NFL 2021: The preseasoning

And now talks between the Packers and Davante Adams have broken down. At this rate, Green Bay might have an entire day of draft picks.

Rat Boy wrote:

At this rate, Green Bay might have an entire day of draft picks.

Only if the Packers stop living in denial and actually do something.

Adams hits free agency next offseason. If Green Bay sticks with their "ignore the problem and hope it goes away" approach that they've been using with Rodgers, Adams will walk and they'll get nothing in return.

Who needs one of the best QBs and one of the best WRs in the league anyway? Both of those positions are highly overrated.

Last month, Adams explicitly said that the Rodgers situation would play into his negotiations.

This breakdown doesn't seem to say anything good about the state of progress with Rodgers.

Seriously, just suck it up, go collect some high draft picks from Denver and Las Vegas, let Love take his first year lumps this season, and build a new young offense around him with all that draft capital next April.

ESPN: Vikes Asst. Rick Dennison fired for refusing to get vaccinated. If this is true, hoo boy at least one NFL team ain't f*cking around.

Rat Boy wrote:

ESPN: Vikes Asst. Rick Dennison fired for refusing to get vaccinated. If this is true, hoo boy at least one NFL team ain't f*cking around.

And my Vikings fandom just increased a little bit . . .

Responses on Twitter are not shockingly over-the-top about MAH FREEDUMS and the lawsuit this guy is undoubtedly going to win. My response to this guy losing his job?

What a dummy.

Dude spent most of his coaching career under Gary Kubiak, and Kubiak is no doubt the reason Dennison was in Minnesota. Well, Kubiak retired in January. Nobody’s left that wants to deal with your sh*t, Rick.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

Responses on Twitter are not shockingly over-the-top about MAH FREEDUMS and the lawsuit this guy is undoubtedly going to win.

Funny given how much the MAH FREEDUMS crowd loves at-will employment.

Rat Boy wrote:

at least one NFL team ain't f*cking around.

Unless you're a player, unless they've changed their tune recently, there's at least three prominent anti-vaxxers on the team.

Cam just tweeted  DR£ÂM ČØM£ TRÜ£ (roughly translated as "A dream come true") above his picture on the cover of Cigar Aficionado magazine.

Cam is one of a kind, that's for sure.

*Legion* wrote:
MilkmanDanimal wrote:

Responses on Twitter are not shockingly over-the-top about MAH FREEDUMS and the lawsuit this guy is undoubtedly going to win.

Funny given how much the MAH FREEDUMS crowd loves at-will employment.

Fantastic write up in Defector yesterday on the intersection of vax/football/labor by Roth. It stars Michael Irvin. Will grab a link later.

*Legion* wrote:
MilkmanDanimal wrote:

Responses on Twitter are not shockingly over-the-top about MAH FREEDUMS and the lawsuit this guy is undoubtedly going to win.

Funny given how much the MAH FREEDUMS crowd loves at-will employment.

iaintgotnopants wrote:
Rat Boy wrote:

at least one NFL team ain't f*cking around.

Unless you're a player, unless they've changed their tune recently, there's at least three prominent anti-vaxxers on the team.

The players have a union.

Carmen Bricillo is one of my boss's best friends. How quickly he has risen! Just a couple years ago he was coaching at Youngstown State.

49ers announce that they have 100% vaccination of Tier 1 and 2 employees (so all coaching staff and football ops guys, and basically all the employees above the social media team and peanut vendor level).

And it’s unconfirmed but sounds like they’re one of the 16 teams that are above the 85% player vaccination threshold for conducting camp without additional restrictions.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars are expected to open camp with the restrictions in place, because of course that stupid clown car of an NFL franchise in that stupid clown car of a state would fail to vaccinate.

*Legion* wrote:

49ers announce that they have 100% vaccination of Tier 1 and 2 employees (so all coaching staff and football ops guys, and basically all the employees above the social media team and peanut vendor level).

And it’s unconfirmed but sounds like they’re one of the 16 teams that are above the 85% player vaccination threshold for conducting camp without additional restrictions.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars are expected to open camp with the restrictions in place, because of course that stupid clown car of an NFL franchise in that stupid clown car of a state would fail to vaccinate.

Ya forgot to mention clown car of a county.

YouTube served up Kurt Warner's tape breakdown a while back, and I've watched a few, and he's pretty good at it. This one's great, a breakdown of how Tampa's defensive philosophy changed during all four playoff games, and it's a really good illustration of how brilliant Todd Bowles' scheme was in adapting strategy to the opponent that week.

I like Todd and wish he had a better chance at head coach. Perhaps he's not HC material, but being a Jets HC is a mulligan.

Both Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams posted the same picture of Jordan and Pippen fist-bumping on their Instagram stories. Last Dance reference.

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/jyGoz1v.jpg)

Oh yeah. This thing is over.

Expectation is that Rodgers will announce retirement right before camp opens.

It amazes me how few sportswriters have drawn the parallel with Carson Palmer and identified the David Dunn connection. How are you all so bad at your jobs?

David Dunn?

*Legion* wrote:

Both Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams posted the same picture of Jordan and Pippen fist-bumping on their Instagram stories. Last Dance reference.

So who's Za'Darius Smith in this analogy?

He’s like the Ron Harper. Free agent acquisition that was only there at the tail end of things.

I guess the last dance post was more in reference to this being the last year then.

Bookies def dropped the odds after the post and now just took the Packers off the board until this sorts out.

It will be interesting to see what constitutes "concessions". Tearing up the rest of his contract and letting him enter free agency in 2022, perhaps?

If the concessions mean not being able to get trade value out of Rodgers' departure, it is the wrong move. It's feeling like they're going to just lose Rodgers and Adams next offseason and get nothing back.

*Legion* wrote:

Tearing up the rest of his contract and letting him enter free agency in 2022, perhaps?

The tweet from Rat Boy's edit sure sounds a lot like this.

They could rebuild the offense long-term with the draft capital they could get from Rodgers and Adams. They could lay a hell of a foundation for the Love era. Is it worth throwing that away for one more Rodgers season, in a brutal NFC?

EDIT: Trying to imagine a best-case scenario for the Packers here.

Best case would be if (a) the agreement with Rodgers is that they will trade him after the season. It would hurt Green Bay’s leverage in trade negotiations compared to moving him now, and it might have to be a handshake agreement because I don’t know if there’s a way to make that kind of agreement enforceable, but if they could get that agreement and at least get some value back for Rodgers, that would help.

And then if (b) Davante Adams was willing to resume contract talks with the Packers now that Rodgers in place for 2021. I’m highly skeptical he has any interest in taking himself off the free agent market when he’s already under contract for Rodgers’ last year in GB, but we are talking best case, and we can assume that trading Adams isn’t going to be an option under whatever agreement they have with Rodgers.

Getting some trade value for Rodgers + getting Adams under a new contract isn’t nearly as good as trading both for full picks value IMO, but it’s not nearly the disaster this could be. But I think that’s probably the highest watermark the team could possibly reach given the conditions on the ground now.

Deshaun Watson reported to Texans training camp. He is still demanding to be traded, and of course he still has a whole legal situation over his head. But the fact he was able to report to camp means the NFL didn’t decide to put him on the exempt list prior to camp, which was looked at as a likely date for action if the NFL was going to any preemptive action.

So now it looks like the NFL will leave things alone until the legal side plays out, which probably won’t be until 2022. And that means Watson is out there now, available for trade from any team brave enough to take him with his future status uncertain.

Philly is supposedly interested. I’m interested to see how much the legal issue affects his trade price. You have to expect some serious lowballing.

*Legion* wrote:
*Legion* wrote:

Tearing up the rest of his contract and letting him enter free agency in 2022, perhaps?

The tweet from Rat Boy's edit sure sounds a lot like this.

I'm here merely here to point out you're quoting yourself from the preceding post and it's weird.