Sports

[gardenman]

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@Spurt wrote:

@gardenman

Speaking of poaching....rumor has it the Redskins are going to pursue the Eagles's DT Bennie Logan........Philly may not have the assets to pay him what he wants especially with other needs on the Eagles's roster.......The Eagles's already have a lot of money invested in Fletcher Cox and aren't flush with cap space.....

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I'm pretty sure the Redskins let that leak to drive up Bennie's price. The Eagles have decent depth at defensive tackle. We've got Fletcher Cox, Destiny Vaeao, Beau Allen, Justin Hamilton, and Aziz ******tu. We'll likely add a guy in the draft also, so overpaying Bennie doesn't make a lot of sense.

The big rumor is that the Eagles will target Alshon Jeffery in free agency, but I'm thinking the Packers may try to get Jeffery. It would give Rodgers a prime target and weaken the Bears at the same time. I have a suspicion the Eagles won't make a big splash in free agency. We may grab a young offensive lineman or two and maybe a lower ranked receiver, but I'm not expecting a big splash.

[gardenman]

The Colts new GM didn't exactly give a ringing endorsement to Pagano. "There's no other option" could have, probably should have been stated better. What he should have said, whether he meant it or not, is something more like this. "I have absolute complete confidence in Chuck Pagano and his staff. There is no doubt in my mind that he's the man for the job. There is no one better suited, better equipped, or more qualified for the job. I'd have hired him over any of the other candidates out there had I been in charge earlier. Chuck's the man to lead this franchise into 2017 and beyond. My job is to supply him with the players he needs to excel." At the very least he could have said, "There is no better option than Chuck Pagano." Just saying "There's no other option" makes it sound like he's stuck with Pagano for now, but at the first chance Chuck will be gone.

If they're not going to support Pagano, then cut him loose. I can guarantee you the players on the Colts and prospective free agents are all seeing and hearing the same thing I'm seeing and hearing and they know Chuck is a dead coach walking. I don't know, maybe the Colts are trying to tank the 2017 season for some reason and want Pagano as the fall guy. The management certainly isn't giving him any support.

"We tried to sign Jon Gruden to coach the team and we looked into trading for Sean Payton, but we're stuck with Chuck."  That's not exactly how you want to head into a new football season. Players have finite careers and it looks like the Colts are throwing away one of those years for the guys on their roster with the way they're handling this offseason.

They're largely forcing Pagano into using the "it's us versus them" approach where it's the coaches and players against the management and "we'll win to stick it to them" philosophy. It's definitely not a situation where everyone's pulling together and working as a unit to build the best team and win now. Maybe that's what the new GM and ownership think will motivate the team, I don't know, but what they're doing looks bad from the outside. It looks like they're keeping Chuck Pagano as the lamest of lame duck coaches and players typically don't play well for coaches in that position.

That AFC South is pretty competitive these days and the Colts are maybe the third most talented team there now. The Texans and Titans have better talent. The Jags could be better than the Colts if they solve the mystery of Blake Bortles. I'm not sure what the Colt management is doing, but the message they're sending out is not what I would consider ideal. 

[brandiwine]

GO FALCONS!!!!

[gardenman]

A few interesting things going on tonight. San Diego is now working to lure the Raiders to San Diego. The move to Las Vegas is in trouble because one of the financial backers has dropped out, so the Raiders could end up in San Diego.

And the Cardinals may be in rebuilding mode very, very soon. Carson Palmer has reportedly moved out of state, taken his kids out of school, and has put his house up for sale. That strongly implies that he's retiring. Larry Fitzgerald also may be retiring, so the Cards could be in a lot of trouble.

[gardenman]

If you can believe what we're hearing from the Eagles' front office and ownership, it sounds like the Eagles will be investing heavily on the offensive side of the football in free agency and the NFL draft. Both Howie Roseman (GM) and Jeff Lurie (owner) have told reporters that they don't want to look back on the team in ten years time and say they wish they'd surrounded Carson Wentz with more talent.

It sounds like they've looked around the league and have seen the great quarterbacks (Aaron Rodgers among them) who don't have a surrounding cast that's as talented.and want to avoid that with Wentz. I'm guessing we'll see them make some big plays for free agent receivers (Alshon Jeffery) and offensive linemen to surround Wentz and hope to get by on defense.

If you read the tea leaves, it sounds like they're going away from the old "defense wins championships" model to a model where they'll try to get by on defense and outscore opponents. It should make for some exciting football for Eagle fans, but I'm not sure how valid a strategy it is over the long term.

Surround Carson Wentz with quality players on offense and stopping the Eagles will be a challenge for defenses. They've got a good slot receiver in Jordan Matthews, so that's one spot filled. The tight ends on the roster are quite good with Zach Ertz and Trey Burton on the rise. A true number one wide out like an Alshon Jeffery could fill one more hole leaving just one wide receiver spot and the running back slots open to be filled in the draft. We've already picked up a few extra interior offensive linemen in the offseason. It looks like a bigger center is desired as Jason Kelce got pushed around quite a bit by big nose tackles for much of the season.

March and the start of NFL free agency looks like it might be a busy time for the Eagles. They're certainly talking as though they're planning to be big players in free agency this year.

[teganslaw]

Colts punter, Pat McAfee, announced his retirement from the NFL. He had been voted to the Pro Bowl, but declined because of recent knee surgery. He had four knee surgeries within three years, and decided that he would retire due to health reasons. He announced that he will work for Barstool Sports as an analyst and blogger.

I understand McAfee's  reasons and don't blame him at all, but still hate to see him leave. He was a team leader and is one of the most popular sports figures around Indianapolis. Is also one of the best players ever in the NFL.  Now the Colts will have another position to fill. I hope his new role goes well for him.

Ballard had mentioned at his press conference that he plans to rebuild the team from inside and drafts. He wouldn't go much with free agency, as past players from free agency just didn't work out as expected. Will have to see how this all works out.

[gardenman]

Building through the draft is generally the best option, but there are a finite number of draft picks available. Committing to just building through the draft and ignoring free agency tends to force teams into a bad corner. At least half of all draft picks flop and with just seven rounds of the draft a good draft might just give you four players.

You might need a new cornerback or two and be wanting to draft one, but the highest rated player on your board is a running back, who might be better than any running back now on your roster. The running back would be an upgrade, but not necessarily fill an area of need. If you pass on the guy and he becomes a great runner while the cornerback you reach for flops, you've made the team weaker instead of stronger.

I think the key is to be smart and flexible in building a roster. Focus on the draft. Focus on resigning the kids you draft who are good as soon as you get the chance to lock them up for a longer term. The Redskins didn't do that with Kirk Cousins and it's costing them a fortune now.

Grab the occasional free agent to help fill a void, but don't rely on free agency. Try to grab the guys who have a proven record. Pierre Garcon was a good free agent pickup for the Redskins. He'll likely be a good pickup for whoever signs him this year.

There's so much roster turnover that you can't just rely on any one way to build a roster. Given you only have seven rounds of the draft, you likely can only count on getting a handful of players in each draft. With some of your own players retiring, or leaving via free agency, you typically have ten or more roster spots to fill each year and only seven or so draft picks. It makes it very hard to totally rely on the draft to assemble a roster. 

[Spurt]

@sunshine45

Steve Smith Jr was hired by the NFL Network as an analyst.....

Redskins interviewed Tim Lewis (has worked for 49ers, Falcons, Seahawks and Panthers and was DC for Giants/Steelers)---although out of the NFL last year.  They also interviewed Panther Safety Chris Harris.....

[gardenman]

It's gameday!!!! Our last NFL game until the preseason games start up again sometime in August. Here's hoping it's a good one. I'd love to see the Falcons win and I think they're the more talented team, but if I was betting, I'd bet on the Patriots. The Patriots tend to out-scheme the other teams and all it takes is a few mental lapses and the Patriots get ahead.

The Falcons defense is a more or less average defense and their ofense can be contained. The Eagles pretty much smothered the Falcon's early in the year by playing an umbrella zone defense and getting pressure on Matt Ryan. They kept everything in front of them and limited the Falcons offensive capabilities. The Eagles took away their big plays and largely grounded the Falcons. Expect to see something similar from the Patriots.

The Falcons defense will be hard pressed to stop Tom Brady. If they can play tight man coverage and press the receivers at the line, they might be able to slow down Brady, but receivers like Edelman are kind of shifty and if you miss him at the line, you could give up a big gain.

It would be nice to have a Super Bowl that was better than the commercials.

[Spurt]

It's GAME DAY!!!!  YEAH!!!  GO FALCONS!

But I am also mad as heck........Joe Jacoby didn't make the Hall Of Fame yet AGAIN.....even though he was named a finialist for 2 consecutive years.....   An Espn columnist said Jacoby's numbers should let him strut into the hall,

and yet they named......Jerry Jones......why??? because he put art work in his stadium?????????????????????

On more positive notes:

The Redskins hired Torrian Gray to coach DBS....................He coached the Bears.....and then returned to college where he coached his alma mater, The Hokies......and then the Florida Gators......

Kirk Cousins said he likes the moves the team made with the coaching staff on offense....

president Bruce Allen continues to express optimism about signing quarterback Kirk Cousins, though it remains to be seen if it’s to a long-term deal or on the franchise tag.

Still, Allen, speaking to team-owned ESPN 980 in Houston, site of the Super Bowl, said, “I don’t think it’s as complicated as everyone wants to make it. And we’ll get together with his agent, and I’m sure we’ll come to an agreement.”

The Redskins were unable to reach one last offseason, necessitating them using the franchise tag on Cousins. The sides were $4 million per year apart on the average annual salary and never came close to narrowing that gap. Allen could be right: It won't be complicated if they pay a certain price. At that point, the decision isn't hard: You either use the tag or you don't. With Cousins having more leverage, it'll be up to the Redskins to be closer to his demands than vice versa.

Cousins has said numerous times he wants to go where he’s wanted -- and the Redskins’ offer will let him know just how much they desire him. Allen said the franchise is sold on Cousins, though it remains to what degree. The terms of the contract will answer that last part.

But Allen told 980 that Cousins “is going to be our quarterback. We’ve said it. We obviously like what we’ve done. We think we’re going to get better, that’s the key.”

“We just couldn’t work out an agreement with his agent and that’s where we are this year,” Allen said on 106.7. “We probably could have handled it better and [agent Mike McCartney] could have handled it better. Whatever. We’re going to get back at it.”