It's true, some horses like to bite..........
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Their OC was Mike LeFleur, now HC of the Cardinals. And the QB coach was Rob Calabrese, now WR coach on the Rams. After two years on the Jets LeFleur was pushed aside to hire Nathaniel Hackett as OC (Aaron Rodgers buddy), but Zach ended up starting most of the season. Also in this mix Todd Downing was their passing game coordinator. He was "boy wonder" for the Raiders as a QB coach early in Derek Carr's career (when Carr was quite good), didn't do so well as an OC when given the job, but overall has been a good QB and position coach elsewhere.
IMO it's at some point hard to just blame all these guys. It has to be something with Wilson. Perhaps Zach came into the league not just overdrafted, but overconfident. Maybe not dedicated enough. Yes, the Jets suck, but Zach hasn't done anything since leaving them. He looked decent in a few preseason games for Denver, that's about it. His completion % is bad. He makes bad decisions, throws too many interceptions, and for having a strong arm his accuracy deep doesn't really exist. Even Mike McDaniel pushed him to the bottom of the depth chart when in Miami. If there was one guy Zach could have learned a lot from, it was McDaniel. But it didn't happen. In fact, it's like the opposite happened.
It's funny with Wilson because he was considering one of the most pro-ready QBs to come out of the last several drafts. (BYU runs a pro-spread scheme with the QB under center about half the time).
Definitely overdratfed - no question about that. And he's the only BYU QB drafted in the 1st rd that was not an established starter (McMahon/5th OA, Marc Wilson/15th OA & Young/1st OA supplemental draft).
On QB coaches: When you find one that is very efficient in developing young talent, they're worth their weight in gold. Consider the situation with Allen. He had major accuracy problems coming out of Wyoming & was also considered a "Boom-or-Bust" prospect. He was absolutely terrible in his rookie season under QB coach David Culley (bad completion pct, poor passer rating, more picks than TDs, etc). McDermott fires Culley & brings in Ken Dorsey. A marked improvement occurred in Allen's 2nd yr, and his 3rd yr was the breakout season where Allen graduated to the ranks of an elite passer.
Here's a good article on Dorsey & his development of Allen. Dorsey has since moved on & is now the "passing game specialist" with Dallas.
www.nytimes.com
Definitely overdratfed - no question about that. And he's the only BYU QB drafted in the 1st rd that was not an established starter (McMahon/5th OA, Marc Wilson/15th OA & Young/1st OA supplemental draft).
On QB coaches: When you find one that is very efficient in developing young talent, they're worth their weight in gold. Consider the situation with Allen. He had major accuracy problems coming out of Wyoming & was also considered a "Boom-or-Bust" prospect. He was absolutely terrible in his rookie season under QB coach David Culley (bad completion pct, poor passer rating, more picks than TDs, etc). McDermott fires Culley & brings in Ken Dorsey. A marked improvement occurred in Allen's 2nd yr, and his 3rd yr was the breakout season where Allen graduated to the ranks of an elite passer.
Here's a good article on Dorsey & his development of Allen. Dorsey has since moved on & is now the "passing game specialist" with Dallas.
Bills QB coach Ken Dorsey on Josh Allen’s hot start, mechanics and patience
“I think it's obviously been even more than what I expected,” Dorsey said of Allen, who has thrown for 727 yards, six TDs and zero picks.
www.nytimes.com
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Warning, do not open if triggered by current administration.
www.espn.com
Florida attorney general says NFL must get rid of Rooney Rule
Florida's attorney general has sent a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to express concern that the Rooney Rule is "blatant race and sex discrimination" and that hiring decisions should be based on merit only.
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I know his story very well. It's as tragic as it is maddening and puzzling. He had what amounts to severe mental health issues for years and years. In and out of jail many times. The times his head was on straight he was one of the very best centers in the NFL.
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I'm starting to fear he's not the nice guy he appears in many interviews.
I agree with him - it's a much different looking game than last year. I watched most of the morning game today; St. Louis vs DC & now watching some of the Houston vs Dallas game. Lot of energy & motivation with the players. Familiar names at QB. Like the open microphones in the huddle with the play calling.
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Took you all these years to watch?! 
I agree completely with him that it was ridiculous to have the teams play in 60,000 seat college (or dead NFL) stadiums, with 10-15,000 fans that show up. The play has always been pretty good, not NFL level, but good. I love how inventive the rules are, and I wrote in years past how great it is to hear the coaches, players and refs mic'd up. But it's gotten better every season. I also agree with him that this is actual football, and flag football is something completely different.
Love how you cannot punt once you cross the 50 yard line. Plus, a 60 yard FG good for 4 points!
I agree completely with him that it was ridiculous to have the teams play in 60,000 seat college (or dead NFL) stadiums, with 10-15,000 fans that show up. The play has always been pretty good, not NFL level, but good. I love how inventive the rules are, and I wrote in years past how great it is to hear the coaches, players and refs mic'd up. But it's gotten better every season. I also agree with him that this is actual football, and flag football is something completely different.
Love how you cannot punt once you cross the 50 yard line. Plus, a 60 yard FG good for 4 points!
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Orlando game pulled in over 11,000 people. Some visible empty seats, but the fans were loud enough. Dallas was somewhat disappointing at just 8,500 fans. Not a bad number, but not great. Overall though this was a solid opening week for the UFL. Keep watching, I assure you as the the games go on, play gets better. Some crowd numbers.
Last year Michigan had a good team, and decent crowds, however, they were playing at Ford Field which was ridiculous and looked empty with 12,000 fans. The league could not secure a stadium deal, so moved the team to Columbus, which every minor league had been targeting for some years now (AAF, XFL, USFL). I expect when the league expands it will back to Michigan, once they get a stadium. Similar perhaps with San Antonio. It may be a couple years of at least some profitability (the league is either breaking even, or slightly losing money. Numbers are speculative and not public). Then the league could move west if doing well.
- This was the second-highest drawing week in UFL history, behind only Week 2, 2024, and best on average since XFL 2.0 before it folded due to the pandemic.
- St. Louis out-drew four of their five home games from last year
- Louisville's mark would've been the fourth-best non-St. Louis mark last year (D.C., Michigan, and San Antonio each had one crowd larger)
- Dallas' figure is smaller than any crowd from last season, but larger than two of their 2024 crowds in Arlington.
- Orlando's figure is larger than four of the Guardians' (XFL) five 2023 crowds
Last year Michigan had a good team, and decent crowds, however, they were playing at Ford Field which was ridiculous and looked empty with 12,000 fans. The league could not secure a stadium deal, so moved the team to Columbus, which every minor league had been targeting for some years now (AAF, XFL, USFL). I expect when the league expands it will back to Michigan, once they get a stadium. Similar perhaps with San Antonio. It may be a couple years of at least some profitability (the league is either breaking even, or slightly losing money. Numbers are speculative and not public). Then the league could move west if doing well.
Playing in the soccer stadiums has seem to really do the trick. Stadiums are more filled than empty making for a louder atmosphere, closer & better seats for the fans & state of the art playing surfaces. I really enjoyed watching a couple of games on opening weekend culminating with the Sunday night game last night (if they can keep a Sunday night game going - that's huge for the league). Like I said before, a lot of familiar faces at QB, and it was nice to see Ted Ginn Jr get his first HC gig.
I think the situation with Michigan was the only current soccer stadium in the Detroit-metro area was Keyworth stadium used by Detroit City FC. Unfortunately, it only seats 7900 which would have been too small for the Michigan team even by UFL standards. However, a new stadium for the soccer team is being built in downtown Detroit - AliminiFi Field - which will seat 15,000 & scheduled to open in the spring of 2027 (this would be an ideal stadium capacity for a UFL team wanting to relocate to Michigan).
I think the situation with Michigan was the only current soccer stadium in the Detroit-metro area was Keyworth stadium used by Detroit City FC. Unfortunately, it only seats 7900 which would have been too small for the Michigan team even by UFL standards. However, a new stadium for the soccer team is being built in downtown Detroit - AliminiFi Field - which will seat 15,000 & scheduled to open in the spring of 2027 (this would be an ideal stadium capacity for a UFL team wanting to relocate to Michigan).
Some brief highlights of Ty Simpson's pro day. IMO, Spins the ball well, nice touch, good deep ball, decent footwork, good mobility rolling out & a really nice deep pass on a weak side off-platform throw (Chase Daniel on his YT channel has a complete analysis of every throw).
Some seriously intense workouts here by Simpson! Those reverse hamstring kicks with the round workout ball is crazy - I would have ripped my hamstrings to shreds attempting that. Lol.
All indications are that Simpson will be drafted somewhere in the mid to lower 1st rd (interest from NYJ, Arizona & Pittsburgh?). And with he & Mendoza, that's about it for 1st rd QBs this year (like last year with just Ward & Dart).
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Someone will take a flyer on Simpson. The highest I see him going is 16, to the Jets. If Pittsburgh doesn't take him at 21, then a cluster of teams mentioned will take him in the 2nd round. I don't see him falling past 44 (Jets second, 2nd round pick, 12th in the round).
Mendoza's Pro Day on Wednesday. He's really just there for his receivers, and not make any huge mistakes. Zero chance the Raiders don't take him #1 overall. The only real question is when does he start. I'm 98% saying he starts week 1 for them. Raider brass has indicated they don't like tossing QBs to the wolves, implying he could sit. If he does, I don't see it past about week 4 or 5, when Drake Maye started playing. That's it. Some fans are stuck in the last millenium thinking he should sit the entire year and learn. It's more likely I'll be bit by a shark while hit by lightning.
There are more mid-sized stadiums going into a few other cities also, as soccer slowly grows in the US. San Diego and Portland already have stadiums that would work perfectly for the UFL. I think Denver's soccer stadium too. I think Oakland has plans to build one, perhaps Boise too.
Mendoza's Pro Day on Wednesday. He's really just there for his receivers, and not make any huge mistakes. Zero chance the Raiders don't take him #1 overall. The only real question is when does he start. I'm 98% saying he starts week 1 for them. Raider brass has indicated they don't like tossing QBs to the wolves, implying he could sit. If he does, I don't see it past about week 4 or 5, when Drake Maye started playing. That's it. Some fans are stuck in the last millenium thinking he should sit the entire year and learn. It's more likely I'll be bit by a shark while hit by lightning.
There are more mid-sized stadiums going into a few other cities also, as soccer slowly grows in the US. San Diego and Portland already have stadiums that would work perfectly for the UFL. I think Denver's soccer stadium too. I think Oakland has plans to build one, perhaps Boise too.
Complete failure for Bucks not to keep Mike Evans, at whatever the cost. 32 years old, 12 years with the organization.. If San Francisco sweetened the deal by making it 3 years, ok..but the Tampa people should have had something ready. Imo
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Evans has been too hurt in recent years, and I think that has something to do with it.
I don't blame McVay. Cousins would fit into that system. Adams is also a diva whose prime was a couple years ago. He's still good, but not worth the $28m they are paying him for a guy who caught 60 passes last year, and that number has been going down every season. That's almost 10% of their entire cap.
Nomad mentioned how Dillon Gabriel played noticeably better than Shedeur Sanders last season, but no one noticed. No one is still noticing. It seems the competition for the QB job in Cleveland is between Watson and Sanders, for some reason. Gabriel may as well be trade bait. Which may do him well, because I can easily see the Browns going 2-15 this coming season, regardless of who the QB is.
I don't blame McVay. Cousins would fit into that system. Adams is also a diva whose prime was a couple years ago. He's still good, but not worth the $28m they are paying him for a guy who caught 60 passes last year, and that number has been going down every season. That's almost 10% of their entire cap.
Nomad mentioned how Dillon Gabriel played noticeably better than Shedeur Sanders last season, but no one noticed. No one is still noticing. It seems the competition for the QB job in Cleveland is between Watson and Sanders, for some reason. Gabriel may as well be trade bait. Which may do him well, because I can easily see the Browns going 2-15 this coming season, regardless of who the QB is.
No wonder people think Garrett is going to be traded. even though the Browns are denying it. They restructured his contract while dumping or not re-signing good free agents. It will cost a fortune in draft picks but as with recent trades, there are teams that will do it. As usual, it's mixed signals from the Browns and their DC walked. Wouldn't surprise me to see Jimmy G back at the Rams. I think if he was going to be signed for a better contract it would have happened already.
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Sounds like the money was secondary for Evans and most people think the 49ers got him cheap taking into account the structure of his contract. Evans himself said he wanted a change of scenery, and maybe wanted to play with Shanahan..........
The Colorado Rapids (MLS) play at Dik's Sporting Good Park located in the Northern suburbs of Denver. It's a state of the art stadium that seats 18,000 - perfect for a UFL team.
It sounds like the Jets are going to take Simpson at 16 (I guess they're going to try it again with a 1sr rounder after the failure of Wilson taken #2 OA in 2021). Obviously, Geno isn't their future & may be nothing more than a bridge QB for Simpson. UDFA Brady Cook was given an audition there at the end of the season when both Fields & Taylor went down with injuries. However, He doesn't look like starting material & may have to compete for QB3 (he's currently list #2 on depth chart ahead of Zappe).
On Mendoza, I would think barring a bad preseason or injury, he'll be in the driver's seat come week #1. Interestingly, the last 6 #1 OA QBs all started week #1 (Ward, Williams, Young, Lawrence, Burrow & Murray). Mayfield in 2018 was the last #1 OA who didn't start week #1 but ended up starting week #4 with the injury to Tyrod Taylor (and he kept the starting job for the rest of the season). The last #1 OA that sat a full year was Carson Palmer with Cinn in 2003 (sat behind Jon Kitna).
And who knows the minute Mendoza gets drafted, the Raiders may hand him to the starting job. Remember with Willams the Bears wasted no time at all handing him the starting job on the 2nd day during rookie minicamp in May. Lol
And it may not be a foregone conclusion that the Raiders are going to have a lousy season with Mendoza starting. A lot of people will point to the Titans & Ward last season and the Bears & Williams in his rookie season. But I counter that by highlighting some of the good - even great - rookie seasons that some recent starters have had. Nix & Stroud (ROY) had excellent rookie seasons making the playoffs. Daniels (ROY) was sensational in his rookie year leading the team all the way to the NFCCG. And Andrew Luck had more than just luck throwing for an NFL rookie record 4374 yds leading the Colts to the playoffs in his rookie year.
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Maybe Mendoza can lead them to the SB by then.
NFL set to begin hiring and training replacement officials, AP sources say
The NFL is moving forward with plans to begin hiring and training replacement officials in the next several weeks because negotiations with the referees’ union have been unsuccessful, two people with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press.
apnews.com
Not looking good - the Ref's union is holding firm on their demands with the CBA set to expire on May 31.
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Denver is a huge metro area. Do you think fans would go see a UFL game? I honestly don't know. I do think UFL would be successful in Portland. But it may be a few years before the league comes back out west.
Very likely the Raiders play at Green Bay in 2027. I'm hoping to fly out there and see Lambeau from the inside. Hope the game isn't in late December. Not sure I can handle the frozen tundra. Though I did live in New England for a decade and survived some dastardly Nor'easters. Either way, it will be a once in a lifetime experience. Got 18 or so months to find my Ken Stabler jersey...
The only reason to do that is if they are certain Pittsburgh will take him at 21. No team after that would take him until the Jets pick again at 33. After that however, there's the risk AZ takes him at 34. After that, the Jets pick again at 44, and I don't see a team between there that will take him (Titans, Saints, Browns, Giants, Raiders, Dolphins). This is the latest I see Simpson being picked, as after that you have several teams that would likely take him. Falcons, Steelers, Rams, Colts. Any of of them could grab him.
Raiders have likely one of the hardest schedules in the NFL this coming season. They play the Broncos, Chargers and Chiefs twice. They play every team in the NFC West (maybe beat AZ? The other three? No way), they also play the Colts, Bills and Saints. The only other teams they might beat are the Browns, Titans, and Jets. I am predicting 5-12, after maybe a 1-6 start But we'll know more when the schedule is official, and after the draft, then camp, preseason, etc.
Very likely the Raiders play at Green Bay in 2027. I'm hoping to fly out there and see Lambeau from the inside. Hope the game isn't in late December. Not sure I can handle the frozen tundra. Though I did live in New England for a decade and survived some dastardly Nor'easters. Either way, it will be a once in a lifetime experience. Got 18 or so months to find my Ken Stabler jersey...
Too easy to tell when you have jacked up young guys with cameras constantly in their face.
Hopefully Kyle Shanahan is having a word with his agent about this sh*t before he DK Metcalf's him to Cleveland or something.
If you can't find a Stabler jersey you could wear #24. They had Marshawn there for soul in the first place; it couldn't hurt.
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