2021-2022 NFL Thread

[Old Man]

I dunno, Fields is still on the board. I loved Bridgewater back when, but he is not a long term solution. 
 

Surtain is a great CB though. 

Now there is speculation Denver might trade for Rodgers. 

[unclevlad]

I can't take any discussion WRT Rodgers seriously at this point, beyond that he wants out.  And I'm not at all sure I'd want him on my team now;  I'm NOT a fan of disruptive prima donnas, and that's the vibe I'm getting.  I think one of the people on Around the Horn commented that he had NBA-like power to push through a trade...but that is NOT!!! a good thing.  

 

Interesting that the Cowboys flopped with the Eagles;  haven't seen what else was involved yet, tho.

It looks like there's a fair bit of trading down;  Giants swapped 8 spots with Bears just now.  I think that might be the story of this draft.  Trade up if you see an opportunity to cherry pick when there's someone you really want, trade down to get more picks now, or picks next year....  EDIT:  Bears took Fields.  He wouldn't have lasted til 20.  And their QB situation was horrific, so it makes some sense, if Fields works out.  THAT remains to be seen.

One ESPN draft commentator BERATED the Falcons for drafting Pitts...a tight end.  And like the Falcons needs were on the *offensive* side?  Yeah, I can see the rant...

[Pariah]

You have to feel a little bit sorry for Justin Fields, who ends up in Chicago - the place where quarterback careers go to die.

[unclevlad]

7 minutes ago, Pariah said:

You have to feel a little bit sorry for Justin Fields, who ends up in Chicago - the place where quarterback careers go to die.

 

Considering the question marks, tho...he's got to see his receiver being open, that's NOT necessarily an easy fix...we'll have to see if it's him or the Bears.  Could be either.

And if nothing else...I'm not sure what salaries will be like this year, but the #11 last year got $18M.  So I can't feel too sorry.

[unclevlad]

Belichick got his guy, and that makes 5 QBs in the top 15 picks.

[Old Man]

4 minutes ago, unclevlad said:

Belichick got his guy, and that makes 5 QBs in the top 15 picks.

 

I thought that was funny. 

[Old Man]

Sure enough, the Raiders draft a late-2nd round OT at 17. 

[unclevlad]

Just now, Old Man said:

Sure enough, the Raiders draft a late-2nd round OT at 17. 

 

I saw that, but he was also the #2 at his position, so what do you really want to credit?  Secondary question:  when is their next pick?

 

Answer:  #48.

 

Huh.  Yeah, could be a big reach.  But hey, what's more fun than laughing at Raider ineptitude?

[archer]

3 hours ago, Old Man said:

 

Denver goes with Patrick Surtain and the (lack of) fan reaction is priceless.  

 

The Denver Post has up three articles just savaging the Surtain pick.

 

I mean, they aren't wrong. But I have to feel sorry for Surtain, who is an excellent player, being cast as the magic beans that the team actually got instead of what they were supposed to get.

[Old Man]

3 hours ago, unclevlad said:

 

Huh.  Yeah, could be a big reach.  But hey, what's more fun than laughing at Raider ineptitude?

 

Maybe a couple of things.  But I'm a Raiders fan because I like train wrecks and underdogs.

 

5 hours ago, Pariah said:

You have to feel a little bit sorry for Justin Fields, who ends up in Chicago - the place where quarterback careers go to die.

 

I don't know if it's Chicago necessarily, but the current coaching regime in Chicago is not going to be great for Fields.  Nagy and Lazor are not the answer.

 

Of course, Fangio and Shurmur in Denver are not the answer either.

[unclevlad]

11 hours ago, archer said:

 

The Denver Post has up three articles just savaging the Surtain pick.

 

I mean, they aren't wrong. But I have to feel sorry for Surtain, who is an excellent player, being cast as the magic beans that the team actually got instead of what they were supposed to get.

 

They aren't wrong on some things but they're throwing tantrums, as far as I can tell...the Post's paywall is rather obnoxious.  National media generally knock the pick a bit because there were greater *defensive* needs.    I can't argue against that, as I dislike Atlanta's pick for that reason.  But the Post writers are being hysterical.

[archer]

1 hour ago, unclevlad said:

 

They aren't wrong on some things but they're throwing tantrums, as far as I can tell...the Post's paywall is rather obnoxious.  National media generally knock the pick a bit because there were greater *defensive* needs.    I can't argue against that, as I dislike Atlanta's pick for that reason.  But the Post writers are being hysterical.

 

Yeah, I'm a huge believer in using high picks to take cornerbacks. But Denver just traded to pick up two new cornerbacks in the last couple of months.

 

So it looks damned odd, even to me, to draft a CB when a franchise quarterback that you need drops to you. Or when you could have picked almost any other position instead and have substantially improved the team.

[unclevlad]

21 minutes ago, archer said:

So it looks damned odd, even to me, to draft a CB when a franchise quarterback that you need drops to you. Or when you could have picked almost any other position instead and have substantially improved the team.

 

So why sign Bridgewater if the intent is to try the Hail Mary?  There is no such thing as a franchise QB in the draft;  there's a *possible* star.  It is never better than that.  That's broadly true of all positions but it's glaringly obvious at QB.  Yeah, if Fields works out in a couple years, then...it was a bad mistake.

 

I do get the point that they had other needs.  On the flip side, there's no such thing as too many corners in today's pass-happy game.  One pundit pointed out that you need 4 solid corners;  3 on the field is routine, and injuries are all too common.  So, yeah...it may well be a relatively fringe upgrade when a linebacker upgrade would've been better.  

 

One other thing to consider:  cornerback is a position with massive demand, and one where the difference between "good enough" and "not quite" is pretty sharp.  "Not quite" translates to "gives up TDs."  So the few that may be "good enough" go fast;  the talent pool is very shallow.  Let's see what the Broncos do with their picks tonight.  Linebackers feel like a deeper pool, so there may be quite useful players left for them to take.

[archer]

2 minutes ago, unclevlad said:

Linebackers feel like a deeper pool, so there may be quite useful players left for them to take.

 

I feel like that's the main reason the Cowboys took a linebacker with their first pick. (Hey, we looked through so many linebackers...that gives me a great idea! Let's draft a linebacker!)

[unclevlad]

You never know.  I don't want to post a link here because the article's a bit here, but there's an article on The Ringer about Fields...that his fall is being fueled by inaccurate perceptions (I remember Orlovsky's criticisms a while back)...*and by race issues.*  So it's a tad too political.  But you can find it readily enough.

 

I'm more dismissive of the writers' lament that "we coulda had Rodgers!!!!"  because that's a freakin' opium dream.  The ONLY way to get Rodgers would be in a deal that would've made the Ricky Williams or Herschel Walker trades look like bargains.  I've said here that the Niners have bet the farm on Lance;  someone on another board made the same comment about the Bears and Fields.  Getting Rodgers would be much, much more expensive.  The writers' comments make me think they're adding Rodgers to the current roster AND with all the picks.

 

But hey, everyone has to have something to bitch about WRT their teams, and we're all BRILLIANT GMs, right?

[Pariah]

50 minutes ago, unclevlad said:

On the flip side, there's no such thing as too many corners in a division that includes Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. 

 

FTFY 

[Cancer]

Chatter on a fanblog:

 

Quote

Tim Tebow trying to make a comeback as a TE? He's 33 and recently worked out for Urban Meyer, his former coach. I wonder how good he is at blocking.

 

Quote

Probably better than he was at passing. 

 

[Pariah]

Every once in a while on the Book of Face I'll see a video purporting to show each team's greatest play of the past decade. Most of the time, the play chosen for the Broncos is Tebow's touchdown throw to Demaryius Thomas against Pittsburgh in the playoffs.

 

Great play, no doubt, and the highlight of his career as a professional quarterback. But why do these guys insist on ignoring Von Miller's strip sack in Super Bowl 50, which not only turned the tide of the game solidly in favor of the Broncos, but also precipitated the end of Cam Newton's career as an elite quarterback?

[Starlord]

Or Elway's helicopter spin SB touchdown run. 

[unclevlad]

Elway's spin is sometimes shown.  But yeah, Tebow's play was more of a fluke/massive breakdown.  That was one of the worst playoff losses (by the Steelers) ever, in my book.  Should NEVER have happened.

 

It was also the first, IMO, compelling evidence that Mike Tomlin is not the genius everyone thinks he is.  But that's a different story.

 

 

[Pariah]

The Donkeys drafted running back in the second round. I'm not really sure why. It seems they have more pressing needs; linebacker and offensive line come to mind.

[unclevlad]

Wondered when you'd bring that up.  Traded up to do it, too. 

[archer]

More Raiders fun

 

Malcolm Koonce DE and Divine Deablo S both in the 3rd round when either of them would still have been available in the 4th or perhaps 5th round.

 

I guess it matched their 1st round pick who probably would have been available in the middle of the 2nd round, so there is that. 😝

 

I guess that's OK if you plan to make your money by switching cities every few years rather than playing football though....

[Old Man]

30 minutes ago, archer said:

More Raiders fun

 

Malcolm Koonce DE and Divine Deablo S both in the 3rd round when either of them would still have been available in the 4th or perhaps 5th round.

 

I guess it matched their 1st round pick who probably would have been available in the middle of the 2nd round, so there is that. 😝

 

I guess that's OK if you plan to make your money by switching cities every few years rather than playing football though....

 

Chucky has been surprisingly decent as a playcaller but he's a total disaster as a GM.  He gets fixated on players and overpays.  Then he needs more draft picks and trades away Khalil Mack.

 

Anyway, looking forward to another 7-9 year in Vegas.

[archer]

5 hours ago, Pariah said:

The Donkeys drafted running back in the second round. I'm not really sure why. It seems they have more pressing needs; linebacker and offensive line come to mind.

 

After drafting their RB at 35, they ended up getting their offensive lineman at 98 and LB at 105 on Day 2 anyway. And good value at both spots in the draft. 

 

I think Denver could credibly argue that lesser LB's and offensive linemen were taken off the board earlier.

OT Walker Little for the Jags at #45

OT Jackson Carmen for the Bengals at #46

OG Aaron Banks for SF at #48

OT Samuel Cosmi for Washington at 51

LB Pete Werner for Saints at 60

OT Jaylen Mayfield for Falcons at 68

OT Brady Christenson for Panthers at 70 

LB Malcolm Koonce for Raiders at 79

OG Wyatt Davis for Vikings at 86

LB Monty Rice for Titans at 92

OT Spencer Brown to Bills at 93

OG Ben Cleveland to Ravens at 94

LB Ernest Jones to Rams at 103

 

I don't think Denver could have gotten as impactful of a RB at 98 but they probably managed to get an offensive lineman and a LB and a RB who will each make an impact this year.

 

They might not have drafted like I would have. But they seemed to have done a fine job at the end of the day. And better than previous drafts.