CAG NFL Season Discussion

Now Jason Worilds (27) and Cortland Finnegan (31) have announced their retirements as well. What in the holy fuck is going on? At least Finnegan played 9 years...but still, that's decently young.

It's crazy to think about other players who can't let go of the game and play into their late 30s, and now it feels like we're seeing a lot of guys who just view it as a job they were blessed enough to be good at. Take that money and run.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
It's a day late but I didn't have the time to chime in until now about P. Willis -

His retirement is certainly a sad day for me. He was one of the players I truly rooted for. I root for the team but certain guys I really pull especially hard for. Patrick was one of them. A little Gamestop story with Mr. Willis:

A couple of years ago I was picking up something at a local GS store. While in line, I noticed a guy ahead of me was buying a 2 year old Madden game. The general associate and the customer chatted a bit about the most recent changes to Madden as they were finishing their transaction and the customer was leaving. I was up next in line so I continued the conversation with the GA and I commented how I was surprised people were interested in a broken old Madden game. The GA goes on to say, "you'd be surprised. We get a lot of folks picking up old games that aren't even supported anymore. Actually, one story that comes to mind was there was this one kid that wanted to buy a really old copy of Madden and he didn't have enough money. I felt bad for him as he got really sad as he started walking out the door. At the very last second, a guy walks right up to him and stops the kid and asks him what system he had. Kid says, 'a PS3' and the guy walks right up to me and asks to buy the newest Madden available on the PS3. It's Patrick Willis. Rang him up and he hands the kid the brand new game and the kid looked so happy he was near about to cry and hugs Patrick and leaves. That sticks out as one of the coolest stories I've ever had to share from my time working here. I'm actually a Raiders fan and I hate the 49ers but ever since then I couldn't hate the 49ers anymore because I'm a big Patrick Willis fan. Dude is a really cool guy."

Stories like that just really make me love the player more and watching him go was a sad thing. Much respect to Mr. Willis.

As for the team, they will be having to refocus their efforts on inside linebacker once again. Bowman was able to ascend and it covered up Patrick losing his step due to his chronic foot problems. However, Bowman's knee injury was so severe that I'm not optimistic about him coming back. ACL injuries are able to be overcome but the multi-ligament tears are the real career changers and that's what happened to Bowman. He had some knee discomfort at the end of last season when he was trying to continue his rehab. I'm very concerned for Bowman. As for Patrick's replacement, Borland is the most logical choice. However, Borland is not the three down linebacker that Patrick was. On passing downs, Borland has had some difficulty in coverage. He's a shorter linebacker so that isn't going to help when they play nickel in terms of matchups. With Fangio now gone, I have no idea if this team will even be competitive next season. When it rains, it pours.
I have a lot of respect for guys that go out on their own terms like that. He didn't want to grab a paycheck as a second tier player and risk seriously compromising his health for the rest of his life.

 
I have a lot of thoughts I'll try to remember them all and touch on some.

The Patrick Willis thing is also sad for me. I've been a Niners fan since the Montana days and Willis was the bright spot on defense when the team was garbage. Sorta similar to Frank leaving, but the retirement was shocking. I thought he would be a candidate to be cut. I hope he makes the HOF, was an over looked player IMO.

Which leads me to Frank. I think he's perfect for the Colts and never understood the Philly thing. Now Eagle fans all salty Gore changed his mind. Maybe if your coach stopped playing Dr. Frankenstein with the roster he would have not been scared off. If Indy can straighten out the D, watch out.

People comparing Bradford's desire to play to Locker's remember one thing. Bradford was the last guy to get in before the rookie wage scale. He has huge dollar incentive to rehab from any injury and play. Locker could have squeezed another $10 million out of the NFL, but maybe his $6 million or whatever he's already banked after taxes he feels he can live on. I don't know. I know a guy from my town who went to college at Stamford for free and bought a house on a signing bonus from the St. Louis Cardinals and he was content to stop pursuing playing at that point. Locker could have backed up and moved around for good money but who knows where he is at in life. I can't get on him for that.

I don't see the Titans taking a QB. Mettenberger will get the chance and their roster is awful almost everywhere.

The Jets have a great team and no QB so they don't have a great team.

People are saying Russell Wilson is replaceable? With who exactly. I understand he isn't Drew Brees, but you don't give him his money you are in big trouble. Look at their clown carousel of QBs before drafting him. He even beat out a guy they threw crazy money at. They will pay him, no question.

Guess that's it for now. Interested in where Spiller ends up and I still think Murray should stay with the Cowboys. We shall see.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
That's a good point about Bradford. Just looking at it, the guy had a 6 year, $78,045,000 contract...with a $17,950,000 signing bonus...and $50,000,000 guaranteed (good fucking grief). He's scheduled to make $12,985,000 this year alone. That's freaking insane for a guy that basically hasn't played in 2 years, and honestly, wasn't particularly great when he was healthy. I get that teams are desperate for QBs who don't suck...but I still can't believe a team would trade themselves into that situation.

As for the Titans (or any bad team really), I think having a draft strategy of taking as few risks as possible is the way to go. Doesn't matter what the guy's position is. When you stink, you just need capable bodies. None of that "will his game translate to the NFL?" crap. Translation: stay the hell away from Mariotta and Winston.

 
Another year of large bandwagon fan counts in Indy this year. Shall be a lovely year at the bar.
Actually it will be around here. The Bears fans know they won't have shit to talk about and should stay home. Or at least be quiter.

Mind you I am speaking from the perspective of someone in central Illinois. Even some Bandwagon will be better than the loud, obnoxious Chicago student crowd. Or you know the four or five Colts fans you might see at the bar now. It's not like it even takes longer to get to Indy than Chicago from here.

Hell just some excitement would be nice.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
As for the Titans (or any bad team really), I think having a draft strategy of taking as few risks as possible is the way to go. Doesn't matter what the guy's position is. When you stink, you just need capable bodies. None of that "will his game translate to the NFL?" crap. Translation: stay the hell away from Mariotta and Winston.
The position does matter when you're talking about the chance at a potential franchise QB. If they don't like Mariota and think Mettenberger is their guy who can take them to the playoffs and beyond, then that's fine, but once you have dug yourself out of picking in the top 10 or even just the top 5, your chances at a franchise QB become less and less. I was curious myself, so I went back and looked at all the QBs taken in the first 2 rounds from 2004-2013 and added some notes.

First Round

1. Eli Manning - Pro Bowler and 2x Super Bowl MVP

1. Alex Smith - Pro Bowl (late bloomer)

1. Jamarcus Russel - bust (late riser in draft)

1. Matthew Stafford - Pro Bowler

1. Sam Bradford - bust so far (injuries)

1. Cam Newton - Pro Bowler and OROY

1. Andrew Luck - Pro Bowler

2. Robert Griffin III - Pro Bowler and OROY (hasn't been the same since injury)

3. Vince Young - Pro Bowler and OROY

3. Matt Ryan - Pro Bowler and OROY

4. Phillip Rivers - Pro Bowler

5. Mark Sanchez - bust (late riser in draft)

8. Jake Locker - bust (reach in draft)

8 Ryan Tannehill - Breakout 2014 with 27:12 TD:INT ratio

10. Matt Leinart - bust

10. Blaine Gabbert - bust (reach in draft)

11. Ben Roethlisberger - Pro Bowler, 2x Super Bowl Champ, and OROY

11. Jay Cutler - Pro Bowl

12. Christian Ponder - bust (reach in draft)

16. EJ Manuel - Benched for Kyle Orton in 2014 (reach in draft)

17. Josh Freeman - bust

18. Joe Flacco - Super Bowl MVP

22. JP Losman - bust

22. Brady Quinn - bust

22. Brandon Weeden - bust

24. Aaron Rodgers - All-Pro, NFL and Super Bowl MVP

25. Jason Campbell - bust

25. Tim Tebow - bust

Second Round

35. Andy Dalton - Pro Bowler

36. Colin Kaepernick - led 49ers to 2 straight NFC title games, winning one

36. Kevin Kolb - bust

39. Geno Smith - Probably a bust

40. John Beck - bust

43. Drew Stanton - bust

44. Pat White - bust

48. Jimmy Clausen - bust

49. Kellen Clemmens - bust

56. Brian Brohm - bust

57. Chad Henne - bust

57. Brock Osweiler - unknown (0 starts)

64. Tarvaris Jackson - bust

Florida State runs somewhat of a pro style offense and Winston has been a top 5 prospect since he won the Heisman as a freshman, so I don't know how many questions there are about his game translating to the NFL. Winston's biggest questions are probably off the field character concerns. Mariota has also been a top 5-10 prospect since early in his career at Oregon and it's not like scouts don't know Oregon runs an unconventional offense, yet he has still been considered a top prospect for years. Neither were late risers in the draft and neither have been considered reaches as top picks. I think recent history is on their side if they both get picked in the top 5 like they are projected by some.

 
I don't know why this mystery team would not have tried to make that deal with the Rams and cut out the middle man if it were true.
Because the Rams got a starting QB in return from the Eagles along with a 2nd rounder and a 4th rounder with a conditional pick going back to the Eagles depending on Bradford's playing time. The Rams would have likely been left without a legitimate starting QB if they had just taken a first rounder from this mystery team.

 
The position does matter when you're talking about the chance at a potential franchise QB. If they don't like Mariota and think Mettenberger is their guy who can take them to the playoffs and beyond, then that's fine, but once you have dug yourself out of picking in the top 10 or even just the top 5, your chances at a franchise QB become less and less. I was curious myself, so I went back and looked at all the QBs taken in the first 2 rounds from 2004-2013 and added some notes.

First Round

1. Eli Manning - Pro Bowler and 2x Super Bowl MVP

1. Alex Smith - Pro Bowl (late bloomer)

1. Jamarcus Russel - bust (late riser in draft)

1. Matthew Stafford - Pro Bowler

1. Sam Bradford - bust so far (injuries)

1. Cam Newton - Pro Bowler and OROY

1. Andrew Luck - Pro Bowler

2. Robert Griffin III - Pro Bowler and OROY (hasn't been the same since injury)

3. Vince Young - Pro Bowler and OROY

3. Matt Ryan - Pro Bowler and OROY

4. Phillip Rivers - Pro Bowler

5. Mark Sanchez - bust (late riser in draft)

8. Jake Locker - bust (reach in draft)

8 Ryan Tannehill - Breakout 2014 with 27:12 TD:INT ratio

10. Matt Leinart - bust

10. Blaine Gabbert - bust (reach in draft)

11. Ben Roethlisberger - Pro Bowler, 2x Super Bowl Champ, and OROY

11. Jay Cutler - Pro Bowl

12. Christian Ponder - bust (reach in draft)

16. EJ Manuel - Benched for Kyle Orton in 2014 (reach in draft)

17. Josh Freeman - bust

18. Joe Flacco - Super Bowl MVP

22. JP Losman - bust

22. Brady Quinn - bust

22. Brandon Weeden - bust

24. Aaron Rodgers - All-Pro, NFL and Super Bowl MVP

25. Jason Campbell - bust

25. Tim Tebow - bust

Second Round

35. Andy Dalton - Pro Bowler

36. Colin Kaepernick - led 49ers to 2 straight NFC title games, winning one

36. Kevin Kolb - bust

39. Geno Smith - Probably a bust

40. John Beck - bust

43. Drew Stanton - bust

44. Pat White - bust

48. Jimmy Clausen - bust

49. Kellen Clemmens - bust

56. Brian Brohm - bust

57. Chad Henne - bust

57. Brock Osweiler - unknown (0 starts)

64. Tarvaris Jackson - bust

Florida State runs somewhat of a pro style offense and Winston has been a top 5 prospect since he won the Heisman as a freshman, so I don't know how many questions there are about his game translating to the NFL. Winston's biggest questions are probably off the field character concerns. Mariota has also been a top 5-10 prospect since early in his career at Oregon and it's not like scouts don't know Oregon runs an unconventional offense, yet he has still been considered a top prospect for years. Neither were late risers in the draft and neither have been considered reaches as top picks. I think recent history is on their side if they both get picked in the top 5 like they are projected by some.
So only 4 1st and second rounders have won Superbowls, I think your point actually might have hurt you.

 
A team with 2 first round picks like the Browns, perhaps
I doubt it. They settled their QB situation with the McCown signing and they're the sort of team that would've traded for the first if offered (Trent Richardson trade and two firsts from the Bills for the #4 spot last year). Seems like a clear lie to make the trade seem like a smarter move on his end in the midst of all the criticism.

 
So only 4 1st and second rounders have won Superbowls, I think your point actually might have hurt you.
You're missing the point and this list only goes back to 2004, but if we're talking about Super Bowl winners since that draft, all but 2 QBs on those Super Bowl winning teams were drafted in the first or second rounds.

Tom Brady was famously a 6th round pick, but if your plan is to luck your way to the next Tom Brady in the 6th round, then good luck with that. Russell Wilson was a 3rd round pick, but again, he is an exception to the rule.

I doubt it. They settled their QB situation with the McCown signing
I wouldn't call that settling their QB situation. McCown was pretty bad last year and will be 36 years old when the season starts. He has been in the league a long time and never showed anything until a 3 game stretch with the Bears in 2013 and hasn't shown anything since then.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
McCown is there to tutor Manziel. So if we're talking about this year and in relation to trading a pick for Bradford then yeah, their QB situation is settled.

 
The position does matter when you're talking about the chance at a potential franchise QB. If they don't like Mariota and think Mettenberger is their guy who can take them to the playoffs and beyond, then that's fine, but once you have dug yourself out of picking in the top 10 or even just the top 5, your chances at a franchise QB become less and less. I was curious myself, so I went back and looked at all the QBs taken in the first 2 rounds from 2004-2013 and added some notes.
I can appreciate the research. Much respect for looking into it and coming back with numbers. It's definitely an interesting topic. Looking at the list...I don't know. Using "Pro Bowl" as a measuring stick seems a little misleading. All it really indicates is that a guy put together one solid season. Now, of course it doesn't mean they're bad QBs...but if you're looking for guys to build a successful team around, I think you need more than an Alex Smith or a Jay Cutler (unless you have a ridiculous defense).

There were even rumors that the Titans were going to try to trade for Jay Cutler because "he went to Vanderbilt"...but you have to question how much of an improvement is he really going to be over a guy like Mettenberger? It's not like we're talking about going from Joe Webb to Joe Montana. So, if you're going from 59% completion percentage to 62%...how much of a difference maker is that to your team? It just feels incredibly marginal when there are other areas where greater gains could be made.

And I guess that's more along the lines of what I'm expecting from both Mariota and Winston. Even some of the better QBs on your list have been incredibly inconsistent. Stafford, Newton, and the almighty Eli (pretty terrible career numbers honestly). Then you've got guys like Rivers and Ryan, who haven't been able to get their teams over the hump, but have put up very respectable numbers. I guess that would be my cutoff for a legitimate "franchise QB". If you can put up a completion percentage above 64% and a QB rating above 90.

If you're trending below that, then why are you being drafted in the early rounds? Mettenberger as a rookie drafted in the 6th round went 59.8% and 83.4. Granted, that's in a small 7 game sample size...but it's also on a horrifically bad team. Conversely, Cam Newton's numbers last year...58.5% and 82.1. There should be a difference between the top pick in the draft and a 6th round QB.

That's all I'm saying...unless there's a can't miss superstar like an Andrew Luck (who actually had worse numbers his rookie year than even Mettenberger...weird), and a guy taken late in the draft can do a very comparable job, then I'd look at other positions that would make a bigger impact on my team. That probably seems super unconventional because QBs make a huge impact...but it's almost like buying name brand vs buying generic. Sometimes you get the same results, haha.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have a lot of thoughts I'll try to remember them all and touch on some.

The Patrick Willis thing is also sad for me. I've been a Niners fan since the Montana days and Willis was the bright spot on defense when the team was garbage. Sorta similar to Frank leaving, but the retirement was shocking. I thought he would be a candidate to be cut. I hope he makes the HOF, was an over looked player IMO.

Which leads me to Frank. I think he's perfect for the Colts and never understood the Philly thing. Now Eagle fans all salty Gore changed his mind. Maybe if your coach stopped playing Dr. Frankenstein with the roster he would have not been scared off. If Indy can straighten out the D, watch out.

People comparing Bradford's desire to play to Locker's remember one thing. Bradford was the last guy to get in before the rookie wage scale. He has huge dollar incentive to rehab from any injury and play. Locker could have squeezed another $10 million out of the NFL, but maybe his $6 million or whatever he's already banked after taxes he feels he can live on. I don't know. I know a guy from my town who went to college at Stamford for free and bought a house on a signing bonus from the St. Louis Cardinals and he was content to stop pursuing playing at that point. Locker could have backed up and moved around for good money but who knows where he is at in life. I can't get on him for that.

I don't see the Titans taking a QB. Mettenberger will get the chance and their roster is awful almost everywhere.

The Jets have a great team and no QB so they don't have a great team.

People are saying Russell Wilson is replaceable? With who exactly. I understand he isn't Drew Brees, but you don't give him his money you are in big trouble. Look at their clown carousel of QBs before drafting him. He even beat out a guy they threw crazy money at. They will pay him, no question.

Guess that's it for now. Interested in where Spiller ends up and I still think Murray should stay with the Cowboys. We shall see.
Clown Carousel for Seattle? Yea the year or so before Wilson arrived. But we did have Hassleback for a long time. Poor guy ended up backing up Locker in the end and out playing him.

 
I wouldn't call that settling their QB situation. McCown was pretty bad last year and will be 36 years old when the season starts. He has been in the league a long time and never showed anything until a 3 game stretch with the Bears in 2013 and hasn't shown anything since then.
He's a bridge QB, so he's not intended to be the franchise QB for the next 10 years. They needed somebody to lock down the position for a year, or less if Manziel is ready to take over before then, until there are hopefully much better options next year.

McCown is there to tutor Manziel. So if we're talking about this year and in relation to trading a pick for Bradford then yeah, their QB situation is settled.
Exactly. He's the veteran tutor that is a safer choice than going after injury-prone guys that you can't rely on a single bit. It's settled in that they're not looking to trade or sign a new QB to be the starter until next season if Manziel isn't showing signs of being the guy. Anybody that thought the signing had any other purpose is misguided at best.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Do you guys do know the one thing almost every QB in the last decade had?  They were still in their rookie Contracts!

Brady's first 3 superbowls (6 round money), Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, Wilson... the recent trend is you can win the SB without paying your QB big numbers.  When your Qb takes up a chunk of change, your chances of winning big diminish.

Just look at the 9ers, two AFC championships, a superbowl appearance, Kap gets paid, team crumbles. Flacco?  Roethlisberger?

 
I still maintain the Ravens could have beaten both New England and Seattle if they weren't starting 7th and 8th stringers at DB.

That being said, Ozzie Newsome and Eric Decosta know how to draft well, which is why the Ravens continue to be playoff contenders every year.
 
All right...the Titans finally showed some signs of life today. They've reached agreements with Brian Orakpo (they needed to get him since the speculation of landing Worilds went up in smoke with his retirement) and Anthony Fasano. They also re-signed Ryan Succop, Derrick Morgan, and Karl Klug. I really like all of these moves. The team needs a ton of work, but this is a good start.

 
I can appreciate the research. Much respect for looking into it and coming back with numbers. It's definitely an interesting topic. Looking at the list...I don't know. Using "Pro Bowl" as a measuring stick seems a little misleading. All it really indicates is that a guy put together one solid season. Now, of course it doesn't mean they're bad QBs...but if you're looking for guys to build a successful team around, I think you need more than an Alex Smith or a Jay Cutler (unless you have a ridiculous defense).

There were even rumors that the Titans were going to try to trade for Jay Cutler because "he went to Vanderbilt"...but you have to question how much of an improvement is he really going to be over a guy like Mettenberger? It's not like we're talking about going from Joe Webb to Joe Montana. So, if you're going from 59% completion percentage to 62%...how much of a difference maker is that to your team? It just feels incredibly marginal when there are other areas where greater gains could be made.

That's all I'm saying...unless there's a can't miss superstar like an Andrew Luck (who actually had worse numbers his rookie year than even Mettenberger...weird), and a guy taken late in the draft can do a very comparable job, then I'd look at other positions that would make a bigger impact on my team. That probably seems super unconventional because QBs make a huge impact...but it's almost like buying name brand vs buying generic. Sometimes you get the same results, haha.
Yeah. I put awards like Pro Bowl in my notes because it was an easy thing to click the players name on the Wikipedia draft page and see their awards. Trust me, I'm not a fan of Pro Bowl as a measuring stick for any position considering it is fan voted and most fans just vote big names or look at raw stats and make a judgement off that. I could have done a breakdown of what I thought about individual players and why they did or didn't succeed, but that would take a long time and I'm guessing nobody would care to read the whole thing anyway.

I'm actually one of the few people who doesn't seem to hate Jay Cutler, but I agree that trading for Cutler would probably be a waste of time and money for a team like the Titans. They are more than just a QB away from competing and Cutler is so up and down, I would guess you would get the bad version of Cutler on a team like the Titans. Speaking of Cutler, he was traded to the Bears along with a 5th round pick for 2 1st round picks and a 3rd round pick. The Rams got a major haul from the Redskins just for the right to draft RG3. At a certain point, teams get desperate for a QB upgrade, even if were talking about a guy like Cutler or an unproven rookie like RG3 was. Maybe the Titans can find a trade partner for the #2 pick and stockpile more draft picks or maybe they just take Leonard Williams. It's always interesting to see how the draft plays out.

He's a bridge QB, so he's not intended to be the franchise QB for the next 10 years. They needed somebody to lock down the position for a year, or less if Manziel is ready to take over before then, until there are hopefully much better options next year.

Exactly. He's the veteran tutor that is a safer choice than going after injury-prone guys that you can't rely on a single bit. It's settled in that they're not looking to trade or sign a new QB to be the starter until next season if Manziel isn't showing signs of being the guy. Anybody that thought the signing had any other purpose is misguided at best.
Yeah. I definitely think McCown is going to be the Browns QB for the next 10 years ;). When your top 2 QBs are a 36 year old journeyman and a guy currently in rehab who just had a disappointing season, you have some question marks at the position, which is what I mean when I say I wouldn't call it settled. Just my opinion, I guess.

 
How many years does Peyton have left?
A week or two ago, after he took a "small" pay cut and announced he was coming back to Denver Sports Center did a segment where they belted off his top ten moments/achievements.

I just thought it summed up his career (and my feelings on it) perfectly that they had his super bowl win as number #2 achievement and his touchdown record as #1 achievement.

I'm not saying that reflects how he personally feels but I can't think of a better example of someone that seems to care more about pumping stats in lopsided regular season games then winning big games.

It doesn't take away from the fact he is one of the greatest QB's to play in the NFL but I see this year being more of last.

 
Yeah. I definitely think McCown is going to be the Browns QB for the next 10 years ;). When your top 2 QBs are a 36 year old journeyman and a guy currently in rehab who just had a disappointing season, you have some question marks at the position, which is what I mean when I say I wouldn't call it settled. Just my opinion, I guess.
It's settled in that they're not actively looking for a new QB to be the starter for 2015, which is a lateral move from the situation they were in at the end of last season. Anybody that actually would think they'd trade a first round pick for Bradford is an idiot. It's that simple.

 
The Browns are already punting on the season. We all know what happens when they try to punt.

jkocgcbwv0svbyxtk1pv.gif

 
Do you guys do know the one thing almost every QB in the last decade had? They were still in their rookie Contracts!

Brady's first 3 superbowls (6 round money), Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, Wilson... the recent trend is you can win the SB without paying your QB big numbers. When your Qb takes up a chunk of change, your chances of winning big diminish.

Just look at the 9ers, two AFC championships, a superbowl appearance, Kap gets paid, team crumbles. Flacco? Roethlisberger?
What's going on with the 49ers has nothing to do with Kaep's contract. It's extremely team friendly.

And I say Peyton has no years left. He was shot after week 11 last year. I don't expect anything amazing from him next year.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
What's going on with the 49ers has nothing to do with Kaep's contract. It's extremely team friendly.

And I say Peyton has no years left. He was shot after week 11 last year. I don't expect anything amazing from him next year.
You do know Peyton was hurt right? He was playing like normal until he got hurt.

 
You do know Peyton was hurt right? He was playing like normal until he got hurt.
I lean towards that being the explanation for his struggles as well, but he's at the age where injuries happen frequently and with little apparent cause. Since his arm strength is already on the edge of acceptability, any injury is going to nuke his ability to throw effectively.

 
I lean towards that being the explanation for his struggles as well, but he's at the age where injuries happen frequently and with little apparent cause. Since his arm strength is already on the edge of acceptability, any injury is going to nuke his ability to throw effectively.
Exactly. I knew he was hurt even when they were saying he wasn't. I still don't think he has much left in the tank.
 
Bradford to Titans talk heating up again.

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/dgcbM

The only way it would make any sense to me is if the Titans were planning on trading down anyway (ala the RGIII deal) and Bradford is basically a bonus to a package that they were already interested in. Even still...that contract.

Hopefully it's just slow day at the water cooler bullshit.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
LOL. A lot of 49ers fans were saying Willis's retirement wasn't that big of a deal because they had Borland to replace him. What now?
It wasn't a big deal. But now it is. It's really fucked up everyone is tying this into the 49ers falling apart when Borland is the one guy to step up and say the money isn't worth the health problems and death before 60.

But LOL all you want. Junior Seau killing himself cause his head was fucked up was a hilarious LOL situation.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It wasn't a big deal. But now it is. It's really fucked up everyone is tying this into the 49ers falling apart when Borland is the one guy to step up and say the money isn't worth the health problems and death before 60.

But LOL all you want. Junior Seau killing himself cause his head was fucked up was a hilarious LOL situation.
If you think that's what I was laughing about, then you're even more stupid than most of your posts indicate.

 
Your laughing about the roster aspect of it, and the fall of the 49ers as a team, but this issue is above all of that. This is going to be a huge issue in the future for the NFL, even starting at the high school level. Athletes will just choose to play sports that don't deliver the pounding football puts on their bodies.

I guess we can agree to disagree about the intelligence levels of my posts.
 
Honestly, if the NFL (and football in general) is facing the prospect of losing out on high level athletes due to the danger of the sport, it might actually force their hand in considering some of those rule changes that we all thought were ridiculously stupid. I can't imagine a league without kick returns, but when you're at the point that a starting player quits after playing one year and making just shy of $1 million (bonus included), you have to wonder how alluring your league is.

Players have only gotten bigger, faster, and stronger...and it's kind of ruined the game. It's like having a demoltiion derby, but instead of using old jalopies, you're using drag racers. It's just not worth participating in. So, either the rules change...or the level of skill declines as you start to only attract people who have no regard for their well-being.

I guess the other possibility is that these are just coincidences and don't actually reflect any changes in attitude for the players. But it's been a very weird offseason so far. But hey, it's not players beating their wives and children. Sooo...silver lining! :lol:

 
Borland apparently considered quiting after training camp because of a concussion. A close friend of his says he also might have just retired just because of the beating his body took in general, shoulders mainly.

Many teams took Borland off of their draft board because his shoulder problems were thought to have set up his career to be very short.
 
I don't think it changes much. Too many players don't spend their money wisely and are broke shortly after retiring. They will keep taking those checks until teams stop offering them. Parents not wanting their kids to play football is nothing new either. If more people decide to not start playing football or want to switch to another sport because of this, I don't think it will be a noticeable amount. There will always be others waiting to take their place anyway.

 
Let's not go overboard... football is one of the few sports that is GROWING at the high school level. Schools now have Spring passing (i.e. 7 on 7 leagues) and many rural school districts that don't have the enrollments to support a full fledged football program are having 7 on 7 fall leagues (full pads).

Yes, enrollment numbers in peewee football may be seeing a decline but that is after years of exponential growth. As long as football provides an opportunity for people to achieve generational wealth you're not going to see a decline that is going to have a drastic effect on the product.

I mean we're talking about less then a handful of players out of 55 per team (not including the 20+ on practice squads that don't make the final roster that would KILL to have a spot) times roughly 30 teams? Not to mention NCAA, CFL, NFL Europe, Semi-pro, etc.

This is more "shark attack" media coverage. Yes we may have seen a "significant" (lol... from none to two?) increase in players retiring early but let's not forget about the countless players who would give anything to make a roster spot in the NFL.

That being said I always wonder if there is more to the story. The NFL is the least transparent professional sports league... and I can remember being in college when ESPN had that show "Playmakers" (which the NFL forced them to cancel after one season... or they'd lose broadcasting rights) which tackled real world NFL issues that many people don't understand... like when a player is outed for his first positive drug test it's really his third or fourth.

Edit: And it's a great debate (similar to nature vs. nurture) but I'm not entirely convinced that football causes people to commit suicide (or in Jevon Belcher's case... homicide) any more the professional wrestling or being born with a chemical imbalance.

As someone who personally knew Jevon Belcher, he had off the field issues before the NFL. Before his college career at UMaine. Many professional football players exhibit aggressive (dare we say violent?) behavior long before they spend years in the league. Combine that with drug/PED abuse and yes, concussions, at it is a recipe for disaster but plenty of people sustain non-football related concussions or other head trauma and they aren't killing themselves or other people.

Edit 2: And in real life, outside of football, I'd say it's fairly common for people to commit suicide after they end their professional career the only difference is we aren't exhuming the body of the stock broker or lawyer post mortem to dissect their brain. I mean, isn't their an entire word (and forest) dedicated to this in Japan? Wasn't it at one point considered honorable? 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
bread's done
Back
Top