NFL/NCAAF Thread

[SlowPokeBroKing]

Mine's on just a giant picture of Lebron's face, as that's literally the only good thing Cleveland (or for that matter, all of Ohio) is known for.

Not the Ohio State Buckeyes, the current college football National Champions, a team who overcame all odds to be the best out there. But that's nothing.
Not Kyrie Irving, one of the best point guards in the NBA right now, 2012 Rookie of the Year, and 2014 All-Star MVP. But that's nothing.
Not Jim Brown. Considered to be one of the best, if not the best, fullbacks of all time with 4 NFL MVP awards under his belt. But that's nothing.

I'm actually a big Lebron fan and (if you couldn't tell) an Ohio native and (duh) a Browns fan. How about we keep the thread to non-ignorant posts only because you never know who is from where and what people take pride in. As for me, I take pride in being an Ohioan.

 

[Nightlingbolt]

The Patriots tagged Stephen Gostowski. Was this a smart decision? Because I think one of you guys is a Lions fan, and I know they've suffered from shoddy kicking.

 

[Mye]

The Patriots tagged Stephen Gostowski. Was this a smart decision? Because I think one of you guys is a Lions fan, and I know they've suffered from shoddy kicking.

It was in a pretty weird way. The patriots don't really have any notable free agents (their core is remaining in tact), so using the tag on who is probably the 2nd best kicker in their franchise's history (Adam Veneterri, or whoever you spell it, is IMO the best one they had and is arguably one of the top-5 clutch kickers in NFL history). That being said, kickers are heavily undervalued in this league and can be picked up for practically nothing, so using the tag on him either shows that they have tons of faith in this guy or that they just got bored/didn't have anyone better to use the tag on.

In a bit of non-surprising news and totally surprising news, Cowboys tagged Bryant (further suggesting that they're probably gonna be pushing for Adrian Peter-griffin-son and ditching Murray) and the Lions chose not to tag Ndamukong Suh. I get that Suh has had plenty of off-field issues/has thousands of memes going around about him, but the idea that Detroit is letting their best defensive player walk to free agency, ugh. Some team is gonna overpay huge for this guy and instantly have a beastly defense (hoping its Carolina or Seattle, as Suh on either of those teams would easily make them a superbowl contender).

Also, I'll get into why I don't think Seattle will be making the superbowl next season a bit later (it's pretty hard to explain and and relies heavily on the use of shadow puppets, but when you understand it it'll blow your mind).

 

[Joltik-Kid]

I hope the Lions somehow find a way to sign Suh, otherwise they have no one to blame but themselves for letting it come to this

 

[Mye]

I hope the Lions somehow find a way to sign Suh, otherwise they have no one to blame but themselves for letting it come to this

I really can't see him resigning with them unless they outrageously overpay for him. Tons of other teams will probably make offers, and will be in much better positions to make the playoffs next year (aformentioned carolina/seattle, then there's Dallas St Louis and San Fran). Imo, the free agency class for this year will be one of the best ones of all time, with Peter-griffin-son and Murray being two good rushers and Suh/Hardy being two good (albeit risky) defensive players. That, and this is one of few years in which there aren't too many teams looking for a QB (St Louis Tampa Jets and Tennesee are the only ones I can think of, and three of those teams will probably push the draft).

 

[Hunter Zolomon]

The way it sounds I don't think the Lions will resign Suh. If the Lions decide not to resign him hopefully that decision doesn't come back to haunt them.

 

[Sid87]

I can't imagine any reality where Seattle can afford Suh, and frankly... I don't want him. He's a dirtbag.

 

[Kansas_Rocks!]

I am extremely happy that the Chiefs tagged Houston. It makes it more certain for Chiefs fans that he will stay, and if not we can always get draft picks from the team that he goes to. I just hope that this allows the two parties to come to a long term contract agreement.

 

[Mye]

I can't imagine any reality where Seattle can afford Suh, and frankly... I don't want him. He's a dirtbag.

He may be a dirtbag, but him on that team would instantly make their defense even scarier (if that's possible). From what I read, Suh is apparently willing to take less salary if it means joining a "superbowl contending team", so joining seattle is technically in the realm of possibility (even though I'm highly skeptical he'll go anywhere other than carolina).

 

[GrizzlyB]

It was in a pretty weird way. The patriots don't really have any notable free agents (their core is remaining in tact), so using the tag on who is probably the 2nd best kicker in their franchise's history (Adam Veneterri, or whoever you spell it, is IMO the best one they had and is arguably one of the top-5 clutch kickers in NFL history). That being said, kickers are heavily undervalued in this league and can be picked up for practically nothing, so using the tag on him either shows that they have tons of faith in this guy or that they just got bored/didn't have anyone better to use the tag on.

It means that they think they can sign him to a long term deal before the deadline. Franchising a kicking specialist is silly otherwise.

It also means that Devin McCourty is asking for a lot, as they aren't as confident signing him long term and don't want to pay the franchise cost for one season. Dude's probably going to get close to $10 million a season, which... yeah, I'd let him walk.

I hope the Lions somehow find a way to sign Suh, otherwise they have no one to blame but themselves for letting it come to this

They can blame themselves for a lot. Including the inevitable Calvin Johnson cut (unless he throws them a lifeline like Larry Fitzgerald did).

I really can't see him resigning with them unless they outrageously overpay for him. Tons of other teams will probably make offers, and will be in much better positions to make the playoffs next year (aformentioned carolina/seattle, then there's Dallas St Louis and San Fran). Imo, the free agency class for this year will be one of the best ones of all time, with Peter-griffin-son and Murray being two good rushers and Suh/Hardy being two good (albeit risky) defensive players. That, and this is one of few years in which there aren't too many teams looking for a QB (St Louis Tampa Jets and Tennesee are the only ones I can think of, and three of those teams will probably push the draft).

I don't think anyone really considers Suh a risk, per se. Or at least I don't. With the way the NFL operates, he's not really in any danger of missing more than a game or two, no matter how many people he steps on. And it's not like he suddenly turned it on this season, trying to get paid -- he's always played and been paid well. The only problem is that he probably wants more money than he (or any defensive tackle) is really worth.

I am extremely happy that the Chiefs tagged Houston. It makes it more certain for Chiefs fans that he will stay, and if not we can always get draft picks from the team that he goes to. I just hope that this allows the two parties to come to a long term contract agreement.

Even though Houston is the only tagged guy who is even conceivably worth it, there's no way any team gives him an offer sheet. Believe me, if that happened with Demaryius Thomas, as much as I like him, I would pray the Broncos take the picks and cut bait.

That said, Justin Houston is most likely very very pissed about being tagged. I remember he held out as long as possible last season, and after a 22 sack year, he's not really any closer to a deal.

Also, I really hope that Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant play out their tags. Wide receiver contracts are going to go down in a hurry, I bet (with the inevitable releases of Percy Harvin and Mike Wallace, and Dwayne Bowe next year), and none too soon.

He may be a dirtbag, but him on that team would instantly make their defense even scarier (if that's possible). From what I read, Suh is apparently willing to take less salary if it means joining a "superbowl contending team", so joining seattle is technically in the realm of possibility (even though I'm highly skeptical he'll go anywhere other than carolina).

I bet his idea of "less salary" is $15 million per season instead of $16 million. Which, obviously, no contending team is going to pay.



ALSO NEWS FLASH:
According to Adam Schefter, the Eagles and Bills are going to trade LeSean McCoy and Kiko Alonso as soon as the league year opens (presumably straight up). It's hard for me to know what to make of this, considering McCoy is a proven commodity and Alonso simply had one very good rookie season, but my first impression is that Buffalo got hustled.

 

[bobjr]

McCoy seems to be starting the slow RB decline most do at his age, and Rex Ryan and the Bills are all about wasting RB talent like Spiller and Jackson.

 

[GrizzlyB]

McCoy seems to be starting the slow RB decline most do at his age, and Rex Ryan and the Bills are all about wasting RB talent like Spiller and Jackson.

I agree, he probably peaked in 2013. His contract is also pretty huge, while Alonso still has two years on a rookie deal. The only question is whether Kiko Alonso recovers completely from his torn ACL (likely) and plays at least as well as he did his rookie year (who knows?).

I was also gonna say that the Eagles might've just hamstrung themselves offensively, since Foles also came crashing back to earth this past season, but there really are a lot of good running backs coming out this year who can replace McCoy. Which makes this even sillier on the Bills' end.

 

[bobjr]

The game is a lot more focused on passing now anyway, so unless you have a top tier running back you can just have a 2-3 man rotation at the start of a season and work out who does best.

 

[Mye]

The game is a lot more focused on passing now anyway, so unless you have a top tier running back you can just have a 2-3 man rotation at the start of a season and work out who does best.

Yeah, minus seattle I can't exactly remember a superbowl champion in the past decade that wasn't primarily a passing team (I suppose baltimore counts too, kinda). The Bills also acquired Matt Cassel (you know, the guy who Ryan Mallet was 6 years ago), effectively making them the AFC equivalent of Oakland in which they take old guys who are probably past their best years and hope to make a team out of it.

As for Philly, ugh. Last year, after giving away Desean Jackson to Washington, their offense regressed horribly (as expected) while their defense surprisingly did better than anyone thought they'd do. Now they're losing who is arguably their best player, making their offense even weaker. Unless Foles can prove his season from 2 years ago wasn't a fluke (which I kinda thought it was at the time) or they stockpile heavily on offense, I'd be surprised if they finished any higher than 8-8.

 

[Sid87]

Jimmy Graham is a Seahawk, as Seattle traded Max Unger and a 1st to the Saints for Graham and a 4th.

Russell finally has a real weapon.

 

[Mye]

Recap of all "noteworthy" things that happened today:

Eagles traded Nick Foles, their 2015 fourth round pick, and 2016 2nd round pick to the Rams for Sam Bradford and their 2015 fifth round pick.
Saints traded Jimmy Graham and their 2015 fourth round pick to the Seahawks for Max Unger and their 2015 first round pick.
Ravens traded Haloti Ngata to the Lions for their 2015 fourth round pick and 2015 fifth round pick.
Texans traded Case Keenum to the Rams for their 2016 seventh round pick.
Free agent RB Frank Gore signs a 2-year deal with the Colts.
Free agent QB Shaun Hill signs 1-year deal with Vikings.
Free agent LB Malcolm Smith signs 3-year deal with Raiders.
Jets release WR Percy Harvin.
Free agent QB Jake Locker announces retirement after 4 seasons in the NFL.

If noone can tell, I kinda put the first three (most notable) ones in order of "what the f are those teams doing"-ness. The Rams basically got a steal in a qb trade, as literally noone expected them to stick with Bradford (due to being the derrick rose of the NFL). The fact they managed to wiggle out two draft picks AND a QB who put up not-horrible starter number for him is even more bewildering. What's left in Philly is equally as confusing, losing their top rusher, receiver, and QB (stat-wise) in just over a year and being left with a pretty average defense and no hope on offense (especially if Bradford gets injured again). GG Philly, barring tebow-magic you won't be seeing a championship anytime soon.

In a less confusing but equally surprising move, the Seahawks picked up the second-best tight end in the game for Max Unger and what is essentially a 2nd-round draft pick in the upcoming draft. On one hand, it makes tons of sense as the Saints completely mismanaged their cap space forcing them to move him somewhere. That being said, does this really improve seattle? Yes, they got Jimmy Graham (the second-best tight end barring gronk), but he's gonna be 29 next year, which for offensive weapons barring Randy Moss tends to be where they decline. Seattle may be getting better, but overall I'd say they have maybe 2-3 years left to win another superbowl before time starts catching up with them.

Gonna skip the ravens move, as I don't wanna be forced to explain why baltimore will be 5-11 next year. Just believe me though, they will be.

Despite having arguably three of the top 10 WR's in the NFL, the Jets decided to cut one of them by releasing percy harvin. Yes, they may not be making the playoffs anytime soon (especially with Brady and now -bleeping- SUH being in their division), but really? We could've seen one of the most fascinating receiving cores in all of football prance around New York, making football in that area actually relevant for the first time in a decade (assuming they used their draft pick on a QB). Instead, ugh. New York has three football teams, three NHL teams, and a basketball team, and out of all of them only two have a legitimate shot of making the playoffs in the next few years (both being NHL teams, also I included buffalo teams as they technically count, kinda).

 

[Nightlingbolt]

Once again, a Boston franchise tried to insult a player's intelligence, and once again, it cost the franchise that player.

Darrelle Revis is back to the Jets. If he wants to be part of a perpetual rebuild, that's his decision to make. I'm just upset that the Patriots thought they could get away with insulting him with that ******** placeholder year! No team is gonna pay a player $25 million, and if I'm Revis, that's a red flag right there! Just like that, this organization's monstrosity of an ego has turned the team's defense from Super Bowl caliber back to the wet napkin we all know and loathe! I'd say unbelievable, but hey, this is Boston. We don't believe in retaining actual players here.

EDIT: I will admit to not understanding the purpose of a placeholder year, so an explanation would be very much appreciated.

 

[GrizzlyB]

Jimmy Graham is a Seahawk, as Seattle traded Max Unger and a 1st to the Saints for Graham and a 4th.

Russell finally has a real weapon.

Are you happy about that trade? imo, Jimmy Graham is overrated and overpaid. To give up your best lineman and 1st round pick for that... I dunno, I think it strongly favors the Saints. Granted, if Wilson can buy time, he's a dude who can pretty much always come open in the endzone.

If noone can tell, I kinda put the first three (most notable) ones in order of "what the f are those teams doing"-ness. The Rams basically got a steal in a qb trade, as literally noone expected them to stick with Bradford (due to being the derrick rose of the NFL). The fact they managed to wiggle out two draft picks AND a QB who put up not-horrible starter number for him is even more bewildering. What's left in Philly is equally as confusing, losing their top rusher, receiver, and QB (stat-wise) in just over a year and being left with a pretty average defense and no hope on offense (especially if Bradford gets injured again). GG Philly, barring tebow-magic you won't be seeing a championship anytime soon.

I'm not convinced that Nick Foles is anything special. In a vacuum, I think I'd take Bradford over him. Whether that's worth giving up a 2nd round pick and switching out their contracts, I dunno (especially since this is the final and not-at-all cheap year of Bradford's contract), but I don't really think the Rams improved that much, either.

Despite having arguably three of the top 10 WR's in the NFL, the Jets decided to cut one of them by releasing percy harvin. Yes, they may not be making the playoffs anytime soon (especially with Brady and now -bleeping- SUH being in their division), but really? We could've seen one of the most fascinating receiving cores in all of football prance around New York, making football in that area actually relevant for the first time in a decade (assuming they used their draft pick on a QB). Instead, ugh. New York has three football teams, three NHL teams, and a basketball team, and out of all of them only two have a legitimate shot of making the playoffs in the next few years (both being NHL teams, also I included buffalo teams as they technically count, kinda).

Three of the top 10? Really? I can kinda understand how you could delude yourself into thinking Harvin has top 10 potential, but Eric Decker isn't in any kind of consideration. More importantly, that would be a LOT of money tied up in one position group, doubly-so because they don't have, and probably can't get, a decent QB to help them out. And Percy Harvin's contract, in and of itself, was terribad -- the league as a whole is better off without that thing.

Once again, a Boston franchise tried to insult a player's intelligence, and once again, it cost the franchise that player.

Darrelle Revis is back to the Jets. If he wants to be part of a perpetual rebuild, that's his decision to make. I'm just upset that the Patriots thought they could get away with insulting him with that ******** placeholder year! No team is gonna pay a player $25 million, and if I'm Revis, that's a red flag right there! Just like that, this organization's monstrosity of an ego has turned the team's defense from Super Bowl caliber back to the wet napkin we all know and loathe! I'd say unbelievable, but hey, this is Boston. We don't believe in retaining actual players here.

EDIT: I will admit to not understanding the purpose of a placeholder year, so an explanation would be very much appreciated.

I don't recall ever reading any definite specifics, but the placeholder year was most likely done in the interest of both sides (but mostly Revis'). The Patriots used it to divide up his signing bonus, so even though the contract was 1 year/$12 million, it hit their salary cap for $7 million last year, and he is still costing the team $5 million this year (despite the option being voided). For Revis, the option had two outcomes: A) the Patriots keep him on, and he plays one year for an unheard-of $20 million (which he'd probably be fine with); or B) it completely precludes the Patriots from franchise-tagging him (since teams can only franchise-tag players who they would otherwise lose involuntarily; this is also why the Patriots won't get a compensatory pick for Revis, despite him signing a huge contract elsewhere).

 

[bobjr]

Seattle rushing yards plummeted the games without their center. People underestimate what a good run blocking line actually does.

 

[Sid87]

Yeah, I'm not super concerned about losing a Center who played 19 games over the last two seasons. Unger was a good player, but not dependable at all, and our offensive line was already one of the worst in the league. How much worse can it get? I liked Unger and Carpenter, but considering how bad the line's overall play was, I can only consider losing them as addition by subtraction.

I think as a value trade, it's ridiculously one-sided in Seattle's favor. Graham is a game-changing, matchup nightmare, top 2 tight end in the NFL. Max Unger is usually hurt and was a good-ish player on a putrid line. Our first rounder was late, so who cares? And Carroll and Schneider are good with mid-round picks, so an added 4th is great.

Where I DO have concerns is that Seattle is historically awful at picking up other team's top receivers. It has never worked. Deion Branch. TJ Houshmandzadeh. Sidney Rice. Percy Harvin. I'm just waiting to watch Graham become a flop, too.



I try not to be one of those people that only talks about MY team, though (even though this is admittedly the news of the day, and the Seahawks are one of the most prominent teams in the NFL these years), so can we take a minute to talk about the Eagles? Their offense is going to be dreadful next year. No McCoy, no Maclin, and then they trade the promising Foles for the injury-prone trainwreck that is Sam Bradford? Oh, and Frank Gore rebuffs them, too! I don't care WHO their coach is; is this team even going to average 16 points a game next year? They better hope that their defensive additions turn them into a Seattle or Arizona clone (spoiler alert: they won't), otherwise, they're doomed.