NFL Thread

[AimingforYoko]

Re: Henry to Ravens

On the one hand, the second best team in the AFC just got the NFL's best back of the last decade. On the other, Henry's 30 and a well-used 30 at that. On the third, he won't be getting 300 carries in Baltimore.

Also in other news, the Ravens lost Patrick Queen to the yinzers.

[baldryanr]

I have to admit, I never would have expected this to be the reason for Aaron Rodgers to headline an article on ESPN

[Salacious Kitty]

4 minutes ago, baldryanr said:

I have to admit, I never would have expected this to be the reason for Aaron Rodgers to headline an article on ESPN

That earned a giant 🙄 from me. 

[Carey]

 

[voiceover]

Shout out to the stunned & saddened Packers fans. Aaron Jones was the heart of that team.

And then he signs with the Purple Incarnation of Satan? (tm Grossi)  It’s not exactly the same, but it pings me back to Neil Smith leaving Derrick & KC to play for — even now I can barely type the words — Denver.

[Lamb18]

Don't worry, the purple incarnation of everything angelic and good (tm me) will take good care of Jones.

Funny if Sam Darnold turned out to be a champ.

[Magog]

3 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

Don't worry, the purple incarnation of everything angelic and good (tm me) will take good care of Jones.

Funny if Sam Darnold turned out to be a champ.

Thankfully, we won't have to worry about Sam Darnold ever becoming a Super Bowl Champion. Kirk Cousins basically sucked for the Vikings & I expect Sam Darnold to suck for the Vikings. Justin Jefferson deserves better than having losers for a quarterback.

I'm currently on my NFL Summer Vacation right now. But, I need to know is there even a remotely good reason why we need to give an ounce of a damn about Jerry Jones & the Cowboys not signing any Free Agents when its only Day 3 of Free Agency? Frankly, it doesn't matter which Free Agents they sign. The Cowboys will keep on continuing to suck.

[Calvada]

12 hours ago, voiceover said:

Shout out to the stunned & saddened Packers fans. Aaron Jones was the heart of that team.

And then he signs with the Purple Incarnation of Satan? (tm Grossi)  It’s not exactly the same, but it pings me back to Neil Smith leaving Derrick & KC to play for — even now I can barely type the words — Denver.

 

The Vikings have a habit of signing former Packers.  It makes me very sad to see Aaron Jones go, not just because of what he brought to the field, but because he's such a good guy.  It's the Jordy Nelson departure all over again.  But Gutekunst knows he kept Rodgers one year too many and he got burned on the extension to Bakhtiari, so he's reluctant to spend huge money on a 29 year old RB who missed six games this past season.  I expect the Packers to revamp their RBs as they did their WRs & TEs over the past couple of years.  They'll probably draft two and bring in at least two more as undrafted FAs. 

I can't remember, who was the Jets player who said in January that they have to eliminate distractions, get the bullshit that has nothing to do with winning out of the building?  What a joke. 

[mojoween]

The newspaper said today that Halee Steinfeld has attended several Bills games in Buffalo.  Where is my wall to wall coverage of that, huh?

[baldryanr]

I'm pretty sure the Halee Steinfeld bump would be a lot smaller than Taylor's.

[Carey]

Plus, if Al Michaels criticized the shots of Halee and said it's ruining the sport of football, TPTB would addressed it by simply saying, "I don't know who or what you're talking about."

[JTMacc99]

On 3/12/2024 at 2:14 PM, mojoween said:

Yeah but fuck the Ravens, JT.

Drew Lock?  DREW LOCK?  Good gravy is this franchise unserious.

As you know, I have no love for the Ravens. But I do think that Henry running for them would be fun to watch. It's not like that move is suddenly going to make them a team that will win playoff games. So I'm okay with it for entertainment purposes only.

Lock's big problem is that he makes seriously dangerous throws way too often. I would imagine that Lock, especially if he has to play significant time for the Giants this year, will get the same "THOU SHALT NOT TURN THE BALL OVER" beating that Daboll gave Jones in 2022.

Would that increase Lock's completion percentage and lower the number of what PFF calls "big time throws"? Probably.

Would it make him a good quarterback? Probably not. But it might make him an acceptable one, which is kind of all you need your backup QB to be.

[bluegirl147]

Where do we think Garoppolo ends up?

With all these QB musical chairs I wonder how many actually will be starting games and how many will be riding the bench.  I mean I have a hard time believing the Steelers bring in Russell Wilson (no matter how little it costs) to play back up. 

[Carey]

36 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Where do we think Garoppolo ends up?

The UFL

[JTMacc99]

59 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Where do we think Garoppolo ends up?

With all these QB musical chairs I wonder how many actually will be starting games and how many will be riding the bench.  I mean I have a hard time believing the Steelers bring in Russell Wilson (no matter how little it costs) to play back up. 

He's suspended for the first two games of the year.

I'm thinking he's unsigned until some team REALLY needs a QB, like if somebody loses a starter very early into the season, Jimmy G will get a call. 

[Crashcourse]

1 hour ago, bluegirl147 said:

Where do we think Garoppolo ends up?

At my house? 🥰

I'm not happy with Russell Wilson going to my Steelers.

[grommit2]

6 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

Where do we think Garoppolo ends up?

With all these QB musical chairs I wonder how many actually will be starting games and how many will be riding the bench.  I mean I have a hard time believing the Steelers bring in Russell Wilson (no matter how little it costs) to play back up. 

Oh boy...this is easy:  back to the Patriots!

[Carey]

4 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

At my house? 🥰

I'm not happy with Russell Wilson going to my Steelers.

I don't think I'm truly happy about it either, but I am in no way-shape-form pissed off about it.  As much as Pittsburgh goes all-in on defense, that isn't winning big games.  They need to score more.  Even Baltimore has figured that out.  To add insult to injury, the 2012 Champions, since 2018 have scored more that Pittsburgh AND prevented others from scoring against them

[Carey]

I probably have a so-called meme or 2...or 3 or 4 or 5 to use to describe a possible "not so fast" or "hold my beer" as it relates to what I assumed was a lock for Cox in 2029.  I'm too lazy to place it here.

There isn't a better time to call it quits (other than 2021 of course).  A perfect HOF career for Aaron Donald.  Other than LT, the best defensive player (that I saw/followed).

[roamyn]

Not only has Aaron Darnold retired, but the Squeelers have traded away their 1st round QB in Kenny Pickett.  Who’s gonna be their back up?  Who’s going to run the ball in Dallas?
 

The wildness just continues.
 

It’s an aside, I think the Bears aren’t entertaining any trades for Justin.  It makes no sense to trade for Minshew Locke Ritter Jones  if he was still available.  What if Caleb doesn’t work out?  Whath if he doesn’t want to go to Chicago (like rumor has it).

[bluegirl147]

13 minutes ago, roamyn said:

but the Squeelers have traded away their 1st round QB in Kenny Pickett.  

I saw this headline in a FB fan group and I thought that can't be true. Went and looked at a more reputable source and yep it's true.  Apparently he didn't want to be a backup.  Don't know what he thinks he is going to be in Philly.

14 minutes ago, roamyn said:

Who’s gonna be their back up?

I guess we are going to have to draft another one.  Hope that one works out better.

[Salacious Kitty]

Jimmy G is headed to the Rams. 

[Carey]

1 hour ago, bluegirl147 said:

I guess we are going to have to draft another one.  Hope that one works out better.

I wouldn't bet on it.  The mess that took place in 2018-2019 might be rebooted here.  They're going to need a veteran; they have nothing worth moving up to get the top ones this year.  Then there are their multiple needs elsewhere, but based on the annual approach to address defense and no respect offensively, Pittsburgh managed to find a way to increase their miles-long distance toward the rest of the (meaningful) league.

I thought of Jimmy G to fill the void, but before the move to LA, I said "No thanks!" due to being well over 30, unavailable for a couple games, having backup as one's ceiling, and a massive injury history

[roamyn]

The Browns have hired Mike  Vrabel as a Defensive Consultant.  This is a great hire, but I don't want this to screw with Jim Schwarz's Defense.  Are their styles compatible?  Is Schwarz retiring at the end of 2025 and Mike's his succesor?   Can he replace the owner instead?

[Carey]

Vrabel as Schwartz's successor would be a demotion for the former.  Unlike Jim, Mike has had decent success as a head coach.  I don't know if it's necessary for Cleveland to bring him onboard in the first place.  Their defense was more than elite this past season; personally it makes zero sense.  IMO, it's nothing more than a pitstop for Mike Vrabel.  We saw this with Brian Flores and Gary Kubiak, though the latter was actually an OC in-between rather decent runs as a HC.

Speaking of defense & league movement, I wouldn't necessarily compare a former Top 10 pick joining the Brown Paper Bags to Durant joining Golden State, but second chances are great, and people in the NFL are talented.  Maybe not overall or close to it, but a change of scenery is a good thing.  It worked for Bud Dupree, and it should work for Devin Bush.

BTW, I pretty much forgot to touch base on Baltimore's addition of Derrick Henry when I sorta stole/borrowed from mojo in terms of "disgust" with the move.  Despite that, it's fair enough.  FWIW, the National Media, who often rips on the Pittsburgh fans when the latter disses their HC, sorta leans toward talking to hear the sound of their voices before actually saying something that is useful to the viewers.  Of all the praise toward the leadership, it's rather vexatious that they totally disregard the fact that Baltimore hasn't had much success if any against Pittsburgh.  Lamar is winless against them in regulation as a starter. 

That being said, if all goes well, it is a decent move in terms of getting better.  It'll add focus on 2 future HOF players.  Which sorta defends Pittsburgh going all in on defense, but that is still a decent combo for the AFC North champions.  Still doesn't mean they swept Pittsburgh in 2023

[roamyn]

2 hours ago, Carey said:

Still doesn't mean they swept Pittsburgh in 2023

I don’t think they swept any A.F.C. N team last year.  And regardless of Derrick Henry, Gus, or a healthy JK, if they don’t Use them right, it’s not gonna matter in the long run.

I agree that Cleveland is a Pit stop for Vrabel.  Something to keep him busy and in the forefront of people’s minds for next hiring season.

[Salacious Kitty]

Justin Fields being traded to the Steelers. No further deets yet.

[mojoween]

Having Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in the quarterback room seems dumb.  Is Pittsburgh going to make more trades?

[Carey]

What's dumber, Russ and Justin on the Steelers or no quarterbacks in their room?  Kenny and Mason are no longer on the team.

[roamyn]

56 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Having Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in the quarterback room seems dumb.  Is Pittsburgh going to make more trades?

Actually I think it's a good move for all.  Besides the fact that Russell is not a good fit personality wise.

But having a more talented Fields pushes Russ, Fields might benefit from sitting down and removing all the bad habits he learned in Chicago (esp footwork), and the price is dirt cheap for the Squealers.

Being that traitor hubby is a Squealers fan, even tho he lived most of his life in Browns Country,, he's glad to have Fields as the possible future.

Edited March 16 by roamyn

[bluegirl147]

As someone who thought the Steelers needed to shake things up I have to say they most certainly have.  Will it work out?  I don't know but after the last couple years we had to do something.   Wilson is not a long term solution but Fields can hopefully learn from him.  

[roamyn]

Apparently there was interest in at least four other teams for Justin Fields, but he rejected them. He told the Bears he wanted to go to the Steelers, once they began bleeding QBs, and that's why they made such a low trade.

That makes more sense than no teams being interested in him.

My guess is the teams might've included the Raiders, Broncos, maybe Jets, Commanders and Pats.  Atlanta was probably all in on. Cousins and didn't make an inquiry on Fields, otherwise I can't see him passing up that talent plus going to his home state.

[Carey]

I hate to deliver bad news, but here is the news.

 

 

Maybe it isn't bad, but I hardly think I'd call it "competitive"

[Carey]

One day removed from unpopular news can only mean the league doing right for their spectators.  In more ways than one.

I was probably irate for 5 minutes about the Hard Knocks stuff.  Sure a casual would love it, but I guess I'd prefer being excluded from Hard Knocks on a level that matches one's chances at hosting a draft one year.  For one, it's a label of being a total dumpster fire of a franchise.

However, I can see the complaints here, even though it's the league's fault.  Not many people would qualify, and now with the recent changes, there could be a case where no one would be subject to it.  While I don't like playoff teams being forced into Hard Knocks, I think it's a fair compromise if your division does an in-season one to get out of it for 8 years.  Of course, the NFL would have to give a team that chance this season before forcing a playoff team to do the summer 2024 one.  "GL with that one, Carey."

As much as I wonder about how defense is going to play successful football, i wonder what offensive players (especially the QB) would think if they were ruled down whenever an opposing players was within a foot of them without contact.  Furthermore, I guess I'd love to see the reaction from the league office if a team actually "threw a game" at the level where 5-6 players took the field at most on defense & gave up.  Especially if the game had playoff implications.

Might as well onside kick all the time.  Oh wait a minute!

 

[baldryanr]

Wednesday football, here we come!

OK, it's actually Christmas football, which just happens to be on a Wednesday.

[mojoween]

Playeeeeeeerrrrrrrr saaaaaaaaaafety

is apparently not all that important, actually.

[Carey]

Is there any chance that a full calendar day goes by without pathetic news from the NFL in terms of its future?

[Fukui San]

Have they yet outlawed a quarterback pretending to run out of bounds only to turn upfield at the last moment for extra yardage while defensive players have eased up fearful of drawing a flag? 

[Calvada]

Mark Murphy of the Packers told reporters at the NFL owners meeting that the Eagles' opponent in the Brazil game on Friday night of opening weekend will be either Green Bay or Cleveland.  The game will stream on Peacock.

 

[roamyn]

4 hours ago, Calvada said:

Mark Murphy of the Packers told reporters at the NFL owners meeting that the Eagles' opponent in the Brazil game on Friday night of opening weekend will be either Green Bay or Cleveland.  The game will stream on Peacock.

 

I've seen in several places that it will be Cleveland, including the Plain Dealer.

[mojoween]

The new kickoff looks so stupid.

[Calvada]

10 hours ago, roamyn said:

I've seen in several places that it will be Cleveland, including the Plain Dealer.

I hope so since I don't subscribe to Peacock.  And in Wisconsin, only the Green Bay and Milwaukee TV markets are deemed the "home" markets for the Packer games, so the game wouldn't be available on commercial TV for about half the state.  

[Carey]

35 minutes ago, Calvada said:

11 hours ago, roamyn said:

I've seen in several places that it will be Cleveland, including the Plain Dealer.

I hope so since I don't subscribe to Peacock.  And in Wisconsin, only the Green Bay and Milwaukee TV markets are deemed the "home" markets for the Packer games, so the game wouldn't be available on commercial TV for about half the state.  

I think Cleveland vs Philadelphia is the safe bet.  Even though the league has trended toward more games with teams within the same conference for their European slate, I figure that NFC vs AFC is fair enough for now.  IIRC, that was the move between Los Angeles & Kansas City six years ago before the game relocated to California.

Of course, Eagles vs Packers would've been fine since the NFC has 9 home games, but Cleveland would work as a loss would not result in an immediate hinderance should they finish with the same record as the Eagles.  Probably would've been unfair for Philly to have 8 true home games to the Pack's 9

[Calvada]

3 hours ago, Carey said:

I think Cleveland vs Philadelphia is the safe bet.  Even though the league has trended toward more games with teams within the same conference for their European slate, I figure that NFC vs AFC is fair enough for now.  IIRC, that was the move between Los Angeles & Kansas City six years ago before the game relocated to California.

Of course, Eagles vs Packers would've been fine since the NFC has 9 home games, but Cleveland would work as a loss would not result in an immediate hinderance should they finish with the same record as the Eagles.  Probably would've been unfair for Philly to have 8 true home games to the Pack's 9

Also, FOX (and possibly other networks) might have pitched a fit about moving this game between two NFC contenders to streaming on Peacock.  Packers @ Eagles may have been a game they moved to protect.  

[mojoween]

Unhappy 40th anniversary today to former Baltimore Colts fans!

[Carey]

So I had a couple of days or so to digest all the changes upcoming in the National Football League.  Whether we're a fan of it or not, change is inevitable, and really, it's annual now.  Some aren't too big (of a deal), others are rather significant.  It just appeared that there were a boatload this time.  Could be the fact that I'm in real time or that there were actually a boatload this time.  It did seem like something new everyday.

The kickoff is laughable.  I guess similar to the PAT, the league didn't want a play that produced an all-but-automatic outcome.  Well to be fair, maybe if you had left the kickoff at the 30 in lieu of the decision to move it to the 35, we would not be in this mess.

The hip tackle, as mentioned is okay, but the issue is how it'll be officiated.  Sure things will calm as the season goes, but the early half of the football season still counts.

Finally, I'm not pleased with the Christmas game thing.  Similar to the end of previous CBA at the beginning of the decade, the NFL could not wait one year.  As a fan, I'm not obligated to care about the players having to spend time on the field getting hit and penalized instead of time with their families.  Generally speaking, Christmas falls in the middle of the week.  The last time I worked around the holidays with a Wednesday XMAS, I actually was totally fine with it.  It was 2 days on, one day off for the holiday, back for 2 more, and that was it.  Took New Year's Eve off the following week, but save for leaving a little early on 12/24, it was a very easy week.

It's not going to be easy when people have to play on a short week because TPTB has more than more than a lot of money, but it's just not & never going to be enough.  However, I gotta respect a wise business decision. The main issue is the fact that they weren't really planning on it at all, and they'll be too lazy to structure things to make it easy on the players that play that day.  If they'd announce that there was no decision on 12/25 NFL mid-week football, I would be okay with the call TBH.

[Fukui San]

Not what you want to see if you're the Chiefs.

Chiefs' Rashee Rice sought by police as a suspect in a major car crash in Dallas, per report

Quote

A six vehicle car crash on Saturday in Dallas, Texas has lead to a police search for Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice, according to the Dallas Morning News. The report states that a vehicle believed to be registered or leased to Rice was involved in an accident at 6:20 p.m. local time on Saturday. 

Dallas police spokeswoman Kristin Lowman explained that the preliminary investigation shows someone in a Chevrolet Corvette and someone in a Lamborghini were speeding in the far left lane, when both drivers lost control. The Lamborghini went onto the shoulder and "hit the center median wall, causing a chain reaction collision involving four other vehicles," Lowman said.

It is not known if Rice was present at the scene, though the police call sheet from The News lists Rice as the suspected driver of the Corvette involved. Police are now searching for the 23-year-old in connection with the accident, but it is unknown if he is facing charges over the crash. Rice was not mentioned in Dallas County jail records as of Sunday morning.

 

[Notabug]

17 hours ago, Fukui San said:

Not what you want to see if you're the Chiefs.

Chiefs' Rashee Rice sought by police as a suspect in a major car crash in Dallas, per report

 

A witness to the reckless driving/crash took a video on his phone.  He asked the 4 or 5 guys who exited the vehicles if they were alright and one said his chest hurt but he didn't want EMS.  It was clear that they were trying to figure out the best way to get out of there.  The bystander even questioned whether they were leaving the scene rather than waiting for help and they just kept walking.  I don't know what Rice looks like well enough to tell if it was him, but there is a significant amount of video interaction with these guys from just a few feet away.  I doubt the authorities are going to have any trouble identifying them although there were more than 2 guys so I suppose Rice can claim he wasn't driving.

[twoods]

Seems like Diggs got his wish and is leaving the Bills. He’s seemed unhappy for years, so hopefully he’s happier in Texas. Wonder who the Bills will sign to fill the void.

[Magog]

3 hours ago, twoods said:

Seems like Diggs got his wish and is leaving the Bills. He’s seemed unhappy for years, so hopefully he’s happier in Texas.

I wonder how long it'll take for Diggs to be unhappy with CJ Stroud & the Houston Texans. I'm figuring that it won't take long.