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NFL Offseason Thread Part II: sponsored by Hughtavious Mingo and that cool, light and refreshing post-draft taste
So, we had a draft. Some stuff happened. Some players got got. Some players did not get got as early as they thought they might get got. The Jets drove me to despair and potentially into the talons of the Seattle Seahawks.
I'll start 'er rolling with some Jets based gossip.
Geno Smith is apparently a bit of a disinterested brat at times, rumours about him loving twitter a bit too much during visits. I think we got that when he threw a temper tantrum and threatened to leave the draft and then fired his agents. Clearly some maturity issues. Hope Rex whips him into shape, otherwise him and the New York spotlight is going to be a flammable collaboration.
In other, mindboggling news, is what on earth we're doing with our front seven. 2013: the Jets draft a 1 gap 4-3 DT (Richardson) in the first round so they can make him a 5 tech 3-4 DE and move last year's first rounder (Coples), a true 3-4 DE, to 3-4 OLB. Anyone else confused? Because I am. Why not just draft a player who fits in your system? It's not about skills as much as it's about size and shape and weight. Do not understand this at all.
Other news:
Tim Tebow wants to play in New Orleans and learn behind Drew Brees. In other news, I want a lot of money for doing nothing too.
Daryl Washington, who was a force at ILB last year for the Cardinals, is in trouble with the police concerning an assault accusation from a woman, although it seems she herself has been done for assault before. He's already suspended four games, really needs to watch himself.
Colts pick and Bjoern Werner taught himself how to play by playing Madden. There's hope for you yet, joystick warrior, if you're a massive hulking german.
49ers rookie WR Quinton Patton turns up for training camp 7 days earlier, after paying for the flight to SF himself, gets sent home because otherwise he'd invalidate himself from actual training camp under the new CBA. That's dedication.
Man Mountain LT Bryant McKinnie re-ups with the Ravens rather than plumping for the Chargers or Dolphins. In other tackle related news, the Chiefs are looking to sign Branden Albert to a long-term deal, this is good news. Teams need to learn you need two quality tackles these days. Shockingly, Eric Winston is still unsigned. If I was the Dolphins, I'd be offering him the moon and stars.
Old man segment:
Reggie Wayne, at the ripe old age of 35, is planning a 1000 yard season.
Michael Vick apparently outran LeSean McCoy over a 40 yard dash in training camp. Ouch.
Now you.
I think Tebow could do a job on someone's practice squad
With so many teams running read option on offense it'd be good to have a specialist QB for defense co-ordinators to work against. The problem is the whole Cirque du Tebow that comes with him. Just having him at camp would provide much more media attention and could really unsettle the current QBs. Him somewhere like Jacksonville or Tampa would be a disaster.
yeah tbh he'd be one of the better options to back up Russel Wilson in Seattle
in the same way the 'skins brought in Pat White to mimic RG3 but Tebow just isn't worth the media shitstorm he brings and I really doubt any team is going to invite that kind of drama into the off-season.
I like those links
one area I'm definetly weak on is what the fuck happens after the snap on the defensive side of the ball. To me its all still a bunch of guys running at each other, especially when I'm trying to watch a particular player on Youtube.
As an accompaniment to those articles
This 7 part series on the New York Times website is a great primer for anyone who wants to get clued up with the various defensive schemes used in the NFL, and for those who may want some historical context to the 4-3, 56 Bear, 3-3-5 nickel etc:
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/06/guide-to-n-f-l-defenses-part-1/
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/07/guide-to-n-f-l-defenses-part-2-evolution-of-4-3-front/
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/08/guide-to-n-f-l-defenses-part-3-the-4-3-front-continued/
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/09/guide-to-n-f-l-defenses-part-4-the-3-4-front/
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/10/guide-to-n-f-l-defenses-part-5-the-zone-blitz/
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/11/guide-to-n-f-l-defenses-part-6-the-46-defense/
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/guide-to-n-f-l-defenses-part-7-nickel-subpackages/I love this kind of stuff too, it really enhances your enjoyment of the game, even though some of it can be a bit overwrought and impenetrable at first.
Von Miller is going to raise chickens
Not a euphemism.
I honestly had no idea that poultry science was a college major.
This is great, cheers!
I'd like to find a similar one for offense, route concepts, like trips sets and smash routes etc, but it's a bit harder to come across all in one place
I think we have winner
In the race to be crowned 'idiot of the offseason 2013'
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/07/titus-young-arrested-twice-in-one-day/
wow, that's pretty special even by NFL standards
He's obviously got issues if he thought that was a good idea. Can't imagine another team touching him until he gets some help or counseling.
play Madden
it's the easiest way to learn
Even if he gets counseling
I can't see any team touching him. With some of the players the Lions have taken on with questionable issues and they cut him. I don't give him a chance.
I see that and raise you this
Most famous for being the dude who replied to cops when asked if there was any weed in the car by saying "we smoked it all"
Dolphins moving to LA rumours are starting to circulate
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/american-football/22480849
It's an obvious fit on paper, but would Florida's politicians really sit idly by and watch their most famous franchise switch coasts? Doubtful.
nah, flirting with LA is just what teams do now when they want more public money for stadium upgrades
No chance the Dolphins will ever leave Miami
Severed799 this'd thisTitus Young ponders his options.
He eyes Cliff Harris suspiciously. Harris shuffles nervously and, keeping it close to his chest, sneaks another look at his arrest sheet.
Young sees a sign of weakness and raises Harris's 3 in 9 days to 3 in 5 days. He's all in though, as they won't release him on bail any more.
Young ups his game!
3 in a week now
Amazing
Is he officially a spree now?
He's a one man crime wave.
Seriously though, how stupid do you have to be though to throw away an NFL career on piddling shit like this? Jesus, most people would kill to have his opportunities. What a dick.
I think he just wanted the hat trick
I think Jarmarcus Russell has more chance of joining a team again than him!
I think you'd have to be more than just stupid to fuck things up that badly
The Rams could see he was more than just a bit troubled as he only lasted 9 days with them
Richard Sherman decided to watch the Seahawks rookie camp
But just watching wasn't Richard Sherman enough, so he watched from aboard a jetski.
Rick Reilly wrote a poem about the Jets
Get ready to cringe. http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/9261432/jets-view-stanza
(It's complete doggerel)jebus
Rex Ryan's seat is hot
Mark's been killin' him
What hurts worse is
He makes 8 millionThis is always the most amusing part of the offseason
Andy Reis auctioned all his eagles gear for charity. Look at the pictures for a sense of the where ridiculousness of NFL merch. Eagles birdhouse! Eagles Cowboy Boots! Eagles crocs!
Its literally GTA esque
Fine fine work by the young man
More on Titus Young
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000169321/article/titus-youngs-father-thats-not-my-son
According to his dad he was prescribed anti-psychotics last week and was supposed to be heading into a treatment facility yesterday had he not been arrested again. If what his dad says is true then it sounds like his crazy behaviour is due to illness rather than stupidity. Hopefully he'll get a chance to get his shit together.
Do people on here have a team they support?
If so, what made you choose that team?
I think most do
Cincinnati Bengals here, because they were the team the computer chose for me the first time I played Madden. Regretted that somewhat when they went 4-12 in the first season I followed, but they've done OK since then.
Patriots
Picked them because I happened to see them in a Super Bowl years ago, and needed to pick a team to support. They had England in the name. Turned out I basically picked the Man U of the NFL world, but once you've picked, you've picked.
Being a West Ham fan in real life, it does make quite a nice change supporting a team who are expected to win and are always involved at the business end of the season. Everyone else really, really hates the Patriots though, so I mostly hide behind a bush.
Steelers
I followed the sport for a few years before I chose Pittsburgh. Not sure exactly what drew me to them, they'd always had a few players I was a fan of like Hines Ward and Jerome Bettis plus they're a really well run team, they've only had 3 head coaches since 1969 and always draft well.
The new Vikings stadium looks like a Jawa Sandcrawler
Credit to Kissing Suzy Kolber for the spot http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2013/05/the-new-vikings-stadium-looks-like-the-sandcrawler-in-star-wars.html
Jets
Watched a full season, then had my heart taken away by a good running game, strong defence, and Rex Ryan's big mouth and even bigger gut
That's great
That stadium will be pretty incredible though although it's a bit of a shame they're not building a proper outdoor stadium. No-one wants to play outside anymore.
teams i like:
seahawks: called the seahawks, unnecessarily brutal defensive line
bears: my childhood bedroom still has a bears pennant on the wall
jets: adorably shit, but more sympathetic than the browns. they were on sky a lot when testaverde played for them and i had sky
raiders: dirty cunts with the best kitSeahawks are my NFC team
Great kit. Pete Carroll. Richard Sherman. Secondary called "the legion of boom".
There's nothing to like about Oakland
Perennially bad, can't draft players to save their life, change their head coach every year and their fans are the worst in the league by some distance. Plus they share their stadium with the A's so the field always looks like shit.
They'll probably improve a bit now Al Davis is gone but it will be a long time before they'll ever be a team worth supporting.
there was one hit last year (i think from Chancellor)
that was so brutal i just burst out laughing. he tackled the guy off the screen! before that i was merely a sympathiser, now i only want to watch their games.
Nah they have a great kit
He's right about that. Also the fans are full on nuts.
Severed799 this'd this-
Newerwaves this'd this
I think he used to be a linebacker
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=fH1i1N1eENw&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DfH1i1N1eENw
Brandon Browner is great too, he's fucking huge for a cornerback. But crazy fast for his size.
If there's one thing eveyone on this thread agrees on
its that we all love Seattle.
I really hope they come to Wembley as some point so I can justify buying a Richard Sherman jersey
Saints
when i first got to america, i stayed with a couple of Saints fans in Baton Rouge, and got the whole spiel about how much they loved Reggie Bush (pre-Dolphin days, obviously). kind of started looking out for them when i got back to britain, and got more into nfl, started following them
Detroit Lions
My girlfriend's dad is Detroit born and raised so I've done it in solidarity with him. Plus I like the fact they're underdogs who come from a troubled industrial city.
I mean
you COULD save your soul...
Baltimore Ravens
I'm not sure why I was particularly drawn to them when I started properly getting into the sport, I think it was just a combination of the jerseys/gothic design, being the only sports team who's name is a literary reference, having just watched The Wire, and some Baltimore bands I was into at the time.
That and they're always pretty entertaining to watch, even if not for the best reasons, it's pretty difficult for them to have a dull game because they're often so unorthodox and single-minded behind Joe Flacco and yet he trolled his way to a title. Also, Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, and Ray Rice <3
other teams I like:
Washington Redskins - my girlfriend's family are all fans, love the colours despite the racist/colonial overtones. RGIII.
Seattle Seahawks - same reasons listed upthread.
San Diego Chargers - love the colours, San Diego is a beautiful city, they can be the best team in the league on their day.
Green Bay Packers - because every team in professional sports could learn a thing or two from them.It's too late for me.
I'm done for. Everyone else go on without me, save yourselves...
to be fair NE are hardly the Man Utd of the NFL these days
For one thing they haven't won a title in 8 years
Severed799 this'd thisOoooooooooooooh.
In that sense no-one is the Man U of the NFL.
In the Prem only one of 3 teams can realistically win the thing any more. You will never, ever get any team in the NFL winning 13 out of 21 titles. And thank fuck for that.
I meant more in the Big Business, glory hunter attracting kind of way.
which is exactly why I love the NFL and have pretty much given up on the premiership
The impressive thing about New England is that they've stayed competitive for a long time. The NFL is supposed to be cyclical with the draft system of "worst team picks first" but the Patriots have stayed a quality team for more than 12 years (if you count the Spygate season). Obviously having Brady for that long is a big factor but you still need to find the players around him.
Severed799 and The_Excession this'd thisPanthers
Started watching the NFL again back in 2008 and that was the first game I watched and they kicking all kinds of arse and had a last second hail mary into the end zone and won the game. Last couple of seasons have been frustrating, but still supporting them.
Was temporarily a Broncos fan during the awesome Tebow run in 2011.
Was a Dolphins fan when the NFL was first popular back in the 90s with Channel 4 coverage.The fans are definitely
one of the reasons to like the Raiders and they will definitely improve in the next couple of season with Al Davis gone.
Rolando, we hardly knew ye.
Rolando McClain retires from the NFL.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/15/rolando-mcclain-retires-from-nfl/
got a slight case of the old Titus Youngs he has.
Another Raven
started watching about 5 years ago. was watching the wire at the time. watched a few random games, turned it on one week and Ravens were playing. adopted them from the on. I like that they are a pretty young franchise. it also helps that they've been pretty successful and are always in and around the playoffs.
also have a soft spot for the lions
they went 0-16 either the 1st or 2nd year I took full interest. Liked some of their draft picks since then; Suh, Fairely, Stafford, Best. Such a shame Best is pretty much finished. and also; the MEGATRON.
Browns
Fuck knows. Disaster.
Severed799 and Smyth2 this'd thisWe should start UK Seahawks fan club
despite none of us actually supporting the Seahawks
good for him
it'll give him more time to focus on his criminal career
Severed799 this'd thisWe should just start s Richard Sherman fanclub
We could all wear bowties and annoy Darelle Revis on Twitter.
'Could'?
You're describing my current 9-5
David Garrard retires because his knee is fucked
Mark Sanchez's voodoo doll claims its first victim
-
supahotfire this'd this
Richard Sherman has hired the ref from the Fail Mary/Inaccurate Reception incident to umpire a charity softball game he's organising
Just when I thought I literally couldn't love him anymore.
Severed799 and Smyth2 this'd thisi'm gonna watch some games this season, given how much i enjoyed the last super bowl
i guess i should avoid getting attached to the browns, i don't need another cleveland team ruining my nights.
Severed799 this'd thishas anyone been to any games in the US?
I've never fancied the Wembely one based on the price and the mixed nature of the crowd. I dont think the atmosphere would be right. I'd love to go to a game in the US where there is a real partisan following.
yeah he does
as does Matt Light
I don't think tickets are actually any cheaper in the states
I remember looking up Steelers tickets for a trip I was planning that didn't happen in the end and they were all $150+. I'd love to go to a proper game too, do the whole tailgate thing.
The Wembley games are pretty great though. The mixed support of the crowd might kill off some of the atmosphere in the stadium but it gives the stuff going on outside the stadium a weird festival vibe.
A mate went to 49ers at Seahawks last year
Said it was amazing. Had tinnitus for a week afterwards.
yeah i looked at Ravens tickets on some ticketmaster buyback thing
You can buy seats from existing season ticket holders I think. Cheapest seats were $120 up in the gods for the game against the Bengals this year. Worked for company who's head office was in Minnesota. A guy I worked with went out there for work and did the tailgate thing, said it was class. Its definitely high on my bucket list to get to a game in US.
Seeing the Steelers was #1 on my bucket list
but as they're coming to Wembley this year I'll be able to cross that off without getting on a plane :)
I think I'll change it to seeing the Seahawks now as they're my 2nd team, one of my mates is a big fan and I really want to visit the Pacific Northwest at some point anyway. I could definitely justify buying a Richard Sherman jersey too
Did anyone see that the Evil Empire cut a guy because he was diagnosed with diabetes?
Kyle Love, a DT. BELIIIIICHIIIICK!
they're playing Miami on my birthday this year
seriously considering it...
Been to Charlotte to see Panthers vs Buccaneers
Will admit, the atmosphere was not excellent, but it was great to see the stadium and such. I think the crowd is based upon the place you go. Like in Charlotte, their fans maybe aren't as loud or crazy, but if you went to places like Green Bay, Oakland or Seattle, it would be insane!
As for ticket prices, it was cheaper there than at Wembley, but again, it might be because Carolina isn't the most popular team, as say New England or Chicago.One thing about going to a game in the US, is there is loads more merch you can buy. I went on the Panthers website store and bought loads of stuff before going and opted to pickup at the store. I had a big box full of stuff! If you really want a laugh, I can tell you some of the stuff I bought.
Cannot believe this one
I saw the report and was like, what?! It's even type 2 which is a bit easier to deal with.
Please do
Massive fan of this stuff as evidenced by my Andy Reid post above
just did an old random quiz
to decide who I should support next year. I got san diego chargers.
please school me on them :)
cheersok, you asked for it
1*Panthers t-shirt, which I have not seen sold anywhere else and is really cool
1*training top, a Steve Smith created design. It says "You'll see me on Sunday, I'll be the one in the endzone"
2* Panthers flags, a little similar to the type of flag you get given at Wembley http://shop.panthers.com/flag3x5-1.aspx
1* Panthers football with the Panthers symbol on http://shop.panthers.com/panthersfootball-youth-sewnrubber-1.aspxNow it gets a little silly:
1* Panthers full size helmet. Can't play in it, but it looks cool http://shop.panthers.com/full-sizereplicahelmet.aspx
1* Panthers cushion, really cool on the sofa http://shop.panthers.com/pillow.aspx
1* Panthers foam hat, quite literally an image in 3d of the Panthers Panther. It's pretty hot to wear for a long time http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0035VRORS/ref=asc_df_B0035VRORS2507967?smid=A3IZE5IZMCX4VT&tag=dealtmp649307-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395105&creativeASIN=B0035VRORSLastly, the one that made my mate laugh the most, a Carolina Panthers shower curtain. I think this actually looks awesome http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W2OP8A/ref=asc_df_B004W2OP8A2515958?smid=A3A0QZ9FNO1IC9&tag=dealtmp919614-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395105&creativeASIN=B004W2OP8A
I was just looking through the Panthers store now and if I went back, I would come back with 2 boxes!
That's all great, I really want a replica helmet but they're pretty expensive.
I've got a stupid amount of Steelers stuff too. loads of jerseys, tshirts, terrible towels etc but the most random merch I have is either this:
http://www.xboxaddict.com/images/faceplates/extras/52.jpg
or this
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ztO1dTUKL._SY300_.jpg
manti teo
eric weddle
philip riversused to be alright when I first started watching. not so good last year.
Some real indepth analysis there^
sorry, dont really know much. i like there helmets
Oops,
O line is a pile of shit, they drafted a big bruiser of an RT though.
They just lost their best pass rusher to an ACL tear too. I think they're a team who are more in transition than they'd like to admit. Still, on the way up and apparently the best tailgate parties in the league.
hahaha nice helmets
its more than I know currently. cheers
their
grammar isn't my strong point either
sounds good to me
stick with em for a few years, then they could turn good and I can say I was there in the old days.
nice one :)Decent team with one crippling flaw
Their offensive line is awful. They have quality receivers and a decent running game but struggle tp use either because Phil Rivers spends most of the time on his back. The loss of guard Louis Vasquez certainly doesn't help either.
That said they're still better than the other AFC West also-rans (Denver are nailed on to win it for the foreseeable future) and could still sneak a wildcard slot in the AFC.
also picked up keenan allen in the draft
good WR prospect. massive hands. definitely stick with them, a quiz is as good a way to pick a team as any.
I love the chargers
beautiful uniforms, beautiful city, great crowd/stadium, on their day can beat anyone, but are maddeningly inconsistent.
Could move to LA any day though, so watch out for that.
I really like
both of those and would love them in Panthers logos.
If you want the replica helmet, then buy it when they come here in September. Don't worry about the price, just do it. It's the saying I came up with when I bought all that lot.
You must be saving up now for buying all the Steelers stuff that will be available when they come to Wembley?
I know if the Panthers came, I would need to save for a year, as I would literally buy everything!I've just seen this!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002CJM9OM?tag=cinkz-20
It helps that I live in a country that charges extra for anything that comes from America.I saw the old Fox Cletus model the last time I was there in the US and I regret not buying it, as the new design is really not that great.
I have a flacco home jersey i got off ebay
cheap shirt for a not so cheap player. Also you may criticise but Joe is the lame, lanky white guy in all of us, I'm just being honest.
Do you have pictures of it?
Would be cool to see what it looks like
I'm not sure I want to be compared Joe Flacco
Even if it may be true. Actually, Flacco won a SB, so actually I don't mind it so much
Severed799 this'd thisthe move to LA doesnt sound good
:/
may have to rethinkdecent running game?
Maybe a few years back, not so much now... Woodhead is a nice little scatback, but Ryan Matthews has pretty much been a bust, when he's not been injured that is. Ronnie Brown is an old man and Robert McClain is a classic lead blocking FB rather than a weapon in himself
yeah they would pretty much lose all credibility if it happens
and they sadly make the most sense out of any team to move, but hopefully not eh.
Urgh.
This is pretty shit.
Hello Sherman fans (Shermfans)
Here's an article about how good he is on the field, only based on man-to-man.
http://presnapreads.com/2013/05/16/richard-sherman-the-numbers-the-tape-the-verdict/
Note on the Stevie Johnson stuff, having watched him a lot against Revis the last few years, it's fair to say he's absolutely dynamite. Ridiculously good receiver who hasn't been well served by scheme or QB play, terrifies me to think what someone like Jim Harbaugh or Bill Belichick could do with him.
Loads of replies re: teams up there^
I've not watched enough to pick a team as yet. Been watching games from last season on youtube and already got a Man U-esque vibe from the Patriots, so think I'll steer clear of them. My appreciation of teams so far though has mostly hinged on good quarterbacks, nice uniforms, the packers with their whole not for profit bent (although as I understand it all that means is they have a massive financial reserve and donate a tiny percentage of it to charity), New York being the only NFL city I've been to and liking the idea of New Orleans as a city.
Not yet astute enough to understand the full benefit of good players in positions that aren't qb or wr.
Also not sure I understand the artificial competitiveness of the league (draft picks/wage caps etc) and most of the games I've watched have been decided by a single score or with massive near-comebacks, like in the superbowl. Makes it seem a bit arbitrary or random and too hard to predict. But with there only being 32 teams and no promotion/relegation system I suppose they need some way of preserving any competition...or maybe not. I dunno.
I'm a Chargers fan, have been for a while.
The defense is up-and-coming, although they could regress a bit this year since Melvin Ingram (who was supposed to be our best pass rusher this year) tore his ACL.
As for the offense, Philip Rivers is one of the best QBs in the game, provided he has a decent offensive line. Here's the problem — his offensive line has been terrible for the past two years and will likely be terrible this year as well.
I could see them sneaking into a Wild Card spot this year, but realistically, the Chargers won't be seriously competing for another 2-3 years. :(
Interesting how rarely he seems to line up against #1 receivers
I'd quite like to see the same sort of analysis applied to Brandon Browner to see how they compare.
with my support they could make that wildcard game!!
COME ON YOU CHARGERS!!!
(do they have chants/songs at NFL? other than 'defence!')Checkout this link
For the fight songs for each team http://philadelphia-eagles.net/fightsongs/fightsongs-index.html
there is still a heirarchy
there still are richer/more successful teams generally, the cowboys, steelers and packers for instance have ALWAYS been around and successful, it's just more cyclical than soccer, which is quite refreshing rather than watching the same two teams duking it out every year and everyone else being largely meaningless.
it's not too hard to predict, there are still clear favourites in most games, this is just something you pick up the more you watch, but the fact that there is generally at least a couple genuinely really thrilling games per week (of a very short season) just makes the whole thing really exciting.
So few corners follow receivers across the field though
There's Revis. And that's pretty much it. Peterson started doing it, Champ Bailey does it a bit. It requires a very good skill set. Especially for lining up in the slot.
The point they make at the bottom there is what's important. Seattle are knoWn for having big corners who beat you up at the mine, suggesting they play press man or cover one: actually, they use their linebackers in coverage and play a really complicated, disguised zone, almost like a shifting cover 2 or 3. Zone coverage takes a lot of smarts and requires maybe even more skill than man to man as its about recognition of several things rather than simply keying on one guy....
-
Matt_was_taken this'd this
The wage cap system basically rewards teams who constantly make use of their draft picks
As it becomes too expensive to retain all your veteran players. Also prevents teams doing a Man City/Chelsea/Real and just buying all the best players. Makes it more fun, and gives younger guys a better chance to compete, especially under the new rookie wage scale. Undrafted players get a bit of a boost as well, as they are way cheaper than old warhorses.
Don't really understand why you have a problem with games being hard to predict and competitive..''
Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, but your post suggests that
Severed799 this'd thisSo many typos. Excuse my touchscreen
I don't...
but when it's artificially made to be like that through rewarding the worst teams and punishing the best, and when so many teams have made a superbowl over the last decade, I'm not sure about it. Anyway as Severed799 said I haven't watched it enough to know who the favourites are etc. And it is a refreshing contrast to football.
Even though they're really evil the Patriots are great to watch
No huddle offence, two tight end sets and a defence that's flimsy enough to keep games interesting.
Also, technically speaking New York isn't *really* an NFL city.
I totally disagree on the artificial competitiveness bit
Infact I see it as the total opposite.
Success in football for instance, is now solely dependent on the finances of the clubs owners. The Premiership dresses things up as being competitive, but in reality only very few clubs have the slightest chance of challenging, never mind winning anything. Uness a rich owner comes in eg Man City.
The NFL has perennially successful teams, but that's off their own doing (ie solid ownership, not chopping and changing regimes etc.) as opposed to some random coming in with money. My team (the browns) suck, and have done for some time, but if we get our shit together, make the right hires, draft well etc, then we have as much chance of winning as any other team. That to me isn't fake, its because its an even playing field.
I think you may be seeing the draft as rewarding the worst teams, but its not really like that. The draft is a bit off a shot in the dark tbh. All the best teams come from having a GM who consistently makes good picks, not the worst teams making 1 pick and being transformed. The worst team is normally there due to this not happening so its a bit of a vicious cycle: see the Browns.
I know this is rambling but 1) I've been drinking. 2) I think one of the best things about the NFL is it is genuinely competitive due to things like the salary cap. The Browns suck because of us and no other reason.
Yeah, pretty much this.
Having a the first pick certainly rewards the worst team, but it's rare that it makes them instantly better (with occasional Luck-shaped exceptions). For example, I think it's incredibly unlikely that the addition of a very good tackle is going to make the Jags even remotely relevant this year.
rather than the NFL being artificially competitive, I would say that the Premiership is artificially uncompetitive - several teams now have been gifted almost unlimited funds and can't possibly be beaten. Where's the fun in that?
just to reinforce your point about the best teams being those that draft well rather than early:
Pittsburgh haven't had a pick in the top 10 for 13 years but have been to the Super Bowl 3 times in 6 seasons. Whereas the Browns have had 7 picks in the top 10 during this time (including 4 in the top 5) and have only made the playoffs once
It's not just making good picks
It's knowing how to develop players internally and to draft the right kind of players who will response to your scheme and your coaching staff.
It's the reason the ravens stay competitive
They nail a few starters every year. They pick up a few guys that will make the team over the next 3 years. At the end of their contracts either;
1) they haven't developed and are cut/ have developed and sign
2) they get snapped up on a big contract by another team ala Ellerbe and Kruger and we get a comp pick in the next years draft.That comp pick allows them more chances to draft nail the draft again and the cycle continues. The front office operates on a 80/20 basis. If they can get 80% productivity out of a guy for 20% of the cost then the guy is cut. That's pretty much across the board. It's why they have no problem losing 5 or 6 starters every year.
More problems for the Jets
Mike Goodson arrested for seemingly attempting to commit every single crime that NFL players usually get arrested for at the same time. DWI? Check. Gun? You betcha. Drugs? Absolutely.
No all quite true
From the article I read, he wasn't the driver, only in the passenger sit. Neither he or his friend who was the driver have admitted to owning the gun, so that's why he has got charged with that. The only thing he has definitely commited is taking marijuana and being in possession of a small amount of it. The other thing is his friend has already had been convicted of something previously.
Regardless, it doeesn't seem like the Jets tolerate this at all and he may be done already. Big shame reallyMicheal Crabtree torn ACL
expected to be out for around 6 months. Puts a slight dent in the 49ers receiving corps although I dont think they'll struggle too much. He was Kapaernicks go to guy in the end of season run. He had a QB rating of 139.4 when throwing to him or something stupid like that.
good news for our Seahawks then
he'll definitely miss their first game and will probably only just have come back in time for the 2nd.
week 12
was a date I heard mentioned. So he will have 2 games before the 2nd meeting. I'm really looking forward to those match ups.
In the non-news section;
Mark Sanchez threw 3 interceptions in 11 passes at a Jets OTA. Thats pretty poor but i'm not sure it would news if it was any other QB or team than Sanchez or the Jets.
Is anyone going to the
Andrew Luck meet and greet in London tomorrow night by the way?
PFT think Randy might make a return though
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/22/crabtree-injury-could-open-door-for-moss-others/
They also mention Brandon Lloyd who had 74 receptions last year but is still somehow a free agent.
I'm working tomorrow night otherwise I'd consider it.
I like Luck a lot, he did Alec Baldwin's podcast a couple of months ago and came across like a really nice guy.
Brian Urlacher's retired
Inevitable seeing as the Bears weren't going to bring him back, but will still be weird without him.
The Bears are adamant they don't want him back
And he's adamant that he wants to play in Chicago. Either both sides are bluffing and planning a joyous reunion or he's done.
Been to a few... completely different atmosphere to Wembley
SF49ers - Long time ago, saw Joe Montana come back from injury to destroy Atlanta. Great atmosphere. Chargers v Raiders - one of the nearest things you'd get to a local derby. NE v Bills - pretty intense, more like a London Derby (maybe a Chelsea v Fulham rather than West Ham v Millwall). That said, been to a few college games and they have been just as good to watch, maybe even more enjoyable. Just like football here, atmosphere varies wildly from team to team. I fancy a Green Bay Chicago game at some point and would try to combine it with a college game the day before. When we went, we went phoned the ticket offices direct and explained we were big 49er / Chargers / Patriots fans and were coming over just for that game. US customer service kicked in and they sorted us out tickets.
Been playing a bit of Madden
someone tell me, what the hell does 'primary read' (ie the red routes if you look at the offensive play art) mean?
It's the first read for the QB as he goes through his progressions
As in the option he looks too first. You'll also have a so called hot read and a check down which are for when shit breaks down
Thanks, I thought it was something like that, though I've just thrown passes more or less at random.
Can you explain hot read and check down? What's the difference?
And come to think of it what does hot route actually mean? Does that just mean a usered route?
Hot read will be something like a quick route for any player if the QB finds he's got pass rush breathing down his neck or up in his face
Ie. he's throwing 'hot'
Check down tends to be a short route, where a running back or tight end or slot guy runs between 5-10 yards and 'sits' in the zone, giving the QB an option if everything else is covered.
I don't play Madden, these are offensive route concepts which I assume are integrated in the game...
Have to say
The Q&A with Luck has raised my opinion of him completely, very decent bloke, he'd come over to watch the Champions League final as he's into his "soccer" and gave up a free evening to meet the fans, revealed got lambasted by urlacher "rookie! c'mere!" in his first game, couldn't give a toss about fantasy football, took some of the harsher questions very well and didn't rise to it, plus signed loads of people's stuff at the end. He's more of a technical player than i thought, talked through a few moves and formations and it was actually fascinating.
I almost didn't go and the place was only 3/4 full, very glad I got there!
another back surgery for the Gronk
2nd time he has had his back operated on. Might miss part of the season, will definitely miss the start of training camp.
Worrying for the Pats as he's a massive part of their offense, especially with Welker gone.
Excellent for anyone playing them early on.blitz is when the defense attempts to charge down the QB/RB
past the line of scrimmage.
Yeah I know that...
but specifically 'show blitz'. That's a separate option on Madden to 'blitz'.
they do a little dance
pre-pummelling
Show blitz means a fake blitz. It's like a zone blitz in some senses, when you fake that you're bring extra rushers when in fact you're dropping more into coverage
A blitz is technically when you rush more than the number of down lineman you have
So more than 3 or 4 defending on your defensive scheme
Sort of understand
would the purpose be that you'd trick the qb to either throw a quick pass into that coverage or hand it off?
Steelers Tackle Mike Adams got stabbed this morning in an attempted robbery
Sounds like he's pretty lucky to be alive
R.I.P Deacon Jones
easily one of greatest players of all time, completely changed the way defensive ends play the game.
I think Cincy only signed him to piss off Steelers fans
I can't think of any other reason that a team who play 4-3 and have the best interior pass rusher in the league would sign a 35 year old 3-4 OLB.
I think teams go out of their way to sign their divisional rivals players
just to learn more about their playbooks. He'd be worth signing if he helps Cinci crack LeBeau's zone blitz defense which has consistently gotten the better of Andy Dalton.
Just found out that he sang backing vocals on War's Why Can't We Be Friends
Too perfect :D
The meanest guy to ever play the game
Crazy shit going down
Gabe Carimi, the Bears' first round pick in 2011 dealt to the Bucs for a 6th round pick. He was getting flak for not showing up to OTAs despite his job being under threat, and now this. Adds to an absolutely terrible record for the Bears in terms of o-lineman taken high. Kyle Long has a lot of work to do.
Oh, and TEBOW TO THE PATRIOTS WUT
TEBOW
holy shit
Oh and in less surprising news Pacman Jones got arrested again
this time for punching a woman. He claims he was acting in self defence
And Chad Johnson sentenced to 30 days in jail
mainly because he playfully slapped his lawyer on the butt in court and annoyed the judge by not taking things seriously. never change, 85.
'Will play quarterback' says NFL.com.
I really, really, really doubt that.
TE apparently
which kind of seems to be the default position for you're an athlete but we don't know how to use you types
Yeah, TE seems to be the 'well we must be able to get you to do SOMETHING' position
I actually meant that even in the extremely unlikely event that he makes the roster, he'll spend the entire year wearing an arse groove in the bench and praying a lot.
Maybe that's it, it's an evil Belichick trick to get God on his side.
TE set of
Gronk, Hernandez + Tebow.
Good luck stopping that
Selection of my favourite Tebow twitter jokes
"Remember when Bill Walsh added Steve Young to sit and learn behind Joe Montana? This is nothing like that"
"Tim Tebow and Rob Gronkowski will be in the same locker room. And there will be cameras there, too."
"While this is a lot of fun, we should stop for a second and remember that somewhere out there is a mildly disappointed CFL team."
"Coach, with the Super Bowl on the line, why did you have Tim Tebow covering Wes Welker in the slot?"
New England's the coldest place in the NFL
so why not have the most talented bench warmer
The more I think about Tebow to the Patriots the more sensible it seems
Could see him lining up in the slot, at tight end or even in the backfield. He'll probably get cut and almost definitely won't ever see a snap, Brady, Tebow and Ridley in a shotgun would really give defensive coordinators something to think about.
Put a "but" in there somewhere
And a euphemism just up there^.
If he's added to be a TE or RB
then, it makes sense. Otherwise, he is a 3rd stringer QB and will never see a snap. I've heard reports, that they added him to get better value of their No. 2 (whose name escapes me right now), but I can't imagine Tebow backing up Brady. Entirely different types of playing.
I really want to see Tebow playing again, he's just such an inspiration on any team.Yeah, I remember reading that they were going to offload Ryan Mallett Matt Flynn style
Now would be the time to trade him seeing as Brady's restructured to keep playing until he's 40. Could probably get a few decent Jaguars picks if they trade him soon.
Ravens release Vonta Leach
Not unexpected due to their upcoming Flacco cap issues. Be interesting to see if he lands anywhere else considering just how few teams use out-and-out full backs these days.
I really don't get why more teams don't use proper FBs
When I first got into the sport people used to talk about Mack Strong and Lorenzo Neal being as important to the Seahawk's and Charger's running games as Shaun Alexander and LaDainian Tomlinson were. Then these guys retire and guys like Leach lose most of their value. I'd love the Steelers to pick him up and get back to a proper ground and pound run game.
leach was an absolute beast for the ravens
as part of cam camerons offence. he would create space for ray rice with his blocking and was one of the reasons the Ravens running game was so strong.
When Jim Caldwell took over his role got diminished slightly, he didn't play many snaps at all during the superbowl. alot of ravens fans on a forum i use expected the trend to continue and paying someone about $4mill a year to not play much doesn't make sense. Drafted a FB/TE player in the 4th during the draft who looks a prospect aswell.
the cap is the main reason he has gone. slight chance we use the money to get a vet WR if one becomes available. More likely carry the cap space over as Dennis Pitta and Torrey Smth are gonna have to get paid at some point.
Worst case scenario he ends up at Steelers but your cap situation is almost as tight as ours.
there's no chance the Steelers will sign him, they couldn't afford to anyway
Could definitely see him going to the Browns, if they want to build that team around a solid run game then Leach could definitely get Trent Richardson into that elite category as he did for Foster and Rice.
so Aaron Hernandez has decided to step it up
a notch and has got himself involved in both a homicide and a completely separate shooting incident.
wow, with Gronk out injured and Hernandez on some sort of murderous rampage
now is definitely the time for Tebow to learn how to play TE
I had to read this twice to make sure
But he's getting sued for shooting someone IN THE FACE?
makes no sense
but yes, there is no mention of the police from what i've read.
welker/gronk/ahern
to Tebow/Amendola. nice
I read the police originally found him in an alley after he was shot and he didn't know what happened to him
now he's claiming that Hernandez and him were rowing after a night out, he pulled out a gun and it went off hitting him in the arm and eye. Seems strange this would lead to a civil suit before a criminal investigation. I guess people getting shot in the face just isn't a big deal in the US.
apparently he smashed up his home security camera system
sounds like he's in some serious shit
if that's fantasy football, then yeah most of us i think
I'm going to reactivate the DiS league soon
Yeah
I've done a couple of mock drafts. Don't have a clue what I'm doing really, but I'll give the DIS league a go.
You'll need someone to drop out first.
Demand for places is extremely high. Even if you don't get in though, definitely join another one, even if it's just with 9 other randoms. It's just a ludicrous amount of fun. And the draft is more fun than can possibly be healthy.
didyousayhand this'd thisNah fuck that, I want in.
Why can't there just be an extra space?
I want in too
maybe me and OBT will start our own league
i'll join too
that's 3 of us
me too
already organising one with my mates this year. but if there is space yeah, i'll give it a go.
What site do you use? im setting mine up on fleaflicker.
The official NFL one is the one we use
Yahoo's the only other one I've used and I prefer the NFL one. Would be good if we could have two leagues going, shame we can't have a DiS bowl at the end of the season between the two.
a mate suggested fleaflicker to me
I'd never heard of it and he'd done some reading and it came quite highly recommended. It has a good layout and seems easy to use. can't wait to draft!
Whilst we're on the subject of fantasy...
Is there any interest in starting a keeper league this season? I remember few people last year saying they'd be up for it but it never materialised. I'd be happy to set it up and that - I'm sure there are functions on NFL.com for keepers.
slightly elaborate idea this
but we could possibly make a two tiered league i.e. start a new league for those not part of the existing league, and have promoted/relegated teams after each season across both leagues (maybe two go down, two go up)? Would mean that there's some form of connection between the two leagues.
Yeah might just fire this up
seeing as there's already 5 interested.
Echoes of Ray Lewis' dark years here
Shame I was a big fan of Hernandez, he seemed a bit smarter and more entertaining than Gronk. Clearly I was wrong
Bad times
I know NFL players seem to get an easy time of it with the law, but it's hard to see how he'll get out of this. Could mean the Patriots top 3 receivers from last year will start the new season in Denver, hospital and jail respectively.
i think i read they will be without there top 5 from last year.
as the released Brandon Lloyd and Woodhead went to the Chargers.
Yep, count me in for this
But, will we also have a regular league that is just standard as well?
NFL.com definitely can do keeper leagues as I am in one on there at the moment. How many keepers would you think of going with and would you keep it to the normal offensive positions that we had last year?
no word on whether he's been arrested for homicide
or just the obstruction of justice charge they were threatening him with last week.
Woodhead had more receptions than Ridley?
Oh well, at least they've still got Julian Edelman.
I'd also be up for a keeper league if we still had the normal one.
Wouldn't be much fun if you had to slog through year after year with someone like Darren McFadden.
The_Excession this'd thisThey should probably just bring Lloyd back now before someone else grabs him
They're gonna have to depend on WRs more next season and he had 74 receptions last year
Damn
It doesn't look good, but still, innocent until proven guilty.
So, who is still left in their WR and TE cupboard? I know this will be thrown around a lot by the media, but we know Gronk is most likely not available for week 1 and if Hernandez is out as well, what do you think is the likelyhood that they try playing Tebow at TE?
That's simple
Don't draft Darren McFadden. I have no idea how he was so long considered a round 1 draft pick. He is amazing yes, but this guy cannot seriously stay on the field.
yeah the keeper will be in addition to the existing league
I think most leagues have 3 keepers a season. I've never done one before so I don't know the standard number, will have to do some research. Depending on on the opinions of others i guess it would be best to keep the squads as standard (1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 flex, 1 TE, D/ST, K and bench spots).
unlikely
but desperate times call for desperate measures
the main difference between this and Ray's case
is that this seems to have a degree of premeditation about it, which should be more worrying for AHern. They knew the guy, they were all together earlier in the evening, they "allegedly" destroyed evidence together.
Rays crew were on the lash and got caught in a street fight that got out of hand.
police say the charges won't be made public until he is presented in court
it must surely be for homicide, they've had the evidence to charge him with obstruction of justice for a week or so now. probably been building the murder case til today.
Great stuff
Oh, for just offensive leagues, I do not know. The one I am includes defensive players.
It's entirely up to you, how many to keep, as it's an option for the league manager to set. If you want to make it into a dynasty league then we could go with a low number first and then build up the number of keepers each season, till it's the whole squad as keepersI really doubt Tebow will convert to TE although he probably should at least try
They still have Ballard and Hoomanawanui plus there's still a couple of decent older TEs in free agency (Chris Cooley,Dallas Clark). Tebow still thinks he can be a QB and I imagine McDaniels probably agrees.
Gronk Hernandez was the best TE combo in the league
and pretty much what they designed their offence around, gonna struggle to replicate it with anyone.
Are Ballard and Hoomanawanui
Any good as receiving TE's though? Not sure Cooley is viable, that dude get's injured loads, even the Redskins didn't want to keep him.
As for Tebow, I think he has already proved he will do what is good for the team and what the team needs. So, if they want him to try at TE, I think he will do it. As for McDaniels, if both Gronk and Hernandez are not available, then his hands might be tied into trying Tebow as a TE.For sure
Which is why asking Tebow to play like Hernandez isn't gonna happen.
Maybe they should bring back Randy and try to replicate their '07 style with Amendola playing the Welker role. Maybe not Moss but another deep threat guy. And I'm sure they'll be bringing back Lloyd
Ballard looked alright for the Giants the few times I saw him play
don't know so much about Hoomanawanui. Cooley is a bit injury prone these days but that wasn't why he left D.C, it was more about the emergence of Fred Davis; as soon as Davis went down they brought Cooley back.
Dallas Clark would probably be the better option, he quietly had a decent season at TB last year and that was with Josh Freeman throwing him the ball.
Ah right
Yeah, I remember about Cooley going back, but he didn't look like the same player.
You're right that Clark looks like the better option. With Brady throwing the ball, he should be better.
holy shit
the pats have released Hernandez. They don't hang do they...
I guess they don't have much faith in him being found innocent then
Either that or he was due a big chunk of money soon
nope - From PFT:
"the move prevents the Patriots from ever recovering a penny of the $12.5 million signing bonus from his 2012 contract extension worth a total of $39 million."
Damn
That basically says that he is guilty and is being charged with manslaughter/murder
according to this he had his chunk
but is going to have to pay it back:
It will have an impact on how the Pats replace him though as his salary will still count against the cap as dead money in some form or other. I dont really know much about the complexities of that situation though.
but then just saw the PFT article..
who knows..
I think people are under estimating what it takes to play TE
or over estimating Tebows ability to play there. I dont think you can just plug a guy in and expect him to play a postion he's not familiar with. Maybe on the D when people go from DE to OLB etc. but to go QB to TE, a skill position, I dont think thats easy.
NFL
Please stay with the NFL one. I've used the Yahoo one before for NFL and NHL and hated both. It seems a mess and the NFL one is soo much better and easier to understand.
I do agree with you there
but he has been given some experience blocking when with the Jets special teams. Not saying it's easy or will be up to the level that Gronk or Hernandez are at.
It's the route running aswell,
some of the top coming out of college guys struggle with it. It is totally different to the read option/ rushing stuff he will have done as a QB.
Oh yeah, for sure
I was really only asking what were the possibilities of the Pats trying to use him at TE, rather than saying he should definitely be a TE
yeah man, wasn't meaning to bust your balls or anything
I've seen loads of people talking about it, i just think the chances are slim
Whoa
Tebow time cometh.
So much for innocent until proven guilty
Suspect they must know he's hosed.
Also, looking forward to all the articles warning about how Hernandez was a character risk coming out of Miami. Sure, because being busted a few times for smoking weed and involvement in a homicide are exactly on the same scale
Yeah, for sure
I think everybody just wants Tebow time again, me included
also feels like they knew something was coming
lot of TE depth on that roster, including Jake Ballard who keyed the Giants Superbowl win
I think the Pats know this has the potential to majorly damage their brand
I dont think they are saying he's guilty, I think they are saying we want fuck all to do with this shit full stop.
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lospolloshermanos this'd this
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OvertakenByTractors this'd this
oh and Pacman Jones
who could forget that one
Jim Dunaway
Robert Rozier (google him, pretty terrifying stuff).
You need 10 or 12 to make it work
Count me in as one of them. I need more fantasy teams.
Rookie Ausar Walcott gets cut by the Browns after being arrested for attempted murder
So I guess today's NFL lesson is that murder is a sackable offense, who knew? obviously not the Ravens 13 years ago ;)
Shite.
Was really hoping the Hernandez stuff was just sensationalism. He was one of my favourite players of the last 2 years. Why can't NFL players just not spend the entire offseason fucking up?
I think you'll find
that Ray the Knife was cleared of all related charges ;)
I'm kind of in the same boat
I really dont like the Pats but the Brady to Gronk/Hernandez combo was great to watch
I liked watching Brady-Gronk-Hernandez-Welker
and I am a Pats fan, so I'm pretty irked by this entire offseason so far.
It was only ATTEMPTED murder.
Sheesh, people are so quick to judge. Firm handshake, everything's forgotten.
So yeah, formally charged with murder
Along with 5 other gun related charges. Pleaded not guilty. Sounds like he's screwed.
The PFT twitter feed makes the evidence sound pretty damning
What a stupid fuck. I have no idea why these guys think they can do stuff like this and be above the law
Looks like the police are giving it the full Miami Vice swagger
They must be pretty damn sure they've got their man.
It's just incredible. You can play the game you love for a living and be richer than you possibly need to be - as long as you don't murder anyone. That's a pretty low bar he's (allegedly) failed to get over.
Sean Taylor :(
Are we counting players who were murdered?
27 players arrested since the superbowl
http://au.businessinsider.com/nfl-players-arrested-2013-super-bowl-2013-6
Just posting this as another excuse for you all to look at the Bryant mug shot really.
shell casings, video evidence, text messages...
the perfect crime
It's all that testosterone and adrenaline
that they have no release for without sport. Steroid crimes.
Can whoever runs the other DiS league change it to a 16 team league
or something? Is that possible?
if there's space
i'd totally like to join a league. Is there a link to the/a DiS league?
I take your 27 and raise you to 31 with the
cast of 2012 http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/the-30-arrests-of-the-nfl-off-season
Ah actually, that list could be 29, as Mr Titus Young had 3 arrests.
That mug shot of Desmond Bryant has to be one of the worst/funniest around.That Desmond Bryant mugshot is just great
You could show a film on his neck.
The sad thing about all this Hernandez stuff is that is has overshadowed far less serious and more amusing criminal activity
Namely, Jason Peters getting done for street racing and high speed pursuit.
And Bryant getting drunk and trying to break someone's door down.
Tempted to say that pacman jones is funny too, but punching a woman, as ridiculous as it is, should never be funny
Titus Young as well
trying to break his own car out from the tow yard. Still makes me lol.
Quinton Carter trying to defraud the casino of $15 was a highlight too
That case got dropped though, sadly. The Lions have had an unusually quiet year so far.
16 is probably too many
12 team leagues are the standard as it means there are enough elite players to go round but you still need to find a few sleepers to have a complete roster.
I think we should be able to fill two 12 team leagues with the people on here no problem. I like the idea of having promotion/relegation between the two as well.
The_Excession this'd thisYeah, 12 is the maximum you can really have whilst still having 12 competitive teams
And even then on bye weeks you end up having to start Jonathan Fucking Dwyer and Jackie Fucking Battle at running back.
yeah Yahoo sucks
ESPN's decent
quite like some of the comments on that
"The guy leaves more clues than Hansel and Gretel!"
supahotfire this'd thispeople comparing it to the Ray lewis situation
"If anybody out here in cyber-space thinks Arron Hernandez will spend one second in prison for these crimes, other than while he’s fighting for his bail, think again. Let me say two words; Ray Lewis! If Ray Lewis can kill two people in a night club with hundreds of witnesses and get away with it, then A. Hernandez certainly can and will."
amazing comment, he's totally made all the details up himself.
if they set up a London NFL franchise
do you think you would drop your allegiance to your current team and start supporting them?
I think I would follow them and look for them to do well in the same way I as I do for the Lions, but I think I am far to entrenched to give up the Ravens.
Faceless_Opinion this'd thisConsidering it's probably going to be based on the Jaguars
Probably not, no.
Severed799 this'd thisI've got a mate who's a Jags fan
he watched every game last season. they are woeful
No
I'd hope they do well obviously and would probably go to a few games depending on cost etc but I've been a Steelers fan for too long to give that up. To be honest I think a London franchise is a bad idea, if anything they should bring back NFL Europe with a more developed format to keep it worthwhile.
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didyousayhand this'd this
They were hopeless against the Bengals
But them at the Texans was one of the best games of last season. It says a lot about Blaine Gabbert that they looked so much better with Chad Henne under centre.
NFL arrests since 2000
Detroit aren't as high as I thought they'd be; Vikes and Bengals leading the way
yeah I asked him about Gabbert
he said he is truley awful. They have a two fairly decent WR's I think aswell. Blackmon has a lot of potential. there main problem last season was Maurice Jones-Drew was injured, hes like top 10 RB probs.
A lot more was expected of Blackmon a lot sooner though
Considering how high he was drafted in one of the strongest offensive draft classes in years. Their offense is going to be horrible if MJD misses the start of the season as well.
I haven't seen him play much
but he was a rookie with the worst QB in the NFL throwing to him at one of the worst franchises. his numbers were okay, but i think they were skewed by that game he had against hte texans when he got 230+ of his 850 odd yards. I'm sure he's kicks himself that he was drafted by the jags every day.
Tame, really,
but it'll keep things ticking over until someone invades Mexico or something.
not a chance
and i actually wouldn't want to see them do well. It's a US sport keep it there. Such a disadvantage for anyone playing them, whilst none of the players would want to play here.
Silly idea. move on. oh and take the international series with it too.
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tea_segall this'd this
These lists are always massively skewed towards offensive players
JJ Watt should be at least 2 places higher. Geno Atkins isn't even on there.
Manning at #2 is quite funny
given how clueless he was at the AFC Divisional game. He has had a terrific year but he also lost his nerve when it counted
Too low obviously
he's 38 places lower than Andrew Luck. He's won 2 Super Bowls and is below 2 rookies
he didn't have a very good year and Luck did though?
this is the real list by the way, that one is a comparison thing: http://www.nfl.com/top100/2013#video=0ap2000000215204
IMO Ben had one of his best years
completed 63% of his passes, 26 TDs and 8 INTS.
Luck broke the rookie yardage record but only because he threw more than most rookies, his completion % was amongst the lowest of starting QBs (even Sanchez's was better) and his QB rating for 2012 was 76.5 to Ben's 97.0.
that's a pretty good argument against looking at stats imho
ben had as poor a year as I've seen him have, as reflected by the stoolers in general
Severed799 this'd thisI heard someone on NFL network say 'it's a quarterback driven league'
but American football is always quarterback driven isn't it (unless you're the Vikings)? There probably isn't a position in any team sport which is as important.
Yeah don't go more than 12.
Sorry OBT and co. it'd be cool to have more people but >12 is too many.
well the quarterback wasn't always the most important player
like it the game's early days right up until you get guys like montana and bradshaw, the game was played much more through running backs, but yes, since then it has been QB-driven that's always going to be the case so it's a bit of an empty statement now
I don't really agree
I think it's about the team. You need a good quarterback, yes, but you need to be able to run the ball (hello; packers) and defend (hello; saints and patriots)
Pretty bad
I have no idea why Arian Foster is so high. He wasn't great this year, just coasted behind the best run blocking o-line in football.
JJ Watt should be number 2, Tom Brady is way too high... my problems with the list go on. Patrick Peterson should never be the toprated cornerback
apparently most of the players don't vote and those who do don't take it very seriously.
I think when they say that they usually mean it's a more pass-oriented league than it used to be
In part this is due to rule changes that mean quarterbacks and wide receivers get a lot more protection than they used to which means gaining massive yardage by passing is much easier than it used to be. That's why pretty much every passing record has been broken in the past 10 years, and if it weren't for the fact that Jerry Rice was an utter freak of nature every receiving record probably would have been too. The new tuck rule is probably going make teams pass even more as it further reduces the amount of protection RBs get.
It's also a more practical concern, as it's easier to build a team around a star QB than it as a star RB. Teams will look to get 15 seasons out of a franchise QB compared to maybe 7 or 8 out of a good running back because the position is so much more physically demanding.
It's not impossible to have success without a top quality QB (see the Vikings last year) and as lbc rightly pointed out strong running and defensive games are still hugely important, but it's no coincidence that, with the exception of the Lions, none of the teams with the top 10 draft picks in 2013 had what you'd call a franchise quarterback.
Has Brian Banks been mentioned yet in these threads?
Story of the century so far, not even exaggerating.
Think it was mentioned very briefly when he signed for the Falcons
Unbelievable story though. Really hope he makes their 53 and sees some game time.
It had some coverage
when he signed for the Falcons. I can see him making the cut with the amount of dedication he has. Probably more dedication than over half of the roster. (I'm not saying that Falcon's players aren't dedicated, but this guy really wants to play football)
Just looked him up - what a story.
Good luck to him.
supahotfire this'd thisThey're happy enough with their linebackers to let John Abraham go
If Banks ends up starting it'll be hard to root against the Falcons.
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Severed799 this'd this
If you get the chance to listen to the Rich Eisen podcast
with him telling the story in his own words - do it. I was on the verge of tears throughout.
John Abraham is a DE though
Falcons are a 4-3 team
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Severed799 and Smyth2 this'd this
this is marginally more interesting than Kaepernick being caught in a Dolphins hat
We're really at the lowest point of the off-season now. Only 3 and a half weeks til pre-season starts though at least.
I think a 50 year old man running away from bulls is much more interesting that Colin Kaepernick wearing a hat
But I agree, it's slim pickings at the moment. Doesn't help that all the Bengals columnists have been in full "OMG HARD KNOCKS!!1!" mode for the past fortnight.
actually you're right. I withdraw my marginally comment
And good for Rex, a couple of seasons ago that bull would've caught him no trouble.
I'm tempted to watch Hard Knox this year, I think they might feature #92 too much for my liking though.
Von Miller gets a 4 game ban
Press hasn't said what for yet but heavy speculation is that it's for performance enhancing drugs:
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lemonbrickcombo this'd this
'The dog barked first' :D
My brother was actually almost arrested for the same thing. He has learning disabilities, so nothing happened in the end, but he'd been at a Cardiff game with my dad and was a bit high on adrenaline, and when they came out past a police horse and dog my brother apparently started woofing in a friendly manner at the dog - the copper thought he was taking the piss and threatened to nab him before my dad apologised quickly and dragged him away.
Speed counts as a PED in the NFL
"Mike Klis of the Denver Post reports that Miller has violated both policies. Per Klis, Miller tested positive for amphetamines and marijuana in 2011. The former, which is the active ingredient in Adderall and other related substances, would trigger an automatic four-game suspension under the PED policy. The latter would require at least three violations before a suspension arises."
I think I'd go with
'Dockett said he believes the fans would really get behind him if he had a pet monkey'. Fantastic.
"After the game, the fans see me with the monkey, ticket sales go up, Dockett jersey sales go up. Why? Because they all want to see me with the monkey.”
I think my favourites has to be this
“Could you picture that on game days? I’m coming to the game, I have my monkey with me, he has my jersey on,” Dockett said. “Think about it. After the game, the fans see me with the monkey, ticket sales go up, Dockett jersey sales go up. Why? Because they all want to see me with the monkey.”
I'm not sure if this is really funny, really cool or just a bit mental.
The Cards could advertise themselves as
The Arizona Cardinals vs the Tennessee Titans
.............featuring............
Crazy Darnell Dockett's Inappropriate Pet Circus
I'm starting to think he's a bit of a genius.
Yesterday was a lesson in why you don't do your fantasy draft til September
Dennis Pitta and Jeremy Maclin both out for the season with injuries at camp.
Also 360 degree "matrix style" replays on Sunday Night Football:
http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/tca-touchdown-neo-sunday-night-football-plans-matrix-style-replays-106441Couldn't disagree more. Had Ben not got injured (again)
the Steelers would more than likely have won the division and from there, who knows? Despite the fact their running game was utterly tragic.
His fitness is a massive concern. The Steelers will be there or thereabouts if he stays injury free even in an ultra competitive division.
Smyth2 this'd thisThere is your half time show!
and your tailgate entertainment
does anyone here subscribe to Pro Football Focus?
was thinking of signing up for the forthcoming season. Only £18 for 12 months...
Yes. I do
It is great. Everything Khaled and Sam write is brilliant, the stats are great and it really helps with understanding the game/gives you and advantage in fantasy
Dear oh dear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dEQxO8Yuas
Quite amazing he hasn't been cut for this.
I was unsure how to reply to this
Firstly, it's a sport full of multi-cultural people and a lot of the people who play it are what he is calling out here. So, how he expects to be taken back/accepted into that locker room is beyond me. Even if he was cut, what team would take him now?
Secondly, is he saying something that some of the players think and quite a lot of Americans do as well? Is this something that is a problem in the country? I don't know what my point is really.
If Maclin hadn't gone down they probably would've cut him already
If I was Chip Kelly I'd get rid of him, he's definitely replaceable and frankly you shouldn't want a guy who listens to country music on your roster.
What a complete fucking bellend.
This sort of thing never gets forgotten. It'll be used as a stick to beat him with for the rest of his career (whatever he can salvage of it), and serves him right really.
Agree with Smyth2, if Maclin was still there he'd be dusting off his interview suit as we speak. As it is, he'll have to walk back in there and look the likes of his probable starting QB in the eye. That'll be a fun day for him.
I bet his agent is well impressed too.
having read Friday Night Lights
yes, it does still happen. I know that book is over 20 years old now but in certain regions people still use the word nigger pretty liberally and have no qualms with it
They're obviously gonna stand by him
Can't understand that at all, there will be a lot of players on that team that will never forgive him for this. Why invite that sort of disruption to the team for a guy that had 23 receptions last year?
Marvin Lewis is brilliant
Threatens to hit one of his own players with a 2x4. Rex Ryan/Mike Tomlin levels of quotability
Preseason last night! football's (sort of) back...Peyton Manning lined up in the pistol apparently. Can't wait for this season.
Oh Marvin
Hopefully Vontaze has got his insanity out of his system nice and early this year. What with James Harrison being old and Rey Maualuga being awful we've got a lot riding on him this year.
THIS IS WHY YOUR TEAM SUCKS:
They're only about halfway through this year's, but still some good ones - compiled from fans own reasons for hating their teams, and general banter:
http://deadspin.com/tag/why-your-team-sucks-2013
Last year they did a round up of all the hate mail to find the worst fans too.
I think it's great
I love mouthy coaches. Tomlin quotes from training camp practices are amazing, he properly trash talks his own players
Subthread: What are your expectations for your team this year?
With pre-season now fully underway in all its mediocre glory how is your team shaping up?
It looks like the Bengals are in very good shape. The team is still largely intact (Dan Skuta is the only player they would have wanted to keep but haven't and he wasn't even a starter) which has meant they've been able to draft without the constraints of having to replace outgoing players. Giovani Bernard should bring a lot more to the running game and Tyler Eifert looks like he could be a real star. Offensively a lot depends on Andy Dalton continuing to progress, but I don't really buy it when people say he's not up to the task. He's thrown two consecutive 20+ TD seasons in his first 2 years (something only Dan Marino and Peyton Manning have accomplished) and rushed for 4 TDs last year, so he's no slouch. He's not elite and probably won't ever be, but as Joe Flacco showed last year he doesn't really need to be.
Defensively things are looking great. I think the d-line is probably the strongest in the league, and Burfict and Harrison at LB should compensate if Maualuga has another awful season. Dre Kirkpatrick and Brandon Ghee could contribute in the secondary at long last and Leon Hall and Reggie Nelson are sorely underrated at CB and FS respectively. Free safety is a bit of a question mark, George Iloka is currently top of the depth chart but Shawn Williams and Taylor Mays are both in contention. Other than that the defense looks incredibly solid.
Overall I think 10-6 is a reasonable expectation. All the AFC North teams have a tough schedule this year but the Steelers and the Ravens have both gone backwards and the Browns are improving but not quickly enough. Would prefer to avoid the wildcard round and another probably dismal defeat to Houston, but I'd characterise my mood about the upcoming season as "cautiously optimistic".
New monthly UK magazine starting at the end of the month
Digital only as of yet.
If it was print I expect I'd subscribe
I like to just pick up a magazine, take it with me somewhere, without having to try and mess around stroking at my tiny phone to read it. A shame, but I think it may struggle to take off.
There's a possibility of a limited print run off, depending on demand
I agree that it's a better option than a pdf version, you can register interest for this on their site I think
politely disagree that the Ravens have gone backwards
there's been ALOT of upheaval this offseason, but was to be expected considering the number of high profile free agents we had. Couple that with a Super Bowl win and naturally players expect inflated salaries. In terms of players lost:
Ray Lewis - Cannot quantify his importance as a team leader and ability to read offenses, but he clearly lost a step last season, dropping into pass coverage was a clear problem for him.
Ed Reed - Another member of the old guard lost, but didn't make as many of his big trademarks plays and missed way too many tackles. Wasn't worth the money he wanted, and now he might not even start the season with Houston.
Dannell Ellerbe - Has started around 20 or so NFL games, was good but not great. Miami overpaid for him.
Paul Kruger - Could see him flopping at Cleveland. Only fired up when Suggs came back from injury and begun to draw double teams.
Cary Williams - his boom and bust style could be a real liability at times, tries too much to be a Charles Tillman-esque player.
Bernard Pollard - Was poor in pass coverage at times, and was probably too outspoken for Harbaugh's liking.
Anquan Boldin - This is a big loss and the only one I worry over. Has one of the surest pair of hands in the league, was a comfort blanket for Flacco all season long.Looking at the squad now, offensively it's a bit up in the air. our interior o-line is strong - Yanda is the best RG in the league and Osemele has pro bowl potential. Our tackles are worrisome, what with McKinnie's weight problems and Oher's poor 2012 season. Flacco is way overpaid but I'm happy with him. Have one of the best running back tandems in Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce (Pierce is probably good enough to start on some teams). Outside of Torrey Smith the receiving corps are filling me with trepidation. Jacoby Jones was servicable as a change of pace guy in nickel packages, but is not a no. 2 wideout. Tandon Doss, Deonte Thompson et al haven't set training camp on fire, and all these wideouts are too similar (speedy deep threats, which is suits Flacco's strong arm but is a bit one note).brandon Stokely should be solid between the hashes. Denis Pitta's injury is a massive blow, but a committee comprised of Dickson, Clark and Shiancoe should do the trick.
Defense is where I'm most excited. Chris Canty is a superb addition at Defensive End, which allows Ngata to move into his favoured 3 tech nose tackle position. Daryl Smith should excel as our new mike linebacker, has flown under the radar somehow. Could be a huge steal, classic Ozzie pick up. Rookie Arthur Brown has all the fundamentals to start from the get go, and with these guys flanked by a healthy Suggs and Elvis Dumervil (a huge upgrade on Kruger) this front seven can be a super strong unit.
Ladarius Webb will hopefully be fit for the start of the season, and after missing most of 2012 this will pretty much be like gaining a new cornerback, and one that easily ranks in the top 5 in the league. Jimmy Smith and Corey Graham will compete for the 2nd spot. Neither were great in coverage last year but age is on their side. Reed and Pollard have been replaced by Michael Huff, a former first round pick who should be a sound player, and Matt Elam, our rookie safety I'm very excited about.
I can see anywhere between a 9-7 and 12-4 season for us. We're scheduled against the AFC East (fairly easy) and the NFC North (not so easy) and have a very favourable road schedule so I'm fairly optimistic about our chances. I think we'll sneak the division ahead of the Bengals, who I'm pretty high on this season. Don't think much of the Steelers and the Browns are talented but still have many spots to fill.
Is anyone watching Hard Knocks?
http://youtu.be/cIbQ6UC8euM?t=37m8s
This is absolute gold - a side of James Harrison I thought didn't exist...
I think the Ravens have restocked well - particularly on defense
But a lot depends on how quickly Arthur Brown and Michael Huff/Matt Elam (who I'm a big fan of, second best safety in the draft after Vaccaro IMO) can step into Lewis and Reed's shoes. While both players were clearly on the downward slope last year their leadership and game-reading can't be understated as you say.
Boldin and Pitta are big losses too, and if Jacoby Jones goes down injured (very possible if he's still returning punts) that receiving corps is going to look very thin very quickly.
I've said the Bengals are gonna take the AFC North since February
They clearly have the strongest roster and I think Dalton is good enough for them to take the division. Having said that I can see them being a one and done team in the playoffs though.
As far as the Steelers go I certainly wouldn't say we've gone backwards. We only lost two players in the off-season that we're really gonna miss; Mike Wallace who obviously offers a deep threat like few others but probably more damaging is Keenan Lewis going to New Orleans. He was starting to look like a pretty great CB and I'm not sure if Cortez Allen can fill his shoes quickly enough.
The other criticisms being leveled at Pittsburgh are the usual age related stuff about the defense which I've never taken too seriously. It was the same this time last year and we still finished as the #1 D in the league. Harrison leaving won't affect us as much as people think, I'm hopeful Jason Worilds will surprise some people (I even named my fantasy team after him) and Lamarr Woodley can't afford to have another year like the last. A lot of that was playing him in coverage too much so hopefully he'll be back to his sack happy ways in '13.
Offensively I think Ben is starting to adapt to Todd Haley's system more than a year ago and the word from camp is that it all looks good. I think Antonio Brown should be fine without Wallace taking the double coverages and Emmanuel Sanders will pick up the slack. I like the rookies on offense a lot, Leveon Bell was announced as the co-starter at RB with Redman and I think by mid-season he'll be the #1 and Markus Wheaton should get more opportunities to impress at WR with Plaxico out of action.
Overall I think we'll be challenging for a wildcard spot which will make the two Ravens games as epic as usual even though I don't think either team will be competing for the division.
what? you're not allowed to remove the opposing players helmet and beat him with it?
It's basically touch football these days
I already knew that when I'm on holiday in NOLA in 2 weeks I'd be going to Falcons @ Saints
Last night I found out that, since the thinly-veiled's friend is pals with the Atlanta GM, I will have passes to the Falcons sideline during the game.
I'm pretty excited!ho-lee-shit
that will be amazing.
I know.
Hoping I can take plenty of photos without having Roger Goodell come and throw me out for not wearing transparent clothes or something.
Geno Smith does an Orlovsky; Mark Sanchez plays well and is then injured
Jesus Christ, I can't watch this season.
Massive Lola at the cowboys. the jerrydome strikes again.
Cannot this this enough
That is an awesome opportunity and will be such a great time. Once in a lifetime experiece. Try and get loads of signatures
It looks the QB battle
Is turning into a who can play on week 1, rather than who is better.
Really sorry but, I have the Jets down to draft No. 1 after this season. They really don't seem to have anyone on offense. It reminds me of the Panthers, the season before we got rid of John Fox. We got rid of all the vets and went totally young and we had a 2-14 season and drafted first.Bengals have extended Geno Atkins' contract
5 years, $55m. Absolute steal.
Ridiculously excited about the new season starting now - 2 more days!
Might pull a sickie on Friday so I can watch the Broncos Ravens game live.
ESPN release their playoff prediction:
http://i.imgur.com/cEojeBn.jpg
A lot of safe picks, although I'm not sure I agree with Miami taking the AFC East unless they're anticipating Brady getting injured. The Chiefs taking a wildcard spot could definitely happen; there aren't many weak links in that team these days.
I'm not sure if those are score predictions
unless the Bronco's lose to the Texans but still go through and the Seahawks lose to the Packers but still go through as well.
On the subject of the above post, let's predict!
AFC:
North: Bengals
East: Patriots
South: Colts
West: BroncosWildcards: Texans, Steelers
NFC:
North: Packers
East: Redskins
South: Falcons
West: 49ersWildcards: Seahawks, Saints
AFC wise I think it'll be six from the six above plus the Ravens. I think the Chiefs will do well to go .500 for the season, despite all the new players and the miserable state of the AFC West. The Dolphins could also challenge, but I'm still not convinced by Tannehill or Miller and it's hard to really believe in a team who have spent that much in free agency.
The NFC is a much different story. There are probably only a couple of teams (Lions, Cardinals) who have absolutely no chance of reaching the play-offs. Anyone could feasibly emerge from East or South, and the Rams have strengthened an already strong roster but are still lagging behind the Seattle and San Francisco. Can't be bothered with a full bracket, but I'd probably go for a 49ers v Broncos Superbowl, to be won by the 49ers.
pretty much agree with all of this
Except I'm leaning towards believing Seattle can take the West from S.F and I think K.C will be strong this year(and not just because I'm banking both my fantasy teams on Jamaal Charles).
No idea what Miami are going to do, they could definitely surprise people especially if they can establish a decent run game to make Tannehill's/Wallace's life easier but I think they're more likely to do a Philly and not live up to the hype of their offseason.
My two reservations about KC are the amount they've spent and Andy Reid
As above, when a team goes on a trolley dash in free agency it usually isn't a great sign. I think Jamaal Charles can be an absolute monster if used properly, but after Andy Reid's bewildering treatment of LeSean McCoy last year there's no guarantee he'll do that. Alex Smith is a hugely underrated addition though considering they made do with Brady Quinn and Matt Cassell last year.
ok, i'll give it a go
AFC
North: Ravens
East: Patriots
South: Texans
West: BroncosWildcards: Colts, Bengals
NFC
North: Packers
East: Redskins
South: Falcons
West: SeahawksWildcards: 49ers, Saints
and my wild pin stab in the dark for Superbowl is: Broncos - Falcons with Broncos to win
they've still got you to keep Pittsburgh out of the playoffs
you should be pleased with that (it hopefully won't happen)
I can imagine the Ravens this year being like the Giants last year
Despite being fresh from a Superbowl win they haven't improved as much as other teams in the division. They could go 8-8 and win another Superbowl or they could go 8-8 and not even make the play-offs.
I am, of course,
but it's the same logic we face every year, just love that winning a Super Bowl still isn't enough for anyone to rate us, not that I think we'll win the superbowl again but still, I think us last year proves that you can't ever predict NFL so easily which is its magic
Someone was asking about defensive jargon in the other thread
These three articles are really good.
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/04/16/2013-defensive-prototypes-defensive-line/
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/04/18/2013-defensive-prototypes-linebackers/
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/04/22/2013-defensive-prototypes-secondary/
I'll post more stuff about defensive alignments as and when I find it. I'm a bit of a geek for this stuff. Schooling myself on Buddy Ryan's 5-2 these last few days.