NFL Draft

[Mellsblue]

I’d love to be a Bills fan right now. I think you have all the foundation pieces to make another step. That’s before you get to the Pats and their late round QB replacing goat therefore making the division easier. I also think the NFL is moving towards the type of QB that Allen is.
You also have the best kit/uniform.

[Big D]

I’d love to be a Bills fan right now. I think you have all the foundation pieces to make another step. That’s before you get to the Pats and their late round QB replacing goat therefore making the division easier. I also think the NFL is moving towards the type of QB that Allen is.
You also have the best kit/uniform.

Yeah our uniforms are great. Going to be an interesting season for sure. It is the 1st time this team are under pressure to win the division.

[Banquo]

are the Gronk and Brady really making 'comebacks'?

[Big D]

are the Gronk and Brady really making 'comebacks'?

Gronk is. Brady just continuing but with a new team.

[Banquo]

are the Gronk and Brady really making 'comebacks'?

Gronk is. Brady just continuing but with a new team.

Cool- did Brady not retire after the playoff ko last season?

[Big D]

are the Gronk and Brady really making 'comebacks'?

Gronk is. Brady just continuing but with a new team.

Cool- did Brady not retire after the playoff ko last season?

He was just out of contract or able to opt out of the Pats one.

[Banquo]

Gronk is. Brady just continuing but with a new team.

Cool- did Brady not retire after the playoff ko last season?

He was just out of contract or able to opt out of the Pats one.

ah ok. Interesting to see how they go in an utterly different environment. Big fan of the Gronk.

[Mellsblue]

Ffs. Giants kicker arrested for hit and run, on a suspended licence and believed to be dui. Ran a red light at over 100mph, allegedly.
Starting to wish we had OBJ back so there was less drama.

[switchskier]

I’d love to be a Bills fan right now. I think you have all the foundation pieces to make another step. That’s before you get to the Pats and their late round QB replacing goat therefore making the division easier. I also think the NFL is moving towards the type of QB that Allen is.
You also have the best kit/uniform.

Yup, no excuses for the Bills this year. They've got great players on defence (though they'll overpay Edwards soon) and the coach has shown progress each year. Feels like now is the time after going all in on Diggs but I'd be optimistic if I was a fan. The rest of the division looks weak. I reckon they go 12-4 and take the division.

[switchskier]

Ffs. Giants kicker arrested for hit and run, on a suspended licence and believed to be dui. Ran a red light at over 100mph, allegedly.
Starting to wish we had OBJ back so there was less drama.

Look on the bright side. You save £3m against the cap that can be used on players that will actually help you win games. Kickers can always be picked up off other teams practice squads.

[Mellsblue]

Cam Newton signs for the Pats.

[switchskier]

Cam Newton signs for the Pats.

Big D's got to be feeling pretty grumpy at that one.

In many ways an obvious signing that immediately makes the Pats better at very little to no risk. In other ways it's going to be fascinating to see McDaniels dust off the old Tebow playbook.

The interesting thing for me will be the fit with the wide receivers. The Panthers old GM once admitted that he drafted big wide receivers with huge wing spans because when Newton misses, he misses high and wide. That's not really a match to what the Patriots habe at the minute, unless N'Keal Harry gets himself out of the doghouse.

[Big D]

I’d love to be a Bills fan right now. I think you have all the foundation pieces to make another step. That’s before you get to the Pats and their late round QB replacing goat therefore making the division easier. I also think the NFL is moving towards the type of QB that Allen is.
You also have the best kit/uniform.

Yup, no excuses for the Bills this year. They've got great players on defence (though they'll overpay Edwards soon) and the coach has shown progress each year. Feels like now is the time after going all in on Diggs but I'd be optimistic if I was a fan. The rest of the division looks weak. I reckon they go 12-4 and take the division.

People are sleeping on the Jets a little IMO. They were 7-9 last year with Darnold missing plenty of games. They can easily be a 9-7 tea It is good that Adams wants to leave, as good as he is it is mental that he wants more than the two Bills safeties combined.

Buffalo have a few tough contract negotiations coming up with White, Dawkins and Milano the 1st guys up for new deals but Beane has been pretty shrewd so far in his contract dealings. Both Edmunds and Allen are under team control for up to another 3 years so I am not worried yet about cap space.

Edmunds is still very young, 22, and already has 200+ tackles in the NFL. If he can keep adding to his game then he will be worth every penny of his eventual new deal.

[Big D]

Cam Newton signs for the Pats.

Big D's got to be feeling pretty grumpy at that one.

In many ways an obvious signing that immediately makes the Pats better at very little to no risk. In other ways it's going to be fascinating to see McDaniels dust off the old Tebow playbook.

The interesting thing for me will be the fit with the wide receivers. The Panthers old GM once admitted that he drafted big wide receivers with huge wing spans because when Newton misses, he misses high and wide. That's not really a match to what the Patriots habe at the minute, unless N'Keal Harry gets himself out of the doghouse.

Yes and no.

If Cam is fit he is excellent. But on the flip side we have two of the best defensive minds in the game on our sideline, one of whom spent every day watching Cam train for a number of years.

The Pats will be good, because they always are, but with their O-Line I think teams will get after Cam. Brady could get the ball out quick and accurately whereas Cam probably wont be as accurate. They really missed Gronk at times last year and still haven't really replaced him,

Edelman is good and Sanu decent but Harry is still only potential and the rest of the receivers and TEs are all a bit "meh". As usual with BB teams they will still be there or there abouts.

[switchskier]

Appears that Mahomes has signed a 10 year contract, and even when that's done he'll only be 34. Going to be fascinating to see the structure of that one. Am sure that there'll be get outs for both sides after a few years but can't see how they can predict the size of the salary cap in a decades time. Maybe they've revived the idea of a percentage of the cap.

Any interest out there in running a RugbyRebels fantasy league? I enjoy the prem one but NFL is really the home of fantasy sports but can never find enough people to make it worthwhile. Reckon we need 5 to make it worth it.

[Mellsblue]

Everybody I’ve read believes it’s based on % of the cap. I wonder where they’ve agreed to peg it. It’s always a quandary for the franchise QB - maximise $$$ or increase your chances of winning. There must’ve been a few (a lot of) games when Eli must’ve wished he’d given up a few million in return for a better o-line. Brady went the other way and has a lot more rings. Not that Eli’s two rings is to be sniffed at.

I’d be up for a fantasy league.

Edit: read numerous reports it’s $45m per season (you’d assume it’d be linked to inflation or similar given the length of contract).

[switchskier]

So the NFL are still maintaining that there will be a season, but no pre-season games. However an increasing number of players are opting for the $150k and delaying their contract by a year. Patriots currently worst hit, losing two defensive starters. It's going to be fascinating if the season does happen.

[Mellsblue]

Baker charged but Dunbar not due to ‘insufficient evidence‘.
Baker’s assumed replacement has opted out which leaves the Giants with 2019 6th round Ballantine, who looked good on the boundary during pre-season but got repeatedly skinned at slot during the second half of the season, 2019 4th round Love who spent last year training and playing at safety (where he looked top class), 2020 4th round Holmes and 2020 7th round Williamson, who both look like slot corners.
I think a decent chunk of the $19ish mil saved by Solder opting out might be going on a veteran cornerback.

[Mellsblue]

Bills release Wade but rumours they’re going to put him on the ps if he clears waivers.

[Puja]

Bills release Wade but rumours they’re going to put him on the ps if he clears waivers.

I understood maybe a third of that sentence...

Puja

[Mellsblue]

Bills release Wade but rumours they’re going to put him on the ps if he clears waivers.

I understood maybe a third of that sentence...

Puja

He’s not in their initial 1st team squad. Rumours the Bills will put him in the reserve team squad if no other team sign him.

[switchskier]

So the season starts tonight, and there will even be fans in Kansas City (which I was amused to find out is actually in Missouri). Great game between the chiefs and Texans to start things off, with both quarterbacks getting huge deals in the off-season.

Anyone want to make some foolishly inaccurate predictions?

superbowl
Chiefs to repeat against the New Orleans Saints.
Kansas returns pretty much the same roster which will help given the lack of preseason. They also seem to have managed some salary cap wizardry that allows them to pay Mahomes, Jones, Hill, Kelce, Schwartz and Fisher simultaneously.
New Orleans have the best overall roster for me. Can Brees make it all the way through a season though?

MVP
It feels like theres a building consensus that it's Russel Wilson's time to get this accolade. For the Seahawks to make the playoffs they'll need him to have an MVP season.

ROY
Chase Young to break the rookie sack record playing on a stacked defensive line, in a weak division in a team that will be playing a lot of defense

winner of the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes
Looks like the Jaguars are tearing it down and are in complete rebuild mode.

how will your team do
My niners will be good but not as good as last year. Losing Buckner and Sanders will really hurt, but we'll continue to run the ball well and one of the young recovers will step up (in hoping for Pettis, but suspect Aiyuk). We'll also be really good on third down having signed Reed and with Taylor and McKinnon back. Hopefully we make the playoffs again.

Btw Wade has been signed to the practice squad but because they get an extra place for him I'm not reading much into it. He really needed preseason games.

[Mellsblue]

Superbowl
Yep. Difficult to look past the Chiefs. That offence was almost unstoppable and now they have Edwards-Hilaire as another weapon. Saints do look a good bet and Brees knows he’s only two years left to add another super bowl to the cv. If the Cowboys can finally put it together they might be a slightly dark horse....it obviously help that they’re in the NFC lEast.

MVP
I’m not sure Wilson has the cast around him. Looking forward to seeing what Murray and Hopkins can put together. They just need the o-line to make a step forward. Prescott does have the cast around him so, as much as it pains me, I’m going Dak (the fact he’s also playing to secure a juicy contract should help).

ROY
Yep. Impossible to look past Young.

Giants
Who knows. It’s pretty much all new. If the secondary can hold up (we’re pretty much reliant on 2019 6th rd pick holding up as CB2 and praying for no injuries) we can find a pass rush, we can keep all the skill position players on the field (at no point last season did the Giants field RB1, TE1, and WR1&2 in the same game) and the o-line (with new tackles, one of which is a rookie, and a 2018 UDFA tackle converted to centre) can gel......not much to ask.....
If we can get to .500 I’ll be very happy. Suspect it’ll somewhere between 4-6 wins. Our early season schedule is pretty brutal.


Yes, I’m aware my MVP and roty predictions both play in the same division as my team. Being a Giants fan ain’t easy.

[Big D]

superbowl
Chiefs v Packers I think.

MVP
Rodgers. Just throwing something different out there. If they make the SB he will be the reason.

ROY
Yeah Chase Young will be hard to beat.

winner of the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes
Jets are rotten.

how will your team do
Bills will win 10 games and probably lose week one in the playoffs.

[Mellsblue]

Rodgers has certainly started in MVP form.

The Jets are guff but Lawrence will mean giving up on Darnold. Different GM and HC though.... The Jags started off on the wrong foot if they were planning to tank. Minshew also looked good based on limited highlights