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NFL Offseason '18: Our American Cousins


Rhom

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16 minutes ago, dbunting said:

I don't get what GB is doing since it seems like Nelson is Rodgers favorite target. You'd think they would want to keep Rodgers happy since he is due a new contract soon.

Wanna get paid, some playas get played.

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Waiting for news for ANYTHING positive coming out of the Pats' free-agency period; at this rate I am starting to think that there are now only 31 teams in the NFL and the Pats have to re-apply for membership or something.  They have done fuck-all during this "official tampering" period.  

Let's see... lose the Superbowl by 8 points because your head coach refused to play your best/second-best CB... its unspecified why Butler was not played but the rumor was that it was a problem big enough to 1) not play him at all, 2) not tell anyone he was not playing until 3 hours before the game and that includes his replacement who was not told until kick-off, and 3) waste yet another year of Tom Brady's shelf-life.  So, obviously, Butler must have such problems that he is all but radioactive. 

So the Titans sign him for $61Mil, $30 mil guaranteed.  So... yeah... 

And then for good measure, the Titans also snag the Pats most productive Running Back over the last 3 seasons.  I'm not as broken up about this; RBs don't matter much (really; I'm not joking).  But still... Dion Lewis GONE.

Then Danny Amendola- hand's down your most important and consistent receiver in the Pats last three Superbowl trips - decides, finally, that he actually would like to make some money in the NFL and signs with Miami.  The meme I read was that the only person who will miss Danny Amendola more than Tom Brady is Ryan Tannehill.  

Pats also lost Alan Branch, which is hilarious because how do you lose somebody that fat?  And slow?  Regardless, they replaced him with a guy from Cleveland who was considered a bust.  I know that does not narrow it down, but go with me here- it will not matter.  He'll suck.  Also, Pats have to re-sign their LT- Nate Solder who should get around $13.5 mil a year.  So... you know... great time to start shopping for a new Left Tackle... 

Pats were rumored to be interested in a bunch of players, including Jimmy Graham (signed with the Packers) and Richard Sherman (signed with SF... who has that other guy at QB).  Pats also watched as the Dolphins and Jets got better.  I know- hard for them to get much worse ....but still... 

The lack of action on the Pats is sort of the hang-over from 2017; Pats spent a ton of money on Gilmore (who became the only Patriot to have a good game defensively in the SB); have been trying to juggle major re-signings from Gronk to Hightower to McCourty of the last few seasons, some really poor decisions in last season's free agency market (Kony Ealy anyone?) and that leaves them with very, very little cap space (about $17 mil, well below the league average).  

This is not to say that the Pats are in trouble for next season.  Despite the reports that Gronk wants to be a wrestler, he i almost assuredly going to be on the field next season; Pats also get back Julian Edleman and Dont'a Hightower from injuries; still have Gillmore, still have McCourty... still have that Brady guy.  

But... what will the Pats have to show for Free Agency?  Preston Brown?   Kenny Vaccaro?  Nigel Bradham... wait he just resigned with the Eagles...  Be still my beating heart for someday maybe William Hayes and Albert Wilson can be Patriots.  What a great feeling... 

Not for the first time, I think the Brady-Belichick window is closing faster than we had thought with a suddenly depleted Pats team reeling from a very questionable SB loss and faced with serious questions and no real influx of players.  I am not enthused by this off-season.

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1 hour ago, Rockroi said:

Also, Pats have to re-sign their LT- Nate Solder who should get around $13.5 mil a year.  So... you know... great time to start shopping for a new Left Tackle... 

Giants just grabbed him. But who cares about a 40 year old QB's blind side anyways.... 

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Well Rock, at least Nate Ebner is coming back. I actually like Ebner but his primary value is being the second best guy on kickoffs.

At least they'll have some nice compensatory picks at the end of the third and fourth rounds next year!

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19 minutes ago, DanteGabriel said:

Well Rock, at least Nate Ebner is coming back. I actually like Ebner but his primary value is being the second best guy on kickoffs.

At least they'll have some nice compensatory picks at the end of the third and fourth rounds next year!

You now the worst part?  Right now, there are some "In Bill We Trust" guys saying THIS EXACT THING!  And they mean it.  Great, compensatory picks.  Great, we can say how the Giants overpaid Solder (I think) etc.  But I am actually thinking its all over. 

Brady's cap % this year is around 15%- the highest it has been in years.  Pats have made no real moves this off-season.  McDaniels stayed and Belichick is likely gone next season.  

I think the Pats are going to pay Brady this season, go 10-6 lose in the divisional round on the road to .... say... Jacksonville; have the media say "This will go down as Bill Belichick's best coaching season the way he did so much with so little", neglecting to mention that it was Belichick who made it so that the Pats had "so little" and then he'll retire, Brady will retire and then that will be that.  

I just hope in 20 years a really well-performing team trades us their stud back-up QB for a 2nd round pick to being our resurgence.  

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The Browns can NOT afford to skip drafting a QB somewhere in the first round.  Their fans would revolt.  They've got to try after missing on Watson last year.

That having been said, if the reports are true and the Browns will sign Hyde today to a three-year deal, that does not suggest that Barkley is in their plans.

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1 hour ago, Tywin et al. said:

Honestly what in god’s name is your team doing? The only thing that makes sense is that the internal strife is even worse than what’s being reported.  

Belichick historically goes shopping after all the big contracts are up. And they're short on cap space. Solder's Giants contract would basically eat all their free space.

But damn. Solder's not spectacular but he is reliable and the line already felt like they were doing it with smoke and mirrors. Maybe they think Cameron Fleming or LaAdrian Waddle can do the job, but I think both those guys are free agents too.

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31 minutes ago, DanteGabriel said:

But damn. Solder's not spectacular but he is reliable and the line already felt like they were doing it with smoke and mirrors. Maybe they think Cameron Fleming or LaAdrian Waddle can do the job, but I think both those guys are free agents too.

It makes a lot of sense why the Pats let certain people walk.  Butler?  Too expensive.  Lewis? Not worth the money.  But Solder?

I completely agree with DG on this; while Solder may not be a HofF'er, he is an incredibly consistent O-lineman and playing one of the hardest positions in pro sports; one that teams cannot skimp on.  There are 4 position on a football field that you HAVE to spend money on to compete: QB, CB, WR, LT.  That's it.  The guy who throws the ball, the guy who catches the ball, the guy who protects the guy who throws the ball and the guy who tries to stop the guy from catching the ball from the guy who throws the ball.  

Solder, Lewis and Butler- had they all signed with the Pats - would have eaten up the whole of the Pats cap space for this season and screw them over for the next 5.  But Solder alone MAY have been worth it to resign. I, for one, BARELY trust Cannon and do not trust Waddle or Flaming at all (Fleming is probably terrible).

That's why I liked Solder- he may not have been a perfect answer, but at least he was not another question.  

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Joe Thomas decided to call it a career today.  Really sad that he didn't come back for one last season, especially since the Browns look like they could be halfway decent this year.  From what I've read, it sounds like he's in a lot of physical pain and probably needs a knee replacement, though, so hard to begrudge the man for calling it quits.  Crazy that he went over ten years without missing a game prior to last season.

Greatest LT of all-time.  He's probably in line for a broadcasting career, but if I'm the Browns I offer the man a permanent front office position out of respect.

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32 minutes ago, briantw said:

Greatest LT of all-time.  He's probably in line for a broadcasting career, but if I'm the Browns I offer the man a permanent front office position out of respect.

Forgivable if you didn't see Anthony Muñoz play.  But no doubt in my mind Muñoz is #1 by a good margin.

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1 minute ago, Bronn Stone said:

Forgivable if you didn't see Anthony Muñoz play.  But no doubt in my mind Muñoz is #1 by a good margin.

By dint of having been on a team that wasn't garbage, Orlando Pace would like a word.

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7 minutes ago, Pony Queen Jace said:

By dint of having been on a team that wasn't garbage, Orlando Pace would like a word.

Huh?  Munoz played in two super bowls.  Not his fault Joe Montana is better the Boomer Esiason. 

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I'm really surprised by the Pats too.  I know they love to lurk a few days and wait for other teams to over-spend before they swoop in and grab some bargains, and I know they've been very effective in the past at callously dropping players who get too expensive to retain, but I'll be impressed if Belichick can turn it around this time.

Garoppolo looms over all.  For that decision to pay off they need to stay competitive, but they knew the salary cap problem was building.  They have some good players returning from injury, but they're also losing players who were significant contributors in the post-season.  It's almost like last year was the final throw of the dice.  That SB would have been the pay-off on the Brady/Garoppolo bet but since it didn't pan out they are in no-man's land: it's tougher for them to make another run to the SB this year (even though the AFC still isn't that deep, and there was at least some chance that Roethlisberger would retire and make it an easier path) but now a post-Brady rebuild is so much tougher.  I can't imagine they want to just tread water this late in the Brady/Belichick era.  They have to either stick or twist.

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Bi-polar Jace is back.

Fuck the Colts, they just signed someone called Denico Autry for more than what Carlos Hyde got.

Autry is a 27 year old DE with the Raiders you've never heard of with a groundbreaking 10.5 sacks... in 4 years.

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