NFL the offseason

[DanteGabriel]

Palin, that wasn't very rant-y at all. Seems perfectly reasonable and understandable. I think Cleveland's relationship with its quarterbacks is much less head-scratching than Donovan McNabb's tortured relationship with Philly fans. Of course, Philadelphia fans could be a topic all on their own.

I am not that familiar with the history of Bud Adams, so I will defer judgment on that. I would, however, support a York-sacrificing ritual if they tried to move the 49ers.

[awesome possum]

Antonio Bryant gets Boldin-like numbers from the Bengals. He may be ridiculously overpaid if he can't produce lining up across from Ochocinco.

[palin99999]

Antonio Bryant gets Boldin-like numbers from the Bengals. He may be ridiculously overpaid if he can't produce lining up across from Ochocinco.

Looks like Cinci never really were serious with T.O.:

Adam_Schefter

Don't know that @OGOchocinco is going to like this, but the Bengals never made an offer to T.O. Not one.

I think Bryant's a better fit anyways. He's very talented and it looks like he's finally put it all together.

[DanteGabriel]

Antonio Bryant gets Boldin-like numbers from the Bengals. He may be ridiculously overpaid if he can't produce lining up across from Ochocinco.

Just when I thought the uncertain labor situation was making teams more sensible about their free agent contracts...

[ztemhead]

Yeah, he's a strange dichotomy of being, one hand, maybe the most physical receiver in the NFL after the catch; the guy's actively looking for a DB he can truck...while at the same time being a bit of a prima donna and a guy who hasn't played 16 the last couple years. But then you also have to factor in, part of the reason he's missed time is a hit so brutal that it changes the shape of his face and had Warner considering retirement. As far as circumstances go, that's about as extenuating as they come.

kind of a random comment to piggyback on, but it works for me. I'm cool with Boldin's move, as I'm cool with the Cards losing so many players recently. For what they would have had to pay to keep them, I'd pass. And as Kalb et al said, Q hasn't been too healthy the last couple years, so take what they're paying him, and just know it's only going to be for 10 to 14 games this coming season.

It's a bit of a mutual thing going on with the Cardinals now- Warner left, and the free agents there know the team is going to suck, so why should they stay? Or in the case of Q, the guy who made him a good receiver with big numbers is being replaced with some Scottsdale club kid, so why should he stay? You can't show yards after the catch if half the throws are picks, and if the Cards aren't going to step up with the big money payday right now, where does that leave Q's career for the next few years? OTOH, the Bidwells know next year is going to be shit, so if they can shed some payroll, they're willing to to it. That's why they paid coach Whisenhunt all that money- they think he can maintain respectability by way of draft picks and player development.

Local media here is concentrating on the loss of Rolle, Boldin, Dansby, and Berry. This to me is like worrying about paper cuts when the patient has a sucking chest wound. They need a good quarterback, or at least a couple running backs they can run into the ground until someone becomes a good quarterback.

And if I haven't said it enough, Leinert isn't the guy, and he'll never be the guy. If the sport revolved around fathering illegitimate kids in Scottsdale and SoCal, he'd be in the Pro Bowl, but in the NFL, he'll never be a franchise quarterback.

[palin99999]

And if I haven't said it enough, Leinert isn't the guy, and he'll never be the guy. If the sport revolved around fathering illegitimate kids in Scottsdale and SoCal, he'd be in the Pro Bowl, but in the NFL, he'll never be a franchise quarterback.

The thought here in Cleveland is that Derek Anderson will become a Cardinal. DA's best year as a Brown was when he got to throw to K. Winslow, Braylon, and Joe Jurevicious, as they were able to adjust to his poor throws. All three were excellent receivers so I could see DA doing well with Arizona's receivers. However, DA is terrible at reading defenses and will have games where people don't think he belongs in the league. But when he's on he is a very scary QB.

[Gold Storm]

I think Anderson will fit better with the Cards, because he likes to bomb it deep and the WR there like that. The rumor is the Browns are shopping Quinn. I saw a lot of Wallace the last couple years playing for Seattle, and I was not impressed. I hope they have somebody else in mind or they should just go full wildcat with Cribbs.

[Jaime L]

Local media here is concentrating on the loss of Rolle, Boldin, Dansby, and Berry. This to me is like worrying about paper cuts when the patient has a sucking chest wound. They need a good quarterback, or at least a couple running backs they can run into the ground until someone becomes a good quarterback.

And if I haven't said it enough, Leinert isn't the guy, and he'll never be the guy. If the sport revolved around fathering illegitimate kids in Scottsdale and SoCal, he'd be in the Pro Bowl, but in the NFL, he'll never be a franchise quarterback.

Yeah, y'know I wouldn't be too upset over the loss of Rolle, Dansby and Berry. I mean what difference did these guys make when the Cardinals gave up 90 points in two playoff games? If they let those guys walked to replace them with hole-in-zone they'll probably have a comparative level of coverage.

Also agree that the Cardinals got along just fine without Boldin. Watching the offense explode without him prematurely ended any contention he had that he was close to the impact player Fitzgerald is.

As for Leinart, it's just been so long since I've seen him throw the football in a meaningful game. Pretty much all that shine from his college career has worn off on the bench. It's sad that his greatest professional moment was probably the "You want to crown them? Crown their asses" Monday Nighter against the Bears.

[palin99999]

I think Anderson will fit better with the Cards, because he likes to bomb it deep and the WR there like that. The rumor is the Browns are shopping Quinn. I saw a lot of Wallace the last couple years playing for Seattle, and I was not impressed. I hope they have somebody else in mind or they should just go full wildcat with Cribbs.

Anderson's main problem is his touch, especially on short passes - he's always wide left or right of his WR and they need to adjust to his passes. It's very hard for WRs to gain any YAC consistently in his short game.

You can usually tell within five minutes of a game if you're gonna get good DA or bad DA. He never really breaks out of in-game slumps. I always tell people that he's a poor man's Brett Favre, just with more WTF passes. But with good WRs he should have a bounce back year.

He needs to go to a team that he won't face stiff competition for the QB spot as he faded more and more with the rumors of his trade status in 2008 and with people wanting Quinn starting. So if all he has to face is Leinhart than he should do fine.

[Mexal]

I think I'm a fan of the Bryant signing. I don't mind the money. It's the same contract we gave to Coles last year and we cut him after a year. If Bryant doesn't pan out, could do the same thing though I don't see why he wouldn't. The biggest knock on him is his injury history so have to hope that he stays healthy.

That being said, he could definitely be useful in this offense. He can stretch the field, giving us a legitimate deep threat next to Chad which we haven't had since Henry died. And it allows us to draft the best player available in the first round instead of potentially reaching for a WR. Which means, we could get a penetrating DT like Price or a guard like Iupati, two positions that would definitely help us.

I do not think Bryant is better than Boldin nor worth the same money but I do think he'll make us a better team.

I think I'm now of the opinion that whoever the Bengals take in the first or second round, I'll be happy with. If it's Price, great. If it's Thomas, fine. If it's Iupati, wonderful. If it's Benn, ok. If it's Gresham, great. It doesn't matter to me. Our biggest need was at WR and it was addressed. Now it's about improving the pieces we already have.

[Gold Storm]

Anderson's main problem is his touch, especially on short passes - he's always wide left or right of his WR and they need to adjust to his passes. It's very hard for WRs to gain any YAC consistently in his short game.

You can usually tell within five minutes of a game if you're gonna get good DA or bad DA. He never really breaks out of in-game slumps. I always tell people that he's a poor man's Brett Favre, just with more WTF passes. But with good WRs he should have a bounce back year.

He needs to go to a team that he won't face stiff competition for the QB spot as he faded more and more with the rumors of his trade status in 2008 and with people wanting Quinn starting. So if all he has to face is Leinhart than he should do fine.

The Cards like the middle to deep passing game, this suits Anderson a lot better than the short game last year. Also the receivers in Phoenix are just better, not just the WRs but TEs and RBs. I saw a Browns game this year, Anderson hit a wide open TE who dropped it, there RBs, Harrison and Cribbs, are not good receivers, and the less said about their WRs the better.

[ztemhead]

about the Cards receivers, they stepped up in a big way last year. I think they realized offense was the only thing going to get them through the playoffs, and with Warner throwing 20 yard bullets out there, they went above and beyond to catch them. Fitz is Fitz, and he'll always be quality, but will Breston and Doucet be able to snag the moon balls Leinert is going to be throwing up? *shrugs* who knows. Maybe if Leinert leads them in prayer first like Warner was doing.

Final thought on Leinert in case you don't remember, he was put in two games this year with 2 + touchdown leads. He had one job- keep control of the ball and run the clock, and he couldn't even do that. Instead he threw picks which lead to touchdowns and they had to put Warner back in the game.

Final, final thought is that I hate the way Leinert talks, and I hate the way people talk about him. After playing in the Tennessee game (a losing effort, though one in which he threw a TD, yay! Everyone gets a trophy!) he mentioned getting his "swagger back." First, you lost the game. Second, just shut your mouth and get to work until you do something meaningful. The local media here talks about him as though he's a hothouse flower that has to be fed and watered and sung to in order to blossom. Screw that, he should be punched in the face every time he throws an INT until he stops doing it. He should be humiliated and dragged through the mud and bagging groceries in Missouri until he figures out how to exist in the NFL, and if he doesn't, well I can think of a thousand better uses for the $14million he's scheduled to make next year.

[awesome possum]

I can think of a thousand better uses for the $14million he's scheduled to make next year.

Holy crap, really? And this is why there needs to be a rookie salary cap. Why the hell do these guys have incentive to be good at the game when they're multimillionaires riding the bench. It sort of makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it.

[Jaxom 1974]

All I know is that if a Matt Leinert lead Cardinals could play the Bears 16 times a year, Lovie Smith would never have to worry about job security ever again...

[ztemhead]

Holy crap, really? And this is why there needs to be a rookie salary cap. Why the hell do these guys have incentive to be good at the game when they're multimillionaires riding the bench. It sort of makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it.

he got 4 million last year just for playing catch at practices, and I believe got a big fat signing bonus when he came out of USC in the first round. He'll never get 14mil next year, the Cards will cut him first.

Aside from the bulk of the players not having faith that he can get the job done, there is also a bit of resentment about how much they're paying him versus how much they're not paying everyone else.

[palin99999]

The Cards like the middle to deep passing game, this suits Anderson a lot better than the short game last year. Also the receivers in Phoenix are just better, not just the WRs but TEs and RBs. I saw a Browns game this year, Anderson hit a wide open TE who dropped it, there RBs, Harrison and Cribbs, are not good receivers, and the less said about their WRs the better.

You're absolutely right. Everything about our offense last year was a hot mess. One of the biggest problems was Braylon Edwards. He's a super talented player that never gave any effort to playing the game correctly. He ran the wrong routes, never blocked, and blamed everything but himself for all his drops. I can't count the number of times Braylon personally killed a drive. All that had a huge effect on our QBs and their confidence.

[Rhom]

Holy crap, really? And this is why there needs to be a rookie salary cap. Why the hell do these guys have incentive to be good at the game when they're multimillionaires riding the bench. It sort of makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it.

100% :agree:

The current pay structures in the NFL make it nearly impossible to sign multiple first round draft picks if your team is fortunate enough to have them.

[Jaime L]

It's really the only nonsensical thing about the NFL system (at least as of right now. If they go on lockout...THAT will be the single most nonsensical thing about the NFL, followed closely by any non-Salary capped arrangement that succeeds the lockout).

The two other major professional sports leagues each have far more glaring issues, but it really does stand out how badly the NFL mangled rookie salaries.

[awesome possum]

Seriously. Consider how many first rounders received massive paydays and did nothing with their careers. It's almost a deterrent to even try to succeed. If you're smart with your money, then you could be set for life and also never have to worry about getting hit by large scary men wearing helmets ever again.

Then you have the 21-24 year olds who become multimillionaires. These are basically kids given the key to the candy shop. No wonder so many burn out; they have total freedom to do anything they want and the repercussions? They may only get a contract worth a few hundred thousand dollars or maybe just a million or two as backups for the next team.

The passion to play and the will to succeed are the only incentives for these guys to do well. If they don't have that, there's nothing to keep them from being a massive waste of time, money and effort for teams.

[Andrik the Unsmiling]

100% :agree:

The current pay structures in the NFL make it nearly impossible to sign multiple first round draft picks if your team is fortunate enough to have them.

I really think that this is the one thing that will DEFINITELY be fixed by the new CBA... because when you think about it, it's only a very small lobby that wants the top draft choices to be paid like this. Teams would rather be able to spend that money on more well known quantities, i.e. veterans as opposed to rookies, and the players already in the union are the ones the teams would be spending that money on so it benefits them as well. Really, the only ones who like the system the way it is are the top few agents who consistently sign the best players entering the draft year after year-- ultimately, you'd expect them to be on the losing side of this battle. I, for one, am definitely looking forward to the day when having a top draft pick is something to be excited about rather than fear.