NFL Week 16 Thread

[JC]

There's a lesson here. Remember when Lynch was released by Buffalo? In football more than other sports we have guys all the time who are declared busts or finished, only to achieve success at their next stop or coach. Even with QBs (Warner, Cunningham, Smith). If I were the Jets or one of the other teams with big holes at QB, I would absolutely buy low on Cutler.

Lynch was traded not released.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Dear Recovering: The guys I was discussing were all let go early in their careers by their original teams, not guys who went to other teams after establishing themselves as Hall of Fame caliber players, which is much more common as you noted.

 

[Morris816]

The lesson to be learned with Cutler is this: If you have a quarterback who can do some good things, but hasn't proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he's the long-term guy, you don't give him fully guaranteed money for more than one year in a new contract. Had the Bears simply made the 2014 salary a full guarantee, then "guaranteed for injury only" for the next two seasons, they would be in better position.

The Bengals did that with Andy Dalton. The Niners have done that with Colin Kaepernick. The Bears didn't do it with Cutler. Now they're in a "damned if we do, damned if we don't" situation.

 

[93Devil]

Most guys play for two teams

Montana
Lott
Rice
Manning
Faulk
Tomlinson

All those guys earned their HOF place with their first team. I'm looking for guys who earned HOF, or darn close to HOF, place after they were let go from one team.

 

[RecoveringJournalist]

The lesson to be learned with Cutler is this: If you have a quarterback who can do some good things, but hasn't proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he's the long-term guy, you don't give him fully guaranteed money for more than one year in a new contract. Had the Bears simply made the 2014 salary a full guarantee, then "guaranteed for injury only" for the next two seasons, they would be in better position.

The Bengals did that with Andy Dalton. The Niners have done that with Colin Kaepernick. The Bears didn't do it with Cutler. Now they're in a "damned if we do, damned if we don't" situation.

It will be interesting to see what kind of contracts Cam Newton and Russell Wilson sign this off-season. I will bet they will more closely resemble what Cutler and Flacco signed than what Kaepernick and Dalton signed.

Cutler has a good agent. Kaepernick does not. I have no idea who Dalton's agent is.

 

[Mr. Sunshine]

Faulk did not earn HOF status with the Colts.

 

[RecoveringJournalist]

All those guys earned their HOF place with their first team. I'm looking for guys who earned HOF, or darn close to HOF, place after they were let go from one team.

Somtimes guys aren't left for dead, but they're traded for whatever reason...

Faulk
Favre
Brees

 

[JC]

Brees wasn't traded

 

[outofplace]

Lynch was traded not released.

Good call, JC. They got two draft picks for him, and I don't think anybody saw him as "dead" as a player at that point. If I remember correctly, part of the reason the Bills wanted him gone was trouble off the field.

Somtimes guys aren't left for dead, but they're traded for whatever reason...

Faulk
Favre
Brees

Favre had barely been on the field for the Falcons and he was traded for a first-rond pick. It's not like Atlanta gave him away.

Oops. I think JC is right. Brees wasn't traded. The Chargers let him leave as a free agent.

Brees was let go to open the job for Philip Rivers and that was likely to happen even before he injured his shoulder in his final game for the Chargers. Wasn't Faulk a money thing?

 

[93Devil]

Somtimes guys aren't left for dead, but they're traded for whatever reason...

Faulk
Favre
Brees

Those are three good ones. If you trade a guy, especially a QB, that's giving up on him, IMHO.

 

[JC]

Again, Brees wasn't traded.

He signed as a free agent in NO

 

[RecoveringJournalist]

I think Faulk was traded because the Colts were zeroing in on Edgerrin James in the draft, maybe it was that and a money thing.

Left for dead is an interesting one. Harrison is the most obvious case. Keenen McCardell would be another, although I don't think it's that uncommon with receivers.