2011 NFL Offseason Thread

[VerbalPuke]

"Don Yee, who represents league MVP Tom Brady, suggested a longer season be accompanied by increased roster size from 53 players to 58, all eligible to play on game day; currently, only 45 can suit up, plus a third quarterback. He also would institute a rule that prohibits any player from appearing in more than 16 games."

That's from an espn.com article about the current labor negotiations and the expansion to 18 games. I can't say I'd like to see anything like that at all.

[Meacon Keaton]

So a player can't play more than sixteen games? That's stupid. That would be adding rules just for the sake of rules. If you're going to expand to eighteen games, you play the eighteen games if you're healthy. If you don't want someone playing more than sixteen games, just don't add any more. Horrible idea.

[VerbalPuke]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6113860 Here's the whole article, I was just dumbfounded when I read that and wanted to share it.

It sounds as if that is a concession the players and agents will make to let the owners have their 18 game schedule. I agree with Meacon, this is a horrible idea and these labor talks sound like a gigantic clusterfuck.

[naiwf]

So a player can't play more than sixteen games? That's stupid. That would be adding rules just for the sake of rules. If you're going to expand to eighteen games, you play the eighteen games if you're healthy. If you don't want someone playing more than sixteen games, just don't add any more. Horrible idea.

You're forgetting the reason for the extra games is essentially "SHOW ME THE MOOOOOOOONNNNNEEEEYYYYY!"

Everyone other than sahyder understands that adding two games on the back end of the schedule would be basically the same as forcing the average fan to watch two meaningless preseason games disguised as regular season games for most of the teams right? A team that has clinched a playoff berth by Week 17 is going to shut it down unless they can improve their playoff position. A team that is out of it by Week 17 is going to shut it down and the few teams battling for playoff spots will lose players to injury before the playoffs begins. Adding 160 players to the league means we're watering down the product even more during those final weeks of the season. What they're proposing is similar to MLB's expanded roster in September. Teams that are out of it will give new players who weren't good enough to be on the team all year a chance to play. Ask a fan of a team that was mathematically eliminated by Week 14 or 15 if they really want to watch 2 more weeks of games.

If you want to add meaningful games to the NFL schedule all they need to do is add another 2 or 4 total playoff teams. That way you add an extra week of the postseason, but you're not forcing the entire league to go through the motions for 3 extra weeks (2 weeks of games plus a potential 2nd bye week) to pack in maybe 5 or 6 games that matter to the end result of the regular season.

Edited February 13, 2011 by naiwf

[rocksta]

Dude at least add something meaningful to the thread. Quoting a big block of text and not saying anything relevant is a douche move.

It's rocksta. I've come to expect nothing less from him in the past couple of months despite having next to interaction with him here prior to hat.

As for the CBA, the players are already publicly fighting each other. They'll fold ridiculously fast if this keeps up. I have to give the owners credit for keeping their infighting relatively quiet so far. Read an interesting report on PFT (I think) about the potential for some owners to block a CBA agreement. I think only 8 or 9 owners need to vote against an agreement in order for there to be no deal while the players on need a simple majority. Owners like Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder want to keep more of their own revenue. I'd be interested to see if one of them publicly says something about revenue sharing with other owners before the league has an agreement with the players.

I don't post much. I like EWB though. I don't watch wrestling. The topics I do frequently read you frequent and you literally smother them in stupid shit, a million links and in general stuff that makes me irritated. I love EWB the community here even if I don't post a shit load but I just really hate you, Matzat and Chase.

[HailtotheYo]

I'm sorry, I must have missed it your pro career or even a high level college career. A large part of why we watch football is the physical nature of the sport. We know what it is does to these guys longterm but we choose to watch and cheer. These guys know what it does to their bodies long term but THEY CHOOSE to play and are compensated fairly well for it. Nowhere did I say that the pads are good enough.

Who said anything about the owners risking anything? This is how it works in collective bargaining in all lines of work. The NFLPA will roll over for them. Lose the "I played High School" bullshit. No one forced you into playing football.

Yeah I'm sorry that in the CFL they don't highly publicize the practice squad and don't regularly thrust squad players into the limelight, I'll get on that. I'm also sorry that since I didn't play at a D-1 Top 25 college football program that I apparently don't count as a college football player. Didn't know that, I apologize. I'm sorry that my HS wasn't in the Rivals.com 100 national rankings so clearly there wasn't any real football being played there.

Yeah, my bad on all of that. You're right, having been on the field at every level of the game (but clearly not at any that would warrant a qualified opinion on what actually happened on the field and in the locker room and training room because you didn't see it on fucking ESPN) doesn't give me any type of qualyfing aspect over someone that hasn't stepped foot on the field ever, in terms of being able to say what the fuck actually went on. But I guess none of those guys in the NFL you've never heard of should say anything and should just probably drop their shit to yeah ? I mean if you missed their career then clearly it doesn't count.

Ignorance and claiming ignorance isn't a defense. Not for you, and not for the NFL. "We didn't know what it was" is the biggest load of covering our ass bullshit ever muttered.

But wait wait wait ... the players know the risks, so that makes it all knull and void though ! Yeah, Cops know the risk too ... as do coal miners, people in the military, deep sea fisherman, firefighters, steel workers, pilots, and loggers. I guess they should all shut the fuck up and stick their grievences up their ass because THEY KNOW THE RISK ! Nobody forced them to do those jobs !

How's about you lose the Holier than thou bullshit ? That'd be great. Your smarmy little cunt comment up there really paints you like a fucking jackass. You're actually speaking with someone that has sat there and watched team doctors/physicians tell the "box upstairs" that a player is loopy as all fuck, that something is wrong with their head/faculties only to be told to send him back in. Yes, it wasn't until 2001 or so that the clearly outlined the definition that we go by today, for a concussion. That doesn't mean they didn't know that it was happening before that. They began describing and trying to define MTBI since the 70's.

The ICD-10 (World Health Organization's classifications, 10th edition) was back in '92 and in it there were consistent definitions prescribed for MTBI.

Yes Sahyder, they knew what was going on, they just didn't know what to call it.

Also Sahyder, one side giving up nothing, risking nothing, and gaining everything while the other side risks everything and gets essentially nothing is not any type of bargaining at all. It's called ass rape.

[sahyder1]

Edit: Spoilered due to length

So a player can't play more than sixteen games? That's stupid. That would be adding rules just for the sake of rules. If you're going to expand to eighteen games, you play the eighteen games if you're healthy. If you don't want someone playing more than sixteen games, just don't add any more. Horrible idea.

Definitely not in support of that. If they go to 18 they play 18.

So a player can't play more than sixteen games? That's stupid. That would be adding rules just for the sake of rules. If you're going to expand to eighteen games, you play the eighteen games if you're healthy. If you don't want someone playing more than sixteen games, just don't add any more. Horrible idea.

You're forgetting the reason for the extra games is essentially "SHOW ME THE MOOOOOOOONNNNNEEEEYYYYY!"

And that is different from all the other sports and pretty much any business how?

If you want to add meaningful games to the NFL schedule all they need to do is add another 2 or 4 total playoff teams. That way you add an extra week of the postseason, but you're not forcing the entire league to go through the motions for 3 extra weeks (2 weeks of games plus a potential 2nd bye week) to pack in maybe 5 or 6 games that matter to the end result of the regular season.

If they did that people like you would bitch and moan about that too. We'd hear people whine that top two two teams aren't getting a bye any more and teams don't have incentive to push for the top two seeds late in the season and thus sitting their players. So you oppose one system because teams will rest players in exchange for another where you'll make it easier for them to do so?

Everyone other than sahyder understands that adding two games on the back end of the schedule would be basically the same as forcing the average fan to watch two meaningless preseason games disguised as regular season games for most of the teams right? A team that has clinched a playoff berth by Week 17 is going to shut it down unless they can improve their playoff position. A team that is out of it by Week 17 is going to shut it down and the few teams battling for playoff spots will lose players to injury before the playoffs begins. Adding 160 players to the league means we're watering down the product even more during those final weeks of the season. What they're proposing is similar to MLB's expanded roster in September. Teams that are out of it will give new players who weren't good enough to be on the team all year a chance to play. Ask a fan of a team that was mathematically eliminated by Week 14 or 15 if they really want to watch 2 more weeks of games.

That is no different from what teams already do. So instead of teams doing that in weeks 16 and 17 they will do it in 18 and 19. What's the difference?

Ask a fan of a team that was mathematically eliminated by Week 14 or 15 if they really want to watch 2 more weeks of games.

Lets flip that. Ask a fan of a team whose team would have been helped by an extra 2 weeks and a chance to make the playoffs. Would they want the extra games? You can continue to be an idiot and mock the whole "money' issue but that is a reality. It makes your ignorance about that even more laughable when you most something like this. Plus is there some phenomenon of NFL fans skipping weeks 16 and 17 that I haven't heard about?

Yeah I'm sorry that in the CFL they don't highly publicize the practice squad and don't regularly thrust squad players into the limelight, I'll get on that. I'm also sorry that since I didn't play at a D-1 Top 25 college football program that I apparently don't count as a college football player. Didn't know that, I apologize. I'm sorry that my HS wasn't in the Rivals.com 100 national rankings so clearly there wasn't any real football being played there.

I'm not the one who walked in essentially saying what I am saying counts for more. This is a Discussion board. We don't stop talking politics because none of us has ever ran for higher office. We don't stop talking about TV shows because none of us has acted. We don't stop talking about wrestling because most of us have never wrestled. Just because you supposedly played for Joe Schmo U. doesn't trump your p.o.v or mine or Naiwf's. There are thousands of reports out there about guys that didn't get diagnosed properly by teams and guys who completely ignored their symptoms. Someone who has played should know that. It is pretty easy to just pin the blame on the league but the players hold a large part of the responsibility too. They worry about their finances which is laughable for anyone making $400K a year. These players think they are invincible and will all have long careers.

Ignorance and claiming ignorance isn't a defense. Not for you, and not for the NFL. "We didn't know what it was" is the biggest load of covering our ass bullshit ever muttered.

The players are responsible for that too though. You made it seem like earlier that concussions are on the rise over the years when available data doesn't show that. Both sides did a horrible job of handling concussions as late as the early part of the last decade. Troy Aikman says he had 10 concussions in his career. How long are we just going to continue to just blame the NFL and not call these guys idiots? If you keep going out there despite having a repeated history I'm really not going to feel sorry for you. At some point you had the option to walk away.

But wait wait wait ... the players know the risks, so that makes it all knull and void though ! Yeah, Cops know the risk too ... as do coal miners, people in the military, deep sea fisherman, firefighters, steel workers, pilots, and loggers. I guess they should all shut the fuck up and stick their grievences up their ass because THEY KNOW THE RISK ! Nobody forced them to do those jobs !

Yeah, lets compare football players to cops, firefighters and members of the military. I'm not saying that the players don't have a right to demand better working conditions but at some point they actually have to go out and take a stand. Like I mentioned earlier, they never have and never will. Since you want to bring these guys up, all around the country cops, firefighters and pilots are facing cuts in their benefits too. Their unions have been yelling for years now that these cuts are taking away qualified people and having them go into other industries. It is just the nature of things. As state after state comes closer to bankruptcy how long do you think these very generous pension plans for cops will last? The VA has already made so many cuts in their hospitals.

How's about you lose the Holier than thou bullshit ? That'd be great. Your smarmy little cunt comment up there really paints you like a fucking jackass.

This coming from the guy who brought the whole "I'm right you're wrong" bullshit into this. Go way back to my earliest posts in this thread. I said there was no right or wrong answer from the get go. I said I was in the minority here. You are the one that is trying to hold some moral high ground. So,how about you lose the attitude?

Also Sahyder, one side giving up nothing, risking nothing, and gaining everything while the other side risks everything and gets essentially nothing is not any type of bargaining at all. It's called ass rape.

Welcome to the life of every other union in the world. No one is stopping them from getting a strong union but themselves. Heck, one of the first actions the union did leading up to this off season was take votes to decertify itself so it could try and force the league to hold a season next year without having to go through the CBA process. I have said about a hundred times over the years that I want the NFLPA to have a strong union. Unlike other sports I pretty much always side with the players when they hold out in the NFL.

Edited February 13, 2011 by sahyder1

[Maxx]

Can we just close this thread and try again when the draft rolls around? This shit it ridiculous.

People are trying to read and contribute to the thread, but they get confronted with gigantic walls of text because you guys just cannot let discussions die. HTTK and Sahyder, you guys should seriously just keep it to PMs, because no one wants to read your ridiculously large argument that at this point, only you two care about.

[sahyder1]

Can we just close this thread and try again when the draft rolls around? This shit it ridiculous.

Or you could you know, answer the question in the very first post of this thread. What is it that you want your team to add? Or ....just stay out of the thread until April?

Edited February 13, 2011 by sahyder1

[gunnar hendershow]

Guys stop it. We live in a world where the Pittsburgh Steelers aren't champions. Let's celebrate that fact.

As for what I want Baltimore to add. I want a new pass rusher to complement Suggs first and foremost. Obviously a shutdown CB would be a dream scenario, but those are so few and far between. On the offensive side I like a lot of the pieces we have, but I desperately want a Mike Wallace clone. Someone who is so fast they just open up defenses and make it easier for a guy like Anquan Boldin to get open. A big problem this year was the routes our receivers were running got them open, but it took that extra second for Flacco to feel comfortable throwing it to them. Admit this is a problem and make it a lot easier for him to read the defense by opening it up. We'll probably need a new FB, but that shouldn't be a draft day priority. Finally, depth and speed at MLB and Safety. Ed Reed and Ray Lewis will be around next year so we don't need to take an early rounder on a guy like this unless a gem falls into our laps.

[sahyder1]

Should have thrown a FA list up with the first post. Will try to find one that is formatted differently but here is one list of free agents.

[Maxx]

Can we just close this thread and try again when the draft rolls around? This shit it ridiculous.

Or you could you know, answer the question in the very first post of this thread. What is it that you want your team to add? Or ....just stay out of the thread until April?

You don't fucking get it do you? You're the reason people are annoyed.

I could talk a lot about what the Cowboys should add, but if someone responded to what I posted, odds are I'd have to scroll through one of your fucking novels to read it, because I know you and HTTK aren't done going at each other. Stop acting like it's something that can be just easily ignored, because it can't. You want people to have discussions? Check your ego and stop getting into long winded, thread dominating arguments with everyone. You do it to the point that people have to say something, then act like they're the ones at fault when they do.

[gunnar hendershow]

Just go back and edit your discussions with spoiler tags.

[sahyder1]

Can we just close this thread and try again when the draft rolls around? This shit it ridiculous.

Or you could you know, answer the question in the very first post of this thread. What is it that you want your team to add? Or ....just stay out of the thread until April?

You don't fucking get it do you? You're the reason people are annoyed.

I could talk a lot about what the Cowboys should add, but if someone responded to what I posted, odds are I'd have to scroll through one of your fucking novels to read it, because I know you and HTTK aren't done going at each other. Stop acting like it's something that can be just easily ignored, because it can't. You want people to have discussions? Check your ego and stop getting into long winded, thread dominating arguments with everyone.

You can go throw a fit and leave like you usually do (when you're not actually the one going back and forth with Chase or someone else for multiple pages). Either add to the discussion like other people (damshow, VerbalPuke, Meacon) have tried to do or just stay out of the thread. It's really not that hard. You have as big an ego as anyone else here but always feel the need to moan and groan about others.

Just go back and edit your discussions with spoiler tags.

Will do. (Y)

[Maxx]

Can we just close this thread and try again when the draft rolls around? This shit it ridiculous.

Or you could you know, answer the question in the very first post of this thread. What is it that you want your team to add? Or ....just stay out of the thread until April?

You don't fucking get it do you? You're the reason people are annoyed.

I could talk a lot about what the Cowboys should add, but if someone responded to what I posted, odds are I'd have to scroll through one of your fucking novels to read it, because I know you and HTTK aren't done going at each other. Stop acting like it's something that can be just easily ignored, because it can't. You want people to have discussions? Check your ego and stop getting into long winded, thread dominating arguments with everyone.

You can go throw a fit and leave like you usually do (when you're not actually the one going back and forth with Chase or someone else for multiple pages). Either add to the discussion like other people (damshow, VerbalPuke, Meacon) have tried to do or just stay out of the thread. It's really not that hard. You have as big an ego as anyone else here but always feel the need to moan and groan about others.

Just go back and edit your discussions with spoiler tags.

Will do. (Y)

And you can keep trolling just like Chase does.

[Rich]

Is a concise version of this gonna be on your blog Sahyder?

[Powerhart]

Looks like the Titans are in complete-rebuild mode. Lots of staff moves lately:

- Feb. 07: Mike Munchak's named Head Coach.

- Feb. 08: Mike Heimerdinger is fired from his Off. Coordinator job.

- Feb. 09: Bruce Matthews is named Off. Assistant

- Feb. 12: Jerry Gray is signed as Def. Coordinator.

Bunch of moves but still no news on the QB situation, I don't mind Kerry Collins but he's a vet and he isn't the future of this franchise or who I see as someone who can take us all the way.

Someone at another board speculated that they may try to go after Kevin Kolb. If they don't go after him or do but can't cut a deal (I'm betting its more likely he ends up with 49ers or Vikings) and decide to draft a QB instead, I just hope they don't pick Jake Locker.

Kolb? Hmm. I don't think that could work out, I don't see him as someone who fills our needs. He's not bad at all, he's decent but I don't think he is what I would like for the Titans from this point on. As for Jake Locker: I haven't watched much of him to make an opinion, what's he like? accurate, big arm, fast-agile... how?

[HailtotheYo]

The Bills need quite a bit on offense.

First and foremost they need a true #1 WR. Evans is past it as a #1 guy and Johnson isn't a #1 guy. Fitzpatrick is good enough if he's got a true top WR. Jackson and Spiller are fine enough in the backfield, especially as they involve Spiller more. The defense is actually not bad. The DT could get younger but other than that I think the D would benefit more from help from the offense honestly.

The o-line was sawed in half and I'm not sure that just getting healthy is enough.

Sigh ... we're getting caught in the continuous rebuild.

[Maxx]

The Bills need quite a bit on offense.

First and foremost they need a true #1 WR. Evans is past it as a #1 guy and Johnson isn't a #1 guy. Fitzpatrick is good enough if he's got a true top WR. Jackson and Spiller are fine enough in the backfield, especially as they involve Spiller more. The defense is actually not bad. The DT could get younger but other than that I think the D would benefit more from help from the offense honestly.

The o-line was sawed in half and I'm not sure that just getting healthy is enough.

Sigh ... we're getting caught in the continuous rebuild.

Yeah, but it's not his fault God is doing him like that.

[HailtotheYo]

The Bills need quite a bit on offense.

First and foremost they need a true #1 WR. Evans is past it as a #1 guy and Johnson isn't a #1 guy. Fitzpatrick is good enough if he's got a true top WR. Jackson and Spiller are fine enough in the backfield, especially as they involve Spiller more. The defense is actually not bad. The DT could get younger but other than that I think the D would benefit more from help from the offense honestly.

The o-line was sawed in half and I'm not sure that just getting healthy is enough.

Sigh ... we're getting caught in the continuous rebuild.

Yeah, but it's not his fault God is doing him like that.

While true, it makes it even worse. It means he's got no chance ...

Anyone want to put out odds for teams in regards to who the poor saps that go after Plaxico will be ?

Also, LOL JAX, they're on their third QB coach in under a month.