2020 NFL Season Thread

[GirlySports]

You put way too much stock into draft picks, which the players on the field don't care about, they're playing for their jobs. The GMs sort out the draft picks in the spring.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Eagles literally controlled their own destiny yesterday and they proceeded to drop an absolute stank nugget. With nothing to play for (and playing spoiler isn't going to bring out extra effort, it's literally the worst motivation possible) they will put in 40% effort and hope to avoid injuries. It's gonna be abject football, honestly hope they come to a handshake agreement to have the Eagles give up a safety on the opening play and then both teams kneel it out for our first 2-0 final in the modern era.

[transplant99]

Yeah.....thats the thing about teams intentionally crewing the pooch in football...it doesnt happen at the coaching or player level.

Far to much at stake for them financially. Maybe management issues directives to the coaching staff to make things harder to win and maybe the coaches then make play calls that have a low chance of success, but in reality there is no "group think" to go out and lose games intentionally.

Who is going to, on purpose, go out and do a poor job jut so the club can fraft someone who will come in and take your job? Simply doesnt happen unless there is a payola like scheme going on.

[GirlySports]

There's maybe tanking for a #1 overall pick some years, but even the Jets didn't do that. Nobody is tanking to go from 15 to 10 like the Eagles might. They are playing for jobs. GMs don't even care that much, they just work around whatever draft pick they get. I think only fans and media care.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I think I just want us to all avoid having to even care about that game. That's the thing, even trying as hard as they can these teams couldn't produce a game above preseason quality. The NFL could at least make it fun and threaten to sanction the three of the four teams with a lost first round pick for not winning that POS division.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Eagles literally controlled their own destiny yesterday and they proceeded to drop an absolute stank nugget. With nothing to play for (and playing spoiler isn't going to bring out extra effort, it's literally the worst motivation possible) they will put in 40% effort and hope to avoid injuries. It's gonna be abject football, honestly hope they come to a handshake agreement to have the Eagles give up a safety on the opening play and then both teams kneel it out for our first 2-0 final in the modern era.

That's because they are a horrible football team. Not because Pederson told Hurts to go out and lay down. I mean, the Eagles put up almost 500 yards of offense as it was.....and that was 40% effort? (against that Cowboys defense its not hard to imagine them getting 1000 yards mind you, but i digress)

Timely piece from Peter King today about this very subject;

I am not a fan of a possible NFL draft lottery. I am a fan in basketball, because there is a history of teams tanking. But I have not seen evidence, ever, of a football team trying to lose. If that happens, then I’d re-think it. But let me give you a hypothetical: A team goes 0-16 with a horrible QB situation, and the next-worst team is 3-13. You’re telling me that it would be fair to have the top pick dependent on the drop of a lottery ball? Fair to take the top pick away from a winless team and give it to a team with two or three wins? Nonsense.

I have to agree with him. Its so much of a team game and sometimes, the mix of players and coaching just doesnt produce anything but losing. Not because they are trying to, but because they just arent good enough to win consistently.

I think the Jets are pretty clear evidence of this the last 2 weeks.

[devo22]

agreed. I'm not a big fan of the current system either, because we're in a situation where teams are called idiots for winning a game ... that just feels wrong. But I also doubt a lottery would help in any significant way.

just look at the Jets, they'll still end up with a great QB prospect in Justin Fields, yet people laugh at them for "losing" the Lawrence sweepstakes. Oh well. You don't always have to draft the first QB in the class to be happy, the last few years have proven that.

[ResAlien]

Transfer or not Fields is an Ohio state QB and as such is doomed to failure. The Jets are a perfect spot for him.

[Weitz]

I bet the jets draft an O lineman now.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by ResAlien

Transfer or not Fields is an Ohio state QB and as such is doomed to failure. The Jets are a perfect spot for him.

Speaking of which...Rivera has named Taylor Heinicke to start in a must win game next week ahead of Haskins (if Smith cant go).....the saviour that Snyder made his guys draft. Looks good on him now.

[devo22]

they already have Becton, who has been really good for them. You either draft Fields or try to trade down and take a receiver or edge rusher, if you rather stick with Darnold. But I doubt it.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

I think I just want us to all avoid having to even care about that game. That's the thing, even trying as hard as they can these teams couldn't produce a game above preseason quality. The NFL could at least make it fun and threaten to sanction the three of the four teams with a lost first round pick for not winning that POS division.

It's just a cycle. Remember how bad the NFC West 10 years ago was and now look how good they are. Last two Super bowl reps and possibly three teams making the playoffs this year.


Anyways, if the Giants win, you can enjoy the game through my eyes

[devo22]

WFT has released Dwayne Haskins.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

It's just a cycle. Remember how bad the NFC West 10 years ago was and now look how good they are. Last two Super bowl reps and possibly three teams making the playoffs this year.


Anyways, if the Giants win, you can enjoy the game through my eyes

The NFC West had a Super Bowl team in 2009 so...and we are not talking about a bad division, we are talking about the single worst division in the history of sports. The Redskins have lost two games in a row, at home, games in which they were barely competitive in either (for about 2 drives against the Seahawks basically), and yet they can go out Sunday and play poorly and....will probably still make the playoffs. We can all accept a bad division every now and then (although this is like the 3rd year out of 4 the NFC East has been quite bad), but this is monumentally bad.

I'm not even saying don't give them a playoff spot, I'm just saying this game should be buried in the 1pm hour and instead we all get to suffer through godawful football in primetime when there are alternatives that could have been chosen. I understand the NFL's #1 desire for week 17 SNF is a game with direct playoff implications, but exceptions need to be made. This, on paper, is one of the worst games of the season, period.

[ResAlien]

I reiterate: you never draft Ohio state quarterbacks. Waste of a pick.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by devo22

WFT has released Dwayne Haskins.

When was the last time you saw a 1st round QB released in year two? There's definitely major maturity issues with this guy.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Haskins is exactly why you tank for Trevor. Trevor is the rare QB who it won't even matter how bad the situation is because he's that talented. Even the ####ing Jets could probably not screw Trevor up. Now maybe he doesn't become the greatest QB he can be as a Jet, but he's still at worst a solid NFL starter. The Trevor's and the Luck's of the world are worth tanking for because you don't need to do much to help them be decent, and if you build it right you're likely ending up with a borderline HOFer or better.

But most QBs are like Haskins where he needs to land in a place with a solid infrastructure in place, or he'll flop. Fields on the Jets is basically the Jets preemptively tanking for 2023. Someone like the Colts should be looking to trade up for a Fields because they have the infrastructure to help maximize his potential. But that is really most QBs we see, and why Tanking for Trevor or Sucking for Luck were absolutely worth doing. Teams that struggle to develop need guys who don't need much help.

[Lubicon]

Justin Fields looked pretty mediocre this season, albeit it based on a pretty small sample size. Jets would be better to draft someone who could immediately help the team. Even if Fields pans out, at best you are treading water - trading one QB for another.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I think most of us have Fields as a bust in waiting, but that's why this late season Jets surge may be one of the most damaging few weeks in franchise history. At least if you're going to suck you'll get hope for the next 10 years, but now they are basically in purgatory where they'll either reach for a QB and rush him along and he likely busts and you're in the cycle forever, or you draft elsewhere and hope you can out tank someone again next year, but right now next year looks even more loaded for teams tanking with teams like the Falcons and Lions likely to join as they reboot their rosters.

The Jets had their window and they didn't do it. If anything once they got to 0-8 they should have fired Gase and brought in the long term replacement right then. Gase owes the Jets nothing so of course he's fine with 2-14 and a pink slip. But if you had your long-term replacement he likely goes full tank to get his QB and life is on the upswing for the Jets instead of feeling more hopeless than ever.

[GirlySports]

Here's one for you SCD.

The long game for the Packers is to lose next week so the Bears keep their current management and coaching staff, then overpay Trubisky on a very long contract.