NFL 2021 Regular Season Thread

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by AlexB

I quite like the sound of the Washington Spare Presidents!

"We are the mediocre Presidents.
You won't find our faces on dollars or on cents.
There's Taylor, there's Tyler, there's Fillmore and there's Hayes,
There's William Henry Harrison.
'I died in thirty days!'
We...
Are...
The...
Adequate, forgettable,
Occasionally regrettable
Caretaker Presidents of the U.S.A.!"

SI

[Kodos]

Out of that list, I like the Redwolves.

[cuervo72]

Yeah, I feel like Redwolves gives them what they need. HTTR would be back, etc.

[rjolley]

Out of those 8, I like Armada, Redhogs (nice throwback to the Hogs of yore), and Redwolves

And because I hate it, I would bet Washington Football Team is in the top 3.

[thesloppy]

Red-something feels like an overt reference/homage to the word redskin, which seems counter to the whole point of this mess.

[albionmoonlight]

Knowing Dan Snyder, there's like a 0.5% chance that the team didn't bother securing domains, copyrights, etc. for these names before they announced the list.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Red-something feels like an overt reference/homage to the word redskin, which seems counter to the whole point of this mess.

Eh, I think removing the offensive part is the point. St. Johns became the Red Storm.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Knowing Dan Snyder, there's like a 0.5% chance that the team didn't bother securing domains, copyrights, etc. for these names before they announced the list.

Hasn't Reddit or somewhere sleuthed these things out yet?

SI

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Knowing Dan Snyder, there's like a 0.5% chance that the team didn't bother securing domains, copyrights, etc. for these names before they announced the list.

redwolves dot com is taken by the Red Wolf Coalition
washingtonredwolves dot com is taken but has a "forbidden access" message....hmmm...

redhogs dot com is being squatted by a company called HugeDomains. (or someone through them)
washingtonredhogs dot com is being squatted by a company called Epik (or someone through them - goes for all of these)

washingtonarmada dot com be being squatted by HugeDomains
washingtonbrigade dot com is being squatted by GoDaddy
washingtoncommanders dot com "can not be reached" --- hmmm...
washingtondefenders dot com looks to be squatted but has this message at the bottom: "This webpage was generated by the domain owner using Sedo Domain Parking" so it's possible Washington took it and threw up something just to have something there.
washingtonpresidents dot com is being squatted by GoDaddy


So if they did at least jump on the 3 "finalists", using just this list (and I'm doing going to check for the hyphened versions or other variations), I'd say Red Wolves, Commanders and then Defenders are the likely choices.

[Ksyrup]

Some of the logos, helmets, etc., I've seen posted on social media by people presumably creating this stuff on their own free time just based on the leaked list is actually pretty cool.

[thesloppy]

All of these names sound hokey to me, but after some thought I realized that the only thing that makes names like 'Bears' or 'Lions' not sound entirely hokey is that they were established decades before I was born. E.G. if the 'Seahawks' didn't already exist I would think that was the worst potential sports team name I had ever heard.

[QuikSand]

when Seahawks was announced, it was the worst potential name ever

[albionmoonlight]

It would actually be a really stupid name for a football team. But the Washington Chill Bowls would be an amazing nod to the city’s history.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

All of these names sound hokey to me, but after some thought I realized that the only thing that makes names like 'Bears' or 'Lions' not sound entirely hokey is that they were established decades before I was born. E.G. if the 'Seahawks' didn't already exist I would think that was the worst potential sports team name I had ever heard.

+1. I struggle with naming teams in fictional mode in sim games for this exact reason.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

+1. I struggle with naming teams in fictional mode in sim games for this exact reason.

My favorite was the Miami Hammy in the Breakfast Division of one of my OOTP leagues. This is why I'm not allowed to name things.

SI

[thesloppy]

I LOVE Miami Hammy.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

All of these names sound hokey to me, but after some thought I realized that the only thing that makes names like 'Bears' or 'Lions' not sound entirely hokey is that they were established decades before I was born. E.G. if the 'Seahawks' didn't already exist I would think that was the worst potential sports team name I had ever heard.

Imagine suggesting a name like White Sox or Red Sox at the major professional league level today (without it being some sort of an historical nod, just a regular nickname).

[thesloppy]

Yeah, Red Sox sounds both awesome and ridiculous without any history.


My high school was ahead of the curve, because we changed nicknames/mascots from the Indians in the late '80s when I was a student there, due to another student's protest. They chose 'Warriors' which I thought was exceptionally generic and lame, especially considering they could have used the school's 1920s nickname/mascot 'the Stenographers'.

[Ksyrup]

I'm partial to the Cairo Syrupmakers, personally.

[NobodyHere]

I still want the Washington Tooth Fairies!

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

My favorite was the Miami Hammy in the Breakfast Division of one of my OOTP leagues. This is why I'm not allowed to name things.

SI

See, I'd have gone with the Miami Overmoons.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I'm partial to the Cairo Syrupmakers, personally.

Clarkston Angoras say hi

The Johnson(Savannah) Atomsmashers also checked in.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

I still want the Washington Tooth Fairies!

I'm going to stick with Washington Tomfoolery.

[NobodyHere]

Also a good name

[GrantDawg]

Washington Socialist and watch everyone lose their poop.

[Ksyrup]

Well, if Trubisky never plays another down in the NFL, at least he has the 1st half of a preseason game for Buffalo against Chicago to look back on and smile.

[Izulde]

Washington Redhogs is my vote out of those. Though to be honest, they all seem pretty bland and uninspired.

[NobodyHere]

Nice to see the Lions in mid-season form already,

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

Nice to see the Lions in mid-season form already,

Lions are looking good in the 4th quarter of pre-season.

[Edward64]

Caught a bit of the Falcons game. Wanted to watch AR QB Feleipe Franks play. 4 sacks, 1 interception, 20.8 rating ... so not that great. AR hasn't had a good NFL QB since ... Joe Ferguson?

RB Alex Collins played some for Seattle. Stats look average. Hoping he's good enough to stay on the team.

QB Brandon Allen for Cincy was okay.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Caught a bit of the Falcons game. Wanted to watch AR QB Feleipe Franks play. 4 sacks, 1 interception, 20.8 rating ... so not that great. AR hasn't had a good NFL QB since ... Joe Ferguson?

RB Alex Collins played some for Seattle. Stats look average. Hoping he's good enough to stay on the team.

QB Brandon Allen for Cincy was okay.

McCarron went out with a knee injury. The Falcons are either going to be stuck with Franks as a back-up or go to the trash heap for a more veteran back up. My guess is it will be the trash heap.

[GrantDawg]

Lol...

My thoughts on Falcons' second preseason loss and AJ McCarron's injury should be posted soon.

On a related note, they are not signing Tim Tebow

(I strangely feel the need to constantly Tweet this again.)

— Jeff Schultz (@JeffSchultzATL) August 22, 2021

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

Lions are looking good in the 4th quarter of pre-season.

Remember when they used to wait to pull that until partway into the regular season? Complete with comeback to make the final score more respectable than it had any right to be.

Saw Greeny waxing eloquent the other day about Baker Mayfield saving the Browns, the 'worst franchise in pro sports'. Not even close dude. Lions got that by a mile.

[molson]

Teams with fewer unvaccinated players are going to have a real competitive advantage this year. Cam Newton and a couple of the Bills wide receivers have been banished from the practice for a bit for enhanced protocol issues that apply only to the unvaccinated. I can't imagine from a team management perspective why teams would want to deal with this if there's other options. Mac Jones has looked good enough in preseason to just move on from the Cam drama, (especially since he's washed up anyway) They'd pretty much have to carry 3 QBs if Cam is one of them and can be scratched at any moment.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Falcons to sign Rosen.

Leave it to them to make a choice where Tebow might have been the better option.

[Honolulu_Blue]

The Lions are currently underdogs in all 17 of their games.

They are going to be awful this year. Their last three first round picks have been TE, CB and Tackle, which is a complete nonsensical way to build a team.

There were rumors that the Panthers were willing trade the 7th overall pick and Teddy Bridgewater for Stafford. I know Stafford wanted to go to LA and the Lions accommodated that, but I have been thinking that I'd rather have Sewell, Justin Fields and 1 year of Bridgewater than one-to-two years of Goff and two, very likely, late round 1st round picks.

[Carman Bulldog]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

There were rumors that the Panthers were willing trade the 7th overall pick and Teddy Bridgewater for Stafford. I know Stafford wanted to go to LA and the Lions accommodated that, but I have been thinking that I'd rather have Sewell, Justin Fields and 1 year of Bridgewater than one-to-two years of Goff and two, very likely, late round 1st round picks.

I think when the trade was made, it wasn't a lock that Fields was going to be there at number 7 or 8. Even having said that, the Lions clearly did not like Fields enough to take him at 7 with their pick when he was there - if they were really that sold on him, you take him and then figure things out with Goff from there.

In the Sean McVey era, the Rams average draft position has been 24.75. When you look at the two trades from a draft value perspective, using either the Jimmy Johnson or Rich Hill chart, and assigning a 24th selection and a 25th selection for the two first round picks, the two firsts and the third round comp pick come out ahead as the better value.

Having two future first's, albeit low, also gives the Lions the flexibility the next two years to potentially move up and get the quarterback they want.
It further suggests to me that they weren't in love with anyone in this year's class that would have been available. I mean, if you love Fields, Lance or Jones, why not trade up to #3 using some of the capital from the Stafford trade?

I think we can lock the Texans into the #1 draft pick this next year. The Lions probably end up picking somewhere between #2 and #5. If they love a quarterback, they can theoretically use that capital to move into the #2 spot (or #1 if the Deshaun Watson situation gets resolved by then and he ends up somehow also staying in Houston).

Obviously in retrospect, knowing that both Sewell and Fields would slide to you at #7 and #8, you probably go that route. But realistically, when the Stafford trade was made, both those guys could have been off the board and the Lions could have been left with Chase and Waddle - and Bridgewater - and no path to getting the QB of the future that they wanted.

[RainMaker]

If Tebow had entered the NFL and committed to Tight End and not QB, do you think his career would have played out differently? I'm guessing no since he was never really fast. But as a big, athletic guy, I feel like he could have hung around as sort of a 3rd TE, goalline wildcat player who did some special teams.

[Ksyrup]

I always thought he could have hung around for several years as a Frank Wycheck/H-back type of player.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

If Tebow had entered the NFL and committed to Tight End and not QB, do you think his career would have played out differently? I'm guessing no since he was never really fast. But as a big, athletic guy, I feel like he could have hung around as sort of a 3rd TE, goalline wildcat player who did some special teams.

He would have had to be fully vested in that role for it to have any chance of a success IMO. Clearly, being a quarterback, he wouldn't have had issues with the intelligence part of the position and finding the weak spots in the defense. I think he would have struggled with attributes needed for a NFL quality TE however. Blocking, speed, hands. It is a great "what if" question.

Plus the 2nd/3rd TE isn't really a spot used for a 2-4 year development project. Using 2-4 years on a guy with a ceiling of a 2nd string TE seems kind of wasteful.

[bhlloy]

The counterpoint there is if you can have your 3rd string TE sell the most jerseys in the league that’s pretty appealing from a marketing perspective. I think with time he was athletic enough to block and play on special teams, if a bunch of basketball players can make that transition I have no doubt he could have.

[Carman Bulldog]

Taysom Hill anyone? I think if Tebow entered the league as a Tight End, he certainly could have had similar production to Hill. Of course, it also took a fairly special offensive mind to develop Hill and implement him in their offence.

[bhlloy]

Yeah, I don't know about that. There's a pretty big difference between a 4.71 40 and a 4.45 40. Hill is genuinely a great athlete at his size...

[albionmoonlight]

I think that Tebow's name would have been enough to keep him on a team.

What do you want from TE3 anyway? Some special teams ability and a few goal line packages, right? Tebow would have gotten you that. And, as a bonus, a creative coach could have had a few wildcat plays for him.

I don't think that he would have set the world on fire. But I think he could have had a 10 yr career as the 50th guy on your roster.

I do not think that he could have ever become a notable TE or H-Back or FB in the league.

[albionmoonlight]

dola:

In some ways, it might have been better for his brand that it worked out the way it did. Would he still have the Q rating he does among fans if we had all just gotten used to him as a backup TE?

Instead, we had him win a playoff game as a QB. Had him tryout for the Mets. Had him try to come back into the NFL. He's been more newsworthy as a what-if then he would have been as a player.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Falcons to sign Rosen.

Leave it to them to make a choice where Tebow might have been the better option.

I was very high on Rosen out of that class. And I knew that Josh Allen was going to be a Jamarcus Russell level bust. You can't teach accuracy, right?

Not quitting my day job to become a scout anytime soon.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

I was very high on Rosen out of that class. And I knew that Josh Allen was going to be a Jamarcus Russell level bust. You can't teach accuracy, right?

Not quitting my day job to become a scout anytime soon.

Guessing on talent is so hard, but especially on QB's. When a guy has all the measurable, it is still a pretty high likely hood he won't pan out. Then you have plenty of guys who don't that some how have solid careers. It's a crap shoot.

[Lathum]

Not sure if this belongs in this thread but whatever.

ESPN Explores Sports-Betting Deal Worth at Least $3 Billion - WSJ

[Carman Bulldog]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Yeah, I don't know about that. There's a pretty big difference between a 4.71 40 and a 4.45 40. Hill is genuinely a great athlete at his size...

Tebow had an equal vertical leap and arguably displayed greater agility with a better shuttle run and much better cone drill. Tebow's 10-yard split was also better than Hill.

I found these interesting breakdowns on their relative athletic scores:
Tebow
Hill

Sure, Hill is probably the better vertical deep threat but Tebow is his equal or better everywhere else while carrying about 10 extra pounds . Tebow was actually a fairly elite level athlete based on his combine testing, particularly when compared to other quarterbacks (up around the 99th percentile for broad jump, 3 cone and 10 yard split).

Factor in a much better completion percentage and yards per attempt at the college level, leads me to believe that if the Saints had drafted Tebow and opted to employ him in a role similar to what they have done with Hill, I certainly think he could have been his equal if not far exceeded what Hill has done.

[Carman Bulldog]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

I was very high on Rosen out of that class. And I knew that Josh Allen was going to be a Jamarcus Russell level bust. You can't teach accuracy, right?

Not quitting my day job to become a scout anytime soon.

I was with you on this. Thought that Rosen would be the best QB in that class and that Allen was going to be another Jake Locker.