The Weird, Wacky and Awesome World of the NFL - General Banter thread V3

evil_seed

Woolshed

kmart6

Only if they stay open for it all!!

pedatron

evil_seed wrote: »

Woolshed

They've something on alright! Thanks for that! Probably be packed but I'll try and get there early!

Frankie Cortese

https://twitter.com/sethwickersham/status/1088407855319916549?s=21


Brilliant read!

j8wk2feszrnpao

Frankie Cortese wrote: »

https://twitter.com/sethwickersham/status/1088407855319916549?s=21


Brilliant read!

I stopped after the first section. 3 people in an office, but someone else could give him first hand quotes?
I know people have to use sources, but at least lets have some actual people (with their names) provide real evidence/quotes.
Dysfunction at the Browns. I'm shocked.

Knex*

pedatron wrote: »

I'm off the Monday after the Superbowl and gonna head to Dublin to meet a few friends for it. Where would be a good place to go watch the game?

Odeon have a super bowl party with the Dublin Hounds.

I watched the Flacons Pats Super Bowl in the Living Room and thought it was a fantastic place for it.

Paully D

4 year deal between Harbaugh and the Ravens officially confirmed.

PhuckHugh

Paully D wrote: »

4 year deal between Harbaugh and the Ravens officially confirmed.

Great news - Harbaugh is a clown.

Knex*

PhuckHugh wrote: »

Great news - Harbaugh is a clown.

Ah stop?

I'd take your hands off to have him with the Giants. Always rated him very highly, I have to say.

j8wk2feszrnpao

PhuckHugh wrote: »

Great news - Harbaugh is a clown.

Things typically are kept pretty civil in here (we can all get heated sometimes), but you seem to want to agitate people a lot of time.

Harbaugh I think is a bit lucky to keep his job, but the issue is replacing him; easier said than done. 4 year deal, but a lot is riding on next year.

PhuckHugh

munstermagic11 wrote: »

Things typically are kept pretty civil in here (we can all get heated sometimes), but you seem to want to agitate people a lot of time.

Harbaugh I think is a bit lucky to keep his job, but the issue is replacing him; easier said than done. 4 year deal, but a lot is riding on next year.

I'm not agitating anyone - just being honest.

PhuckHugh

Knex. wrote: »

Ah stop?

I'd take your hands off to have him with the Giants. Always rated him very highly, I have to say.

He's a decent enough coach I suppose ---But as a Pat's fan i've seen enough of his antics over the years. I think he gets too over heated and makes poor calls in big games that costs the Ravens... they nearly always seem to blow close games.

He was also instrumental in starting the bulls*it that was deflategate - couldnt take his beating like a man.

I also think he blew it this year by not putting Joe in during the wildcard game when Jackson couldnt get anything going .. Now, there are valid arguments for and against here, but I thought in the end, he was too stubborn to do what was right for the team to win.

Paully D

I’ve flipped and flopped on Harbaugh in recent years, but the greater issue is if you let him go, who do you realistically get in to replace him?

I hate the “jobs for the boys” culture in the NFL with a passion and the likelihood is that his replacement would have been one of the same old worn, tired and dated coaches from the merry-go-round.

One injury riddled season aside (2015), he has coached one single game in 11 years with the Ravens out of playoff contention. They’ve made the playoffs in 7 of his 11 seasons, have won 114 games (4th most in the league during that span), the second most amount of playoff games (10), and have won a Super Bowl. That’s playing in what has been one of the most difficult divisions in the NFL too.

Most importantly, players (both current and more eye-opening, past) seem to have a hell of a lot of respect for him and give everything for him.

I know I’ve been frustrated at times over the last few years, but at the end of the day most teams would kill for that level of success. It’s a sensible move really to keep some stability especially with the QB and front office changes.

Knex*

I think Harbaugh is in a similar situation that Andy Reid was in with Philly. Great coach, but might be best for both parties for a change of scene.

He'll walk into another job, no problem. I think he will have it tough next few years with Jackson as his QB, tbh. That defense is fantastic, however, and will keep them in games.

Paully D

PhuckHugh wrote: »

I also think he blew it this year by not putting Joe in during the wildcard game when Jackson couldnt get anything going .. Now, there are valid arguments for and against here, but I thought in the end, he was too stubborn to do what was right for the team to win.

It would have been a terrible decision to put Flacco in during that game.

They had decided Jackson was their guy and Flacco won’t be on the roster next season. What good would it have done to pull Jackson, alienate him and cause trust issues with the guy you’ve decided is your long-term QB as soon as things get tough?

By sticking with Jackson, they showed him they’ll trust him and let him work through things. He’s a rookie and needs to be exposed to these situations. With the flurry at the end, he finished with 2 TD’s for over 200 yards and a QB rating of 78.8. If he had been pulled, he’d have finished with an awful stat line, constant media chatter all offseason, and confidence absolutely shattered knowing the coaching staff don’t trust him, for the sake of throwing in a QB who is finished with the franchise. Harbaugh would have lost all credibility and respect from every player within the franchise, a respect which he has in abundance at the moment.

It was exceptional leadership from Harbaugh, IMO.

cosatron

PhuckHugh wrote: »

I also think he blew it this year by not putting Joe in during the wildcard game when Jackson couldnt get anything going .. Now, there are valid arguments for and against here, but I thought in the end, he was too stubborn to do what was right for the team to win.

this is plain wrong, the problem wasn't Jackson, it was there o-line was like a revolving door, so it didn't make a bit of difference who was at QB cause the oline was hot trash on the day.

j8wk2feszrnpao

Paully D wrote: »

It was exceptional leadership from Harbaugh, IMO.

Harbaugh has pinned his hopes on Jackson going forward. Ok. But they lost the game due to the poor play by their QB. We'll see how it pans out next year.
I wouldn't agree it was exceptional leadership when you're QB loses you the chance to get to the Divisional round when you may not even get to the playoffs again next year.

Knex*

Speaking of jobs for the boys, Spags is the new DC in Kansas.

He's a great person, and has worked with Reid before, so I can see why he's gone for him. However, he's presided over three of the worst defenses of all time.

Paully D

munstermagic11 wrote: »

Harbaugh has pinned his hopes on Jackson going forward. Ok. But they lost the game due to the poor play by their QB. We'll see how it pans out next year.
I wouldn't agree it was exceptional leadership when you're QB loses you the chance to get to the Divisional round when you may not even get to the playoffs again next year.

To be fair, it wasn’t just the QB. The O-line was a disgrace, the Chargers pass rush were playing like men possessed, and IMO Flacco would have spent more time on the floor getting beaten up by the pass rush than anything else.

Also, people are acting like it was Tom Brady or Peyton Manning in his prime left on the bench in favour of Jackson. I really like Flacco, a great guy and it hasn’t all been his fault, but he has proved numerous times over the last 4 seasons that he is not the answer either.

It’s also worth noting that Flacco hadn’t played a rep since week 9, the first week in November, and was coming off a hip injury. Hardly the ideal circumstance. Possibilities like him taking a heavy shot (which he would have, without doubt), suffering an injury and then being on the hook for his salary without being able to move him on and subsequently ruining their long-term plan would all have been considered too, I’m sure.

There’s a reason why some teams in the league are generally always good and some teams always seem to be bad. The difference between the two, IMO, is effective long-term decision making.

All things considered, I’ll never be convinced that Harbaugh didn’t make the correct decision.

j8wk2feszrnpao

Paully D wrote: »

To be fair, it wasn’t just the QB. The O-line was a disgrace, the Chargers pass rush were playing like men possessed, and IMO Flacco would have spent more time on the floor getting beaten up by the pass rush than anything else.

He might have done worse, we'll never know. We did see Jackson struggle terribly and it was the D that kept them in that game. I'm not saying put Flacco in and the position is his, nobody in the game thread was saying it either. But it cried out for a change. People know that Flacco could be bad, but that's how much worse Jackson was playing.

eagle eye

Knex. wrote:

I'd take your hands off to have him with the Giants. Always rated him very highly, I have to say.

We I don't rate him much but he is far from a clown as much as I hate to give him any credit.

Foxtrol

Putting Flacco in had very little upside though with all the risks of damaging Jackson long term, as Paully mentioned. Flacco had shown nothing recently that gave evidence that he could handle the pressure their OL was allowing and even if he could that he was able to make explosives plays enough to get them back in the game. When they made the switch earlier in the year the Ravens also altered their gameplan to suit Jackson so I can't see where people think Flacco could either outperform Jackson in a gameplan designed for Jackson's traits or that it was wise to revert to a scheme they likely hadn't practiced much in months. Thinking you can just drop in your QB2 is pretty Maddenesque.

Harbaugh made the right decision and that would have been the case even if Jackson didn't get the run of great plays towards the end of the game.

Knex*

If putting Flacco in during that game would have damaged Jackson long term, then he's not going to make it as a Franchise QB anyway tbh.

j8wk2feszrnpao

Knex. wrote: »

If putting Flacco in during that game would have damaged Jackson long term, then he's not going to make it as a Franchise QB anyway tbh.

That would be my thought process. If he got the hump or mentally damaged; then he ain’t gonna make it in the NFL either way.

Ravens have a lot to do in the off season with Jackson, he’s the worst starting QB in the division as it stands. With Flacco likely to be moved on, interesting to see who they get as backup (unless they are sold on RG3 in that role).

Adamocovic

It was a whole combination regarding why Jackson struggled but I don't believe people who say it was just down to his O-Line and that Flacco definetely wouldn't have made a difference. I love him as a player and am happy he won the job but his release was one of the slowest in the NFL this season and we already had questions over his accuracy and consistency throwing the ball. It was the slowest during the playoffs I believe too, and their game was completely run focused.

I think that was a big factor. The pressure the Chargers put on them was great, and they stopped the run game dead but in the passing game there were moments that could have been potentially exploited with quicker precise releases. The same tactic proved ineffective really against the Patriots but was silly really for them to even try it.

Flacco does a quick release but it's hard to know how he would have fared. Ravens had made their mind up though, and chose to stick with Jackson and ultimately take the L. The decision was purely based on the future and I don't believe the opinion that they said it wouldn't have made any difference. Flacco coming in would have brought a playoff veteran, with a quicker release and changed their offence. Chargers would of had to adapt if he began well exploiting the chances with quick passing. Can't say for sure if it would have worked or not but definitely would have been interesting.

Problem was if Flacco did awful it wouldn't help with getting rid of him this off-season, also the fans and media jump on them for doubting Jackson. If Flacco did brilliant some may debate the starter position and what to do with Flacco going forward, plus it would add negative attention to Jackson for struggling and failing as the starter.

Ultimately for the future the right call was to stick with Jackson, and thank god he stepped it up in the 4th, but I do believe they accepted they weren't going to win the game, and determined putting in Flacco wasn't worth the repercussions, even if he could have changed the momentum of the game. It will be one of those moments where we never know.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Knex. wrote: »

If putting Flacco in during that game would have damaged Jackson long term, then he's not going to make it as a Franchise QB anyway tbh.

True, but I don't think people mean it would have literally damaged Jackson, rather his relationship with Harbaugh. What would he have thought had he been benched after dragging that team to the playoffs. Decisions like that can alienate players from a franchise.
Even had Flacco come on he probably would've been sacked umpteen times.

Also, I think the Ravens would've been mad to get rid of Harbuagh. He's been keeping them competitive in recent years.

Billy86

I think Harbaugh has done quite well in recent years, injuries and talent deficiencies in some areas would be more on the GM than him. He could take blame for Flaccos decline though I also rate that somewhat as “get rich, stop trying“ on Flaccos part (typically that is how it looks when the drop off coincides with a big pay day).

jack presley

https://twitter.com/OnionSports/status/1088862462659710978

Realt Dearg Sec

jack presley wrote: »

https://twitter.com/OnionSports/status/1088862462659710978

Now that is seriously cruel. I laughed.

Lionbacker

:pac::pac:

https://twitter.com/thecheckdown/status/1088506963200303106