NFL (2024 Season)

[Ted$8roadFan]

Jim Harbaugh is leaving Michigan for the San Diego (er Los Angeles) Chargers.

[oscar]

^ I was worried Bill Belichick might end up with the Chargers. Now I can keep rooting against the Chargers (issues with ownership, not coaches or players).

The "genius" part of Belichick's "evil genius" rep has been fading badly lately. But I'm open to rooting for him once more, if he can mount a comeback with a team I can stand.

[webny99]

Boy was I wrong.

You got the championship game matchup right (we'll see about the result). The Packers upset messed up all of your divisional game matchups but you still got those winners right.

Must have been sarcasm. Pretty much nailed it except for Cowboys/Packers.

Jim Harbaugh is leaving Michigan for the San Diego (er Los Angeles) Chargers.

The AFC West just got more spicy. Andy Reid, Sean Payton, and Jim Harbaugh... and Antonio Pierce.

^ I was worried Bill Belichick might end up with the Chargers. Now I can keep rooting against the Chargers (issues with ownership, not coaches or players).

I'm curious what the issues are with Chargers ownership. I haven't heard of anything controversial publicly, except a reputation for complacency dating back to the Philip Rivers days.

[tmoore952]

And (webny99 enters salty mode) I won't be hearing any crap about the snowball throwing. Spend a decade or two in WNY rooting for the Bills and see how you feel about it then. I'm seeing people saying "Bills Mafia does not condone this activity"... false, 99%+ of them do and you would too if you were in their shoes. It's snow, literally water in lightly frozen form. It's western NY and we've got a crap ton of it, have some for the road and get over it. (no throwing at anyone's face though).

Oh if it were only that easy.

I still get crap about Philadelphia even though said event happened in 1968.

You really don't need to worry about it. The media won't mention it every single year. The media will say that Buffalo is more remembered for its multi-foot snowstorms then anything else. I first became aware of Buffalo in the late 1970s because of such storms.

[Big John]

and the 1995 Giants game after a big snowstorm.  Many fans were throwing ice and snowballs onto the field throughout the game, hitting players and officials in the process.  The NFL was close to postponing the game to clear the stands before resuming the game to an empty stadium.

[Max Rockatansky]

My wife and I will be at the NFC Championship game.  I figure that it is my best interest to go given the close proximity and the fact that I've waited 31 years for the Lions to get this far again.

[oscar]

^ I was worried Bill Belichick might end up with the Chargers. Now I can keep rooting against the Chargers (issues with ownership, not coaches or players).

I'm curious what the issues are with Chargers ownership. I haven't heard of anything controversial publicly, except a reputation for complacency dating back to the Philip Rivers days.

They range from big (their exit from San Diego, where they didn't get the new taxpayer-subsidized stadium the Chargers wanted) to small (their attempt to nickel-and-dime Joey Bosa on his rookie contract).

[Hunty2022]

My championship round guesses are;

Ravens > Chiefs
49ers > Lions

Super Bowl is still Ravens > 49ers.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

^ I was worried Bill Belichick might end up with the Chargers. Now I can keep rooting against the Chargers (issues with ownership, not coaches or players).

I'm curious what the issues are with Chargers ownership. I haven't heard of anything controversial publicly, except a reputation for complacency dating back to the Philip Rivers days.

They range from big (their exit from San Diego, where they didn't get the new taxpayer-subsidized stadium the Chargers wanted) to small (their attempt to nickel-and-dime Joey Bosa on his rookie contract).

I mean, there were good reasons for the Manning family to tell the Chargers not to draft Eli at the 2004 NFL draft.
(Technically, the Chargers ignored this and drafted Eli, but then traded him to the NY Giants for Phillip Rivers and some draft picks before the 1st round was over)

[Ted$8roadFan]

For the reasons stated and more, the Chargers sound as though they are less popular then UCLA and USC with their own fan base. Hiring the most recent National Championship Coach (Harbaugh), and one who beat a regional rival no less, will address at least some of that. 

[epzik8]

Can it safely be said that Kyle Hamilton is the essence of the Ravens' defense in the same way Lamar is the essence of their offense?

[thspfc]

Can it safely be said that Kyle Hamilton is the essence of the Ravens' defense in the same way Lamar is the essence of their offense?

I'd say Roquan is the anchor of that defense, but it's close between the two. Lamar, though, is far and away the essence of the offense.

[NWI_Irish96]

Can it safely be said that Kyle Hamilton is the essence of the Ravens' defense in the same way Lamar is the essence of their offense?

Yes, anybody who watched him in college for 3 years knew he was going to be a superstar in the NFL.

[Henry]

Well, Bill Belichick is not going to Atlanta, because Raheem Morris is the Falcons' new head coach. So his next destination is still up in the air.

Personally, I'd say time to hang up the hoodie; there's nothing left to prove.

[jlam]

Personally, I'd say time to hang up the hoodie; there's nothing left to prove.

Agreed. Make sure to trim his sleeves on his way out.

[webny99]

Quick heat check: who are the top 5 QB's in the NFL right now?
I'm curious, not how many NFC QB's are clearly top 5 (spoiler alert: it's zero), but if there are any NFC QB's who even have an argument to be top 5.

To me it's Mahomes*, then Lamar, Allen, Burrow in some order, then it gets interesting. CJ Stroud, Herbert and Lawrence could all be above anyone in the NFC. There is no reasonable ranking that has any fewer than 7 of the top 10 in the AFC right now. If you want to put someone in the NFC ahead of one of those (most likely Lawrence) it's Jordan Love and possibly Dak and that's probably it. You could maybe argue Goff or Brock Purdy, but only in the right situation, while most above them can overcome a bad situation.

*Is it just me or is this already starting to feel like a repeat of the Brady era...?

[thspfc]

Pending the rest of this postseason, here's my list:

Tier 1: elite
1. Mahomes

2. Lamar
3. Burrow
4. Allen

Tier 2: franchise QB, not elite right now
6-13: Stroud, Herbert, Love, Dak, Goff, Cousins, Stafford, Purdy, Hurts; ranking these eight is splitting hairs. Obviously I'd rather have Stroud or Love than Cousins or Stafford moving forward because of age, but as of today they're all at the same level.

Tier 3: time to prove it
14. Tua
15. Lawrence
16. Baker
17. Kyler
18. Geno
19. Carr
20. Watson


That's every somewhat proven QB that I think has a realistic chance of earning a big money contract in the future, from whatever team it may be. Young and Richardson are complete unknowns at this point, no sense in ranking them anywhere. While the AFC has the top 4, the NFC has 7 of my top 13.

Well, Bill Belichick is not going to Atlanta, because Raheem Morris is the Falcons' new head coach. So his next destination is still up in the air.

Personally, I'd say time to hang up the hoodie; there's nothing left to prove.

He's cooked. I didn't understand the narrative that he was going to be an attractive candidate. He is at fault for destroying the Patriots through awful personnel moves post-Brady.

I must say the Panthers hire is perplexing. Canales was an OC for one season, in which he coached a below average offense that marginally improved from the previous year (23rd total 20th scoring, vs. 15th total 25th scoring in 2022). And that was with registered football terrorist Byron Leftwich at OC. They beat the Eagles? Yeah, them and literally everyone else that played them after November. They kept it close against a below average Lions defense? Wow!

[Ted$8roadFan]

Well, Bill Belichick is not going to Atlanta, because Raheem Morris is the Falcons' new head coach. So his next destination is still up in the air.

Personally, I'd say time to hang up the hoodie; there's nothing left to prove.

I think his desire is to pass Don Shula in the all-time wins record. He only needs 15. This means he will need a team with a winning record and good prospects moving forward. Conventional wisdom had BB being taken by now. That it hasn't happened, and won't happen at least for now isn't as much of a surprise as it seems. He's been in the same place for 24 seasons. He's a defense-oriented coach in a league now defined by offense, his last few years as coach/GM have been dreadful, he's got a 4-13 season behind him, and he wants total control when that hasn't worked for him. And of course there is his age and notoriety that would come from hiring perhaps the greatest coach in league history, which is a burden for him and for whoever ends up hiring him. Circumstances have actually supported the best outcome for him....spend some more time on his boat in Nantucket, sit out the season, "consult" for a team, and wait for the inevitable in-season firing or parting of the ways by a would-be contender.

[Max Rockatansky]

There definitely is something to prove.  The narrative is now that Belichick was mostly a product of Tom Brady's success.  Winning elsewhere would go a long way to proving otherwise.  Functionally I don't think Belichick's brand of coaching fits the modern player oriented game, so that would be a tall order. 

[NWI_Irish96]

There definitely is something to prove.  The narrative is now that Belichick was mostly a product of Tom Brady's success.  Winning elsewhere would go a long way to proving otherwise.  Functionally I don't think Belichick's brand of coaching fits the modern player oriented game, so that would be a tall order. 

I think the bigger issue is that Bill has always had total control over personnel and no team is going to give him that when he's going to be there at most 2-3 years. If he wants to coach again, he's going to have to accept that he would be a coach only.

[webny99]

I must say the Panthers hire is perplexing. Canales was an OC for one season, in which he coached a below average offense that marginally improved from the previous year (23rd total 20th scoring, vs. 15th total 25th scoring in 2022). And that was with registered football terrorist Byron Leftwich at OC. They beat the Eagles? Yeah, them and literally everyone else that played them after November. They kept it close against a below average Lions defense? Wow!

It's not the most inspired hire overall, but Mayfield was much improved from his last two stops and had his second-best season in the NFL. The bar in Carolina is so low that I think there's a good chance Bryce Young improves and it looks like a good hire after year 1.

[thspfc]

I must say the Panthers hire is perplexing. Canales was an OC for one season, in which he coached a below average offense that marginally improved from the previous year (23rd total 20th scoring, vs. 15th total 25th scoring in 2022). And that was with registered football terrorist Byron Leftwich at OC. They beat the Eagles? Yeah, them and literally everyone else that played them after November. They kept it close against a below average Lions defense? Wow!

It's not the most inspired hire overall, but Mayfield was much improved from his last two stops and had his second-best season in the NFL. The bar in Carolina is so low that I think there's a good chance Bryce Young improves and it looks like a good hire after year 1.

"The bar is so low" is never a good way to justify a coaching hire.

[Max Rockatansky]

There definitely is something to prove.  The narrative is now that Belichick was mostly a product of Tom Brady's success.  Winning elsewhere would go a long way to proving otherwise.  Functionally I don't think Belichick's brand of coaching fits the modern player oriented game, so that would be a tall order. 

I think the bigger issue is that Bill has always had total control over personnel and no team is going to give him that when he's going to be there at most 2-3 years. If he wants to coach again, he's going to have to accept that he would be a coach only.

Clearly it wasn't his forte like it was with his predecessor.  The Patriots used to win in spite of those questionable personnel decisions because they had the best QB that ever played.  Belichick essentially ran Brady out the door and got exposed. 

[webny99]

I must say the Panthers hire is perplexing. Canales was an OC for one season, in which he coached a below average offense that marginally improved from the previous year (23rd total 20th scoring, vs. 15th total 25th scoring in 2022). And that was with registered football terrorist Byron Leftwich at OC. They beat the Eagles? Yeah, them and literally everyone else that played them after November. They kept it close against a below average Lions defense? Wow!

It's not the most inspired hire overall, but Mayfield was much improved from his last two stops and had his second-best season in the NFL. The bar in Carolina is so low that I think there's a good chance Bryce Young improves and it looks like a good hire after year 1.

"The bar is so low" is never a good way to justify a coaching hire.

I'm not justifying the hire yet, just predicting that it will be viewed more favorably 365 days from now than it is now.

[tmoore952]

One of the Lions players, Josh Paschal, is the nephew of one of my co-workers.

This co-worker told me on the afternoon before the beginning of the 2022 draft to watch for his nephew that evening -- Josh Paschal from Kentucky University. So I watched for a couple hours until he was selected by Detroit in the second round. Had forgotten about this until this week when said co-worker mentioned him again.

My co-worker is a Ravens fan, and wants a Lions-Ravens SB.
For that reason, and others, I am rooting for the Lions.
If the 49ers play the way they did last week, the Lions might have a shot. We'll see.