2022 NFL Thread (Chiefs win Super Bowl 57)

[KevShmev]

Well, I can't blame them either on one level.  But we'll wait a few years and tally the number of trophies that the Deebo's and Tyreek's have versus the number of trophies the Gronk's and the Edelman's have.  It's all a matter of what your priorities are.  I don't root for Deebo to get 1,000 yards or 100 catches.  I root for my team to win the Super Bowl.  I don't tune in on Sunday to see what Tyreek gets in yards after catch; I tune in to see someone beat the Chiefs.  It's all a matter of your perspective.

Okay, but the greatness of receivers, whether it be a WR or TE, is not measured in rings.  They aren't QBs.  Sure, Edelman having some rings is why some have deluded themselves into thinking he should receive serious HOF consideration, but I suspect most voters will have a good laugh about it in four years and he will fall of the ballot quickly.  I know, I know, priorities and objectives are different , but if we are start looking at just rings, then that makes Antowain Smith and L Blount better than Adrian Peterson and Barry Sanders.

[Stadler]

Look, as I say in many of the P/R threads, nothing is black and white and same here.  I'm not saying there are ABSOLUTES in anything.  It IS, as Bosk says, case by case.  Certainly I became a Pats fan because of Bill Belichick, and there are players I've followed - Kurt Warner for one - and others I've disliked even as they played for "my" team - Cam Newton.    But GENERALLY, I feel the stats are in service of the wins.  I think you ask any player - do you want Bradshaw's numbers, including rings, or do you want Marino's numbers, including rings?   I feel like most would take Bradshaw.  But I'm not really trying to relitigate the merits of Super Bowls over stats; it's really a different conversation.  It's "individual stats" over "team accomplishments".   Remember that Seahawks game when DK Metcalf didn't get any touches in the first half,  he pouted like a whiny little bitch and Carroll acquiesced and tried to get him the ball and... pick six (or whatever it was; I don't remember the deets). That's not a team player.  It's a team sport.  If Deebo plays half his game, and the Niners don't make the playoffs, or go home in the early rounds, are you fans really going to tell me you won't feel like you left something on the table?

[T-ski]

Draft begins tonight. One of the most drawn out, boring events to ever be televised.

Can’t wait to watch all night!

[El Barto]

Draft begins tonight. One of the most drawn out, boring events to ever be televised.

Can’t wait to watch all night!

Looking like one of the more interesting ones. I can't recall a draft where nobody had any clue whatsoever what even the first three picks looks like. For once this seems like a draft where everybody's going to be flying blind and winging it as best they can. I can see a lot more trades than usual this time around, but they'll also be impossible to predict. There may be a supply and demand problem with teams wanting to trade back.

Insofar as NE goes, either an elite guard or DB falls to them or they trade back. In this case trading back is a great option. The middle rounds are particularly deep this year, and Bill does better with mid to late round picks than he does with early ones.



edit: Longshot draft prediction: NE trades up in the 4th round to draft a punter.

[El Barto]

edit: Longshot draft prediction: NE trades up in the 4th round to draft a punter.

Yeah, upon further consideration may they trade up in the second round to take a punter. 

[TheCountOfNYC]

The Jets basically said fuck you to the later rounds and then had what might be the best draft of their entire existence.

[DragonAttack]

edit: Longshot draft prediction: NE trades up in the 4th round to draft a punter.

Yeah, upon further consideration may they trade up in the second round to take a punter. 

Well, the Ravens drafted the first punter, from Penn State, in the 4th round. Last time they drafted a punter was in 2004, also in the 4th round. Sam Koch has been with the team ever since.

Now that the names are in place, I’ll spend some time looking things over. I spend zero before and during the draft.

[El Barto]

edit: Longshot draft prediction: NE trades up in the 4th round to draft a punter.

Yeah, upon further consideration may they trade up in the second round to take a punter. 

Well, the Ravens drafted the first punter, from Penn State, in the 4th round. Last time they drafted a punter was in 2004, also in the 4th round. Sam Koch has been with the team ever since.

Now that the names are in place, I’ll spend some time looking things over. I spend zero before and during the draft.

And NE picked up an undrafted guy. Probably for the best. I figured they'd go for that Punt God kid because he's left footed.

[MusicMaker]

I'm not an NFL Draft nut at all.  I hate the hype and speculation, and most years I typically just ignore the build-up and hear after-the-fact who my team ended up with and go "Cool, we'll see how they pan out over the next few years" and get back to looking forward to Week 1. 

BUT- this weekend was brutal for Titans fans...

The Titans franchise wandered the wide receiver wilderness for about 20 years, finally found an absolute STUD in AJ Brown, and then cut him loose after just 3 years at age 24.  WHAT?!?!?!?!?  I understand the cap situation, I understand the market situation, etc.  But still- AJ wanted to be a Titan, the Titans wanted him to be a Titan, and they couldn't between them make it work?!?!?

I'm understanding (rationally) what the Titans did, and why they felt they had to do it.  Sounds like AJ was ultimately just asking for more than they could actually do.  I don't think AJ foresaw that they'd actually cut him loose if he couldn't come down a lot further in his ask.  And the Titans realized the bridge was gonna be too far and immediately went with "Plan B" in the draft so as not to be left completely empty-handed beyond 2022.

But still, sometimes it just sucks to love the team that you do, because the stomach punches just never stop...  I'm sure some other fans of some of the other franchises can relate, but it doesn't make it any easier.  What a crappy weekend.

Are the Titans the only team to come out of the 2022 Draft genuinely worse off (for THIS season) than they were going into it?  Anyone else feeling that pain too?

[El Barto]

I'm not an NFL Draft nut at all.  I hate the hype and speculation, and most years I typically just ignore the build-up and hear after-the-fact who my team ended up with and go "Cool, we'll see how they pan out over the next few years" and get back to looking forward to Week 1. 

BUT- this weekend was brutal for Titans fans...

The Titans franchise wandered the wide receiver wilderness for about 20 years, finally found an absolute STUD in AJ Brown, and then cut him loose after just 3 years at age 24.  WHAT?!?!?!?!?  I understand the cap situation, I understand the market situation, etc.  But still- AJ wanted to be a Titan, the Titans wanted him to be a Titan, and they couldn't between them make it work?!?!?

I'm understanding (rationally) what the Titans did, and why they felt they had to do it.  Sounds like AJ was ultimately just asking for more than they could actually do.  I don't think AJ foresaw that they'd actually cut him loose if he couldn't come down a lot further in his ask.  And the Titans realized the bridge was gonna be too far and immediately went with "Plan B" in the draft so as not to be left completely empty-handed beyond 2022.

But still, sometimes it just sucks to love the team that you do, because the stomach punches just never stop...  I'm sure some other fans of some of the other franchises can relate, but it doesn't make it any easier.  What a crappy weekend.

Are the Titans the only team to come out of the 2022 Draft genuinely worse off (for THIS season) than they were going into it?  Anyone else feeling that pain too?

I think we're in the midst of a seismic shift in the way NFL teams operate. We're already seeing the incremental fantasy football approach playing out, with teams spending huge on short term free agent acquisitions to win super bowls now, at the expense of future cap troubles. I think that's effecting the wide receiver market. Some teams are happy to blow 30m on a WR. Others are taking the exact opposite approach and trying to draft solid guys to keep them on rookie contracts. Thankfully, this is an experiment we'll watch playing out in the short term. We'll know how the two approaches work in a couple of years. Either way, I think this is another nail in the coffin of trying to build dynasties.

It's worth noting that the Patriots have been employing this strategy for a while with some success. NE hasn't kept very many players at all after their rookie contract ended, and the result is either a trade a year early or letting them split and getting a comp draft pick for them. Either way they trade experience and skill for affordable youth, an element of risk, and an extra draft pick or two. Losing JC Jackson and Joe Thuney hurts, but so would spending the 160 million to keep them both for a few more years. Their respective replacements are only guaranteed 52m, and if there's one thing NE has been consistent about it's grooming OL and DBs into studs. Ideally they both work out and in 4 years (maybe five for Strange) they repeat the process with a couple of added picks.

[hunnus2000]

Barto - I agree with you in that we are seeing a shift. I think that clubs are seeing that, depending on the circumstances, many players aren't going to see that second contract.

Many players are NFL ready because of the schemes they play in college, and I think NFL teams are recognizing this. QBs are a perfect example. I think the days of drafting a QB and trying to stick with him for 10 years are gone. If they haven't proven themselves within 3 or 4 years then it's time to move on. Big Ben and Russell Wilson are perfect examples. They both won SBs in their early careers but Big Ben hadn't won a playoff game in 10 years and Wilson hasn't done a thing in the past 6 years. Time to move on or was it "about time"?

I was going to get rid of my NFL Sunday Ticket but not now! 

[Stadler]

Barto - I agree with you in that we are seeing a shift. I think that clubs are seeing that, depending on the circumstances, many players aren't going to see that second contract.

Many players are NFL ready because of the schemes they play in college, and I think NFL teams are recognizing this. QBs are a perfect example. I think the days of drafting a QB and trying to stick with him for 10 years are gone. If they haven't proven themselves within 3 or 4 years then it's time to move on. Big Ben and Russell Wilson are perfect examples. They both won SBs in their early careers but Big Ben hadn't won a playoff game in 10 years and Wilson hasn't done a thing in the past 6 years. Time to move on or was it "about time"?

I was going to get rid of my NFL Sunday Ticket but not now! 

I think better examples of that QB thing are Baker Mayfield and Marcus Mariotta.  Hot prospects out of college, but is anyone going to build a franchise around them now?  Don't think so.  But they will around that guy in Jacksonville, or the guy in Chicago.   Or Mac.

[hunnus2000]

Barto - I agree with you in that we are seeing a shift. I think that clubs are seeing that, depending on the circumstances, many players aren't going to see that second contract.

Many players are NFL ready because of the schemes they play in college, and I think NFL teams are recognizing this. QBs are a perfect example. I think the days of drafting a QB and trying to stick with him for 10 years are gone. If they haven't proven themselves within 3 or 4 years then it's time to move on. Big Ben and Russell Wilson are perfect examples. They both won SBs in their early careers but Big Ben hadn't won a playoff game in 10 years and Wilson hasn't done a thing in the past 6 years. Time to move on or was it "about time"?

I was going to get rid of my NFL Sunday Ticket but not now! 

I think better examples of that QB thing are Baker Mayfield and Marcus Mariotta.  Hot prospects out of college, but is anyone going to build a franchise around them now?  Don't think so.  But they will around that guy in Jacksonville, or the guy in Chicago.   Or Mac.

I don't disagree at all with your examples but I guess my mindset was thinking about the old paradigm of finding a franchise QB and build around that for 10 years or more. Russ and Ben got to Super Bowls early in their careers and then their were many years of nothing. Should those franchises have moved on many years ago?

So Stadler, the examples you give show the evolution of Franchises treading lightly or even abandoning previous choices in a quicker fashion. First it was the running backs and now it's the QBs. Are the wide receivers next? Is this the owner's version of cost control?

[Stadler]

I don't know if it's the owner's version of cost control, but I think it is the owner's version of "it's no one player, we're bigger than the sum of our parts".   The NBA is a star-driven sport; you CANNOT win with any consistency if you don't have a marquee player that can take over a game and carry his team on his back for a SERIES (not just one game).  LeBron.  Curry.  Duncan. 

Football, with a 55-man roster and 25 unique players at any given time (11 offense, 11 defense, kicker, punter, holder) can't be that on a consistent basis (and they haven't been; the Chiefs and Bucs prove that). 

[Dream Team]

So Brady is going into the Fox booth upon retirement for a lot of $$. Wonder how long before his minions declare him The Greatest Broadcaster of All Time.

On a serious note, can't wait for this season to start. So much intrigue with marquee players shuffling around. Schedule is announced tomorrow!

[Stadler]

So Brady is going into the Fox booth upon retirement for a lot of $$. Wonder how long before his minions declare him The Greatest Broadcaster of All Time.

On a serious note, can't wait for this season to start. So much intrigue with marquee players shuffling around. Schedule is announced tomorrow!

Well, he is.  Duh.  Let me guess:  Oh, I forgot; Patrick Mahomes called one game back in high school for an assignment, and so it should be HIM that's the greatest broadcaster of all time.  Got it. Can't wait to hear HIM on the marquee team with Joe Buck... 

[faizoff]

It's crazy that Brady will be making more in the broadcasting booth than his total career NFL earnings.

[TAC]

So Brady is going into the Fox booth upon retirement for a lot of $$. Wonder how long before his minions declare him The Greatest Broadcaster of All Time.

On a serious note, can't wait for this season to start. So much intrigue with marquee players shuffling around. Schedule is announced tomorrow!

In think he's going to fail miserably. The last thing Brady wants to do is go "on record" on anything. I suspect he's going the be just another stuffed shirt.

Greatest stuffed shirt ever though!!


In fact, just having Brady in the booth will no doubt cause Tony Romo to develop a stutter.

[hunnus2000]

Considering Brady and Fox, I think there is a whole lot of shenanigans going on here with a few people being hung out to dry.

First, there was the whole Fox vs. Aikman negotiating fiasco. Aikman actually had to approach Fox about a new contract and after they gave him a low-ball offer, Aikman reminded them of where the market was for analysts (thank you Tony Romo) and Fox went radio silent. I think this was because there were already in negotiations with Brady for him to be their number 1 analyst or at the very least, they had had approached him.

I think the Fox gig was Brady's 3rd option because I think his first option was to become a minority owner in the Dolphins, play starting QB for the Fins with Sean Payton as the head coach which is why he retired from the Saints.

But then came the Brian Flores lawsuit putting the kibosh on the ruse.

So Brady decides to unretire citing some BS line of "unfinished business", Aikman goes to MNF and now Fox is left out to dry. What do they do now, go up to Greg Olsen, slap him on the back and say 'you know you were always our #1 didn't you'?

Then, Fox announces the Brady news of #1 broadcaster and Fox still doesn't have a number one announcer for the upcoming 2022 season.

On a side note, if Brady prepares for calling games in the booth as he does for playing football games then he'll be an outstanding analyst.

[Stadler]

The trick with Brady (as with any analyst) is whether he will be Troy Aikman - and call the game as they see it, including throwing some players under the  bus if need be - or whether he will be Jon Gruden - and call the game in a manner that makes every player out to be a "fine young man" no matter what atrocity they just committed on the field.   I love Jon Gruden, but that was the one thing that kept him from being A-list in the booth. Romo is somewhere in between, for me, as is Collinsworth (probably my two favorites, though).    I think it's beyond debate that Brady has the intellect, the knowledge, and the media-sense to do the job; it's whether it's going to be real or not.

[El Barto]

Maybe it's just me, but never got any sense that Brady was interesting to listen to. Understanding the game is half the gig, but being able to talk knowingly about it is another, and I'm not sure if he's the right guy for it. Presumably FOX did their vetting and think he is, but we've also had some legendary misses in that department, with Whitten being the worst, and Talib not too far behind him.

Interestingly, announcers will always go and sit down with key personnel for the game they're covering that week. Romo was so sought after because every announcer that sat down with him walked away thinking he was born for the job, being highly knowledgeable and personable. I wonder if they've thought the same of Brady over the years. Honestly he's always seemed kind of boring to me. 

[TheCountOfNYC]

It’s also important that he has chemistry with his broadcast partner. If it sounds like the commentators are in two completely different time zones it creates an awkward listening experience. Commentators need to be able to play off each other, and Tom’s ability to do that with whoever he’s paired up with is crucial. Or FOX could give Peyton Manning a call and problem solved as Brady is never more entertaining than when he’s paired with Peyton.

[Stadler]

It’s also important that he has chemistry with his broadcast partner. If it sounds like the commentators are in two completely different time zones it creates an awkward listening experience. Commentators need to be able to play off each other, and Tom’s ability to do that with whoever he’s paired up with is crucial. Or FOX could give Peyton Manning a call and problem solved as Brady is never more entertaining than when he’s paired with Peyton.

I don't disagree with El Barto; he is boring.  But I can come up with enough reasons why that might be beyond just his incapacity to be exciting, that I'll wait until I hear the broadcast.  I never in a million brazillian years thought Tony Romo would be the top three announcers on football today, but there you go. 

[El Barto]

It’s also important that he has chemistry with his broadcast partner. If it sounds like the commentators are in two completely different time zones it creates an awkward listening experience. Commentators need to be able to play off each other, and Tom’s ability to do that with whoever he’s paired up with is crucial. Or FOX could give Peyton Manning a call and problem solved as Brady is never more entertaining than when he’s paired with Peyton.

I don't disagree with El Barto; he is boring.  But I can come up with enough reasons why that might be beyond just his incapacity to be exciting, that I'll wait until I hear the broadcast.  I never in a million brazillian years thought Tony Romo would be the top three announcers on football today, but there you go.

I'd seen and heard more of him than you, being from Dallas and all. I wasn't surprised from a personality standpoint, but his understanding of the game is far better than I would have predicted. My thinking on Tom is the exact opposite. He's spent the last 15 years reading and carving up defenses. His understanding of what 22 people are doing on every play will be unsurpassed. Just not sure he'll be fun to listen to.

I will say that my only real problem with Romo is his enthusiasm, which is often times over the top to the point of being distracting as hell. Plenty of times I just want him to STFU. So maybe TB12 could be an improvement in that regard.

[hunnus2000]

Romo's lazy. He was great his first couple of years because he knew the players but as the years have passed and new players come and go, his lack of preparation became obvious and he looks like he just rolled out of bed sleeping in his wrinkled suit and no shave.

He did set the market for announcers though. 

[faizoff]

Have to say the Chargers' media team made a pretty good anime release of their schedule. Tons of nuggets in there, with references to Urban Meyer, Pat McAfee, etc.. They sure did their homework

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74KhDM9Z1Xk&ab_channel=LosAngelesChargers


The Seahawks messed with their players by giving them the wrong schedule ahead of time and they were under the impression that's how the season was going to play out.

[Stadler]

It’s also important that he has chemistry with his broadcast partner. If it sounds like the commentators are in two completely different time zones it creates an awkward listening experience. Commentators need to be able to play off each other, and Tom’s ability to do that with whoever he’s paired up with is crucial. Or FOX could give Peyton Manning a call and problem solved as Brady is never more entertaining than when he’s paired with Peyton.

I don't disagree with El Barto; he is boring.  But I can come up with enough reasons why that might be beyond just his incapacity to be exciting, that I'll wait until I hear the broadcast.  I never in a million brazillian years thought Tony Romo would be the top three announcers on football today, but there you go.

I'd seen and heard more of him than you, being from Dallas and all. I wasn't surprised from a personality standpoint, but his understanding of the game is far better than I would have predicted. My thinking on Tom is the exact opposite. He's spent the last 15 years reading and carving up defenses. His understanding of what 22 people are doing on every play will be unsurpassed. Just not sure he'll be fun to listen to.

I will say that my only real problem with Romo is his enthusiasm, which is often times over the top to the point of being distracting as hell. Plenty of times I just want him to STFU. So maybe TB12 could be an improvement in that regard.

The knowledge is important; I think the Manning MNF broadcast is the best thing on sports television today.   Listening to both Mannings dissect a play is for me, like seeing Kiss play in my living room.

[PowerSlave]

It’s also important that he has chemistry with his broadcast partner. If it sounds like the commentators are in two completely different time zones it creates an awkward listening experience. Commentators need to be able to play off each other, and Tom’s ability to do that with whoever he’s paired up with is crucial. Or FOX could give Peyton Manning a call and problem solved as Brady is never more entertaining than when he’s paired with Peyton.

I don't disagree with El Barto; he is boring.  But I can come up with enough reasons why that might be beyond just his incapacity to be exciting, that I'll wait until I hear the broadcast.  I never in a million brazillian years thought Tony Romo would be the top three announcers on football today, but there you go.

I'd seen and heard more of him than you, being from Dallas and all. I wasn't surprised from a personality standpoint, but his understanding of the game is far better than I would have predicted. My thinking on Tom is the exact opposite. He's spent the last 15 years reading and carving up defenses. His understanding of what 22 people are doing on every play will be unsurpassed. Just not sure he'll be fun to listen to.

I will say that my only real problem with Romo is his enthusiasm, which is often times over the top to the point of being distracting as hell. Plenty of times I just want him to STFU. So maybe TB12 could be an improvement in that regard.

The knowledge is important; I think the Manning MNF broadcast is the best thing on sports television today.   Listening to both Mannings dissect a play is for me, like seeing Kiss play in my living room.

You could always book mini-kiss to play at your house. They'll probably fit in the living room...

Back to the topic at hand, I'm not sure if any of you other guys around my age (cough...nearing 50...cough) can remember, but Joe Montana tried to do some broadcasting work in the mid 90's after he retired. It was painful to watch. Obviously, he had an amazing mind for the game, but it did not translate to TV in the least.

[Stadler]

There's a sports axiom that the best players don't make the best coaches and teachers because it comes so easy for them it's hard to translate that.  You tend to find - at least in baseball, for example - the utility players, the guys that had to work hard at the little aspects of the game - tend to do better as coaches and managers.

[dparrott]

NFCW vs. AFCW!! I'm going to LOVE this season!!!

[Dream Team]

There's a sports axiom that the best players don't make the best coaches and teachers because it comes so easy for them it's hard to translate that.  You tend to find - at least in baseball, for example - the utility players, the guys that had to work hard at the little aspects of the game - tend to do better as coaches and managers.

Perfectly true. Ted Williams, arguably the greatest hitter in baseball history, was a terrible manager in contrast to all the scrub players you mentioned. Dusty Baker is probably the best former player that also became an excellent manager but he was no superstar, just a really solid player.

One of the challenges for Tom will be how far to go with critique - but as Florio and Simms brought out last week, no one could really give him any pushback. So I'm hoping he'll call out bad decisions when he sees them.

Chiefs have the #1 hardest schedule, and the Steelers are up there also. Gonna be another nail-biting season for me. 

[Dream Team]

So Dwayne Haskins was .20+ BAC and had drugs in his system, plus had a woman in the car who was not his wife. Some people just DO NOT ever learn anything, and you can understand why GMs are so reluctant to sign players with checkered pasts.

[Dream Team]

Bumping this thread just to say that Deshaun Watson is a vile piece of trash, and also . . .

LOL at the clown franchise that the Browns continue to be.  . Well spent 230 million.

[King Postwhore]

There's always more timely dirt waiting to be released. Lol

[El Barto]

I know I'm a horrible person and all, but "he used Instagram to solicit massages from random strangers."  And?