~2018 NFL Thread~

[Mdot21]

I agree Gurley banged up allowed N.E. to focus on Goff.Not ready to throw Goff under the bus just yet as it took Peyton and the Colts a while, but he's paid rather well to deliver the goods and he seemed to choke Sunday.N.E. schemed good but Goff lost his season swagger for sure

Goff is a product of McVay and that running game with Gurley imo. The Rams want to run the ball then go deep on high percentage deep throws off play action. McVay schemes great plays and is in Goff’s ear on the mic just up until 15 seconds are left on the play-clock. Well, McVay was off his game and Gurley was banged up and the Rams couldn’t run the ball effectively. Ask Goff to carry a team and he just can’t. He needs the great supporting cast and everything working to perfection for him to play at a high level.

[Mdot21]

And yes, he's done pretty darn well with his current arm...
Some players tend to drive themselves beyond their prime, and you'd think that going out on your 6th ring [more than any other player] would be leaving on a high note.
Does he want to end his career on top?

Why would he end his career right now though? He just won the Super Bowl and is probably thinking he can go win another one. The Patriots still have Belichik and McDaniels coaching the defense and offense respectively. They have their best OL they’ve had in years coming back and they have their best stable of RBs they’ve had in years coming back. They have 12 draft picks in the upcoming draft and if they cut/trade Gronk and a few other guys they can clear up cap space to get a nice F/A or two. 
He’s not walking away. He’s probably thinking man I can play at high level for 3 more years and maybe win 2-3 more Super Bowls. He wins like 8 Super Bowls and plays in 11 or 12- forget NFL- he’ll make himself the greatest, most accomplished player in American sports period. He’s chasing ghosts and things that have never been done nor will be done again. Why would he stop now?

[betarhoalphadelta]

Why would he end his career right now though? He just won the Super Bowl and is probably thinking he can go win another one. The Patriots still have Belichik and McDaniels coaching the defense and offense respectively. They have their best OL they’ve had in years coming back and they have their best stable of RBs they’ve had in years coming back. They have 12 draft picks in the upcoming draft and if they cut/trade Gronk and a few other guys they can clear up cap space to get a nice F/A or two.
He’s not walking away. He’s probably thinking man I can play at high level for 3 more years and maybe win 2-3 more Super Bowls. He wins like 8 Super Bowls and plays in 11 or 12- forget NFL- he’ll make himself the greatest, most accomplished player in American sports period. He’s chasing ghosts and things that have never been done nor will be done again. Why would he stop now?

He also thinks his quack doctor is a sage and he doesn't eat tomatoes. 
I guess the answer is that he thinks he can keep it up... Whether that's true or not will be seen, I guess. 

[Mdot21]

He also thinks his quack doctor is a sage and he doesn't eat tomatoes.
I guess the answer is that he thinks he can keep it up... Whether that's true or not will be seen, I guess.

He’s been playing better as he ages with the quack trainer. Brady has only gotten better with age. Most QBs get worse. 
There’s no evidence to suggest that he can’t keep it up. He’s been to the AFC title game 8 years straight and has been to 4 of the last 5 Super Bowls and won 3 of them. The one he lost, he only set the All-Time record for yards thrown in a playoff game. 
They draft a stud young TE like Fant or Gentry and go make a trade for a veteran receiver like Larry Fitzgerald or Antonio Brown and then maybe sign an impact DL on the F/A market like Demarcus Lawrence or Suh and they’ll be right back in the Super Bowl. Again.

[ELA]

No chance the Steelers trade Brown to New England, and as much as Fitzgerald probably wants a championship, has he said anything about a trade?  I get the impression he wants to finish in Arizona.

I also disagree that he's gotten better with age.  He's certainly better at 41 or 42 than any other quarterback of that age I've ever seen, but there's no way he's better than he was 3 or 5 or 10 years ago.  He doesn't have a deep ball anymore.

[Anonymous Coward]

I wasn't evaluating Brady's deep ball before. That's probably diminished but even then, in this offense, a deep ball is more window dressing than main event. The vast majority of Brady's daggers or most famous plays in the last decade were line drives 10-30 yards out, often into tight windows, especially on 3rd and long. And so far that's still there and is on its own enough to earn rings.

[Mdot21]

No chance the Steelers trade Brown to New England, and as much as Fitzgerald probably wants a championship, has he said anything about a trade?  I get the impression he wants to finish in Arizona.

I also disagree that he's gotten better with age.  He's certainly better at 41 or 42 than any other quarterback of that age I've ever seen, but there's no way he's better than he was 3 or 5 or 10 years ago.  He doesn't have a deep ball anymore.

Deep ball down the seam to Gronk was perfect.
He doesn’t have a deep threat on the outside worth a squirt of piss. Chris Hogan? Phillip Dorsett? Cordarelle Patterson? All complete and utter trash. He had an out of shape, hadn’t played a game in like 5 years Josh Gordon for what- 10 weeks? Gordon was OK but still not remotely close to what he once was. That’s what happens when you’re on drugs and suspended for the last 5 years. Gronk is a broken down shell of himself and Eldeman is a slot receiver. He hasn’t had any weapons that can get deep. Past his prime druggy and a broken down 30 year old TE is all he had that can get deep. And Gronk doesn’t even get separation anymore he just happens to be gigantic with great body control/hands. How bout they give him some actual weapons before we say he’s finished? Just a thought. 
Steelers might not have a choice. They have to trade him and whoever makes the best offer will be the one they take. 

[ELA]

Who is saying he's finished?  I just said that while he's better than any 42 year old QB has the right to be, which isn't exactly a mystery, I wouldn't say he's BETTER now than he was 3-5 years ago, which you did.  He's still a top 5-6 QB in the league.

[Anonymous Coward]

Who is saying he's finished?  I just said that while he's better than any 42 year old QB has the right to be, which isn't exactly a mystery, I wouldn't say he's BETTER now than he was 3-5 years ago, which you did.  He's still a top 5-6 QB in the league.

Arm wise, that has to be true. How about in terms of a football brain - Are any better? That's a leading question, I know, but I still mean for it to include real curiosity.

[MrNubbz]

Steelers might not have a choice. They have to trade him and whoever makes the best offer will be the one they take.

And since when has Belichick ponied up for a playmaker?He'll grab someone fast off the waiver wire and make due.Or attempt to make Mr Irrelevant into an Edelman/Welker

[ELA]

Steelers might not have a choice. They have to trade him and whoever makes the best offer will be the one they take.

The best offer may not be what's best for the team.  If the best offer comes from a fellow AFC contender, it may still better for the franchise to take the next best offer from the 49ers or Packers or Panthers or whoever.

[Mdot21]

Who is saying he's finished?  I just said that while he's better than any 42 year old QB has the right to be, which isn't exactly a mystery, I wouldn't say he's BETTER now than he was 3-5 years ago, which you did.  He's still a top 5-6 QB in the league.

Top 5-6? He's still the top QB in the leauge imo. Rodgers is right there as well though. Mahomes is the only other one I'd put up there with Brady/Rodgers but he does have the luxury of playing for an offensive wizard in Reid and with legit weapons all in their prime up the wazoo like Sammy Watkins, Tyreke Hill, Travis Kelcee, and Kareem Hunt (for most of the season anyway). No QB in the leauge had young, in their prime All-Pro/Pro Bowl fire power across the board at RB-WR-TE like that. Brees is about done imo- he fell off the cliff the last half of the season and during the post season. Rivers has never been nothing more than a stat padder. Goff is a phony. Luck is extremely talented but oft-injured and a turnover machine. Big Ben is washed up. Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson probably round out the top 5 imo. Luck is right there behind them at 6.

[Mdot21]

The best offer may not be what's best for the team.  If the best offer comes from a fellow AFC contender, it may still better for the franchise to take the next best offer from the 49ers or Packers or Panthers or whoever.

true. but hard to see them passing up a sweetheart deal if New England were to offer say a 2nd and 3rd in this draft plus a 3rd or 4th in next years draft. Pats have 12 picks this year and 9 the following. Belichik has said many, many times that he's not going to be like Marvy Levy and be coaching when he's 75. He turns 67 this year. My guess is Brady and Belichik started this thing together and they'll finish this thing together. Their window to win is right now. 21 picks over the next two drafts- they're going to be wheeling and dealing and making some moves.

[ELA]

I'm also not sure he hasn't hit a point that a contender may not want to risk it . He's not simply a distraction anymore.  He had yet another legal issue over the weekend . He quit on his teammates the final week . If you are San Francisco, it's worth the risk.  New England?  Not so sure.