NFL Thread

[merylinkid]

M cCoy might have only owied his ankle.    Weird things happen in playoff games.

 

I think the game has passed Gruden by too.   He was good ONCE.   When he took Tampa Bay to the Super Bowl and played his old team.   The Raiders didn't change their signals so he knew what they were doing.    I think Mark Davis is reaching here.   Or just trying to generate attention and will hire someone else.

Caldwell is out for the Lions.   Let's hope they can find someone who take all the good pieces they have and actually coach them for 4 quarters.

[Haleth]

11 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

And thank God Pagano is gone.  Hopefully Irsay leaves it up to Ballard mostly to get a new coach. 

Just wondering, Dr S, if it were up to you who would you want?

Chuck is a nice man, but he should have been replaced at the end of last season.

Go Bills!

[mojoween]

I heard rumors Vance Joseph? Johnson? is on his way out of Denver too.

Black Monday has claimed Pagano, Del Rio, Caldwell and I’ll throw McAdoo in there too.  That’s light for what we usually see.

And Hue Jackson rolls on.  Snerk.

*edit* Schefty has added John Fox to the list.  NOT a surprise.

Ok one more edit.  Who would ever think that watching the Buffalo Bills watch a football game would give me goosebumps?  That’s what makes this game fun.

Edited January 1, 2018 by mojoween

[xaxat]

So who's going to get the play by play chair for MNF?

[Crs97]

Jon Gruden is wearing Tony Dungy’s Super Bowl ring.

[Calvada]

I always thought Gruden was an OK coach, but this reputation he has as some type of coaching genius is made up by the media and Gruden himself.  But if it gets him off the MNF broadcasts, I am all for him heading to Oakland.  It's not a bad move on his part.  Oakland has a good nucleus, has drafted pretty well the past few years, and some luck with injuries and hitting on a player or two in the draft or free agency, and they could easily be a force in the playoffs.  They are in a division that is just there for the taking - Denver is in some disarray, the Chargers are very close to going through the transition of Rivers to some other QB, and the Chiefs are coached by Andy Reid, who would be too preoccupied that the kid who used to get him coffee is now considered the coaching genius on the other side of the field.  

As to who will be in the MNF booth - who is retiring this year?  Who will be the Romo in 2018?  

I think Mike McCarthy is one season away from being on the hot seat.  I doubt they would fire him this year, since the season was lost once Rodgers' collarbone was broken, but that doesn't explain the poor play by the rest of the team, especially the defense.  Several 2nd and 3rd year players regressed, rather than taking that step up.  (Yes, Ha Ha Clinton Dix, I'm looking at you.)  Hundley's pathetic performance speaks volumes about McCarthy's ability to develop a QB,  Reports are Capers is out as defensive coordinator, which is a couple seasons too later for most Packer fans.  But if there's a change in GM, the new person will look long and hard at McCarthy if there aren't better results next year.  The Packers have had 2 HOF QBs since 1992, and only 2 championships to show for it.  Right now the big question is what Ted Thompson will do.  He will be 65 later this month, has only 1 year left on his contract.  

[twoods]

Yesterday it was reported the Bills would play the Chiefs in a few articles and now I see it's the Jags. That Jags D is pretty good so am worried either way. Oh well, it's a playoff game! It was awesome to see clips of fans braving the cold on NYE to welcome the players back. 

Fox is out in Chicago. I wonder who else will be fired?

[mojoween]

Wait wait wait wait wait.  Doug Marrone is the coach in Jacksonville isn’t he?  Oh this is going to be fun.

Also Gruden is all but certain to be the Raiders new old coach and he is calling the Chiefs game on Saturday.  Those should be some fun pre-game meetings.  

[Jx223]

1 hour ago, twoods said:

Yesterday it was reported the Bills would play the Chiefs in a few articles and now I see it's the Jags. That Jags D is pretty good so am worried either way. Oh well, it's a playoff game! It was awesome to see clips of fans braving the cold on NYE to welcome the players back. 

Fox is out in Chicago. I wonder who else will be fired?

I think it's going to be interesting to see how the Bills fare against the Jags.  What's also interesting is that I had a saw the reaction from the Titans locker room after the Ravens lost, and they seemed upset. I believe the Titans wanted to play against the Jags again in the WC round instead of the Chiefs, but the Ravens losing means they have to face the Chiefs. I am looking forward to seeing how everything starts to shake out next week. I also enjoyed watching the reactions of the Bills players and their fans when Cincy won the game with that final touchdown.

As far as other coaches possibly being fired goes, I had heard before that Vance Joseph at Denver might be out. But now there are reports out there that Elway may actually keep him. I hope he gets to stay at least another year and that maybe they will get him a more solid QB than the ones he has. I had thought that Trevor Siemian was decent enough but he ended up struggling. 

Edited January 1, 2018 by Jx223

[DrSpaceman73]

4 hours ago, Haleth said:

Just wondering, Dr S, if it were up to you who would you want?

Chuck is a nice man, but he should have been replaced at the end of last season.

Go Bills!

No one stand out to me out of the viable candidates. 

If I could have anyone as the next coach it would be Jim Harbaugh.  I don't think he leaves Michigan though, not now at least. 

Out of the likely candidates mentioned I would say either Pat Schurmur, VIkings OC, or Jim Schwartz, Eagles DC.  Both have prior head coaching experience, albeit with the Browns and Lions, and have performed well in turning around the units they are in charge of this year. 

The rumors are Dave Toub is the frontrunner, the Chiefs special teams coach, based on his relationship with Ballard, the GM, who came from KC.  Matt Nagy as well, Chiefs OC, is mentioned.  I'd rather have Nagy of the two than Toub.  Something about hiring a special teams coordinator just does not impress me. 

I would say no to McDaniels or Patricia from the Pats.  For all of BB success, and he is a great HC, I'd never deny that, you can't say the coordinators who have left the Pats have been overly impressive over the last 15 years.  OBrien has been pretty good in Houston, but not great. 

Jim Bob Cooter, Lions OC, I would look at as well.   

The complicating factor is the list of firings if growing and will continue to do so over the remainder of this week.  I am glad the Colts did this early, did not even wait until Black Monday, most likely to get a jump on the interview process and get first shot at the top candidates. 

Seems like Gruden is going to Oakland, so I am assuming he is out.  I would not want him anyway, I think he has been away from the game too long.  Broadcasting is not the same as coaching, which is a day to day, 18 hours a day ground during the season. 

I'm a bit surprised Todd Haley does not get more mention as a candidate, I have not seen him on any lists of the next group to be hired.  Wouldn't mind giving him an interview as well. 

[NUguy514]

I just want to go on record as saying, as a long-suffering Bengals fan, that I 100% believed we'd beat the Ravens yesterday.  That the win kept the Ravens out of the playoffs and helped another long-suffering fan base get back to the playoffs for the first time in forever is just icing on the cake.

[stealinghome]

Arians is out in AZ.

[mojoween]

Arians “retired” but I feel like he’ll be back for another team.  Dom Capers is rumored out as Green Bay DC as well.

The Giants have asked for permission to interview Matt Patricia and I hope it goes poorly.  I think he’s a dick and the Pats D is nothing to get excited about.

[nowandlater]

4 hours ago, Crs97 said:

Jon Gruden is wearing Tony Dungy’s Super Bowl ring.

I've seen quite a few people defend  Gruden's post-Super Bowl record by saying he never had a good QB.

Yet this is what I think about when I think about Jon Gruden.

This article from April 2005:

https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2005/04/10/rodgers-performs-for-gruden/

 

 

[mojoween]

It took me a minute to realize what you meant about Gruden wearing Dungy’s ring.  At first I was like “why is he doing that? He has his own ring...?”

This is how much Buffalo was starved for playoff football:

 

They donated to Andy’s foundation to thank him for throwing that TD.

[Calvada]

Aaron Rodgers does NOT like Jon Gruden now.  Rodgers has said that Gruden told him that if Rodgers was still available at #5, Gruden would pick him..  Instead, Aaron sat there until pick #24.  Tampa Bay picked Carnell Williams.  How'd that work out for them?  Of course, Gruden and the Bucs weren't the only ones who whiffed big time in the 2005 draft.  Here are just a few of the teams that could have had Aaron Rodgers - Miami, Cleveland, Chicago, Washington, Jacksonville.  Teams that year after year are looking for that franchise QB.   

I've been an NFL fan for too many decades not to realize that my Packers are just a few years away from being one of those teams in the annual QB search.  They've had 2 back to back HOF guys, and the odds of finding the 3rd one seem astronomical.  

[AimingforYoko]

Speaking of the Packers: Ted Thompson demoted.

[Irlandesa]

26 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

Speaking of the Packers: Ted Thompson demoted.

Makes me sad.  I think he's a really good personnel guy if perhaps a bit too entrenched in the fact that salary cap was loosening up a bit. But I do wonder whether or not this was Murphy's choice or Ted's.  He has reportedly been thinking about it for a while.  And I don't know that one iffy season after 8 or 9 playoff appearances would do it. 

Much of the defensive coaching staff has been fired as well.  And that was probably a few years too late. 

[Calvada]

I'm sure the Packers would prefer it to be viewed as "encouraged to retire," but there's no question this was an organizational decision, since they didn't allow Ted to make the announcement.  Ted only had 1 year left on his contract, is about to turn 65, and had a serious health issue a few years ago, so it would not have been surprising to see him step down.  His possible departure has been the subject of conjecture/rumor in Wisconsin for a while.

I think what doomed Ted was his reluctance to dabble much in free agency, and his over-reliance on a draft-and-develop strategy.  You can't do that in today's NFL.  Ted occasionally would dip a toe in the FA market, sometimes with great success.  Charles Woodson & Ryan Pickett are two that come to mind who were instrumental in that 2010 championship.  But there's a feeling among the Packer faithful that the career of Aaron Rodgers is slipping away, and perhaps someone else should be at the controls.    

Ted was great at finding undrafted free agents and making reliable starters out of them (Sam Shields, Tramon Williams, etc.), and there were certain positions he could really evaluate.  As the article AimingforYoko links to, wide receiver is one.  (Although there are many Packer fans who would say Rodgers has as much to do with that as Ted!)  But as a Packer fan (and owner), I will always be grateful to Ted Thompson for rebuilding the team after the total and utter fiasco that was the tenure of GM Mike Sherman.  Especially for sticking to his philosophy in his first draft as GM of taking the best player available, and making Aaron Rodgers a Packer. 

[merylinkid]

Sure teams whiffed on Aaron Rodgers.   But would Aaron Rodgers have been Aaron Rodgers anywhere but Green Bay?

That happens this year with everyone talking about how the Browns could have had Wentz, Prescott, Goff or just about any QB.   They got Kizer (who I think will actually be good if Jackson doesn't ruin him).   Does anyone really believe the Browns would have used those guys right?   Or gotten them killed like they get all their QBs killed?    Basically, coulda, woulda, shoulda.    It's all speculation about how a player would have done if X team had taken him instead of Y.

[Silver Raven]

So, Baker Mayfield to Cleveland?

Or maybe a trade?

[Irlandesa]

55 minutes ago, Calvada said:

but there's no question this was an organizational decision, since they didn't allow Ted to make the announcement. 

The Packers haven't made an announcement yet.  And based on what I know about Ted Thompson and the media, I'm not surprised that Murphy likely will make the announcement.

55 minutes ago, Calvada said:

I think what doomed Ted was his reluctance to dabble much in free agency, and his over-reliance on a draft-and-develop strategy.

We'll see who they hire.  It could also be the sense that some of the up and coming talent like Elliot Wolf and Russ Ball were getting ready to move on and GB wanted first dibs.

55 minutes ago, Calvada said:

But there's a feeling among the Packer faithful that the career of Aaron Rodgers is slipping away, and perhaps someone else should be at the controls.  

I know.  And they'd be wrong.  It's not like Aaron Rodgers played like the 2009-in-Atlanta Rodgers during the playoffs consistently.  In fact, one of the most frustrating things in the past few years is that whenever the defense played well, the offense stalled. 

9 minutes ago, merylinkid said:

 But would Aaron Rodgers have been Aaron Rodgers anywhere but Green Bay?

If you ask some fans in the comments sections, he's responsible for anything and everything that is good in GB.  He coached himself. He's the OC.  They hope he went in and demanded that Murphy fire Ted.  Why fans would want the QB calling the personnel shots is a mystery to me but some fans, at least in the confines of some comments sections, do.

[nowandlater]

13 hours ago, Calvada said:

Aaron Rodgers does NOT like Jon Gruden now.  Rodgers has said that Gruden told him that if Rodgers was still available at #5, Gruden would pick him..  Instead, Aaron sat there until pick #24.  Tampa Bay picked Carnell Williams.  How'd that work out for them?  Of course, Gruden and the Bucs weren't the only ones who whiffed big time in the 2005 draft.  Here are just a few of the teams that could have had Aaron Rodgers - Miami, Cleveland, Chicago, Washington, Jacksonville.  Teams that year after year are looking for that franchise QB.   

I've been an NFL fan for too many decades not to realize that my Packers are just a few years away from being one of those teams in the annual QB search.  They've had 2 back to back HOF guys, and the odds of finding the 3rd one seem astronomical.  

I read an interesting observation recently about Gruden. Anybody agree? (I think McDonough has just an utterly terribly boring voice.)

 

As for Rodgers, one of the main reasons NFL teams were scared of him was because he was a Jeff Tedford QB. Think back to April 2005. Tedford had had a number of QBs he coached end up getting picked in the first round. And all were a disappointment. (Trent Dilfer, David Carr, Joey Harrington, Akili Smith and Kyle Boller). So "Tedford" became a bad name in NFL coaching circles. Interestingly, Tedford, now the head coach at Fresno  State, has known Derek Carr for two decades via his older brother. Tedford also recruited Jared Goff, who enrolled at Cal a few weeks after Tedford was fired.

[Cupcake04]

On ‎1‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 1:05 PM, NUguy514 said:

I just want to go on record as saying, as a long-suffering Bengals fan, that I 100% believed we'd beat the Ravens yesterday.  That the win kept the Ravens out of the playoffs and helped another long-suffering fan base get back to the playoffs for the first time in forever is just icing on the cake.

As a long suffering Bills fan that is so nice to hear and I thank you!  After living through all 4 years of our  SB run in the 90's and then the drought, I cannot even explain to everyone how wonderful this season and especially Sunday was for all of us in Western NY.  We have been the brunt of so many jokes for so many years, and of course our fan base takes a hit with all the viral tailgating videos, but I hope seeing all the fans that met the plane at the airport in the sub-zero weather Sunday night and the outpouring of donations to Dalton's charity from Bills fans shows everyone that we really are a special breed.  I never forgot where I was in 2003 when my Yanks came back to beat the dreaded Red Sox in the ALCS and I will never forget where I was and who I was with for the Bills and then the Bengals wins on 12/31/17.  On to J-ville and sticking it to Marone for quitting on us!  Go Bills!!!!!

On ‎1‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 6:38 PM, mojoween said:

It took me a minute to realize what you meant about Gruden wearing Dungy’s ring.  At first I was like “why is he doing that? He has his own ring...?”

This is how much Buffalo was starved for playoff football:

 

They donated to Andy’s foundation to thank him for throwing that TD.

As of this morning the total is almost $60,000 and counting.  Most donations are for $17, a dollar for every year of our drought.

ETA the AJD Foundation just posted the total is over $100K

ETA total is over $250,000 as of today and the Daltons have put up thank you billboards in Buffalo. 

Edited January 4, 2018 by Cupcake04

[Jx223]

Carson Palmer has announced his retirement:

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21944487/carson-palmer-arizona-cardinals-announces-retirement

And the Bengals have actually decided to sign Marvin Lewis to a new deal through 2019:

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21944438/cincinnati-bengals-sign-marvin-lewis-two-year-deal-2019

Edited January 2, 2018 by Jx223

[mojoween]

Carson’s Palmer’s story makes me so sad, and not just because his injury cost the Bengals a playoff game.

When he had his first knee surgery, they used donor parts for the knee and Carson was able to meet the family and they were so happy to have a piece of their child continuing to live on.  

But then he re-injured the knee.  And needed a complete reconstruction.  Which means they had to re-do all of the donor parts so that family lost that bit of their son all over again.  It’s something I would never ever have thought about until I saw that story somewhere, maybe in SI.

[mojoween]

HOF Finalists announced

Damn.  My dream of Lewis getting shut out is dying.

[mojoween]

I was rolling.  Matt Patricia - “where’s my pencil?”

[twoods]

I saw that this weekend- it's pure genius. How do people come up with this stuff? 

[xaxat]

On 1/1/2018 at 0:45 PM, DrSpaceman73 said:

I'm a bit surprised Todd Haley does not get more mention as a candidate, I have not seen him on any lists of the next group to be hired.  Wouldn't mind giving him an interview as well. 

Haley and his wife have a messy history in Pittsburgh. They were once sued by their landlord for damaging their rental house and have had several public "scuffles". Including one on Sunday night.

[merylinkid]

I love bad lip reading.    

[topanga]

23 hours ago, merylinkid said:

I love bad lip reading.    

Me too. That was a good one. My favorite line, though, remains Adrian Peterson saying, “Orange peanuts? For me?” in the first edition 

[Silver Raven]

The Jaguars will be selling teal colored beer, ice cream, and hamburger buns at their playoff game against Buffalo.

[Fukui San]

4 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

The Jaguars will be selling teal colored beer, ice cream, and hamburger buns at their playoff game against Buffalo.

It's a shame Jason from The Good Place isn't around to see this. 

[twoods]

I hope they somehow put it into the show that Jason finds out about the playoffs. 

[Jx223]

According to Adam Schefter and other sources the Raiders have decided to hire Jon Gruden. His contract is reportedly 10yr/$100 million dollars. I like Jon but I'm not sure how this will end up working out. I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't last as long as the Raiders hope it will. Though I wish him the best.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21970861/oakland-raiders-introduce-jon-gruden-new-coach-tuesday

Edited January 5, 2018 by Jx223

[DrSpaceman73]

7 hours ago, Jx223 said:

According to Adam Schefter and other sources the Raiders have decided to hire Jon Gruden. His contract is reportedly 10yr/$100 million dollars. I like Jon but I'm not sure how this will end up working out. I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't last as long as the Raiders hope it will. Though I wish him the best.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21970861/oakland-raiders-introduce-jon-gruden-new-coach-tuesday

Yes no surprise has been rumored at least for a week or two

I am not sure how it will work either.  He has been away from the game for MANY years and it changes fast. 

Being a commentator is not the same as coaching, much more intense and high pressure. 

[merylinkid]

I would not be a bit surprised if he started coaching again, training camp, film study, etc., and went "Oh right, THAT'S why I retired from this."   If he is still coaching next year I would be mighty surprised.

[twoods]

This game is pretty close. Figured it was going to be a blowout after the first quarter but the Titans have settled down. I saw replays of Mariotta throwing a TD pass to himself which was ridiculous. 

And just like that, Titans lead. What a game.

Edited January 7, 2018 by twoods

[mojoween]

This has been a great first playoff, putting aside the numerous drops by receivers on all sides.  I surprised myself by rooting slightly more for Tennessee.

[AimingforYoko]

Nice choke job, KC.

[twoods]

KC losing Kelce was huge, but that doesn't excuse the defense for giving up all those points. First, Music city miracle and now the crazy TD pass that likely changed the momentum of the game. I sort of feel bad for Chiefs fans for consistently watching their team lose playoff games at home. The Titans will likely lose to either the Pats or Steelers next week but Mariota seems like such a nice guy and deserves this win. That block at the end was great to see.

Edited January 7, 2018 by twoods

[roamyn]

They got TWO free passes, when those offsetting penalties (middle of fourth) ended up being a fumble return.  They couldn’t even convert a field goal!

KC used to be my 2nd favorite team, because of Marty.  Now that he’s gone, I’m done w/their choke jobs.  I’m picking the Vikings as my new 2nd favorite team.  After my Brownies.

Speaking of which, today was the parade, from what I understand.  I hope Hue froze his balls off!

[Ohwell]

I was kind of rooting for Tennessee, don't know why, maybe because Mariota is cute?  Anyway, I feel bad for the KC fans though.  That was rough. 

[stealinghome]

LA is definitely showing its lack of playoff experience in the early going.

[BitterApple]

Good Lord, the constant stoppages and reviews in this NFC game are freaking KILLING me. I feel like I've been watching this thing for four hours and we're only at the half.

[DrSpaceman73]

Dear Lord it just continues for the Chiefs. 

Multiple coaches, multiple teams since 1993 and they just blow game after game in the playoffs.  And they do it in so many different ways. 

1-9 over their last 10 playoff games I counted. 

I feel bad for their fans, even though multiple games in that team, I believe 4, has been losses to my beloved Colts. 

How do you blow at 18 point lead at home to Tennessee in the playoffs? 

I don't know who is the most pitiful :

Lions with ONE PLAYOFF WIN in the last 70-80 years

Bengals being 0-7 since 1990 in the playoffs

Or the Chiefs, 1-9 since 1993 in the playoffs.  With many of those losses at home as favorites or with big leads. 

[twoods]

1 hour ago, stealinghome said:

LA is definitely showing its lack of playoff experience in the early going.

They've settled down but it's painful to watch. I don't know why the Rams are favored in this game when they are playing against a team that was in the SB last year. 

[DrSpaceman73]

6 minutes ago, twoods said:

They've settled down but it's painful to watch. I don't know why the Rams are favored in this game when they are playing against a team that was in the SB last year. 

Because the rams are at home and Atlanta has not been nearly as good this year

[Bastet]

17 minutes ago, twoods said:

They've settled down but it's painful to watch. I don't know why the Rams are favored in this game when they are playing against a team that was in the SB last year. 

Since the Rams are slowly becoming one of my teams, I may be biased, but I came into this with them picked to win by a field goal.   (I also had the Chiefs picked to easily win, a game I'd only have on because it was the playoffs, so take my predictions with a grain of salt!)  The Rams are at home, and seriously fired up by their tremendous turn-around this season.  The tiny handful of players who've been in the playoffs versus a team that was in the Super Bowl last year is a big counter-weight, yes, and one it looks like I may well have underestimated, but the Falcons are not an impressive team this year.