NFL - Discussion Thread

http://www.nfl.com/news/sto...dolphins

Not a bad article/interview about the new Miami coach. Hopefully he does well, because 3 years ago when we hired Gase I was full of optimism then, and look where that ended up going.

The only thing that worries me about Flores is his lack of experience, he's only been with the New England Patriots under Belichick. I don't like the same head coaches bouncing around the league so I hope Flore has what it takes. I think I would feel a bit more happy if he was a proven college coach who wanted a crack at the pros. It will be interesting to see what happens when the Dolphins play the Patriots twice a year.


« Last edited by Sanzano on Aug 2nd 2019 »

In theory coaches coming out of New England should do very well. They've had several years (over a decade in Flores' case) under one of the greatest coaches and coaching organisations of all time, giving them perfect education an experience. In Australia for the last 6 years either the coach of Hawthorn (the equivalent of New England) or a coach who came from Hawthorn have won the competition, and this year another former coach from that club has lead his team to 3rd place. I'm quietly optimistic with Flores, because coaches like Matt Patricia should be the outlier.

Also, having Flores only adds to Miami being the bogey team of New England.

The Washington Redskins have just released their depth chart. The order under center is as follows: Colt McCoy, Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins. I was expecting to see that order in reverse.

Brady has signed a two year contract extension so he will be happy which is not good news for the rest of the league. We can only hope he grows old overnight like professional boxers who suddenly wake up and find out they don't have it any more.

I keep reading stories about the NFL being in trouble, that it is struggling to survive in this day and age. I know Baseball and Boxing are experiencing a lack of interest from fans but I never thought it was happening to the NFL. I must admit the NFL is no where near as interesting as it was during the 80's and early 90's but that is due to rule changes to soften the game and prevent injuries as well as the lack of interesting players. I'm personally wondering if social media is affecting the game just like it is everything else, are kids more interested in messing about on their phones than sitting down and watching a game?

You beat me to it with posting about Washington & Brady.

I was very surprised too. Maybe Colt McCoy realises this is his chance to lock down the starting job, now that he has a full off-season to prove himself. 12 months ago he was a virtually unknown backup QB, competing alongside...well I have no idea. There's been upheaval in Washington's QB stocks. I mean, Smith, McCoy, Sanchez, & Johnson played last season. Now Smith is out for the season, Sanchez has retired, and Johnson went somewhere else.

This points to McCoy staying as the backup (and maybe even starting for the first few weeks) and Keenum getting cut. It's what I think they should do too. Minnesota essentially ended Keenum's career when they traded for a 0 playoff win QB (Keenum is 1-1 in playoffs).

Terrible news about Brady. Awful. Remember, that is a 2-year EXTENSION, meaning it's 2 + 1. He will be playing in the NFL for a minimum of 3 more seasons...

I have seen similar things in regard to the NFL. I think these days it's the younger fans that aren't as interested, since these days Netflix means you can watch TV shows or movies all day. Social media isn't to blame, because kids can easily watch the NFL while being on their phones at the same time. What you say about no interesting players is a good point. It probably doesn't help that the players have to wear helmets (fans can only really identify players by their number).

The NFL needs some x-factor. In AFL down here we have our fair share. There are several indigenous small forwards who bring speed and excitement to the game. There aren't really any NFL players with interesting names that haven't ever been heard of. We have a guy called Anthony McDonald Tippungwuti, and the NFL has Daniel Jones. It may sound like a silly argument that names of players would attract interest, but it really would. Are there any NFL players with nicknames? We have Lance 'Buddy' Franklin.

Another point that proves what we both believe. As much as I despise Nick Kyrgios, he attracts interest to tennis in an era where outside the big 3, there is little excitement. It was fantastic watching Nadal v Kyrgios at Wimbledon this year.

« Last edited by Matt77 on Aug 5th 2019 »

Nicknames in the NFL no longer exist for some reason, back in the day almost every top player had a colourful name that instantly told you what that player was about. Here's a few famous ones I can remember:
Deion 'Prime Time' Sanders
Calvin 'Megatron' Johnson
Charles 'Mean Joe' Green
**** 'Night Train' Lane
Ed 'Too Tall' Jones
Craig 'Ironhead' Heyward
Chuck 'Concrete Charlie' Bednarik
Jack 'The Assassin' Tatum
'Beast Mode' Marshawn Lynch
William 'The Refrigerator' Perry
'Sweetness' Walter Payton
David 'Deacon' Jones
'Bullet' Bob Hayes
Reggie White 'The Minister of Defense'
Jerome 'The Bus' Bettis
'Broadway' Joe Namath
Christian 'The Nigerian Nightmare' Okoye
Lance 'Bambi' Alworth
Mike 'The Samurai' Singletary
Michael 'The Playmaker' Irvin
Joe 'Big Sky' Montana
Lester 'The Judge' Hayes
and of course my favourite John 'The Diesal' Riggins

As for Keenum, I think you are correct. The Redskins will probably carry him until mid season or until after Haskins has some NFL experience and then dump him. He becomes surplus to requirements and the spot on the roster can be used on another position of need.

Good job pointing out Marshawn Lynch. I knew he was Beast Mode, but just forgot.

It's damning that back in the day there were that many players with nicknames. That's 23 you've managed to name off the top of your head. I quite like Prime Time and The Refrigerator.

The NFL needs the New England dynasty to end. It's too predictable in the AFC. But we've got to wait a minimum of 3 years. It's no fun when you know who will win or be close to winning every year (*cough* EPL *cough*) (*cough* Novak Rafa Roger *cough*).

« Last edited by Matt77 on Aug 5th 2019 »

I know what you mean Matt, the thing is though when this happens you usually end up not appreciating the player or team of dominance until they are retired or their dominance ends. I used to hate Marvin Hagler when he was boxing during the 80's but now realise he was an all time great and it was a priviledge to see him box. The same thing with the Cowboys of the 90's, I hated them at the time but I now look at that team and think, that team was great and full of colourful characters, the NFL could do with them now. You watch, in twenty years time you will be talking about what a great dynasty the Patriots were.

I quite liked Chuck 'Concrete Charlie' Bednarik, he sounds like a Chicago mobster from the 40's. 'Concrete Charlie' is an all time great in the hall of fame who played both ways for 60 minutes. He's famous for a hit on New York Giants running back Frank Gifford. The whole stadium literally thought he had killed him he hit him so hard. Gifford was unconscious before he hit the turf. Frank Gifford the all star running back for the NY Giants missed the whole of the following season because of that hit.




« Last edited by Sanzano on Aug 6th 2019 »

Oh dear, I'm currently working on the game Madden NFL 20 and Miami are the worst team in the league. Both quarterbacks, Fitzgerald (75 OVR) and Rosen (70 OVR) have terrible stats, when compared to Patrick Mahommes who is 97 OVR. People are complaining about Xavien Howard who is rated the 27th best cornerback in football with a 83 OVR. No love for the Miami Dolphins in Madden NFL 20 whatsoever.

By working on, do you mean literally you are one of the developers, or do you mean working through the game as in playing it?

According to Fitzpatrick, he is feeling and playing the best he ever has in his entire career. It may just be him playing mind games with Miami in the hope of being the starter, or perhaps he's going to come out firing in the first month (before fading like usual). Miami's first 4 games are a nightmare (vs Baltimore, vs New England, @ Dallas, vs LA Chargers). Baltimore are our bogey team, NE is NE, Dallas are tough over there, and LA Chargers are a SB contender.

This is the perfect time for Fitz to peak (and to be starting). It means Rosen doesn't have to have his confidence lowered, and Fitz has a chance to cause huge boil-overs.

I don't think Miami is the worst team in the league. This time 12 months ago Miami were ranked last in the NFL.com power rankings, but finished with a respectable 7-9 record. I actually think Miami are stronger than what they were before. Tannehill is finally gone, Gase (mediocre coach) is gone, some veterans are gone meaning younger players get to start, and some hidden gems have appeared (Kalen Ballage & Albert Wilson). If the o-line can break even, I see a lot of points in this team. Flores was a defensive coach so he'll hopefully fix the defense too.

Miami Team Depth: (in bold = starting) (rating = player ability & depth)
QB (7/10) - Josh Rosen, Ryan Fitzpatrick
RB (7/10) - Kalen Ballage, Kenyan Drake
WR (8/10) - Kenny Stills, Jakeem Grant, Albert Wilson, DeVante Parker, Allen Hurns
TE (6.5/10) - Mike Gesicki, Dwayne Allen

C (3/10) - Daniel Kilgore
OG (3/10) - Michael Deiter, Jesse Davis
OT (5/10) - Laremy Tunsil, Jordan Mills, Isaiah Prince

S (9/10) - Reshad Jones, Minkah Fitzpatrick, TJ McDonald
CB (8/10) - Xavien Howard, Bobby McCain
OLB (7.5/10) - Jerome Baker, Kiki Alsono, Andrew Van Ginkel
LB (4/10) - Raekwon McMillan
DE (1/10) - Charles Harris, ______________
DT (6/10) - Christian Wilkins, Akeen Spence, Davon Godchaux

P (8/10) - Matt Haack
K (8.5/10) - Jason Sanders

Dennis, I'd suggest doing what I just did sometime when you are free. I've discovered several players who are regular starters for Miami that I just hadn't ever heard of. I can also now see which positions need strengthening, rather than relying on NFL.com articles.

Miami need more o-line and d-line depth. They're absolutely stocked with safeties and cornerbacks (of high quality too). I can see now why Miami were one of the best teams at intercepting the QB, but with the quality at CB and S, the defense shouldn't be leaking yardage from passing. If Miami pick up injuries, they are in MASSIVE trouble.

« Last edited by Matt77 on Aug 8th 2019 »

I just put together a basic guide for Madden NFL 20 for SuperCheats. It's a case of me reading up on the game and cobbling something together that may be useful for someone trying to figure out how to play the game.

https://www.supercheats.com...gh-guide

You are dead right about the depth chart of teams. Any player that is on them will have been a high school star somewhere in the US. The Redskins have a running back called Bryce Love who if can recover from his injury will be a nightmare on offense.

Love had a break-out season in 2017 with 2,118 rushing yards. He was second in the nation in rushing yards and in rushing yards per game. Love reached the 1,000-yard rushing mark in just the fifth game of the season. He had back-to-back games with over 250 rushing yards. The guy has a 6.8 average per carry during his time in college.

This guy could be another Adrian Peterson if he recovers he was that good.

The guide looks good! I think I've posted a guide before, but not the full-bore one that you've done.

Washington have quite a few players who could have breakout seasons. You mention Love, but Terry McLaurin has apparently been lighting it up in practice.

Washington are also going to start McCoy or Keenum (probably McCoy) in week 1, unless Haskins has a good preseason or a QB gets injured. It seems they want to listen to my advice and ease him into NFL life. I like Keenum, but I hope McCoy gets the start. He's been a loyal backup for a very long time.

Thanks Matt, I'd like to actually play the game but I just don't have the time.

Yes, I keep hearing Terry McLaurin's name. Not sure who he is though to be honest apart from he was Dwayne Haskins primary reciever in college. It would be great if they continue to put up big numbers together in the pros.

I still think Haskins will start about mid season, probably once the Redskins are unable to get to the playoffs. Less pressure on Haskins to perform.

It would be interesting to know what Miami management really think of their quarterback situation. The club have to give the impression they are playoff contenders to sell seats but realistically are they still thinking about a top quarterback prospect with the number one pick in the draft next year and having Rosen as his experienced back-up?

I saw a report that Aaron Rodgers is causing trouble with his new coaching staff. I wonder if he will force them to trade him with his bad attitude (if it goes that far)?

Ugh, Miami just signed an ex-Arizona 1st round bust, and have placed him straight on the PUP list because he's recovering from an ACL tear. And to top it off, he's recently been arrested for speeding and driving with a suspended license...

From what the coach has been saying/hinting, Rosen has been extremely underwhelming this off-season. Maybe he just needs to settle in a new environment, but at this moment Miami would be thinking about which QB they will be selecting in the draft.

And Warrior, I wouldn't take much notice. The media love trashing Rodgers. Green Bay know their entire season hinges on Rodgers playing. If he gets traded, Green Bay become one of the worst teams in the NFL.

Takeaways from today's pre-season games:

* Miami beat Atlanta 34-27 after trailing 10-19
* Washington got thrashed by Cleveland 10-30

- Daniel Jones went 5/5 for 67 yards & 1TD
- Josh Rosen went 13/20 for 191 yards & 1INT
- New England's rookie QB Jared Stidham went 14/24 for 179 yards & 1TD
- Jacksonville scored 0 points
- Dwayne Haskins went 8/14 for 117 yards & 2INTs
- Ryan Tannehill went 12/16 for 130 yards & 2TDs
- (with 3 mins left) Kyler Murray went 6/7 for 44 yards
- (with 3 mins left) Drew Lock went 10/16 for 109 yards

Can't read much into pre season games as the starters are not playing. For example, who are the quarterbacks throwing to? Their normal 3rd down clutch reciever or a 6th round pick out of Alaska. As for Haskins, two interceptions out of 14 passes isn't a good sign.

Rosen's stats don't look terrible and more importantly he led the team to victory. As for Daniel Jones, sounds like a Giants media stunt to generate some support for the kid who has been taken a beating from the press since the day he got drafted.

I watched the Miami highlights and I could immediately tell the difference between Fitzpatrick and Rosen. Fitz constantly tried to run past the pass rush (it worked most of the time) and either rush for a 1st down or pass to an open WR. Rosen looked a classic pocket passer who passed with fluency every time. His INT was due to a great read by an Atlanta defender, but afterwards he threw 2 bombs downfield and looked very efficient.

Preseason results may not mean much, but the games are still important. You want your team to still play well and show some promising signs, whether it's individual standouts or an area of the team like o-line who does well. What I saw was 2 aggressive QBs (Fitz & Rosen) and a 3rd-stringer capable of managing a game if they are ever called on (Ruddock). It's a far cry from the way Rosen played at Arizona. And those aggressive QBs were able to lean on the running game when necessary (3/4 of the TDs were scord by RBs).

Usually the clear #1 choice at QB doesn't play the first few preseason matches. Keep in mind that Haskins & Keenum played, but McCoy did not.

I say Miami gets rid of Fitzpatrick. Go with Rosen. If he's a flop, go with Rudock. Both are young, and we should see if they can become something. If neither do, draft Tua. Simple enough.

Rookie QBs were underwhelming. Haskins clearly has potential, but he needs to work on accuracy and converting to speed of NFL. Jones looked good, but all his throws were easy. His touchdown pass looks nice, but it was against second teamers for the Jets and would've been easily picked by any real defender. Murray's O-Line is clearly going to see him struggle and/or running for his life at all times. It's clear Arizona will be doing a lot of throws within ten yards this upcoming year.

Is it just me, or do you guys also want to see Tannehill steal the job from Mariota? lol

« Last edited by Warrior13 on Aug 9th 2019 »

Yep. Ruddock looked solid if not spectacular. I don't think Fitz should be cut, but I'd like to get a look at all 3 QBs at some stage in the regular season.

Haha, no it's not. While Tannehill was always an average starting QB (excluding 2016/17), it was clear he was a great teammate and clubman. Tennessee's conservative offense would suit him if he did manage to get the starting job.

Could you imagine? Tannehill wins the starting job permanently in week 14 after Mariota has another injury and leads Tennessee to a famous SB win from the 6th seed.