NFL Playoffs/Early Offseason

[nicksaviking]

Update from ESPN. Stoutland indeed is looking to continue coaching.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47832174/eagles-ol-coach-stoutland-says-return-next-season

But unfortunately there's this too:

Mannion is slated to install a new scheme that will pull from the Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan systems. Given that Stoutland doesn't have a history with that offense, he would have needed someone to bring him up to speed on the new system, a source noted.

[Vanimal46]

37 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Update from ESPN. Stoutland indeed is looking to continue coaching.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47832174/eagles-ol-coach-stoutland-says-return-next-season

But unfortunately there's this too:

Mannion is slated to install a new scheme that will pull from the Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan systems. Given that Stoutland doesn't have a history with that offense, he would have needed someone to bring him up to speed on the new system, a source noted.

Well that's unfortunate. That also means he's running out of teams that speak his language... Since the McVay and Shanahan coaching tree continues to grow around the league. 

[Vanimal46]

Feels like a legacy award here. Drake Maye finished in 2nd place 1 vote away from winning, which is wild. 

[Vanimal46]

 

[The Great Hambino]

10 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

 

The way the HOF finalist voting is structured, this means Roger Craig was deemed more HOF-worthy than Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft.

An argument could be made that an improvement in process might be a good idea.

ETA: as wackadoodle as the veteran/coach/contributor process was, I think the standard group produced a very good class.  IMO, those were the four most deserving HOFers of the 15 finalists.  But am I alone in thinking it's weird that Isaac Bruce is in the hall while Torry Holt isn't?

[nicksaviking]

The Eagles hired former Vikings OL coach Chris Kuper for the same job?!?!?

Wow, please let us be right that Kuper was in over his head and was huge reason for the disappointing line play the last four years. The Eagles having a terrible O Line would be beautiful to behold. Seriously, every time I think of the Vikings trying a tush push, I still picture Garrett Bradbury getting zero leverage and tossed backwards into the QBs lap. Every time I picture the Vikings running a screen, I picture three blockers standing around looking clueless and unsure who to block. It really feels like the worst person for the job, got the job.

Of course if he keeps the Eagles line performing well, there's going to be a big glaring question for the current offensive mastermind of the Vikings. Who obviously doubles as the head coach.

[nicksaviking]

It also sounds like Maxx Crosby has indeed said he will no longer play for the Raiders. So obviously initial reactions would be that every team will want him, but Crosby really is a hand-in-the-ground traditional 4-3 DE. I don't think he'd work as a more modern edge rusher and I he's not really big enough to be an DE in a 3-4. I'm pretty sure former Raiders DC Patrick Graham even confirmed as much when he was hired by Pittsburgh.  Folks were asking if Pittsburgh would go to Graham's 4-3 defense he ran in Vegas, and Graham said that wasn't his defensive style, but he stuck with that system solely to benefit Crosby.

With that said, I think this might be bad for the Vikings, because looking at team defenses, I *think* with the 49er's switching to a 3-4 next year, only three NFC teams that still run a traditional 4-3/4-2 defense two of which are the Lions and Packers. Usually when legacy players get traded, the trading team tries to get the player out of the conference. The Cowboys are the other NFC team, but they JUST traded Parsons, so trading FOR Crosby would all but force Jerry Jones to admit he made a mistake, and Jerry Jones will never admit that.

Even if they are willing to trade in the AFC, there aren't a ton of other options to make Crosby fit. Buffalo is switching to a 3-4 from the sounds of it. Miami is likely switching TO a 4-3, but they look to be a big time tank job this year. Tennessee should be switching with Robert Salah there, but they don't seem to be in a competitive position to make this kind of move. Same with the Jets. Houston already has a pair of awesome DEs, as does Jacksonville but to a lesser degree. Cincinnati probably wouldn't willingly pay his contract. Zero chance the Raiders would EVER trade him to Kansas City.

Maybe a trade to Indianapolis wouldn't be all that offensive to the Raiders? They could for sure use Crosby and he'd fit. If not, it would be awful if he ended up paired with Hutchinson in Detroit or Parsons in GB.

 

[Vanimal46]

5 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

With that said, I think this might be bad for the Vikings, because looking at team defenses, I *think* with the 49er's switching to a 3-4 next year, the only NFC teams that still run a traditional 4-3/4-2 defense is the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers. Usually when legacy players get traded, the trading team tries to get the player out of the conference. 

I think the Bears are a hybrid 4-3 type of defense? Time is a flat circle and Chicago could replicate the Kalil Mack trade again. 

[nicksaviking]

7 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

I think the Bears are a hybrid 4-3 type of defense? Time is a flat circle and Chicago could replicate the Kalil Mack trade again. 

Yeah, you're right. I don't like this at all. If I were the Vikings, I'd legit give the Colts or another AFC team a 4th, maybe even a 3rd round pick for free if they'd outbid the NFC North teams for Crosby.

[nicksaviking]

Derek Carr says he's healthy and would come out of retirement, but only to a team that could win the Super Bowl.

But if Derek Carr is your QB, doesn't that mean you have little hope of winning the Super Bowl? That's quite the Catch-22.

[Parfigliano]

5 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Derek Carr says he's healthy and would come out of retirement, but only to a team that could win the Super Bowl.

But if Derek Carr is your QB, doesn't that mean you have little hope of winning the Super Bowl? That's quite the Catch-22.

He's delusional.  

[The Great Hambino]

2 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

Derek Carr says he's healthy and would come out of retirement, but only to a team that could win the Super Bowl.

But if Derek Carr is your QB, doesn't that mean you have little hope of winning the Super Bowl? That's quite the Catch-22.

A team could definitely win a Super Bowl with Derek Carr as their backup QB

Or maybe he's just long-windedly saying that he's not coming out of retirement

[Vanimal46]

Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss was denied 4 separate times to get a 6th season of college eligibility... Until he presented the case to a Mississippi judge, who ironically received their law degree from Ole Miss. Now he's temporarily granted a 6th year of eligibility. What a mess NCAA football has become. Truly the wild west...

[Parfigliano]

45 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss was denied 4 separate times to get a 6th season of college eligibility... Until he presented the case to a Mississippi judge, who ironically received their law degree from Ole Miss. Now he's temporarily granted a 6th year of eligibility. What a mess NCAA football has become. Truly the wild west...

Cue the obligatory "no one could have seen this coming."

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, Vanimal46 said:

Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss was denied 4 separate times to get a 6th season of college eligibility... Until he presented the case to a Mississippi judge, who ironically received their law degree from Ole Miss. Now he's temporarily granted a 6th year of eligibility. What a mess NCAA football has become. Truly the wild west...

At this point, I'm firmly on the side of any party that's opposing NCAA rulings. They've stolen so much money from athletes and tax payers, that the profits they've made through the decades are an absolute crime against humanity.

[TheLeviathan]

3 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

At this point, I'm firmly on the side of any party that's opposing NCAA rulings. They've stolen so much money from athletes and tax payers, that the profits they've made through the decades are an absolute crime against humanity.

The NCAA can be dunked on for my lifetime, my childrens' lifetimes, and my unborn grandchildrens' lifetimes and it still won't be even.

One of our society's greatest, low-key evil operations of the last 75 years.

[The Great Hambino]

45 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

The NCAA can be dunked on for my lifetime, my childrens' lifetimes, and my unborn grandchildrens' lifetimes and it still won't be even.

One of our society's greatest, low-key evil operations of the last 75 years.

I really think if they'd just let athletes get endorsements instead of digging their heels in against what was clearly a losing cause in the NCAA v Alston case, a lot of this would have been avoided.  I mean, do you know how off you need to be to lose 9-0 in the Supreme Court these days?  That opened up the floodgates.  Now they can't enforce any of their rules because they don't hold up in court since the revenue-producing athletes are being recognized as employees by any reasonable interpretation of employment law.  This will continue until they either start recognizing them as employees (it is technically a form of student work, after all) or they get an antitrust exemption from Congress

[TheLeviathan]

15 hours ago, The Great Hambino said:

I really think if they'd just let athletes get endorsements instead of digging their heels in against what was clearly a losing cause in the NCAA v Alston case, a lot of this would have been avoided.  I mean, do you know how off you need to be to lose 9-0 in the Supreme Court these days?  That opened up the floodgates.  Now they can't enforce any of their rules because they don't hold up in court since the revenue-producing athletes are being recognized as employees by any reasonable interpretation of employment law.  This will continue until they either start recognizing them as employees (it is technically a form of student work, after all) or they get an antitrust exemption from Congress

You can go all the way back to the Ed O'Bannon case IMO.  The hubris to think you could just out-lawyer and out-money the judicial system in arguing for what amounts to a form of human slavery/servitude was just stunning.

The only choice will basically be a salary cap/anti-trust.  I don't even think your first suggestion is feasible given the money involved.

We're basically one step from creating a system of education-based minor league sports.  I wish there was a reset button.