NFL 2020: The playoff thread

Enix wrote:

Would that be a certain QB who was fired by Ron Rivera's current team and who visited Rivera's old team just today?

Ding ding.

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/Ig58849.jpg)

I could even imagine the Jags drafting Lawrence and still signing Haskins as a backup. I could live with that though. The nightmare is Meyer thinking Haskins can be the guy, and the team trading away the #1 pick.

IMAGE(https://a4.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2009%2F1009%2Fpg2_a_tebow_meyer_576.jpg)

Enix wrote:

Would that be a certain QB who was fired by Ron Rivera's current team and who visited Rivera's old team just today?

Jax is a pretty straight shot from Charlotte. But ATL is closer and has better clubs so maybe not.

IMAGE(https://asipofsports.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/alex-smith-and-urban-meyer.jpg)

You mean this guy? I guess he hasn't really been fired by Ron Rivera's (FROM?) team, but still... Ohio State and Florida aren't the only places Urban Meyer has coached.

Only Trump can make Belichick look sympathetic.

Rat Boy wrote:

Only Trump can make Belichick look sympathetic.

Good for him.

*Legion* wrote:
Stele wrote:

Should have went 4th and 1. So dumb.

Well speaking of that...

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/6GH5SO3.jpg)

What shocked me the most was that it wasn't even the worst punt of the weekend, or probably even in the top 10 of things that went wrong that game.

After the first quarter I even started rooting for the browns to not browns it up. As a consolation prize, I still have two AFCN teams to root for next week, and a Browns/Bills super bowl would be amazing.

Paleocon wrote:

I am not a football general manager, but I took a look at the Steelers cap numbers and with half the team going free agent in 2021 and Roethlesburger counting $41.3M against the cap ($22M of dead cap if they cut him), I can't see any way they even field a team next year. They have to go full on Jacksonville fire sale at this point, right?

Definitely hoping we don't lose Omar Khan (who dodged a major bullet with the Texans, just doomscroll that drama! https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co... ), but the Jags interviewed, as well as the Panthers, who have ties to Pittsburgh through Tepper. Compensatory minority GM pick in 2021?

We'll be fine, we're just going to lose a few players we don't want to lose, just like every other team every year. Unlike most years, we'll probably put the 2021 rookie class on the field more than usual. Definitely hoping they get a normal preseason though

Offense

  • What's the actual cap? They're talking about a 17th game, which means the cap might be closer to $200M than $175M. If it's $175M it's a bloodbath, because we've been spending future cap for the past couple of years.
  • Ben's $22M of dead cap is because we kept extending him in order to free up immediate cap, and now it's finally due. There is zero change he will take a pay cut, I think he's either coming back for $41M (really $19M) or retiring. A $19M bridge QB is Mike Glennon money, it's fine. I think the 2021 draft is going to come down to whether someone like Mac Jones is both a 1st round grade, and within reach with a trade involving the 24th pick. If there isn't, we could be acquiring a QB in April.
  • The OL is going to be interesting. If Ben stays, Pouncey stays and vice versa. Villaneuva might retire. DeCastro is hurt more as he gets older. Feiler and Banner are starters, which means we can't afford them, even if Banner only did it for 2 weeks. Dotson and Chuks have been good enough and hopefully still improving. Everyone else is depth. If Pouncey retires, we need better center than Hassenauer, and it's not even clear whether Pouncey is better than Hassenauer any more. If we keep all of the above, that would give us Pouncey, Villaneuva, DeCastro, Dotson, Chuks, and a couple of swing players but only 5 starting OL. One of the big problems this year was that our older OL kept getting hurt, and we kept having to reshuffle. Dotson wasn't supposed to start this year. Maybe the Jaguars will give us Derwin Gray back like they did Josh Dobbs? Even with the new elevation rules, it was hard to keep OL from hitting the waiver this year with all the injuries.
  • Juju is gone unless he wants to sign something like a 6 year, $85M deal. JWash isn't shiny enough to be worth much in trade, while DJ is so good at getting open you can't trade him. Maybe Chase Claypool is the one that leaves? Just remind Gruden how well Mapletron did at the combine and maybe we'll get three or four 1sts. Or maybe they won't fall for a WR trade again.
  • James Conner is gone for a payday and is pretty injury prone anyway, and there's no one behind him with the full skillset. I'd expect us to draft another ~4th rounder, or maybe just start using Derek Watt and see if he can block. Snell, Samuels, McFarland, and Edmunds aren't good enough at it to make the formation versatile. I'd laugh so hard if we re-signed LeVeon Bell for the minimum, but we just don't have the players to make the formation unpredictable after Conner.
  • Ebron might be gone. He might as well be the 5th WR, which is one reason the running game has been terrible, and the plays are more predictable when he's in the game. It was a little better when Vance McDonald was healthy. Heath Miller was frustrating in fantasy back in the day, but definitely knew how to block.
  • Josh Dobbs/Ray-Ray McCloud: veteran depth we'd love to keep for close to the minimum.

Defense

  • Bud Dupree is sadly gone, but not getting a huge payday. With the late season ACL he's projected as a 1 year, $8M prove it deal, which we still can't afford, especially with the rookie Alex Highsmith playing so well.
  • Other Backers: Mike Hilton/Cam Sutton/Robert Spillane: They've played themselves into paydays, and we have to keep at least a couple of them. Hilton is too good to afford, unless things change more for the other 31 teams than we're expecting. Sutton is very versatile but not a great tackler, which makes him more affordable. Spillane won't be a UFA.
  • CBs: Joe Haden/Steven Nelson: This is the scariest one for me. They're both very expensive, undroppable in 2021, but on the downswing of their careers. I think we're also worse at drafting CBs than we are good at drafting WRs.
  • Jordan Dangerfield: After trading in Rosie Nix for a Watt, and losing Dirty Red to the Bills, we probably want to hang onto a special teams veteran.
  • Avery Williamson/Sean Davis/Marcus Allen/Ola Adeniyi: veteran depth we'd love to keep for close to the minimum. Sucks to be Ola, he was supposed to be Alex Highsmith until the rookie took his spot.~

They'll make it work. Our players are usually willing to free up cap space for signing bonus, which is how we dug ourselves into this hole. 2021 cap is just going to be special.

Emmes wrote:
*Legion* wrote:
Stele wrote:

Should have went 4th and 1. So dumb.

Well speaking of that...

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/6GH5SO3.jpg)

What shocked me the most was that it wasn't even the worst punt of the weekend, or probably even in the top 10 of things that went wrong that game.

After the first quarter I even started rooting for the browns to not browns it up. As a consolation prize, I still have two AFCN teams to root for next week, and a Browns/Bills super bowl would be amazing.

Paleocon wrote:

I am not a football general manager, but I took a look at the Steelers cap numbers and with half the team going free agent in 2021 and Roethlesburger counting $41.3M against the cap ($22M of dead cap if they cut him), I can't see any way they even field a team next year. They have to go full on Jacksonville fire sale at this point, right?

Definitely hoping we don't lose Omar Khan (who dodged a major bullet with the Texans, just doomscroll that drama! https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co... ), but the Jags interviewed, as well as the Panthers, who have ties to Pittsburgh through Tepper. Compensatory minority GM pick in 2021?

We'll be fine, we're just going to lose a few players we don't want to lose, just like every other team every year. Unlike most years, we'll probably put the 2021 rookie class on the field more than usual. Definitely hoping they get a normal preseason though

Offense

  • What's the actual cap? They're talking about a 17th game, which means the cap might be closer to $200M than $175M. If it's $175M it's a bloodbath, because we've been spending future cap for the past couple of years.
  • Ben's $22M of dead cap is because we kept extending him in order to free up immediate cap, and now it's finally due. There is zero change he will take a pay cut, I think he's either coming back for $41M (really $19M) or retiring. A $19M bridge QB is Mike Glennon money, it's fine. I think the 2021 draft is going to come down to whether someone like Mac Jones is both a 1st round grade, and within reach with a trade involving the 24th pick. If there isn't, we could be acquiring a QB in April.
  • The OL is going to be interesting. If Ben stays, Pouncey stays and vice versa. Villaneuva might retire. DeCastro is hurt more as he gets older. Feiler and Banner are starters, which means we can't afford them, even if Banner only did it for 2 weeks. Dotson and Chuks have been good enough and hopefully still improving. Everyone else is depth. If Pouncey retires, we need better center than Hassenauer, and it's not even clear whether Pouncey is better than Hassenauer any more. If we keep all of the above, that would give us Pouncey, Villaneuva, DeCastro, Dotson, Chuks, and a couple of swing players but only 5 starting OL. One of the big problems this year was that our older OL kept getting hurt, and we kept having to reshuffle. Dotson wasn't supposed to start this year. Maybe the Jaguars will give us Derwin Gray back like they did Josh Dobbs? Even with the new elevation rules, it was hard to keep OL from hitting the waiver this year with all the injuries.
  • Juju is gone unless he wants to sign something like a 6 year, $85M deal. JWash isn't shiny enough to be worth much in trade, while DJ is so good at getting open you can't trade him. Maybe Chase Claypool is the one that leaves? Just remind Gruden how well Mapletron did at the combine and maybe we'll get three or four 1sts. Or maybe they won't fall for a WR trade again.
  • James Conner is gone for a payday and is pretty injury prone anyway, and there's no one behind him with the full skillset. I'd expect us to draft another ~4th rounder, or maybe just start using Derek Watt and see if he can block. Snell, Samuels, McFarland, and Edmunds aren't good enough at it to make the formation versatile. I'd laugh so hard if we re-signed LeVeon Bell for the minimum, but we just don't have the players to make the formation unpredictable after Conner.
  • Ebron might be gone. He might as well be the 5th WR, which is one reason the running game has been terrible, and the plays are more predictable when he's in the game. It was a little better when Vance McDonald was healthy. Heath Miller was frustrating in fantasy back in the day, but definitely knew how to block.
  • Josh Dobbs/Ray-Ray McCloud: veteran depth we'd love to keep for close to the minimum.

Defense

  • Bud Dupree is sadly gone, but not getting a huge payday. With the late season ACL he's projected as a 1 year, $8M prove it deal, which we still can't afford, especially with the rookie Alex Highsmith playing so well.
  • Other Backers: Mike Hilton/Cam Sutton/Robert Spillane: They've played themselves into paydays, and we have to keep at least a couple of them. Hilton is too good to afford, unless things change more for the other 31 teams than we're expecting. Sutton is very versatile but not a great tackler, which makes him more affordable. Spillane won't be a UFA.
  • CBs: Joe Haden/Steven Nelson: This is the scariest one for me. They're both very expensive, undroppable in 2021, but on the downswing of their careers. I think we're also worse at drafting CBs than we are good at drafting WRs.
  • Jordan Dangerfield: After trading in Rosie Nix for a Watt, and losing Dirty Red to the Bills, we probably want to hang onto a special teams veteran.
  • Avery Williamson/Sean Davis/Marcus Allen/Ola Adeniyi: veteran depth we'd love to keep for close to the minimum. Sucks to be Ola, he was supposed to be Alex Highsmith until the rookie took his spot.~

They'll make it work. Our players are usually willing to free up cap space for signing bonus, which is how we dug ourselves into this hole. 2021 cap is just going to be special.

What you've described sounds like fourth place in the AFCN, but first place in the NFCE

Carlbear95 wrote:

IMAGE(https://asipofsports.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/alex-smith-and-urban-meyer.jpg)

You mean this guy? I guess he hasn't really been fired by Ron Rivera's (FROM?) team, but still... Ohio State and Florida aren't the only places Urban Meyer has coached.

As you well know, people used to talk sh*t about "Tedford QBs" failing to transition to the NFL, but if this exercise has shown us anything, it's to think twice about spending a 1st rounder on a Meyer QB.

*Legion* wrote:
Carlbear95 wrote:

IMAGE(https://asipofsports.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/alex-smith-and-urban-meyer.jpg)

You mean this guy? I guess he hasn't really been fired by Ron Rivera's (FROM?) team, but still... Ohio State and Florida aren't the only places Urban Meyer has coached.

As you well know, people used to talk sh*t about "Tedford QBs" failing to transition to the NFL, but if this exercise has shown us anything, it's to think twice about spending a 1st rounder on a Meyer QB.

Is that Akili Smith?

OH NO

SEATTLE FIRED BRIAN SCHOTTENHEIMER

I don't know how much luckier I can get with their OC hires. One of these days they're going to hire someone good, and then there's going to be trouble.

1st time NFL coach Urban Meyer + 1st overall pick + $100 mil in cap space

What could go wrong?!?

Seen on Twitter (and tweeted by TB12 himself), a documentary preview of Sunday's late game:

IMAGE(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Erfknk3XEAAr9Xc?format=jpg&name=small)

Bob Mould plays for the Saints?

Covid protocol so no go for Veldheer.

2021 is kinda just like 2020 so far

In lieu of a separate divisional round post, let's play a lightning round of WHO YA GOT?!

IMAGE(https://media.giphy.com/media/no9vPLZtoIzSCjU1Ow/giphy.gif)

Rams at Packers (4:35 p.m. Sat, Fox)

Announcers: Kevin Burkhardt, Daryl Johnston, Pam Oliver, Kristina Pink

Line* (link): Packers -6.5; over/under 45.5 points

My pick/rooting interest: Packers, I guess. I love watching Rodgers play, and he has been a delight this season. But Aaron Donald is a bad, bad man, and there's no David Bakhtiari to slow him down. The forecast, btw: high of 34 degrees with a slight chance of flurries or drizzle.

Ravens at Bills (8:15 p.m. Sat, NBC)

Announcers: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michelle Tafoya

Line: Bills -2; o/u 50

My pick/rooting interest: Toss up. Two great QBs, two fun teams that are playing great right now. This would have been a fine AFC championship game.

Browns at Chiefs (3:05 p.m. Sun, CBS and ESPN)

Announcers: Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson

Line: Chiefs -10 (!!!!!!); o/u 56

My pick/rooting interest: See Ravens-Bills. I can't see the Chiefs losing this one. But the Browns are ... what's the opposite of Browns-ing? That's what they're doing right now.

Bucs at Saints (6:40 p.m., Fox)

Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi

Line: Saints -3; o/u 52

My pick/rooting interest: BUCS BUCS BUCS because my loathing of the Saints is well-documented. Yes, that means I'll have to root for Tom Brady. But it also means I'm pulling for Lavonte David to have 20 tackles and at least 2 INTs on Sunday. And if the Bucs win, it'll probably mean another spectacular collapse by the Saints. Can't wait to see that.

(DIGGS SIDELINE TOUCHDOWN UNBELIEVABLE .... ahhhhhh, just inject that into my veins. That's the stuff.)

* Note: I listed spreads and o/u just to give you an idea how Vegas thinks the games might go, and my picks above don't take into account any betting odds. Me, I'm just hoping for four entertaining games this weekend, and I think we'll get 'em.

Rams at Packers. I'm not betting against PO Rodgers just yet. No Bakhtiari is a huge loss, but AD is banged up. Except many Pack OL gut punches to AD's chest to slow him down. Also, Rams offense is a mess right now with a busted up Goff and possible BLAKE BORTLES sighting.

Ravens at Bills. They're probably emotionally spent after last week, but gonna go with the homer pick since I think the D has enough weapons to find ways to slow down Josh Allen. I except the Ravens to try and limit the Bills' big plays in a bend don't break fashion, but it's possible Wink sticks to his guns and blitzes nonstop.

Browns at Chiefs. There's one way the Browns win: Pressure The Wizard relentlessly and pound the ball on the other side. There's 357 ways The Wizard flings his magic all over the field. Denzel Ward back from Covid is a good thing, but he said he was pretty sick so there's a chance he's only 80% himself, which means there's nada to cover Tyreek Hill. So, yeah, Chiefs.

Bucs at Saints. I simply don't like the Saints this year. Much as I hate to say it, betting against an aged Brady in the playoffs when he has THREE top tier WRs is tough. So I won't.

Pack, Bills, Chiefs, Bucs.

And Legion may have a new coach soon.

After a few years of failure he'll cite "health reasons" and step down. Like he has at the colleges he's coached at.

Vector wrote:

After a few years of failure he'll cite "health reasons" and step down. Like he has at the colleges he's coached at.

One of these days I'm going to use that excuse myself.

"After 30 years, I unfortunately must step down from Jaguars fandom. My doctor has informed me that, for health reasons, I must restrict my fandom to competently run franchises going forward."

Pack, Bills, BROWNS!!!, Bucks

Packers Packers Packers Packers!

In all seriousness Bills Browns and Saints? That earlier in the year Bucs game was no bueno.

Nervous for the Rams D but then I remember they have to also field an offense + Goff?. Then I also remember that the Rams as a whole lost to the Jets.

Urban Meyer wrote:

I had Fields and Trevor right next to each other. I put Trevor Lawrence for one reason, he played one more year. That was it. The one thing I’ll say about Justin Fields, because I’m very close to the situation, any concerns about him being a throwing quarterback are gone now. He’s developed, he’s outstanding. I hear the guys talk. I talk to Coach [Ryan] Day, and obviously the quarterback coach I’m very close to. Comparisons to Dwayne Haskins are everywhere now as far as throwing the football, which — that’s an elite thrower.

This was before the season.

I love it.

garion333 wrote:
Urban Meyer wrote:

I had Fields and Trevor right next to each other. I put Trevor Lawrence for one reason, he played one more year. That was it. The one thing I’ll say about Justin Fields, because I’m very close to the situation, any concerns about him being a throwing quarterback are gone now. He’s developed, he’s outstanding. I hear the guys talk. I talk to Coach [Ryan] Day, and obviously the quarterback coach I’m very close to. Comparisons to Dwayne Haskins are everywhere now as far as throwing the football, which — that’s an elite thrower.

This was before the season.

I love it.

Jags win the Fields sweepstakes! How awesome for them!

garion333 wrote:
Urban Meyer wrote:

I had Fields and Trevor right next to each other. I put Trevor Lawrence for one reason, he played one more year. That was it. The one thing I’ll say about Justin Fields, because I’m very close to the situation, any concerns about him being a throwing quarterback are gone now. He’s developed, he’s outstanding. I hear the guys talk. I talk to Coach [Ryan] Day, and obviously the quarterback coach I’m very close to. Comparisons to Dwayne Haskins are everywhere now as far as throwing the football, which — that’s an elite thrower.

This was before the season.

I love it.

IMAGE(https://media.tenor.com/images/f20f492d7047b56aa11c193133edeef9/tenor.gif)

tboon wrote:
garion333 wrote:
Urban Meyer wrote:

I had Fields and Trevor right next to each other. I put Trevor Lawrence for one reason, he played one more year. That was it. The one thing I’ll say about Justin Fields, because I’m very close to the situation, any concerns about him being a throwing quarterback are gone now. He’s developed, he’s outstanding. I hear the guys talk. I talk to Coach [Ryan] Day, and obviously the quarterback coach I’m very close to. Comparisons to Dwayne Haskins are everywhere now as far as throwing the football, which — that’s an elite thrower.

This was before the season.

I love it.

Jags win the Fields sweepstakes! How awesome for them!

IMAGE(https://u.cubeupload.com/MilkmanDanimal/Veins.gif)

The good thing about Urban Meyer is, if it turns out that I hate him, it won't be long before Baalke ousts him and hires Jim Tomsula anyway.