Sports

[gardenman]

The Scott Linehan firing was interesting for the timing if nothing else. Just a few days ago Jason Garrett said he'd be back, then they "mutually" agreed to fire him? How the heck does that work?

"You know Jason, I've been thinking," said Linehan. "I really wasn't at my best this year. Maybe you should fire me."

"Well, if you insist."

"I think it's best for everyone."

Seriously? Now the Cowboys are said to be looking to the college ranks for a new OC. It's going to be a big hire for them. They've got a quirky mix of players with Dak, Elliott and now Amari Cooper. Elliott wants to run the ball all the time. Amari Cooper is a typical receiver who always thinks he's open and wants the ball thrown to him all the time. Dak tends to be more than a little erratic throwing the ball. Finding a mix of plays that keeps everyone more or less happy will be a challenge for any new OC they hire. Do they run Dak more? (Arguably his most valuable ability.) What happens if he gets hurt running the ball? (And sooner or later he will.) Will Cooper sulk if he doesn't get his catches? They've got some interesting issues to work out. Who starts opposite Cooper? Cole Beasley seems likely to leave in free agency and he's been Dak's security blanket. They don't really have a high caliber tight end. The Rams shut down Elliott and forced Dak to beat them and he couldn't. The existing Cowboys offensive scheme was run the ball first. When they passed Dak looked to his first read and if that wasn't open, he'd dump the ball off to Elliott or Beasley. Can Dak adopt to a more structured passing attack? It's going to be interesting to watch.

[Spurt]

---

@gardenman wrote:

The Scott Linehan firing was interesting for the timing if nothing else. Just a few days ago Jason Garrett said he'd be back, then they "mutually" agreed to fire him? How the heck does that work?

"You know Jason, I've been thinking," said Linehan. "I really wasn't at my best this year. Maybe you should fire me."

"Well, if you insist."

"I think it's best for everyone."

Seriously? Now the Cowboys are said to be looking to the college ranks for a new OC. It's going to be a big hire for them. They've got a quirky mix of players with Dak, Elliott and now Amari Cooper. Elliott wants to run the ball all the time. Amari Cooper is a typical receiver who always thinks he's open and wants the ball thrown to him all the time. Dak tends to be more than a little erratic throwing the ball. Finding a mix of plays that keeps everyone more or less happy will be a challenge for any new OC they hire. Do they run Dak more? (Arguably his most valuable ability.) What happens if he gets hurt running the ball? (And sooner or later he will.) Will Cooper sulk if he doesn't get his catches? They've got some interesting issues to work out. Who starts opposite Cooper? Cole Beasley seems likely to leave in free agency and he's been Dak's security blanket. They don't really have a high caliber tight end. The Rams shut down Elliott and forced Dak to beat them and he couldn't. The existing Cowboys offensive scheme was run the ball first. When they passed Dak looked to his first read and if that wasn't open, he'd dump the ball off to Elliott or Beasley. Can Dak adopt to a more structured passing attack? It's going to be interesting to watch.

---

@gardenman

I know my team's a mess and I shouldn't talk, but it wont stop me from watching and enjoying this pan out, and see what happens to the circus that is the Dallas Cowboys!

[gardenman]

Nick Foles came up three plays short of earning a one million dollar bonus for his regular season appearances, so the Eagles gave him the million anyway. That's good for team unity and also sends the right message to free agents. 

[sunshine45]

okay can someone help me choose a tight end again please?

any OTHER recommendations for other positions?

[gardenman]

---

@sunshine45 wrote:

okay can someone help me choose a tight end again please?

any OTHER recommendations for other positions?

---

I would definitely take Kelce of the Chiefs as a tight end. The Patriots aren't great against tight ends.

Some interesting stuff going on. John Harbaugh has gotten his extension, so he'll be the Ravens' coach for quite a while.

Hue Jackson is being interviewed as the OC for the Cards. The Cards seem intent on hiring the most questionable coaches possible this year. I'm not sure why they're looking to only hire coaches with losing records, but it's an interesting concept.

[teganslaw]

---

@sunshine45 wrote:

okay can someone help me choose a tight end again please?

any OTHER recommendations for other positions?

---

If you can use him (you mentioned that you can only use a player one time), go with Travis Kelce at TE. If not available, you could try NO Josh Hill. He should be the starter for that team. Gronkowski gets a lot of hype for the Patriots ( and he's a good blocker), but Brady hasn't been targeting him much. You could try him. but don't get expectations up for team involvement. 

WR: Michael Thomas is a stud.. He and Brees have a definite connection. Edelman for NE also gets Brady's attention. Rams top choices are Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods. KC best is Tyreek Hill.

RB: KC Damien Williams; NE Sony Michel l or James White; NO Kamara; Rams Gurley or C J Anderson. 

You can't go wrong with any of the above choices. Kansas City is suppose to have freezing temperatures, so I don't know how that will affect the game. 

[sunshine45]

thanks @gardenman and @teganslaw

going to check out the players lists i have. i THINK i used kelce last week so he is unavailable to me. have to check out my lists. i need to choose a QB, kicker, defense, 2 WR, 2 RB, 1 TE,  and a flex player that can be a WR/RB/TE.

yes, harbaugh has agreed to an extension.....no terms have been stated yet. there will definitely be some unhappy ravens fans though. i think some feel like we need to move on. of course, he is a hot commodity and would have been snatched up quickly.

[gardenman]

With a young QB you want stability, so keeping Harbaugh is smart. When you look at talented kid QB's who succeed versus those who fail, the ones who succeed tend to have stability, while the ones who fail are in a chaotic situation. Learning to be an NFL quarterback is tough enough. Learning a new system three times in five years just scrambles a kid's mind. Most offensive systems in the NFL take years to learn and become second nature. A kid QB needs that stability to really excel. Keep a talented kid with the same head coach, offensive coordinator, and QB coach, in the same system and in three years time he should be near his peak.

[teganslaw]

I thought that the Ravens extended Harbaugh's contract about a month ago. Anyway, it's better for Lamar Jackson to have the same coach. 

GMF reported that DeSean Jackson is having issues with Jameis Winston, so there's a chance that Jackson won't  be with TB next year. Even having Bruce Arians as head coach won't help the situation. Jackson did better with Fitzpatrick. I think that part of the problem is that Winston doesn't target DeSean much, and he wants to get more snaps. He and Winston just don't connect well. 

The NFL is more entertaining than many TV programs. with all this going around.  

[sunshine45]

---

@teganslaw wrote:

I thought that the Ravens extended Harbaugh's contract about a month ago. Anyway, it's better for Lamar Jackson to have the same coach. 

GMF reported that DeSean Jackson is having issues with Jameis Winston, so there's a chance that Jackson won't  be with TB next year. Even having Bruce Arians as head coach won't help the situation. Jackson did better with Fitzpatrick. I think that part of the problem is that Winston doesn't target DeSean much, and he wants to get more snaps. He and Winston just don't connect well. 

The NFL is more entertaining than many TV programs. with all this going around.  

---

@teganslaw

they initially extended harbaughs contract for a year. we knew he would be around for 2019/202.

NOW it is an entirely new ballgame and extended/renewed for MORE than that. no new details yet.