2023 NFL offseason thread

Peter Schrager was talking about Tua’s butt being big this morning on GMF.

The preseason needs to end.

 

oh my god becky look at his butt

 

I heard that. It was part of their segment with Tagovailoa telling Ryan Clark to keep his name out of his mouth. Clark made a joke questioning Tagovailoa's offseason conditioning work. Shrager was making a point about the young quarterback's body type, but yeah, it got ridiculous.

 

It is definitely a huge mistake, but it is easier to shrug off when team is that good and they seem to have found their starting quarterback. If Purdy's performance late last season turns out to be a fluke and he flops, I imagine the criticism will get much louder. I'm just hoping he sucks in the opener.

 

I forgot, also, Lance broke his finger during his rookie season which people in interviews now (including Shanahan) are saying set him back from developing.

That said, it’s becoming clear Niners should never have traded up to get him. Maybe should have taken Mack Jones instead

 

The NFLPA is deemed weaker than the MLBPA and NBPA because the contracts are not guaranteed. Under that criteria I understand. But you're missing the reality of the situation.

The MLBPA set the bar by striking in '81, '87 and sitting tight even after they got locked out in '94 (the owners made the move in '94). Likewise, the NBPA has shown similar solidarity in '99 and then recently.

The NFLPA has simply not shown the same gumption to stomach a work stoppage. I certainly understand the reasons why, a NFL player's career is simply much shorter. Morally that means they should be getting treated better, not worse. But capitalism doesn't work that way, we all know it. Most importantly the NFL Owners know it and milk it for all its worth during collective bargaining negotiations. The NFLPA went the decertification route (no union, each player is a free agent when their contract expires) and it worked but then the NFLPA went back to unionization and have bargained away many advantages. (Conversely, there is a much better pension and medical insurance benefits in place now, but no one talks about that and I believe retirees get some more.)

As fans, we should be celebrating this because we get labor stability and the games go off as scheduled. But if we missed the '94 World Series, can you imagine if on Feb. 9, 2024 we got Simpson reruns instead of the Super Bowl?? That's the ultimate nuclear bomb in the NFLPA arsenal but the risks are enormous to the players as well. There's the risk that the owners lock the players out for a whole year after.

I'm just pointing out its easy to rip on the NFLPA but you try getting what you say they should get and you tell and convince the players to risk their careers/livelihoods. Most importantly, you as a player vote for a work stoppage and face no paychecks for six months/a year. Not so easy. The MLB players have done it and I still think that's one of organized labors' shining moments (I'm not discounting Samuel Gompers and the Wobblies (IWW and the original AFL, sorry undergrad econ class reference popping up).

 

I'm not worried about the sunk cost in Lance because they made up for it by scoring with Purdy. He may not ever be an All-Pro but he's a huge upgrade over Jimmy G and that's what's important.

Is Lance a bust? He's still only 23, there's a tremendous amount of time left, check out Mayfield, Darnold, etc. there will be other chances. I'm not ready to put him up there with Russell and Leaf yet because he's been injured.

 

That’s fair. I was super stoked on Trey when they drafted him mostly because he could move like Jimmy couldn’t. And you’re right, there’s time with him to turn around. But not seeing him progress and people saying the finger put him way behind exposes what little experience he actually has on any level. I think the injury was tough luck, but I feel like Trey should have beaten Darnold for No. 2. The fact he couldn’t suggests he wasn’t worth the draft capital they gave up for him and probably, at the very least, gotten him for much cheaper.

 

The thing about labor, organized or not, is that as long as wages are going up, the fact that capital is getting a bigger share just doesn't inspire outrage, at least not enough outrage to provoke labor action. As long as the NFL pie keeps growing, the union will not have enough militant members to do much.

 

I'm not sure what you think I'm missing. Yes, missing all or part of a season is a bigger hit for NFL players, but the fact remains that the NFLPA is weaker than the MLBPA and the NBPA. They fold every time and they pay the price.

 

This is a good point, but the other major sports aren't exactly hurting for dollars, either.

 

I’m just pointing out that they’re weak for a reason which is hard to argue against.