Sports

[gardenman]

March is more or less the official start of the 2022 NFL regular season. The Super Bowl is now behind us. The new league year starts. The Combine takes place. The Franchise Tag gets applied (or not.) Free agency kicks off. Kids start flying around the country for interviews in person with teams. It's go time!

The Cardinals have some Kyler Murray issues they need to sort out. He wants a contract extension and isn't being subtle about it. The Cards seem on board with the idea, but the price is still up for debate. Is he a $40 million a year QB? A $45-$50 million a year QB? Where does he slot in? He and his agent are more in the $45-$50 million a year neighborhood while the Cards are more likely in the $35-$40 million a year neighborhood. They'll meet somewhere in the middle ($42 million a year?) and everyone will be happy.

The Cowboys have to figure out if they're keeping Amari Cooper or not. He's overpaid and they're over the cap. Generally speaking, if you're overpaid and the team needs cap space, they come looking for you. JJ has said something needs to change there. Demarcus Lawrence is also on the list of possible cuts by the Cowboys. He also hasn't lived up to the contract he was given and is overpaid. Getting those big contracts is great when it happens, but if you don't live up to the price, that same contract can be your undoing.

The Philly media is still obsessed with the Eagles trading for a better QB. That will continue until the trading deadline in November. Then they'll lament the lack of action and start wondering if the Eagles will finally move on in the next offseason. It's all so easy for the media. Just bundle a few picks and a player or two to get a superstar QB. It's never that easy in the real world.

The Combine kicks off on Thursday and there will be a lot of nervous young men in Indy hoping they say and do the right things. You can move way up or way back in the draft based on how you perform at the Combine. There will be a knucklehead or two who fail the drug tests. 

Lots of trade talks will take place at the Combine and we're apt to get some news of player movement coming out of the Combine. The rumor mill has gotten very quiet on the Deshaun Watson front lately. The Texans said they wanted a deal done by the start of the league year. I'm hearing nothing these days though.

This will be a very busy month for teams.

[teganslaw]

Wentz has been working out with Colts wide receivers and posting Instagram photos.  Anything about Wentz leaving is only speculation for now. 

The Packers are preparing a short term deal in case Rodgers decides to stay. I would be annoyed if I were a Packers fan. They can't go ahead with plans until they know what Rodgers will do; he's keeping the team hostage. The organization is catering to him and it's hurting everyone else. Quite unfair of Rodgers. 

The NFL announced the home teams for international games. 

Bucs in Germany

Cardinals in Mexico City

London teams are Jaguars, Packers and Saints. 

Their opponants will be announced later.

Raiders and Jaguars are in the HOF game. 

[Meowingkitty]

Kyler Murray is being a little brat. If he didn't start strong and finish poorly every year maybe we (the Cardinals) would have some faith in him and he would be worth the money. He was hyped up to be this great quarterback and so far he's been average. He needs to do some more growing up. 

[gardenman]

The Colts got a little too focused on the last two games and forgot the first fifteen. Wentz was an above-average NFL QB heading into week sixteen. There aren't that many above-average NFL QBs out there and if they want to let him go, lots of teams will take him.

Wentz started all 17 games. In 2017 he was the likely MVP before tearing up his knee.  His completion percentage in 2017 was 60.2% and he threw for 3,296 yards. In 2021 with the Colts his completion percentage was 62.4% and he threw for 3,563 yards. His sack percentage was 6.0 in 2017 and 5.8 in 2021. He played well until those last two games.

Yeah, but did he beat any good teams? The Niners 30-18, the Bills 41-15, the Patriots 27-17, and the Cards 22-16. Those are pretty tough teams to beat. The Colts won nine games. They weren't a horrible team. They lost the last two games to the Raiders and Jags, but the Raiders were a playoff team. They're a pretty good team. The Colts should have beaten the Jags, but a lot went wrong in that game. Not all of it on Wentz. And any QB will have a bad game. 

I think the Colts management is coming around to looking at the whole year instead of a snapshot of the last two games. Wentz played well overall. Are there things he could improve on? Sure. You can say the same thing for Aaron Rodgers. But his salary! Twenty-two million dollars? In this market? That's a bargain for an above-average QB.

Unless they truly believe they have something special in Sam Ehlinger, they need to bring Wentz back. He's their best option. 

[Spurt]

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@teganslaw wrote:

Wentz has been working out with Colts wide receivers and posting Instagram photos.  Anything about Wentz leaving is only speculation for now. 

The Packers are preparing a short term deal in case Rodgers decides to stay. I would be annoyed if I were a Packers fan. They can't go ahead with plans until they know what Rodgers will do; he's keeping the team hostage. The organization is catering to him and it's hurting everyone else. Quite unfair of Rodgers. 

The NFL announced the home teams for international games. 

Bucs in Germany

Cardinals in Mexico City

London teams are Jaguars, Packers and Saints. 

Their opponants will be announced later.

Raiders and Jaguars are in the HOF game. 

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@teganslaw @gardenman 

JMHO but I think Wentz ends up staying with the Colts....

Boy the NFL must really be optimistic that covid will be officially "over" and there will be no restrictions on international travel nor crowd restridctions for these overseas location games.................🤔  The poor Jaguars always going to London--London's unofficial team....

Yep, Rodgers is a bit selfish, I guess he's forgetting NFL football is a TEAM sport and he cant win by himself.... My sister even called me up last night saying what's all this news she's reading (on her NY Giant media feed) that Washington is signing Aaron Rodgers....I told her thats  very unlikely nor plausible RUMOR----I dont think Aaron would want to play in a half empty stadium....and Washington hasnt even been mentioned as one of his choice trading partners.....She said the two deserve each other--(especially after his TMI cleansing performance-EWWW) I replied well the Giants 2022 season prospects are not that great so she should worry about her own team---their QB isnt all that and there are rumors they might trade Barkley and they have no offensive line.....Gee, trash talking is starting early with her LOL!!! 

[Spurt]

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@Meowingkitty wrote:

Kyler Murray is being a little brat. If he didn't start strong and finish poorly every year maybe we (the Cardinals) would have some faith in him and he would be worth the money. He was hyped up to be this great quarterback and so far he's been average. He needs to do some more growing up. 

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@Meowingkitty 

You NAILED IT....maybe Kingsbury isnt the ideal coach, but thats part of being an adult learning to work with the boss in order for the team to SUCCEED and be a SUCCESS.....which of us who are working in the business world havent had to put with a boss that wasn't exactly to our liking in order for the company to be successful or even to keep our job!!!---GROW UP MURRAY!  He may think he has leverage with the QB shortage in the NFL and draft talent being weak this year, but most teams shy away from spoiled brats too.....!!!!

[gardenman]

I see three likely outcomes for Aaron Rodgers. 

1. He stays in Green Bay and plays well.
2. He goes to Denver and plays well.
3. He retires.

I don't see the Packers letting him go to an NFC rival. The Broncos have made it very, very clear they want him. They'll likely outbid anyone else to land him. They built a coaching staff for him. Retirement is very real also. Retiring as the league MVP is pretty neat.

[Spurt]

@gardenman 

And just the opposite of being a diva like Murray....I like what Im hearing about Trevor Lawrence reaching out to Doug Pederson and they are wanting to work together to rebuild the team....

[Spurt]

@gardenman@teganslaw

Keep your eyes out for one of our U T S A Roadrunners
T a r i q Woolen a top rated sleeper CB....I hope he gets drafted. Best of luck

3

[gardenman]

@Spurt 

It'll be interesting to see how things work out for Doug in Jacksonville. He needs to build a good relationship with Trevor Lawrence. If he destroys Lawrence, it won't be pretty. Jacksonville tends to eat coaches, so we'll have to see how he does.