topic Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!! in Wellness

NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

gardenman — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 15:38:37 GMT

And this will be a busy month in the NFL. Teams will continue to cut players to free up cap space. Franchise tags will be applied on/by March second. Teams will start negotiating with free agents on March seventh. Free agents will start to be signed on March tenth. Potential draft picks will be crisscrossing the country for interviews with teams. Coaches and personnel staffs will be heading to pro days all over the country. Expect lots of potential free agents to come off the market before 4:00 PM Monday, March second. Lots of big name guys will either finalize their deals, or be tagged and the rest will then be the pool of free agents available to the highest bidder.

High profile free agents are likely to be snatched up pretty quickly while other guys will be sitting by their phone waiting desperately for someone, anyone to call them. Teams will swing for the big guys first though and if they can't land one of them, then the lesser guys will find some takers. Some teams will sign a guy there doesn't appear to be a need for, then cut/trade a vet to make room for the new guy. There will be some head-scratching moves made that no one can explain and some pretty obvious moves made.

Team building goes into high gear in March. Guys who don't fit will be tossed aside and replaced with guys who do. Lots of roster moves will take place and by the end of the month most teams will have assembled the basis of players for the next season. Then draft prep goes into high gear as they try to target players to fill any gap not filled in free agency. Most teams won't want to go into the draft with a totally empty spot on the roster, so even guys who don't fit into the long-term plans of a team will find a roster spot waiting for them for a year or so until a draft pick is ready to take it away from them.

It's going to be a busy month.

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

Great Hair in Dallas — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 16:28:42 GMT

Good morning! Loved finding your post for March. What is you take on Josh McGowan going to the Browns. I was surprised by it and just can't follow the thinking on that one. And I knew without a doubt Adrian Peterson was headed back to the Vikings but not any more.

Have a good day!

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

gardenman — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 17:27:05 GMT

Josh McCown to the Browns is a bit weird. I would have thought they'd stick to Brian Hoyer instead. Giving McCown a three year deal for decent money is also a bit odd. It's good for McCown who went 1-11 last year as a starter, but I would think the Browns could have done better. McCown is talking about tutoring Manziel, but a Michael Vick could have taken on that role and they could have created an offense suited for a mobile quarterback like Vick and Manziel. We'll have to see what happens there, but I'm guessing Browns fans aren't doing cartwheels down the street over the signing. Vick has been to heck and back and could be a good guy to partner with Manziel, but they opted for McCown instead probably for more money and more years than they could have gotten Vick for.

I'm thinking Adrian Peterson won't be playing for the Vikings next year. They've got to talk to one another and sort out a lot of issues for him to stay and I'm not sure either party really wants to do that. Running backs are pretty replaceable and there are lots of young guys coming out this year who have potential. I think Peterson wants to leave and I think the Vikings want him gone. It's just a question of how it all gets sorted out. I'm pretty sure the Vikings would prefer to trade him and get something of value in return. I'm not sure who their partner would be right now though.

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

Spurt — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 18:25:32 GMT

And GARDENMAN---we will probably hear more of a buzz from the Eagles regarding your QB situation and whether they will get rid of Foles and bring Mariota in...

And it looks like Murray is unhappy with the Cowboys offer and will test the market....very interesting.....does this open the door for Peterson....the Cowboys better be careful and not let their main cog for their offense get away....what am I saying...that's good news for Washington along with the Cowboys making Dez unhappy with the franchise tag....

And once Johnny Manziel comes out of rehab, I just have that strange feeling that somehow, someway, he comes to Dallas as a backup for Romo....JMHO! Weedon is in the last year of his 2 year contract......

And Washington fans had to fill in Francois via Twitter what HTTR meant---

And staying in the NFC (L)east....it looks like the Giants are going to use their #9th draft pick as a negotiating tool for Jason Pierre-Paul.

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

sunshine45 — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 18:48:59 GMT

kind of sad that the ravens are losing jacoby jones, although he was not much of a producer last year. it is tough to lose players when you like them and know that at one time they contributed so much to the team. it will free up some space in regard to the salary cap.

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

gardenman — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 23:41:15 GMT

SPURT. Yeah, I think we'll all be very tired of hearing about Marcus Mariota by the end of the month. The local football writers are so focused on him that it's getting a bit tedious. It's very courageous of the Cowboys to let DeMarco Murray test the market. I suspect a few teams (Colts?) will make him a very attractive offer and he may not end up giving the Cowboys a chance to match another offer. Dez Bryant won't be happy with the franchise tag and the Cowboys won't be happy if they have to tag him again next year for 20% more than they'll pay him this year. I'm still not sure how healthy Tony Romo really is. The Cowboys seem convinced they'll get five more years out of him, but that's a long time in the NFL.

Jason Pierre-Paul is a guy who probably shouldn't reach free agency if the Giants want to retain him. While there are pass rushers in the draft, you never know how one of those college guys will do when they're playing against men on the offensive line. It's a heck of a wake-up call the first time they meet up with a Jason Peters type guy. Those college edge rushers get used to running past guys in college and it's not that easy in the pros.

sunshine45. It's always tough to lose a good guy who's been a contributor. When the Eagles let Brian Dawkins go the Philly fans all nearly died. It's not fun.

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

teganslaw — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 01:27:50 GMT

I haven't heard about the Colts' interest in DeMarco Murray.That is interesting.The rumor so far has been that Frank Gore might be headed to Indy; Adrian Peterson's name was even mentioned, but not sure about him. The Colts have enough cap space to make an attractive offer to some free agents, and they will be very busy during the draft.

Safety Mike Adams is a FA and one of the Colts' priorities is to re-sign him. There will be contract talks going on between Adams and the team.

LOL about Francois not knowing "HTTR." Doesn't Washington teach players that when they signed with the team?

It is sad to lose certain players. Fans were upset when Jeff Saturday left the Colts. He is now an analyst on ESPN; does a good job, too.

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

gardenman — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 13:01:39 GMT

And it's franchise tag day. By 4:00 today teams have to use the franchise tag if they're using the franchise tag, so expect lots of news coming out around the league today. Some teams seem close to signing their top guys (the Eagles and Jeremy Maclin) and likely will announce a deal later today, while other teams (Cowboys and Dez Bryant) seem far apart and will likely tag their guy. Some teams (Giants with Jason Pierre-Paul) still seem confused as to what they'll do.

ESPN's "NFL Live" at four PM (ET) this afternoon should be a pretty busy show with lots of news breaking all around the league.

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

gardenman — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 00:49:37 GMT

Dez Bryant, Jason Pierre-Paul, Demaryius Thomas, and Justin Houston all got tagged. I wouldn't be shocked to see a really good team take a shot at one of those guys (Dez or Justin in particular) and give up the two first round picks. (I believe all were tagged using the non-exclusive franchise tag giving teams a chance to take a shot at them.) If you're a Tampa that's likely to be picking high in the first round the next couple of years I wouldn't do it, but if you're a Seattle that's expecting to finish high and have a very late first round pick then grabbing a Dez Bryant for two late first round picks might not be such a bad idea.

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

teganslaw — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 01:51:34 GMT

I'm surprised that Ndamukong Suh wasn't franchised. But I read that the reason the Lions didn't tag him is because of the 27 million they would owe him. They still might be able to work out a deal, but I kind of expect that he will walk. Where he ends up is anybody's guess.

The Patriots tagged their kicker, Goskowski. There were thoughts that it was going to be Devin McCourty instead. Speculation is that the Patriots might be close to a contract negotiation with McCourty, which is why they didn't do it.

Gardenman, what do you think about the Eagles signing of Brad Jones? I don't know much about him; is that a good move?

The next ten days are going to be interesting.

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

gardenman — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 03:14:45 GMT

I know very little about Brad Jones other than what I've read tonight. He was a decent inside linebacker/special teamer for the Packers for several years then got hurt early last season and kind of became a forgotten man. Reports indicate he's very smart, very athletic, but someone who hasn't been able to put the intelligence and athleticism together on the field as much as you'd like. I don't know how much of that is due to the system he was playing in (too much reading and not enough reacting?) or if he's thinking too much and not reacting. We'll find out in training camp. We've got a couple of good starting inside linebackers now in Mychal Kendricks and DeMeco Ryans and two good backups in Long and Najee Goode, but last year all four were injured for much of the season, so more depth isn't bad. He's a low risk, low cost signing and if he performs well, then great. If he bombs then it's not a big deal. He certainly sounds impressed by the Eagles and wants to be here. He's also said to be a very high caliber human being in addition to being a good athlete. It looks like a pretty good move overall. We'll know more when training camp starts up.

One quirk with the Eagles is they have their players grade the opposition after each game, and they've played the Packers quite a bit in recent years, so I'm guessing our guys gave him a good grade when they played against him. The Eagles use every bit of information they can get to find good players who fit their culture/scheme and they feel he fits.

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

gardenman — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 23:47:48 GMT

The Eagles cut Cary Williams to free up more cap space. He's been one of our starting corners for the last two years. He was never a fan favorite as he sat out the first year OTA's to attend a daughter's piano recital and then to buy sconces for his new home. The fans did not particularly like him because of that. I'd call him an average to slightly above average NFL cornerback. The Eagles now have around $31 million in cap space. Things are likely to be pretty intense a week from today when free agents can formally sign.

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

gardenman — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 02:08:22 GMT

Okay, I didn't see that coming, but there are multiple reports that the Bills and Eagles have agreed to a trade. The Eagles will send running back LeSean McCoy to the Bills and get back Kiko Alonso, the Bills second year linebacker. I'm guessing that means we'll be saying goodbye to DeMeco Ryans too. With Mychal Kendricks and now Kiko Alonso, DeMeco becomes a very high priced backup and a guy with his contract is too pricey to keep as a backup. The Eagles are going to end up with somewhere around $50 million in cap space the way things look now.

That front seven on defense has potential to be very dominant. We've got a bunch of young kids on the defensive line who look great, two great young inside linebackers now, we're likely to add an outside linebacker (Worilds from the Steelers is rumored to be coming) and it could give the Eagles one of the best front seven defenses in the league and most of them are quite young and cheap.

Why trade LeSean McCoy? He spends a lot of time dancing in the hole instead of hitting the hole. We've got Chris Polk who the Eagles love, Darren Sproles, Kenjon Barner, and Matthew Tucker all in reserve, so we could afford to give up on McCoy.

The trade can't be finalized until Tuesday, but the Bills have notified Kiko that he's coming to Philly for McCoy. Apparently that's good news for Kiko as he wasn't thrilled being in Buffalo. He's coming off a torn ACL and I suspect a physical will be required before everything is finalized, but this Eagle team is going to look a lot different in 2015.

Chip's making some big boy moves and getting rid of a lot of salary. The team is getting a lot younger, cheaper, and more fitting his vision. Let's hope he knows what he's doing. On a side note, LeSean McCoy was never a Nick Foles guy, so that could also be part of the reason he's gone. LeSean was more of a Vick guy and Chip wants his team to rally around the QB. Of course with Kiko being from Oregon he's already a Mariota guy, so there's still the chance that Mariota is heading here too. It's certainly not a boring off-season in Philadelphia.

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

yellowrose — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 02:34:55 GMT

Our Cole Beasley got a 4yr. deal. I'm very happy about that.

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

gardenman — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 19:23:20 GMT

I have a feeling the next week or two will be very interesting in Philadelphia. We have Jameis Winston making a very early visit to Tampa. Both sides claim it's out of convenience. I'm thinking there's a lot more to it than that. Call me crazy, but I'm thinking both sides could rearrange their schedules to accommodate a visit in the more typical time-frame. If you're Jameis Winston, it's hard to imagine anything that would be more important than meeting with the team with the first overall pick. "Ah gee, I'd love to come but I've got a dentist appointment. Sorry." No. This is Tampa trying to make sure he's the guy they want and if there's any doubt, then they'll take a trade out, likely with the Eagles.

Why the Eagles? Chip Kelly wants to get his guy (apparently Mariota) and he's got one of the most desired commodities there is in the NFL, a proven, young, Pro-Bowl caliber quarterback in Nick Foles that he's willing to part with. Foles is a solid citizen, hard worker, competitor, and proven in the league in two radically different offenses.

Why would Tampa do it? There are about a million red flags flying around Jameis Winston (sexual assault allegation, theft/shoplifting, and more.) He's unproven. He's got potential to blow-up in a big, bad way. Rookie quarterbacks are never a sure thing. Tampa wants to come out of the draft with "their guy" at quarterback. They can opt for a proven commodity that's still got his best years ahead of him, or gamble on Winston/Mariota.

What else would need to be involved? I don't see it being a straight one for one (Foles for Mariota) trade. I also don't see it being a Redskins/Rams style trade with many high picks swapping. I'm thinking the Eagles would trade their first round pick (20th overall) and probably a future pick (maybe based on how Foles performs) to get a shot at Mariota. People talking about five first round picks to move up are probably a little crazy. I don't see it taking nearly that much. The Bucs want to get a good, potentially great starting quarterback out of the draft and Foles could be that guy. (If the Bucs pass on Winston there's no guarantee that he wouldn't still be there at 20. A lot of teams are going to be scared to death of him.) Mariota's not a good fit for the vast majority of NFL teams, so I don't think many other teams would be willing to move up and few other teams have a good, young, proven quarterback to offer in a trade.

Trades can formally take place on Tuesday 3/10/2015 and I wouldn't be shocked to see a trade involving Nick Foles going to either Tampa or Tennessee go down on or around that date. Either team could get a good, proven, young quarterback from the Eagles along with an additional pick/picks and that's a pretty good way to come out of the trade.

On a side note, I wouldn't be shocked to hear the Eagles offer the extra fourth round pick they got from Buffalo for Bryce Brown to the Dolphins for Dion Jordan. Jordan's not a good fit in Miami and Chip Kelly loves the kid. We could use an outside linebacker and his upside is impressive. That trade, if it happens, is more likely a draft day trade however.

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

Spurt — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 01:30:43 GMT

On 3/1/2015 sunshine45 said:
kind of sad that the ravens are losing jacoby jones, although he was not much of a producer last year. it is tough to lose players when you like them and know that at one time they contributed so much to the team. it will free up some space in regard to the salary cap.

Yep, sunshine that is a bummer......I'm wondering what the redskins are gonna do with Brian Orakpo who has injury problems and was franchised tag last year to see if he could stay healthy...he didn't. He has always been a real team guy .....

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

Spurt — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 01:32:09 GMT

GARDENMAN---I'm interested on knowing your thoughts on trading Shady McCoy....

And it looks like the Bills are going to make a trade with the Vikes for Matt Cassel ....looks like Rex is making some moves....

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

Spurt — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 01:34:58 GMT

On 3/1/2015 teganslaw said:
I haven't heard about the Colts' interest in DeMarco Murray.That is interesting.The rumor so far has been that Frank Gore might be headed to Indy; Adrian Peterson's name was even mentioned, but not sure about him. The Colts have enough cap space to make an attractive offer to some free agents, and they will be very busy during the draft.

Safety Mike Adams is a FA and one of the Colts' priorities is to re-sign him. There will be contract talks going on between Adams and the team.

LOL about Francois not knowing "HTTR." Doesn't Washington teach players that when they signed with the team?

It is sad to lose certain players. Fans were upset when Jeff Saturday left the Colts. He is now an analyst on ESPN; does a good job, too.

Hey TEGAN....Since Bruce Allen was moved from GM to "president" of the team, I thought he would handle the little details....ya know like alumni festivities and charity events and explaining Washington's history and what HTTR meant to new players....

I think Jeff does a good job on ESPN.

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

gardenman — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 03:08:23 GMT

On 3/4/2015 SPURT said:
GARDENMAN---I'm interested on knowing your thoughts on trading Shady McCoy....

And it looks like the Bills are going to make a trade with the Vikes for Matt Cassel ....looks like Rex is making some moves....

It surprised me, but I don't have a problem with it. LeSean has been a bit of a handful since Chip Kelly came. Initially he was going to demand a trade and leave the Eagles when he heard Chip Kelly would be the new coach. Mike Vick had to calm him down and get him to give Chip a chance. Chip did wonders for LeSean (who'd been averaging around 900 yards a year under Andy and then averaged around 1500 under Chip) but the relationship between the two never took off. LeSean was a Vick guy and not a Foles guy. He wasn't happy when DeSean got released last year. He just isn't a great fit for Chip. He tends to dance too much side to side and not hit holes hard. He's lost a bit of his evasiveness and speed over the last year. Pro Football Focus had him ranked 33rd (I believe) out of 34 running backs they ranked. He's due $24.25 million over the next three years. Running backs tend to go pretty much straight downhill after they turn 27 and he turns 27 this year.

To get a stud, young linebacker (often compared to Luke Kuechly in his rookie season) in exchange for McCoy is a pretty good deal for the Eagles. If Kiko Alonso can come back from his ACL surgery and play at that level again, fans will quickly forget LeSean McCoy. If you watch the highlight films of Kiko Alonso, you'll see a stud. Kiko's been rehabbing at Oregon which conveniently enough is Chip's old home, so he's been able to assess Kiko's rehab work (probably quietly and off the record) and seems satisfied. I have a feeling that LeSean will miss the Philly blockers and scheme and have a hard time getting over a thousand yards next year. He's likely to be very frustrated next year at this time.

Re: NFL News and Notes for March 2015!!!

gardenman — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 16:54:33 GMT

I'm not sure how much you can believe NFL agents and what they're leaking to the media, but the agents for Devin McCourty, Byron Maxwell and Jason Worilds all claim the Eagles are the team most likely to land their client. (At least that's what they're telling the Philly area media. They may be saying the same thing to the media in every other NFL city, but that's the word on free agency in Philly. They could also be saying this to drive up the price/competition for their clients.)

Tomorrow is the start of the official, sanctioned, tampering period where teams can meet with the free agents and talk contract, but not formally sign anything. Expect sports reporters (and their interns, wives, children, and anyone else they can wrangle into it) to be hanging around the arrival areas of local airports to try and see who's coming to town. Some will be stationed at team's headquarters and the houses of the owners/head coaches all in a desperate attempt to scoop everyone else. Smart agents have already smuggled their top players into town and have them stashed out of sight in a hotel.

Come Tuesday lots of contracts can be formally signed and expect lots of action to take place then. Tuesday is the official start of the new league year and trades will be formalized, free agents signed, and general chaos will reign.

How do the agents know where their clients are most likely to sign since they can't have direct contact with the teams about a free agent? Suffice to say a lot of indirect contact takes place with other players the agents represent and the team long before the official free agency period begins. There's lots of indirect contact (player to player) that takes place so before the official free agency period ever occurs, both sides generally have a real good feel for how things will play out. Then it's just a question of hammering out the details and dealing with any surprises that pop up. Things are going to start getting even more interesting around the NFL.