NFL Thread

[Xeliou66]

6 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I can't blame him.  Either he stayed and sits on the bench if Watson isn't suspended or he played as their second choice if Watson is suspended.  I hope he does well in Carolina.

I still don't know what the fuck the Browns were thinking by guaranteeing Watson all that money without the NFL concluding their investigation and issuing a finding.

The Browns are just a poorly run organization, I think they’ve fucked up by giving Watson a huge contract and giving up on Mayfield just because he had a poor 2021 season (he was playing through injuries all of last season as well). I absolutely don’t blame Mayfield for wanting out, and I think Carolina is a decent landing spot for him - they have a solid offense with DJ Moore and Robbie Anderson at receiver and Christian McCaffrey in the backfield.

I’m glad my favorite team, the Falcons, didn’t get Watson, but it pisses me off to no end that they alienated Matty Ice, the best QB in franchise history, in their pursuit of Watson to the point where he demanded a trade. It’s going to be a long year for the Falcons. 

[ScorpioSoul]

Hmm, interesting dynamic the Panthers will have with Corral, Baker, and Darnold in the QB room.

[Xeliou66]

21 minutes ago, ScorpioSoul said:

Hmm, interesting dynamic the Panthers will have with Corral, Baker, and Darnold in the QB room.

Baker will definitely be the starter, Darnold is a 100% bust and I doubt Corral is ready yet. I wonder if the Panthers see Corral as the QB of the future though and Mayfield as a placeholder? Also, with all of the talk about how the Panthers are unhappy with Rhule, I wonder if they plan on making a coaching change after this season, or if getting Mayfield changes things. I think the Panthers now have potentially a playoff caliber team.

[Johannah]

I wasn't a Baker fan (except of his My Home is the Stadium commercials), but I totally think he got a bum deal from Cleveland.  And, frankly, I think a lot of his problem was immaturity and no one in Cleveland to straighten him out.  His playing was fine, if not spectacular, and he was injured all last season.  The team seemed to show no appreciation for him playing in pain and giving his all.  Good luck to Baker.  I'm sure his wife will enjoy living in the Carolinas more than Ohio.  (No offense Ohio, but the Carolinas seem pretty nice.)

[AimingforYoko]

Cleveland just Browned the hell out of this whole QB situation. Haven't put a right foot forward once.

[xaxat]

I firmly blame the owner, Jimmy Haslam, not the Browns as an organization. Giving up the draft picks, guaranteeing the whole contract, structuring the contract to protect Watson's money, and trading for guy with 24 26, a lot of sexual harassments allegations only happens if the owner wants to make it happen. 

I believe he was driving the bus.

Edited July 7, 2022 by xaxat

[Fukui San]

Panthers should pick up Josh Rosen to complete the set of lesser first round QBs of that draft.

[JTMacc99]

I do wonder how much damage spending two years under the Adam Gase Jets did to Darnold. That was a complete disaster from the opening press conference. 

You look at the perfect consistency and sanity that Allen got to grow up with in Buffalo and compare it to what Sam had on his plate, and it's not hard to picture that had they been swapped, that Josh would have had a MUCH harder time turning into the player he's become.

[Fukui San]

31 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

I do wonder how much damage spending two years under the Adam Gase Jets did to Darnold. That was a complete disaster from the opening press conference. 

You look at the perfect consistency and sanity that Allen got to grow up with in Buffalo and compare it to what Sam had on his plate, and it's not hard to picture that had they been swapped, that Josh would have had a MUCH harder time turning into the player he's become.

Mike McCagnan. Adam Gase. Mike McCagnan’s questionable receivers. Mono. Mike McCagnan’s non-existent o-Line. Facing Bill Belichick twice a year. Darnold didn’t have a prayer in NY. 

Shanahan, McVay, or Belichick might’ve gotten Darnold to look competent in a Jared Goff fashion. 

[Lamb18]

16 hours ago, xaxat said:

Apparently Baker agreed to a contract restructure that will reduce his guaranteed money.

He really wanted out of Cleveland.

And he will have a new home in Panther stadium.

[Fukui San]

4 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

And he will have a new home in Panther stadium.

They play in Bank of America stadium, so let's see a new commercial where he moves into a bank and rooms with Sam Darnold.

Edited July 7, 2022 by Fukui San

[voiceover]

Felt appropriate to also post the news of James Caan’s passing here.  Brian’s Song was the only movie (until Field of Dreams) that guys my age would admit to crying through.

[merylinkid]

Raiders hire former Nevada Gaming Control Chairwoman Sandra Douglass Morgan as team president.   FIRST female African American team president.    WOOHOO.   

[Xeliou66]

It looks like NFL Sunday Ticket (which allows you to see all of the games) is leaving DirecTV and coming to a streaming service in 2023!! This is awesome news, everyone should be able to get Sunday Ticket, not just certain people with DirecTV, and it looks like that will be the case starting next season.

[bluegirl147]

1 hour ago, Xeliou66 said:

It looks like NFL Sunday Ticket (which allows you to see all of the games) is leaving DirecTV and coming to a streaming service in 2023!! This is awesome news, everyone should be able to get Sunday Ticket, not just certain people with DirecTV, and it looks like that will be the case starting next season.

Everyone who has WiFi and subscribes to whatever streaming service has the games. I have a coworker who does not have WiFi nor a device to watch the games let alone the streaming service that will have the games. 

Will the games be included in the streaming service price we already pay or will that be an extra charge?

[Just Here]

On 7/8/2022 at 4:31 PM, bluegirl147 said:

Will the games be included in the streaming service price we already pay or will that be an extra charge?

Until an actual deal is announced, I don't think we'll see any firm details as to what a streaming version of "Sunday Ticket" would look like.

The news about "Sunday Ticket" likely moving to a streaming service came from an interview Goodell gave on CNBC today.

One possible model is Apple's recent deal with MLS (press release).  From The Athletic's summary of the Apple-MLS deal (subscription required): 

Quote

The company will build an MLS streaming service within the Apple TV app that will house all MLS matches and related content. Fans will not need to subscribe to Apple TV+ in order to subscribe to the MLS streaming service; it will be a standalone service within the Apple TV ecosystem.

The exact price of the MLS streaming service is yet to be determined.

Additionally, existing Apple TV+ subscribers who do not subscribe to the MLS streaming service will be able to watch a selection of MLS and Leagues Cup matches at no additional cost.

Edit/Correction: Removed incorrect details about the Apple-MLS deal.

Edited July 9, 2022 by Just Here

[DrSpaceman73]

I'll believe the Sunday ticket rumors when I see it.  Rumored for years but I hope it's true. 

[merylinkid]

17 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

Will the games be included in the streaming service price we already pay or will that be an extra charge?

This is the NFL getting into bed with streaming services, if there is NOT an extra charge, I will show up to the Super Bowl naked (not really no one wants to see this body naked, but then again, I don't think I will have to worry about paying up)

[Johannah]

Eh.  The chances of me having whatever streaming service they pick are slim to none.

[JTMacc99]

It’ll be a $300 package for sure; the NFL doesn’t want it to be a discount product for any number of reasons. So if it goes to Apple TV+ (best bet at the moment) you can sign up for that service for whatever $7/month it might be in September and drop it in January. 

[merylinkid]

14 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

It’ll be a $300 package for sure; the NFL doesn’t want it to be a discount product for any number of reasons. So if it goes to Apple TV+ (best bet at the moment) you can sign up for that service for whatever $7/month it might be in September and drop it in January. 

that's what I do with Sling.   During the pre-season I add the sports tier so I get the NFL Network and Redzone.   Then after the Super Bowl I drop it.   Sling makes it really easy to do that.   

[merylinkid]

Ya'all training camps open next week for rookies.  Its almost here.

[xaxat]

All of the professional sports venues in Pittsburgh have always had naming rights held by a local company. That is until today. This morning it was announced that Heinz Field, home of the Steelers, is now Acrisure Stadium and Yinzers (natives of Pittsburgh) are big time mad.

How dare a foreign (Michigan) company try to invade the Burgh! 

Edited July 12, 2022 by xaxat

[mojoween]

I hate the Steelers and I am also big mad, because that name is DUMB and also nothing that you can have fun with.  Imma just call it Three Rivers.

[Haleth]

16 hours ago, merylinkid said:

Ya'all training camps open next week for rookies.  Its almost here.

I was online looking at the schedule for tickets yesterday.  Woo hoo!

[JTMacc99]

14 hours ago, mojoween said:

because that name is DUMB and also nothing that you can have fun with

On that note, I discovered that people have been calling the Commanders the Commoders or just the Commodes. 

[JTMacc99]

14 hours ago, xaxat said:

All of the professional sports venues in Pittsburgh have always had naming rights held by a local company. That is until today. This morning it was announced that Heinz Field, home of the Steelers, is now Acrisure Stadium and Yinzers (natives of Pittsburgh) are big time mad.

How dare a foreign (Michigan) company try to invade the Burgh! 

Looks like Heinz had paid $57 million for the 20 year deal that expired.  Acrisure is paying more than $10M per year for the new 10 year deal. Heinz said it was significantly more than they could justify, which I think makes sense. Heinz has plenty of name recognition.

[xaxat]

The big difference is that Heinz is no longer a Pittsburgh company. It was bought out by a Brazilian company infamous for its efforts to cut costs. At one point they considered retiring  the Budweiser Clydesdales after they purchased Anheuser Busch.

[JTMacc99]

16 minutes ago, xaxat said:

they considered retiring  the Budweiser Clydesdales after they purchased Anheuser Busch

Oof. That would have been a REALLY bad call. 

-

I'm usually somewhere in the middle of the bell curve when it comes to my opinions about things (I typically see and respect both sides, even if I think one side is totally wacko. I still acknowledge they feel that way.)

But when it comes to stuff like who paid to have their name on a stadium, I'm ALL THE WAY over to the tiny little sliver on whichever end of the curve is "You can name my team's stadium The Toilet Bowl if that raises the most money for them." 

I'm also totally okay with slapping a whole bunch of Tide, Jimmy Dean, Pepsi, and H&R Block patches on their uniforms like they're NASCAR drivers if those companies want to throw a bunch of money at them to do so. 

Every dollar of advertising revenue that comes in takes away some of  the pressure on the teams and league to extract it directly from my pocket through tickets, parking, or merchandise.

[cambridgeguy]

3 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

Every dollar of advertising revenue that comes in takes away some of  the pressure on the teams and league to extract it directly from my pocket through tickets, parking, or merchandise.

Nah, I'm pretty sure they see those as separate pots of money - an increase in one is no reason to reduce pressure on the other, especially if people are willing to pay.

I also believe The Toilet Bowl is the unofficial name of FedEx Field

[mojoween]

This legit makes me sad.  I loved his ads; Baker is nothing if not charismatic. 

[Crashcourse]

5 hours ago, xaxat said:

The big difference is that Heinz is no longer a Pittsburgh company. It was bought out by a Brazilian company infamous for its efforts to cut costs. At one point they considered retiring  the Budweiser Clydesdales after they purchased Anheuser Busch.

No wonder the Heinz mustard tastes different now.  🙁

At least the ketchup tastes the same. 

[DrSpaceman73]

22 minutes ago, mojoween said:

This legit makes me sad.  I loved his ads; Baker is nothing if not charismatic. 

Ahhh....that's one of the things I was looking forward to with him changing teams. 

[Johannah]

21 hours ago, mojoween said:

This legit makes me sad.  I loved his ads; Baker is nothing if not charismatic. 

I liked those commercials, too.

BUT...  Supposedly Progressive is HQ'ed in Cleveland, hence, using a local figure for its commercials.  Following Baker to Carolina wouldn't work since he will no longer be a Cleveland "brand".  A 'moving away' version would have been great, but I can understand why the company wouldn't want to do that.

Also, Baker might be growing up, if what I heard is correct, that he won't be doing all the commercials and will be concentrating on football.  Good for him, if it's true.

[xaxat]

The biggest reason why Progressive didn't make the move with Baker is that the Panthers have Geico as a corporate sponsor.  The whole premise that made the ads so successful would be a no go.

[Carey]

I had a lot to say regarding Baker and the commercials and what not, but I guess I have no choice but to keep it brief.  Good for him if he's going to focus on the game and not insurance ads.  Not the best spot, but whatever

Heinz to Acrisure

To say I was okay with the change would be a sample of a human being lying.  To some extent.  I wasn’t pleased with the change when I heard about it on Monday morning for several reasons, but even with that, I got over it quickly.

The reason why I was saddened was the fact that it got to the point where an “outsider” was a part of the new era as it relates to stadium naming rights.  As mentioned, there has been a local connection throughout all the venues the teams in Western Pennsylvania compete in.  Now there isn’t.

Even though what happened to the former Heinz Field is official, I moved on about 30 minutes later since I’m in a group that’s not going to put much stock in the name of a venue.  I’m more focused on what happens with the participants.

Plus, if it’s such a bummer, then how are the local corporations sitting around while Acrisure took the title.  If it’s so important, then someone in the Pittsburgh area could have stepped up and put up a higher offer.  It should not be a case where Mr. Rooney should’ve made it exclusive to local corporations.  I wish he did, I suppose, but I can’t fault someone or people from getting as much as possible, especially in today’s environment.  It’s the same for the LIV Golf group.  I’m not a fan of that, but it’s a fair argument that people should try to get as much as possible & “shouldn’t leave money on the table.”

At the end of the day, money isn’t everything, but there isn’t much one could rank over it

[Danielg342]

As a Bills fan, I should be excited about this coming season...but, I'm old enough to remember the four straight Super Bowls and everything that came after, so excuse me if I'm a bit cynical.

Still, it feels great to know we're not a laughingstock anymore. That's got to count for something. Now if we could only have those 13 seconds back...

On 7/6/2022 at 9:25 PM, JTMacc99 said:

You look at the perfect consistency and sanity that Allen got to grow up with in Buffalo and compare it to what Sam had on his plate, and it's not hard to picture that had they been swapped, that Josh would have had a MUCH harder time turning into the player he's become.

I know I'm a bit biased but I think Josh Allen would have been successful anywhere he went. He has a desire and a drive far greater than anyone I've ever seen, in any sport. Sam Darnold might have been a better player if he started in Buffalo's atmosphere rather than in New York, but I doubt Allen would have failed if he was a Jet- or anywhere else- other than a Bill.

On 7/6/2022 at 3:58 PM, Xeliou66 said:

The Browns are just a poorly run organization

No doubt. Though I would agree that Baker Mayfield wasn't the problem in Cleveland, the Browns had other options if they wanted to move on from him. They're just asking for problems by trading for DeShaun Watson, who might not even play in 2022 or even longer- there's nothing stopping the NFL from suspending Watson for more than a year. Why they took that risk is beyond me.

I guess Cleveland's gotta Cleveland, or something...

[Haleth]

13 hours ago, Johann said:

Supposedly Progressive is HQ'ed in Cleveland, hence, using a local figure for its commercials.

DeShaun Watson?  

Maybe not.

[merylinkid]

2 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

Now if we could only have those 13 seconds back...

Right there with you.    Oh wait, different game.

*yes it was 14 seconds but I don't think one second would have made a difference on that boneheaded play.

[bluegirl147]

4 hours ago, Haleth said:

18 hours ago, Johann said:

Supposedly Progressive is HQ'ed in Cleveland, hence, using a local figure for its commercials.

DeShaun Watson?  

Maybe not.

The Browns organization might be stupid and willing to tie themselves to someone as problematic as Watson but there is no way a company like Progressive is going to want to be tied to him. 

11 hours ago, Carey said:

Even though what happened to the former Heinz Field is official, I moved on about 30 minutes later since I’m in a group that’s not going to put much stock in the name of a venue.  I’m more focused on what happens with the participants

Same here but I'm never going to refer to that stadium as anything other than Heinz Field.  Just like Star Lake* Amphitheater will always be Star Lake no matter how many name changes it goes through.

*My fellow tri state neighbors will understand.  

[JTMacc99]

On 7/12/2022 at 6:14 PM, cambridgeguy said:

Nah, I'm pretty sure they see those as separate pots of money - an increase in one is no reason to reduce pressure on the other, especially if people are willing to pay.

Well, in theory tripling the amount of money the Steelers get from stadium naming rights would reduce the pressure on the team to increase the amount of money they need to collect from other local revenue streams.

But maybe the Rooney family has $7M of new expenses they need to cover. (Or perhaps make up from lost revenue from 2020 and even 2021.) I looked into it, and at least some season ticket packages are going up 5% for 2022.  

[DrSpaceman73]

3 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

The Browns organization might be stupid and willing to tie themselves to someone as problematic as Watson but there is no way a company like Progressive is going to want to be tied to him. 

Same here but I'm never going to refer to that stadium as anything other than Heinz Field.  Just like Star Lake* Amphitheater will always be Star Lake no matter how many name changes it goes through.

*My fellow tri state neighbors will understand.  

I think we are all like that. 

In indy deer creek music theater has been renamed about 10 times over 30 years.  Everyone still calls it deer creek. 

[xaxat]

I recently heard that LeVeon Bell and Adrian Peterson will be "boxing" each other on PPV.

This makes me sad. And I say that as a fan of MMA/boxing.

[Johannah]

2 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

...

But maybe the Rooney family has $7M of new expenses they need to cover....

Field trip!

🤪

[Danielg342]

13 hours ago, merylinkid said:

Right there with you.    Oh wait, different game.

*yes it was 14 seconds but I don't think one second would have made a difference on that boneheaded play.

I'm not sure I blame Dak on that play. That's on the official who didn't set the ball down on time.

I mean, no guarantee you would have won but it's still a horrible way to lose.

[Haleth]

16 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

In indy deer creek music theater has been renamed about 10 times over 30 years.  Everyone still calls it deer creek. 

I immediately thought of that.  Even the Doobie Brothers called it Deer Creek last night.

[JTMacc99]

22 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

Same here but I'm never going to refer to that stadium as anything other than Heinz Field.  Just like Star Lake* Amphitheater will always be Star Lake no matter how many name changes it goes through.

I heard a Pittsburgh media guy on the radio yesterday. When he was asked about the possibility that the official name could have been something like Acrisure Three Rivers Stadium or some other combination, he noted that Acrisure would NOT have paid anywhere near what they paid for that kind of name. 

They want to hear Al Michaels and every other announcer on TV to say "We are at Acrisure Stadium..."  As long as the announcers say the name on TV, they're getting what they paid for. 

[Carey]

Yeah that was mentioned earlier in the week by one of the insiders.  Rooney Field at Acrisure  Stadium may have worked, but on a National level, Acrisure doesn't get pimped as much.  OTOH, Acrisure Stadium at UPMC would've been perfect IMO.  UPMC isn't foreign nationwide or even worldwide, but it would be tougher to omit Acrisure with that scenario, while still maintaining something Pittsburghers can relate to.  UPMC on a sports media POV isn't that common

People will stick with Heinz Field, though I wouldn't be surprised if I hear Acrisure mentioned more often in the future (especially if Pittsburgh starts winning again).

As mentioned, on field success is more important.  I probably would not expect relief as a civilian (if your a taxpayer or some business that took a hit in 2020).  However, I'd be pissed if there wasn't improvements within the facilities at the stadium for the players, staff, and fans.  There will be for the players (and staff), but how about fixing that field.  Whew!

[Johannah]

Different sport, but when Orioles Park at Camden Yards was built, TPTB kept trying to get everyone to call it Orioles Park for some reason, but we just call it Camden Yards, which sounds cooler to me.  Point is, people will call it whatever they want. 

I always just called it Steelers Stadium.  I don't memorize stadium names and just call it by the team name...if I'm even mentioning a stadium.  How does that even come up in a conversation?  Usually, it's, "I'm going to the game," not the stadium.  Okay, I'm going off on a tangent now...

Edited July 16, 2022 by Johann
Usuallg is not a word

[Bastet]

6 hours ago, Johann said:

I don't memorize stadium names and just call it by the team name...if I'm even mentioning a stadium.  How does that even come up in a conversation?  Usually, it's, "I'm going to the game," not the stadium.

In my experience, it comes up when there's a concert or other non-game event at the stadium/arena.  If I'm going to a Lakers game, I just say that.  But if I'm going to a concert at the Crypto.com Arena, I say I'm going to see [artist] at the Staples Center, because that's what I still call it.