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panerista

macrumors G5
Original poster
Oct 20, 2011
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Congrats Broncos! Combine starts in 2 weeks.


Top free agents for 2016 (Per NFL.com)

1. Von Miller, Denver Broncos linebacker:
Miller has been one of the best overall defensive players in the league since he was drafted. He's as strong stopping the run as he is coming off the edge. There's no way the Broncos will let him hit the market.

2. Josh Norman, Carolina Panthers cornerback: There's nothing like having your breakout season in a contract year. Norman has been the best cornerback in football this year and is a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate. He's not going anywhere.

3. Muhammad Wilkerson, New York Jets defensive end:Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams were splashy draft pick additions, but Wilkerson is still the best defensive lineman on the Jets. New York has played hardball in negotiations thus far with Wilkerson, but the franchise tag has to be an option here.

4. Alshon Jeffery, Chicago Bears wide receiver: He might not be the most refined receiver in the league, but few are better at catching deep balls. He's fourth in the league in receiving yards-per-game and topped 1,400 yards in 2013.

5. Cordy Glenn, Buffalo Bills offensive tackle: True franchise left tackles are awfully hard to find. That's why he's a strong candidate for the franchise tag.

6. Jason Pierre-Paul, New York Giants defensive end: He's still disruptive despite playing with a club over his injured hand. There has to be a chance JPP will only get better as he learns how best to play with his disadvantage, and the ceiling here is tremendous. Still, he has struggled to wrap up opposing running backs. Can he finish plays?

7. Eric Berry, Kansas City Chiefs safety: Berry has come back from his cancer scare better than ever. Strong safety play is hard to find and Berry has the versatility teams are looking for.

8. Malik Jackson, Broncos defensive tackle: Like Norman, he's having a career year in a contract season. It's hard to find interior pass rushers like Jackson just entering his prime.

9. Olivier Vernon, Dolphins defensive end: The other Dolphins pass rusher opposite Cameron Wakehas dialed up a lot of pressure over the last three years, even if he doesn't always finish the play with a sack. He's clearly an above average pass rush starter, which is going to make him a very rich man. Expectations are he'll leave Miami, who can only afford to pay so much on their defensive line.

10. Doug Martin, Buccaneers running back: He won't make the same money as the guys listed above (and below) him here because of the position he plays, but no one has helped their value more this season. Martin has gone from an afterthought to the No. 2 rusher in the NFL.

11. Bruce Irvin, Seattle Seahawks linebacker: He isn't a defense-changing talent, but he's also better than you think. Irvin is a quality versatile starter.

12. Russell Okung, Seahawks tackle: Even if Okung is only an average starter, he's going to get paid in this market. If he makes it there.

13. Eric Weddle, San Diego Chargers safety: Weddle has a skill set that tons of teams are looking for to shore up the back end of their defenses. His age (30) works against him, but few safeties have been better over the last five years.

14. Sam Bradford, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback: This season has not helped Bradford's value, yet there would be no shortage of teams willing to give Bradford a try if the Eagles don't want to re-sign him.

15. Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins quarterback: Replacement level starting quarterbacks are worth plenty, and that appears to be Cousins' floor. At worst, he's a poor man's Andy Dalton with room to improve over time. He has more value to the Redskins than anyone else.

16. Matt Forte, Bears running back: One of the league's most complete backs has not shown many signs of age yet. Perhaps he should be paired with another quality option, but there's no doubt he could upgrade many backfields.

17. Andre Smith, Cincinnati Bengals right tackle: How will Smith react to getting paid big bucks (again)? While his career has included some ups and downs, Smith has often been a top-shelf starter.

18. Danny Trevathan, Broncos linebacker: Trevathan is a three-down linebacker entering his prime that can hold up in pass coverage. We're big fans of his skill set and he's just the type of above-average starter that gets paid like a superstar in free agency.

19. Janoris Jenkins, St. Louis Rams cornerback: He's steadily improved each season in the league and now is a playmaking starter.

20. Brock Osweiler, Broncos quarterback: It's hard to imagine John Elway letting his promising young starter hit the market, although this will be a tricky contract to pull off.

Top NFL Draft Prospects (per Scout.com)
1 *Joey Bosa DE 1 Ohio State Jr 6-5 275 1
2 *Laremy Tunsil OT 1 Ole Miss Jr 6-5 305 1
3 *Jalen Ramsey CB 1 Florida State Jr 6-1 202 1
4 *Jared Goff QB 1 California Jr 6-4 210 1
5 *Myles Jack
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OLB 1 UCLA Jr 6-1 245 1
6 *Laquon Treadwell WR 1 Ole Miss Jr 6-2 210 1
7 *Ronnie Stanley OT 2 Notre Dame rJr 6-6 315 1
8 DeForest Buckner DE 2 Oregon Sr 6-7 290 1
9 *A'Shawn Robinson DT 1 Alabama Jr 6-3 312 1
10 *Mackensie Alexander CB 2 Clemson rSo 5-10 195 1
11 Carson Wentz QB 2 North Dakota State Sr 6-5 233 1
12 *Shaq Lawson DE 3 Clemson rJr 6-3 270 1
13 *Ezekiel Elliott RB 1 Ohio State Jr 6-0 225 1
14 *Vernon Hargreaves III CB 3 Florida Jr 5-11 199 1
15 *Andrew Billings DT 2 Baylor Jr 6-1 310 1
16 Reggie Ragland ILB 1 Alabama Sr 6-1 259 1
17 *Paxton Lynch QB 3 Memphis rJr 6-6 230 1
18 *Darron Lee OLB 2 Ohio State rSo 6-1 235 1
19 *Robert Nkemdiche DT 3 Ole Miss Jr 6-3 296 1
20 Taylor Decker OT 3 Ohio State Sr 6-7 315 1
21 *Leonard Floyd OLB 3 Georgia rJr 6-3 232 1
22 Jonathan Bullard DE 4 Florida Sr 6-3 283 1
23 Jarran Reed DT 4 Alabama Sr 6-3 311 1
24 *Corey Coleman
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WR 2 Baylor rJr 5-10 190 1
25 *Jack Conklin OT 4 Michigan State rJr 6-6 318 1

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panerista

macrumors G5
Original poster
Oct 20, 2011
12,681
10,516
Austin, TX
I'm thinking that Green Bay will march on to win SB 51!

"Rodgers to Nelson...TOUCHDOWN!!!"
If Nelson is back to his regular self, I am inclined to agree they will be in the picture. The Pack needs to draft or acquire some real offensive linemen this offseason.
 
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panerista

macrumors G5
Original poster
Oct 20, 2011
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Austin, TX
I think the window of opportunity is closing for GB (and a few other teams including the Patriots)
The thing about the Packers (and to a lesser extent because Brady is older, the Patriots) is they have proven time and time again they can draft their way out of trouble in that regard. Aaron Rodgers is still has a lot of football left in him, and until he retires, the Packers are always in it.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,373
43,265
Rodgers is 32, and to be fair, he does have a lot of football, but I don't see McCarthy fixing what's ailing the team. I think the criticism he (McCarthy) endured at the end of the season is fair. He took over a very talented team and only won a single SB. For that reason I believe the current team's opportunity to make a run for the SB is closing.

As for the Patriots, Tom is 38, and as we've seen so many times as a QB gets near 40, their performance falls off a cliff. There's been a few exceptions to be sure but you can't deny the clock is ticking louder then ever for Brady. In fact, if the Patriots had reached the SB 50 (and won), I wouldn't have been terribly surprised if he pulled an Elway and retired on the spot. Obviously that didn't happen, and the team will no doubt be contenders, but the AFC east is no longer the push over division it used to be.
 

td1439

macrumors 6502
Sep 29, 2012
337
115
Boston-ish
Apparently it's pretty much a done deal that Dante Scarnecchia is coming out of retirement and back to NE to coach the O-line. Although I will say I don't feel as down on the NE O-Line after seeing the Carolina O-Line struggle just as much during the Super Bowl. Seems it was less about the O-lines and more about Denver front 7.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,373
43,265
And it saves Seattle some money.
I wonder if they'll try to recoup some of the signing bonus that technically the team is entitled to ask for. I think it may be one of those things that they let him walk without asking for it back, because he can play the game of not technically retiring until later in 2016 which would cost the Seahawks $$

Good for him retiring when he feels he should. Great player.
He had a tough year and he saw the writing on the wall with Seattle. They couldn't afford to keep him. Since he flirted around with retiring for a few years this definitely makes sense. Throw in the whole CTE discussion and I can see players wanting to retiring sooner the later now.
[doublepost=1455019225][/doublepost]
Apparently it's pretty much a done deal that Dante Scarnecchia is coming out of retirement and back to NE to coach the O-line.
Something had to be done, but coaching is only one piece of the puzzle.
 

panerista

macrumors G5
Original poster
Oct 20, 2011
12,681
10,516
Austin, TX
So sad - I think Manziel is done. I think he is going to find himself toxic among the NFL teams - including the Cowboys.

Manziel ruptured client's eardrum

His flame out is reminiscent of Ryan Leaf
Dallas media outlets have been reporting that the Cowboys are no longer interested in Manziel. Usually, that means Stephen Jones has exerted some level of authority over Jerry Jones.
 

Strider64

macrumors 65816
Dec 1, 2015
1,338
10,266
Suburb of Detroit
As a Detroit Lions fan I'm getting tired of people calling Calvin Johnson portending retirement classy. There's nothing classy about it, either give the Lions final notice that you're retiring or that you'll play another year.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,373
43,265
As a Detroit Lions fan I'm getting tired of people calling Calvin Johnson portending retirement classy. There's nothing classy about it, either give the Lions final notice that you're retiring or that you'll play another year.
I disagree, and I think what he's trying to do is behind the scenes negotiate a departure that makes sense for both himself and the team. If he hangs around, the Lions have to deal with his cap space. If he retires now, he has to pay back a portion of his signing bonus. Clearly there is the middle ground where he can retire, save the team some cap space but not be required to pay back the signing bonus.
[doublepost=1455028549][/doublepost]
Dallas media outlets have been reporting that the Cowboys are no longer interested in Manziel. Usually, that means Stephen Jones has exerted some level of authority over Jerry Jones.
I read similar news stories myself and I think Jerry Jones may have learned a lesson from the Greg Hardy debacle. Hardy added distractions and strife but did not improve the team, at least enough to justify his presence.

I've been calling him Ryan Leaf 2.0 for quite awhile now.
Sad, up until last week, I disagreed with that sentiment but his flame out is even more profound and precipitous then Leaf's fall from grace. He's a lost soul that people coddled far too long, so he really never learned some basic ideals like consequences from ones actions. He never was disciplined at Texas A&M for screwing around, though he was suspended for half a game for selling jerseys but you can't even qualify that as discipline.
 

rhett7660

macrumors G5
Jan 9, 2008
14,208
4,276
Sunny, Southern California
Not for nothing, but do you think Griffin can be groomed into a good backup and/or replacement to Romo when the time comes?

We are talking about Griffin the III correct. This is just me talking here, but I cannot stand him. I didn't like him in College and I really didn't like him when he played for Washington. So, to me. Nope. I think Dallas "might" be better off getting someone fresh, and groom them.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,373
43,265
We are talking about Griffin the III correct. This is just me talking here, but I cannot stand him. I didn't like him in College and I really didn't like him when he played for Washington. So, to me. Nope. I think Dallas "might" be better off getting someone fresh, and groom them.
Yup, that's whom I'm referring too.

I'm not really hot or cold on him. I do wonder if he has the football acumen to run a team at the NFL level. He certainly has shown some great athletic prowess, but NFL QBs need to more then a strong arm or fast legs.
 

rhett7660

macrumors G5
Jan 9, 2008
14,208
4,276
Sunny, Southern California
Yup, that's whom I'm referring too.

I'm not really hot or cold on him. I do wonder if he has the football acumen to run a team at the NFL level. He certainly has shown some great athletic prowess, but NFL QBs need to more then a strong arm or fast legs.

Exactly, this is how I feel also. It could be, that I don't like that team from D.C., or from that team that has a big ole bell in their city! :D
 

Mousse

macrumors 68040
Apr 7, 2008
3,455
6,634
Flea Bottom, King's Landing
The thing about the Packers (and to a lesser extent because Brady is older, the Patriots) is they have proven time and time again they can draft their way out of trouble in that regard. Aaron Rodgers is still has a lot of football left in him, and until he retires, the Packers are always in it.

The Pats are okay as long as Brady is still playing. It's not often you replace a great QB with another great QB. Sure the Packers struck gold going from Farve to Rodgers and the Niners from the GOAT to Steve Young, but ain't gonna happen for the Pats. Garapolo ain't the QB they're looking for.

Good riddance. take Sherman with you.

You have a grudge against Beast Mode? No... It's hatred of the Hawks. I don't particularly care for the Seahawks myself, but Lynch has proven time and again to be a class act. The man doesn't trash talk, doesn't act like a diva. He just plays hard.

I share your dislike for Sherman though.
 
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panerista

macrumors G5
Original poster
Oct 20, 2011
12,681
10,516
Austin, TX
The Pats are okay as long as Brady is still playing. It's not often you replace a great QB with another great QB. Sure the Packers struck gold going from Farve to Rodgers and the Niners from the GOAT to Steve Young, but ain't gonna happen for the Pats. Garapolo ain't the QB they're looking for.



You have a grudge against Beast Mode? No... It's hatred of the Hawks. I don't particularly care for the Seahawks myself, but Lynch has proven time and again to be a class act. The man doesn't trash talk, doesn't act like a diva. He just plays hard.

I share your dislike for Sherman though.
I don't know if JG is the quarterback of the future in New England or not. I want him to succeed though, because of the Eastern Illinois thing.
[doublepost=1455044439][/doublepost]I take exception to the Cowboys "needing a quarterback". They will within the next couple of seasons, but most teams don't have two viable quarterbacks.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,373
43,265
I don't know if JG is the quarterback of the future in New England or not. I want him to succeed though, because of the Eastern Illinois thing.
I don't consider him the QB of the future, but rather someone to manage the game in case Brady goes down.

I do think they need to start thinking about the post brady era, at least in planning. Granted, he could be playing for 5 more years but they should take those 5 years or a portion of that, to groom his eventual replacement.
 
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