2008 NFL Mini Camps and Offseason Thread

The Game Room
81

I’m getting anxious. Training camps start next week, and shortly thereafter it will be time for the 6th edition of the Steelers March to the Super Bowl Thread, complete with a title befitting a great man (kudos to whoever predicts the title this year).

Pittsburgh gets to take on the entire NFC East this year. God help me, I’m going to be a wreck. Oh well, at least they still get Baltimore, Cleveland and Cincinnati twice each, so there’s six wins.

Nah. I won’t do this here. It can wait a few more weeks while I warm up my A-game smack-talking.

82

I couldn’t help but notice that Devin Hester didn’t show for training camp and is apparently holding out for a better contract. While I think there is no way in hell he’ll holdout longer than maybe a week and a half, I do enjoy watching the Bears have to deal with yet another headache.

83

[QUOTE=Hamlet]
I couldn’t help but notice that Devin Hester didn’t show for training camp and is apparently holding out for a better contract. While I think there is no way in hell he’ll holdout longer than maybe a week and a half, I do enjoy watching the Bears have to deal with yet another headache.
[/QUOTE]

Could be worse… at least we don’t have to deal with The Brett and the Beautiful. Devin Hester holding out does send a cold chill down my spine. Please oh please don’t let him get a big head so soon! Devin Hester you are ridiculous, but don’t you think you need to learn where to line up on pass plays before you start asking for Berrian money?

84

[QUOTE=Enfant Terrible]
Could be worse… at least we don’t have to deal with The Brett and the Beautiful. Devin Hester holding out does send a cold chill down my spine. Please oh please don’t let him get a big head so soon! Devin Hester you are ridiculous, but don’t you think you need to learn where to line up on pass plays before you start asking for Berrian money?
[/QUOTE]

I don’t think he’s asking for Berrian money - he’s making $.5 million each of the next two years, is all.

85

[QUOTE=Airman Doors, USAF]
I’m getting anxious. Training camps start next week, and shortly thereafter it will be time for the 6th edition of the Steelers March to the Super Bowl Thread, complete with a title befitting a great man (kudos to whoever predicts the title this year).

Pittsburgh gets to take on the entire NFC East this year. God help me, I’m going to be a wreck. **Oh well, at least they still get Baltimore, Cleveland and Cincinnati twice each, so there’s six wins.

Nah. I won’t do this here. It can wait a few more weeks while I warm up my A-game smack-talking.**
[/QUOTE]

Too late now Airman, you opened the door to this Bengals fan and now it’s time to get it on!

You Steelers fans are all alike, presumptuous and arrogant, especially when referring to your division-mates.

I am going to go on record right here, right now and personally bet you $50 that the Bengals will win more games than the Steelers this upcoming season.

And now that you no longer have Kimo “The Assasin” to rely on, and your offensive line is weaker, your defense has become suspect, it is time for the Bengals to re-emerge like a phoenix from the ashes and reclaim their former glory and usurp the order of power in the division!

In other news, the Bengals waived Kenny Irons, our second rounder from last year out of Auburn. Dammit.

:slight_smile:

86

[QUOTE=Boozahol Squid, P.I.]
Top three? I’d definitely take Gates, Winslow II, Gonzales, Witten or Todd Heap above him.
The dude’s had one amazing season, a couple pretty good seasons, and a lot of hype and nagging injuries. Randy McMichael’s essentially done the same.

Then again, any above average offensive position player’s probably worth a second rounder and a cut-in-training-camp/fullback-punter dude. Still… he’s the sort of guy that wouldn’t surprise me at all to fail to have a redemption season like so many guys put in this position.

Personally, I’m waiting for Thomas Davis to rack him up twice a year. T.Jackson would do as well, though.

Once upon a time, I was Diomedes.
[/QUOTE]

What about Dallas Clark? And Heap has been just as or more injured than Shockey, and Winslow II (aka the "Soulja) is a Grade A idiot, even moreso than Shockey (hard to believe).

87

[QUOTE=Airman Doors, USAF]
Pittsburgh gets to take on the entire NFC East this year. God help me, I’m going to be a wreck.
[/QUOTE]

That will happen playing against the best division in football. Imagine being in that division.

Our schedule sucks, we play all three of our away division games in the first five weeks. I like that the Skins kept the offseason free agent shopping spree within reason. Must be the economy. I like the draft the Skins had and with the Jason Taylor signing I think we finally have a few teeth on our D-line, so that should help relieve some of the pains associated with a new defensive coordinator.

I think the Eagles are going to fall short again this year. McNabb is another year older, they still don’t have a decent receiver and their defense is falling behind. The Giants have seemed to go with the, if-it-aint-broke-don’t-fix-it mentality. Signed a few players, let a few go. Can’t really blame them though, they have the shiny thing sitting in their clubhouse. Jerry Jones is getting a ton of frequent flier miles on his Amex card this year, but Tony Romo has already caught teh stupid from his girlfriend and as of gametime there still isn’t a cure for that. I smell another one and done cooking from Texas.

Hail to the Redskins!

88

[QUOTE=FoieGrasIsEvil]
I am going to go on record right here, right now and personally bet you $50 that the Bengals will win more games than the Steelers this upcoming season.
[/QUOTE]
Can anyone get a piece of that action? 'Cause I’ll happily take 20 bucks off your hands on that one…

89

[QUOTE=Madd Maxx]
That will happen playing against the best division in football. Imagine being in that division.

Our schedule sucks, we play all three of our away division games in the first five weeks. I like that the Skins kept the offseason free agent shopping spree within reason. Must be the economy. I like the draft the Skins had and with the Jason Taylor signing I think we finally have a few teeth on our D-line, so that should help relieve some of the pains associated with a new defensive coordinator.

I think the Eagles are going to fall short again this year. McNabb is another year older, they still don’t have a decent receiver and their defense is falling behind. The Giants have seemed to go with the, if-it-aint-broke-don’t-fix-it mentality. Signed a few players, let a few go. Can’t really blame them though, they have the shiny thing sitting in their clubhouse. Jerry Jones is getting a ton of frequent flier miles on his Amex card this year, but Tony Romo has already caught teh stupid from his girlfriend and as of gametime there still isn’t a cure for that. I smell another one and done cooking from Texas.

Hail to the Redskins!
[/QUOTE]

The Foreskins are my second-favorite team as I grew up in the DC area during the Gibbs era, but damn they’ve been a frustrating team to watch with that idiot owning them!
I think they also may struggle if Campbell has an up and down year, but their defense is legit and their oline is pretty good. I think the NFC East is as much of a tossup this season as the AFC North will be…ie, there is no clear cut dominance on the part of any one team (on paper).

90

[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright]
Witten and Todd Heap are one-year wonders (well, one really good year and some decent year wonders)
[/QUOTE]

87 catches at over 11 ypc and 6 TDs from a TE is just decent? Shockey’s never even had a good season by your criteria.

Meanwhile, I hope the Redskin’s strength and conditioning coach is paid by salary and not an incentive plan. 2 DEs down and their top pick sidelined for a month and we aren’t even a week into the camp.

91

[QUOTE=Madd Maxx]
That will happen playing against the best division in football. Imagine being in that division.
[/QUOTE]

Yeah… it must suck to be in the AFC South.

The NFC East is the most-hyped division in football, not the best.

[QUOTE=kidchameleon]
87 catches at over 11 ypc and 6 TDs from a TE is just decent? Shockey’s never even had a good season by your criteria.
[/QUOTE]

Actually, now that I look at the career numbers for the three, you’re quite right. Witten and Heap are both more productive than Shockey.

92

[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright]
Yeah… it must suck to be in the AFC South.

The NFC East is the most-hyped division in football, not the best.
[/QUOTE]

IOW you don’t know anything about football, but you think the Texans are better than the Eagles. This year I probably agree with you on that count. The biggest problem is that the AFC South is basically 2 expansion teams and two teams that have been moved to their current locations (One of which isn’t even using their old name anymore.) The teams in the NFC East are established football powers since basically the begining. Hell, the Cowboys are the youngest team in our divsion and they have have been in the NFL since 1960.

Records for the past three years:

AFC South 2007: 42-22
NFC East 2007: 40-24

AFC South 2006: 34-30
NFC East 2006: 32-32

AFC South 2005: 32-32
NFC East 2005: 36-28

Combined wins for each division over those 3 years, 108 wins each. The Colts won in 06, but the Giants won last year. Technically a draw, but I’m still right.

93

[QUOTE=FoieGrasIsEvil]

I am going to go on record right here, right now and personally bet you $50 that the Bengals will win more games than the Steelers this upcoming season.

[/QUOTE]

Put me on the list of people who want to be a part of that action.

I’d be happy to be wrong - I’d be fine with the Bengals going 2-14 while the Steelers went 0-16.

What has Winslow done in the last, oh, say, 2 years to indicate that he’s an idiot?

94

[QUOTE=SenorBeef]
Put me on the list of people who want to be a part of that action.

I’d be happy to be wrong - I’d be fine with the Bengals going 2-14 while the Steelers went 0-16.

What has Winslow done in the last, oh, say, 2 years to indicate that he’s an idiot?
[/QUOTE]

:smiley:
But it isn’t mathematically possible for the Bengals to be 2-14, the Steelers 0-16 and the Browns 1-15, is it?

And as for Winslow…he’s become a good player, I just have always felt bad hearing him speak or reading about the motorcycle incident, or the “Effin Soulja” incident. He fell far from the tree, imo, but maybe he’s toned it down so that he can focus on football.

It isn’t like the Bengals haven’t had their share of idiots! So, glass houses and all.

95

I’m really getting sick of Anquan Boldin’s whining. I know this time of year is full of players complaining about their contracts, but this is getting ridiculous.

On the good side, the Cards have now signed all of their draft pics and everyone is in camp and ready to go.

96

[QUOTE=FoieGrasIsEvil]
Too late now Airman, you opened the door to this Bengals fan and now it’s time to get it on!
[/quote]

Kick some shit, then.

No, Steelers fans know that the Steelers are the kings in the division every year until they get beat. Every fan of every decent team feels that way before the season starts. I can see why Ravens, Bengals and Browns fans wouldn’t feel that way, history being what it is.

Oh, you’re on. You better believe it.

Two years ago wants its storyline back. And former glory? What, 0-for-2 in the Super Bowl, also-rans the rest of the time? Maybe you can bring Boomer out of retirement while you’re playing “Glory Days” over the stadium PA system while you’re at it.

Former glory…it is to laugh.

97

The Bengals? The Steelers?

Oh yes, those teams the Arizona Cardinals beat last year! :smiley:

98

[QUOTE=FoieGrasIsEvil]
:smiley:
But it isn’t mathematically possible for the Bengals to be 2-14, the Steelers 0-16 and the Browns 1-15, is it?

[/quote]

I’ll assume you meant 15-1, so sure, why not?

I think the soldier thing has been way blown out of proportion mostly because it came right before a time we started to become programmed to unquestioningly spout nearly meaningless catch phrases about the military so we can forget the evil of the civilian leadership. We’re hypersensitive and PC about anything war related. But people have been making frequent analogies between war and football since the game started. He was hot headed, certainly, but the opposing team really was trying to take him out of the game with injury.

The bike thing was certainly stupid, but lots of people have done youth/invincibility things like that.

But he was definitely humbled by it, and aside from some contract griping, he’s been a solid teamate and a good citizen.

99

Well, I had several responses all typed out and when I hit submit, my posts went to that place where all my left socks go, so…suffice to say that I’m really looking forward to football season, especially since the Reds just fucking blow chowder.

I stand by my statement about the Bengals, whom lost a LOT of very close games last year due to a variety of factors, not the least of which was decimating injuries to the LB corps and the Oline. I think they’ve improved and gotten healthy enough to make a run.

I guess we’ll see.

And I can’t afford to lose my bet to all you guys, so the action has to sadly stay with Airman. Especially since he’s a Steelers fan. Hey TV Land, buy a Fathead!

:slight_smile:

100

[QUOTE=Madd Maxx]
IOW you don’t know anything about football, but you think the Texans are better than the Eagles. This year I probably agree with you on that count. The biggest problem is that the AFC South is basically 2 expansion teams and two teams that have been moved to their current locations (One of which isn’t even using their old name anymore.) The teams in the NFC East are established football powers since basically the begining. Hell, the Cowboys are the youngest team in our divsion and they have have been in the NFL since 1960.

Records for the past three years:

AFC South 2007: 42-22
NFC East 2007: 40-24

AFC South 2006: 34-30
NFC East 2006: 32-32

AFC South 2005: 32-32
NFC East 2005: 36-28

Combined wins for each division over those 3 years, 108 wins each. The Colts won in 06, but the Giants won last year. Technically a draw, but I’m still right.
[/QUOTE]

Who gives a shit how long they’ve been around? It doesn’t make a damn bit of difference to Team W whether teams X, Y and Z have been in the league for forty years- what matters is whether X, Y and Z are any good.

The NFC East had three playoff teams last year by virtue of luck and the rest of the NFC sucking. The '07 Skins were poor, and must have found a rabbit’s foot shaped like a four-leaf clover or something. The Eagles were terrible. The Giants were terrible at times and pretty good at times- and there’s no way in hell you can argue with a straight face that they were the best team in the league, Superbowl or not. Only the Cowboys were consistently good.

In the AFC South, the Colts were excellent, the Jaguars were excellent, the Titans were decent, and the Texans were mediocre- and might have been quite good if not for losing their two best offensive players for half a season. More to the point, the AFC South sent three teams to the playoffs in the AFC, which is a hell of a lot better than the NFC.

The best division in football isn’t the one with the most history. It’s the one with the best teams- and the NFC East doesn’t have them. Anyone who thinks that a given won-lost record in the NFC is equivalent to the same record in the AFC doesn’t know anything about football.