NFL 2016: Offseason: Pre-Draft / St. Louis Trolling

garion333 wrote:

JaMarcus Russell is still trying to come back to the NFL. Sports Illustrated even has an upcoming film about him.

Why?

Because JaMarcus Russell is really, really broke?

ALSO BECAUSE DOUBLE-POSTS.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

ALSO BECAUSE DOUBLE-POSTS.

Demonstrating that, you too have quicker reflexes that JaMarcus.

garion333 wrote:

JaMarcus Russell is still trying to come back to the NFL. Sports Illustrated even has an upcoming film about him.

Why?

I can picture the poster for it now. JaMarcus in his jersey walking down the sidewalk, heads slumped forward slightly. Oh wait, that was *Legion*.

It really feels like both sides lost in the Foles/Bradford trade.

Enix wrote:
garion333 wrote:

I know the Josh Norman talk last week quickly turned into "well, he isn't as good as he thinks he is" but I didn't realize just how far off the mark Norman's play is:

Despite playing 19 games last year, Norman only had 253 qualifying plays. Darrelle Revis had 375 when he played 19 games in 2014. Revis and Richard Sherman have consistently been the best performers in these analyses over the years. Their success rates have hovered around 81 percent for the most part. Any rate over 80 percent is very impressive, while quality starters primarily stay above 75 percent.

Norman finished with a 69.96 percent success rate in 2015. As a one-on-one defender, Norman is below average. He shouldn't be asked to play man coverage in space on a regular basis. When he does play man coverage, he is typically at his best bailing away from the line of scrimmage at the snap. This is because he can't jam receivers in press at the line of scrimmage.

He comes out much better looking on Zone coverage and especially on sniffing out Screens.

But, still, damn.

Context is important here. Norman was the best corner the Panthers had had since, well, forever. And he made some spectacular plays last year. That end zone INT against the Saints, for instance, was a thing of beauty.

That said, I thought the FO piece did a good job of pointing out his shortcomings. I think the story was thorough and fair based on what I've seen out of Norman over the past three seasons.

I might quibble with the number a little bit. Teams that threw short and in front of Norman usually got a completion and 4-6-8 yards. (The Panthers are big on keeping things in front of them on defense and making opponents string together good plays.) The ODB drop and the alley-oop to Julio Jones aside, Norman didn't usually get beat in the intermediate or long routes.

Sorry he's gone. Not sorry not to be in cap hell (again).

Wait a sec, I'm confused. Why would Carolina be in cap hell again? Do you mean because they let Norman walk they're acting as if they're in cap hell? Cause I don't believe Carolina is in any way in cap hell.

Paleocon wrote:

It really feels like both sides lost in the Foles/Bradford trade.

I saw a funny stat earlier that Sam Bradford has earned $78 million in the NFL and has thrown 78 touchdowns. Nice job if you can get it!

I think he's saying paying Norman what it would cost to keep him would be putting the team on the highway back to cap hell.

The Panthers are pretty healthy cap-wise, and Norman by himself wouldn't get them there, but a few contracts like that together could.

Oops. I kept reading that as "not sorry to be in cap hell". Missed the other not more than once...

LeapingGnome wrote:
Paleocon wrote:

It really feels like both sides lost in the Foles/Bradford trade.

I saw a funny stat earlier that Sam Bradford has earned $78 million in the NFL and has thrown 78 touchdowns. Nice job if you can get it!

I'd aim a little lower and go the Charlie Whitehurst / Matt Flynn career path myself if I could. Then you've only really got to play a handful of games or so to get your money.

Rat Boy wrote:

I can picture the poster for it now. JaMarcus in his jersey walking down the sidewalk, heads slumped forward slightly. Oh wait, that was *Legion*.

That picture was inspired by one of the greatest NES games ever, Baseball Stars. Specifically, the scene when you fire someone from your team:

IMAGE(https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/48948-baseball-stars-nes-screenshot-you-re-fired.gif)

*Legion* wrote:

I think he's saying paying Norman what it would cost to keep him would be putting the team on the highway back to cap hell.

The Panthers are pretty healthy cap-wise, and Norman by himself wouldn't get them there, but a few contracts like that together could.

Yes, that.

Short and Star are due big paydays, too, then Trai Turner, Kelvin Benjamin and Kony Ealy are (maybe) up after that.

I think the other dynamic at work here is that there can only be one true star (Newton and Kuechly) on each side of the ball in Charlotte, and Norman was the odd man out, especially when the two sides couldn't work out a deal quickly. That's part of the reason Carolina got rid of Steve Smith a couple of years back even though they would have killed to have him last season. Then again, the Panthers won 18 games last season with a receiving corps that was more like a receiving corpse, amirite?

Enix wrote:

Then again, the Panthers won 18 games last season

18 games.

IMAGE(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s149/MilkmanDanimal/giphy.gif)

Speaking of Lotulelei, the Panthers just picked up his 5th year option today. So he's under contract through 2017, and you can probably count on a long-term deal before the 2017 season.

Short hits free agency after this season. It would not be a surprise to see the Panthers sign him to a new deal before this year starts. That might have played a role in the Panthers not being willing to rent Norman for the year on the franchise tender, as that space could help sign Short in this league year.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:
Enix wrote:

Then again, the Panthers won 18 games last season

18 games.

IMAGE(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s149/MilkmanDanimal/giphy.gif)

What? They won 20 games. Weeks 1-15 (minus a bye week), Week 17, Divisional, Conference Championship... and Preseason Weeks 1, 2, and 4.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:
Enix wrote:

Then again, the Panthers won 18 games last season

18 games.

IMAGE(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s149/MilkmanDanimal/giphy.gif)

20 if you count preseason.

Which we don't.

edit: Legionhausered!

MilkmanDanimal wrote:
Enix wrote:

Then again, the Panthers won 18 games last season

18 games.

The bye week doesn't count?!

OK, fine, 17. Jeez.

Enix wrote:
MilkmanDanimal wrote:
Enix wrote:

Then again, the Panthers won 18 games last season

18 games.

The bye week doesn't count?!

OK, fine, 17. Jeez.

Hmmmmm . . . you know, I'm getting old, so my memory is getting fuzzy. I'm having a hard time remembering what happened in the very last game of the season. Did the Panthers win that one?

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

Hmmmmm . . . you know, I'm getting old, so my memory is getting fuzzy. I'm having a hard time remembering what happened in the very last game of the season. Did the Panthers win that one?

Enix's response:
IMAGE(http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/sporting_news/88/35/camnewtongetty0208ftr_w2fof1iw9m1y1wsjagg0fkk7r.jpg?t=-1047443166)

Hehe... that reminds me of my trip to Atlanta a month ago. My wife (has a crush on Newton) and her dad (from Atlanta) were both trying to tell me how amazing and the best Newton is. They kept at it for good solid 10 minutes. Which ended with me going: "Ring?" That shut them up.

MoonDragon wrote:

Hehe... that reminds me of my trip to Atlanta a month ago. My wife (has a crush on Newton) and her dad (from Atlanta) were both trying to tell me how amazing and the best Newton is. They kept at it for good solid 10 minutes. Which ended with me going: "Ring?" That shut them up. :D

IMAGE(http://www.eurweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/cam-newton-press-conference-after-super-bowl.jpg)

Newton's had a rough few months, so it's important he finds a safe space where he can decompress and just have fun without anyone bothering him. I hear water polo is a good choice.

IMAGE(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s149/MilkmanDanimal/Von-Miller-Cam-Newton-Water-Polo.jpg)

DAMMIT VONN!

Yeah, I knew The Lou would be to boring to troll.