NFL 2022 Offseason, Draft, Free Agency

[albionmoonlight]

dola: With the team's long history and the wealth of the fanbase in the metro DC area, it should easily be a top-5 most valuable NFL franchise. He had to work hard to turn it into such a joke.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

dola: With the team's long history and the wealth of the fanbase in the metro DC area, it should easily be a top-5 most valuable NFL franchise. He had to work hard to turn it into such a joke.

A grossly under-appreciated context for this long term story... when I moved into this area in the early 90s, the waiting list to get Redskins season tickets was the stuff of legends. Tens of thousands of people waiting, many for a generation. It was an unbelievable reservoir of fan support and financial stability.

And it's GONE. Their new stadium is awful, literally everyone hates the owner, and the team seems to go out of their way to inflict unforced errors on themselves.

It's a sterling case study in how to NOT run a can't miss business.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Absolutely. A good friend of mine who I used to work with, was a longtime season ticket holder and lifelong Redskins fan. He, actually, had two sets of season tickets, went to every home game, had gone to every Super Bowl the Redskins had been in. He was a massive fan.

Due to Snyder, he dropped both of his season tickets and is no longer a fan of the team.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

A grossly under-appreciated context for this long term story... when I moved into this area in the early 90s, the waiting list to get Redskins season tickets was the stuff of legends. Tens of thousands of people waiting, many for a generation. It was an unbelievable reservoir of fan support and financial stability.

And it's GONE. Their new stadium is awful, literally everyone hates the owner, and the team seems to go out of their way to inflict unforced errors on themselves.

It's a sterling case study in how to NOT run a can't miss business.

I mean it also seems like they were lying even before the Snyder era about how many people were on the list (or skipping people for political favors). The Sad History Of The Skins' Bogus Season Ticket Waiting List

“I found out a judge I knew got tickets without even being on the list,” Ficker recalls. So he sued, alleging the team was violating its contract with him by not taking names in order.

“Being honest with the fans is just as important as winning the Super Bowl,” Ficker told the Washington Times after the filing. The case got tossed by a judge who’d ruled Ficker didn’t prove that the team promised him to abide by the list.

[QuikSand]

Let's not advance Robin Ficker any actual credibility here

[Solecismic]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

dola: With the team's long history and the wealth of the fanbase in the metro DC area, it should easily be a top-5 most valuable NFL franchise. He had to work hard to turn it into such a joke.

It still is, believe it or not, valued by Forbes as the fifth-most valuable franchise. If sold today, I'm sure they'd command more than the $4.2 billion Forbes says it's worth.

Still, Snyder has done considerable damage. The brand value itself, which not that long ago might have been up there with the Cowboys, is far closer to the pack (but also fifth-most valuable). It's one of the cornerstone franchises in the NFL, and that won't change so easily.

If you want to see what poor management does in a less-valuable location, look at the Lions.

If he did cheat his fellow owners using two sets of books... that should be the end of him. The franchise will recover as long as they don't do whatever it is the Ford family does. Get a nice new stadium (of course, at mainly taxpayer expense, since fleecing the public is an NFL specialty), and that franchise prints money.

Believe it or not, that stadium hasn't had a major renovation and is considered older than any in the league other than the two mid-'90s expansion stadiums (Carolina and Jacksonville) and the stadium in Buffalo, which has an approved replacement now.

[albionmoonlight]

More Watson allegations coming out.

What a gross dude.

[sabotai]

Former Dallas Cowboys RB Marion Barber found dead in his apartment by Frisco police https://t.co/Y0ACGZXDYs

— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) June 1, 2022

[JPhillips]

Sounds like the Watson defense is now, sure, he did it, but it wasn't illegal, so fuck off.

[flere-imsaho]

It wasn't illegal, and there are no recordings....

[albionmoonlight]

The old "My client did whatever they have recordings of to prove he did, and he's not ashamed of it. But he didn't do any of the things that we are pretty sure that they don't have recordings of" defense.

[albionmoonlight]

I am still ashamed that my favorite team moved Heaven and Earth to try to sign this guy.

[stevew]

Finishing on her face only ends your career if you’re Ray Rice in an elevator

[molson]

What with the NFL do with this guy. I think there's an assumption that it will be not much, but, don't they care more about their image than about Watson? If there's a real, significant suspension, they can do their victory lap about how much they care, the criticism of them is minimized, and it's only bad for Watson and maybe the Browns - though I think a lot of Browns fans would love a Watson-free season where they just go for it before he becomes the face of their franchise forever. What do they have to lose by suspending him at least a year?

[Honolulu_Blue]

I saw on Pro Football Talk that Matt Patricia is currently expected to be calling offensive plays for the Patriots with either Joe Judge or Bellichick as the other options.

I hope it's Matty Patty and he's terrible.

I still cannot stand that guy.

[Danny]

Watson should get 2 years.

[Danny]

Bill is the goat but I'll be amazing if they make the playoff this year with that offensive coaching lineup

[albionmoonlight]

The Patriots not having an offensive coordinator is weird.

If the Jags or Jets or Commanders were doing it, everyone would be making so much fun of them.

It's the Pats, so I get that there's a lot of benefit of the doubt.

But it's still really weird to not have a dedicated OC in 2022.

[molson]

They've done this a few times with both coordinator positions. They will have a dedicated person or persons with the role, in whole or in part, but they won't spell it out just because they've always been huge weirdos like that.

The Seth Wickersham book on them was really interesting, and covered stuff like how their coaching staff works and the kind of people they look for. It really made sense how someone might thrive in that framework, but nowhere else.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by molson

They've done this a few times with both coordinator positions. They will have a dedicated person or persons with the role, in whole or in part, but they won't spell it out just because they've always been huge weirdos like that.

Yeah, I'm a lot more worried that Patricia (a lifetime defensive guy before leaving, and an overrated DC IMO) is doing it than what titles they give people. Though technically from OTA's I think they said Patricia was calling the pass plays and Judge the run plays?

Idk, we nailed the Mac Jones pick and everything from the offseason both in work ethic and building a team culture is fantastic from him so we're set up to be at the least competitive for the next 12-15 seasons, and Bill's earned the right to do whatever he wants, but it does seem like we're leaning all the way in to going against league consensus so we'll see how that plays out.

[flere-imsaho]

What the Pats do is only weird when it's compared to how the rest of the league operates. It's been successful for 20 years so I'm prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt until we have a few seasons in a row of abject incompetence.

[Ksyrup]

Sam Walton's son and heir to the Wal-Mart fortune is reported to be buying the Broncos for $4.5B. He's worth $60B, which is more than the top 6 current owners combined.

I don't know what that means for the Broncos, other than I hope he puts a bunch of money into the team/facilities/management.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Yeah, I'm a lot more worried that Patricia (a lifetime defensive guy before leaving, and an overrated DC IMO) is doing it than what titles they give people. Though technically from OTA's I think they said Patricia was calling the pass plays and Judge the run plays?

Idk, we nailed the Mac Jones pick and everything from the offseason both in work ethic and building a team culture is fantastic from him so we're set up to be at the least competitive for the next 12-15 seasons, and Bill's earned the right to do whatever he wants, but it does seem like we're leaning all the way in to going against league consensus so we'll see how that plays out.

Yeah, it’s not so much how they’re planning on doing it, but more the individual people - Patricia and Judge - they have lined up for then potential rolls.

[Ksyrup]

Hopefully no DE accidently puts Watson in a happy baby yoga pose when he's sacked.

[albionmoonlight]

Texans helped hook Watson up with 60+ women and NDAs and then took eleventy-billion picks from the Browns in exchange for them having to deal with the fallout.

[albionmoonlight]

Kimberley A. Martin on Twitter: "Deshaun Watson’s IG story from 10mins ago….… "

I have decided that this summer I am just going to lean into watching DeShaun Watson and Elon Musk clown themselves repeatedly. Nice harmless entertainment.

[stevew]

Isn't there going to be a point where Watson gets screwed by the IRS for writing off "massage appointments" that were really just sexual encounters?

[Danny]

Disgusting human being. Apparently as long as he didn't physically hold anyone down and rape them its not a crime but he clearly booked massages with the intent to doconvince and coerce the person to have sex with him.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Danny

Disgusting human being. Apparently as long as he didn't physically hold anyone down and rape them its not a crime but he clearly booked massages with the intent to doconvince and coerce the person to have sex with him.

And there is no question he liked the power dynamic which is why he was doing it. There are plenty of places he could go to get what he was looking for that would have been consensual. He was purposely going to legit places to try to coerce and shame these women.

[Swaggs]

I haven't been following the up close NFL news on this, but is there any chance the NFL ends up making the Texans forfeit picks over how they handled this and/or that the Browns would have any legal repercussions against the Texans if/when Watson gets suspended or banned? Giving up three years worth of first round picks for someone who could potentially never play again seems like one of those things that you could sue for damages over, but there is also the argument that the Browns (and other teams) knew there was risk involved and that was "baked" into the deal.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

And there is no question he liked the power dynamic which is why he was doing it. There are plenty of places he could go to get what he was looking for that would have been consensual. He was purposely going to legit places to try to coerce and shame these women.

This is the part that so many don't understand. He had so many options for consensual encounters, but he specifically wanted to force himself onto unwilling partners. That's what should get him thrown out of the league.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I haven't been following the up close NFL news on this, but is there any chance the NFL ends up making the Texans forfeit picks over how they handled this and/or that the Browns would have any legal repercussions against the Texans if/when Watson gets suspended or banned? Giving up three years worth of first round picks for someone who could potentially never play again seems like one of those things that you could sue for damages over, but there is also the argument that the Browns (and other teams) knew there was risk involved and that was "baked" into the deal.

The Browns knew the risk.

Unless the Texans made an affirmative material misrepresentation, I think they should be fine. This seemed like a real buyer-beware, all players are traded in as-is condition situation.

[albionmoonlight]

Baker Mayfield right now after the #browns text him at start of season pic.twitter.com/xLwvGjvL3X

— Cincinnati Bengals Time (@BengalsTime) June 7, 2022

[Ksyrup]

The new security code at the stadium is 66.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

The Browns knew the risk.

Unless the Texans made an affirmative material misrepresentation, I think they should be fine. This seemed like a real buyer-beware, all players are traded in as-is condition situation.

The Brown's are probably screwed (but what else is news).

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Texans helped hook Watson up with 60+ women and NDAs and then took eleventy-billion picks from the Browns in exchange for them having to deal with the fallout.

But if this is indeed true I could definitely see the NFL going after the Texans for covering up illegal activity. Maybe they forfeit the eleventy-billion picks they got in return for Watson.

[molson]

I'm reading about the possibility of the Browns being able to void the contract over non-dislcosures from Watson, but, I don't get why they'd care about a 24th or 40th victim if they didn't care about the first 23.

That contract, and his role on the Browns, and in the NFL, is just morbidly hilarious at this point. Just imagine him bringing the Browns to glory and holding up the Lombardi trophy. He's their guy. The face of the league potentially.

That's why I still think it's possible they hammer him on the discipline. Not because it's right but because of the implications of all this for them.

[BishopMVP]

It'd be bullshit in a sense because Watson & the Browns set up that contract for this year in a way he doesn't take a real financial hit, but suspending a guy for a year when he didn't do anything that resulted in jail time or looks like it'll even lead to a criminal conviction would be unprecedented enough I think the NFL would get enough credit for that. I get the NFL wants to wait for everything to come out (or would greatly prefer Watson can get a settlement done) before giving out their punishment so they're not blindsided later a la Ray Rice (or his wife!), but with training camp and the season coming up idk why they don't just do that now. It wouldn't eliminate this story, but it would reduce the amount of stories and the time ESPN etc are compelled to talk about this.

[miked]

So what if Watson gets suspended and Mayfield refuses to play. The Browns could have half their cap in two QBs who won't play.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

It'd be bullshit in a sense because Watson & the Browns set up that contract for this year in a way he doesn't take a real financial hit, but suspending a guy for a year when he didn't do anything that resulted in jail time or looks like it'll even lead to a criminal conviction would be unprecedented enough I think the NFL would get enough credit for that. I get the NFL wants to wait for everything to come out (or would greatly prefer Watson can get a settlement done) before giving out their punishment so they're not blindsided later a la Ray Rice (or his wife!), but with training camp and the season coming up idk why they don't just do that now. It wouldn't eliminate this story, but it would reduce the amount of stories and the time ESPN etc are compelled to talk about this.

It seems like there is some precedent with cases like Rice, Adrian Peterson, and Richie Incognito in the NFL, but certainly nothing that is apples to apples like this. Maybe the MLB stuff with Mickey Callaway and/or Trevor Bauer are similar, as it doesn't look like either of those guys are going to have charges brought upon them, but both have been suspended for 1+ year and counting.

The volume of Watson's accusations is just staggering, so I don't know how they can proceed with allowing him to play without taking a big, big PR hit with women and families in particular. Like I think some people can bury their heads in the sand over one or two accusations (a la Roethlisberger), but it seems like the Bauer situation suggests that may not even be true any longer. Maybe it doesn't matter, but I'm not sure Watson is worth spending however many years of good will the league has put into attracting those demographics and fostering its reputation.

[JPhillips]

Goodell could just make up a punishment category that allowed Watson to be paid but his pay didn't impact the cap and then suspend him for however long he'd like. There's no rule that Goodell is following, he just has to be bold enough to make a stand.

The Browns have a lot of talent and, as molson said, Watson could end up hoisting the Lombardi trophy. Goodell is going to regret it if he fails to act.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I haven't been following the up close NFL news on this, but is there any chance the NFL ends up making the Texans forfeit picks over how they handled this and/or that the Browns would have any legal repercussions against the Texans if/when Watson gets suspended or banned? Giving up three years worth of first round picks for someone who could potentially never play again seems like one of those things that you could sue for damages over, but there is also the argument that the Browns (and other teams) knew there was risk involved and that was "baked" into the deal.

The league nor the teams made any attempt to contact a single victim. The Browns chose not to do due diligence, so they get what they deserve. I still don't know if I can look at Arthur Blank the same after he courted this POS.

Originally Posted by miked

So what if Watson gets suspended and Mayfield refuses to play. The Browns could have half their cap in two QBs who won't play.

Please let this happen. I used to sort of like the Browns, but now I hope they get royally screwed.

[thesloppy]

My friend is a life-long Browns fan who has been talking about finally giving up his fandom for like 20+ years, but the signing of Watson actually made him do it (though I will be interested to see what that means when the season actually rolls around). Can't imagine he's the only one.

[NobodyHere]

If you had looked at reddit the day of the Watson signing, you would've thought half the fanbase was abandoning the team.

[albionmoonlight]

Had the Saints succeeded in signing him, I would have stopped following/rooting for the team.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

This is the part that so many don't understand. He had so many options for consensual encounters, but he specifically wanted to force himself onto unwilling partners. That's what should get him thrown out of the league.

When has a guy like a Deshaun Watson been able to use one of those consensual options without being crucified? I am not justifying what he is alleged to have done. However, I also can't act like he had a much better chance of protecting his reputation and image going the alleged route than if he went tried for consensual encounters. That may say more about our society and its attitude to consensual sex work than it does about him though.

[Solecismic]

People here had a lot of respect for Mayfield playing through his injuries, and he and his wife were starting to have a lot of visibility in local advertising. The narrative was that he's maturing and has the great arm.

On the other hand, playing through the injuries, his performance was not good enough this past season. But if he had stepped aside and let Case Keenum take over, that wouldn't have worked. I think the fans were behind him for 2022 and throwing money at him if he succeeded in this rare unprotected fifth year of the rookie contract.

Then, out of nowhere, the team wants Watson. And not just want him, but guarantee an unprecedented contract, give up pretty much an entire draft, and bank everything on his future.

OK... if he performs at his 2020 level and isn't an awful person. But what if he is an awful person and also misses most of this season while suspended? What if he's the guy who got Paid in Houston, then almost immediately demanded a franchise-altering trade? How do you, if you happen to have a wife or a daughter, root for a guy who apparently needs an NDA just to spend time near a woman?

That fear is slowly creeping in and Mayfield is not in OTAs (with permission) and obviously gone. Brissett is only a backup. Yet it seems obvious Watson isn't going to be on the field for at least a few weeks into the season.

If he wins a title here, is all forgiven? It's been that long. What if there are criminal charges, though it seems unlikely given the lack of indictment so far? What if he's injured? What if he suddenly dislikes a coach here and demands another trade?

The thing about the NFL is that because of the cap and the vast number of players at replacement level or higher who are trying to hang in there (except quarterback, where there are never enough), you're always a year or two from being good unless you're the Lions. It's easy to have hope. I think many people here are very unhappy about this and just wish someone else had made this trade.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

When has a guy like a Deshaun Watson been able to use one of those consensual options without being crucified? I am not justifying what he is alleged to have done. However, I also can't act like he had a much better chance of protecting his reputation and image going the alleged route than if he went tried for consensual encounters. That may say more about our society and its attitude to consensual sex work than it does about him though.

To be clear, it is not my intent to disregard the role the power dynamic plays in the alleged behavior. I am just addressing the idea of Watson using the various consensual options that are available to him.

[JPhillips]

Professional athletes have been getting sex from prostitutes and strippers forever.

[Solecismic]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

When has a guy like a Deshaun Watson been able to use one of those consensual options without being crucified? I am not justifying what he is alleged to have done. However, I also can't act like he had a much better chance of protecting his reputation and image going the alleged route than if he went tried for consensual encounters. That may say more about our society and its attitude to consensual sex work than it does about him though.

When I worked for newspapers and covered professional sporting events, there were attractive women six-deep surrounding locker rooms after a game. You read about this stuff, and you don't quite believe it. Seeing it is another thing entirely. If he wanted consensual sex with a stranger, he could walk out of the locker room and do the Fonzie finger-snap. The screaming every time the locker room door opens is really annoying. Most athletes seem to think it's funny and can ignore it. It was bad with football, but particularly insane with hockey, for some reason.

If he wanted professionals, there's no real stigma these days, and I'm sure there are places or services in a huge city like Houston. I don't know what it was he wanted, but from the quotes, I think there must have been a fantasy element where persuasion was part of the game. The lack of an indictment seems to support this. He must have accepted "no" at some point early enough that no one felt compelled to go immediately to the police or needed medical attention. I don't think he's a criminal, and I'm sure masseuses advertising on Craigslist have to deal with a lot of this crap on a regular basis. But it's not OK and I think a suspension is warranted.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

When I worked for newspapers and covered professional sporting events, there were attractive women six-deep surrounding locker rooms after a game. You read about this stuff, and you don't quite believe it. Seeing it is another thing entirely. If he wanted consensual sex with a stranger, he could walk out of the locker room and do the Fonzie finger-snap. The screaming every time the locker room door opens is really annoying. Most athletes seem to think it's funny and can ignore it. It was bad with football, but particularly insane with hockey, for some reason.

If he wanted professionals, there's no real stigma these days, and I'm sure there are places or services in a huge city like Houston. I don't know what it was he wanted, but from the quotes, I think there must have been a fantasy element where persuasion was part of the game. The lack of an indictment seems to support this. He must have accepted "no" at some point early enough that no one felt compelled to go immediately to the police or needed medical attention. I don't think he's a criminal, and I'm sure masseuses advertising on Craigslist have to deal with a lot of this crap on a regular basis. But it's not OK and I think a suspension is warranted.

My senior year in high school, I interned for WQAM and worked more than a few Heat games that year. I am fully aware of the temptation that awaits outside the arena.

I completely disagree on the stigma. The Robert Kraft hysteria was not that long ago and I think we all believe that was consensual. I would love for it not to have the stigma but it still does in 2022. I don't believe that the pillar of the community guy that was (is?) Deshaun Watson in 2019-2020 would have escaped condemnation for hiring professionals if word got out. That sort of guy is not supposed to do that.