NFL 2021 Regular Season Thread

[sovereignstar v2]

The Lions.

[Coffee Warlord]

Yep, the Lions still make the Bears look competent.

[Coffee Warlord]

Except ... why would you not just call 3 runs and try and get 6.

[Ksyrup]

Any long-suffering Detroit/Michigan fans should follow Isaac.

I'll give you one guess who the Bears threw to.

(SPOILER: IT'S THE MOTHERFUCKER WITH THE 7 YARD CUSHION ON 3RD AND 4 AND THE BIG RED ARROW) pic.twitter.com/2EvFefCtaa

— Isaac (@WorldofIsaac) November 25, 2021

[Atocep]

As a bears fan I feel like I've seen a lot of bad coaching in my lifetime. Dan Campbell is fucking awful.

[AlexB]

Already this feels like watching a completely different sport

[cuervo72]

Why was that a running clock? He flipped out of bounds without being touched.

[albionmoonlight]

Even when the Saints were suffering through the literal worst defenses in the history of the national football league, I still thought they were a playoff team because of Sean Payton and Drew Brees. This is the first time since the 2006 season that I realize that my favorite team is not good enough to get to the playoffs even if they somehow manage to get a few lucky bounces & fall into the seventh seed this year.

[albionmoonlight]

Dola, it’s been a great run. And these struggles directly result from the lack of depth that resulted from the cap crunch that resulted from going all in the last few seasons. They are all decisions that made sense, and I do not regret them. Still, it’s been a while since I’ve had to figure out what other teams to root for during the playoffs.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Dola, it’s been a great run. And these struggles directly result from the lack of depth that resulted from the cap crunch that resulted from going all in the last few seasons. They are all decisions that made sense, and I do not regret them. Still, it’s been a while since I’ve had to figure out what other teams to root for during the playoffs.

They have really handled thing amazingly well for this long. There have been a couple of times during this run that the Saints were looking at cap problems that they were able to continue winning based on hitting on with some draft picks. Eventually the cap problems along with some injuries will catch up to you.

[miked]

I don't understand this Taysom Hill situation. They are paying him $22M guaranteed by next year, but are starting garbage QBs in his place. He had no touches last night from what I can see, so is this just a case of management disagreeing with coaches, or is this some kind of crazy 4D chess?

[henry296]

Originally Posted by miked

I don't understand this Taysom Hill situation. They are paying him $22M guaranteed by next year, but are starting garbage QBs in his place. He had no touches last night from what I can see, so is this just a case of management disagreeing with coaches, or is this some kind of crazy 4D chess?

He was injured last night.

[miked]

I mean, he participated in practice and was active? If he's too hurt to play, why keep him active and waste a space? It just seems like a really odd situation.

[Masked]

Originally Posted by miked

I mean, he participated in practice and was active? If he's too hurt to play, why keep him active and waste a space? It just seems like a really odd situation.

He was active but would come in only if Trevor Siemian was injured. He had a fairly severe concussion before Winston was injured and then got a foot injury in his first game back. I expect he will replace Siemian once he is healthier.

[Brian Swartz]

On third down and fairly long (5-10 yards), every team throws the ball to the first-down marker or beyond about twice as often as the Lions do, most far more than that. Brad Congelio, Ph.D. �📊🧑�💻 on Twitter: "Baker Mayfield absolutely GOES for it on 3rd down with 5-10 yds. to go. (cc'ing @karnsies817). Jared Goff on the other hand? I have no words (cc'ing @JeffRisdon).

Daniel Jones is surprisingly aggressive (cc'ing @StephieSmallls).

Data: @nflversetweets… https://t.co/iYZ43qKnPc"

[larrymcg421]

Positive signs from Tua there as the knock on him last season was his unwillingness to throw into tight windows.

[SirFozzie]

Are the Ben Gals for real? (I know what happened last time I said that)

[NobodyHere]

I'm beginning to think that the Colts are pretty good.

[NobodyHere]

And what the Skyline Chili is happening in Cincinatti?

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Are the Ben Gals for real? (I know what happened last time I said that)

Bengals are an above .500-looking team now and on the rise. The combination of Burrow-Chase-Mixon are good now and have a ton of potential to get better.

The Steelers are reeling due to a combination of injuries and a horrendous offensive line. I don't have any inside info into it, but I also feel like some (or most) of the Steeler's young wide receivers are not the greatest learners or maybe not great practice players. I've watched most of their games and I feel like a decent amount of the interceptions that have been thrown have been from the receivers doing the wrong thing. Chase Claypool, in particular, seems to have 3-4 bad plays per game where he either isn't looking when a pass comes, drops catchable passes, or makes stupid penalties (offensive PI or holding).

[Brian Swartz]

I'm beginning to think the Buccaneers aren't. Their defense hasn't looked good in a while. Maybe a combo of the two.

[GrantDawg]

The Falcons playing well versus a bad team. Yay.
It is fun to watch Cordell Patterson continue going crazy. 2 tds today, and played a snap on defense as well. He has been the star of an all round blah team.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[AlexB]

The more I see of Tua (watching nearly every Dolphins game now I have Game Pass), the more impressed I am.

Rocky start today, but grew quickly into the game and is managing the game well.

Hopefully next season we have an O-Line, running game and a second receiver that allows a more expansive play book

[Swaggs]

On cue, Chase Claypool goes up and makes a great, leaping catch over two Bengals' defenders and runs his mouth while we are losing 41-3. Next play, he gets an offensive facemask penalty on the cornerback he was mouthing off with while nowhere near the play and then, the play after that, drops a simple 8-yard, uncovered pass, that hit him in both hands and the chest. The Steelers really miss JuJu.

[spleen1015]

Colts just falling apart. Turnovers, 2 bullshit PI calls. Game over.

[albionmoonlight]

4 in a row for the Dolphins.

[NobodyHere]

Colts suck
Browns suck
Lions are even worse than my love life


I am fucking done with the NFL

[Ksyrup]

The Broncos are so damn frustrating.

[Ksyrup]

This is one of the worst games I've ever watched. Both these teams have been sliding backwards and now they are trying to out-suck each other for the loss.

[thesloppy]

"I haven't seen a game like this in a little while" ~Cris Collinsworth

[molson]

Teams are now 1-37 since 2015 when the starting QB throws 4 picks.

And the Ravens hold the #1 seed at the moment.

What a season.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey to miss rest of NFL season with ankle injury

Since signing a four-year, $64 million extension that made him the highest-paid running back in NFL history, McCaffrey will have played in only 10 of 33 games by the end of this season.

[Kodos]

That’s a pretty nice per-game pay rate.

[SirFozzie]

God.. my fantasy football team.

McCaffrey (#1 pick): Missed a good chuck of the year already, going to miss the rest of the season.

2nd round pick Deandre Hopkins: Missed a quarter of the season so far, MAY return this week.

3rd round pick: Calvin Ridley Currently taking a mental health break from the NFL, no return time estimated.

How I'm above .500 this season, I don't know.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey to miss rest of NFL season with ankle injury

McCaffrey is a great player but I never understand when teams pay running backs big money. Feels like one of those positions you want 3-4 decent guys who can rotate in and out.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

McCaffrey is a great player but I never understand when teams pay running backs big money. Feels like one of those positions you want 3-4 decent guys who can rotate in and out.

I can understand the locker-room reasons you might not want to do this, but if there is a stud RB in the draft, you can get him in the first round and (1) get four years cheap, (2) get a fifth year option if he isn't broken by that point, and (3) franchise him for a 6th.

Basically, you can get the best 6 years of his career without having to commit any long-term money to him.

As a pure $$ move, you should never extend an RB at anything other than backup-level money.

[spleen1015]

Mike Tomlin on Chase Claypool's suggestion they should play music and make practice more fun:

"Claypool plays wide out and I'll let him do that. I'll formulate the practice approach and I think that division of labor is appropriate."

— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) November 30, 2021

[albionmoonlight]

For each NFL team, here are the top 5 colleges in terms of % of snaps played during the 2021 season. Which college does your team have the most snaps from?

(Credit to @JEvanReid for idea) pic.twitter.com/ASTxK0yvOm

— Tom Bliss (@DataWithBliss) December 1, 2021

[albionmoonlight]

I found that chart fascinating.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

I found that chart fascinating.

I'd go as far as "interesting" maybe, though I have to admit that it took me a couple looks to figure out what was it was actually doing.

[bhlloy]

I’m not saying the Jets suck because they have Virginia, Duke, UConn and Western Kentucky in their top 5 buuut…

Maybe they actually think they’ve been playing basketball this whole time?

This graph also shows how far USC has fallen, which is less funny.

[Brian Swartz]

So players from Michigan know better than to play for the Detroit Lions, leaving them to get what they can from other Midwest states (and randomly Arkansas thrown in there)?

[QuikSand]

How far do we think the Dolphins might go in employing run/pass option plays? Its clearly Tua's strong suit, but the conventional wisdom is you can't allow yourself to overuse those tactics. It's the same laundry as the team that came out and zeroed the favored Patriots by unveiling the wildcat offense for an entire game.

I don't know. I'm back to feeling a tiny bit warm and fuzzy about the team, them being able to rally back from circling the toilet is a good sign. They are obviously not "there" but if they actually have four build-around pieces from these last two drafts that could be okay. Not the ten we really wanted, but four can get you someplace.

They need a good solid offseason ahead, with smarter decisions than we've grown accustomed to. They probably have to just give up on this "let the young OL work it out and gel together" and bring aboard one human being who can actually play NFL tackle at a credible level. Decide what they're doing with this secondary, you can't have this Schrodinger's cornerback situation forever. Let TE Gesicki leave rather than pay him $13m/yr, he is intriguing but not a serious difference maker in that offense. And then decide what style of running game they think can work around the blockers and scheme, not the backs, that they expect to have. (Side note: Philip Lindsay is a dark horse candidate to be a great fit there and the guy who takes 1st and 10 carries in next season's opener)

I want GM Grier fired, Coach Flores kept, and maybe Charlie Frye handed the full time OC/playcaller job instead of the two-headed monster. I'd be fine if they brought in a legit playcaller to take over that side of things, and let Flores just be the CEO type.

Waddle looks fine, but does not look like the right pick, and the decision to trade back up from 1.12 to 1.06 only get him now feels foolish...and it was pretty obvious this exact setup was at least a serious possibility. I'm not saying you turn down the 2x 1sts to stay at pick 3 and take Jamarr Chase, but if they felt sure they'd get him at 6 it was just bad intel/gamble.

But here we are. The Tunsil, Minkah, etc exit and resulting massive draft capital felt like a wide open window to build a GREAT foundation. I was disappointed with some of the specifics at the time (on draft night and during free agency), but I was definitely wrong about things along the way (dismissing Herbert most notably).

12-5 in 2023. That could happen.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

So what's your ideal Dolphins' outcome at 6?

(1) Trade back down?
(2) Pitts/Chase/Smith?
(3) Sewell/Slater?
(4) Something else?

Originally Posted by QuikSand

My order of preference:

Chase
Pitts
trade down to net a future 1st, no less than that
Sewell

I am increasingly worried that it starts off QB-QB-QB-Pitts-Chase and then I really want them to deal down for value, let someone come up to take Sewell or a QB. A deal down to pick 9, or even 13, could see them still land a Bama receiver.

Then resist the temptation to take the first RB off the board. Please.

Then I'm just resigned that they will target different players from there than what I have been doing in my mocks. Last year I must have mocked the Dolphins' draft at least 100 times, and I never ever ever selected CB Igbinoghene, T Hunt, or DL Davis in any of them, all of whom went to Miami with 1st/2nd round choices. I was SURE they would take one of the interesting safeties, and watched them blithely skip past them all, only to take someone I never considered with a reach in the 3rd.

Fun look-back in the days leading up to the draft... after Miami had double dealt from 3 to 12 to 6. "I am increasingly worried that it starts off QB-QB-QB-Pitts-Chase" yyyyyyup.

[bhlloy]

I’m guessing Taysom Hill probably isn’t going to see the QB money in that contract huh

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

I’m guessing Taysom Hill probably isn’t going to see the QB money in that contract huh

Nah. I think that Payton really wanted it to work. I think he would have loved grabbing a guy off waivers and turning him into Cam Newton. That would have really stroked his coach's ego.

But Taysom has no feel for pressure. He can't run a normal NFL offense. He's not an NFL QB.

And considering the lack of receiving talent, I don't see the Saints being an attractive destination for Rodgers or Wilson if they force trades this offseason.

I have no idea who is taking the Week 1 snaps for the Saints next year, and I doubt that they do either at this point.

[Ksyrup]

As much as I don't like Rodgers personally, I hope Denver makes a run at either him or Wilson. In fact, I was thinking that one of the reasons they just did long-term deals with Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton, plus have Jerry Jeudy, Noah Fant, and the other TE whose name I'm not going to attempt, was an attempt to show they are as stacked as any team at receiver. Plus it obviously provides more cap flexibility.

[miami_fan]

I assume this is a "and water is wet" situation.

Sources - Ben Roethlisberger expects this to be his last season with Pittsburgh Steelers

[Thomkal]

I was reading somewhere on Twitter this week that my beloved Cardinals can clinch a playoff spot with a win against the Bears today. Not sure how accurate that would be, but sure would be sweet if they do. I'm just hoping both Murray and Hopkins play today and stay healthy.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

I was reading somewhere on Twitter this week that my beloved Cardinals can clinch a playoff spot with a win against the Bears today. Not sure how accurate that would be, but sure would be sweet if they do. I'm just hoping both Murray and Hopkins play today and stay healthy.

Your wish is granted:

#AZCardinals Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury just officially told me that Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins are both playing today versus the #Bears. @nflnetwork

— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) December 5, 2021