Sports

[gardenman]

@teganslaw 

Yeah, it's quite the change in the scouting and personnel groups. That could be the old Doug Pederson guys getting the boot so the Nick Sirianni guys can come in. We'll have to see how it all plays out. They didn't flip things a lot last year, but this year they're making wholesale changes. Coaches often want more input on personnel and want scouts who know what they want. We had two good drafts in a row, but changes are being made. My guess would be that Nick wants "his guys" as scouts.

You never know if the guys drafted were found by the scouts or the coaches/GM. If the coaches have been overruling the scouts and getting better players, then goodbye to the scouts.

[gardenman]

Pete Carroll says the Seahawks aren't looking for a QB. Eh, okay. Then they're going to assume that Drew Lock or Geno Smith can compete in the NFC West against the Rams, Cards, and Niners? That's quite the bold assumption.

My suspicion is that they think the Browns or Niners will be forced to just release Jimmy G or Mayfield and they'll scoop the guy up as a free agent and get their QB without having to give up anything other than a contract. It's not a bad bet. Neither team will likely want to carry a guy that expensive as a bench decoration. Jimmy G has almost a $27 million cap hit for the Niners, and Baker's is almost $19 million, so it's not unreasonable to expect both teams to flush the guys.

Jimmy G will likely get cut as cutting him will only result in a dead cap hit of $1.4 million (his pro-rated signing bonus). Twenty-seven million or one point four million? I'm betting the Niners will opt for the one point four million option. It's a bit more complicated for the Browns. Baker's dead cap is his full salary. They're paying almost $19 million either way, so they may as well hold onto him. 

Another team with a cap headache is the Giants. Their starting corner James Bradberry is due to make $21.8 million this year.  They can't afford that. With their cap, when they sign their rookies to deals they'll be seven million over the cap and you can't be over the cap. Cutting Bradberry would cause an $11 million in dead cap it which would hurt, but they'd save ten million which would get them under the cap, let them sign the rookies, and have about $3 million lying around for emergencies. 

The word is that they had several deals in place to trade Bradberry, but the teams trading for him wanted a reworked contract with an extension (his current deal expires this year.) Those teams and Bradberry couldn't agree on the reworked deal so the trades fell through. Now they pretty much have to cut him to free up the cap space. 

And speaking of signing rookies, the Eagles have gotten an early start this year. At least three of the draft picks signed their deals yesterday and more are likely to follow soon. The rookie minicamp starts today. (I think.) 

We got our first look at AJ Brown in Eagles gear catching passes yesterday and he looked very good. Given the dismal state of the other Philadelphia sports franchises, everyone's eagerly looking forward to the football season.

[Spurt]

@gardenman 

You mean those NBA 76ers's didnt do well......I remember the Spurs Sean Elliott talking about them and bragging up those glory years that they had Dr. J....(one of Sean's favorite all time players).😉.  Since my Spurs arent in the playoffs I stop watching the NBA---Im a one team fan in that sport!

A one time former Eagle, Torrey Smith, he also played for the 49ers and Panthers....was a guest host on GMF this week, and he gave a segment, "In Defense Of Carson Wentz" and he said he will do just fine in Washington....He said he was a good teammate, it just depends on other players lifestyles as to whether they hung out with him off the field.  Torrey said he and others got along great with Wentz---they did have a lot in common off the field---hunting, fishing, their faith etc etc.( JMHO Carson didnt hang out with players that were more of the club hopping, strip joint attending set)...Torrey also showed clips of Wentz with the Colts and some great plays showing his mobility etc etc....Of course Peter and Kay were a bit negative and said then why 3 teams...and Torrey said different reasons for that but not all Carson's doing....Anyway, nice to hear positives about Wentz....

Washington had a top priority to get a WR....The more I hear about Dotson the happier I am with the pick.....Drake London and Jameson Williamson are coming back from injuries and who knows when or if theyd even be available this season....there was Olave who was immediately grabbed when the Saints/Washingon made the deal, but the decision was what was more valuable---- the extra picks OR Olave...with all the needs extra picks won out....We will have to see if ultimately how this all works out, as they say, thats "why they play the games"....but so far what Ive seen and heard Dotson was a solid pick and the extra picks helped us out too.....STAY TUNED!  And after reflection most fans agree trading back was the best move---and the extra players we were able to get were better than Olave would have been ....

Here's what the team said---Jahan Dotson runs incredible stems. His footwork and subtle head fakes to set up the top of his routes are the best parts of his game. He also has a really good catch radius for a guy his size. Dotson is 5'11" and weighs around 178 pounds. How he can fully extend his arms and bring in balls outside his frame makes him feel much bigger than he actually is. He’ll contort his body in the air. He has good awareness on the sideline to get his feet down in bounds. And he rarely drops a pass.  He should fit in fine with Scott Turner's schemes....

[gardenman]

@Spurt 

Yeah, there were two guys in Philly who tried to stir up things against Wentz in Alshon Jeffrey and Malcolm Jenkins. Alshon wasn't happy that Zach Ertz was Wentz's go-to guy instead of him, and Jenkins wasn't happy that Wentz wasn't more of a locker room guy and hanging out with everyone. Wentz would hit the weights, do his conditioning and rehab work then head to the QB room to study film and prepare for the next game instead of just lounging around the locker room after a practice.

And don't forget, the only team that wanted to get rid of Wentz was the Colts and the head coach and others disagreed, but the owner holds the reins. In Philly, everyone from the owner to the head coach and GM wanted Wentz to stay. Wentz just got tired of being the lightning rod and wanted out and you can't really blame him. The Philly media is brutal and relentless. It's hard for a guy's family to hear the nonstop attacks on him and Wentz is a big family guy. When you find your wife crying over the attacks you're taking it's hard.

The Dotson pick will likely turn out okay. I'm not sure I wouldn't have gone for a complimentary outside receiver like Olave or Williams opposite McLaurin over a slot guy. You can find competent slot receivers easier than an outside threat. The Commanders said after the pick that they were specifically looking for a slot guy though, so they got what they wanted.

McLaurin will still get doubled no matter how good a slot receiver you add. If you put a guy similar to McLaurin on the other side of the field though, then teams have to pick their poison. Doubling two good outside guys is more of a challenge and often you have to let one guy be single-covered. The only way to double both outside guys is with two deep safeties which takes away run support. 

If there's a good slot receiver and only one good outside threat, you play a single safety and slide him towards McLaurin, drop the other safety into the box for run support and to help cover the slot receiver. It hurts your ability to both run and hit the short passes. Also, McLaurin is doubled. And if you're going to double McLaurin you can move your better corner to the other side to take on the lesser receiver and shut him down. 

I suspect if McLaurin made the pick, he'd have gone with Williams or Olave. It would have made his life easier. Dotson's not a bad pick and Wentz loves his underneath receivers, so there's that. If Dotson stays healthy, he'll likely catch fifty passes or more this year. It's not a bad pick. It just may not let McLaurin shine as brightly as he could otherwise.

The wide receivers who haven't gotten paid yet, like McLaurin and DK Metcalf, are grinning ear-to-ear with the contracts that guys like AJ Brown got. Twenty-five million a year is now their base, and they'll want more than the base. The Commanders have little choice but to give him what he wants (assuming he's in that ballpark) and he knows it. Tyreek Hill gets $30 million a year. Davante Adams gets $28 million a year. DeAndre Hopkins $27.2 million a year. AJ Brown $25 million a year. Even the franchise tag won't save teams with salaries going up as fast as they are. The average of the top five will be over $25 million a year.

[Spurt]

@gardenman @teganslaw 

Yep, with the Colts that was Jim Irsay's decision on Wentz....it will be interesting to see how Ryan works out....Of course, Irsay wont take the heat in the event Ryan doesn't work out....and like Torrey said, the Colts have lost to the Jaguars the last 6 years and Carson wasnt there....(some teams just have other teams number).....

I think Terry McLaurin wanted Washington to draft his Ohio State buddy, Garrett Wilson, but the Jets grabbed him......

Hopefully, Logan Thomas can stay healthy as another weapon, and Brian Robinson can add to the running game and he should help a lot since he's not known to be a fumbler like Gibson...🙄  Getting a healthy Curtis Samuel back into the lineup will help too....Having a "normal" training camp if covid stays away will help to keep players healthy....

We still need a LB and a CB....JMHO.....

[teganslaw]

 I think it was Irsay's decision to trade Wentz,  Ballard and Reich had to go along with it. Irsay never did like Wentz from the beginning, but some Colts fans don't hold Irsay accountable. I do; I won't change my mind  how I feel about this. 

That being said, I like Ryan and hope he works out. Indications so far are positive.

Latest reports are that nothing will happen with Mayfield until June.  I have a feeling that the Browns messed this up. Until I see DeShaun Watson win games with Cleveland, I have my doubts. 

[Spurt]

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@teganslaw wrote:

 I think it was Irsay's decision to trade Wentz,  Ballard and Reich had to go along with it. Irsay never did like Wentz from the beginning, but some Colts fans don't hold Irsay accountable. I do; I won't change my mind  how I feel about this. 

That being said, I like Ryan and hope he works out. Indications so far are positive.

Latest reports are that nothing will happen with Mayfield until June.  I have a feeling that the Browns messed this up. Until I see DeShaun Watson win games with Cleveland, I have my doubts. 

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@teganslaw 

When owners start meddlin and playing GM things dont usually work out well.....see the Cowboys as an example---(funny how Jerry doesnt mention if he had had his way the Cowboys would have drafted Johnnny Manziel as their QB)......

And ITA I think the Browns will regret getting Watson...he has 22 court cases to get through plus lets see what punishment he gets from the NFL too....And my cat, Figgy, says her BENGALS will take the Divsion anyway....QB doent matter! 🐯 😸

[Spurt]

They were talking about unusual plays in the NFL and Tom Brady weighed in on the "tuck game"......I think they should have asked him about the Patriots infamous "snow plow game".............🤣🤣🤣

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG6z_-fasxU

The Patriots manage to always seem to involve themselves in some sort of controversey,,,,

And this is rather amusing....Antonio Brown ripping Colin K.....LOL....TWO LOSERS NO LONGER IN THE NFL.....

[gardenman]

The Browns are taking a big gamble with Deshaun Watson. He's a good QB but his last season playing with the Texans, they were 4-12. He's not a god-level QB. He'll get suspended for some time. He might get injured also after sitting out a full year. I don't see it working out over the long-term. But hey, not my problem. I think the Bengals are the best in the AFC North. The Ravens if they stay healthy are pretty darn close. The Steelers, well they always find a way to win. The Browns could have some pretty big issues in 2022 and going forward.

If Watson uses "professional" (for lack of a better word) girlfriends in Cleveland, and I suspect he will given his history, another mess could be at hand in the near future. 

[gardenman]

The Eagles had the rookies chatting today and Nakobe Dean looked huge. Then we saw him walking into practice alongside of Jordan Davis and he looked like a little kid. Jordan Davis is just huge. It'll be fun to see him in a real game.