The 2007 NFL Off-season Thread - Page 2

The Bears didn't want to give him a long-term contract because most likely he would have left for a head coaching job after this coming season. And they weren't going to pay him big money for just one year. So he needed a job, and since there were no head coach or defensive coordinator spots open, he took this job (which is more of an assistant DC job than simply a position coach). It's not a matter of a demotion, it's a matter of nothing else being available. Besides, he'll get plenty of looks after next season, so this is probably a temporary job anyway.

Actually, he was fired. They weren't going to extend his contract after this year no matter what.

Lovie is apparently a power-hungry douche who's so married to the outdated Tampa-2 that he can't have anyone working for him who just may have a different way of looking at shit.

The debate begins and ends there. Norv's problem is that he inevitably makes poor decisions, which costs his team the game.

SD is a great team, but I'm not too fond of placing money on them in the playoffs.

Yeah, I'm seeing some of those stories now.

And the 2 teams that got to the Super Bowl used that outdated Tampa-2

Yes but of those defenses was horrible that got hot for 4 games. Its pretty ridiculous for the guy who was in control of the best part of the Bears game to be fired. I guess Rivera and Lovie had to really hate each other.

On the other hand its also pretty bad that Lovie has not got an extension yet. What more do the Bears management want. He got them to the Super Bowl in three years.

Lovie is still here. It was Lovie's system and he put it in, not Rivera.

Sure I can agree with you there that it was Lovie's system but if you are going to ignore Rivera's contribution to it you are just crazy. Rivera still had ALOT to do with how good the Bears are on D. Or is this going to be the typical he isnt on your team anymore so he wasnt that good.

Indy's D works because they actually have eased up on the basics of the Tampa-2 and put pressure on the QB. They also have a d-line which can put pressure on the QB without much blitzing. They also gave up more points over the course of the season than any other team to even reach a Super Bowl in the history of the game. It was the worst defense to ever reach the big game. It's a good thing they got to face Ron Turner in the Super Bowl.

The Bears' defense doesn't succeed because of their formation, but because they stress turnovers. They'd have had a fighting chance in the SB if they had at least attempted to adjust their style.

It's a bad move because I believe teams are better off when they have different ways to attack. If they're able to be adjusted. Lovie is looking for someone to just agree with him all the time, which means that when they play teams who understand how to attack this defense, they're fucked out of ideas.

Lovie took control of the defense in the playoffs this year and last, which resulted in the debacles against the Colts and Panthers. Against good teams, you have to adjust your gameplan. Lovie has proven he has little ability to make such adjustments.

He had the same situation in Oakland, Rob Ryan ran the D (which sucked and wasn't on par with the Chargers) and Norv ran the offense. He completely failed and it's not like the Raiders never had talent on the offensive side of the ball when he was there. Norv isn't a leader and lost his team by week 6. He's a big friggin' whimp and doesn't have the mentality of a head coach. The Chargers need a leader, not an offensive coordinator.

Most likely? He's 0 for 8, the past two season's, in interviewing for head coaching jobs. He's dropping the ball.

Same thing that happened to Aaron Rodgers.

If he's the best player, then it won't be an issue, will it?

He seems to have problems staying healthy. And as D Richard said, part of the appeal of the zone-blocking scheme is that you don't need to ante up for a "stud" RB.

I thought everyone knew that one of the hallmarks of the "Tampa-2" was the lack of blitzing. And a focus on generating turnovers (well, any D that doesn't shoot for the latter has a problem).

Let us begin the debate today, who will be a worse game manager Norv or the Schott.

When its all said and done though, I will find it pretty hilarious if SD goes on to win the superbowl this year.

T.D, Dunn, Portis and Jamal Lewis have had huge seasons with zone-blocking schemes. Since when are they average? Sure there's been a few guys on the Broncos who ran for 1000 yards but that's nothing to get excited about in today's game. They've been bending the rules, for years, more then any other team because of their contant cut blocking. The Broncos haven't been the only team to run a zone-blocking scheme either. You can't throw any given body back there and expect them to perform, and perform well, because they're using ZB. Not every team has the talent and the kind of players that suit that sort of scheme while bending the cut blocking rules like the Broncos. There's been loads of RBs, who aren't exactly "studs", who've performed well in man blocking schemes. They don't only come from ZB.

Exactly. The Bears didn't have the d-line which could create pressure without blitzing once they lost Tommie Harris. They needed to adjust, but they couldn't because they cannot do anything outside of the Tampa-2.

And while all teams stress turnovers, none rely on it as much as the Bears. They teach their players not to knock someone down on a tackle, but specifically to just hold them up and let everyone else show up to strip the ball. It's the only reason their defense survived after Harris and Brown went out.

Don't get me wrong, Lovie is a decent Tampa-2 coach and I really don't hold Rivera up in very high regard (and he's extraordinarily creepy IRL). I just HATE system coaches. Brian Urlacher is the perfect Tampa-2 middle linebacker, I get that, but this is no longer a 'new' defense. Teams have learned how to attack it, so you need to play around and make adjustments. But rather than keep someone around who would have brought some fresh ideas to the table, Lovie chooses a lackey who will nod his head.

Not to derail this current conversation, but this weekend is the combine and there a couple of things I'm looking forward too. Not to mention, I am jealous of Direct TV (or is it Dish - maybe both) owners and people whose cable companies aren't idiots and give them the NFL Network. I hear the combine stuff is so cool to watch. Screw you Time Warner!

Anyway...

1. The Browns/Bucs coin toss. I know it doesn't matter to anyone but Browns and Bucs fan - but I really hope the Browns get the third draft pick.

2. Joe Thompson and Adrian Peterson. The only two players I hope on the Browns radar for the first pick (unless they trade). Charlie Frye isn't the QB of the future, but it isn't our most pressing need, so I don't want Brady Quinn wearing the Brown and Orange next year. Give me a blue chip RB or OL and I'll be very happy.

3. How some of the Buckeyes do at the combine. Does Ginn Jr. stock continue to rise and Troy Smith continue to fall? We'll see.



What are you guys looking to find out about your team or your players?

I don't think the coin flip matters for Cleveland. They're not going to select another receiver and Tampa is definitely going to take Calvin Johnson.

And I think you mean Joe Thomas.

I hope the Bears pick Zach Miller (and don't select that pussy Greg Olsen).

Whoops. Yes I did. The funny part was I couldn't remeber exactly what the kid's last name was so I went and looked it up so I didn't look like an idiot - then went and mistyped it anyway. Duh..

The Ravens announced that they're not tagging Thomas. He's going to be a very, very rich man in early March.

Why does everyone say this? Harris was utterly useless way before he was injured. The Bears D had a 6 game streak, with Harris playing, averaging less then 1.5 sacks per game. For the season they averaged 2.5 sacks a game with Harris in the lineup and 2.43 without. Harris had 0 sacks in his last 8 games. I know sacks don't show everything but it's a pretty good factor on determining which teams apply pressure well. Harris' loss has been way overblown.

Ginn's ankle isn't ready to go. He's only weighing in, getting his height measured and doing interviews. We're gonna have to wait until his pro day to see what everybody wants to see, his 40.

I disagree completely. Harris' last couple games weren't as good as his first few, but he was still causing all sorts of havoc in the backfield. He wasn't getting sacks because the entire offensive line's gameplan became focused on stopping him.

Just watch the Super Bowl again, if you can stomach it. They had nothing on the line without him, but when he was in there, they were a threat.

And the Jaguars new quarterback for 2007 will be ...

Byron Leftwich.

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-onlin..._8170550.shtml

Or they just use stud RB they already have in Maroney.

Dominic Rhodes pisses himself.

The Browns won the coin toss over the Bucs for the 3rd pick in the draft.

Calvin Johnson is 239 lbs and there's claims he ran a 4.33 40 last week. He's a total beast.

Last couple? Don't you mean the last 2/3 of the games he played in? Now towards the Super Bowl...nobody get's pressure on the Colts, especialy cover 2 teams where there's only a limited amount of blitzing. I did notice many Bears games, when Harris played, where they had no sacks or only one sack. But I guess the excuse there is teams gameplans were focused on stopping him. Wouldn't that open up lanes for other players? Don't the Bears have this totally awesome D with many high calibre players? How was he creating all kinds of havoc in the backfield? He supposedly could do this but yet he couldn't pull off a sack? Excuses, excuses, excuses. While Tommie Harris has always been a good player he's suddenly getting talked as if he's Warren Sapp in his hayday (hell even Sapp today!) when he did jackshit for 8 games, that's half a season! The Bears problem towards applying pressure was happening weeks before Harris went down.

Dillon's agent said the Pats are releasing him and he'll be looking for another job.

Ah, I see what you're saying.


I agree. I certainly understand having a philosophy, but I've never gotten the whole thing of "well, we need players that fit the system" - putting players in the best position to succeed is what GOOD coaches do; bad coaches put in "systems" and try to make the personnell fit. Bottom line is good players win games, "system" or not.

True enough. But let's look at who what Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, and TJ Duckett have done in non-ZB schemes as opposed to ZB schemes.

Bottom line is that plenty of good RBs can be found on the first day; go for the positions with a thinner talent base.

All three were backups when they left. TJ Duckett, who averaged 3.1 Y/A his last season in a ZB scheme, hardly played last year and when he did it was mainly in short yardage situations. It's not really fair to judge him. Gary was a one year wonder who got injured and did nothing for 3 years in a ZB scheme, essentially proving he was done, before he went to Detroit. Mike Anderson was a 33 year old RB who hardly played in Baltimore but he did average 4.7 Y/A. The best person to judge if you're trying to prove ZB schemes are the greatest thing since sliced bread is Clinton Portis. He left Denver when he was 23 and in his prime. While he's done well in DC, he's nowhere near as dominating as he was with the Broncos. To be fair to him though, the Skins offensive style doesn't suit his game as well.

JaMarcus "Fatty" Russell at 2:50.

Way to suck that gut in Russell. Wonder what him being overweight is going to do to his stock. Seeing Quinn did the bench press today and did 24 reps at 25. I am assuming thats good for a QB seeing the top OL prospect Thomas did 28 at 225.

AD ran a 4.38 40, Calvin Johnson a 4.35 40, and Brian Leonard ran as fast as Marshawn Lynch at 4.49. Not bad at all.

The word is that Chris Leak scored an 8 on the Wonderlic.

I mean, I know there was the whole Vince Young did he/didn't he score of 6 last year, but, I thought Leak was book smart.

The thing about the wonderlic is the time constraints. I had to do one for a job a few months ago. The questions are a joke but only having 12 minutes to do it is the tough part. You have about 14 seconds a question to finish the test so you cant screw around and even do alot of thinking if so you fall way behind. 8 is still really bad though anyone with half a brain should be able to get 20.

Does anyone else hate the asswipe that does the spotting for the bench press? That guy seriously needs to shut the fuck up. What does he do between combines, work on all his stupid little sayings? I can't imagine what he'd be like on the sidelines if he had a kid in pee-wee football.

Love sign's a 4 year, $22 mil contract extension with the Bears. 'Bout time.

Yeah, giving him a huge contract the year before his was up is completely out of the norm. The Bears not signing Lovie Smith until now is the dumbest story of the past season.

I loathe the signing. I was hoping for a team to get stupid like the Bucs and drop draft picks for him. Oh, well.

paso, that's the avatar you were born to have.

About time the Bears stepped up and signed Lovie. Also profootballtalk is reporting the packers and Raiders are working on a deal Moss for Rodgers. Also other rumours out there are Moss for Rodgers and a 1 or 2 pick. The latter will be a great trade for the Raiders. Even the first option might not be horrible seeing Moss sucks and they could dump his salary and hey who knows Rodgers may actually work out. Hell they could even flip Rodgers over for a couple of first day picks to another team if they still wanted to take either Russell or Quinn come draft day.

I can't wait until the next time Lovie doesn't call timeout at the end of a half of a game they're losing to force the other team to punt to the Bears' most dangerous weapon.

It was a huge deal because he was the lowest paid coach in the NFL. Glad you like the avatar! It was taken at the Lane Kiffin PC and Al nearly bit the head off of a reporter that suggested Oakland was a black hole for coaches. It was hilarious.

It's a contract he signed, though. Most coaches do not get their contracts extended until the year before they're up for free agency, so this is pretty well par for the course. I think it's a smart move to wait to see if he could take the Bears to the playoffs again before you drop huge coin on him. Since he's now 'proven' himself, they showered him with a gigantic contract. It makes perfect sense.

Just because the media says something is a story doesn't mean that it actually is.

But it was a story. There were all kinds of rumors about contract discussions and his agent was talking to the media, hence the story. Most coaches like to have a deal in place before their final season is up so there won't be a lame duck situation. The story was definitely overblown, though. Like you said, there's nothing wrong with waiting to see if Lovie could prove himself. It probably cost the Bears in the end, but it's better safe then sorry.

That's the thing, it wasn't his last year of the contract. If he had gone into this coming season without an extended contract, that's definitely a story. The media doesn't have to blow shit out of proportion just because an agent wants them to. They were basically puppets.

As you said, they no doubt would have had a smaller contract if they'd done it last year, but since coaches salaries don't count against the cap, I really don't give a crap how much they had to pay.

While I'm a Skins fan, I still love following the draft and this year seems to be a good one to follow, especially the top ten overall.

What I would really like to see the Raiders do is take Calvin Johnson 1st and then in the second round, take Troy Smith (I don't believe he'll go first). Then they can trade Moss to someone and get a 3rd for him and for the third round, go for O-Line help.

As for the Skins well, with the lack of picks it's kind of hard to say what they need. Trading down is always a good option but picking 5, they'll have their pick of great players. Either Adams or Okoye or even Thomas if he somehow drops that far.

Smith's stock is falling so I say he'll be there in the 3rd round. Stanton has become the leader to be the 3rd QB. The Raiders at #33 should definitely be able to land a very good player. There's always a player to slip through the cracks and fall past round 1. I would love to see C Ryan Kalil at #33. He played 4 years for Kiffin so he would be a perfect fit. Jake Grove has been fucking terrible. Jeremy Newberry, a former 3 time Pro Bowler who is still relatively young but has been injured the past 2 years, said he want's to sign with the Raiders. He's a bay area guy and his line coach at Cal is the Raiders new o-line coach (he said he didn't come back for his senior year because Tom Cable left).

It sounds like Garcia is on his way to Oakland too. He's currently in the bay area and was on a radio show earlier today defending the Raiders, saying how they have a great D, talent on offensive and was brushing off questions about the Broncos and Bucs. But maybe I'm reading too much into it.

For all the "nobody wants Moss" you hear, every second day, there's supposedly 3 teams interested in him (Packers, Jags, Pats). The sooner he's gone the better.