The NFL Thread

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

NERF guns are a serious act of aggression in America.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1634320435838894081

Wow.

Panthers desperate for a QB.

[Foe]

They kind of had to.

Texans, colts, raiders all ahead of them with Greg wildcard of the bears themselves and the falcons who could have decided to go. You know fine well the Seahawks would trade down too to a qb needy team.

They’re in reset territory anyway, despite outperforming after trading away CMC. Pick 61 was from that trade anyway no? Is they’ve decided to trade their offence for 8 slots.

[Ben]

That’s one hell of a package for the potential QB to throw to nobody.

[Ben]

Rumours abound that they want to trade down now. :D

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Well they probably don't mind 4 QB's, so as long as they don't drop out of the top 4 they'll be happy.

I reckon they probably Richardson the most and he's a bit of a reach at number 1 over Stroud and Young.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

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Dolphins getting Ramsey for not much compensation.

[Foe]

I don’t understand the rams. They trade away picks for players for win now, and then they send away an all-pro first ballot HOFer most likely for what? An early ish third?

[Ben]

Ramsey wants $20m per season and the Rams are already way over the salary cap before draft
picks sign. They shot their shot and now they need to offload some of them and as a result some teams will be able to get a bargain.

[Ben]

Rodgers to Jets.

[Foe]

Jimmy G has done the obvious and gone to mcdaniels in vegas.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Lamar has requested a trade :(

[Foe]

The ravens effectively accepted that with the tag they put on him. Two first rounders is probably about what they would’ve got anyway.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I think with the tag they were trying to show him that he wont get a fully guaranteed contract in the league and were hoping they could keep him for something similar to what they were offering.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Also, we used that tag on him after he requested a trade.

He's only just gone public now.

[Foe]

Aye that’s what I mean - he wanted a trade. Why would they do that when they can tag him and get two 1s if he gets an offer and they don’t want to match it.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1640429416906891279

:cab:

[Foe]

OBJ to the ravens is :cab:

Be funny if Lamar left now.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Lamar isn't going anywhere.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

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$7 Billion in cash. What a fucking move that is.

[Gray Fox]

Speaking of cash. Jalen Hurts agreed a new deal. 5 years for $255m of which $179m is guaranteed.

Highest paid player in NFL history.

[Foe]

Hecking big contract.

Lamar will be buzzing.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I'm not sure he will tbh.

He wants more than Watson in guaranteed (so higher than $230m) and Hurts didn't get near that guaranteed number.

I think if Hurts had gotten $200m+ in guarantees Lamar would be licking his lips.

[Foe]

He’s a bold man, pick 32 is what $8-9mill?

You’d think he’d be eager to get that big money.

Going to give him a lot of credit and assume he wants to be remembered as setting the precedent of high guarantees as a legacy. Not that he’s worried his scrambling will eventually catch up to him.

[Gray Fox]

I think there's more to it than just the money here.
He wants high guarantees yes, which is as may be. But I believe the 'establishment' are trying to screw him over for daring to try and do this without an agent.

[Ben]

Lamar is very overrated in my eyes but those that matter don’t think he is, so I agree this saga is heavily influenced by him not having an agent. For ability I don’t want him to get paid but for balls and ultimately a groundbreaking event, I hope he gets all the dollars.

[Foe]

A whopping guaranteed contract and then back to back ACLs would be perfect.

[Foe]

As an aside I was thinking back to Joe Burreaux’s wonder season at LSU and appreciating how lucky I was to watch so much of it. I love college football and the SEC games are on quite regularly. It just added so much interest watching this kid who was just unbelievably good lift a team that had been a sleeping giant back to the top.

Didn’t get this from this current crop coming this year, but hopefully whoever the Texans nab at 2 develops into something better than a Matt Shaub.

[Browning]

Aaron Rodgers to the Jets is done.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

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He stays :drool:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1651685266136899584

It's officially official.

Super Bowl coming this season.

Edit: $260m with $185m guaranteed.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

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Bryce Young 1, Will Anderson 2 and CJ Stroud 3.

That's my prediction for the draft now.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Texans going batshit.

[Ben]

$185m guaranteed without an agent. Good work.

[Gray Fox]

I have no idea what's gone on yet as I went to bed rather than stay up til 5am. However there was a lot of talk that Nolan Smith was the guy for us at pick 10 with it being likely that Carter and Bijan Robinson would both be off the board by then. To get him at 30 surprises me greatly so I need to see what's gone wrong there.

Now I guess what's happened is that Bijan the Eagles saw a severe tier drop in talent after Carter. I'm no college football guy, but the things I saw had Carter as a top 3 prospect before he had off field issues.

[Dan]

Purely off the tape Jalen Carter probably would’ve been the top player on the majority of boards. Eagles smashed it & New England deserve a mention for trading back & still getting Christian Gonzalez, who was generally considered a top 10 pick.

[Foe]

Texans move seems mad on paper, but when you zoom out they basically tanked a season to get will Anderson and CJ Stroud. Forget next year, it reverts pretty much to course but they’ve hopefully got a QB and a blue chip defender.

Outside the top 2, and Anderson going 3 but to Arizona, I was totally wrong elsewhere bar Johnson at 21 to the chargers.

A few surprises in there for sure and really not sure what happens with Levis now. I thought the raiders might fancy it to get a bit of garapolo insurance, so that’s where I think he falls in round 2.

The lions leaning into who they are is pretty great. Swift and Jamyr means they might win the division. They need to sort some defensive players the rest of the way.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Levis should never have let people know he eats bananas whole and has mayo in his coffee.

The serial killer vibes just don't help with draft stock.

[Dan]

Have some draft grades. I'll also throw in their spot on the media consensus big board (https://www.profootballnetwork.com/2023-nfl-draft-industry-consensus-big-board/) for reference, as well as where they ended up on mine (https://thedraftnetwork.com/create-a-big-board/?big-board=168204).

Just to give you a sense of the scale, it's 1-10 where 1 is a disaster, 10 is a massive bargain & 5 is basically fine. I'll also be taking trades into account, which will impact some of the scores.

Carolina - #1 Bryce Young 6/10

Consensus Big Board Ranking - 2
My Ranking - 5

I don't think it's possible to get a 10 for the first overall pick on draft day, and if you just look at this as Bryce Young at 1 this is probably a 7 or an 8, but if you look at this as Bryce Young for pick 9, pick 61, a 2024 first rounder, a 2025 second rounder & DJ Moore it feels a bit different. I think this was the right pick, and I do think he'll end up becoming a good player - I'd project him out as a slightly better version of Kyler because he's actually got his head in the game - but that's the level he needs to reach for you to be able to argue he's been worth everything it took to move up to get him.

Houston - #2 CJ Stroud 6/10 & #3 Will Anderson Jr 5/10
Consensus Board Rankings - 4 (Stroud) & 1 (Anderson)
My Rankings - 12 (Stroud) & 2 (Anderson)

This looks harsh off the scores, but in general I think this is about as good as they could've done to get better this year.

I feel like Stroud is going to end up being Jared Goff, which appears to be a pretty common comp for him, so if that's what you're getting at 2 overall that's essentially fine but not exactly transformative for your franchise. Similarly, Will Anderson is awesome, and I think he's going to play out like another Lions guy in Aidan Hutchinson - phenomenal character guy, great for the culture, reliable every down player who can defend the run & will hover around 10 sacks but probably won't see 15+ very often - but it's the trade up that tanks the value of the pick. Will at 3 straight up is probably a 7, but Will for pick 12, pick 33, a 2024 first & a 2024 third feels like it's pushing the upper limit of his value.

Indianapolis - #4 Anthony Richardson 6/10
Consensus Ranking - 13
My Ranking - 18

This one could be all sorts of numbers because Richardson is such a high variance prospect, but overall I think this is about right for such a rare physical specimen & someone who can probably step in on the Justin Fields plan straight away if that's what they want to do. The Colts seem like a good spot for him to develop & if he gets anywhere near his ceiling he's going to be an absolute monster.

Seattle - #5 Devon Witherspoon 6/10 & #20 Jaxson Smith-Njigba 8/10
Consensus Ranking - 8 (Witherspoon) & 11 (JSN)
My Ranking - 9 (Witherspoon) & 5 (JSN)

Witherspoon is a bit of a surprise pick, but at the same time he's their kind of dude. I don't think I saw the best of him in the couple of games I watched, but he should be able to come in as their CB2 straight away.

JSN is a banger though - I'm trying not to call him Cooper Kupp but I guess I've just done it. Overall it's a fantastic first day for them.

Arizona - #6 Paris Johnson Jr 9/10
Consensus Ranking - 9
My Ranking - 10

This one is the opposite of the Young/Anderson scores - if you just look at Paris at six it's fine, but to have moved back then jumped back up this ends up working out as them Paris, pick 33, pick 81 & Houston's 2024 first rounder & giving up pick 34 & pick 168, which is a huge win, and Kyler Murray will be delighted. Seems like the change at GM migh work out pretty well for them.

Las Vegas - #7 Tyree Wilson 6/10
Consensus Ranking - 6
My Ranking - 11

I wasn't super high on Wilson, and it sounds like there's talk he might not be available for the start of the season because of his foot injury, but in general I think this is fine.

Atlanta - #8 Bijan Robinson 6/10
Consensus Ranking - 5
My Ranking - 1

It feels weird for my top player in the class to go at eight & it only be okay, but that's running backs for you. There was talk the Falcons wanted to trade back a few spots & still take him, but maybe they didn't get any good offers or maybe there were vibes that they wouldn't have been able to have moved back & still got him. Bijan is amazing & he'll be incredible for them, but it does seem like this version of the Falcons just wants to grab big, freaky dudes & doesn't care what anyone else thinks.

Philadelphia - #9 Jalen Carter 8/10 & #31 Nolan Smith 9/10
Consensus Ranking - 3 (Carter) & 18 (Smith)
My Ranking - 3 (Carter) & 16 (Smith)

https://media.tenor.com/oGo3P-2HBAoAAAAC/he-cant-keep-getting-away-with-it.gif

Chicago - #10 Darnell Wright - 5/10
Consensus Ranking - 23
My Ranking - 22

Surprised to see him off the board as OT2, and this feels a bit early for him, but at least they got a 2024 fourth rounder in the trade back.

Tennessee - #11 Peter Skoronski 7/10
Consensus Ranking - 10
My Ranking - 6

Not sure if they considered Levis here, but their line is mega trash so grabbing a guy who can play all five spots feels like a pretty good decision.

Detroit - #12 Jahmyr Gibbs 4/10 & #18 Jack Campbell 4/10
Consensus Ranking - 25 (Gibbs) & 44 (Campbell)
My Rankings - 8 (Gibbs) & 35 (Campbell)

Remember when we all loved everything the Lions did? I think the honeymoon phase is over now.

I think Gibbs is awesome, as you can see by how I've ranked him, and Campbell is solid enough, but this is early for both of them. Brad Holmes said he got lots of texts from other GMs after he took Gibbs saying he wouldn't have been there much longer, but I feel like he was a guy who belonged in the twenties. They clearly hate Swift, so hopefully he gets moved somewhere, and I'm not sure how this affects Montgomery, so it's all a bit weird & yet also very on brand for this version of the Lions.

Green Bay - #13 Lukas Van Ness 6/10
Consensus Ranking - 17
My Ranking - 23

It turns out that trading away Aaron Rodgers didn't have any impact on the draft strategy for Green Bay, as this is a pretty classic Packers selection. I'm slightly concerned he'll end up going the way of AJ Epenesa, but hopefully he ends up more like his new teammate Rashan Gary.

Pittsburgh - #14 Broderick Jones 7/10
Consensus Ranking - 14
My Ranking - 15

There was plenty of talk that the Steelers were trying to move up for a tackle, and in the end they managed to grab the last of the top tier guys, only giving up pick 120 to get in front of the Jets, who surely would've taken him. We're all still hoping for the Joey Porter Jr pick at the start of round two, but this has gone pretty well so far.

New York Jets - #15 Will McDonald 4/10
Consensus Ranking - 33
My Ranking - 33

Feels like the Jets may have got sniped by Pittsburgh, struggled to find a trade back & had to reach a bit, but they do come from the 49er school of yeeting defensive lineman at you in waves so he'll probably still end up getting on the field & hopefully he'll work his way up to the first wave over time,


Washington - #16 Emmanuel Forbes 4/10
Consensus Ranking - 36
My Ranking - 37

Yeah, he's the all time NCAA leader for pick sixes, and yeah he's had something like 30 INTs since high school, but he's 166lbs & Deonte Banks was right there. It's not too surprising to see Forbes got in the first round as he was regularly getting linked to the Bengals at 28, but this does feel early. He's gonna need to add some weight & hope that he continues to be able to get his hands on the football, but from what I've heard I'm not super confident about either of those things happening.

This is taking ages & I'm off out shortly so I'll do the rest later.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

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She's studied Carter quite extensively it seems.

[Gray Fox]

Swift and Jamyr means they might win the division. They need to sort some defensive players the rest of the way.

The addition of Montgomery before they've drafted in Jahmyr Gibbs at 12 said to me Swift might have been in trouble, but they aren't going to spend that draft capital on a RB2/3.

I feel like by this time tomorrow Swift has a new home. A shame but given they seemed to decide midway through last year that he can only play on 10 or so touches, it makes sense.

There's a few fair players who you look at and think they're probably going to move tonight. Ekeler could be another in the same boat.

[Foe]

Yeah I’d forgotten Montgomery.

Does seem like a trade is likely then, a shame as they were starting to get good things out of him.

Was really hoping KC would take jalin Hyatt at 31.

[Foe]

Dan my cousin is also moving on, heading from A&M to bama.

Not sure I can bring myself to become a bama supporter.

[Gray Fox]

I've just seen we only gave up a 4th rounder to get Carter so that's great business.

From an Eagles point of view there's not a lot else left to do really. We pick almost last in the 2nd and then early in the 3rd so there's still good value to be had, but it will likely be hard to get up from there. Even with Howie on his bullshit.

I'd like to see an upside RB or WR added in, personally. Or if someone like a Swift/Ekeler who wont need to play every snap for us would come in. Our RB room is crowded right now but if you look at it, we have Gainwell who will be there beyond this year, but the others I'm not sure.

Boston Scott is the Giant killer and not much else really beyond a reserve back. Sermon looks cut/practice squad material and Penny is only on a $1.3m deal for the year.

The WR room is good, though some competition for WR3 would be nice. Quez "Fast Batman" Watkins is a great guy to have, but why not add riches here if you can.

[Dan]

Dan my cousin is also moving on, heading from A&M to bama.

Not sure I can bring myself to become a bama supporter.

That's a bit of a betrayal on his part. At least you'd actually watch good offense if you started following Bama.

[Foe]

He’s basically heading into the world of assistance in college sports at the very junior level, but he gets to travel to all of these big programs and he’s super interested in it - so it’s a pretty cool future career.

I’m quite jealous. He’s not in football though, so there’s still room for improvement.

[Giggles]

How deep to you need to dip Dans mickey before you’re allowed on his private TTH NFL chat? Or do you just have to pat him on the head and tell him he’s nearly an NFL reporter.

[Dan]

Have some draft grades. I'll also throw in their spot on the media consensus big board (https://www.profootballnetwork.com/2023-nfl-draft-industry-consensus-big-board/) for reference, as well as where they ended up on mine (https://thedraftnetwork.com/create-a-big-board/?big-board=168204).

Just to give you a sense of the scale, it's 1-10 where 1 is a disaster, 10 is a massive bargain & 5 is basically fine. I'll also be taking trades into account, which will impact some of the scores.

Carolina - #1 Bryce Young 6/10

Consensus Big Board Ranking - 2
My Ranking - 5

I don't think it's possible to get a 10 for the first overall pick on draft day, and if you just look at this as Bryce Young at 1 this is probably a 7 or an 8, but if you look at this as Bryce Young for pick 9, pick 61, a 2024 first rounder, a 2025 second rounder & DJ Moore it feels a bit different. I think this was the right pick, and I do think he'll end up becoming a good player - I'd project him out as a slightly better version of Kyler because he's actually got his head in the game - but that's the level he needs to reach for you to be able to argue he's been worth everything it took to move up to get him.

Houston - #2 CJ Stroud 6/10 & #3 Will Anderson Jr 5/10
Consensus Board Rankings - 4 (Stroud) & 1 (Anderson)
My Rankings - 12 (Stroud) & 2 (Anderson)

This looks harsh off the scores, but in general I think this is about as good as they could've done to get better this year.

I feel like Stroud is going to end up being Jared Goff, which appears to be a pretty common comp for him, so if that's what you're getting at 2 overall that's essentially fine but not exactly transformative for your franchise. Similarly, Will Anderson is awesome, and I think he's going to play out like another Lions guy in Aidan Hutchinson - phenomenal character guy, great for the culture, reliable every down player who can defend the run & will hover around 10 sacks but probably won't see 15+ very often - but it's the trade up that tanks the value of the pick. Will at 3 straight up is probably a 7, but Will for pick 12, pick 33, a 2024 first & a 2024 third feels like it's pushing the upper limit of his value.

Indianapolis - #4 Anthony Richardson 6/10
Consensus Ranking - 13
My Ranking - 18

This one could be all sorts of numbers because Richardson is such a high variance prospect, but overall I think this is about right for such a rare physical specimen & someone who can probably step in on the Justin Fields plan straight away if that's what they want to do. The Colts seem like a good spot for him to develop & if he gets anywhere near his ceiling he's going to be an absolute monster.

Seattle - #5 Devon Witherspoon 6/10 & #20 Jaxson Smith-Njigba 8/10
Consensus Ranking - 8 (Witherspoon) & 11 (JSN)
My Ranking - 9 (Witherspoon) & 5 (JSN)

Witherspoon is a bit of a surprise pick, but at the same time he's their kind of dude. I don't think I saw the best of him in the couple of games I watched, but he should be able to come in as their CB2 straight away.

JSN is a banger though - I'm trying not to call him Cooper Kupp but I guess I've just done it. Overall it's a fantastic first day for them.

Arizona - #6 Paris Johnson Jr 9/10
Consensus Ranking - 9
My Ranking - 10

This one is the opposite of the Young/Anderson scores - if you just look at Paris at six it's fine, but to have moved back then jumped back up this ends up working out as them Paris, pick 33, pick 81 & Houston's 2024 first rounder & giving up pick 34 & pick 168, which is a huge win, and Kyler Murray will be delighted. Seems like the change at GM migh work out pretty well for them.

Las Vegas - #7 Tyree Wilson 6/10
Consensus Ranking - 6
My Ranking - 11

I wasn't super high on Wilson, and it sounds like there's talk he might not be available for the start of the season because of his foot injury, but in general I think this is fine.

Atlanta - #8 Bijan Robinson 6/10
Consensus Ranking - 5
My Ranking - 1

It feels weird for my top player in the class to go at eight & it only be okay, but that's running backs for you. There was talk the Falcons wanted to trade back a few spots & still take him, but maybe they didn't get any good offers or maybe there were vibes that they wouldn't have been able to have moved back & still got him. Bijan is amazing & he'll be incredible for them, but it does seem like this version of the Falcons just wants to grab big, freaky dudes & doesn't care what anyone else thinks.

Philadelphia - #9 Jalen Carter 8/10 & #31 Nolan Smith 9/10
Consensus Ranking - 3 (Carter) & 18 (Smith)
My Ranking - 3 (Carter) & 16 (Smith)

https://media.tenor.com/oGo3P-2HBAoAAAAC/he-cant-keep-getting-away-with-it.gif

Chicago - #10 Darnell Wright - 5/10
Consensus Ranking - 23
My Ranking - 22

Surprised to see him off the board as OT2, and this feels a bit early for him, but at least they got a 2024 fourth rounder in the trade back.

Tennessee - #11 Peter Skoronski 7/10
Consensus Ranking - 10
My Ranking - 6

Not sure if they considered Levis here, but their line is mega trash so grabbing a guy who can play all five spots feels like a pretty good decision.

Detroit - #12 Jahmyr Gibbs 4/10 & #18 Jack Campbell 4/10
Consensus Ranking - 25 (Gibbs) & 44 (Campbell)
My Rankings - 8 (Gibbs) & 35 (Campbell)

Remember when we all loved everything the Lions did? I think the honeymoon phase is over now.

I think Gibbs is awesome, as you can see by how I've ranked him, and Campbell is solid enough, but this is early for both of them. Brad Holmes said he got lots of texts from other GMs after he took Gibbs saying he wouldn't have been there much longer, but I feel like he was a guy who belonged in the twenties. They clearly hate Swift, so hopefully he gets moved somewhere, and I'm not sure how this affects Montgomery, so it's all a bit weird & yet also very on brand for this version of the Lions.

Green Bay - #13 Lukas Van Ness 6/10
Consensus Ranking - 17
My Ranking - 23

It turns out that trading away Aaron Rodgers didn't have any impact on the draft strategy for Green Bay, as this is a pretty classic Packers selection. I'm slightly concerned he'll end up going the way of AJ Epenesa, but hopefully he ends up more like his new teammate Rashan Gary.

Pittsburgh - #14 Broderick Jones 7/10
Consensus Ranking - 14
My Ranking - 15

There was plenty of talk that the Steelers were trying to move up for a tackle, and in the end they managed to grab the last of the top tier guys, only giving up pick 120 to get in front of the Jets, who surely would've taken him. We're all still hoping for the Joey Porter Jr pick at the start of round two, but this has gone pretty well so far.

New York Jets - #15 Will McDonald 4/10
Consensus Ranking - 33
My Ranking - 33

Feels like the Jets may have got sniped by Pittsburgh, struggled to find a trade back & had to reach a bit, but they do come from the 49er school of yeeting defensive lineman at you in waves so he'll probably still end up getting on the field & hopefully he'll work his way up to the first wave over time,


Washington - #16 Emmanuel Forbes 4/10
Consensus Ranking - 36
My Ranking - 37

Yeah, he's the all time NCAA leader for pick sixes, and yeah he's had something like 30 INTs since high school, but he's 166lbs & Deonte Banks was right there. It's not too surprising to see Forbes got in the first round as he was regularly getting linked to the Bengals at 28, but this does feel early. He's gonna need to add some weight & hope that he continues to be able to get his hands on the football, but from what I've heard I'm not super confident about either of those things happening.

This is taking ages & I'm off out shortly so I'll do the rest later.

It's later.

New England - #17 Christian Gonzalez 8/10
Consensus Ranking - 7
My Ranking - 7

Nobody expected him to fall this far, so I can only assume his pre-draft process wasn't amazing - he didn't seem like a great interview when he got selected, so maybe that played a part in it? Whatever the reason, this feels like a gift for old Bill, especially as he got an extra pick in the process. I'm tempted to give it a 9 but despite him being so high on my board I'm not quite into him enough to quite tip the scales that way.

Tampa Bay - #19 Calijah Kancey 5/10
Consensus Ranking - 29
My Ranking - 29

I'm a bit surprised this wasn't a QB or an OT, and if he turns out to be a liability against the run because of his size this could look like a wasted pick, but he's got that interior pass rush value that teams are looking for & that's what will determine whether this works out or not. RIP Logan Hall though.

Los Angeles Chargers - #21 Quinten Johnston 6/10
Consensus Ranking - 20
My Ranking - 24

I do quite like Quentin Johnston, to me he feels like Rashod Bateman if he didn't know how to catch properly, but this seems like a bit of a weird fit. He is more dynamic than Mike Williams & Keenan Allen, not that it's very hard to achieve that, but I don't really feel like he's the type of receiver I wanted to see them draft. If he'd gone to Detroit at 18 & they'd taken Zay here or someone like Hyatt or Tank Dell on day two I think I'd have liked it better, but as it is he'll probably play a decent amount & be a bit better than Joshua Palmer, but not quite as good as he could've been somewhere else.

Baltimore - #22 Zay Flowers 6/10
Consensus Ranking - 27
My Ranking - 27

Who cares about the draft? Loomar is locked up so this is all just a bonus. He should be a fun player for them though, so it'll be interesting to see how they set the offense up with him, OBJ, Bateman, Duvernay & Andrews all on the roster.

Minnesota - #23 Jordan Addison 6/10
Consensus Ranking - 24
My Ranking - 30

I think I would have seriously considered Levis here, but Jordan Addison is a great fit as their WR2.

New York Giants - #24 Deonte Banks 8/10
Consensus Ranking - 22
My Ranking - 17

This is a steal, and pick 160 is almost nothing to give up to make sure you get a guy who should step straight in & play well on a team that needs good CBs to play the Wink system.

Buffalo - #25 Dalton Kincaid 6/10
Consensus Ranking - 21
My Ranking - 14

This should be a fun pairing, but tight ends are always hard to predict & take ages to reach their potential, and in a stacked up TE class it does feel a little unnecessary to trade up for Kincaid when there will surely still be multiple good options left at the back end of round two.

Dallas - #26 Mazi Smith 6/10
Consensus Ranking - 49
My Ranking - 28

The dude is literally top of the freaks list (https://theathletic.com/3488797/2022/08/10/college-football-freaks-list-2022/), and DT has been a longstanding problem for Dallas, so this seems like an ideal pairing with a lot of upside.

Jacksonville - #27 Anton Harrison 7/10
Consensus Ranking - 32
My Ranking - 32

Everybody had Brian Branch to the Jags written in pen except Trent Baalke, it seems. This is a bit of a weird one given Walker Little played okay & Cam Robinson is only suspended for six games, but I guess he can be the long term LT with Little at RT & Robinson could move inside to guard when he returns, so I suppose I can see the logic there. Getting a couple of day three picks from the double trade back is just enough to push this up from a 6.

Cincinnati - #28 Myles Murphy 6/10
Consensus Ranking - 15
My Ranking - 25

This is the range he was expected to go, but if he'd played this season like he did in 2021 he probably would've have been off the board a lot earlier. He should help their pass rush depth & if he can get things together there's some potential for this to be a great pick.

New Orleans - #29 Bryan Bresee 6/10
Consensus Ranking - 28
My Ranking - 26

We didn't trade up?!? Stunning. I didn't think they knew you could do that. I'm sure we probably tried though.

As for the pick, it was a pretty common pairing. He was the top player in his recruiting class but he's been through it in college in a variety of ways, so hopefully things work out for him in the pros & we end up with the player people thought he could be as we really need an impactful DT.

We have pick 40 tonight, so I'd be expecting us to look at EDGE (Keion White, Adetomiwa Adeboware), TE (Michael Mayer, Darnell Washington) or IOL (O'Cyrus Torrance, Steve Avila), but if Brian Branch is still there he could be an option too.

Kansas City - #31 Felix Anudike-Uzomah 4/10
Consensus Ranking - 46
My Ranking - 56

A Kansas State guy getting drafted by Kansas City in the draft at Kansas is a nice story, and if you just watched him annihilate TCU in 2021 this probably looks like a great pick, but I think this is going to end up being a little early for him.

In terms of the best players available, the consensus board & I agree on the top 5 - Joey Porter Jr (12 on the consensus board/21 on my board), Brian Branch (16/19), Michael Mayer (19/13), Will Levis (26/20) & O'Cyrus Torrence (30/31), but here are the next five on both boards:

Consensus - Josh Downs (34), Cam Smith (35), Drew Sanders (37), Kelee Ringo (38) & John Michael Schmitz (39)
My Board - Drew Sanders (34), Adetomiwa Adeboware (36), John Michael Schmitz (38), Darnell Washington (39) & Dawand Jones (40, although I hear he might have had a bad process & might fall a bit now).

I'd also expect DJ Turner & Matthew Bergeron to be off the board pretty quickly.

[Dan]

How deep to you need to dip Dans mickey before you’re allowed on his private TTH NFL chat? Or do you just have to pat him on the head and tell him he’s nearly an NFL reporter.

Just let me have this :D

[Dan]

He’s basically heading into the world of assistance in college sports at the very junior level, but he gets to travel to all of these big programs and he’s super interested in it - so it’s a pretty cool future career.

I’m quite jealous. He’s not in football though, so there’s still room for improvement.

That's pretty cool. I'd imagine that it's hard to get in to the football program without having played for the team unless you're willing to work 60hrs a week for free or you're a scheme/analytics genius.

[Dan]

I’m thinking about watching some 2024 guys this evening while I’m still interested so I’ll keep you posted.

Having just looked at a few lists of eligible players we’re set for a loaded QB class - Caleb Williams is the favourite to be the man but Drake Maye has put himself in the conversation & Quinn Ewers was the number one player in that recruiting class, then we have Cameron Ward who’s the traits guy, some reclamation projects in DJ Uiagalelei & Spencer Rattler, Deion’s kid Shedur Sanders & about 8000 super seniors who could get drafted with a good season.

[Foe]

Caleb Williams will be the top pick, to someone like Washington or the Raiders. Ewers is super talented too but he needs to stay healthy this year, he’s missing too many games.

[Dan]

Yeah, I’ve started with Caleb & you can immediately see why he’s the top guy early on, he’s a five tool player. He’s not perfect, obviously, but everything is there for him to become a dude.

[Dan]

Who could ever have predicted the Steelers taking Joey Porter Jr?

Will Levis to the Titans at 33. Who’s the common comp for him? Yep, Ryan Tannehill. Cardinals continuing to stack 2024 picks that they’re definitely not going to use on a QB Kyler, don’t worry…

[Dan]

Quick thoughts on the notable classes so far:

- Giants & Steelers have been very good, I like all their picks although that Giants WR room still looks extremely weird. In general most teams are putting together at least a decent class

- Despite stealing Brian Branch the Lions are still on a strange one, as are the Jags & 49ers, and I’m not a huge fan of the Saints’ day two picks either.

- The Dolphins shouldn’t be allowed to have Devon Achane, and the Seahawks need to calm down with running backs.

- We got a kicker :cool: Sounds like we might get a few punters today & maybe a long snapper too if we’re lucky.

[Dan]

A few round four notes:

- Eagles going back to the Georgia defense bargain store that seemingly only they are allowed to shop at.

- Colts stacking up freaks with Adetomiwa Adeboware.

- Saints, Rams & Raiders getting good backup QBs in Jake Haener, Stetson Bennett & Aidan O’Connell respectively.

- Browns drafting 365lb OT Dawand Jones to go with 340lb DT Siaki Ika.

- Patriots just drafting straight from the Bill Belichick handbook with a bunch of small school dudes & a kicker then trading back.

- Steelers having a great draft by just picking people that are related to guys already in the building.

[phonics]

Looks like the Eagles GM is desperate to answer the ‘could a college team win in the NFL’ hypothetical.

[Gray Fox]

You didn't say DAWG enough.

[Ian]

I think DeMarvion Overshown is getting my Name of the Draft award this year.

[Foe]

I like bumper pool out of Arkansas.

[Ian]

Sadly I had to discount Bumper for not being his birth name, like some of the Juices and Sauces we've had in recent years.

[Dan]

You’ve also got the likes of SirVocea Dennis, Habakkuk Baldonado, Israel Abanikanda (all three are from Pitt, who also had Calijah Kancey & Deslin Alexandre), Xazavian Valladay, Nesta Jade Silvera, Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, Jovaughn Gwyn and, last but not least, Jacky Chen.

Next years early favourite is Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, which obviously isn’t his real name but he still makes the list as his actual name is Ga’Quincy McKinstry.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://nypost.com/2023/05/10/bo-jackson-smelled-ass-of-porcupine-to-try-to-cure-hiccup-hell/?utm_campaign=nypost&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

Good to see that Bo has tried all the usual remedies in his fight against hiccups.

[Gray Fox]

The Cardinals just cut DeAndre Hopkins knowing they'll be stuck with near $23m in dead cap for the season.

Brain dead management.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Please sign him EDC.

[Ben]

He just wanted to play with a QB who is dedicated to football, and they sided with the Call of Duty addict. :D

[Foe]

Well that went well on banner party day.

The chiefs just don’t have a weapon when Kelce is out. Don’t think I’ve seen so many fuck ups from a single player as Toney last night in a game. If he wasn’t so good he’d be binned for that.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Jawaan Taylor also had a bad night.

He was lined up too deep and false started on pretty much every play. Although the refs kept letting him get away with it.

[Ian]

The best previews you're gonna get:
https://www.theonion.com/2023-nfl-season-preview-nfc-1850806239
https://www.theonion.com/2023-nfl-season-preview-afc-1850808622

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I've missed NFL Sunday's so much.

Scott Hanson :cool:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Bijan Robinson is very damn good.

The moves he put on for that TD were lovely.

[Foe]

He just belongs.

That’s why I love college football. It was so unbelievably obvious that he was an NFL stud, yet there he was, lining up in Austin against future accountants for a year more than he really needed.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Zay Flowers also belongs. He is so damn shifty.

He already looks like what we wanted from Hollywood but he was never able to do it.

1700945069887352993

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Dobbins apparently has torn his Achilles :(

My sweet boy is dead.

Edit: Confirmed, fuck.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

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:lol:

[thommo]

49ers absolutely took the air out of the Steelers balloon. I still think we'll have a good season but that was a bump back down to earth against probably the best team in the NFC.

Still, it could be worse. The Giants for instance...

[Gray Fox]

Tough to digest opener for the Eagles. Went into the week thinking we were up with San Fran and Dallas as best in the NFC, but this was not pretty.

The defence looked about the same and got us out to a grand 16-0 lead, but the offence just seemed to falter over and over. Now it was hammering it down for most of the game, so it's not quite as bad as it might be, but to let Mac fucking Jones have multiple attempts at pulling off the late win is criminal.

I'm hopeful it's just week 1 cobwebs being blown off combined with some bad weather. Going to have to be on it quickly if we wish to keep pace with what looks like a sharp pair in 49ers and Cowboys.

[Ben]

Aaron Rodgers Jets' career lasted four snaps.

[Ian]

Pah, nothing sitting in a dark room with some crystals won't fix.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I do believe in crystal skulls.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

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Bonkers.

[niko_cee]

Brilliant game management by Gino Smith there. :cab:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Fuck the Bengals :cool:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Seahawks were so lucky, that holding on the final play was mental.

[Ben]

Some awful refereeing in that game. The intentional grounding call was terrible.

[Baz]

Nice to see Lamar Jackson has finally woken up

[thommo]

Chubb out for the season and maybe more. Knee completely fucked, genuinely felt sick seeing a replay. That's one of the worst I've ever seen.

[Ben]

Someone in our fantasy football WhatsApp posted a still photo of it. Horrible.

[Gray Fox]

Same knee he obliterated in 2015. Would have had a monster year again too.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

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So good.

Also there's this in the replies:

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The very same guy ran onto the field to block someone on an interception return last year.

Clearly he's not the brightest lad.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

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:D

Superb.

[Foe]

The Texans looking almost capable.

The broncos still sucking after all the faff with trades is great.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I really like the Texans this year.

They've got the potential to be good on offence.

Nico Collins and Tank Dell look very good.

[Foe]

I assumed putting up a fight against the ravens in game 1 meant they were decent. Didn’t realise the ravens were not that good. Struggling at home here against the colts minus Taylor and Richardson.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Fullback for the Texans with a kick return TD :cool:

[Ben]

I can’t recall a FB returning a kickoff or punt for a TD ever. I mean, obviously it would have happened years ago back in the day of dual and triple threat players but surely not in recent times?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1706024796793012391

So good.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I assumed putting up a fight against the ravens in game 1 meant they were decent. Didn’t realise the ravens were not that good. Struggling at home here against the colts minus Taylor and Richardson.

Have you seen our injury list?

RB 1 & 2 out, WR 3 out, LT out, C out, OLB 1 out, FS 1 out and CB 1 out.

[Ian]

This is the first time I've been able to watch Denver this season. I am not enjoying it.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Gus Williams, RB 3 now down.

[Foe]

This is the first time I've been able to watch Denver this season. I am not enjoying it.

The dolphins are great so it’s not a great example.

But yeah, the broncos are still crap.

Hopefully they are shit enough they have the opportunity to draft a top rated QB for additional lols.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

What the fuck is going on in Miami?

[Ian]

Well I'm glad I switched off but the rugby hasn't been any more entertaining.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Not calling DPI for the Ravens there is bullshit.

Zay Flowers was tackled early.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1706042138641695065

It's so clear ffs.

[Dan]

So, Dolphins-49ers Super Bowl this year?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Bijan is bonkers.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Ridder is wank.

[Foe]

Desmond not the guy. Played a lot at Cincinnati but doesn’t really strike as elite.

Winning those two games creates a problem too. They’re clearly good enough to be stuck in purgatory.

Veteran might be their move if they have enough win now pieces ie pitts, bijan.

[Dan]

They’ll get Tannehill next year to finally complete the transformation into the Titans

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Kirk Cousins :lol:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

CJ Stroud is looking like the real deal.

Also, Nico Collins :cool:

[phonics]

Bears. That's the whole post. Just, Bears.

[Ian]

It was very decent of them to totally go to shit like that.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The decision to take a timeout (after attempting to get the Broncos to go offside) and then go for 4th down was mental. It was even more mental that they didn't put it in the hands of Fields to make something happen.

Those decisions alone should see Eberflus fired.

[Gray Fox]

I see the Bears as the Everton of the NFL. Glorious stories of that team in the 80's but then absolutely comical mismanagement cycles combined with largely poor recruitment since.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1710742759252934868

The Simpsons was right, it doesn't get old.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Achane (A-Train) is bonkers fast.

That 76 yard TD was incredible, he looks faster than Hill.

[Ben]

Chiefs 9-24 Broncos

What? :D

[Gray Fox]

I'm sure they'll shake it off.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Chiefs 9-24 Broncos

What? :D

No Swift, no Party it seems.

[Ian]

Chiefs 9-24 Broncos

What? :D

Only just saw this was the score. The Chiefs should probably just forfeit the rest of their season to think about what they've done.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Mon the Fins, fuck the Chiefs.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Chiefs shooting themselves in the foot.

[Ben]

CJ Stroud is very decent.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Stroud is so damn good.

[Gray Fox]

Making the Panthers look stupid for passing on him.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Bryce Young though, yikes.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Stroud is 100% a franchise QB.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Are the Broncos good now?

[Ian]

Well, better than you might expect from a team who concede 600 points in the one game this season.

[Ian]

Another glorious Broncos win. :drool: No idea how good we actually are, I suspect the answer is "not very", but it's nice to see a bit of backbone as we get some results together here.

[Ben]

Just talking with my brother there, we think they're fighting with Buffalo for that 7th seed spot. Can't see Pittsburgh lasting with Pickett pirouetting into sacks at every opportunity.

NFC is horrendous. Whoever gets 7th seed there might be the worst playoff team ever. But they'll still probably beat Detroit who seem determined to go for it on 4th down all the time. It's working now but you just know it'll blow up in their face in the playoffs.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1726412610503901619

Kareem Jackson is still a prick though.

[Ian]

He's a total cunt and needs binned out of the league.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1726634675186344017

AI at it's very best.

[Gray Fox]

4 game ban for Jackson, takes his total banned for this season up to 6. Next time should really be a season long ban, because there will be a next time.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The Jets :lol:

1728163643089625506

Right after an interception gave them the chance.

[Foe]

A pretty wild few plays in a row.

Hail mary before half time seems a bit risky. The whole point is a final roll of the dice but they’ve gone from in with a chance, to completely screwed.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

It was such a Jets series of events.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1728907046219633063

:D

Such a Denver thing.

[Gray Fox]

Jalen Hurts and Jake Elliott pulling victory from the jaws of defeat.

[Ian]

Another close one for Denver. Wish Wilson had just got rid of it given there was another play left but c'est la vie. Being 6-6 is much better than I'd have thought when the Dolphins smashed 'em.

[Ben]

Great game in New England.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Really would like to see the Texans make the playoff, I really like their team.

Just a shame the coaching staff were mongs and put Tank Dell (who is built like a twig) on a goal line play blocking right up the middle. Broken leg for the beast :(

[Ben]

Having two wide receivers blocking for a power run up the middle was just bizarre and asking for trouble.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Tylan Wallace :wub:

What an absolute beast.

[Ben]

Vikings-Raiders game :cool:

[Ian]

Another glorious win for the Broncos. What a weird season.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Mahomes is a scumbag.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I've been seeing a lot about this Mahomes thing on my cursed twitter timeline, looks like he's taking the VAR moaning one stage further by claiming that in spite of it being the right decision, it shouldn't have been called anyway because it was a touchdown and done by him. Sporting culture is broken isn't it? I know quarterbacks get their dicks sucked daily but it seems in this case he genuinely believes himself to be above the rules of the game, which is a flex I haven't yet seen anywhere else.

[Gray Fox]

Imagine all the seethe from the Luis Diaz non-goal at Spurs, but only to find out he was offside the whole time, but then say yeah but it was a really nice goal so it should stand anyway and keep the complaining going.

[Ian]

I've been seeing a lot about this Mahomes thing on my cursed twitter timeline, looks like he's taking the VAR moaning one stage further by claiming that in spite of it being the right decision, it shouldn't have been called anyway because it was a touchdown and done by him. Sporting culture is broken isn't it? I know quarterbacks get their dicks sucked daily but it seems in this case he genuinely believes himself to be above the rules of the game, which is a flex I haven't yet seen anywhere else.

Quarterbacks are "entitled sports child" cranked up to maximum, they're not only a star but THE star, and depending which shithole, nothing-else-to-do town they grow up in they're possibly getting adoring crowds as early as high school.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1736127758462534143

That is bonkers.

[Foe]

Heck of a play.

Great for his stock into the offseason too

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Also, the Vikings are fucking stupid.

3rd and 1 plus 4th and 1. Both times they go for a tush push with the tiny WR Brandon Powell attempting to push Mullens. At least use someone who doesn't have the physique of a bent twig.

[Gray Fox]

The Brotherly Shove is not for everyone.

[Ben]

Turn on RedZone after the footy and the first thing I see is a pathetic failed fake punt from the Jets from their own 20 ish. :D

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1736497985201049703

1736497857534787851

Mooney should be cut for failing to bring that in.

[Ben]

That game was pretty mental the whole way.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

We are looking so good.

That one handed grab by Likely was filthy.

[Ben]

Baltimore definitely peaking at the right time.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

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We're still picking up injuries though...

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

And that's Lamar surely securing the MVP award.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1741572259460899148

:cool:

[niko_cee]

Has the Chiefs Nation come out and blamed Taylor Swift for their shitness yet?

[Ben]

Huge boos at Arrowhead. :drool:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

If they manage to fuck up the West :drool:

[Ben]

I know Romo is good but he’s literally predicting every KC play before the snap.

[Gray Fox]

He was a good level NFL QB for over a decade so it's no surprise he can pick up on what's going on.

He's taken some shit this year for not doing any prep and just turning up on the day to do as you say. None of the comms team knows any better than him so they just go along with it.

[Ben]

I like him. When you’re that good, you probably don’t need to prep much. But you still need to have the knack for commentary to pull it off. I’m not sure Brady will have that. I hope it doesn’t mean Olsen gets punted from the Fox top job, because he’s really great.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Olsen is amazing, especially on Thanksgiving games when he gets distracted by the Turducken.

[Foe]

CFP live on sky sports nfl tonight.

Bama Michigan has just started. Texas Washington after.

Michigan got very lucky on the opening play

[Foe]

Christ what are they doing?

Near INT on the first play and now a muffed punt return. Can’t make those mistakes against bama.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1744103230500422103

:lol:

[Ben]

He’s probably getting fired so I don’t think that’s going to help him much with getting his next job.

[Ben]

Jacksonville lol. Imagine being 8-3 and missing the playoffs.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Jacksonville lol. Imagine being 8-3 and missing the playoffs.

1734964941310808507

:lol:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Arthur Smith has indeed been sacked as has Riverboat Ron.

[Ben]

Ron Rivera, the only guy to lead two teams into the playoffs with a losing record.

[wullie]

Pete Carroll's out, shouldn't be a shock and yet I couldn't imagine it happening still.

[Gray Fox]

Saban and Belichick going too. This really is end of an era stuff now.

[Ben]

Mike Vrabel about to make a lot of money from someone (likely New England).

[Gray Fox]

Vrabel and the Patriots seems a good fit. Surprised the Titans didn't give him one more year, but then with The King leaving and there being a need for a new QB(maybe they give Levis another shot), it seems a good time to start fresh.

Interestingly Atlanta haven't sent out a single interview request since firing Arthur Smith. Their fanbase is starting to think they've been waiting on the Belichick news to try and bring him in.

We could still yet lose Andy Reid after the play offs too. Rumours of him retiring are swirling.

[Ben]

They must have something in the pipeline because I don't recall any team firing their coach on Black Monday and seemingly not starting the interview process immediately if the replacement isn't already in house.

[Foe]

Flacco just absolutely carving the Texans here.

Surprised the Texans didn’t go for it from the 3 or 4. If you can’t punch it in from there in 4 plays when you need to then it’s not going to be a Super Bowl.

[Gray Fox]

I dont think there'll be many more goal to go field goals now. Mental game.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

CJ Stroud is so good.

[Gray Fox]

Imagine selling the farm and then choosing Bryce Young over him.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

He's the real deal.

[Gray Fox]

This is incredible. Two nights running a top defence being carved up by a rookie QB(I know Love technically isn't but this is his first real year).

They could yet come back here, but this Cowboys season is very Mike McCarthy. He did this many times in Green Bay. Light up the league in the regular season, only to choke it in the playoffs.

[niko_cee]

:drool:

Get them sweet Jerry tears on the jumbotron.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The Cowboys :lol:

[Ben]

Who Dem Boyz. :lol:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The Packers now have 3 playoff wins at AT&T stadium? The Cowboys? 2.

:D

[niko_cee]

Steelers fumbling. :face:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Refs robbed the Bills of the second one

[niko_cee]

Yeah, that was some serious ruling on the field stands bullshit. Ruling on the field wasn't that it grazed that dude's lid, which it didn't anyway, Gene.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Looks like that might be the game, especially if the Bills get a TD this drive.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Josh Allen is so good.

[Ben]

What is going on in these playoffs. :D

[Ben]

Just watched the extended highlights and wow, I've never heard such a burial of a coaching staff by a broadcast team than ESPN on the Eagles. :lol:

Having said that, they're clearly just not that good. Lucky they had a couple more wins than the Jags going into December because the implosion was probably even worse.

[Gray Fox]

This Eagles loss has been due for us for weeks. It's thoroughly deserved by the coaching team because I really don't know how we've got here.

A personal breakdown of what I think happened is that everything was going alright, but some cracks were being papered over. Hurts being given his mega money in the summer was the start of the issues. I know it's the norm for this to happen, but it boggles the mind that these guys can't see how it affects roster makeup. Because of this contract we had to lose Hargrave, Seumalo and TJ Edwards and reinvest in high potential rookies.

This again was doing alright until you hit the Chiefs game. The Eagles got outplayed in that game, however all of Pats receivers lost their hands and dropped everything. Even then we left MVS wide open for a bomb TD right at the end, only for him to drop that too.
Next the struggling Bills came to town and put up 34 points. It was only Hurts doing Hurts things and a mega kick from Elliott that got us the win in that one. Again more cracks papered over.
Then came the absolute dicking from the 49ers. Followed by another bad loss away in Dallas. I think here is when one of two things happened. Either Siriani panicked too soon, or the locker room was lost.

Because all of a sudden, despite not being on staff or known to be working with us, suddenly a wild Matt Patricia, defensive mastermind, is calling the defence. In a great twist, the defence did not get better. The previous DC in Sean Desai apparently punted into the stands. At OC Brian Johnson didn't exactly do a great job either. His play calling became very stale(screen pass anyone?) and predictable. This was highlighted when CMC was on I think Manningcast and was calling out what plays we were about to call before we did it. In their defence, they were both rookies OC/DC hires, but it calls into question the decision to hire them onto a team capable of going all the way.

I think it's been a case of the players got the job done despite some bad coaching. It only goes so far though. Now I could be wrong, but what happens today will likely show how close I am. If the OC/DC and Siriani all go today it would not surprise me. It's also the option I'd take. Unlike last year, it's not going to be easy to just get everything back together and go again.
For example Kelce looked by his reaction at the end of the game, to be done. Cox, Graham, Swift, Cunningham, Opeta and Roby are all also free agents now. Most were on team friendly deals last year, but I doubt most of those will be back.
The offence should be great again next year, but that defence needs a rebuild. We don't exactly have the best placed draft pick to go and do it either.

[niko_cee]

Osi's going to be on fire in the highlights show. Haven't seen last weeks yet but he was on top form the week before.

[Dan]

This Eagles loss has been due for us for weeks. It's thoroughly deserved by the coaching team because I really don't know how we've got here.

A personal breakdown of what I think happened...

It seems like the main problem is the co-ordinators - not sure why you'd hire an up & coming DC like Sean Desai & then bin him off in half a season for Matt Patricia, who is a proven bad coach/co-ordinator. Even if they weren't doing great the first half of the season, it seems like Patricia can't teach his scheme & isn't a good people manager, so now there's less pressure up front & the back seven have forgotten how to cover or tackle - Kevin Byard going from an all-pro in Tennessee to just some guy in Philly is probably the best example of this.

The OC is less of a concern, it just feels like you gave a young guy his shot & it didn't work out. There's enough talent on that side of the ball to give you a good floor, but getting someone in who can improve the scheme & playcalling would take you back to being an elite offense. As for Siriani, I'd probably be guided by the players on that one - get the leaders together in private & see if the locker room still believes in him, and if they have doubts then sack him off & go hard after someone like Ben Johnson.

As for the roster, with Kelce having retired & Lane potentially out the door too, I'd say RB & OL are the only thing you need to look at on offense, other than maybe a WR3, and you can get a committee RB & a third reciever anywhere. You hope that Cam Jurgens can be the guy at center, and Steen or Driscoll could take the open spot at guard if Opeta leaves, so RT is the priority. Given the Eagles love to go trenches early in the draft, I'd imagine this could be where they spend their first round pick - not up on the draft class yet but maybe someone like Amarius Mims from Georgia.

It's probably also time to actually invest in one single linebacker that can cover anyone, whether that's with a day two pick or in free agency - a quick look at the potential free agents throws up Lavonte David & Patrick Queen, who'd be great but expensive, or Jordyn Brooks & Drue Tranquill, who might be more realistic options. You'd like another good young corner tooso that could probably be another option for an early draft pick, but other than that I feel like they can just get away with filling out the roster & a better DC should sort most of the problem out as the rest of the starters should be fine.

There's also an element of the schedule last season being so staggeringly soft that it gave a false impression of where the team was at, whereas this season they've played an actual schedule with good teams on, so they've come back to reality a bit. I feel like they're going to be in the 9-11 win range again next season regardless of what they do & a lot of the panic is just from setting the bar too high after last year.

[niko_cee]

I see a welsh rugby winger [Rees-Zammit] is off to join the IPP.

Does anyone ever make it out of that in a skill position?

[Ben]

There's the German fullback at Vegas. But he's only used as a run blocker so I guess he doesn't count.

But then Rees-Zammit is very young compared to most entrants so he's got a better chance (probably still next to none).

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Efe Obada has done well for himself and Jordan Mailata is obviously a star.

[niko_cee]

Most of the successes seem to be in the offensive/defensive unit category.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I thought Christian Wade would do well.

I remember his first carry for the Bills in pre-season going for a 65 yard TD.

Never did anything after that.

[niko_cee]

That was a weird one though, in that even though he ran for the TD he was criticized for not running behind a blocker and instead taking on and beating a defensive player, wasn't he? Sort of as a wider illustration as to how people coming into the game have no real chance of having the necessary level of understanding to really make it.

[Gray Fox]

Jordan Mailata is obviously a star.

With Kelce gone, he assumes top Boy status.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Nervous about our game tonight. Texans are no joke and they have the type of offence that could trouble us I feel.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Looking really good in the second half.

Loomar especially has been on fire.

[Gray Fox]

Lions @ San Fran could really be some good fun. A shame it's not in Detroit.

[phonics]

These games were a bit too good so I had to stay up late and now I'm tired and drank too much beer.

[Gray Fox]

Lamar is the only man who can save us from endless Taylor Swift coverage at the Superbowl.

[Ben]

Lamar is the only man who can save us from endless Taylor Swift coverage at the Superbowl.

You couldn't have echoed my sentiment any better.

Plus, it would be a bit shit having a champion with six losses. I think the last time that happened was Ray Lewis' last season, so I can give them a bit more leeway than Taylor Swift Chiefs.

[niko_cee]

Road Warrior/Underdog winners are the best, like when the Giants [ugh] turned over the flawless regular season Patriots.

Obviously the Chiefs don't fall into this category, so it's on the Ravens to sort things out themselves.

Hopefully Detriot stick it up the 49ers but I'm not confident.

[Ben]

I like an underdog winner but at the same time I do think some element of the teams who do well throughout the season (or come good at the end) being the winner has to be retained. I'm not a fan of a 14 team playoffs because you widen the scope for absolute bullshit teams like the Chiefs getting in there and ruining the whole thing.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

We will do our job, lads.

Fuck Mahomes, Fuck Swift, Fuck the Chiefs.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1751298722695180480

What a fucking name.

[niko_cee]

This is the highlight of the post season, even if it is tough to overlook a lol Cowboys effort. Tricky one. Prefer the Ravens but don't like Harbaugh. Always loved Andy Reid but not a massive fans of the Chiefs.

Nice stand by Baltimore, oh wait. Sorry Mahow.

[Ben]

We are all Baltimore tonight. Nobody wants four hours of Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl.

[niko_cee]

Oh god, swiftcam. :face:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

That was incredible from Lamar.

[niko_cee]

Slightly troubling times. Mahomes is giving people a chance, someone needs to kill him.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Please no.

[niko_cee]

Obviously no man-on calls in helmetball.

[Ben]

Kelce just tied Jerry Rice for all-time playoff receptions. :cab:

[niko_cee]

Oof. Should have challenged that Kelce spot.

Surely the first rule of 4th and short running is no cuts.

[Foe]

I get the whole statistics thing but surely a chance to go up ten away from home, getting ball to start the second half would’ve been pretty good.

Points off turnovers.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Lamar :cool:

[niko_cee]

Holy shit. What a play.

[phonics]

Mahomes takes up 22% of his entire teams salary and you could still argue he’s undervalued.

[niko_cee]

Only one team really in it in that half, another big second half needed for Baltimore.

[Gray Fox]

Almost perfect first half for KC. One blown play and a big holding call have stopped this being about 21-0.

[niko_cee]

Very lucky not to be picked there.

Baltimore are a write off for the Superbowl if they make it the way they've been in the play-offs so far.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

We've been shocking tonight on both sides, we really need to wake up quickly.

[niko_cee]

Chiefs snaps constantly look dreadful.

[niko_cee]

The Kansas punter has been wank.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

OLine just isn't holding up at all.

[niko_cee]

Fucking hell taunting, what an idiot.

Love the no voice ref though.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Such a dumb move from Flowers.

[Foe]

What a fucking play that is.

[niko_cee]

Oh good god.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Fuck :(

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Feels like it's done.

[niko_cee]

Feels like the defence is going to have to do something big.

[Ian]

Not a good few minutes for Flowers.