2019 NFL Season: Super Bowl LIV

[Rockstar Matt]

Just now, Dalcowboyfan92 said:

Dallas's defense played very crappy today. Made Jeff Driskel look a lot better then he actually is. No dissing the guy, but he's a backup for a reason.

 

If Dallas struggled against him, Tom Brady should have a field day. Which I dread.

 

Different styled QB’s. Driskel did most of his damage due to his mobility. 

 

Cowboys have always struggled against mobile, athletic QB’s. Obviously Brady is a better QB than Driskel, but if we can get pressure on him, the Cowboys will have an advantage.

 

I’m more concerned about the Patriots run and screen game. They will destroy us there if the defense isn’t disciplined. 

[Crabcake]

The football universe has a great sense of humor, and is ensuring Matt Nagy allowing the double doink to dominate his team’s psyche for an entire offseason did not go unpunished. Piniero 0/2 so far. 

[IceCap]

1 hour ago, AustinFomBoston said:

Have Philly fans realized yet they let the wrong QB walk? 

How'd the Jags do today?

[AustinFromBoston]

https://nesn.com/2019/11/ex-patriot-rob-gronkowski-to-make-big-announcement-tuesday-morning/   

Spoiler

It's going to be about his CBD company. 

 

 

53 minutes ago, Ice_Cap said:

How'd the Jags do today?

Just because Foles was a great fit for the Eagles, doesn't mean he's a great fit on completely team. 

Regardless, I was saying it in just. Eagles were obviously always going to go with Wentz. 

Foles was just the right guy at the right time. 

Personally, I don't think they make it to the Super Bowl (or win it) with Wentz, but that's me. 

[Red Wolf]

21 minutes ago, Ice_Cap said:

How'd the Jags do today?

 

Exactly. More and more I think the Eagles' Super Bowl run was both a fluke moment in time, and evidence that the Patriots' deal with the devil requires that they lose to NFC East teams in the Super Bowl. Worst of all, every play now requires announcers to smugly say "R-P-O" to pretend that they know football things.

 

EDIT: Granted I believed that Nick Foles could be really great, and I thought the same about Bortles (my theory about him being bad because of the split helmets didn't pan out), so maybe I'm just some internet guy who doesn't know anything.

[rams80]

Goff's not great and is catastrophically overpaid, but Trubisky is significantly worse.  Bears beat the Rams tonight if they have a better QB on the roster.

[AustinFromBoston]

It's so frustrating to see a team like the Bears struggle mainly because their QB is garbage. 

Seriously, WTF were the bears smoking when they traded up to get Trubisky? 

[Wings]

41 minutes ago, AustinFomBoston said:

It's so frustrating to see a team like the Bears struggle mainly because their QB is garbage. 

Seriously, WTF were the bears smoking when they traded up to get Trubisky? 

 

They're owned by the McCaskey's. The End. 

[Tracy Jordan]

10 hours ago, dont care said:

My favorite part “we are ready, we are here” yep 60 miles away from where you were suppose to be. Good job showing that you are just trying to create your own narrative.

 

In fairness though, when has the league (not an individual team) ever contacted a free agent and told them they were going to have a workout on a Saturday (when most teams and GMs are traveling or preparing for a Sunday game)? It's not normal protocol. And then the fact that they initially did not provide a list of team representatives who would be attending, wouldn't allow non-NFL cameras or media to attend (even though they made it a national headline) and then told his agent that the date was non-negotiable is just really strange. Even if he had just agreed to the original workout and done everything they asked him to do, are we really sure that his chances of getting signed would increase? I just don't buy it.

 

I think his "we are ready, we are here" comment has more to do with the fact that he's been waiting a little under 3 years for a team to call him up and invite him to a workout. Judging by the reaction from those who saw him live, it seems like he still has the elite arm strength and talent to be on an NFL roster. I think this whole thing was a bigger PR disaster for Roger Goodell and the NFL than it was for Colin.

[masterchaoss]

2 hours ago, rams80 said:

Goff's not great and is catastrophically overpaid, but Trubisky is significantly worse.  Bears beat the Rams tonight if they have a better QB on the roster.

Goff is a top QB when actually has time and isn't overpaid at all, I'd take him over every QB but Brady with a clean pocket he's that talented and has made throws that the average QB just dosen't make throughout his career the only criticism that I have with him is Favre mentally he gets into where he decides to force throws in to triple coverage at times but that is at least a sign he's still confident in himself. A vast majority of this years probablems and the end of last years would be solved would be solved if the Rams invested into the damn OL, because there is pretty clear connection between when the rams offense line grade falling and Goffs recent issues as they have been a bottom 5 Oline since the lions game last year which is not good when you have a pocket passer. The Rams biggest mistakes were paying Gurley and Cooks big deals because if those don't happen this team would be in great shape up front and overall because they would have had the resources to fix the damn line during the off season. 

[Brian in Boston]

5 hours ago, Red Wolf said:

... the Patriots' deal with the devil requires that they lose to NFC East teams in the Super Bowl.

The Patriots' record against NFC East teams in the Super Bowls is 1-3.  They defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. The Pats are actually worst against the NFC Central/NFC North in the Super Bowl, having lost to both the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX and to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI. 

[Red Wolf]

50 minutes ago, Brian in Boston said:

The Patriots' record against NFC East teams in the Super Bowls is 1-3.  They defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. The Pats are actually worst against the NFC Central/NFC North in the Super Bowl, having lost to both the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX and to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI. 

 

They played Andy Reid, which cancels out all other hexes.

[dont care]

3 hours ago, Brian in Boston said:

The Patriots' record against NFC East teams in the Super Bowls is 1-3.  They defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. The Pats are actually worst against the NFC Central/NFC North in the Super Bowl, having lost to both the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX and to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI. 

That was pre deal with the devil

[leopard88]

19 hours ago, Magnus said:

Not to threadjack, but I just wanted to make this observation:

Ah, the Canadian Football League, where it may be possible for a team from Edmonton to represent the "Eastern" half of the league in the championship game against a "Western" opponent based in a city further east than Edmonton. Here's hoping Hamilton beats them, and spares Canadians the mockery that would ensue from American sportscasters about the "small time" "amateur football league" CFL having an Edmonton-Winnipeg Grey Cup game.

 

It was 55 years ago and the NFL's geography makes more sense now (Dallas in the NFC East notwithstanding), but the link below summarizes the 1964 NFL Championship Game between the Eastern Conference Champion Cleveland Browns and Western Conference Champion Baltimore Colts.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_NFL_Championship_Game

The geography isn't that big a deal.  What is weird is the playoff crossover format.

[dont care]

11 hours ago, Tracy Jordan said:

 

In fairness though, when has the league (not an individual team) ever contacted a free agent and told them they were going to have a workout on a Saturday (when most teams and GMs are traveling or preparing for a Sunday game)? It's not normal protocol. And then the fact that they initially did not provide a list of team representatives who would be attending, wouldn't allow non-NFL cameras or media to attend (even though they made it a national headline) and then told his agent that the date was non-negotiable is just really strange. Even if he had just agreed to the original workout and done everything they asked him to do, are we really sure that his chances of getting signed would increase? I just don't buy it.

 

I think his "we are ready, we are here" comment has more to do with the fact that he's been waiting a little under 3 years for a team to call him up and invite him to a workout. Judging by the reaction from those who saw him live, it seems like he still has the elite arm strength and talent to be on an NFL roster. I think this whole thing was a bigger PR disaster for Roger Goodell and the NFL than it was for Colin.

In fairness the fact that they set up this workout for him when they haven’t ever done something like that for anyone before shows how much of an exception they were already making for him. For him to then hijack it and turn it into a PR stunt did nothing to give him a job. Also everyone knew he had a great arm, that wasn’t the issue it was his ability to read defenses and no workout would show that but also the attention a backup an getting isn’t ideal for any team. It didn’t hurt the league, listening to the media today all are disappointed with how he handled it and only a small number are concerned with how his workout looked.

[MJWalker45]

12 hours ago, Tracy Jordan said:

I think this whole thing was a bigger PR disaster for Roger Goodell and the NFL than it was for Colin.

I think cancelling at the last minute, and wearing a shirt sure to stir up controversy doesn't help Colin win over any NFL executives. The language in the waiver could have been an issue, but that should have been known to him even before it was announced. i can't see the NFL announcing an event like this without talking to his agent at a minimum, as well as Colin himself before letting the world know. The biggest loser appears to be Hue Jackson who was tabbed to help run the workout, something that would have allowed him a chance to meet with team executives and draft guys as well. Instead he booked it out of Atlanta as soon as the official workout was cancelled. 

[Red Comet]

Colin just clowned himself. At least that's the impression I'm getting. Guy was a toxic narcissist who allegedly :censored:ed Aldon Smith's girlfriend in San Francisco so why should anyone expect him to act different when he's been rewarded for that behavior? Guy basically :censored: his pants and then said he beat the NFL. 

[dfwabel]

4 hours ago, Red Comet said:

Colin just clowned himself. At least that's the impression I'm getting. Guy was a toxic narcissist who allegedly :censored:ed Aldon Smith's girlfriend in San Francisco so why should anyone expect him to act different when he's been rewarded for that behavior? Guy basically his pants and then said he beat the NFL. 

Even Mike Florio, who practiced law in WV, said he would have advised Kaepernick not to sign the waiver unless specific language was changed.

Bolded by me.

Quote

Here’s the language of paragraph No. 2 from the waiver: “Player acknowledges that he has been made no promise of employment, and understands that his participation in the Workout does not constitute employment by any of the Released Parties (as defined herein), but desires to participate in the Workout voluntarily in order to be considered for possible future employment. Player further acknowledges that his participation in the Workout does not guarantee that Player will be offered employment by any of the Released Parties at any time.”

 

Paragraph No. 2 contains no language that would operate as a waiver of existing claims for collusion or retaliation. But its presence, despite being intended (we’re told) to preempt potential workers’ compensation claims, pulls the employment issue into the waiver, which becomes relevant to the portion of the waiver that specifically, and broadly, releases Kaepernick’s potential legal claims.

 

That language resides in paragraph No. 7: “In consideration for the opportunity to participate in the Workout, Player, for himself, his personal representatives, executors, administrators, heirs, successors and assigns, hereby releases, discharges, and agrees to indemnify and hold harmless National Invitational Camp, Inc., National Football Scouting, Inc., the owner(s), operator(s) and manager(s) of the Facility, any and all individuals participating in or present at the Workout, including, without limitation, Joe Philbin, the National Football League (‘NFL’) and each of its 32 NFL Member Clubs, and each of the foregoing parties’ respective direct and indirect affiliates, partners, subsidiaries, agents, representatives, employees, shareholders, officers, directors, attorneys, insurers, successors and assigns (collectively, the ‘Released Parties’), from and against any and all claims, demands, actions, causes of action, suits, grievances, costs, losses, expenses, damages, injuries, illnesses, and losses (including death) caused by, arising out of, occurring during, or related directly or indirectly to the Workout, Player’s presence at the Facility, and any medical treatment or services rendered in connection with or necessitated by Player’s participation in the Workout.”

 

If I were representing Kaepernick, and if the goal were to have a genuine workout aimed at enhancing his chances of being signed by an NFL team, I would have asked immediately for the document to be revised to specifically clarify that any and all potential employment rights would be preserved. If the league had refused, I wouldn’t have signed it, because the language leaves the door sufficiently ajar for a subsequent defense to a collusion/retaliation case that signing the waiver extinguished the claims. Failure to obtain that clarification could be characterized as professional malpractice, especially in light of this portion of paragraph No. 13: “This Release is governed by the laws of New York, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, and is intended to be as broad and inclusive as permitted by the laws of the State of New York.” (Emphasis added.)

 

 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

The Undefeated had a good piece on Kap's workout: https://theundefeated.com/features/kaepernick-called-an-audible-and-beat-the-nfl-at-its-game/

 

Read the whole thing yourself, but what I took away was Kap knew the NFL's closed door workout was a sham so he wasn't going to participate. And also he may well realize he'll never play in the NFL again, so he's speaking to the media directly instead of the teams.

[GDAWG]

No word on if the Chargers fans are Phillip Rivers and his wife buying tickets for all of their children.