2012 NFL Offseason Thread

[M*A*S*H 4077]

The Pittsburgh Bumblebees? Yikes!

http://www.thescore.com/buzz/article...wback-uniforms

[KelVarnsen]

Originally Posted by rubecube

What did the Eagles do to deserve 5 primetime games?

Besides the Panthers, I think it has a lot to do with the opponent.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by M*A*S*H 4077

The Pittsburgh Bumblebees? Yikes!

http://www.thescore.com/buzz/article...wback-uniforms

Awesome!

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by Montana Moe

I think I'll have to cruise down to Denver for Saints/Broncos on Oct. 28.

Would be great if the Flames played the Avs the night before. I did that trip in 97. Flames/Avs on Saturday (TIE) Broncos/Seahawks on Sunday in old Mile High (Win). That was fun.

[Otsy]

Originally Posted by rubecube

What did the Eagles do to deserve 5 primetime games?

About as much as the Chargers

[Senator Clay Davis]

Unless all four of their teams are outright awful, NFC East teams just get more coverage in primetime than any other division by a mile. Some would say thats East Coast bias, but they are big markets and the NFL cares about ratings first and foremost.

[Bobblehead]

I always find the discussion about "strength of schedule" amusing at this time of year. Look at how much player movement many teams have had. That, along with the coaching changes mean you don't really know how good at least half the teams are.

Going into last season the 49ers were supposed to be cannon fodder. The Eagles were a dream team. We know now that those things were totally wrong, but at this point a year ago that was what people were using as a basis for discussion.

It is interesting to analyze, but in November fans and pundits alike will look back and realize just how futile an exercise offseason strength of schedule analysis really is.

And prime time games don't have as much prestige as in prior years. When MNF was the only prime time game and there were 17 a season then it meant something. With games every Thursday this season (there are 26 teams with prime time games right there) there are now at least 3 prime time games every week. Really the only thing a prime time game means anymore is that I may not get Sunday Ticket since there are already 5 49er games scheduled for prime time (although the Sunday night flex may alter that number).

[Otsy]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

I always find the discussion about "strength of schedule" amusing at this time of year. Look at how much player movement many teams have had. That, along with the coaching changes mean you don't really know how good at least half the teams are.

Going into last season the 49ers were supposed to be cannon fodder. The Eagles were a dream team. We know now that those things were totally wrong, but at this point a year ago that was what people were using as a basis for discussion.

It is interesting to analyze, but in November fans and pundits alike will look back and realize just how futile an exercise offseason strength of schedule analysis really is.

And prime time games don't have as much prestige as in prior years. When MNF was the only prime time game and there were 17 a season then it meant something. With games every Thursday this season (there are 26 teams with prime time games right there) there are now at least 3 prime time games every week. Really the only thing a prime time game means anymore is that I may not get Sunday Ticket since there are already 5 49er games scheduled for prime time (although the Sunday night flex may alter that number).

Tell that to people who are fans of teams that don't get a SNF or MNF game. My buddy that's a bills fan is pissed due to that fact. It's always great to have your team playing in prime time regardless if there's 3 times as many PT games now

[Senator Clay Davis]

Bucs shopping Talib

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...lib-for-trade/

If they can get anything for him I'll be impressed. Hard to convince teams to trade for such a loose cannon off the field who may be a guest of the State of Texas soon.

[The Big Chill]

Houston has 5 feature games this year. Two MNF, two SNF, and a Thurs thanksgiving game against Detroit. Crazy what making playoffs once can do for you.

[CofR]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Bucs shopping Talib

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...lib-for-trade/

If they can get anything for him I'll be impressed. Hard to convince teams to trade for such a loose cannon off the field who may be a guest of the State of Texas soon.

"Only because there's some extenuating circumstance, I'm going to comment," Schiano said. "Usually I won't. In this day and age, with all the blogs and everything, if I commented on every speculation, it would be an everyday task.
"All I can tell you is that there is absolutely zero thinking on our part as far as wanting to do that. I want him to be a Buc. I understand there's been issues before I arrived. I'm not naive to that. And I understand that some of those are a heck of a lot bigger than playing football. But I am really hopeful that that clears itself up. Since I met him for the first time, he's done everything I've asked. He's practiced well and he's prepared well. I try not to judge people other than (by) how they treat me, and he's treated me well. I don't know how all that got started, but no, there's no truth to that."

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/bucs/c...ant-him-be-buc

[Senator Clay Davis]

I could really go either way with Talib. Obviously he's very talented, but he's one more boneheaded move off the field from a lengthy suspension. With Claiborne likely coming in, it makes him even more expendable.

[rubecube]

Donovan McNabb thinks he's a HOF QB. I disagree but he has some valid points.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/78...me-quarterback

[howard_the_duck]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Donovan McNabb thinks he's a HOF QB. I disagree but he has some valid points.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/78...me-quarterback

2 years ago I would have agreed, but man did he fall off a cliff after Philly. I don't even think he needed to win a SB, but he needed to show more in Washington and Minnesota.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Donovan never was close to a Hall of Famer. I mean the first thing I always think of was he was gassed in the Super Bowl. Couldn't run the two minute drill. It was embarassing. Donovan was always smilling on the field and seemed to be having fun. You know who I never see do that? Brady, or Manning(s) or Brees, actual Hall of Famers. His stats aren't awful, but he lost 4 NFC title games, win even two of those and maybe he's in the discussion. Plus his attitude of late has not helped his cause.

[DropIt]

Ryan Grant
Tim Hightower
Joseph Addai

All have been brought in for a tryout in New England.

[rubecube]

I'd think Hightower would be the front-runner but Grant would be a decent pickup as well.

[Displaced Flames fan]

DT Ben Garland has been discharged early from the Air Force and has joined the Broncos for OTAs. This could effect the teams draft strategies in the later rounds as they are quite high on him.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/78...denver-broncos

[Bobblehead]

Is this just people trying to kick the Saints while they are down or might there be some merit to it?

The U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Louisiana was told Friday that New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis had an electronic device in his Superdome suite that had been secretly re-wired to enable him to eavesdrop on visiting coaching staffs for nearly three NFL seasons, "Outside the Lines" has learned.

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/...hes-home-games

[Montana Moe]

EDIT: Great minds, Bobble...

Honestly, I don't think it helped much in those years.