I’m an analytics guy, but when my team wins the Super Bowl I am quite happy to run it back again with the same crew, and I’ll keep the good vibes going by being overly proactive on extending (rewarding) Barkley after his historic year.
Agreed. I further suspect that locker rooms and prospective free agent additions probably really like it when you pay guys for what they did last season, if what they did last season was win the freakin' Super Bowl.
I think if you try to follow only what analytics suggests you end up the Miami Dolphins, built to beat up the bad teams in the league but unable to hang with the truly good teams who can counter your best punch. Resigning Baun was the right thing to do, for the team, the player, and the fan base. If they do nothing else this year in free agency it’s been a success.
The funny thing about Lockett is that he wasn't usually Seattle's top WR, ranking behind Doug Baldwin early in his career and behind DK Metcalf late. But because he was so quietly efficient for so long, he leaves Seattle with a 661-8,594-61 receiving statline, second only to Steve Largent in all three categories in franchise history.
(This is an observation of what Lockett has done in the past, not a forecast of what he might do on a new team in the future.)
One of the problems with lockett is he slides and goes out of bounds all but refuses to gain YAC, they don't even need to tackle just get in position he'll slide. https://youtu.be/m8NJjfx8nk8?si=g2nbtNN2ht7pmtip its kind of cowardly looking.
Its a good move for his continued earnings and health but if you cared whether Seahawks won their games this shit would really piss you off. It slightly annoys me, Im not invested really.
Wow, I pissed off Vincent Verhei. I prefer seeing fighting for every yard. Sure he's not a powerback or TE its not gonna be a violent broken tackle but it could be using agility to make them tackle air.
I know I'm in the minority on this one, but I couldn't care less about draft coverage. Once the draft is over, I'll circle back to evaluations of my team's newest additions, and that is good enough for me. No need to see 84 1st round mock drafts the night before and have all of them be wrong for who my team picks.
But I love these articles about strategic moves and how it helps/hinders a franchise in the near/long term. This is why I subscribed to TDZ - I hold your opinion on these maneuvers in very high esteem based on the years I've followed you.
There will be more free agent coverage over the next 2 weeks. Then things get really drafty. I will try to pepper in the final four QB Top 5s as well for those who don't love draft stuff.
Keep up the draft coverage. We're freaks, we follow football all year long and pay to read you all year long. I actually keep watching football; CFB now until the draft. Classic close exciting NFL from widescreen HD era late 00s until maybe 2 years ago. Long enough ago to forget who won and feel surprised by the ending.
But I draw the line at Pre-Season. One quarter a year of prime time summer football is enough to turn it off and go outside or put on some streaming prestige drama with the hours I unwisely planned to burn on the next 3 quarters.
Okay I edited dont listen to him, but "i couldn't care less about draft coverage" - You're missing out! Check out games on the playlist I posted. The comments have all the prospects jersey numbers and a little blurb and projected round. Every game there is close and interesting and you don't know the outcome so it's almost better then live with a 5 second rewind button and fast forward to get to next play.
I can watch Baker Mayfield or Nick Bosa and remember, talk about their moments in Oklahoma under Baker with RBs Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine. They played one of the best games of the decade vs Georgia in playoffs.
Nick Bosa's 2018 Ohio State being in thrillers with Dwayne Haskins QB winning a rose bowl.
I feel the same way. I don't really follow college football, so I'm only familiar with a handful of the players anyway. The free agency and other moves are what I'm most interested in, particularly as it pertains to the Eagles. Mike seems to have a good balance of that content.
I watch all my college ball now. I DL games during season and forget outcomes. The 2 QBs so far I put on this list and had been watching : https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbGLzzomCfA7X7y6IhcNnrNetgOYFXe9G&si=ei8yHwn5CIE838L2 Cam Ward Miami and Sanders Colorado film. I feel like watching 2 entire games an attentive fan can get a decent idea for a college prospects game.
Its a different world of schemes on O and D. I just know its a close game if it made my cut to watch now. Im just a fan not a scout i wont watch cam ward or shedeur sanders in games that arent fun. Ive been at this for 10 years its been fun getting to know future stars. "Pump fake Purdy" iowa state games were fun but I never expected what happened in NFL. Nobody did!
The window is open for Philadelphia. When the opportunity is there you keep the hammer down and try to repeat. I’m not worried about risking a few bad contracts seeing as Howie has shown a remarkable ability to get out of them.
The Chiefs were only ever going to keep one of Joe Thuney or Trey Smith, so their needs haven't changed because of the trade. They have 3 young OL on rookie deals (not including Smith) with good physical traits who can compete for time at both OG and RT.
I'm also assuming they have a plan to fill the LT position with a veteran free agent. After all, the Scouting Combine is the perfect venue for making these kinds of handshake agreements, right? Ronnie Stanley would be an expensive 3- or 4-year solution (albeit with some health risks attached), and there are a few capable veterans (as in, likely to perform in the 40th-60th percentile range) available for 1 or 2 year deals.
I'd guess that the OL will be at least as good as in 2024, in which it had a "Sam Darnold" type of season: surprisingly effective until it wasn't.
I keep circling around the idea of Stanley taking the Orlando Brown Express from Baltimore to KC, but I keep going back to the possibility that the Patriots offer him 400 gazillion dollars.
Just wanted to say I love draft coverage and it is what finally got me to subscribe (beyond the always excellent, best-in-class writing) even though I’m currently worried about losing my job. And this despite the shots at my guy Schotty! ;-)
You on federal money too? Maybe a bunch of us can pool our welfare checks and buy a joint TDZ subscription and all comment with the same pseudonym. I'm sure Mike would never detect the ruse.
"Pointillism" makes me think of the album cover for UFO's "Strangers in the Night," which is best appreciated not from a distance, but through headphones.
"Tiny receivers" reminds me of Bucs receiver Danny Peebles, who got blown up by an Oilers safety just as he caught a pass. Peebles had to be carried off the field, and he retired a week later, extremities still tingling. I feel like it's always "when, not if" with a guy like that
While Jenkins for Thuney* wouldn't make sense under normal circumstances, you have to take into account the fact that Jenkins really struggles to stay healthy (while Thuney has played something like 98% of possible games in his career).
I’m an analytics guy, but when my team wins the Super Bowl I am quite happy to run it back again with the same crew, and I’ll keep the good vibes going by being overly proactive on extending (rewarding) Barkley after his historic year.
Agreed. I further suspect that locker rooms and prospective free agent additions probably really like it when you pay guys for what they did last season, if what they did last season was win the freakin' Super Bowl.
I feel like if you break league records for production and become a candidate for MVP and/or DPOY, we can bend some rules for you.
Glad others are taking the big-picture approach here!
In Howie we trust! 🦅
I feel like running it back after a championship rarely works but is always worth trying
It's still likely Josh Sweat will be Spirited Away
I like Sweat, he’s a good player, but he’s about to be paid like a great one based on one game against a guard playing out of position.
It’s incredible how he’s able to produce despite a visible asymmetry in the power of his legs
I think if you try to follow only what analytics suggests you end up the Miami Dolphins, built to beat up the bad teams in the league but unable to hang with the truly good teams who can counter your best punch. Resigning Baun was the right thing to do, for the team, the player, and the fan base. If they do nothing else this year in free agency it’s been a success.
The funny thing about Lockett is that he wasn't usually Seattle's top WR, ranking behind Doug Baldwin early in his career and behind DK Metcalf late. But because he was so quietly efficient for so long, he leaves Seattle with a 661-8,594-61 receiving statline, second only to Steve Largent in all three categories in franchise history.
(This is an observation of what Lockett has done in the past, not a forecast of what he might do on a new team in the future.)
One of the problems with lockett is he slides and goes out of bounds all but refuses to gain YAC, they don't even need to tackle just get in position he'll slide. https://youtu.be/m8NJjfx8nk8?si=g2nbtNN2ht7pmtip its kind of cowardly looking.
Its a good move for his continued earnings and health but if you cared whether Seahawks won their games this shit would really piss you off. It slightly annoys me, Im not invested really.
The catches in that clip are:
* 18-yard gain on third-and-3
* 19-yard gain on first-and-10
* 35-yard gain on second-and-10
* 11-yard gain on first-and-10
* 9-yard gain on first-and-10
*10-yard gain on first-and-10
And you're trying to argue these are BAD plays?
Wow, I pissed off Vincent Verhei. I prefer seeing fighting for every yard. Sure he's not a powerback or TE its not gonna be a violent broken tackle but it could be using agility to make them tackle air.
I know I'm in the minority on this one, but I couldn't care less about draft coverage. Once the draft is over, I'll circle back to evaluations of my team's newest additions, and that is good enough for me. No need to see 84 1st round mock drafts the night before and have all of them be wrong for who my team picks.
But I love these articles about strategic moves and how it helps/hinders a franchise in the near/long term. This is why I subscribed to TDZ - I hold your opinion on these maneuvers in very high esteem based on the years I've followed you.
There will be more free agent coverage over the next 2 weeks. Then things get really drafty. I will try to pepper in the final four QB Top 5s as well for those who don't love draft stuff.
Keep up the draft coverage. We're freaks, we follow football all year long and pay to read you all year long. I actually keep watching football; CFB now until the draft. Classic close exciting NFL from widescreen HD era late 00s until maybe 2 years ago. Long enough ago to forget who won and feel surprised by the ending.
But I draw the line at Pre-Season. One quarter a year of prime time summer football is enough to turn it off and go outside or put on some streaming prestige drama with the hours I unwisely planned to burn on the next 3 quarters.
I wasn't saying, "Stop the draft coverage!" I was saying, "I love these types of articles!"
Okay I edited dont listen to him, but "i couldn't care less about draft coverage" - You're missing out! Check out games on the playlist I posted. The comments have all the prospects jersey numbers and a little blurb and projected round. Every game there is close and interesting and you don't know the outcome so it's almost better then live with a 5 second rewind button and fast forward to get to next play.
I can watch Baker Mayfield or Nick Bosa and remember, talk about their moments in Oklahoma under Baker with RBs Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine. They played one of the best games of the decade vs Georgia in playoffs.
Nick Bosa's 2018 Ohio State being in thrillers with Dwayne Haskins QB winning a rose bowl.
I feel the same way. I don't really follow college football, so I'm only familiar with a handful of the players anyway. The free agency and other moves are what I'm most interested in, particularly as it pertains to the Eagles. Mike seems to have a good balance of that content.
I watch all my college ball now. I DL games during season and forget outcomes. The 2 QBs so far I put on this list and had been watching : https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbGLzzomCfA7X7y6IhcNnrNetgOYFXe9G&si=ei8yHwn5CIE838L2 Cam Ward Miami and Sanders Colorado film. I feel like watching 2 entire games an attentive fan can get a decent idea for a college prospects game.
Its a different world of schemes on O and D. I just know its a close game if it made my cut to watch now. Im just a fan not a scout i wont watch cam ward or shedeur sanders in games that arent fun. Ive been at this for 10 years its been fun getting to know future stars. "Pump fake Purdy" iowa state games were fun but I never expected what happened in NFL. Nobody did!
The window is open for Philadelphia. When the opportunity is there you keep the hammer down and try to repeat. I’m not worried about risking a few bad contracts seeing as Howie has shown a remarkable ability to get out of them.
The Chiefs were only ever going to keep one of Joe Thuney or Trey Smith, so their needs haven't changed because of the trade. They have 3 young OL on rookie deals (not including Smith) with good physical traits who can compete for time at both OG and RT.
I'm also assuming they have a plan to fill the LT position with a veteran free agent. After all, the Scouting Combine is the perfect venue for making these kinds of handshake agreements, right? Ronnie Stanley would be an expensive 3- or 4-year solution (albeit with some health risks attached), and there are a few capable veterans (as in, likely to perform in the 40th-60th percentile range) available for 1 or 2 year deals.
I'd guess that the OL will be at least as good as in 2024, in which it had a "Sam Darnold" type of season: surprisingly effective until it wasn't.
I keep circling around the idea of Stanley taking the Orlando Brown Express from Baltimore to KC, but I keep going back to the possibility that the Patriots offer him 400 gazillion dollars.
Just wanted to say I love draft coverage and it is what finally got me to subscribe (beyond the always excellent, best-in-class writing) even though I’m currently worried about losing my job. And this despite the shots at my guy Schotty! ;-)
You on federal money too? Maybe a bunch of us can pool our welfare checks and buy a joint TDZ subscription and all comment with the same pseudonym. I'm sure Mike would never detect the ruse.
"Pointillism" makes me think of the album cover for UFO's "Strangers in the Night," which is best appreciated not from a distance, but through headphones.
"Tiny receivers" reminds me of Bucs receiver Danny Peebles, who got blown up by an Oilers safety just as he caught a pass. Peebles had to be carried off the field, and he retired a week later, extremities still tingling. I feel like it's always "when, not if" with a guy like that
While Jenkins for Thuney* wouldn't make sense under normal circumstances, you have to take into account the fact that Jenkins really struggles to stay healthy (while Thuney has played something like 98% of possible games in his career).
* O For Thuney!
That was looney!
Stat, another lineman please!