I think it was a win/win for both teams. Sometimes all a player needs is a fresh start in a new organization/system. Not to mention I think Cutler is a little overrated as a Qb, but time will tell on that. And Miami needed to fill a role that has been lacking for 25 years. What Miami needs and what Marshall was 2nd in the NFL in last year is YAC. A 10 yd pass + 70 yard YAC is the same as a 50yd pass + 30yd YAC. I dont think he is a DeSean Jackson or a Randy Moss over the top type WR. But he is a 10 catch 120ydS a game WR. And a big target. And I think this will also help Ginn minimize/specialize his role into a returner and a deep threat. Miami still needs speed on offense. I would like to see Miami take Earl Thomas - FS - Texas at #12. Maybe if Claussen or Bryant or Spiller slips, Miami can trade down. Their biggest needs are S, OLB and NT. I think we can get value in the mid rounds for these positions. Plus, Miami is open to trade anybody on their roster except Jake Long, Chad Henne, Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, Karlos Dansby and now Brandon Marshall. The rest are up for grabs. I think the time between the 1st and 2nd and 3rd and 4th rounds is going to stir up more trades. Teams are going to have more time to analyze who was taken and who was not taken and then try to make moves based on that.
And the Dolphins trade Ginn to SF for a 5th rounder. Now his pussy-ass can run out of bounds for them. He had one game last year with a negative YAC.
About damn time the schedules were released. It's gonna take a small miracle for Buffalo to even pull off a .500 season. Bills @ Dolphins - the only game I'll probably get to go to this season sadly. Bills @ Jets Bills @ Pats Dolphins @ Bills Jets @ Bills Patriots @ Bills Bills @ Bengals Bills @ Ravens Browns @ Bills Steelers @ Bills Bears @ Bills Bills @ Packers Bills @ Vikings Lions @ Bills Bills @ Chiefs Jags @ Bills The cumulative record of their divisional opponents is 128-128, smack in the middle of difficulty at 16th, but after the improvements to Miami and New York, it's already looking like another long season in the works. I predict a three game win streak to finish the season to bolster fan moral, and ANOTHER 7-9 season.
Who is Mel Kiper, Jr? Quick read, made me gain a little more respect for what Kiper does. ESPN employs many blithering idiots, but I can't say that Kiper isn't in that camp. McShay is, though. He's still a twat.
That is so funny you posted that. MKJR's love fest with Jimmy Klausen is honestly going to make me barf. Great article though, all you guys who watch sportscenter and find yourself saying "Who fuckin cares what Mel Kiper Jr thinks about the draft, and I care even less about a debate between McShay and MKJR on who is a better QB Colt McCoy or Sam Bradford" Should read it, it gives him some credentials.
Adam Schefter of ESPN is saying that the Steelers have gone from TAKING calls on trades for Ben Rothlisberger to MAKING calls for a Top 10 pick in the draft in exchange for Big Ben. Are the Steelers acting too quickly with Rapelisberger? Then again, those details from GA were kinda creepy. If I was the Bills or Jags or Redskins or Seahawks or Rams or Cleveland, Id give it serious thought.
Roethlisberger gets suspended 6 games Could be reduced to 4 though. Trade rumors probably going to pick up now that teams know just how long he'll have to sit out.
I don't think the redskins will do this since they picked up Mcnabb, but if I was any of the other teams I'd pounce on it. I'll take a QB who is proven franchise material over virtually ANY great draft prospect, especially when he's still only 28. Barring some unforeseen injury he's got at least 5 years left in his prime, probably more. The only thing I would consider is how much I was willing to damage my team's reputation to win games. McCoy, Bradford, and Clausen are great and it's a strong draft for that position in general, but all things being equal I think you have to prefer proven talent. As for the suspension. I don't think 4-6 games are enough to change the rationale in the long run, not to mention teams don't exactly have their super bowl window swinging open.
The Rams and the Bills have already issued statements denying any interest in trading for Big Ben. The other issue is that because he is suspended for violating the NF's Code of Conduct, he cannot participate in any team activities this offseason, preseason or until he passes a behavior modification test. So if you trade for him, you cannot work with him to learn the new offense until some time in the regular season.
Suspended QB Ben Roethlisberger is ineligible for all offseason activities until he meets the NFL's standards for off-the-field behavior. He'll have to complete a "professional behavioral evaluation" to be made eligible again. The development takes a big bite out of trade possibilities, because Roethlisberger can't be incorporated into another team's offense as he prepares to sit out at least the first four regular season games. The suspension will also cost Roethlisberger a minimum of $2,012,500. I guess it would depend on when he is cleared by the evaluators.
I'm not sure if we can say if they are overreacting or not. He has kept them above 10 wins for a few years, but this isn't his first time to the rodeo. You can't keep doing this shit, not to mention the motorcycle incident. He also was paid, so dumping his contract would be nice. Maybe to the Raiders for a first round?
Everyone got their draft watching spot all picked out? My buddy from work and I will be watching at our usual sports bar. The killer thing is, he devised a formula, based on player ranking, team need, position relevance, etc... plugged it into an excel spreadsheet, and ran his own automated mock draft. As far as I know, the only thing it doesn't take into account is mid-draft trades. I can't wait to see how accurate it is. It looked pretty damn realistic from what I saw. Also, any thoughts on the draft being moved to prime time Thu-Fri? I think it kinda sucks. I had to take a personal day so I can watch round one. I liked when I could watch the whole thing hungover from my couch.
I'm so fucking jealous that people can enjoy the draft. I'm a Bears/Patriots fan, the drafts are never enjoyable for us.
I like the splitting of the rounds, but they should have done it Thurs, Fri, Sat. I think you are going to see some serious trades between the end of Round# 1 and Round# 2. I have a feeling that even starting with the 1st round, its gonna be like a Portuguese Fish Market with deals flying around all over the place.
First round is over. Initial thoughts are that I like this new system. Crapload of trades in the first round, and likely a bunch more to come tonight. Makes it quite exciting. Biggest WTF pick: Jaguars taking Alualu at 10. Most had him going late first or early to mid second. Dan Williams was still on the board. What were they thinking? Close second was the Raiders taking a player that wasn't the fastest player available at 8. Big Winner(s): Lions. Suh is as close to a sure thing as there is in this draft, and IMO Best is not that far off in talent from Spiller, and they got him 21 picks later. Seahawks got a cornerstone LT and a likely ten year Pro-Bowl safety. Cardinals snagging Dan Williams at 26. Big Loser(s): Giants really needed MLB help, but the Raiders taking McClain really effed them out of trading up for him. For some reason the 49ers are still on Smith as their QB of the future considering they took two O-linemen in the first round and passed up Clausen. Seriously?: Clausen didn't go in the first round, but Tebow did. Clausen is easily the most pro-ready QB in this draft, while Tebow is probably the least pro-ready. This boggles my mind. If he isn't gone by pick 9 of the second round I will be incredibly surprised. Likely goes to the Browns or Bills, but imagine if he went to the Vikings to learn under Favre for a year? I'd love to see that. I'm quite a few beers deep, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, but those are my thoughts thus far. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.
I do see him going to the Vikes right now, and it makes me giddy. We have the second pick in the second round after the trade with Detroit, and the Rams obviously aren't going to take him...
Is LT leaving the only reason San Diego went with a running back from Fresno for the 12th pick? Christ when you get a chance to pick that high I would think you'd take Clausen or McCoy or something, am I dumbing this down a little too much? Speaking of Clausen, I hate that guy and the golden dome from which he hails from, but how he goes undrafted when Jesus boy worms his way in for the 25th pick is a head-scratcher to me. And Cleveland? You let go of your quarterback, your wide receiver leaves because he hates you, and you pick a safety? How do you not go with a skill position if you're them? As a (semi) Lions fan, I can't even remember the last time I even had the tiniest fit of excitement over a draft pick, but I might be feeling it here. This might be the year we get a guy at the right time at the right place for the right position for the right set of guys. Who knows when or how it will pay off, but we need a leader on defense in the worst way. With Stafford having shown so much in the way of toughness last year, and a guy coming in that just might be the NFL defensive tackle we need, who knows, we could win six games next year. That's pretty exciting in Detroit (I know it happened in 2007, but we finished 1-7). As an addition, we get Javed Best. The idea of the Lions being good is so foreign to me, but these might be good signs.
Why in the world would San Diego take a QB when they have Phillip Rivers? Were you surprised when NE, Indy, and New Orleans passed on Clausen too?