NFL 2021: The Week 18 (!!!) thread

tboon wrote:
Paleocon wrote:

The only hope of the Reskins getting a new stadium is if Snyder gets hit by a runaway golf cart and a new owner cleans house and begs someplace like Chantilly for the money.

You bite your tongue, traffic out this way sucks bad enough without that sh*tshow. Put it down in Woodbridge, they deserve it.

Traffic is going to be a sh*tshow anywhere they put it mainly because we have built car dependency all over the f*cking place. Maybe if they built it in or near Reston Town Center so at least the Weihle stop could take *some* of the traffic away.

Paleocon wrote:
tboon wrote:
Paleocon wrote:

The only hope of the Reskins getting a new stadium is if Snyder gets hit by a runaway golf cart and a new owner cleans house and begs someplace like Chantilly for the money.

You bite your tongue, traffic out this way sucks bad enough without that sh*tshow. Put it down in Woodbridge, they deserve it.

Traffic is going to be a sh*tshow anywhere they put it mainly because we have built car dependency all over the f*cking place. Maybe if they built it in or near Reston Town Center so at least the Weihle stop could take *some* of the traffic away.

Agree, putting this anywhere will be a sh*tshow. So long as it is not on the I-66 corridor, I am fine with wherever.
"Not in my backyard": I am part of the problem. In this case, I don't care.

Paleocon wrote:
tboon wrote:
Paleocon wrote:

The only hope of the Reskins getting a new stadium is if Snyder gets hit by a runaway golf cart and a new owner cleans house and begs someplace like Chantilly for the money.

You bite your tongue, traffic out this way sucks bad enough without that sh*tshow. Put it down in Woodbridge, they deserve it.

Traffic is going to be a sh*tshow anywhere they put it mainly because we have built car dependency all over the f*cking place. Maybe if they built it in or near Reston Town Center so at least the Weihle stop could take *some* of the traffic away.

A stadium is going to require so much land and land is so expensive that there's no way it's going anywhere near a Metro or rail line; proximity to the Metro means real estate is worth a hell of a lot more. If this happens, they're going to dump the new stadium way the hell out near Manassas or Leesburg or the like. There's no way they're finding space along the Dulles toll road for this, because that area's packed and just think about how much they'd have to level in order to just get enough space for whatever abomination would be built.

Jags interviewing my man Byron Leftwich.

Hey Legion, tell me this just isn't a Roony-rule interview, and if this works out, tell me a good place to get some TD Jesus merch.

Also, tell me Baker wants out of Cleveland without telling me he wants out.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

...they're going to dump the new stadium way the hell out near Manassas ...

Stop putting ideas like this out in the universe, please! For the love of god, just stop!

This Washington Post story from December says The Team is kicking the tires on NoVa.

But what's to say they don't go way down I-95 to Fredericksburg or maybe even Richmond (where The Team has training camp)?

There's plenty of precedent for playing outside the city that's part of your team name: Giants/Jets, Niners and Cowboys, to name three off the top of my head.

UpToIsomorphism wrote:

Jags interviewing my man Byron Leftwich.

Hey Legion, tell me this just isn't a Roony-rule interview, and if this works out, tell me a good place to get some TD Jesus merch.

He's seen as one of the frontrunners for the job. I don't think it's just a minority rule interview. There's definitely momentum behind his candidacy.

I'm slightly iffy about it only because I'm worried about any first-time head coach trying to operate in this dysfunctional environment, especially if the sh*tbag Baalke is still in place as GM.

But man, if it is Byron, my Leftwich jersey is coming out of the closet and going onto my person SO fast. I'm far more interested in him than any of the other would-be first time head coach candidates like Kellen Moore. If we're not going with an experienced guy like Caldwell Face, then I want Byron.

I want Leftwich to get consideration for HC jobs, but, uh, can we skip Jacksonville for a while? That's a godawful job right now, and whoever gets hired is just going to be a fall guy for Baalke when the team continues to suck.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

I want Leftwich to get consideration for HC jobs, but, uh, can we skip Jacksonville for a while? That's a godawful job right now, and whoever gets hired is just going to be a fall guy for Baalke when the team continues to suck.

Isn't that the only job a Black HC can get?

Jim Nantz would rather be exposed to the Covid than to call the Panthers game on Sunday.

Can't say I blame him, to be honest.

Why the hell was Nantz on that game anyway? Just for Brady who might not even play the whole game? What a joke

UpToIsomorphism wrote:

Isn't that the only job a Black HC can get?

Oof, too true. Unless you land in Pittsburgh, but they don't churn through coaches (hmm, I wonder if there's something to that).

Speaking of coach churn, I saw a comment somewhere that Kyle Shanahan and the two Sean Macs, McVay and McDermott, are tied for the 8th longest current tenures as NFL coaches. All three were hired in 2017.

And there's the possibility of that group moving up one spot, if not two, this offseason. It seems more likely than not that the Vikings give grumpy man Zimmer the boot this offseason. And there seems to be a real chance that the Seahawks and Pete Carroll part ways, although I give that one much lower odds than the Zimmer situation. I'd put Zim's odds around 80% and Carroll's more like 20%.

Stele wrote:

Why the hell was Nantz on that game anyway? Just for Brady who might not even play the whole game? What a joke

My guess is that Nantz lives in Florida and would rather call the Bucs than the Dolphins. Either way, he's off this weekend. Good for him.

Unrelated, Mike Tanier of Football Outsiders has some thoughts on HEY DARNOLD:

Sam Darnold is still only 24 years old, but he has been sacked 131 times in 48 starts. Darnold's "sack age" is more important than his biological age at this point, and the concept that the Panthers can somehow "evaluate" his "development" behind their candy glass offensive line is ludicrous. Darnold is done cooking, because the oven caught fire when he was inside it with the Jets, then Matt Rhule finished him off with a blow torch like a crème brûlée. The Panthers need to find a quarterback in 2022, but they had better fix their offensive line and scheme first; otherwise, the next quarterback will just get the Justin Fields treatment.

Co-sign!

UpToIsomorphism wrote:

Jags interviewing my man Byron Leftwich.

Hey Legion, tell me this just isn't a Roony-rule interview, and if this works out, tell me a good place to get some TD Jesus merch.

Also, tell me Baker wants out of Cleveland without telling me he wants out.

Stefanski is a coach of the year. Baker is Baker.

Curious who you think has more goodwill with the fans? I'd assume Stefanski has more with the front office at the very least.

Talk about the perfect scenario if Baker legit starts rumbling. Easiest way to jettison him if he starts acting like an Aaron Rodgers while actually being Baker Mayfield.

jowner wrote:

Curious who you think has more goodwill with the fans? I'd assume Stefanski has more with the front office at the very least.

Baker has some adamant defenders for what he did in the Hue/Gregggggggg year, but I think KS gets a great deal of credit for the playoff win. I think the organization will chose one, dump the other, and start a smear campaign against whoever they don't keep. You're right, I think the front office supports KS, and will be more likely to dump Baker than him.

Baker has a vocal contingent of support, as he is by far the best QB the Browns have had since Vinny Testaverde. That, of course, doesn't mean he is good.

I think everyone here knows where I stand on Baker, and I think KS is an above average to good coach. More importantly, I think the Browns would be very good with an above average QB, and I think there will be some of those available either by free agency or trade.

More importantly, I think it will be easier to replace Baker and keep winning than to replace Stefanski. And I think that in Week 6 if the Browns are 4-2 and Baker is 1-5 starting for, lets say the Lions, all those Baker people will come back.

UpToIsomorphism wrote:
MilkmanDanimal wrote:

I want Leftwich to get consideration for HC jobs, but, uh, can we skip Jacksonville for a while? That's a godawful job right now, and whoever gets hired is just going to be a fall guy for Baalke when the team continues to suck.

Isn't that the only job a Black HC can get?

Not necessarily true. David Culley got the job for the Texans, but everyone knows it was a placeholder position for the suck year while they were working out the Deshaun Watson garbage fire.

Paleocon wrote:
UpToIsomorphism wrote:
MilkmanDanimal wrote:

I want Leftwich to get consideration for HC jobs, but, uh, can we skip Jacksonville for a while? That's a godawful job right now, and whoever gets hired is just going to be a fall guy for Baalke when the team continues to suck.

Isn't that the only job a Black HC can get?

Not necessarily true. David Culley got the job for the Texans, but everyone knows it was a placeholder position for the suck year while they were working out the Deshaun Watson garbage fire.

Well, lets look at all the minority head coaches hired in the last, say, 5 years...

Robert Salah, New York Jets (a promising job, but it is still the Jets)
David Cully, Houston (garbage fire)
Brian Flores (hired to tank for Tua, but won too much... thankfully Tua got hurt and fell in the draft)
Steve Wilks (one year with the Cards)
Vance Joseph (two years with the Broncos)
Anthony Lynn (one year with the Chargers to break in Herbert)

Six. In five years. If there were five openings in any year, we would say that the coaching carousel was abnormally calm.

UpToIsomorphism wrote:
jowner wrote:

Curious who you think has more goodwill with the fans? I'd assume Stefanski has more with the front office at the very least.

Baker has some adamant defenders for what he did in the Hue/Gregggggggg year, but I think KS gets a great deal of credit for the playoff win. I think the organization will chose one, dump the other, and start a smear campaign against whoever they don't keep. You're right, I think the front office supports KS, and will be more likely to dump Baker than him.

Baker has a vocal contingent of support, as he is by far the best QB the Browns have had since Vinny Testaverde. That, of course, doesn't mean he is good.

I think everyone here knows where I stand on Baker, and I think KS is an above average to good coach. More importantly, I think the Browns would be very good with an above average QB, and I think there will be some of those available either by free agency or trade.

More importantly, I think it will be easier to replace Baker and keep winning than to replace Stefanski. And I think that in Week 6 if the Browns are 4-2 and Baker is 1-5 starting for, lets say the Lions, all those Baker people will come back.

I imagine a scenario where Stafford retires in a few years and then journeyman backup Baker Mayfield winds up in LA, for no other reason than it brings back your "Baker, OBJ, and a 2nd" joke.

Just kidding. Like the Rams would ever actually have that high of a draft pick, amirite?

UpToIsomorphism wrote:

Well, lets look at all the minority head coaches hired in the last, say, 5 years...

Robert Salah, New York Jets (a promising job, but it is still the Jets)
David Cully, Houston (garbage fire)
Brian Flores (hired to tank for Tua, but won too much... thankfully Tua got hurt and fell in the draft)
Steve Wilks (one year with the Cards)
Vance Joseph (two years with the Broncos)
Anthony Lynn (one year with the Chargers to break in Herbert)

Six. In five years. If there were five openings in any year, we would say that the coaching carousel was abnormally calm.

Ron Rivera was hired by WFT in 2020, so that makes seven.

He's one of the few guys in recent memory who went from one HC job to another without detouring through the OC/DC ranks first.

AB's rampage tour continues. He's mad he was on a "prove it deal" because he thinks he was the best receiver on the team (LOL).

Antonio Brown not only torches an opposing team's secondary, he also burns bridges with his team's quarterback.

And Lamar out for Sunday. Dammit what a disappointing season

Rat Boy wrote:

Antonio Brown not only torches an opposing team's secondary, he also burns bridges with his team's quarterback.

You know, a few days ago he stormed off the field mid-game, and people were saying, "Well, he's probably done, but, sure, some team might pick him up for the playoffs because he's so talented." Then, yesterday we got our "bangs toilet-licker before game who by the way has COVID" and today it's "taking shots at Tom Brady" and I'm beginning to think he just might not get signed, guys.

Jaguars sponsor wants name removed from Sunday’s clown-out game. They want out so bad that they're suing because the team “has utterly failed to provide the sponsorship benefits outlined in the agreement.”

That's really rough for the Ravens, they looked so strong early in the year.

Speaking of injuries, JJ Watt is being activated from IR.

Rat Boy wrote:

Jaguars sponsor wants name removed from Sunday’s clown-out game. They want out so bad that they're suing because the team “has utterly failed to provide the sponsorship benefits outlined in the agreement.”

The roofing business wants to have its name removed from the Week 18 Jaguars home game, based on the plan by fans to show up dressed as clowns to protest the ongoing presence of Trent Baalke as the G.M.

I'm so proud of my Jacksonville-based brothers and sisters.

Can we talk about one of the most bullsh*t recurring plays in football?

I'm talking about the "pass interference due to the wide receiver suddenly hitting the brakes to go after an underthrown ball" play.

I feel like there needs to be an exception to pass interference rules carved out for this. The response is always "well the DB just needs to turn his head and play the ball", but with downfield contact rules so emphasized, defenders have to watch and follow the receiver's body, because they can't wait until the ball is thrown to start covering a guy. With athletic QBs extending plays, one wrong-timed head turn and the WR changes direction and bolts towards empty space.

Sh*tty QB throws should not result in an advantaged play for the offense. Contact created from receivers abruptly stopping their route should be excluded from penalty.

I agree 100% on that being the most BS play in football. I think the tricky part is how to design the rule to avoid the call without making it incredibly subjective and therefore making almost every call really controversial. But, yeah, just like there is a "the ball was not catchable" rule, there should be a "the ball was underthrown" rule.

I don't think anyone would argue that's the worst penalty, but, with how the league seems to want to avoid as many judgment calls as possible, I'm betting it won't change. IIRC, the Colts' two longest plays from scrimmage against the Bucs this year were just Wentz flinging it deep and getting DPI on badly-thrown balls.

Yeah, there's no avoiding that this exception would be a subjective judgement call, but with pretty much everything else about pass interference being fuzzy judgement calls as well, I feel like it wouldn't really be introducing ambiguity in a place where it didn't already exist.

That play always feels cheap no matter which side of the call you're on. It's this nonsense freebie you get that bails you out of a bad play. It's like a Mario Kart blue shell.