2014-15 NFL Offseason Thread (Non Draft Edition)

[BillJasper]

Originally Posted by RedKingGold

Not really, it's a year to year contract and he has some value. If they bring in an offensive guy who desires a more pro-style QB, it's not like they can't pull the trigger and move on.

Problem being that I don't see Blaine Gabbert as a solution and doubt there are a ton of viable QB's floating around freely available. Unless the plan is to blow it up and start over with several years of bad records with high draft picks, you guys are pretty much married to Kaepernick for the foreseeable future.

I'm also not sure I see much of a trade market for Kaepernick.

So either way you're going to need someone that can develop a QB.

[RedKingGold]

Originally Posted by BillJasper

Problem being that I don't see Blaine Gabbert as a solution and doubt there are a ton of viable QB's floating around freely available. Unless the plan is to blow it up and start over with several years of bad records with high draft picks, you guys are pretty much married to Kaepernick for the foreseeable future.

I'm also not sure I see much of a trade market for Kaepernick.

So either way you're going to need someone that can develop a QB.

Lots of vague, general statements in here. Of course Blaine Gabbert is not the answer. If Gabbert is truly the best option, then Kaep isn't going anywhere. Kaep only goes some where if the new coach can sell Baalke on a guy in the draft for the 1st or 2nd round who could step right in. At that point, maybe Baalke moves Kaep for future 3rd or something of that nature.

Most likely, Kaep will stay because Baalke's calling the shots and he's going to want a guy who can either fix him or rebuild the offense around a power attack a la' 2012.

[Thomkal]

Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman expects to return in 2015 - ESPN Chicago

[BillJasper]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman expects to return in 2015 - ESPN Chicago

Might be a case of there not being anyone out there that the Bears think can do a better job with the talent available. Might also be a case of the McCaskey's being cheap.

[hoopsguy]

Or might be a case of Trestman being just as delusional about his own prospects as he has been about his team for the past ten weeks.

There is zero chance that the Bears organization hires Rex Ryan. Compare that personality to Dick Jauron, Lovie Smith, and Marc Trestman. The front office has had massive Ditka backlash for the last two decades of hires. I'll expect some nameless entity who has never coached in the NFL before, and hope that person accidentally turns out to be decent.

As optimistic as I sound about the Bears, I am less so about Dolphins with the great Joe Philbin coming back for another season. That was a team that came up small way too often this year, especially in the last eight games.

[Matthean]

You don't want Ryan as a coach. You want him as a DC.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by BillJasper

But who? It seems after Mariota and Winston there is a definite step down in talent. I'm personally not sold on Brett Hundley from UCLA, who is mentioned as a possible first-rounder.

He's going to get a GM and coach fired if he gets picked in the first round

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

He's going to get a GM and coach fired if he gets picked in the first round

Yup. I love Brett, but he is not ready to be a first round star in waiting type. He's better off being a 2nd or 3rd rounder who is groomed to start in a couple seasons.

[miked]

Jameis Winston completed 65% of his passes and threw 24 TDs to 17 picks. Why is he in the talks for 1.1 or even the 1st round?

[RedKingGold]

Originally Posted by miked

Jameis Winston completed 65% of his passes and threw 24 TDs to 17 picks. Why is he in the talks for 1.1 or even the 1st round?

Because he's 27-0 as a starter and was much better statistically in 2013. He would've been the slam dunk 1.1 had he been able to come out last year.

[BillJasper]

Originally Posted by miked

Jameis Winston completed 65% of his passes and threw 24 TDs to 17 picks. Why is he in the talks for 1.1 or even the 1st round?

Because he can play. Without the maturity issues, he'd be a slam dunk 1.1 pick.

[BillJasper]

Rex Ryan fired.

[Lathum]

I would love him to move to the other side of the building as Giants DC

[Solecismic]

And Mike Smith exits.

We'll see about Trestman as the wave hits the Central time zone.

[Coffee Warlord]

Radio is reporting Emery and Trestman are both gone.

I want them to add President Ted Phillips to that list too. Shuffle him to a finance role and hire an actual football man.

[BillJasper]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

And Mike Smith exits.

We'll see about Trestman as the wave hits the Central time zone.

If I'm the 49ers, Smith is the first person I interview.

[miked]

Unreal, if playoffs in 4 of your 5 first seasons aren't good enough, and you expect somebody to win with Steven Jackson and Levine Toilolo as 2 of your pieces? That defense is horrible too. Oh, and their non-conference games were PIT, BAL, CIN, GB, ARI, DET (and NYG, CLE, CHI). High expectations.

[Solecismic]

With Trestman gone, who is left on the hot seat?

My research shows that coaches are almost never fired after one season, meaning Lovie Smith, Jay Gruden and Ken Whisenhunt (eight wins between the three) are only mildly toasty.

It's also very rare to fire a coach who had a winning record. There has to be some sort of rift. Jim Harbaugh might have been the exception this year, but that happened on its own, and San Francisco dropped to 8-8.

It generally takes two straight .500 or lower years to get nice and toasty.

The remaining list (2013, 2014 records):

Mike Smith (4-12, 6-10): Fired
Marc Trestman (8-8, 5-11): Fired
Gus Bradley (4-12, 3-13): ???
Joe Philbin (8-8, 8-8): Retained
Tom Coughlin (7-9, 6-10): ???
Rex Ryan (8-8, 4-12): Fired
Dennis Allen (4-12, 0-4): Fired - Tony Sparano is interim (3-9), and the position is obviously open.
Jeff Fisher (7-9, 6-10): ???

Bradley could be fired for numbers alone. This was his second season and the team wasn't competitive in either season. But Blake Bortles was a high pick, handed the reins early, and generally these guys struggle, but take a huge jump in year two. I see Bradley's odds as 75-25 to stay.

Coughlin would be gone if not for the fact that the Giants had their two miracle playoff runs ending in Super Bowl victories over New England. Still, he's 69 next season and probably ready to retire. I see Coughlin's odds as 30-70 to stay. If he were younger, I'd say he's certainly back.

Fisher has had a lot of success in the league and no other coach can play the quarterback injury card as easily. Next year is another story and the Bradford saga will dominate the summer, but my sense is that Fisher is on solid ground and still has the respect of the team and the organization. I see Fisher's odds as 90-10 to stay.

Of Smith, Gruden and Whisenhunt, Smith is likely the only one who is in any danger, but it's relatively small. Let's say 80-20 to stay.

So, we have five openings now, and I'd expect a sixth, but probably not a seventh.

[Blackadar]

Waiting for Sun Tzu to come into the thread to tell us how the firing of Harbaugh makes the 49ers the best run organization in sports.

[Coffee Warlord]

C'mon Bears. You know what to do now.

Hire the Ryan brothers.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

C'mon Bears. You know what to do now.

Hire the Ryan brothers.

I would not like for the Bears to become my most hated team.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by BillJasper

Rex Ryan fired.

The GM too thankfully for Jets fans.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

C'mon Bears. You know what to do now.

Hire the Ryan brothers.

This would be pretty fantastic.

[Thomkal]

NFL Network saying Coughlin likely to return-nothing official though-Beckham definitely saved him there if that's the case. Personally I think he should announce he will be retiring after next season so the Giants can prepare for life without him around.

[Thomkal]

Bradley gets another season I think, but is gone if the Jags don't have at least a .500 season next year. I think the Rams put this season on pause when Bradford got hurt. If he comes back, then Fisher deserves a chance to see what he can do with him. They need to release Shaun Hill right now though.

I also think the Carolina GM is gone after their playoff run is over (hopefully this weekend The situation with the receivers was horrible, and they were plain lucky the rest of the division was horrible.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

I also think the Carolina GM is gone after their playoff run is over (hopefully this weekend The situation with the receivers was horrible, and they were plain lucky the rest of the division was horrible.

I don't follow this closely so if there are rumors going around I haven't heard them, but I would be shocked if this happened. With the cap hell that was left to him by Marty Hurney he's got to be allowed more than 2 years to get things going in the right direction. Last year's 12-4 team was a pleasant surprise, I don't think its reasonable at all to expect that to be the norm just yet. There are just too many problems to fix and not enough money with which to fix it to fire the guy after this season.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

NFL Network saying Coughlin likely to return-nothing official though-Beckham definitely saved him there if that's the case. Personally I think he should announce he will be retiring after next season so the Giants can prepare for life without him around.

Beckham had nothing to do with coughlin staying, anyone who says otherwise knows nothing about Giants ownership. They are loyal to a fault and simply will not fire coughlin over two poor seasons. Couglin will retire when he is ready to.

[RedKingGold]

Originally Posted by BillJasper

If I'm the 49ers, Smith is the first person I interview.

If only to get him out of the way as a serious candidate. Smith is a dolt with gameday decisions.

[miked]

Is Rob Ryan really a candidate, or are we talking Rex? Rob Ryan has a lot of hype, but it seems like his defenses sort of stink lately. I like Rex (I'm a Jets fan obviously) and think if they actually drafted or signed some offensive talent (other than overpaying Decker and Chris Johnson) they may have been more competitive.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

Smith is likely the only one who is in any danger, but it's relatively small. Let's say 80-20 to stay.

I guess it's a possibility, but with these HC guaranteed contracts, we still have a year to go before firing the HC is viable.

Here is the Bucs payroll right now

2014
Greg Schiano $3M
Lovie Smith $5M

2015
Greg Schiano $3M
Lovie Smith $5M

2016
Lovie Smith $5M

2017
Lovie Smith $5M

2018
Lovie Smith $5M

And with the most likely addition of a rookie QB and those hefty paychecks, I don't see Smith going anywhere until after the 2015 season, and that's only if he does worse than 5-11 in 2015! He's in a good spot to ride this out for a while.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

C'mon Bears. You know what to do now.

Hire the Ryan brothers.

Sounds like George McCaskey wants to bring the Bears front office into the modern era. He's strongly considering removing the McCaskeys from football decisions and creating a football operations front office with the McCaskeys controlling the business side.

[BillJasper]

Originally Posted by RedKingGold

If only to get him out of the way as a serious candidate. Smith is a dolt with gameday decisions.

I still think he is a decent coach and that it may be hard to find someone better.

I am puzzled how Dimitroff survived with the lousy roster they have.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Dutch

I guess it's a possibility, but with these HC guaranteed contracts, we still have a year to go before firing the HC is viable.

Here is the Bucs payroll right now

2014
Greg Schiano $3M
Lovie Smith $5M

2015
Greg Schiano $3M
Lovie Smith $5M

2016
Lovie Smith $5M

2017
Lovie Smith $5M

2018
Lovie Smith $5M

And with the most likely addition of a rookie QB and those hefty paychecks, I don't see Smith going anywhere until after the 2015 season, and that's only if he does worse than 5-11 in 2015! He's in a good spot to ride this out for a while.

Really makes you think - there's that whole other side of the equation.

[Dutch]

And honestly, as much as I was not a fan of what happened with the Bucs this year, if the Tampa-2 continues to improve (and it did once the players figured it out) AND we get a decent OC, we could be in a position to actually stabilize our coaching staff and make some inroads towards success, which to me is more important than finding the perfect head coach. At least, for the foreseeable future...hopefully Lovie chooses wisely with the OC and QBOTF.

[Buccaneer]

Looking at my pre-season picks, I nailed all 6 teams in the AFC including seeds. We don't talk about the NFC except I did get GB right.

[kingfc22]

Originally Posted by RedKingGold

If only to get him out of the way as a serious candidate. Smith is a dolt with gameday decisions.

I'd hope Baalke looks at coordinators in SEA and NE to start.

Definitely not interested in the Holmgren's, Shanahan's of the world.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Dutch

And honestly, as much as I was not a fan of what happened with the Bucs this year, if the Tampa-2 continues to improve (and it did once the players figured it out) AND we get a decent OC, we could be in a position to actually stabilize our coaching staff and make some inroads towards success, which to me is more important than finding the perfect head coach. At least, for the foreseeable future...hopefully Lovie chooses wisely with the OC and QBOTF.

You sound exactly like a Bears fan from a few years ago.

[Thomkal]

I think its inevitable that my beloved Cards lose DC Todd Bowles to a head coaching job somewhere. The Niners at least have already asked for permission to talk to him (Please don't take that job Todd!). Plus he's a minority candidate, so he will likely get lots of interviews. Cards signed him to a contract extension a couple months ago in hopes of keeping him, but I think the chance of being a head coach will be too much to resist.

[sabotai]

Happy to see Coughlin staying on in NY. They just put in a new offense, might as well give it another year. It was definitely better in the second half of the year than the first. The future for DC Perry Fewell and STC Tom Quinn is still up in the air.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

You sound exactly like a Bears fan from a few years ago.

Lovie Syndome.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

You sound exactly like a Bears fan from a few years ago.

Trust me, I understand that 100%. I'm not saying anything is sure-fire, I'm operating completely on best case scenarios that run through my mind. I've got to mentally justify season tickets afterall.

[CU Tiger]

Curious.
What did Jeff Fisher do to get so much notoriety?

In 20 years as a head coach he has 6 winning seasons and never more than 2 in a row.
For comparison sake, Coughlin has had 10 winning seasons in one less year. Love? He has had 5 winning seasons in half as many years experience.

Heck off maligned Norv Turner has 1 more winning season in 4 less chances.

I've always thought Fisher was a great guy and a below average coach who benefitted from lackadaisical ownership in Houston/Tennessee.

[BillJasper]

Baalke and York come across terribly in the press conference and are obviously looking for a coach they can control.

Could be a rough few years upcoming for Niners fans.

[molson]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Curious.
What did Jeff Fisher do to get so much notoriety?

In 20 years as a head coach he has 6 winning seasons and never more than 2 in a row.
For comparison sake, Coughlin has had 10 winning seasons in one less year. Love? He has had 5 winning seasons in half as many years experience.

Heck off maligned Norv Turner has 1 more winning season in 4 less chances.

I've always thought Fisher was a great guy and a below average coach who benefitted from lackadaisical ownership in Houston/Tennessee.

There's definitely very different fan expectations and media pressure in New York v. Tennessee and St. Louis - at least when it comes to the NFL. Fisher's first 5 years barely even count - the end of the Oilers, the start of the Titans, nobody was in a huge hurry to be a super bowl contender. Then the 4 out of 5 seasons with 11+ wins. Then two rebuilding years, but the relatively-new NFL fans and media aren't cynical enough yet to throw him out, so he gets back to 8-8, and then 10+ wins the next two years, and then 8-8 again.

St. Louis hasn't panned out but it's only been 3 years and it's not like that franchise has crazy expectations either - the Fisher years have been better for the Rams than the 5 years before him. The team has been scrappy, they pull upsets, they seem to have talent, and then they fail after injuries hit.

He never hit rock bottom, he never really had a disappointing season, (or at least two disappointing seasons in a row), he doesn't make enemies, and he coaches in coach-friendly NFL towns.

It is kind of interesting how he's pulled it off. Jim Harbaugh will be gone from Michigan in 3-4 years if loses 4 games a year. Or 6 years if he can't get to the playoffs.

[BillJasper]

Looks like Ted Philips has been neutered in Chicago.

[RedKingGold]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

I'd hope Baalke looks at coordinators in SEA and NE to start.

Definitely not interested in the Holmgren's, Shanahan's of the world.

My home run scenario? Promote Jim Tomsula to the big job and hire Chris Ault (currently a consultant for the Chiefs, Kaepernick's former coach at Nevada and inventor of the Pistol) as a short-term OC.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

I'd hope Baalke looks at coordinators in SEA and NE to start.

Definitely not interested in the Holmgren's, Shanahan's of the world.

I'll personally pay Josh McDaniels' plane ticket and drive him to the airport.

Just saying.

[JAG]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

I think its inevitable that my beloved Cards lose DC Todd Bowles to a head coaching job somewhere. The Niners at least have already asked for permission to talk to him (Please don't take that job Todd!). Plus he's a minority candidate, so he will likely get lots of interviews. Cards signed him to a contract extension a couple months ago in hopes of keeping him, but I think the chance of being a head coach will be too much to resist.

I think he's been phenomenal this year and hope someone makes him a HC.

[SirFozzie]

From Adam Schefter:

In a deal turned into NFL today, Tom Brady restructured his contract to give NE $24 million more in cash to spend this winter, per sources.
Under the new deal, Brady changed the $24 million in “skill” guarantee to only “injury” guarantee, meaning that Brady now would get the guaranteed money only if he were injured. Brady also now can be released from the Patriots without any liability, but he then would become an unrestricted free agent, free to command the type of guaranteed money he has agreed to surrender. This frees up cash for the Patriots to use on other players. New England needs the cash to help re-sign some of its own free agents such as Darrelle Revis, Devin McCourty, Nate Solder and Shane Vereen, amongst others.

Apparently the Patriot Way may involve brainwashing. $24 million more in FA? Yes Please.

[Desnudo]

Easy to do when your wife makes more money than you do

Watch Belichick stab Brady in the back in 2016 when Rodgers 2.0 is ready.