NFL 2020

[MrMarcello]

My concern with Smith is he may be the next Desmond Howard, who was a fantastic return man but never lived up to the hype as a receiver/playmaker. Same could be said for Raghib Ismail though he had a better production at receiver compared to Howard. Swap Smith for Chase this year and it's Chase destroying Notre Dame and Ohio State (and Smith would have dominated in 2019 at LSU).

For me, if you're in the top 3-5 of the draft it's always this order: QB, OT, dominate edge rusher, shutdown corner. WR is not in my "must have" top 3-5 draft pick range outside of these scenarios: those aforementioned positions are not available/not top tier at your selection, or you have more than one first round pick, or a top tier WR is desirable especially if you have a franchise QB. That said, occasionally a talent comes along that defies all and you draft him in the top 5.

Some GMs go with best talent available without regard to position need, if so take whomever is that best talent available. That is who this year? For me it's Lawrence, Sewell, and toss up thereafter. I don't see a dominant edge rush or top draw shutdown corner from little I've read. Closest to dominant edge rusher is Paye it appears and best shutdown is Surtain but are either top 5 tier? So this could thrust 1-2 receivers (Chase, Smith) into the top 5 this year, but more likely 1-2 additional QBs (Fields, Wilson).

 

[RobinLFC]

Chase should go immediately after Smith - as in, somewhere in the top 10. Smith will probably end up the more successful of the two because he seems to have a great attitude and is a very good route runner.

I think Jefferson was also considered a good route runner coming out of college (not sure), but the consensu #1 route runner was by far Jerry Jeudy and he hasn't really gotten on in the NFL (yet).

My concern with Smith is he may be the next Desmond Howard, who was a fantastic return man but never lived up to the hype as a receiver/playmaker. Same could be said for Raghib Ismail though he had a better production at receiver compared to Howard. Swap Smith for Chase this year and it's Chase destroying Notre Dame and Ohio State (and Smith would have dominated in 2019 at LSU).

For me, if you're in the top 3-5 of the draft it's always this order: QB, OT, dominate edge rusher, shutdown corner. WR is not in my "must have" top 3-5 draft pick range outside of these scenarios: those aforementioned positions are not available/not top tier at your selection, or you have more than one first round pick, or a top tier WR is desirable especially if you have a franchise QB. That said, occasionally a talent comes along that defies all and you draft him in the top 5.

Some GMs go with best talent available without regard to position need, if so take whomever is that best talent available. That is who this year? For me it's Lawrence, Sewell, and toss up thereafter. I don't see a dominant edge rush or top draw shutdown corner from little I've read. Closest to dominant edge rusher is Paye it appears and best shutdown is Surtain but are either top 5 tier? So this could thrust 1-2 receivers (Chase, Smith) into the top 5 this year, but more likely 1-2 additional QBs (Fields, Wilson).

Agree with the bolded bit - they should draft Sewell imo, Preston Williams and DeVante Parker are good enough as your top two WRs.

 

[MrMarcello]

Agree with the bolded bit - they should draft Sewell imo, Preston Williams and DeVante Parker are good enough as your top two WRs.

If I'm the Jets I would be exploring many options. Trade the pick, trade Darnold-draft Fields or Wilson, keep the pick-draft Sewell, keep the pick-take best talent if you filled other holes in FA.

The Jets have a franchise OT so how necessary is Sewell? Then again, why not have two dominant OTs?

 

[Organic Potatoes]

So this could thrust 1-2 receivers (Chase, Smith) into the top 5 this year, but more likely 1-2 additional QBs (Fields, Wilson).

My way too early draft prediction is a few teams fall in love with Wilson and we see action near the top of the draft to get him.

 

[RobinLFC]

If I'm the Jets I would be exploring many options. Trade the pick, trade Darnold-draft Fields or Wilson, keep the pick-draft Sewell, keep the pick-take best talent if you filled other holes in FA.

The Jets have a franchise OT so how necessary is Sewell? Then again, why not have two dominant OTs?

Sure enough, but why have two dominant OTs when they're protecting a garbage QB? That's assuming Sam Darnold is actually not NFL level and his poor performances are not exclusively related to Adam Gase being his HC.

 

[Hephaestus]

Seahawks have got rid of Schottenheimer despite Carroll's claims he wanted all his coaches back, citing "philosophical differences". Please mean he was lying about wanting to run more as well and please get an offensive co-ordinator who adapts his schemes.

 

[WeePat]

When a team meets a team in the playoffs that they swept in the regular season, the winning team have completed the sweep in 20 of the 32 times it has happened, so the Saints have a 62.5% chance of knocking out the Bucs on Sunday.

 

[Rado_N]

Seahawks have got rid of Schottenheimer despite Carroll's claims he wanted all his coaches back, citing "philosophical differences". Please mean he was lying about wanting to run more as well and please get an offensive co-ordinator who adapts his schemes.

Or he wanted to adapt and not run it more so got the boot.

 

[RobinLFC]

Seahawks have got rid of Schottenheimer despite Carroll's claims he wanted all his coaches back, citing "philosophical differences". Please mean he was lying about wanting to run more as well and please get an offensive co-ordinator who adapts his schemes.

Or he wanted to adapt and not run it more so got the boot.

Yeah I also thought that's what happened? Schottenheimer is known for running the ball but if the reports are true that Carroll intervened mid-season because he wasn't happy with how the offense was operating, then surely it was Schottenheimer who changed the offensive to pass-happy in the beginning of the season and that's why they parted now?

Things are looking bleak in Seattle if Carroll really wants to run it more though. By no means were they bad this season but I feel there was more potential to this team, especially with the defense playing well towards the end of the season. They have to be careful they aren't wasting Russell's prime years.

 

[giorno]

It's a good move either way because schottenheimer is a terrible OC. Always was. His name's the only reason he still getting jobs in nfl

 

[RobinLFC]

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Big offseason ahead in Chicago. I always thought Pace's fate was tied to that of Trubisky after trading up to get him. What do you do now though? That defense deserves a competent offense. Declined Trubisky's fifth-year option and he'll almost certainly have better options elsewhere if you don't believe in him as your starting QB. Foles wasn't the answer either. Weren't able to extend Allen Robinson in time so he's a FA too now. Don't have a high enough pick to draft a startable QB either.

Could only see them taking a step backwards and they weren't even good to begin with this season.

 

[Hephaestus]

Or he wanted to adapt and not run it more so got the boot.

Yeah I also thought that's what happened? Schottenheimer is known for running the ball but if the reports are true that Carroll intervened mid-season because he wasn't happy with how the offense was operating, then surely it was Schottenheimer who changed the offensive to pass-happy in the beginning of the season and that's why they parted now?

Things are looking bleak in Seattle if Carroll really wants to run it more though. By no means were they bad this season but I feel there was more potential to this team, especially with the defense playing well towards the end of the season. They have to be careful they aren't wasting Russell's prime years.

Yeah, I agree that's the most likely explanation for him going, I'm just choosing to pretend that there is still hope because the alternative is maddening.

The early season offense wasn't just Schottenheimer, Carroll was initially enthusiastic about it even demanding we pass more against Minnesota after we tried three straight run attempts. Carroll just got cold feet after the Arizona game because we started turning the ball over too much for his liking. The thing is, the offense did need to change after that, defenses were adapting and focusing on defending the deep ball and we had no short/intermediate passing game to exploit this, it's just that Carroll's solution was reverting to running the ball more instead of adding more balance to the passing offense. Question is whether Schottenheimer would have made the necessary adjustments without Carroll's involvement or whether he was just going to carry on asking Wilson to go deep every time, I kind of suspect the latter so would have wanted him gone regardless especially given the number of deep shots later in the season including against the Rams despite the only one that really worked was the one where Wilson and Metcalf improvised while the former was scrambling.

 

[RobinLFC]

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Good news. Hopefully the Browns at full force can make it a game against a well-rested Chiefs team.

 

[Organic Potatoes]

They’ll get Ward back at CB, but Conklin is day-to-day. O-lineman don’t really need hamstrings though, do they?

 

[MrMarcello]

When a team meets a team in the playoffs that they swept in the regular season, the winning team have completed the sweep in 20 of the 32 times it has happened, so the Saints have a 62.5% chance of knocking out the Bucs on Sunday.

The stat I heard on ESPN this morning was 14-7 since the merger. The team that swept in the regular season won 14 of the 21 third meetings.

 

[tentan]

Whats everyones predictions for the weekend then? Any shocks or just the highest seeds going through?

It's almost fitting isn't it? All the new guard (Mahomes, Jackson, Mayfield and Allen) are all in the AFC battling out for a place in the Super Bowl, while all the old guard (Brady, Brees and Rodgers) are all in the other division the NFC trying to do the same thing.




Ravens - Bills - Josh Allen and the Bills have been brilliant but I think it ends here. Ravens to win.

Browns - Kansas - I don't think it will be an easy game for the Chiefs, their starters haven't played for a while and I think teams are starting to figure them out. Their last few games have been tight and we might expect another one. Think they'll still do it though.

Tampa - Saints - Saints did beat them 38-3 earlier on in the season but I have a feeling Brady will pull it off this time. Should be a good game but I have a feeling Tampa.

Rams - Green Bay - You know what, I think Ram will get another upset. Everyone wrote them off before the Seattle game and I assume many will do the same for the Packers game. Packers always choke in playoffs and I think they will once more.

 

[Desert Eagle]

Bills
Saints
Packers
Chiefs

Closest game will be the bills ravens one. Will come down to how effectively the bills can stop the ravens rushing attack.

 

[UweBein]

Bills
Browns
Saints
Green Bay

 

[RoadTrip]

Ravens
Chiefs
Bucs
Packers

 

[ha_rooney]

Bills
Chiefs
Saints
Packers

 

[RobinLFC]

Bills, Browns, Ravens
Saints, Seahawks, WFT

WFT @ Saints
Seahawks @ Packers

Ravens @ Bills
Browns @ Chiefs

Saints @ Packers
Ravens @ Chiefs

Chiefs over Packers.

Gonna stick with this. So Packers, Ravens, Chiefs and Saints to go through.

Could only realistically see the Bills and Bucs ruin that prediction, but you never know of course.

 

[backofthenet]

I'm increasingly thinking that the Browns could do a number on the Chiefs. The Browns have a decent defence - a good pass rush and solid corners. More importantly, they have a good rushing offence, and when the Chiefs lost to the Raiders this year, it was the rushing from Jacobs that got them. I think Chubb and Hunt could be decisive potentially, especially since Hunt will not be unhappy about inflicting pain on the Chiefs.

Bills and Ravens is just too close to call. Bills did a brilliant job stopping the run last week, but that was only one man they had to stop. With the Ravens its two or three rushers potentially, and I'm not convinced that will suit the Bills. That said, Josh Allen & Stefon Diggs could have a field day against the Ravens. I'm currently leaning, however, to the Ravens.

Saints will beat the Bucs. Dunno why, but it just seems likely to me.

Packers and Rams is another close one, as the pass rush from the Rams will disrupt Rodgers. I'm still leaning to the Packers though.

 

[Meller]

Rams (more heart than brain)
Chiefs
Bills
Bucs

 

[altodevil]

Pakcers are about to get fecked by COVID.

 

[Organic Potatoes]

Rams @ Green Bay: The Rams, Goff in particular, are fortunate that Green Bay will be a balmy ~0degC and Donald is supposedly feeling fine. But I don’t really trust Goff even with both thumbs.

Browns @ KC: With the the dangerously lackadaisical way KC plays with the score line, I wouldn’t put it past them to make it close. So if you get the Browns to lose by only 10 points or less I’d hammer that.

TB @ NO: It won’t be a repeat of the last pasting, but the break Brees got because he wouldn’t play with one lung means his old arm isn’t falling off yet this far into the season.

Ravens @ Buffalo: The Bills have been everyone’s darling the past few weeks, so naturally they’ll lose. Lamar does just enough even though he only has like 2 people on the whole team he trusts could catch a hot potato.

 

[giorno]

Ravens
Chiefs
Saints
Rams

Followed by Ravens-Saints Superb Owl

I'm leaning Saints to win it all

 

[RoadTrip]

Brad Holmes Lions GM

 

[RoadTrip]

And Meyer could be Jags next HC?

 

[RobinLFC]

And Meyer could be Jags next HC?

Increasingly looking like it, think it's just a matter of when and not if by now.

 

[Tiber]

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I don't watch enough college to know much about him. But Trevor's OC sounds like a potentially exciting hire.

Atleast none of them got fired by the Jets then retired.

 

[Eboue]

pep hamilton sucks

 

[MrMarcello]

Eagles have requested permission to interview Kellen Moore.

 

[Organic Potatoes]

Eagles have requested permission to interview Kellen Moore.

They also think they can hire Lincoln Riley or Ryan Day. Or, somebody does at least.

 

[Raoul]

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I don't watch enough college to know much about him. But Trevor's OC sounds like a potentially exciting hire.

Atleast none of them got fired by the Jets then retired.

That's a pretty uninspiring list.

 

[Tiber]

That's a pretty uninspiring list.

Last year he dragged Gailey out of retirement without even holding interviews.

Flo is doing amazing work on D. Slightly less blown away with who he hires to run the O. Important to get this one right after something like 5 OCs in 5 years.

 

[RobinLFC]

Urban Meyer to the Jags is a done deal.

Wonder if they might consider Fields now.

 

[Eboue]

Can't see that happening. Fields is not a Meyer guy.

 

[Organic Potatoes]

Yeah, Urban didn’t work with Fields. Also, for whatever his faults he’s not stupid.

 

[MrMarcello]

Was said on a few morning sports shows that he helped recruit Fields to Columbus but left before he actually arrived on campus. But they'll draft Lawrence first overall. In fact, he's only taking this job because J'ville ended up with the top pick so he knew immediately he's getting "the next great QB." He's also now the highest paid NFL coach. What bullshit.

 

[RoadTrip]

Saleh HC of the Jets