2014 NFL Offseason Thread

[Mofoticon]

So the Browns fired Joe Banner (CEO) and Mike Lombardi (GM) and promoted Ray Farmer (Assistant GM) to GM and will not hire a new CEO, rather going with a more stable front office of a business side guy, personnel side, and a coach. No idea why this wasn't the case from the get go, but I am a fan of getting rid of these 2. Banner and Lombardi not only pissed off the players this past year, but many of their peers as well. The Browns will continue to be a laughingstock for this move, but I feel like they finally have things right with the front office. Haslam cannot fire anyone else in the near future though, or he will lose all fan support.

[TCO]

This is likely the year the Browns are going to get their QB going forward so if there's ever a time for them to be stable it's now. They need a solid foundation throughout the organisation especially when you consider they're not that far away, despite their calamities.

They have a nice few pieces in place and they're in a very winnable division too. Now is their chance.

[Maxx]

I barely regard the Browns as an actual pro football organization anymore.

[Dan]

[MalaCloudy Black]

Dale Hansen of Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA—who won a Peabody Award for his reporting on the SMU football scandal—had an excellent response to the criticism of NFL prospect Michael Sam, who announced on Sunday that he was gay. In his "Dale Hansen Unplugged" segment, the sportscaster rejects all arguments that say Sam would make things "uncomfortable" in the NFL.

Hansen lists through a few unnamed examples of NFL players charged with drunk driving, rape, and domestic violence, pointing out how there are—or should be—more important attributes than a player's sexual orientation. "You love another man? Well, now you've gone too far," he says sarcastically.

Though he admits he's "not always comfortable when a man tells me he is gay," Hansen realizes that's not relevant in the big picture. "I don't understand his world, but I do understand that he is part of mine."

(Source)

[livid]

I have to admit that I'm impressed that response came from somebody in Texas.

[Lint]

Yea, bravo Dallas sportscaster I've never heard of! John Stewart did a pretty good takedown of the whole "not accepted" thing too the other night

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-february-10-2014/friday-night-rights

[VerbalPuke]

The Lions cut Louis Delmas and Nate Burelson. Delmas was a bit of a shocker because he didn't have an awful year, but I can see the logic behind it. It's going to save six million on a guy with an injury history and plays a bit up and down. He's vocal, and passionate but for every big play he makes he is also taking poor angles, and blowing coverage. They expressed interest in bringing him back at a reduced rate but I would doubt if some other team doesn't give him a decent contract.

The same story for Burelson basically, we save five million on another guy that has been injured. Burelson's production on field has been fine, but he's been hurt a lot the last two seasons, as well as the fact that he is 32 years old. I'm going to miss having him on the team, he is an awesome leader and will be an asset to any team that signs him. It's definitely bittersweet because I'm a big fan of the guy, but I understand the business behind it. He's seriously one of the good guys of the NFL, I hope he lands with a contender and finishes his career as a winner.

[livid]

I actually wouldn't be surprised if the Packers signed Delmas. They're desperate for secondary help and could help up their intensity level a bit.

[The Buscher]

Yeah, Green Bay would be a logical landing spot for Delmas. It also seems that free agents bolt for division rivals more often than not so that could play into it.

Also Richie Incognito has gone into a full-blown Twitter meltdown the past few days.

[Lint]

Yeah, Green Bay would be a logical landing spot for Delmas. It also seems that free agents bolt for division rivals more often than not so that could play into it.

Also Richie Incognito has gone into a full-blown Twitter meltdown the past few days.

Probably because the Wells report showed what a huge asshole he actually is

[MalaCloudy Black]

Deadspin article on the Wells report

From the report:

Martin also asserted that he befriended Incognito, Jerry and Pouncey in an effort to reduce their abuse and that he sometimes participated in their vulgar banter in an effort to fit in. The evidence shows that Martin was distressed by his teammates' language, but attempted to hide his pain, believing that he was too sensitive and that the barbs would stop after his rookie year. We will never know whether a stronger reaction by Martin would have stopped his teammates' behavior or exacerbated it. But Martin told us that he did not view a physical response as a viable option.

Drew Magary has a great article on Deadspin about why non-assholes want to prove themselves to assholes.

[gunnar hendershow]

I've been in Martin's position on sports teams before. It's a terrible spot to be in. My high school soccer team was brutal to me and another guy.

[VerbalPuke]

When my cousin and I were in high school he was going to join the football team as a sophmore and some big jock dude walked in saying "I'm going to kick your ass and your ass and your ass", my cousin didn't bother joining after that. He didn't want to put up with that bullshit when all he wanted to do was just go out and play some football. Its a really shitty culture in organized sports.

The deadspin articles were good. The story has gone from Incognito looking like an ass, then maybe things got blown out of proportion, and then well, no, Incognito is a huge asshole as well his position coach and certain teammates. I know it sounds silly, but I really would hate to see this crap happening with my Lions. It's bullshit for any team, but ya know it'd be nice if my team didn't get ridiculous.

Mind you, I don't necessarily mind good natured ribbing like tying a rookie to a goal post if the intention is just as a "haha rookie, welcome to the team", but there is definitely a line that can be crossed. Icognito shit on that line, burned it, and scattered the ashes. Things like fining Martin 10,000 because he backed out of a debauched weekend in Las Vegas is ludicrous.

I also just love te people defefending this type of behavior. "Martin is a pussy and needs to man up". Yes Joe Sixpack, thats the problem, not the fact that Incognito is an overbearing, crude piece of shit with serious mental issues.

[gunnar hendershow]

Ray Rice proudly displaying this weekend why athletes should never go to casinos.

He was released on bail because the police weren't worried that he would make a run.

And VP you summed it up really well. The line from "hey rookie carry my pads" or "hey rookie you need to go around town in a dress" is a lot different than the harassment from Incognito. A lot of Joe Sixpacks don't realize that and think it's all the same, which is a huge issue we need to overcome in sports.

[PatDaMan]

It's not black and white though, either. If you check out the texts between them, Incognito seems completely blindsided that all of this came out after Martin left, and before that even opened up to him a little bit about how he was in a mental institution in the past.

That doesn't make him not an asshole, though. Dude's a big meathead jock, and probably took it too far on many occasions, but it's (still) not a black-and-white situation.

[gunnar hendershow]

The video of Ray Rice dragging his unconscious fiancee out of an Atlantic City elevator is probably not a good thing. In 365 days he's gone from most popular athlete in Baltimore to most disliked athlete in Baltimore. He shows up fat and lazy for the season and while that's annoying to fans this is just reprehensible.

Certainly not looking forward to, as always happens when athletes do stuff like this, the idiot brigade on Facebook defending them.

[livid]

To be fair, that video looks a lot more like him trying to get his drunk fiance to wake up than it does anything else.

[OGpistolpete]

Here is a story on my buddy and frat brother who was featured during Detroit's MNF failure and was eventually put on a billboard in downtown Detroit. He didn't know who did it but turns out his dad was the one who put his sad face up! Hilarious story.

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2014/02/mystery_of_sad_detroit_lions_f.html

[MalaCloudy Black]

To be fair, that video looks a lot more like him trying to get his drunk fiance to wake up than it does anything else.

Well I mean it kind of lends a lot more credence to the eyewitness reports that say he knocked her out, and the police summons that says the same. Rice's camp is the only one saying it was "minor altercation" between the two of them, all of the eyewitness reports I've read/seen/heard of so far say he uppercut her.