The NFL 2011 Thread

Zuwadza · 2011-09-01T21:34:48.000Z

So Grossman didn’t start tonight which, I guess, means he will be starting for the Redskins. Tellin’ y’all, comeback of the year.

Robert_Sharp · 2011-09-02T07:05:13.000Z

Matt Bowyer:

In NFL news, Chris Johnson signed a new contract!

A collective sigh from us Titans fans, yeah. It’s actually a good deal for the Titans, since it is an extension. They have him for like 6 more years now, which in RB terms means until he is done.

Brandon_Clements · 2011-09-02T07:32:53.000Z

Garrett Hartley (K) for Da Saints is out 6-8 weeks with a hip flexor injury.

Also, had my leagues fantesy draft last night. Peyton didn’t go until the fourth round, which should tell you something about how people are reacting to his injury.

Mark_Asher · 2011-09-02T09:06:44.000Z

Quinn didn’t show much for the Broncos last night, which opened the door for Tebow to some extent. Tebow didn’t impress me at all though. When I watched it seem like if his first read wasn’t open he wanted to tuck the ball and run rather than stand in the pocket and go through his progressions. He seems slow in his drop, too.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Broncos are out of it for the last few games if Tebow starts again. They might as well play him a bit if they can to see if he has much of anything.

jeffd · 2011-09-02T09:23:44.000Z

Tebow’s mechanics are also meh. The last time I saw him throw he dropped his throwing hand almost to his hip as part of his windup. Helloooooo fumble city!

jeffd · 2011-09-02T09:25:15.000Z

In other news: I’m going to be involved in Football Outsider’s game charting project this year. I have no idea what I’m getting into! I have a friend who writes for them, and he inspired me to give it a shot.

Mark_Asher · 2011-09-02T10:00:50.000Z

jeffd:

Tebow’s mechanics are also meh. The last time I saw him throw he dropped his throwing hand almost to his hip as part of his windup. Helloooooo fumble city!

Yeah, and he was working on changing that, but clearly in game situations he reverts.

I think he has a chance to be successful with poor mechanics, but it limits him. The long windup gives the defense more time to jump the throws and the rush more time to get to him. And, as you say, it will make him more prone to fumble.

The other thing is his speed and running ability don’t give him as much of an edge in the pros as they did in college. Everyone is big and fast in the pros.

Shadarr · 2011-09-02T13:45:42.000Z

Either the Chargers defense really sucks, or the 49er coaches figured out how to get their OL playing better in a hurry. I would tend to guess the former, but I’ve been a fan for a while. Or maybe having Goodwin at center instantly made both our young guards 100% better. Whatever the case, it was a lot more fun to watch than the Texans game.

Also, Demarcus Dobbs is a beast. I won’t be surprised if he’s starting before the end of the year. All of first-round-pick Aldon Smith’s sacks were basically him running through a hole opened up by the undrafted Dobbs, like a RB following his blocks.

Eightball · 2011-09-02T15:31:47.000Z

Zuwadza:

So Grossman didn’t start tonight which, I guess, means he will be starting for the Redskins. Tellin’ y’all, comeback of the year.

It’ll be Beck. He hasn’t really done anything to lose the bizarre amount of faith the Shanahans have in him. And Sexy Rexy hasn’t done anything but confirm they’ll get from him (55% completions, equal tds and ints).

jeffd:

Tebow’s mechanics are also meh. The last time I saw him throw he dropped his throwing hand almost to his hip as part of his windup. Helloooooo fumble city!

But I thought they fixed it? I mean it’s really easy to fix 16+ years of ingrained muscle memory, right?

Mark_Asher · 2011-09-02T17:11:15.000Z

Eightball:

But I thought they fixed it? I mean it’s really easy to fix 16+ years of ingrained muscle memory, right?

Heh. Yeah, I’m not sure how you fix it, really. Has a radical overhaul of a QB’s throwing motion ever been done?

It’s not just that, though. He doesn’t seem comfortable in the pocket. He doesn’t seem to go through his progressions. He’s slow in his dropback.

I believe I read somewhere that he played in shotgun offense in high school too. He really doesn’t have much time under center. Even Bradford, who played in a spread, took a lot of snaps from under center in Oklahoma’s offense.

I think his throwing motion can work but he has a lot of other things to overcome and really is he worth the time and trouble? There are better NFL prospects coming out every year from college.

jeffd · 2011-09-02T17:47:10.000Z

Mark Asher:

Heh. Yeah, I’m not sure how you fix it, really. Has a radical overhaul of a QB’s throwing motion ever been done?

It’s not just that, though. He doesn’t seem comfortable in the pocket. He doesn’t seem to go through his progressions. He’s slow in his dropback.

I believe I read somewhere that he played in shotgun offense in high school too. He really doesn’t have much time under center. Even Bradford, who played in a spread, took a lot of snaps from under center in Oklahoma’s offense.

I think his throwing motion can work but he has a lot of other things to overcome and really is he worth the time and trouble? There are better NFL prospects coming out every year from college.

iirc (and maybe it’s been mentioned in this thread) the dropback issue is that Tebow doesn’t start his dropback until he receives the snap. Most QBs start their dropback once the snap motion begins and receive it on the move. Tebow doesn’t start moving until the snap is in his hands, which puts him a half-step behind the rest of the play.

Mark_Asher · 2011-09-02T17:54:24.000Z

You’d think that would be something he would have fixed by now. It’s not a muscle memory thing. It’s simple technique. He must not feel confident about the exchange from the center.

Brandon_Clements · 2011-09-02T21:49:46.000Z

Mark Asher:

You’d think that would be something he would have fixed by now. It’s not a muscle memory thing. It’s simple technique. He must not feel confident about the exchange from the center.

The thing is, he’s been either bigger (high school) and/or faster (college, iffy) and he’s run semi-option offenses (in that if the throw isn’t there, he can run it) before. I can’t remember if it was the first or second preseason game this year, but he ran one play that just took so damn long to get off that the linemen were 10 yards downfield to even run said passing play.

Tebow’s more of a project than Vick was when he came out, and Vick could throw timing routes. I’m not sure Tebow can.

Bill_Dungsroman · 2011-09-02T22:14:54.000Z

Mark Asher:

You’d think that would be something he would have fixed by now. It’s not a muscle memory thing. It’s simple technique. He must not feel confident about the exchange from the center.

He took most of his snaps in college out of the shotgun IIRC.

Thongsy · 2011-09-02T23:19:37.000Z

Alex Smith had the same problem. He was uncomfortable taking the snap from under center for so long.

Sarkus · 2011-09-03T13:40:11.000Z

Today is final cutdown day and while most of the guys being cut are not household names, a few are.

Probably the most interesting so far is the Patriots cutting Brandon Merriweather, a former first rounder and two time pro-bowler.

Omniscia · 2011-09-03T13:46:36.000Z

So Tony Moeaki’s on IR. That’s not good for the Chiefs.

Looks like Cassel escaped, though.

Omniscia · 2011-09-03T16:16:03.000Z

Sarkus:

Today is final cutdown day and while most of the guys being cut are not household names, a few are.

Probably the most interesting so far is the Patriots cutting Brandon Merriweather, a former first rounder and two time pro-bowler.

The Pats also cut Sammy Morris and Brandon Tate, their top running back in 2008 and their ace kick return guy from last season, respectively.

Tate in particular is an interesting cut, as he averaged 25.8 yards per return, good for sixth in the league. I assume this means more time for Julian Edelman. According to the depth chart, though, next after Tate is Matthew Slater, and third on the list is Sammy Morris. Of course, Edelman’s one of their stalwart punt return guys…

So, who really knows?

JScott · 2011-09-03T18:02:30.000Z

Omniscia:

The Pats also cut Sammy Morris and Brandon Tate, their top running back in 2008 and their ace kick return guy from last season, respectively.

Tate in particular is an interesting cut, as he averaged 25.8 yards per return, good for sixth in the league. I assume this means more time for Julian Edelman. According to the depth chart, though, next after Tate is Matthew Slater, and third on the list is Sammy Morris. Of course, Edelman’s one of their stalwart punt return guys…

So, who really knows?

Bill probably knows.

Bill Belichick:

With fewer chances for returns, Belichick said, teams may have to rethink their personnel.

“You’ve got to think about it,’’ said Belichick. “If, instead of covering 60 kickoffs in a year, you think you’re only going to be covering 30, then is that coverage player as important?

“Or on the flip side of it, in the return game, if you’re going to be returning 30 instead of 60, is what the guys who block on the kickoff return - or if you have a designated kickoff returner, if you think you’re going to be returning more punts than kickoffs … then maybe you put more of a priority on your punt returner than your kickoff returner, just as an example.’’

http://articles.boston.com/2011-08-17/sports/29897235_1_kickoff-bill-belichick-salary-cap

Mark_Asher · 2011-09-03T19:37:21.000Z

Kickoff returners are less valuable, clearly. The Pats are also loaded, so it’s not surprising they cut some talented players.