Wellness

[brewhaha]

On 3/22/2014 gardenman said:

Vick's deal is a one year five million dollar deal. It sounds like the Jets are just going to try him out and see what happens. I was expecting something more along the line of a three year deal in case he impressed they'd be protected, but with limited guaranteed money. A one year deal is a bit risky for the Jets for if Vick takes off and has a great year leading the Jets to the playoffs (unlikely, but you never know) then the Jets would have to scramble to keep him. I'm pretty sure the Jets fans would not appreciate letting Vick walk if he led them to the playoffs.

The Jets signed Eric Decker earlier in free agency, but he's not really a game-breaking wide receiver. They've got something like $30 million in cap space left so they could absorb DeSean Jackson's salary if they wanted to go and get a game-breaker. It'll be an interesting team to watch over the next few weeks. When healthy, Mike Vick can be a top ten quarterback in the league. Keeping him healthy and focused though is an issue.

Watching the quarterback reps in the OTA's and training camp will be interesting. Your starter typically gets 70% or so of the reps while the backups split what's left. Geno Smith will need the reps more than Vick, so if Vick immediately gets the majority of the reps, then it could be bad news for Geno. If it's a fifty-fifty split then chances are Vick will end up the starter.

Do the Jets need a T? Rodger Saffold is available. With the signings they've made so far, it wouldn't be that far of a stretch. They definitely are the favorites in the AFC East. Jimmy Kimmel's favorite. Jimmy Fallon's favorite. SNL's favorite.

[gardenman]

And the Seahawks are now reportedly in the DeSean Jackson bidding war. There are also reports the Eagles will just cut DeSean if they can't trade him. I have a feeling this whole thing will be resolved in some manner pretty quickly. The Eagles appear to have made the decision to move on from DeSean and now it's just a question of how to move on.

A lot of the Eagle fanboys are very unhappy about this. They weren't happy the Eagles didn't pick up Byrd in free agency and now letting DeSean leave is really irking them. It doesn't bother me. I trust Chip Kelly and trust that he knows what he's doing. We've got a pretty good complement of wide receivers now with Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper, Damaris Jophnson, Arrelious Benn, BJ Cunningham, Jeff Maehl, Ifeanyi Momah, Will Murphy and Brad Smith. We've got some burners there, some possession guys, some young kids, and some vets. It's a pretty good mix and most of those guys are solid citizens and team players.

[Spurt]

On 3/22/2014 gardenman said:

And the Seahawks are now reportedly in the DeSean Jackson bidding war. There are also reports the Eagles will just cut DeSean if they can't trade him. I have a feeling this whole thing will be resolved in some manner pretty quickly. The Eagles appear to have made the decision to move on from DeSean and now it's just a question of how to move on.

A lot of the Eagle fanboys are very unhappy about this. They weren't happy the Eagles didn't pick up Byrd in free agency and now letting DeSean leave is really irking them. It doesn't bother me. I trust Chip Kelly and trust that he knows what he's doing. We've got a pretty good complement of wide receivers now with Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper, Damaris Jophnson, Arrelious Benn, BJ Cunningham, Jeff Maehl, Ifeanyi Momah, Will Murphy and Brad Smith. We've got some burners there, some possession guys, some young kids, and some vets. It's a pretty good mix and most of those guys are solid citizens and team players.

I think Chip is looking for a harmonious locker room and doesn't want to have a player griping about their lack of getting the ball to them....Losing DeSean would be a loss of talent, but I think you have plenty of other weapons.....Chip and your GM better be careful about making the right decisions....afterall the Eagle fans have their reputation to uphold....

Well I like what I heard from Bruce Allen in a recent interview....he said the team had a lot off holes to fill and they didnt want to overspend....so they picked up some solid free agents and he said the key to a team's long term success is through the draft and having a good draft success rate. (I like the way he thinks).

He said there were also some picks from last year that were underused and they have to see what they can do.....a couple of guards LeRibus and Gettis, and tackle Compton. And there is Phillip Thomas S who is coming back after injury and Rambo in his second year hopefully will improve. He also said that with a new coach we get an extra minicamp...which will start APRIL 7...just around the corner....

He closed by saying, "It is having a very good draft. It is making sure that some of these guys we got in free agency not only get play time but also are effective in their roles they are put into. I feel confident about our direction because of the coach we have and some of the components we have.”

WAS THAT A SHOT AT SHANNY.....hmmmmmm

It appears our target areas in the draft are OL, WR,ILB and safety

[sunshine45]

any thoughts on the proposed rule changes for this year? interesting list.....i definitely agree with some, but others i am not so sure about.

Rule Changes

Proposal No. 1, via Redskins (Kickoffs): Would move the kickoff to the 40-yard line for safety and historic consistency reasons.

Proposal No. 2, via Redskins (Replay personal fouls): Would expand instant replay to include personal foul penalties.

Proposal No. 3, via Redskins (Preseason overtime): Would eliminate overtime periods in preseason games for player safety reasons.

Proposal No. 4, via Patriots (Heighten goal posts): Would extend the goal posts an additional five feet above the cross bar, making it easier for officials to determine whether kicks are good.

Proposal No. 5, via Patriots (Longer extra points): Would move the line of scrimmage for extra points to the defensive team’s 25-yard line, making it a 43-yard attempt. This is to make the extra point more competitive.

Proposal No. 6, via Patriots (Boundary line cameras): Would put stationary cameras on all boundary lines – the sideline, end line and end zone – to supplement the TV cameras.

Proposal No. 7, via Patriots (Coaches challenges): Would permit a coach to challenge any official’s decision, except scoring plays.

Proposal No. 8, via competition committee (Roll-up protection): Would add a penalty for “rolling up” on the side of a defender. Currently, a blocker cannot go low at the back of the legs of a defender. This would further extend that to include the side.

Proposal No. 9, via competition committee (Referee consultation): Would allow the referee to consult with members of the NFL officiating department in New York during replay reviews.

Proposal No. 10, via competition committee (Replay fumble recoveries): Would allow plays where the ball is in the field of play and there is a clear recovery to be reviewed and potentially overturned. Currently, when a ball is ruled dead, it is not reviewable.

Proposal No. 11, via competition committee (Clock stoppage): Would eliminate the stoppage of the clock on a sack at any point of the game.

Proposal No. 12, via competition committee (Pass interference modification): Would allow for pass interference to be called even if the foul occurs within 1 yard of the line of scrimmage.

Proposal No. 13, via competition committee (Penalty enforcement): Would make all defensive fouls behind the line of scrimmage enforced from the previous spot rather than the end of the run or the spot of the foul.

http://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/article-1/Owners-To-Vote-On-13-Proposed-Rule-Changes-/89e3e831-2...

[Shoppergal]

What on earth were the Saints thinking when they let go of Sproles?! I'm so unhappy about that. If Bree's didn't cost us so much we could have kept Sproles. And maybe Moore too. Bad move. :-(

[brewhaha]

On 3/23/2014 sunshine45 said:

any thoughts on the proposed rule changes for this year? interesting list.....i definitely agree with some, but others i am not so sure about.

Rule Changes

Proposal No. 1, via Redskins (Kickoffs): Would move the kickoff to the 40-yard line for safety and historic consistency reasons.

Proposal No. 2, via Redskins (Replay personal fouls): Would expand instant replay to include personal foul penalties.

Proposal No. 3, via Redskins (Preseason overtime): Would eliminate overtime periods in preseason games for player safety reasons.

Proposal No. 4, via Patriots (Heighten goal posts): Would extend the goal posts an additional five feet above the cross bar, making it easier for officials to determine whether kicks are good.

Proposal No. 5, via Patriots (Longer extra points): Would move the line of scrimmage for extra points to the defensive team’s 25-yard line, making it a 43-yard attempt. This is to make the extra point more competitive.

Proposal No. 6, via Patriots (Boundary line cameras): Would put stationary cameras on all boundary lines – the sideline, end line and end zone – to supplement the TV cameras.

Proposal No. 7, via Patriots (Coaches challenges): Would permit a coach to challenge any official’s decision, except scoring plays.

Proposal No. 8, via competition committee (Roll-up protection): Would add a penalty for “rolling up” on the side of a defender. Currently, a blocker cannot go low at the back of the legs of a defender. This would further extend that to include the side.

Proposal No. 9, via competition committee (Referee consultation): Would allow the referee to consult with members of the NFL officiating department in New York during replay reviews.

Proposal No. 10, via competition committee (Replay fumble recoveries): Would allow plays where the ball is in the field of play and there is a clear recovery to be reviewed and potentially overturned. Currently, when a ball is ruled dead, it is not reviewable.

Proposal No. 11, via competition committee (Clock stoppage): Would eliminate the stoppage of the clock on a sack at any point of the game.

Proposal No. 12, via competition committee (Pass interference modification): Would allow for pass interference to be called even if the foul occurs within 1 yard of the line of scrimmage.

Proposal No. 13, via competition committee (Penalty enforcement): Would make all defensive fouls behind the line of scrimmage enforced from the previous spot rather than the end of the run or the spot of the foul.

http://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/article-1/Owners-To-Vote-On-13-Proposed-Rule-Changes-/89e3e831-2...

I like #8, 10 & 11.

[sunshine45]

i am fine with #2, #4, #9, and #10......not sure about some of the other ones yet.

[gardenman]

SPURT. I think the Redskins will be far better off without Shanahan. Is Gruden the right guy to replace him? Only time will tell on that. He's not going to have a lot of leeway with the players. He's got to get the team to buy into what he's selling and that's not always easy.

I like most of the proposed rule changes. I think making the extra points more challenging is a good thing. It increases the value of having a good kicker. Heightening the goal posts might be more challenging than it looks. As you make poles longer they tend to get a bit less stable. That extra five feet might leave the posts moving a bit in the wind. A kicker's job is pretty challenging when the uprights aren't moving, but have them wobbling a bit and it becomes more challenging. It might require moving from aluminum posts to carbon fiber and that would come with a pretty big price increase. You can't really add bracing to the top to stabilize them, so that extra five feet may be an issue.

And the Saints loss of Darren Sproles will be an issue for them. Guys like him don't grow on trees. You just can't plug someone else in and replace him. That's a big loss for the Saints and a big get for the Eagles. The Eagles were very smart to quickly add a couple of years to his contract. The Eagles have a young receiver in Damaris Johnson who has similar size and quickness and if he can learn from Sproles to become a new version of Sproles then that investment would really pay off for the Eagles. Have both of those guys line up in the backfield and watch the defense have a heart attack wondering where they'll go and who will cover them. This Eagles offense will give defenders many a sleepless night.

[yellowrose]

One rule that I would like to see GONE is this arm going forward bull. Unless the ball gets back to the line of scrimage.....fumble!

I will be very upset if the Texans get Johnny Football. He's got a lot of growing up to do. Heck, his parents have a lot of growing up to do. It would be in his best interest to play ball outside of Texas, IF he's even ready for the NFL which I don't think he is

Gardenman, sounds like Eagles are making all the right moves. My jaw dropped when I heard they got Sproles. I'm sure Philly will be predicted to win the division and beyond. But we'll see. I cancel my Dish sports pkg. during the off season, so I don't have the NFL channel right now. I'm starting to get the shakes.

[gardenman]

Yellowrose. Yeah, it's been a decent off-season so far for the Eagles. We've got some new pieces in weaker spots and we've solidified some of our strengths.

There are lots of rumors/reports out there now that the Eagles are getting Mark "Butt Fumble" Sanchez for a backup. I'm not so sure about that. I still think Chip Kelly is fine with Matt Barkley as the backup. The local media have been panicking over Barkley as the backup, but I just don't see the cause for concern. Barkley was put into nearly impossible situations last year and made some bad decisions, but he also moved the team well between interceptions. I just don't see a need for Sanchez in Philly. It's hard to understand why Sanchez would want to come to Philly. He's not going to beat out Nick Foles and there's a pretty good chance he can't beat out Matt Barkley for the backup spot. We'll have to see what happens there.

I truly believe Manziel is going to fall and fall a lot in the draft. I just don't see him going in the top ten. There are too many 'sure things' in this year's draft to take a chance on a guy like him. We'll have to see what happens, but he doesn't impress me all that much.