Sports

[gardenman]

No one quite knows what Seattle is doing at QB. They say it'll be Drew Lock or Geno Smith, but unless they're tanking on purpose (it's possible given the QB-rich draft in 2023) then they've got something else planned. They got QB Drew Lock, TE Noah Fant, DE Shelby Harris, two firsts, two seconds, and a fifth for Russell Wilson and a fourth, so if Drew Lock is all that good, were the other two starters and the five draft picks just thrown in by Denver? Uh, no.

So, what is Seattle thinking? They insist they have no interest in Baker Mayfield. There's essentially no chance the Niners trade JImmy G to them. Colin Kaepernick? Gardner Minshew? QB to be named later? Do they think the Niners will be forced to release Jimmy G and they'll scoop him up then?

I'm sure they've got a plan. It might be the Colts' plan to get Andrew Luck, the Jags plan to get Trevor Lawrence, or the Dolphins tanking for Tua, but they've got a plan of some sort.

Their schedule has some winnable games against the Jets, Giants, Lions, and Falcons, but things get a bit tougher after them. And frankly, with Drew Lock and Geno Smith as a starting QB, those games may not be all that winnable. It's going to be interesting to see what the heck they do. 

The league seems to be getting a bit edgy with the tanking, and this would be one of the more obvious tank jobs ever if Seattle goes into the season with those two at QB. 

At this moment, the Eagles have two QBs who are better than Seattle's (Hurts and Minshew) and possibly a third in the kid Carson Strong. Heck, Reid Sinnett (the kid we stole from Miami last year) might be better than Lock and Smith.

I have a suspicion that the league will have a chat with Seattle about the QB spot and you're apt to see Seattle be forced to make a move if they don't make one on their own. The tanking nonsense is getting a little overdone. Seattle sure looks like they're tanking based on their QB situation. They've had multiple opportunities to upgrade and have chosen not to. The league may make it clear they can't intentionally tank this year.

It'll be a fun situation to watch play out. 

[gardenman]

With the rookie minicamps underway, more than a few scouts are feeling the heat as guys they vouched for may not be looking great on the practice fields. Teams learn a lot about the new kids in this first encounter and they also learn a lot about their scouts when they see how the guys look in real life compared to how the scouts said they'd look. 

A guy like Kyle Hamilton the safety from Notre Dame that Baltimore drafted is scary for a scout. His 4.59 and 4.70 forty times are slower than you'd like, but he looked fast on film and in games. He played well in college, but these first days on the practice field, if he's getting run past by everyone he matches up with, the coaches are going to be looking at the scouts and wanting blood. "You had us waste our first-round pick on this guy? He just got blown past by a third-string tight end who's slower than heck!" Sorry coach, but he looked faster in college. (Just an example. Hamilton may be looking great in camp. I don't know how he's doing.)

More than a few teams will be reshaping their roster plans after this first set of practices. Holes that they thought were well and truly plugged may suddenly look a lot less plugged. There will also be pleasant surprises too. A UDFA may outplay everyone and move way up the depth chart. There are more than a few coaches though who now know they're in big trouble this year. 

[teganslaw]

Have to give credit to Ron Rivera. Jahan Dotson was ready to attend rookie mini camp, but the second day interefered with his college graduation ceremony. He was planning on skipping graduation to attend the camp until Rivera convinced him otherwise. Rivera thought that graduation is a once in a lifetime deal, and said that Dotson should attend. 

Rivera has his priorities straight. Football camp matters, but is not as important as certain life events. Dotson can attend camp later and still be fine. 

[Spurt]

@teganslaw @gardenman 

Im very happy with Ron Rivera as our Head Coach.....I just got through reading an article about how loved and respected Rivera is among players who have played for him in all of his programs...And Rivera's life experiences have put things in proper perspective for him..In 2015 he dealt with a fire at his North Carolina home due to improper installation of a modular fireplace that caused $500,000 in damage (they were glad they escaped the fire safely and irreplaceable personal momentos like wedding and family photos were saved) and then there was Ron's recent battle with cancer....Glad he encouraged Dotson to attend his college graduation ---- a lifetime acheivement and moment! 

BTW after FA and the draft 83% of Washington fans now feel better about the Wentz trade....and 76% prefer Wentz over Matt Ryan.....It seems that the negativity of the fan base was based on the hope of landing Russell Wilson but realistically that dream never had a chance in hell of coming to fruition......so looking back and forward fans have made that step into reality and a realistic approach....hey look at it this way---Wentz or Heinicke at QB?????--the QB spot on the roster was improved folks! ...lets move forward

[Spurt]

---

@Txblond wrote:

About the Cowboys G Man & Spurt - Dream On,  Dream On!! We got an A in the draft.  That ain't too shabby.  We shall see.!

I love to hear your Cowboy rants !!.

---

@Txblond 

"Dream On" pretty good song....perhaps it should be chosen as the Cowboys 2022 theme song as Super Bowl hopes fade for another season. Will there be Cowboy player suspensions for one of their "bad boys" and what about that new draft pick adding even more penalties to the most penalized team in 2021😁😉....This is not just my opinion although I will happily embrace it...

Nope, not just my "rant" Gee your own Dallas area columunists have their doubts too---for example --this by Tom Ryle----

"From some of the things that we learned from this year’s draft and free agency, much of the league is clearly doing things quite differently than Dallas. It leaves the Cowboys as followers rather than leaders, or just missing out completely. They insist on doing things their way with no discernable attempt to learn from what is going on across the NFL. For decades now, their approach has yielded only disappointment. We hope things will change on the field, but as long as the ownership insists on keeping their hands-on approach and archaic mindset, that is not very likely."

@Txblond @gardenman 

Your own area Cowboy fans are calling Stephen Jones "a bean counter" caring more about contracts than the results it has yielded, and fans are callin Jerry "clueless" and saying the only good thing he's ever done was hiring Jimmy Johnson ...so say most of the Boyz fans

Im a realistic fan----I admit my team is an absolute nightmare and mess thanks to our own dysfunctional owner (Jerry and Danny are like two peas in a pod).... .....our future hope lies in the NFL getting rid of Danny Boy...until then, our realistic future is a stadium devoid of hometown fans and a .500 record ----at best 8 or 9 wins ......Eagles take the NFC East is my prediction!

BEST SCENARIO----for Washington

WINS

split season --Dallas/Giants 

Jaguars (new coach)

Bears (young QB /new coach)

Lions (@gardenman despite Goff's girlfriend being a distraction)

Falcons (new QBs)

Texans (rebuild)

Colts (Wentz wants this one BAD---sorry Teganslaw)

Vikings (new coach)

LOSES---

Packers

Titans

Browns

49ers

Eagles sweep Washington = 2 wins

split season Dallas/Giants

Only time and actual games will tell.......JMHO

[Spurt]

---

@gardenman wrote:

No one quite knows what Seattle is doing at QB. They say it'll be Drew Lock or Geno Smith, but unless they're tanking on purpose (it's possible given the QB-rich draft in 2023) then they've got something else planned. They got QB Drew Lock, TE Noah Fant, DE Shelby Harris, two firsts, two seconds, and a fifth for Russell Wilson and a fourth, so if Drew Lock is all that good, were the other two starters and the five draft picks just thrown in by Denver? Uh, no.

So, what is Seattle thinking? They insist they have no interest in Baker Mayfield. There's essentially no chance the Niners trade JImmy G to them. Colin Kaepernick? Gardner Minshew? QB to be named later? Do they think the Niners will be forced to release Jimmy G and they'll scoop him up then?

I'm sure they've got a plan. It might be the Colts' plan to get Andrew Luck, the Jags plan to get Trevor Lawrence, or the Dolphins tanking for Tua, but they've got a plan of some sort.

Their schedule has some winnable games against the Jets, Giants, Lions, and Falcons, but things get a bit tougher after them. And frankly, with Drew Lock and Geno Smith as a starting QB, those games may not be all that winnable. It's going to be interesting to see what the heck they do. 

The league seems to be getting a bit edgy with the tanking, and this would be one of the more obvious tank jobs ever if Seattle goes into the season with those two at QB. 

At this moment, the Eagles have two QBs who are better than Seattle's (Hurts and Minshew) and possibly a third in the kid Carson Strong. Heck, Reid Sinnett (the kid we stole from Miami last year) might be better than Lock and Smith.

I have a suspicion that the league will have a chat with Seattle about the QB spot and you're apt to see Seattle be forced to make a move if they don't make one on their own. The tanking nonsense is getting a little overdone. Seattle sure looks like they're tanking based on their QB situation. They've had multiple opportunities to upgrade and have chosen not to. The league may make it clear they can't intentionally tank this year.

It'll be a fun situation to watch play out. 

---

@gardenman 

Thats surprising about Seattle considering their owner, the late Paul Allen's sister, Jody Allen, whose supposedly "very involved" with the team coming out at the end of the season and openly complaining and saying she's "not happy" about the Seahawks performance and results....hmmmmm...maybe Pete Carroll and company have something up their sleeve....

[Spurt]

Here's more on the book,  by Mike Florio---

Playmakers: How the NFL Really Works (And Doesn't)

The story of a modern NFL that can’t get out of its own way—and can’t stop making money

In recent decades, the NFL has simultaneously become an athletic, financial, and cultural powerhouse—and a League that can’t seem to go more than a few weeks without a scandal. Whether it’s about domestic violence, organizational scandals, performance-enhancing drugs, or head trauma, the NFL always seems to be in some kind of trouble. Yet no matter the drama, the TV networks keep showing games, the revenue keeps rising, and the viewers keep tuning in.

How can a sports league—or any organization—operate this way? Why do the negative stories keep happening, and why don’t they ever seem to affect the bottom line? In this wide-ranging book, Mike Florio takes readers from the boardroom to the locker room, from draft day to the Super Bowl, answering these questions and more, and showing what really goes on in the sport that America can’t seem to quit.

[gardenman]

The Cowboys will be interesting to watch. There are five probable losses in the Bucs, Rams, Packers, Bengals, and Titans. Five probable wins in the Jags, Lions, Bears, and Giants (2). The rest are largely a toss-up. The Jags and Bears could be a challenge if their young QBs take a big step up.

I still think JJ is focused on recreating the model Jimmy Johnson used. He loves that triplets model and thinks he's recreated it with Dak, Elliott, and now Lamb. There really is no magic blueprint to winning. You need to be adaptable. 

I don't see the current Cowboys' roster being as good as last year's roster. At least not yet. There's talk JJ is wooing one or more of the free agent veteran WRs out there. We'll see what happens.

[gardenman]

NFL.com has a list of the top ten games to watch in 2022 and, yeah, it wouldn't be my top ten list. Number ten is the Jaguars at the Jets. Uh, seriously? I can think of a hundred games I'd rather watch than that. 

Number nine is the Browns at the Texans. Again, what? Sure, there's a storyline of Watson returning to Houston, but the ninth-best game to watch all year?

Number eight is the Dolphins at the Niners? Yeah, right. The rest of the list is okay, but those three games are not "must-see TV" to me.

Nick Shook wrote the article and I'm thinking he must have been shook overly hard as a baby to come up with that list.

[teganslaw]

"Nick Shook shook as a baby". LOL. I see what you did there. 

Maybe the Jets-Jags game is listed because of their drafts. That's the only reason I can think of. 

One game that should have been listed is Commanders-Colts. The Wentz story was huge, and Wentz , though I don't think he's one to take revenge, will be out to prove that Washington was right to sign him. 

Watson might not even play in the Cleveland Houston game. The game should have had an asterick saying that it depends on whether Watson is available.