NFL NFL 2025 OFFSEASON Thread

[Kevin Wilson]

5 hours ago, Brian Fowler said:

I think Higgins is really really damn good, but I think there's also a real possibility he wouldn't look like a top ten/borderline top five wide receiver if he didn't have Joe Burrow throwing to him and Ja'Marr Chase getting the number one receiver attention from the defenses.

I'm going way way back for this example, but I vividly remember Alvin Harper leaving Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman and having his yards per catch drop double digits and go overnight from one of the best young receivers in the NFL to Just A Guy status. I think Higgins is a hell of a lot better than Harper was, but I still think that basic effect would be on the table.

I don't necessarily disagree with you that that could be a possibility but you know Higgins and his agent wouldn't agree haha if he is happy in his spot I'm not judging, just surprised he didn't try to test the waters to see if a WR1 spot was available elsewhere with mid to upper WR1 money (especially after the cap goes up another 20 mil after next season).

[paragon11]

7 hours ago, Brian Fowler said:

I think Higgins is really really damn good, but I think there's also a real possibility he wouldn't look like a top ten/borderline top five wide receiver if he didn't have Joe Burrow throwing to him and Ja'Marr Chase getting the number one receiver attention from the defenses.

I'm going way way back for this example, but I vividly remember Alvin Harper leaving Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman and having his yards per catch drop double digits and go overnight from one of the best young receivers in the NFL to Just A Guy status. I think Higgins is a hell of a lot better than Harper was, but I still think that basic effect would be on the table.

Harper got his bag of money from the Bucs in 1995, who were coming off a 5-11 season in 1994, and had Trent Dilfer in his 2nd season as starting QB.  Granted, Harper did lead all their WRs in yards (and caught 46 passes out of 103 targets), but was 2nd on the team to TE Jackie Harris.  And you are correct.  24.9 YPC in 1994, 13.8 YPC in 1995

1996 was worse for Harper, lost his starting gig for a while, and then got released at the end of the year.

[Dolfan in NYC]

Brandon Graham has announced his retirement. 

I'd say coming back from a torn tricep to play in, and win the Super Bowl for the team you've been on for 15 years is a fucking solid way to go out.

[RIPPA]

 

[NoFistsJustFlips]

A dome in a cold weather city just seems so blasphemous. That killer Steelers at Browns snow game last year wont be able to happen again. I get why they're doing it. But I don't have to like it.

[Dolfan in NYC]

Update on Aaron Rodgers.  

Minnesota did basically the most annoying thing possible and said they're interested but are going to 'continue monitoring' Rodgers as an option. They will not be signing him "at this point in the offseason."    They understand this means he may sign elsewhere or retire.  

Basically they're out, but they're not out out.  

 

[Brian Fowler]

Read: if training camp starts and JJ either struggles or his knee still seems fucked, we'll call.

[supremebve]

16 minutes ago, Dolfan in NYC said:

Update on Aaron Rodgers.  

Minnesota did basically the most annoying thing possible and said they're interested but are going to 'continue monitoring' Rodgers as an option. They will not be signing him "at this point in the offseason."    They understand this means he may sign elsewhere or retire.  

Basically they're out, but they're not out out.  

 

This is the NFL version of a teenage boy asking a girl out and her saying, "maybe," to let you off easy, but you go and tell your friends that you might be going out with her.  Sure, she might exhaust all of her options and go out with you, but the overwhelming odds are you'll be at home playing Monopoly with your parents.

[Tabe]

The Lions have proposed changing playoff seeding to be strictly based on records. Doubt that goes anywhere. 

They also proposed eliminating automatic 1st downs for defensive holding and illegal contact. Doubt this goes anywhere either but I am highly in favor of this idea. If offensive holding isn't a loss of down, defensive shouldn't be a first down. 

[Dolfan in NYC]

3 minutes ago, Tabe said:

The Lions have proposed changing playoff seeding to be strictly based on records. Doubt that goes anywhere. 

They also proposed eliminating automatic 1st downs for defensive holding and illegal contact. Doubt this goes anywhere either but I am highly in favor of this idea. If offensive holding isn't a loss of down, defensive shouldn't be a first down. 

Nah, screw that.  If a Linebacker grabs a WR on a route where they're a step from being wide open and getting a potential big gain... yeah, the penalty for that should be relatively severe. 

[Kevin Wilson]

1 hour ago, Dolfan in NYC said:

Nah, screw that.  If a Linebacker grabs a WR on a route where they're a step from being wide open and getting a potential big gain... yeah, the penalty for that should be relatively severe. 

The problem is you'd almost need two sets of rules for the same penalty and the league stopped doing that (as they should). I think all fans are annoyed when its 3rd and 30 and a LB hits a TE a little too hard ten yards downfield and its a first down for illegal contact, but as you said if its not an automatic first down then CBs would take advantage of that on long situations. So they can't really change it even though its annoying.

[Tabe]

5 hours ago, Dolfan in NYC said:

Nah, screw that.  If a Linebacker grabs a WR on a route where they're a step from being wide open and getting a potential big gain... yeah, the penalty for that should be relatively severe. 

Cuz, yeah, that's so different from a RT grabbing a DE to stop a sack? 

In case it's not clear, I don't actually mind the automatic 1st down. I just think offensive penalties should include loss of down. 

Now ask me how offensive "half the distance" penalties should be changed... 

[Mister TV]

5 hours ago, Kevin Wilson said:

The problem is you'd almost need two sets of rules for the same penalty and the league stopped doing that (as they should). I think all fans are annoyed when its 3rd and 30 and a LB hits a TE a little too hard ten yards downfield and its a first down for illegal contact, but as you said if its not an automatic first down then CBs would take advantage of that on long situations. So they can't really change it even though it’s annoying.

Yeah every 3rd and long will be a D holding fest. 
 

Changing the seeding to records is dumb, this past season the NFC North teams got to inflate their records due to getting to play the crummy AFC South, while the NFC East has the tougher matchups against the AFC North. 

[Tabe]

2 hours ago, Mister TV said:

Yeah every 3rd and long will be a D holding fest. 

As opposed to "fling up a pass that's thrown 4 yards short to draw a BS pass interference"? 

[DangerMark]

6 hours ago, Tabe said:

Now ask me how offensive "half the distance" penalties should be changed... 

So called "smart" penalties are, to me, one of the most irritating things in sport and a sure sign that deliberately cheating is not being punished hard enough. Automatic scores if a foul stops a sure-fire score, please and thank you.

[Dolfan in NYC]

8 hours ago, DangerMark said:

So called "smart" penalties are, to me, one of the most irritating things in sport and a sure sign that deliberately cheating is not being punished hard enough. Automatic scores if a foul stops a sure-fire score, please and thank you.

Technically, that's on the books.  It hasn't been invoked since pre-television era, but penalties occurring repeatedly and (I believe the language is) patently unfairly, can have the referee award a score.

The refs warned it when Philly was repeatedly trying the assisted QB rush and the other team kept trying to guess correctly. 

[Kevin Wilson]

1 hour ago, Dolfan in NYC said:

Technically, that's on the books.  It hasn't been invoked since pre-television era, but penalties occurring repeatedly and (I believe the language is) patently unfairly, can have the referee award a score.

The refs warned it when Philly was repeatedly trying the assisted QB rush and the other team kept trying to guess correctly. 

They should have called it on that asshole Tomlin on the kickoff return when he was on the field of play. Cowards. Obviously refs will do absolutely anything in their power not to award points due to the optics of it, don't really blame them.

[NoFistsJustFlips]

The NFL schedule is structured around the importance of winning your division. You play your fellow division rivals twice every year. If the seeding got changed to strictly record only it would really kind of make all that pointless. It really messes with the clean and easy to understand current seeding. Win your division and you're rewarded with a home game, regardless of record. Otherwise 2 out of the 3 games in the NFC Wildcard would have been hosted by NFC North teams and then guaranteed another in Divisional week. That doesn't seem balanced to me.

Its an equal luck of the draw kind of thing. Who knows if you're division will be tough or easy. But no matter what, if you win a division title you get that home game. Having three teams in the same division get home games and the rest of the conference not, seems awfully short sighted and unfair.

The ones that I hope pass are aligning Playoff OT & Regular OT to be the same, and banning the Tush Push.

[Tabe]

19 hours ago, DangerMark said:

So called "smart" penalties are, to me, one of the most irritating things in sport and a sure sign that deliberately cheating is not being punished hard enough. Automatic scores if a foul stops a sure-fire score, please and thank you.

I mean half the distance called on the offense. What should happen is this:

Offense on the 6, 1st & 10, gets called for holding. Right now, penalty moves ball back to the 3. Still 1st down, but 1st & 13. That's terrible. Should be "ball moved back 3, down marker goes forward the other 7". So 1st & 20 but the marker is now on the 23 instead of the 16.

This way the offense is still penalized the full yardage of the penalty. 

Edited March 21 by Tabe

[Dolfan in NYC]

I'd say sorry Steelers fans, but....  let's be honest, you kinda deserve what you're about to get. 

[Travis Sheldon]

Destruction of the Steelers from within.

Brilliant!

[Contentious C]

2 hours ago, Travis Sheldon said:

Destruction of the Steelers from within.

Brilliant!

If only his insane viewpoints gave him an opportunity to destroy some different Steelers (sic) from within. It almost happened already!

[RIPPA]

YES!!! ITS HAPPENING!!!

THE GIANTS ARE SIGNING JAMEIS!!!!

[hammerva]

I know they will never do it again but a Hard Knocks with Jameis Winston and Tommy Devito would be insane 

[Kevin Wilson]

Perhaps a hot take: In 2025 I'd rather have Winston than Rodgers. I'm not saying Winston is necessarily a better QB, but a combination of the money saved to get other FAs and the fact Winston isn't a pain to deal with on a personal/media level, he'd be my pick any day of the week.