The official NFL Discussion Thread

[Sir Clinksalot]

The Super Bowl is over rated

 

For true football fans, Divisional and Championship weekends are better than the Super Bowl. As for the Super Bowls financial impact, it would obviously be better if the NFL wasn't also asking for kick backs.

 

And if they didn't see a profit, these cities would stop hosting them IMO.

[Jew]

^It's not that they don't see a profit...it's just that the economic impact that they sell tax payers into believing will come with a Super Bowl don't even come close to those projections.

[Hilltopper39]

 

And I believe the NFL has said they won't be back to Miami until they get a new stadium.

Yep, which is why Miami is already urgently pushing for upgrades to Joe Robbie Stadium....

 

Those picture look nice and all, but they really need to bring back Snowflake the Dolphin in the end zone......

[BeemerBoy]

^ Ha! Funny thing is, they actually did have a live dolphin behind the west end zone sometime in the late 70's/early 80's(?). I can still remember watching the Miami Seaquarium truck roll by our tailgating spot before each game to load him into the pool. And if I remember correctly, he'd even grab the field goals and extra points that landed in the pool....which looking back on it, is pretty messed up.

[Hilltopper39]

If Colorado can run out a giant Buffalo before every game then I see no reason why a Dolphin can't reside in a modestly sized pool in the end zone . But yeah I get it, animal groups these days would never let them get away with it. What they should really do is build an awesome gigantic animatronic dolphin statue display thingy in the end zone the erupts after successful scoring plays. Something like that would be a visual focal point for the stadium and be really unique to that city, oh wait..........

 

 

So free agency is under way and several fairly significant move have been made but I guess the biggest has been Welker to the Broncos. I really don't think that move will slow the Patriots progress that much, Amendola should fit in just fine and I would imagine the Pats will be Superbowl contenders once again. Besides, this just means more receptions for Gronk and Hernandez, which I kind of think is where that team is going offensively anyways. More balanced formations with two tight ends and maybe and more big plays down the field with whoever they pick up in free agency/draft. I got a feeling they aint done making moves, but we'll see.

[BeemerBoy]

What they should really do is build an awesome gigantic animatronic dolphin statue display thingy in the end zone the erupts after successful scoring plays. Something like that would be a visual focal point for the stadium and be really unique to that city, oh wait..........

Hehe...Hi, Joe!

 

I know Miami's spending a bunch in free agency, but I've suffered far too long to get overly excited about anything they do. We'll see though. There's always hope.

[Hercules]

^ Apparently their main goal is to stop the read option........ which isn't even being run in their division.

[Homer]

I know Miami's spending a bunch in free agency, but I've suffered far too long to get overly excited about anything they do. We'll see though. There's always hope.

For a state with 3 NFL teams that can't make the playoffs over the past 5 years, hope is all we can do. I'm just tired of the Buccaneers collapsing midseason, whether it's because of coaching or choking in the second half.

[Sir Clinksalot]

^ Hasn't been that long.

 

[youtu_be]

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[Sir Clinksalot]

What's everybody think of Romo's new contract? As somebody who hates the Cowboys I'm fine with it. Means we won't have to worry about them for the next 6 years. What do Cowboys fans think?

[simaticable]

[Mechanic]

As a lifelong Cowboys fan, I'm glad they got a deal done with Romo. He is not the team's problem. If not for Romo, the team would likely be completely in the toilet. Hopefully they'll address their offensive line issues in the draft, DeMarco Murray and the defense will be able to stay healthy, and the move of DeMarcus Ware to DE will result in him being a greater distruption to opposing QBs than he already is.

 

I would really like to see Romo win a ring, or 2, before he's done. Despite all his detractors, all he's ever done is keep his nose to the grindstone trying to get better and doing what the team has asked of him despite having very little in the way of protection these past several years. Although a lot of people like to bag on the Cowboys in general, and Romo in particular, they still know that they're always a team that's in contention and can beat any team at any given time, often in spectacular come-from-behind fashion.

 

Love them, or hate them, people love to watch them. Check the highest rated games and most attended games and you'll find the Cowboys listed right at, or near the top. I don't see that changing any time soon.

Edited March 30, 2013 by Mechanic

[Meteornotes]

I think they way overpayed for Romo. Then again, I don't think they had much choice at this point. I do not expect them to be a serious playoff contender any time soon, though hopefully they will beat the Redskins every time they play them!

 

dt

[stingrock23]

6 more years I don't have to worry about the cowboys. And it isn't necessarily Romo. It's Jerrah Jones. As long as he's the gm, they'll never win.

[154bmag]

Matt Flynn, Welcome to Oakland

[Jew]

^Sucks for him.

[Philrad71]

What did you guys think of the draft?

 

I was pretty surprised that the Bills traded down and got EJ Manuel. Not that it wasn't a good move by trading down to get a QB as they got an (much needed) LB with that extra 2nd round pick.I never knew that Bruce Smith was Manuel's Godfather!

 

Also kinda surprised that no one picked Geno Smith until the 2nd round - now I wonder if Sanchez's time in NY is offically over?

 

And with no one taking Barkley or Nassib in the first three rounds - wow. Guess that goes to tell you that GM's and scouts weren't real high on this years QB class.

 

Ooops...this just in - Eagles got Barkley.

[Jew]

^Not sure how he fits in Chip Kelly's system, but as a USC fan I really hope it works out. Eagles are clearly getting ready to end the Michael Vick era, now it is just a matter of figuring out who stays out of the remaining 4 QB's they have on the roster.

 

The Jets are stuck with Sanchez for one more year whether they like it or not (cutting him only saves them 500k in cap space), so it will be very interesting to see how things play out.

[stingrock23]

Love the fact the Saints drafted a guy named Rufus.

[Hilltopper39]

^^^I was very surprised at the trade for Manuel, it was a good move by Buffalo to trade down but I'll be shocked if Manuel is a successful NFL quarterback. To me he was just marginally impressive in the ACC and they lost a lot of games to teams they shouldn't have lost to with their talent. I know it's not all on Manuel but franchise QB's win those kind of games.

 

Barkley to the Eagles was an interesting pick but as a late round selection there isn't a lot of risk involved. I have a feeling Chip Kelly's offense in the NFL will look a little different than it did at Oregon so a guy like Barkley might be exactly what they're looking for. That team will be one of the most interesting stories this NFL season.

 

It's amazing how some of the great franchises manage to always make good draft picks. Sometimes I think teams way over analyze every little detail leading up to the draft. In my opinion there's no way Jarvis Jones should have fallen behind Dion Jordan or Ziggy Ansah. I know he had a slow 40 time, and has some injury issues but that guy was the best player on the field last year every game he played. He had 28 sacks in 2 years in the SEC, where as Dion Jordan only had 14 sacks in 4 years! Don't be surprised if Jones turns out to be rookie of the year in Pittsburgh.

 

I was shocked that Eddie Lacy fell to The Packers find Eddie Lacy in the second round, but a great pickup for the Packers. Another case of teams maybe over analyzing his combine numbers. At Alabama that guy ran away from defenders who were getting drafted in the first round from LSU, Miss. State, and Georgia, I think he'll be okay in the League.

 

I was happy to see the 49ers find Marcus Lattimore in the 5th round, that guy deserves another shot and San Fran is a great fit.

 

Pretty crazy that the Giants draft Jonathan Hankins and Demontrae Moore in later rounds, like their front 7 needed any more help.

[Philrad71]

^I hadn't watched a lot of FSU games and wondered if this kid was worthy of a first round pick - sounds kind of risky to me. But that's the nature of the draft. You might end up with a Spiller or you might end up with an Erik Flowers in Round One.

 

Personally, I think that the Bills should have taken the best player available as they still would have had QB's to pick from in later rounds. I wished they would have taken best available LB, OL or WR in the first (and still traded down) and then grabbed Barkley, Manuel, Smith or Nassib in rounds 2, 3 or 4.

 

Of course like anyone else, I never expected those QB's to go undrafted into the 2-4 rounds! I knew none of them were highly regarded as "franchise QB's", but for Barkley, Nassib, Jones and Wilson to all drop to the 4th round was definitely a surprise to me!

[Hotlanta]

Agree that the Steelers picking up Jarvis Jones is a great move. For the last two years he was the best player on the field for UGA and a real difference maker. Yeah his health is iffy but i shake my head when workout wonders are taken every year over players who performed on the field. I was really excited when the Saints passed over him, can't root for him when he wears a Saints uni.

 

I know the Falcons had other pressing needs but i wished they picked up Lattimore and put him on the IR for the year behind Steven Jackson. Would have been a great replacement for 2014 and beyond.

 

For me this is the stat of the Draft. Each division of the SEC had more picks than all other conference's as a whole.

 

Final "conference" draft picks: SEC East 32, SEC West 31, ACC 31, Pac-12 28, Big 12 22, Big Ten 22

[Jew]

It's amazing how some of the great franchises manage to always make good draft picks. Sometimes I think teams way over analyze every little detail leading up to the draft. In my opinion there's no way Jarvis Jones should have fallen behind Dion Jordan or Ziggy Ansah. I know he had a slow 40 time, and has some injury issues but that guy was the best player on the field last year every game he played. He had 28 sacks in 2 years in the SEC, where as Dion Jordan only had 14 sacks in 4 years! Don't be surprised if Jones turns out to be rookie of the year in Pittsburgh.

 

Agreed. I hate it when people base draft picks solely on "measurables." Prospects train non-stop prior to the draft just to do good on those drills, so it's not a very telling sign IMO. Dion Jordan also has injury problems (and had trouble shedding blocks at times), so I was very surprised to see him taken so high...but I guess Miami fell in love with his combine performance.

 

No doubt a healthy Jarvis Jones is a steal for the Steelers if his neck is no longer an issue.

[Hilltopper39]

^That's the funny thing is that his neck never was an issue! He has some sort of condition that if aggravated could be an issue but he never missed a game at Georgia, and was pretty darn good when he played. There's a reason some franchises are good for decades and some struggle to stay relevant.

 

Those SEC numbers are pretty amazing, the amount of talent coming out of that conference right now is out of this world. Yeah there are probably a few guys here and there who get drafted just because they play for Alabama or LSU but as a whole that conference is just on a different level. I'd love to see a statistic this time next year that show how many of those drafted actually make a roster. I would expect the percentage to be similar but ya never know.

[Jew]

^He does have Spinal Stenosis, which scares off some teams thinking he is only one flare up away from being a lost cause.

 

Me personally? I agree with you. No matter how "sure" a draft pick is, the reality is a team is still taking a 50/50 chance on the guy, so why not chose the one with the best actual game film that fits your needs?