The 2007 NFL Off-season Thread

Jaguars either trade for or sign a free agent QB. You heard it here first.

wade phillips is head of Big D.

Thank god! This means Alex Smith gets another year to develop under Norv Turner.

The niners are going to be dangerous this season.

The thought of excitement over Norv Turner truly frighten's me.

Both Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis have said the Saints will be pretty active in FA this year. Mickey usually doesn't say anything like that..he almost always says "We don't have to do too much" or he's tight lipped. When he does say something, he usually does it.

I expect them to go after a CB in FA and possibly a LB, DT and TE.

I expect Joe Horn to either restructure his deal or be gone next year.

I expect Charles Grant DE to get a huge deal from someone else and be gone. I don't think the Saints will franchise him. He's really not worth top5 DE money, and thats what he wants.

I expect the Saints to re-sign DT Hollis Thomas, OT Jon Stinchcomb and OLB Scott Shanle (which is already a done deal according to his agent).

Possibilities to the Saints:

CB Rodric Hood, Philly. I can't see them paying the type of money that Nate Clements or Asante Samuel want.

Donnie Edwards, MLB/OLB, SD. He lobbied for a trade to the Saints last offseason. Loomis wanted to give a 4th, AJ Smith wanted a 3rd. I think he'll be a Saint.

Eric Johnson, TE, SF. Doubtful, but I hope that Saints go after him. Adding a competent TE to this offense would make it better than it already is.

you said it yourself in the NFL thread, the man is a wonderful offensive coordinator...but a spotty head coach.

wade phillips is a very similar coach. good luck dallas.

What about Lance Briggs? Edwards is 31+ and Briggs is in his prime. I can't see the Bears spending big money on another LB when with what the Bears do it's easy to find LB's.

What's with Jeff Garcia saying he'd like to play for the Bears? He's a fine back up but no way as a starter. Saw PTI and they mentined McNabb. Does Philly want him out?

Yahoo mock draft
1. Oakland Raiders – JaMarcus Russell, quarterback, LSU.

2. Detroit Lions – Jamaal Anderson, defensive lineman, Arkansas.

(A coin flip at the NFL combine will decide the No. 3 and No. 4 choices between Cleveland and Tampa Bay.)

3/4. Cleveland Browns – Alan Branch, defensive lineman, Michigan.

3/4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Calvin Johnson, wide receiver, Georgia Tech.

5. Arizona Cardinals – Joe Thomas, offensive tackle, Wisconsin.

6. Washington Redskins – Gaines Adams, defensive end, Clemson.

7. Minnesota Vikings – Reggie Nelson, defensive back, Florida.

8. Houston Texans – Marshawn Lynch, running back, California.

9. Miami Dolphins – Brady Quinn, quarterback, Notre Dame.

10. Atlanta Falcons – Ted Ginn Jr., wide receiver/return man,

11. San Francisco 49ers – Amobi Okoye, defensive tackle, Louisville.

12. Buffalo Bills – Aaron Ross, cornerback, Texas.

13. St. Louis Rams – Charles Johnson, defensive end, Georgia.

14. Carolina Panthers – Lawrence Timmons, outside linebacker, Florida State.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers – Leon Hall, cornerback, Michigan.

16. Green Bay Packers – Adrian Peterson, running back, Oklahoma.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars – Adam Carriker, defensive lineman, Nebraska.

18. Cincinnati Bengals – Darrelle Revis, cornerback, Pittsburgh.

19. Tennessee Titans – Robert Meachem, wide receiver, Tennessee.

20. New York Giants – DeMarcus Tyler, defensive tackle, North Carolina State.

21. Denver Broncos – Jarvis Moss, defensive end, Florida.

22. Dallas Cowboys – Brandon Meriweather, safety, Miami.

23. Kansas City Chiefs – Tony Ugoh, offensive tackle, Arkansas.

24. New England Patriots – Jay Moore, defensive end, Nebraska.

25. New York Jets – Zach Miller, tight end, Arizona State.

26. Philadelphia Eagles – LaRon Landry, safety, LSU.

27. New Orleans Saints – Anthony Spencer, defensive end/outside linebacker, Purdue.

28. New England Patriots – Daymeion Hughes, cornerback, California.

29. Baltimore Ravens – Justin Blalock, offensive lineman, Texas.

30. San Diego Chargers – Tanard Jackson, defensive back,

31. Chicago Bears – Greg Olsen, tight end, Miami (Fla.).

32. Indianapolis Colts – Jon Beason, linebacker, Miami.

I can't see the Bears taking a TE at 1 when I'm sure they will need a LB and a safety to replace Mike Brown who is highly unreliable with injuries. The Bears do need more weapons on offense I can't see them drafting it.

Jeff Garcia can start for alot of teams he played great down the stretch for Philly. His bad years were with two horrible teams. Once he was on a decent team again he was fine. I guess he would want to play for Chicago seeing they are a good team with a QB whose job isnt exactly safe. I guess he figures he could take Grossman's spot. Although unless you guys changed your offensive style and went more west coast I personally dont think he would be a good fit there he doesnt have a strong enough arm.

That mock draft is somewhat funny as well. I know its a sure thing the Raiders are drafting Russell which to be honest I kind of find hilarious. How can a guy who was a mid to late 1rst rounder at best 2 months ago be considered the be all end all after one impressive game agaisnt a bad defense. I also cant see Quinn slipping to 9th. If he is around when Cleveland chooses I can see them picking him even if they do have a young Qb in Frye because Quinn is a hometown boy there.

If the bears are going draft offense, I hope they go after Brian Leonard. Greg Olsen is too much of a pussy to play well in the pros.

Norv Turner, while a decent OC, is overrated and an underwhelming playcaller. His offensive 'genius' is blown way out of proportion. It's like, by completely failing as a head coach, he somehow made everyone believe he was an amazing OC. How well did the Chargers and Dolphins offenses perform when he was there? They were basically average. What were the Raiders and Redskins offenses like? Average. Did his teams really improve when he joined their teams? Not really. Has he created an innovative offensive design? No. While the 49ers made giant leaps last year, I'm not so quick to give all the credit to Norval. Their two main offensive threats were going into their 2nd seasons, improvement was bound to occur. Even so they still ranked only 24th in scoring.

He hasn't produced a high octane offense since 1993. T.O's grandma, whom he loves, could've won coordinator of the year with Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Moose and the 2nd greatest O-line in NFL history. Last year was probably his most impressive work since '93 but that's not really saying much.

Leonard's awesome but a FB in round 1 would be kinda crazy. He probably won't be around their 2nd pick though.

Agreed on Olson. While he's arguably a better receiver I'd take Zach Miller over him.

If the Pack lands Adrian they'll be in good shape at RB for years (barring major injuries of course).

evidence that this mock draft is bollocks.

Petersen is still high above Lynch in ability... but hey, I'm not saying having Adrian fall to 16 would be bad. And there are two teams that should shoot themselves if they pass on Brady Quinn: Minnesota and Cleveland.

The only way they can get away with it is if those teams acquire Jeff Garcia (if I got him, I'd still draft Brady Quinn), Jake Plummer, or David Carr is he's on the block.

You'd think after passing on Leinart people would learn their lesson.

Apparently, the niners will be making a big play for Adalius thomas for their eventual full time 3-4 defense. I think Donnie edwards would be a great veteran pickup for them too, if they can rework his contract.

Whatever happens with lance briggs in the offseason, one thing is clear, that man is going to get PAID.

As far as ole norv, every coordinator needs talent to work with. Although norv came into a deceptively good situation in San Francisco (up and coming running back, a fast gelling offensive line, qb loaded with talent), the entire offense was very rough around the edges and thats being kind to them. Norv is the one who made gore hit the gym making him a far more effective power back. Norv has definitely gotten in smith's head and gotten him to see the field better, and this is with sub-par recievers (...and a sober Antonio Bryant). So, I don't think his reputation as a great OC is just a default/trumped up title.

Thomas will probably get tagged if a deal isn't worked out. The Ravens love his versatility. If he somehow enters FA the Niners will definitely have the inside track having his former DC as their coach and being an NFL best $40 mil under the cap.

More of a reason to believe who the Raiders may be looking at #1. Tom Martinez, former College of San Mateo coach who tutors Tom Brady and most recently JaMarcus Russell, met with the Raiders to discuss their QB coaching position.

The NFL Network is reporting Martyball is over!

Because there's so many candidates out there now that Wade Phillips is off the table. Ah, the Chargers. Only they can screw up a team that once had LT -and- Drew Brees and not win a damn thing.

my God. Could the chargers have handled this thing any worse!? You wait till there are no assistants left on your squad...and then you fire your head coach. Brilliant. Pure Brilliance.

I bet every head coach who just signed with a new team is kicking themselves right now though.

Part of me believes (dreams) that AJ smith told parcells that schott was getting the boot if they chargers didnt make the super bowl and that the job would be his if he was no longer with the cowboys. But yea thats not going to happen.

I wonder what Bill Cowher is up to right now...

Some serious bullshit going on in San Diego right now.

Whats the fucking deal with the GM down there is he untouchable or what?

well...i would have to say that Aj Smith is probably most responsible for building the team they have down in SD. Unfortunately, he never liked Marty (and the feeling was mutual), but as is usually the case Marty had friends in high places within the charger organization. It is too bad these two had to have it out now, after they mass exodus of the charger's staff.

I wouldn't be surprised if they took a long look at mike singletary for at least the def. coordinator position after he got passed up for the niners DC spot.

The 49ers aren't gonna let him leave to be the DC for San Diego. It's their choice whether to keep him or not. He's their assistant head coach anyways so I wouldn't exactly call it being passed over for the DC job. Nolan liked the position he was in and thought he could bring in a better coach if they had the DC title instead of the LB. Singletary may not have the official title of DC but in reality he is.

Wow......This has to be the dumbest move in NFL history.

What are the chargers' options.....Rivera.....Mora.....Green.

Hope the Chargers fans enjoy this past season cause they are fucked.

I've got to think someone they really wanted indicated they were interested/available, or else this just doesn't make any sense.

Unless San Diego has something up their sleeves I'd say they get Norm Chow out of Memphis. But wow, firing him this late can't be as stupid as it looks.

Maybe Pete Carroll skating out before the Reggie Bush story gets any worse?

I think it's been made apparent that Carroll only wants a job where he has personnel control, and San Diego has also made apparent that they value their GM more than their coach. I don't see how that can work itself out.

I am stumped. Who is out there for San Diego to hire that wouldn't be (at best) a lateral move from Marty? Did they have some harebrained scheme to coax Vermeil or Johnson out of retirement?

Don't most teams value their GM more than their coach?

Sure, because usually the GM picks the coach. It's the natural pecking order.

It's pretty extreme in this case, however, in that a coach and a GM couldn't agree, so they just fired the coach. They're obviously a big fan of the GM. So, whereas some teams might be willing to fire their GM to bring in Pete Carroll (or some other power-hungry idiot who somehow hasn't realized that you can't do both in the NFL and be successful year in and out), I don't see that here.

call me crazy, but I think Jim Mora would be a great fit in san diego. By pedigree he is a defensive coach. And, I think you would actively have to try to screw up the SD offense.

Bears place franchise tag on linebacker Briggs
This is great news. He's guarenteed for one more year and with potential injuries he is more than likely to sign a long term deal with a big bonus.

It's tough to give up a number 1 pick when you can get a good LB in the draft if you look.

And the Pats did the same for Asante Samuel.

Some fear that some team will try to use the same poison pill that got Hutchinson out of Seattle to get Briggs out of Chicago (e.g. "He must be the highest paid LB on his respective team").

Personally I don't give a shit. It seems like a slimy deal but so does a hostile takeover. The nature of the biz, so to speak.

PFT are being told by sources that the Chargers told Rex Ryan that Norv Turner is going to be their coach. Earlier reports from Jay Glazer said they were leaning that way too. Meanwhile, I'll be laughing for the next two years. Thank you Dean Spanos and A.J. Smith for allowing the Raiders to win atleast 1 extra game next year. The drive for 5 begins NOW!

Len Pasquarelli is running the same story on ESPN.com as well.

And I've read rumors that Irvin was kicked because Parcells is coming in.

Why do the Chargers want a loser as HC when they went 14-2 last year? With that team they should be able to get 12-14 wins again.

And Ron Rivera is gone from the Bears. His contract won't be renewed. Looks like he didn't play his cards right.

Is there a DC job open in SD?

Heard on ESPN that Ted Cottrell has the DC spot.

How is Rivera gone? His contract's up but he can easily re-up in Chicago. I can't see him taking the year off or taking a position spot on another team. And why would the Bears allow him to leave? Lovie's situation is up in the air for '08, Rivera would be the logical choice to take over if he walks.

Rivera-a few reasons
1-money. It is the Bears after all.
2-Different philosphies. Rivera was rumored to leave for Dallas as DC because he doesn't like the Cover 2. If they are butting heads over what Lovie wants, RR will be the one to go.

Either could be true, we may never know. I bet Ron goes back to Philly.

Listening to the Lovie/Rivera press conf. it seems Lovie wanted Rivera out. They were nice about it but Rivera said he was cut so it wasn't mutual.

I'd be surprised if Leonard is projected that high - I'd guess he's a first-day prospect but not a first-rounder. Plus RB is hardly a need for the Bears.

Edited for accuracy. Ya can't help the club if you're in the tub. I'd rather see the Pack go DB/DL/WR/TE than RB.

Not to mention the whole point of bringing the Denver zone-blocking run scheme to Green Bay was so that the front office could find any dipshit in junior college and plug him back there much like Mike Shanahan gets to do.

So spending a 1st rd pick on a position you believe to be doable by dozens of less expensive athletes would be rather antithetical to the implementation of said run scheme.

Am I the only one who thinks it's preposterous to prefer, at 16th overall, a DB/DL/WR/TE over AD? He may be the best player in the draft. Greg Olson, Zach Miller, LaRon Landry, Leon Hall, Dwayne Bowe...not even close.

Rivera to coach LB's at San Diego. He's officially the worst interviewer in football.

yea i was just about to post about the ridiclous drop in prestige that Rivera has gone through all in a span of like 2 weeks. He goes from Head coaching candidate to...linebacking coach!?!?! HAHA. I don't understand that at all.

With Ted Cottrell (who if im not mistaken is who AJ smith wanted from day one to replace wade) and ron rivera on the defensive side of things, Norv Turner will once again be an offensive coordinator. I couldn't think of a better situation for the guy. Play to his strengths and let AJ smith handle all the "real" decisions.

I hope the niners patch their OC hole quickly.

Norv Turner's last stop as a head coach in San Diego. Could SD have wanted a more vanilla guy who wouldn't rock the Smith boat? I think not.