2019 NFL Season Discussion Thread

[JuggernautJ]

The King is dead...
How happy do you think the remaining teams are that the Titans knocked the Patriots out of the Playoffs?
(I can hear Andy Reid's sigh of relief from California)

It's (almost) anybody's game now.
Can the Titans beat the Ravens in Baltimore?

Condolences to the Bills fans.
They played a damn good game but... Deshaun Watson.

[JWL]

The upshot I've been hearing is that Ben is just bluffing, he wouldn't possibly retire now because he has too much left on his contract. Not sure I buy it totally, I'm sure he is legitimately weighing his options, but I'd be surprised not to see him out there next year too. What about Philip Rivers? He says he wants to keep playing but isn't sure if it'll be with the Chargers. What teams would be interested in him? I've heard a lot about how bad he's been, but I'm not sure why we're piling on him and praising someone like Jameis when the two have had very similar seasons, Rivers just with a bit less in each category (including the INTs of course). He still had 4600+ yards. I don't think he's washed.

I think Rivers has bathed recently. The one that makes you question things along those lines is Ben Roethlisberger. He has a beard that would make you think he is a homeless man who lives in the brush behind the local strip mall.

[JWL]

Sam Darnold has mono and is out Monday night (and probably longer) God once again doing what he usually does to the Jets.

And L. Bell with an MRI on his shoulder. Season about to spiral out of control

What is most likely to happen?
A. Jets start 0-6, scheduled softens and Darnold comes back, team finishes 7-9, and Adam Gase is seen as having righted the ship

B. Jets never recover from these early season body blows and finish 5-11, Gase gets very prickly with the media, and gets canned after one season

C. Some other scenario

Although the Jets did not start 0-6, "A" basically happened.

Gase did not show anything exciting to me and I haven't run into any Jets fans who are happy with him but he's keeping his job. He will either prove most people wrong and take the team to the playoffs in 2020 or probably be fired after that season. 2020 would be the 10th straight season of no playoffs and I think it might prompt the Johnsons into maybe doing things different. Their management of the franchise has been really poor since 2012.

[74_75_78_79_]

Saints...pretty unreal! In the ten years since that Lombardi, they've left perhaps a couple or so more of them on the table. What the Colts were to the '00s, NO seems to have been this very decade. First, as defending-Champs in '10, allowing a 7-9 team to eliminate them. Next year, a 13-3 finish. Losing at SF nothing to be ashamed of, but it was SF's first post-season outing under Harbaugh, and it was Alex Smith who beat them. No, Alex Smith wasn't bad at all at his best, but still a slight underachievement by a championship-experienced Saints team IMO. They then finish 7-9 in 2012 (Payton out) only to get eliminated at Seattle again in '13, but that one by-all-means much more understanding! And Saints didn't play bad at all vs them that game. Then the three-straight 7-9 campaigns. Surprised Payton survived that. Then finding a way to lose two years ago on that 'Miracle' play. Yes, the bad call last year vs Rams but they shouldn't have allowed it to come down to that bad call in the first place. And now, today, again - and at home, mind you - finding a way to lose against none other than a 6th-seeder led by a QB with a rep so-far (winless on MNF) of not being able to win in the clutch. So disappointing. Would have really liked to see Brees have himself another Lombardi or two by now.

Yes, a title is a title ('09 well-deserved), but that Lombardi was not only against...those Colts, not only against those Colts without Dungy even, but needed...a surprise-onside kick to assist in victory! It appears that SBXLIV ended up being almost like the 1980 World Series (someone had to win that Battle of '76-thru-'78 Bridesmaids). Only difference is that Colts already established that rep of leaving Trophies on the table whereas NO was just about to start establishing such rep...beginning the very next year! And, of course, neither Phillies nor Royals won a WS yet going in.

Yes, it appears there's a two or three year window still open for Drew to win at least another. It just don't look too optimistic at this point.

[7DnBrnc53]

Saints...pretty unreal! In the ten years since that Lombardi, they've left perhaps a couple or so more of them on the table. What the Colts were to the '00s, NO seems to have been this very decade. First, as defending-Champs in '10, allowing a 7-9 team to eliminate them. Next year, a 13-3 finish. Losing at SF nothing to be ashamed of, but it was SF's first post-season outing under Harbaugh, and it was Alex Smith who beat them. No, Alex Smith wasn't bad at all at his best, but still a slight underachievement by a championship-experienced Saints team IMO. They then finish 7-9 in 2012 (Payton out) only to get eliminated at Seattle again in '13, but that one by-all-means much more understanding! And Saints didn't play bad at all vs them that game. Then the three-straight 7-9 campaigns. Surprised Payton survived that. Then finding a way to lose two years ago on that 'Miracle' play. Yes, the bad call last year vs Rams but they shouldn't have allowed it to come down to that bad call in the first place. And now, today, again - and at home, mind you - finding a way to lose against none other than a 6th-seeder led by a QB with a rep so-far (winless on MNF) of not being able to win in the clutch. So disappointing. Would have really liked to see Brees have himself another Lombardi or two by now.

Yes, a title is a title ('09 well-deserved), but that Lombardi was not only against...those Colts, not only against those Colts without Dungy even, but needed...a surprise-onside kick to assist in victory! It appears that SBXLIV ended up being almost like the 1980 World Series (someone had to win that Battle of '76-thru-'78 Bridesmaids). Only difference is that Colts already established that rep of leaving Trophies on the table whereas NO was just about to start establishing such rep...beginning the very next year! And, of course, neither Phillies nor Royals won a WS yet going in.

Yes, it appears there's a two or three year window still open for Drew to win at least another. It just don't look too optimistic at this point.

What's funny is that the next three SB champions after them (2010 Pack, 11 Giants, 12 Ravens) haven't been back to a SB, much less repeated.

GB had a 15-1 record the next year, but lost to the eventual champ Giants in the Divisional Round. Since then, they have lost in the 2012 and 15 Divisionals, 2013 WC Round, and 2014 (which was heartbreaking) and 2016 NFC Title Games before missing the playoffs in 2017 and 18. Their resume has been similar to NO's since winning a ring.

The 2012 Giants were defending champs, and they were 6-2 at the mid-way point of the season. They haven't done anything since (besides making the 2016 playoffs).

After Baltimore's 2012 title, Joe Flacco took the money, and only has had one year with a rating over 90 (2014). The Ravens have only won one playoff game (2014 AFC WC Round against Pittsburgh) since (that may change this year, though).

[sheajets]

Kind of worried we may have jumped the gun in declaring Brady gone from NE for good and that run officially ended. As if he can't just rent a house for one last year and QB them to a division title. It will be harder than ever for him in 2020, but they're still very capable.

It's odd that he wants to play in 2020 and possibly on another team. Starting over with a whole new everything at the age of 43 seems very undesirable. Plus his skills are definitely eroding.

Also I feel Belichick wants some certainty at the QB position heading into 2020. Get your guy and build him up before you hand off the team to the next coach

[sheajets]

Have to say watching the Bills game my worst suspicions about Josh Allen were confirmed. Yes he has once in a lifetime arm talent and can run (for now) but as a quarterback he has poor instincts and naturally bad accuracy. Very hit and miss. He's got some Mark Sanchez in him that's for sure

[sheajets]

Major coaching shakeups. Giants going with...Joe Judge? Not sure about that but we'll see

[rhickok1109]

Major coaching shakeups. Giants going with...Joe Judge? Not sure about that but we'll see

I only know Joe Judge as the long-time first baseman for the Washington Senators

[Bryan]

Have to say watching the Bills game my worst suspicions about Josh Allen were confirmed. Yes he has once in a lifetime arm talent and can run (for now) but as a quarterback he has poor instincts and naturally bad accuracy. Very hit and miss. He's got some Mark Sanchez in him that's for sure

I wonder if Josh Allen is like the contemporary version of Joe Kapp. Kind of slogs/wills his team down the field, but not very accurate and somewhat erratic in his decision making. I thought the impromptu lateral to his TE late in the game was something Kapp would have done. That said, Allen is interesting to watch. I've seen him multiple times get stuffed on 4th and 1 QB sneaks, and on second-effort plow his way through the entire defense for the 1st down. He is definitely not a typical QB. I thought the broadcasters in the game went way overboard in their praise of Allen, but he still almost won the game for Buffalo.