2019 NFL off-season thread

What? You don’t think Connor Cook is the heir apparent to Matthew Stafford?

 

Le'Veon Bell reacts to criticism after missing spring practice

Le'Veon Bell is never wrong in anything he does. Just ask him.

He just sat out a year and he's with a new team, but don't worry, Jets fans. He knows what he's doing. He's not trying to win games. He wants a ring! (Because somehow those two objectives don't go together.)

 

Odell Beckham says he plans on turning the long-suffering Browns into the new Patriots

Odell Beckham, Jr. thinks the Browns can become the Patriots because of course he does. Never mind that the way they are building, star-driving with little interest in character and discipline, seems to be the opposite of what New England does.

Perhaps focus on making the playoffs first?

 

Insufferable?
Overexposed?

they're well on their way

 

Compared to other outfits at the Met Gala, that was tame.

 

They've actually been building through the draft, for the most part. Using a No. 1 pick on a No. 1 receiver with five years left on his deal was a no-brainer. Yeah, their moves to guys like Hunt and a bigoted special teams coach are specious, but this is an organization that has erected a statue of a notorious woman abuser and practically uses him as a mascot now. But beyond Hunt, what bad character guys will be on the roster (outside of the norm that seems to checker every NFL roster)? Any double murderers? And it's New England, not Cleveland, that Josh Gordon now calls home. What about PED-boy Edelman? He's of good character? Were Aqib Talib, Albert Haynesworth, Michael Floyd, Mike Vrabel and Corey Dillon not contributors for the Pats during the Belichick/Brady era? I'm sure there are others. So while they're not the Bengals, they're not squeaky clean, either. On that note, what NFL team *does* care about character and discipline? Obviously not the squad you root for.

 

Do you need to take something for that nerve I hit?

Thank you for repeating the exact argument about bad character types on every roster that I've been making here for years.

The Patriots have had as many jackasses as anybody, but they still play within the system or they do not last long. Adding Beckham was a no-brainer, but it does show a limited interest in character and discipline. So does the Hunt signing. Honestly, I was focused more on the discipline and team-first approach. If you don't think those things have been a big part of the Patriots's success, you haven't been paying attention.

I also thought it was very funny to hear that talk coming from Beckham.

 

What nerve? I asked a question. How exactly are the Browns building that other teams don't? And if you've been making that assertion about all NFL teams for years, why are you singling out the Browns for doing it and pointing out that the Patriots don't -- even though they do it as much, or more, than most teams? Is Beckham a bad-character guy, or just a clown? I really don't know. I've never paid attention to him. From a distance, he seems like a typical NFL WR diva, but other than getting injured, has he ever not produced?

Cut me some slack. Football hasn't been interesting in this neighborhood in 30 years. If that means having a clown at WR, so be it. I could certainly do without Kareem Hunt, though, and it will be high comedy listening to Browns fans rationalize his behavior a few years after saying Ray Rice and half of Cincy's roster should be banished (let alone Rapistraper over in the Burgh).

 

Please. You went right into attack mode on the Steelers. Clearly I touched a nerve. I certainly get it coming from a Browns fan.

I never said the Browns were doing anything different from the rest of the NFL, but the Patriots absolutely do it differently. They simply play smarter than the rest of the league. For Beckham, who is at best an undisciplined clown, to suggest they can duplicate that when this group hasn't even made the playoffs yet was amusing to me.

 

It's kind of remarkable how quickly the Browns have gone from potential feel-good story to an annoyance, e.g., Baker Mayfield getting interviewed at the Kentucky Derby about OBJ and the team's SB chances. JFC, the expectations are gonna crush this team and I am going to enjoy it.

 

At least let them enjoy the expectations for a while before preemptively shitting all over them.