Sports

[gardenman]

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@AuntG wrote:

Just so you know, you're now part of our family's pool @gardenman . We added a column labeled GM and will calculate you in the standings.

We're surprised by your Bengals pick and will be watching the outcome of that one.

Any info on how Coach McCarthy is being treated in Dallas? Their press certainly will be tougher on him than the nice guys in the Green Bay market.

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Thanks for including me. The Bengals pick is a gut pick. Joe Burrow is a pretty good kid QB. You're hearing very good stuff from Cincy about him. Kid QBs have played well lately. Tyrod Taylor has been around for a while and has been so so. I don't think the Bengals players love Tyrod and they know he's a placeholder until Justin Herbert is ready. Will they play hard for a journeyman placeholder? They're also on the road. I just think the Bengals' players will want to get a win for Burrow. 

The Dallas press and fans weren't impressed by the McCarthy hire in the beginning. They've warmed up to him since then, but let him lose a game or two and the bitterness will return quickly. The Cowboys start out with two very winnable games in the Rams and Falcons. Those are also losable games. Lose both of them and then face Seattle and lose to Seattle and McCarthy will be on the hot seat. The national media is largely insisting the Cowboys are a Super Bowl team and I'm not so sure about that. They lost their starting center, cornerback, safety, sack leader, tight end, slot receiver, and now their starting right tackle is injured. They were an 8-8 team last year with those guys. Are they better this year? I don't think so. McCarthy could join the list of short-term Cowboy coaches. The expectations are very, very high, arguably impossibly high, and when teams don't match expectations, coaches tend to get fired. I'd recommend McCarthy rent rather than buy. I have the Cowboys in that 6-10 to 10-6 range and I think the lower end is more realistic. Staying at 8-8 or regressing to 7-9 or 6-10 could see McCarthy gone.

[Spurt]

@AuntG 

What @gardenman said about McCarthy, was spot on....I'll add a couple thoughts what Ive been hearing since I live in Texas ..... Oh McCarthy has been embraced by the press in Texas, (there's so many "homers" and few that are bold to give an honest evaluation--at least my city is far enough from the Dallas Metroplex so there's ONE that's honest---LOL) McCarthy is viewed as better than Garre3tt, afterall he's a winning coach who guided your Packers to a Super Bowl in 2011, and the Cowboys havent won a Super Bowl since 1996, so Jerry and the press thinks McCarthy is the one that can guide this team to the "promised land"..... So they are in a bit of a honeymoon phase ..  Why Jerry even let McCarthy make the decision not to have numbers on the player's jerseys during a televised scrimmage so other teams couldnt gather info on the Cowboy players with roster cuts coming....

BUT WAIT, despite all the smiles right now, if the Cowboys should lose a game it will be interesting to see how McCarthy handles Jerry's meddling, Jerry likes to suggest changes in the game plan and the like....he's an involved owner, and the press will follow Jerry's lead and start asking tough questions too, after all he's the Coach of "America's Team"....STAY TUNED......

Most Cowboy fans I know are in the "wait and see" mode....with McCarthy...

[teganslaw]

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@grandma r wrote:

@gardenman. Here's hoping for a good season!!!!

I am hoping the focus will be on football and not controversy. 

Who I'm not looking forward to are Al and Chris!!  Sometimes we watch with the sound off and the radio on for the calls.  Joe Buck constantly looking over at Troy is more comic relief.

It will be interesting to see how Cam Newton gets along with his new coach.

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Al Michaels is OK, and I like Michelle Tafoya, but don't care about Chris Collinsworth. I don't know of anyone who likes him.

From comments he has made, Cam Newton seems to like NE. He feels at home there. We'll see how it goes after several games are played. 

[Spurt]

@gardenman @teganslaw  @AuntG  @sunshine45 

@grandma r  @LindaSal  @brandiwine  @LonestarBabs @redwingsgal 

GARDENMAN---Thank you for taking charge of the NFL Threads! You do a TERRIFIC job, and all your hard work is much appreciated!!! 

Time to make some picks----CANT WAIT FOR NFL FOOTBALL!!! 

Texans vs Chiefs---The good news---the Texans QB, DeShaun Watson got a nice raise, the bad news, his Coach & GM traded away his best weapon.  The Super Bowl Champs start a new season with their Super QB, Mahomes.  I'll take THE CHIEFS!!!

Eagles vs WFT--A big rivalry kicks off the season for the NFC East, but this will be different with no fans in the stands... Much has changed in Washington both in the front office and on the field---new coaches and a new culture.  This is a young team and Dwayne Haskin will lead them at QB with his trusted companion WR "Scary Terry"....a lot of young players will need to step up on the offense, and its a new crew at RB too.  The WFT's strength is their D line with Montez Sweat, Chase Young, and Ryan Kerrigan leading the charge.  The secondary has improved with the return of Kendall Fuller, and of course who can forget our wonderful punter, Tress Way .....The Eagles have had some injury issues and are going with 38 yr old Jason Peters at LT, meanwhile the WFT's O line returns 3 starters on the right side, and will go against a stout Eagle defense....Should be fun!!! I'm a realist so I'll go with THE EAGLES (maybe I'll jinx them LOL)......

Dolphins vs Patriots---The Dolphins have named Fitzmagic as their starting QB despite him leaving practice due to a personal issue.  Meanwhile Bill Belichick is giving rave reviews on his new QB, Cam Newton (is it just hype or a confidence builder for his QB---we'll see)...I'll take THE PATRIOTS

Packers vs Vikings--An early NFC Norse rival game....Aaron Rodgers vs Capt Kirk...The Pack failed to get Aaron some weapons, but I'll still take Aaron & the PACKERS! .....

Colts vs Jaguars---The Colts brought in veteran QB Philip Rivers, their GM has done an excellent job with the roster....I think they will get to the playoffs this year! Meanwhile the Jags look like they are tanking for Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence. COLTS-for the WIN! 

Bears vs Lions---Da Bears are a mess at QB neither Trub nor Foles appears to be the answer.  Meanwhile the Lions get a healthy Matthew Stafford back at the helm! The LIONS will ROAR!  

@redwingsgal 

Raiders vs Panthers--The new Vegas residents head east to take on the new look Panthers.  The Panthers have a new coach and a new QB Teddy Bridgewater.  The Raiders QB, Derek Carr is on the hot seat and well Gruden is Gruden.  I'm going with DA RAIDERS!

Jets vs Bills---The Bills have taken many steps in the off season to improve their team.  Meanwhile the Jets are the Jets....going with THE BILLS!

Browns vs Ravens---Many have predicted the Ravens to be one of the contenders this season.  The Browns and in particular Baker Mayfield claims to be focused and made a commitment to play up to their talent level---we'll see.  Taking THE RAVENS! @sunshine45  (Hope I don't jinx the Ravens

Seahawks vs Falcons---The Falcons pretended to be another bird and took a swan dive, only to rebound and start winning games late in the season(and saved their coaches job)....Meanwhile the Seahawks led by Russell Wilson are well---the Seahawks.  And it's the SEAHAWKS for the win!

Chargers vs Bengals---Burrows makes his much anticipated debut.  Meanwhile the Chargers have ended their time with Rivers and are going with QB Tyrod Taylor (who???)....still Taylor has more experience so I'll take THE CHARGERS!!! 

Cardinals vs 49ers---The Cardinals should be much improved this year....BUT the 49ers seem to be on a mission to get back to the Super Bowl and WIN it this time....Going with the 49ers!

Bucs vs Saints---Maybe these two QB's will get together before the game and talk about their Socal Security plans.....Tom Brady dons a new uniform........And Bruce Arians has reunited his QB with his old buddy GRONK.....and Drew Brees returns after a controversial off season and there will be no die hard Saints fans in the stands for the opener.....I'm going with TOM TERRIFIC and taking the BUCS for the win!!

Cowboys vs Rams----Jerry canned "the clapper" and brought in Coach McCarthy to turn the Cowboys into a Super Bowl team.....While they may have lots of talent at the WR position, their much ballyhooed RB, Zeke, is coming off a lackluster performance from last season....and Sean Lee once again is on IR, and the Cowboys did little to address their holes on defense....Dak wants to get paid and is playing on the tag....The Rams seem to be in a bit of a mess with their roster, epsecially on offense, and they have a big question mark at QB with Goff..... Reluctantly, taking the COWBOYS (hope I jinx 'em )

Steelers vs Giants---One veteran QB retires, Eli is no longer, and the Giants are moving forward with Daniel Jones, but the team really belongs to their RB Saquon Barkley....Meanwhile a much needed veteran QB, Big Ben, returns to the Steelers.  I'm going with THE STEELERS!

Titans vs Broncos---Titans were a big surprise in the playoffs last year.  The Broncos are still trying to find their way with their young QB, taking the TITANS!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! 

[Spurt]

@gardenman 

This was an interesting question---last night the 4 local guys on the Late Night Sunday Sports Show were asked this question----If you had a choice who would you pick as your QB---Dak or DeShaun?

I couldnt believe those homers 3 out of 4 chose Dak...one reluctantly chose DeShaun since he was a bit more mobile....SMH!  DeShaun is FAR superior......(see what I have to put up with)...

[Spurt]

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@teganslaw wrote:

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@grandma r wrote:

@gardenman. Here's hoping for a good season!!!!

I am hoping the focus will be on football and not controversy. 

Who I'm not looking forward to are Al and Chris!!  Sometimes we watch with the sound off and the radio on for the calls.  Joe Buck constantly looking over at Troy is more comic relief.

It will be interesting to see how Cam Newton gets along with his new coach.

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Al Michaels is OK, and I like Michelle Tafoya, but don't care about Chris Collinsworth. I don't know of anyone who likes him.

From comments he has made, Cam Newton seems to like NE. He feels at home there. We'll see how it goes after several games are played. 

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@teganslaw 

Chris is okay (tolerable)....the one I cant stand is Charles Davis who moved from Fox to CBS----he is a motor mouth doesnt take a breath and is a "captain obvious".....

[gardenman]

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@Spurt wrote:

@gardenman 

This was an interesting question---last night the 4 local guys on the Late Night Sunday Sports Show were asked this question----If you had a choice who would you pick as your QB---Dak or DeShaun?

I couldnt believe those homers 3 out of 4 chose Dak...one reluctantly chose DeShaun since he was a bit more mobile....SMH!  DeShaun is FAR superior......(see what I have to put up with)...

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@Spurt 

The thing with Dak is I don't really remember any "signature" plays from him. I can rattle off twenty or so for Carson Wentz. Plays he's made that few others could make. That pass to Miles Sanders in the back corner of the endzone against the Redskins last year when Wentz was sprinting right and fired a bullet past three Redskin defenders for the TD. There are five or ten times where he's being dragged down by a defender and makes a perfect pass to a guy who's pretty well covered down the field. His ducking under a pass rusher to complete a pass. Wentz is special.

What are Dak's "signature" plays? None come to mind to me. A scramble for a first down or touchdown when his receivers are covered? That's how he scares me when we play. I don't really worry about him passing the ball. I worry when he tucks the ball in and runs.

DeShaun Watson has quite a few "signature" plays. He's special. I don't think Dak is special. I think he's competent. Which in the NFL is often enough. If you have a competent QB who doesn't make too many turnovers you can win seven, eight, nine games. That's where Dak is to me. He's not Brady, Rodgers, Wentz, Mahomes, or Watson. He's more of a mid-tier guy. He's kind of like a Joe Flacco, Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan, Matt Stafford, Mark Sanchez kind of guy to me. They're good QB's who can win and typically do win enough games to be competitive, but they aren't special. In a really good year with the right players around them, they can even win a Super Bowl.

I think it was two years ago where the Cowboys offense was designed to make a single read down the field and if the guy is covered dump it off to Elliott, or tuck the ball in and get what Dak can get running the ball if Elliott was covered. It made defending the Cowboys pretty easy. It gave Dak very nicely padded stats as Elliott could get some good yardage on very safe passes.

I don't think the Cowboys think Dak is special or they'd have paid the man. I think they understand what they've got. Wentz, Mahomes, Watson, Goff (who I think isn't special either) all got paid, but Dak didn't get paid.

My only concern with Watson over Dak would be health. Say what you will about Dak, but he's been durable. If you value sturdiness over specialness, then Dak's your guy. By all other metrics though, Watson's the man. 

[Spurt]

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@gardenman 

WELL SAID!!!  To me Dak is just another average "Joe" and I do NOT mean Montana---a run of the mill QB who manages to stay healthy, and is nothing special....and I think thats what the Cowboys know deep down and that's why they are reluctant to pay him!!!

[gardenman]

@Spurt 

The problem the Cowboys have is even finding mid-tier QBs can be difficult. Miami and Cleveland have been lost in the QB desert for decades now. If the Cowboys let Dak go and try to replace him, can they count on finding someone as good or better? Not really. Not unless they have a very bad season and end up picking very high in the draft and even then it's a gamble as Winston and Mariota showed.

Do they pay Dak then? He's going to want $40 million a year or more. They've backed themselves into a very bad corner with no good escape route. There are reports they were planning to grab Jalen Hurts in the third round and groom him to take over for Dak. The Eagles snuck in and grabbed Hurts in the second round though and ruined that plan. (And Hurts looks like he may be special, so the Cowboys may regret not getting him sooner.) 

They pretty much have to draft a QB this coming year, but with a very limited college football season finding a diamond in the rough just got a lot harder. It's a very interesting spot they've put themselves in.

I read a story of an older GM once who said he'd rather have a very good QB or a very bad QB as in both cases it was easy to know what to do. If you've got a really good guy, you pay him whatever it takes to keep him. You can't let a guy like that go. If you've got a very bad QB you know to replace him. It's those guys in the middle that give you an ulcer. They show flashes of greatness, but never quite sustain it. They're "good enough" but not. You get trapped in an endless series of 6, 7, 8 win seasons but you're never good enough to go much beyond that. You end up trapped drafting in the middle of the rounds so you never get the elite talent. But if you let the guy go and the light bulb comes on for him in a different place you look like an idiot for letting him go. And there are a lot of those middle-tier guys who are good enough to stay in the league, but not good enough to get you where you want to be.

[Spurt]

@gardenman 

I guess finding a decent "average" QB is better than having a bad QB (see the Redskins history on that one), but these average guys can never put the team on their back and make a big play when needed.  Most of the time their arm strength may be suspect too.....And can they take a team to the Super Bowl.?????...Perhaps a good defense and a good RB can make up for it, but I think thats the problem the Rams are having right now with Goff....And the Vikings with Capt Kirk too