2024 NFL Thread

[MrNubbz]

Are we still allowed to talk about the NFL here or is this the Nubbz/HB Day thread now?

Stifle it Edith 

[ELA]

https://twitter.com/riger1984/status/1878996669121081598?t=gaOcnwYlMl1CQk1I1J5jYQ&s=19

[ELA]

Bills/Lions seems like a watchable SB. 

Homerishly I obviously want Detroit, but at this point as long as its not Philly or KC, Im good with the other 6 teams

[EastAthens]

The Rams are playing some serious defense but Darnold is helping them.

[ELA]

The Rams are playing some serious defense but Darnold is helping them.

They were breaking down last week that while Darnold's numbers against the blitz were pretty good, teams generally both blitzed and pressed, the thinking being that if you got pressure, the receivers wouldn't have as much time to get open.  but his receivers arent great route runners, and they would just beat teams over the top.  Lions bith blitzed and dropped safeties. and LBs.  They bet that the Vikings receivers couldn't find the open spots, and that Darnold. wpuldnt fond them if they did.  They were right, and Rams doing the same thing

[ELA]

This is actually making me wonder just how impressive the Lions pass rush actually was last week. Vikings OL looks brutal. 

[GopherRock]

That was the way everyone thought the Vikings would be playing much earlier on in the season than Week 18.

[MikeDeTiger]

They were breaking down last week that while Darnold's numbers against the blitz were pretty good, teams generally both blitzed and pressed, the thinking being that if you got pressure, the receivers wouldn't have as much time to get open.  but his receivers arent great route runners, and they would just beat teams over the top.  Lions bith blitzed and dropped safeties. and LBs.  They bet that the Vikings receivers couldn't find the open spots, and that Darnold. wpuldnt fond them if they did.  They were right, and Rams doing the same thing

I've seen you say several times Jefferson is not a good route runner.  What is your rationale for that?  From what I can glean from trying to keep up with him on paper, he seems to be widely considered one of the best route runners in the game today.  It's hard to imagine a guy amassing more yards than anyone in history each cumulative year who is not a great route runner.  I've mentioned I barely ever get to watch him, so I don't know a lot about his NFL game.  I can say with certainty in college he was a premier route runner, far better than Ja'Marr Chase who survived more on sheer athletic ability, and better than most everyone who played college ball at that time, including CeeDee Lamb.  When I do occasionally see him in the NFL I don't see evidence that his route running is a concern.  Just curious what you base that on.  

You previously said he gets by due to being a physical freak.  I mean....I guess I could see that?....he has great hands and was always good at contested catches, but he was not even on LSU's short list of freakish physically gifted WRs.  He was not fast by WR standards, or tall by WR standards.  He got by in college not by out-athleting his defenders, he was just way too crisp of a route runner and he knew how to get open.  I'm surprised to hear you say route running is a weakness for him.  I'm not disputing it per se, but I certainly would not have expected it.  

[ELA]

That was the way everyone thought the Vikings would be playing much earlier on in the season than Week 18.

He helped make their decision.  Daniel Jones is already on the roster, you can keep him on backup money to be what they thought Darnold was going to be this year, and hand it off to JJ next year

[ELA]

https://twitter.com/PaulHembo/status/1879191989012550105?t=30HgEror1B7cX4kzKTlqaw&s=19

[ELA]

https://twitter.com/getnickwright/status/1878240370187784358?t=BCBHA5EToqgt8ENxWdac-g&s=19

Listening to guys on The Athletic discuss this Justin Herbert season, you could literally edit out the name Herbert for Darnold, and it would hold up, and they would disagree with themselves if you did so.  "Throws a beautiful ball, doesn't have it upstairs.  This was a great bounceback season, and they overachieved.  You can't judge him solely off playoff performance."  But somehow they are trying to excuse all of Herbert's faults away.  The one guy said he thought Herbert would be better than Burrow, but he admits they are the same tier.  WHAT????  Herbert is Goff tier, which is fine, if you surround him with talent, which LA hasn't done.  I'm not writing him off, he could be fine, but I don't understand why the football brains are still so in love with him

[FearlessF]

Darnold just shit the bed in the playoffs

his O-line didn't help him, neither did his coaches

cost him a shit ton of money

[MikeDeTiger]

nfl.com has a poll to vote for the Rookie of the Year.  There are six options, three of them are from last year's LSU offense. 

Brian Kelly had a QB/WR-duo combo literally on par with 2019's historic (for 4 years, anyway) QB/WR-duo combo. 

I doubt I'll ever forgive him for wasting that with a historically bad defense.  All he had to do was field a Top 50 D, maybe even top 60, and that team wins at least a conference title, maybe more.  All he had to do was not be below 100 with roster mismanagement and crap coaches. 

Maybe NFL teams will do more with these guys than we could.  Although they play for Washington, Jacksonville, and the Giants, so....probably not.   

[MikeDeTiger]

Darnold just shit the bed in the playoffs

his O-line didn't help him, neither did his coaches

Shoulda paid me not to watch.