Sports

[Spurt]

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@sunshine45 wrote:

National treasure Betty White, 97, is ready for some football in new NFL promo

https://www.today.com/popculture/national-treasure-betty-white-97-ready-some-football-new-nfl-t16150...

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@sunshine45 

😄 😄 😄

[Spurt]

The Cowboys might soon be finding themselves in trouble with the NFLPA.....it seems that instead of going through a player's agent, Jerry and the Cowboys deal directly with the player...Jerry admitted on a radio show that they like to cut out the middleman whenever and however they can.  This is a practice frowned upon that could be challenged by the Union....with no agent protecting a player's interest a team can run roughshod over players.....and now the Union is checking into it....

@gardenman 

Interesting conversation on Riggo's Podcast.....the conversation came up regarding the changes in the game of football in the name of player safety....One thing John Riggins brought up was how players used to train back in the day versus now....and John brought up the emphasis on training today and that over-training may be the cause of so many injuries today...which is what you have mentioned GARDENMAN....I wish the NFL would check into this ----maybe we wouldn't see so many ACL and MCL injuries....

[gardenman]

@Spurt 

Yeah. Overtraining is a pet peeve of mine. It's great that a guy can deadlift five hundred pounds, but does he need to ever deadlift 500 lbs on a football field? No. I think a whole lot of players are making their muscles stronger than their tendons and ligaments and when they demand too much from those muscles the tendons and ligaments become the weak point. You really don't want your tendons and ligaments to be the weakest link in the chain as they're the hardest to fix. I've been watching football all my life and there seem to be more non-contact injuries than ever before.

I think the league needs to do a study to see how strong players at certain positions need to be and then train them to that level and not beyond it. Muscles don't attach directly to most bones. Muscles typically end in a tendon or ligament. That tendon or ligament then attaches to the bone. If the muscle gets too strong, it can tear the tendon or ligament. I think a whole lot of players are a whole lot stronger than they need to be these days.

[gardenman]

The preseason is done! Yea! The Eagles survived relatively injury free. Nate Sudfeld's broken wrist being the biggie, but he should be back around week three or four (no more sling last night on the sidelines, so that's a good sign) and ready to go. 

Now each team has a whole bunch of very nervous guys wondering if they've done enough to make the 53 man roster or not. As of four PM ET Saturday, 37 guys from each roster (assuming each team is still at a 90 man roster) will be out of a job. Ten of them will likely hook on with a practice squad so all's not lost, but there will be a bunch of guys out looking for real jobs come Monday. Even the guys who make the roster initially can't relax too much as waiver claims come through on Sunday, they can find the team claimed someone else to take the job they think they've won. There is no job security in the NFL. (Well, if you're Tom Brady you can relax a bit, but not for the more "normal" players.)

The Dolphins have decided to cast their fate with Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starting QB. Truth be told they're more looking to the future and a high first round pick in the 2020 draft. They'll face some stiff competition in that fight for the first overall pick, but I think they can be bad enough to pull it out.

Jerry Jones has conceded that Ezekiel Elliott won't be back for the regular season and will miss games. That opens the door a bit for the Giants to ambush them in week one. I'd still pick the Cowboys (my official picks will come on Monday) but it will be a closer game with the Cowboys missing Elliott and could be an upset. Cowboy fans would not be happy about that.

Lots of GM's around the league are fielding lots of calls these days as teams try to unload cap unfriendly veteran players who have lost starting jobs to younger, cheaper kids. A few bigger name guys who started last season are apt to be on the waiver wire come Saturday if their teams can't move them in a trade.

[gardenman]

Some interesting roster moves today. Jadeveon Clowney is reportedly heading to Seattle. Apparently Seattle and the Texans are close on talks to make the trade official. The price will be interesting to see.

LeSean McCoy got cut by the Bills. He had a bad year last year and it looked like his tank was empty.  We'll soon find out if it truly was, or he just wasn't healthy or motivated. Running backs tend to fall off a cliff when their time is up. There's typically not a gradually reduction in skills. They go from being great to mediocre in the blink of an eye. If he signs elsewhere it'll likely have to be for veteran's minimum with incentives until they figure out if he can still play at a high level.

Josh Doctson of the Redskins is reportedly being actively shopped. I'm not sure what he'd bring. There's probably a team or two out there that loved him coming out of college that will take a shot at him. Laquan Treadwell of the Vikings is also on the market. Two former first round draft picks at wide receiver now on the open market. Is either one redeemable?

Wide receiver is one of those positions where it often takes three or four years for the light to go on and for a kid to really understand the position at the pro level. It's a whole different ballgame in the NFL than it was in college. In college a lot of the time they could just run by DB's.  It doesn't generally work that way in the pros. Doctson and Treadwell both have the physical tools needed to succeed, so some team will take a shot at fixing their other issues. 

[teganslaw]

Clowney to Seattle in exchange for two defensive linemen and a third round pick.  Seattle came out much better in this trade; I thought that Clowney would be worth more than a third rounder. The Texans must have been desperate to release him. 

The Colts are trying out former Panther QB Tyler Heinecke. They need someone to start with since Kelly will be suspended the first few games. They also released DE Carroll Phillips, who had an amazing preseason. Unfortunately, can't keep everyone. 

Wonder if McCoy is finished in the NFL. Maybe some team in need of a running back will be interested. I think that McCoy's best years are behind him, though. 

[gardenman]

If Clowney leaves Seattle as a free agent after this year they'll likely get a third round compensatory pick, so it's a fairly minimal trade by Seattle. Essentially they're trading one defensive lineman (not two since Clowney will be replacing one) and moving back in the third round to get Clowney. It's a good deal for them.

[Spurt]

@gardenman  @teganslaw 

UPDATE:  

WR Josh Doctson had no trade interest for the third year in a row, and will be released if no deal happens before the 4pm deadline (Source: John Keim)

Ereck Flowers is still on the roster at the LG position, Gruden said he's played better than anticipated, but  reports have indicated they are ready to go with rookie Wes Martin if Flowers falters.  Although Penn has been penciled in at LT, Geron Christiansen might also see time at that position...saw some good things from him since he returned from last year's injury..... 

I guess the Redskins are keeping Colt McCoy since they released QB Jalan McClendon, who was kept around primarily as a QB for the preseason games....Haskins had a good showing in the last preseason game, but he's just not ready to start....

WR Cam Sims showed a lot of potential and the coaches really liked him, he was given lots of chances to show his stuff, but in the preason he dropped a lot of catchable passes, so Steven Sims (no relation) and WR Robert Davis beat him out ....

8:43 AM ET] - Trent Williams will not be traded even though there is plenty of interest (Source: Josina Anderson)

[Spurt]

@teganslaw 

Did or are the Colts bringing in former Cowboy QB Brandon Weedon????

[gardenman]

Brian Hoyer was cut by the Patriots, so he's another option for the Colts.