He’s a free agent, and I haven’t heard a single thing about him. He’s testing free agency, but apparently hasn’t had many suitors. I still like him better than Starks, so I’d be happy to have him back at a reasonable price. I think he’s still got a bit left in the tank.
In unprecedented actions, the Packers have actually signed free agents (something they haven’t done in 3 years). After signing Jeff Saturday away from his Matlock reruns and Geritol to play center, they now have signed Antony Hargrove away from his drugs and headhunting, to help fill the gaping holes they have on their D-Line.
I don’t like it. I completely understand that they are filling their most pressing needs with veterans, but I don’t like either signing. Saturday will be more expensive (albeit less guaranteed money) than Scott Wells and he’s 36 years old. Hargrove is one failed drug test away from being out of the league and is the thug who hurt Favre during the Saints’ bountygate. He should be a good fit in a 3-4, and, if he’s on the straight and narrow now, he could be a vital addition to a position of need. But he’s also been a jagoff for most of his pro career and has a ton of baggage.
So while I’m happy the Packers are secure enough to dip into free agency to attempt to fill their needs, I’m not liking how they did it.
I wonder if the Packers are looking at Konz in the draft with Saturday to maybe mentor him.
Could be, but Konz will likely be their first round pick, which says to me he should be able to start right away without needing the mentoring that a position like QB, WR, or OT might need.
The only reason that McNeil fell to the mid-2nd round the year he was drafted was his neck issues. The Chargers always knew that he was unlikely to have a long career, and it looks like his 15 minutes are about up - which is a shame, because he really was a great talent. He might very well sign with someone (even coming back to SD is not out of the question), but it will be for a low guaranteed money contract with iron-clad get-out-of-jail-free injury clauses for the team that gets him.
Tannehill had his Pro Day today and people are impressed. Lots of talk about the Browns, Jags and Dolphins targeting him at 4, 8 and 11. All 3 organizations had a strong presence at A&M. One possibility that I didn’t think was likely before was the potential of Minnesota trading out of that #3 spot with a team targeting Tannehill. After thinking it through I’m starting to like the possibility. I have a hunch that the Dolphins will be making a strong offer to the Vikings should they be convinced that the Browns are hoping to move up. If I’m the Vikings I think long and hard about that because Kalil is such an outstanding prospect, but if they come with a big package you almost have to take it. The really savvy move would be to drive a hard bargain with Miami or Jacksonville and then call Cleveland and tell them to match it or come close and take that. The Vikes would still get Kalil and probably add a future #1 in the deal.
They can have him. Browns will have someone worth trading up for when Kahlil slips to #4.
If Tannehill goes top 10 (way too high) will any of the third tier QBs get picked up late in the first?
Its interesting you say too high, not that I disagree with you, but it seems under the new rookie salary cap QBs are going to be taken much earlier, Locker, Gabbert and Ponder all went higher than originally anticipated last year.
I was never bothered by the bad scenario you paint; if your special teams and defense can’t prevent a field goal, you deserve to lose. So I never felt that the old system needed fixing.
As for why I’m against the new system, it’s not really football. The first team to receive only gets three downs, but if they score a field goal, the team that originally kicked off gets four downs. I dislike that imbalance. (First team has to punt, second team can’t punt.)
Not a chance that the Jags draft Tannehill. If they were going to give up on Blaine Gabbert they would have traded for Tebow.
Normally I’d agree with you, but they have new ownership and new coaches. I suspect they are considering getting “their guy” at QB and Gabbert did little last year to offset that. Tannehill may not be that guy, but I think they wanted to avoid Tebow largely to avoid the drama and chaos that would amplify in Jacksonville, not because of any concern over Gabbert.
No, that’s not it. Shad Khan made no secret of the fact that he wanted Tebow. Besides, Gabbert wasn’t bad last year (12 scores, 11 picks) despite weapons that could kindly be described as marginal.
Khan made just enough of a show of being interested to make the fanbase believe that he gave it his best shot. He offered just enough to ensure that he didn’t get him. If he really wanted him he’d have gotten him, it’s not like the Jets came strong. If he’d have paid all the cash to the Broncos, a pittance that Tebow would have easily paid back in fan interest and jersey sales. I call BS on Khan.
Gabbert might be ok, I really didn’t see enough of him to judge but the pundits have been pretty damn harsh. His weapons sucked, so that’s fair, but I’m generally a big supporter of having multiple QBs who can start. “Controversy” be damned. As always, if the staff there believes Tannehill is potentially “elite” you draft him no matter what.
What are the thoughts of the Jags passing on Tannehill and instead targeting Brandon Weeden early in the 2nd? If they feel that Gabbert isn’t the guy, of course. They might want to trade back, if someone really falls in love with their guy and think he won’t slip far past the 7th pick. Otherwise, why not go after Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina, or Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa? I don’t know what the Jags need, but O-line help surely has to be one of the things, no? With the punishment that Gabbert took last year?
I am displeased that they did not end up with Tebow, as the Texans play them twice a year, and I would be delighted to see a division foe try to make viable the Testament According to Tebow. I’ve already got the popcorn popped to enjoy the NY circus that’s going to unfold.
Spoken like a true, QB-starved Bears fan!
I disagreed with those picks too, so it should come as no surprise that I think drafting a project QB in the top 10 of the first round is just plain dumb.
I just don’t get the Tannehill hype. Sure he’s 6’4", 222 lbs, a team player first, and has a nice arm, but he’s completely unproven, new to quarterbacking (he played WR for two years), and looked mediocre against any team that wasn’t horrible at defense. He’s certainly got upside, but it will take time for him to develop (if he ever does), and he really isn’t ready to start right away.
Tannehill is, to me, in a clump of QB’s with Brandon Wheedon and Kirk Cousins and maybe Ryan Lindley as QB’s who have a chance to make it in the NFL, but are still projects and nowhere near the upside of a Luck or RGIII.
I understand the rookie salary cap makes it cheaper to fuck up on your first round picks, but there are still opportunity costs in reaching for a third round project with a top 10 draft pick and once you use that pick, you’re stuck with him (unless you want to continue to use every first round pick on a QB and then give up on them after a year).
I think those teams that reach for project QB’s are wasting their resources. I understand that QB is the most important position in football, but I think picking project QB’s in the third or even second, round is much smarter move. Desperation should never be a reason for a football personnel move.
Actually, they’ve got a pretty solid line. The problem last year was that 4 of 5 starters missed 8 or more games, or some number along those lines.
I also don’t get the Tannehill hype. I’m always suspicious when a guy I’ve never heard of- a quarterback, at any rate- pops up out of nowhere on the Big Board. Plus, from what I can tell, he had one huge game against Baylor and was pretty pedestrian the rest of the year despite playing in a conference that doesn’t seem to know what defense is.
Speaking of which: pray hard, Beef.
The problem the Browns have is that they have all but tattooed on McCoy’s forehead that he is not their guy and he knows it. So, they are now in a position where they have to get a guy this off-season that they trust. Since the top 2 QB prospects are already locked up they have to look long and hard at #3 or risk getting someone lower in the draft. If they don’t pull the trigger on him at #4 he will not be there later. They question they have to being asking the hardest is: Is there someone else who will do better then Colt McCoy now or will there be someone better in next year’s crop if we stay with him one more season?
At this point you may as well wait till next year, see if you can secure a trade down so you have the ammo to trade up next year if need be. I wouldn’t mind Tannehill in the 2nd round, and I wouldn’t even hate him in the late first, as a project - but he’s not the sort of “I’m confident he’s going to pan out and be our QB” pick you’d take with a top 5 pick. I’d rather roll the dice with Weeden later.
McCoy is a professional - he can suck it up and deal with the fact that they tried to get someone better. If they saw RG3 as a special talent, you could still say “we have confidence in you, but we had a shot at someone with amazing potential, so we took it” - while there are rumors floating around that the Browns are going after every QB there is, the only one they’ve actually been confirmed to have gone after is RG3.