The NFL 2018 Offseason

[eagle eye]

The offseason actually began after the conclusion of the Eagles victory over New England in Super Bowl LII. (That still makes me sick to think the Eagles won that.) So far the NFL path to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis has seen the Senior Bowl which was played early this month and now the mother of all pre-draft activities, the aforementioned NFL Scouting Combine will begin this week on Tuesday the 25th and run through next Monday March 5th. Draft geeks and gurus are already out in force for this one. I recommend you check out the Cowboys website, DallasCowboys.com, and listen to the online show and podcast The Draft Show. It features DallasCowboys.com analyst and former scout Bryan Broaddus, CBSsports.com draft guru Dane Brugler and DallasCowboys.com staff writer David Helman who talk weekly about prospects that the Cowboys might be interested in when the NFL draft comes this April. During the combine this week The Draft Show will be giving recaps of the days' events.

Some non-draft news;
> Jacksonville has signed Blake Bortles to a new 3 year $54 MM deal. I guess it does pay to lead your team to the AFC Championship game.
> The Chiefs have traded All Pro cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams it just won't be official until March 14th when free agency begins. The Chiefs are said to be getting draft picks in the deal and since KC has no 2nd round picks this year the deal would make sense. It's said that KC can allow Peters to go because they got an up and coming CB from Washington in the deal that sent Alex Smith to the Redskins.
> Speaking of the Redskins, I guess Smith's arrival in DC means Kirk Cousins Likely won't be getting franchised for a third season in a row. All the teams have to designate who they will franchise tag by March 6. Although, at 33 Smith isn't exactly you QB of the future. It will be interesting to see how that situation shakes out.
> Again, about Smith. How crazy is it that Smith is one of the best QB's in the NFL but he can't get any love from the team that employs him. He does great in San Francisco but he's given the old heave-ho in favor of Colin Kaepernick. How'd that work out San Fran? Now in KC Smith leads the Chiefs to the playoffs in every season he's been there but he was considered expendable because they have prospect Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs 1st round draft pick (10th overall) in last year's draft. Mahomes is totally untested and Andy Reid and the Chiefs are putting all their eggs into the Mahomes basket. The kid must have really shown something in his first year in practice because he got zero quality playing time last season.
> Former Bear CB Peanut Tillman has a new career. He has passed all of his qualifications and testing to become an FBI agent. The cutoff date for becoming an agent is 37 years of age and Tillman graduated from the FBI training at Quantico Virginia two days before he turned 37. This is one reason why I won't throw the whole NFL under the bus, because there are good people in the NFL that are getting trashed because of the actions of a very few.

[eagle eye]

It takes a day or two at the NFL Scouting Combine to get through the administrative parts of the process. Interviews with team reps, taking measurements like height weight and body dimensions. Also taking medical exams to make sure of the health of the prospects. All part of the process of evaluating all the talent that is present at the combine. All hoping to improve their draft stock this week. The first physical thing the players do is the bench press and, as is everything else, the players are divided into position groups. Coverage continues all week through Monday.

Players who will not be around in 2018 with the same team or at all.
* Matt Forte - retired after 10 seasons.
* Frank Gore - he's still around but he won't be in Indianapolis. He was released by the Colts.
* Tavon Austin - he isn't retiring either but the Rams are moving on from him as they announced he will be available for trade or be released.
* Jarvis Landry - he has been given permission to seek a trade by the Dolphins

What's going to happen in Minnesota at QB. Last season by default Case Keenum became the man and he kicked ass leading the Vikings to the NFC Title game eventually losing to you-know-who. (I won't mention that hateful name) In 2018 that QB room is going to be quite crowded. Sam Bradford, who started out 2017 as the Vikes starter will be back. As will Teddy Bridgewater the Vikings. Did Keenum do enough to be the lead dog in that room? Only time will tell but Bradford is just a snake bit son of a gun. The guy can't stay healthy and you can't trust him. He may actually be gone this spring. Bridgewater has yet to make the full return after breaking his leg two years ago. Bridgewater's injury is the reason Bradford came to Minnesota in the first place. You have to wonder what his future holds. I think given this info you really have the decision made for you. But, there is also the upcoming draft which takes us back to --- The Combine!!

[eagle eye]

The NFL Scouting Combine is in the rearview mirror but that doesn't mean the process of team building is taking a nap. First, the college prospects will now have their pro days over the next 2 months leading up to the draft. That means pro scouts and coaches will be trekking to college campuses all over the country to get another look at potential draft possibilities. It won't be the final look because all 32 NFL teams will have a list of invitees they will host for interviews and further workouts as prospect and teams alike gear up for The Draft! The draft is the single biggest day of the NFL year outside of the Super Bowl. It's when teams can take the biggest steps to either build their team for a deep playoff run or reload toward that same end. In between all that deals are being discussed and even struck as teams look to give their team a boost by signing a free agent. Free agency is a way to stock or restock their team and a way for players to finally get that big payday they are looking for. For most players get one of those, big paydays I mean. Either their own team ponies up the dough to keep the player or somebody certainly will. There have already been deals made in principle but not officially because by league rules the free agency period doesn't begin until the new NFL league year begins which, in 2018, is March 14 at 4 PM EDT. Oh yeah, don't forget to move your clocks up an hour this Saturday night because daylight savings time comes this weekend.

Back to free agency. As I said teams have already made deals and here are just a few of the more notable ones.
> Denver is giving up CB Aqib Talib to the Rams for a 5th round draft pick. This deal coming hours after reports were that trade talks involving Talib and the Patriots had bogged down. The Rams are strengthening their already potent defense adding Talib to their defensive backfield which now includes Marcus Peters who was acquired in February in a trade with the Chiefs. This deal is official since it's a trade not a free agency signing.
> The Rams also have signed veteran CB Sam Shields formerly of the Packers. Shields was a mainstay in the Green Bay defensive backfield until concussions started becoming an issue for him. In 2016 he suffered his fourth concussion and he hadn't played a down since but he has decided to give the NFL another go. This deal could go through because his has not played in over a year so his free agency status is slightly different.
> The Eagles made a trade with Seattle that will net them DE Michael Bennett to add to an already formidable defense. I'm not sure what is going to happen in Philly because reports are that the Eagles are in a salary cap bind as it is. The Eagles have to be the favorites to win the NFC East again in 2018 given that they have a strong roster that only gets better with the return of QB Carson Wentz. As a Cowboys fan I hope the Eagles are tormented by a plague of locusts for all eternity.
> The Seahawks are basically dismantling their once vaunted defense with the Michael Bennett deal the latest chip to fall. The saga of S Earl Thomas is ongoing. First the Seahawks say they will not entertain any trade talk and now they say the will. Who knows but, again as a Cowboys fan, I hope that Jerry Jones can work out a deal to bring Earl back to Texas. The Orange native has made no bones about the fact he would love to play in Dallas and the Cowboys certainly could use an All Pro caliber player at safety. This offseason the Cowboys signed Thomas' former position coach at Seattle Kris Richard and he may be whispering in somebody's ear about pulling the trigger on this deal. Dallas got 4 compensatory picks in this draft they could use as trade bait for the veteran safety.

Roger Goodell is a dick. We all know that and he's proved that to be true time and time again. Another evidence of his dickheadedness came when he fined Cowboys owner Jerry Jones over $2MM dollars for conduct detrimental to the league stemming from Jones battle to block the contract extension proposed for Goodell which amounted to around $40 MM per year through 2024. If anyone has been detrimental to the league it is Goodell himself. He horrendous handling of domestic violence issues, his heavy handedness in handling suspensions and appeals of suspensions by players and the way he stabbed his friend Robert Kraft in the back over deflate-gate all point to a man who has gotten way too big for his britches. I don't wish ill of many people but I wish somebody would shoot Goodell in that big stupid head of his. The final straw has been the non-handling of the player protests during the National Anthem. The NFL and Goodell have the legal means to put a stop to these protest but they are too gutless to do so likely because they will be called racist by the black community. Stadiums all across the NFL lost patronage because of the protests but the owners and Goodell weren't moved because they have extremely rich tv contracts that insulate them from lack of fan support in the stadiums. As much as I love the NFL my anger at the powers that be may have finally made me decide to boycott the NFL until these protests are brought to an end. To me, the ideal end of this whole mess would be to fire Goodell for conduct detrimental to the league and fine him half of the salary he has been, and would have been paid, as the commissioner. Also, to restructure the constitution of the NFL in particular the office of the commissioner and his or her powers including independent hearing of all appeals. And lastly, the swift end to these player protests with fines, suspensions or banishment from the league for any who engage in such protests. This isn't about race any more, its about disrespecting the American flag, our country in general and the men and women who have fought and died, and continue to do so, in preservation of our freedom and safety. It also means I very well could, and would stop posting here, or anywhere else about the NFL. It would be difficult but I go that route I will not return until the protests are stopped for good.

[eagle eye]

I have really stayed away from NFL news for a while. Mainly because the National Anthem protests have really created a divide among fans. Me too. I don’t like the protests and I have gone on record that they are basically illegal on one hand and against NFL Code of Conduct policy on the other. Either way you go, the NFL could have put a stop to the protests long ago but they didn’t. I don’t necessarily blame the players who are trying to right what they see as a big social injustice, I blame Roger Goodell, the NFL League Office and at least 31 NFL team owners who have stuck their heads in the sand over something that so many people are so passionately against. The word gutless comes to mind. During the offseason the NFL owners had their annual State of the Game meetings and they decided that the protests had to come to a stop. What they came up with is an edict that players cannot protest during the National Anthem any more. If they come on the field they must stand in a respectful manner and if they feel they can’t do that they can stay in the locker room during the anthem. If a player, or players, come on the field and kneel during the anthem the NFL will levy a fine that the team will have to pay. The thinking is, if a player protests during the anthem the team will be punished thereby causing the team to administer any subsequent punishment to the player. Some owners in the NFL have said they have no problem with the protests while others are adamantly against them. By and large, the NFL has instituted a toothless ban on the National Anthem protests. Again, the word that comes to mind is gutless.

Liberal media like ESPN has jumped into the fray crushing the NFL for infringing on players freedom of speech rights while continuing to ignore the fact the protests that occur on ‘company time’ is illegal and most companies Code of Conduct policies state you can’t do anything involving personal promotion of a business or political agenda on company time. I don’t know about you but if I violate my company’s Code of Conduct policy I will get punished, up to and including being fired. It’s happened recently so I am not just blowing smoke. That said, I hope the protests are a thing of the past and we move the hell on and start enjoying football again.

NFL FOOTBALL news;

NFL.com is reporting that Seattle safety Kam Chancellor may never play football again because of the neck injury that he sustained last season that limited him to just nine games. Sufficient progress in his neck recovery hasn’t been seen and speculation is Chancellor has played his last down in the NFL forever. It seems just a matter of time until Chancellor will announce his retirement. Don’t feel too bad for him though. He will leave with a Super Bowl ring, All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors and $11.4 MM in guaranteed money split between this year and 2019. The Legion of Boom is a thing of the past and maybe so is the dominance of the Seattle defense. Richard Sherman signed with San Francisco this offseason, Chancellor’s neck is likely forcing him into retirement and Earl Thomas is currently holding out for more money and, if he is to be believed, he wants to be traded to Dallas. It’s unlikely Dallas will go for a trade, they already turned down one offer prior to the NFL draft, because Seattle wants too much in return for Thomas’ service. There are only two members left on the Seattle roster from the 2013 Super Bowl champs and they are linebackers Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright. We will now see just how good Russell Wilson is when he has to carry the team on HIS back instead of benefiting from a dominant defense to carry the team. Wilson will get to know what Tony Romo felt like for the whole of his career.

Is there a more underappreciated QB in the NFL than Alex Smith? Seriously, all he did was lead San Francisco to the playoffs only to lose his job to Colin Kaepernick. He then got traded to Kansas City and all he did was lead the Chiefs to one playoff appearance after another but the Chiefs said “see ya-wouldn’t want to be ya” this past offseason when he was shipped off to Washington. This despite Smith throwing for over 4,000 yards in 2017 mainly because, for the first time in his career he had a running back and a receiver in Kareem Hunt and Tyreek Hill who are superior threats to opposing defenses. All Smith has done, even with subpar teams is be among the league leaders in completion percentage and he’s been in single digits in turnovers every year since 2011. So, joining Jon Gruden and the Redskins might be a good thing for Smith since Washington actually let Kirk Cousins go via free agency so, technically, Cousins is the disrespected one in this scenario. Smith has to give way to last year’s first round draft pick Patrick Mahomes who will take over as starter in KC but he comes to a team that let a pretty good QB in Cousins go despite placing the Franchise Tag on him in 2 straight years. This season will be Smith’s 13th and at 34 years old he is not the long-term answer for the Redskins but at least, at this point in time, he’s wanted by someone and that matters.

The big news on NFL.com is the American Flag Football League. Boring. I can’t stand it.

[eagle eye]

The NFL has started playing preseason games and while the quality of these game is rather poor it’s better than no football at all. College and high school teams have begun practicing so the game is rolling and building momentum. The Cowboys and Texans are playing their first preseason games this week so I’m naturally quite excited. Now, I know that football is coming soon because HBO’s Hard Knocks made its debut last night. What’s even more cool is my guilty pleasure NFL team is the Cleveland Browns. Don’t ask me why but I just root like crazy for them. It’s likely because they have been so bad for so long I just want to see them taste some success. Not at the expense of my Cowboys or Texans mind you but, when the Browns play in a division that features the Steelers, Ravens and Bengals, the Browns are easily the most likeable team in that division. This season the Browns are featured on Hard Knocks and the first episode was interesting to say the very least. Former Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry, whom the Browns signed as a free agent this offseason, laid down the law to his teammates. I’m not going to give away any of the details of what he said because it’s worth hearing without any preconceived ideas. The Browns got to be featured on HK’s likely because they drafted Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield with the first pick in the draft. Mayfield will be the story but it’s more likely the opening day starter will be former Bills QB Tyrod Taylor. This Browns team will be the first Browns team in a long time where the front office and coaching staff have been the same for the past 2 years heading into this season. Organizational stability for the Browns? Shocking!! Not that the current Cleveland staff have hit home runs personnel wise. The Browns traded out of the 2nd pick last season passing on drafting Carson Wentz and gaining more 1st round picks. Former Baylor WR Corey Coleman was a 1st round draft pick in 2016 but just before training camp he was traded to Buffalo for a 7th round draft pick. (It’s okay if you are scratching your head, I am too.) This year Cleveland shocked everyone by drafting Mayfield when the consensus best QB in this draft was Sam Darnold whom the Jets picked up with the 3rd pick in the draft. Of course, the wisdom of that move remains to be seen. Ever since the Kevin Costner movie Draft Day came out in 2014, a movie which depicts the trials and tribulations of the Cleveland Browns GM fighting to save his job finally gets the better of everyone at the end. The Browns drafts beginning with 2014 have been Draft Day Redux’s with the constant wheeling and dealing but unfortunately there have been no tangible results from the quantity and quality of the deals. Could this be the year Cleveland finally gets it right? The Browns haven’t been relevant since the 1980’s when they went to consecutive AFC Title games only to lose to the John Elway-led Broncos who then ended up losing big in the Super Bowls. That’s 30 years ago folks. That is a long time to be a door mat.
And still, football will be starting soon. (Yay!!!)

[eagle eye]

I watched some games last night and I will watch more when they are aired on the NFL Network over the next few days.
I watched the Brown-Giants game and I was happy with what I saw from Cleveland on both defense and offense. The Browns O-line was able to pass protect pretty well but they need work on their run blocking. I was thinking Georgia RB Nick Chubb would be more of a factor but he wasn’t. It wasn’t his fault, the line just didn’t open any holes. The clear cut star of the game was Baker Mayfield. It’s looked like he hadn’t missed a beat from his Oklahoma days as he led the Browns to two TD’s. He will be pushing Tyrod Taylor all summer but Tyrod was pretty good in his one series. Taylor went 5-5 passing with a TD pass to 2nd year TE David Njoku. The defense showed signs of being good too even though I don’t think much of Greg Williams (Browns DC).
The Texans did well too. Braxton Miller played the whole game between Deshaun Watson, Brandon Weeden and Joe Webb I think the Texans QB situation isn’t in bad shape at all. After missing almost all of 2017 due to injury he is getting a great opportunity to show what he’s got. The Texans have a trifecta of TE’s, Jordan Akins, Stephen Anderson and Matt Lengel looked pretty good last night. Enough so that I’m excited to see them play again. Next week the Texans play the 49ers so it will be a good barometer on who is better between the Texans or the Cowboys who ended up losing to San Fran last night.
The Cowboys 1st team offense drove the field and scored on a long pass from Dak Prescott to rookie WR Michael Gallup on a pass so perfect Prescott could not have walked up and handed the ball to Gallup any better. One series and the 1’s were done. Well, not all the 1’s because the 1st team O-line played the whole first half giving backup Cooper Rush and opportunity to show what he has. What he did was lead the Cowboys to 10 points and a 17-10 lead after 3 quarters. The downside was when 3rd stringer Mike White came in and really didn’t do well at. He led the Cowboys to zero points and even cost his team field position by getting sacked. The 3rd string O-line didn’t open any holes for the run game and they didn’t give White much time to pass the ball. White did not do a good job of finding the open man most of the time. Right now, it’s Dak and Cooper Rush and everyone else is miles behind. Dallas led from the opening drive to 0:18 left in the game. It’s frustrating to lose like that but it’s preseason and W’s and L’s don’t really matter. What matters is who shows up. BTW the Cowboys 3rd team defense and offense were pretty bad so I guess you could say they didn’t show up.