Super Bowl LI

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Fri Apr 29, 2016 1:09 pm

WTF? The Pats forfeited their first round pick? Was this a penalty enforcement?

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Apr 29, 2016 1:11 pm

Deflategate strikes again.

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Sat Apr 30, 2016 9:15 am

So far I am liking Detroits draft. They have grabbed players to fill the trenches and every pick has been considered a high value pick. It was great to see them get A'shawn Robinson with their 2nd rd pick, as many people had him penciled in for Detroit in the first round. There were some reaches in the first and early 2nd rds that allowed some premium players still be around. Still stunned that Reggie Ragland lasted as long as he did. Getting Michigan center Graham Glasgow in the 3rd round was an good pick up as well. Looks like Quinn is sticking to his "build from the trenches" comments and thats a good thing for the Lions!

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Sat Apr 30, 2016 9:21 am

I loved Kevin Faulk's announcement of the Patriots' first pick.

EvilHomer3k · Post by **EvilHomer3k** » Sat Apr 30, 2016 5:25 pm

stessier wrote:I loved Kevin Faulk's announcement of the Patriots' first pick.

I love it, too. Joe Thuney, Guard, NC State is still available. Never heard of Joe Thuney the linebacker. I hope he works out well for NE. You never know what that Belichick guy is thinking. This is definitely a zig when everyone else thought he was going to zag.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sat Apr 30, 2016 5:36 pm

40yd dash: LaQuan McGowan vs Rich Eisen

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Fri May 13, 2016 10:35 am

Say goodbye to Gronk's career. He just get hit with the Madden curse.

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Fri May 13, 2016 12:59 pm

Moliere wrote:Say goodbye to Gronk's career. He just get hit with the Madden curse.

That hasn't been a thing in a long time.

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Fri May 13, 2016 1:11 pm

RunningMn9 wrote:
Moliere wrote:Say goodbye to Gronk's career. He just get hit with the Madden curse.
That hasn't been a thing in a long time.

Being a Denver fan one can always hope.

Xmann · Post by **Xmann** » Fri May 13, 2016 2:34 pm

Moliere wrote:
RunningMn9 wrote:
Moliere wrote:Say goodbye to Gronk's career. He just get hit with the Madden curse.
That hasn't been a thing in a long time.
Being a Denver fan one can always hope.

Viva la Madden curse!!

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Fri May 13, 2016 2:48 pm

Xmann wrote:
Moliere wrote:
RunningMn9 wrote:
Moliere wrote:Say goodbye to Gronk's career. He just get hit with the Madden curse.
That hasn't been a thing in a long time.
Being a Denver fan one can always hope.
Viva la Madden curse!!

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Martellus Bennett must believe in it since he preferred going to NE and holding Gronk's jockstrap over sharing #1 stud duties on The Bears.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri May 13, 2016 4:16 pm

Raiders

There was a time, as recent as a few years ago, when if you asked NFL owners or executives if the league would ever have a team move to Las Vegas, the answer you almost always got was: "No effing way."

As the months have passed since, and as the NFL's dance with Vegas continued, people began to tell me the odds were increasing, like a thermometer reading from the fall to the spring. The percentages of the chances rose from 0 to 10, then 10 to 20, then higher.

Then just recently, in a conversation with an NFL owner about the Raiders and Vegas, I heard something that clarified just how far this has come. This owner said the percentage of the Raiders moving to Vegas "is now 50 percent—and maybe as high as 75."
...
I'm beginning to believe that—if this isn't a ploy by the Raiders to get more cash from Oakland—this Raiders-to-Vegas thing has a real chance of happening. I'm far from the only one who thinks that. The sentiment is clearly growing—and growing far faster than people know—throughout the upper hierarchy of the sport.

The owner said that as he's spoken to other owners, as well as key league officials, one thing continues to crystallize. Attitudes toward the NFL having a team in Las Vegas have dramatically softened. I've written that before, but what continues to surprise me is how dramatic that softening has been.

The owner said that just three or four years ago there was no chance an NFL team would relocate there. "Las Vegas," he said, "was considered poison."

"That's not the case any longer," he said. "One of the things owners see is there's a lot of money to be made there." He laughed. "A lot of money will ease those gambling concerns."

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Mon Jun 06, 2016 9:22 am

So, did Talib pull a Plaxico Burress? Pretty lucky that it was a clean through and through.

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:20 am

Marshawn Lynch SI interview

There was a story that you never cashed a game check—you saved all of your NFL salary money.
That’s false. I’m human. I’m very much human. If you pinch me, that hurts. I make mistakes, [but] I’ve also made some good decisions. But why would you wanna pocket-watch me?

What do you mean by that?
Your eyes is on my pockets—you wanna know about my money situation.

Everybody I’ve spoken to about you has referenced your financial savvy. What’s the source of that?
You ate cereal before?

I’ve eaten cereal.
Alright. Have you ever had a roach in your cereal before?

No.
You haven’t, right?

I have not.
If you came from eatin’ cereal with roaches in it before, Dawg . . . Feel what I’m sayin’? You wouldn’t want to do that again, right? Once you’ve seen the lowest of the low, you don’t want to go back. But, like I told you before, it’s not me—I have a good team and some smart family members around me.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Tue Jun 14, 2016 4:43 pm

Lions getting cheerleaders.

We always assumed it was Martha holding WCF back. As it turns out, not so much.

You know. I might just end my not watching after the first two games this season, which I have been pretty consistent about for the last few years. Not just because of cheerleaders but because Martha really does seem to be doing something and this is just another example of it. I guess I owe it to Quinn and Wood to give this season a chance to see if there is a glimmer of anything not SOL.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Tue Jun 14, 2016 8:21 pm

What a shitty time for sports in general:

The Angels are the worst team in the AL
The Padres are the worst team in the NL
The Ducks choked in the playoffs
The Lakers are tanking for draft picks
The Chargers got nothing
The Rams return to LA but they still got nothing

Hypnotoad · Post by **Hypnotoad** » Tue Jun 14, 2016 9:34 pm

The Angels are the worst team in the AL? Check the Twins record and reconsider that. Sure, the Twins seem to be able to beat the Angels but they are a full seven wins behind them.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Thu Jun 16, 2016 3:40 pm

Hypnotoad wrote:The Angels are the worst team in the AL? Check the Twins record and reconsider that. Sure, the Twins seem to be able to beat the Angels but they are a full seven wins behind them.

I will grant you that the Twins are slightly worse.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Fri Jul 01, 2016 10:46 am

I don't read MMQB these days, but I just noticed that they're celebrating "Dr. Z Week" with a new profile of Paul Zimmerman and reprints of some his old work. Good stuff.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Jul 13, 2016 11:29 pm

NYT

Tom Brady, the New England Patriots quarterback, is all but guaranteed to start the season on the sideline after a federal appeals court on Wednesday denied his request to review his four-game suspension for his role in a scheme to deflate footballs.

The decision, announced in a one-page notice by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, may also put an end to one of the most widely watched and embarrassing scandals in the history of the N.F.L.
...
As a result, it is all but certain that the Patriots will be led by the little-tested backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo when they open their season on Sept. 11 against the Cardinals in Arizona. Brady will be able to attend training camp and play during the preseason, but he would have to remain away from the team and its training facility and stadium starting Sept. 3.

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 2:07 pm

Von has agreed to terms! Woot!

Xmann · Post by **Xmann** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 6:04 pm

Enough wrote:Von has agreed to terms! Woot!

So glad the Miller contract is done.

Glad he signed and glad I don't have to hear about it in the local media any more

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 2:28 am

Deflategate goes flat.

One of history’s most newsworthy sports legal controversies likely ended on Friday. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady announced on Facebook that he will not continue his federal appeal against the NFL over his four-game suspension. Put bluntly, Deflategate is likely dead.
...
The decision is also surprising in that Brady had retained one of the best legal teams ever assembled, and his lawyers were surely ready to petition the Supreme Court. In particular, Brady’s hiring of former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson, who has argued numerous times before the Supreme Court, hinted at his desire to exhaust every option. There is no doubt Olson was ready to take the case to the Supreme Court. If he does so, it will only be on behalf of the NFLPA and not Brady.

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 8:54 am

Having a team that's good at arguing in front of the Supreme Court is only useful if the USSC agrees to hear your case. That was *very* unlikely here. The terms of the negotiated CBA are clear, Goodell has the power to do what he did (whether or not he should have is a different question).

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 9:51 am

RunningMn9 wrote:Having a team that's good at arguing in front of the Supreme Court is only useful if the USSC agrees to hear your case. That was *very* unlikely here. The terms of the negotiated CBA are clear, Goodell has the power to do what he did (whether or not he should have is a different question).

The NFLPA is still going to appeal the case to the SCOTUS - as they should. Goodell's handling of the case failed to uphold the basic tenets of arbitration (just read the numerous, non-football related briefs filed in the 2nd circuit appeal). Brady only dropped out because if the appeal wasn't heard, he was more likely to miss playoff games because of the timing of the case.

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 11:35 am

stessier wrote:The NFLPA is still going to appeal the case to the SCOTUS - as they should. Goodell's handling of the case failed to uphold the basic tenets of arbitration (just read the numerous, non-football related briefs filed in the 2nd circuit appeal). Brady only dropped out because if the appeal wasn't heard, he was more likely to miss playoff games because of the timing of the case.

The NFLPA has no choice but to ask. The case won't be heard, for the same reasons that the full 2nd Circuit didn't re-hear it.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Mon Jul 18, 2016 8:20 pm

Charles Tillman has retired.

Memories.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Mon Jul 18, 2016 8:29 pm

RunningMn9 wrote:
stessier wrote:The NFLPA is still going to appeal the case to the SCOTUS - as they should. Goodell's handling of the case failed to uphold the basic tenets of arbitration (just read the numerous, non-football related briefs filed in the 2nd circuit appeal). Brady only dropped out because if the appeal wasn't heard, he was more likely to miss playoff games because of the timing of the case.
The NFLPA has no choice but to ask. The case won't be heard, for the same reasons that the full 2nd Circuit didn't re-hear it.

There is a small chance, for a couple reasons. First, they do have one of the greatest supreme court litigators of this generation on the team. Second, if Clinton wins, which is likely, there will be a new liberal majority on the court, and they may be interested in cutting back on the wildly pro-arbitration case law of the past few decades (and will almost certainly be a little more labor friendly), and this is a potential vehicle for doing so.

It's a small chance, but not insignificant.

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Mon Jul 18, 2016 9:45 pm

Again, having a great Supreme Court litigators is great...if you get there to litigate. This isn't a complicated case.

Goodell exercised power that the NFLPA gave to Goodell during contract negotiations. They aren't implied powers. They were explicitly negotiated powers.

It would be shocking for the Supreme Court to waste their time with this.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Tue Jul 19, 2016 1:09 am

RunningMn9 wrote:Again, having a great Supreme Court litigators is great...if you get there to litigate. This isn't a complicated case.

Goodell exercised power that the NFLPA gave to Goodell during contract negotiations. They aren't implied powers. They were explicitly negotiated powers.

It would be shocking for the Supreme Court to waste their time with this.

Having a premiere Supreme Court appellate attorney on your team *absolutely* impacts the odds that the SCOTUS will hear a case, not just your odds of winning when you get there.

Also, the law is not as clear cut here as you are making it out to be. Yes, clearly Goodell has the power to mete out discipline under the CBA. That doesn't mean that it's unrestricted by general arbitration law, as evidenced by the fact that Goodell had lost every arbitration decision in court under the new CBA until the Second Circuit panel reversed 2-1.

To be clear it's very unlikely that the Supreme Court will hear this case. But the odds aren't trivial.

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Tue Jul 19, 2016 3:53 pm

With Peanut Tillman retired, the question is does he deserve the HoF?

He was an unparalleled turnover machine, but he only had 2 Pro Bowls and 1 first team All-Pro season.

Arcanis · Post by **Arcanis** » Tue Jul 19, 2016 4:03 pm

ImLawBoy wrote:With Peanut Tillman retired, the question is does he deserve the HoF?

He was an unparalleled turnover machine, but he only had 2 Pro Bowls and 1 first team All-Pro season.

I hope he does get the nod, but I know I'm biased. My wife and I followed him because he has been an outspoken supporter of children with heart defects and because he played his college football at UL Lafayette where we live.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Tue Jul 19, 2016 4:12 pm

ImLawBoy wrote:With Peanut Tillman retired, the question is does he deserve the HoF?

He was an unparalleled turnover machine, but he only had 2 Pro Bowls and 1 first team All-Pro season.

Not until Terrelle Davis gets in first.

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Tue Jul 19, 2016 4:25 pm

Pyperkub wrote:
ImLawBoy wrote:With Peanut Tillman retired, the question is does he deserve the HoF?

He was an unparalleled turnover machine, but he only had 2 Pro Bowls and 1 first team All-Pro season.
Not until Terrelle Davis gets in first.

I'm not following. Why would a cornerback's induction need to be conditioned on a running back's?

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Tue Jul 19, 2016 4:59 pm

ImLawBoy wrote:With Peanut Tillman retired, the question is does he deserve the HoF?

He was an unparalleled turnover machine, but he only had 2 Pro Bowls and 1 first team All-Pro season.

My guess is that it will depend on the competition once he is eligible. I think everyone would have liked to see him play more games, it seems the most lauded d-backs have long careers where they spend a lot of time in the spotlight. The 2 Pro Bowls are an indication that he wasn't seen as a consistently overwhelming threat, unlike, say, a Charles Woodson. But if he gets in, good for Peanut! He was always a very likable player and fan-favorite here.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Wed Jul 20, 2016 7:07 pm

ImLawBoy wrote:
Pyperkub wrote:
ImLawBoy wrote:With Peanut Tillman retired, the question is does he deserve the HoF?

He was an unparalleled turnover machine, but he only had 2 Pro Bowls and 1 first team All-Pro season.
Not until Terrelle Davis gets in first.
I'm not following. Why would a cornerback's induction need to be conditioned on a running back's?

Had him confused with Pat Tillman, but the idea is that of short careers that were derailed but in the path to HoF status.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Fri Jul 22, 2016 11:43 am

Dennis Green passed away at the age of 67. I didn't think he was that old. RIP.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Fri Jul 22, 2016 11:44 am

stessier wrote:Dennis Green passed away at the age of 67. I didn't think he was that old. RIP.

WYBaugh · Post by **WYBaugh** » Sun Aug 07, 2016 8:14 pm

Great job NFL...way to eff over all of the fans who traveled for your scrimmage.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sun Aug 07, 2016 8:41 pm

Preseason games start this week, for what they're worth.

All of the Bears starting receivers are injured. Cutler must be on suicide watch.