NFL Thread - 2012-13

[Big Sexy]

This is the official NFL thread. Talk about free agency, roster moves, training camps, pre season, regular season, playoffs, player news, team news, anything NFL related.

The 2012 NFL season is officially underway. A few moves have already been made in free agency and there are many more to come. For the first time in his NFL career Peyton Manning will soon be on an NFL roster that isn't the Colts. We've also already seen a trade, with Brandon Marshall going to the Bears for draft picks. As a Lions fan I sincerely hope the Bears get more of the psycho Brandon Marshall and less of the elite receiver Brandon Marshall.

 

[Mr. HD]

Well, get ready for a long post. Well....semi-long post.

Ok, let me start with the free agency. Reggie Wayne is staying in Indy (God bless him), Pierre Garcon is going to Washington, and it looks like Brandon Marshall went to the Chicago Bears, which rules out Peyton going to Miami most likely, and The Bucs signed Vincent Jackson which is sure to keep San Diego out of the playoffs for yet ANOTHER season.

Jay Cutler now has enough firepower to get back to the playoffs so I don't wanna hear any excuses. They've got Hester, Johnny Knox, and now Brandon Marshall. It killed them when they dropped Greg Olsen though. Vincent Jackson going to the Bucs could be that extra thing they need to get to the playoffs, but in a division with Atlanta, New Orleans, and a resurgent Carolina team, they shouldn't hold their breath.

Peyton Manning has still yet to make his decision and I'm pretty sure Dallas Clark is ready to go with him wherever he goes. Let's be honest here, Brandon Marshall leaving Miami rules out Peyton going there cause there's no longer a #1 receiver for him to throw to, although Peyton makes receivers not the other way around, but still. The only optional choices left are Tennessee and Arizona now. The Titans have a good defense, were 1 win away from making the playoffs last season and have a good receiving core especially with guys like Kenny Britt and Nate Washington. Out of the two teams now, I'd like to see Peyton go to Tennessee. Mainly because he knows every team in the division this a team with a defense, running game and offensive line. Everything Peyton needs to make it to the Super Bowl is in Tennessee pretty much. The only thing that worries me is how Manning plays in the cold weather. I thought about Arizona, but Peyton isn't familiar with NFC teams like he is with AFC teams.

This is one of the most interesting regular seasons I can't wait for. Guys like Peyton Manning, Vincent Jackson, and Brandon Marshall are moving around. The Colts pretty much cleaned house and are hoping for Andrew Luck to have what I call "The Matt Ryan Effect" and come and exceed expectations. I personally don't think it'll happen, but we'll see. The New York Giants won't repeat. I'll say that right now. I'm not hating, it's just the truth. The Redskins owned them twice last season and with the impending draft of RG3, they could be major players. Not to mention Dallas will be looking for some revenge and Philly won't go away quiet. The NFC has become so much more competitive. The Niners are now a legitimate threat, Detroit is no longer the "easy win" they used to be, Carolina is on the come up, The Packers are the Packers, the Bears will bounce back, and don't even get me started on New Orleans. The NFC is going to a lot harder to win this season.

Same thing could be said for the AFC. Let's see how Tim Tebow does in his first full season as a starting QB. I wonder how he reacts to this. The Patriots are going to be upset and are looking to get back to where they were, Pittsburgh and Baltimore now have some steady competition in that division with Cincinnati becoming so good, Houston can breathe a little bit cause Peyton hasn't signed with any team in the division yet, but if they do then they better scrap to make the playoffs. The AFC looks like the usual suspects will be making it with the outside chance of Cincinnati and Houston. If Peyton does indeed sign with The Titans....look out!

Interesting season....no doubt about it.

 

[PlayTheGame]

My team, for those that don't know, is the New England Patriots. After coming so close to another Superbowl victory, you'd think the Patriots would maybe make a big acquisition this offseason in order to get back again next year, especially considering the AFC is pretty open for the taking right now. If Peyton Manning stays out of the AFC, there's not that many premiere QB's left in the conference besides Brady. Sure, you have Rivers and Roethlisberger. But the NFC has Rodgers, Brees, Eli Manning, possibly Peyton, and more. I think the NFC is clearly more talented, as you saw much better NFC playoff teams than AFC playoff teams last year. So, as I was saying, I hope the Pats make a big pickup this year. They tried last year with Ochocinco & Haynesworth, but that was severely disappointing. They also had yet another underwhelming draft last year. Whether it be in F/A or the Draft, I hope the Pats acquire a difference-maker at either DE, WR, or RB, because we need bolstering in all of those areas. I think if we can improve in those areas, we have a much better team than we did last year. Brady's entering the final five years of his career, so our window as a surefire elite AFC team will close soon- I hope we capitalize now while we can instead of regretting that we didn't later.

Also, thank God the Patriots pass on guys like Clay Matthews and Brooks Reid in the Draft in order to get guys like Ras-I Dowling & Ryan Mallett. GREAT DECISIONS.

 

[Nate DaMac]

So Detroit spent about a billion dollars locking up Calvin Johnson for the next half a century, but it is certainly money well spent. He really separated himself from the heard this year and I can truly say with quite an abundance of confidence that he is the best wide out in the league.

And as always, the Chiefs have an ass ton of cap space and they're doing exactly nothing with it. Fucking hell.

 

[Davi323]

The best part is, that it FREED 9 million under the cap, so the Lions can go after other free agents now too...

Other random thoughts:

Regarding the KC Chiefs: I am very surprised that they aren't bigger players in the Peyton Manning sweepstakes. They have more than enough cap room, but no visits, no rumors of visits. Did Manning tell them early on that he simply had no interest at all? But if that's the case, then WTF are they doing sitting on that money? Spend it already! You have a shit ton of cap space to play with, make use of it, improve your team.

Brandon Marshall: There is a reason he was dealt for two 3rd rounders while Vincent Jackson got 5/55 mil. Even if I believe that the Bears were aware of the woman beating allegations when they made the trade, there is still something about this that makes me think whats the catch? On the surface, even with his troubles, this seems like an offer that is too good to be true. Legit #1 WR for two 3rd round draft picks? Why was Miami in such a hurry to dump him?

Tebowmania is about to get moved. Right now I am thinking that Peyton is going to end up in Denver, which means something is going to have to happen here. Broncos fans would be stupid to bitch about replacing Tebow with Manning, he is the one guy who could replace Tebow in their minds without any criticism. It's Peyton Manning. But, since they have completely different styles of play, no way in hell Tebow can be his backup. If the Broncos get Manning, they have to trade Tebow. My guess is to Jacksonville who needs someone like Tebow who can put butts in the seats, or possibly even the Dolphins.

 

[Nate DaMac]

The Chiefs picked up Peyton Hillis... I'm not upset. I don't know if it was a great move or not. Thomas Jones was on the down slope this year and Hillis could certainly compliment Charles better. Cassel's Pro Bowl year came alongside a beast running game and maybe with a healthy Charles paired up with Hillis, they can get back on track.

Intriguing to say the least.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Shocked and excited to see the Bills drop $100m on Williams. This makes their defense tough to block with Mario Williams coming off the right end and Kyle Williams/Marcel Dareus coming through the middle. This gives them a young line that is going to free a lot of guys up to make big plays.

The Bills are finally starting to build from the inside. If they can keep scores low and wear down the other teams with their running game (Jackson and Spiller) the Bills could get through the AFC East with a good record, maybe even make the ... Nevermind I'm not going to jinx it yet.

 

[Big Sexy]

Two of the top receivers left on the market have now found new homes. Brandon Lloyd has signed with New England while Mario Manningham has signed with the 49ers.

Lloyd to the Pats is a good move. New England needed a deep threat at the receiver position and Lloyd provides that for them. He has speed and can make big plays down field, which is something New England lacked at receiver last year. Manningham to the 49ers is also a great signing. The 49ers had one of the worst receiving groups last year but with Moss and now Manningham joining Michael Crabtree and TE Vernon Davis, they have one of the better groups.

 

[Big Sexy]

Many people though all of the former Colts would follow Manning to Denver and so far only one has. Jacob Tamme who was the back up to Dallas Clark in Indy has signed with the Broncos to compete with Joel Dreesen for the starting tight end spot. Jeff Saturday, however, has signed with the Packers because he believed they wanted him from the start while the Broncos only wanted him after they got Manning as the two are close friends. It will be interesting to see where guys like Dallas Clark and Joseph Addai end up.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Here's my question to all of you:

Who has the most to lose? The Colts or Broncos? Who took the biggest risk this offseason between those two teams?

If Andrew Luck is a bust and Manning lights it up in Denver, those Colt fans are going to be absolutely furious (at least at first). Consequently, if Manning absolutely stinks and can't come back from these injuries, those Denver fans will probably want their legendary hero John Elway's head on a plate.

For me, it's close but I think Denver has the most to lose and took the biggest risk. They got rid of their starting QB (that led them to the playoffs last year) to sign a guy that will be a Hall of Famer but may well be past his prime and too injured to come perform at a level everyone is accustomed to. I don't think Tebow is a good QB by any means but he did get them to the playoffs and most fans in Denver liked him I think. So, if Manning sucks, where does that leave Denver? Where do they go from there at QB? Their defense is good enough to win games for them but if Manning is a bust it's a big step backwards and it would definitely make people question John Elway.

The Colts really didn't have a choice. They were going another direction, they got the #1 pick in a draft with one of the best QB prospects ever in Andrew Luck, AND they didn't want to pay Manning his bonus. So, if Luck is a bust and Manning is awesome in Denver, they will definitely face criticism in the short term but in the long term, they had to draft someone to take over for Manning anyway. His exit from Indy was inevitable is what they'll argue, given all the circumstances.

 

[Big Sexy]

Here's my question to all of you:

Who has the most to lose? The Colts or Broncos? Who took the biggest risk this offseason between those two teams?

Easily the Colts and it really isn't all that close. All Denver did was sign arguably the greatest qb of all time and get rid of a flash in the pan qb who in realty will never be any better then a back up or occasional starter (i.e. Trent Dilfer). You can talk about Peyton's injury all you want but he has been cleared by multiple doctors and has looked great in workouts. Chris Weinke came back from the same injury a while back and returned to full strength in the same time period. Denver made a move that is going to make them SB contenders and it really didn't cost them much of anything.

The Colts on the other hand basically wiped the slate clean. By getting rid of Manning they made it known that they were in full rebuild mode. They are going to be putting the reigns of their franchise in the hands of an unproven rookie qb. Whether it's Luck or RGIII they are always going to be compared directly to Peyton in terms of individual stats, wins, playoff appearances, Super Bowls, everything. Rebuilding is a scary thing. Sometimes it's only a one or two year process but other times (like in the case of my Lions) it can take a decade.

 

[Theo Mays]

Easily the Colts and it really isn't all that close. All Denver did was sign arguably the greatest qb of all time and get rid of a flash in the pan qb who in realty will never be any better then a back up or occasional starter (i.e. Trent Dilfer). You can talk about Peyton's injury all you want but he has been cleared by multiple doctors and has looked great in workouts. Chris Weinke came back from the same injury a while back and returned to full strength in the same time period. Denver made a move that is going to make them SB contenders and it really didn't cost them much of anything.

The Colts on the other hand basically wiped the slate clean. By getting rid of Manning they made it known that they were in full rebuild mode. They are going to be putting the reigns of their franchise in the hands of an unproven rookie qb. Whether it's Luck or RGIII they are always going to be compared directly to Peyton in terms of individual stats, wins, playoff appearances, Super Bowls, everything. Rebuilding is a scary thing. Sometimes it's only a one or two year process but other times (like in the case of my Lions) it can take a decade.

Pretty much my thoughts exactly. The Colts are handing over the reigns to Andrew Luck (likely) and for the rest of his career he will be compared to Peyton Manning. Throw onto that Luck has had some serious hype for about two years being declared a can't miss prospect. Risky move on the Colts behalf. I think it will pay off in the end, but you never know. Denver gets Peyton Manning, you can't lose there. Manning has looked good in workouts and Denver is now starting to bring in some talent to put around him. Denver has definitely put themselves in contention because of Peyton Manning alone.

Meanwhile on my side of the fence, my Vikings aren't really doing much. We are sitting pretty at the 3rd selection and we know Luck and RG3 will likely go 1 and 2. That leaves the Vikings in an interesting spot. Many think we should go with Matt Kalil to get Ponder a LT, but I'm not sure. I'd much rather us pick up Justin Blackmon or Mo Claiborne. Looking at the WR just in the NFCN, it is scary. Johnson, Marshall, Nelson, Jennings, that's some damage right there. The Vikings don't really have that guy as Harvin is really our only threat at WR. And we certainly don't have the CB to cover them. Right now we have an aging and declining Antoine Winfield and a troubled Chris Cook. While Cook played well last year, we need more. We just signed Zack Bowman from the Bears giving us a decent 1 through 3, but Claiborne is the best defensive prospect in the draft in my eyes and is an immediate upgrade over the 3 of them. Right now he is the guy I want most. A close 2nd with Blackmon, but the WR class is deep and we run a lot of 2 TE so Carlson and Rudolph should see plenty of action.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I'm not looking too forward to being a Colts fan this year. Yeah losing Manning is huge but look at the other talent the team has lost/let go.

Joseph Addai- an ok running back, he has had great seasons and bad seasons. Was a good fit in the Colts offense
Gary Brackett- The defensive captain and one of the few consistent defensive players the last few years
Melvin Bullit- a good 3rd safety who stepped up big when Bob Sanders went down with his seemingly endless injuries
Dallas Clark-one of the top five tight ends in the league
Ryan Diem- a solid contributor on the O-line for the last few years, retired
Pierre Garcon- one of the more underrated receivers in the league, headed to Washington
Anthony Gonzalez- an ok receiver who dealt with injuries the last couple of seasons, headed to New England
Jacob Lacey- an ok corner, was a solid tackler, headed to Detroit
Jacob Tamme- really emerged as a good tight end when Clark went down with injury, headed to the Broncos
Jeff Saturday- a future hall of famer and one of the best centers of the last ten years, headed to Green Bay

The Colts have never really been big players in Free Agency. The most significant name they signed in recent years was Adam Vineatari(sp?). The biggest name they have picked up this year is Tom Zwbikowski, who will probably fill the role of Melvin Bullit.

There are some rumors going around that they may opt for RG3 instead of Luck but I think Luck is the better choice.

Its just crazy, the first bad year in almost 10 years and they clean house.

 

[AndThat'sTheBottomLine]

The colts easily took the biggest risk. What the broncos did was pick up one of the greatest qb of all time and a sure fire hall of famer. I like Tebow but I'll take Peyton Manning all day everyday. The colts dropped Peyton for a PROSPECT. We don't know how good Luck will be in the NFL. A huge risk. We'll see how it pays off.

 

[timfly]

Very excited for the Bears this season. Haven't had high expectations like this for awhile, just hope they do not let me down.

 

[Mochaches]

I live in Buffalo and I'm a Bills fan. Looking forward to seeing what Mario Williams brings to the defense. So far in the offseason workouts, the defense has looked pretty good, even though the workouts are considered "light". Offensively, I would love to see what Ryan Fitzpatrick does. Just hope he brings his Interception total down from last year. If he stumbles, the Bills now have Vince Young, but for only one year.

 

[Big Sexy]

There has been a lot of talk about the young qb's going into this season so I will give my two cents. I know it's just pre season but Andrew Luck and RGIII both look like the real deal. They will both have their growing pains like any rookie qb but I could see both guys being successful starters for years to come.

Another rookie who has looked great is Russell Wilson. With his leadership and dual threat talents he may be the future in Seattle over Matt Flynn. It's still too early to tell but I believe he has a future as a starter in this league.

Looking back at one of last years first round qbs, Jake Locker, I still see him as a bust. The guy just isn't accurate enough to be a successful NFL starter for a long period of time. I see his ceiling as Jake Plummer and I don't even think he will reach that.

 

[Paul Bunyan's Axe]

There has been a lot of talk about the young qb's going into this season so I will give my two cents. I know it's just pre season but Andrew Luck and RGIII both look like the real deal. They will both have their growing pains like any rookie qb but I could see both guys being successful starters for years to come.

Another rookie who has looked great is Russell Wilson. With his leadership and dual threat talents he may be the future in Seattle over Matt Flynn. It's still too early to tell but I believe he has a future as a starter in this league.

Looking back at one of last years first round qbs, Jake Locker, I still see him as a bust. The guy just isn't accurate enough to be a successful NFL starter for a long period of time. I see his ceiling as Jake Plummer and I don't even think he will reach that.

Completely agree. I've liked what I've seen with RGIII and Luck both. The only issue is, the teams they have around them aren't good enough to pull their weight. I think both of these guys are good, but they need more threats around them than they have.

I've loved Russell Wilson his first few weeks. He's been efficient, and shown that he can run the ball as well as any QB. I think he's going to be getting the start over Flynn to start the season.

I'm indifferent with Locker. I think he has potential, but he needs to learn a lot more before he's ready to start. If Matt Hasslebeck doesn't start this year at QB, I'll bet he will before the season is over.

 

[Big Sexy]

Another young qb who has impressed me is Ryan Tanehill. I'll be the first to admit that when he was drafted I thought he wouldn't be very good and would have a rookie year similar to Blaine Gabbert. I know it has only been a couple pre season games but the guy looks legitimate. Obviously we have to wait until the regular season to truly judge him but he looks a lot better then I gave him credit for.

 

[Big Sexy]

The second I praise Tannehill he lays an egg but it was his first ever NFL start and pre season or not that can nerve wrecking. Russell Wilson on the other hand continues to impress. In his start against a good KC defense he went 13-19 for 185 yards and 2 tds. He also had 2 rushes for 58 yards. He has been confident, accurate, and better running the football then most expected. Last year at Wisconsin he stayed in the pocket more because of the offense but people forget how good he was running with the ball at NC State. This guy has tons of talent and is a legit threat to Matt Flynn as the future starting qb in Seattle.

 

[RattleRockerJet97]

Im a Jets fan. Seen every game sine 2003 when I was 10. If you dont think your team is winning it all every year, your not a fan. So yea, I think were gonna win, alot.

But at the moment. Shit sucks and I hate Tim Tebow, the man is not a QB.

 

[Paul Bunyan's Axe]

Im a Jets fan. Seen every game sine 2003 when I was 10. If you dont think your team is winning it all every year, your not a fan. So yea, I think were gonna win, alot.

But at the moment. Shit sucks and I hate Tim Tebow, the man is not a QB.

I know what you mean bro. I'm a Steeler fan, and I'll be damned if I think anyone is going to win the Super Bowl but the Steelers. Obviously, it doesn't happen every year, but regardless, it's our job as fans to root for out teams.

As for Tebow, I hate him too. Never have liked him. He gets more attention than any back up QB should, and he's just annoying in every way I can think of. Plus the fact that he's a horrible Quarterback as well.

 

[Megatron]

Im a Jets fan. Seen every game sine 2003 when I was 10. If you dont think your team is winning it all every year, your not a fan. So yea, I think were gonna win, alot.

But at the moment. Shit sucks and I hate Tim Tebow, the man is not a QB.

I call bullshit on that. You have every right to cheer on your team (as I do) but just because you have tempered expectations doesn't mean you aren't a fan. I've seen the Lions post the worst season in the history of football. I knew it was going to be a long process to get back to respectability and I can assure you I wasn't even thinking playoffs the first 2 years under Schwartz. I still cheered for them whenever they were on (which wasn't always the case as there was a few blackouts) but just because I would've accepted a 6-10 year 2 years ago (which was a 4 game improvement) doesn't mean I'm not a fan.

As for the Tebow hate, blame ESPN/media more than him. It's not his fault ESPN wants to keep track of every time he blows his nose. And if a team bought into his talents and made him play in more of an option/college system (instead of the traditional pro system you see) they could be a threat. Just look at the Broncos. Not all QBs are equal. Tebow should have his running abilities utilized to the highest degree. He'd be best off taking no more than 15 passes a game (unless the situation were to call for it) and trying an option/ball control type offense. It won't always be pretty, but it can get the job done.

 

[RattleRockerJet97]

Let me mix that up a bit. If you truely love your team, you root for them regardless, you still watch every game, even if the team is absolute garbage. These 8 years have been roller coasters. Constant 4-12, 10-6, 5-11, 11-5, 9-7 (Not in any order) but I can say theres always been a feeling of success when the season begins. You can say its a 2 way street, im certainly no fair-weather fan like these Dolphin fans im surrounded by (A little rib on the Dolphins. Got that Jet pride, baby!)

As for Tebow, I dont "Hate" him, well it doesnt help when he seems to be egging the crowd. Taking his shirt off and parading around the field was a pretty much "Guarantee" ESPN, garbage highlight moment. I know this guy likes the spotlight, he has to. His ability as a pure football player is tremendous, hes got the heart for it too. But the man cant make throws, aside from being slow in the pocket, his release/motion takes forever and his passes arent accurate. I can understand busting him out on a "Wildcat" trick play, but to actually take snaps away from Sanchez (15 snaps a game!?) is crazy. The whole reason we got him was for trick plays and teasing Sanchez for a possible start. I never expected Tebow to even come remotely close to taking over the starting job.

The worst part is lets say Sanchez has an off game. The fans or should I say the "Fans" are gonna beging for Tebow to start. This is the point in the season when the JEts are probably competely out of it. In which case I dont care, seasons done. Just watch and hope for some good games. But it could potentially be a future thing. I dont want Tebow as my future QB. Who would!? The man is not a franchise QB. Eat it Skip Bayless, your lover is not a future for anyone. I dont think Sanchez is gonna do worse than last year.

Look all im saying is if Tebow ever takes the job over Sanchez. Seasons done, either way.

 

[J.J.]

I was VERY excited to see Tim Tebow against my Panthers. I was excited to see the Jets lose just as much as I was excited to see him scramble and even more excited he threw the ball into coverage where there were 3 excited Panther players excited to pick him off. Although it was just a preseason game, I've seen zero developement in his decision making as a QB...not playmaker after the play has been broken up but.....QUARTERBACK. On paper Mark Sanchez wasn't terrible last season, but recent preseason play he has been dismal. Just fortunately for him he can be excited that his backup is playing just as bad. Come on you Tebow fans so you can be picked apart like one of his passes! I kid, but seriously...