NFL 2018-19 Offseason

[Isgrimnur]

ESPN

Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed has been suspended for the first six games of the 2019 season for a violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy.

The violation stems from a 2017 domestic violence case in which Reed was accused of assault. Reed was not charged or arrested. However, the NFL's personal conduct policy allows the league to punish players regardless of legal outcomes.
...
In a statement posted to Twitter, Reed wrote that he "totally" disagrees with the NFL's ruling but takes responsibility for the situation.
...
He is eligible to take part in practices and play in the preseason. Once the regular season begins, he will be eligible to return to the Seahawks on Monday, Oct. 14, following Seattle's Week 6 game against the Cleveland Browns. He will also miss games against the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams.

[stessier]

I hate hazing, so I'm not exactly impartial, but I feel really bad for Harry even though it's funny to watch his world collapse on him.

[stessier]

This thread (20 posts long) on AB is kind of amazing.

[El Guapo]

That he tried repainting his helmet and passing it off as the new helmet is pretty amazing.

But what I'm really getting from this is that TOM BRADY USED A now BANNED HELMET. #Cheaters

[LordMortis]

Curious. What are the odds the Dolphins somehow get better, allow the Lions to fall in to last place concurrent with Lawrence leaving Clemson for the NFL draft? Asking for a friend.... Cause I would watch in 2020 if we get Lawrence... I mean he would watch in 2020...

[stessier]

Clearly AB is Sampson and the helmet is his hair.

[DOS=HIGH]

Curious. What are the odds the Dolphins somehow get better, allow the Lions to fall in to last place concurrent with Lawrence leaving Clemson for the NFL draft? Asking for a friend.... Cause I would watch in 2020 if we get Lawrence... I mean he would watch in 2020...

Tell your friend Lawrence is a true sophomore so he isn't eligible until the 2021 NFL Draft.

[LordMortis]

Curious. What are the odds the Dolphins somehow get better, allow the Lions to fall in to last place concurrent with Lawrence leaving Clemson for the NFL draft? Asking for a friend.... Cause I would watch in 2020 if we get Lawrence... I mean he would watch in 2020...

Tell your friend Lawrence is a true sophomore so he isn't eligible until the 2021 NFL Draft.

What kind of puppies is that? My friend can't take this until 2021. At least he'll get more yard work done, I guess.

[stessier]

I don't know that this really fits here, but the Appeals Court is letting the suit against the NFL and DirecTV go forward. This is the suit that says NFL Sunday Ticket violates the Sherman Act because if they were allowed, teams would be finding new and multiple transmission methods to get their games out to the public for less than the cost of Sunday Ticket.

The decision is here.

The beginning has an interesting look at the history of broadcasting the games and the legal framework that got us here.

[Pyperkub]

Curious. What are the odds the Dolphins somehow get better, allow the Lions to fall in to last place concurrent with Lawrence leaving Clemson for the NFL draft? Asking for a friend.... Cause I would watch in 2020 if we get Lawrence... I mean he would watch in 2020...

Low. They have had an awful OL over the past couple of years - 2nd worst in the league.

[LordMortis]

Curious. What are the odds the Dolphins somehow get better, allow the Lions to fall in to last place concurrent with Lawrence leaving Clemson for the NFL draft? Asking for a friend.... Cause I would watch in 2020 if we get Lawrence... I mean he would watch in 2020...

Low. They have had an awful OL over the past couple of years - 2nd worst in the league.

If I can't get Lawrence, it doesn't matter. We'll just have to come in last place next year. Miami can take the kid from Alabama this year. I guess that will equate to less dead cap space, keeping Stafford around one more year whom I've had to retreat on over the years. He's proven to be much much much tougher than I gave him credit for, and he's actually shown passion in the the game or three I've watched over the last few years. But it still remains that he's only good when he's a freewheeling gunslinger. If the Lions could have learned to play 60 minutes of hurry up 2 minute drill games every game over the years, Stafford would have been the man, but football doesn't work that way and the Lions aren't the team to challenge the the way football works.

[Pyperkub]

Curious. What are the odds the Dolphins somehow get better, allow the Lions to fall in to last place concurrent with Lawrence leaving Clemson for the NFL draft? Asking for a friend.... Cause I would watch in 2020 if we get Lawrence... I mean he would watch in 2020...

Low. They have had an awful OL over the past couple of years - 2nd worst in the league.

If I can't get Lawrence, it doesn't matter. We'll just have to come in last place next year. Miami can take the kid from Alabama this year. I guess that will equate to less dead cap space, keeping Stafford around one more year whom I've had to retreat on over the years. He's proven to be much much much tougher than I gave him credit for, and he's actually shown passion in the the game or three I've watched over the last few years. But it still remains that he's only good when he's a freewheeling gunslinger. If the Lions could have learned to play 60 minutes of hurry up 2 minute drill games every game over the years, Stafford would have been the man, but football doesn't work that way and the Lions aren't the team to challenge the the way football works.

Rosen will be great in Miami if he has an OL. If they don't fix the OL, they'll need a Cam Newton.

Note that the only team which has been worse in the OL than Miami the past 2 years is Arizona, who they got Rosen from...

[stessier]

Anyone watching Hard Knocks?

Nathan Peterman's demeanor is quite unimpressive. I also find Renfrow to be either naive or just really, really young. Not sure he's going to make it.

[msteelers]

Anyone watching Hard Knocks?

Nathan Peterman's demeanor is quite unimpressive. I also find Renfrow to be either naive or just really, really young. Not sure he's going to make it.

I watched the first episode, and I was unimpressed with the overall show. Hard Knocks thrives when it finds those characters who are on the bubble and giving their all to make their NFL dream come true, and finding interesting characters throughout the roster. But there was nobody featured in the first episode that was likable. Jon Gruden is ok, but they didn't really spend much time with him. The first round draft pick was annoying and borderline unlikeable. Derek Carr was an empty vessel. The one guy they featured who was on the bubble was a bump on a log and was cut before the episode ended.

Then there's Antonio Brown and all of his nonsense.

I'm hoping the season picks up, but it sounds like episode 2 didn't find anybody else that was likable.

[naednek]

Anyone watching Hard Knocks?

Nathan Peterman's demeanor is quite unimpressive. I also find Renfrow to be either naive or just really, really young. Not sure he's going to make it.

Ya I love it Hard Knocks I have to take an acid bath after watching because you know, it's the Raiders, but I'm in it for Gruden.

I wished the niners did when Harbaugh was there. That would be 100% quality entertainment

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Anyone watching Hard Knocks?

Nathan Peterman's demeanor is quite unimpressive. I also find Renfrow to be either naive or just really, really young. Not sure he's going to make it.

I watched the first episode, and I was unimpressed with the overall show. Hard Knocks thrives when it finds those characters who are on the bubble and giving their all to make their NFL dream come true, and finding interesting characters throughout the roster. But there was nobody featured in the first episode that was likable. Jon Gruden is ok, but they didn't really spend much time with him. The first round draft pick was annoying and borderline unlikeable. Derek Carr was an empty vessel. The one guy they featured who was on the bubble was a bump on a log and was cut before the episode ended.

Then there's Antonio Brown and all of his nonsense.

I'm hoping the season picks up, but it sounds like episode 2 didn't find anybody else that was likable.

They did focus on more of the underdog/will they make the roster type players in the second episode. One was an undrafted rookie WR and another is a 4th rounder DE who might be on the bubble. Both were more likeable than the rookie DB from the first episode. Also, you get to see Antonio Brown's disgusting feet.

[stessier]

[stessier]

Oh my.

[LordMortis]

Oh my.

I don't understand, why would clapping be a false start? Is that an action I don't get? That said, the officiating crew decides if it's a false start or not? I already can't tell what holding or PI is any more, let alone I now sometimes have to question if I know what a catch is, now I won't be able to tell what a false start is? How can that not be the worst of all possible statements to make?

[Isgrimnur]

Deadspin

Thursday night’s Packers-Raiders game is being played in Winnipeg, at the home of the Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. Suited though the stadium may be for Canadian gridiron football, it turns out the field is not up to the job of hosting an NFL game, not without screwing around with the game’s dimensions.

Canadian football is played on a larger field, with bigger end zones and, importantly, goalposts anchored at the goal line, in the field of play. In order to fit a CFL field for an NFL game, new goalposts need to be installed, the CFL ones need to be yanked out, and the holes in the turf where the CFL goalposts once stood need to be patched. That last bit is no minor concern—the difference in dimensions places those holes right in the middle of NFL end zones, where they pose a risk to the feet and ankles and legs of players not used to accounting for them.
...
Lacking any sort of realistic option for improving the condition of the field, the decision was made around 8 p.m. to play this Week 3 exhibition on an 80-yard field. It will not surprise you to learn that an NFL game staged on a shrunken field has to rejigger some rules. Per the NFL’s website:

As a result of playing on the 80-yard field, the game will be played with no kickoffs with teams starting possessions on the 25-yard line and the goal line at the 10-yard line.

[Jeff V]

And once again, Canadians come up short.

[pr0ner]

Andrew Luck is retiring.

[Lassr]

Andrew Luck is retiring.

I just saw that...Wow.

[Skinypupy]

Ouch. Sucks for Indy.

[Exodor]

Ouch. Sucks for Indy.

I guess their Luck ran out.

[stessier]

Crazy thing to wake up to. I hope he is finally able to get his body right.

[msteelers]

I couldn’t believe the Luck news when I first heard it. I don’t think many saw it coming, but it’s understandable. He’s been physically beat up for awhile, and if your heart isn’t in it anymore then retirement starts to make a lot more sense.

[Jaymann]

During the Chargers game last night they were saying something about the Colts crying in their beer for letting their backup QB go. I wasn't really paying attention, but now I see why.

[gameoverman]

I don't believe Luck's retirement was a surprise to the higher ups in the Colt organization. I bet he told them he'd retire 'if...' and they just crossed their fingers that it wouldn't come to that. Replacing a franchise QB isn't cheap so it's not like they could make any major moves and still have Luck on the team. They had to either be willing to proactively cut ties with him or wait to see if he retires. I think they gambled that he wouldn't retire.

[noxiousdog]

I wish I knew what kind of leverage Bill O'Brien had on ownership, because if I were the Houston Texans owner, I'm pretty sure I would have fired him on the spot.

Jadaveon Clowney - 3 pro bowls and an all-pro selection. Traded for a 3rd rounder.

At least they got something? No. No, they didn't. Had they kept him on the roster, he would have entitled the Texans to a 3rd round compensatory pick.

Salary cap move? Nope, Texans are roughly $40 million under the cap.

It's because O'Brien's ego is so giant he can't deal with anyone that doesn't kowtow to him. This is now the third quality player that he couldn't get along with. He also ran out Duane Brown and Brandon Brooks.

[Isgrimnur]

I wish I knew what kind of leverage Bill O'Brien had on ownership, because if I were the Houston Texans owner, I'm pretty sure I would have fired him on the spot.

Deadspin

Since arriving in Houston, Bill O’Brien has been on a mission to consolidate power and become both the team’s head coach and general manager. He prevailed in a power struggle with former GM Rick Smith, then did the same with Brian Gaine, who the Texans cut loose this summer and will still be paying through 2023. Following a comically inept search for Gaine’s replacement, the organization eventually settled on giving O’Brien all the decision-making powers. Over the weekend, he finally showed what he’s willing to do with those powers.
...
It’s not hard to see what O’Brien’s big idea is. The organization’s relationship with Clowney wasn’t getting any better, and O’Brien must have figured that getting anything in return for him was better than just watching him sit out an entire season and then losing him to free agency. By bringing in Stills, Tunsil, and Hyde, O’Brien is clearly trying to give Deshaun Watson as many weapons and as much protection as he can while Watson is still an ascendant quarterback on a rookie deal.

O’Brien certainly has a plan—visions of Watson ripping passes to Stills and DeAndre Hopkins while Tunsil protects his blindside must be dancing in his head—but the question is whether it’s a good plan. For starters, there’s no reason that the Texans should have lost Clowney while getting so little in return. If O’Brien was dead set on not giving him a contract extension, then he should have made a trade in July, when any team acquiring Clowney could have signed him to a long-term extension. Because O’Brien waited so long, Clowney lost the ability to sign an extension with his new team until after this season, which turned him into a one-year rental player and put a huge hole in his trade value. Getting two relatively anonymous linebackers in exchange for a player as good as Clowney is embarrassing.

[El Guapo]

As a Patriots fan I approve of this trade.

[noxiousdog]

NSFW spoiler

Spoiler:

Side note, I cannot believe we don't have a Letterkenny thread.

[Isgrimnur]

It's attached to the Hulu thread, since that's the US source (now ), and it didn't seem to get much traction.

[stessier]

With at over 24 hours to go, can we get a thread title change?? I'm so ready for some football!!!

[EvilHomer3k]

It's attached to the Hulu thread, since that's the US source (now ), and it didn't seem to get much traction.

Perhaps Hulu will get a boost when the Disney+ bundle with hulu comes out giving more people the chance to experience Letterkenny.