehow overlook the news article about Derek Jeter becoming the owner of the Seahawks??? Holy ? Sale!!

[skidmarkgn]

3 hours ago, dmsleight said:

 Knowing the SHs, theyll want a player thrown in there instead. 

 

And that player will inevitably be someone who was a top 10 pick in the 2013 draft who's now considered a bust.

[Cobby_]

On 3/16/2018 at 7:50 AM, skidmarkgn said:

 

And that player will inevitably be someone who was a top 10 pick in the 2013 draft who's now considered a bust.

I just read they signed D.J. Fluker, who just happens to be the 11th overall pick from the 2013 draft. Which I found a bit hilarious after what you said

 

Anyway, what's everyone's thoughts on this: http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22844453/xfl-documentary-maker-plans-own-football-league 

 

[acasser]

1 hour ago, Green said:

Anyway, what's everyone's thoughts on this: http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22844453/xfl-documentary-maker-plans-own-football-league

 

The sharks are circling, and a lot of people are smelling the NFL's blood in the water.  Because you have challengers coming out that probably wouldn't have even conceived of the notion a few years ago.

 

Frankly, I don't think they're going to be successful.  And I don't think Vince McMahon is going to be successful.  The NFL has a long and illustrious history of ruining their perceived challengers, with only the AFL back in the 1960s managing to fight their way to a draw.  And while I think the NFL is a somewhat wounded animal right now, largely self-inflicted wounds at that, I just don't see how they're going down right now.  They still have a chokehold on the top talent and the money and probably even the broadcasters, and that's what it would take for a challenger to win.

 

I wish them well, but I don't think this ends well for anybody not part of the National Football League.

[PerryToxteth]

3 hours ago, Green said:

 

Anyway, what's everyone's thoughts on this: http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22844453/xfl-documentary-maker-plans-own-football-league 

 

 

Every decade or so, someone tries to put up a contender with the NFL, and it always fails. From the first attempt of the XFL, to the WLAF, to the USFL, to the WFL, it has never worked. 

I'm old enough to remember the USFL, probably the one league that had the most legitimate chance to stick around. That league actually paid top dollars for premium players (Herschel Walker, Jim Kelly, Steve Young to name a few),  but they didn't have enough markets making bigtime money to survive. Today, the TV dollars are declining as people "cut the cord" and ticket prices are exorbitant. Sure, most fans will shell out hundreds of bucks for tickets to their favorite NFL team that they've watched for decades, will they spend that on a new novelty? Without enormous financial backing, the league will get subpar players and get a short-term TV contract. They won't play in top-end stadiums because there's no way NFL franchises let a competitor play in their home. The best they can hope for is that the NFL adopts them as a minor-league system, similar to what NFL Europe was 15-20 years ago. London Monarchs, Barcelona Dragons, Frankfurt Galaxy, Scotland Claymores...shit, I can't believe I can even remember that! 

 

[skidmarkgn]

While we all know Bennett's current issue is going to blow over into nothing (there's no way he's doing 10 years), or maybe, probably, a fine that equates to walking around money to him, I still bet Pete and John are sitting back thanking the lord they're done with him.