National Football League

[Alpe d'Huez]

NFL playing 7 regular season games out of the country in 2025.

The Vikings play in Dublin and then a week later in London.
Now that's a road trip.

Shouldn't they be playing in Oslo?

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

The quote below is from RG3.

Three reasons Why the New Prototypical NFL QB is Mobile and why IT IS NEVER GOING BACK to the old days of just pocket passing.

• 7 of 8 NFL QBs in the Divisional Round of Playoffs, 27 of 32 starting QBs in the NFL and both starting QBs in the College Football Championship are mobile QBs.
• Size, Strength and Speed of Pass Rushers and lack of depth of offensive lineman to block them forces QBs to be Mobile.
• The more mobile the QB, the more the numbers game shifts in favor of the offense in the run and pass game. Making it truly 11 on 11 football with the defense accounting for the QB.

Being a mobile QB, doesn’t mean you are a rushing yards merchant.

Mobility can mean being a true dual threat QB, being a scrambler, an improviser, a play extender or an off platform throwing assassin. All require mobility.

RG3 also brought up how Matthew Stafford may be slow, and rarely runs, but he's very good at throwing on the run, on bootlegs, rollouts, broken plays and improvisation. He considers Stafford mobile. Or mobile enough. I'm not sure anymore, but maybe in the past, and I can see his point. He doesn't consider Jared Goff mobile.

 

[Potomac]

There's predator prey seesaw relationship in things like size and speed of pass rushers and lineman.
If most teams go with small speedy pass rushers to catch these mobile QBs, then some some team will be contrary and have massive O Line and and a pocket passer have big success and reverse the cycle.

It is like the WR and CBs.....when all the CBs are small and fast then teams respond with big WRs.
Then eventually the CBs get bigger.....then teams go with smaller faster WRs....

 

[Nomad]

The quote below is from RG3.

RG3 also brought up how Matthew Stafford may be slow, and rarely runs, but he's very good at throwing on the run, on bootlegs, rollouts, broken plays and improvisation. He considers Stafford mobile. Or mobile enough. I'm not sure anymore, but maybe in the past, and I can see his point. He doesn't consider Jared Goff mobile.

Interesting stats & good assessment by RG3. And if you factor in the dual-threat aspect where rushing is a dynamic component of a QB's game, 4 out of the top 5 rushing QBs last season had deep playoff runs including the eventual SB winning/MVP QB:

NFL Qb Rushing Yards Leaders 2024 Season | StatMuse

Lamar Jackson rushed for the most yards by a quarterback in 2024, with 915 yards.

www.statmuse.com

And out of those 4 rushing QBs that made postseason, all were in the top 11 for passer rating with Lamar Jackson #1 at 119:

Highest Passer Rating 2024 | StatMuse

Lamar Jackson had the best passer rating in 2024, with a 119.6 rating.

www.statmuse.com

A real good example of this is Josh Allen who's ability to run the ball is an important component of his game. Allen, who did not operate out of dual-threat RPO scheme in college (unlike Jackson, Daniels, Hurts, etc) has rushed for over 500 yds in all 7 of his seasons with a good percentage of those designed runs. And last season he ran for 12 TDs, his second best season high, & second to Hurts' league-leading 14.

This is mindboggling when you have one of the biggest QBs in the league with an all-time elite arm (one of the strongest in the history of the game) and amazing athleticism who can run the ball like a TE.

The bar has been set. The baseline traits that teams are looking for now is arm talent, mobility/athleticism & the ability to effectively run the ball.

 

[Nomad]

There's predator prey seesaw relationship in things like size and speed of pass rushers and lineman.
If most teams go with small speedy pass rushers to catch these mobile QBs, then some some team will be contrary and have massive O Line and and a pocket passer have big success and reverse the cycle.

The average size of an offensive lineman is 6'5" & 315 lbs. They can't get any bigger without sacrificing mobility & endurance. Since the NFL is a pass orientated league, lineman need to be mobile for pass blocking & have a certain level of endurance to be able to last 4 quarters. And today's lineman is quite mobile - a lot of the big guys are running sub-5 40s with decent 20 yd shuttle times.

And today's edge rusher (the best at pass rushing) is not small by any means (average about 265 lbs) with impressive speed (a lot run sub-4.6), and they still can't stop mobile, athletic QBs. Lol

 

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/sNY-1z1vTUA?si=inXZw_1nlvN4nFAy

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

This is why I think Jaxson Dart is a serious threat to both Wilson and Winston, and could even start week 1 for the Giants. I also think if it turns out Milroe can pass the ball decent, and make smart throwing decisions (which will take work), he could dethrone Darnold as the Seahawks QB before you know it (like, by season's end). It's also why I think Fields is going to have at least a decent season. He seemed to settle into how he's supposed to play (game manage with his arm, make magic with his legs) and while the Jets are likely to be a work in progress, he could thrive on that team, with Hall running the ball, and that defense keeping games low scoring.

The oddity to me is Hendon Hooker. Stuck between being too raw to play, and "too old" to develop. I can't believe Detroit hasn't either tried to develop, or ship him, due to his dual-threat potential.

 

[Nomad]

I agree with you on Dart if the Giants run the spread RPO scheme that he played in for 3 seasons under Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss. We saw the brilliance with Kliff Kingsbury having Daniels operate out of the spread RPO that he played in at LSU.

Though Fields showed marked improvement in passing accuracy & decision making in those 6 starts at Pittsburgh, can he keep that up & stay consistent for an entire 17 game season?

Great point on Hooker. He was projected as a 1st rd pick before he tore his ACL in the last game of his senior season. If he's had a successful reconstruction & was cleared to played without any limitations, someone needs to give him a shot.

 

[movingtarget]

The quote below is from RG3.

RG3 also brought up how Matthew Stafford may be slow, and rarely runs, but he's very good at throwing on the run, on bootlegs, rollouts, broken plays and improvisation. He considers Stafford mobile. Or mobile enough. I'm not sure anymore, but maybe in the past, and I can see his point. He doesn't consider Jared Goff mobile.

The majority of SB winners have been pocket passers although Steve Young was mobile so was Russell Wilson but recently, Mahomes is obviously mobile so is Hurts. Stafford is like a slower version of Burrow who can also run and ran more last year because his line wasn't much good. Allen, Jackson and Mahomes are currently the best QB's in the league and all of them can use their legs well. Even Darnold is quite mobile and fairly fast when he needs to be. The jury is still out on some of the younger QB's including Henry. Daniels looks good so far, some of the other young QB's are yet to get to his standard and may never will. Never saw Goff as mobile. Tua and Murray obviously are, and it's cost them some injuries by tempting fate a little too often especially with their size. So is Fields and all three have had their issues playing the QB position even though they are mobile.

 

[Nomad]

Good point on Steve Young. He was very mobile & more of a dual-threat with some designed running plays at Frisco. There's a YT video where he takes off on an 80 yd TD run. It's absolutely insane - it might be the longest TD run of a QB in the modern era. Hurts is a pure dual-threat where he had that crazy year at Oklahoma passing for 3800 yds & running for 1300 yds - and scoring a combine 52 TDs! And now he's the first dual-threat SB winning/MVP QB. Jackson & Daniels are top dual-threats that can beat you with their arm or feet. They're also cut from the same mold of the taller, slighter-built running QB that utilizes more finesse than power (both barely weigh 205 lbs but have blazing speed).

Here's an excellent article that goes into great depth with the differences between mobile pocket passers vs pure dual-threat QBs. Two of the deciding factors are designed runs as part of the offensive game plan & number of rushing attempts (usually around 100 rushing attempts per season). The mobile pocket passers would generally prefer to pass first & run second. The dual-threat guys can do both equally well & have a background of running the ball a lot in college operating from a spread RPO scheme where designed runs are part of the game plan (they were all recruited out of HS as dual-threat QBs).

The NFL's biggest change over the past decade? The QB run game. Here's why dual-threats are so valuable

Eight starting passers are involved in their team's run game this season, a huge change from 10 years ago. How did we get here? What could come next?

www.espn.com

"And right now, as we begin the 2024 season, a full quarter of the league's starting passers are involved in their team's run game. In the AFC, there is Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Justin Fields and Anthony Richardson. The NFC has Jalen Hurts, Jayden Daniels, Daniel Jones and Kyler Murray. There are others, such as Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott, who have success as scramblers, but the eight just mentioned are involved in their team's designed run game."

Since the article was published in Sept, 2024 before the completion of the season, we can add to that list Nix, Maye & Williams. All three had over 400 yds rushing & were involved in their team's designed run game. And Williams has 4.5 speed & some serious athleticism. Check out this scramble & run for a score - quite impressive!

 

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/Ur--v5qrq1c?si=EX4bjd6p8XeUrHGG

 

[Oldman]

NFL playing 7 regular season games out of the country in 2025.

The Vikings play in Dublin and then a week later in London.
Now that's a road trip.

That'll test the Minnesota teams legendary ability to recover; from pub life.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

The majority of SB winners have been pocket passers...

Past performance is no guarantee of future results!

• Cy Young won 511 games, and pitched 749 complete games.
• The 4 minute mile couldn't be broken.
• Pocket passers won Super Bowls.

As RGIII said, the game has forever changed.

 

[movingtarget]

Past performance is no guarantee of future results!

• Cy Young won 511 games, and pitched 749 complete games.
• The 4 minute mile couldn't be broken.
• Pocket passers won Super Bowls.

As RGIII said, the game has forever changed.

No doubt about that.

 

[movingtarget]

Brock Purdy, 49ers agree to terms on five-year, $265 million extension

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Definitely a win for Purdy. Unknown for SF. Crazy money for the crazy times we live in.

Tre Lance is 3rd or 4th on the depth chart of the Chargers. Meaning he could make as little as $90k if he's cut, and as much as $2m if on the active roster every week. He's more likely to make about $200k this year, presuming they sign him to the practice squad. I still think there's a chance we'll see him in the UFL next year for the $70k or so they pay.

Interesting looking at this graphic how none of these guys have won a Super Bowl. Hurts is next on the list, and Mahomes at 14th. Stafford at 16th. Deshaun Watson and his ridiculous contract is still there at 13th.

 

[movingtarget]

Even so, the guaranteed money for Purdy is way less than Allen and Dak. Think it's a win for the 49ers as well. You could argue that the Love, Tua and Lawrence contracts are much worse re what they have achieved so far. On that list only Purdy, Burrow and Goff have got to a SB.

 

[Nomad]

His performance is very comparable to Burrow; both have led their teams to the SB, Purdy is 4-2 & Burrow 5-2 in postseason & both have similar passer ratings. However, is he the guy to lead them back to the SB? They were absolutely terrible last year finishing 6-11 & at the bottom of the division. Purdy played most of the season missing only two games & he couldn't do any better than 6 wins? Of course, the strong contingent of the Niner faithful screamed "Injuries!" at the top of their lungs. Lol. Big deal...unless a team loses it's star QB, injuries should never be an excuse for losing at the NFL level. IMO, Shanahan should have been fired at the very least.

Good point on Tua. He sticks out like a sore thumb on that list. 0-1 in the only postseason he's played in. And he's played only one full season in 5 due to injuries. He may end up as an injury bust. And Lawrence is headed to bust territory if he doesn't live up to expectations with at least a deep playoff run this season. 4 seasons & only 1-1 in the playoffs (and he's starting to develop injuries as well). The next "Payton Manning" has got to start delivering the goods. Lol.

What's going to be the expectations for the 9ers this season? Back into playoff contention at the very least?

 

[Nomad]

Tre Lance is 3rd or 4th on the depth chart of the Chargers. Meaning he could make as little as $90k if he's cut, and as much as $2m if on the active roster every week. He's more likely to make about $200k this year, presuming they sign him to the practice squad. I still think there's a chance we'll see him in the UFL next year for the $70k or so they pay.

They currently show him 3rd behind Heinicke & ahead of DJ Uiagalelei, who they signed as an UDFA (have you heard of him? He's a former 5-star recruit who can throw the ball to the moon but has bad accuracy problems & couldn't hit the broadside of a barn).

I imagine if Lance can't win the backup job & he's shipped to the practice squad, that would be a colossal failure & he's done for good (I think teams are getting impatient with his lack of progress). The window is closing rapidly on him just to make it as a backup.

Do you think Jimmy H can do something with him? Bayless seems overly optimistic that he can:

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/v0B6TaF_TaE?si=d3kL-kMJLGFwMGlM

 

[movingtarget]

His performance is very comparable to Burrow; both have led their teams to the SB, Purdy is 4-2 & Burrow 5-2 in postseason & both have similar passer ratings. However, is he the guy to lead them back to the SB? They were absolutely terrible last year finishing 6-11 & at the bottom of the division. Purdy played most of the season missing only two games & he couldn't do any better than 6 wins? Of course, the strong contingent of the Niner faithful screamed "Injuries!" at the top of their lungs. Lol. Big deal...unless a team loses it's star QB, injuries should never be an excuse for losing at the NFL level. IMO, Shanahan should have been fired at the very least.

Good point on Tua. He sticks out like a sore thumb on that list. 0-1 in the only postseason he's played in. And he's played only one full season in 5 due to injuries. He may end up as an injury bust. And Lawrence is headed to bust territory if he doesn't live up to expectations with at least a deep playoff run this season. 4 seasons & only 1-1 in the playoffs (and he's starting to develop injuries as well). The next "Payton Manning" has got to start delivering the goods. Lol.

What's going to be the expectations for the 9ers this season? Back into playoff contention at the very least?

Agree on the Burrow comparison as they have both had issues with their O line and D line on their down years. Last year the Bengals and 49ers both ranked relatively high on offense but both defenses were poor. The 49ers run defense was ranked about 26th in the league and their special teams was 32nd with a huge points differential which actually cost them some games.

The consensus is that they have addressed their special teams issues and the defense but with rookies that is never a given. CMC has had a great off season so far as has Pearsall. Aiyuk is on the mend. No news on Trent Williams. If they get into problems it will probably be on the the O line or with depth overall as they get deeper into the season. They lost a lot of starters but they also have a weak schedule compared to the last few years. They also have Saleh back as the DC, and Brant Boyer as the new Special team coordinator who is highly regarded. Matt Jones as the back up QB who is an upgrade on Brandon Allen. The O line will have to do much better than last year if they want the best out of Purdy. The NFC West division is now much tougher than it was a few years ago so there is also that. Most people seem to think it will be a fail if the 49ers don't make the playoffs with that schedule but no one is picking them to win the SB it seems unlike the years 19-24. If Shanahan misses the playoffs again, next year will be it for him and Lynch you would think Jed York isn't afraid to move on and did it two years in a row before Shanahan arrived.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I think right now Lawrence has to be on the hot seat out of all those QBs. What a disappointment he's been. I think he has got to lead them to the playoffs this year or they are going to start to think past him. Don't forget they drafted Hunter, and aren't in the strongest division. If they finish at least 8-9 and don't look good doing so, it will fall on Lawrence more than Liam Coen (unless Coen completely botches things).

Tua's on a hot seat because of his health.

I did look up Uiagalelei! Someone called him the next Joe Milton. Cannon arm-needs work. But Milton had a better college career, and looked plenty good last season.

I don't think Harbaugh can weave magic with Lance. Shanahan couldn't, and they tried hard, for a couple years. Kellen Moore when OC in Dallas couldn't, Brin Schottenheimer - Dallas new HC couldn't when he was OC. I don't think Harbaugh is this all mighty wizard others do. He's a good coach, sure, but I will be really surprised if he gets anything out of Lance who I think is done. He lacks accuracy, badly. He makes poor decisions. He has been given many chances, and hardly showed any of his potential, anywhere he's gone, any and every situation. I see no reason things in LA will be different.

I earlier said SF could compete with Seattle for last place in that division, but they do indeed have a soft schedule. I don't see Shanahan getting up and fired if they have another bad season, as everyone knows SF has other issues - both the OL, DL, the entire D. But I certainly agree both he and Lynch will be on the hot seat for the 2026 season. Their time to rebuild around Purdy will be very short. York can fire those guys and do what the Raiders, Jags and other teams did and clean house. Another factor is they can fire both those guys, and make Saleh the interim, knowing he's a good guy with HC experience. So, as good as Shanahan was in the past, I can see it for sure.

 

[movingtarget]

Most/least vulnerable NFL division champs: Chiefs to repeat in AFC West? Lions in trouble?

 

[SHAD0W93]

Eagles’ schedule 2025: How rare is a schedule without back-to-back home games?

The Eagles' schedule arrived Wednesday night and based on the opponent and when the games are being played, we ranked the degrees of difficulty for each game. They also have the challenge of not having back-to-back home games.

www.lehighvalleylive.com

Crazy that the Eagles are the only team without a back to back home game. It will be a hard stretch and they play 7 playoff teams on the road.

NFL announces schedule for 2025 International Games

Also crazy that the Vikings will be in UK and Ireland back to back.

 

[Nomad]

Like Alpe said, they should have schedule the Vikings to play in Oslo - now that would have brought out the Scandinavians in full force. Lol.

 

[Nomad]

Most/least vulnerable NFL division champs: Chiefs to repeat in AFC West? Lions in trouble?

I don't agree with all of that. I think the teams with the elite mobile pocket passers/dual-threats will be right back in the division title/playoffs. For example, it seems the Chiefs just need to win enough games to win the division & life is good for them. Last year they won 15 games & were right back in the SB. The year before they won only 11 games but won the SB. As long as Mahomes is healthy, they will always be a contender.

IMO, the Bills, Ravens & Texans likely are division winners again if their QBs stay healthy. I think the best of the rest will be fighting for WC spots (Broncos, Chargers, Bengals, Dolphins - unless we see a miracle with Lawrence turning the ship around).

In the NFC, I could see the Commanders overtaking the Eagles for the division title & making a run at the SB. Daniels is a future star as one of the best dual-threats in the game. I don't like the Rams nor Lions with their immobile pocket passers. I could see the Pack with great play from Love dethroning the Lions. Or maybe the Vikings making some noise? Could McCarthy show he's worth that #10 OA pick & have a season like Daniels or Nix had? (the Vikngs have a ton of offensive talent). And I'm waiting for Murray to have a breakout season & show us some stuff like the good dual-threat action seen with Daniels, Jackson, Allen & Hurts (Murray hasn't been to the playoffs since the 2021 season & is not living up to his #1 OA billing).

 

[movingtarget]

I don't agree with all of that. I think the teams with the elite mobile pocket passers/dual-threats will be right back in the division title/playoffs. For example, it seems the Chiefs just need to win enough games to win the division & life is good for them. Last year they won 15 games & were right back in the SB. The year before they won only 11 games but won the SB. As long as Mahomes is healthy, they will always be a contender.

IMO, the Bills, Ravens & Texans likely are division winners again if their QBs stay healthy. I think the best of the rest will be fighting for WC spots (Broncos, Chargers, Bengals, Dolphins - unless we see a miracle with Lawrence turning the ship around).

In the NFC, I could see the Commanders overtaking the Eagles for the division title & making a run at the SB. Daniels is a future star as one of the best dual-threats in the game. I don't like the Rams nor Lions with their immobile pocket passers. I could see the Pack with great play from Love dethroning the Lions. Or maybe the Vikings making some noise? Could McCarthy show he's worth that #10 OA pick & have a season like Daniels or Nix had? (the Vikngs have a ton of offensive talent). And I'm waiting for Murray to have a breakout season & show us some stuff like the good dual-threat action seen with Daniels, Jackson, Allen & Hurts (Murray hasn't been to the playoffs since the 2021 season & is not living up to his #1 OA billing).

Yeah Murray showed glimpses of it but the Cardinals have to stop falling apart in the second half of the season otherwise they will never get back to the playoffs. Agree on the Rams. Still a lot of question marks about the QB's. Seattle will be hoping that Darnold can have another good season but the Seattle receiving corp is a pale version of the Vikings one unless their rookies can do something and the new coach. Some people are writing off the Vikings quickly it seems. I also expect the Bears to be improvers and no one is talking about the Cowboys. The problem playing Kansas is finding a way to beat them in the playoffs. They have an exceptional record in the Mahomes era and the Bills and Ravens will never have a chance win the trophy unless they can, unless Kansas totally crumbles and misses the playoffs which looks unlikely at the moment.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Most/least vulnerable NFL division champs: Chiefs to repeat in AFC West? Lions in trouble?

I think it’s pretty much going to be the same winners as last year though Lions to have a bigger gap and Chiefs to come down to the final game. Maybe Bengals can dethrone the Ravens if their defense is better.