The 2009 NFL Offseason

[Kinetic 0]

In placing the franchise tag on Cassel, the Patriots are obviously just trying to hedge their bets should Brady not be ready to go when the 2009 season begins. I'm sure that their rationale is that they can just trade him if need be. But, really, how much would you give up for Cassel if you're a GM? He has a fairly decent one-season resume, but not a lot of playing experience besides. He'd almost certainly go into a situation where the receiving talent wouldn't be comparable to Randy Moss and Wes Welker. I'd say nothing more than a 3rd round pick, because I really don't think the guy's that good.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

In placing the franchise tag on Cassel, the Patriots are obviously just trying to hedge their bets should Brady not be ready to go when the 2009 season begins. I'm sure that their rationale is that they can just trade him if need be. But, really, how much would you give up for Cassel if you're a GM? He has a fairly decent one-season resume, but not a lot of playing experience besides. He'd almost certainly go into a situation where the receiving talent wouldn't be comparable to Randy Moss and Wes Welker. I'd say nothing more than a 3rd round pick, because I really don't think the guy's that good.

 

I'd be surprised if he netted a 2nd round pick and think if traded, he'll net a 3rd at best but then again, teams don't just find a franchise QB lying around (hi Tyler Thigpen, Brady, Hasselbeck, etc.) so somebody may overpay.

 

He should be a decent to good starter in the mold of a Matt Schaub down in Houston but I think he was bailed out a lot by Welker/Faulk and he had at least 4 passes in games that were dropped when they should have been intercepted. I could see him being productive in an offense where he's asked to roll out or make quick throws on 3 step drops.

 

He has a poor deep ball and is erratic at times in making decisions. He seems to be ideal with the short/intermediate range of throws but hesitates throwing it deep and holds onto the ball resulting in sacks.

[Boon 0]

In placing the franchise tag on Cassel, the Patriots are obviously just trying to hedge their bets should Brady not be ready to go when the 2009 season begins. I'm sure that their rationale is that they can just trade him if need be. But, really, how much would you give up for Cassel if you're a GM? He has a fairly decent one-season resume, but not a lot of playing experience besides. He'd almost certainly go into a situation where the receiving talent wouldn't be comparable to Randy Moss and Wes Welker. I'd say nothing more than a 3rd round pick, because I really don't think the guy's that good.

He's not that good. But there's always a demand for QBs and I wouldn't be surprised to see someone give up a 2nd round pick for him. He's still young and will be playing for a long-term deal. Somebody will take a stab at him.

[Guest Vitamin X]

http://www.madison.com/wsj/blogs/Packers/430815

 

Green Bay's defensive coaching staff were fired.

[Matt Young 0]

I saw all the games on a DVR delay since I was at Staples center on Saturday night and had people over Sunday. Two games ended how I wanted them to; two ended the way I did not. Fortunately, all were competitive and the ones that mattered had the teams I wanted to win, winning. I'm just glad the Vikings are out, and even though the result was spoiled for me, I enjoyed watching the Chargers win.

 

LOL. Wrong thread, dumbass.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Aren't there certain trade restrictions with a franchise-tagged player? For whatever reason, I recall that coming up when Lance Briggs was pouting in Chicago.

[The Niggardly King 0]

With the tag, any team wanting Cassel will have to give up their first round pick for the next two years to the Pats.

 

I also find it funny that most of the Pats fans who were singing Cassel for MVP and thought he was better than Brady have now come back to reality a few weeks later. Well, most of them.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

With the tag, any team wanting Cassel will have to give up their first round pick for the next two years to the Pats.

 

I also find it funny that most of the Pats fans who were singing Cassel for MVP and thought he was better than Brady have now come back to reality a few weeks later. Well, most of them.

 

People thought Cassel was better than Brady?!? Seriously?

 

Most Pats fans I knew thought Cassel was a solid one year stop gap until Brady got healthy and thought he was very good but not quite MVP worthy (although many of them thought Belichick should've gotten COTY so meh).

[Kinetic 0]

There are trade restrictions with tagged players. Howev-uh, I can't imagine anyone giving New England two first-rounders (gonna go ahead and take KOAB's word on this one, as I don't know the answer myself) for Cassel; if they ultimately did decide to trade him because Brady's ACL has been successfully ghostbusted, they'd likely remove the tag from Matty Lite. Again, the whole thing with franchising this guy is just to protect their asses in the event that Brady isn't ready to go next year.

[KingPK 0]

Only idiot yahoo fans thought Cassel was better. The typical sort to call into WEEI and wonder what trading Brady would fetch. Cassel had a good year, but Harley pointed out his flaws already (indecisive, can't throw deep) and that probably will be exposed if he goes to a team without the weapons he had.

[Boon 0]

Not to mention no Josh McDaniels, who called as much as he could to protect Cassel's poor arm.

 

Something like 55% of the passing yardage gained by the Patriots were YAC, by far tops in the league. I can't think of many places that need a QB with WRs like that.

 

Edit: link.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Mike Nolan possible new defensive coordinator for Green Bay?

 

If it's anything close to the work he did in Baltimore, this makes me a very happy cheesehead. I was never all that pleased with keeping Bob Sanders on in the first place, and the way the defense played in 2007 was clearly an aberration. We just keep taking things from San Francisco, apparently. First it was Mike Holmgren, then Mike McCarthy, the Niners passed on Rodgers to take Alex Smith, and now we might get Mike Nolan too. Lots of Mikes there.

[Psycho Penguin 0]

The Niners drafting Alex Smith was pretty dumb. I thought system quarterbacks get hated on, yet he doesn't. Is there any news on him? I'm a big Shaun Hill fan (TERPS REPRESENT!) and am wondering if any Niners fans out there can update me on the QB situation there. Are they going to stick with Hill, or try to go after another QB (Cassel? Kitna? Who's really out there?), or try to get something out of Mr. Overpaid Overhyped Smith, or what? Crazy situation. I really think the Niners can win 10 games next year with Hill, though.

 

EDIT - Also, about Cassel, yes, one of my good friends is a Patriots fan, and he was trying to tell me a few weeks ago that Cassel was for real, the team can win with him anyways, why not trade Brady for a bunch of draft picks and good players and keep Cassel, since Cassel was winning games, and the team can be awesome with a bunch of good defensive players they could get if they traded Brady. So, there's always crazy yahoo fans out there.

[snuffbox 0]

I like the Mike Nolan idea. He's done well before (Baltimore). Has worked with McCarthy before which could be a good thing (could also be bad if egos get in the way, McCarthy used to work for Nolan). And, he probably cant do any worse.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Also, about Cassel, yes, one of my good friends is a Patriots fan, and he was trying to tell me a few weeks ago that Cassel was for real, the team can win with him anyways, why not trade Brady for a bunch of draft picks and good players and keep Cassel, since Cassel was winning games, and the team can be awesome with a bunch of good defensive players they could get if they traded Brady. So, there's always crazy yahoo fans out there.

 

Bad idea. Brady might get comparisons to Joe Montana, but Cassel is sure as hell no Steve Young. Notice how the Patriots won all the games against the cruddy teams, yet lost to their main competition (Steelers, Chargers, Colts, Jets, Dolphins). Cassel's only real good win was against Denver, and they have a dreadful defence. The Patriots just got lucky with one of the easiest schedules in the league.

[Kinetic 0]

The Niners drafting Alex Smith was pretty dumb. I thought system quarterbacks get hated on, yet he doesn't. Is there any news on him? I'm a big Shaun Hill fan (TERPS REPRESENT!) and am wondering if any Niners fans out there can update me on the QB situation there. Are they going to stick with Hill, or try to go after another QB (Cassel? Kitna? Who's really out there?), or try to get something out of Mr. Overpaid Overhyped Smith, or what? Crazy situation. I really think the Niners can win 10 games next year with Hill, though.

 

Alex Smith's career in San Francisco is over. He's likely to soon become to the Tampa Bay Bucs what David Carr was to the Carolina Panthers. Whether the Niners go with Hill or seek another guy in free agency/the draft remains to be seen.

[The Niggardly King 0]

I wonder if Byron Leftwich gets another crack at a starting job next year... I always like the guy.

[Kinetic 0]

He looked good in limited action for Pittsburgh this year. With as many hits as Roethlisberger takes, the Steelers should probably do whatever possible to keep him as a backup. That's probably what he's best suited for.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

He looked good in limited action for Pittsburgh this year. With as many hits as Roethlisberger takes, the Steelers should probably do whatever possible to keep him as a backup. That's probably what he's best suited for.

 

They also got Dennis Dixon who has potential. Letting go of Leftwich wouldn't put them in a tough spot.

[KingPK 0]

Bad idea. Brady might get comparisons to Joe Montana, but Cassel is sure as hell no Steve Young. Notice how the Patriots won all the games against the cruddy teams, yet lost to their main competition (Steelers, Chargers, Colts, Jets, Dolphins). Cassel's only real good win was against Denver, and they have a dreadful defence. The Patriots just got lucky with one of the easiest schedules in the league.

 

To be fair, the Jets loss wasn't his fault; he threw for 400 yards and the throw he had to get to Moss to tie it was absolutely perfect. And Gaffney dropping a wide open catch in the Colts game didn't help, either. This was his first (almost) full year playing since high school, so there's still time and room for improvement in his game.

[Kinetic 0]

They also got Dennis Dixon who has potential. Letting go of Leftwich wouldn't put them in a tough spot.

 

This is true, although Dennis Dixon's worth as a pro is still unknown at this time. When he was at Oregon, he certainly struck me as the type of QB who wouldn't be able to make it in the NFL.

 

Also, it looks like the Bears organization is going to be getting a much-needed injection of class, as Rod Marinelli has been offered a job coaching the defensive line.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

I thought this was interesting given the dominance of the shotgun spread in New England and in KC from roughly Week 8-17.

 

Kansas City Chiefs

Carries From Shotgun Formation (RB/WR only): 113 carries for 648 yards (5.73) and 0 TD

Carries From Other Formation (and QB Runs): 266 carries for 1,162 yards (4.37) and 9 TD

 

As an aside, Tyler Thigpen threw 16 TD vs. 8 INT (Weeks 8-17).

 

Interesting that the Chiefs gained almost 1.5 more yards out of the shotgun. I know most shotgun runs occur when the opponent is expecting pass (2nd & long or 3rd down) but other teams (off the top of my head: Baltimore, Denver, Giants, Patriots, and St. Louis) all had a ton of success running out of the shotgun during the season.

 

Kansas City finished 16th in rushing but 4th in YPC.

[The Niggardly King 0]

I still can't buy the talk Tyler Thigpen is getting after one year. He's looked good, even great at times, but I don't think he's going to be anything more than a middle of the road journeyman QB for his career. I hope he proves me wrong.

 

Though I did sing up the praises of Trent Edwards a lot this year, who was looking great until the Bills had a total collapse and he started trying to do everything himself.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

They also got Dennis Dixon who has potential. Letting go of Leftwich wouldn't put them in a tough spot.

 

This is true, although Dennis Dixon's worth as a pro is still unknown at this time. When he was at Oregon, he certainly struck me as the type of QB who wouldn't be able to make it in the NFL.

 

Whats up with Charlie Batch to? Is he coming back next year?

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Ignore

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

I still can't buy the talk Tyler Thigpen is getting after one year. He's looked good, even great at times, but I don't think he's going to be anything more than a middle of the road journeyman QB for his career. I hope he proves me wrong.

 

Though I did sing up the praises of Trent Edwards a lot this year, who was looking great until the Bills had a total collapse and he started trying to do everything himself.

 

Thigpen is a better fantasy QB than real QB. No doubts there. But he's serviceable, and given the Chiefs myriad of other holes (especially on the defensive side of the ball) wasting the off-season looking for a QB using a high draft pick on one does nothing to really fix the team.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

- A week after firing Bruce Read as special teams coach, Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips has found a replacement in Joe DeCamillis, KTVT-TV (Ch. 11) reported. DeCamillis, the son-in-law of former Cowboys player and assistant Dan Reeves, spent the last two seasons as Jacksonville's special teams coach and had been an assistant with Phillips in Denver and Atlanta. DeCamillis has run special teams units since 1993, with the New York Giants (1993-96) and Atlanta (1997-2006) under Reeves before moving on to the Jaguars.

 

2008: Jaguars top 2 punt returners averaged 10.88 yards per return and Brian Witherspoon averaged 24 yards per kick return. Josh Scobee was 19/25 on FG and P Adam Podlesh averaged over 43 yards per punt.

 

Dallas should be much improved punt return wise and it'll be curious to see how kick returns go with a healthy Felix Jones (27.1 on 16 last year).

[Kinetic 0]

There's another "blackout" in Athens today, as both Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno announced that they'll be entering the NFL draft. Stafford is almost certainly a top 5 pick, and could well be the top overall pick. I'd say, based on having watched a fair amount of Bulldogs football during my time in Georgia, that Stafford isn't nearly the QB Matt Ryan is, but he wouldn't be a bad pick at all for Detroit. I've seen some early mock drafts that have Moreno going to Tampa, but I don't think there's a chance that the guy will still be around when the Bucs pick. His stock should skyrocket after the combine, and he could potentially prove to be the best overall player in the draft.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Speaking of Matthew Stafford... I thought this was interesting (from Football Outsiders) especially given the dominance of shotgun spread quarterbacks in the college game trying to make the transition to the NFL.

 

"In 2007, offenses gained 5.9 yards per play from shotgun, but just 5.1 yards per play with the quarterback under center. In 2006, the difference was even greater, with 6.4 yards per play from shotgun and just under 5.0 yards per play with the quarterback under center. This wide split exists even if you analyze the data to try to weed out biases like teams using shotgun more often on third-and-long, or against prevent defenses in the fourth quarter. Shotgun offense is more efficient if you only look at the first half, on every down, and even if you only look at running back carries rather than passes and scrambles.

 

Clearly, NFL teams have figured the importance of the shotgun out for themselves. In 2007, for the first time, every single team ran at least eight percent of their plays from shotgun, and the average team used shotgun 27 percent of the time, a huge jump over the 19 percent average of 2006. The 2007 Patriots were the first team in our records to use shotgun on more than half their offensive plays. It is likely that if teams continue to increase their usage of the shotgun, defenses will adapt and the benefit of the formation will become less pronounced."

 

New Orleans, Indianapolis, and New England all predominantly use the shotgun spread (in the Colts case at least a 3 wide with TE variant) to success through the air. KC improved dramatically after switching over to the shotgun spread (Topped 20 points 7 times down the stretch).

 

I'm curious how this stretches to the college QBs coming in from shotgun heavy teams (i.e. Chase Daniels out of Missouri, Graham Harrell out of Texas Tech, Tim Tebow out of Florida) and whether the team that drafts them will try to mesh some sort of a shotgun style to help them adapt quicker or hope that they can fit a square into a round hole.

[Guest Czecherbear]

All that shotgun spread and spread option bullshit is obnoxious and I hope all its proponents die in a fire.