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Well guy looks like he has some kind of sexual malfunction were he has 16 employees at 8 different massage places pointing him out!! So was he going to get rub down or does he really misread the rub and tug establishments that poorly. Robert Craft got popped in Florida but was able to plead it out. Sounds like Tucker is out of control. Love to look over NFL union reps notes on that one!!
View: https://youtube.com/shorts/fvAdmqlWMy8?si=gt8vfxRR0n4FK7yB
 
That's terrible!

I think a difference between Kareem Hunt and Tucker (and Watson) is that pretty quickly Hunt admitted he was in the wrong. Now, there was video of the incident and no way Hunt could say he was truly innocent. And it was one person. Not a pattern than made him look like a sexual predator. That made it easier for the Browns to sign him.

While most teams will say winning is everything, that only goes so far. Ask Colin Kaepernick. Who did he hurt exactly? What laws did he break? What rules did he break? No one can say the guy wasn't any good, not good enough to play in the NFL.
 
Good points. And Kaepernick was one helluva dual-threat. Elite size, good arm, fast & athletic.

That 2013 season he had was something special. Threw for over 3100 yds (91 passer rating), 21 TDs & 525 yds rushing leading the 9ers to a 12-4 record & SB appearance (just a TD away from winning that game). He was the real deal in a dual-threat QB.

Too bad things went south for him in 2015 were he missed half the season with major injuries (3) that all required surgery. He wasn't the same after those injuries.
 
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Browns another step closer to getting a domed stadium. To me this would be a real bummer. One of the few stadiums left where weather can be a factor.
What a bunch of wimps if the Browns faithful want a dome. Lol. The Broncos are looking at building a new stadium right downtown next to Coors Field. They're also considering a dome which I think would be travesty given all the legendary games that were played in bad weather since the franchise induction back in 1960.

At least Buffalo is sticking to an open-air stadium with the New Highmark stadium still under construction. This is one of the best ideas I like in a new stadium where curved sides are built to cover a majority of seats - but the playing field will still be exposed to the elements. Best of both worlds - fans get sheltered from the rain & snow while players get to play in it.

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/CG2mm0EisW0?si=2D2vnvQpQ74mQ7ozhhhhhh
 
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I agree 100% on Highmark. Seattle's stadium is very similar. Most of the fans are mostly covered.

At most, I think a stadium like Dallas or Mercedes Benz could be built in colder areas with a retractable roof to keep huge snow/rain storms out between games, but kept open during the game unless it's just downright dangerous, or ridiculously bad weather. But that would be maybe 1-2 games per season. In case people aren't sure, both of those all the fans are covered with a big hole in the top that is a retractable roof. Best of both worlds to me.

I believe the Titans new stadium will be a dome, which to me is ridiculous. Almost as bad will be the Commanders new stadium, but at least that will be a near total glass dome, letting a heap of light in, more than Mercedes-Benz stadium which has scant windows in it's roof.

Bears want a domed stadium too. Which again, to me would be a travesty. Might as well join the NBA is how I look at it.

About a quarter of the fans are covered in some stadiums: Heniz Field. Virtually none are covered in Lambeau, Foxboro, MetLife, and Denver. And they all do just fine. Rare is a game when the weather ruins the outcome.
 
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Too bad things went south for him in 2015 were he missed half the season with major injuries (3) that all required surgery. He wasn't the same after those injuries.
His injuries were a reason he was not likely a viable starter anymore. He also expected too much money, and to be a starter which hurt his chances. Also, when healthy, he ran too early, and ran around too much, which is very hard for an OC to gameplan for. But he was absolutely without question well capable of being a top tier backup QB once he fully recovered, no doubt. And as good as many other starters in the league with his dual-threat ability.

But that's not why he was out of the league, and we all know that. He refused to stand for the national anthem, never told anyone about it, just did it, and when someone noticed, it created a shitstorm. Granted, he didn't make it better at all when wearing a shirt with Fidel Castro (and Malcom-X) and talking about Cuba. Then wearing a pair of socks with pigs on it, which was taken as a blunt protest against police. The good ol' boys of the NFL owners group didn't like any of that, and that was the end of his career.

However, in the many months, now years, he's been asked about all this, his responses have always been fairly articulate, if a little pointed. But I followed him for a bit and he was actually rarely controversial, if at all. Mostly he's just a civil rights, human rights activist, talking about positive things people have done, groups and people who make a difference (recently talking about Cuba, basically just pointing out their free education, and universal healthcare). You had to really dig to find anything he said or posted that even gave you pause. Shame only one single team even gave him a workout (Raiders), and I don't think he ever really was going to get signed by them anyway. They had Derek Carr, and had recently traded for Jarett Stidham to be their backup, and had Nick Mullens and Chase Garbers in camp too.
 
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There's no such thing as a top tier backup QB in the NFL. If a backup is that good he'll be given a chance to start & some actually do end up as starters. But most are lowly drafted or undrafted players - and a few 1st round franchise busts (e.g. Trubisky, Mariota, Wilson, etc) - that end up as journeyman backups.

I guess the argument could be made that a top tier backup is the aging franchise veteran that due to age & injuries can no longer handle a full season as a starter but instead of retiring like most of his contemporaries do, stays in the league as a journeyman backup (e.g. Flacco, Dalton). This type of backup does tend to perform better but they're at a higher risk of injury every time they take to the field. All a coach can hope for is if his premier starter goes down, his backup doesn't play so badly that he actually loses games with stupid picks, fumbles, lack of control of the offense, etc. Lol

Colin Kaepernick was a bust once those injuries hit & his performance dropped. He was drafted 2nd rd, 36th OA (one pick below Dalton) as the franchise QB for the 9ers. In fact, the 9ers traded up with the Broncos to get the 36th pick. And Kaepernick's prospect grade was a very high 7.00. He was even benched in 2015 before the injuries hit for poor performance replaced by Gabbert.

Any 2nd round pick QB that ends up as a backup in the league is a bust...period. 2nd rounders are always drafted as franchise prospects. The low draft picks & undrafted QBs are the future backup guys & very rarely end up as long-term starters.
 
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There's no such thing as a top tier backup QB in the NFL. If a backup is that good he'll be given a chance to start & some actually do end up as starters. But most are lowly drafted or undrafted players - and a few 1st round franchise busts (e.g. Trubisky, Mariota, Wilson, etc) - that end up as journeyman backups.

I guess the argument could be made that a top tier backup is the aging franchise veteran that due to age & injuries can no longer handle a full season as a starter but instead of retiring like most of his contemporaries do, stays in the league as a journeyman backup (e.g. Flacco, Dalton). This type of backup does tend to perform better but they're at a higher risk of injury every time they take to the field. All a coach can hope for is if his premier starter goes down, his backup doesn't play so badly that he actually loses games with stupid picks, fumbles, lack of control of the offense, etc. Lol

Colin Kaepernick was a bust once those injuries hit & his performance dropped. He was drafted 2nd rd, 36th OA (one pick below Dalton) as the franchise QB for the 9ers. In fact, the 9ers traded up with the Broncos to get the 36th pick. And Kaepernick's prospect grade was a very high 7.00. He was even benched in 2015 before the injuries hit for poor performance replaced by Gabbert.

Any 2nd round pick QB that ends up as a backup in the league is a bust...period. 2nd rounders are always drafted as franchise prospects. The low draft picks & undrafted QBs are the future backup guys & very rarely end up as long-term starters.
Kaepernick was unfortunate in his last two seasons and saddled with Tomsula and Chip Kelly as coaches where they only won 5 games then 2, with little offense except for Carlos Hyde at running back and Jeremy Kerley at WR. They signed Garcon who was always hurt as well. Kaepernick struggled with some injuries but Gabbert only replaced him for four games before being dropped again. Kelly intended to bring Kaepernick back but he opted out of his contract and Kelly was dumped by Baalke who then also got dumped by Jed York. Hoyer was signed and did little before Jimmy G was traded for and won his first five games before tearing his ACL. Dark days for the 49ers but two seasons later they got to the SB with Lynch and Shanahan, plus Jimmy back and a much better team all round as well as Saleh as DC. Kaepernick would have been at least a good back up with the right coach and team around him.
 
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That trade surprises me. The Steelers are hoping Ramsey still has enough, and are rolling the dice with Rodgers to win. But it's like a re-tooling for Miami, and contracts and cash were part of it. They could indeed finish in last place if the Jets can put anything together. I'm assuming the Patriots will improve from last year with the big off-season they had doling out huge FA money. If Miami ends up in last, McDaniel will be certainly fired. He'll be picked up as an OC elsewhere quickly, but not a HC.

Regarding Kap, if we look at numerous other QBs who may not have been "top tier", you can create a big list of guys he was certainly as good as who stayed in the league when he was blacklisted. An enormous list.

What's interesting about Garappolo is before he tore his ACL he was pretty mobile and quick. After the ACL he still moved very well, but he's had so many injuries he never became the QB he had the potential to, despite basically being one pass from winning a SB, and likely the MVP.

 

Mind-boggling to think that he was considered a "project QB" with accuracy & ball placement issues. Whoever worked with him should be named coach of the decade!

And Allen's durability is unbelievable. In 7 seasons as the Bills' starter, he has not missed one game due to injury but has played through a multitude of injuries including ankle sprains, knee sprains, concussions, shoulder sprains & a broken hand.

McDermott has got to figure out a way to get him a SB.
 
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7 wins? McDaniel is as good as gone then. He's already on the hot seat going into this season. Not only would he need to make the playoffs but probably win one to keep his job. And then there's the question of Tua? Between his injuries & not being able to win a playoff game, I think he's on the bust train. Got to get a lot more out of a #5 OA pick.

Yes, they missed their window in 2023 while their strengths have worsened and they have kept the same weaknesses. The rest of the league has seemed to figure out the Dolphins offense and just out physicals them on both sides of the ball and Tua’s injuries hasn’t helped. This team with Campbell/Vrabel as head coach and McDaniel as OC would have been a sight to see.
 
7 wins? McDaniel is as good as gone then. He's already on the hot seat going into this season. Not only would he need to make the playoffs but probably win one to keep his job. And then there's the question of Tua? Between his injuries & not being able to win a playoff game, I think he's on the bust train. Got to get a lot more out of a #5 OA pick.

Agree. He was already under the pump.
 
Their offense was pretty bad last year. Only 24th in points scored & in the bottom half of team offense. And they have some serious talent; two track men in Hill & Achane that can catch the ball & Smith who had a career high 88 catches.

Granted, Tua missed 5 games due to injury & McDaniel had to play musical chairs with backups (this proves my point how bad backups are in this league). But if Tua is unable to play a full season anymore because of his injuries issues, it may be time to move on from him?
 
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Their offense was pretty bad last year. Only 24th in points scored & in the bottom half of team offense. And they have some serious talent; two track men in Hill & Achane that can catch the ball & Smith who had a career high 88 catches.

Granted, Tua missed 5 games due to injury & McDaniel had to play musical chairs with backups (this proves my point how bad backups are in this league). But if Tua is unable to play a full season anymore because of his injuries issues, it may be time to move on from him?
And they have Waddle still and Mostert last year and Smith is on the faster side for TE. A whole lot of speed at all three receiving positions but teams figured out that when they’re physical with the dolphins, dolphins timing is thrown off and they don’t know how to adjust. Like it was and might still be the fastest group of players in the three positions. They need to get more physical and stop getting pushed around on both sides. I think they need a pounder at running back and a physical TE and WR.
 
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I need to edit my post; they traded Smith to the Steelers. And looks like they went mostly defense in the draft. They did take one of the best OG in the 2nd rd. And they got a pounder RB in the 6th - Ollie Gordon II - 226 lbs with inside running strength. Big time stats & All-American at Ok St.
 
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Tua missed 5 games due to injury & McDaniel had to play musical chairs with backups (this proves my point how bad backups are in this league).
This to me is the biggest reason why the league hasn't expanded. The appetite for the NFL has grown to the point where I believe they could add 8 teams. 4 in the US, and 4 in Europe (or one in Toronto?), and sell plenty of tickets and airtime to be financially viable. The problem is, teams will have starting QBs with names like Desmond Ridder, Jake Browning, Gardner Minshew, Tyrod Taylor, Zach Wilson. You can add the three more necessary. These guys wouldn't just make the team, they would be the team's designated starter.
But if Tua is unable to play a full season anymore because of his injuries issues, it may be time to move on from him?
If Tua gets injured enough to miss real time, especially a concussion, he should just retire. Go on to do something else with the rest of his life. He has 2 kids, he can throw a ball around and play catch with them.
 
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Payton said what really surprised him about Nix was his mobility where by week #7, he instituted designed run plays in the game plan. (I don't why this surprised Payton since Nix had a 510 yd rushing season his Jr year at Oregon & showed good athleticism at his pro day - 4.75 40/4.06 20 yd shuttle).

I think Payton needs to capitalize on Nix's mobility even more. He finished last season with 430 yds which was only #8 in QB rushing stats. By comparison, Allen averages about 591 yds a season, Jackson about 880 (#1 in the league every year) & Hurts around 690 (Hurts had 630 yds rushing last season despite missing 2 games and having a 2000 yd rusher in Barkley). And ROY Jayden Daniels ran for 891 yds (over a 1000 when you add in the 3 playoff games) while throwing for 3568, an outstanding 100 passer rating & 28.5 points per game!

Since Nix's arm talent & passing ability was impressive last season with 3775 yds (29/12) & a 93 passer rating, more running will open up the passing game even more & score more points. Allen consistently throws for more than 4000 yds most seasons out of - believe it or not - RPO schemes (the Bills averaged 30 points a game vs 25 for the Broncos).

Since developed passers that are mobile & can effectively run don't come a dime a dozen, Payton needs to take advantage of Nix's mobility & athleticism at all costs. He's mentioned before that Nix is the next "Dree Brees." This is incorrect. Nix is a completely different QB than Brees. Brees was a pure pocket passer that wasn't very mobile. Nix is a mobile pocket passer than can effectively run the ball presenting a dual-threat capability.
 
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I thought I posted this yesterday but I guess not, Dolphins got an even worse player to keep healthy than Tua. Like what the heck are they doing. If you want to sign a body, fing put me in coach and I’ll do my best. Might only last a play but goddamn it I’ll be trying.

 
He better be incredibly healthy and fit. Even then, I can't possibly see how Waller would be better than Jonnu Smith, who they dealt to Pittsburgh.

Smith caught 88 passes for the Dolphins last season.

Waller's best years were 2019 and 2020 with the Raiders. Five plus years ago!

Here's what makes less than zero sense, they are going to pay Waller more than Smith was/is getting!!!

Someone tell me what GM Chris Grier and owner Stephen Ross are thinking???
 
Seems quite plausible!

For those not distracted by that bike race in France and still thinking football, here are key dates:

The week of July 14th training camp opens to rookies. Previous injured players, vet QBs may participate.

July 22 is the first official day of full training camp to all players.

July 31st - Hall of Fame Game - Chargers v. Lions

August 7 - First week of preseason.

August 26 - Final cutdown to 53.

Sept 4th - Cowboys vs. Eagles starts season.
 
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Hard to believe that in about 3 weeks time the Hall of Fame game will kickoff. Time sure flies.

Good article on Jalen Hurts:


Hurts is having a remarkable career & is getting it done:

46-30 (61%) five years into the league, 4 yrs as a fulltime starter

6-3 playoff record

2 NFC Championships

SB win & MVP

Consider this:

Not a 1st rounder. Not the biggest dual-threat QB. Not the strongest arm dual-threat. Not a top-10 salary.

He started off his rookie year as the 3rd stringer, worked his way up to the backup in the first half of the season & replaced a struggling Carson Wentz in the latter part of the season earning the starting spot for the next year.

Epic:

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/RLOkEvA9DJY?si=mTeztlplh--R-hW7
 
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