NFL 2021 Regular Season Thread

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

The Bengals have shown that they can beat anyone, but they've also shown they can lose to anyone. I'm pretty comfortable with the Raiders matchup, but hope kills.

They're my AFC sleeper but at the same time I would not be surprised if they lost to the Raiders.

Probably a year away from being a true contender but they can be scary.

[Ksyrup]

So basically McCaskey is Jerry Jones without the ego or personality?

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

So basically McCaskey is Jerry Jones without the ego or personality?

or the deep pockets. All the McCaskey family money is in the Bears.

[RainMaker]

It's a family of trust fund kids who never worked a day in their life. They all have pseudo-jobs and titles in the organization but don't do much but cash checks.

The recent brouhaha is that a few years back Olin Kreutz, one of the best players of the Bears in the past few decades offered to help some young lineman on the team. The Bears offered him $15/hour for the job. Olin had kept it quiet for years but brought it up when a show he was on asked about the organization and how they run things.

Anyway, George McCaskey, one of the failsons in charge, called Olin a liar and said you can't trust a word he says. Problem is that Olin has people who back up his story (the old Bears OL coach, the GM) and was not happy about having his integrity questioned.

[JPhillips]

Jeez

CAREER TD PASSES

Bart Starr 152
Roger Staubach 153
Joe Theismann 160
Jim Plunkett 164
Troy Aikman 165
Tom Brady Since He Turned 40 Years Old: 168

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by molson

I don't mean to be difficult, but I just want to see the Dolphins hire Matt Nagy

Nagy is better than anyone the Dolphins will get.

[Ksyrup]

It appears the Broncos have asked for permission to interview half the NFL.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

It's a family of trust fund kids who never worked a day in their life. They all have pseudo-jobs and titles in the organization but don't do much but cash checks.

Much like every other homegrown Chicago enterprise, and all its political institutions, if you think about it.

Just lucky that although I live her now, I grew up in New England and never switched my allegiance. The Bears will never not be a shitshow.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

It appears the Broncos have asked for permission to interview half the NFL.

due diligence

[GrantDawg]

Bears interviewing Dan Quinn. Good news, Bear fans: if you can win a Superbiwl with Bro-isms, then you would be a shoe in.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[Coffee Warlord]

Bears have like a dozen head coach interviews lined up already.

[albionmoonlight]

Bears also interviewing Jeff Ireland. Which is actually good for them. The Saints have had some great drafts since he's been in charge of scouting for them.

But after the Ryan Pace experience, I'm surprised they are even thinking about going back to the New Orleans well.

[QuikSand]

"So, your mother was a prostitute?"

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

It appears the Broncos have asked for permission to interview half the NFL.

They brought in Aaron Glenn. I doubt he’ll get the hire since he’s only been a coordinator for one year, but I’d hate to see him go. Despite some pretty bad games this year (blow outs by the Bengals and Seahawks stand out among a few others), I think he did a tremendous job with exceptionally little talent. The Lions had pretty much the worst defense talent-wise heading into the year and lost arguably their two best players - Okudah and Okwara - right off the bat. Flowers barely played. And they suffered a number of other injuries. Glenn was able to do a lot with very little.

[sabotai]

Well, so far Judge still has a job.

The sliver of hope is that the Giants VP of Football Operations, Kevin Abrams, is not being considered. For the first time since George Young was hired, it looks like the Giants are going to hire someone from outside the organization (Accoursi, then Reeese, and Gettleman was with the Giants a long time before getting hired by Carolina).

The rumor is the GM they hire will have a say in whether Judge stays or not.

Ok, whatever...

Bills fans, what's the word on Joe Schoen? He appears to be the frontrunner right now. (Assuming he actually wants the job)

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by sabotai

Well, so far Judge still has a job.

The sliver of hope is that the Giants VP of Football Operations, Kevin Abrams, is not being considered. For the first time since George Young was hired, it looks like the Giants are going to hire someone from outside the organization (Accoursi, then Reeese, and Gettleman was with the Giants a long time before getting hired by Carolina).

The rumor is the GM they hire will have a say in whether Judge stays or not.

Ok, whatever...

Bills fans, what's the word on Joe Schoen? He appears to be the frontrunner right now. (Assuming he actually wants the job)

I saw on the ticker while I was watching Good Morning Football that they had intterviewed a couple Cardinals Front Office people for the job-not sure if that's a good thing or not, but going outside the organization sounds like the right thing to do at the moment

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by sabotai

Well, so far Judge still has a job.

This is no longer the case.

New York Giants fire coach Joe Judge after just two seasons

[Coffee Warlord]

For those keeping score, the Bears have already lined up interviews with a ... few people.

HC:

Leslie Frazier (Bills defensive coordinator)
Doug Pederson (former Eagles head coach)
Brian Daboll (Bills offensive coordinator)
Nathaniel Hackett (Packers offensive coordinator)
Todd Bowles (Buccaneers defensive coordinator)
Byron Leftwich (Buccaneers offensive coordinator)
Matt Eberflus (Colts defensive coordinator)
Dan Quinn (Cowboys defensive coordinator)
Brian Flores (former Dolphins head coach)

GM:

Morocco Brown (Colts director of college scouting)
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (Browns VP of football operations)
Glenn Cook (Browns VP of player personnel)
Rex Hogan (Jets assistant GM)
Rick Smith (former Texans GM)
Jeff Ireland (Saints assistant GM)
Ed Dodds (Colts assistant GM)
Ran Carthon (49ers director of pro personnel)
Joe Schoen (Bills assistant GM)

[RainMaker]

The only one I'm not fond of is Pederson for head coach. I'm also more inclined to go for an offensive guy than a defensive guy, but it's not a big deal.

I like almost all the GM candidates. I also think someone from the Steelers is lined up to interview too which is nice. Also good to see Rick Smith who I thought got a bum rap in Houston.

[rjolley]

I would like to see a defensive guy take the lead, paired with a very good OC and QB coach to overhaul that side of the ball. An offensive guy with a strong DC will do as well. With either, you could keep Desai as the DC to see if he's the answer to right the ship on defense.

The Bears need to decide what they are going to be, then bring in people to support that. Do they want to build a great defense with a running attack and a complementary passing game? An average D with a throw in all over offense? Whatever that vision looks like should determine what they do. I don't know if they really have an idea.

[RainMaker]

That's why I think you need to hire a GM first. Let them make those decisions with a coach they want.

[Atocep]

I'd hard pass Pederson and Quinn although apparently Quinn has really prepared himself to land a job this offseason and has a strong staff lined up.

I love Leftwich, but I don't think he'd be a good fit for Chicago.

I'd prefer Flores. Maybe Daboll if he's bringing Ken Dorsey with him.

As for GM, it's a surprisingly strong list of candidates. I'm not a hard no on any of those guys.

[weegeebored]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

The Bears will never not be a shitshow.

It might change once there is new ownership. But the McCaskeys are football stupid, to put it mildly. George admitted as much in his press conference. I mean seriously -- Trestman over Arians? Extending Pace and Nagy with no reason to do so given their lack of success (but proven incompetence)? Keeping Angelo for way too long? And then following that up with Emery? Allowing Lovie to choose 50 (bad) OCs in his tenure?

I don't expect the Bears ownership to make a good hire for GM or HC. Give the fans what they want -- more mediocrity! That's their motto.

[RainMaker]

Give me Daboll and Dorsey running the offense and then bring back Fangio for defense.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

That's why I think you need to hire a GM first. Let them make those decisions with a coach they want.

The fact that NFL organizations might still need to hear this is baffling. Bring in a GM, VP of football ops, whatever the title and let that guy run the football side of the house.

[flere-imsaho]

A lot (most?) of football organizations are run by rich kids who inherited the organization and figure they're smart because they were born into wealth, so it's really not that surprising. We're talking about people who would struggle to run a Dunkin Donuts franchise.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

A lot (most?) of football organizations are run by rich kids who inherited the organization and figure they're smart because they were born into wealth, so it's really not that surprising. We're talking about people who would struggle to run a Dunkin Donuts franchise.

One of the best things Tom Benson ever did for the Saints was to realize that his heirs were horrible people who would destroy the team and go to court to unwind the process he had started to leave it to them. It ended up going to his widow, who has been a good owner.

[miami_fan]

I was curious. I pulled the owners from the Wiki

Heirs/ Relatives

Arizona
Chicago
Cincinnati
Denver (?)
Detroit
Houston
Indianapolis
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Los Angeles Chargers
New Orleans
New York Giants
New York Jets
Pittsburgh
San Francisco
Seattle
Tampa Bay
Tennessee

Non- Heirs

Atlanta
Baltimore
Buffalo
Carolina
Cleveland
Dallas
Green Bay
Jacksonville
Los Angeles Rams
Miami
Minnesota
New England
Philadelphia
Washington

18 heirs/relatives and 14 non heirs. Eight 2022 playoff teams are owned by heirs and six by non playoff teams. Evidently, Joe Ellis is a trustee for Pat Bowlen's estate until they figured out which kid or kids will get the Broncos.

The kids ain't doing too bad

[flere-imsaho]

44% of the league makes the playoffs. A better metric might be win/loss % over the course of their ownership.

[miami_fan]

I am not that curious.

[Danny]

Just a glance at that list plenty of good and bad owners from both lists. Don't think heir or non heir means anything

[miami_fan]

Source - Houston Texans fire coach David Culley after just one season

Makes sense. That was definitely a roster that should have won more than 4 games

[stevew]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Source - Houston Texans fire coach David Culley after just one season

Makes sense. That was definitely a roster that should have won more than 4 games

Isn't he of retirement age anyways? Seriously though, dude should get a medal cause that was certainly a potential 0 win team without Watson.

[albionmoonlight]

It is a bit unfair to say this at this time, because multiple teams do not have a head coach. But as I type this, Mike Tomlin is the only black coach in the NFL. That’s kind of fucked up.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by stevew

Isn't he of retirement age anyways? Seriously though, dude should get a medal cause that was certainly a potential 0 win team without Watson.

He'll be okay. Nick Saban will put him on the Alabama staff for a year and teams will be lining up to hire him.

[miami_fan]

By the way, if the Texans hire Brian Flores, then I am a complete idiot and they were playing 4-D chess by not trading Deshaun Watson.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

He'll be okay. Nick Saban will put him on the Alabama staff for a year and teams will be lining up to hire him.

Is this why Bill O'Brien was in talks to get another NFL job?

[spleen1015]

He did an alright job until he also became the GM, didn't he?

[Carman Bulldog]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

It is a bit unfair to say this at this time, because multiple teams do not have a head coach. But as I type this, Mike Tomlin is the only black coach in the NFL. That’s kind of fucked up.

Even worse that there are people on this board who don't think Tomlin is a good coach.

[Solecismic]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

By the way, if the Texans hire Brian Flores, then I am a complete idiot and they were playing 4-D chess by not trading Deshaun Watson.

I don't see how Watson resolves the civil suits against him without a long suspension. And that's if he gets through the criminal piece of this without more serious charges.

I'm not sure how a trade would have worked. Any attempt to play Watson would force the league to act. The team that winds up with Watson gets a potential MVP candidate who's still relatively young. But when? And if (and I don't know if there will be criminal charges) he's convicted of sexual assault, what's the next step?

Watson may be completely innocent. If so, perhaps he's doing the right thing by waiting and fighting the cases rather than throwing money at them, however long it keeps him off the field. I just don't see this being resolved any time soon.

[albionmoonlight]

My thoughts on the games this weekend

Las Vegas at Cincinnati (-5): Cincinnati is the team I am rooting for to win it all, though I don’t think they will. They should be able to take care of business here, though the Raiders are playing with a bit of house money here and would love to force ownership to keep their coach and QB by winning a game or two. I’m expecting Cincinnati to win and cover, but I’m not totally sold on the idea.

New England at Buffalo (-4): Buffalo is a better team. But I’m not picking against Belichick in the playoffs. I pick New England to win outright.

Philadelphia at Tampa Bay (-8.5): That is a heck of a point spread. Tampa lost one of their star WRs to an ACL, and they guy who could have replaced him with a broken soul. Locker room issues? And Philadelphia has been playing well for the second half of the season. But Tampa has the best QB in history who is still playing at an MVP level. If I were betting real money, I’d stay away. But for our purposes here, I’ll say that Philadelphia covers the spread.

San Francisco at Dallas (-3): Dallas is playing really well on both sides of the ball. I think that they win in a mild blowout. We will see how Shanahan does next season with a fully operational Death Star (i.e. a QB without Jimmy G.’s limitations).

Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs (-12.5): There is a sense that KC has been playing almost like a top NBA team for the second half of this season and is just waiting for the playoffs to get really engaged. Tomlin is an amazing coach, and dragging Ben’s corpse to the playoffs should be one of the things they discuss when they vote him into the Hall of Fame. And that line gives me a little pause. But at some point the QB disparity is just too much. Kansas City to win and cover.

Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams (-4): Bettors everywhere rejoice at the opportunity they will have over the next few seasons to bet against Matt Stafford in playoff games. Arizona to win outright.

[Lathum]

I bet the maximum allowed at my online book on the Pats to win the superbowl at 20-1.

[spleen1015]

Is the max allowed in the 10s, 100s, 1000s?

Just wondering how much money you wasted.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Is the max allowed in the 10s, 100s, 1000s?

Just wondering how much money you wasted.

only $300.

I wanted to do 1K. If they get past the Bills I think they have a great chance. Plus if they make it to the superbowl I can bet the other side and lock in a profit.

[QuikSand]

I generally like the albion wagering service (tm) analysis above, with one exception:

I think Philadelphia could have been a particularly tough out in these playoffs, but by bad luck of seeing they get placed against the one team in the whole league best suited to handle their run-first attack. The Bucs are not invulnerable, their defense is basically a pass funnel and some team might be able to overwhelm them that way, but I predict an easy win-and-cover for TeamTB, and then a week of the insiders all saying "here we go again" as they suddenly look unbeatable (but are not, in reality).


I also wouldn't bet on Arizona, because I am probably among those suckers who still are counting the Rams as something like the sum of their notable parts, rather than the frakensteined creation they apparently are. I don't have the guts to outright pick the Rams to roll here, but I'd keep it in my "stay away but watch with interest" list, as I think whichever team wins here is a legit handful for the next rounds.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

By the way, if the Texans hire Brian Flores, then I am a complete idiot and they were playing 4-D chess by not trading Deshaun Watson.

This definitely feels like it could be in play, and WOW what a turn of events that would be.

[molson]

Titans with a returning Henry seem like a weird sleeper as the #1 seed with the bye. They're only 5th in the list of odds favorites. behind the Bills, Buccs, and Chiefs, who all have to win one more game than they do.

[Swaggs]

Probably won't help enough to overcome KC's advantages, but it sounds increasingly likely that JuJu Smith-Schuster will come off the IL and play for the first time since week 5. Would be nice for Ben to have another trusted player and a guy that can get them some YAC (since Ben can only throw it about a max of 15 yards these days).

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

I generally like the albion wagering service (tm) analysis above, with one exception:

I think Philadelphia could have been a particularly tough out in these playoffs, but by bad luck of seeing they get placed against the one team in the whole league best suited to handle their run-first attack. The Bucs are not invulnerable, their defense is basically a pass funnel and some team might be able to overwhelm them that way, but I predict an easy win-and-cover for TeamTB, and then a week of the insiders all saying "here we go again" as they suddenly look unbeatable (but are not, in reality).

I was just listening to a guy today talk about this game in particular. They are expecting it to be raining and winds in the 25+ mile per hour range. If that's the case, the Philly's run game is going to have a distinct advantage over Tampa's air attack. Weather might be the determining factor on that game.

[sabotai]

Well that was maybe the dumbest thing I've ever seen on a kickoff before.