NFL Thread

[Northern Raider]

Absolutely gutted... the Giants have fired Joe Judge

Nooooooooooooooooooooo.
They now have a chance to be competent (I said 'chance', even if its by dumb luck Botman).

Gettleman gone. Judge gone. The tide is shifting in the East.

[Botman]

Mara and Tish are still the owners. It'll be ok

[zim]

What are the wildcard round predictions? Just a favourites bonanza?

[Toviii]

I think Las Vegas can upset the Bengals

[Matt]

My predictions:
AFC:
Wildcard:
Chiefs destroy Big Ben and the Steelers. By 2 or 3 TDs.

Bengals towel up Raiders. But its close til late in the 4th, before Bengals go back to back scores.

Bills will beat Pats in a close 1.

Div Playoffs:
Bengals then face Tits, and win in a close 1. Henry returns and gets 100yds, but its Mixon and Chase carrying the Tigers home with some big plays in even bigger moments.

Bills are too beat up to match the Cheifs who barely got out of 2nd gear the wk before.

Div Champs:
Cheifs vs Bengals. Begals youth goes against them. Chiefs experience wins out. It aint close by fulltime.


NFC:
Wildcard:
Buccs put a cricket score on Eagles. Buccs beat up or not, Eagles suck (sorry @Botman, but enjoy those 1sts).

Cowboys scrap home vs 9ers. Defence or Special teams winning it late with a block, INT or fumble recovery (the last 2 likely Jimmy G mistakes).

Rams beat Cards. Cards just too injured. But its not pretty but fulltime - Kupp master class (if he needed another).

Div playoff:
Rams get skooled by ARod and GB. I mean hammered! Stafford throws 3 INTs kinda thing.

Cowboys go to TB for the rematch Brady suggested in wk 1. However, this time around, Brady doesnt have all his studs. Cowboys are only down Gallup and Wilson is doing a great job in cover. Its tight, but Cowboys sneak home. (Perfect story for the NFL to talk up all Div wk, then result in another story)

Div Champs:
Cowboys vs GB. ARod vs Cowboys. Heatbreak again? Dez caught it!
Cowboys cant do it this time, but at least they made a NFC Champs.

Superbowl
GB vs Chiefs.
ARod wins. Sails off into the sunset of his GB career with a ring, probably on a raised the middle finger as he leaves for the altitude of Denver to rejoin his 2 current coaches.

[Matt]

@Botman,
I just saw a thing that said Ruggs had more yards this yr than Reagor. Ruggs was arrested in wk 8, OOPH! Better get yourself another WR

[Matt]

By Adam Schefter

Bears interviewed former Eagles’ HC Doug Pederson for their head-coaching job today and Browns vice president of player personnel Glenn Cook for their general manager position.

[Matt]

By Adam Schefter

Catherine Raiche, the Eagles VP of football operations - believed to be the most senior-ranking team personnel position a woman has held in the NFL - has been requested to interview for the Vikings GM job, per source.

Susan Tose Spencer was first female GM in NFL history in 1983.

This is very cool BTW

[Northern Raider]

Raiders @ Bengals - expect Bengals to win although Raiders not without a chance.

Pats @ Bills - I don't see a repeat of last time they played in Buffalo. This will be more like their return match at Foxboro. Bills got this.

Pheagles @ Buccs - nice warm up game for Brady and co in prep for next week.

49ers @ Dallas - biggest coin flip match of the weekend. Win goes to whichever teams brings the A game.

Steelers @ Chiefs - this one will be over by half time. Chiefs to lift off the gas late so won't be a total blow out.

Cards @ Rams - Both teams still trying to prove they are legit contenders. Can't trust either of them. Going with an upset to Cards here.

[the bone]

All favourites (Bengals, Bills, Bucs, Chiefs and Rams), except the 49ers over the Cowboys

[Matt]

By Adam Schefter

Alabama OC Bill O'Brien is scheduled to interview today for the Jaguars HC job.

Jaguars scheduled to interview Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett for HC on Friday, and Colts DC Matt Eberflus on Saturday.

Already interviewed Jim Caldwell, Doug Pederson, Todd Bowles, Byron Leftwich, Kellen Moore.

[Northern Raider]

Hey Bot, Doug Pederson is near top of most teams list for new HC (including Dolphins). What's your take on him?

His CV looks incredible after winning a Superbowl with Nick Foles. Wheels fell off after that and his team went into steady decline before being given the flick.

[Matt]

Hey Bot Doug Pederson is near top of most teams list for new HC (including Dolphins). What's your take on him?

His CV looks incredible after winning a Superbowl with Nick Foles. Wheels fell off after that and his team went into steady decline before being given the flick.

I mentioned he was having an interview a few posts above (Bears).

[Botman]

Hey Bot, Doug Pederson is near top of most teams list for new HC (including Dolphins). What's your take on him?

His CV looks incredible after winning a Superbowl with Nick Foles. Wheels fell off after that and his team went into steady decline before being given the flick.

Doug's a good coach.
His issues in Philly were basically he lost a power struggle with Howie (no one beats Howie in a power struggle) and then actively tried to get fired in his off season interview when they asked him what changes he'd make to a staff and the reported staff he was looking to bring in simply HAD to be a "**** you, im done fire me" move (i could be wrong about, but it was a truly ghastly staff he was reported to have told Lurie he was bringing in)

The eagles situation is a bit of a mess. Howie Roseman has a A LOT say in the team, including reportedly who plays on Sunday's, Doug didnt like that. Felt he'd earned the right to have these training wheels taken off and let him run the team his way.... he lost that battle and so it was done.

When you look at the injuries he suffered in his the final 2 years, particularly along the OL and the lack of talent he had to work with at the WR position, his results are quite strong. When you look at Carson Wentz this year, i think it might be time to go back and give the man his flowers for what he got out of Wentz. We've heard since Reich left that he was the main reason Carson was good, not Pederson... well the Wentz-Reich 2021 season tells a different tale.

He's a very good leader who players respect. He'll be able to attract and put together a pretty good staff and he'll run a professional, well run and well coached organisation. He's very open to analytics but also blends it with his gut really well, so you can generally trust he'll go for 2 when it makes sense, he'll punt when it makes sense. He'll be aggressive on 4th down in the right spots. And he's got a really good feel for the plays that work in those spots.

The negatives are is scheme is a bit bland if we're being honest. It's very much rooted in traditional West Coast offence, with a bit of RPO sprinkled in but not a lot of the modern day motion, misdirection stuff. Now that could change, maybe with a year off, he's evaluated his offensive approach and is willing to make changes... if he is, he's a slam dunk hire because he can certainly draw up plays and when he's rolling, he's an excellent play caller with a good feel for hitting combination plays where his teams can go bang-bang-bang on a series and just drop hammers

He's also a bit annoying as a fan when it comes to pressers, he's unnecessarily stingy on information about things he doesnt need to be, a bit prickly with the media. When things aren't going his way offensively, he has a tendency to get very cute on key 3rd downs just outside the red zone... it almost always results in a busted play or loss of yards. It's infuriating. Clock management isn't always the best.

He should a HC in the NFL, no question about it.
I think he'd suit Tua as a coach and play caller, reckon he's one of the better options available to them if the goal is "We're all in on Tua"

[Botman]

Raiders @ Bengals - Bengals will win and maybe they'll pull away late but the Raiders have a front 4 who can keep this close. Upset potential here but not that high imo

Pats @ Bills - This will be a very tight game, weather could play a factor. I think the Bills will win, they're the better team with the better QB. Mac Jones quietly stunk the last month of the year

Pheagles @ Buccs - We're playing with house money here, i dont think we'll win, but i do think we have a small chance if we can get the run game going and the eagles defence can make a big play or two... but mostly this is Tom Brady going against a soft zone coverage... we all know how that story generally goes.

49ers @ Dallas - Ben Solak said it perfectly, this game tilts on Jimmy G. Over/Unders on INTS - 1.5... if he goes over, the Cowboys win, if he goes under, the Niners will have a very, very real chance of winning this game imo.

Steelers @ Chiefs - Steelers cant keep up with the chiefs, even if the Chiefs arent at their best. Should be an easy win for KC.

Cards @ Rams - I think the Rams win but i wouldnt be shocked at all if the Cards beat them. Both teams are high variance. You could tell me this game ends in a Cards blow out, a Rams blow out or anything in between... it's that sort of game.

[Botman]

https://youtu.be/RCbarLIlY1s

Cool 10 minute vignette on Jordan Mailata and his journey so far

[the bone]

7 HC jobs available - Giants, Bears, Vikings, Jaguars, Texans, Dolphins and Broncos. I’d rank them as such, from most attractive to least:

1. Vikings - a fairly stable franchise, with good weapons on offence - Cook, Jefferson and Thielen, fed by Cousins, who has a salary cap hit of $45MM(!) next year. Could be worth an extension to reduce that number and continue the stability at QB. They could also be looking at an Aaron Rodgers-less division in the next year or two.

2. Dolphins - they have some good pieces in place, and aren’t far off from challenging the Bills and Pats for the division. Feels like they should be a hotter destination for free agents… after building the core through the draft, they should look to supplement with some signings in March.

3. Broncos - similar to Dolphins, have a number of good pieces, just need to sort the QB situation out, and that responsibility falls on the GM more than the coach. Could be in on the Rodgers sweepstakes.

4. Bears - get to replace an unpopular regime in Pace and Nagy who could never remove the stench of the Trubisky pick. Success could rely on how Fields turns out.

5. Jaguars - there’s a big gulf between 4 and 5. Jaguars are up next purely because of Lawrence. He offers an otherwise shambolic franchise a ray of hope. That there are other teams below the jags is a heinous indictment on their owners.

6. Texans - the Watson situation hasn’t been resolved, there’s a lack of talent stemming from the all those picks that O’Brien traded away, and they don’t have a QB. Will be interesting to see which direction they go with pick #3

7. Giants - they’ve devolved into Jets territory of stank. No cap space, no QB, no O-line and a frustrated fan base. The one upside is that the ownership will likely be hesitant to fire another coach after only two years, so you’d likely have at least a 3 year runway.

[Botman]

Id rank them this way, and in these three tiers. and i wouldnt argue much about what order you have them in per teir

tier 1 - good situation with ownership i feel OK about
tier 2 - situations that have a lot of really good positives, but incompetence at ownership and GM concern you
tier 3 - Clown shows with terrible owners who have shown time and time again they cant get it right, and other factors such as talent, draft capital, cap space etc

1. Broncos
Pros: A ton of really good pieces on both sides of the ball, this is a QB away from potentially competing next year. Has a history of winning. No hands on owner right now to get in the way. George Patten as GM seems very good so far. Historic franchise. 34m in cap space
Cons: Ownership is about to change, who knows what you get with that? I think it'll be fine. But new owners generally want to hire their own guys. Expect the new owner to be a big name though. Jeff Bezos is someone i think might get involved, which would be interesting. No quarterback and no clear path to obtain a good enough one to win a SB.

2. Vikings
Pros: Some really good foundational pieces like Cook and Jefferson offensively, the ownership is stable, have patience and generally keep out of the way and let their people do their jobs. Not a tough division with a good chance its even easier 5 months from now but certainly 2-3 years from now. They have a serviceable QB.
Cons: The serviceable SB is paid like he's the best in the game and its not a deal you can easily get out from from. Currently 16m over the projected cap next year, will need some astute decisions to get it under control whilst adding talent to improve. Hard to do that.

------------

3. Dolphins
Pros: Another team with a lot of really good pieces on either side of the ball, that is good QB play away from being pretty competitive. The most cap space in the NFL next year (60m)... have the means and motivation to get involved in Watson/Rodgers/Wilson sweeps, if they can land one of those guys, it's a play off roster. Attractive place for free agents
Cons: Owner is very hands on and appears to have no idea what he's doing. The GM seems set in stone and im not sure he knows what he's doing either. Just sacked a coach after 3 years despite having a winning record the past 2 years after being given the least talented roster in football. What chances you can do better? OL has a chance to submarine anything you try to do until you fix it

4. Jaguars
Pros: Trevor Lawrence, #1 pick, a **** ton of cap space (48m). They've got a solid 8-10 players i'd feel good about building around. Owner wants to win and is willing to spend to win. You can't possibly be worse than the last guy.
Cons: Owner wants to win but doesn't know what that looks like yet, maybe never will. Trent Balke is going to be the GM. Move to London probably not entirely off the agenda. No history of being successful

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5. Texans
Pros: You'll get a ton of picks to work with once the Watson situation resolves itself. High pick this year, odds on to be in position to get a franchise QB at the top of next years draft. Not a ton of cap room right now but can easily get it, especially with a Watson trade.
Cons: Carl McNair is a **** who just fired Culley despite him admirably steering the titanic away from the iceberg for one year. Jack Easterby and Nick Caesaro are not guys i'd want to work under.

6. Giants
Pros: Iconic franchise with owners who want to win and there is a history of winning. Big market that is attractive to star talent. 2x Top 10 picks in 2022. You can probably eat some **** in year 1 and go into year 2 with a pretty clean slate, which might buy you an extra year to get it looking good.
Cons: Roster isnt that good, most of their "talent" are guys you'd rather be the next rung down on the the depth chart. Terrible cap situation (19m over right now). Organisation turns over coaches regularly, and it committed to Jones as QB despite him being not good. Contrary to recent proclamations, this is indeed a clown show.

7. Bears
Pros: Justin Fields. Ummm... the defence is still pretty good? 27m in cap space is nice.
Cons: Ownership is a mess, their press conference the other day would instantly turn me off this organisation. Conditions in Chi-Town make it hard for Qbs, no history of quality QB play in the city. Lack of draft capital

[Matt]

https://youtu.be/RCbarLIlY1s

Cool 10 minute vignette on Jordan Mailata and his journey so far

that was cool

[Northern Raider]

When assessing the attractiveness of the HC gigs at each there's one critical factor to consider. Dollars. A total **** show like the Giants can be very compelling for anybody if they're offered a 5 years deal at ridiculous money. The factors you guys talk about really come into the equation when a potential new coach is evaluating similar offers.

I'm watching the dynamics at the Dolphins with great interest. If one of the more desirable candidates (like Harbaugh) says "I'll take the job if I'm in control of personnel" then we see what happens to the GM's position.

[Botman]

Honestly I think HC’s tend to factor in that stuff more than players
We see every year coaches turn down interviews in situations where they might get a job, on considerably more money because of factors as above

Brian Daboll would likely be the eagles HC right now if he was willing to go there. He just refused the request to interview. I do think coaches have a culture where they will leave money on the table and stick on as coordinators if they don’t think the situation is right

[Matt]

Kyle Shanahan today on Nick Bosa: “I don't think people appreciate how good Bosa is play-in and play-out. I've heard people talk about him for Comeback Player of the Year, and every time they say that, I can't believe he hasn't been mentioned in Defensive Player of the Year.”

[Matt]

Texans completed an interview with Brian Flores for their head coaching position today.

From Adam Schefter

[Matt]

Texans interviewed Florida Atlantic WR coach Hines Ward and Chargers OC Joe Lombardi for their HC job today.

By Adam Schefter

[Northern Raider]

20-13 Bengals at the long break. Good half of football.

[the bone]

Halftime of game 1, Bengals lead 20-13.

Summary of the drives:
Raiders FG
Bengals TD - Uzomah
Raiders Fumble - Carr, on a strip-sack
Bengals FG
Raiders punt (after a kick return miscue backed them up at their own 2 yard line)
Bengals FG
Raiders FG
Bengals TD - Boyd
Raiders TD - Jones

[Northern Raider]

Appalling call for roughing the passer. Bengals get a piggy back.

[Northern Raider]

Raiders can't convert in the red zone. Bungles actually win a playoff game. Most importantly I've got the 1st leg of my multi.

[the bone]

Good game. Happy for the Bengals to finally get another playoff win

[Toviii]

I’m loving Buffalo beating up on New England. The hype around the Patriots after they only passed three times during the snow game was ridiculous

[Northern Raider]

Bills played almost a perfect half. They can shut this game down on the ground now. If Pats load the box then Allen will burn them in the air. Good night New England.

[the bone]

This is a masterclass. 5 possessions, 5 TDs, Bills on fire

[PrimetimeRaider]

Bills running up the score to make up for all those batterings they took from the Pats over the last 20 years lol. Should be an entertaining game if they play the Chiefs next

[gergreg]

Thoughts on Whistlegate? Looked like a few Raiders players pulled out of the play.

[Matt]

Well I got the tips right, but the how, not so much.

Bengals led the whole way. But while the game was close, it was always a 2 score game.

Bills vs Pats was ugly. Pats got destroyed