2014 NFL off-season thread

I do too but from listening to Florio it really is that cut and dry. Take the source for what's it's worth.

 

Victor Cruz plays mostly in the slot. Brandon Marshall lines up there a ton. The Lions use Calvin Johnson in the slot quite a bit. Andre Johnson for the Texans. More and more, teams are putting some of their best weapons in the slot to try to draw a favorable matchup.

Again, I wasn't trying to prove Jimmy Graham is one of the top five wide receivers in the NFL, or even one of the top 15 (though he might have a case for the top 15 -- I'd have to think about that one). NO ONE has to prove that. All Graham has to prove is that he played wide receiver on the majority of his snaps. If he can show he was lined up in the same way as, say, Cruz on two-thirds of his plays, it's a very compelling argument.

The numbers were simply for perspective, to show that Graham, lined up mostly split out or in the slot, was as productive as a high-caliber wide receiver, and much more productive as a receiver than anyone labeled a tight end.

It would be interesting, though, to see his numbers broken down by who's covering him -- a CB, a safety or a linebacker. You might not be convinced, but I don't think you shut down Graham simply by covering him with a corner.

 

Again, the language in the CBA is quite clear.

 

Florio hasn't been too good on this -- he has been writing for a month about what would happen when the Saints tagged him as a tight end (and the chance that it could lead to Graham being declared a free agent) only to find out today that players aren't tagged as any position.

That's kind of a big whiff.

 

Regarding Graham, it would make sense for his agent to spend time insisting that Graham get paid similar to Rob Gronkowski. Gronk's deal was six years, $54 million. More details on Gronk's contract here:

http://overthecap.com/cap.php?Name=Rob%20Gronkowski%20&Position=TE&Team=Patriots

The Saints might win the argument that Graham should be franchised as a TE, but they'll be hard pressed to argue he should get less per year than the TE franchise tag of $7 million when Gronk's average is $9 million.

On another note, here's the details on the salary cap and franchise tags:

http://overthecap.com/salary-cap-set-133-million/

 

Competition committee supposedly discussing a 43-yard extra point:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000330411/article/nfl-might-experiment-with-making-extrapoint-attempts-longer

Also, a roundup of who did (and who didn't) get franchise tags. Jimmy Graham was tagged as a tight end:

http://nfl.si.com/2014/03/03/2014-nfl-franchise-tag-tracker/

 

It figures. No other entity is able to lay a glove on the NFL so they'll try and create their own evil alter-ego "Bizarro NFL" where they inflict more damage on their sport than any other institution could imagine.

If I'm starting up a new football league, I go to 1977 rules (stickum, contact with receivers, hands inside blocking...may as well require all but four players a side to play both offense and defense).

 

The increase in the cap seems to have changed some plans. The Steelers had said they would most likely not put either tag on Jason Worilds, but that was before the increase was announced and they put the transition tag on him today.

Maybe they didn't want a repeat of Keenan Lewis last offseason. Lewis had a breakout season in 2012, but the Steelers didn't make much of an effort to keep him and he signed with the Saints. Lewis was outstanding in 2013 and the Pittsburgh defense dropped off dramatically without him.

Now it is Worilds' turn. He had been a disappointment, but he emerged as one of the better players on the defense in 2013. The Steelers really need to keep him and cut Woodley loose.

 

Dolphins cough up four years, $32M for Brent Grimes. Not bad for a D-II kid.

 

Graham wasn't complaining about being a tight end when he was earning All-Pro awards and Pro Bowl bids at the position. He wasn't petitioning the NFL because he was split wide on 67 percent of his snaps or whatever the number is. Can't have it both ways.

 

If they can lump all of the linemen together they should let tight ends be lumped with receivers.

 

Why not? He wasn't asked to define his position for those awards. Those things were decided for him.

By the way the rule is written, it sounds absolutely legitimate for him to be considered a wide receiver for franchise tag purposes.