2018 NFL Transactions & News

dcmissle

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Lamar Jackson saved Harbaugh's job while Harbaugh tossed Flacco overboard.
The timing of this announcement probably is no accident. @ Chargers.

Harbaugh is the ultimate survivor. In prior years, he mastered the art of shedding offensive coordinators at exactly the right time. And kept his job.

This is the poor man’s version of the Bledsoe > Brady succession. Harbaugh was right to start Flacco to begin the season, and right like Belichick not to go back. So he’s being rewarded for handling the most important roster issue correctly, and for the team’s rebound on defense. Harbaugh definitely was coaching for his job this season and passed the test.
 

dcmissle

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And in any case, Carroll has Belichick by a year. One. They grew old together, seemingly overnight.

Carroll this year probably did his very best work.
 

Marciano490

Urological Expert
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Nov 4, 2007
62,312
And in any case, Carroll has Belichick by a year. One. They grew old together, seemingly overnight.

Carroll this year probably did his very best work.
I said it in one of the game threads, but during one of the Seahawks games a couple weeks ago, they listed all the defensive players the team has turned over and it’s shocking they’re still doing so well.

Not sure what happened here with Carroll, but he’s a legit good coach.
 

dcmissle

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Carroll was young here and had the equivalent of Belichick’s Cleveland period — some accomplishments, lots of promise, errors that proved learning experiences.

In the end, Carroll was screwed by Bobby Grier, who was aided and abetted by the Krafts, while Belichick was unwisely fired by Modell — fortunately for us.
 

cornwalls@6

Less observant than others
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Apr 23, 2010
6,247
from the wilds of western ma

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
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Dec 16, 2010
53,838
He's complaining about K-balls, which are controlled by the league, and that he missed a 65 yarder?

Tucker is good, but STFU.
 

Norm Siebern

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May 12, 2003
7,123
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Good lord, again with this bullshit from the Ravens? They were always the real instigators of the deflategate fiasco, IMO. Is there no end to pathetic whining and alibing from them? At some point, a real league office, with a competent, adult commissioner, would tell them to cut the crap, or they’re the ones who will face harsh discipline. Of source, no such things exist in the NFL.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/12/28/ravens-say-k-balls-were-different-against-the-chargers/
But they’re the “toughest team in football.” They would never whine, because they’re so tough....
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
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Oct 1, 2015
24,375
But they’re the “toughest team in football.” They would never whine, because they’re so tough....
I know I'm a Pats homer and all, but I literally cannot remember ever under BB the Patriots whining about game conditions, bad calls, bad breaks, the other team "cheating", or...anything. I'm sure I've missed some along the way but honestly I cannot remember. Maybe Gronk in that Bills game where he got that personal foul penalty for burying the Bills' defender after the INT, but that would be it I think.
 

cornwalls@6

Less observant than others
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Apr 23, 2010
6,247
from the wilds of western ma
I know I'm a Pats homer and all, but I literally cannot remember ever under BB the Patriots whining about game conditions, bad calls, bad breaks, the other team "cheating", or...anything. I'm sure I've missed some along the way but honestly I cannot remember. Maybe Gronk in that Bills game where he got that personal foul penalty for burying the Bills' defender after the INT, but that would be it I think.
With same the disclaimer about my homer-ism, I just don't recall any of it either. It's simply not their culture. And it stands in stark contrast to so many other coaches/franchises, who talk all the blustery, tough guy talk about accountability, as Norm Siebern alludes to above, but don't come close to walking it(I'm looking at you Baltimore, Indy, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Carolina........ ).
 

( . ) ( . ) and (_!_)

T&A
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Feb 9, 2010
5,302
Providence, RI
Good lord, again with this bullshit from the Ravens? They were always the real instigators of the deflategate fiasco, IMO. Is there no end to pathetic whining and alibing from them? At some point, a real league office, with a competent, adult commissioner, would tell them to cut the crap, or they’re the ones who will face harsh discipline. Of source, no such things exist in the NFL.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/12/28/ravens-say-k-balls-were-different-against-the-chargers/
This may be paranoid and over the top but if it should come to pass that the Ravens come to Gillette for a playoff game then the Pats would be naive to trust the systems put in place by the NFL to ensure the integrity of something like the K Balls. It's most certainly not fair but the Pats have a target on their backs and anything will get blown out of proportion. Not even actual smoke about a potential situation but off hand comments like Tucker made would spiral out of control if that game was against the Pats. No one wants that distraction or headache again and Kraft should be using his influence with the league to avoid it. Ask for a second league supervisor to observe the handling of the K Balls, document everything on paper or with pictures, I don't know what else but do anything they can. Doing some extreme CYA costs the Pats very little but the downside of the Ravens making any sort of statement about the kicking balls after a game is that is will immediately become a massive distraction.
 

Mystic Merlin

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Sep 21, 2007
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Really good player in the Belichick ‘this guy can fuck up your game’ memorial HOF, even if overlooked by the casual fantasybro fan. Kind of like a London Fletcher or Terrance Newman, in the league for a million years, never quite a superstar, but consistently one of the better players at his position and by all accounts a leader.
 

dcmissle

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Good lord, again with this bullshit from the Ravens? They were always the real instigators of the deflategate fiasco, IMO. Is there no end to pathetic whining and alibing from them? At some point, a real league office, with a competent, adult commissioner, would tell them to cut the crap, or they’re the ones who will face harsh discipline. Of source, no such things exist in the NFL.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/12/28/ravens-say-k-balls-were-different-against-the-chargers/
The commentary on PFT is priceless. The best,

“Here we go again. Enjoy your vacation, Phillip.”

PFT called it out for what it is, passive-aggressive bullshit.

Good coaches, but God the brothers Harbaugh suck. Never lost a game on merit.

Edit. And to T and A’s point, if the Ravens are on a path to Fox, I would absolutely reach out to request extra monitoring from the League. And document the request. Videotape the chain of custody of every goddamn thing.

Bob Kraft is too trusting to this day. Be pro-active before the fact rather than be subjected to Jonathan’s ineffectual carping after the fact.
 
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DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
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Dec 16, 2010
53,838
Domestic violence charges against Reuben Foster have been dropped.

 

dcmissle

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This is the same complainant who admitted under oath that she had lied in a prior case. No wonder we have a no pros here.

It does not make the signing right. But Bruce Allen will puff his chest and claim title of smartest kid in the class — we snookered 30 other teams.
 

RedOctober3829

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Jul 19, 2005
55,298
deep inside Guido territory
Brent Grimes went on his wife's podcast and showed his true colors. He said that he was asked to shadow Antonio Brown when they played the Steelers and he declined because he only makes $7 million and top corners make $14 million. He also said that he was benched at halftime of the Bears game because he was on his phone.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

posts way less than 18% useful shit
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Nov 17, 2010
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Brent Grimes went on his wife's podcast and showed his true colors. He said that he was asked to shadow Antonio Brown when they played the Steelers and he declined because he only makes $7 million and top corners make $14 million. He also said that he was benched at halftime of the Bears game because he was on his phone.
Jesus. Way to be a competitor, bro.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
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Dec 16, 2010
53,838
Well, he's not a top corner, so what's his problem? PFF had him at #86.
 

KiltedFool

has a terminal case of creeping sharia
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Dec 22, 2005
2,400
Brent Grimes went on his wife's podcast and showed his true colors. He said that he was asked to shadow Antonio Brown when they played the Steelers and he declined because he only makes $7 million and top corners make $14 million. He also said that he was benched at halftime of the Bears game because he was on his phone.
The Thesselonian you're fighting... he's the biggest man I've ever seen. I wouldn't want to fight him.

That's why no-one will remember your name.
 

kenneycb

Hates Goose Island Beer; Loves Backdoor Play
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Dec 2, 2006
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Tuukka's refugee camp
Meh, he's had gross career earnings north of $60M, most of which while playing in Flordia which has no state income tax. I'm sure he's fine with his lot in life and the NFL.
 

joe dokes

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Jul 18, 2005
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Meh, he's had gross career earnings north of $60M, most of which while playing in Flordia which has no state income tax. I'm sure he's fine with his lot in life and the NFL.
All true. But you'd think that somewhere, deep down, one would try to avoid a situation where even one person is happy if your leg gets snapped in 2 on the next play.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
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Dec 16, 2010
53,838
Meh, he's had gross career earnings north of $60M, most of which while playing in Flordia which has no state income tax. I'm sure he's fine with his lot in life and the NFL.
I don't think anyone is really saying otherwise. But it really doesn't seem like something you'd say out loud.
 

InstaFace

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Sep 27, 2016
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All true. But you'd think that somewhere, deep down, one would try to avoid a situation where even one person is happy if your leg gets snapped in 2 on the next play.
I mean that's a situation shared by every professional athlete who has a backup or guy behind him on the depth chart trying to make the team / get playing time. It's a cutthroat business that encourages maximum aggression and viewing opponents (And even some teammates) as enemies. We, the spectators and fans, have created a monster. I don't begrudge him opting out of the worst parts of it when he can afford to do so.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
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Dec 16, 2010
53,838
I mean that's a situation shared by every professional athlete who has a backup or guy behind him on the depth chart trying to make the team / get playing time. It's a cutthroat business that encourages maximum aggression and viewing opponents (And even some teammates) as enemies. We, the spectators and fans, have created a monster. I don't begrudge him opting out of the worst parts of it when he can afford to do so.
So you're saying it's okay for Grimes to "opt out" of his assignment and take calls at halftime? Those really aren't things athletes can "opt out" on.
 

InstaFace

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It's "okay" in the sense that I can understand him no longer giving a shit, seeing as he has fuck-you money. He doesn't want to retire yet because he'd like to still collect a paycheck but he'll have days where he mentally checks out. Most of us who had to "work" at times in the last 3 weeks surely understand this.

It's not okay, in the sense that if he got cut over it, no one could be surprised or upset.
 

j44thor

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Aug 1, 2006
10,961
Darius Leonard and Quenton Nelson the first pair of All-pro rookies from same team since Butkus and Sayers in 65. I wonder if McDaniels is second-guessing that decision yet. Colts should be set up well for the next 5-8 years at least.
 

BigJimEd

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It's "okay" in the sense that I can understand him no longer giving a shit, seeing as he has fuck-you money. He doesn't want to retire yet because he'd like to still collect a paycheck but he'll have days where he mentally checks out. Most of us who had to "work" at times in the last 3 weeks surely understand this.

It's not okay, in the sense that if he got cut over it, no one could be surprised or upset.
I could understand mentally checking out during a drill or meeting. Skipping a camp or something like that.

Not wanting to go against the better players because you aren't making enough money is a whole different attitude.
 

InstaFace

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Sep 27, 2016
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There are decreasing marginal returns on having more money. At some point of wealth, only the crazies like Tom Brady would continue to expose themselves to that level of injury and brain damage.

Should he probably just retire rather than try to suck more money out of an organization? Maybe. But I can't fault him for trying to game the system when so much of it is stacked against him anyway.
 

Adrian's Dome

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Aug 6, 2010
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There are decreasing marginal returns on having more money. At some point of wealth, only the crazies like Tom Brady would continue to expose themselves to that level of injury and brain damage.

Should he probably just retire rather than try to suck more money out of an organization? Maybe. But I can't fault him for trying to game the system when so much of it is stacked against him anyway.
There's no more inherent injury risk to guarding an elite receiver than an average one, just you needing to put in more effort. And a much larger chance of you looking like a fool in the end (especially knowing you're not willing to put in said effort.)

What you call "gaming the system" I call "bitching out", and it's shameful.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

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Nov 17, 2010
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There's no more inherent injury risk to guarding an elite receiver than an average one, just you needing to put in more effort. And a much larger chance of you looking like a fool in the end (especially knowing you're not willing to put in said effort.)

What you call "gaming the system" I call "bitching out", and it's shameful.
Yeah, I'm not sure I understand the argument.

Hes not opting for a safer option. Hes opting to cover an easier person because he doesnt want to look bad. At the expense of the team, by the way.

Hes a shitty teammate and a worse competitor.
 

kenneycb

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Dec 2, 2006
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Tuukka's refugee camp
Unless you define rational by not making yourself look like a punk. Or doing your job as directed.

He's probably just keeping it real or something.
Doing your job as directed is one of the least rational things you can possibly do. Unless of course you don’t think football players should think and have emotions and feelings.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

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Doing your job as directed is one of the least rational things you can possibly do. Unless of course you don’t think football players should think and have emotions and feelings.
I'm not sure I follow.

The most rational thing to do would be for...what? Every player to freelance and do what they want?

I'm confused. He was asked to cover the best player on the team. His response was, essentially, I don't get paid enough to try hard against a good player.

That seems like a rational response?
 

Papelbon's Poutine

Homeland Security
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Dec 4, 2005
19,615
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Doing your job as directed is one of the least rational things you can possibly do. Unless of course you don’t think football players should think and have emotions and feelings.
Huh? So, when your boss tells you to do something you decide how much effort to put in based on your emotions and feelings? Or do you just flat out refuse and expect to still be employed?
 

johnmd20

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Huh? So, when your boss tells you to do something you decide how much effort to put in based on your emotions and feelings? Or do you just flat out refuse and expect to still be employed?
This entire conversation from the side of, "Grimes is ok to not cover a player," is mystifying.