American Football

[Kim Mitten]

where is RG3 going next season? Dallas? Surely Jerry would.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

He's pretty appealing as a long shot reclamation project goes, ain't he. But if one is going to entertain the notion of JJ indulging himself and doing something splashy and potentially daft (which, cheap jokes aside, he hasn't, really, since McClay has taken on more responsibility) I suspect it'll be scratching that Manziel shaped itch.

Personally tho as far as the QB depth chart and the imminent arrival of life after Romo goes I would be very much inclined to go all in and spend that #4 pick, if feasible.

 

[Anon]

I can't see anyone signing RG3 with the notion he's a day 1 locked in starter. I'm not sure that help Griffin either, especially since if that was the case it'll probably be on a poor team.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

If RG3 was truly humble, he knows he's got to go somewhere and earn a starting spot. Houston is the best franchise for him to possibly go. His competition is weak and if he can make adjustments to his game and mentality he could be a starter again.

However it's more likely he bombs out like JaMarcus Russell.

 

[Renegade]

If Houston don't draft a quarterback in the first round this year, Bill O'Brien will probably get crucified, even if there isn't value at quarterback in this draft class. They really don't need a reclamation project after what Hoyer just did in the play-offs and the number of quarterbacks they've had the previous two seasons. Can't see RGIII in Houston. I hope he somehow ends up at the Rams, it would just be too perfect after they shafted the Redskins in 2012.

 

[Tom_CUFC]

RGIII needs to go somewhere with a really solid offensive line to try and give him a bit of confidence to stay in the pocket. Rams were #1 this season in fewest sacks allowed so that hilarious possibility does stack up, after that there's not really any QB needy teams in the top 10 of that stat (https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/qb-sacked-per-game), Jets at #2 but they will re-sign Fitz and then maybe New Orleans at 8 but that'd be with a longer term view rather than him starting next season.

QB draft class this year seems pretty thin and by my reckoning there are 6 teams needing a starter, so I don't doubt somebody will pay him a reasonable amount of money.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

RGIII needs to go somewhere with a really solid offensive line to try and give him a bit of confidence to stay in the pocket. Rams were #1 this season in fewest sacks allowed so that hilarious possibility does stack up, after that there's not really any QB needy teams in the top 10 of that stat (https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/qb-sacked-per-game), Jets at #2 but they will re-sign Fitz and then maybe New Orleans at 8 but that'd be with a longer term view rather than him starting next season.

QB draft class this year seems pretty thin and by my reckoning there are 6 teams needing a starter, so I don't doubt somebody will pay him a reasonable amount of money.

There's no way on earth we'd sign him under Payton. He's not a Payton type QB, plus we're moulding Garrett Grayson to take over Brees in the next couple of years like Rodgers succeeded Favre. I wouldn't want him in Louisiana either!

 

[Renegade]

Stick him in Buffalo to back up/compete with Tyrod Taylor. I don't think he'll be starting next season anyway. I hope I'm wrong though, RGIII in his first year was as entertaining as any player I've watched!

Do we reckon Kaepernick will get another shot in San Francisco? I can see the new head coach looking at his raw talent and giving him another chance.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Stick him in Buffalo to back up/compete with Tyrod Taylor. I don't think he'll be starting next season anyway. I hope I'm wrong though, RGIII in his first year was as entertaining as any player I've watched!

Do we reckon Kaepernick will get another shot in San Francisco? I can see the new head coach looking at his raw talent and giving him another chance.

Problem is with Kaepernick is he's such a predictable QB. If you stop him from running and your secondary is on point and alert you can easily force him into bad throws. It would take a very good coach to change that. However the depth chart for QBs in the draft may work in Kaep's favour. Personally I think it depends on who the head coach is. My view is that he'll stay for 2016 but one more implosion and he'll be looking for a new gig in 2017.

 

[Anon]

RG3 in Buffalo ain't a bad shout. At least that way there are two QBs largely the same style, where you want to limit mistakes with their passing yet both can make the odd play here and there with their legs. Saves changing the offensive game plan too much if one gets injured - see Flacco/Mallett.

Have to wonder if Kelly has his eye on RG3/Kaepernick if he gets another HC role and that team needs a QB.

 

[Kim Mitten]

RG3 to Rams would be amazing, I can see him going there, as said, wherever he goes he is going to have to fight for the starting job, why not in L.A?
Kaepernick is an interesting one, he is another one that could well up at the Rams, possibly even more likely if they are in L.A, a lot for him will depend on who the new HC is. I still think Chip is angling for the Titans job for a reunion with Mariota.

 

[Mr Elmo]

So long as we can actually get a QB that can throw then I'll be happy. It wasn't all on Foles' fault this year as our receivers were pretty bad bar Tavon and also the play calling was pretty much the same all the time, but he really was bad at times and Case Keenum certainly played a lot better.

 

[RavenBish]

NFL suspend Burfict for 3 games

Good luck remaining consistent on that one and giving every egregious helmet-to-helmet hit over the middle the same length

Will probably get appealed down to 1 anyway or summat. With his injury record (concussions mainly) I'm not too fussed with him playing less games.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

That was a really good game. A lot better than I expected.

When's the Texas Spring Game? :-(

 

[Anon]

NFL suspend Burfict for 3 games

Good luck remaining consistent on that one and giving every egregious helmet-to-helmet hit over the middle the same length

Will probably get appealed down to 1 anyway or summat. With his injury record (concussions mainly) I'm not too fussed with him playing less games.

3 games make sense to me. One game would be fair if it was the first time he's done it - see Beckham.

However he did it on a high profile televised game (shouldn't make a difference, but does), in the midst of all the concussion talk, and most importantly he's a serial repeat offender who sets out to injure people's heads. He may get that reduced to 2 games, which I wouldnt be against, but down to 1 would be a joke.

Looking at the NFL statement, that too makes multiple references to repeat offences, not just for the Brown hit.

 

[Renegade]

He did this just six days prior to the Brown hit:

https://vine.co/v/iMWPBbFYELr

A suspension is more than justified.

Pretty gutted I missed that game last night, it sounded like a doozy.

 

[thespus]

So long as we can actually get a QB that can throw then I'll be happy. It wasn't all on Foles' fault this year as our receivers were pretty bad bar Tavon and also the play calling was pretty much the same all the time, but he really was bad at times and Case Keenum certainly played a lot better.

Rams fan? Excellent.

It's very tense in St. Louis right now with all the relocation talks. I just returned from Germany and it's contentious. Stan Kroenke isn't a popular man around here (he's local and owns hundreds of properties here, his real estate company is HQ'd here, yet he shits on the city when the chance comes). He's been silent since he purchased the team, persists with mediocrity, and hasn't ever shown commitment to being in St. Louis—thus the local interest in the team has naturally dwindled. I will not remain a Rams fan if they move, but if they stay, I'd love to see RGIII. A mobile quarterback opens up the running game for Gurley and gives our sub-standard receivers the extra second to achieve separation from coverage.

My biggest hope for the Rams: Fire Jeff Fisher.

 

[kieran_vale]

I have to admit I'm baffled at how Fisher is keeping his job. I can't remember the last time he led a team to better than a .500 season never mind get to the post-season. A very mediocre coach, only thing I can argue really in favour of him is that his teams in the past have been able to dial up some very nice plays on special teams but that alone is hardly a reason to keep him. It's not as though he's had no talent either and he had a bounty of high draft picks from the Washington trade up. Incidentally in that time for all people poke fun at Washington now (and Fisher himself when he named all of the players obtained in that trade captains that time) they at least have made the playoffs twice whereas the Rams have been nowhere near.

 

[Renegade]

If the Rams were in the NFC East instead of the NFC West, they probably would have made the playoffs twice!

 

[RavenBish]

He did this just six days prior to the Brown hit:

https://vine.co/v/iMWPBbFYELr

A suspension is more than justified.

Pretty gutted I missed that game last night, it sounded like a doozy.

Tight End is stupid enough to run a crosser under 5 yards, every middle linebacker will blow them up like that. Ironic that Ravens fans kicked up about that on Twitter considering Ray Lewis probably did more of them than any player in history.

He got it cos it was nationally televised, being a repeat offender is an excuse so they aren't forced to suspend people for similar hits next season. As for the earlier point about safety...pffft. There were league men/officials nodding in agreement that Shazier's hit was 'clean'...Player safety is none of their priorities, PR is.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Be sensible. Burfict nearly beheaded someone, in flagrant and egregious fashion. And more than that he is a scrote and a nutter of longstanding. A scrote and a nutter who is good at football and thus generally worth the headache (certainly for a UDFA), but a scrote and a nutter nonetheless. I mean, I'm not even moralising - scrotes and nutters make my Sunday evenings more entertaining, which is all I really care about. But signing a Faustian bargain includes foregoing the right to cry about HOW UNFAIR!!! it is when a faecal focaccia ends up on one's plate afterwards, even if the waiter who serves it* is a detestable incompetent in his own right.

And not even Alanis Morissette thinks "but THEIR homicidal lunatic fantasist asshole did it (largely in an era when football was regarded and officiated in a completely different manner) too!" is "ironic".

*the waiter is Roger Goodell, I'm aware that this extended metaphor is about as well constructed as Beauvais Cathedral.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Looks like we done gone got some LA Rams then.

> Goodell currently doing a press conference at the same time as Obama's final State of the Union address. I don't even.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

I will only tolerate the Rams moving back to Los Angeles if they bring these fantastic throwbacks back permanently.

 

[JJ1532]

The Chargers have been given an option to join them in the Inglewood plot as well it seems. They'll surely take the league up on that. Be interesting to see what details emerge from this.

 

[Renegade]

Tight End is stupid enough to run a crosser under 5 yards, every middle linebacker will blow them up like that. Ironic that Ravens fans kicked up about that on Twitter considering Ray Lewis probably did more of them than any player in history.

He got it cos it was nationally televised, being a repeat offender is an excuse so they aren't forced to suspend people for similar hits next season. As for the earlier point about safety...pffft. There were league men/officials nodding in agreement that Shazier's hit was 'clean'...Player safety is none of their priorities, PR is.

Not every middle linebacker will go head-hunting two weeks in a row and the ridiculous amount of fines he's received show he's not getting the message. I don't think he'll get three games, but he deserves a suspension. I expect after appeal it will be reduced. And I agree, if the game wasn't win or go home, it wouldn't have received the same attention and the NFL probably wouldn't have felt the need to put the foot down. They are completely arbitrary when it comes to punishment.

Also, yay. L.A. Rams. Now please get rid of Fisher. As for the Chargers, is anyone in L.A. going to support them? I can see the Rams having a lot of support because they were the most iconic L.A. franchise, the Chargers will probably lose half of their support.

 

[kieran_vale]

I'd imagine it will be reduced to 1 or 2 games after appeal but he clearly knew what he was doing going after Brown like that. I think that kind of reduction would be alright as to be honest the fact his actions cost his team a win and ended their season is a punishment in itself.

Will be interesting what happens with the Raiders if they miss out on the LA move completely now as it looks like. San Antonio has been mentioned before so maybe they will pursue that?

Looking forward to Saturday against the Chiefs. Early reports we may even get a snow game in Foxborough. Even so this Chiefs team is the only one out of the remaining AFC teams that worries me, they have a real shot against us especially if they can establish the run early. Our O-Line against the likes of Poe, Houston and Hali is just a frightening thought also. Basically I think whoever wins this game will go on to the Super Bowl even if either of us have to go to Denver in the Championship game.

 

[Renegade]

Pretty amazing that Burfict ended Le'Veon Bell's season and then took out Roethlisberger and Brown in the playoffs. He pretty much ruined the Steelers' season single-handedly. Impressive/horrifying.

 

[Tom_CUFC]

The Chargers situation is an interesting one now, their owner does not get on with Kroenke in the slightest and the only scenario I can imagine him agreeing to a stadium share with him is if it's an equal partnership and not as a tenant. Now that Kroenke has his foot in the LA door, I can see him making this as difficult as possible and it may well force Spanos to go grovelling back to San Diego, a city who he's basically burnt all bridges with, however, he now has an extra $100m to put towards a stadium, but if they're unwilling to talk to him the next step may be to go to......St. Louis, which could then open the door for the Raiders to start discussions with San Diego over a move there.

As interesting and bizarre as that would be, I can see a stadium deal getting thrahsed out in San Diego for the Chargers now, leaving the Raiders to either stick it out in Oakland or explore other markets (St. Louis, San Antonio, Portland). I think one team in LA is for the best, I really struggle to see how the Chargers would get enough support sharing a stadium with a team that has some kind of established fan base there already.

 

[kieran_vale]

Aye, of course the other option is one of these to maybe become the London franchise if and when the NFL pull the trigger on that one. That would however require a divisional reallignment thus making it less likely than say San Antonio but guess it could open the door to that if worst came to worst.

 

[Kim Mitten]

Well the Chargers have until March 23rd to make up their minds. If they want to stay in San Diego the option then gets passed to the Raiders, interestingly though the Raiders have now withdrawn their application to move. I still think the Chargers will be in L.A next season, from their local government down San Diego hasn't shown any enthusiasm for an NFL team for a number of years.