The 2013-2014 NFL Offseason/Coaching/Free Agency (non-draft) Thread

[BillJasper]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Chrome grill can only bring to mind the horrors of Oregon and Nike college helmets.

Ugh. I wish they'd go back to the creamsicle colored uniforms and the pirate.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by BillJasper

Ugh. I wish they'd go back to the creamsicle colored uniforms and the pirate.

I would be totally down with that, but alas, that ain't gonna happen. I'm at least hoping for a white helmet so we can use our creamcicle throwbacks again (they were banned last year for safety reasons relating to the helmets not being worn all year).

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Ok, I am now really pissed. The Buccaneers are changing their logo and helmet this. They already have the best logo in all of sports and they feel the need to change it?!?

That's how I felt when the Falcons switched from the classic Falcon uniforms to the horrid ones they have now.

[Buccaneer]

Do you include the Falcons helmet in addition to their uniforms?

[Kodos]

Yes. The new Falcon logo is horrid just like unis. Bring back the classic Falcons red helmet and the red unis from the 80s. The ones Steve Bartwowski, William Andrews and Billy "White Shoes" Johnson wore. Or even the Jerry Glanville black unis. Those were almost as good.

[molson]

Ray Rice working on his carries in the off-season.

Ray Rice -- Dragging Unconscious Fiancee ... After Alleged Mutual Attack [Video] | TMZ.com

[Kodos]

If you just slightly modernized this uniform, it would be the best uniform in sports.

[BillJasper]

Originally Posted by Kodos

If you just slightly modernized this uniform, it would be the best uniform in sports.

It would easily be in my top 10 right now just the way it is.

[Travis]

Originally Posted by molson

Ray Rice working on his carries in the off-season.

Ray Rice -- Dragging Unconscious Fiancee ... After Alleged Mutual Attack [Video] | TMZ.com

Interesting that Sherman's interview after the NFC title game prompted how many pages of "discussion" about his character but so far the Rice situation has garnered one post. Granted, sounds like a lot of information/details still to surface, but that video and what's been released so far, wtf. Not very many scenarios for the lead up that would make the end result anything other than reprehensible.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Travis

Interesting that Sherman's interview after the NFC title game prompted how many pages of "discussion" about his character but so far the Rice situation has garnered one post. Granted, sounds like a lot of information/details still to surface, but that video and what's been released so far, wtf. Not very many scenarios for the lead up that would make the end result anything other than reprehensible.

And from the sounds of it, this was a very significant incident. He knocked his girlfriend out. Once you get to that point, you're on the high-risk-for-murder track of domestic violence. The media will be falling all over themselves to cover every move of Michael Sam, but the domestic batterer will probably be left alone.

[stevew]

The cap went up to 130m today, which is at least 3.5m more than what it was expected to be.

[HomerSimpson98]

Originally Posted by Travis

Interesting that Sherman's interview after the NFC title game prompted how many pages of "discussion" about his character but so far the Rice situation has garnered one post. Granted, sounds like a lot of information/details still to surface, but that video and what's been released so far, wtf. Not very many scenarios for the lead up that would make the end result anything other than reprehensible.

excellent point and sad but true

[Travis]

Continuing on in that vein, and not sure if this is the right place to put it given he's retired (I think) now, but what is going on with Darren Sharper?

Ex-NFL star Darren Sharper due in court on drug, rape charges

[Travis]

On a much more normal football note, really happy to hear about the cap bump. Assuming they can get extensions worked out with Thomas and Sherman, the Seahawks may be able to find a way to keep Bennett and Tate now rather than one or the other while still leaving themselves room to extend Wilson after next season. After that they'll probably find a happy medium with numbers coming off the books (ie: Lynch) as the next wave of young guys would need new deals so they might be able to keep the nucleus of the team intact for (fingers crossed) 5+ years.

[Kodos]

Rice should be banned from the NFL.

[mrtourette]

Not sure if it's been mentioned but the Dolphins ditched the two coaches whose behaviour the Wells report questioned. Given that Stephen Ross has taken such a hard line against them I can't see he'll be happy keeping Richie Incognito around, despite reports that he may have a future in Miami.

[SteveMax58]

Originally Posted by Travis

Interesting that Sherman's interview after the NFC title game prompted how many pages of "discussion" about his character but so far the Rice situation has garnered one post. Granted, sounds like a lot of information/details still to surface, but that video and what's been released so far, wtf. Not very many scenarios for the lead up that would make the end result anything other than reprehensible.

Not to defend the media's lack of coverage here vs Sherman, but I think the "problem" is that this type of story is so cut & dry bad that its not really debatable.

Either he caused her to be unconscious or he did not. Not as much to debate as there is on whether a football player going "WWE" on the air is a sign of his bad character, and whether there is anything we can label people as a result of their reaction.

[Buccaneer]

Ok, the new Bucs helmet is not as bad as I feared. I hate shiny helmets/grills but at least they kept the awesome logo (albeit supersized it).

[Dutch]

All and all, I am not unhappy with this change. I really like the chrome grille, but I also like the redesigned logo. It takes up a lot more of the helmet than I would have expected, but I don't mind it. It will look great when they start winning again.

[stevew]

This is pretty neat. Set up for all the teams.

Salary Cap Calculator - Over the Cap

seems like a good way to waste a day at work.

Also I could go either way on those buccaneers helmets. I wanna see the front view.

[mrtourette]

I like it, the oversized logo that wraps around slightly looks good.

[Kodos]

New logo is fine, oversize aspect is bad.

[stevew]

It took ray rice forever to get her off that elevator cause he could only get her 3 yards per carry.

Jail or not, he's probably done, right? Maybe was looking at a 1 year low money deal before and now he's stuck waiting beside the phone with Michael Turner?

Edit-jeez his dead money is so bad I guess the Ravens will be stuck with him.

[SteveMax58]

Originally Posted by stevew

It took ray rice forever to get her off that elevator cause he could only get her 3 yards per carry.

Jail or not, he's probably done, right? Maybe was looking at a 1 year low money deal before and now he's stuck waiting beside the phone with Michael Turner?

Edit-jeez his dead money is so bad I guess the Ravens will be stuck with him.

One thing I know is that I made the right decision not trading Dez Bryant for Ray Rice in my keeper league. Dodged a close one there.

[SteveMax58]

Originally Posted by Kodos

New logo is fine, oversize aspect is bad.

Yeah thats my take. I like the large skull & cross-swords(?) but its the flag that looks too large to me.

Kinda feel like if they wanted to keep the red in the helmet, they could have done something a little different, like make it look like a hole in the helmet with the skull/swords visible inside and red background inside the hole. IDK...I do like the prominence of the skull/swords but the flag might take some getting used to.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

That helmet is shiny. With the chrome grille, at least Bucs receivers will have a good excuse for dropping passes "The sun reflected in my eye."

Nike is going to make the whole league look like a loud circus.

I want the Lions to update & get rid of the black outline of everything, but I fear what Nike may vomit up.

The best Lions look as far as I am concerned:

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Kodos

New logo is fine, oversize aspect is bad.

Oversize aspect? I have no idea what you're talking about.

[Desnudo]

The Browns are like the TMZ of the NFL. I'm suprised they didn't suggest McDaniels was still stalking them in the same article.

Cleveland Browns nearly acquired San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh for draft picks - ESPN

[Thomkal]

I just came to post that Desnudo-what a bizarre situation if true. Can't believe Harbaugh would leave SF with the roster he has, and that the Niners would not resign him no matter what his contract demands might be. And why the heck would he want anything to do with Cleveland given the disaster of the previous coach.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

...and that the Niners would not resign him no matter what his contract demands might be.

So, he seems to be a great example of something I have believed for a long time.

In a salary cap driven league, here's a guy who seems to have a midas touch.

So, when his coaching contract comes up... what if he asks for $20m a year? Versus whatever is the top HC contract now, something like $6-8 I guess? Why not pay this guy $20m? What is the value of him to the organization that runs through way way more than that in every year? What's it worth to have a winner? And all outside the cap, with no repercussions on the roster otherwise?

[Dutch]

The Bucs secondary logo was changed as well. This is interesting mostly because the ship has traditionally been a part of the jersey. So while the old Black ship on a red jersey worked...the red ship on a red jersey seems unlikely...new jersey's will be unveiled March 6th...we'll see what the Bucs are up to soon enough.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

So, he seems to be a great example of something I have believed for a long time.

In a salary cap driven league, here's a guy who seems to have a midas touch.

So, when his coaching contract comes up... what if he asks for $20m a year? Versus whatever is the top HC contract now, something like $6-8 I guess? Why not pay this guy $20m? What is the value of him to the organization that runs through way way more than that in every year? What's it worth to have a winner? And all outside the cap, with no repercussions on the roster otherwise?

Meh. Can he at least win a title before we pay him 3x any other coach.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Meh. Can he at least win a title before we pay him 3x any other coach.

This. Lots of fanboy-goggles in that post.

[SteveMax58]

I think what QS was saying isn't specific to Harbaugh. More of a general coaching value observation that that seems out of order considering the player salaries.

Its not that Harbaugh is worth 3x what other coaches are worth...its why don't we see coaches like Belichick getting comparable amounts of salary as a QB, for example. Especially considering the coach's salary is outside of cap restrictions so its really just down to pure ROI.

[miami_fan]

NFL expected to penalize players for using racial slurs in games - ESPN

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by SteveMax58

I think what QS was saying isn't specific to Harbaugh. More of a general coaching value observation that that seems out of order considering the player salaries.

Its not that Harbaugh is worth 3x what other coaches are worth...its why don't we see coaches like Belichick getting comparable amounts of salary as a QB, for example. Especially considering the coach's salary is outside of cap restrictions so its really just down to pure ROI.

That's a very good question, and I agree, a logical one. But you can't deny that it was phrased in a very fanboyish way.

[SteveMax58]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

That's a very good question, and I agree, a logical one. But you can't deny that it was phrased in a very fanboyish way.

It coulda been over my head then as I didnt know QS was a 49er (or Harbaugh) fan offhand. But still an interesting scenario as, if you are the 49ers brass, you really have to concede the guy is worth $20M to your organization. Same would be true for Belichick and probably 1 or 2 others but not coming to mind at the moment (Sean Peyton maybe?).

Funny how it is definitely more pronounced in College football. Maybe the salaries aren't as high but money is definitely a big factor.

[stevew]

Is there anything amazing coming out of the combine this year? I see that Greg Robinson looked really good and relatively in shape for someone that is 330lbs. He should be great at run blocking. Too bad that Jacksonville needs a QB so badly because they could just get a potentially dominant tackle duo by taking him. I also expected Manziel to run faster than 4.56(i think that was his time).

[albionmoonlight]

Paying or overpaying for coaches forces owners to be honest about how much they want to win v make money. Any decision not to pay a player can be spun (honestly or not) as driven by the cap.

But there is no salary cap for coaches. So when a team chooses not to break the bank and pay silly money to a coach, it is saying that it cares more about the money than winning

Nothing wrong wth that, of course. I, personally, care more that my investments make money than that they "win." But I wish that the local media and fans made a bigger deal about it--or even showed an awareness of it.

[cuervo72]

The same goes for facilities, I'd say. It took years for the Redskins to get any sort of practice bubble (2012). Now, I think the team excuse was that the coaches didn't want them (practice in the elemens!), but WAS has turned over a lot of coaches, so I doubt they all felt that way. Many instead attributed it to Snyder being cheap.

Of course, he's been quick to throw money at questionable FA, and has spent money on staff*. *shurg*

* on guys not named Zorn, anyway

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by stevew

Is there anything amazing coming out of the combine this year? I see that Greg Robinson looked really good and relatively in shape for someone that is 330lbs. He should be great at run blocking. Too bad that Jacksonville needs a QB so badly because they could just get a potentially dominant tackle duo by taking him. I also expected Manziel to run faster than 4.56(i think that was his time).

Manziel's official time is a 4.68. That's way slower than I was expecting.

Also, is there a big difference between Kelvin Benjamin and Mike Williams? You'd think the NFL has learned it's lesson on slow, oversized receivers. I don't think Benjamin catches the ball as well as Williams did either.

[stevew]

Clowney ran a 4.47(unofficial).

[Matthean]

While driving?

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by stevew

Is there anything amazing coming out of the combine this year? I see that Greg Robinson looked really good and relatively in shape for someone that is 330lbs. He should be great at run blocking. Too bad that Jacksonville needs a QB so badly because they could just get a potentially dominant tackle duo by taking him. I also expected Manziel to run faster than 4.56(i think that was his time).

Well, God did visit the combine, and told RB Adam Meuma not to participate, and that he'd be playing for Seattle. I'd say that's pretty amazing.

Adam Muema says God told him to leave NFL scouting combine - ESPN

[Vince, Pt. II]

This story is weird, and it just seems to be getting weirder. Apparently there's bad blood between Harbaugh and the 49er brass. It helps explain the Cleveland rumors, which as far as I can find no one has denied.

I find it hard to believe there can be so much friction between a group that has been so ridiculously successful together. Very intrigued to see how it turns out.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

This story is weird, and it just seems to be getting weirder. Apparently there's bad blood between Harbaugh and the 49er brass. It helps explain the Cleveland rumors, which as far as I can find no one has denied.

I find it hard to believe there can be so much friction between a group that has been so ridiculously successful together. Very intrigued to see how it turns out.

Harbaugh should just cut ties with those clowns in San Fran and come back to where it all started for him, Michigan, and become the head coach of Michigan's football team as is his destiny...

[Matthean]

Those clowns built him a rather good team to coach.

[Vince, Pt. II]

As a fan of the team, I'd hate to lose any part of that staff.

[Kodos]

Even if he goes to Michigan, I'm still stuck watching his over-reactions. Great.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

So, he seems to be a great example of something I have believed for a long time.

In a salary cap driven league, here's a guy who seems to have a midas touch.

So, when his coaching contract comes up... what if he asks for $20m a year? Versus whatever is the top HC contract now, something like $6-8 I guess? Why not pay this guy $20m? What is the value of him to the organization that runs through way way more than that in every year? What's it worth to have a winner? And all outside the cap, with no repercussions on the roster otherwise?

If I'm reading this link properly ( Football's Most Valuable Teams List - Forbes ), and it's quite possible I'm not, then roughly one third of the teams in the league would get close to the red if they paid their HC $20M/year. Then maybe 10-12 more would see their effective profit cut almost in half. That's probably the reason.

More interesting to me is wondering if there might be a bit of an "agreement" among owners to not let HC salaries get over a specific point (or at least grow too fast).