Official 2018-19 NFL Thread

[GoSox05]

Just now, soxfan49 said:

Same website that lists Adrian Amos as one of the league's best safeties? Come on. That site is a joke. Go on a Packers message board. Almost all of their fans think he's no better than average.

Ok, got it.  PFF is a joke for analyzing football players, Packers message boards are not. 

Listen, if you think Kenny Clark "stinks" or is just an average player, you haven't watched him play. 

[soxfan49]

48 minutes ago, GoSox05 said:

Ok, got it.  PFF is a joke for analyzing football players, Packers message boards are not. 

Listen, if you think Kenny Clark "stinks" or is just an average player, you haven't watched him play. 

Their rankings are a joke. Do you think Adrian Amos is one of the 5 best SS's in football? If you say no, you're contradicting yourself.

Packers fans watch every snap of every game. They know if a player is good or not. I watched almost every Packers game last year myself. Kenny Clark isn't any good. He did almost nothing last year until their games became meaningless. Take a look.

[Chisoxfn]

1 hour ago, Balta1701 said:

With the way the cap works, Trubisky not breaking out for 3 or 4 years could certainly hurt you're right, I guess one thing I thought of in response though is last year's Jags. They were a good, solid, tough team, gave the Patriots a legit run for it in the AFC championship game, and they were there because of their defense and in spite of their QB play. With Mack in the fold can the Bears outdo that?

A counter-point on the Jags was 2 years before this past season (so now 3 years ago), they were the darlings in the NFL after making major splashes in FA to surround with Bortles and everyone expected them to take 2 steps forward. Instead they took a step or two back as part of their growing pains and than finally launched forward. I guess my point is, if we follow their pathway, than we just gave up 2 massively high draft picks for a team not ready to contend.  That was why in an isolated vacuum, I said this deal was done a year too soon...in an ideal world, Trubisky elevates his game this year and gives us the right signs that he is the franchise QB (plays well to the tune of an 7 or 8 win seasons but with major arrow pointing up)...and than we go out and get a Mack. 

Doing it a year early to me doesn't change the upside (upside is the same as I believe the window really starts  more a year or two years from now (and I believe that with or without Mack) and thus making the move now is more risky because the certainty I have in that window is much smaller (as in...will that window work or am I hitting "reset" on the franchise QB).

If I'm Pace, it doesn't matter as that "window" is fixed and tied to my contract so for him I don't necessarily see any additional "downside" risk. He will not lose his job over the Mack trade, it will be whether Trubisky pans out or not as Trubisky will be the key to them truly ascending up.  That is where a strong president could potentially help. Plus the NFL doesn't work in a vaccuum and a player of Mack's caliber doesn't come available every year, so you can't just build your team in a vaccuum so I certainly understand the decision to bet now and not wait (cause you never know whether you'll ever be able to add that "dynamic" pass rusher later).  

[ptatc]

1 hour ago, LittleHurt05 said:

They aren't listed at the same position.  Mack is OLB, Smith is ILB behind Kwiatkowski

I wasn't implying they were sharing the position just that  was the plying time they would receive in general. However, since frequently on passing downs one LB may come out of the game, it is possible that it may work that way.

[Chisoxfn]

2 hours ago, bmags said:

The reason I think this is a good move, and this was discussed on the nfl ringer pod this weekend, is you only get 4 years of a cheap rookie QB. If you wait and they are good, you are already hamstrung by the QB deal on the roster.

You may as well anticipate them being good and load up the roster with the additional cap space and elite pieces, and if Trubisky is a good qb, you are a legit contender immediately for a few years. Then you figure out post QB extension what team you can consistently put out there around him.

This is the main reason why I can get behind the deal. The theory now is the time and you are making that "huge" investment at the 2nd most important position in football.  

[GoSox05]

16 minutes ago, soxfan49 said:

Their rankings are a joke. Do you think Adrian Amos is one of the 5 best SS's in football? If you say no, you're contradicting yourself.

Packers fans watch every snap of every game. They know if a player is good or not. I watched almost every Packers game last year myself. Kenny Clark isn't any good. He did almost nothing last year until their games became meaningless. Take a look.

I don't know if Adrian Amos is one of the 5 best SS in football, I've barely seen him play. 

I do watch all the Packers games and I do watch Kenny Clark play.  He is one of the best run stopping NT in football and is well on his way to developing really good pass rush.  He is still only 22. 

I also follow people that break down his film, such as Ben Fennell, who works in film study for the Eagles. 

Honestly, you are the only person I've ever read say that he wasn't any good.  If I tried, I don't think I could find one article or anything written saying he isn't good. 

[Jose Abreu]

46 minutes ago, Chisoxfn said:

 Plus the NFL doesn't work in a vaccuum and a player of Mack's caliber doesn't come available every year, so you can't just build your team in a vaccuum so I certainly understand the decision to bet now and not wait (cause you never know whether you'll ever be able to add that "dynamic" pass rusher later).  

Off-topic, but replace "NFL" with "MLB", "Mack" with "Machado", and "pass rusher" with "middle of the order bat", and that's exactly why I think we're planning a huge run at Machado this offseason.

[TheTruth05]

8 minutes ago, Jose Abreu said:

Off-topic, but replace "NFL" with "MLB", "Mack" with "Machado", and "pass rusher" with "middle of the order bat", and that's exactly why I think we're planning a huge run at Machado this offseason.

This is exactly right. Also people saying "just wait for Arenado" are the same as people saying " Bears should have traded for him next offseason".  Anyway,back to football! lol

[ptatc]

30 minutes ago, Jose Abreu said:

Off-topic, but replace "NFL" with "MLB", "Mack" with "Machado", and "pass rusher" with "middle of the order bat", and that's exactly why I think we're planning a huge run at Machado this offseason.

Mack fills a huge positional need for the Bears at one of the most important positions on the field. Machado isn't a great SS although he is an elite hitter, do the Sox even have a postitional need at SS?

[Jose Abreu]

2 minutes ago, ptatc said:

Mack fills a huge positional need for the Bears at one of the most important positions on the field. Machado isn't a great SS although he is an elite hitter, do the Sox even have a postitional need at SS?

I was thinking third base, which I am assuming he will go back to when $300 million+ is on the table. Apparently he has stated that he would be willing to go back to it 

[ptatc]

3 minutes ago, Jose Abreu said:

I was thinking third base, which I am assuming he will go back to when $300 million+ is on the table. Apparently he has stated that he would be willing to go back to it 

Ok. Hadn't heard he was willing to go back to 3B.

[Chisoxfn]

44 minutes ago, Jose Abreu said:

Off-topic, but replace "NFL" with "MLB", "Mack" with "Machado", and "pass rusher" with "middle of the order bat", and that's exactly why I think we're planning a huge run at Machado this offseason.

I think it is actually a little more akin to last season's rumors about the Sox acquiring Machado a year early (and giving up assets to do so) with the intent to him agreeing to a long-term extension.  None fit exactly but getting Mack took more than just using up cap-space.  

[southsider2k5]

 

[Kyyle23]

 

[southsider2k5]

 

[LittleHurt05]

The NFL salary cap confuses me, but I can't imagine there is anyway the Rams could have signed Donald and Mack to the two highest defensive contracts in the league.

[Kyyle23]

17 minutes ago, LittleHurt05 said:

The NFL salary cap confuses me, but I can't imagine there is anyway the Rams could have signed Donald and Mack to the two highest defensive contracts in the league.

Suh isnt exactly cheap either

 

 

 

NFL STARTS TONIGHT WOOOOOOOOOO

[GoSox05]

Good lord, that Rams team with Mack would have been a nightmare.  If that was the other team that almost got him, I'm glad he went to the Bears.

[bmags]

57 minutes ago, LittleHurt05 said:

The NFL salary cap confuses me, but I can't imagine there is anyway the Rams could have signed Donald and Mack to the two highest defensive contracts in the league.

Well, what if they traded and then just franchised him and never gave him a deal and just waited for him to play?

[LittleHurt05]

29 minutes ago, bmags said:

Well, what if they traded and then just franchised him and never gave him a deal and just waited for him to play?

And if the refused to sign the franchised tag (like Le'Veon) then you just traded two 1st round picks for a guy to take zero snaps, think that would be too risky.

It seems like the Bears were already taking contract with Mack before the trade was finalized.

[bmags]

3 minutes ago, LittleHurt05 said:

And if the refused to sign the franchised tag (like Le'Veon) then you just traded two 1st round picks for a guy to take zero snaps, think that would be too risky.

It seems like the Bears were already taking contract with Mack before the trade was finalized.

I have a hard time believing Bell is going to forego more than a few weeks. So 14 games of Mack worth it?

[LittleHurt05]

3 minutes ago, bmags said:

I have a hard time believing Bell is going to forego more than a few weeks. So 14 games of Mack worth it?

If he ends up playing that much, then possibly, but you couldn't be sure.  Either way, it appears the Rams already used their franchise tag on their safety Joyner, so it wouldn't have been a possibility anyway.

[bmags]

10 minutes ago, LittleHurt05 said:

If he ends up playing that much, then possibly, but you couldn't be sure.  Either way, it appears the Rams already used their franchise tag on their safety Joyner, so it wouldn't have been a possibility anyway.

Well they wouldn't need to franchise him this year. He's under control, so this year you deal with hold out, franchise next 2 years. Risky but that's only way I see it possible on rams end.

That's what's crazy, raiders had 3 more years of control albeit with drama.

[Balta1701]

Does Mack count as a "Defensive end"? The 1 year Franchise Tag is over $17 million for that position, it's $14 mil for a linebacker. That's all guaranteed money and I think that's already a higher cap hit than the Bears have for him this year, not to mention the 2nd year.

[bmags]

He doesn't need to be franchised this year, they could figure it out next year. His cap hit this year was only 8.5 million or something.