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I smile about the evolution of ortho medicine, I still have friends that have a Frankenstein looking zipper like scars from knee and elbow surgery. My broken wrist and shoulder scars look like they were done by an Army medic on the battlefield using a sewing kit..now it's almost invisible.. Go figure..
 
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And they can move forward according to Big Ben. He claims Will Howard is their franchise QB despite drafted in the 6th rd with a prospect grade of only 5.90 ("Average Backup"). Big Ben says if Rodgers doesn't come back, then start Howard right out of the gate. If Rodgers does come back, Big Ben suggests Howard be the backup & learn a year under Rodgers (Rudolph is currently listed as the backup, so Howard would have to first beat him out):


I'm a little skeptical because Howard was drafted way down in the 6th rd. That's not the round that "franchise QBs" are drafted from. Lol. We all know enough here that franchise QBs are drafted primarily in the 1st & 2nd rounds. I can't find one draft scouting outlet that had Howard higher than the 4th round.

I have no idea what Big Ben is talking about here - maybe he's delusional. Lol.
 
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Good pick up for the Bronos with Nix having another weapon. Could be their year.
It better be -- they traded their 1st, 3rd & 4th rd picks for him. Waddle better catch 100 + passes & have an All-Pro season to justify this acquisition. Lol.

OTOH, the Dolphins make out like bandits with 11 upcoming draft picks this year - two in the 1st (11th & 30th) & 4 in the 3rd rd! They're like an expansion team. Lol.
 
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Agree Fields a decent backup choice for the Chiefs. It's also likely he'll learn a lot under Reid, Bienemy and crew. Enough to turn him into the starter many thought he could be? Who knows.
What do you really think - is he a draft bust or is there still any hope? This will be his 4th team in 6 seasons & the 2nd time he goes to a team where he's not the starter. That's not good for a #11 OA pick that was supposed to be the franchise guy at Chicago. And last year was disastrous for him - between the concussion & benching for performance, he missed basically half the season!
 
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Early signs of CTE for Big Ben I fear. Howard was a backup to Rodgers last season, what did he learn then? Howard got a bump when Ohio St. won the NCAA championship, but that stock dropped quite a bit at the combine, and after that. I don't recall him showing anything at all this past season in any way, and don't know anyone who seriously thinks of him as a starting NFL quarterback.

Dolphins have more draft picks than the Raiders, and I have to say I like what they have done this off-season all the same. They know the are out of cash. They know they are going to struggle. Accept it, start building now. Raiders spent more in FA as they had the cash, but nearly every player they signed is 27 or younger. Maxx Crosby the old man in the D at 28. Dolphins have the same mindset, and tanking for Arch/Moore/Sayin (or one of the others) next season isn't a bad idea.

I like on paper what the Chargers are doing more than Denver. I just have to say if I'm honest I think Payton is a better coach than Harbaugh. Maybe much better. I also think Nix has the ability to win games that matter. I'm not so sure Herbert does, even with all his talents "on paper".

This has to be Fields last chance. His only excuse so far is some bad coaching. His best play was in Pittsburgh for Tomlin, where he threw okay, ran well, played mostly mistake free as a game manager+. I'm talking about 6 games in 6 years, and a few games here or there for Chicago, and maybe 1 in NY where he showed his talent. It's hard to dislike the guy, and he's been dealt a bad hand, so I'm hoping we see something positive from him in KC. A co-worker friend who follows the AFC West more than I do believes Mahomes will start on week 1, look slightly worse than last year, less mobile for sure, and could even get hurt, to a season maybe about 8-9 and out of the playoffs again, and Fields won't play much at all.
 
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IMO, I don't think Payton is a better coach than Harbaugh, he just has a much better QB. Need I remind everyone that Nix had a league high 8 4th QT comebacks/GWDs last season. That's clutch! That's getting into "Tier 1" type territory. And don't forget Nix has dual-threat capabilities - he can beat you with his arm or legs (and Nix has already won a playoff game in just his 2nd yr). Payton's job is that much easier & less stressful when you have a QB that can win you close games in crunch time.

You see very little of that with Herbert. Like you have said, an 0-3 playoff record is absurd for the money they're paying him. He's got to be on track to be one of the biggest underachievers in the history of the game. Josh Allen-type physical skills but no where near the performance outcome of Allen. Lol.
 
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I smile about the evolution of ortho medicine, I still have friends that have a Frankenstein looking zipper like scars from knee and elbow surgery. My broken wrist and shoulder scars look like they were done by an Army medic on the battlefield using a sewing kit..now it's almost invisible.. Go figure..
Tomorrow morning I get my 2nd rotator cuff surgery on same shoulder that was done 25 years ago. It's supposed to be arthroscopic surgery unless they need to retrieve the bicep muscle.
Neither injury from cycling !!!??? So...if, following social media protocol; if there are no visible scars did the surgery not happen?
I'll let you know when the nerve block wears off.....
 
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Interesting article on how young QBs (>28 yrs) are dominating the league. For example, in the 2024 season, more than 60 percent of passing yardage in the league was produced by QBs under 28. That's mindblowing when you think about it. Of course, there will some anomalies who buck the trend. 37 yr old Stafford played like his younger self shockingly winning MVP. And 42 yr old Rodgers made it through an entire 17 game season playing well enough to lead the team to the playoffs. But by & large, the league is on trend of dominating "young guns" in their early to mid-20s.
 
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Interesting article on how young QBs (>28 yrs) are dominating the league. For example, in the 2024 season, more than 60 percent of passing yardage in the league was produced by QBs under 28. That's mindblowing when you think about it. Of course, there will some anomalies who buck the trend. 37 yr old Stafford played like his younger self shockingly winning MVP. And 42 yr old Rodgers made it through an entire 17 game season playing well enough to lead the team to the playoffs. But by & large, the league is on trend of dominating "young guns" in their early to mid-20s.
Young guns with old back ups..........
 
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Tomorrow morning I get my 2nd rotator cuff surgery on same shoulder that was done 25 years ago. It's supposed to be arthroscopic surgery unless they need to retrieve the bicep muscle.
Neither injury from cycling !!!??? So...if, following social media protocol; if there are no visible scars did the surgery not happen?
I'll let you know when the nerve block wears off.....
If it makes you feel any better I've been in and out of PT for rotator cuff damage. "How did you injure it?" the doc, and PT ask. Uh, I'm old, maybe?! I'm sure 20-30 mountain bike crashes (and a couple on the road) over the last 30+ years didn't help, though I don't recall any where I smashed my shoulder. Mercifully, even after all the crashes I've had, never hit my head hard once.
Interesting article on how young QBs (>28 yrs) are dominating the league...37 yr old Stafford played like his younger self shockingly winning MVP. And 42 yr old Rodgers made it through an entire 17 game season playing well enough to lead the team to the playoffs. But by & large, the league is on trend of dominating "young guns" in their early to mid-20s.
Which is why I have a hunch Stafford won't lead the Rams to the promised land this coming season. Draft Sharks says he's pretty low risk of injury, but his history tells otherwise in many ways, as if last year was an anomaly. Also, year over year he is not as mobile as he once was, and more susceptible to caving from pressure.

I'm surprised the Eagles traded for Dalton, who plays a very different game than Hurts.
 
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If it makes you feel any better I've been in and out of PT for rotator cuff damage. "How did you injure it?" the doc, and PT ask. Uh, I'm old, maybe?! I'm sure 20-30 mountain bike crashes (and a couple on the road) over the last 30+ years didn't help, though I don't recall any where I smashed my shoulder. Mercifully, even after all the crashes I've had, never hit my head hard once.
Slipped on ice, backward and landed on a stone paver edge. Immediate Injury Recognition Syndrome kicked in.
Surgery went great and should be off pain meds tomorrow. Thanks for asking.
 
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I
If it makes you feel any better I've been in and out of PT for rotator cuff damage. "How did you injure it?" the doc, and PT ask. Uh, I'm old, maybe?! I'm sure 20-30 mountain bike crashes (and a couple on the road) over the last 30+ years didn't help, though I don't recall any where I smashed my shoulder. Mercifully, even after all the crashes I've had, never hit my head hard once.

Which is why I have a hunch Stafford won't lead the Rams to the promised land this coming season. Draft Sharks says he's pretty low risk of injury, but his history tells otherwise in many ways, as if last year was an anomaly. Also, year over year he is not as mobile as he once was, and more susceptible to caving from pressure.

I'm surprised the Eagles traded for Dalton, who plays a very different game than Hurts.
I sustained a double-rotator cuff tear in a bad MV accident about 10 yrs ago (don't remember which two tendons without digging up the MRI report). I opted for non-surgical rehab. The surgeon cautioned against this stating the shoulder will progress to advanced arthritis eventually requiring full joint replacement. So far...so good. Lots of stretching & strength training (dumbbell work mainly). Can't throw a football, baseball or even a frisbee. But who cares...I can grip the handlebars on my bike ok, lift weights at the gym & do most household tasks.

Stafford sure looks like he has a lot left in that golden arm of his. #1 ranked passer & league leader in "big time" throws with 46. He puts on an aerial display in just about every game he plays. And so close to getting to the big dance. As long as those treatments continue to be effective for his herniated disk (sleep number mattress commercials he does? Lol), I think Staffy is the guy for the Rams for a few more years.

And not just Dalton, but Tanner McKee as well who's been Hurts' backup the last 2 yrs. He's almost 6'7" & 230 lbs, and very immobile - the true definition of a "big stiff" QB Lol. A complete opposite of Hurts.
 
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Doesn't sound good - talk about throwing the young gun under the bus. I can see it now: Murray will start week #1 to the satisfaction of the Viking faithful (and Justin Jefferson) as their savior to lead them to the promised land. Then Murray will get injured again - or benched for lack of performance - and in comes Wentz to save the day. Meanwhile, McCarthy has to be sitting there with face in hands wondering how things could get so bad for him in his young career.
 
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I actually think Stafford is one big hit from missing several games. Unlike some other older QBs who keep going, Stafford has already had several injuries in his career. Last year he got excellent protection from his OL and was still just mobile enough, without having to run at all. So I guess we'll see how well he holds up.
 
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Weren't we saying that about Rodgers? Lol. And he played a full 17 game schedule not missing a lick leading the Steelers to a division title & playoffs. Like him or not, he proved us wrong. Stafford same thing - a full 17 game schedule, almost 600 passes thrown (crazy number!), MVP season & trip to the NFCCG.

Maybe we should be more concerned about the younger guys like Burrow, Mahomes, LJ, Stroud, D. Jones, Murray, Daniels, Purdy, etc, all missing several games to most of the season with major injuries. Lol.
 
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Weren't we saying that about Rodgers? Lol. And he played a full 17 game schedule not missing a lick leading the Steelers to a division title & playoffs. Like him or not, he proved us wrong. Stafford same thing - a full 17 game schedule, almost 600 passes thrown (crazy number!), MVP season & trip to the NFCCG.

Maybe we should be more concerned about the younger guys like Burrow, Mahomes, LJ, Stroud, D. Jones, Murray, Daniels, Purdy, etc, all missing several games to most of the season with major injuries. Lol.
Stafford has surprised me with his durability. Some people have talked about him retiring for the past 5 years due to all the punishment he has taken but the back injury seems to be under control for the moment and of course it only ever takes one good hit. ........Russell Wilson also took a lot of punishment when he started to slow down but he's still there so is Flacco.
 
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Weren't we saying that about Rodgers? Lol. And he played a full 17 game schedule not missing a lick leading the Steelers to a division title & playoffs. Like him or not, he proved us wrong. Stafford same thing - a full 17 game schedule, almost 600 passes thrown (crazy number!), MVP season & trip to the NFCCG.

Maybe we should be more concerned about the younger guys like Burrow, Mahomes, LJ, Stroud, D. Jones, Murray, Daniels, Purdy, etc, all missing several games to most of the season with major injuries. Lol.
Rodgers going the whole season without getting injured was a good thing but he was a passenger on the Steelers. They didn’t make or miss the playoffs because of him. The team had major help from the Ravens collapse. Rodgers was then one of the main reasons the Steelers were one and done.
 
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Rodgers also hasn't had the amount of or as serious of injuries that Stafford has (sans his one Achilles tear) over the years. Both have missed time, gotten hurt, it just seems like it's been worse for Stafford. Not just his back, but shoulder separations, elbow injuries, broken ribs, concussions. I can't even count it all. It just seemed like he was constantly patched together. I was honestly surprised Stafford made it through last season. Again, his OL did a very good job protecting him, and he wasn't asked to run a single time, in a era when QBs are asked to be more and more mobile, and run more. Can his OL continue to build an stone wall to protect him as he gets less and less mobile? We'll find out in a few months.

Steelers also got help from Joe Burrow missing 9 games last season after at the start of the season Burrow looked like he would lead them to the division.
 
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Stafford has surprised me with his durability. Some people have talked about him retiring for the past 5 years due to all the punishment he has taken but the back injury seems to be under control for the moment and of course it only ever takes one good hit. ........Russell Wilson also took a lot of punishment when he started to slow down but he's still there so is Flacco.
Wilson was a top dual-threat in his prime, so the accumulated punishment & aging is the reason for his decline. It seems like dual-threat QBs start declining in their mid-30s & are pretty much finished by their late 30s. Steve Young retired at 37 (he says due to several concussions). Even Tobin Rote, the first dual-threat QB in NFL history, (1950-1964/ Packers, Lions, Chargers & Broncos) and a big guy for that era called it a career at 36.
 
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