The Everything NFL Thread - 2012 Season (Up til 2013 Draft)

[Phoenix512]

Lovie being fired isn't really surprising to me. He hasn't been able to get into the playoffs for last few years and the Bears' offensive under him was sporadic. I was a bit surprised that Rex Ryan is still the coach of the Jets with his inability to change his ways and controlling the locker room the last two seasons. At least Tannenbaum got fired and deserve so after bringing in Tim Tebow.

Reid probably will head to Arizona so he can make Kevin Kolb seem like a god again and Lovie will probably be another head coach or at least a defensive coordinator. Man it really is a Black Monday in the NFL.

 

[YTP]

Apparently Devin Hester is considering retirement after Lovie Smith got fired.

Holy shit Devin Hester is 30 years old O_O

edit: also this would be the best story ever haha

 

[Phoenix512]

Devin Hester whose best game is the return game but now with today's NFL, the return game doesn't much anymore and hasn't progressed as a WR during that time. He and Josh Cribbs who have great athletic talent but they aren't football smart.

 

[Nova]

I'm a Cardinals fan and it's sad to see Ken Whisenhunt being fired, really like the guy. Better for the team though in my opinion, would really really love to see them hire Chip Kelly and draft Geno Smith though I am being quite the dreamer

 

[WaterBomb]

Geno Smith is not going to be a good NFL QB. He's benefited from playing soft college defenses that made him look good, but he's nothing more than the next coming of Dennis Dixon. As for Whisenhunt, he's a great OC but probably not fit for coaching. Would love to see him back in Pittsburgh so we could get back to winning SBs though :)

 

[Jorgen]

Wow Devin Hester is only 30? He's been around forever it seems.

 

[Ancien Régime]

Geno Smith is not going to be a good NFL QB. He's benefited from playing soft college defenses that made him look good, but he's nothing more than the next coming of Dennis Dixon.:)

imo he's a rich man's Russell Wilson though his arm isn't elite. He's very accurate though, especially deep. He's not really a scrambler in the true sense, Aaron Rodgers is probably the best comp in that regard. I think he's a decent #1 pick (though he's a comparative reach, the best player in the class is Jarvis Jones) not as good a prospect as Cam/RGIII/Luck but significantly better than Stafford (overrated because of his arm and his current stats are inflated by throwing to CJnearly2K) /Bradford.

 

[CaptKirby]

When "Brady won" a Super Bowl (mediocre as he was) and with Wilson having just put up a 26/10 (blowouts or not), do we still really need to rush to judge QBs? Geno Smith might be amazing, he might be a flash in the pan. None of us REALLY know.

 

[Shinryu]

I'm a Cardinals fan and it's sad to see Ken Whisenhunt being fired, really like the guy. Better for the team though in my opinion, would really really love to see them hire Chip Kelly and draft Geno Smith though I am being quite the dreamer

I agree, Whisenhunt was probably the best thing to ever happen to the Cardinals (along with Warner's sudden comeback to playing good), and even now I still don't really fault him with the way things have turned out. Sure he couldn't coach a QB up to play even semi-well, but it's just as much the fault of the crap players he's been dealt to play also. He shouldn't have any problems landing elsewhere though.

 

[zenzen~]

If I were the GM of any team that needs a QB, I would look away from the draft and look at someone like Alex Smith (if he gets cut), Jason Campbell, or Matt Moore as a one or two year stopgap instead. None of the QBs from this year's draft seem very appealing to me, aside from maybe Barkley if he drops into the later part of the first round, and even then, he still has many question marks on him. 2014 looks like a better draft class with Manziel possibly coming out early, and Murray possibly waiting until then to come out.

 

[Killah]

In 2011, the Colts and Vikings were a combined 3-14 in games decided by one touchdown or less... This year, amazingly, those same two teams are 14-2 in games decided by the same margin, and one of the losses was by the Vikings to these Colts.

Teams that lose multiple games by one possession are usually teams that have the furthest to rebound the next year. While this stat is far from perfect (tell that to the Eagles, who had a similar record in close games last season), it's a pretty decent indicator of who could massively improve with only a couple offseason changes.

 

[Xephyr]

If I were the GM of any team that needs a QB, I would look away from the draft and look at someone like Alex Smith (if he gets cut), Jason Campbell, or Matt Moore as a one or two year stopgap instead. None of the QBs from this year's draft seem very appealing to me, aside from maybe Barkley if he drops into the later part of the first round, and even then, he still has many question marks on him. 2014 looks like a better draft class with Manziel possibly coming out early, and Murray possibly waiting until then to come out.

This is definitely the best choice for a team that needs a QB with such a pitiful draft coming up. There are several solid options that are perfectly capable of managing a team. Dare I say that even Mark fucking Sanchez is a viable choice for a team like Arizona or Kansas City. Put that guy on a franchise that's not toxic and pitiful and he can certainly be decent.

 

[Nozizaki]

I'm still under the impression that there are 3-4 Starting QBs in this draft, but only one of them might be close to Luck/Griffin/Wilson.

At this point I'd guess Geno Smith, Matt Barkley and Landry Jones.

 

[Ancien Régime]

Geno Smith is a solid prospect, he's not a slam-dunk #1 but he's good. He might end up being as good as Wilson, except he has more size. He's not as fast as Wilson though.

Landry Jones is trash. He piles up stats against bad teams and lays down when his team needs him most. He's also a statue in the pocket, and literally crumbles under pressure, both the pressure of big games and the pressure of the pass rush.

Matt Barkley is a joke, just like virtually every other USC QB. He, like Sanchez and Leinart, do not have the physical ability to play the position, and unlike guys like Chad Pennington (if he had an average arm he'd be a HoFer, sadly there are probably several people on Smogon who have better arm strength), they don't make up for it with HOF-caliber ball placement, intelligence and savvy. Matt Barkley has not thrown a deep pass in his career that he hasn't made his WR have to fight to go up and get. I've never truly seen him hit a WR in stride, certainly not under pressure.

Look at how RGIII, Wilson and Luck threw deep last year. Hell, look at Cousins or Weeden throwing deep passes. MILES ahead of Barkley. Miles. Even Tannehill threw deep better than Barkley.

Barkley will get drafted high because he's perceived to have good intangibles, he put up good numbers throwing to top 16 NFL WRs and protected by NFL offensive linemen, and he gets USC hype.

Tyler Wilson is probably the 2nd best prospect and he needs to go back to school.
I'd burn a 3rd rounder on Logan Thomas because he has a unique physical skillset but I have a feeling he's gonna be the next Tebow, which wouldn't be a bad thing if he accepts being a gimmick player (assuming he doesn't develop, Thomas's throwing motion isn't broken like Tebow's is, he's just super raw)

 

[YTP]

Ray lewis to retire after playoffs

 

[DM]

HOLY CHRIST ON A STICK, THE OLD MAN FINALLY GOT OUT OF THE WAY

BRING ON THE SUPER BOWL

 

[Stallion]

Let's do it for Ray, I'm probably going to get quite emotional during the Indy game, especially if it's his last. Greatest MLB to ever play the game, Ravens football will not be the same without Ray Ray.

 

[icepick]

Got my Ravens tickets for Sunday!

 

[WaterBomb]

Let's do it for Ray, I'm probably going to get quite emotional during the Indy game, especially if it's his last. Greatest MLB to ever play the game, Ravens football will not be the same without Ray Ray.

I love Ray too man, but you're neglecting some greats like Butkus, Lambert and Singletary. He's easily Top 5 though. I'm kind of sad his last game won't be against Pittsburgh too, that feels like the only fitting way for him to go out...

 

[some hero]

HOLY CHRIST ON A STICK, THE OLD MAN FINALLY GOT OUT OF THE WAY

BRING ON THE SUPER BOWL

Are you talking about your fired coach or Ray Lewis?

Please take Gilbride.

I love Ray too man, but you're neglecting some greats like Butkus, Lambert and Singletary. He's easily Top 5 though. I'm kind of sad his last game won't be against Pittsburgh too, that feels like the only fitting way for him to go out...

I find LBs boring and hard to evaluate because they can look like beasts or like crap depending on the DL. Especially in the 4-3 where LBs aren't as important. The 2000 Ravens was mostly their DL letting Lewis and the other two LBs go untouched.

Still, poor poor Ravens. Patriots being the luckiest team in the NFL(according to WB) screwed them over. Ray Lewis would have been able to go the SB(in a rematch against the Giants, no less) and probably retired at the top if it weren't for hax. I was rooting for the Patriots that game, but now i feel dirty.

 

[Dave]

I normally hate these, but I admit..I laughed.

 

[Shinryu]

I normally hate these, but I admit..I laughed.

Pretty funny, is that a good site to get some? Need my share of laughs in the morning...

 

[Ancien Régime]

I love Ray too man, but you're neglecting some greats like Butkus, Lambert and Singletary. He's easily Top 5 though. I'm kind of sad his last game won't be against Pittsburgh too, that feels like the only fitting way for him to go out...

Lewis in his prime was better than all of them.

What Ray Lewis brought that the others lacked was that Ray Lewis was a far more complete MLB than the other players you mentioned. Lewis could not only lay big hits and stuff the middle, he could cover, rush the passer, cover sideline to sideline like the other guys never could, and were any of them, save maybe Singletary, the kind of emotional leader that Lewis was.

 

[WaterBomb]

Lewis in his prime was better than all of them.

What Ray Lewis brought that the others lacked was that Ray Lewis was a far more complete MLB than the other players you mentioned. Lewis could not only lay big hits and stuff the middle, he could cover, rush the passer, cover sideline to sideline like the other guys never could, and were any of them, save maybe Singletary, the kind of emotional leader that Lewis was.

Well, I am hesitant to post about this because people will think I'm a homer, but I'd like to point out that Jack Lambert could do all of those things you mentioned quite well. He was the emotional leader of the Steel Curtain defense, he rushed the passer very well, and he was good in coverage (although that's one area Ray I think is a bit better). I don't know about Dick Butkus as much because I didn't get to see as much footage of him, but he simply played in a different era where MLBs weren't expected to do the things they are now. I think another player that needs to be in this discussion is Brian Urlacher, because he's kind of been Ray Lewis' NFC counterpart for many many years (they're only a couple years apart, right?). Urlacher excels in every category as well, and is a worthy present-day comparison to Ray Lewis.

 

[Jorgen]

Fun fact: Urlacher was defensive ROY the same year Ray Lewis and the Ravens won the SB.