NFL: 2023 NFL season news & notes discussion thread

[StreetHawk]

Just something completely random I stumbled upon talking about a play from 8 years ago, but it's nice to see I'm not completely alone screaming into the void that the play call resulting in an interception at the end of the Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl was not a bad decision.

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Ricardo Lockett was a depth WR. Like the 4th one of the depth chart. Bigger WR than Butler but didn't hold his leverage to protect the ball from the Defender. Can't allow yourself to be beaten to the spot. Plus that ball didn't even make it into the end zone. The reason to throw the ball was that they only had 1 Timeout left. Would have had to rush the next play if the ball ended up in bounds with a running clock. Or they use their timeout and thus on 3rd down, it's another pass attempt because if they got stopped on a run, have to unpile everyone and line up and snap the ball with a running clock.

Throwing the ball into a high traffic spot on 2nd down made no sense. Chris Matthews made multiple big catches for them. Should have been the target on a fade or back shoulder throw. Give him a chance to make a play, even if he was up against Browner, whom I believe NE shifted to cover him.

 

[izlez]

Ricardo Lockett was a depth WR. Like the 4th one of the depth chart. Bigger WR than Butler but didn't hold his leverage to protect the ball from the Defender. Can't allow yourself to be beaten to the spot. Plus that ball didn't even make it into the end zone. The reason to throw the ball was that they only had 1 Timeout left. Would have had to rush the next play if the ball ended up in bounds with a running clock. Or they use their timeout and thus on 3rd down, it's another pass attempt because if they got stopped on a run, have to unpile everyone and line up and snap the ball with a running clock.

Throwing the ball into a high traffic spot on 2nd down made no sense. Chris Matthews made multiple big catches for them. Should have been the target on a fade or back shoulder throw. Give him a chance to make a play, even if he was up against Browner, whom I believe NE shifted to cover him.

Yeah, I appreciate the nuance in your argument rather than "Give to Marshawn for free TD. Throwing is bad".

My overall point is you NEED to throw on 1st or 2nd down in order to get 3 shots at the endzone. Even if Marshawn was as effective as the Eagles Tush Push in 2023 (he was no where close), you can't purposely give yourself one less shot at the endzone and you can't coach a game expecting your QB to throw an interception, regardless if a throw over the middle is more risky.

Would targeting a different receiver or throwing a less risky route be a better idea? Yeah, maybe (Those same decisions would have been praised as brilliant if the outcome were different). But managing the clock was very important and giving your team 2 shots at the endzone instead of 3 would have ACTUALLY been the worst coaching decision of all time.

 

[StreetHawk]

Yeah, I appreciate the nuance in your argument rather than "Give to Marshawn for free TD. Throwing is bad".

My overall point is you NEED to throw on 1st or 2nd down in order to get 3 shots at the endzone. Even if Marshawn was as effective as the Eagles Tush Push in 2023 (he was no where close), you can't purposely give yourself one less shot at the endzone and you can't coach a game expecting your QB to throw an interception, regardless if a throw over the middle is more risky.

Would targeting a different receiver or throwing a less risky route be a better idea? Yeah, maybe (Those same decisions would have been praised as brilliant if the outcome were different). But managing the clock was very important and giving your team 2 shots at the endzone instead of 3 would have ACTUALLY been the worst coaching decision of all time.

If Seattle needed All 4 downs by the goal line then they did need to throw the ball at least 1 time. Or a run towards the sidelines, whatever to stop the clock if they were short or didn’t get the TD.
Could have also run Lynch. If he was stopped short you have to throw on 3rd down. Then on 4th you can run Lynch again.

 

[GKJ]

Saints are working out Jason Pierre-Paul.

 

[Ben Grimm]

Mahomes has never played a road playoff game.

 

[Troy McClure]

Mahomes has never played a road playoff game.

Being in a crappy division goes a long way to helping a good team get the easy path in the playoffs.

 

[StreetHawk]

Being in a crappy division goes a long way to helping a good team get the easy path in the playoffs.

LV a mess with Gruden and Josh cause of Mark Davis. Denver, QB and then went and got one and he looks past him past? LAC, HC who can’t get his players to play to their talent.

 

[Tuggy]

Nothing surprising here.

Bill and Mac out at the end of the season.

Time to start over.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

 

[Ben Grimm]

Since Dorsey was hired the Bills are top 5 in all O stats. He was fired for a ST screwup. In the last year McDermott has fired both coordinators. He's the next to go.

Thanks to Lovie Smith winning a game he wasn't supposed to, the Texans got CJ Stroud and Will Anderson and are 5-4.

Monday night: Eagles at Chiefs.

 

[StreetHawk]

Since Dorsey was hired the Bills are top 5 in all O stats. He was fired for a ST screwup. In the last year McDermott has fired both coordinators. He's the next to go.

Thanks to Lovie Smith winning a game he wasn't supposed to, the Texans got CJ Stroud and Will Anderson and are 5-4.

Monday night: Eagles at Chiefs.

Would Houston have drafted Young over Stroud?
Always thought Stroud was a safe choice, good passer like Goff/Eli/Ryan but more mobile. Mobility similar to Rodgers, enough to scramble for a first but not a "running" QB.
Levis - comp of Wentz. Could be great like Wentz was prior to the knee injury or as bad in making mistakes.
Richardson - Newton. But, more raw.
Young - best case scenario Brees, but he's really small.

Will Anderson, had nothing to do with that win. They had Cleveland's pick. AZ not impacted by that win.

 

[SirClintonPortis]

Since Dorsey was hired the Bills are top 5 in all O stats. He was fired for a ST screwup. In the last year McDermott has fired both coordinators. He's the next to go.

Thanks to Lovie Smith winning a game he wasn't supposed to, the Texans got CJ Stroud and Will Anderson and are 5-4.

Monday night: Eagles at Chiefs.

Dorsey's planning might not have been the best in the past.

His canning is part fall guy...but also part being too predictable before finally figuring out to run it. But he's also a direct coach of the offense; he bears some responsibility for the turnovers.

Also, Diggs went nuclear via his brother mid-season. Pretty selfish, given that if he gets double-covered, it's reasonable to not get touches.

 

[GKJ]

Will Anderson actually hasn’t done much.

 

[StreetHawk]

Will Anderson actually hasn’t done much.

Was he worth an extra 1, 2, and 3rd round pick vs whomever they would have taken at 12?

That 2nd ended up going to Detroit and they used it on Laporta the TE who has been great so far.

Side Note: Feels like he would have been a better fit for Seattle to draft over JSN since Seattle operates better out of double TE sets than 3 WR sets.

Right now, that Houston 1st is what like 19 or something? Plus the 3rd rounder.

 

[LT]

Was he worth an extra 1, 2, and 3rd round pick vs whomever they would have taken at 12?

That 2nd ended up going to Detroit and they used it on Laporta the TE who has been great so far.

Side Note: Feels like he would have been a better fit for Seattle to draft over JSN since Seattle operates better out of double TE sets than 3 WR sets.

Right now, that Houston 1st is what like 19 or something? Plus the 3rd rounder.

I don't disagree that we overpaid, but I understand the logic. I see it as DeMeco Ryans betting on himself to do well enough in years 1 and 2 to significantly reduce the value of those picks. So far, he's done exactly that.

I think a BIG part of this motivation was him wanting a cornerstone player on both offense and defense, and understanding that picks 2 and 3 in his first offseason were going to be his best shots at getting those franchise-caliber players.

Would Houston have drafted Young over Stroud?
Always thought Stroud was a safe choice, good passer like Goff/Eli/Ryan but more mobile. Mobility similar to Rodgers, enough to scramble for a first but not a "running" QB.
Levis - comp of Wentz. Could be great like Wentz was prior to the knee injury or as bad in making mistakes.
Richardson - Newton. But, more raw.
Young - best case scenario Brees, but he's really small.

Will Anderson, had nothing to do with that win. They had Cleveland's pick. AZ not impacted by that win.

Yes. There were some rumors swirling around that the Texans wanted to trade up to 1st because they liked Young that much.

Will Anderson actually hasn’t done much.

His production hasn't been great, but a lot of his metrics have been very good. It may not show up for another year or two, but he definitely has DPOY potential if he can continue to grow into the role. I also have plenty of trust in DeMeco to get the most out of him.

 

[GKJ]

I don't disagree that we overpaid, but I understand the logic. I see it as DeMeco Ryans betting on himself to do well enough in years 1 and 2 to significantly reduce the value of those picks. So far, he's done exactly that.

I think a BIG part of this motivation was him wanting a cornerstone player on both offense and defense, and understanding that picks 2 and 3 in his first offseason were going to be his best shots at getting those franchise-caliber players.



Yes. There were some rumors swirling around that the Texans wanted to trade up to 1st because they liked Young that much.



His production hasn't been great, but a lot of his metrics have been very good. It may not show up for another year or two, but he definitely has DPOY potential if he can continue to grow into the role. I also have plenty of trust in DeMeco to get the most out of him.

I agreed with the logic of the trade at the time. Everyone thought the Texans pick would be higher than the Cardinals, and now it might be in the 20’s. That’s not what Arizona expected. If you’re getting the top offensive and defensive players in a draft, you’re also not planning to draft top 5 the next year. That’s not how you play. Good trade.

 

[StreetHawk]

I agreed with the logic of the trade at the time. Everyone thought the Texans pick would be higher than the Cardinals, and now it might be in the 20’s. That’s not what Arizona expected. If you’re getting the top offensive and defensive players in a draft, you’re also not planning to draft top 5 the next year. That’s not how you play. Good trade.

AZ probably prepared to just take the OT or trade back a bit. Whatever they end up with extra, since they moved back up to get OT which is a first and third, it’s a bonus. Net of going from 3 to 6. Not like they dropped down to 16 and passed up a lot of talented players.

 

[Pestilence]

 

[Ben Grimm]

Gronk says Mac is not respected in NE and should ask for his release.

 

[Unholy Diver]

Gronk says Mac is not respected in NE and should ask for his release.

The way he has been playing, he might not need to ask

 

[Unholy Diver]

In a somewhat surprising move, the Eagles released T Bernard Williams today

Eagles waive 51-year-old Bernard Williams from reserve/suspended list

The Philadelphia Eagles made a couple of roster moves on Thursday. One was noteworthy: the release of 51-year-old Bernard Williams, who had not played for Philly since 1994. Williams, the 14th overall pick out of Georgia in the 1994 NFL draft, made the…

www.usatoday.com

 

[Troy McClure]

Flacco signs with the Browns practice squad.

 

[Terry Yake]

Flacco signs with the Browns practice squad.

that is just weird

 

[Troy McClure]

that is just weird

It's the first step to Flacco becoming the backup and maybe even the starter by the end of the season. Flacco might be elevated by the end of the week.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

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