National Football League

[Alpe d'Huez]

And just like that, Seattle grabs Matt Flynn. $26m over three years. Rumors were he could get $10m a year, so this isn't as high as some predicted. But it's a fair amount. As I suspected some 20 posts ago, a team could be aggressive and grab him while Manning was still on the block. Steve Wyche of NFL.com calls it a good move. We'll see. Seahawks need to find a way to keep TJax as well, but that may be difficult.

If Manning goes to the 49ers, look for a short frenzy to get Alex Smith, lead by the Dolphins and Browns, who have both been out of the loop during free agency. Tough luck for Smith if it happens, and I hope it doesn't for his, and the 49ers sake, as Merckx said. If not, Smith has a very nice 3-year, $24m offer similar to that of Matt Flynn, waiting for him, and he'll sign almost immediately. I'm sure he'd love to stay in SF.

If the Dolphins lose out, look for them to take Ryan Tannehill with their 1st round pick. Seems way too high for me, but they need players, and aren't getting any in free agency. Steeler Ryan Clark tweeted that no one wants to play there because of the GM. But I don't know how true that is. The thing no one notices is that Matt Moore is a decent QB. He's played on a lot of crappy teams and managed to pull through to make them decent, and even made a Pro Bowl. That's not easy at all to do in this league.

With Manning and Flynn gone, talk will soon be on how high Tannehill goes, and shortly after him Weeden and Cousins.

Eagles talking to Plaxico Burrus. Now that's one guy they don't need to sign. I'm not sure they have enough $ left to do so anyway.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Now that Flynn is off the table, and Miami will not get Manning, this leaves Miami without a QB. What is the chance then of Miami snatching Alex Smith away from SF, leaving SF without a QB? Then SF would have to up the antie for Manning in a last ditch effort to secure him. Manning was planning on announcing his new team today or tomorrow. So this would all have to happen very fast.

 

[Amsterhammer]

Report: Peyton Manning picks Denver Broncos, tells agent to open talks

Peyton Manning has made his decision, telling his agent, Tom Condon, to open negotiations with ... the Denver Broncos, according to ESPN.

Manning phoned the Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers to tell them of his decision to play for the Broncos, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports. Signing Manning would appear to mean that Denver, according to Mortensen and ESPN’s Adam Schefter, will try to trade Tim Tebow.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...enver-broncos/2012/03/19/gIQALo3FNS_blog.html

There's a surprise then......

 

[ChrisE]

SF is screwed if Smith signs with Miami.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

SF is screwed if Smith signs with Miami.

I hope Miami gets Smith. The 49rs sucking is a good thing.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

I hope Miami gets Smith. The 49rs sucking is a good thing.

+1. Go Miami !
Then does Tebow end up in SF?
Harbaugh might be just the guy to really get Tebow over the hump.

 

[ChrisE]

+1. Go Miami !
Then does Tebow end up in SF?
Harbaugh might be just the guy to really get Tebow over the hump.

God's head would explode if touchdown jesus went to SF with all of those liberals running around there.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

God's head would explode if touchdown jesus went to SF with all of those liberals running around there.

Who knows maybe that is what the "master plan" is .....have touchdown jesus go witness to the massive liberal sinners???

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

It looks like a done deal. Manning to Denver.

Look for Tebow to end up in Miami or Jacksonville. He'd be very welcome there. Though teams may shy away from him because of his style. We'll see.

Alex Smith stays in SF, and will likely ink his deal within hours.

Tennessee doesn't really lose out. Only if Matt Hasslebeck retires, or gets hurt or can't play this year. But Jake Locker is potentially their future, some this year, and by next year the full-time starter.

Cleveland Browns lose out on everything it seems. And they aren't dumb enough to take Tannehill with their 1st pick...are they?

 

[Amsterhammer]

Cleveland Browns lose out on everything it seems. And they aren't dumb enough to take Tannehill with their 1st pick...are they?

Please explain Alpe, I don't understand why they'd be dumb....

 

[ChrisE]

Please explain Alpe, I don't understand why they'd be dumb....

Because he is not worth that high of a pick. They should trade down some and still get a QB with the same upside, and accumulate picks for the trade down.

Of course, I said the same thing about the Texans/Mario Williams (he helped them win zero during those 5 years) so what do I know.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Please explain Alpe, I don't understand why they'd be dumb....

Because he is not worth that high of a pick. They should trade down some and still get a QB with the same upside, and accumulate picks for the trade down.

Of course, I said the same thing about the Texans/Mario Williams (he helped them win zero during those 5 years) so what do I know.

To add to what ChrisE said:
one word... H O L M G R E N.
Made some dumb moves in Seattle and IMO is not GM material. If he takes Ryan that high in the draft then he's a confirmed bonehead.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Please explain Alpe, I don't understand why they'd be dumb....

I'm the kind of dolt that reads scouting reports and such. Tannehill has all the NFL tools. Size, arm, etc. But he didn't play that great in crunch time at the end of the NCAA season or the bowl game they were in. And he didn't do anything at the combine due to injury. If Matt Barkley and Landry Jones had come out, Tannehill would have been the 5th QB prospect, and most indications are the guy will be a solid 2nd round pick, who should sit most of a year in the NFL and learn. But because Luck and RG3 have already been taken and are "off the board", he becomes #1 guy available. That's no reason however to draft him with the 4th pick is way, way too high.

Link 1 on Tannehill.

Link 2 on Tannehill.

Would you draft the guy with the 4th (or 8th, Miami) pick?

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

I'm the kind of dolt that reads scouting reports and such. Tannehill has all the NFL tools. Size, arm, etc. But he didn't play that great in crunch time at the end of the NCAA season or the bowl game they were in. And he didn't do anything at the combine due to injury. If Matt Barkley and Landry Jones had come out, Tannehill would have been the 5th QB prospect, and most indications are the guy will be a solid 2nd round pick, who should sit most of a year in the NFL and learn. But because Luck and RG3 have already been taken and are "off the board", he becomes #1 guy available. That's no reason however to draft him with the 4th pick is way, way too high.

Link 1 on Tannehill.

Link 2 on Tannehill.

Would you draft the guy with the 4th (or 8th, Miami) pick?

Now that's a didactic answer if I ever saw one!

Just for grins:

Tebow: God, when I asked that our team be better, Peyton Manning isn't exactly what I had in mind.

 

[thirteen]

Just for grins:

Tebow: God, when I asked that our team be better, Peyton Manning isn't exactly what I had in mind.

10 characters

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Didn't mean to sound belittling in my post on Tannehill. Sorry if it came off that way.

Big splash for Manning in Denver. $96m over five years. Will he play five years? $18m a year is a lot, but if he produces... I don't know that he will lead them to a championship, but they'll be good, no doubt. He says he could play on Sunday if asked. That's great to hear.

Five teams reportedly interested in Tebow: Jax, Jets, Eagles, Packers, Dolphins. Tony Dungy says the Eagles fit best. Left handed, runs. Would make a good backup to Vick, who has a tendency to get hurt. Tim would be most welcome in Jacksonville or Miami by the fans though. And family friends say he would like most to play for a Florida team. But it may create too much of a circus. Look for Denver to get a 2nd or 3rd round pick for him, at best.

Speaking of Miami, lots of talk on the missed opportunity to get Matt Flynn. It appears they dragged their feet, Seattle didn't, and grabbed him. Apparently the Dolphins didn't want to spend the money on him (though his contract isn't that big, really), and weren't sure how good he'd be. Well, of course you don't know for sure. Even with Manning you aren't entirely sure, that's how the game works. Miami seems like a dysfunctional franchise right now.

 

[Amsterhammer]

Tebow: God, when I asked that our team be better, Peyton Manning isn't exactly what I had in mind.

Thanks for the explanations guys, and here's take two of the above.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Didn't mean to sound belittling in my post on Tannehill. Sorry if it came off that way.

No harm was intended I'm sure... just analysis. Just to support your analysis and why Tannehill should not go that high in the draft (e.g. Cleveland @ #4 overall), here is DraftTek's big board, and Tannehill is nowhere in the top 25. Not that he can't be a good NFL QB (e.g. 6th rounder Tom Brady anyone?):

http://www.drafttek.com/default.asp

(numbers after the position are like draft stock:
"--" means no change
"+ number" means up that many positions
"- number" means down that many positions

Rank.. Player......... School.. Posn.. Change
1 Andrew Luck......... Stanford... QB --
2 Matt Kalil ................USC...... LOT --
3 Robert Griffin......... Baylor...... QB + 3
4 Trent Richardson.... Alabama... RBF --
5 Morris Claiborne...... LSU......... CB -2
6 Justin Blackmon....... Okla St.... WRF + 1
7 Riley Reiff.................Iowa....... ROT -2
8 Luke Kuechly........... Boston Col... WILB --
9 David DeCastro....... Stanford..... OG + 2
10 Quinton Coples...... North Car... DE43 -1
11 Fletcher Cox......... Miss St...... DT43 + 1
12 Michael Floyd........ Notre Da... WRF + 5
13 Courtney Upshaw.... Alabama... OLB34 -3
14 Whitney Mercilus..... Illinois...... DE43 --
15 Dre Kirkpatrick........ Alabama... CB + 1
16 Michael Brockers..... LSU........ DT43 -1
17 Mike Adams........... Ohio St.... ROT -4
18 Peter Konz........... Wisconsin... OC + 1
19 Andre Branch........ Clemson.... DE43 + 4
20 Devon Still........... Penn St..... DT43 -2
21 Melvin Ingram....... South Car... OLB34 + 1
22 Mark Barron......... Alabama..... SS -2
23 Zach Brown......... North Car... OLB43 + 1
24 Dontari Poe.......... Memphis.... DT34 + 4
25 Jonathan Martin.... Stanford.... LOT -4

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Look for Denver to get a 2nd or 3rd round pick for him, at best.

Speaking of Miami, lots of talk on the missed opportunity to get Matt Flynn. It appears they dragged their feet, Seattle didn't, and grabbed him. Apparently the Dolphins didn't want to spend the money on him (though his contract isn't that big, really), and weren't sure how good he'd be. Well, of course you don't know for sure. Even with Manning you aren't entirely sure, that's how the game works. Miami seems like a dysfunctional franchise right now.

Tis good news Peyton thinks he could go this weekend if ncesssary.

I agree, 2nd or 3rd round pick at best for Tim. I was thinking no lower than a 4th round pick. If I had to guess, I'd say 4th rounder.

I also agree the contract for Flynn was not that big. Plus it is only 3 years. Time enough to prove his worth, and short enough to renew his contract soon if he soars. I think it is a really fair contract for both sides. I think anyone who can pass for, what, ~480 yards in a regular season game (okay it was vs the #22 ranked team in the NFL against the pass... Detroit) has got some skills to be a long term QB for a team in the NFL. His ratings:

GP.. CMP.. ATT.. CMP%.. YDS.. AVG.. TD.. LNG.. INT.. FUM.. RAT
5..... 33..... 49...... 67.3...... 518... 10.57... 6.... 80..... 2...... 1...... 124.8 (season)

1..... 31..... 44...... 70.5...... 480... 10.91... 6.... 80..... 1...... 0...... 136.4 (v. Lions)

[what a pain that "...." crap was]

 

[thirteen]

CNN breaking news: New Orleans Saints coach suspended for year, team loses draft picks, faces fine in "bounty" scandal.

ETA: The NFL is suspending former New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams indefinitely and Saints head coach Sean Payton for one year because of the team's bounty program, the league said Wednesday.

The league also is suspending Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis for the 2012 season's first eight regular-season games, and Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt for the first six regular-season games, the NFL said in a news release.

In addition, the Saints will be fined $500,000 and forfeit their second-round selections in the 2012 and 2013 NFL drafts, the league said.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Yeah, just read that. Wow. The league really came down on them hard. I'm sure there are going to be appeals, but wow.

The good part about this is that Goddell and the league did it now. If this would have dragged out to the draft, or beyond, it would have been unfair. At least this gives teams time to prepare.

And Tebow goes to the Jets. The Jets??? That's an awful fit for him. Terrible. Both style wise, and personality wise. Three mid-lower round picks for him. 4th, 6th, and 7th. Look for the Jets to dump Greg McElroy. I'm surprised that they didn't send him to Denver, or Denver didn't seek him, to be honest.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

On the Saints punishment, that's about the degree of disciplinary action that I felt was appropriate. One factor that probably caused Goodell to come down so hard was the lack of action by the Saints when told by the League to stop the bounties. It's like disciplining children. I can be a lot more lenient if an action is just accidental or a first-time mistake. But if I instruct one way and am defied... watch out!

I don't know much about the Jets offensive packages, but I'm hearing from ESPN that Tebow fits very well into the Jets package because they already have a power/wildcat type of package, but just don't have the right personnel to run it. Tebow gives them that. Watch for Tebow to be running some of the short yardage situations with options to a RB or short pass.

 

[Amsterhammer]

Thanks to blutto for this -

Joey Porter explains Tim Tebow: ‘He’s the Justin Bieber of the NFL’

http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/a...in_bieber_of_the_nfl/10358179?refmod=backyard



So what do all these Saints suspensions actually mean? Do these guys have to go away and hide for a year while others fill their boots, or do they just carry on doing their jobs in the background via phones and twitter, or whatever? Will they get fired?

 

[Pazuzu]

Good call by Goodell on the bounty issue. The NFL is lucky to have him as commissioner.

 

[Merckx index]

So what do all these Saints suspensions actually mean? Do these guys have to go away and hide for a year while others fill their boots, or do they just carry on doing their jobs in the background via phones and twitter, or whatever? Will they get fired?

Yes, they have to disappear, no contact with any players or team personnel, for sure. And they may get fired, lose their jobs permanently. That’s up to the owners involved. Do you want to hire a new coach just for a year, who will have a somewhat different system, then change systems again when the old one comes back? And how many decent head coaches would take a job if they know it’s only for one year? If the Saints do decide to take Payton back, probably the best thing to do is promote the offensive coordinator (do they have one?) to head coach on a temporary basis.

It will be interesting to see how much the suspensions affect the Saints, who would have been a SB favorite coming off their very strong season in 2011. Payton I would say is pretty irreplaceable, an offensive genius, one of the best coaches in the NFL. Hard to see his absence not hurting the team, which has also managed to alienate their most important player, Brees, in the re-signing process. Now suppose Payton is fired, loses his job permanently. It’s conceivable that Brees, already unhappy over not getting a long-term deal, might decide he doesn’t want to stay with NO. You think Manning’s availability caused a feeding frenzy in the NFL? Brees would be a bigger catch, IMO. He’s three years younger, no current health problems, and just came off one of the best seasons any QB has ever had. Manning is a gamble for the Broncos. Brees isn’t a gamble at all. He doesn't have a lot of years left in the NFL, but he does have enough so a team taking him would have time to look for a replacement.

Anyway, I’d say the 49ers, who not only re-signed Alex Smith, but picked up two new WRs—Moss and Manningham—look like the no.2 team in the conference now, behind GB. Understanding that predictions this far in advance are worth about as much as the paper I’m using to type this on a computer. It also doesn’t hurt the 49ers that the other team seriously affected by this ruling, the Rams, is in their division. They have to find a new defensive coordinator, and I would be very surprised if that is a one year only offer. I think they have to fire Williams. They don't even know how long he will be suspended.

The latest word is that the Tebow to Jets deal is not done, after all. The Jets owe Denver something like $5 million to buy out his contract, and are balking over that. Makes sense, I think they only made a play for Tebow because they thought he came cheap. Sure he can be used in the wildcat, but how often does any team run that type of play? It had its moment of fame a couple of years ago, then defenses caught on to it. Is he worth a roster spot just for that? Supposedly there is a plan to put Tebow in a variety of positions, including special teams and even WR. But if a guy has any future at all as a QB, you don’t want him running plays where he is guaranteed to get hit hard, constantly. I think this is mostly Jets’ desperation to upstage the Giants, to give the NY fanbase some reason to come back to the AFC team.

Also, as one NY sportswriter pointed out, the last thing the Jets need now is another media circus. And Tebow will bring one, no question about that. The team was already coming apart at the seams from infighting. I can’t see how Tebow is going to help that.