Sports

[Spurt]

@teganslaw  @gardenman 

What one of our local sports guys, Don Harris, said was the AAF majority owner Tom Dundon wasn't really a football fan, he sunk his $250 mill into the AAF because of the technology they developed in their new AAP.....He viewed this as having a potential to be a real money maker. as it could be used in fantasy football and gambling....Once he saw some teams bleeding money he pulled the plug, he got the rights to what he wanted, the technology...THE APP!

Here's the info on the AAP:

Get into the game like never before with The Alliance of American Football’s official app. Watch live streaming with AAF Raw feed for all of our games featuring raw audio and interactive and dynamic scoreboard overlay. Watch full game replays to relive the action and follow the players you love. Traditional program broadcast is featured on CBS, CBSSN, TNT, NFL Network, and Bleacher Report Live.

Experience Football Like Never Before

Compete in preCast—the preeminent interactive, real-time fantasy football game. Put your football IQ to the test by going inside the game, analyzing the defense, spotting trends in play calling, identifying mismatches and predicting the coach’s next move. Follow the live action via near zero-latency avatars and predict every play. preCast leverages progressive algorithms, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to take your experience to the next level.

[gardenman]

The AAF players are now free to sign with the NFL. The Eagles are bringing in Luis Perez quarterback of the Birmingham Iron for a look-see. 

[teganslaw]

The Chiefs signed a cornerback from the AAF: other teams will probably do the same.

WR Ryan Grant, formerly of the Colts and Redskins, is now a Raider. Grant didn't do much in Indy, so It's no surprise that he went elsewhere. The Raiders have been busy in free agency.

The Jets have new uniforms for 2019. One of them is black with a green helmet, and looks similar to the Eagles' black uniforms. I like the look.

Off topic: SPURT, I saw that Spurs coach, Popovich, was ejected from a couple games. One of the ejections happened 63 seconds into the game, a record for the quickest ejection in NBA history. What's up with this? Also, congratulations for setting a record?

[Spurt]

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@teganslaw wrote:

The Chiefs signed a cornerback from the AAF: other teams will probably do the same.

WR Ryan Grant, formerly of the Colts and Redskins, is now a Raider. Grant didn't do much in Indy, so It's no surprise that he went elsewhere. The Raiders have been busy in free agency.

The Jets have new uniforms for 2019. One of them is black with a green helmet, and looks similar to the Eagles' black uniforms. I like the look.

Off topic: SPURT, I saw that Spurs coach, Popovich, was ejected from a couple games. One of the ejections happened 63 seconds into the game, a record for the quickest ejection in NBA history. What's up with this? Also, congratulations for setting a record?

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@teganslaw 

Thanks, that NBA record by the Spurs was set by past Spurs teams with  locker room of tenured players that really cared, and stars that didn't mind coming off the bench if it meant a win. 

Now we have a bunch of young players who don't give a consistent performance all the time....There's a few veteran players on the roster-, Rudy who is fairly new--decent player, and --one player that's supposed to be an All Star, LaMarcus Aldridge, he is so inconsistent and he's one of the main ones that doesn't always come to play---I dont really like him.  The other, Patti Mills is a soft spoken  quiet hard working Aussie that tries his best...he leads the bench...but it's not the same atmosphere we used to have...What's bad is the Spurs are losing to the weak Eastern Conference bottom feeders Aaarrgggh!  Former Coach and NBA Analyst Jeff Van Gundy, said this is a problem throughout the league....not just the Spurs players who seem to pick which games they try to win...

Spurs made it to the playoffs, but haven't been playing welll, but hey we made it, but our rivals, the Lakers, with "King" LeBron didnt ..LOL

The first time Pop got thrown out of a game was one of those lackluster performances by the team and he got thrown out just to spark the Spurs into action (some NBA coaches use this method--some said Pop got disgusted by the team's performance and wanted to go to the locker room and have a glass of wine ---he's a wine connoisseur)--LOL

The 63 second ejection was controversial Pop was arguing a call, even NBA Analyst, Doris Burke, said Pop wasn't even overly aggresive, just animated, but she said these ejections are happening too frequently in the NBA to coaches and players .....she said lots of veteran refs have retired, and players are treating new refs with disrespect, players sitting on the bench are mocking them making fun of them, so refs are responding with an "I am in charge" attitude with quick whistles and ejections.....But JMHO NBA refs have always been worse than the NFL refs.  The NBA refs make many bad calls resulting in "makeup calls", and some are biased against certain players/teams....Doris said the NBA Commish needs to get the two sides on track...I agree

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I'm glad to see some of the AAF players getting picked up....that wasn't right that the AAF league even left some of the players stranded with no way to get home, and what about the players that were injured and going through treatment....And still no word on refunds for local fans who bought season tickets and tickets for playoff games that wont be played 

Yep Ryan Grant wasn't very good for either of our teams....

And gee look at all the drama that is being uncovered with Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy......There's something about Rodgers----kinda wierd how he doesn't even get along with his own family,but his former coach is no saint either!

The Redskins voluntary offseason workouts begin April 15 and the organized team activity sessions are as follows: May 20-21, 23; May 28-30; June 10-12. Their mandatory minicamp is June 4-6. The Redskins had always held their minicamp after the OTAs. A handful of other teams will conduct a minicamp before their final OTA session as well, including New England.

[Spurt]

The Cowboys deal with Lawrence is nearly done, 

Todd Archer of ESPN reports it is a five-year, $100 million deal with $65 million guaranteed.

Lawrence will get the most money ever in the first year of a deal for a defensive player, NFL Media reports.  Khalil Mack had the previous best at $41 million.

Mack averages $23.5 million a season to lead all pass rushers in yearly average, with Von Miller coming in second at $19.1 million per season. Defensive end Trey Flowersleft New England to sign a five-year, $90 million deal with Detroit, ranking him third in annual average.

The Cowboys used the franchise tag on Lawrence for a second consecutive year, but the defensive end had no plans to sign the $20.5 million tag for 2019 and has postponed shoulder surgery until he got a new deal.

Lawrence, 26, has made 25 sacks and six forced fumbles in the past two seasons.

[gardenman]

Kudos to Demarcus Lawrence. He played the game well. He got $105 million with $65 million guaranteed making him among the highest paid defensive players in the league. He's good, but not that good. His refusing to get his shoulder surgery until he had a new deal put pressure on the Cowboys to get it done sooner rather than later. With the Cowboys caving to his demands (they felt he was a $17 million a year guy) they now gave extra incentive to Amari Cooper, Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, to hold out for the biggest possible payday. All three will want to be the highest paid guys going forward and the Cowboys won't be in position to argue too much. About half the Cowboys cap money will likely be going to six or seven guys who will get paid a lot, while everyone else will be forced to play at below market rates.

I still think the Cowboys smartest move would have been to put their best offer on the table before free agency and let Lawrence test the market. I don't think any other team would have given him $105 with $65 million guaranteed. He might have gotten $18 million a year, but given the status of his shoulder, that may have even been unlikely. Shoulder surgery isn't ever a sure thing and there's no guarantee he'll be back in the three to four months predicted. He's unlikely to be back to full strength even if he's back on the field.

[gardenman]

I read an interesting article on the Cowboys and their cap management. The author described the Cowboy's philosophy as "stars and scrubs." They'll overpay their stars and then have no cap space left for the rest, so they have to make do with lesser players in other positions. There's a lack of team balance with such an approach. You end up with big weaknesses that other teams can exploit. When you pay a Demarcus Lawrence $20+ million you have to economize elsewhere. Do you economize at safety or corner? 

The same thing with their offense. When they pay Dak, Cooper and Elliott will there be money left for a tight end, or offensive linemen? Football is a team sport and you need good players everywhere. If you've got a weakness, other teams will exploit it. It's great to have star players, but you probably win more with two good players over one star.

[gardenman]

There's an interesting poll on NFL.com about which of the four NFC teams are best set to win the NFC. The Saints come in first at 50%, the Rams next at 31%, the Eagles at 12% and the Vikings at 8%. (As of the time I'm writing this. By the way, if you do that math, that shows that 101% of the people have voted. I sense some election fraud going on!) 

The Saints are an odd pick to me. They lost their starting center and replaced him with a guy who sat out all last year with a neck injury. They lost Mark Ingram and replaced him with Latavius Murray who was so-so (at best) last year. They've still got quite a few holes to fill in the draft, but no first round pick and only six picks overall. Anytime a team has Drew Brees you've got to like them, but the Rams did beat them in the playoffs in New Orleans last year, so they're not exactly a juggernaut. The Eagles (though badly beat up) also nearly beat them in the playoffs. The Saints are good, but I don't see them being the best in the NFC.

The Rams are good, very good. They haven't lost a lot and they've made some good short-term moves (picking up Weddle, Dante Fowler, Clay Matthews, Blake Bortles) to give them more depth and experience. (Also age which makes these moves a short-term move.) Their big question is Todd Gurley. Is his knee arthritis a really big issue or something they can manage? With Gurley healthy they'd be my favorites for the NFC right now. The Super Bowl hangover is always an issue for teams also.

The Eagles have arguably had the best offseason of any of the NFC teams. They've brought in DeSean Jackson to gain a deep threat.  They traded for Jordan Howard who has the third most rushing yards in the last three years (behind Gurley and Elliott) despite being used sparingly last year. They signed Malik Jackson to bolster the defensive line and also brought back Vinny Curry for more depth. Carson Wentz will have a full offseason to prepare for football and not rehab this year. You've got Jordan Howard and company to run the ball. Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson and Nelson Agholor as receivers, and Ertz and Goeddert as tight ends. That's arguably the best overall offensive firepower in the league. The defense shouldn't go through 13 plus starting cornerbacks in 2019. That  pretty much never happens in the NFL. It was one of those cursed positions last year where everyone got injured. Everyone's back healthy again for now. The Eagles have arguably the best starting defensive line in the NFL and really good backups. Linebacker is a bit of a question mark, but there are players there. I'd have the Eagles just a tick below the Rams, mostly due to uncertainty about whether Carson can stay healthy the whole season.

The Vikings would also be in fourth place to me. I just don't trust Kirk Cousins. That blowup with his receiver on the sidelines was a big flashing "Danger!" sign. You just don't do that. They've been adding to their offensive line this offseason, but you really have to wonder about the team chemistry. Cousins deal is only a three year deal also, so the Vikings are entering year two of it and they've got to be wondering if Cousins is the longterm answer for them.

I'd go with the Rams at the top, by a hair. The Eagles right behind them. (The play of the injured stars on each team, Gurley and Wentz, could flip those positions though. If Gurley is dinged, then the Rams would slip back and if Wentz is healthy they'd move forward.) The Saints a bit farther back and the VIkings back even farther. (Why aren't the Bears in this poll? I see them being better than the Vikings.) 

With the draft just a few weeks away, expect lots of lies and rumors to be flying around the league. Reports of draft eligible players getting into trouble will suddenly spring up. Questions about the character of certain players will emerge, to try and get them to drop in the draft. Teams will be running around like lunatics chasing down each new rumor to see if it's true or not. It's the silly season of the NFL right now.

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@gardenman wrote:

There's an interesting poll on NFL.com about which of the four NFC teams are best set to win the NFC. The Saints come in first at 50%, the Rams next at 31%, the Eagles at 12% and the Vikings at 8%. (As of the time I'm writing this. By the way, if you do that math, that shows that 101% of the people have voted. I sense some election fraud going on!) 

The Saints are an odd pick to me. They lost their starting center and replaced him with a guy who sat out all last year with a neck injury. They lost Mark Ingram and replaced him with Latavius Murray who was so-so (at best) last year. They've still got quite a few holes to fill in the draft, but no first round pick and only six picks overall. Anytime a team has Drew Brees you've got to like them, but the Rams did beat them in the playoffs in New Orleans last year, so they're not exactly a juggernaut. The Eagles (though badly beat up) also nearly beat them in the playoffs. The Saints are good, but I don't see them being the best in the NFC.

The Rams are good, very good. They haven't lost a lot and they've made some good short-term moves (picking up Weddle, Dante Fowler, Clay Matthews, Blake Bortles) to give them more depth and experience. (Also age which makes these moves a short-term move.) Their big question is Todd Gurley. Is his knee arthritis a really big issue or something they can manage? With Gurley healthy they'd be my favorites for the NFC right now. The Super Bowl hangover is always an issue for teams also.

The Eagles have arguably had the best offseason of any of the NFC teams. They've brought in DeSean Jackson to gain a deep threat.  They traded for Jordan Howard who has the third most rushing yards in the last three years (behind Gurley and Elliott) despite being used sparingly last year. They signed Malik Jackson to bolster the defensive line and also brought back Vinny Curry for more depth. Carson Wentz will have a full offseason to prepare for football and not rehab this year. You've got Jordan Howard and company to run the ball. Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson and Nelson Agholor as receivers, and Ertz and Goeddert as tight ends. That's arguably the best overall offensive firepower in the league. The defense shouldn't go through 13 plus starting cornerbacks in 2019. That  pretty much never happens in the NFL. It was one of those cursed positions last year where everyone got injured. Everyone's back healthy again for now. The Eagles have arguably the best starting defensive line in the NFL and really good backups. Linebacker is a bit of a question mark, but there are players there. I'd have the Eagles just a tick below the Rams, mostly due to uncertainty about whether Carson can stay healthy the whole season.

The Vikings would also be in fourth place to me. I just don't trust Kirk Cousins. That blowup with his receiver on the sidelines was a big flashing "Danger!" sign. You just don't do that. They've been adding to their offensive line this offseason, but you really have to wonder about the team chemistry. Cousins deal is only a three year deal also, so the Vikings are entering year two of it and they've got to be wondering if Cousins is the longterm answer for them.

I'd go with the Rams at the top, by a hair. The Eagles right behind them. (The play of the injured stars on each team, Gurley and Wentz, could flip those positions though. If Gurley is dinged, then the Rams would slip back and if Wentz is healthy they'd move forward.) The Saints a bit farther back and the VIkings back even farther. (Why aren't the Bears in this poll? I see them being better than the Vikings.) 

With the draft just a few weeks away, expect lots of lies and rumors to be flying around the league. Reports of draft eligible players getting into trouble will suddenly spring up. Questions about the character of certain players will emerge, to try and get them to drop in the draft. Teams will be running around like lunatics chasing down each new rumor to see if it's true or not. It's the silly season of the NFL right now.

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@gardenman 

Oh no.....more voter fraud...yet another report.... will foreign governments be investgated???...  

There's something about the Rams that seems like they are incomplete...maybe its Goff and that strange Gurley episode in the Super Bowl...And what's up with Suh too???...interesting he's had so few takers...too high a price tag and not enough production if you ask me.....And the game with the Rams/Saints was awfully close....

Id give the edge to Saints with Brees...and they're gonna come out with a chip on their shoulder from all the bad call stuff and us against the world attitude!.....

It will be interesting to see if Wentz can complete a full season for the Eagles...if he's injured again...Sudfeld is unproven...I dont care about the faith the coaches have in him...the proof will be in the pudding.....

Yep, thats the $84 mill question---what is Cousins....that's what troubled my Redskins....(Of course Smith wasn't the answer, bad decision and a stop gap not a long term solution even if he wasnt injured)...As far as the Vikes, I dont think Cousins will handle the pressure well this season he will have from coaches, teammates, fans, and management.......look for more blowups or trouble in the locker room...

All fans of the other teams in the NFC East should send GM Jerrah Jones a nice thank you card for his "brilliant" (cough, cough) roster philosophy and plan......

[gardenman]

@Spurt 

Yeah, that 101% of the vote is a tad suspicious. You don't suppose Brees is a shortened form of Brezinski? Danged Russians!

The Rams will be interesting to watch. They've lost coaches, the Super Bowl hangover, and Gurley's health are all things to watch. Gurley's health is the big thing though. He's a very big part of their offense and if he can't go, they'll look a lot more like the team that lost to the Patriots, than the team that breezed through the NFC West. The Niners and Seahawks are both improved this year also, giving them some competition. I don't expect much from the Cards, but who knows?