2021 NFL Thread v. Super Bowl 56: Rams vs Bengals

[El Barto]

My god are these announcers HORRIBLE (ESPN doing the draft).

They're all screaming, talking 87 miles a minute, and throwing out hyperbole like Tootsie Rolls at a Memorial Day parade.  One of the guys - it wasn't Kiper, and it wasn't Booger - actually called Trevor Lawrence "not a pick, but a coronation!"

Observation: Zach Wilson looks like Zack Efron.

Making them take all ten minutes is annoying as fuck. After a few picks they probably need that long to consider trade offers, but the first two picks were done deals and there weren't any trades going to happen. Like Jacksonville is holding out hope that at the 8th minute somebody's going to go full on Ditka for the next three drafts? Are they taking phone calls from GMs trying to low ball them? "Well, it never hurts to ask!" The first three picks should have taken 3 minutes, tops, and not 30.

[KevShmev]

Not buying the rumors about the Broncos being close to trading for Rodgers.  Rodgers is a moody prick, but I can't blame him for wanting out.

I'd stick with Teddy Bridgewater; unless he's hurt, I don't think that's a bad choice, frankly.

Ideally, no, but if you have the chance to acquire an elite QB still in his prime, you do it.  He would make the Broncos an instant top AFC contender, just like the Packers would plummet to being an afterthought in the NFC if they lost him. 

[KevShmev]

Making them take all ten minutes is annoying as fuck. After a few picks they probably need that long to consider trade offers, but the first two picks were done deals and there weren't any trades going to happen. Like Jacksonville is holding out hope that at the 8th minute somebody's going to go full on Ditka for the next three drafts? Are they taking phone calls from GMs trying to low ball them? "Well, it never hurts to ask!" The first three picks should have taken 3 minutes, tops, and not 30.

I agree, but I suspect the NFL waits to announce the pick to milk the clock and get ratings.  They know ratings are probably the highest on Day 1, especially early in the draft, and flying through a few early picks quickly won't help in that regard.

[El Barto]

The question is whether or not Elway would be willing to let StR be the co-head coach. If you let him do whateverthehell he wants to do Rogers will be great. If you expect him to play the way you want him to be, in other words, a team player, he'll just be a miserable prick. Also, my understanding is that he wants big money. I just can't see that being a good move in most circumstances.

[El Barto]

Making them take all ten minutes is annoying as fuck. After a few picks they probably need that long to consider trade offers, but the first two picks were done deals and there weren't any trades going to happen. Like Jacksonville is holding out hope that at the 8th minute somebody's going to go full on Ditka for the next three drafts? Are they taking phone calls from GMs trying to low ball them? "Well, it never hurts to ask!" The first three picks should have taken 3 minutes, tops, and not 30.

I agree, but I suspect the NFL waits to announce the pick to milk the clock and get ratings.  They know ratings are probably the highest on Day 1, especially early in the draft, and flying through a few early picks quickly won't help in that regard.

That's certainly why they do it. It's also why I never watch the silly thing.

[Stadler]

Making them take all ten minutes is annoying as fuck. After a few picks they probably need that long to consider trade offers, but the first two picks were done deals and there weren't any trades going to happen. Like Jacksonville is holding out hope that at the 8th minute somebody's going to go full on Ditka for the next three drafts? Are they taking phone calls from GMs trying to low ball them? "Well, it never hurts to ask!" The first three picks should have taken 3 minutes, tops, and not 30.

I agree, but I suspect the NFL waits to announce the pick to milk the clock and get ratings.  They know ratings are probably the highest on Day 1, especially early in the draft, and flying through a few early picks quickly won't help in that regard.

That's certainly why they do it. It's also why I never watch the silly thing.

It was cringe-worthy watching Goodell - in the face of a wave of boos - trying to pump up the crowd like Paul Stanley.   I also thought it funny when he brought the fan up to sit in the chair he used in the 2020 draft.   

[KevShmev]

Goodell seemed to encourage the boos at one point early on, and that is the way to do it.  Embrace your inner villain and egg the fans on when they boo you.  If dopes show up just to boo the commissioner instead of enjoying the draft experience, might as well troll them.

[TAC]

It was cringe-worthy watching Goodell - in the face of a wave of boos - trying to pump up the crowd like Paul Stanley.

Not for nothing, but lately it's been cringy watching Paul Stanley pump a crowd up.

[Anguyen92]

Goodell seemed to encourage the boos at one point early on, and that is the way to do it.  Embrace your inner villain and egg the fans on when they boo you.  If dopes show up just to boo the commissioner instead of enjoying the draft experience, might as well troll them.

Gary Bettman is good at that in the NHL draft and in the final game of the Cup finals (especially if the cup winners are the away team).

[Stadler]

It was cringe-worthy watching Goodell - in the face of a wave of boos - trying to pump up the crowd like Paul Stanley.

Not for nothing, but lately it's been cringy watching Paul Stanley pump a crowd up.

I asked for that, didn't I?


Another observation:  apparently, and I didn't know this, but comely young women are attracted to strapping young college football players.   Who'd a thought?

[Stadler]

Why two separate ads with Justin Fields, and not one ad with any other draft pick?   One had Baker Mayfield rooting him on (this was before he was drafted), saying he was excited to see what Fields could do in the NFL, and one with Drew Brees and Lowes (this was just after being selected by the Bears), talking about Fields' off-the-field contributions. 

[KevShmev]

Why two separate ads with Justin Fields, and not one ad with any other draft pick?   One had Baker Mayfield rooting him on (this was before he was drafted), saying he was excited to see what Fields could do in the NFL, and one with Drew Brees and Lowes (this was just after being selected by the Bears), talking about Fields' off-the-field contributions.

Do you really have to ask? I think we know the answer to that.

LOL at that last pick.  Not the pick, but the reactions of those Jets fans.  You can tell they had never heard of the player selected, and after a split second or two of blank stares, they then whooped it up.

[King Postwhore]

Wow.  Mac Jones. That's a surprise.

[Stadler]

INB4 the obligatory "the NFL wanted Belichick to have this QB...."

Oh, and Jimmy G. just trashed his den. 

[El Barto]

After waiting 10 minutes each for the first three rounds, the Patriots and the Jets before them both had their picks in 3 minutes. They came so fast it completely screwed the talking heads at ESPN who thought NYJ had picked Mac Jones. 

[KevShmev]

Poor Mac Jones.  He has the pressure of being a 1st round pick, playing under a coach where fun is never allowed, and for a fanbase that will crucify him if he struggles early since he is not TB12.  Good luck with that. 

[El Barto]

Poor Mac Jones.  He has the pressure of being a 1st round pick, playing under a coach where fun is never allowed, and for a fanbase that will crucify him if he struggles early since he is not TB12.  Good luck with that. 

I don't think any Patriots fans expect him to be TB12. The pressure is on Belichick. He's the one that'll be nailed to a tree if he sucks.

[King Postwhore]

Poor Mac Jones.  He has the pressure of being a 1st round pick, playing under a coach where fun is never allowed, and for a fanbase that will crucify him if he struggles early since he is not TB12.  Good luck with that. 

He said he was hoping to drop to the Pats. He also played for a Belichick clone in college. 

I think he is in the same position to Mahomes where hell be inserted late season. Time to learn.

At least that's what I hope.

[KevShmev]

Belichick and Saban are buddies, so I am sure his pal talked him up to the Hoodie.  Shocking I know that the two grumpiest coaches in sports would be pals, right?

[Stadler]

I watched a 30/30 or whatever it is on ESPN with Kirk Herbstreit about Mac Jones, and he's not going to have any problem with Belichick.  It's going to be the expectations, the market, the fans, the pundits.   I like this pick a lot, given that there are no sure bets in the NFL. 

One thing I don't know yet if I like is Cam Newton as mentor.  I think the price for Jimmy G. will be far too high for a season or two of teaching, but if there's a QB out there that knows how to win, knows how to work, and knows how to be a team player first, that's the guy you want taking the snaps in the first x games before Mac The Knife (Slicing up defenses!   I'm starting that, do you think it will stick? ) comes in.   I'm thinking something like Kurt Warner in Eli's first year in the league.

[King Postwhore]

Belichick and Saban are buddies, so I am sure his pal talked him up to the Hoodie.  Shocking I know that the two grumpiest coaches in sports would be pals, right?

 

Both with the dry sarcastic humor. 

[El Barto]

I'm not sure how I feel about Mac Jones. For the price this was a no-brainer. Absolutely the right pick at 15, and beating Chicago's offer to snag Fields would have been foolish. There were QBs I liked better in the draft, and I suspect BB liked others better, too. However, like Stadler said, there are no sure things, and I'm not sure why I like some better than others right now. All I really know is that by all accounts this kid is a genius level QB, and in the NE system I think that's probably what matters most. On paper he really does sound like the perfect fit for NE. As for the intangibles, I think Bill would have been just as keen to sign Phillips or Moehrig if he didn't think Mac Jones was his kind of guy. Hell, he could have traded down and still snagged the best safety on the board. I'm pretty confident he's confident this kid's personality is going to mesh with the team's atmosphere.

[Stadler]

I'm not sure how I feel about Mac Jones. For the price this was a no-brainer. Absolutely the right pick at 15, and beating Chicago's offer to snag Fields would have been foolish. There were QBs I liked better in the draft, and I suspect BB liked others better, too. However, like Stadler said, there are no sure things, and I'm not sure why I like some better than others right now. All I really know is that by all accounts this kid is a genius level QB, and in the NE system I think that's probably what matters most. On paper he really does sound like the perfect fit for NE. As for the intangibles, I think Bill would have been just as keen to sign Phillips or Moehrig if he didn't think Mac Jones was his kind of guy. Hell, he could have traded down and still snagged the best safety on the board. I'm pretty confident he's confident this kid's personality is going to mesh with the team's atmosphere.

How do you rank the big names:

Lawrence
Lance
Efron
Fields
Jones


I have:
Lawrence
Jones
Lance
Efron
Fields

Even though, I guess, that makes me a racist. 

[El Barto]

Since I don't watch college ball, I'm really not qualified to rank them at all. Based on what tiny bits I've seen, I liked the high upside of Lance. Moreover, given that Cam is currently a Patriot, I think that was a very good situation for him. Like him or not, Cam has been a lockerroom hero by all accounts, and their play styles are the same. I'm not entirely sure how Cam mentors a QB so fundamentally different than him.

My hunch is that if the Bears don't trade up Bill would rather have had Fields. Either way, with the 15th pick, either of them are no-brainers.

[Stadler]

Some of this is feel; if all other things are equal, and I have to choose between "smart" QB and the "pure athlete" QB, I'm taking the smart QB all day.  In the modern NFL, I think you need both - Mahomes, Jackson, Watson - but gun to head, I'll take Drew Brees over Jameis Winston or Cam Newton.

The Cowboys tend to draft "pure athelets" and the Patriots tend to draft "smart", and look over the last 20 years.

[TheCountOfNYC]

Idk how I feel about the Elijah Moore pick. On one hand, surrounding Zach Wilson with as much offensive talent as possible will help with his development, and wide receiver depth/talent has long been an issue for this Jets offense. On the other hand, through the first three rounds (Jets have no third round pick due to trading up in round one for Alijah Vera-Tucker, which is a pick I quite liked) this team has only picked offensive players, and on defense they desperately need an edge rusher as well as some cornerback talent. One good way to put pressure on your young quarterback and offense is to make them have to get into a shootout for every game because your defense can’t stop anyone. This Jets offense has a lot of promise, but the defense has me very concerned.

[faizoff]

Bucs took QB Trask, only time will tell if he's the QB the Bucs can stick with. I vaguely remember him being just ok with the Gators.

I'm very curious where this talk regarding Rogers not wanting to come back to the Packers goes. Doesn't look like the front office wants him to be traded but if the gossip is real that Rogers himself doesn't want to return... then he's going to just try his luck hosting Jeopardy?

[KevShmev]

I'm very curious where this talk regarding Rogers not wanting to come back to the Packers goes. Doesn't look like the front office wants him to be traded but if the gossip is real that Rogers himself doesn't want to return... then he's going to just try his luck hosting Jeopardy?

The more that comes out, the more I think Rodgers will either get traded or retire (if they refuse to trade him).  I don't see him playing for the Packers again.  They are basically a clown franchise at this point, but it's been disguised for 30 years.  How do you luck into 30 years of Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers and only make it to three Super Bowls??   And they can't even use the "But the Patriots dynasty..." as an excuse since they were in the other conference.  Clowns.  Not that I don't think Rodgers is a condescending dick, but I don't blame him for wanting to get away from that franchise now.

(I meant to post this in the new NFL thread earlier)

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I'm actually glad the Niners took Lance instead of Mac Jones, like everyone was predicting. I think Lance fits the Niners play style much more. Plus his ceiling seems much higher.

[KevShmev]

There are few offenses in the NFL over the years as QB-friendly as the Shanahan version of the WCO, so Trey Lance will be in position to succeed from the start.  I think they'd be smart to hang on to Jimmy G until Lance is ready to start.

Seems like most are saying the Broncos new GM crushed in in his first draft (and Elway did mostly good in his as well, he just failed miserably at getting the right QB), but all of that is for naught without the right QB. 

[bosk1]

There are few offenses in the NFL over the years as QB-friendly as the Shanahan version of the WCO, so Trey Lance will be in position to succeed from the start.  I think they'd be smart to hang on to Jimmy G until Lance is ready to start.

Seems like most are saying the Broncos new GM crushed in in his first draft (and Elway did mostly good in his as well, he just failed miserably at getting the right QB), but all of that is for naught without the right QB. 

I wouldn't expect Jimmy to be going anywhere anytime soon (unless he gets hurt again).  But I would expect Lance to also get some game time sooner rather than later as well.  I think they'll find some creative uses for him, not too much unlike Hill in NOLA.  And Jimmy seems to have the right temperment to roll with that type of thing rather than put up a fuss and feel threatened by it.

[KevShmev]

I wouldn't expect Jimmy to be going anywhere anytime soon (unless he gets hurt again).  But I would expect Lance to also get some game time sooner rather than later as well.  I think they'll find some creative uses for him, not too much unlike Hill in NOLA.  And Jimmy seems to have the right temperment to roll with that type of thing rather than put up a fuss and feel threatened by it.

I think Cowherd had a good take on this last week. The 49ers got Garoppolo for not a lot (a 2nd round pick), and he helped them make it to a Super Bowl, so they've already gotten value out of the trade, so keep him, start him when he's healthy until the rookie is ready, and be happy.

[King Postwhore]

Plus, they owe him money so play him while the future learns the system.   It always works better that way.

[axeman90210]

I've gotta say, I'm really happy with how the Jets' draft played out. I'll offer a disclaimer that I don't know dick about college football, so I have no opinion on Wilson vs Fields vs Lance vs Jones. That said, I know I wanted the Jets to take a QB at 2 even though I'm not ready to write off Sam Darnold as a starting caliber QB, and I know Zach Wilson was more commonly regarded as the second-best prospect in the class behind Trevor Lawrence than any of the others from the scouts that I follow, and a number of them said that his skill set lines up well with the Shanahan system that Mike Lafleur will be installing. Then they went all-in on offense with their next few picks. This roster had holes on both sides of the ball, they were never going to fill them all in one draft, so why not start by surrounding the new QB with as much to work with as possible. AVT will make for a terrific partner in crim with Mehki Becton, Elijah Moore adds explosive playmaking to a receiving corps that was already better than anything Darnold ever had to work with, and Michael Carter offers value as a receiver out of the backfield. From there they shifted gears and spent their late round picks on the defensive side of the football. Players that at the very least should be able to contribute on special teams, and if they find a late round gem then it's one less piece to acquire in the future.

[hunnus2000]

So Jordan Love will be the Packers starting QB next year??