NFL Thread

[Ohwell]

This is depressing, because I've got no horse in this race anymore.  Can't stand the Patriots and Seahawks, so they'll probably be the ones in the SB.

 

I've got no issue with Andrew Luck, other than he's not pleasant to look at.

[DrSpaceman]

My dislike of Luck stems from several factors - a. I'm shallow; b. I'm not a Colts fan, I'm a Peyton fan so I wasn't going to be enamored of anyone who replaced him; and c. I hate hate hate the hype machine and as soon as I'm told that someone is going to be great, I become contrary. It's why I don't like LeBron James. At that point, whether the person ever lives up to the hype becomes irrelevant.

The requiem on Peyton's career is very depressing to listen to and premature, IMO.

 

 

Peyton was better off actually leaving when he did with the Colts.  The team was in shambles even beyond Manning's injury when he was cut.  They had bloated salaries on some overpaid, beyond their prime vets.  There is no way they could have rebuilt the team with his huge salary and been a contender.  Lucks salary is $15+ million less than manning right now, makes a huge difference.  It was going to be a rebuild whether they went with Manning or Luck, Manning at the time really had a better chance of winning in the short term in Denver than Indy.  It was actually a good move for both them.  Had he stayed, first of all he would have been killed and likely injured again because the OL has been awful and he is not at all mobile and the team would JUST NOW be contending again for titles, just as he is declining

 

Also Manning had plenty of hype around him as well from the very beginning, he for the most part lived up to it.  I don't mind hype when the players are as good as advertised.  Manning was, luck is as well. 

 

Word is now Manning has had a torn quad for the last month.  Makes more sense why he has been so bad.  If thats the case I suspect he will be back and play again, has 8 month to heal that

[AimingforYoko]

Broncos, John Fox part ways.

[mojoween]

Sad. An unsuccessful year for him would be banner-raising for almost all of the other teams. And with Peyton injured, it's interesting he's not going to give it another go.

Now three former Giants defensive guys are available or interviewing. Who will they take? I'm rooting for Pepper because he is my favorite player of all time.

[nowandlater]

Two Pac 12 QBs and two Big 10/14 QBs.

 

Rusell Wilson is also ACC....Also, Tom Brady was 1) close to going to Cal and 2) almost transferred to Cal when he was buried on Michigan's depth chart.

 

http://www.contracostatimes.com/caminman/ci_8149772

[yourpointis]

Broncos, John Fox part ways.

 

How does Coughlin manage to survive? How long has it been since the Giants had a winning season? I truly don't remember and too under the weather to look it up. 

[Fukui San]

How does Coughlin manage to survive? How long has it been since the Giants had a winning season? I truly don't remember and too under the weather to look it up.

Well, it couldn't be longer than 2011 since they won the Super Bowl that year and it wasn't a 7-9 thing.

[Bastet]

How does Coughlin manage to survive? How long has it been since the Giants had a winning season?

 

It was only 2012 (when they finished with a 9-7 record, the same as the year before when they won the Super Bowl, although in the '12 season that wasn't enough to make the playoffs).  The 2013 season was the Giants' first losing season after an 8-year streak of .500 or better.  The last losing season prior to that had been Coughlin's first year as head coach.

 

Coughlin has one more year on his contract, after signing an extension last year.  He ties with Bill Parcells for most post-season wins by a Giants coach.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Bastet

[Snowprince]

Broncos, John Fox part ways.

In the context of misery loves company, it's both comforting and a bit frightening to see my 49ers don't have a monopoly on front office insanity. As for Tom Coughlin, he's a proven winner with a SB ring on each hand. The better question is, how has Marvin Lewis survived in Cincinnati?

[merylinkid]

Who fires a coach with a winning record?   Yeah "mutual parting of ways"   whatever.    The assistant coaches are told they are free to look elsewhere because the new coach might not want them.    Blowing the whole thing up.    Because that's a winning strategy.   Maybe Elway is not a football genius after all.

[Snowprince]

He was as a QB, as a GM, not so much. 

 

 

Every year 12 teams make the playoffs. Of those 12, 11 of them are going to lose their last game. Everybody wants a ring, but the overwhelming odds are, you ain't gonna get it this year. That doesn't mean you don't have that as a goal, but it also doesn't mean you fire the coach who has the most realistic chance of getting you one. You decide to "part ways" with your present coach and replace him with who? Most likely, a coach who somebody else decided to "part ways" with.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Snowprince

[Rick Kitchen]

Jack Del Rio is coming to Oakland for a second interview.

[yourpointis]

Well, it couldn't be longer than 2011 since they won the Super Bowl that year and it wasn't a 7-9 thing.

 

 

It was only 2012 (when they finished with a 9-7 record, the same as the year before when they won the Super Bowl, although in the '12 season that wasn't enough to make the playoffs).  The 2013 season was the Giants' first losing season after an 8-year streak of .500 or better.  The last losing season prior to that had been Coughlin's first year as head coach.

 

Coughlin has one more year on his contract, after signing an extension last year.  He ties with Bill Parcells for most post-season wins by a Giants coach.

 

 

Thank you Fukui San and Bastet. Honestly I wasn't being facetious when I said I couldn't remember and now I feel silly since it wasn't that long ago, but due to the effects of suffering an ischemic stroke (aneurysm) I have trouble retaining info short term. Without the aid of internet searches and an abundance of Post-It notes, I'd be one lost puppy. Of course being on the ugly side of forty doesn't help lol.  

 

 

The better question is, how has Marvin Lewis survived in Cincinnati?

 

 

I would say that is the $64,000 question. Generally isn't he known as the one and done post season coach? Maybe Cincy thinks with Lewis the 20th time will be the charm?

[twoods]

I wish the Bills waited so they could hire Fox instead of Ryan. Give me years of winning division champs any day of the week. Hell, I just want a damn playoff game. It's not Fox's fault he had an aging QB to work with.

I don't mind Luck. His looks don't phase me and he's a pretty good QB.

Edited January 13, 2015 by twoods

[JTMacc99]

I may not be an Andrew Luck fan, but I still don't understand why people hate him so much? He did a wonderful job against the Broncos today & I'm tempted to root for him against the Patriots. Besides, I don't want to suffer through the Patriots making it to another Super Bowl.

So when he was still in school, people pegged him as the best QB prospect to hit the draft since Elway (which meant the best in 30 years.)  The fans of the worst NFL teams in 2011 even consoled themselves with the phrase "Suck for Luck" to give them something positive to think about while their teams piled up the losses. Then when we went through the whole pre-draft evaluation process, the general consensus was that the hype that had been building since he was a Junior was legitimate. He was a no-brainer first pick in the draft because of his physical, mental, and football skills. 

 

At the same point he ends up being in the draft year when instead of the Jaguars or Raiders picking first, he finds himself going to the Colts.  THE COLTS, who last had the first overall pick in the draft in 1998, and between that year and 2010 had two loosing seasons and went 141-67 specifically because they got to pick Peyton Manning that year.  The Colts had ONE bad year 2011 while Manning was hurt and they are immediately rewarded with what appears to be the next Peyton Manning.

 

So how in the world is that fair?  Think of all the teams who have been searching for that franchise quarterback during that time. The Raiders, Jets, Redskins, Dolphins, Chiefs, Browns, Bills, and many more all went through most or all of the Colts run without a franchise QB. 

 

And then when Luck shows up in the NFL, the Colts do in fact go right back to where they were before Manning got hurt and have gone 11-5 all three seasons under Luck.  And Luck himself was pretty good right out of the gate and has improved each of his first three years to the point in his third year where he is very clearly one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

 

So why do people hate him? 

 

I think if you add all of it up, the reason is that (especially in American sports) people love the underdog and the Cinderella Story.  And the Andrew Luck story is about as far from that as possible.  He was pegged early on as a sure-fire NFL star and he ended up on team with a long recent history of being good. Where's the feel good story about that?  Therefore: Boo!

 

** And I should point out something about myself:

I hate hate hate the hype machine and as soon as I'm told that someone is going to be great, I become contrary.

I love a good Cinderella Story, but I hate, hate, hate the core group of sports fans who get more joy from perennially good teams or athletes losing than they do from watching their own team or athlete win. (Which is different that the group of fans who go contrary to the hype machine, but not 100% different.) So when I saw a group of people materialize in 2000 who wanted to see anybody but Tiger Woods win, because Tiger was WAY better than everybody back then. And not only was he better than everybody, every media outlet in the world told us exactly that over and over again, which I suppose was the hype machine. So I went double contrary and immediately became a bigger Tiger Woods fan.

 

So my perspective on this question is colored by that bit of my personality.

Edited January 13, 2015 by JTMacc99

[Haleth]

I love him for the kind of person he is. His first endorsement? Not Subway. Not Nike. Certainly not Papa Johns. It was for the Indianapolis Public Library. And then there's the whole complimenting the opponents thing.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Haleth

[DrSpaceman]

So when he was still in school, people pegged him as the best QB prospect to hit the draft since Elway (which meant the best in 30 years.)  The fans of the worst NFL teams in 2011 even consoled themselves with the phrase "Suck for Luck" to give them something positive to think about while their teams piled up the losses. Then when we went through the whole pre-draft evaluation process, the general consensus was that the hype that had been building since he was a Junior was legitimate. He was a no-brainer first pick in the draft because of his physical, mental, and football skills. 

 

At the same point he ends up being in the draft year when instead of the Jaguars or Raiders picking first, he finds himself going to the Colts.  THE COLTS, who last had the first overall pick in the draft in 1998, and between that year and 2010 had two loosing seasons and went 141-67 specifically because they got to pick Peyton Manning that year.  The Colts had ONE bad year 2011 while Manning was hurt and they are immediately rewarded with what appears to be the next Peyton Manning.

 

So how in the world is that fair?  Think of all the teams who have been searching for that franchise quarterback during that time. The Raiders, Jets, Redskins, Dolphins, Chiefs, Browns, Bills, and many more all went through most or all of the Colts run without a franchise QB. 

 

And then when Luck shows up in the NFL, the Colts do in fact go right back to where they were before Manning got hurt and have gone 11-5 all three seasons under Luck.  And Luck himself was pretty good right out of the gate and has improved each of his first three years to the point in his third year where he is very clearly one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

 

So why do people hate him? 

 

I think if you add all of it up, the reason is that (especially in American sports) people love the underdog and the Cinderella Story.  And the Andrew Luck story is about as far from that as possible.  He was pegged early on as a sure-fire NFL star and he ended up on team with a long recent history of being good. Where's the feel good story about that?  Therefore: Boo!

 

** And I should point out something about myself:

I love a good Cinderella Story, but I hate, hate, hate the core group of sports fans who get more joy from perennially good teams or athletes losing than they do from watching their own team or athlete win. (Which is different that the group of fans who go contrary to the hype machine, but not 100% different.) So when I saw a group of people materialize in 2000 who wanted to see anybody but Tiger Woods win, because Tiger was WAY better than everybody back then. And not only was he better than everybody, every media outlet in the world told us exactly that over and over again, which I suppose was the hype machine. So I went double contrary and immediately became a bigger Tiger Woods fan.

 

So my perspective on this question is colored by that bit of my personality.

 

I would have to go back and look, but most of those teams I am guessing missed on a franchise QB at some point due to bad drafting. 

 

Tom brady was a 6th round pick.  Russell Wilson a 3rd round pick.  Aaron Rodgers plunged in the first round of the draft.  Roethlisberger was taken 11th.  Just Roethlisberger in that draft, Oakland, Wash, Cleveland, Jax all passed on him.  Flacco was taken 18th, passed on by Miami, St Louis, Oakland, Jets, Jax, Buffalo, Chicago, KC, arizona. 

 

The pick looks great now, but it was still a very gutsy move to drop a HOF QB and pick Luck.  "Sure things" have missed before.  And even with Luck at his current level, he is very good, but he is still not manning in his prime.  It was still a step back at QB even with how he has turned out and he probably won't reach the level Manning was at the end of is Colts tenure for a few years.  Now comparing Luck now to Manning now, torn quad and 39 years old, sure, Luck is better

[DrSpaceman]

So when he was still in school, people pegged him as the best QB prospect to hit the draft since Elway (which meant the best in 30 years.)  The fans of the worst NFL teams in 2011 even consoled themselves with the phrase "Suck for Luck" to give them something positive to think about while their teams piled up the losses. Then when we went through the whole pre-draft evaluation process, the general consensus was that the hype that had been building since he was a Junior was legitimate. He was a no-brainer first pick in the draft because of his physical, mental, and football skills. 

 

At the same point he ends up being in the draft year when instead of the Jaguars or Raiders picking first, he finds himself going to the Colts.  THE COLTS, who last had the first overall pick in the draft in 1998, and between that year and 2010 had two loosing seasons and went 141-67 specifically because they got to pick Peyton Manning that year.  The Colts had ONE bad year 2011 while Manning was hurt and they are immediately rewarded with what appears to be the next Peyton Manning.

 

So how in the world is that fair?  Think of all the teams who have been searching for that franchise quarterback during that time. The Raiders, Jets, Redskins, Dolphins, Chiefs, Browns, Bills, and many more all went through most or all of the Colts run without a franchise QB. 

 

And then when Luck shows up in the NFL, the Colts do in fact go right back to where they were before Manning got hurt and have gone 11-5 all three seasons under Luck.  And Luck himself was pretty good right out of the gate and has improved each of his first three years to the point in his third year where he is very clearly one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

 

So why do people hate him? 

 

I think if you add all of it up, the reason is that (especially in American sports) people love the underdog and the Cinderella Story.  And the Andrew Luck story is about as far from that as possible.  He was pegged early on as a sure-fire NFL star and he ended up on team with a long recent history of being good. Where's the feel good story about that?  Therefore: Boo!

 

** And I should point out something about myself:

I love a good Cinderella Story, but I hate, hate, hate the core group of sports fans who get more joy from perennially good teams or athletes losing than they do from watching their own team or athlete win. (Which is different that the group of fans who go contrary to the hype machine, but not 100% different.) So when I saw a group of people materialize in 2000 who wanted to see anybody but Tiger Woods win, because Tiger was WAY better than everybody back then. And not only was he better than everybody, every media outlet in the world told us exactly that over and over again, which I suppose was the hype machine. So I went double contrary and immediately became a bigger Tiger Woods fan.

 

So my perspective on this question is colored by that bit of my personality.

 

I would have to go back and look, but most of those teams I am guessing missed on a franchise QB at some point due to bad drafting. 

 

Tom brady was a 6th round pick.  Russell Wilson a 3rd round pick.  Aaron Rodgers plunged in the first round of the draft.  Roethlisberger was taken 11th.  Just Roethlisberger in that draft, Oakland, Wash, Cleveland, Jax all passed on him.  Flacco was taken 18th, passed on by Miami, St Louis, Oakland, Jets, Jax, Buffalo, Chicago, KC, arizona. 

 

The pick looks great now, but it was still a very gutsy move to drop a HOF QB and pick Luck.  "Sure things" have missed before.  And even with Luck at his current level, he is very good, but he is still not manning in his prime.  It was still a step back at QB even with how he has turned out and he probably won't reach the level Manning was at the end of is Colts tenure for a few years.  Now comparing Luck now to Manning now, torn quad and 39 years old, sure, Luck is better

[Minneapple]

I would hesitate to judge a guy based on his endorsements. I really don't know anything about Andrew Luck as a person and I don't think his endorsing the library makes him a better person than the guy who endorses Subway or Nike.

[mojoween]

I find Luck's congratulating the defense incredibly grating. I mean, I want the teams playing to hate each other. None of this nicey-nice shit. I loathe both the Ravens and Steelers but I love that no one is going to give anyone a compliment.

[yourpointis]

New Atlanta Stadium Presentation

 

http://now.nfl.com/play/a035472e-4625-44d7-907f-13b4272ac1b6?id=a035472e-4625-44d7-907f-13b4272ac1b6

 

 

It's no Jerry World, but I would have to say pretty damn impressive. Although I'm probably easy to impress lol.  

[Snowprince]

I find Luck's congratulating the defense incredibly grating. I mean, I want the teams playing to hate each other. None of this nicey-nice shit. I loathe both the Ravens and Steelers but I love that no one is going to give anyone a compliment.

The most effective way to piss somebody off? Kill em with kindness....especially when all you have to do at the end of the game is cordially invite them to look at the scoreboard, and walk away.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Snowprince

[Danny Franks]

Andrew Luck is a football nerd, and I do like that about him. He doesn't pretend to be cool or a ladies man (though I'm sure his talent and standing got him as many girls as he wanted anyway) or even funny in any way. He's a dork and does seem to be a genuinely nice guy, and that's kind of endearing. Much preferable to Brady's smugness or Rivers' hillbilly schtick, at least.

 

But I do hate that the Colts managed to be terrible at just the right time to replace Peyton Manning with the next surefire college prospect. I don't think they did it deliberately, because why would Jim Caldwell throw his job away by losing games if he could avoid it, but I imagine there were people in that Colts organisation who were secretly delighted every time they posted another loss. I don't think it was gutsy to dump Manning for him, because no one knew if Manning had anything left after a year out, and Luck was such a guaranteed success before he even threw a ball, that I doubt anyone saw it as a risk at all.

 

Tom brady was a 6th round pick.  Russell Wilson a 3rd round pick.  Aaron Rodgers plunged in the first round of the draft.  Roethlisberger was taken 11th.  Just Roethlisberger in that draft, Oakland, Wash, Cleveland, Jax all passed on him.  Flacco was taken 18th, passed on by Miami, St Louis, Oakland, Jets, Jax, Buffalo, Chicago, KC, arizona.

 

 

I think that, apart from the players themselves, there is another common factor there. Smart organisations get their QBs right, dumb ones screw up time after time. The Colts are smart, and they picked Manning over Leaf, and Luck over RGIII, when the hype train was starting up to try and create some tension at the draft. I doubt they ever even looked at RGIII. I think that if the Browns had had those #1 picks, it's a toss up as to whether they'd have gone for either Manning or Luck over the flashier, splashier guys.

[yourpointis]

Jets Hire Todd Bowles

 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/13/jets-hire-todd-bowles/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs

[twoods]

I would take a player like Luck who congratulates the other team (and defense) any day of the week over the smug Brady, who was continually whining throughout the game. He tripped a player, then got feisty when the guy pushed him back and went whining to the refs. He was never this bad- maybe he's just getting old and crabby.

If Marriota goes pro is he a projected high pick? I don't know if his style of play is something that would fare well in the NFL. He's a smart player and has a decent arm, but the NFL defense would probably eat him alive.

[Minneapple]

Mariota right now is the projected No. 1 pick. We still have the combine and pro day and a zillion other workouts before then, though.

 

Eagles fans are losing their collective minds arguing about whether they want the team to mortgage the future in an RGIII-style trade to get Mariota for Chip Kelly's offense. It's all they can talk about on Philly sports talk radio. So it would amuse me greatly if he stayed in school.

[twoods]

He's already gotten his degree but is talking about grad school. I just love hearing stories like that, especially after all the players that opt out early without degrees. Even the Buckeye QB was talking about staying in college so he will get a degree, "something that can't be taken away from him." Just great to hear that.

Wow, Eagles possibly gambling on Marriota? Sounds interesting.

[Danny Franks]

The Eagles won't get Mariota, because the Bucs and Titans have the first two picks, and both need QBs. Personally, I think Jameis Winston will go #1, because he has more talent and technique than Mariota and already plays in a more NFL ready offense at Florida State. And outside of those two, there aren't really any other first round prospects.

 

So Winston to the Bucs, Mariota to the Titans is my guess. And if the Titans decide that Zach Mettenberger is their future (doubtful), then Mariota wouldn't make it past the Jets at #6. I don't think the Eagles could trade up from #20 to #5.

[Snowprince]

After Winston and Mariota, who's in the conversation for #3 in this draft class? UCLA's Brett Hundley? Mississippi State's Dak Prescott? Michigan State's Connor Cook? Baylor's Bryce Petty? Pickings are pretty thin and all these QBs, IMO are at best second rounders, the possible exception being Hundley. If the Eagles really want/need a QB that bad, this is what's gonna be left by the time they go on the clock. I really don't see Kelly giving away the store for a shot at Mariota.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Snowprince

[Danny Franks]

Hundley seems to be the guy that most people put next on the list. But he looks more like a 2nd round prospect, from what I've seen. Another college system guy who needs to learn a pro offense. I think Petty was ranked highly last year, but seems to have tumbled, much like Landry Jones and Matt Barkley did.

 

I've enjoyed watching Devin Gardner and Braxton Miller in college, but I don't think they'll make it as QBs in the NFL. If they're even entering the draft this year. Perhaps as TEs or WRs. Dennard Robinson has looked good as a RB this season, so there is life after college QBing.

 

As for the Eagles, Chip Kelly got decent production out of Matt Sanchez, and Nick Foles is going to be healthy again. I don't think that system needs a blue chip prospect to work well.

[merylinkid]

Winston is not going to go first.   Too many off field issues.    If you are going to sink that much cap money (even with the rookie wage scale) and pin your hopes on your pick being the franchise QB, you have to know he will be available to play.   He can't play if he is in jail for his latest stunt.   Or he is a cancer in the locker room with his "just doesn't get it" attitude.   This is a guy who was suspended for the first half of a game, still suited up and went out there like "you weren't serious right coach?"   

[Minneapple]

It's not that Kelly wants a blue chipper, it's that he.recruited Mariota to run his offense at Oregon. So the natural assumption is that he could run Kelly's offense in the pros as well. So what Eagles fans want is to trade a bunch of draft picks to the Bucs for Mariota. Mark Sanchez is not a starting qb and I guess Nick Foles is too boring or something. Honestly I think what the Eagles are missing the most on offense is a speedy wideout, which they lost when Desean Jackson left. If they trade up it should be to get a wide receiver like Amari. Much more manageable than a crazy-ass trade for Mariota. Or they should draft defense, which they desperately need.

It's a weak quarterback class, which is why Cardale Jones should go pro. His stock will never be higher and if he stays at OSU he'll probably languish on the bench behind JT Barrett.

[Danny Franks]

Winston is not going to go first.   Too many off field issues.    If you are going to sink that much cap money (even with the rookie wage scale) and pin your hopes on your pick being the franchise QB, you have to know he will be available to play.   He can't play if he is in jail for his latest stunt.   Or he is a cancer in the locker room with his "just doesn't get it" attitude.   This is a guy who was suspended for the first half of a game, still suited up and went out there like "you weren't serious right coach?"   

 

Off the field issues are forever nebulous, as to the impact they can have on a guy's draft status. I think there will be more than one NFL team that decides, after doing their research and looking into the guy, that it's all stuff he'll grow out of, with good coaching and mentoring. He's got NFL calibre talent and an NFL ready skillset, which puts him ahead of someone like Manziel, who still got picked in the 1st round with his own character concerns.

 

From what I've read about Winston, the only truly concerning thing is the sexual assault accusation. And sadly, for most NFL teams, it'll be treated as a PR problem rather than a moral imperative.

 

He's going #1 unless he makes a complete mess of the interviews.

 

It's not that Kelly wants a blue chipper, it's that he.recruited Mariota to run his offense at Oregon. So the natural assumption is that he could run Kelly's offense in the pros as well. So what Eagles fans want is to trade a bunch of draft picks to the Bucs for Mariota. Mark Sanchez is not a starting qb and I guess Nick Foles is too boring or something. Honestly I think what the Eagles are missing the most on offense is a speedy wideout, which they lost when Desean Jackson left. If they trade up it should be to get a wide receiver like Amari. Much more manageable than a crazy-ass trade for Mariota. Or they should draft defense, which they desperately need.

 

 

That's an even crazier rationale then. But that's football fans for you, I guess. Foles has spent two years now, learning Kelly's offense, and he ran it pretty well last season. Trading up for Mariota would cost them way too much (if it was even possible, which I don't believe it is) when they really don't need him.

 

Also, I think big trade ups in the draft are nearly always bad ideas. I look at the Julio Jones trade as a good example. The Falcons gave up a lot to get him, and sure, they created a potent offense and gave Matt Ryan three great weapons in Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez. But their defense was awful, and has continued to be. And now their O-line has fallen to bits too. If you give up draft picks, you end up with a roster full of holes.

 

The Eagles would be better off taking Trae Waynes or Jalen Strong at #20, and addressing actual areas of concern.

[Snowprince]

Dak Prescott and Connor Cook have announced they're returning to school, not entering the draft. The QB pool gets even thinner. Cardale Jones's situation at OSU suggests he should go pro, as Minneapple said, and he would be a tempting "prisoner of the moment" pick, but even he himself says he's not ready for the NFL. It will be interesting to see what he chooses to do.

 

As for veteran free agents, the QB pool doesn't look any better than the draft pool right now. Aged former starters and career backups are all thats available at the moment. Mike Vick, Jason Campbell, Mark Sanchez, Jake Lockler, Bryan Hoyer... I don't see anybody beating down their doors to get them any time soon. 

Edited January 14, 2015 by Snowprince

[Danny Franks]

As for veteran free agents, the QB pool doesn't look any better than the draft pool right now. Aged former starters and career backups are all thats available at the moment. Mike Vick, Jason Campbell, Mark Sanchez, Jake Lockler, Bryan Hoyer....I don't see anybody beating down their doors to get them any time soon. 

 

Don't forget Matt Cassel, Rex Grossman, Colt McCoy, Charlie Whitehurst and Matt Schaub. Rich pickings, to be sure. A bunch of career backups and trade busts. This is why teams that get a franchise QB will overpay to keep them. It's never just a question of whether players have the talent, there's so much more that goes with it, from personality to circumstances to just pure good luck.

[DrSpaceman]

Andrew Luck is a football nerd, and I do like that about him. He doesn't pretend to be cool or a ladies man (though I'm sure his talent and standing got him as many girls as he wanted anyway) or even funny in any way. He's a dork and does seem to be a genuinely nice guy, and that's kind of endearing. Much preferable to Brady's smugness or Rivers' hillbilly schtick, at least.

 

But I do hate that the Colts managed to be terrible at just the right time to replace Peyton Manning with the next surefire college prospect. I don't think they did it deliberately, because why would Jim Caldwell throw his job away by losing games if he could avoid it, but I imagine there were people in that Colts organisation who were secretly delighted every time they posted another loss. I don't think it was gutsy to dump Manning for him, because no one knew if Manning had anything left after a year out, and Luck was such a guaranteed success before he even threw a ball, that I doubt anyone saw it as a risk at all.

 

 

I think that, apart from the players themselves, there is another common factor there. Smart organisations get their QBs right, dumb ones screw up time after time. The Colts are smart, and they picked Manning over Leaf, and Luck over RGIII, when the hype train was starting up to try and create some tension at the draft. I doubt they ever even looked at RGIII. I think that if the Browns had had those #1 picks, it's a toss up as to whether they'd have gone for either Manning or Luck over the flashier, splashier guys.

Irsay says otherwise, but in the theoretical scenario where it was RGIII or Manning for the Colts with no Luck available, Manning would still be a Colt.  They were not dumping him for RGII

 

Also in regard to jax and the Luck pick, if they wanted to screw over the Colts that year all they had to do with toss them a win week 17, COlts would then not have had the top pick.  They played head to head, Indy had to lose basically to guarrantee the top pick, it was one game, if a team wanted to just take a dive and completely change things for the next decade because they felt it was unfair somehow COlts getting Luck, just lose that game.  It all turns out different. 

 

The traditionally bad teams have top picks year after year after year, because they are bad, and they screw them up.  So I agree, whether its QB or whatever position they are drafting, they have their chances, they mess it up.  Just look at Cleveland.  They actually made a GREAT move and traded Trent RIchardson for a first round pick.  How do they follow up on that?  They basically used that pick for Manziel (they made another trade to move up a bit, but that was the pick that allowed it to happen).  Some of these franchises are literally giving chance after chance and consistently mess it up. 

 

It was fortuitous for the Colts to get Manning then Luck.  They were bad at the right time.  That alone doesn't win you titles in the NFL though, that is what the team learned with Manning.  It wasn't until they also made top picks for Wayne, Freeney, Dallas Clark and many other players that it resulted in a title. 

Edited January 14, 2015 by DrSpaceman

[Danny Franks]

Irsay says otherwise, but in the theoretical scenario where it was RGIII or Manning for the Colts with no Luck available, Manning would still be a Colt.  They were not dumping him for RGII

 

I was just looking at the 2012 draft, to see how it might have played out of Indy and Jacksonville had swapped picks based on that week 17 game, and man, was the top 10 of that draft a big pile of mediocre-to-terrible?

 

1. Luck - as advertised.

2. RGIII - ruined by injuries and dumb coaches

3. Trent Richardson - sucks. What on earth were the Browns thinking?

4. Matt Kalil - Has really struggled after a good rookie year

5. Justin Blackmon - never done anything except get suspended

6. Morris Claiborne - Not very good and now on IR

7. Mark Barron - traded by the Bucs this year

8. Ryan Tannehill - This one is working out quite well

9. Luke Kuechly - great pick

10. Stephon Gilmore - He's done okay.

 

Anyway, in this scenario, they'd probably either have gone for one of the secondary guys who has since failed to impress, or Kuechly. Kuechly would have given them a defensive lynchpin for the next decade, but I reckon it worked out for the best as it is.

[Minneapple]

The most hilarious thing about the 2012 draft is, however:

 

78, Russell Wilson. He's done okay as well.

 

Foles has spent two years now, learning Kelly's offense, and he ran it pretty well last season.

 

Yep. But he had a mediocre start to the season, undoubtedly in part because a major component of the Eagles' offense from last year -- Desean -- was missing this year. And of course the minute he was injured, everyone here was like, "WELL, SANCHEZ IS BETTER ANYWAY," when history has indicated that Sanchize? Sucks. Now granted, the people who want to trade everything for Mariota are the crazy fans and talk radio hosts here. Not Chip Kelly, who has given no indication of what he wants to do.

[Danny Franks]

The most hilarious thing about the 2012 draft is, however:

 

78, Russell Wilson. He's done okay as well.

 

 

You know what makes that even funnier?

 

22. Brandon Weeden

[Snowprince]

49ers promote DL coach Jim Tomsula to fill head coaching position. 

 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12168370/jim-tomsula-promoted-san-francisco-49ers-head-coach

[Rick Kitchen]

49ers promote DL coach Jim Tomsula to fill head coaching position. 

 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12168370/jim-tomsula-promoted-san-francisco-49ers-head-coach

 

I wonder if Vic Fangio will quit like he pledged to do if it wasn't him or Shanahan.

[BabyVegas]

Colts backup LB charged with rape: http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/14/us/indianapolis-colts-linebacker-charged/

[Rick Kitchen]

So the 49ers apparently terminated Vic Fangio's contract.  But he'll catch on somewhere.

 

And John Fox is going to the Bears.

[Rick Kitchen]

Trent Richardson out vs. New England for "personal reasons" and Xavier Nixon missed the team plane and is also out.  WTF?

[mojoween]

Wow the Colts are kind of a train wreck at exactly the wrong time.

So I learned something yesterday that I didn't know before, this might not be news to anyone else though. Every year FOX and CBS trade off the early game. Someone must have asked someone why the first game starts at 3 every year instead of 1 and it's to prevent the game from ever starting at 10 a.m. PST. Like if San Francisco had made it, both teams would be west coast teams in the early game and they want to not have to worry about it.

It's nothing I would have ever thought about, must be my east coast bias, heh.

[Bastet]

Someone must have asked someone why the first game starts at 3 every year instead of 1 and it's to prevent the game from ever starting at 10 a.m. PST.

 

Thank heavens for that.  Most of the season, I sleep through at least the first quarter of the morning game(s), and get really annoyed when the stakes are high or it's a great matchup and I thus have to set my alarm clock to watch a damn football game.  If I had to do so in order to see a divisional or conference came, I'd be pissed.

[Rick Kitchen]

I'm a Californian who lived in the Eastern time zone for a few years, and I was always bemoaning the fact that football started so late.  1 PM for the first game? FFS, let's get this going!

[Snowprince]

Thank heavens for that.  Most of the season, I sleep through at least the first quarter of the morning game(s), and get really annoyed when the stakes are high or it's a great matchup and I thus have to set my alarm clock to watch a damn football game.  If I had to do so in order to see a divisional or conference came, I'd be pissed.

Could be worse....you could live in Hawaii.  Regular season early game kickoff at 7 AM.

Edited January 18, 2015 by Snowprince

[Ohwell]

I wouldn't mind that trade-off if I could live in Hawaii. : )

[xaxat]

Did Doug Marrone option his way out of the NFL? It doesn't look like he's going to get hired this off season. And it's not like he's accomplished enough so that teams will be lining up for her services after a year off. 

 

Bird in the hand. . .