besides what does cap space 2 weeks before FA starts have to do with anything? the steelers havent made a single move yet they will end up with plenty of space

Found it!  Ok so the argument wasn’t EXACTLY about not being able to re-sign guys, it was more about eagles window being open for a short period of time and then they would be screwed in 2 years (now) since they signed all these players in 2011.  I would quote the section but I can’t cuz its locked or something.  Anyway, please check “All things NFL” page 29 for proof, and yes I spent nearly an hour on this when I should be working (thanks nick!).  but since nick loves to give me props for great predictions I made 3 years ago I thought I would do this for you:

 

(8/4/11):

 

Danny: Fish, explain to me how your spending this year is not like the Redskins?

 

Nick: heres my thing. and im sure fish will give me a 100 word essay about why im wrong, but if the eagles are gonna win they gotta do it quickly. alot of these guys are being signed to 1 year deals (not the big names but a lot of their signings) and they are a young team. meaning they are going to have to resign vick, djax, maclin, mccoy, trent cole and brent celek to second contracts very soon. rookie contracts -> second year contracts is a big leap. djax is gonna make a hell of a lot more, as will vick and mccoy and if maclin can step up him to. theyre either gonna have to let some of these free agents theyre signing go, or its gonna be a fight to keep the young guys. 6 mill in cap room isnt enough for everyone in the coming years.

queue fishs rant:

 

Me: (only a section of my long rant) a few more notes that must be considered, most of the eagles deals are not cap killer contracts. nnamdi got the biggest deal, but he is taking a paycut from last year. he is also the safest bet and the #1 FA, so u need to spend on a guy like that, but other than him jasin babin only got 6mil guarenteed, cullen jenkins contract is not guarenteed after this year, drc is still on his rookie deal, and vince young/ronnie brown/ryan harris r all on 1 year deals. there is no albert haynesworth 30mil after 2 years type contract on this roster. if these moves dont work, they get cut and the eagles move on.

 

Me part 2: i get where u guys are coming from, and if i wasnt an eagles fan and i wanted to look at the negative i would be saying the same thing too. but my point is, how do u no what a team is going to look like after 2 years? yes i agree, right now it looks like this team can only survive a few years, but teams change so much year after year, vick wasnt even on the roster 2 years ago. ur forgetting eagles also got a 2nd rounder for drc in next years draft. we have 3 picks in the 1st 2 rounds next year, what if they all become pro bowlers like maclin, djax and mccoy did. is the window done then? what if they get better? teams can always cut guys who dont work out after 2 years. asente samuel wont be on the team in 2 years. teams can rework other guys deals.

 

Me part 3: once again, y r u guys so worried about them 3 years from now? u really think the giants are worried about their team in 2015? yes they know they have a few guys who r going to be around then, but u dont build a team hoping that same team is gonna b around in 4 years. what the eagles r doing now is adding pieces to win now, and at the same time not mortgaging their future. they have done this the past 12 years which is why they have been to the playoffs 9 out of 11 years. i truely believe the moves they made now arent gonna kill the franchinse in 4 years and they will be just fine.

ya i was gonna post something similar. not a huge fan of teh helmets but i like the uniforms.  i woulda went with a different color helmet cuz all they did for the real ones was blow the flag up.  guess we'll see what it looks like when they start playing in them, maybe they changed it up but its hard to tell from a picture.

NY Giants Want ADs:

WANTED: ANY OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (EXCEPT RT) WITH A PULSE.

INQUIRE WITH JERRY REESE

I've been fiddling with my mock, but don't feel like it'll be worth putting out till after the first few days of free agency. e are officially 1 week away from the start of free agency, expect MD2.0 around the 15th-16th

oh I read it. worilds aint playin for 9.7m next season either. things will be fine the most important thing is we are keeping our best young OLB, the #1 FA pass rusher with orakpo getting tagged.

if they let him go would you have said they are too old and now are letting their best young players get away? haha

i'm loving the news that dallas might cut ware.  not only does it hurt them but i wouldnt mind eagles getting in the market for him!  ill def sign up for a 2 year 20 mil deal or something along those lines as a pass rush specalist and 3-4 OLB eagles need

Updating a previous item, CBS' Jason La Canfora says Colin Kaepernick won't settle for anything less than $20M per season annually in a new contract.

i don't think he's worth it. But they'll pay it anyway.

now this is what kills teams salary caps...

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10556541/pittsburgh-steelers-extend-troy-polamalu-heath-miller-2016-season

hopefully steelers dont have another young potential FA in 2016 that they need to re-sign, or they are really hoping the salary cap keeps going up!

Gilbride has proven that his offense can work.

The problem is it is an overly complicated system based on the QB and WR reading the exact same thing in the defense and both being on the same page about what should be done in that situation.If one or two pieces fall apart health wise the system dies because Eli doesn't have the same chemistry with his WR5 as his WR1 or WR2. Sure if everyone was healthy it would have been a better system, but thats ridiculous. It's football, people WILL get hurt, your offensive system should be able to handle the "next man up" mentality. His system works, but is woefully outdated for a number of reasons.

1)The lack of short chain moving throws. 75% of the Giants pass plays are all or nothing 20+ yard throws. I don't know why but Gilbride didn't see the value in high percentage short throws (See Philip Rivers last year compared to this year)
2)Over reliance on the draw play.
3)Inability to perform even a basic screen pass.
4)(This one is on Coughlin too but) Relying way too heavily on veterans past their prime when young blood is on the bench who could provide a spark.


He has two superbowl rings, out scoring the Patriots 2x. His offense does work, but its incredibly complicated and not built to sustain injuries. In this day and age that doesn't work.

Thoughts?

 

Edit: Also another factor is the lack of imagination to the offense, The Giants have run a total of 2 WR end arounds in the last decade. I'm not asking to run it once a game, but come on. His play calling became stale and predictable, defenses knew what he was doing before he was doing it himself. 

-- Edited by Jpoo on Friday 7th of March 2014 05:09:26 PM

hakeem nicks could have been the biggest name in FA this offseaon, wtf happened to him last year? he didnt help at all. but yeah injuries were tough for the gmen

eagles on the otherhand were touched by raphael the archangel and saint of healing

Everyone coming at Sherman HAM lately, they're all fools.

DeAngelo Hall is so beyond over rated, he's always been a piece of ****

LeGarrette Blount is partially retarded

Sherman is the best right now, period.

 jim irsay SMH.  apparently has a bad coke problem.

adam on sportscenter said something along the lines of anyone who follows irsay on twitter and see's what he posts later at night/early mornings were definitly suspious that drugs were involved.  pretty funny and sad as well

ya goodell is in a tough spot, he needs to punish a guy who helps pay his salary.  i would be surprised if they took away a draft pick, the only thing he can really do is fine him (but as you said what impact would that make) and suspend him for like 30 days.  guess we'll see what happens

blake bortles is gonna be a stud #thatisall

you also loved you some Gabbert....

have at it...


Rule change proposals:

1. Move the kickoff to the 40-yard line.

2. Expand instant replay to include personal foul penalties.

3. Eliminate overtime in the preseason.

4. Extend the goal posts an additional five feet above the cross bar.

5. Move the line of scrimmage for extra points to the defensive team’s 25-yard line.

6. Put six cameras on all boundary lines — sideline, goal line, end line, to guarantee coverage for replay reviews.

7. Permit a coach to challenge any official’s decision, except scoring plays which are automatically reviewed.

8. Protect players from getting the sides of their legs rolled up on — the rule already says a blocker can’t hit an opponent in the back of the legs, this proposal will add “or side” to the rule.

9. Allow the referee to consult with members of the NFL officiating department during replay reviews. The referee would be able to speak with the command center in New York to help in reviewing a play.

10. Re-organize the rules about what can be reviewed and what cannot be reviewed, including making the recovery of a loose ball in the field of play reviewable. (This is referred to as the NaVorro Bowman rule, after a controversial call in the NFC Championship Game.)

11. Don’t stop the clock on a sack.

12. Modify pass interference so that it can be called within one yard of the line of scrimmage.

13. Enforce defensive fouls behind the line of scrimmage from the previous spot, rather than from the end of the run or from the spot of the foul.

Bylaw proposals:

1. Raise the number of active players on game day from 46 to 49 for regular-season games played on a day other than Sunday or Monday, excluding Week One.

2. Raise the practice squad limit from eight players to 10 players.

3. Permit clubs to trade players prior to the start of the league year.

4. Eliminate the cut-down to 75 players during training camp and instead just have one cut-down from 90 players to 53 players.

5. Permit more than one player to return to the active list from injured reserve so that any player on injured reserve could return after six weeks.

6. Permit each club to time and test up to 10 players at its facility, and allow other clubs to attend timing and testing at another team’s facility.

7. Adjust the time of the roster reduction from 53 after the fourth preseason game from 6 p.m. Eastern to 4 p.m. Eastern. All teams would have to have their list of final cuts in by 4 p.m.

Resolution proposal:

1. Permit a home team with a retractable roof to open or close its roof at halftime, instead of having to determine at the start of the game whether it is open or closed.

here is a good article on him on themmqb:

http://mmqb.si.com/2014/03/19/blake-bortles-2014-nfl-draft/

basically saying he has all the tools and potential to be a franchise qb but also is raw and would have benefitted from one more year of college.  nick knows i havent been high on him but my whole thing that i was explaining a few months back was that qbs who come out of nowhere and you never hear of them until their bowl game to then all of a sudden are a potential top 5 pick don't normally have a huge track record of success in the NFL.  that is why i've been so high on manziel, he has dominated in the SEC for 2 full years and i think his game translates well in todays NFL with players like russell wilson or kaepernick. 

obviously no scenario is the exact same but bortles situation reminded me too much of blaine gabbert where nobody knew who the hell he was all year and then in february people were talking about him being the #1 pick and a franchise qb.  that was what got me with him, shouldn't a franchise qb show that skill set during the actual season like a andrew luck, cam newton, russell wilson etc, and not the combine? 

i'm on record saying i'm on the manziel bandwagon and i'm sticking with that, guess we'll see with bortles, if he goes to a team with good coaching such as the texans he could become what people think he will be or if he lands in a situation like the jags or raiders he might be doomed from the start.  

Rule change proposals:

1. Move the kickoff to the 40-yard line.  NO

2. Expand instant replay to include personal foul penalties. YES

3. Eliminate overtime in the preseason. YES

4. Extend the goal posts an additional five feet above the cross bar. NO

5. Move the line of scrimmage for extra points to the defensive team’s 25-yard line. YES

6. Put six cameras on all boundary lines — sideline, goal line, end line, to guarantee coverage for replay reviews. YES WHY HASN'T THIS HAPPENED ALREADY

7. Permit a coach to challenge any official’s decision, except scoring plays which are automatically reviewed. YES

8. Protect players from getting the sides of their legs rolled up on — the rule already says a blocker can’t hit an opponent in the back of the legs, this proposal will add “or side” to the rule. Le Sigh, NO

9. Allow the referee to consult with members of the NFL officiating department during replay reviews. The referee would be able to speak with the command center in New York to help in reviewing a play. YES

10. Re-organize the rules about what can be reviewed and what cannot be reviewed, including making the recovery of a loose ball in the field of play reviewable. (This is referred to as the NaVorro Bowman rule, after a controversial call in the NFC Championship Game.) YES

11. Don’t stop the clock on a sack. YES, if it's the closing moments of a game and the D manages a sack why should the clock stop? 

12. Modify pass interference so that it can be called within one yard of the line of scrimmage. NO bump and run is gone with this for the most part, too ridiculous

13. Enforce defensive fouls behind the line of scrimmage from the previous spot, rather than from the end of the run or from the spot of the foul. NO

Bylaw proposals:

1. Raise the number of active players on game day from 46 to 49 for regular-season games played on a day other than Sunday or Monday, excluding Week One. Could only help teams stay healthier, YES

2. Raise the practice squad limit from eight players to 10 players. Sure.

3. Permit clubs to trade players prior to the start of the league year. NO, unnecessary 

4. Eliminate the cut-down to 75 players during training camp and instead just have one cut-down from 90 players to 53 players. This would be good for teams, but bad for players. I say NO

5. Permit more than one player to return to the active list from injured reserve so that any player on injured reserve could return after six weeks. YES

6. Permit each club to time and test up to 10 players at its facility, and allow other clubs to attend timing and testing at another team’s facility. NO

7. Adjust the time of the roster reduction from 53 after the fourth preseason game from 6 p.m. Eastern to 4 p.m. Eastern. All teams would have to have their list of final cuts in by 4 p.m. Who cares.

Resolution proposal:

1. Permit a home team with a retractable roof to open or close its roof at halftime, instead of having to determine at the start of the game whether it is open or closed. No. Unless it's dangerous weather, they made their bed they now have to sleep in it.

 1. Move the kickoff to the 40-yard line. (dumb.  NFL wants to talk about the extra point being a waste of it, which it is, this would become that)

2. Expand instant replay to include personal foul penalties. (fine with me)

3. Eliminate overtime in the preseason. (who cares, most teams go for 2 to avoid it anyway)

5. Move the line of scrimmage for extra points to the defensive team’s 25-yard line. (just get rid of it)

6. Put six cameras on all boundary lines — sideline, goal line, end line, to guarantee coverage for replay reviews. (yes)

7. Permit a coach to challenge any official’s decision, except scoring plays which are automatically reviewed. (not sure if i like this.  a lot of times things in slow motion look like pass interference that wasn't as close as in real time).

9. Allow the referee to consult with members of the NFL officiating department during replay reviews. The referee would be able to speak with the command center in New York to help in reviewing a play. (not sure what the NHL does, but college football is great also which is a similar idea and not sure why the NFL doesn't do this.)

 

-- Edited by MFisH on Wednesday 19th of March 2014 08:24:53 PM

@alanrobinson_trib: Steelers will not lose a draft pick for Mike Tomlin sideline incident in Baltimore.


Ian rapoport strikes again

Uh-oh

The Charlotte Observer reports the Eagles "informally reached out" to the Panthers about their interest in DeSean Jackson.
Previous reports indicated teams were inquiring about Jackson. This one claims the Eagles are taking the initiative. The Panthers currently have just $5 million in salary cap space, while Jackson's scheduled pay is $10.7 million in salary and bonuses. The Observer does not expect the Panthers to become serious players in the D-Jax sweepstakes. Still, this report should fuel increasing speculation that Jackson has played his final down in an Eagles uniform.

a lot of times these things are leaked to stir up interest so the team can gauge what they could get but still put the toothpaste back in the tube if they dont like what theyre hearing. the fact that philly writers were "certain" he would be moved makes it very suspicious that this came from no where. personally i think the eagles are fine without him and 10mm is a ton for a wr. i could see them moving on if they get a 2-3rd rounder. they would be dumb to release him thou. if this was a ian rapoport report i would doubt it 100% but it seems to be coming from sources much closer to philly than him.

i found it!!!

Q: Is the quarterback position just too valuable to move toward a "draft a QB every four years and build a contender around his rookie salary" model? The Seahawks, 49ers, Colts, Redskins, etc. might be onto something. You could argue that they will suffer significantly when they have to pay their QBs top dollar. Now that QBs are starting right away, would it make sense to spend money on other positions and allow the QB to play out his rookie deal and reload at the position?

Nick in Washington, D.C.

A: For a franchise to get the right quarterback, it's a once-in-a-decade move. There aren't enough good ones to go around. To let one go for another for cap purposes would set the franchise back for years. The good quarterbacks win games. That puts them in the lower portion of the draft, where it is hard to get the replacement. Think about this year's draft. There wasn't a guaranteed No. 1 quarterback. If you let one go after four years, you may need to get one at the time there isn't a good draft for quarterbacks. If you have a quarterback, you pay the quarterback. If not, you lose.