The NFL Offseason/Pre-Draft Thread

[snuffbox 0]

Green Bay has no defense to speak of.  They are fucked in a division where defense is stressed to the max.  Have fun getting killed by the Bears.

 

 

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No shit...like that second game late last year when the Bears sacked Favre like 9 times. Er wait, that was the Green Bay defense that did that.

 

The Packer D might be pretty weak...but the Bears havent become superheroes just yet.

[Sass 0]

With this Pinkston news, and other Eagles probs, you can scratch Philly out from making it to the SB. This season...they're reloaded. Dallas is my pick for winning their division and going to SB. Atalnta is my next pick in the NFC. Philly just has...too many problems and cleaning a championship ring ain't one of them. I have a feeling Jeremiah Trotter and Jevon Kearse are going to feel "old" this season. Unless McNabb and TO can hook up for 20 - 25 TD's this season, I don't see the Eagles winning it all this season.

 

Replacing one statue with another a QB isn't going to help Dallas. Besides, I think they'll have problems early on with the 3-4 defense. They also could help themselves by not getting torched for 49 points against the Eagles again.

 

Pinkston is not that bad of an injury, Greg Lewis can easily fill his role.

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Bledsoe won't get tired in the 4th quarter like old man Testaverde did. The Cowboys were like the 1st or 2nd ranked team in 4th quarter meltdowns after leading the game. Bledsoe will be playing behind the best line he could ever hope to have (aside from that '97 Pats line).

 

All of the new and old guys on the Dallas D are all familiar with the 3-4 and the 4-3. Unlike the Raiders, these guys don't appear as though they'll have much trouble understanding the 3-4. Plus, they have the personnel, i.e. talet, to pull off the 3-4 defense.

 

Agreed on the Lewis deal. Almost every WR in Philly aside from TO is interchangable I think with one another. No one stands out except for TO. I just think too much drama has gone on for that team to keep it's collective head in the game. But hey, maybe they'll prove me wrong here. It's not like they don't have the talent to make another run at the SB. 6th time is the charm I guess.

[Sass 0]

Where in the everloving holy mother of fuck are you seeing Dallas' potential here? They're essentially the same team that went 6-10 last year, just swap out Vinny Testaverde for Drew Bledsoe. You're also way underrating the Packers and Texans. Green Bay has SOME defense.. certainly not as good as the Bears, but you're a fool if you think the fucking BEARS of all teams will be sweeping Green Bay this year. Seriously.

Green Bay has no defense to speak of. They are fucked in a division where defense is stressed to the max. Have fun getting killed by the Bears.

Quoted for emphasis. BWAHAHAHAHAHA. Look, the Bears are a lot better than people give them credit for, and could put together a decent squad this season, but even if the Pack takes a tumble this year, it won't be to Chicago or any of their division rivals save for maybe Minnesota.

 

Just because a team does well in the draft or doesn't, has no impact on what that means for this year or not. The Lions have proved that year-in, year-out... and what it translates to is that Detroit will have a good team once they're ready, which should be this year.

 

The reason why I didn't put the Niners on the "no way in hell they make it to the playoffs" list is because Rattay actually wasn't all that bad when he had some playing time, and he has a couple receivers to throw to now.. the o-line's not great, but at least it was upgraded over the offseason and the defense isn't all that bad. I can name a few players on the Niners who'd be great additions to any other team.. In particular, I'm thinking Julian Peterson, Ahmed Plummer, Brandon Lloyd, Kevan Barlow (as a third down back like he was before), Johnnie Morton. The Browns have NOONE. And I think I'd agree with the Titans as well since pretty much all their good players became cap casualties. But the Packers, Texans, and Seahawks, as well as maybe the Broncos (although I don't understand the whole signing of Cleveland's defensive line) should all at the least be in the mix for playoff contention.

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The Cardinals, the Rams and even the Seahawks have a better looking team than the 49ers do. They're in rebuilding mode and I don't see them jumping any of those 3 teams for a Playoff or Wild Card spot this season.

 

Who are the defensive "stars" for GB this season? Who are the defensive stars for the Bears this season along with the new ones they added? Jerry Angelo might not be able to draft offense for shit but he knows a thing or two about putting together a great defense (TB) and he's got the right coach (Lovie) in Chi-town to help him keep his job for another season. I see Sherman getting tossed before I see Tice or GM Angelo getting the boot in the NFC North and all 3 of those guys will be on thin ice this season.

 

You'll notice a gap in GB D talent once you check out both teams defenses too. Lovie got those guys to believe in him last season and if Urlacher can suddenly summon his '01 form, the Bears D could be something gnarly to watch out for. Favre does have this funny tendency to burn the Bears bad though during the regular season though...

 

I just think the Bears have the more talented Defense in the NFC North. That's the Black and Blue division.

 

The Texans still have no O-line to speak of. Until they fix that problem, the team won't be going anywhere and willcontinue to be the whipping boys of the NFL. They've got a good RB in Davis but he needs some help up there from his fat fucks to get anywhere on the field.

[Sass 0]

 

Green Bay has no defense to speak of.  They are fucked in a division where defense is stressed to the max.  Have fun getting killed by the Bears.

 

 

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No shit...like that second game late last year when the Bears sacked Favre like 9 times. Er wait, that was the Green Bay defense that did that.

 

The Packer D might be pretty weak...but the Bears havent become superheroes just yet.

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Chicago isn't anything magical just yet. But their defense might be something out of this world.

 

The Bears have some studs on defense...more than I can say for GB, which is why I'm predicting them to beat down GB all this season. The Packers have dropped some blood in the water this season (losing both starting guards) and Favre has stated how he does not like getting sack as he gets older. Lovie Smith has instilled in the Bears D the old Raiders mantra of "drop the QB hard and don't let up" and I actually saw this from the Bears a couple times last season. That doesn't help Favre any and he's the key to that team's success until someone else can pick up the ball and run with it like him.

 

Aaron Rodgers better be studying the GB playbooks thoroughly because he might be called in to start sooner than anyone might hope for. I wish him the best up in GB.

[Sass 0]

I have to disagree with your assessment of the Carolina Panthers.  They didn't lose their #1 receiver this offseason, they lost him way back in week one of last season.  Steve Smith, and he will be back this year.  He is much more of a threat than Muhsin Muhammad was and will more than makeup for his loss.  I also feel Keary Colbert will put up some really good numbers in his second year.  DeShaun Foster and Stephen Davis may both be coming back from injuries, but that's why Carolina has Brandon Bennett, Eric Shelton, Jamal Robertson, Nick Goings, and various other guys who can produce.  They will also be working behind a much more improved offensive line with the addition of Mike Wahle and Jordan Gross moving back to his natural position.  Defense will be getting Kris Jenkins back and Julius Peppers will continue to improve.  I really like their chances of making it to the postseason and atleast to the NFC Championship Game.  I also don't agree with those who think the Detroit Lions will make a run in the playoffs, I think too many important pieces of that team are too inexperienced to handle the pressure of big-time games.

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I completely forgot about the signing of Wahle. Holy crap, that should make a difference on the offensive side of things for Carolina this season. That O-line improvement was some nice work by the Cats this off-season. Wahle's going to be a keeper.

 

I want to give Smith, Davis and Foster a chance but all those guys had either some serious (Smith) injury issues (Davis) last season or else they're injury prone (Foster). I haven't checked out the RB back-ups much so I'm not sure if there's any optimism there. Colbert doesn't seem like he could take over for Smith like Muhammed did last season in case Smith goes down again and that's where I see things going downhill for the Cats is with their throwing game. Unless they have some stud back-ups waiting to break out, I just don't see the WR group coming in and shaking any teams down. Delhomme will still have a good season but his WR's might be the downfall for him and the Panthers this season if Smith doesn't stay healthy through the whole season.

 

On the Lions, I just don't see the "inexperience" factor coming into play for them. They're playing behind a vet coach, a seasoned QB (Harrington and Garcia), they've got a stud RB (Jones) and they have one of the best WR trio's in the league (Williams' and Batch). Plus, they also have a solid vet player in TE Marcus Pollard who could take any heat off the WR's or RB guys. They've also got a defense that can stuff the run or stop the pass. They've got as good a defense as the Cats do. Their tackles are some bad, bad, bad dudes to be running up against.

 

They also have one of the better looking LB corps in the league, which will only help the team out. I can't say the same for the Cats linebackers who look too old or inept to be as big a threat as the Lions hitters.

 

Didn't the Panthers pick up Ken Lucas this season? That will give them the edge over the Lions in the 2ndary at least.

[Damaramu 0]

As a devout follower of the McNabb I will just say that the Eagles will be in the Super Bowl. That is all.

 

Is it weird that when people say "If you could be anyone for a day who would it be?" And everyone starts answering something profound to make themselves seem smarter I say "Donovan McNabb"?? I get some weird looks.

[Guest Vitamin X]

The Cardinals, the Rams and even the Seahawks have a better looking team than the 49ers do.  They're in rebuilding mode and I don't see them jumping any of those 3 teams for a Playoff or Wild Card spot this season.

Agreed, although I think you don't give either the Niners or Seahawks enough credit. I doubt they'll have as bad a season as they did last year, but more than likely they'll finish at the bottom once again, and in my opinion, the Rams will be competing with them for the honor to do so. The Cardinals look decent, but Seattle will probably win the division again. I've learned over the past few years to not look into Arizona's franchise as anything more than "Hey, they might have potential".

 

Who are the defensive "stars" for GB this season?  Who are the defensive stars for the Bears this season along with the new ones they added?  Jerry Angelo might not be able to draft offense for shit but he knows a thing or two about putting together a great defense (TB) and he's got the right coach (Lovie) in Chi-town to help him keep his job for another season.  I see Sherman getting tossed before I see Tice or GM Angelo getting the boot in the NFC North and all 3 of those guys will be on thin ice this season. You'll notice a gap in GB D talent once you check out both teams defenses too.  Lovie got those guys to believe in him last season and if Urlacher can suddenly summon his '01 form, the Bears D could be something gnarly to watch out for.Favre does have this funny tendency to burn the Bears bad though during the regular season though...

 

I just think the Bears have the more talented Defense in the NFC North.  That's the Black and Blue division.

 

Green Bay has enough talent in their front seven to do some damage. With more or less the same defense, Ed Donatell had Green Bay's run defense in the top 10 and their pass defense somewhere around 14th-15th. Then he got fired and that idiot Slowik took over and dumped them to the bottom of the division, while Donatell took Atlanta's D to being one of the better ones in the league again. I don't think that's any coincidence, and all eyes are on how Jim Bates (bringing his pedigree from Miami over) and the defense will perform. They still have a bunch of promising young guys on the line they've drafted over the past couple drafts but have gotten tough breaks with injuries or haven't developed well. This year Kenny Peterson, Donnell Washington, Cullen Jenkins, James Lee, and Corey Williams provide very solid depth for Green Bay's d-line. The problem with the defensive ends are that KGB is an excellent pash rusher but is a liability against the run, and Kampman is excellent against the run, but gets swallowed up against pass blocking. Then there's Na'il Diggs, Nick Barnett, and underrated pickup from Arizona Ray Thompson to flesh out the front seven. The safety spot is Green Bay's Achilles heel, hell pretty much the whole secondary outside of Al Harris, who has great instincts/mentaly and a physical presence but doesn't have a whole lot of speed, and is liable to get torched at times. Chicago has Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Mike Brown, and a very solid defense, and I completely agree that they probably have the best defense in the division right now.. But their offense is so awful that they'll pretty much mirror how last year's Redskins were. And that didn't translate to a playoff berth for them either, but I guess it all depends on who Chicago plays hard against.

The Texans still have no O-line to speak of.  Until they fix that problem, the team won't be going anywhere and willcontinue to be the whipping boys of the NFL.  They've got a good RB in Davis but he needs some help up there from his fat fucks to get anywhere on the field.

 

They have the skill players to get it done, and even without that O-Line, they still managed to be a middle-of-the-road offense (12th rushing, 18th passing), and they have their Triplets set (Carr, Johnson, and Davis are a very good trio), and they'll surely be better than at least Tennessee in their division.

 

At least we can all agree that the Browns seem to have pretty much the worst team in the league.

[teke184 0]

In reference to Cleveland being the consensus worst team in the NFL, that's what happens when a team drafts shit for five straight years.

 

 

This year's not going to hurt Romeo's long-term prospects, so if I were him I'd look at this season as an experiment to figure out what he can use out of the current roster and what positions need attention next offseason.

 

 

Pretty much, they need to see if Suggs or Droughns will be their starter at RB, if Dilfer can lead the team (survey says: HELL no!), if their overhauled D-Line could stop a paraplegic, and so forth.

 

When everything's said and done, they'll probably end up with the #1 pick in the draft, which they'll use on Matt Leinart, then they'll see how they can go about dumping all the dead weight off their roster and finding people who belong in the league to replace them.

 

 

Give Romeo about three years and he'll have them winning at least six games a year, which isn't great but is better than the 2-14 record they'll probably get this year.

 

(I see them winning only their games against the Bears and Titans, both of which are in Cleveland. The rest of their games are against ass-kickers like the Ravens, Colts, Steelers, Vikings, etc.)

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

(I see them winning only their games against the Bears and Titans, both of which are in Cleveland.  The rest of their games are against ass-kickers like the Ravens, Colts, Steelers, Vikings, etc.)

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Oh please, give BOTH the Bears and Titans credit, they can beat the Browns in Cleveland.

[teke184 0]

(I see them winning only their games against the Bears and Titans, both of which are in Cleveland.  The rest of their games are against ass-kickers like the Ravens, Colts, Steelers, Vikings, etc.)

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Oh please, give BOTH the Bears and Titans credit, they can beat the Browns in Cleveland.

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I give credit to the Bears defense. Their offense is questionable until Grossman can go a few games without getting killed, which is the fault of the O-line.

 

 

As for Tennessee, I have no faith in them at the moment because they dumped a tremendous amount of their roster for salary cap purposes then signed about twice as many undrafted free-agents as anyone else in the league.

 

Given that they don't seem to have a direction right now, other than letting Travis Henry run the ball, I'm not sure they could beat Cleveland.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I think if Billy Volek was to play at the same level or better as he did last year, they COULD win. Though you're probably right and Cleveland could beat Tennessee as easily as Tennessee could beat Cleveland.

[Sass 0]

Should the Titans consider Billy Volek to be their long-term QB? Stevey Mac probably has 2 good years left in him, if that.

[teke184 0]

Should the Titans consider Billy Volek to be their long-term QB?  Stevey Mac probably has 2 good years left in him, if that.

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Air McNair is good but the numbers that Volek and Bennett put up at the end of last year were so good that it's hard to argue against putting Volek back in.

 

I'd consider trading McNair to a team who needs a veteran QB then bringing in some cheap talent to help fill out the roster.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Teke, as an Adrian McPherson fan, I was wondering what a Saints fan's take on him with New Orleans is? Any progress with him? I know Brooks would be the starter but if he keeps fucking shit up, I'd like to see McPherson given a shot.

[teke184 0]

Teke, as an Adrian McPherson fan, I was wondering what a Saints fan's take on him with New Orleans is? Any progress with him? I know Brooks would be the starter but if he keeps fucking shit up, I'd like to see McPherson given a shot.

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I haven't heard much about him lately...

 

I think he has some screw-up tendencies like Brooks but, unlike Brooks, they're mostly done off the field.

 

 

I think he's got the tools to be a great NFL quarterback as long as he doesn't get kicked out of the league for being an idiot in his personal life.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Supposedly he's grown up, or so says he and his agent. We'll have to see how it all pans out. I hope in 3 years or less, if Saints aren't doing much that I'd see McPherson line up behind center for the Saints.

[teke184 0]

Supposedly he's grown up, or so says he and his agent. We'll have to see how it all pans out. I hope in 3 years or less, if Saints aren't doing much that I'd see McPherson line up behind center for the Saints.

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If not, they could always find a sucker to take him off their hands in exchange for someone they need.

 

 

This sometimes works out in their favor (JT O'Sullivan being sent to Green Bay as as part of the deal for Mike McKenzie) and sometimes doesn't (running off Jake Delhomme, who went to the Super Bowl the next year with the Panthers).

[Sass 0]

Jake Delhomme on the Saints would win like 4 Superbowls. New Orleans would implode from massive partying.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

With this Pinkston news, and other Eagles probs, you can scratch Philly out from making it to the SB. This season...they're reloaded. Dallas is my pick for winning their division and going to SB. Atalnta is my next pick in the NFC. Philly just has...too many problems and cleaning a championship ring ain't one of them. I have a feeling Jeremiah Trotter and Jevon Kearse are going to feel "old" this season. Unless McNabb and TO can hook up for 20 - 25 TD's this season, I don't see the Eagles winning it all this season.

 

Replacing one statue with another a QB isn't going to help Dallas. Besides, I think they'll have problems early on with the 3-4 defense. They also could help themselves by not getting torched for 49 points against the Eagles again.

 

Pinkston is not that bad of an injury, Greg Lewis can easily fill his role.

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Bledsoe won't get tired in the 4th quarter like old man Testaverde did. The Cowboys were like the 1st or 2nd ranked team in 4th quarter meltdowns after leading the game. Bledsoe will be playing behind the best line he could ever hope to have (aside from that '97 Pats line).

 

All of the new and old guys on the Dallas D are all familiar with the 3-4 and the 4-3. Unlike the Raiders, these guys don't appear as though they'll have much trouble understanding the 3-4. Plus, they have the personnel, i.e. talet, to pull off the 3-4 defense.

 

Agreed on the Lewis deal. Almost every WR in Philly aside from TO is interchangable I think with one another. No one stands out except for TO. I just think too much drama has gone on for that team to keep it's collective head in the game. But hey, maybe they'll prove me wrong here. It's not like they don't have the talent to make another run at the SB. 6th time is the charm I guess.

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I just feel the need to say it...

 

Bledsoe was sacked less times last year than in any year in his career. He had a running back emerge as a force, and a rookie WR who added 9 TDs. He also had the #1 Special teams and the #2 Defense in the league.

 

Still. No. Playoffs.

[Sass 0]

That's crazy.

 

Buffalo's O-line was a conundrum. The line either looked really crummy or else they played like it was 1992 all over again. They looked good down the final half of the season.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

That's crazy.

 

Buffalo's O-line was a conundrum.  The line either looked really crummy or else they played like it was 1992 all over again.  They looked good down the final half of the season.

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I'm only stating it because it is so ridiculous.

 

But Bledsoe has been sacked and pressured constantly behind everyline he's ever played behind. He makes them so much worse than they are.

[Sass 0]

No, you're right.

 

JP Losman: upgrade or downgrade at QB?

[Guest Vitamin X]

Definitely an upgrade.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Hell if I know.

 

I just know they needed to change something. All you can do is hope I guess.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Losman is pretty much a downgrade. He has that look of a dumb kid who will be perfecting the "deer in the headlights" look a lot this year. He will not likely be passing for the same amount of yards Bledsoe accumulated in his 2-3 seasons with Buffalo. I see his rookie year having 2,500 yards passing if he's lucky and 15 TDs if he's lucky. They will probably rely on Willis McGahee more often than they did last year, which would make his fantasy owners look damn good.

[LaParkaMarka 0]

Losman seems a lot like Boller. Deciding who is better between Bledsoe and Boller is like deciding between herpes and chlamydia.

[smh810 0]

In reference to Cleveland being the consensus worst team in the NFL, that's what happens when a team drafts shit for five straight years.

 

 

This year's not going to hurt Romeo's long-term prospects, so if I were him I'd look at this season as an experiment to figure out what he can use out of the current roster and what positions need attention next offseason.

 

 

Pretty much, they need to see if Suggs or Droughns will be their starter at RB, if Dilfer can lead the team (survey says: HELL no!), if their overhauled D-Line could stop a paraplegic, and so forth.

 

When everything's said and done, they'll probably end up with the #1 pick in the draft, which they'll use on Matt Leinart, then they'll see how they can go about dumping all the dead weight off their roster and finding people who belong in the league to replace them.

 

 

Give Romeo about three years and he'll have them winning at least six games a year, which isn't great but is better than the 2-14 record they'll probably get this year.

 

(I see them winning only their games against the Bears and Titans, both of which are in Cleveland. The rest of their games are against ass-kickers like the Ravens, Colts, Steelers, Vikings, etc.)

 

I'd be wary of the so-called " consensus worst teams in the league" cause in the end they're not as bad as you think. (ie. 02 Ravens, 04 Chargers). I dont think Cleveland is as bad as everybody says either and if the AFC wasnt so damn strong I'd almost consider them a playoff contender. Trent Dilfer (as much as I hate to admit it) has the potential and ability to become another Gannon/Buerlein and if Lee Suggs can stay healthy their running game is pretty good. Their defense still needs a lot of work and will keep them from being a serious factor. However, theyre a young team that I can see winning 6-7 games and being very competitive in a lot of games.

[Fökai 0]

Losman seems a lot like Boller. Deciding who is better between Bledsoe and Boller is like deciding between herpes and chlamydia.

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Boller...at least chlamydia goes away.

[Brett Favre 0]

Law agreed terms with the Jets. Press Conference may be later today.

 

Jets Reach Agreement in Principal with Law

 

Following Monday’s morning practice, New York Jets head coach Herman Edwards announced that the club has come to an agreement with unrestricted free agent cornerback Ty Law.

 

 

“We’ve come to an agreement in principal at this point with Ty Law,” Edwards said. “He’s over getting a physical and he’ll have a workout this afternoon. If everything goes well, he will be a New York Jet.”

 

 

The signing by Law came with a few salary cap casualties, however. Veteran cornerback Ray Mickens, who was entering his 10th season with the Green & White, was cut by the team this morning to make room for Law, along with four other players.

 

 

“We had to release some players today: Derek Pagel, Ray Mickens, David Yovanovits, Delvin Joyce, and Roosevelt Williams,” said Edwards.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

He'll fail the physical.