Sports

[gardenman]

ESPN is suggesting a trade option for the Eagles where they give up pick twelve to the Dolphins along with picks 84 (third round) and 224 (sixth round) and get back picks 18 and 50 (second round.) It would be an interesting move. That extra pick at 50 could be interesting to add. The Eagles would then be in a position to get three of the top fifty players in the draft with picks 18, 37, and 50. They'd still have pick 70 also which would give them four of the top 70 players. 

[Spurt]

Now Alex Smith has sour grapes towards Ron Rivera and the WFT's coaching staff for being cautious and "patronizing" about playing him..... The guy had half a leg and couldnt move, he was a sitting duck.... How do you think Rivera would have felt if he had played Alex and he took a hit which disabled him and he was unable to walk for the rest of his life....how could he face Alex's wife and kids....

Smith told SI.com he found Washington’s coaches “patronizing,” and that they acted like they knew more than Smith and the medical doctors who had told Smith he could play again. “It ****** me off,” Smith said.

Washington head coach Ron Rivera acknowledges he was scared of what might happen if Smith returned to the field.

“I was scared to death about putting [Alex] back out there and that is something I struggled with every day,” Rivera said. “It’s unfortunate that he feels we patronized him because I can tell you that was not our intention. At the end of the day, I commend Alex because he proved everyone wrong and exceeded any reasonable expectations that anyone had set for him. He not only made it back onto the field but led us to the playoffs. It was a truly remarkable feat.”

It’s hard to blame Rivera for being overly cautious with a player coming back from one of the ugliest injuries in NFL history. It’s also hard to blame Smith for being frustrated at coaches wanting to overrule a medical decision. Ultimately, Smith proved he was capable of one of a great comeback. But Rivera was far from the only one who feared it would not end well.

[teganslaw]

I can understand both sides of the issue. With everything Alex Smith went through, of course Rivera was nervous about  Smith playing. One more hit and it could have ended everything once again. 

On the other hand, Smith worked with medical staff and followed what they said. If he was cleared to play, and felt that he was ready, then it was being slighted if he was benched. 

It's too bad Alex Smith feels that way. Maybe after some time has passed, he will look at it differently and  be glad that he's healthy and able to have quality time with his family. 

[gardenman]

When you're the coach in a situation like that, you're trapped between a rock and a hard place. Just looking at his leg makes any sane person doubt the wisdom of playing the guy. Chip Kelly had a similar situation with the Niners. Colin Kaepernick had injured his shoulder the previous season and then become a vegan during the offseason. When he came back he was so thin and frail-looking that Chip was afraid to play him and kept him benched for a bit. You don't want to put someone out there knowing they're not physically capable of enduring.

I was actually surprised when they did put Alex Smith out there. I'm not sure I would have. That risk/reward ratio was tilted a whole lot to the risk side of things. Put him on the field and he gets injured again, maybe loses the leg, and everyone's "What were you thinking? You cost him his leg! Winning football games shouldn't be that important that you put winning games above a person's life!" Keep him on the bench and he's angry with you but physically intact. Players always want to play no matter the injury or risk. Sometimes the coach has to be the smart guy and not let them take the risk even if they're willing.

It's not a smart move on his part attacking Rivera at this point. The smarter move is to thank the team for giving him a chance to play. Be conciliatory. You never know what will happen. The WFT could get their whole QB staff injured in the preseason and desperately need a QB. A guy who knows the system could be called out of retirement to come back and lead them to the Super Bowl. You really don't want to burn your bridges as a former player. 

[Spurt]

@gardenman

Certainly Alex should have appreciated Rivera's point of view. And totally agree about Alex burning bridges. Andy Reid hinted Alex might make a good coach...

[gardenman]

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@Spurt wrote:
@gardenman

Certainly Alex should have appreciated Rivera's point of view. And totally agree about Alex burning bridges. Andy Reid hinted Alex might make a good coach...

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Yeah, you should never burn bridges in the NFL. If you hate the guy and think he's an idiot, tell that to your wife, but not anyone else. Insist to the rest of the world that you love the guy. Your paths are likely to cross again at some point. It's a smallish NFL world.

The draft rumor mill seems surprisingly quiet today. Maybe all the rumor mongers among GMs are actually focused on making real trades or finalizing their boards.

[yellowBeetle]

I was surprised to read those comments from Alex Smith. Like the rest of you have said, it is understandable that Smith felt some frustration, but it is also very reasonable that Rivera had legitimate fear about putting Smith out there. Hopefully Smith will feel better about it all. He proved to himself and everyone else that he was able to come back from that gruesome injury and grueling recovery period.  

Heard that Jerry Jones is still infatuated with Kyle Pitts, saying in a video call with Pitts that the idea of pairing Dak with Pitts was giving him "visions of sugar plums"...😉

[Spurt]

@yellowBeetle

Yep, Jerry has visions of sugar plums thinking about Pitt and Dak...and plenty of room for visions because there's little else in that head of his 😄😆


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[teganslaw]

Jim Irsay said that there's a possibilty they can move guard Quenton Nelson to left tackle if necessary. I wouldn't care for that;  Nelson's strength is playing guard position so not sure how it would work. They should be able to draft a tackle, and then Nelson can stay where he's best. 

As far as Jerry Jones seeing "visions of sugar plums" , does that include visions of fairies and nutcrackers also? Is At &T Stadium becoming a wonderland? 

[gardenman]

The Chiefs have decided to go big in fixing their o-line issues. They've traded for Orlando Brown from the Ravens to be their new left tackle. The Chiefs gave up their first, third, fourth, and fifth-round picks, to get Brown and Baltimore's second and sixth-round picks. It's a pricey deal and Brown is on the last year of his deal and there's no extension included so he could be a free agent in 2022. They clearly needed to do something to address their o-line issues. They cut three starters loose at the end of the season and you don't want Mahomes out there without a good line.

So the Ravens now have two first-round picks, 27 and 31. Do they keep them, bundle them to move up higher,  trade one away to get more picks? We'll have to see.