American Football

[Renegade]

The Rams. They must have looked at that RGIII trade they made a few years ago, thought about how successful it was and went "we need a piece of that." Les Snead must really hate L.A., because he won't be living there next year. Great piece of business by the Titans.

Hard Knocks should be even better now.

 

[Bobbin']

Prime time galore for Houston this season.

 

[Destruction]

Hello mates.

I know Germany is one of the countries with a keen appreciation of NFL and as such they may get some games on their tv like we do, but if one (me) was to live in Germany when the NFL season starts, what would be my best bet for watching the games out there? On the assumption that I don't have a TV. Is it game pass or sumat I've heard you people mention before? And would that work in any country or is it a UK only thing?

TIA.

 

[Renegade]

Hello mates.

I know Germany is one of the countries with a keen appreciation of NFL and as such they may get some games on their tv like we do, but if one (me) was to live in Germany when the NFL season starts, what would be my best bet for watching the games out there? On the assumption that I don't have a TV. Is it game pass or sumat I've heard you people mention before? And would that work in any country or is it a UK only thing?

TIA.

NFL Game Pass is probably your best bet, it'll set you back between £100-150 (I am assuming they'll raise the price) depending on whether you want access to just the regular season games or the regular season games plus playoffs.

https://www.nfl.com/gamepass

It's a really good service. You'll have access to every game, Redzone (best thing about it), NFL Network and a lot of the NFL Films archive, which has a tonne of great content. In the UK, the games which are played on Sky are 'blacked out' on Game Pass, meaning we don't have access to them. I don't know if this restriction applies in Germany, but there's an easy way to get around it using DNS tools (I use UnoDNS), which allows you change the geo-location that you access websites from. Think I have it set to access from Mexico, which has no games blacked out.

 

[Destruction]

NFL Game Pass is probably your best bet, it'll set you back between £100-150 (I am assuming they'll raise the price) depending on whether you want access to just the regular season games or the regular season games plus playoffs.

https://www.nfl.com/gamepass

It's a really good service. You'll have access to every game, Redzone (best thing about it), NFL Network and a lot of the NFL Films archive, which has a tonne of great content. In the UK, the games which are played on Sky are 'blacked out' on Game Pass, meaning we don't have access to them. I don't know if this restriction applies in Germany, but there's an easy way to get around it using DNS tools (I use UnoDNS), which allows you change the geo-location that you access websites from. Think I have it set to access from Mexico, which has no games blacked out.

Cheers cha, I'll have to see the lay of the land when I get out there but at least that sounds good as a plan b then.

 

[kieran_vale]

Seeing our schedule in full that looks very tough. Can never totally go off strength of schedule as there are so many variables season to season but after a rather friendly one last year can't really complain. Our opener on SNF against the Cards should be a classic not least for BB v Arians and seeing what them two have up their sleeves for each other. The home game with Seattle also will be a great spectacle. Most of all though I'm glad we have a later bye week, I think having it so early last year was one of the things that crippled us eventually.

As for Gamepass only issue is in the UK you don't get the playoffs live but I believe that's a contractual thing with Sky so shouldn't be an issue abroad. As Renegade mentions above re the NFL Films archive as well the content is superb and definitely recommend it.

 

[Kim Mitten]

Lions schedule is ranked in the top 6 'easiest' from previous years records. This of course means nothing but you have to be pretty optimistic even with the Lions. The NFC North should hold no fears, don't really know what to expect from the Packers but they don't look the force they once were. The Vikings remain the same -stop Peterson you stop them, they basically have to play lights out D if it's not going well. The bears - well rebuilding basically. Also playing the AFC South and NFC East, which is nice. Get on a roll and this team can make the playoffs, kinda also feel that the North might end up winning against each other that only the division winners will make it, which is most likely to be Green Bay.

As for that Rams trade - with Fisher as HC it doesn't matter who they take number 1, especially a QB, he'll soon have them bang average. Would have been better to make this trade next year after yet another 7-9 might finally get him the boot and get some fresh blood in to attempt a winning season.

 

[Anon]

I think Snead is under more pressure than Fisher, though given Kroenke's passive acceptance of business success at Arsenal, it wouldn't surprise me if this isn't the succeed or cede season most predict.

As for the Packers, I think we'll be back. No one saw coming the problems on offense or the knock on effects of Nelson's injury - although in literal way everyone saw Lacy's problems. Write us off at your peril

 

[RavenBish]

I think RavenBish won a copy from Sky.

I did. Never read it though. I was too enamoured with the Dalton jersey I got too.

Rams trading the farm for Carson Wentz is funny (I quite like Jared Goff though, even if he does have tiny little baby hands for a QB). Then again, I thought Skins getting RGIII was smart and that turned out bad (still tempted to call that a victory though as his rookie year was a success, WHAT IF Shanny hadn't sacrificed him eh)

 

[Anon]

I still don't think the RG3 trade itself was bad for Washington at all. Sure if he hadn't sustained those injuries, he may well have still been found out in his 2nd and third years, but we'll never really know.

As ever, if the Rams get their QB for the next ten years and he turns out to be good, then the value of the trade becomes cheap. Can only judge years later.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Yeah, there are BUSTS cos the cos guy stinks (JaMarcus Russell, or whoever) and BUSTS cos shit happens, I think.

I guess RGIII's playing style did portend some future speed bumps, but I suspect there's a lot of parallel universes in which Washington got themselves a decade's worth of pukka franchise QB out of that deal.*

I do think this is an odd year to sell the farm tho, and (as suggested above) wonder how much of it is predicated on Fisher/Snead being down to their last life, and the desire to do something splashy in LA for the sake of doing it. Neither of which are a very good reason to make this kind of deal, even if they do end up landing on their feet.

*/shoots self in face for saying something nice about Washington braintrust

 

[Lamby]

Going to Cardinals vs Bucs game in week 2, finally get to go out there. Woop!

 

[Tom_CUFC]

You can't put a price on a getting your franchise QB for 10 years, but I don't think Wentz and Goff are that guy, compared to Winston and Mariota last year they're way behind. I don't think Wentz is any better than a 3rd round talent, and Goff not a whole lot higher, although with his small hands he will certainly be more suited to playing in the NFC West than he would have done in the AFC North. I suspect Goff is who they'll go with, it just seems to make the most sense all round, from a footballing perspective and a marketing perspective.

I don't think the Browns will go QB at 2, it's just whether they try and trade back (probably with San Francisco, maybe Philly) or pick Ramsey, if it's the latter then the Chargers will be absolutely laughing as someone throws the ransom at them in fear of Dallas going QB (don't think they do under any circumstances).

Great trade for Tennessee, they're building a good little team, if Mariota keeps progressing and stays healthy and they hit on 4 or 5 of these bonus picks then they'll be a force to be reckoned with in a few years time. Talk of them trading back up but I don't think they need to, picking up someone like Conklin at #15 will be a good move for them.

 

[Kim Mitten]

Browns are going QB - they said a young QB will duel it out with Griffin for the starters job. Only way they take Tunsil/Ramsey is if they have already decided to bomb the season (maybe probable with who has been let go and bringing RG3 in) and make sure they are no.1 in 2017 for Watson.
On the Watson note, that makes the Rams trade look even more stupid, 2017 will see a QB in the draft who is so vastly superior to any QB in this years draft we'll be seeing another 'suck for luck' type race for the first pick. Surely L.A could have waited a year, after all they'll be drafting around 15 again next season.
The winners in all this are of course the Chargers they are going to be drafting the best player in the draft.

 

[Tom_CUFC]

Remember Cleveland have this Moneyball guru on board so pretty much anything is in play, a young QB doesn't necessarily mean a round 1 guy, and I think there's so little between the top 5/6 QBs this year that they can afford to wait. Either trade back 6/7 spots and still get a good player like Stanley, or pick Ramsey/Tunsil at #2, and then take someone like Hackenberg, who's got the arm and build for the AFC North, in round 2/3 who can be competitive enough in camp but sit for a year, be fine tuned (because he was bloody good his first year at Penn State but needs some work to rectify the beating he took the last two years) whilst Griffin plays out next season. Cleveland are a big big project and are not the sort of team that will be transformed next year so they need to bide their time, use a first round pick on someone much more trustworthy than a member of this QB class.

If they went QB at #2 it has to be Wentz as he's more suited to that climate and that division. Goff (who makes more sense for the Rams) and Cook (Manziel mk II) would get eaten alive, maybe Lynch but I don't see a situation where he can logically fall to them, and again I think he'll have to sit a year as well to have any chance of being a success.

 

[Kim Mitten]

agree with you, forgot about who they have in charge now! Still think if they trade back they might go QB from 10th spot or wherever. I like the talk of the Eagles trading Bradford to move up, imagine a roster containing Bradford and RG3 as QBs.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Eagles up to #2. Chargers on the clock now then, pretty much.

 

[Aberstone]

Christ alive, the Browns have come out winners from a trade. Where are the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse?

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Let's withhold judgement until we can be sure they wont spend the picks on a punter, a cigar store Indian and a corpse.

 

[RavenBish]

Browns have won trades before and spent the picks on Weeden and Manziel. (in those years they had 2 first rounds picks and spent the other two on Richardson and Gilbert too, I shall add for comedic value)

 

[Kim Mitten]

As I said above, Browns may well still take a QB from 8th, they just weren't sold on Wentz/Goff it seems. Still they are currently a lock for the No.1 pick in 2017 and Watson is an easy pick.
Exec Vice President Howie Roseman at the Eagles has confirmed they have moved to 2nd to take a QB and Sam Bradford will be the starting QB next season. Lucky old Sam, gets to help his replacement next year before he is dumped.

 

[Kim Mitten]

and Josh Norman has his tag rescinded and won't be with the Panthers next season, dunno what has gone on there.
Plus Brian Hoyer looking like he is off to the Broncos. Sanchez and Hoyer, that D better be as good as last season.

 

[JJ1532]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article72926107.html

Think this explains it quite well. I can see their point of view. Is cornerback the position you want to lock down a load of money in, even given how good Norman is? But obviously on the other hand, is it wise to lose one of your best players for nothing?

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

CB is high up the list of positions I'd be willing to throw cash at, in today's NFL. Like 4th maybe, depending on how finely one wants to parse techniques on the D-line. Obviously there's always a limit, but still. It also seems like (and maybe this is just my Brandon Carr-itis speaking) like a spot which regularly goads teams into handing out star-type contracts to only moderately above average players, and thus not a bad place to spend marginal dollars on a known quantity.

(speaking mostly in the abstract)

 

[kieran_vale]

Aye agreed wtih Carel, CB is a position I'd invest heavily in particularly given the way it's increasingly a passing league which is why I want us to lock down Malcom Butler at the first opportunity as it will only get increasingly difficult otherwise.

Will be interesting to see what potential landing spots he has. At this point of free agency I'm not sure how many teams would realistically have the cap space to pay him what he wants. Not as though it looks like he would agree to a Revis type deal when he joined the Pats given he wasn't happy to accept a fully guaranteed $14m or near enough. Obviously some team will find a way though.

 

[Renegade]

I think the Panthers are mental for not at least maintaining the franchise tag on him. I know he's a bit of a diva and there's no guarantee that he wouldn't have held out throughout the summer and even into the season, but he is one of the two most important pieces of their defence if not the most important. No matter what has-beens they put alongside him in the secondary, they could always rely on him to lock-down at least one side of the field ala Sherman.

Now they have a significant weakness in the secondary and their front seven, as good as it is, may not be able to hold up against the better offenses. If they had tagged him, they could have rolled the dice on him for this year whilst they are in Superbowl contention without crippling their cap space in the future. Great news for Arizona, Seattle, Green Bay and the rest of the NFC.

Someone will surely pay him what he wants (Revis money), shut-down cornerbacks are worth paying for if you want to be a contender (see Norman, Revis, Sherman, Peterson, Harris/Talib).

 

[Anon]

Is Norman actually that good? I know he's gotten rave reviews but his rise, at least in public recognition, seems really quick in a contract year and seemingly coming from average play the previous few years. I'm not terribly convinced he's elite level (though obviously has hit the market at the right time and feels he deserves as such) and Carolina clearly don't either. Given how long it took Gettleman to get them out of a messy cap, can understand him not handing out contracts to players they know best and yet don't feel are worth top dollar.

I reckon they added the tag in the fair hope of eventually negotiating a longer term deal in return for less per-year (compared to the one off tag number, which what seems to normally happen for tagged players) but more guarantee money etc but when Norman wasn't budging, they pulled the plug.

---

Will reserve judgement on the Eagles trade just as the Rams. If the two QBs taken turn out to be good QBs, the trades will have been well worth it despite the prices. If that happens, for all the plaudits they're getting right now, then Cleveland have missed a big, big opportunity to get a good QB for the next 10+ years. Which would be so, so Cleveland.

 

[Renegade]

Norman was great when he nailed down a starting position the previous season. He started 10 games and was one of the top cornerbacks in the league in terms of passer rating allowed, passes defensed and the best in the league in terms of yards allowed per attempt when facing opposing number 1 receivers. His rise to success helped the Panthers start off that huge unbeaten run that was ended by the Falcons, I think it is very harsh to think of him as a one season wonder, he was just an unknown commodity in 2014 on an unfavourable team. Maybe the money will go to his head, but since becoming a starter, by all measurements he has been 'elite'.

 

[kieran_vale]

Norman to the Redskins for $75m with $50m guaranteed. That is a monster deal and to be honest I'm erring a little more to the Panthers side in not paying that despite corner being a position you'd want to invest in.

Him against OBJ twice a year should be fun though. And him against Dez too for that matter.

 

[Kim Mitten]

The money splashed out and this being the Redskins two words come to mind - Albert Haynesworth.