Sports

[Spurt]

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@teganslawwrote:

Adam Vinatieri is close to a new one year deal with the Colts. His contract had expired, and he plans on staying with Indy for at least another year. There was talk of his retirement, but he's' not ready yet. This will be his 23rd year in the NFL. I'm glad to hear the news. As long as he feels good and wants to continue playing, I'm all for it.

Wondering if the Steelers will place a franchise tag on Le'Veon Bell. He has said that he doesn't want to play under the tag, so it will interesting to see what happens.

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@teganslaw

That's great about Adam......He's set to break records this year.....he should be inducted into the HOF...

Kicker Morten Anderson was 47 when he retired and he had played 25 seasons.....so hey Adam needs to play a couple more years...tell him to change that contract he needs to match Mort  

Levon Bell-- will be interesting to see what happens....He seems to be a bit of a whiner....he's probably been talking to Antonio Brown and how he got the contract he wanted ....

Mel Kiper's latest mock .Mel stressed this is based on what he hears from teams and what he expects them to do. Of course it does not reflect any trades or free agents especially at QB position which could impact a lot on this year's draft.......

He has the Redskins taking NT Vita Vea Univ of Washington. Vea was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2017. In his three-year college career, he totaled 99 tackles, including 15 tackles for losses and 9.5 sacks. He also deflected four passes his senior year.  “The 6-4, 346-pound Vea is a freakish talent who is more than a run-stopper. He has rare quickness for a player of his size and can play all three downs.”  

He still has the Colts taking DE Bradley Chubb, other Mock Drafts have different scenarios with Colts trading down and getting extra picks....

Mel has the Eagles taking Kirk, but not Kirk Cousins, no this is Christian Kirk WR Texas A&M.some compare him to Odell Beckham Jr. good hands, explosive.

He has the Browns taking QB Josh Allen with #1 pick.........

[Spurt]

Here's why John Keim doesnt think Cousins goes to NY........

New York Jets: With approximately $75 million in cap space, they can pay quite a bit for Cousins if they want; they can free up another $15 million or so with cuts. But signing Cousins doesn’t solve all their issues.

Quarterback Josh McGown  wasn’t the problem in the 13 games he played last season, throwing 18 touchdowns to nine interceptions with a passer rating of 94.5. He wasn’t a Pro Bowl player, but he played well and the Jets were 5-8 in games he started. New York lacks offensive playmakers; finding one with the sixth overall pick won’t be enough. They need a running back, tight end and offensive line help. They need to fix their defense, which ranked 22nd in points allowed and 25th in yards allowed.

Money alone has never solved problems in the NFL. Still, the Jets could always structure Cousins’ contract so it’s front-loaded, allowing them to build for the next several years. Then the question becomes: Can they?

Having a coordinator in Jeremy Bates who has a reputation for being highly detailed -- and who coached with Mike Shanahan, Cousins’ first coach -- helps. Cousins met him once and he knows the system he runs. Winning in New York could make Cousins a king; losing there after signing a huge deal would do the opposite. Cousins would be betting on himself again, this time that he could elevate a franchise. He’d also be betting on the Jets to get him what he needs. Those are big bets.

He says Cousins best bet would be Minnesota...or Jags if they move on from Bortles......Then Denver but they would have to clear cap space for him....(my own analysis--if Vonn Miller was so keen on getting Cousins maybe he could re-structure HIS contract???)

[gardenman]

The Vikings are a pretty good landing spot for any QB. They've got a decent offensive line, good receivers, good running backs, and a solid defense. They've got about $50 million in cap space to spend. They could make a solid offer for Cousins.

The Broncos need Cousins to work with them and want to play with them. They can't outbid their competition. The Browns, Jets, Bills, and Vikings can all outbid them. Whichever teams don't get Cousins can then outbid the Broncos for the next level guys.

I really think Elway will realize he needs to get a top guy and his only real option may be to trade for Foles. He can't wait and hope a kid falls to him at five. Moving up in the draft is expensive, if even possible, and he likely can't go higher than three, leaving him the third best rookie. If he stays at five, three quarterbacks are likely to go before he picks leaving him the fourth best option.

Elway's made it clear that Siemian will be traded. I could see the Broncos offering Siemian and that fifth overall pick for Foles. The Eagles get a free body/insurance to compete with Sudfeld as the backup QB, and that fifth overall pick. I expect to hear something come out of the combine. Teams will be feeling out agents and other GM's to find their best options. Denver seems to be in a tough spot to me. They can't outbid multiple teams, there will likely be three kid QB's drafted before they pick, they're pretty much fourth in line for free agents and rookies. I think Denver has to make the bold move and go for Foles.

If the Eagles get that fifth pick, then look out! With three QB's likely going in the first four picks, that would leave a very high end guy available at five. Bradley Chubb, the defensive end, Saquon Barkley, the running back, and Minkah Fitzpatrick, the defensive back, all can't be gone. I'm pretty sure the Eagles would love any of them.

[yellowBeetle]

I have a feeling Cousins will wind up in Denver. John Elway is still very close with Mike Shanahan. We know how much Shanahan liked Cousins...and vice versa. I think Shanahan still has some influence with Elway and could likely talk up Cousins to him. Cousins wants to be with a team that has playoff potential. Seems with some tweaks here and there, plus the addition of Cousins as QB, it could be a win-win for both the team and Cousins.

As to Foles, I am not convinced that he wants to move on. He seems happy in Philly...and $$$ does not seem to be a driving force for him. Considering he has already achieved the highest honor that any NFL QB can achieve...the MVP QB of the Super Bowl...he may very well be content to be the backup for Wentz. Only a handful of QBs have ever won the MVP Super Bowl Award more than once....Brady (4), Montana (3), Bradshaw (2), and Eli (2). All of the other QBs who have been named MVP have done so only once...names like Brees, Rodgers, Peyton Manning, etc. And if Foles wants to stay in Philly, I think the Eagles will honor his wish.

One possibility mentioned on PTI by Tony Kornheiser was that if Andrew Luck cannot play then maybe the Colts and Frank Reich would try and get Foles. But again, would Foles want to go? I can see that scenario as more desirable to Foles than say Denver, as he and Reich really like and respect one another.

Time will tell....such an exciting and interesting period!

[gardenman]

Denver's big issue is their cap space. They've only got around $25-29 million to spend. Lots of other teams can offer Cousins more. While money isn't everything, it does matter.

Money will also likely motivate Foles to leave Philly. He'll make $7 million if he stays in Philly, but more like $20-$30 million if he goes elsewhere. That's a big chunk of money to pass up. His heart may say "Stay in Philly," but passing up $13 million this year and another $40 million or so guaranteed is hard to justify. Athletes have limited careers and if Wentz stays healthy next year Foles' value will have dropped. A deal for him next year might cost him $10 million or more.

I just don't see Denver being in a good spot in the quarterback hunt. They don't have the cap space to compete, their draft pick will likely limit them to the fourth best kid QB. A trade seems like their best option unless they're looking at a Bradford, Keenum, or Tyrod Taylor type option.

[gardenman]

The Chiefs are working on trading their whole team. They flushed their QB Alex Smith earlier, and today traded cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams for undisclosed draft picks. It's been a busy off season for the Chiefs so far. It looks like the NFL is moving into a wild and crazy trade season with players moving all over the place.

[teganslaw]

Dez Bryant  and the Cowboys won't say whether he'll take a pay cut to stay with the team. His productivity has dropped these past couple years, so I'm wondering what will happen.

No one on the Colts is getting tagged. They have had very few franchise tags, not like other teams.

The Chiefs sound like they're in rebuilding mode. Maybe losing the playoff game has affected them, and they feel they need a fresh start.

[gardenman]

Yeah, Dez is due something like $17 million this year, so the Jones's are playing good cop/bad cop with him. Jerry Jones is playing the good cop telling Dez how great he is and Jerry has confidence he'll play well. Meanwhile Stephen Jones is playing the bad cop role and talking about Dez's cap number, his declining performance, etc.. They'll likely extend his contract (like they did with Witten last year) so he'll still be getting paid by the Cowboys when he's eligible for AARP.

I think the Chiefs are more trying to change the team chemistry than rebuild. They've got their young QB (Patrick Mahomes) who they likely want to assume a leadership role. Getting rid of existing team leaders (Alex Smith) and rogue personalities (Marcus Peters) opens up more opportunities for Mahomes to take over as a leader.

That whole AFC West will be interesting to watch. The Raiders imploded last year. The Chiefs were very hot or very cold. Denver needed a quarterback. The Chargers were surprisingly decent. Pretty much any of those teams could rise or fall in 2018. The Chiefs are trusting their future to Mahomes. That could be good, or disastrous. The Broncos are still looking for a QB. Their success or failure largely depends on who they land. The Raiders have dusted off Jon Gruden and hope he has some magic left. The Chargers might just be the off season favorite, simply due to their stability.

[gardenman]

The Jags have taken themselves out of the quarterback derby by signing Blake Bortles to a three year, $54 million extension. They may still grab a kid in the draft, but it's unlikely they'll compete for Cousins after this.

[teganslaw]

Blake Bortles was impressive during the playoffs; that must have been one of the  deciding factors for his contract extension. 

The show NFL Access has said that Andrew Luck is throwing weighted footballs now and that his shoulder seems fine. There is still plenty of rehab to go, but Luck is optimistic about playing in 2018. Frank Reich is going with an aggressive offense similar to what the Eagles have done. He will take more risks and go for it on 4th down more often. If the news about Luck is correct, and there are no setbacks, it should be fun watching the new approach. This will make the AFC South very competitive.