N.F.L. Season 2018-19 (2 Viewers)

Its humorous all the articles that come immediately after the draft, purporting to rate or grade the performance of each team's picks.

Meanwhile, each player follows his unique career path. Some surprise to the upside, some to the downside. A few are stellar from the get go. Some get better over time. And some flame out early.

But sports writers / commentators pen articles as if they know, the next day, which team had the best, and worst, draft.

How absurd.


To further your point, here is a quote from one of the long time Steelers Organization insiders on the topic you bring up:

ANSWER: I break this out a couple of times a year, and especially at this time when I get questions about draft grades that are given out by various media outlets/individuals immediately after the picking is completed. To put what I'm about to share in context, the 1974 NFL Draft was a two-day affair, in which the first five rounds were conducted on the first day and the final 12 rounds happened on the second day. Also, the Steelers' 1974 draft class is considered the greatest in the history of the exercise, with the team picking four Hall of Fame players within the first five rounds – Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, and Mike Webster – and then adding a fifth Hall of Fame player as an undrafted rookie – Donnie Shell. The following "assessment" of the top of their class was authored by a sports columnist and appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the morning after the first five rounds of the 1974 NFL Draft were conducted:

"The Steelers seem to have come out of the first five rounds of the draft appreciably strengthened at wide receiver but nowhere else. They didn't get a tight end, and the ones remaining are more suspect than prospect. They didn't get a punter, although none of the nation's best collegiate punters went in the first five rounds. They didn't get an offensive tackle who might've shored up what could well become a weakness. What they did get was Swann, who seems to be a sure-pop to help; Lambert, who figures to be the No. 5 linebacker if he pans out; and three question marks."

From this day forward, every time you read an instant analysis of any team's draft class that ends with the assignment of a letter grade, read the above paragraph and enjoy a good laugh. That's what I do.

For me the above quote sums up how useful (less) press draft grades are. Seems to me no matter what subject the press reports on, its pretty useless.! :)

Tom


 
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The one thing I like better than the draft grades from the “media” is when the “media” asks team personnel what grade they would give their draft.

As if they are going to say:

”We give our draft an F”
 
The one thing I like better than the draft grades from the “media” is when the “media” asks team personnel what grade they would give their draft.

As if they are going to say:

”We give our draft an F”

yup! And my favorite quote : Lambert, who figures to be the No. 5 linebacker if he pans out;

Guess he panned out as I don't know of anyone who played offense in his era that ever said they were not afraid to go across the Pittsburgh middle. He literally put the fear of God in people, he was that tough and downright mean. I am pretty sure he was/is borderline nuts. Thinking of some of the players that played after him and before - I guess it started with Dick Butkus, then after - Mike Singletary, Ray Lewis. The shortness of names on this list tells you how special these 4 players are. If you look at any "top ten inside linebacker list" , these 4 are always the top 4. Again, greatest press quote ever should have said - Lambert, who figures to be one of the top 5 linebackers of all time................

TD
 
One of the strangest and funniest things I have heard in this new sports age:

Dak Prescott is holding out of “virtual workouts” in order to force the Cowboys into a long term deal.
 
I read a story today that Gronk has the Tampa playbook sent to him prior to him signing, as did Brady, Gronk was still Patriots property at the time, the official free agency period had not begun yet regarding Brady.

People dump on me all the time for being super sensative regarding the Patriots and how every story linked to them becomes a federal case; that said, can you imagine the blowback if the Patriots had done not one off these things, but both?

They'd lose umpteen draft picks, but apparently Tampa gets to skate over this.

Sounds about right.

In a lot of ways, I'm glad the dynasty is over here in New England for two reasons; no more whining from other fans about the team and I don't care anymore how they do...………..a win/win for me.

Gee, poor Robert Kraft; his season ticket base went down the ****ter once Brady left, they would have been playing in an empty stadium before the Corona Virus hit; now, it's a certainty.

For the genius businessman he is portrayed as, the smart move would have been to sell the team after the SB win over the Rams, they were at their peak as far as net worth, now forget it...…………………..he blew it.

Good luck with the NFL season this year everyone...……………………….
 
In 2019, the Patriots’ FMV was $4.1 billion. Considering that the viewership for the Draft was higher than it ever was and that interest in the NFL is probably increasing, not receding, the value of the Patriots is at least holding steady. Even if the franchise has suffered some loss in FMV, considering he paid $172 million for the franchise, that’s the kind of return on capital I’d like to have.
 
In 2019, the Patriots’ FMV was $4.1 billion. Considering that the viewership for the Draft was higher than it ever was and that interest in the NFL is probably increasing, not receding, the value of the Patriots is at least holding steady. Even if the franchise has suffered some loss in FMV, considering he paid $172 million for the franchise, that’s the kind of return on capital I’d like to have.

People watched the draft as they've been starved for any sports/sports related news for months.

I didn't watch one second of it.

To each his own.

The value of the team will never be higher, lean years are ahead, but I'll take it as a fan for over 50 years, not some pink hat yahoo who started following the team after they beat the Rams in 2002.

They'll never sell the team, ownership will be passed from Robert to his son Jonathan, they won't sell it, at least while Robert is still alive.

And you nailed it; that's quite a return on his investment considering when he bought the team, they played in a ****hole of a stadium with aluminum benches for seats in the middle of nowhere with dirt parking lots.

He snapped up all the land around the stadium, built a brand new stadium on his own dime and they've won 6 Super Bowls/gone to 10 under his ownership.

An amazing story, he went from a fan of the team with season tickets that his wife was furious over when he bought them to owning the team...……………….
 
RIP Don Shula.

I have always wondered why he doesn’t seem to get the same recognition as a Belicheck, a Lombardi or a Walsh?
 
So his salary is $0?

He's still overpaid.


seriously though George...
to give his entire yearly salary...
$40 million...
that's not chump change...
that is a magnanimously unselfish gift that I have not seen anyone else come close to doing yet...
nobody...
I have huge respect for that...
if that doesn't impress you...
you're running in bigger circles than me...
 
seriously though George...
to give his entire yearly salary...
$40 million...
that's not chump change...
that is a magnanimously unselfish gift that I have not seen anyone else come close to doing yet...
nobody...
I have huge respect for that...
if that doesn't impress you...
you're running in bigger circles than me...

The NFL on his watch is a ****ter product now than it was before he took the job.

I'm not plugged into all the stories out there about athletes donating money and such, but each professional league should set up a fund and owners, commissioners, players, whoever can donate to it, then that money should be put to good use...…………..health care workers fund/first responders fund/money for the millions who are out of work...……………...for all I know, something like this has already been done, but if it has not, it should.

Same with actors/actresses and musicians, each group should set up a fund and donate to it.

I hope his 40 million was donated to a charity.
 
George...

I gonna recant EVERYTHING I said about him...

after reading the article more closely...
I can't see where he donated his salary to anybody or any virus cause...

he just declined it...
meaning the NFL does not have to pay him...

if the only benefactor is the NFL...
then I think he is a fool for declining to accept his salary...

the article also suggest that he is pushing for more payroll costs from NFL employees...
 
George...

I gonna recant EVERYTHING I said about him...

after reading the article more closely...
I can't see where he donated his salary to anybody or any virus cause...

he just declined it...
meaning the NFL does not have to pay him...

if the only benefactor is the NFL...
then I think he is a fool for declining to accept his salary...

the article also suggest that he is pushing for more payroll costs from NFL employees...

If he declined to take his salary and the NFL owners did not donate that money to a charity, he's a bigger moron than I thought he was.
 
The Cam Newton signing by New England makes me think about Joe Montana and Steve Young.

When the Niners traded Montana to the Chiefs just about every SF fan lamented the trade, saying that Young was never going to be Montana.

While Young’s career never lived up to Montana’s he did quiet his critics by winning a Super Bowl.

Maybe Cam can do the same for the Patriots?
 
Never been a big cam fan, but if he’s healthy it could be fun to see what the pats do with him
 
Good move by the Pats to sign Newton. It may not work out but he is their best bet for making a run. And the NFL finally wrapped up their investigation of SpyGate 12.0! It took longer than the Lindbergh kidnapping case even though the Pats were caught red handed and confessed on day one. The wheels of justice grind slowly. I'm surprised they didn't wait until Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend to make that annoucement.
 
I will be surprised if the NFL plays this year. The only reason I am watching or will watch is I know the end is near for Big Ben, so would like to see what he can do to make a run. All the other noise that will go on will probably annoy the crap out of me. I used to enjoy sports as a great entertainment vehicle just like a movie, unfortunately in today's world that is not always possible.

TD
 
Anybody following the zaniness going on in DC with the Redskins? Borders on ridiculousness in my opinion, if I were the Skins, I would stay in Landover, Maryland. Why they want their stadium moved back to DC, I don't know as it is one of the worst gridlock in the USA (the area where they would rebuild the Stadium). I would tell DC good riddance.

TD
 
Good move by the Pats to sign Newton. It may not work out but he is their best bet for making a run. And the NFL finally wrapped up their investigation of SpyGate 12.0! It took longer than the Lindbergh kidnapping case even though the Pats were caught red handed and confessed on day one. The wheels of justice grind slowly. I'm surprised they didn't wait until Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend to make that annoucement.

It's the classic low risk/high reward scenario, he signed for the league minimum, if he is toast/can't make the grade, you simply cut him.

If he's healthy, it's an absolute steal. Will he be able to pick up the Patriots offense as he's a mobile QB with a cannon for an arm and the Patriots offense has been designed around a guy who was slow as a glacier/a statue back there who dinked and dunked the team down the field, will they change the offense and gear it towards Cam's skills, we'll see.

As far as Spygate 12.0; how dumb can an organization possibly be? They know they have a massive bullseye on their back and ANYTHING they do that is remotely south of cheese, they will get hammered.

They claimed these are not Patriots employees; doesn't matter, ANYONE around the organization should know better, just about the dumbest thing I've ever seen, so blatant, so obvious, so stupid.

Rumor has it the ginger haired stooge was going to give them a bigger penalty than what they got, but Jonathan negotiated it down to the one they got, I guess Robert is too busy preparing his defense for his rub and tug escapades from a few years ago...………………………………...
 

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