NFL 2016: Is there a draft in here or is it just me?

[Joe Pesci]

1 hour ago, Pony Queen Jace said:

No!

NO!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I'd literally prefer that we talk about nothing than talk about this. But waddaya know, I can't resist the siren call of an unread post in the NFL thread.

How about this story of a down on your luck RB putting work in to make a comeback so epic a Disney biopic will be in the works come 2017?

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000656043/article/ravens-trent-richardson-has-shed-some-weight

 

[Jace, Extat]

If he gains a single yard from scrimmage I'll kill myself then haunt him. Then I'll reverse-Inception a Murder of Ravens and make them haunt you until your last, tortured, breath passes between your bloodied lips. As it turns to frost before your eyes, the final thought of your broken mind will be regret.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

2 hours ago, DanteGabriel said:

My thinking has changed as this has gone along, as the depth of the league's manipulation and lying has become more and more clear. The whole thing was too incompetently investigated to ever base any serious criminal wrongdoing on, and we had the damaging leaks that helped the league sell their case and condemned the Patriots with misinformation while this story was in its early stages.

And I am not alone in thinking this is a big frame-job:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2629481-the-patriots-are-not-on-the-clock-deflategate-fallout-looms-large-in-nfl-draft

So what's more disturbing to you? The idea that the Patriots might have under-inflated some balls, which carries a fine of $20,000 per ball, or the idea that the NFL smeared and slimed one of its own premiere franchises with a hatchet job investigation and false leaks because the Ravens and Colts whined?

I'm with you on the bolded bit. I'm not arguing that Goodell should be able to punish the Golden Boy. Given the circumstances, he probably shouldn't. I'm saying that I believe Brady did it. I'm saying that lying about it, and putting the two guys he pressed to do it on the chopping block is a lowball move. And I'm saying I believe he deserves some measure of personal punishment for the way he handled the whole thing.

 

Frame job is hyperbole. Did some other owner grease McNally's palms? That would be a frame job. Is the rest of the league jealous? Absolutely. Does the rest of the league see Belicheck as a cheat on some level? I think they probably do. When something like this story starts to develop those owners are going to call for blood, I don't doubt that. Is some of this sentiment colored by the Pat's continued success? Certainly. But this isn't a frame job.

 

 Once again, I'm not defending the way the league handled this. I agree that the crime itself has been overblown. I don't think Brady and the Pats got any substantial advantage from deflating the balls. The real crime here lies in the denial. I believe the Ravens and Colts had a legitimate beef in this particular instance. That doesn't justify the league office trumping up bullshit leaks and the like, but I do believe that Brady was deliberately skirting the rules.

 

And yes, my opinion is shaded by my sportshatred of this douche. Look at this smug fuck.

 

 I get douchechills just looking at that fucking self-satisfied grin. Fuck that guy. You Pats fans can all crow about how pissed off he's going to be when he comes off suspension and he's going to murder the league again. That was so much fun to listen to last season.

[DanteGabriel]

14 minutes ago, Manhole Eunuchsbane said:

 I get douchechills just looking at that fucking self-satisfied grin. Fuck that guy. You Pats fans can all crow about how pissed off he's going to be when he comes of suspension and he's going to murder the league again. That was so much fun to listen to last season.

Maybe he is to you as Kobe Bryant is to me, except not an alleged rapist. I'll have to think about this. Until this last year or so I figured Brady was a Jeter to other teams' fans -- a guy you sportshate but don't think is dirty or a shitty person.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

1 hour ago, DanteGabriel said:

Maybe he is to you as Kobe Bryant is to me, except not an alleged rapist. I'll have to think about this. Until this last year or so I figured Brady was a Jeter to other teams' fans -- a guy you sportshate but don't think is dirty or a shitty person.

I'm not trying to imply that it's rational. I don't think he's as bad as Kobe, but I suppose that isn't a bad comparison. He's not as obviously obnoxious, but there are some similarities. I don't think he's dirty per se, but I do think he has some shitty traits. Fake comes to mind.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

 Bradford wants to be traded to anyone but the 49ers...

 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25567997/report-sam-bradford-doesnt-want-trade-to-49ers-because-of-chip-kelly

 

/Not that I want him, but my team has officially become the Browns. I need a hug.

[Joe Pesci]

6 hours ago, Manhole Eunuchsbane said:

 Bradford wants to be traded to anyone but the 49ers...

 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25567997/report-sam-bradford-doesnt-want-trade-to-49ers-because-of-chip-kelly

 

/Not that I want him, but my team has officially become the Browns. I need a hug.

I love how his agent called him "very competitive", but he wants traded because they're going to pick a QB that he'll have to compete against. And if you want to be a long term answer, don't fucking sign a two-year deal. I'm pretty sure Bradford and his agent are somewhat delusional on how his career has been so far, he's not good enough to make demands. I'd trade his ass to the Niners for a bag of footballs and tell him to suck it.

10 hours ago, Pony Queen Jace said:

If he gains a single yard from scrimmage I'll kill myself then haunt him. Then I'll reverse-Inception a Murder of Ravens and make them haunt you until your last, tortured, breath passes between your bloodied lips. As it turns to frost before your eyes, the final thought of your broken mind will be regret.

https://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=APgrUnNQPQw

[SkynJay]

16 hours ago, JonSnow4President said:

I know I'm late on this.  

But PFM was worse than Fitzy at the end of this year.  Fitzy would have hurt the Bronco's less than Peyton. With a solid team, even with an atrocious QB, a team can win the superbowl.

The Broncos offense in the playoffs was a full yard per play worse than the 32nd ranked regular season offense.

I know I am late on this but I gotta defend Manning here.

He was AWFUL before being benched and when he came back he looked very pedestrian.  But two factors can't be over stated.

1.  By that point the team knew the best bet was the Defense and the game plan completely revolved around that fact.  

2.  Manning'so pocket presence is one of the most underestimated pieces of the playoff run.  The line was porous and Manning avoided sacks.  Granted his diminished skills meant he was throwing it away when he saw the blitz instead of the old days of making a defense pay.  But he was still better for the team than any number of mediocre QB's a la Fitz.

[Jace, Extat]

7 hours ago, Manhole Eunuchsbane said:

 Bradford wants to be traded to anyone but the 49ers...

 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25567997/report-sam-bradford-doesnt-want-trade-to-49ers-because-of-chip-kelly

 

/Not that I want him, but my team has officially become the Browns. I need a hug.

If I'd read this before going to bed, I would have obliged.

1 hour ago, Joe Pesci said:

I love how his agent called him "very competitive", but he wants traded because they're going to pick a QB that he'll have to compete against. And if you want to be a long term answer, don't fucking sign a two-year deal. I'm pretty sure Bradford and his agent are somewhat delusional on how his career has been so far, he's not good enough to make demands. I'd trade his ass to the Niners for a bag of footballs and tell him to suck it.

https://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=APgrUnNQPQw

Your link leads to nothing. The fracturing of your mind has already begun.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

15 hours ago, JonSnow4President said:

Given the team's build right now, I think if you go Ramsey in 1, you have to go D-line if there's someone remotely near value there unless a guy like Lynch falls to the start of 2 (at which point, given the value, I think you prepare for the future).  Outside of Elliot at the top and Henry as the top powerback, I don't see just a massive void between RB's through the rest of the draft, so I'd rather just focus on the D-line early and go for a committee approach at RB for this year.

You know your team better than me, but I feel like taking DH is a win now type of move. The Romo window is closing fast. 

[Reny of Storms End]

2 hours ago, Joe Pesci said:

I love how his agent called him "very competitive", but he wants traded because they're going to pick a QB that he'll have to compete against. And if you want to be a long term answer, don't fucking sign a two-year deal. I'm pretty sure Bradford and his agent are somewhat delusional on how his career has been so far, he's not good enough to make demands. I'd trade his ass to the Niners for a bag of footballs and tell him to suck it.

https://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=APgrUnNQPQw

I'm sure it's been said before but Bradford is like the Jeff Fischer of QBs, except he also gets injured a lot. So send him to LA and let those two do what they do, 7-9 for eternity. 

[sperry]

2 hours ago, Joe Pesci said:

I love how his agent called him "very competitive", but he wants traded because they're going to pick a QB that he'll have to compete against. And if you want to be a long term answer, don't fucking sign a two-year deal. I'm pretty sure Bradford and his agent are somewhat delusional on how his career has been so far, he's not good enough to make demands. I'd trade his ass to the Niners for a bag of footballs and tell him to suck it.

 

 

The problem is that it's not a competition. At this stage in his career he needs to try to find stability. Instead, he's going to be asked to start for one season on what is going to be an awful team, and then he's going to be released immediately after the season.

The team is going to be awful, he's going to get no support, and no matter how well he plays he gets cut at the end of the year and has to start over in a new system again because management simply cannot admit that they traded for the farm for a QB they didn't need.

 

The incompetence of the Philly organization is simply mind boggling.  They signed a QB to a high dollar contract that was clearly intended to be a one year tryout for a long term deal.  Then, they signed another QB to one of the higher priced backup positions in the league. Then, they reversed course, traded 3  starters and a bunch of draft capital to get a different quarterback which is a horrible move in a vacuum, much less when considering the previous moves.

Then they were surprised that the guy they just signed wasn't pleased that they completely cut the legs out from under him while not improving the roster at all.  Chase Daniel has got to be pissed now as well, as he is going to be the third string quarterback (they can't draft Wentz and then not get him the practice reps he needs to develop).

 

Wentz, if that's even the QB they end up with since they made this trade without knowing which one they'd get, may bail them out by being a franchise QB and providing stability in 5 years when they can finally shore up the roster.

 

The other thing I dont' get is how Wentz is possibly considered a top NFL prospect: http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/15232186/a-closer-look-top-nfl-draft-qb-prospects-carson-wentz-jared-goff

 

Keep in mind that he did not dominate 1-AA competition. He completed 28.9% of his passes while under pressure, for 2.63 YPA.  Keep in mind that he was being pressured by a bunch of 1-AA pass rushers.  So, a bunch of guys not even close to the size, strength, or speed that he will face in the NFL. He was also playing on what is far and away the best FBS team.  This guy screams 3rd round developmental prospect, and the Eagles just mortgaged the future of their franchise to move up and get him.

[Maithanet]

11 minutes ago, sperry said:

 

The problem is that it's not a competition. At this stage in his career he needs to try to find stability. Instead, he's going to be asked to start for one season on what is going to be an awful team, and then he's going to be released immediately after the season.

If he is looking for stability, he should be looking to be a backup.  I imagine there are a lot of teams in the league that would love to have Sam Bradford as their backup qb.  But he wants to be a starter, and his record of getting injured and failing to win more than 7 games makes it so that no team really wants to make a long term commitment to him.  Why would they?  He has been in the league 6 seasons, he has suffered 3 season ending injuries, he has never led his team to the playoffs and his numbers are utterly pedestrian. 

I know you are a fan of the guy Sperry, but the NFL is not fair.  Bradford has made a boatload of money and has never been a good NFL quarterback.  We don't have pages and pages of discussion of how Colt McCoy is getting the shaft, even though he played for even more dysfunctional franchises (the Browns and Redskins), his numbers have actually been pretty good since getting out of Cleveland, and his career earnings have been ~ 1/10th of Bradford's. 

[sperry]

7 minutes ago, Maithanet said:

If he is looking for stability, he should be looking to be a backup.  I imagine there are a lot of teams in the league that would love to have Sam Bradford as their backup qb.  But he wants to be a starter, and his record of getting injured and failing to win more than 7 games makes it so that no team really wants to make a long term commitment to him.  Why would they?  He has been in the league 6 seasons, he has suffered 3 season ending injuries, he has never led his team to the playoffs and his numbers are utterly pedestrian. 

I know you are a fan of the guy Sperry, but the NFL is not fair.  Bradford has made a boatload of money and has never been a good NFL quarterback.  We don't have pages and pages of discussion of how Colt McCoy is getting the shaft, even though he played for even more dysfunctional franchises (the Browns and Redskins), his numbers have actually been pretty good since getting out of Cleveland, and his career earnings have been ~ 1/10th of Bradford's. 

 

Yes, the NFL is not fair.  But Bradford ironically didn't get a raw deal due to the NFL not being fair, he got a raw deal due to sheer incompetence.

 

If the Eagles had let Bradford walk, or offered him a 1 year $10 million deal or something, none of this discussion is happening. Even me, an obvious homer, could not have really blamed them. Instead, they decided to pay him before he tested the free agent market, and then changed their minds a couple months later putting both themselves and Bradford in a really shitty position.  The funny thing is had they let him walk, they could have started Chase Daniel, been terrible next year, and ended up with a top pick in next year's draft.  Or, they could have signed Bradford and drafted one of the many QBs that will be available in the second round.  This would have avoided the shitty situation they are in now because they would not be completely committed to the QB they just drafted.  Roseman and Pederson have both tied their futures completely to a kid who started 23 games for North Dakota State.

 

Again, regardless of your opinion of Bradford as a QB, you cannot blame him for demanding a trade here.  If he is stuck on this Philly team this year it will be extremely damaging to his career.  Playing out a season as a lame duck QB on a team that is going to be terrible, while the fans will be calling for the backup the entire year. He has to do everything in his power to get out of that situation.

[Maithanet]

3 minutes ago, sperry said:

If the Eagles had let Bradford walk, or offered him a 1 year $10 million deal or something, none of this discussion is happening. Even me, an obvious homer, could not have really blamed them. Instead, they decided to pay him before he tested the free agent market, and then changed their minds a couple months later putting both themselves and Bradford in a really shitty position.  The funny thing is had they let him walk, they could have started Chase Daniel, been terrible next year, and ended up with a top pick in next year's draft.  Or, they could have signed Bradford and drafted one of the many QBs that will be available in the second round.  This would have avoided the shitty situation they are in now because they would not be completely committed to the QB they just drafted.  Roseman and Pederson have both tied their futures completely to a kid who started 23 games for North Dakota State.

I agree the Eagles have done a horrible job with their quarterback situation.  The reason is because they have overpaid for a starting quarterback that they don't actually trust to be their starter.  However, Bradford, being the guy who got a lucrative contract to be a placeholder for the new guy, is not the victim here.  He, in fact, got a pretty sweet deal.  He is one of the top 10 highest paid quarterbacks in spite of never even being a top 15 quarterback, he gets a SEVENTH season to prove that he really can be a starter somewhere, and if he can perform, he'll get YET ANOTHER lucrative deal from someone. 

If he fails this season with Philly, then maybe, just maybe, those seven seasons of him not being an effective starter will be enough to demonstrate that he is not, in fact, an effective starter.  I honestly cannot think of a single quarterback that has been given more chances to succeed as a starter than Sam Bradford.

[sperry]

8 minutes ago, Maithanet said:

I agree the Eagles have done a horrible job with their quarterback situation.  The reason is because they have overpaid for a starting quarterback that they don't actually trust to be their starter.  However, Bradford, being the guy who got a lucrative contract to be a placeholder for the new guy, is not the victim here.  He, in fact, got a pretty sweet deal.  He is one of the top 10 highest paid quarterbacks in spite of never even being a top 15 quarterback, he gets a SEVENTH season to prove that he really can be a starter somewhere, and if he can perform, he'll get YET ANOTHER lucrative deal from someone. 

If he fails this season with Philly, then maybe, just maybe, those seven seasons of him not being an effective starter will be enough to demonstrate that he is not, in fact, an effective starter.  I honestly cannot think of a single quarterback that has been given more chances to succeed as a starter than Sam Bradford.

 

 

In theory, you are right.  However, the Eagles have intentionally set him up to fail.  The Eagles roster is horrible, they are going to be one of the worst teams in the league.  They traded away starters for draft picks, then traded those draft picks for a guy who does not help the roster at all in the short team. The Eagles want him to fail, if he does well it puts them in an awkward spot, because if he plays really well this year they are exposed incompetent buffoons for mortgaging draft capital for a player they don't need.  Their ideal situation is Bradford doing poorly, and them putting Wentz in the starting lineup with about 5 or 6 games left in the season and then cutting Bradford at the end of the year.

 

So it's not a good deal for Bradford, it's a terrible one. He gets some short term gain in the form of a really nice salary this year, while having his long term career prospects damaged by being a placeholder QB on a team that has decided it doesn't want to try to win in the short term and has no plans to try to build around him for the future.

[Quijote Light]

Wouldn't the ideal situation for the Eagles be for Bradford to do well, and then be traded with one year remaining on his contract? If he did well enough to trade for a decent draft pick that is. 

[Maithanet]

57 minutes ago, sperry said:

Their ideal situation is Bradford doing poorly, and them putting Wentz in the starting lineup with about 5 or 6 games left in the season and then cutting Bradford at the end of the year.

So it's not a good deal for Bradford, it's a terrible one. He gets some short term gain in the form of a really nice salary this year, while having his long term career prospects damaged by being a placeholder QB on a team that has decided it doesn't want to try to win in the short term and has no plans to try to build around him for the future.

If the Eagles were in fully 76ers rebuild mode, they wouldn't have traded away their first round pick next year.  They definitely think they can be competitive in the weak NFC East. 

The best case scenario for Philly is definitely that Bradford plays well, so they could trade him and get some of that draft capital back.  That would also be the best case scenario for Bradford.  But he isn't willing to do that, which is why he is coming across as an entitled jerk, who thinks he "deserves" a long term commitment from an NFL team.  This is particularly bad seeing how he has already been paid $75 million, and has been an utterly mediocre quarterback for six seasons. 

[Joe Pesci]

5 minutes ago, Maithanet said:

If the Eagles were in fully 76ers rebuild mode, they wouldn't have traded away their first round pick next year.  They definitely think they can be competitive in the weak NFC East. 

The best case scenario for Philly is definitely that Bradford plays well, so they could trade him and get some of that draft capital back.  That would also be the best case scenario for Bradford.  But he isn't willing to do that, which is why he is coming across as an entitled jerk, who thinks he "deserves" a long term commitment from an NFL team.  This is particularly bad seeing how he has already been paid $75 million, and has been an utterly mediocre quarterback for six seasons. 

The want of a long term commitment thing is also puzzling considering he signed a two year contract. How quickly this became an issue for him after the trade to the two spot, not when he was getting all that guaranteed money from Philly. Bradford and his agent took the easy money over the possibility of a long term deal in FA, and now they have sour grapes. Tough to feel sorry for him.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

11 minutes ago, Joe Pesci said:

The want of a long term commitment thing is also puzzling considering he signed a two year contract. How quickly this became an issue for him after the trade to the two spot, not when he was getting all that guaranteed money from Philly. Bradford and his agent took the easy money over the possibility of a long term deal in FA, and now they have sour grapes. Tough to feel sorry for him.

Has any player in the NFL other than Jamarcus Russell earned as much money as Bradford for achieving so little?