Sports

[Sweetbay magnolia]

Seriously, we all now need therapy.  Talk about FAKE NEWS.

[gardenman]

Spoiler

The Tony Romo part is where the rumor breaks down. Expecting anyone to give up the second overall pick to get Romo is preposterous. That's just bizarre. I'm sure the Cowboys would jump at that offer, but no team is that crazy to offer it.

Free agency is coming fast now and I suspect Romo will want his freedom soon so he can compete for a job before prime jobs get picked over.

I think the Saints will have a very hard time signing free agents unless they really overpay. They've tried to trade their head coach three times (Rams, Niners and Colts,) and now they've got one of the best young receivers (Cooks) on the trading block. I guess the only reason to sign with the Saints is to play with Brees, but how long will he be there?

[Spurt]

---

@gardenman wrote:

Spoiler

The Tony Romo part is where the rumor breaks down. Expecting anyone to give up the second overall pick to get Romo is preposterous. That's just bizarre. I'm sure the Cowboys would jump at that offer, but no team is that crazy to offer it.

Free agency is coming fast now and I suspect Romo will want his freedom soon so he can compete for a job before prime jobs get picked over.

I think the Saints will have a very hard time signing free agents unless they really overpay. They've tried to trade their head coach three times (Rams, Niners and Colts,) and now they've got one of the best young receivers (Cooks) on the trading block. I guess the only reason to sign with the Saints is to play with Brees, but how long will he be there?

---

@gardenman

Classic example of a QB that demands and takes all the money leaving the team with very little cap space in which to operate........... Brees only looks out for himself and doesn't appear interested in the team's success or winning more SB's other than that one and that was apprently enough for Brees.....  A warning to Kirk Cousins!!!

[gardenman]

The combine's been pretty interesting. John Ross just ran a 4.22 forty. Wow! He looked really, really fast. He's a guy several of the mock drafts have going to the Eagles.

Christian McCaffery looked really good yesterday and may have moved himself firmly into the first round. I wouldn't mind seeing him in an Eagles'uniform. Depending on how things play out, I could see the Eagles trading down to get a Ross or McCaffery later in the first round.

The rumored trading partners for Brandon Cooks are the Eagles and the Bucs, but the latest rumor has DeSean Jackson signing with the Bucs for $12 million a year. If that happens they'll likely hop out of the bidding for Cooks. Why give up a high pick when you can sign a comparable guy for just cash and keep the picks? Cooks will cost $10 million in 2018 if whoever gets him exercises the fifth year option, so there's not a big cash difference.

The latest report has Cooks as one of the guys the Eagles were pursuing at the trade deadline in November, but they couldn't reach a deal. They were also after Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, and Torrey Smith. Two of those guys are now available as free agents, and the other two are available through trades. I'd be kind of surprised if the Eagles didn't nab one of the name receivers. If the Saints ask too much, Kenny Stills of the Dolphins would be another option.

[gardenman]

Interesting. Kirk Cousins hasn't signed his franchise tag tender yet. There's a report that he may threaten to sit out the off season program and even training camp and only show up for the start of the regular season. That's all within his rights since he's tagged. It would be messy for the Redskins however. It sounds like Cousins and/or his agent are turning up the heat on the Redskins. The Redskins are basically being told "pay me what I want, or let me go, but I'm not giving you my all if you keep me on the tag."

Things just keep getting messier for the Redskins. Cousins pretty much has all of the power now and he's using it. By not signing the tender he's giving the Redskins the ability to rescind the tag and make him a free agent. That would be good for Cousins, but ugly for the Redskins. They'd get a compensatory pick in next year's draft, but losing your starting quarterback for a third round pick next year isn't great. I dare say a few of the execs in the Redskins front office are on suicide watch about now.

[Sweetbay magnolia]

I'd play it the same way.  Come on, 'Skins!

This town is big on loyalty and it goes both ways.

Cousins has legitimate chops.  (And I liked Billy, too).  But really.  He has the skill set!  Jack Kent Cooke is having a cognac and a cigar somewhere, laughing, taking the little blue pill, and courting hot women.

[Txblond]

Well G-Man,  I would take Prescott over Lynch, Connor or any of them, including Wentz!  Don't  think we will  be getting rid of him.  The Romo question is still very much up in the air.

[gardenman]

---

@Txblond wrote:

Well G-Man,  I would take Prescott over Lynch, Connor or any of them, including Wentz!  Don't  think we will  be getting rid of him.  The Romo question is still very much up in the air.

---

My gut just says that Jerry still loves and believes in Romo more than he believes in Dak. I'm not sure that if he got the chance to get a high pick for Prescott, that he wouldn't take it and ride with Romo with McCown as the backup. We'll have to see what happens, but if the Browns take Trubisky first overall and Myles Garrett is sitting there at the second pick,  Jerry may have to be tranquilized to stop him from making a deal.

[gardenman]

Aha! The Redskins may be inching closer to conceding defeat and paying Cousins what he wants. They've now given Jay Gruden an extension, so he'll still be the coach for an additional two years. Thats apparently part of what Cousins was concerned about. He didn't want to sign a deal with Washington only to have them change coaches in  year or two. He wanted stability in the coaching ranks and it looks like he's got that. It's great for Gruden. I'm still not sure it's going to help all that much with Cousins. He'll likely wait until Carr and Ryan have their new deals in place before agreeing to anything, but his hardball tactics really leave the Redskins with few other choices. 

Kirk Cousins and his agent have largely defaulted into the role of GM for the Redskins. Unless the Redskins opt to flush Cousins, he's largely in control. He's pretty much got the organization in a stranglehold and they have limited options other than to appease him.

[Spurt]

@gardenman

Good analysis of my Redskins......but don't forget those magic words that put a smile on my face this morning----"ROMO SAYS NO TO WASHINGTON"----LOL!!!! Spoken like a true Cowboy and he put those nasty FALSE rumors to rest.......

Yep, Jay's extension is a good sign....Especially considering in the past, Snyder never opted for a coaches "second term".......   And we gotta re-sign Chris Baker too.....he's been receiving offers from other teams now.....