2017-2018 NFL thread

[xskarma]

Most of the worth of a stadium is intangible. It's nice to have a stadium that's capable to hold a Metallica concert, that actually brings the band to your town, instead of having to travel like 4 or 5 hours to the next state to see the band there. You can suddenly have popular college games in a large stadium, instead of a smaller venue where not everyone can come. Have a large, usually indoors area to hold meetings.

That's the kind of thing a stadium brings outside of football.

For most people they pay quite a bit more in taxes then having such a convenience is worth to them if you asked them directly. So I totally get that being pressured by billionaire owners to help feed their bottom line is shitty but it's not like there's no other benefits to having a team and a stadium.

[Vetali]

They just need a stadium solely for football or baseball, because the o.co fails in both ways of being a football and baseball stadium. Then renovate the o.co for one sport.

Unfortunately fully privately funded stadiums don't work when a team is already looking to move or a city looking for a team. Post Seattle Sonics era is showing me that.

[Pendulous]

Most of the worth of a stadium is intangible. It's nice to have a stadium that's capable to hold a Metallica concert, that actually brings the band to your town, instead of having to travel like 4 or 5 hours to the next state to see the band there. You can suddenly have popular college games in a large stadium, instead of a smaller venue where not everyone can come. Have a large, usually indoors area to hold meetings.

That's the kind of thing a stadium brings outside of football.

For most people they pay quite a bit more in taxes then having such a convenience is worth to them if you asked them directly. So I totally get that being pressured by billionaire owners to help feed their bottom line is shitty but it's not like there's no other benefits to having a team and a stadium.

As someone who lives in a state where no good bands play, this is true.

[Faltemer]

For most people they pay quite a bit more in taxes then having such a convenience is worth to them if you asked them directly. So I totally get that being pressured by billionaire owners to help feed their bottom line is shitty but it's not like there's no other benefits to having a team and a stadium.

I dont know if that is true, the concert and other events adds a bit of value in my eyes, but I think if you really got a feel for the average person in these areas most would prefer the money to be spent on other projects/benefits then making sure a billionaire pays less for a pet project of theirs.

It honestly takes a lot of work and a lot of marketing / planning to make a stadium worth it for the locals. ATT Stadium is worth it (although the eminent domain fight was nasty), but Id say that's an exception.

Where are you seeing it is actually worth it? All I could find said "Because sales taxes have come in higher than projected" which to me indicates less that revenue it is bringing in and more just the general uptick in the economy of the area?

[Crissi]

I dont know if that is true, the concert and other events adds a bit of value in my eyes, but I think if you really got a feel for the average person in these areas most would prefer the money to be spent on other projects/benefits then making sure a billionaire pays less for a pet project of theirs.



Where are you seeing it is actually worth it? All I could find said "Because sales taxes have come in higher than projected" which to me indicates less that revenue it is bringing in and more just the general uptick in the economy of the area?

The sheer number of events it hosts, like soccer games, state championships, college football games, Wrestlemania, just bring in so much traffic that its pretty impressive. Apparantly they do a lot of tours too. Its also in a prime tourist area.

[Faltemer]

The sheer number of events it hosts, like soccer games, state championships, college football games, Wrestlemania, just bring in so much traffic that its pretty impressive. Apparantly they do a lot of tours too. Its also in a prime tourist area.

But is there data showing that it generates more than the area put in? From that article is seems they sold off 300 million in bonds and plan to pay off over 600 million in loans (Possibly up to 100 less if they pay it off at the rate they are at) and main thing letting them pay it off so quick was sales tax, not hotel or car rental taxes, which indicate that tourism is at best where they thought it would be if not less so.

[Pendulous]

Ray Maualuga's contract has been terminated. From what I've read, everyone is totally ok with this.

[xskarma]

Ray Maualuga's contract has been terminated. From what I've read, everyone is totally ok with this.

30 years old, not quite effective last year, over 3M cap hit when they've just signed his replacement. Was bound to happen. He might latch one somewhere as a depth option, he's not terrible from what I know.

[THE Bigzoman]

30 years old, not quite effective last year, over 3M cap hit when they've just signed his replacement. Was bound to happen. He might latch one somewhere as a depth option, he's not terrible from what I know.

He actually came to Training Camp last year "grossly overweight" per the Cincinatti Enquirer.

Factor in Kevin Minter's signing, his cap space, and the fact that he only played 20% of the snaps last year and you can't be surprised.

Our likely Linebacker corp in 2017: Burfict, Minter, Vincent Rey, Nick Vigil (3rd round pick from last year), and hopefully Ruben Foster.

I like it.

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Ray Maualuga's contract has been terminated. From what I've read, everyone is totally ok with this.

Except for Malanuga, of course.

The run stuffing Linebacker is a dying breed in the NFL. He might have a hard time finding work unless someone from the AFC North decide to add another physical player to their roster.

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In other news, Martavius Bryant will likely be reinstated for next season.

Shit.

[xskarma]

and hopefully Ruben Foster.

Your continued embrace of troubled players mystifies me. With all your complaints about how the Bengals react poorly in games (sometimes reacting poorly while being provoked) you'd want to bring in a linebacker with a history of having too short a fuse when things aren't going his way and he feels disrespected.

I mean, he's likely a good player, but why on earth would you want to put a young guy with proven temper issues in a linebacker room with Vontaze Burfict? That's like giving a pyromaniac a bottle of gasoline and a pack of matches.

How do you jive this desire to bring in literally every troubled player that teams want to get rid of with being mad at your team for having no impulse control and blowing important games cause they can't keep their cool.

[THE Bigzoman]

Your continued embrace of troubled players mystifies me. With all your complaints about how the Bengals react poorly in games (sometimes reacting poorly while being provoked) you'd want to bring in a linebacker with a history of having too short a fuse when things aren't going his way and he feels disrespected.

I mean, he's likely a good player, but why on earth would you want to put a young guy with proven temper issues in a linebacker room with Vontaze Burfict? That's like giving a pyromaniac a bottle of gasoline and a pack of matches.

How do you jive this desire to bring in literally every troubled player that teams want to get rid of with being mad at your team for having no impulse control and blowing important games cause they can't keep their cool.

I look at these players on a case-by-case basis. It's a questions of risk and reward: Is a player going to exhibit these same characteristics once brought in, and if so, will their productivity make their mishaps more tolerable?

I'm not going to take one isolated event at the combine and make a judgement off it. I doubt any team needing a linebacker will either. Nobody hears about Carlos Dunlap anymore after his DUI in college, for example. A DUI says more about impulse control than a heated exchange we know nothing about.

I was upset about the last playoff game (and understandably so). But when I look back at it with a cool head, I can't blame Burfict for that loss. You can't stop when you're playing at the speed of an NFL football game, and the fact that he lowered his shoulderpad instead of hitting Brown head on is commendable. If a certain running back didn't fumble the football that game, Burfict's lick would've never happened and he'd be regarded as a hero.

And trust me, a lot of teams will feel the same way if the Bengals fail to extend him before he enters Free Agency next year. He'll be the hottest commodity at LB.

Few linebackers played at as high a level last year. His antics--whether they actually were at one specific instance or not--are tolerable.

Pacman Jones on the other hand needs to go. He exhibits the same behavior on and off the field again and again; his play is declining at cornerback; he's 34;the Bengals have two first round cornerbacks behind him on the depth chart; and the Bengals don't need him to return punts anymore because Alex Erickson quietly became the best returner in the NFL (his rookie year at that, so he's only going to improve). There's no need to put up with him anymore.

[draynay]

Reuben Foster doesn't seem too bad to me, I just know my team has painted themselves into a corner as far as players with behavioral issues. The Saints have become the anti-Bengals in that regard even if their fan slogans are virtually identical.

[THE Bigzoman]

If by anti-bengals you mean having one big organization wide scandal instead of having a series of individual mishaps over a timespan of about a decade. I don't think there's a big difference there.

But one of the orchestrators of the bounty scandal made himself at home in the AFC North and fits right in, so I don't know how much I can talk here.

Not every team can be the Patriots and win the Super Bowl with a bunch of choir boys though.

[xskarma]

If by anti-bengals you mean having one big organization wide scandal instead of having a series of individual mishaps over a timespan of about a decade. I don't think there's a big difference there.

But one of the orchestrators of the bounty scandal made himself at home in the AFC North and fits right in, so I don't know how much I can talk here.

Not every team can be the Patriots and win the Super Bowl with a bunch of choir boys though.

Fairly sure he meant that the Saints are not taking any chances on troubled players at all, unlike the Bengals and not anything to do with player or team drama from the past 10 years.

[draynay]

#allsuspensionswerevacated

Saints feel like they've been bitten by troublesome players in the past, moreso guys like Junior Galette than anything "bounty" related. They aren't willing to take those chances and the Bengals are, two organizational philosophies at opposite ends of the spectrum, each with their pluses and minuses. I am not as severe in my approach as the Saints front office, but they've set themselves up such that they can't take a chance without shitting all over their previous claims to the contrary. I personally want to see guys get chances and the Bengals have helped salvage the careers of guys like Adam Jones, but I also think that guy is a fucking scumbag, so yea, they take the good with the bad.


Oh, and not being able to look at any 2009 superbowl highlights without seeing Darren Sharper all over it, but then who saw that coming?

[xskarma]

Yeah, I get that with Hernandez popping up in highlights. "Was this before or after he shot and killed 2 people?"

If the Eli-Manningham miracle catch hadn't happened, Hernandez would have had the Superbowl winning TD. Not a fun thought.

Luckily it did happen and the loss means there's rarely a reason to watch highlights from that era.

[Crissi]

Basically every team has had problem players.

Ugh, Cowboys mroe than many cause we like tyring to rehab people. I think Josh Brent was the more serious one, considering he kileld someone while driving drunk...(was welcomed back and forgiven by all involved later)

[Northern Goblin]

Did someone say problem players?

Vegas vote is today, all signs point to an understanding that Davis has enough votes to go ahead with the move.


Also apologies for my absence, between a new job kicking my ass and my nephew's 21st murdering my liver I haven't been around the internet much to contribute or update stuff.

[Stommped]

@Northern Goblin Not sure if we are still maintaining the free agency tracker in the first page, but I noticed that you have Alshon signing with Philly for only $9MM, it was actually $14MM (plus incentives)

[xskarma]

"The final tally to send the #Raiders to Las Vegas: 31-1. ... the Las Vegas Raiders."

Rapoport.

It's official everyone. The Las Vegas Raiders.

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Some interesting nuggets, apparently they'll continue to be the Oakland Raiders till they actually move to Vegas (makes sense) and Mark Davis has made a statement that anyone that got a season ticket can get theri money back (if they hate the move). That's pretty nice of them.