NFL - Discussion Thread

Lol, Matt, all these stats you're throwing my way I'm beginning to think Philadelphia's chances of winning this have improved to 50%. It Philadelphia maintain their momentum from the Vikings game there's no reason why they can't win the game.

It will be interesting to see what happens if Philadelphia win the coin toss and march down the field for a touchdown on opening drive, if that happened it will rattle the Patriots knowing like you mentioned they have lost games this season where they have fallen behind early.

« Last edited by Sanzano on Jan 25th 2018 »

Unfortunately it will not. New England started against Tennessee, had to punt, & then Tennessee marched the entire field to go up 7-0. They lost 14-35 (7-35 before garbage time).

If Philly win the toss they should elect to defend the opening drive. That way at the start of the 2nd half Philly will know how the game is going and will have a better plan. Then they'll start with the ball in the 2nd half.

« Last edited by Matt77 on Jan 25th 2018 »

Just heard something interesting Matt, Las Vegas bookies have reported a sudden influx of people who are suddenly betting heavy on the Eagles to win the Super Bowl. Any idea why, has Brady broken a leg or something?

People have been fooled by Philly's 38-7 demolition job over Minnesota, and while it was a fantastic win, Philly are not a 9.5/10 team. Brady's 'thumb injury' is a crock; he passed well for a 2:0 ratio against a top 3 defense. Also people likely see that NE have been down this season, and think they mayaswell bet big on Philly seeing as they'll get a lot back of they win.

Interestingly enough, the last meeting between these two teams is one I distinctly remember. Philly went to Foxborough with little hope during a mediocre season, and triumphed 35-28 in what turned into a shootout, and a massive upset. The key was that Philly piled on points, and even though NE made a late comeback, their lead was a big enough cushion. If they go the offensive strategy they'll need to make a carbon copy of that performance.

However if Philly go down the defensive path, they may have success too. Since giving up 29 points to the woeful Giants, Philly have conceded 10, 6, 10, 7. Tampa Bay tried the defensive tactic, and they should've won that game if their kicker hadn't missed all 3 FGs. Jacksonville clearly went with that tactic, and while they crumbled on the last 2 NE drives, it got them into a winning position.

I'm a big stats man, and if I go with the stats Philly are going to win this game by something like 24-10, no joke. But I know football is more than just stats, so taking it all in I change my score prediction to 24-21, New England win.

I hear what you say Matt, if you look at the complete picture as a one-off game you're left thinking Philadelphia will win it but you know as well as I do that with Tom Brady as the opponent and it being the Super Bowl he is going to bring to the table a certain 'X' factor that is an uncanny knack of winning important games no matter what the circumstance but must be taken into consideration which inevitably sways the balance of power towards the Patriots which in my mind gives them a close win in a tightly contested game that gets decided in the fourth quarter.

I personally will be rooting for the Eagles, I don't think they will win but being a nuetral its more fun rooting for the underdog who has never won the big game than the team that has won it six times before and has been to eight Super Bowls in seventeen odd years.

I'll be rooting for the Eagles, because I hate NE (due to their success & being in the AFC East), Philly are underdogs, & Philly haven't yet won a SB. I just want those fan bases suffering through 0 SB titles to get some joy. As heartbreaking as last season was, it was even worse since Atlanta were one of those fan bases.

I think the game will go:
New England TD 7-0
Philly FG 7-3
Philly TD 7-10
New England FG 10-10
Philly FG 10-13
New England TD 17-13
New England TD 24-13
Philly TD (2-point conversion) 24-21


« Last edited by Matt77 on Jan 26th 2018 »

All I'm hearing about the Super Bowl on Sunday is Brady and Rob Gronkowski's concussion. Who are the press trying to kid saying they don't know if he is going to be playing in the big game. It's as if everyone has written off the Eagles and their only hope hinges on Gronkowski not playing.

There's the old saying that defense wins championships, if that's true Philadelphia will win this game, they've got the better defense of the two teams. If the front four pressure Brady and take away Gronkowski things will get interesting, especially if Foles continues his current form...

The more I read about the Patriots and their dynasty the more I find myself willing Philadelphia to pull off the upset and complete a remarkable season for them. Unfortunately I can't see it happening, all I can envision is Brady completing quick, short passes to that annoying tight end of his and marching up and down the field on his way to collectiong another Super Bowl ring and MVP award.

I'll be so annoyed if Philadelphia get a lead and do what Atlanta did last year, they need to play full steam ahead until the final whistle.

I hear the that New England will be playing in their white jersey where they are 3-0 in Super Bowls. Not a good omen...

It's another one of those NE crack stories I'm talking about. As if Brady's going to willingly sit out of a SB due to a cut? As if Gronkowski's going to miss a SB due to a concussion (that usually takes somewhere around 6 days to heal). The SB is on 14 days after hi concussion occurred. Crack stories I tell you. The media are idiots who twist everything in sport and real life in general. I'm honestly not surprised a rumor that Wentz will play in the SB is not circulating by now.

If NE win, as they should, it will be a disgrace. Philly (w/Wentz), Minnesota, New Orleans, & LA Rams have all had better seasons imo, while having significantly harder schedules. NE have had a cakewalk really, and when they've faced a tough team they've usually escaped with a flukey win (5-point win against HOU w/a last-minute TD, 3-point win against PIT w/stupid PIT coaching & a stupid catch rule, 4-point win against JAX w/2 Q4 TDs). The only team to dominate and buck the trend were KC, who were destined to meet them but choked a 21-3 lead over TEN. Instead NE were given a cakewalk matchup which they won by 21 points.

Looks like the Redskins have moved on from Cousins, they've just traded for Alex Smith of the Kansas City Chiefs. They've signed him to a long term deal which is something they could not do with Cousins and they've had to give the Chiefs a third round pick in the 2018 draft. Not sure this is the way forward for Washington, the guy is 34. He is though a pro bowl calibre player but is he a winner or just another stats guy like Cousins? I guess the Redskins felt the quarterbacks in the 2018 draft were too much of gamble and decided to play it safe with a proven talent. This does mean however that while the other teams will be tripping over themselves trying to get a quarterback in the 2018 draft Washington will be able to go for the best wide reciever available in the first round and should be able to get a decent running back in round two as I don't think the current crop the Redskins have is the answer, none of them will ever get a sniff at the pro bowl which basically tells you how good they are. Kendall Fuller is on his way out of Washington to Kansas as part of the exchange, I'm not happy about that as he was a good player. Not sure what the thinking is behind this trade because the Redskins are basically paying Smith the kind of money Cousins was after.

Looking at a new mock draft, it had Washington avoiding both WR & RB. It sounds bizarre, but I guess the author realised how stupid the organisation of the Washington Redskins really are.

This is an awful move by Washington. They are not a SB contender and don't have the pieces to even make playoffs. Cousins played with a mediocre crop of WRs and no running game, and did pretty well over all. Alex Smith is used to having star playmakers at his disposal. All that will happen is Washington will finish around 7-9 for the next 2 seasons before they eventually have to go to the celler of the NFC East. It's a delaying tactic; probably to give them time to work out how to rebuild their team.

The only way Washington can make this move work is to draft a QB in the first round. That way Smith can play for a year or 2 (which will be what he wants), and once he eventually retires, a young QB will be waiting, and would've had a long time to adjust to the world of the NFL.

A lot of people have been listing the possible landing sites for Cousins, but seem to be forgetting what is right in front of them. KC traded away Smith, not the other way around. KC asked for a Washington player. What player would KC want from Washington? A running back? Lol. A wide receiver? Lol. An o-line or D player? Just go to the draft and pick young talent. People are forgetting that KC likely want Cousins to play for them. Not that they'll get what they want (Washington would have to be stupid to do a straight swap) but with Cousins at KC, they would remain an outside SB contender for years to come. Cousins would have a RB to take the pressure off, and some star WRs.
EDIT - Skimmed over your bit stating the player specified to be leaving. What a stupid move? They have to GIVE KC a 3rd round pick too!

« Last edited by Matt77 on Jan 31st 2018 »

Not just any player either Matt, Kendall Fuller is the highest rated slot defender in the NFL. I'm not liking this trade at all. What you say makes sense though when I think about it, if the Redskins pick up a quarterback in the 1st round of the draft with the $20 million dollars they saved by not signing Cousins then it could potentially be a good deal as smith would be able to groom him in the next 2-3 years until he is ready to take over, Smith is obviously not the long term answer as he is 34. Losing Kendall Fuller is a blow and a position that will have to be addressed int he draft. The recieving corps and running backs are two positions that also need to be addressed in the draft or in free agency as both are weak in my opinion. One good thing though is Smith is more athletic then Cousins and I'm sure Gruden knows that and will be looking to take advantage of his ability in the coming season just like Andy Reid did at the begining of the 2017 season when Smith played at Kansas and they looked unstoppable.

Matt, what do you make of this. Jimmy Garoppolo is currently a free agent with the 49rs who is reluctant to sign a deal. Now with Kirk Cousins available and the 49rs original choice for their starting quarterback last year there's talk that San Francisco will place the franchise tag on Garappolo and then trade him. In return they would expect to get two first round picks and a second in the draft. The 49rs then could sign Cousins to a long term contract so he is reunited with Shanahan.

Garoppolo is too good a young talent. He turned his 1-10 team into a 6-10 team that looked unstoppable, and a top 5 team in the last month, no joke. That 49ers team is lacking talent in some areas, yet Garoppolo went 5-0, with wins against Tennessee (divisional round), & Jacksonville (bad luck away from making the SB). That JAX match included SF putting up 44 points on a supposed elite defense. Yeah he made quite a few INTs too, but remember he's played 7 games and is on a weak team. Even right now Garoppolo is on par with Cousins I'd say. Put Cousins in this team 2 months ago and I wonder how poorly he would've gone. Beathard struggled despite promising signs.

In a few years, Garoppolo is probably going to be an MVP contender, or winner. He can lead SF back to playoffs as early as next season, and probably within 2-3 seasons start contending for the SB. Cousins is going to stay the same as he has always been; an above average QB who may one year have an elite season and contend for MVP, but all other seasons will be what he's already produced. The only clutch game I remember from Cousins is a long time ago when he saved Washington from a 3-24 deficit against Tampa to win 31-30. Garoppolo had a game-winning drive against Chicago that lead to the winning FG. Another game-winning drive against Tennessee. In 2/5 games this season he's been clutch in big moments. Cousins just isn't that type of player.

While there would be huge upside with trading an getting draft picks, the quarterback is the most important player in any team. Which QB would you want? Cousins who was 7-9 at Washington, or Garoppolo who was 5-0 at San Frsncisco? You also have to remember Cleveland are the only team to have two 1st round picks, and they will NOT give away picks 1 & 4.

The picks don't have to be in the same year. You missed my point. Gropollo doesn't want to sign a long term deal with San Francisco, I don't think he's happy there for some reason. He's sniffing around to see what other NFL teams are interested in him which if you are a 49er fan is not a good sign. This is the Kirk Cousins scenario all over again, the quy's trying to get as much money for his services as possible. I don't like Brady but I respect what he did in New England, he took a lower wage so the team could spend more on strengthening the squad around him. Players like Cousins and Gropollo aren't team players, you can't tell me $53 million dollars over four years is a sufficient amount of money for someone to live on, and that's not including bonuses and advertising money.

Looks like Cousins will be going toMinnesota, I didt see that coming. Apparently theVikings have the finances to afford Cousins and they feel he is the missing piece that will take them to the Super Bowl. And from Cousins point of view he?s got more of a chance to reach thre big game and be a success than if he went to a team like Cleveland.i

I've read very little about Minnesota as a landing site. In a list they did, MIN were the 6th most suitable landing spot. It would be a win-win for both parties, but it seems strange that they would cut Keenum after the heroics he achieved minus the awful championship game.

Everywhere I read the experts are picking Denver as the best spot. I find it really strange. People go on about the 'elite' defense, yet it gave up a 50-burger this season. For the majority of the season this team played with 0 heart at all. Even if the defense improves, the defense doesn't play on the field with Cousins. When he is out, his defense is sitting on the sidelines. The WRs at Denver imo are pretty bad/always get injured, and the RBs are maybe the slightest bit better than at Washington, but still pretty average. Denver were 2-10 to finish this season; dreadful.

That's interesting about Garoppolo. I did read what you said, but sort of ignored it cause I thought he was happy at the team. Perhaps not. Since the Minnesota thing hasn't been confirmed, your scenario of Cousins playing for SF & Garoppolo going somewhere else is actually reasonable. A team like New York Jets would be a great landing site for Garoppolo, & NYJ may be willing to give up their 1st round pick (either #5 or #6, I can't remember which). Still, SF wouldn't want to lose Jimmy so it's really up to what he wants.

How do you think things will pan out regarding the quarterbacks Matt?
This is what I think...

Washington - Alex Smith
San Francisco - Kirk Cousins
N.Y. Jets - Jimmy Garopollo
Cleveland - Sam Darnold
Denver - Josh Rosen
Arizona - Josh Allen
Buffalo - Baker Mayfield

San Francisco would jump at the chance of getting Cousins, he knows Shanahans system inside out having studied under him for five years whereas Gropollo has only had three months. I just have a feeling Garapollo will end up with the Jets, for some reason I can picture him playing in green.

This is what I THINK will happen, not what I would choose:

Buffalo - Teddy Bridgewater
NY Jets - Josh Rosen
Miami - Ryan Tannehill w/Josh Allen waiting in line
Cleveland - Sam Darnold
Pittsburgh - Ben Hislastname w/Lamar Jackson waiting in line
Jacksonville - Blake Bortles
Indy - Andrew Luck
Denver - Kirk Cousins
Washington - Alex Smith
NY Giants - Eli Manning
Minnesota - Case Keenum
San Francisco - Jimmy Garoppolo
Arizona - Baker Mayfield
In the hunt for a QB but couldn't get one: Baltimore, LA Chargers, New Orleans.

A couple of your picks made me scratch my head. Your pick of Josh Allen going to Miami is an interesting one. What we haven't taken into account is other teams trading with teams in the top 10 who don't need a quarterback, teams like New Orleans and NY Giants who have aging quarterbacks that need to be replaced soon. What I have noticed though is that teams because of the amount of money involved these days would rather take a quarterback who has proven NFL experience rather than a rookie who could end up being a bust like Ryan Leaf.

Baker Mayfield is getting more popular by the day, heard rumours he could end up with the Jets...

Isn't Mayfield the one who didn't go to the draft last season, and instead went and posted mediocre numbers at college level? I don't follow the lead up to the draft while the regular season is going. NY Jets would have to be crazy to pick him up.

Miami I think are ready for a QB change. I think they'll draft Allen or another QB and give Tannehill half a season or an entire season to show whether he has what it takes. Before his ACL tear he was having a career-best season, and his numbers after week 5 were pretty good. There were promising signs in games like San Diego & LA Rams where he either played a very solid game, or lead a clutch comeback. I think he deserves another chance, but his time is running out. With Jarvis Landry looking more and more likely to leave, his chances of doing well will take a serious hit.

There is also the off-chance that Miami take Kirk Cousins and send Landry off to Washington. That way they save big money not having to pay Landry an elite-salary contract, and will have money to pay Cousins that type of contract. Personally I'd love to see this happen. Yes he probably won't win a SB but he'll do enough to avoid 6-10 seasons. It would also mean Miami could take someone else with their pick 11, or trade it away to someone like Arizona.

If NY Giants desperately want a QB they'll simply take Josh Rosen at pick 2 and miss out on Barkley. It wouldn't be ideal. Since they've showed faith in Manning I don't think they will take a QB. They'd have to trade up a fair way if they want another 1st round pick too. New Orleans shouldn't waste their pick on a QB, since they'd have to trade up to have a realistic chance for taking one. They need to focus on what's in front of them. For the next 1-3 seasons they are a SB contender, and they need their drafts to focus on improving weaknesses. I had them in the wanting a QB category because they'd love to get one in the 2nd round, but I think they'll all be gone by then.

Where do you think Bridgewater will end up? I thought Buffalo would be a good spot for him since they're a defense-focused team, much like his old Minnesota team. I also thought maybe Arizona.

« Last edited by Matt77 on Feb 2nd 2018 »