2020-2021 NFL Thread

[xskarma]

Open portion of training camp wrapped up for the Patriots today. With no games and very little footage, you can only rely on what the beat writers say and share.

Consensus among them seems to be that Patriots offense is work in progress. Cam Newton is pretty much a certainty to get the starting job and if he stays healthy he can develop throughout the season to hopefully be the best he can be in this system.

My fear is that by the time the season ends and he's started to master the system and everything starts to gel that the Patriots don't want to sign him long term at the money he'll demand and he'll move on again. Depending on the result this season I might be happy or unhappy this is the case.


Other areas the Patriots have concerns: TE, off ball linebacker, WR, Kicker.

TE and linebacker will be solved with youth. It's going to take time and coaching and there will be growing pains, but from what I have read so far it seems that there's actual starting NFL caliber players at those positions. Just young and inexperienced.

WR is going to be a mess this season. Between Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu, N'keal Harry and Damyr Byrd we have 4 guys with different positions and body types to cover most of what you want. Getting on the same page with Cam and actually fulfilling those roles against NFL caliber competition is going to be hard though. If the Patriots struggle in the passing game early, I expect the problem to be found with this group and on the outside, not so much middle of the field and out of the backfield.

Lastly Kickers. Patriots seemingly wasted a 5th rounder on a questionable Kicker who's not held up in an NFL environment so far. We brought in Nick Folk as competition late and I'm 99% sure that we are going to stick with Folk and cut the rookie.

Folk was unspectacular but competent last year and honestly I'll be glad if he can just deliver more of that. I'll be happy with average kicking if it means not having a rotation of bad kickers come through like happened part of last year. We can take another shot at a drafted kicker next year.



Everything else seems the more usual drama of will he/won;t he make it camp decisions and we will see what happens with those when cut down day happens next week. I suspect that BB and the staff will opt for youth where they can over experience, since there's quite a few areas where we can use an infusion of youth.

The only real roster dillemma that I see that interests me is back up QB. I wonder between Stidham's slight injury, Cam's injury history and the uncertainty of the QB competition this year, if they will decide to keep 3 QB's this year. If not, it's likely that Hoyer is the odd man out.

[draynay]

Jags cut Fournette

They have $45 million in dead money, surpassing even the Panthers.

With trading away Ngakoue they have one of the least talented rosters around, and definitely the lowest paid.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Jags cut Fournette

Is there any team better situated to land Trevor Lawrence now? I can't think of one. This team has absolutely nothing left. They've jettisoned every one of their last like 8 first round picks now.

- - - Updated - - -

Also sounds like Alvin Kamara's holding out.

[draynay]

Also sounds like Alvin Kamara's holding out.

I hope not, the new CBA that these daffy idiots signed absolutely destroys anyone who does.

[Pendulous]

https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/s...21454442491906

HC Doug Marrone on trying to trade Leonard Fournette: "We couldn't get anything, a fifth, a sixth, anything. We couldn't get anything."

[ProphetFlume]

https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/s...21454442491906

Weird. I checked his stats and last year was his best in everything but TDs.

[Grube]

Wouldn't his cap hit have been between 8-9 mill if a team traded for him? Teams don't pay running backs normally, let alone that much right before the season starts when they don't have cap space (assuming the salary cap is real, I'm not convinced).

[draynay]

Jeebus are the Chargers cursed, Derwin James injured again, 6-8 month recovery time.

[tylenol]

Tampa picked up Fournette...I feel like if Tampa doesn't at least make the playoffs then it's a disappointment

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Tampa picked up Fournette...I feel like if Tampa doesn't at least make the playoffs then it's a disappointment

So can we officially say it was Tom Brady bringing all the free agents to New England and not Belichick?

[Die]

So can we officially say it was Tom Brady bringing all the free agents to New England and not Belichick?

The Patriots were unable to really add anyone because they were up against the salary cap. It doesn't matter how good their sales pitch was, you cannot add players with no money. Only very recently did the Patriots gain a ton of cap space because they had several guys opt out of 2020, which freed up cap room. However, by the time this money freed up, the best free agents were picked over.

https://patriotswire.usatoday.com/20...-space-in-nfl/

[eschatological]

Tomorrow is cut down day. Always a sad day for enthusiasts who follow camp, and these guys who are constantly on the edge.

Bills are already at 80, and I can't imagine where they're gonna find 27 people to cut. Some talent is gonna be cut by the Bills, which is hilariously awful. I imagine they want to try and sneak 16 or so on the PS, but even that's gonna be hard.

We're probably cutting at least one or two WRs who the Jets will be salivating over. I think Robert Foster and Duke Williams, maybe even Isaiah McKenzie, might be on the chopping block.

[Grube]

Having seen McKenzie play, him even being on a roster at all is surprising.

Even more surprising is Denver cutting Todd Davis. Not really sure what they are thinking there with nothing behind him. Good thing the dline is insane, because ILB is just Alexander Johnson, Josey Jewell and other teams trash that can't stay on a roster.

[Logwyn]

Tampa picked up Fournette...I feel like if Tampa doesn't at least make the playoffs then it's a disappointment

I agree. I just have this feeling this Tampa experiment won't work out. Then again what do I know.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Bears are expected to name Trubisky starter.

After denying his 5th year option and paying 21 mil for Foles.

Yup.

[eschatological]

Having seen McKenzie play, him even being on a roster at all is surprising.

Even more surprising is Denver cutting Todd Davis. Not really sure what they are thinking there with nothing behind him. Good thing the dline is insane, because ILB is just Alexander Johnson, Josey Jewell and other teams trash that can't stay on a roster.

He's been good on jet sweeps for us, that's basically it. He was 50/50 on the inactive list last year.

Dolphins released Josh Rosen. Someone's gonna get him for free. I can't believe this kid's career, he'll be on three teams in 3 years (after being in historically bad situations in both his previous teams). He's had 7 OCs since 2015. And he's still younger than Joe Burrow.

[draynay]

Writing on the wall is Josh Rosen not making the cut and nobody willing to trade for him. No clue where would be a good fit for him, maybe Vikings since Cousins has a death wish.

[Vetali]

Writing on the wall is Josh Rosen not making the cut and nobody willing to trade for him. No clue where would be a good fit for him, maybe Vikings since Cousins has a death wish.

I really haven't been following anything aside from Seahawks, but is Tua practicing at all?

I kinda thought of Rosen as a Jay Cutler as his ceiling. Cardinals were lucky to unload him.

[eschatological]

I really haven't been following anything aside from Seahawks, but is Tua practicing at all?

I kinda thought of Rosen as a Jay Cutler as his ceiling. Cardinals were lucky to unload him.

Tua has looked really good. I anticipate him taking over maybe after the first quarter.

Rosen is way more talented than Cutler. People always dog his attitude, but I haven't heard a lick of anything bad about his attitude in his 2 years in the NFL. From what I can tell, people just think he's entitled because he doesn't "need" football, because his parents are surgeons or something. Something they said about Andrew Luck when he retired for health reasons as well.

[draynay]

Tua has looked really good. I anticipate him taking over maybe after the first quarter.

We'll see if he takes over quicker than Deshaun Watson did, that was a pretty quick hook after a silly decision not to give him the job in the first place.