[Other Sport] The Official NFL 2018 Thread

[spring hall convert]

Thats the Giants done, 1-6 now and could be heading for a repeat of last seasons 3-13. The guy on ESPN who described them as an 'aimless, flailing mess' was about right. Manning continues to suffer from self inflicted woes and having his brother Peyton in the crowd didn't seem to help. The last 10 minutes had some of the worst coaching and play calling I've seen for a while - Shurmur could, and should, be on his way out. Jerry Reese, the former GM, also deserves some of the blame for their current predicament. Not really a great advert for Monday night Football, - next Mondays game between the Bills and the Pats has to be better.

Whilst I think the Giants were mad for drafting him at 1.2, given the QB heavy draft, the glaring need there and the relative value of running back to quarterback, Saquon Barkley has just about been my favourite player to watch this year so far. That he can be so good on a team that is so bad is mind-boggling.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

EDIT: Also I see that we have scored just SIX points in the first quarter all season. Six points in seven quarters of football. Even by our lowly standards that's pretty shocking.

If it makes you feel any better, the Jags haven’t scored a single point, nil, nothing, nada, in the first half of the last 3 three games. And people are questioning the defence

 

[brakespear]

Barcodes 0 - 1 BHA
Huddersfield 0 - 1 Reds
Cowboys 17 - 20 Skins

All is good in the world ......

Apart from the second of those, agreed

 

[Hotchilidog]

Still basking in the afterglow of a victory over the Cowboys, and a victory that made the odious Skip Bayless do his nut too. Going to enjoy this week all the way up until the inevitable bed crapping performance at MetLife next Sunday.

 

[Gritt23]

I'm sure Todd Haley (widely considered to be a bit of an arse) will be happy with that. Interestingly this was the narrative on Haley in Pittsburgh, great scheme, poor playcaller.

Certainly came across as a bit of an arse in Hard Knocks this year. Sat around the table, he didn't look like he was buying into what Jackson was saying.

 

[spring hall convert]

Certainly came across as a bit of an arse in Hard Knocks this year. Sat around the table, he didn't look like he was buying into what Jackson was saying.

To be fair to Haley (and I was of the opinion his time was up in Pittsburgh, I'm no huge fan of his) Hue Jackson came across like David Brent with a headcoaching job in the NFL.

But yeah, Haley has got form for being pretty disagreeable.

 

[Gritt23]

What does everyone make of the Cooper trade?

As a Cowboys man myself, it addresses a need, but it looks like a bad deal to me. The 1st Round pick is high, but as the player he was for his first two seasons, it's not excessive. But it is for the player he's been since, and especially when you add that up and get to this being his 4th season. That means, next year (5th year option has been taken) is his last on his rookie contract, earning him $13.5m, and then ..... well, JJ has backed himself into a corner hasn't he. Having paid a 1st Round pick to get him, we can't have him walk out at the end of his 5th year, so Cooper's agent is in the box. It's like going into Brexit negotiations saying "We HAVE to do a deal", that's not a negotiation that ends well for you because the other side know you can't walk away. Ok, if he hits the ground running, as we could tag him, but if he's just ok, then the cost of the tag would be way more than he's worth.

Also, this just (hopefully) papers over the cracks that are JG as HC and JJ running the show. Neother have demonstrated they can put a winning team on the field (in the salary cap era), or coach up the team they do get to deliver the maximum from them.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

Going to enjoy this week all the way up until the inevitable bed crapping performance at MetLife next Sunday.

With the way the Giants are playing at the minute a win by the Redskins this Sunday is a given.

Seems to me nobody in the NFC East is really performing that well - Eagles fell to 3-4 after blowing a 17-0 lead at the end of the 3rd quarter and Dallas missed that late field goal against the Redskins on Sunday, it's like nobody really wants to pull away from the pack.

 

[Hotchilidog]

With the way the Giants are playing at the minute a win by the Redskins this Sunday is a given.

Seems to me nobody in the NFC East is really performing that well - Eagles fell to 3-4 after blowing a 17-0 lead at the end of the 3rd quarter and Dallas missed that late field goal against the Redskins on Sunday, it's like nobody really wants to pull away from the pack.

It'll be up to the Skins defence to win it Sunday, Eli looks shot and whilst Barkley is a stud the Giants have been unable to turn his production into wins. That logic says the Skins should win makes me all the more nervous. We can be simply awful at The New Meadowlands, I'll have to see the win to believe it. Of the four NFC teams we seem to have the best balance right now, both lines are playing well and this is generally where NFC East battles are won and lost.

It's nice to have two back to back wins, but I believe it is still a big ask for this team to make it three in a row. Expecting another close game.

 

[spring hall convert]

What does everyone make of the Cooper trade?

As a Cowboys man myself, it addresses a need, but it looks like a bad deal to me. The 1st Round pick is high, but as the player he was for his first two seasons, it's not excessive. But it is for the player he's been since, and especially when you add that up and get to this being his 4th season. That means, next year (5th year option has been taken) is his last on his rookie contract, earning him $13.5m, and then ..... well, JJ has backed himself into a corner hasn't he. Having paid a 1st Round pick to get him, we can't have him walk out at the end of his 5th year, so Cooper's agent is in the box. It's like going into Brexit negotiations saying "We HAVE to do a deal", that's not a negotiation that ends well for you because the other side know you can't walk away. Ok, if he hits the ground running, as we could tag him, but if he's just ok, then the cost of the tag would be way more than he's worth.

Also, this just (hopefully) papers over the cracks that are JG as HC and JJ running the show. Neother have demonstrated they can put a winning team on the field (in the salary cap era), or coach up the team they do get to deliver the maximum from them.

Looks like a pretty egregious overpay to me. However, I like Cooper's talent, perhaps a change of scenery might do him some good. At least Dak Prescott has a target once Cooper gets up to speed on the playbook.

 

[albionalex]

You were in JAX? What was the atmosphere like? I know six people were shot in close proximity to the stadium so the crowd looked quite sparse. The cheering when Kessler was put in was heartbreaking, Bortles is such a good guy but he’s just got far too many flaws. I personally thought the defence upped their performance once Kessler came in as they felt they could get back into the game, and I think they could had it have not been for the turnover from Yeldon’s drop

Atmosphere was pretty deflated to be honest but did pick up once Kessler came in. Fans have given up on Bortles.

 

[JJ McClure]

Having given Bortles a big fat contract we're unfortunately stuck with him. When the running game is working it takes the pressure off him but with Fournette out he's had to throw more and has reverted to the Bortles of a couple of season back with poor decision making, rushing passes and poor technique. It's a close division so anything could happen but its going to need a marked improvement and quickly to make it to the playoffs.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Having given Bortles a big fat contract we're unfortunately stuck with him. When the running game is working it takes the pressure off him but with Fournette out he's had to throw more and has reverted to the Bortles of a couple of season back with poor decision making, rushing passes and poor technique. It's a close division so anything could happen but its going to need a marked improvement and quickly to make it to the playoffs.

Carlos Hyde is going to have his work cut out on Sunday. Our only hope now is that Fournette is available and we can use Hyde and Fournette to grind the opposition down and use Yeldon screen plays.

 

[spring hall convert]

Having given Bortles a big fat contract we're unfortunately stuck with him. When the running game is working it takes the pressure off him but with Fournette out he's had to throw more and has reverted to the Bortles of a couple of season back with poor decision making, rushing passes and poor technique. It's a close division so anything could happen but its going to need a marked improvement and quickly to make it to the playoffs.

Bortles is awful.

However, that contract isn't that fat, it was a hedge and the Jags can get out of it in 2020 with a minimal cap hit. If they weren't going to go after a quarterback last year (which I think they probably should have done in free agency or taken the trade that the Skins did for Alex Smith) then it was unlikely they were going to have the draft capital in a relatively poor looking quarterback class in 2019 to do anything. Additionally 2019's free agents at quarterback look pitiful. It was a bit of a 'better the devil you know' I think.

Personally, if I were the Jags, with that defense, I would have moved heaven and earth to get Alex Smith but then Fournette's injury problems may have ended up sabotaging the offence anyway (as well as two of my fantasy NFL teams!) and you end up with an average NFL starter at QB on a long contract. Other options in free agency were either asking for way too much (Cousins) or were probably as much of a risk as Bortles for various reasons (Keenum, Bradford, Bridgewater, Taylor.)

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Bortles is awful.

However, that contract isn't that fat, it was a hedge and the Jags can get out of it in 2020 with a minimal cap hit. If they weren't going to go after a quarterback last year (which I think they probably should have done in free agency or taken the trade that the Skins did for Alex Smith) then it was unlikely they were going to have the draft capital in a relatively poor looking quarterback class in 2019 to do anything. Additionally 2019's free agents at quarterback look pitiful. It was a bit of a 'better the devil you know' I think.

Personally, if I were the Jags, with that defense, I would have moved heaven and earth to get Alex Smith but then Fournette's injury problems may have ended up sabotaging the offence anyway (as well as two of my fantasy NFL teams!) and you end up with an average NFL starter at QB on a long contract. Other options in free agency were either asking for way too much (Cousins) or were probably as much of a risk as Bortles for various reasons (Keenum, Bradford, Bridgewater, Taylor.)

Chad Kelly is available now having been kicked out by the Broncos for his latest indiscretion.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

Rumours that the Giants are looking to get quarterback Derek Carr from the Oakland Raiders. They’ve already offloaded Eli Apple to the Saints and Damon Harrison to the Lions before the NFL trade deadline of October 30. Surprised that they let Harrison go as he’s probably the team’s most valuable defensive linesman. It’s become clear that Manning can no longer competently lead the Giant’s offense, but Shurmur says it’s unlikely at the moment that the Giants would consider trading Manning.

 

[Albion my Albion]

I wonder if the Giants would trade Eli to the Colts. The Indianapolis fans would love to have a Manning and a Luck. Although Luck would be the #1.

 

[Gritt23]

Looks like a pretty egregious overpay to me. However, I like Cooper's talent, perhaps a change of scenery might do him some good. At least Dak Prescott has a target once Cooper gets up to speed on the playbook.

Having had a few days to think about it, I do wonder whether part of it is to see what we have in Dak. All the time he simply doesn't have the weapons at WR it is difficult to fully assess him. Dak is in year 3 of his rookie deal, so we need to start thinking about whether we either pay the going rate for a starting QB, which is probably not going to be south of £120m over 5 years, or are we just hanging on to him until we can draft another one.

If Cooper can get open, and Dak is just not able to get the ball out fast enough, or doesn't have the accuracy to hit the open man downfield often enough, then we know. But WR by committee, was not going to tell us enough about him.

 

[Gritt23]

Shurmur says it’s unlikely at the moment that the Giants would consider trading Manning.

Struggling to see where they could possibly trade him to other than perhaps the Jags, as they are once again falling out of love with Bortles, and it would re-unite Eli Manning with Tom Coughlin. Can't see there being a market for Eli beyond that.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

Local rag saying that it could be a reverse trade with the Raiders - seems highly unlikely to me