National Football League

[leftover pie]

however much PM earns you know the next season the media bandwagon will fire up for a 16 game farewell tour as "a legend nears the end".

the results of the games won't even matter, he'll probably start to play really badly as his body disintegrates allowing him to only pass for 3 or 4 yards at the most, he won't be benched though, you can't bench the legend.


foxxy's posts will be a joy to read *rubs hands*

 

[Merckx index]

Big moves being made ahead of FA. Suh is headed to Miami, making almost $20 million a year in the largest contract ever for a defensive player, more than Watt gets. Considering the baggage he brings, getting suspended for a game or several seemingly every year, I wonder if he's worth it.

The Eagles sent McCoy to the Bills for LB Kiko Alonso. Alonso is coming off an ACL injury that kept him out all of this past season, his second in the NFL, but if he regains or surpasses his rookie year production, it could be a good move. Regardless of whether it works out or not, though, the Eagles do lose a very tradable piece if they want to make a serious effort to draft Mariota. Then they turn around and poach Frank Gore from the 49ers. I like Gore, and think he may have a couple of decent years left, but I have to laugh, after all the sportswriters rationalized the McCoy trade by saying he was 26 years old and saw a fall-off in production last year. Gore is 32! Very old for a RB. He will not fill McCoy?s shoes, though he may be adequate for the Eagles? system.

Now I hear the Eagles lost Jeremy Maclin to KC. Since they dumped Jackson last year, Maclin was a key to their passing game. Even if they manage to get Mariota, who's he going to throw to?

And the 49ers seem set to get Torrey Smith from the Ravens, joining his former Ravens teammate Anquan Boldin. But word is they?re going to lose Crabtree. Gore and Crabtree were two of their three most important offensive players, and the third, Kaepernick, is coming off a questionable season. Add the loss of Harbaugh, and it?s hard to be very optimistic about this team next year, though it still does have a lot of talent. Think SE was smart to keep Lynch around.

 

[leftover pie]

There are rumours now of Kaepernick being shopped around for a trade.

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2015/03/08/reports-49ers-in-talks-to-trade-colin-kaepernick/

I love NFL trade period, always a few surprises as people chase the cash.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Foxxy was right about Belicheck out smarting us, again. I thought they might lose McCourty with the franchise tag dumped on the kicker. Nope, McCourty just re-signed to a relatively team friendly $9m a year. Half of what Revis is making.

The Eagles pursuing Gore really puzzles me. Especially with other RB's out there that are both younger, and seemingly fit the Kelly offense better. Spiller and Matthews to name two. But Gore is considered one of the best blocking RB's in the NFL, maybe that had something to do with it?

Agree on Lynch. With only a 2 year extension, the Seahawks made the best move they could at the right time. Lock up what they have and know works, versus an unknown to a longer term deal.

Miami way overpaid for Suh. I don't care how good he is, and even if he's a boy scout down there. That's too much money. This is worse than Oakland overpaying for Sapp.

One of the teams Kaepernick is mentioned going to is Philadelphia. Now that is interesting because of his mobility, and being mistake prone on longer developing plays locking on receivers and such. That would be less of a problem in Kelly's system. I am surprised they would be giving up on Foles though, despite an average year plagued with injury. Though Kelly says he wants two QB's who can start. But there are many indications that while Keap is a physical fitness freak, he's not the student that say, Russell Wilson is (though few are). The guy that tweeted him about his abs being more of his focus than accurate passing really got under his skin, because I think it's true.

And all this before free agency technically begins (tomorrow afternoon)!

 

[leftover pie]

If the 9ers trade away Kaepernick, who do they get though?

There's not many QBs out there at the moment.

Perhaps a straight swap for Foles?

Or a bizarre 3 way trade, Kaepernick to Eagles, Foles to Bears, Cutler to 9ers or something like that.

I like NFL trade period, so much wheeling and dealing going on.

 

[Merckx index]

I'm really surprised by the Kaepernick rumors, though this is the same ownership/management that let Harbaugh go, so who knows what else they'll do? I understand Kaepernick has weaknesses, and may never be an elite QB that he was once projected to be, but he led the team to one SB, and he's certainly better than anyone else the team has. Changing QBs is like changing jobs. You don't quit on the one you have until you think you have another one better.

The only way I can see this possibly making sense is if the 49ers were able to trade up and draft Mariota. Maybe they can; the Eagles are talking about doing it, and the 49ers are ahead of them in the draft. Also, the story said that the Eagles may be one of the teams interested in Kaepernick, so maybe they think he?s a more realistically available option than Mariota. If Kaepernick ends up with the Eagles, I assume they would have no interest in pursuing Mariota.

But even for the 49ers, getting Mariota is not a sure enough scenario to risk shopping Kaepernick now, and even if they did get Mariota, I don?t think anyone can say with any confidence that he will turn out better than Kaepernick. Particularly on the 49ers, who don't have anyone on the coaching staff who appears capable of developing him. In fact, if the Eagles end up with Kaepernick, it might be a great move by Kelly. If any coach can get him to realize his potential, Kelly can, and it would probably cost his team a lot less in draft picks than Mariota would.

But I agree with Alpe about Foles. Why would they give up on him at this point? He didn't have a great season last year while he played, but he was on fire the year before. Who's to say what his typical level of performance is at this point? Why not give him another chance? I really don't see keeping Sanchez over Foles, even as a backup, assuming they do get Mariota or Kaepernick.

Edit: Latest word is that Gore might go to the Colts, not the Eagles. And meanwhile, the news for the 49ers keeps getting worse. Two of the top defensive players, Justin Smith and Patrick Willis, are apparently going to retire. Smith is 36, but Willis is only 30, and I don't think anyone saw this coming. Plus Bruce Miller, a FB, was just charged with domestic violence.

Players leaving: Smith, Willis, Gore, Crabtree, maybe Kaepernick (management strongly denies this last one).

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Regarding the 49ers, it's not just the players if you recall, they lost Harbaugh and Fangio, and before that Roman. According to this NFL article, they may be headed to the basement. Depending on the severe QB problems in St. Louis, I have to agree.

Forget his name, a bay area reporter on the radio said that Willis had enough football, and told some friends the pounding was getting to him and he didn't want to end up like Junior Seau. Can't say I blame him.

I like Mariota's long term prospects, on the right team. But I think it's a mistake to expect him to step in from game 1. Or a mistake to think he'll quickly be better than Kaepernick. Yes, Colin has problems reading defenses, and other issues, but he's still pretty good, and young.

The official free agency begins in 3 hours, and from the looks of things already with numerous commitments, then reversals and money tossed around, it's going to be a feeding frenzy this afternoon through tomorrow, at least.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Holy smokes! Anyone paying attention?? Fast and furious!

Jimmy Graham to Seattle for Max Unger and a 1st round pick. Wow! Two pro bowlers, Max is aging, and Graham in his prime. Gives Seattle instant passing options they didn't have, and NO some much needed cap room, and an OL anchor.

Seattle loses Byron Maxwell to Philadelphia. They knew he was gone, and this is a much needed pick up for the Eagles.

Sam Bradford and a mid round pick or two to Philadelphia for Nick Foles. This i did not see coming. I'm honestly really surprised. Really surprised. I figured Sam was pretty much done. What does Chip know that we don't? Do they really expect him to start, and be healthy? Or are they really going with Sanchez?

A day after it seemed certain Ngata was staying in Baltimore, he's shipped to Detroit for 4th and 5th round picks. Detroit filled the hole Suh left (and got a more stable person), and Baltimore got cap room (shouldn't have payed Flacco so much money).

It looks like CJ Spiller is going to end up in Dallas, which is a nice catch for them after losing Murray. He's not as dynamic, but he is tough and durable.

The Chiefs will release the only guy they had who can catch the ball, Bowe.

The Jets have released Harvin, who it appears Oakland is interested in. But so are the Patriots, where I think he could shine, and apparently he and Belicheck like/respect each other.

Jacksonville aggressive immediately too. Grabbing Julius Thomas away from Denver, and former Packer CB House.

And what are Indy, Denver and Cleveland up to? Nothing...yet.

 

[Boeing]

Holy smokes! Anyone paying attention?? Fast and furious!

Jimmy Graham to Seattle for Max Unger and a 1st round pick. Wow! Two pro bowlers, Max is aging, and Graham in his prime. Gives Seattle instant passing options they didn't have, and NO some much needed cap room, and an OL anchor.

Seattle loses Byron Maxwell to Philadelphia. They knew he was gone, and this is a much needed pick up for the Eagles.

Sam Bradford and a mid round pick or two to Philadelphia for Nick Foles. This i did not see coming. I'm honestly really surprised. Really surprised. I figured Sam was pretty much done. What does Chip know that we don't? Do they really expect him to start, and be healthy? Or are they really going with Sanchez?

A day after it seemed certain Ngata was staying in Baltimore, he's shipped to Detroit for 4th and 5th round picks. Detroit filled the hole Suh left (and got a more stable person), and Baltimore got cap room (shouldn't have payed Flacco so much money).

It looks like CJ Spiller is going to end up in Dallas, which is a nice catch for them after losing Murray. He's not as dynamic, but he is tough and durable.

The Chiefs will release the only guy they had who can catch the ball, Bowe.

The Jets have released Harvin, who it appears Oakland is interested in. But so are the Patriots, where I think he could shine, and apparently he and Belicheck like/respect each other.

Jacksonville aggressive immediately too. Grabbing Julius Thomas away from Denver, and former Packer CB House.

And what are Indy, Denver and Cleveland up to? Nothing...yet.

Chip Kelly will make a move on Demarco Murray now. Murray played with Bradford in that spread offense in college at OK....

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

My mind keeps gravitating to one thing. He's trying to get Mariota. But I can't figure out how that could possibly be with this trade? Nick Foles is due to make about $1.7m this year. Sam Bradford? $13m. Foles had one great year, and a second average year where he got hurt. Bradford never really had a great year, he had a few good stretches, but mostly has been injured his entire career, and is coming off back to back knee surgeries. So, if the Eagles are looking to dump Sam, what do they possibly think they are going to get in return to get Mariota? And how could he be better trade bait than Foles??

Ian Rappaport says the Eagles like Bradford for his accuracy and quick decision making. Uh, really? He's not exactly Aaron Rodgers they're getting. Chris Simms on Bleacher Report said in Bradford the Eagles get a better version of Nick Foles. Say what? What on earth has he been smoking? Foles is more athletic, has a stronger arm, and better track record. At 1/10th the price. I was even wondering if the Rams were going to just cut Bradford.

Simms says Bradford has a stronger arm. Really? Foles threw 57mph at the combine, just behind Cousins and Weeden that year. (Bradford didn't throw at the combine because, well, he was hurt). But looking at on field stats, Bradford averaged 6.4 yards per attempt in 2013. That's less than dink and dunk Alex Smith. Less than rookie Geno Smith as a rookie. Less than Brandon Weeden even. Of Bradford's 159 completions in 2013, only three went for more than 40 yards. Just 19 went for more than 20.

Oakland landed Malcom Smith from Seattle, which completes their LB corps, which behind Jack Del Rio and Ken Norton may be the best in the NFL before you know it.

Jeremy Macklin headed to Kansas City. So at least Alex Smith has someone to throw to now that Bowe is gone.

After four years filled with injuries, Jake Locker has retired from the NFL. Like Bradford, he was a sensation coming up through high school and they knew he'd play in the big arena some day, but his body couldn't hold up.

 

[leftover pie]

What a crazy day of trading.

I find it amazing that teams that more often than not won't go for it on a 4th and 1 during the season because it's too risky, chuck around key pieces of their team in the off-season like they're playing poker with grandma's biscuits.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Still trying to comprehend the Eagles interest in Bradford. I tried looking at the fine print, but the Rams get the better end of the trades as well. They get the Eagles 4th round pick in 2015 and 2nd round pick in 2016. The Eagles will only get St. Louis' 5th round pick in 2015. If Bradford plays less than 50%, that becomes a 4th-round pick, if he does not play at all it becomes a 3rd-rounder. Still, all picks that favor the Rams, on top of getting Foles.

Let's look at more numbers: Foles has a winning % of .625, versus .378 for Bradford. Foles throws 2.6 TD's for every Int. Bradford is 1.6. Nick Foles has a career passer rating of 94.2 and QBR of 59.4, versus Bradford at 79.3 and 40.7. Even if you just look at Foles last year, playing hurt and behind a banged up OL, his numbers were still at least that good. Then you throw in the fact Foles is more athletic, bigger, stronger arm. Then toss in the talk about injuries, and then the money...

It's maybe the most baffling trade I can remember in paying attention to sports for 40 years. You can point out the Hershal Walker or Brett Favre trades, but at the time people weren't sure they would pan out. Some thought the Vikings got the better end of the Walker trade when it happened. But this is just befuddling.

I liken this to a comparison in the NBA. Let's pretend before the season started, the Atlanta Hawks traded Al Horford to Miami for Greg Oden. Going back to their college days, this seems like a great trade for Atlanta. And then, there's reality.

Let's just pretend the most likely thing happens, and Bradford gets hurt in pre-season or early in the season for the Eagles. Then what is the team going to do?

Maybe Foxxy can chime in here and tell me what I'm missing.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Moving on from that...

While Gore made the splash in Indy, it's the signing of d-linemen Trent Cole and Kendall Langford that got my attention. Plus they picked up Andre Johnson. While he and Gore are aging, they both can likely contribute. These are four solid signings for a team who is on the cusp of winning, and had plenty of cash to throw around.

Even more shocking than Willis, Steeler linebacker Jason Worilds announced his retirement at the age of 27. Saying it was time to move on with his life. He's leaving as much as $10m on the table.

Revis is back with the Jets. Leaving a hole in New England to fill.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

How can you trade for an injured failure with a butter arm and give up a "cheap" QB who showed he can play and posess an NFL arm?
So lets get to the core of things:
The only plausible explanation of Kelly going mad is:
He wants to be fired and get back to college.
He already lost his confidence in going for it on 4th down often (and thus became just another interchangeable ordinary HC).
And now this trade tops the stupidity of Ditkas drunk trade to get Williams and the Vikings trade for Walker by 1.000 miles...
Thats all you missed Alpe

So Revis is gone!? Amazing. Beli will turn another rabbit out of a hat trick by exchanging a expensive (but good of course) CB with a "cheap" FA we all know nothing of at the moment, but who will shine.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

You must be right about Kelly. There's no other answer. I keep looking at various NFL columnist wires, trying to find someone, anyone who can make sense of this trade. I cannot. It's completely baffling. Even if Sam plays all 16 games, is he really better than Foles? And at that price? The only thing I can guess is that Chip is thinking back to college when Sam ran a lot of hurry up at Oklahoma, and did well in it, and Chip likes hurry up. And Chip has short term memory loss and can't remember the last 2 seasons in the NFL. That must be it.

I'll say what I did a few weeks ago, if I were QB hunting, I'd try to grab Kirk Cousins. I still have faith in that guy. He's a pocket passer with a very strong arm, and had some excellent streaks (and a few bad ones) in a terribly messed up program.

Actually, if I were Washington, I would have looked to dump RG3 and see what I could get for him. But we all know Dan Snyder calls all the shots there, Scott McLaughlin is just a patsy yes man, as is Jay Gruden, really. And Dan and RG3 have a connection that transcends winning.

I know Foxxy doesn't like him much, but if I were looking for a QB in a short passing game, I'd look at Mike Glennon. He's done well on a poor TB team, making good quick decisions and knows how to pull the trigger. Not a great player, but likely to come very cheap.

 

[red_flanders]

The Bradford thing is bizarre. I've heard that Kelly has been high on him before. He also flat out denied that he's going for Mariota this morning, saying it would be crazy to mortgage the future for a trade like that.

Washington is making some noises about drafting Mariota at 5, but that could be a threat to make the Jets give up something good for the trade up. Also could be true. If they did draft him, that's a heck of a lot of draft picks at the QB position in the last few years. I say BS and it's trade bait.

Raiders have picked up some good defensive players in DT Williams (rated better than Pot Roast by most and cheaper), LB Lofton who can run their defense, Malcolm Smith who adds depth and versatility. Clearly they look better on paper and younger than they did last year. I also think Ken Norton is bringing in guys who will compete for starting jobs like they do in Seattle. Sio Moore better up his game if he wants on the field. That's a very good thing.

Who gets Murray? Hard to imagine him wanting to leave Dallas, that's a heck of a nice place to play football. Sounds like the Eagles picked up Ryan Matthews, which is a great pickup for them. I assume that pulls them out of the Murray bidding.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

You must be right about Kelly. There's no other answer. I keep looking at various NFL columnist wires, trying to find someone, anyone who can make sense of this trade. I cannot.

Wow, not a single one?? ... Not even Easteregg? ... Ah no, he isnt into passing anyway.

It's completely baffling. Even if Sam plays all 16 games, is he really better than Foles? And at that price?

Lets assume Kelly knows something everybody else missed, and Bradford is better than Foles (which make me lolz)... its still not working since Bradford* is more expensive, thus leaving holes some where else in the roster, plus future draft picks are wasted (something Beli never does for example).

* unless he signed for the NFL vet minimum.

So after a second thought, this trade still looks like ... err... is the dumbest ever... Ditka is excused, he was drunk.

The only thing I can guess is that Chip is thinking back to college when Sam ran a lot of hurry up at Oklahoma, and did well in it, and Chip likes hurry up. And Chip has short term memory loss and can't remember the last 2 seasons in the NFL. That must be it.

Its a good guess. I, if I was HC, would sign McMahon for CHI right now. Injury problems? Memory loss? Age? Who cares, he led the Bears to their last title (and he is still 312 years younger than Horner, thus certainly in best athletic age).

You are right, Kelly must have acquired some serious brain infection... Maybe head-bazilla? Outer-space-herpes? Who knows... Sky may have some good doc advise for him. He should call them immediately.

Chip Kelly went from hero to laughing laughing stock in just one year. Amazing.

I'll say what I did a few weeks ago, if I were QB hunting, I'd try to grab Kirk Cousins. I still have faith in that guy. He's a pocket passer with a very strong arm, and had some excellent streaks (and a few bad ones) in a terribly messed up program.

I know Foxxy doesn't like him much, but if I were looking for a QB in a short passing game, I'd look at Mike Glennon. He's done well on a poor TB team, making good quick decisions and knows how to pull the trigger. Not a great player, but likely to come very cheap.

Agree with Cousins, not Glennon ofc... :

Glennon will be a career back-up at best. I said that long time ago. He is no NFL caliber...

In WAS they panic. Cousins played very well (7.7 !!! Y/PP), there was no reason to bench him for McCoy (6.5 Y/PP).
And RG3? Done (6.0 Y/PP). As I said, the SEA playoff game was the end...

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I think the Jets overspent on Revis. $16m a year and a whopping $13m of that guaranteed for the first three years, and a 4th at almost that much, and he's already 30. He was excellent for NE last year, but that's just too much money to dole out for a team with many other needs.

I also think the Chiefs overspent on Maclin at $11m a year. That's more than the Packers re-signed Cobb for. I'd say

SF also overspent on Torry Smith at $9m a year. When you look at his career stats, he's never caught over 50 passes a season. He's been good, but not that good.

Let's see who overspends on DeMarco Murray...

We know Seattle is going to still be excellent with Graham, Arizona is a very solid team, and if they stay healthy could be dangerous. With Nick Foles and a maturing StL team, they look good. That means to me SF finishes in the basement this year as I see it. They lost their coaching staff because of egos. They lost two of their best defensive players to retirement. They lost their top WR. And they still have some idiots on the team and image problems. Trent Baalke stated "Winning with class is what matters", but they also signed Jerome Simpson, who has been arrested three times for drugs, and then there's fullback Bruce Miller for beating his girlfriend. That's 11 team arrests since just 2012.

Meanwhile, the NY Giants extended Pops Coughlin through 2016. So he and Eli are there to the bitter end.

It seems the "deal of the century" with Bradford was in the works for some time. According to Bradford: "I knew this was a possibility probably three, four weeks ago...I think that Chip and the Eagles wanted me here, and I'm excited to be here." Can't believe St Louis found such a big sucker in Kelly.

 

[leftover pie]

Re:

see who overspends on DeMarco Murray....

Demarco lands in philly:

http://nypost.com/2015/03/12/eagles-host-demarco-murray-with-eye-on-next-blockbuster/

So they lose McCoy, gain Alonso, replace McCoy with Murray.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

But they also picked up Ryan Matthews, and still have Darron Sproles. This I can't for the life of me figure out. Maybe Chip is planning on running the Wishbone, or Wing-T offense with all these top RB's??

Asked about "losing out" on players like Suh or Murray, Reggie McKenzie said it was no loss at all to him and the Raiders, and made no sense to take that big of a cap hit, especially in the long term. I love it. Smartest thinking he's done yet as GM.

I agree with Foxxy on Murray and the Cowboys. They will definitely find someone who can run well behind that big OL they have. And for a lot less money.

 

[red_flanders]

Matthews hasn't signed yet. Can't see why you'd want both of those backs and Sproles.

Chip Kelly is going for genius or unemployed.

 

[The Hitch]

I think Bradford is a better qb than Foles. The trade really isn't that bad. The big downside is they lose cap space but for qbs cap space is less important than having the better player. People say injuries, well Bradford's injuries have been more freak ones than some recurring problem.

I like what the Eagles are doing. They won the Bills trade, give me a young linebacker over a expensive midcareer rb any day of the week. They then replaced the rb anyway essentially getting kiko for free. They traded their qb for a worse one. they are making moves, taking risks. That's how you win in the NFL where when risks don't pay off you get compensated with better draft picks anyway.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Re: Re:

see who overspends on DeMarco Murray....

Demarco lands in philly:

http://nypost.com/2015/03/12/eagles-host-demarco-murray-with-eye-on-next-blockbuster/

So they lose McCoy, gain Alonso, replace McCoy with Murray.

Well, that´s Kellys world. You know Al Bundys daughter. Not really blessed with ... a brain?
Serious: I think Kelly is all over the place. He is overwhlmed by the NFL. It´s not college where you can pick players at will, and where talent levels are stark between good and bad teams.
In the NFL it´s a close competition. He just got confused. Every small mistake costs. And Kelly will pay dearly. NFL: Not for long. Bye bye Kelly. Max 2 more years...

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Re:

I agree with Foxxy on Murray and the Cowboys. They will definitely find someone who can run well behind that big OL they have. And for a lot less money.

That´s absolutely true. Smart move by the Cowboys...

But they also picked up Ryan Matthews, and still have Darron Sproles. This I can't for the life of me figure out. Maybe Chip is planning on running the Wishbone, or Wing-T offense with all these top RB's??

You know, Kelly "thinks" he knows better than everybody else, who are around for a little longer than him...
You know, going with two starting caliber QBs and stuff.
And ofc filling up the backfield with at least four expensive RBs.
Great ideas. Only problem: There is the crazy little thing called salary cap. No doubt Beli would like to have 2 Bradys, but he knows he cant afford it. And RBs? WTF. They are interchangebale. History proved it again and again... But Kelly knows better: Wasting money for RBs is the new wave. What a idiot. Really all over the place...

Can't believe St Louis found such a big sucker in Kelly.

Bad for Hitch. He should have bet on SL this year instead of last. Ok, its hindsight
SL is on the rise. May Kelly is on their payroll ;-)

Edit: No, no, not bad for Hitch. He thinks Bradford is better, thus SL isn´t really rising. He may lays something on PHI this year? ;-)

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

I think Bradford is a better qb than Foles.
The trade really isn't that bad.

Good. At least one person is on the same page as Kelly.

The big downside is they lose cap space but for qbs cap space is less important than having the better player.

Based on what (both that allegedly cap space is less important with the QB position, and that Bradford is the better player)?

People say injuries, well Bradford's injuries have been more freak ones than some recurring problem.

And the freak ones are the bad ones. Just havalook at RG3...

That's how you win in the NFL where when risks don't pay off you get compensated with better draft picks anyway.

If that would be true with the Foles trade. But if I understood Alpe & co correct, the Eagles lost more than they gained in future picks...