American Football

[Renegade]

Sanchez will only cost Denver $4 million this year, it's actually a very smart move and they'll probably go after a quarterback in the draft. I think he's an upgrade on Osweiler, the Texans got absolutely hosed in free agency. They should have taken a chance in the draft, they are still in quarterback purgatory. Osweiler was no better than Brian Hoyer last season.

Forte to the Jets is my favourite signing so far. Giants overpaid a silly amount for Vernon, I can see him being exposed when he doesn't have Cameron Wake on the other side.

 

[Bobbin']

Couldn't disagree more regarding Osweiler. Elway talks a good game but we're only paying him 2mil a year more than Denver were offering, they wanted to keep him.

'Osweiler was no better than Hoyer last season' surely it should be 'seasoned pro Hoyer was no better than debutant Osweiler' the guy has shown pieces of great play, real potential and is a far better option than any QB in the draft. I still wouldn't be surprised to see Houston draft a QB a couple of rounds in.

Houston have had a great free agency in my opinion. Bringing in Lamar Miller, Jeff Allen and Tony Bergstrom too. All positions that were high on the priority list.

Can now hopefully get a WR early and then use the next few picks to sure up the OL. Already have a top 5 D.

Sense good things from Houston next season.

 

[RavenBish]

I definitely like Houston's approach, Lamar Miller is a cracking replacement for Foster. I don't see Osweiler as a franchise QB but he seems the sort that can make you competitive as long as you have other parts in place which Houston might with Watt/Clowney on D and a few pieces on Offense like Nuk Hopkins and Miller.

Raiders are looking really strong now after getting Irvin to line up across from Mack, Sean Smith and Osemele.

On the other hand, I have no Earthly idea what the Dolphins are doing...again. They just seem to spend every offseason with no clear plan.

Odd stuff for the Bengals. Delighted with the Iloka deal, $6m a year for him is superb value given how bad the standard of safety is, Pacman got a big deal for a 32 year old but it's hard to deny his play last year deserved it and we'd be in a bit of bother if he'd left with the other two backfield vets Nelson and Hall seemingly leaving.
Relieved we didn't pay Sanu the big bucks, he's really not worth it at all, but sad we couldn't keep Jones. Giving him $8m is probably over-kill though when he's your third receiving option behind Green and Eifert (Who will get a big deal next offseason).

I'd like to see a WR signed like Jeremy Kerley and then one drafted in the first two rounds. Apart from that there's not much we're missing - the future planning has meant anyone that's left has a replacement - Dennard will take Hall's spot, Williams will take Nelson's and Ogbuehi will take Andre Smith's. Receiver, coverage linebacker and another pass rushing option in the draft please Marvin.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

"WR Bryant faces yearlong ban, will enter rehab"

Thanks for the heart attack headline, ESPN.com

 

[Renegade]

Couldn't disagree more regarding Osweiler. Elway talks a good game but we're only paying him 2mil a year more than Denver were offering, they wanted to keep him.

'Osweiler was no better than Hoyer last season' surely it should be 'seasoned pro Hoyer was no better than debutant Osweiler' the guy has shown pieces of great play, real potential and is a far better option than any QB in the draft. I still wouldn't be surprised to see Houston draft a QB a couple of rounds in.

Houston have had a great free agency in my opinion. Bringing in Lamar Miller, Jeff Allen and Tony Bergstrom too. All positions that were high on the priority list.

Can now hopefully get a WR early and then use the next few picks to sure up the OL. Already have a top 5 D.

Sense good things from Houston next season.

That he's even being mentioned in the same breath as Hoyer is worrying for the Texans because Brian Hoyer is unequivocally not the answer at quarterback for any team. Hoyer's experience has nothing to do with the comparison, their relative lousiness compared to the rest of the league is what is relevant.

Osweiler has been in the league for five years now, he has ability, but he didn't really show anything last season that makes you think "franchise quarterback", which is the kind of money and length of contract the Texans have given to him. He won a few games with one of the best defences of the Superbowl era, a defence that allowed a decrepit old man to win another Superbowl under centre. Hoyer had better statistics (more passing yards per game, QBR and TD:INT ratio) than Osweiler last season with far less talent, though he does make far more boneheaded mistakes (that playoff performance was unforgivable).

I would be very surprised if the Texans play under centre improves much at all. You can turn your nose up at talent in the draft, but no one knows how these guys are going to end up (see Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, X number of QBs who turned out amazing despite not being draft stars). The Texans have played it safe with a recognisable name, it would be prudent to continue drafting quarterbacks because one team already believed that Brock wasn't the answer and he's proven...nothing.

I like the Lamar Miller move, he's no Arian Foster, but sadly you can't trust Arian. He's not too much of a downgrade.

 

[Bobbin']

You're comparing Hoyers statistics win Osweiler's despite the huge difference in game time.

Also, while not quite on par with Denver, Houston have a top 5 D. You say Denver won a Super Bowl with s decrepit old QB, but the Texans won a division and made the play offs with almost no QB at all.

Denver wanted Brock, that's why they were willing to pay 16mil a year.

 

[Anon]

Texans paid big bucks for Osweiler, but they've paid the going rate for wanting to improve on the standard of Hoyer - that's what it costs. Such a dearth in quality at QB across the league, that's the rate. I can't really criticise the Texans for taking that chance.

I'm not sure Denver really wanted him to stay, otherwise they'd have paid the extra small money for a premium position to seal it. I reckon both Denver and Osweiler are happy. I don't like Elway's comments though, seem very bitter after the fact.

---

Hayward gone to the Chargers. Solid all-round corner, but it says a lot about TT's justified faith in the remaining 4 corners + Hyde that we seemingly didn't attempt too much to keep him.

 

[Renegade]

You're comparing Hoyers statistics win Osweiler's despite the huge difference in game time.

Also, while not quite on par with Denver, Houston have a top 5 D. You say Denver won a Super Bowl with s decrepit old QB, but the Texans won a division and made the play offs with almost no QB at all.

Denver wanted Brock, that's why they were willing to pay 16mil a year.

Hoyer played 11 games, Osweiler played 8. Not huge at all, enough of a sample to judge both.

No team just lets a franchise quarterback go, they allowed him to leave because they don't rate him highly enough and believe they could probably win as many games with guys like Mark Sanchez and Ryan Fitzpatrick. If Denver really thought Brock could be their future, they would have ponied up the extra $2 million without a second thought. They know there is far better value on the market and in the draft.

The Texans won the second worst division in the league last year, not that impressive. They then got absolutely blown out by the second best team in the AFC West, which the Broncos won. The Texans won a division with quarterback play comparable to the Broncos. I thought Hoyer was as good as Brock last year and better than Manning. Manning was a disaster.

 

[Bobbin']

I don't believe Denver are happy for one minute. They offered 16 mil a year for a QB they firmly felt was their guy and ended up trading a pick for Sanchez.

I'm perhaps biased but I think the Texans have done brilliantly here.

 

[Bobbin']

Hoyer played 11 games, Osweiler played 8. Not huge at all, enough of a sample to judge both.

No team just lets a franchise quarterback go, they allowed him to leave because they don't rate him highly enough and believe they could probably win as many games with guys like Mark Sanchez and Ryan Fitzpatrick. If Denver really thought Brock could be their future, they would have ponied up the extra $2 million without a second thought. They know there is far better value on the market and in the draft.

The Texans won the second worst division in the league last year, not that impressive. They then got absolutely blown out by the second best team in the AFC West, which the Broncos won. The Texans won a division with quarterback play comparable to the Broncos. I thought Hoyer was as good as Brock last year and better than Manning. Manning was a disaster.

Courtesy of a one, Brian Hoyer.

 

[Renegade]

Courtesy to a one, Brian Hoyer.

The point was, that you winning a division despite having almost "no quarterback at all" was not impressive (as you compared it to the Broncos) and it's not likely to improve given that Osweiler hasn't proven that he is any better than Hoyer.

You had lost that game from the opening kick-off.

 

[Bobbin']

We'll just have to agree to disagree.

From things I've seen. It's not fashionable to think the Texans will do well. I personally believe we have upgraded at QB, we made 3 other good additions and have 7 picks in the draft.

We already have the best defensive player in the league and probably a top 3 receiver, I think Houston can upset a few people next season.

 

[Renegade]

We'll just have to agree to disagree.

From things I've seen. It's not fashionable to think the Texans will do well. I personally believe we have upgraded at QB, we made 3 other good additions and have 7 picks in the draft.

We already have the best defensive player in the league and probably a top 3 receiver, I think Houston can upset a few people next season.

I like Bill O'Brien, I think he's done a really good coaching job, he's probably the best coach in the division. I'm not denigrating the Texans for the sake of it or because I think they're a bad/stupid franchise, I just genuinely believe you could have got similar results from a number of the cheaper free agent quarterbacks available and it seems a bit of a stretch to give this unproven guy the keys to your franchise for the next five years. It's just that if he is a disaster, the team will be reluctant to move on from the commitment and it could impede the team from challenging down the line, which would be a shame considering the outrageous talent you have on defence.

With the rest of the roster, I think you'll be challenging for the division again, though I do think Andrew Luck will be back with a vengeance next year and the Colts really should own the AFC South for the foreseeable future with the stand-out quarterback in the division. He was terrible last year, but I really can't see someone as talented and hard-working as him not bouncing back.

 

[JJ1532]

Don't think you can rule out the Jaguars in that division either. I doubt they win the division, but they've got the tools to make some noise. Signing Malik Jackson and probably getting another top defensive player in the draft will help improve their defence and when you add an improved defence to their already stacked offence, they should do way better than their 2-4 record in that division from last season. Titans also might be more of a force, Mariota is a year older and they should be getting Tunsil in the draft. I doubt they go 3-13 again.

That division looks so tough and it should only get tougher with the QBs on show. Osweiler will have to prove himself against a superstar and 2 top young talents who could turn into superstars. Don't get me wrong, the Texans did probably get better, but in a couple of years, they could still have the 4th best QB in that division.

 

[Bobbin']

And by the same token they could have the second best QB in the division.

Osweiler himself is a promising young talent who has spent the last few years watching and learning from Peyton Manning.

Of course there are risks involved but that is true for any signing, I'm personally excited by it.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Designated for injured reserve, irreparably damaged ego:

https://vine.co/v/iwvMjLZYUKx

 

[JJ1532]

Adam SchefterVerified account‏@AdamSchefter
Cards-Pats blockbuster from @diannaESPN and me: Cards trade G Jonathan Cooper + 2nd-rd pick to NE for DE Chandler Jones, per sources.

I'll just leave this here for Keiran to comment on....

 

[kieran_vale]

I'm all in favour of it, extra second rounder is always helpful even if our record of draft picks in that particular round is somewhat of a mixed bag shall we say. Even so it gives room for manoeuvre in the draft. Not going to pretend I know much about Cooper as a player but for anyone who saw the AFC Championship game against Denver it was pretty clear where that teams biggest weakness is. We also make a cap saving of $5.4m which could be put towards extending Hightower and Collins our two most important defensive players.

Chandler Jones is an excellent pick-up for the Cards as well in fairness. At times I've found him a little frustrating as with the exception of last year his production wasn't always there but his record last year speaks for itself. That said DE is a position we have a number of good players at and also Easley who can play there is coming back off IR.

All in all there's not much I don't like. Only slight issue is the Pats will have to make a decision on taking the fifth year option for Cooper but that's not a huge concern.

 

[Craig]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...yne-bowe?campaign=fb-nf-sf22675578-sf22675578

$9million for 53 yards and no TD's.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Marty B to the Pats is a robbery at that price, especially with the likely compensation pick to come. When a top 10 (and perhaps better than that) two-way TE in the league is a team's second best player at the position.... that's not gonna be a lot of fun to defend. Worth it even w/ the non-trivial risk that BB gets sick of his act within a fortnight (him and Gronk... fun times in those position meetings, tho i guess it's not like either of them are murderers or anything...).

 

[Anon]

Thought it was a trade, so no comp pick in 2017? A few Packers ITK's reckon we were in for him but only if he was released, so that he wouldn't count against comp picks for next year.

Seems like the only reported visit we've had is Jared Cook . Although we have signed a free agent from practice squads, a DE with the great nickname of "The Pastor of Disastor".

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Oh have I misunderstood that. Entirely likely.

 

[JJ1532]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...-walker-dies-from-injuries-in-dirt-bike-crash

Ah shit! Thats terrible. 23 as well.

 

[Kim Mitten]

Every team who plays TNF to wear 'color rush', really should have been throwbacks.
http://espn.go.com/blog/detroit-lio...or-rush-uniforms-for-2016-update-to-2017-unis

 

[.V.]

Just started reading The Tailgate Knight Rises. The subject matter should be interesting but it's not particularly well written, so will be quite the slog I think. Anyone else read it?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Tailgate-Knight-Rises-Tailgates-ebook/dp/B00NKNDFRO

 

[Bobbin']

Just started reading The Tailgate Knight Rises. The subject matter should be interesting but it's not particularly well written, so will be quite the slog I think. Anyone else read it?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Tailgate-Knight-Rises-Tailgates-ebook/dp/B00NKNDFRO

Not read that but have read his first book 'Tailgate to Heaven', found it quite an easy and interesting read. Made me quite jealous.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

I think RavenBish won a copy from Sky.

 

[kieran_vale]

Huge trade ahead of the draft with the Rams moving up to #1. Really like this move for the Titans, they have a franchise QB just need pieces around him and with what the Rams have given up they have the opportunity to build something pretty good. Not to mention with Fisher as Rams coach the 2017 first rounder should be no worse than mid-draft also.

From the Rams perspective it's no secret they need a franchise QB. Whether Wentz or Goff are worth giving up that sort of haul is another question. I think they are both good and will do well in the NFL but whether they are that good is another question. For that amount you are really looking for the QB they select to come in from day one and establish himself like Andrew Luck did. I'm not convinced by that to say the least.

 

[JJ1532]

To be fair, they have the defence in place to allow Wentz/Goff to succeed. They'll have time to develop their passing game whilst giving a lot of the snaps to Gurley. Feel for the guy that gets passed on and drops to the Browns. If I was the Browns, I'd gut this year out with RGIII and take Tunsil. They need everything, no sense in drafting a QB until they have semblance of protection around them. They'll be bottom 5 for the next few years, tank next year for Deshaun Watson.

 

[Anon]

If the Browns don't want to go QB, given the supposed interest in the top pick and how many holes they have they should do the same as the Titans and trade down to accumulate options elsewhere to rebuild. That said, the Browns have to go QB. Can't pass upon opportunities to draft a QB...

Titans were bang on to trade down though, they'll hope they don't largely waste it like the Rams did with the RG3 trade out...