| NFL Thread 18:57 - Dec 16 with 17208 views | AtThePeake |
Apologies to all the NFL fans but a technical issue with the other thread was stopping people from being able to read the later posts. We aren't sure what happened here so thought it was easier to lock the previous thread and start a new one. I won't delete the thread so people can go back and read it if needs be, but it's locked now.
(Really hoping someone starts an NBA thread when we get going in a week or so! Just me? Oh). |  |
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| NFL Thread on 05:08 - Dec 30 with 2055 views | pioneer |
The Bills march to the play offs continues with an ever so sweet big win over our nemisis the Pats (or was the nemesis a man named brady?))
Allen now breaking long standing club marks set by the great Jim Kelly....hoping he doesnt get near to that four superbowl losses in a row record. |  | | |
| NFL Thread on 07:10 - Dec 30 with 2043 views | Nigeriamark |
| NFL Thread on 05:08 - Dec 30 by pioneer |
The Bills march to the play offs continues with an ever so sweet big win over our nemisis the Pats (or was the nemesis a man named brady?))
Allen now breaking long standing club marks set by the great Jim Kelly....hoping he doesnt get near to that four superbowl losses in a row record. |
Although I think the Chiefs are favourites, Bills have a genuine shot if KC have an off day. Still fuming about the Browns though Grrrrr |  | | |
| NFL Thread on 19:54 - Dec 30 with 1981 views | jonahwhereru |
| NFL Thread on 07:10 - Dec 30 by Nigeriamark |
Although I think the Chiefs are favourites, Bills have a genuine shot if KC have an off day. Still fuming about the Browns though Grrrrr |
The game is up for the Browns. Two more players added to injured reserve (Covid) yesterday. Including the tight end Bryant. Mayfield has no one to throw the ball to.
Tbh they don’t deserve a play off berth, given their points difference tally. A win against the Steelers would be the stuff of legend. It ain’t going to happen.
Already looking to the draft and who goes into free agency. Vernon is the only free agent I would be disappointed to loose. As far as the draft is concerned the secondary is the area that needs new blood. A safety and cornerback for the first two picks would be my preference. Redwine is a weakness and Mitchell is in the veteran stage.
But it’s nice to be able to one again admit you are a Browns fan. | | | |
| NFL Thread on 22:19 - Jan 1 with 1948 views | jonahwhereru |
Nigeria, goodnew! Landry, Higgins, Hodge and Peoples-Jones are all now of the Covid list. So the Browns have some sort of shot against the Steelers. | | | |
| NFL Thread on 08:03 - Jan 2 with 1924 views | DaleiLama |
What a season and hopefully what a post season NFL fans have to look forward to.
Recapping last week first, that was a really impressive comeback win for the Steelers. I was beginning to think they were done then they came back to show they are not a team to be overlooked. I'm sure I read somewhere the Browns attempted 53 passes vs the Jets with no reputable wide receivers on the field. That was a suicidal gameplan if so, but I didn't watch the game. Bills absolutely embarrassed the Pats (sorry USADale) which I enjoyed thoroughly, not least because of Belichick's phone slamming antics on the sideline which have been much parodied. The Texans went down like a sinking ship again, leading to JJ Watt's excoriating attack on almost everything to do with the organisation and finally, Miami's win in the desert, courtesy of probably the most improbable and heart-stopping ending to a game I have ever seen, courtesy of the "Flail Mary" play with 19 seconds to go to come away with an incredible win and to keep the hopes of a play-off place alive.
How on earth was that a completion? Flowers guilty of a hold just before the facemask penalty, but Fitz actually admitted that the yank caused him to put a bit less oomph on the throw and it may well have fallen incomplete without it. Truly a game of inches.
Interesting discussion on "tanking" in this thread. Having observed such a process with my team, some observations and comments from my side. Firstly, the Fins were widely roasted in the US media last year for Tanking for Tua. Some (ex-Pats) accused Miami of bringing the game into disrepute, blah, blah, blah and those same blowhards guilty of such nonsense collectively lost their voice when we went on to win 5 games with a threadbare roster. The truth is the Fins had a ton of dead wood in terms of salarycap and ability and had to make major changes. They did so by off-loading as many players in trades as they could get future draft picks for and assembled a group of street free agents, cast offs and misfits who wanted to play for Flo and bought into the new culture of accountability and team first. Watching us play last season was painful, but we ended up with the QB we wanted in the draft and a ton of picks last year and this, including the Texans pick which currently sits as #3 next year. On this year’s “tankers”, the Jets under Gase are a complete mess, but even they showed professional pride to win their last 2 and the Jags just seemed to be so mismanaged year-on-year that even when they put together a half decent roster a few years back, it came to naught. Tanking is such a complex process with so many moving parts it’s difficult to really prove/disprove. It could include roster changes like the fins made, it could involve play-calling/gameplanning by coaches and on an individual player level, performance at each spot. At a certain point in each season, when there is nothing to play for, some players make “business decisions” to play less hard. This even happens in Free Agency, when a player is in the last year of their contract. It often happens that performance improves beyond expectation to get that big FA contract and then dips after the signing bonus has been banked. The colts started the “Lose for Luck” modern-day tanking and I agree with Pioneer, there is something fundamentally wrong with Jags fans cheering at home when the Bears scored knowing they were inching closer to securing the #1 pick. As for that being Lawrence and him agreeing to go there, we’ll have to see, but he’s probably destined for a moribund franchise even if he does “pull an Eli” and the worst case for the Jags is they get a boat-load of draft capital from trading him and the second best QB in the draft (or not knowing them). That raises the question of whether they have the right GM/coach combo to be able to leverage that into wins and whether or not they should have gone down the scorched-earth route with dead wood like Miami did. It certainly makes the draft that extra bit more interesting come April.
Week 17 looks like it’s shaping up to be something of a lottery? In the AFC, the Chiefs are resting lots of starters having nothing to play for. After a few so-so performances, and a dead rubber it will be interesting to see how they bounce back after their bye. They will be fresh, no doubt, but maybe not match sharp. The browns have all their receivers back but their facility has been closed most of the week with I think four new players out with Covid protocols but some may make it back as close contacts and a negative test? Their opponent Steelers have already announced Big Ben will have an extended stay in his rest home along with Pouncey and no doubt several other key starters. Makes it a tough one to call. The Fins have Fitz out with a positive test for Covid. So even if we get to post season action he may miss next weekend after never having made the post season during his career. I’m gutted for him as he’s a really good guy and deserved a moment in the sun before he hangs them up. The Bills are playing their starting line-up info close to their chest. It goes without saying that I’m hoping they put Allen in bubble wrap too. Beasley has been ruled out already which hopefully makes our path to 11 wins slightly easier but it will be Tua’s first game in snow. Hmmm.
Interesting news from Green Bay too. After demolishing the Titans in a game which they won without conceding a penalty or punting, they lost pro-bowl LT Bakhtiari to a season ending injury in practice. There’s never a dull moment in the NFL and this season keeps throwing up stories and new twists on a daily basis.
One thing on crowds I read — reportedly 7m fans attended games in 2020 and no clusters have been directly identified as attributable to match attendance. Granted they are big and often very open stadia and they don’t appear to have much of the new more contagious Covid reported there yet, but interesting nevertheless I thought. [Post edited 2 Jan 2021 8:08]
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| NFL Thread on 10:42 - Jan 2 with 1889 views | Nigeriamark |
| NFL Thread on 08:03 - Jan 2 by DaleiLama |
What a season and hopefully what a post season NFL fans have to look forward to.
Recapping last week first, that was a really impressive comeback win for the Steelers. I was beginning to think they were done then they came back to show they are not a team to be overlooked. I'm sure I read somewhere the Browns attempted 53 passes vs the Jets with no reputable wide receivers on the field. That was a suicidal gameplan if so, but I didn't watch the game. Bills absolutely embarrassed the Pats (sorry USADale) which I enjoyed thoroughly, not least because of Belichick's phone slamming antics on the sideline which have been much parodied. The Texans went down like a sinking ship again, leading to JJ Watt's excoriating attack on almost everything to do with the organisation and finally, Miami's win in the desert, courtesy of probably the most improbable and heart-stopping ending to a game I have ever seen, courtesy of the "Flail Mary" play with 19 seconds to go to come away with an incredible win and to keep the hopes of a play-off place alive.
How on earth was that a completion? Flowers guilty of a hold just before the facemask penalty, but Fitz actually admitted that the yank caused him to put a bit less oomph on the throw and it may well have fallen incomplete without it. Truly a game of inches.
Interesting discussion on "tanking" in this thread. Having observed such a process with my team, some observations and comments from my side. Firstly, the Fins were widely roasted in the US media last year for Tanking for Tua. Some (ex-Pats) accused Miami of bringing the game into disrepute, blah, blah, blah and those same blowhards guilty of such nonsense collectively lost their voice when we went on to win 5 games with a threadbare roster. The truth is the Fins had a ton of dead wood in terms of salarycap and ability and had to make major changes. They did so by off-loading as many players in trades as they could get future draft picks for and assembled a group of street free agents, cast offs and misfits who wanted to play for Flo and bought into the new culture of accountability and team first. Watching us play last season was painful, but we ended up with the QB we wanted in the draft and a ton of picks last year and this, including the Texans pick which currently sits as #3 next year. On this year’s “tankers”, the Jets under Gase are a complete mess, but even they showed professional pride to win their last 2 and the Jags just seemed to be so mismanaged year-on-year that even when they put together a half decent roster a few years back, it came to naught. Tanking is such a complex process with so many moving parts it’s difficult to really prove/disprove. It could include roster changes like the fins made, it could involve play-calling/gameplanning by coaches and on an individual player level, performance at each spot. At a certain point in each season, when there is nothing to play for, some players make “business decisions” to play less hard. This even happens in Free Agency, when a player is in the last year of their contract. It often happens that performance improves beyond expectation to get that big FA contract and then dips after the signing bonus has been banked. The colts started the “Lose for Luck” modern-day tanking and I agree with Pioneer, there is something fundamentally wrong with Jags fans cheering at home when the Bears scored knowing they were inching closer to securing the #1 pick. As for that being Lawrence and him agreeing to go there, we’ll have to see, but he’s probably destined for a moribund franchise even if he does “pull an Eli” and the worst case for the Jags is they get a boat-load of draft capital from trading him and the second best QB in the draft (or not knowing them). That raises the question of whether they have the right GM/coach combo to be able to leverage that into wins and whether or not they should have gone down the scorched-earth route with dead wood like Miami did. It certainly makes the draft that extra bit more interesting come April.
Week 17 looks like it’s shaping up to be something of a lottery? In the AFC, the Chiefs are resting lots of starters having nothing to play for. After a few so-so performances, and a dead rubber it will be interesting to see how they bounce back after their bye. They will be fresh, no doubt, but maybe not match sharp. The browns have all their receivers back but their facility has been closed most of the week with I think four new players out with Covid protocols but some may make it back as close contacts and a negative test? Their opponent Steelers have already announced Big Ben will have an extended stay in his rest home along with Pouncey and no doubt several other key starters. Makes it a tough one to call. The Fins have Fitz out with a positive test for Covid. So even if we get to post season action he may miss next weekend after never having made the post season during his career. I’m gutted for him as he’s a really good guy and deserved a moment in the sun before he hangs them up. The Bills are playing their starting line-up info close to their chest. It goes without saying that I’m hoping they put Allen in bubble wrap too. Beasley has been ruled out already which hopefully makes our path to 11 wins slightly easier but it will be Tua’s first game in snow. Hmmm.
Interesting news from Green Bay too. After demolishing the Titans in a game which they won without conceding a penalty or punting, they lost pro-bowl LT Bakhtiari to a season ending injury in practice. There’s never a dull moment in the NFL and this season keeps throwing up stories and new twists on a daily basis.
One thing on crowds I read — reportedly 7m fans attended games in 2020 and no clusters have been directly identified as attributable to match attendance. Granted they are big and often very open stadia and they don’t appear to have much of the new more contagious Covid reported there yet, but interesting nevertheless I thought. [Post edited 2 Jan 2021 8:08]
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Another interesting potential outcome of week 17 is that it is now possible for an AFC team to miss the playoffs with an 11-5 record. Apparently happened once before. I think if all the 10-6 teams win it's the Colts who would go out.
As for the Browns, I predict they will be 6 points ahead with about 6 seconds to go and Rudolph will throw a "revenge" game winning touchdown to put us out 🙂 [Post edited 2 Jan 2021 10:49]
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| NFL Thread on 12:15 - Jan 2 with 1864 views | richfoad32 |
| NFL Thread on 10:42 - Jan 2 by Nigeriamark |
Another interesting potential outcome of week 17 is that it is now possible for an AFC team to miss the playoffs with an 11-5 record. Apparently happened once before. I think if all the 10-6 teams win it's the Colts who would go out.
As for the Browns, I predict they will be 6 points ahead with about 6 seconds to go and Rudolph will throw a "revenge" game winning touchdown to put us out 🙂 [Post edited 2 Jan 2021 10:49]
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An AFC team missing out with an 11-5 record makes it even more embarrassing that the WFT can get in and win the Division with a 6-10 record. Partly I will be happy just to be involved again, but tempered by the fact that it's really not deserved.
On to what will be about the 10th QB in 3 seasons as well, having cut ties with Haskins already. Oh for Kirk Cousins. | | | |
| NFL Thread on 12:58 - Jan 2 with 1858 views | Nigeriamark |
| NFL Thread on 10:42 - Jan 2 by Nigeriamark |
Another interesting potential outcome of week 17 is that it is now possible for an AFC team to miss the playoffs with an 11-5 record. Apparently happened once before. I think if all the 10-6 teams win it's the Colts who would go out.
As for the Browns, I predict they will be 6 points ahead with about 6 seconds to go and Rudolph will throw a "revenge" game winning touchdown to put us out 🙂 [Post edited 2 Jan 2021 10:49]
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Do you think they will keep WFT as their name next year? I've got quite used to it and I think it sounds pretty good. Bit like those old ads that claimed "it says what it does on the tin" | | | |
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| NFL Thread on 14:09 - Jan 2 with 1841 views | pioneer |
| NFL Thread on 12:58 - Jan 2 by Nigeriamark |
Do you think they will keep WFT as their name next year? I've got quite used to it and I think it sounds pretty good. Bit like those old ads that claimed "it says what it does on the tin" |
Its a bit like the AFC Bournemouth. period.....we all know its a football club...they didnt need to shove it in their moniker.
In the football league every team is ‘AFC’ but can you imagine how long it would take to read the results if each team insisted on the AFC bit being read out.
The washington swamp has a nice ring to it. | | | |
| NFL Thread on 14:43 - Jan 2 with 1831 views | richfoad32 |
| NFL Thread on 14:09 - Jan 2 by pioneer |
Its a bit like the AFC Bournemouth. period.....we all know its a football club...they didnt need to shove it in their moniker.
In the football league every team is ‘AFC’ but can you imagine how long it would take to read the results if each team insisted on the AFC bit being read out.
The washington swamp has a nice ring to it. |
I just think that they never expected to bow to the pressure of changing the name and when they finally succumbed, there wasn't a ready replacement. I still refer to them as the Redskins or Skins, but like NM I'm not adverse to WFT, at the end of the day it's only a name.
I'm sure they'll get around to changing to summat more eye-catching eventually. From a marketing point of view, they can shift a load of WFT merchandise and then cash in on the new name as well. Bit like football teams making minute changes to their shirts every season because people have to have the latest. Or is that being too cynical? | | | |
| NFL Thread on 15:26 - Jan 2 with 1824 views | DaleiLama |
| NFL Thread on 12:15 - Jan 2 by richfoad32 |
An AFC team missing out with an 11-5 record makes it even more embarrassing that the WFT can get in and win the Division with a 6-10 record. Partly I will be happy just to be involved again, but tempered by the fact that it's really not deserved.
On to what will be about the 10th QB in 3 seasons as well, having cut ties with Haskins already. Oh for Kirk Cousins. |
I read the other day that NYG can win the Div with a W and lose it with a L @ 5-11 (depending on other results). No team has ever made it to the playoffs with a 2-7 start to the season - the NFCE has 3 such teams in the hunt. | |
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| NFL Thread on 08:49 - Jan 3 with 1779 views | DaleiLama |
[Post edited 3 Jan 2021 8:58]
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| NFL Thread on 21:18 - Jan 3 with 1722 views | pioneer |
browns fans around the world celebrating today....long overdue for a city that bleeds brown. | | | |
| NFL Thread on 21:21 - Jan 3 with 1715 views | Nigeriamark |
| NFL Thread on 21:18 - Jan 3 by pioneer |
browns fans around the world celebrating today....long overdue for a city that bleeds brown. |
I never doubted them. ðŸ¤!!!
Kept us on tenterhooks 15 points clear with less than 10 minutes to go and gave the Steelers a shot of the tie. All well that ends well
Shocker by the Fins so now they need the Colts to lose in the later game. WFT need to win to edge out the Giants to win a poor division and get home field against the Bucks.
Been a good night so far especially for the Browns after so many years. [Post edited 3 Jan 2021 21:27]
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| NFL Thread on 22:05 - Jan 3 with 1704 views | jonahwhereru |
| NFL Thread on 21:21 - Jan 3 by Nigeriamark |
I never doubted them. ðŸ¤!!!
Kept us on tenterhooks 15 points clear with less than 10 minutes to go and gave the Steelers a shot of the tie. All well that ends well
Shocker by the Fins so now they need the Colts to lose in the later game. WFT need to win to edge out the Giants to win a poor division and get home field against the Bucks.
Been a good night so far especially for the Browns after so many years. [Post edited 3 Jan 2021 21:27]
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Typical close Browns game, some what by their own design. Jacob Phillips was great tonight, and Chubb did what Chubb does. The tight ends also made some big plays. But D’ernest Johnson make a great contribution and pushed himself forward as the kick returner. It is a matter now of who can recover, by when,from the bangs / Covid protocols. Bryant could only be available if it is the Sunday night wildcard game.
After a torrid fortnight I didn’t expect this outcome. Could it be a big turning point for the team? Here’s hoping. | | | |
| NFL Thread on 22:15 - Jan 3 with 1703 views | DaleiLama |
| NFL Thread on 21:21 - Jan 3 by Nigeriamark |
I never doubted them. ðŸ¤!!!
Kept us on tenterhooks 15 points clear with less than 10 minutes to go and gave the Steelers a shot of the tie. All well that ends well
Shocker by the Fins so now they need the Colts to lose in the later game. WFT need to win to edge out the Giants to win a poor division and get home field against the Bucks.
Been a good night so far especially for the Browns after so many years. [Post edited 3 Jan 2021 21:27]
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Bad day at the office for us. That's all I've got to say about that.
Was hoping for a successful 2pt conversion but Rudolph looked shaky all night and knew they'd fail. No way the Jags win. We would have been 1 and done in the playoffs anyway but would have been good experience. Second youngest franchise in NFL and trending upwards. Way ahead if rebuild schedule. A Titans win and this season, which has already far exceeded my expectations, will be a very rewarding step forward.
Edit - congrats on Brown's advancing and begrudgingly to Bills too [Post edited 3 Jan 2021 22:16]
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| NFL Thread on 00:58 - Jan 4 with 1689 views | pioneer |
| NFL Thread on 22:15 - Jan 3 by DaleiLama |
Bad day at the office for us. That's all I've got to say about that.
Was hoping for a successful 2pt conversion but Rudolph looked shaky all night and knew they'd fail. No way the Jags win. We would have been 1 and done in the playoffs anyway but would have been good experience. Second youngest franchise in NFL and trending upwards. Way ahead if rebuild schedule. A Titans win and this season, which has already far exceeded my expectations, will be a very rewarding step forward.
Edit - congrats on Brown's advancing and begrudgingly to Bills too [Post edited 3 Jan 2021 22:16]
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Come on DL, not like a Dale fan to be begrudging in his congratulations.
Surely the only team to ever have a perfect season can offer warm congratulations to those who aspire to such greatness.
And as we always say at Spotland (usually around late October) "there is always next season"! | | | |
| NFL Thread on 08:08 - Jan 4 with 1664 views | Nigeriamark |
| NFL Thread on 00:58 - Jan 4 by pioneer |
Come on DL, not like a Dale fan to be begrudging in his congratulations.
Surely the only team to ever have a perfect season can offer warm congratulations to those who aspire to such greatness.
And as we always say at Spotland (usually around late October) "there is always next season"! |
I was watching the post game highlights, and I know MVP will go to a QB, but what do people thing about D Henry ? Not sure I have seen anyone so huge in size run so fast or be so nimble on his feet. The strange thing is because of his size he doesn't seem to be moving that quickly, however once he has gone past someone he just pulls away. Strong as an ox too, with some of the handoffs of defenders absolute box office. 2,000 yards & multiple CDs so should at least be in the conversation around MVP. [Post edited 4 Jan 2021 8:09]
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| NFL Thread on 16:51 - Jan 4 with 1615 views | isitme |
Interesting games last night. The Browns v Steelers rematch next week should be interesting. As has been said a season too early for Miami. Tua needs some weapons. I'd be all over Chase with the Texans pick.
The battle of the back ups saw the Rams whose quarterback threw a pick with his first pass win in a tight game.
The Giants must be annoyed with the Eagles, although Hurts was playing poorly up to then.
I'm going Bills, Browns and Ravens in the AFC and Saints, Seahawks and Buccs in the NFC. The NFC games are much easier to call. Can't really see past the Pack versus Saints in the NFC championship game. The AFC is much more open. At a push I would say Chiefs versus Bills. |  | | |
| NFL Thread on 21:16 - Jan 4 with 1586 views | DaleiLama |
| NFL Thread on 16:51 - Jan 4 by isitme |
Interesting games last night. The Browns v Steelers rematch next week should be interesting. As has been said a season too early for Miami. Tua needs some weapons. I'd be all over Chase with the Texans pick.
The battle of the back ups saw the Rams whose quarterback threw a pick with his first pass win in a tight game.
The Giants must be annoyed with the Eagles, although Hurts was playing poorly up to then.
I'm going Bills, Browns and Ravens in the AFC and Saints, Seahawks and Buccs in the NFC. The NFC games are much easier to call. Can't really see past the Pack versus Saints in the NFC championship game. The AFC is much more open. At a push I would say Chiefs versus Bills. |
Sadly, I expect the Steelers to prevail in the rematch, especially now the Brown have lost Vernon with an ACL that requires surgery.
Fins linked with QB, LT, DE, WR and RB @ #3. If we are trying to trade down, the more we can make it look like we are targetting a position of need for another team, the better deal we are likely to make. I don't follow college but Chase is certainly one of the names I've seen linked with us although Sewell seems the current consensus. Having picks 3, 18, 36 and 50 after finishing 10-6 will do us no harm.
I like your Championship game calls but not necessarily the routes to get there.
Not just based on the game last night, but I really do think the Bills may be the best team in the NFL right now. That will of course be the kiss of death on them (sorry Pioneer - and you were right, the level of my "grudge" is much less this morning - I tip my cap to being outplayed by a far better team ....... just wish you weren't in the AFCE!) If that AFC Championship game happens, that promises to be an absolute barnstormer.
GB have scored more TDs than punts. Rodgers is something else. Not as "Hollywood" as Mahomes in terms of pure ability, but able to do spectacular in many other ways.
One for NM - Henry is a beast. Like Lynch was with the Hawks. Joins an elite group of 8 rushers to eclipse the 2k yd mark in a single season. As you say, some of the hits he puts on defenders are the stuff of legends. He is perfect for the Titans style too, with Tanny thriving off the threat of the run and making hay with play action. If their D wasn't as porous as Swiss cheese, they would be in the conversation for the Championship game too.
A last snippet for now - very tasty vacancy opened up at the Chargers for a HC working with Herbert and some decent talent all round which should have recorded more Ws this season. The Jags though, with a reported cap of >100m (higher than below) and the best draft capital of any team to include Trev and a new GM/HC must make it more tempting for the prospective #1 pick to go there (picks/cap space/vacancies below)
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| NFL Thread on 21:35 - Jan 4 with 1570 views | Nigeriamark |
| NFL Thread on 21:16 - Jan 4 by DaleiLama |
Sadly, I expect the Steelers to prevail in the rematch, especially now the Brown have lost Vernon with an ACL that requires surgery.
Fins linked with QB, LT, DE, WR and RB @ #3. If we are trying to trade down, the more we can make it look like we are targetting a position of need for another team, the better deal we are likely to make. I don't follow college but Chase is certainly one of the names I've seen linked with us although Sewell seems the current consensus. Having picks 3, 18, 36 and 50 after finishing 10-6 will do us no harm.
I like your Championship game calls but not necessarily the routes to get there.
Not just based on the game last night, but I really do think the Bills may be the best team in the NFL right now. That will of course be the kiss of death on them (sorry Pioneer - and you were right, the level of my "grudge" is much less this morning - I tip my cap to being outplayed by a far better team ....... just wish you weren't in the AFCE!) If that AFC Championship game happens, that promises to be an absolute barnstormer.
GB have scored more TDs than punts. Rodgers is something else. Not as "Hollywood" as Mahomes in terms of pure ability, but able to do spectacular in many other ways.
One for NM - Henry is a beast. Like Lynch was with the Hawks. Joins an elite group of 8 rushers to eclipse the 2k yd mark in a single season. As you say, some of the hits he puts on defenders are the stuff of legends. He is perfect for the Titans style too, with Tanny thriving off the threat of the run and making hay with play action. If their D wasn't as porous as Swiss cheese, they would be in the conversation for the Championship game too.
A last snippet for now - very tasty vacancy opened up at the Chargers for a HC working with Herbert and some decent talent all round which should have recorded more Ws this season. The Jags though, with a reported cap of >100m (higher than below) and the best draft capital of any team to include Trev and a new GM/HC must make it more tempting for the prospective #1 pick to go there (picks/cap space/vacancies below)
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also agree with Isitme on the last 4 and with you that the Bills Chiefs game should be an absolute cracker
Would love the Browns to beat the Steelers next week but I've supported them too long to actually believe it can happen. we were lucky that Steelers rested their main players & we still only won by 2 points at the death. However Big Ben can always have a stinker so who knows
Although as I mentioned the Fins had a shocker, they must be delighted with the previous 16 games & as you say are set up nicely for next year. When you think the Browns just 3 years ago were finishing a 1-31 run over 2 years and yet they are now 11-5, you are well ahead of where they were then
The more you watch this game you realise the importance of investing in coaching. The Browns are not a whole lot stronger than last year but Stefanski has been the difference. The Rams, Chiefs & numerous other teams are well coached & they probably have more of an impact than a manager does at footie.
Anyway on to next week and some cracking ties | | | |
| NFL Thread on 21:59 - Jan 4 with 1554 views | isitme |
Tua needs weapons and with investing two high picks in Jackson and Hunt I'd be loathed to draft Sewell. Chase and Pitts would be a great first round, if Pitts survives. He is viewed as being in the Kelce/Kettle mould.
In terms of the vacancies the Chargers have the best roster, a younger qb but are playing against Mahomes for the next 10 years. The Jags have the draft picks and cap space to build and no income tax being Florida based, but being crap means a free agent premium. Their division is also less set, so a decent long term project for someone.
The Texans job is a challenge. No premium draft picks or cap space and outside of Watson and Tunsil limited talent, especially if Watt goes at the end of the season. He has no guarantees left in his contract and probably wants to end his career with a contender.
With the line intact I think the Browns have a good chance. Ben has not been playing well and their run game is not great. A lot may depend on who comes back/end up on the Covid list.
Regarding coaching Riveria shows that a decent coach can help. WFT bar their front four don't have that much talent on their roster but they have improved this season. Good positional coaches are also worth their weight in gold especially developing late round picks and undrafted guys and turning them into decent starters and roll players. | | | |
| NFL Thread on 22:14 - Jan 4 with 1544 views | DaleiLama |
| NFL Thread on 21:35 - Jan 4 by Nigeriamark |
also agree with Isitme on the last 4 and with you that the Bills Chiefs game should be an absolute cracker
Would love the Browns to beat the Steelers next week but I've supported them too long to actually believe it can happen. we were lucky that Steelers rested their main players & we still only won by 2 points at the death. However Big Ben can always have a stinker so who knows
Although as I mentioned the Fins had a shocker, they must be delighted with the previous 16 games & as you say are set up nicely for next year. When you think the Browns just 3 years ago were finishing a 1-31 run over 2 years and yet they are now 11-5, you are well ahead of where they were then
The more you watch this game you realise the importance of investing in coaching. The Browns are not a whole lot stronger than last year but Stefanski has been the difference. The Rams, Chiefs & numerous other teams are well coached & they probably have more of an impact than a manager does at footie.
Anyway on to next week and some cracking ties |
I've always liked the Bengals and the Browns in the North and disliked the Steelers and Ravens, so I'll be cheering your boys on (especially Jarvis - really enjoy watching him and hated when we let him go). I've seen a few people say Big Ben isn't quite right recently. As mentioned previously though, he engineered an amazing comeback the week before last. It's a tough one to call, but I went with experience in the end.
I agree on HC, but would add a franchise QB to your list. Having seen what Flores has done with "culture" in Miami this year, it is somewhat reminiscent of the great Don himself in terms of discipline and doing things right. The last 2 seasons have been chalk and cheese versus the prior 20.
I've been following the Fins since 85 and the year Marino burst onto the scene. I was mesmerised by his arm and what he could do throwing a football. We were of course totally unbalanced and had a poor running game and no D. Then the Jimmy Johnson years came and I was as enamoured with Zach Thomas, Jason Taylor, Daryl Gardiner, Tim Bowens, Pat Surtain and Sam Madison on D and I think I actually prefer watching great D now as it's so much more difficult to play than it was back in the day with all the rule changes favouring the offense and OPI being called once for every 100 DPIs. The way our D played this year was one of the reasons I enjoyed watching our games so much this year. The tweet below just about sums up the modern game however. It's all about scoring now. To do that you have to have a QB performing at a very high level. The Pats had a lot of players opting out this year, but if you look at Tampa and the Pats records, it shows that the key ingredients to give your team the best chance of going all the way are a HC/QB combo that work well at a high level. Baker is trending upwards. It will be interesting to see where his ceiling is.
[Post edited 4 Jan 2021 22:25]
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| NFL Thread on 22:23 - Jan 4 with 1541 views | DaleiLama |
| NFL Thread on 21:59 - Jan 4 by isitme |
Tua needs weapons and with investing two high picks in Jackson and Hunt I'd be loathed to draft Sewell. Chase and Pitts would be a great first round, if Pitts survives. He is viewed as being in the Kelce/Kettle mould.
In terms of the vacancies the Chargers have the best roster, a younger qb but are playing against Mahomes for the next 10 years. The Jags have the draft picks and cap space to build and no income tax being Florida based, but being crap means a free agent premium. Their division is also less set, so a decent long term project for someone.
The Texans job is a challenge. No premium draft picks or cap space and outside of Watson and Tunsil limited talent, especially if Watt goes at the end of the season. He has no guarantees left in his contract and probably wants to end his career with a contender.
With the line intact I think the Browns have a good chance. Ben has not been playing well and their run game is not great. A lot may depend on who comes back/end up on the Covid list.
Regarding coaching Riveria shows that a decent coach can help. WFT bar their front four don't have that much talent on their roster but they have improved this season. Good positional coaches are also worth their weight in gold especially developing late round picks and undrafted guys and turning them into decent starters and roll players. |
We've been linked with Devonta Smith too, but the knock on him seems to be he is quite slight and may not cope with the hits he takes? Also on Pitts, Gesicki has been a big surprise this year so could see TE not being high on the list, but this is the best position to create mismatches in todays game, so I wouldn't be opposed to that at all.
Good point about the Chargers in the AFCW.
As per my reply to NM, WFT also had Alex Smith, which did them no harm. Get the coach and QB right and half the battle is won. [Post edited 4 Jan 2021 23:04]
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| NFL Thread on 07:55 - Jan 5 with 1503 views | isitme |
| NFL Thread on 22:23 - Jan 4 by DaleiLama |
We've been linked with Devonta Smith too, but the knock on him seems to be he is quite slight and may not cope with the hits he takes? Also on Pitts, Gesicki has been a big surprise this year so could see TE not being high on the list, but this is the best position to create mismatches in todays game, so I wouldn't be opposed to that at all.
Good point about the Chargers in the AFCW.
As per my reply to NM, WFT also had Alex Smith, which did them no harm. Get the coach and QB right and half the battle is won. [Post edited 4 Jan 2021 23:04]
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I would say that Smith is WR2 at this stage. He is small and quick. Unfair comparisons are a slighter Tyreek Hill or a better Hollywood Brown. Gesicki has played well but the word on the street is that Pitts is that good and would be both a good safety blanked for Tua and a mismatch nightmare. The Browns make really good use of three good tight ends. The guy below is really good when it comes to draft prospects as is the draft network.
https://twitter.com/dpbrugler
https://thedraftnetwork.com/
Smith has not played that much and understandably he is a shadow of his former self. He was playing well within himself on Sunday night and struggled with anything remotely downfield. I would not be surprised if he did not retire at the end of the season. He has been an underrated player who ended up in a bad situation with constant coaching changes early in his career. His time in Kansas City was a god send compared to the rubbish seen at quaterback the past ten years. I just do not think he can make enough big time throws to win a superbowl. I do agree that a good coach and quarterback is the holy grail, especially when the QB is on a rookie contract. | | | |
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