NFL 2010 Draft + Offseason Thread (also, humiliation!)

Rat Boy wrote:

And surprise, surprise, Bill Polian and Peyton Manning hate the new umpire rule. Frankly, so should any team that leans heavily on the hurry-up offense; until they can adjust, expect those teams to rack up the penalty yardage.

Boo hoo. An NFL rule that isn't designed to suit Peyton Manning, as virtually every rule change/clarification for the past decade has been.

I'm quite tired of Bill Polian's presence on the Competition Committee.

I'm not overly worried by Tampa's current attendance problems; the economy in Florida is terrible and the Bucs suck. There are, at least, a number of reasons to be hopeful for the future and the team seems to be moving (slowly) in the right direction, and I'm looking forward to 2012 or so when I suspect the team will be pretty good. It was recently announced that, due to the financial situation, the team just dropped out of the top 10 for total value; there's a long way to go before it's a crisis. It's a reasonably new stadium that's quite nice, so this isn't exactly a "team fleeing the city soon" situation like Jacksonville.

*Legion* wrote:
Rat Boy wrote:

And surprise, surprise, Bill Polian and Peyton Manning hate the new umpire rule. Frankly, so should any team that leans heavily on the hurry-up offense; until they can adjust, expect those teams to rack up the penalty yardage.

Boo hoo. An NFL rule that isn't designed to suit Peyton Manning, as virtually every rule change/clarification for the past decade has been.

I'm quite tired of Bill Polian's presence on the Competition Committee.

I agree with the fact that the Colts whine and moan, but this really is a dumb rule when you think about a team down by 4 with under two minutes to go, and no timeouts, and they have to wait for the umpire to get set. If that's the case, bring in the college rule that the clock stops on a first down. Then again, if no one else is complaining about it, f*ck the Colts

Kush15 wrote:

[T]his really is a dumb rule when you think about a team down by 4 with under two minutes to go, and no timeouts, and they have to wait for the umpire to get set. If that's the case, bring in the college rule that the clock stops on a first down.

That is what is so odd about this rule: they say it is to help protect the umpire - considering how much those guys were getting involved in the play, it makes sense; but then they go ahead and make the rule not apply when there is less than two minutes to play. On Sirrius they mentioned how absurd it was to tell the Umpire that they care about their safety for 56 minutes of play. Worse, since they called this change about safety, how can the league really back down from it, no matter how much the Colts whinny.

Kush15 wrote:

I agree with the fact that the Colts whine and moan, but this really is a dumb rule

Peyton sad face = good rule. Period.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

It was recently announced that, due to the financial situation, the team just dropped out of the top 10 for total value; there's a long way to go before it's a crisis. It's a reasonably new stadium that's quite nice, so this isn't exactly a "team fleeing the city soon" situation like Jacksonville.

Tampa is definitely not in the Jacksonville situation. Their big TV market helps ensure that. But it is interesting how abysmal their ticket sales are, especially compared to the team that's supposed to be the standard in unsold tickets.

Tampa can afford to stink it up at the box office for a while. Jacksonville is in a position where they have to (over)achieve to keep the team. They were awarded the franchise based on the argument that they would overachieve for their market size/demographics. They don't exactly have to be Green Bay but they have to be somewhat GB-like.

I just need Jacksonville to sell tickets for long enough for someone else to end up in LA. Then they can stink and go to San Antonio.

*Legion* wrote:

I just need Jacksonville to sell tickets for long enough for someone else to end up in LA. Then they can stink and go to San Antonio. ;)

"Minnesota Vikings, come on down!"

MilkmanDanimal wrote:
*Legion* wrote:

I just need Jacksonville to sell tickets for long enough for someone else to end up in LA. Then they can stink and go to San Antonio. ;)

"Minnesota Vikings, come on down!"

Exactly. Stupid Favre has been delaying the plans. We should be knee-deep in the Tarvaris Jackson era already.

So we're planning a trip to visit my folks in Tampa this fall, and I'm going to surprise my son with his first football game. Minnesota schools close for a few days in the fall for teacher development stuff, so it seems a perfect time, really. Any advice on tickets? It's not like tickets are going to be hard to come by for . . . the Rams at the Bucs (please, nobody call Child Protective Services on me), but I've never bought tickets second-hand before. Ebay, StubHub, Craigslist . . . anyone have particularly good luck with one of the options?

Well there's the NFL's new NFL Ticket Exchange, with runs through TicketMaster.

Here's their page for that game.

Have used Stubhub before and they're good. Those are probably the two main stops I would make.

I think the big issue for Tampa sales is the prices are going up while the product on the field sucks and the owners aren't spending ANYTHING to better it. I will root for the Bucs but I'm not spending a dime to support them while they keep all that cash under the cap.

Again, since I have no better place to put this...

I don't know what was more awkward. Watching the Around the Horn panel discussing Jay Mariotti's arrest or Tony Kornheiser alluding to Sally Draper from Mad Men's shenanigans on PTI.

karmajay wrote:

Bucs release Derrick Ward.

Good riddance.

*ahem*

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

C'mon, Raheem, one down, you just know how fun it would be to cut Michael Clayton and Sabby Piscatelli. Cut cut cut cut cut!

karmajay wrote:

Bucs release Derrick Ward.

Good riddance.

I had no problem when he was a NY Giant
Maybe they need to bring him back, running game hasn't been quite the same since he left.

karmajay wrote:

Bucs release Derrick Ward.

Good riddance.

Fresno State...

*Legion* wrote:
karmajay wrote:

Bucs release Derrick Ward.

Good riddance.

Fresno State...

Wait, he went there? He and Trent Dilfer? What the hell do you people have against Tampa, anyways?

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

Wait, he went there? He and Trent Dilfer? What the hell do you people have against Tampa, anyways?

Hey, we provided you with Michael Pittman and now Clifton Smith! And a year of Lorenzo Neal!

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

C'mon, Raheem, one down, you just know how fun it would be to cut Michael Clayton and Sabby Piscatelli. Cut cut cut cut cut!

I get that Piscatelli isn't good but isn't TB paying him next to nothing? Plus he wasn't that good at Oregon State don't know why TB thought he would be anything else.

Edit: Just looked him up and realized the he was a 2nd round pick. Really? He gets drafted in the 2nd but Oregon State's best ever WR Mike Hass can't even get on the field. Apparently the Seahawks just released him 8 days ago. Oh he's in the UFL now, glad he's somewhere but still annoys me.

I thought Hass had a chance to be the next Bobby Engram.

Hass is an example of why we need an NFL minor league. His problem is that he's not very big or fast. For an accomplished slot receiver, that's not necessarily a problem.

But the problem is getting established. And to do that, you have to make rosters.

That's hard, because the guys near the bottom of the WR roster need to perform on special teams. Hass isn't fast enough to be a return man, and he's only slightly more imposing than the kicker when it comes to kick coverage.

In a minor league, Hass could get the game reps he needs to show if he can really do it or not. But he's a hard man to keep on a 53 man roster without that. That's why, now that his practice squad eligibility is all gone, so is he.

Matt Leinart is getting shopped. By the Cardinals, not Adobe.

*Legion* wrote:

now that his practice squad eligibility is all gone, so is he.

It runs out?

Grumpicus wrote:
*Legion* wrote:

now that his practice squad eligibility is all gone, so is he.

It runs out?

Yes. A player cannot be on practice squads for more than 3 years (and the 3rd year has a string attached). There are other restrictions based on number of games on active rosters, but Hass does not meet those.

Hass spent two years on Chicago practice squads, and last year on Seattle's.

The text from the rulebook:

The Rules! wrote:

The practice squad shall consist of the following players, provided that they have not served more than two previous seasons on a Practice Squad: (i) players who do not have an Accrued Season of NFL experience; and (ii) free agent players who were on the Active List for fewer than nine regular season games during their only Accrued Season(s). An otherwise eligible player may be a practice squad player for a third season only if the Club by which he is employed that season has at least 53 players on its Active/Inactive List
during the entire period of his employment.

I'm a little unclear on what the point of the 3rd year stipulation is, as I don't know when a team would ever not have all 53 roster spots filled. When someone leaves the active roster (by being put on IR, for example), teams seem to simultaneously sign someone to fill the spot (often from the practice squad, which is not part of the 53). So I don't know what the point of the restriction is. I have Ask(ed) Vic and we'll see if he answers me.

If you couldn't get enough of Favre-a-palooza and are looking to fill the void, then look no further than Leinart-fest, now complete with a war of words between Adam Schefter and the Buffalo Bills and Matt Leinart's desire to not be a back up QB.

Vernon Davis vs. Michael Crabtree. Unless Singletary can get a handle on this, we've got another "I WANT WINNERS!" rant on tap for this season.

Edit: And Mark Sanchez really is gunning for a "Parisian dandy" tag.

Legion, missed this earlier, but where's your mohawk?!

Terry Bradshaw's not a fan of Roethlisberger getting a reduced suspension...or of Kendall Langford losing a $50K earring:

On Kendall Langford's missing earring: "I hope they never find it -- $50,000? Go tell that to somebody that can't pay for his kid's education or can't get them into a hospital room and get them treated properly."

I hope Jimmy Johnson's run on Survivor inspires Terry to follow suit. It'd be AWESOME.

Rat Boy wrote:

If you couldn't get enough of Favre-a-palooza and are looking to fill the void, then look no further than Leinart-fest, now complete with a war of words between Adam Schefter and the Buffalo Bills and Matt Leinart's desire to not be a back up QB.

"Yes you did"
"No We didnt!"
"Yes you did!"
"NOPE!"
etc.

Ben Roethlisberger's suspension has been reduced to four games, which is good news for Pittsburgh since Byron Leftwich may have a MCL sprain.

Leftwich said to be out 2-4 weeks.

LenDale White's Achilles asploded, he's out for the year.