2016 NFL Regular Season Thread

['7']

Cowboys are now 11-1. I think Prescott is doing great and doing an incredible job limiting his mistakes...but I am not sold on him yet. This could not be a more perfect situation to walk into. Fortress offensive line, great running game, a defense that stops the oppositions running game. Dependable, veteran receivers to throw to. 

Honestly if it was a healthy Romo I think he'd be doing just as well. Why wouldn't he? Romo is 15-4 in his last 19 NFL starts. He led the league in completion percentage in 2014. He's thrown 39td's and 16int's in his last 556 attempts. The level of ridicule he gets (and mocked for being injury prone) is really unjustified. It's almost Sanchez level (though Sanchez deserves it. Romo doesn't)

Be careful with Prescott. He can morph into 4th round rookie very quickly during a tough playoff game against the perpetually blessed Giants or Seahawks. Things have almost gone too well for him.

Edited December 2, 2016 by '7'

['7']

Gronkowski will also miss the rest of the season due to back surgery. So you're already hearing Madden curse stuff which is bunk but still pretty strange how often it happens. 

For his incredible size and physical dominance Gronkowski has also absorbed quite a bit over the course of his career. If he wants to last, going forward he should probably be less of a bulldozer. Pick and choose your spots.

I still think N.E. will go to the Super Bowl but it will be tougher now. I don't think Oakland can beat them. KC may give them a hard time. They're pretty well balanced and underrated. Pitt and Baltimore are not their once mighty selves and the AFC South is once again a joke. Curious to see what Miami does next time they play N.E.

Edited December 2, 2016 by '7'

[MadDog2020]

Gronkowski will also miss the rest of the season due to back surgery. So you're already hearing Madden curse stuff which is bunk but still pretty strange how often it happens. 
For his incredible size and physical dominance Gronkowski has also absorbed quite a bit over the course of his career. If he wants to last, going forward he should probably be less of a bulldozer. Pick and choose your spots.
I still think N.E. will go to the Super Bowl but it will be tougher now. I don't think Oakland can beat them. KC may give them a hard time. They're pretty well balanced and underrated. Pitt and Baltimore are not their once mighty selves and the AFC South is once again a joke. Curious to see what Miami does next time they play N.E.

We have them at home week 17. Depending on what happens the next few weeks, they'll likely be resting starters that game.


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[Colorado Rockies 1976]

12 minutes ago, '7' said:

Gronkowski will also miss the rest of the season due to back surgery. So you're already hearing Madden curse stuff which is bunk but still pretty strange how often it happens. 

For his incredible size and physical dominance Gronkowski has also absorbed quite a bit over the course of his career. If he wants to last, going forward he should probably be less of a bulldozer. Pick and choose your spots.

I still think N.E. will go to the Super Bowl but it will be tougher now. I don't think Oakland can beat them. KC may give them a hard time. They're pretty well balanced and underrated. Pitt and Baltimore are not their once mighty selves and the AFC South is once again a joke. Curious to see what Miami does next time they play N.E.

Gronk is actually not making too much money next season, so he should be back with the Pats next year, but there's rumors that NE may let him go following 2017 (he's got big $ coming in 2018 and 2019).  It's unfortunate, but his body is just not up to playing the way he wants to play.  He reminds of me a lot of Flyers-Era Lindros, in that he's excellent when he's playing, but you just can't ever count on him to stay healthy. 

Yeah, it's not a strong AFC (or strong NFL for that matter).  We will learn a LOT more about the Pats starting next week.  If they have a tough time against Baltimore and Denver, then they're definitely beatable by any of their playoff competition. 

It's too early to predict the NE - Miami game, until we see how seriously both teams are taking that one...for all we know, Miami could have a seed wrapped up where they can't move up or down, and decide to rest key players as a result. 

Edited December 2, 2016 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[MadDog2020]

Gronk is actually not making too much money next season, so he should be back with the Pats next year, but there's rumors that NE may let him go following 2017 (he's got big $ coming in 2018 and 2019).  It's unfortunate, but his body is just not up to playing the way he wants to play.  He reminds of me a lot of Flyers-Era Lindros, in that he's excellent when he's playing, but you just can't ever count on him to stay healthy. 
Yeah, it's not a strong AFC (or strong NFL for that matter).  We will learn a LOT more about the Pats starting next week.  If they have a tough time against Baltimore and Denver, then they're definitely beatable by any of their playoff competition. 
It's too early to predict the NE - Miami game, until we see how seriously both teams are taking that one...for all we know, Miami could have a seed wrapped up where they can't move up or down, and decide to rest key players as a result. 

The Dolphins with a playoff seed locked and resting key starters in week 17? I mean, you'd have to pinch me and probably slap me in the face a few times to convince me I wasn't unknowingly transported into some alternate reality. [emoji23]


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['7']

17 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Gronk is actually not making too much money next season, so he should be back with the Pats next year, but there's rumors that NE may let him go following 2017 (he's got big $ coming in 2018 and 2019).  It's unfortunate, but his body is just not up to playing the way he wants to play.  He reminds of me a lot of Flyers-Era Lindros, in that he's excellent when he's playing, but you just can't ever count on him to stay healthy. 

Yeah, it's not a strong AFC (or strong NFL for that matter).  We will learn a LOT more about the Pats starting next week.  If they have a tough time against Baltimore and Denver, then they're definitely beatable by any of their playoff competition. 

It's too early to predict the NE - Miami game, until we see how seriously both teams are taking that one...for all we know, Miami could have a seed wrapped up where they can't move up or down, and decide to rest key players as a result. 

You're right, it's not a strong AFC or NFL, and as a bitter Jets fan it always irritates me how whenever we seem to be good and have a legit shot, we run into enormous behemoths that are even better. 2009...ran out of gas in the 2nd half to a Colts team that could've gone 16-0 if they wanted to. 2010. Sapped after road wins over Manning and Brady...then off to Pitt to play Roethlisberger. Jets were DOA. Last year 10-6...no playoffs. 

This year they have talent but stink up the joint and everything goes wrong. 

I give the Giants credit, it's almost like they time themselves being good with the NFC being mediocre. Watch them luck their way to another Super Bowl with every break going their way.

The one team I wouldn't mind seeing finally get their ticket punched to the SB is Detroit. Though they have a pretty meh defense and no running game at all.

Edited December 2, 2016 by '7'

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

12 hours ago, MadDog2020 said:

The Dolphins with a playoff seed locked and resting key starters in week 17? I mean, you'd have to pinch me and probably slap me in the face a few times to convince me I wasn't unknowingly transported into some alternate reality.


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It's very possible.  I've already pointed it out, but the AFC West is going to beat up on each other in the weeks to come.  But like you've mentioned, this week is a pretty big test for the Dolphins.  

[CRASHER]

IF and I do mean IF Denver stinks it up against Jacksonville that door to the second wild card spot gets kicked WIDE open and a lot of teams will be looking at it as a way in (loser of Bal/Pit, Miami and Buffalo mostly).....if Denver was playing anyone but the inept Jaguars tomorrow they'd be in a LOT of trouble....

[NJDevs4978]

 

[CRASHER]

Atlanta's gonna lose because they went for two to try to go up three and Eric Berry ran it back for the two points.....for the lead....and now the ball as well....epic!

['7']

Jeff Fisher are you kidding me? Yes he looks like a good coach, carries himself like a good coach, says all the right things...and has been the definition of middling FOREVER. How long can you live off (in NFL terms) ancient success.?

He has not had a winning season in 7 years and is pushing 60. I don't think Jeff Fisher is suddenly going to rediscover anything. He should be doing pre/postgame somewhere at this point.

['7']

I was very very close to a "Look at Rex turning things around in Buffalo" post but...that vaunted D gagged it up and didn't offer up a shred of resistance after 24-9.

They're still a respectable 6-6, but man was this a brutal bad loss.

[Beezer34]

On ‎12‎/‎2‎/‎2016 at 4:23 PM, '7' said:

Gronkowski will miss the rest of the season due to back surgery. For all his incredible size and physical dominance, Gronkowski has absorbed quite a bit over the course of his career. If he wants to last, going forward he should probably be less of a bulldozer.

Gronk is the definition of a supernova. He shines brighter than anyone when he's playing.. but I can't see his career lasting that much longer. (despite the fact that he's only 27) He's had 3 back surgeries, a torn ACL, a blown-out knee, a fractured ankle, a broken arm, and underwent 4 surgeries on his forearm. This is all only since 2012. He's one major injury away from calling it a career, and even with only 80 some odd career games, he's HOF worthy in my book. That's the definition of a supernova.

[CRASHER]

I don't know if Gronk is "done" yet....but this is about that classic time that Belicheck sells high on this guy and moves him within the next year or so....some desperate team (Houston?) would take a swing and hope he can do half of what he did in New England

 

....thing is with Gronk he's such a personality now that people know who he is....he doesn't need the NFL to stay famous....he'd have tons of people (including the WWE) knocking on his door.....or imagine Gronk the game show host....oh boy.....

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

1 hour ago, Beezer34 said:

Gronk is the definition of a supernova. He shines brighter than anyone when he's playing.. but I can't see his career lasting that much longer. (despite the fact that he's only 27) He's had 3 back surgeries, a torn ACL, a blown-out knee, a fractured ankle, a broken arm, and underwent 4 surgeries on his forearm. This is all only since 2012. He's one major injury away from calling it a career, and even with only 80 some odd career games, he's HOF worthy in my book. That's the definition of a supernova.

He's obviously a H-O-F talent, quite possibly the best to play his position...but I think he still has to do it a bit longer.  Kind of amazing he's even lasted this long with all of the injuries, really.  And yeah, healthy Gronk is an absolute beast. 

1 hour ago, CRASHER said:

I don't know if Gronk is "done" yet....but this is about that classic time that Belicheck sells high on this guy and moves him within the next year or so....some desperate team (Houston?) would take a swing and hope he can do half of what he did in New England

...thing is with Gronk he's such a personality now that people know who he is....he doesn't need the NFL to stay famous....he'd have tons of people (including the WWE) knocking on his door.....or imagine Gronk the game show host....oh boy.....

I think he knows that there are going to be a lot of opportunities for him after his NFL career is done...he's this lovable goofus that people can't seem to get enough of...almost makes me wonder if he reaches the "Do I really need this anymore?" stage of his life sooner than later.  His body is practically SCREAMING "Please stop playing football!" at this point.  What's amazing is that for as often as he seems to get hurt, he's played 15+ regular season games four times in his seven seasons. 

Supposedly, the Pats wouldn't consider moving him until after the 2017 season, mostly because he's still extremely cost-effective (if healthy...big if of course)...but his 2018 and 2019 seasons are far more expensive.  As we've seen, deals get re-negotiated all of the time, so who knows.  But I think the Pats are committed to him at least one more season. 

[CRASHER]

Gronk's future in NE might depend on how far they go in the playoffs, if they end up in the Super Bowl they might see Gronk as a luxury (though I don't trust Bennett being anywhere near as good...he's notorious for being awesome in September and doing little the rest of the season), and I'm more apt to think Oakland or KC can knock them off without that big difference making guy on offense....but if a desperate team offers something stupid (like a first or a high 2nd round pick) ....I can see the Pats cutting bait and selling high....or this is just part of the "fantasy owner rage" and being on the "screw this guy" bandwagon

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

On ‎12‎/‎4‎/‎2016 at 10:19 PM, '7' said:

Jeff Fisher are you kidding me? Yes he looks like a good coach, carries himself like a good coach, says all the right things...and has been the definition of middling FOREVER. How long can you live off (in NFL terms) ancient success.?

He has not had a winning season in 7 years and is pushing 60. I don't think Jeff Fisher is suddenly going to rediscover anything. He should be doing pre/postgame somewhere at this point.

This sums up Fisher perfectly:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/jeff-fishers-problems-are-never-his-fault-and-he-has-a-contract-extension-to-prove-it/ar-AAl86sr?li=BBnba9I

[Daniel]

2 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

This sums up Fisher perfectly:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/jeff-fishers-problems-are-never-his-fault-and-he-has-a-contract-extension-to-prove-it/ar-AAl86sr?li=BBnba9I

My understanding is that there's less than meets the eye with this contract extension.  Apparently, his job is still very much at risk after the season.  The extension gives the team some flexibility if it turns out that there isn't a decent replacement to be had.  Yeah it costs the team money, but paying coaches after they've been fired isn't all that unusual. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

3 hours ago, Daniel said:

My understanding is that there's less than meets the eye with this contract extension.  Apparently, his job is still very much at risk after the season.  The extension gives the team some flexibility if it turns out that there isn't a decent replacement to be had.  Yeah it costs the team money, but paying coaches after they've been fired isn't all that unusual. 

I get the above...I was posting the link more to show how much of a joke Fisher's been since becoming the Rams' HC.  Like '7' alluded to, he's been living off his Titans run for a while now.  At some point, he's got to have used up that currency.

[CRASHER]

How much say does Fisher have in personnel? As much as Fisher deserves the abuse he has (right Eric Dickerson???).....how that GM got the king's ransom for Robert Griffin and didn't make ONE good offensive player out of all those picks (Gurley was their own pick I believe) is pretty disgraceful.....yeah Fisher is a clown and a joke.....but this GM is a stumbling idiot too....hell....he hired the clown, that by default makes him the bigger fool!

[Daniel]

44 minutes ago, CRASHER said:

How much say does Fisher have in personnel? As much as Fisher deserves the abuse he has (right Eric Dickerson???).....how that GM got the king's ransom for Robert Griffin and didn't make ONE good offensive player out of all those picks (Gurley was their own pick I believe) is pretty disgraceful.....yeah Fisher is a clown and a joke.....but this GM is a stumbling idiot too....hell....he hired the clown, that by default makes him the bigger fool!

I think Fisher has near complete personnel control, if he isn't also the GM.  I think that was what kept him from taking the Dolphins job.  I would say that the Dolphins dodged a bullet, but it isn't like they've been setting the world on fire themselves.

[CRASHER]

he shares fully in the incompitence it seems:

 

In his role as general manager, Snead partners with head coach Jeff Fisher to direct all personel decisions for the club. In addition Snead coordinates all aspects of the clubs football operations with the head coach. He also joins forces with Executive Vice President of Football Operations C.O.O. Kevin Demoff to direct the teams business ventures.
 

http://www.ramsondemand.com/threads/la-rams-2016-coaching-staff-analysis-summary-take-a-peek.45224/

 

Yeah....to think I was almost mad when Dallas passed on him too....geesh......

[MadDog2020]

I think Fisher has near complete personnel control, if he isn't also the GM.  I think that was what kept him from taking the Dolphins job.  I would say that the Dolphins dodged a bullet, but it isn't like they've been setting the world on fire themselves.

Yep, this is true. Fisher chose the Rams over the Fins because the Rams were willing to offer full control, while Ross wanted to shotgun wed Fisher to Ireland. And yes, I'd say we dodged a bullet. Fisher is a buffoon. Philbin was arguably the worst coach in franchise history, but we have Gase now (who I think has done a great job, the Baltimore disaster last week not withstanding) and I'd take Gase's upside over being stuck with Fisher any day of the week.


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[Daniel]

29 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

Yep, this is true. Fisher chose the Rams over the Fins because the Rams were willing to offer full control, while Ross wanted to shotgun wed Fisher to Ireland. And yes, I'd say we dodged a bullet. Fisher is a buffoon. Philbin was arguably the worst coach in franchise history, but we have Gase now (who I think has done a great job, the Baltimore disaster last week not withstanding) and I'd take Gase's upside over being stuck with Fisher any day of the week.


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I don't want to sound like a Fisher apologist (I don't really have a dog in that fight) but you never know what would have been had he been the Dolphins coach.  What does seem clear though is that he didn't believe in Tannehill going into the draft, as apparently one thing he wanted was a QB he thought was good, which is what he thought he had in Bradford, not a totally unreasonable belief at the time.  Maybe if he gets the Dolphins job, he passes on Tannehill and selects Derek Carr two years later.

Speaking of Carr, Philbin wanted to cut bait on Tannehill and draft Carr, who is now an MVP candidate.  Who knows how well he'd do though with the oft injured offensive line that the Dolphins have had for a while now.

['7']

1 hour ago, Daniel said:

I don't want to sound like a Fisher apologist (I don't really have a dog in that fight) but you never know what would have been had he been the Dolphins coach.  What does seem clear though is that he didn't believe in Tannehill going into the draft, as apparently one thing he wanted was a QB he thought was good, which is what he thought he had in Bradford, not a totally unreasonable belief at the time.  Maybe if he gets the Dolphins job, he passes on Tannehill and selects Derek Carr two years later.

Speaking of Carr, Philbin wanted to cut bait on Tannehill and draft Carr, who is now an MVP candidate.  Who knows how well he'd do though with the oft injured offensive line that the Dolphins have had for a while now.

From what I can recall there were legit question marks about Carr. Mechanics was one of them and for some teams that's an immediate "do not draft" red flag. That's what Hackenberg is dealing with. 30 yard frozen rope into a tight window. Wide open screen from 5 feet away with daylight...airmails it 2 feet over the RB's head. He also supposedly was very flustered by the rush. I don't know...maybe watched too much of his brother. But he was not considered a "when the going gets tough" type of QB. 

He has done very well and steadily improved at this level. The Raiders who do nothing right...have nurtured him well.