NFL - Random Opinions

Hard Truths

Staying in the NFC North, the time has come for the Vikings to begin looking at options to transition away from Mike Zimmer.

Maybe the correct answer would have been to move away from him this past year by trying to convince Stefanski to remain, but I think the better option would be to have things play out exactly as they are. Minnesota is struggling and the calls to fire Zim are going to grow to a fever pitch. Ownership is going to be forced to remove him and Rick Spielman will get a chance to hire the next head coach.

And that's a situation I like for the purple team from the North. They have a solid core roster and Spielman has handled the draft well enough to keep some confidence. Getting the right coach to come in and assist with filling holes while implementing the new scheme is an absolute must, but there is enough talent already in the locker room for a quick turnaround.

Kirk Cousins is under contract for two more years so as long as Rick doesn't go out and draft another Christian Ponder type to replace him during that time there should be opportunities available to smoothly transition the offense for the new coaching staff if they decide to move on at passer.

 

Isn’t Cousins fully guaranteed?

 

My theory:

With the exception of the Packers (publically owned) and the "Heirloom Owners" (Bears, Steelers, Giants, etc.), NFL owners are risk adverse. They may have built their fortunes by taking business risks but, they're not going to piss away their spot in a very exclusive group of 31 NFL Franchise owners by hiring some unproven Joe who may or may not improve their brand.

These guys (and a few gals) use a business model when hiring. A resume with NFL experience carries a lot of weight.

 

Hard Truths

Something, something, Adam Gase, something, something, I fucking repeated it so many times I can't do it anymore...

But I have to, so...

The single worst hiring decision in the NFL in the last two seasons was the Jets hiring of Adam Gase.

Atrocious.

Sam Darnold is going to have the beginning of his NFL career destroyed by the most incompetent head coach in the NFL.

There's not even a runner up to that title.

 

Hold my beer.

Hue Jackson and/or Freddie Kitchens come to mind. And they're both still getting an NFL paycheck.

 

Hard Truths

Baker Mayfield is not going to be the quarterback that leads the Browns back to the top of the AFC North.

He's a decent talent with some holes in his game, but there is a lack of strong development over 3 years and the concern that I had pre-draft about Baker being at his ceiling rather than growing towards it appears to be accurate. That's not to say he can't continue to mature and become a more well rounded player, but there was very little room for him to continue to move up athletically and his specific skillset doesn't lend itself to growth within the game beyond the ability to better read defenses and become more situationally aware.

He is still best as a spot thrower off of play-action where he can drill hotshots in-between numbers.

He still struggles to deliver the football with nuance and NFL coverages will continue to find ways to force him into passes where he has to anticipate with touch to be effective. It's one of the reasons why he is rock solid early in games and then fades (which has become a noticeable trend). In the first couple series the offense will get him some solid open looks that eventually see there windows close as the game progresses forcing Mayfield to find receivers before they are actually open.

The Browns are going to win games with Baker, but they are not going to win enough to be want they want to be in the AFC North, which is obviously the top dog.

 

I get your point here and I think there's truth in it but the Steelers have only had three coaches since 1969 and none were head coaches before that. They've reached a bit IMO. It's worked for them.

Definitely true of the Giants though. They've had retreads galore. I'm sure they felt like they got a winner in Coughlin but not much else.

 

Tua is now Miami’s starting QB. He looked nice on his two passes, but that was the fourth quarter of a blowout game

 

Joe Burrows will win the AFCN before Baker Mayfield does.

 

As a matter of fact I’m going to give the dolphins a props. They will win the AFCE this season and own it for the next ten years. Tua is a crazy good player and they will win a SB or two with him.

 

Hard Truths

The Chargers need to fire Anthony Lynn at the end of this season. The chance develop Justin Herbert in the next franchise quarterback needs to be the priority for Los Angeles.

There's just not a good argument to continue on with Lynn.

There is a very strong argument that Herbert could become a high level quarterback in the NFL.

I'll be thinking about this one more as the season progresses and I'll post which coach I would prefer to see take that job.

 

But all of them had NFL experience on their resume. Hell, two of the three played and/or coached for Cleveland!

 

I like the Steelers approach to coaching hires. Hire someone on nobodies radar and let them coach the team for as long as they want. Of course you have to hire someone who is capable.

 

They've gone 0-4 with him but those have been heartbreakers. They need a QB guy to help him
I think he'll be very good.

I hate him though because he beat the Badgers in the Rose Bowl

 

I'll respond to a couple comments before I move on...

Lyman and I have discussed this a couple times, Will, and I'm in complete agreement about owners ad GMs being 'risk adverse'. It's a natural self defense mechanism when you want to protect your job (GMs) and want to make sure that the bottom line continues to show lots of $ (owners).

Yes, but he is expendable in 2022 with a cap savings of roughly $32mil.

Tua can be the quarterback the Dolphins need if Miami accepts exactly what he is and builds the offense around that.

He's not going to be the next Russell Wilson or Kyler Murray, but he can be an extremely effective passer with an offense built around balance. Get him an above average ground game, a rounded receiver set and a solid tight end, then make sure the offensive line is solid and you will get a solid return on investment with Tua.

Looking at the Dolphins, they have two out of 4 needed components for his success. They need to focus on the offensive line and ground game this off-season.

 

The NFCE is so bad we could wind up with a 6-10 or 5-11 division winner.

 

And you're basing your prediction on the fact that you perceived he looked good on two passes?

 

No. I watched him carve up the Georgia Bulldogs defense in the National Championship game coming off the bench when Georgia was owning the crimson tide. He is very accurate and those two passes reminded me of that.

 

FTR: I'd say that was accurate about Tomlin. I was only one when they hired Noll, so I'm not sure about him, but I do know that Bill Cowher was on many radar's when the Steelers hired him. He almost got the Browns job after we canned Bud Carson, but we went with that Belichick guy.

Nobody has done it better than the Steelers when it comes to hiring coaches, and running an NFL franchise in general. It sucks having your arch rival team as the best run organization in professional sports, but it is what it is, and it's been that way all my life.

 

Guess i may as well be the one to say it. I think this is too soon. Fitz has been playing really good ball, he's like top 5-6 in the league for QBR the last 5 games! You think Tua is gonna match that? Let me spoil the fun, he's not. The Dolphins are a game out of the division lead and a legit playoff contender. Outside of finally giving some marketing fuck with a raging boner his release there is actually very little reason to do this now. Time was on their side. Seems like a mistake to me

But i see they've already given their in depth reasons for making the change now. "it was time" and "he get's first team reps either side of a bye". You think an extra week of practise is gonna prepare him for Aaron Donald?? Think again!