Ongoing NFL Discussion Thread V

[Pr4wn]

First topic message reminder :

Strong staff for us, I'm excited for next season!

[GSC]

I'm not sold on Horton. Not like the Cards D missed a beat without him. Browns D hardly set the world alight despite the talent there

Gregg Williams a smart hire

[NYJ]

Anyone else think the Lions should draft a QB to replace Stafford? Massive cap hit, inconsistent play and ugly side arm throws.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Anyone else think the Lions should draft a QB to replace Stafford? Massive cap hit, inconsistent play and ugly side arm throws.

I wouldn't say replace, they could do with getting some competition maybe in a veteran or something.

Stafford is what most of America thinks Tony Romo is

[NYJ]

Anyone else think the Lions should draft a QB to replace Stafford? Massive cap hit, inconsistent play and ugly side arm throws.

I wouldn't say replace, they could do with getting some competition maybe in a veteran or something.

Stafford is what most of America thinks Tony Romo is

You're right, I meant not to replace straight away but compete and hope he's better. Find another solution.

Haha that's spot on! He throws an awful lot of interceptions.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Anyone else think the Lions should draft a QB to replace Stafford? Massive cap hit, inconsistent play and ugly side arm throws.

I wouldn't say replace, they could do with getting some competition maybe in a veteran or something.

Stafford is what most of America thinks Tony Romo is

You're right, I meant not to replace straight away but compete and hope he's better. Find another solution.

Haha that's spot on! He throws an awful lot of interceptions.

He does, and he choked horrifically down the stretch.

He also has a shocking record against teams with winning records.

And he also has shown no interest in changing his mechanics.

In fact not a lot going for Matt Stafford here   

[BamBam]

He gets away with it because his arm is so strong that every so often he can make the "throw it a mile long and up in the air within 10 feet of megatron" play.

Means casual fans think he is an awesome qb

[Lowlandbrit]

[GSC]

Stafford played very well first half of the year to be fair to him. As was symptomatic of the Lions, as the pressure grew they lost discipline

[skins4ever]

To be honest I agree with anyone that says a player can be coached up no matter how old/experienced. The question is does he want to be better or just collect a pay check. If Tebow for example wants to be an NFL QB he should go up to Canada or play Arena ball for someone who can coach his technique up, but I think now he's put all his eggs in the NFL basket, he won't do something like that.

Question is, with a better coach in Detroit (Scwartz wouldn't know how to improve a QB any more than he knows how to instil discipline) Stafford could improve and be more consistent. He's go the physical tools and would probably react well to good coaching and discipline. See how he does, but if I were he Lions I would want a solid backup in there. 2 more years without playoff success with Stafford running things and, improvement or not, the experiment would probably have to be done and they move on.

[NYJ]

To be honest I agree with anyone that says a player can be coached up no matter how old/experienced. The question is does he want to be better or just collect a pay check. If Tebow for example wants to be an NFL QB he should go up to Canada or play Arena ball for someone who can coach his technique up, but I think now he's put all his eggs in the NFL basket, he won't do something like that.

Question is, with a better coach in Detroit (Scwartz wouldn't know how to improve a QB any more than he knows how to instil discipline) Stafford could improve and be more consistent. He's go the physical tools and would probably react well to good coaching and discipline. See how he does, but if I were he Lions I would want a solid backup in there. 2 more years without playoff success with Stafford running things and, improvement or not, the experiment would probably have to be done and they move on.

Stafford doesn't want a QB guru:

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2013/12/detroit_lions_matthew_stafford_37.html

[BamBam]

So, did anyone watch the Pro Bowl? Going by the score, less offence and more turnovers than in previous years, is this because of the defence actually playing or just rubbish offence?

[Barney92]

It was certainly better than previous years, although every now and then it fell back into the old style of not really trying to tackle. Both defensive lines, JJ Watt and Robert Quinn in particular, really went for it with I think 9/10 sacks in the game.

[sodhat]

The highlights I saw this morning on Sky Sports News was a mixed bag. Some plays were competitive, but I remember several where the D line went pretty lethargically at their blockers and were only sprung loose because the OL had no desire to hold blocks.

The DeMarco Murray touchdown too also highlighted the reticence of some players to really tackle.

[Barney92]

Yeah, in the first half there were much fewer plays taken lightly by both sides but the second half slipped quite a bit in the effort stakes. There was a run by Morris where 2 players tried to tackle him just by pulling his jersey from behind. Last year was slightly better than the ones before it and this one was better than the last, I think anyway. So maybe they have it moving in the right direction but it certainly has a lot of areas it can improve.

[GSC]

The players had to get the message that its try or the league will scrap their free vacation.

I think to enjoy it you have to accept it for what it is first. A meaningless game played at low intensity for fun. You aren't going to get 100% effort

[sodhat]

I agree, they can't expect players to play a full-intensity game for small paychecks. Not when they have their careers to think about - and football is a dangerous game where injuries happen.

Supposedly in the old days of the Pro Bowl the game checks would amount to a lot of money for the players even compared to their regular salaries, so they'd play harder. Not the case these days, it's a real pittance by comparison to their normal wages.

I'm still in favour of skill challenges instead. I would pay money to see Manning run a 40.

[BamBam]

Quarterbacks trying to outrun their own defensive line could be quite fun. No red jerseys!

[Barney92]

Oh I didn't expect 100% intensity but there were a good few plays where that level of intensity seemed to be there. If they could play like they did for parts of last nights game it would be a very enjoyable affair. It was just unfortunate there were dips in the level of play, even if these dips were expected and understandable.

I too like the idea of skill challenges, like the Home Run derby or the dunk competition in basketball. They could still play the actual game but a 40 yard dash competition or a furthest kick/throw competition could drum up a bit more interest.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Yeah I'd prefer skill challenges, but it was certainly better than what it was.

[GSC]

Yeah, ultimately though players either have massive deals (Brees) or are about to receive massive deals (Newton, Watt). They aren't going to risk those for a 25k pay check

[mikeygnfl]

I watched a bit of it. Not sure I liked the new format. I didn't really know who was playing on what side which didn't help. At least with the old AFC vs NFC game that was more obvious. Probably more turnovers because the QBs take more chances. It was still a bit s-and-so. Maybe they could look at adding some of the top draft/ college prospects?

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Looks like Kubiak will be the new Ravens OC. That's a nice hire

[GSC]

Eh don't think it's a great fit tbh

[Lowlandbrit]

Kubiak, Frazier, Schwartz and Munchak all have new jobs. Seems like a lot.

[sodhat]

The Cowboys have hired Scott Linehan to call offensive plays...

They aren't getting rid of Bill Callaghan and Jason Garrett presumably still gets a boner about calling the plays.

What is it they say about too many chefs? Not that this broth needs much more to be spoiled...

[GSC]

And yet Monte Kiffin is still allowed free roam of Dallas

[mikeygnfl]

I can't wait to see Jerry Jones & the Cowboys trade up to draft Johnny Manziel.

[mikeygnfl]

On the Pro Bowl...

What would people think about combining the Pro Bowl and Senior Bowl into one match?

It would be a good showcase to see draft prospects playing alongside NFL talent and would be a nice prelude to the combine and then the draft.

[GSC]

Be a tad silly pitting college players against the best of the NFL. And the NFL team would try less harder than usual so you wouldn't even get a good read.

The Senior Bowl is more about practices and interviews than the game anyway to evaluators

[BamBam]

Its a nice idea in principle, but I don't think it would work logistically.

The NFL players still wouldn't want to risk losing their pay checks by getting injured, so won't want to play at full speed, whereas the draft prospects would like nothing more than sacking Brees, or laying a big hit on Megatron etc.

Also I don't think the prospects would be covered by insurance and all that other stuff

[GSC]

Also I suspect selling moving from Hawaii to Alabama would be tough

[Jammy31]

Sorry to interrupt, but I was curious on betting odds for the Superbowl. I want to put a specific score bet on it, and was wondering if this was at all possible and if so, would it return much should it come in?

[GSC]

You may struggle to get a specific score like in football, there's too much variation. You can get over/under total scores or the spread

[BamBam]

Winning margin too, which usually has good odds

[sodhat]

Over/under probably won't give you the odds you're looking for, they are usually 10/11 either side.

There is a whole heap of stuff though, first TD scorer, total points, quarter with most points, amount of turnovers of possession.

Plus as it's the Superbowl you'll get a heap of specials. Last year my friend had a quid on a Beyonce nip slip. More hope than expectation.

[Guest]

Some decent odds going for first TD.

Unless you go for Lynch any other pleayer is at least 10/1

[Jammy31]

Hmm ok! Thanks for the response everyone I'm not too clued up on betting, but wanted to put something on the Superbowl. As a Bucs fan, I don't really have much to bet on during the regular season haha!

[Guest]

Hmm ok! Thanks for the response everyone :)I'm not too clued up on betting, but wanted to put something on the Superbowl. As a Bucs fan, I don't really have much to bet on during the regular season haha!

Like said above if you a specific scoreline they'll do winning margins usually in 5 point margins


or some bookies might give you odds if you ask them for a specific scoreline (the worse they can say is no)

[crazy_dave23]

The Cowboys have hired Scott Linehan to call offensive plays...

They aren't getting rid of Bill Callaghan and Jason Garrett presumably still gets a boner about calling the plays.

What is it they say about too many chefs? Not that this broth needs much more to be spoiled...

Throw in a new DC... without sacking the old one
http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/id/10367651/monte-kiffin-loses-dallas-cowboys-defensive-coordinator-title-rod-marinelli

[Lowlandbrit]

The Cowboys have hired Scott Linehan to call offensive plays...

They aren't getting rid of Bill Callaghan and Jason Garrett presumably still gets a boner about calling the plays.

What is it they say about too many chefs? Not that this broth needs much more to be spoiled...

Throw in a new DC... without sacking the old one
http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/id/10367651/monte-kiffin-loses-dallas-cowboys-defensive-coordinator-title-rod-marinelli

Aren't they also insanely over the cap? That could be an interesting season next year, to say the least...

[sodhat]

Jerry Jones clearly really enjoys paying people wages.

[GSC]

They should cut Ware loose, but they won't. Problem is the rest of their high earners will all accrue a lot of dead money if cut

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Kuechly won DPOY despite not even being the best LB this year

[mikeygnfl]

Here is a full list of the major NFL awards:-
Most Valuable Player: Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos
Offensive Player of the Year: Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos
Defensive Player of the Year: Luke Kuechly, LB, Carolina Panthers
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Eddie Lacy, RB, Green Bay Packers
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Sheldon Richardson, DE, New York Jets
Coach of the Year: Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers
Comeback Player of the Year: Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego Chargers

[GSC]

Lmao at Kuechly.

[BamBam]

That game against NO must have stood out

[Bull]

Tonight is the big one!
Who will take it Peyton or Seattle?


Oh and still one more place reaming in the NFL fantasy thing. Maybe it could interest you GSC?

[Guest]

all ive done all morning is watch americas game

so pumped up for tonight now

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

I'm not feeling it yet, probably still bummed the Pats ain't in it, but gut feeling says this is Peyton's year

[GSC]

I'm not a great fan of Rivera as coach of the year, getting out of his own teams way shouldn't merit great praise, but Kuechly sticks out like a sore thumb. Bowman, Willis, Sherman, Quinn, Thomas and Mathis all were better candidates IMO

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