NFL 2016 Head Coaching and Offseason Stuff

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by Alf

I started getting in the football fantasy field when Peyton Manning was a rookie. He retired this offseason after playing for 18 seasons. That makes me feel old.

I drafted Neil Lomax in fantasy football.

[Shkspr]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

I drafted Neil Lomax in fantasy football.

Not convinced he isn't a top 20 quarterback in today's league. He's only 57.

[PilotMan]

I might have had Montana or Marino in mine. I do still have my FF trophies (yes, full on sports trophies) that I had made for our league though. My wife continues to give me never ending shit for it too.

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

I drafted Neil Lomax in fantasy football.

You got me. Best I can do is: I drafted Neal Anderson. (1990 in case you don't want to Google that). No websites. I calculated the points from stats posted in The Sporting News on Monday and Tuesday mornings with crabby owners lurking over my shoulder. Good times...

[QuikSand]

Neal Anderson was a fantasy gold mine... super productive player (for FF purposes) but never a big name star guy who'd get the attention of the riffraff. In the days before ANYONE had cheat sheets and the like... he was a great guy to get with pick 30-40 of a draft and make your season. Good times, indeed.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by TroyF

I should have said that's why they were pushing the case. If you read what has come out, Kessler was pretty much shredded by two of the three judges in the case. I think the NFL is thrilled with that. Now with the deal with the NFLPA coming, I think the Brady thing will quietly go away.

Then again you also have people filing briefs pointing out how the NFL lawyer was regurgitating known lies and willfully misrepresenting facts. I'm not going to offer any opinion on how the judges would rule, except that I'm sure just like Berman they'd prefer a settlement be reached. But I think it's personal with Brady at this point and he won't settle unless his reputation is cleared and the NFL/Goodell admits wrongdoing, and I don't see any way Goodell would take that ego hit or the NFL could do that without also reinstating our lost draft picks. From Brady's side, the NFL leaked false PSI readings and never corrected them, Goodell leaked that Brady destroyed his cell phone and never mentioned that Brady cleared it with Ted Wells first, Goodell and the NFL's lawyers lied about what Brady said when asked about his conversations with the ball boy, and continue to lie in court about a conversation that's publicly transcribed. Idk if there was an official quid pro quo reached when he accepted the loss of draft picks, only to see Brady still officially suspended, but I think Bob Kraft took that personally, and his minions are still updating this website.

Goodell being removed as the "neutral" arbitrator going forward is an obvious and easy compromise, but unfortunately I don't think Deflategate will be easily swept under the rug as part of a settlement and allowed to die.

Personally, I couldn't care less if everyone thinks we cheated as long as we get the first round pick back, but I don't see any way that's happening.

[Sublime 2]

Pats get Martellus Bennett and a 6th from the Bears for a 4th.

The 2TE set is back. If Dion Lewis is back and healthy, the offense looks much better.

[QuikSand]

Without knowing what base salary the Pats take on here, I love this move for them.

[Julio Riddols]

The way it looks to me, Bennett is a one year rental unless Gronk suffers serious injury this season. I'd expect the Pats to run it more this year, especially if they go out and sign a guy like Alfred Morris. Either way, when you add a guy who can block or catch as well as Bennett to a team that schemes as well at the Patriots, then you just got yourself a few new facets for that diamond of an offense.

Everyone else in the AFC hates it.

[Danny]

I want to say how pleased I am with how Reggie Mackenzie has built the Raiders. We are going to be a perennial playoff team very soon (maybe even this year)

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Without knowing what base salary the Pats take on here, I love this move for them.

$5.085 base salary with only a $100k workout bonus and no roster bonuses... I'd love if he agreed to less to facilitate the trade, but if not I think we'd prefer to just leave it and have no money on the books for 2017+ when a lot of money needs to be poured into young defenders. We're not desperate for cap space this year, and releasing/restructuring Danny Amendola's deal is one pretty obvious option if a difference maker does appear on the market late.

I'm assuming (which is incredibly dangerous with the Pats) that we'll sign Hightower and Collins to extensions soon or sign one and have the other penciled in for next spring's franchise tag. (Hightower is on the high one-year tender option for 1st round picks. Collins was drafted a year later, but as a 2nd round pick we have no 5th year option on him, so they're both UFA's next spring.) Malcolm Butler & Logan Ryan (or their replacements if we go that route) are also due pretty big raises starting in 2017 (Butler is an RFA, and I'm not exactly sure how that usually works since UDFA's are rarely this good this early). DE also will need a lot of money for Sheard/Ninkovich or their replacements, but they're on pretty reasonable cap hits from both sides so it's not like we need to allocate a lot more resources to the position like LB and CB.

I'll also caution anyone against using this to predict what the Pats will do on offense this fall. The draft pick value is very slim, and you can ask Scott Chandler just how quickly you can go from looking like a huge weapon as a 2nd TE to non-existent.

Originally Posted by Julio Riddols

The way it looks to me, Bennett is a one year rental unless Gronk suffers serious injury this season. I'd expect the Pats to run it more this year, especially if they go out and sign a guy like Alfred Morris. Either way, when you add a guy who can block or catch as well as Bennett to a team that schemes as well at the Patriots, then you just got yourself a few new facets for that diamond of an offense.

Everyone else in the AFC hates it.

Does Donald Brown count?

Spoiler

No. No, he does not.

And, along the lines of our one-year rental thinking, it's much more about redundancy in case Gronk suffers (another) injury late this season than auditioning a potential Gronk replacement down the road.

[NobodyHere]

Dwayne Bowe has been dropped by Cleveland.

"I wasn't good enough for Cleveland" has to be the worst thing any football player could have on his work history.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Danny

I want to say how pleased I am with how Reggie Mackenzie has built the Raiders. We are going to be a perennial playoff team very soon (maybe even this year)

So.... Would you say "Raiders looking good in preseason?"

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

Dwayne Bowe has been dropped by Cleveland.

"I wasn't good enough for Cleveland" has to be the worst thing any football player could have on his work history.

True, but then that organization has been run so poorly, the player could argue they just don't know what a good player looks like.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Danny

I want to say how pleased I am with how Reggie Mackenzie has built the Raiders. We are going to be a perennial playoff team very soon (maybe even this year)

If you aren't a playoff team this year, something went really, really wrong. There is zero reason you guys shouldn't be a very, very good team this year.

A very good offensive line, an above average QB, a true #1 wideout coming into his own, a lot of pass rushing talent and an improved secondary? And you still have draft picks?

I would say that is a playoff team right now and a sleeper Super Bowl team. They are going to be very nasty to deal with over the next 6 or 7 seasons.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Without knowing what base salary the Pats take on here, I love this move for them.

It's a very good move for the Patriots. Get the two TE set back and give them some insurance if Gronk is hobbled.

I didn't like the Chandler Jones trade all that much, even if I know why they did it.

[SteveMax58]

So thinking the Giants must be targeting Treadwell at 10 given all of the signings they've made. They've addressed the D line, MLB, and CB spots sufficiently for now.

Sure BPA if a guy like Ramsey or Tunsil (and possibly Stanley though I don't think that's a guarantee they take him) were to inexplicably slip....but starting to doubt they go Lawson given the glaring hole at WR aside from Odell, and the now reduced cap space. And there isn't likely a FS worth taking at 10 unless Ramsey were to slip and you want to use him there as some are projecting him.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

True, but then that organization has been run so poorly, the player could argue they just don't know what a good player looks like.

Dwayne Bowe is not winning that argument.

[Pyser]

Originally Posted by SteveMax58

So thinking the Giants must be targeting Treadwell at 10 given all of the signings they've made. They've addressed the D line, MLB, and CB spots sufficiently for now.

Sure BPA if a guy like Ramsey or Tunsil (and possibly Stanley though I don't think that's a guarantee they take him) were to inexplicably slip....but starting to doubt they go Lawson given the glaring hole at WR aside from Odell, and the now reduced cap space. And there isn't likely a FS worth taking at 10 unless Ramsey were to slip and you want to use him there as some are projecting him.

sounds more like the baylor wr at this point, if they were gonna pick one

[SteveMax58]

Originally Posted by Pyser

sounds more like the baylor wr at this point, if they were gonna pick one

Yeah could also be that they would take either one.

I don't know that Eli has any history with Treadwell but figured he's an Alma mater guy from a non-powerhouse school so maybe Eli has thrown with him and is comfortable with him like he was with Odell.

[stevew]

Titans signed Antown Blake. Steelers fans would be more than happy to drive him to the airport. He was basically the worst CB of all time last year.

[Galaril]

Nice pick up by Broncos signing Russel Okung to a one year deal for $5mil. plus another $3 mil. in incentives and team option of 4 years at 10 million a year. A great prove it deal low risk high reward. Now they can cut Clady at the $10.5 million number or trade him.

[Thomkal]

Tray Walker of Baltimore Ravens fighting for his life, agent Ron Butler says

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by Galaril

Nice pick up by Broncos signing Russel Okung to a one year deal for $5mil. plus another $3 mil. in incentives and team option of 4 years at 10 million a year. A great prove it deal low risk high reward. Now they can cut Clady at the $10.5 million number or trade him.

If Okung thinks the Broncos are going to pick up that 4-year option, he's seriously deluded. Even if he makes it through 2016 relatively healthy, I highly doubt Denver is willing to gamble the money in that extension on him. This is a 1-year deal with a dressy option that almost certainly won't be exercised.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

If Okung thinks the Broncos are going to pick up that 4-year option, he's seriously deluded. Even if he makes it through 2016 relatively healthy, I highly doubt Denver is willing to gamble the money in that extension on him. This is a 1-year deal with a dressy option that almost certainly won't be exercised.

Which is fine as we have a first pick at LT Ty Sanbrilo who was injured most of last season coming back so in a year he can step in at LT and Stephenson hopefully at RT.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Tray Walker of Baltimore Ravens fighting for his life, agent Ron Butler says

He has passed away

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

He has passed away

what a shame.

[QuikSand]

Junior Gallette is a potential impact (re-)signing for the Washington team. Bad guy, and hurt last year, but there's talk he really does have elite skills. One year deal with some incentives... good gamble.

[cartman]

Reports that Alfred Morris will stay in the NFC East and sign with the Cowboys.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

If Okung thinks the Broncos are going to pick up that 4-year option, he's seriously deluded. Even if he makes it through 2016 relatively healthy, I highly doubt Denver is willing to gamble the money in that extension on him. This is a 1-year deal with a dressy option that almost certainly won't be exercised.

You know, it's almost as if agents actually are good at what they do most of the time.

I'm with you, if Okung believes the Broncos are going to pick up that option, I have a bridge for him. I'm not sure if this is a massive upgrade the way Okung has been playing the last few seasons, but whatever it was, it wasn't expensive.

[TroyF]

Reports are Justin Houston is going to miss 6 to 12 months from the date of his operation. He had the operation in February, so that means late August at the earliest and potentially the entire season.

[albionmoonlight]

Sean Payton signs five year extension with the Saints. I am happy about that. I am also surprised. The ownership situation there is not settled. Benson is old, and his relatives are all already fighting over who gets the team when he dies.

It would not shock me if the extension has one of those "if Benson dies, I can give notice and leave" clauses.

[Logan]

Log In - The New York Times

The National Football League was on the clock.

With several of its marquee players retiring early after a cascade of frightening concussions, the league formed a committee in 1994 that would ultimately issue a succession of research papers playing down the danger of head injuries. Amid criticism of the committee’s work, physicians brought in later to continue the research said the papers had relied on faulty analysis.

Now, an investigation by The New York Times has found that the N.F.L.’s concussion research was far more flawed than previously known.

For the last 13 years, the N.F.L. has stood by the research, which, the papers stated, was based on a full accounting of all concussions diagnosed by team physicians from 1996 through 2001. But confidential data obtained by The Times shows that more than 100 diagnosed concussions were omitted from the studies — including some severe injuries to stars like quarterbacks Steve Young and Troy Aikman. The committee then calculated the rates of concussions using the incomplete data, making them appear less frequent than they actually were.

After The Times asked the league about the missing diagnosed cases — more than 10 percent of the total — officials acknowledged that “the clubs were not required to submit their data and not every club did.” That should have been made clearer, the league said in a statement, adding that the missing cases were not part of an attempt “to alter or suppress the rate of concussions.”

[Kodos]

Clearly, long-term player health is not a primary concern for the NFL.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Clearly, long-term player health is not a primary concern for the NFL.

Or yours. Or mine. Every time we spend money on the NFL we prove that. Sure, the NFL hid some info, but was anybody shocked to learn that football causes head injuries and some long-term damage when the NFL admitted it? Of course not. We know, we just don't care. Why? Because the reality is that the NFL didn't invent this sport, we did. The NFL doesn't make money from thin air, we pay them to provide us this service. And we pay them happily and handsomely despite what we know about long-term player health.

Is that wrong? Personally, I don't think so. I have no doubt that NFL players know the risks, it's no secret. They weigh the risk vs the reward and press on. We do the same thing when we decide not to work at the local grocery store within walking distance of our house and instead get into a car and drive somewhere for more money...knowing full well the dangers of getting into a car vs walking.

[Kodos]

I think it is fair to say that the NFL does whatever it can to lower the perceived level of the injuries that the players risk. They make every attempt to deceive, inveigle and obfuscate (thanks, X-Files!) the level of damage that players do to themselves. The NFL is putting profits well in front of player health, just like the cigarette industry did in the past ("Who cares if it will send millions to an early grave?!? We'll be rich!") and the food industry is doing now ("Who cares if the food we sell is killing people and making the country chronically sick and obese? It's so profitable!").

Honestly, I don't know if I'm going to watch the NFL anymore. Football has been my favorite sport since childhood, and the NFL has been by far my favorite league, although over the past decade, I have moved to being more into college football.

We always knew that players risked mangled hands and joints, but I didn't really understand the extent of damage they were doing to their brains for our entertainment. Now that we see a clearer picture, I just don't know if I can go on supporting the NFL. I think I'm going to make a conscious decision to make basketball my sport of choice.

[Dutch]

'Murica.

[Logan]

I don't think players ever thought that the enormous hits and high speed collisions didn't put their brains at risk or potentially result in concussions.

I do think players for the most part never considered that the much lower impact, but more frequent, collisions could build into brain trauma over time.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I think it is fair to say that the NFL does whatever it can to lower the perceived level of the injuries that the players risk. They make every attempt to deceive, inveigle and obfuscate (thanks, X-Files!) the level of damage that players do to themselves. The NFL is putting profits well in front of player health, just like the cigarette industry did in the past ("Who cares if it will send millions to an early grave?!? We'll be rich!") and the food industry is doing now ("Who cares if the food we sell is killing people and making the country chronically sick and obese? It's so profitable!").

Honestly, I don't know if I'm going to watch the NFL anymore. Football has been my favorite sport since childhood, and the NFL has been by far my favorite league, although over the past decade, I have moved to being more into college football.

We always knew that players risked mangled hands and joints, but I didn't really understand the extent of damage they were doing to their brains for our entertainment. Now that we see a clearer picture, I just don't know if I can go on supporting the NFL. I think I'm going to make a conscious decision to make basketball my sport of choice.

Interestingly, though, you could argue that now is a time when you could watch the NFL with a clearer conscious. Now, every player is aware of the risk of CTE from normal football activity. So, like with smoking, there is a sense that these people are making an open-eyed choice with full awareness of the risks.

[Castlerock]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Honestly, I don't know if I'm going to watch the NFL anymore. Football has been my favorite sport since childhood, and the NFL has been by far my favorite league, although over the past decade, I have moved to being more into college football.

We always knew that players risked mangled hands and joints, but I didn't really understand the extent of damage they were doing to their brains for our entertainment. Now that we see a clearer picture, I just don't know if I can go on supporting the NFL. I think I'm going to make a conscious decision to make basketball my sport of choice.

You may not watch any football? Or NFL football? Isn't the apparent cumulative effect of low-force impacts effecting all levels of the sport?

[Logan]

RGIII to the Browns is official.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Logan

RGIII to the Browns is official.

He's probably done, but if he isn't, Hue Jackson is a good coaching fit.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Castlerock

You may not watch any football? Or NFL football? Isn't the apparent cumulative effect of low-force impacts effecting all levels of the sport?

That's the question, isn't it? I could easily argue that it should be at all levels. But giving up Indiana football would admittedly be really tough for me. I have a very strong attachment to Hoosiers football, much stronger than I currently have to any NFL team.

I liken it to my path towards veganism. For a year or two, I knew in my heart that being a vegan would probably best fit with my personal beliefs that meat and dairy and processed foods are the root cause of the obesity epidemic and most of the chronic disease in our country. I knew I couldn't just make the big jump from meat and potatoes guy to pure vegan, so I moved toward that goal gradually. I cut out soda over 3 years ago and started going on walks. Walking led to a return to running, something that I really enjoyed as a kid. I cut way back on meat but didn't eliminate it entirely (I went from meat for lunch and dinner every day to not eating it at all most days.). I cut back on dairy, but didn't eliminate it. I opened myself to new foods that I never would have tried in the past. For instance, last year, I started eating mushrooms after avoiding them for 4 decades. Turns out they're pretty good.

Sometime around last October, I decided I was ready to put my money where my mouth was. I stopped eating meat entirely. I cut out all dairy except for what I refer to as "incidental" dairy. Basically, I won't eat a slice of cheese pizza, but I will eat a Crunch bar that has some dairy in it. I'm not trying to be perfect, and I don't obsess about it if something I eat has a little dairy in it. But for the most part, I have eliminated dairy from my diet. I explain it to others as I'm a vegetarian who tries to be as close to a vegan as I can, but doesn't worry about a little dairy here and there.

With football, I think I'll try to stop watching the NFL first, or at least really cut back my viewing time. If that works, then I can think about what to do with college football. It's a gradual evolution. If I can become more interested in the NBA (which I only follow in passing right now), that makes dropping the NFL easier.

Until then, I can justify that college players don't rack up the cumulative damage that NFL players do. I know it's a cop out to some degree. Baby steps... Gradual evolution...

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Logan

RGIII to the Browns is official.

Seems like a good fit for him since he will start right away. Head coach and GM likely gone if it doesn't.

[QuikSand]

Do we think the Browns still draft a QB in the early 1st? That's been hard-wired thinking for a while. I still suspect they would do so... but maybe this makes them more comfy with a guy they think might need a bit more seasoning... but maybe they could trade down several slots and still get their guy of the future (I have not done any research on the guys getting the love atop the draft, to know who is regarded as more/less ready to play).

[Logan]

I don't think anyone is going to give up real assets to move up for a non-QB. And the teams who need a QB might as well wait at this point.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Do we think the Browns still draft a QB in the early 1st? That's been hard-wired thinking for a while. I still suspect they would do so... but maybe this makes them more comfy with a guy they think might need a bit more seasoning... but maybe they could trade down several slots and still get their guy of the future (I have not done any research on the guys getting the love atop the draft, to know who is regarded as more/less ready to play).

I think RGIII would not be a big fan after what happened in Washington with Kirk Cousins. I could certainly see them trading down now. I also can see whichever QB they would have drafted become a franchise QB with another team just because its Cleveland

[PilotMan]

Carson Wentz.

That's it.

The state of North Dakota, the City of Fargo, and the school of NDSU are freaking the fuck out right now because of all of this. It's pretty amazing to watch.

[Julio Riddols]

For what its worth, I don't care about the concussion problem too much. I know they're trying a new helmet this year finally, one that gives a little bit on impact. I am willing to bet it makes a difference, probably a big difference. I'll be paying a lot of attention to which players/teams wear this new helmet.

But the players know now, injuries come with the territory. The risk vs. reward is there. They can make their own decisions. There are less healthy jobs out there that pay a lot less money. The good thing is now the knowledge is available, it is not being denied, it is painfully obvious.

[Alf]

FWIW, concussions have started to increase a lot recently in rugby. The World Rugby (formerly International Rugby Board) started imposing concussion protocols, but it stil scares the shit out of me.

Dylan Hartley, captain of team England that just won the grand slam (5 victoiries, no defeats), got concussed in the final game vs France, got out of the field, but later came back to celebrate (as England captain, he rercevied the trophy) and party, and the guy does'nt even remember holding the cup.....