MichiganCardinal

The Jets are in a very tough spot, but I think there is (nearly) a 0.0% chance that Quinnen Williams is traded before the 2023 season. Their first priority has to be restructuring the Rodgers deal. His cap hit is $1.2MM this year, but is scheduled to be an outrageous $107.55MM next year. That's not feasible, even in a New Orleans world where the cap is made up and the points don't matter. Both sides probably know that's not feasible, but Rodgers holds all of the leverage there. He's a total douche, and will want to keep the option of retirement open at all times. If something goes wrong for the Jets this year and they go up like the Hindenburg, Rodgers could totally hold the entire franchise over a barrel for the near future. They have to know what their 2024 (and beyond) cap looks like before they can ink Williams to a nine-figure deal. Which Williams obviously, and understandably, doesn't like. He wants his deal and he wants it now. The thing that is known right now though is that they are in a win-now mode. The Jets are entering a period where they are looking to win a Super Bowl. It may only last one year, it may be a couple, but either way, you don't trade your defensive anchor when you are entering this window. You just don't, under any circumstance. If Quinnen Williams threatens to hold out, you call his bluff. He is under contract for another year, and there are franchise tags after that that would allow you to extend him for a single year at a time, at or below what he's asking for in a long-term deal. There is just no reason to panic and trade him. Of course, if the Jets are absolutely moronic (they are the Jets after all) and he is available, you need to be on the phone. I would do a 2024 1st and 3rd and a 2025 2nd with no hesitation. I think he is one of the best defensive players in the NFL, and I would have zero issue signing him to a 4 year / $120MM deal. That 1st should be in the late 20s at the earliest, and I think he could catapult you from being just the NFC North favorite to being a serious Super Bowl threat.

An added element is that he was the second to last regular selection of the second day, and 6th or 7th to last selection overall on the second day. Regardless of where you think you're going to go, when pick #95 comes and goes, and you still haven't been selected, it was probably fair for him to expect at that point that it was more likely he goes in the four rounds happening Saturday than in the next five or so picks happening Friday. I also don't think the comment really helps anyone, and he probably shouldn't have made it. It's just going to be used against him and the regime if he doesn't come out of the gate like a 3rd round pick, so why say it? Give a nondescript nothing-burger of an answer like you're taught and move on.

This is an interesting thread. The most notable thing is that there is a large disparity this year between teams who have a lot of rest coming in when compared to their opponents, as reflected by this neat graphic. The Lions are a +1, which is pretty negligible. More interesting is the 49ers, who I would think may be competition in the NFC. They are playing a lot of games with very little comparative rest, with a very young QB. Not an easy task.

I think if Detroit was in it would force their hand. But generally they don’t. I went on a Thursday night to a bar last fall and there was no football on. Ended up streaming it on my phone instead of watching whatever garbage was on instead.

Streams online are free and easy to find. Especially for large events.

Being a two-sport athlete is great and all, but I would rather him focus his efforts on being a linebacker right now anyway.

#AmericasPastime

I don’t think teams would mind but I think the NFL would axe this for money reasons as well. They probably don’t want to box themselves out of money. If the Panthers and Cardinals for instance were really good one year, and were playing each other in week 16, they would want that to be a TNF option, which couldn’t happen if they were the week two and week six TNF teams.

There’s nothing quite like playoff hockey. Can’t wait for the Wings to be competitive again.

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Probably wasn’t actually hurt, they just wanted to make everyone get all the overreactions out of their systems early.

Institutions don’t need to be in control when they’re winning nattys.

Kind of depressing that Detroit sports have been reduced to two points of collective joy: the day the Leafs get eliminated and the day the Yankees get eliminated. I'm okay with it for today. Show Maples Leafs Square, cowards!

Florida wins it!!!! Show the crowd! Collect the tears!

Took me forever but I found a stream online. I've been watching the whole 3rd period, but you can blame me too.

It feels like they're trying to split the baby and enter a rebuild without saying they're entering a rebuild, which is a sure-fire way to go between 6-11 and 9-8 for the next 3-4 years before the administration is fired and you hire new people to rebuild.

RE Cook

I would have liked to see this, but it doesn't surprise me the NFL / Amazon chose money.

That's called a "someone please pay this man because we can't" trade

I think they’re better than the Vikings were last year. The Vikings reasonable ceiling last year was probably like 10–11 wins and they had such insane amounts of luck that they stumbled their way into 13. The floor is probably around 0.500 if a lot went wrong, I agree with that.

Last year I had them going 9-8 and folks said the same thing. Granted I also had them winning a playoff game against the Packers, but that doesn't help advance my narrative that I know what I'm talking about. 😉

My first pass... subject to change... 1 - @ Kansas City Chiefs - L 42-41 (0-1) 2 - v. Seattle Seahawks - W 36-28 (1-1) 3 - v. Atlanta Falcons - L 31-28 (1-2) 4 - @ Green Bay Packers - W 28-17 (2-2) 5 - v. Carolina Panthers - W 31-16 (3-2) 6 - @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers - W 36-20 (4-2) 7 - @ Baltimore Ravens - W 24-23 (5-2) 8 - v. Las Vegas Raiders - W 42-24 (6-2) 9 - BYE 10 - @ Los Angeles Chargers - L 31-13 (6-3) 11 - v. Chicago Bears - W 49-17 (7-3) 12 - v. Green Bay Packers - W 31-21 (8-3) 13 - @ New Orleans Saints - L 35-31 (8-4) 14 - @ Chicago Bears - W 27-21 (9-4) 15 - v. Denver Broncos - W 31-7 (10-4) 16 - @ Minnesota Vikings - W 24-14 (11-4) 17 - @ Dallas Cowboys - W 31-21 (12-4) 18 - v. Minnesota Vikings - W 23-21 (13-4) NFC North: (1) Detroit Lions (13-4), (2) Minnesota Vikings (8-9), (3) Green Bay Packers (8-9), (4) Chicago Bears (7-10) NFC Playoffs: (1) Philadelphia Eagles (14-3), (2) Detroit Lions (13-4), (3) San Francisco 49ers (12-5), (4) Atlanta Falcons (9-8), (5) Dallas Cowboys (11-6), (6) Seattle Seahawks (10-7), (7) New York Giants (9-8) Wildcard Round - v. New York Giants - W 31-10 Divisional Round - v. San Francisco 49ers - W 27-23 NFC Championship Game - @ Philadelphia Eagles - L 33-31

Realistically the only thing that I think could get in the way of the Lions having success this season is significant injuries.

The answer to the question "why wouldn't the Lions be good" can probably be found hidden in the weeds here: they are still a very young team, and their success is dependent on the emergence of rookie and sophomore talent that is expected to be good out of the gate... If Campbell, LaPorta, and Gibbs start their careers flat, and/or Hutch and Jameson don't have an upward trajectory, there is the possibility they will struggle. But the author loses all credibility by citing a failure to realize their potential "over the years". Claiming the Lions won't be good because of things that happened when literally none of the current players or management were with the franchise is about as astute a projection as using a Magic Eight Ball to predict the outcome of games.

There will be joint practices with the Giants as well. Scheduling the Panthers though is bizarre. We play them in week five. I’ve never seen a preseason opponent be someone we play in the regular season. I’m sure with the amount of video available to these teams, the act of playing an opponent is at least somewhat insignificant, but I still can’t imagine any week one starter sees the field, or that the playbook is opened to even page two in that game.