NFL 2018 Offseason Thread

I have a different take. I think the 10-year contract is a myth.

More specifically, I think the guaranteed portion of it being a full 10 years is a myth.

Details have been hand-wavey on this point, with Gruden making a deflecting comment that he doesn't have a guarantee he'll be alive in 10 years.

I think "10 years" and "$100 million" is pure PR.

What we do know is that the deal is heavily backloaded, with the early years reportedly being closer to $5m a year than $10m.

I bet you that that back half is not guaranteed, or that there are some kind of terms for early termination which remove huge swaths of that money. Go ahead and @ me.

Could be.

I think any team that has to overspend to get a guy to come back to coaching is making a huge mistake. There are very good reasons that great coaches not longer want to coach, and it has to do with the insane grind. you can pay someone enough money to come out of retirement, but that money will not keep them happy through an entire season when they are already wealthy and have plenty of other opportunities when things go wrong.

TV is the gig. You get to spend as much time on football and everything that you love about it, but the hours are better, and the stress is a lot, lot less. You can overpay a guys to come to your team, because in that scenario, he wants to coach. But to overpay a guy to do something already decided he didn't want too do anymore is a huge mistake.

And I fully believe that Gruden got well over market value, or he would still be doing QB Camp. It might not be $100 million, but it is more than he is worth as a coach today.

I keep wanting to shout at these people on the Internet who ask "How well will the Raiders with bringing back a former coach?" by countering with "They did that with Art Shell, remember?!"

And here we go again (no, not what you're probably thinking)...

Has Deflategate come to the preseason?

The NFL is investigating after the Steelers were using a deflated football during the third quarter of Thursday night’s preseason game against the Eagles, according to Howard Eskin of WIP.

Eskin, who was working the game as the sideline reporter on the Eagles’ broadcast, said he saw the football in question and it was “like a marshmallow.”

The incident took place during the third quarter while Mason Rudolph was playing quarterback for the Steelers, according to Eskin.

Jayhawker wrote:

Gotta admit, I've watched this like seventeen times. Chiefs first preseason game is tonight! Woot!

That was underwhelming.. (not the video the actual game) but then again its not like its in a game that matters.

Yeah. There was nothing to get really excited about, but nothing to get overly worried about. I'll take it.

Josh Lambo hit a couple of 49 yard field goals last night for the Jags.

Still don't understand why the Chargers cut him. Still don't understand why other teams were picking up garbage kickers instead of him.

Washington lost rookie RB Derrius Guice for the season to an ACL tear.

After CTE, racist owners, sexist owners, anthem nonsense, domestic violence, arbitrary Roger Goodell rulings, ridiculously overpriced tickets, stadium fights, and Gregg Williams' continued employment, this is the worst part of the game.

It’s almost like the NFL is a giant mirror that society is looking into and not recognizing their reflection, isn’t it?

staygold wrote:

It’s almost like the NFL is a giant mirror that society is look into and not recognizing their reflection, isn’t it?

Word.

This is going to be my favorite football gif for a long time:

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/0AQxH5y.mp4)

I think Google has data mined the crap out or me.

Just saw this in my phone notifications:

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/Fh2qL7U.jpg)

That's awesome

Edit:

The Chad Kelly train has been picking up steam, but since the Paxton Lynch train is stuck in neutral, again, I expect him to be cut free after the preseason.

When it comes to who will be the backup quarterback, the score right now is 1-0 in favor of Kelly over Lynch.

Lynch struggled in the same ways Broncos fans have seen him struggle for far too long now.

Lynch went 6-of-11 for 24 yards in the game with an interception. The interception wasn’t entirely his fault — it bounced out of the hands of Austin Traylor — but that wasn’t the only concern.

Lynch doesn’t feel pressure, he doesn’t keep his eyes down the field and he isn’t able to escape pressure up the middle to make plays. A perfect example of this came just before the half. The Broncos had a screen play called, and when the Vikings blitzed, it was set up perfectly. But Lynch left the ball about two yards short of Phillip Lindsay, and a big play was left on the field.

https://broncoswire.usatoday.com/201...

Dude is a vet now and is still playing like a rook. It's $wag Time.

Look at this guy's arm!

Couple throws in there that need to be fixed, but a lot of really well placed balls. Back shoulder on the final set of downs should have been caught for a TD.

EDIT: Paxton Lynch's footwork:

IMAGE(https://media2.giphy.com/media/KVlCVET2KEfrq/giphy-downsized-large.gif)

That's horrible, Legion. At least that baby giraffe was trying.

Dante Fowler got off the PUP list and went straight to starting fights on the practice field.

Alright f*ck this guy. He can leave next off-season and go be the guy Baltimore signs when T-Sizzle announces his retirement.

*Legion* wrote:

IMAGE(https://media2.giphy.com/media/KVlCVET2KEfrq/giphy-downsized-large.gif)

Wait wait wait I thought Mike Glennon went to the Cardinals.

*Legion* wrote:

Dante Fowler got off the PUP list and went straight to starting fights on the practice field.

Alright f*ck this guy. He can leave next off-season and go be the guy Baltimore signs when T-Sizzle announces his retirement.

IMAGE(https://media1.tenor.com/images/5127f2f3c37353b13ff4ad8658af68de/tenor.gif)

Spoiler:

Actually, I'm not even mad because I've been throwing him in your face since they took him.

https://deadspin.com/why-your-team-s...

Washington Racial Slurs up next...

Absolutely brilliant opening line.

TheGameguru wrote:

https://deadspin.com/why-your-team-s...

Washington Racial Slurs up next...

Absolutely brilliant opening line.

Your quarterback: The Skins didn’t want to pay Kirk Cousins $84 million guaranteed, so here’s what they did instead: they traded a third-round pick and promising cornerback Kendall Fuller to Kansas City in exchange for a quarterback who is five years older than Cousins, averages nearly 60 fewer yards per game, and averages nearly a full yard less per attempt. Then they gave THAT guy $71 million guaranteed.

Christian Hackenberg is an Eagle now.

His first two passes at practice show some real growth.

Spoiler:

Intercepted means they were actually in the field of play.

Your quarterback: The Skins didn’t want to pay Kirk Cousins $84 million guaranteed, so here’s what they did instead: they traded a third-round pick and promising cornerback Kendall Fuller to Kansas City in exchange for a quarterback who is five years older than Cousins, averages nearly 60 fewer yards per game, and averages nearly a full yard less per attempt. Then they gave THAT guy $71 million guaranteed.

I think I am going to puke.
Although, on the plus side at least we got something for him. They screwed him so much there was no resurrecting him in DC. I hope really hope he does well.

Meanwhile DC has to deal with Snyder for decades...

TheGameguru wrote:

https://deadspin.com/why-your-team-s...

Washington Racial Slurs up next...

Absolutely brilliant opening line.

They could have just posted the header image and left it at that. Also, when did Dan Snyder turn into a Patton Oswalt lookalike?

I normally am not a fan of radio hot takes, but the self loathing fans are the best part of that series.

*Legion* wrote:

Christian Hackenberg is an Eagle now.

His first two passes at practice show some real growth.

Spoiler:

Intercepted means they were actually in the field of play.

Why is anyone giving him a shot? His agent must be pulling in all his favors.

This is interesting: Bill Barnwell builds a 53-man team under the salary cap with some conditions (at least one player from each team, etc.)

His fantasy salary-cap team include Certis at QB, David Johnson at RB, Antonio Brown at WR, Gronk as Party Bus Driver (and TE), and Von Miller, Aaron Donald and Telvin Smith on D.

Discuss.

The assumption that Josh Gordon will play this year is hilarious.

The best line in it is at the bottom:

This interview has been edited and condensed.

I like that guy, a lot.