Sports

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@gardenman @teganslaw 

This is from the area MD/VA/DC sports writers---

The top writers picked the EAGLES to win the NFC East!

Super Bowl Picks

• There was a remarkable consistency in the predictions for conference champions this year. In the NFC, the Buccaneers (6), Rams (5), and Eagles (1) were the only teams chosen. In the AFC, the agreement was even stronger: Bills (9), Chargers (2), and Ravens (1)
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• The Super Bowl predictions were less scattered this year than last year as well. The top prediction for Super Bowl winner were the Bills (8), followed by the Buccaneers (2), Rams (1), and Chargers (1).

 Micah Parsons (3) matched Myles Garrett (3) in votes for Defensive Player of the Year, while Jonathan Taylor (3) was the most popular choice for Offensive Player of the Year. There was strong agreement that Buffalo’s Josh Allen (8) will be selected as the league MVP this year.

[gardenman]

Making early Super Bowl picks is always tricky as an early injury can change everything, but on the NFC side, there really aren't a lot of truly competitive teams this year. The Rams are the best team barring a major collapse. The Packers might be second-best due to Aaron Rodgers. The Eagles, Niners, and Saints are all in the "I'm not quite sure," category. The Eagles and Niners have QB questions, but the Niners have Jimmy G waiting as a potential savior should things go badly with Trey Lance. The Saints have a new head coach, Jameis Winston at QB, and other questions, but if they play together as a team, they could be good. The Bucs can never be ruled out with Tom Brady as QB, but another new head coach there. I'd pick the Rams for now.

The AFC has a lot of good to great teams and that makes life a lot more challenging. The Bengals got to the Super Bowl last year with a bad o-line. That almost never happens. They fixed the line (or appear to have) this offseason so they should be better. The Bills are really good but have a reckless QB who might get himself dinged. The Chiefs are always good. The Raiders should be better. The Broncos have had a Super Bowl-caliber roster, but no QB, now they have Russell Wilson. If Matt Ryan remembers how to play QB and the new coaches come together the Colts could be competitive. The Patriots are always dangerous. And the Dolphins have upgraded pretty much everywhere. I'd probably take the Bengals now if I had to pick a team.

Who won't be in the Super Bowl? On the NFC side, you can rule out the Giants, Bears, Vikings, Lions (though they'll be better,) and Seahawks. I don't think any of those teams have a legitimate shot at making the Super Bowl this year. If they can get to 9-8 they should be pleased. The Giants and Bears are in contention for that first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. The Vikings are trapped in Kirk Cousins' limbo land where he's good enough to keep but not good enough to win it all with. 

On the AFC side, the noncontenders are the Texans, Jets, and Browns. I just don't see Jacoby Brissett giving the Browns a fighting chance. You could add the Steelers to that list, but Mike Tomlin always finds a way to win games.

[teganslaw]

If Jonathan Taylor has the kind of season he had last year, he could be in contention for OPOY. I'm looking forward to the games and seeing just how Matt Ryan does. 

It's too early to pick playoff contenders as anything can happen. Teams start out strong, then fade. Others start out with losses and still reach the playoffs. 

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@teganslaw @gardenman 

Yep, some teams start out strong, then fade; and some struggle early, and then put it all together----gotta wait until mid season to be able to better assess the teams.....

GARDENMAN, With a few exceptions (like the ones you mentioned) things are a bit wide open in the NFC....should be a very interesting season.......

For some odd reason my sister is going crazy buying NY Giant gear.....I tried to warn her it could be a loooooooong difficult season for her team....she doesnt care......  

As you know, I dont like the new nick of my team, so am trying to just find NFLPA t-shirts with my players.....I went to the NFLPA site and the only one they had was Wentz but the shirt was rather lame it looked like a postcard and said Wentzington instead of Washington..🙄..NO SALE!!!  You can make recommendations on players so I submitted Dotson and Brian Robinson (to show support)......

We have a strong hispanic culture here and the Day Of The Dead is celebrated along with Halloween (its to remember family/friends who have died)....and it's celebrated Oct 31 or Nov 1/2....The NFLPA site actually has NFL DAY OF THE DEAD PLAYER t-shirts, not to honor players that have died, but current players with the traditional sugar skull motif....well, that was interesting.....Here's the Dak Prescott version:  

Sugar skulls represent a departed soul, and are made of sugar and placed on a home altar or gravestone to honor the return of a particular spirit. Sugar skull art reflects the folk art style of big happy smiles, colorful icing and sparkly tin and glittery adornments.

I'll think I'll pass ----they had Trevor Lawrence, 49ers, Steelers, Packers, Broncos.....

Maybe this motif symbolizes players and teams that will not make the playoffs...LOL

[gardenman]

The Giants' schedule is tricky. Week one at Tennessee isn't a good matchup for them. Week two with the Panthers at Giants' "Tear up your knee field"  might be a winnable game, but Mayfield is a better QB. Then they have the Cowboys and Bears. The Bears game looks very winnable. So, maybe 1-3 after four? Then the Packers, Ravens, and Jags. Now 2-5? Seahawks, Texans, Lions, Cowboys, and Commanders. Three wins maybe getting to 5-7? Eagles, Commanders, Vikings, Colts, and Eagles to finish at maybe 7-10? That might be pretty optimistic too.

The Panthers game is a potentially winnable game. If they lose that and fall to 0-2 their next potential win is the Bears. If they lose that game...well it won't be pretty. With games against the Packers, Ravens, and Jags, they could be 0-7. If that's the case, it's hard to find a likely win later in the schedule. Seahawks? In Seattle? Eh.

The big game for the Giants is in week two. They really need a win there. If they don't get it, then the Bears game becomes critical in week four. Another loss and they're in huge trouble. It's not every year where you get a must-win game in week two or four, but that's largely where the Giants are this year.

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@gardenman 

I see where Dallas hasnt finalized the Jason Peters deal---times running out and the Bucs are waiting to see what Dallas is gonna do at LT

[teganslaw]

I can't part with my Wentz tee shirt yet. I'll probably wear it next Sunday. That way I can show support for the Colts and for Wentz so maybe it will help him do well against Jacksonville. 

Tom Grossi has some new videos out. AFC South and NFC South reactions to the offseason. His videos are priceless. 

Gardenman, you might be interested in one of Grossi's short videos: Kirk Cousins' first practice session with Jalen Reagor. That is entertaining. All the videos can be found on Youtube. 

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@teganslaw wrote:

I can't part with my Wentz tee shirt yet. I'll probably wear it next Sunday. That way I can show support for the Colts and for Wentz so maybe it will help him do well against Jacksonville. 

Tom Grossi has some new videos out. AFC South and NFC South reactions to the offseason. His videos are priceless. 

Gardenman, you might be interested in one of Grossi's short videos: Kirk Cousins' first practice session with Jalen Reagor. That is entertaining. All the videos can be found on Youtube. 

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@teganslaw 

Thanks for supporting Wentz, Ill be cheering him on and hope he has a great game!

[gardenman]

@teganslaw 

The Tom Grossi video of Cousins and Reagor might be a little too realistic.

The Eagles off-loaded their two WR misses this year with JJ Arcega-Whiteside going to Seattle (now on their practice squad) and Reagor to the Vikings. Those are interesting teams to send the guys to as DK Metcalf, the Seahawks receiver was the guy many thought the Eagles should have taken over JJ. And Justin Jefferson of the Vikings was taken after Reagor. I don't know if it just worked out that way or if Howie Roseman was sending both guys a message. 

"Here you can see everyday in practice and in every game why we got rid of you." Putting both guys on a roster with the guys the Eagles could have/should have drafted instead is an interesting move. It may motivate them, but probably not. JJ is already demoted to the practice squad. The Eagles getting anything for both guys was impressive.

[gardenman]

And the first game of the season is just three more days away! Rosters have pretty much stabilized at this point. For now, anyway.

The Cowboys are still debating when to sign Jason Peters. If they sign him before game one, they must pay him the full year's salary even if he only plays one game. If they wait until next Monday, they only have to pay him week to week. There's a lot of risk and reward at stake here. If they try to wait and their kid is horrible, Peters can come back and ask for more knowing the Cowboys are desperate. If the kid looks good and no starting left tackle goes down in games, then they can try to get Peters for even less. "We don't really need you, but you'd be good depth." If another team loses a starting left tackle to an injury (not unlikely) then Peters becomes more in demand and the Cowboys could end up needing to pay a lot more to land him or he could opt to go elsewhere. If he's not signed by Tuesday, the Cowboys are waiting until next Monday to sign him and hope he's still there.

The Giants are still somewhere around $5.5-$6.6 million over the cap and need to be under the cap before Sunday. That means something will have to change there. Trading Sterling Shepherd or Saquon Barkley would get them out of cap purgatory, so we could see something happen there if a team with the cap space covets one of those guys. The Giants might have to do one of those "Well give you Saquon and a fourth-round pick if you'll give us a sixth-round pick back." Essentially paying someone to take him off your hands. There are likely some pretty interesting discussions going on in the Giants' front office. Saquon going to Tennessee as a younger version of Derrick Henry to spell Henry on occasion would make sense.

The Eagles are apt to restructure the deals of a few guys to free up more cap space. They'll typically take guys they like and move some of this year's salary into a signing bonus that can be pro-rated out over the rest of their deal. Jordan Mailata and Haason Reddick would be two guys they might do that with. Both will be here for multiple years and are proven players. 

There was apparently some preliminary talk with Chauncey Gardner-Johnson about a new deal before the trade. Just vague stuff about the ballpark of a deal he'd sign, and if he proves to be a solid locker room presence, you're apt to see an extension signed by him before the midpoint of the season. Something along the lines of a four-year deal at $60 million would be about the right ballpark. 

Rosters are now more or less set and teams are focused on game one. Many teams have been preparing for game one since the schedule first came out, but now they really hone in on it and hope for the first big win of the year.