Sports: NFL

[clancampbell]

All hail the Superbowl champion Ravens!

There, at least I get to toot that horn. At this rate, Baltimore will have a team of Flacco, Rice, and a bunch of draft picks with some touches of washed up/has been/never were veterans.


Ellerbe and Kruger got shown the money, and off they went. The jokes on them. Good luck making the playoffs with Miami and Cleveland respectively. Should have taken a few million less to stay with a contender. (Say what you will, the Ravens have made the playoffs the last 5 years in a row)

Pollard got cut to save a lousy 1 million dollars!

Carey Williams had left, I won't miss him.

Boldin at least got traded to a contender. I wish he'd have stayed, but he didn't want to take a pay cut. Your already a millionaire bro. Why not stay with what you know?

Ed Reed may be leaving too. That really saddens me. His is the only jersey I own.

On the bright side the Ravens retained the services of David Reed. He's been a bright spot for this team. Keeping the bench warm, and making sure the water cooler is filled. WTF!

[Kinseth]

Still shaking my head at the flacco deal.

[clancampbell]

Originally Posted by Kinseth

Still shaking my head at the flacco deal.

His deal is actually good for the Ravens. He only counts at 7 million vs the cap this year. Better than if they had franchised him. Years 4 through 6 will be the huge money years and they'll probably restructure by then. So the deal was better for the team than if they had franchised him, and if they didn't pay him, some hard up team would have.

[Darth Vader]

Originally Posted by clancampbell

All hail the Superbowl champion Ravens!

Ellerbe and Kruger got shown the money, and off they went. The jokes on them. Good luck making the playoffs with Miami and Cleveland respectively. Should have taken a few million less to stay with a contender. (Say what you will, the Ravens have made the playoffs the last 5 years in a row)

Little early to count out Cleveland and Miami at this point. Miami should be able to compete in the AFC. I'm not saying they are better than the Patriots, but you cannot say they have no shot at the playoffs this year.

Browns could easily win the AFC North. They had an incredibly young roster last year, but they were at least competitive despite what their record showed. With a tougher front 7, a 100% healthy Trent Richardson, and a new coaching regime, they certainly will not look like last year's Browns. Weeden is a question mark, but the new offensive system should at least play to his strengths. The Browns are not perfect, but they should be a lot better than most people will give them credit for.

[Dad_Scaper]

Originally Posted by Kinseth

Still shaking my head at the flacco deal.

Don't be. In a few years his contract will just be the answer to a trivia question. Look for the next round of young & mid-career QB's to break the bank bigger than he did.

It's the Tom Brady / Eli Manning / Aaron Rodgers / Drew Brees model: Get yourself a franchise quarterback and plug in as many mediocre-to-good players as you can around him on the roster. The teams know that's how to win now, and the quarterbacks know that's how to win now. Stupid would have been overpaying for Ellerbe or Kruger, but as Clan said there were other teams willing to do that.

Now, you may still be denying Flacco can be that franchise quarterback, but I'd have expected you to be over that by now.

[clancampbell]

Originally Posted by Darth Vader

Little early to count out Cleveland and Miami at this point.

Browns could easily win the AFC North. They had an incredibly young roster last year, but they were at least competitive despite what their record showed. With a tougher front 7, a 100% healthy Trent Richardson, and a new coaching regime, they certainly will not look like last year's Browns. Weeden is a question mark, but the new offensive system should at least play to his strengths. The Browns are not perfect, but they should be a lot better than most people will give them credit for.

Miami may be good enough for a Wildcard. Maybe. The Browns and win the AFC North are words that don't go together. You make an interesting case for them, but being in the division with the Ravens, Steelers and Bengals isn't doing them any favors. The only way the Browns win the division is if there are some major injuries to the other three teams.


EDIT: I know history means little, but since going to the 4 division format in 2002, the AFC North has been won by, Steelers 5 times, Ravens 4 times, Bengals 2 times, Browns 0 times. Funny side note, the year before last the whole division went to the playoffs, except the Browns.

[nyys]

Originally Posted by XDVincent

Yea, I mean Edelman and Amendola should combine toe match Welker. But still. It's that they offered him less than he signed for, and he signed for less than he could've gotten. They Patriots still need a deep threat, I mean Lloyd could be that guy this year. But I don't know. Just unimpressed with the Patriots management.

This is the kind of statement I really don't understand. I get the disappointment in losing out on Welker. Nobody likes to lose a favorite. But all the Pats management has done is put the team in position to realistically go to the Super Bowl for the last 10+ years. What else can we ask for?

Winning the big game has been elusive of late, but it just goes to show how difficult it is to win a championship and makes, to me, the 3 out of 4 run the Pats went on even more incredible.

The ball bounces the 'other way' a couple times over the last few years and the Pats could have 2 or 3 more trophies in the case. Like most sports, game of inches.

[ZBeeblebrox]

Originally Posted by nyys

This is the kind of statement I really don't understand. I get the disappointment in losing out on Welker. Nobody likes to lose a favorite. But all the Pats management has done is put the team in position to realistically go to the Super Bowl for the last 10+ years. What else can we ask for?

Winning the big game has been elusive of late, but it just goes to show how difficult it is to win a championship and makes, to me, the 3 out of 4 run the Pats went on even more incredible.

The ball bounces the 'other way' a couple times over the last few years and the Pats could have 2 or 3 more trophies in the case. Like most sports, game of inches.

Detroit fans would kill for Patriot's management...so I agree with nyys...that statement is ridiculous.

[IAmBatman]

Seriously! I was going to respond to the same thing. Talk about champagne problems!

[Bloody Bogle]

As a Giants fan, I have to say I'm happy the balls rolled the way they did for the Pats.

[Darth Vader]

Originally Posted by clancampbell

Miami may be good enough for a Wildcard. Maybe. The Browns and win the AFC North are words that don't go together. You make an interesting case for them, but being in the division with the Ravens, Steelers and Bengals isn't doing them any favors. The only way the Browns win the division is if there are some major injuries to the other three teams.


EDIT: I know history means little, but since going to the 4 division format in 2002, the AFC North has been won by, Steelers 5 times, Ravens 4 times, Bengals 2 times, Browns 0 times. Funny side note, the year before last the whole division went to the playoffs, except the Browns.

I don't see how history can at all factor into the discussion. Especially when the Browns have a completely new owner and front office. If we are evaluating a division, we gotta focus on the current talent level of each team.

I don't see the aging Steelers remaining competitive much longer, they're gonna have to start the rebuilding process at some point. The Bengals will be solid, but they aren't unbeatable by any means. The Ravens will also be solid, but so far, they've lost more than they've gained this off-season. I can't imagine they repeat.

[spidysox]

Originally Posted by nyys

This is the kind of statement I really don't understand. I get the disappointment in losing out on Welker. Nobody likes to lose a favorite. But all the Pats management has done is put the team in position to realistically go to the Super Bowl for the last 10+ years. What else can we ask for?

Winning the big game has been elusive of late, but it just goes to show how difficult it is to win a championship and makes, to me, the 3 out of 4 run the Pats went on even more incredible.

The ball bounces the 'other way' a couple times over the last few years and the Pats could have 2 or 3 more trophies in the case. Like most sports, game of inches.

You are so right about this! This run that the Pats has been on since 2001 has been amazing and I am going to do my best to enjoy it for as long as it lasts.

Let's not forget, that this is the same management that fell in love with Welker while he was a nobody in Miami, offered him a contract that Miami could not match, then traded a second round pick for him when no one thought he was worth any where near it, then paired him with Tom Brady and turned him into a superstar.

Pats management, like every other one has hits and misses. This move may turn out to be a colossal miss, but at the end of the day the Pats will still be contenders next year because of all of the hits the management has made over the last few years. No team could have the run that the Pats have had without great management.