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National Football League

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Ever since his cliff theory 3 or 4 years ago. He drank too much of the Parker kool aid. Wright has been having more neutral and friendlier takes on Brady lately. I think it will be very hard for the Patriots to make it to the Super Bowl. Newton is a huge step up from Hoyer or Stidham but the odds keep stacking up against them. Dolphins and Bills have been improving and Jets might if they get rid of Gase. On top of the hardest rated schedule. With BB's bread and butter aggressive defense missing key cogs. But if anyone can make something out of nothing.
Bucs I have high hopes for as long as Brady doesn't have a 2015 Manning type season (which I don't think will happen but you never know). Gronk I feel is being underestimated at your own risk. Now he isn't the main go to threat anymore like at NE with Godwin and Evans on the field drawing coverage as well. If the offense is moving you will be hard pressed to stop them. They can come out in 11, 12, and 13 base personal and be fine with their threats. Even more if they get AB, now that would be unstoppable in my opinion. But very unlikely.
I was watching highlights yesterday of the 49ers/Buccs game from last season as well as a few others. Buccs have some good offense on that team. Liked the RB and a few of the receivers. The defense not so impressive.
 
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I was watching highlights yesterday of the 49ers/Buccs game from last season as well as a few others. Buccs have some good offense on that team. Liked the RB and a few of the receivers. The defense not so impressive.

Did as well as they could with all the turnovers. I would think they are around average with some good stats, especially from all the turnovers. They should do better without all the turnovers leading to bad field position and not as much rest.
 
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Did as well as they could with all the turnovers. I would think they are around average with some good stats, especially from all the turnovers. They should do better without all the turnovers leading to bad field position and not as much rest.
Yes both teams were coughing up the ball in that game, the 49ers had the dropsy early in the season but got back on track. Turnovers and intercepts were an ongoing problem for the Buccs.
 
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KC's Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, one of the best guards in the business, has also opted out. 5 yr starter and played every down in the SB. Good for the Broncos but a big problem for Reid


Yea I saw Shannon and Skip talking about him. Chose to stay in Canada and work as a doctor in a facility to help covid patients. Very noble of him and hope he is able to stay well.
 
Yikes, a doctor says that as many as 70% of NFL players might be at increased risk from the virus because of their size. I knew there were some 300 lb OL, I didn't realize that almost all OL are 300+, that the average weight is 312 lb. Interior DL also average 300 lb.

The average BMI of an NFL player is > 30, which is clinically obese. Some are over 40. Here are some positions, for which the average BMI is > 30:


PositionBMI
NT
40.50​
DT
38.22​
G
38.05​
T
36.73​
C
36.72​
DE
33.83​
LB
31.34​
RB
30.98​
TE
30.62​

All the other positions are > 26.

https://www.sportingcharts.com/articles/nfl/what-is-the-average-bmi-of-an-nfl-player.aspx

To be fair, having a lot of muscle greatly increases the BMI. A high BMI doesn't mean all these players are unhealthy. But a lot of linemen do carry a lot of fat, and I would think all that weight might put some stress on the body.
 
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Yea, both OL and DL players are big boys. They lose an insane amount of weight when they retire. You're right with BMI being misleading. Even though they are considered obese, most are majority muscle and need to be to press and move other men their weight.
The weight should put stress on the body but the cardio and not having to mive around the field as much as the others should negate that. They're still world class athletes.
I think every player is at risk besides kicker and punter as they are more socially distanced. The most at risk is everyone on the line of scrimmage, qb, and hb.
 
Absolutely BMI is very misleading. Body fat %, muscle mass & conditioning are better indicators. Obesity with the general public causes metabolic syndrome promoting systemic inflammation adversely impacting immune function. This group has a very high body fat %, poor fitness level & poor nutritional status...to say the least.

This new generation of OL/DL are in phenomenal condition considering their massive size. A lot of them played in spread offenses in college where they pass blocked a lot. Certainly the improved strength & conditioning programs in the colleges these days has produced a better conditioned and agile "big man" without compromising strength.

Check out this year's combine with the offensive linemen doing the agility drills which also is a good measure of their fitness level. Mind-boggling to see 320 pounders moving like that (starts at 4:00 in):

View: https://youtu.be/VxXCuSyj18M
 
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Thanks for the last two posts. The kind of feedback I was hoping to get.

Meanwhile, a player's poll has the half a billion dollar man only fourth? Behind Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson and Aaron Donald? Nice to see Wilson, though, the perennial non-MVP, getting all that respect from his peers. You tend to get votes from guys who have to chase you all over the field on a fourth quarter two minute comeback.
 
Thanks for the last two posts. The kind of feedback I was hoping to get.

Meanwhile, a player's poll has the half a billion dollar man only fourth? Behind Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson and Aaron Donald? Nice to see Wilson, though, the perennial non-MVP, getting all that respect from his peers. You tend to get votes from guys who have to chase you all over the field on a fourth quarter two minute comeback.
Lamar was MVP so not surprised there but Mahomes had to be at least second I thought. Also the poll was taken in mid October and Mahomes improved after that. Good to see Kittle in the top 10.

As for the obesity debate. I am constantly amazed at how quick some of these players are considering their size and weight.
 
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I don't even think that retirement lasted 24 hours. I think the next day he was publicly asking the NFL when they would finish so he could play. Some think the retirement was click bait for something he was trying to promote.
Click bait sounds like AB's internal dialogue. I fear Seattle will make a move and he could be relatively cheap with an incentive contract. That said, he would likely not keep chill if he didn't get targeted enough for his taste. His 8 game suspension would have him come into a developed team dynamic if everyone is healthy. If he can actually help, great. Otherwise it'll be another chapter in his soap opera.
 
Click bait sounds like AB's internal dialogue. I fear Seattle will make a move and he could be relatively cheap with an incentive contract. That said, he would likely not keep chill if he didn't get targeted enough for his taste. His 8 game suspension would have him come into a developed team dynamic if everyone is healthy. If he can actually help, great. Otherwise it'll be another chapter in his soap opera.
My hunch is John Schneider will not sign AB by, HOPEFULLY, remembering P E R C Y H A R V I N (need a little fire-starter, devil emoji here). Don't go there John. Please.
 
Will Russell Wilson ever win the MVP? I don't think he will. He should have won it once already, for sure. This season perhaps could be it, but I don't think the season will take place. How long will he be effective enough to still be so dangerous and productive? He'll be 32 at the end of November, so not young anymore, but certainly not 'old.' I think, if healthy, he could be a significant part of Seattle's offense until he's probably 35/36.
 
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Will Russell Wilson ever win the MVP? I don't think he will. He should have won it once already, for sure. This season perhaps could be it, but I don't think the season will take place. How long will he be effective enough to still be so dangerous and productive? He'll be 32 at the end of November, so not young anymore, but certainly not 'old.' I think, if healthy, he could be a significant part of Seattle's offense until he's probably 35/36.
He'd be one of the healthiest 32 yo out there so that won't be the reason. NFL seasons are likely to be fickle for a few years with the Covid impact on all aspects including the private lives of everyone related to the NFL. How teams manage contracts with essentially a gap year will complicate things, too. Salary caps related to current revenue might be a victim for the short term so teams can regain some normalcy?
 
I found this interesting:

https://sports.yahoo.com/many-nfl-p...y-have-put-careers-on-the-line-230450021.html

The thesis is that many NFL players opting out because of C19 concerns will be giving up their careers. The underlying sentiment of many in the NFL, even if they won't say it, is that anyone who would refuse to play because of the virus is a sissy.

On Twitter, [Washington DC Jack] Del Rio said players know the risk of playing the game and said the priority “is not trying to be perfectly safe,” which is a straw man argument. Yes, by now most football players understand the risks of playing football — risks like torn ligaments, broken bones or concussion.

Catching a potentially life-threatening virus is not a “risk” of playing football.

But a guy like Hightower’s New England teammate Najee Toran, who spent last year on the practice squad, may never be on another NFL roster. The idea that football should come before pretty much anything else lingers among many coaches, and that will certainly be in play here, especially for players who don’t have a clear-cut reason not to play.
 
I found this interesting:

https://sports.yahoo.com/many-nfl-p...y-have-put-careers-on-the-line-230450021.html

The thesis is that many NFL players opting out because of C19 concerns will be giving up their careers. The underlying sentiment of many in the NFL, even if they won't say it, is that anyone who would refuse to play because of the virus is a sissy.
It will be a lot harder for players that aren't established to come back. That's a dumb sentiment though, the players shouldn't be blamed for not wanting to play. We don't know their circumstances.
 
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It will be a lot harder for players that aren't established to come back. That's a dumb sentiment though, the players shouldn't be blamed for not wanting to play. We don't know their circumstances.
There are so many things that could turn this season into roster/business chaos for a team. It's hard to know what judgements would be made after a season with the possible increase of injuries per game due to lack of pre-season contact if that is a factor. Guys getting sick; cities shutting down due to outbreaks could all make old attitudes toward player self-protection useless once business as usual could recommence.
We're still talking about Antonio Brown actually getting on a team even though he has an 8 game suspension and ridiculous history of team trashing. Opt out players may end up being the prized livestock if they have talent and no residual C19 limitations. It's a weird world for these guys to be in, isn't it?
 

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