Sports

[teganslaw]

Gardenman, I'm enjoying the remarks in your last post. About the NFL saying that Miami will be fined each day they don't have a real quarterback: if the NFL did that, then Jacksonville would have been fined all last season. Ha!

"Unbelieveable hiring Ryan Fitzpatrick, said no one." Maybe he will do well in Miami. At least he knows his way around the league.

I've been watching some of the AAF games. They're entertaining and have some good analysts. It looks like Trent Richardson of the Birmingham Iron has found his place, as well as some other former NFL players. It's nice to see them get another chance.

[gardenman]

I think we'll see a second wave of free agent signing when the AAF wraps up its season. They've got some good receivers, Trent Richardson at running back, and some good defensive players who will have earned at least a shot in the NFL. Smart NFL teams have likely had scouts at each game studying guys and grading them. It's one more place to find talented players.

Fitzpatrick is one of those guys like Mark Sanchez who can play really, really well for a few games, then look horrible for more games. Catch him on a hot streak and you wonder why he's not a star. Come back a few weeks later and you wonder how he stays in the league. At least he's a legitimate NFL starter, just not a very good one. I'm pretty sure the league wasn't happy with Tannehill being cut loose with no other "real" starter in Miami. While the NFL knows some teams tank, they don't want it being done in an obvious fashion. (Neither does Las Vegas or any other state where sports betting is now legal.)

Teams like the Giants, Dolphins, and Bengals, who all appear like they might be tanking for Tua, may come off the sports books completely in 2019.  It's not that hard to lose football games even if you're trying to win, so trying to lose them is even easier. If they appear to be tanking once the season starts, the gambling industry may just pull their games off the books. They need some uncertainty to make money off of gamblers and if the gambling industry knows those teams will try to lose every game, there's no way to make money off of their games

It's going to be interesting to see how the gambling industry responds to some teams that may be tanking this year. My gut says they'll just pull them off the books completely in terms of wins and losses. That'll be a bit embarrassing to a league that values parity and fairness. The old "any given Sunday" rule may just be thrown out the window this year as some teams really won't want to win. Winning is hard enough when you're trying to win, but when you're not trying to win it's danged near impossible. Sports books don't like danged near impossible odds.

[sunshine45]

haloti ngata has announced his retirement! a future "ring of honor" raven.

https://ravenswire.usatoday.com/2019/03/18/former-baltimore-ravens-haloti-ngata-retires/

[Spurt]

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@sunshine45 wrote:

haloti ngata has announced his retirement! a future "ring of honor" raven.

https://ravenswire.usatoday.com/2019/03/18/former-baltimore-ravens-haloti-ngata-retires/

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@sunshine45 

What a spectacular way to make the announcement---Ngata took a photo at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro at 19,341 feet to make the announcement.

[Spurt]

@gardenman  @teganslaw 

Its funny that the NFL wasn't really concerned about appearances of tanking until legalized betting came into the picture....But now Goodell is stuck having to answer to Vegas!!!!  Although Goodell talked the talked, he really didn't care about integrity, equity, and fairness and "protecting the shield".... My fear with all this is with so much money at stake the possibility of corruption ....I'm not talking about tanking, I'm talking about wins/loses during the regular season, playoffs and Super Bowl....I fear its only a matter of time...

Perhaps the AAF will become a developmental league for the NFL.....not only for playerdevelopment, but also to try out rule changes etc...

@teganslaw 

Yes, maybe the St. Patrick's Day Letter was to give the Eagles a little dig.....

[sunshine45]

@Spurt 

now THAT is the way to retire in style from the nfl!

wishing him a future filled with mountains and success.

[Spurt]

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@sunshine45 wrote:

@Spurt 

now THAT is the way to retire in style from the nfl!

wishing him a future filled with mountains and success.

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@sunshine45 

[Spurt]

I can't believe he did this....Bruce Allen needs a sanity test I can't believe he signed the incompetent Ereck Flowers....

    #FireBruceAllen....

They also signed WR Brian Quick who used to be a former Redskin....he's a backup and may not even make the roster....

[gardenman]

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@Spurt wrote:

I can't believe he did this....Bruce Allen needs a sanity test I can't believe he signed the incompetent Ereck Flowers....

    #FireBruceAllen....

They also signed WR Brian Quick who used to be a former Redskin....he's a backup and may not even make the roster....

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Ereck Flowers is one of those guys you just knew a team would take a flyer on. He's got the size and physical attributes you want in an offensive lineman, it's just a shame he can't play worth a darn. Oh well, the Redskins may be opting to tank for Tua and give the Giants some competition afterall. It would be kind of hilarious if the top QB prospects next year all opted to stay in school one more year and force all the tanking teams to tank again. (Most of the top college QB's will still be eligible to go back to school one more year.)

I'm really enjoying the way the NFC East is shaping up. There's talk now that Ezekiel Elliott may hold out for a new contract. Demarcus Lawrence wants a new deal or he won't show up. Dak Prescott has no fifth year option since he wasn't a first round pick, so the Cowboys have to do something with him pretty soon. Witten's back, but he's not a miracle worker.

The Giants are just insane with their moves. The Redskins are in QB purgatory. The Cowboys are having lots of roster issues. It's almost like the rest of the NFC East is giftwrapping the division for the Eagles this year. Now watch the Eagles go 1-15 for some reason. Things never quite work out like you expect in the NFL. 

There's still lots of time for roster shuffling though. We've got the AAF players coming available in April, the draft at the end of April, there are still some good free agents out there. June first cuts will be made. Then there will be cuts at the end of training camp. Most rosters will undergo a fair amount of tweaking between now the start of the regular season. 

Ereck Flowers is an interesting guy though. He only wants to play left tackle which is where he feels the most comfortable, but you really need a guy to be more versatile than that. He was a turnstile for most of his time in NY. Maybe he just needs the right coaching? Who knows? If the price is right, it's not necessarily a bad signing. Bring him in, see what he can do. Coach him up. If he's as bad as he was in NY, you can cut him loose and move on. If he actually starts playing up to his potential, you've got a potential star. You just never know.

[JillyMarie]

Raiders sign Vontaze Burfict to 1 year contract. Hey AB, didn't he take you down a game or two?