2014 NFL Offseason Thread

[Sylvanfan]

I would probably pay Andrew Luck whatever he wants though.

Will be interesting to see what Alex Smith is worth. Last I knew him and the Chiefs were quite a ways apart on their contract numbers. Smith is pretty much considered to be one of the 5 worst QB's in the game by most. Yet his teams have won. If I'm the Chiefs, I think I want to see how he does this year with less talent on his O-Line, and a pretty mean schedule. If he puts up numbers like he did last year and gets them to 9 wins...maybe you do pay the man. If not, Aaron Murray might be taking the field in 2015.

[tvp2003]

Interesting article that mentions Kaep, Luck and Wilson:

http://mmqb.si.com/2014/06/05/andrew...acks-analysis/

Summary: Kaep still has some work to do in the passing game, Luck is a beast with his arm, legs and brain, and Wilson is somewhere in between the two.

[ForeverFlameFan]

I am pretty excited about the NFL season It's only 2 months away from preseason.

Would ten of you guys be interested in doing a CalgaryPuck fantasy football on the NFL website? I know it's too early to ask, but just asking for future consideration on my behalf.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Alex Smith is one of the 5 worst QBs in the NFL? That's a bit absurd no? Maybe not Peyton Manning, but I'd certainly take him over many QBs in the league.

The bigger issue with the QB contracts is there is no tiering to the contracts. Above average QBs get paid the same or in the same ballpark as elite QBs. This of course is the fault of GMs for not establishing this. To me this is how the QB structure should work:

$20M+ - Elite QBs, QBs who make average teams Super Bowl contenders. Here we have 4 guys (Brees, Brady, Manning, Rodgers)

14M-16M - Franchise QBs, QBs who can win a Super Bowl with an above average team around them. Here we have guys like Roethlesberger, Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan etc...

10M - 13M Good QBs, QBs who can produce but lack certain things (like the clutch gene, ability to stay healthy, arm strength etc..). Strong team around them needed. So your Romo's, Stafford, Cutler types.

8M - 10M QBs you can win a Super Bowl with. These are guys who are good enough to win a Super Bowl with a great team around them. This is where guys like Joe Flacco and Alex Smith fall

As it is now, guys from any of these groups get paid between $16 and 20 million a season. It's why the market is so messed up. Won't change until a team takes a stand and lets a guy walk instead of overpaying.

[ForeverFlameFan]

I'd certainly take Alex Smith over Palmer with my Cards. However, I'll wait out another year, he looked better out there towards the end of the season.

[rubecube]

I can think of a good 10-15 QBs that are worse than Alex Smith. The problem with Smith is he doesn't do anything particularly well. He'll take care of the ball and keep you in games but you'd better have a strong defense because he's not going to lead a big come-from-behind win.

[Free Ben Hur!]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

I love Wilson but he is absolutely not worth that. He is a good quarterback but he's not a game breaker - yet. Let's see how this season goes.

Do you have to throw for 400 YPG to be a game breaker? And what more does he need to do next year to be considered a game breaker? Some one who leads blow out wins, can grind out close ones or engineer amazing comebacks? He does all of those things. In two years: crushed SF 42 -13 and 29 - 3. The Cardinals 58 - 0. The Bills 50 - 17. The Giants 23 - 0 at Met Life.

Helped grind out very tough games (Panthers 12 - 7, Rams 14 - 9).

Led a 20 point comeback against Atlanta in '13 playoffs to take the lead with 30 seconds left before the defense squandered the game. Down 21 points against the Buccaneers last year and engineered a 27 - 24 comeback win. Overcame a 17 point deficit against the Texans to win in Houston. Down 23 - 10 against the Patriots with 7 minutes left and the Hawks won that game 24 - 23.

From: http://www.seahawks.com/news/article...c-1a0578db49f0

'He (Wilson) already has won more games in his first two seasons (28, including the playoffs) than any quarterback in NFL history. As President Barack Obama offered last month during the White House visit to honor the Super Bowl champions, “And history is a long time now.”

Also on Wilson’s resume are 26 touchdown passes in 2012 to tie the NFL single-season rookie record that was set by Peyton Manning in 1998; 385 passing yards in the 2012 playoff loss to the Falcons in Atlanta, the most in NFL history by a rookie; a pair of 100.0-plus passer ratings, making him the only player in league history to do that in his first two seasons; 15 home victories during the regular season, the most by a player in his first two seasons in the Super Bowl era; and a Super Bowl victory in his second season, which only Tom Brady, Kurt Warner and Ben Roethlisberger had done'.

[rubecube]

Just because laughing at Jerry Jones never gets old:

http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2...-jeremy-maclin

Jerry Jones' team had 12 picks that year, more than any NFL team. None of them still remain on the roster. Their best player was arguably Victor Buttler, who only made two career starts (but played in 64 games) for the Cowboys.

[rubecube]

This seems bizarre to me. Any Chiefs fans care to comment?

Adam Schefter ‏@AdamSchefter 3m And now the Chiefs have released CB Brandon Flowers -- rough day for veteran CBs.

[Sylvanfan]

Chiefs are a bit tight for cap and Flowers cap hit is a bit high. He is a scrappy player, but that style has resulted in a lot of injuries in the past couple years. At this point he's in tough to play man to man on the outside. He couldn't stay on the field in the second half last year as the Chiefs defence fell apart.

He will catch on elsewhere but I do think his best days are behind him.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

Chiefs are a bit tight for cap and Flowers cap hit is a bit high. He is a scrappy player, but that style has resulted in a lot of injuries in the past couple years. At this point he's in tough to play man to man on the outside. He couldn't stay on the field in the second half last year as the Chiefs defence fell apart.

He will catch on elsewhere but I do think his best days are behind him.

I'd love for the Eagles to pick up for depth. Fletcher and Boykin are solid, but it'd be nice to give Carey Williams some competition, and if Flowers can't stay on the field, Williams and Nolan Carroll are good replacements.

[Senator Clay Davis]

And so begins the "second wave" of free agency. Pretty surprising as I don't think the Chiefs have a very good secondary with him.

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

And so begins the "second wave" of free agency. Pretty surprising as I don't think the Chiefs have a very good secondary with him.

Which might be reason to axe a guy with that cap hit. No point having a bad and expensive secondary.

Right now the Chiefs look a lot more like a 2-14 team than an 11-5 team. But in the NFL, it's not about the name veterans you sign, it's the unknown college guys. I think this will also be Hali's last year as a Chief, he'll be a cap casualty after this year.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Chiefs had a lot to makeover in the post-Pioli era. Took some steps forward last year but yeah at the moment they look poised to take a few back now.

[Galakanokis]

Originally Posted by rubecube

I'd love for the Eagles to pick up for depth. Fletcher and Boykin are solid, but it'd be nice to give Carey Williams some competition, and if Flowers can't stay on the field, Williams and Nolan Carroll are good replacements.

Still fairly young, 28 but his best years might be behind. I would look at him for depth like you mentioned but I don't see the Eagles doing it. Our secondary was terrible last year bit I feel the Eagles think it was more the pass rush or pressure that was the issue.

[Lil Pedro]

Huge pickup for San Diego and their defence to get Flowers!

[Senator Clay Davis]

Jimmy Graham is officially a tight end

Ian RapoportVerified account‏@RapSheet2h
The Jimmy Graham decision is out. Burbank has ruled he’s a tight end. The Saints have won

The difference is a rather substantial $5.3 million ($7m the TE tag; $12.3m the WR tag)

[Sylvanfan]

Interesting, I think the Saints would be wise to work out a long term deal with him as I can't imagine he'll be too thrilled to get the low value tag put on him.

[bubbsy]

man, it gets harder and harder to be a dolphin fan as the years go by...

SportsCenter ‏@SportsCenter 35m Dolphins DE Dion Jordan suspended 4 games without pay for violating NFL's policy on performance enhancing substances.

not sure why miami traded up to get him in the first place. he had a relatively garbage year where he played barely any snaps. now he's suspended for a quarter of the season. what a waste.

[Faust]

Josh Gordon might never play in the NFL again:

‏@AdamSchefter 10m Browns WR Josh Gordon was arrested in Raleigh, N.C. for DWI – driving while impaired, according to Raleigh police captain Tommy Klein.