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NFL 2016 Offseason Thread |OT2| No Country for Old Members

I guess this would be the best place to ask.

I was contemplating on training and trying my hand at entering the NFL. But to my understanding there is now no way for an individual who hasn’t played in college or has had previous professional experience to be given the opportunity. Am I overlooking something?

Sometimes teams have open tryouts at their training camps.
 

Goro Majima

Kitty Genovese Member
I guess this would be the best place to ask.

I was contemplating on training and trying my hand at entering the NFL. But to my understanding there is now no way for an individual who hasn’t played in college or has had previous professional experience to be given the opportunity. Am I overlooking something?

Besides being a world class athelete, there are regional arena league teams that are full contact. If you're not the best player in those leagues, that should give you your answer about a future in the NFL.

Also consider that literally thousands of college players don't get drafted despite being in great physical shape and likely dedicating their entire lives to football.
 

squicken

Member
“Great sportsman. Never talked noise. You make a play on him and he was always like, ‘Good play.’ He’d score on you, and he’d never throw it in your face. In my book, that counts for major, major respect. He’s the most sportsmanlike football player I ever played against.”

—Cleveland cornerback Tramon Williams, who played against Calvin Johnson 14 times, on the retirement of Johnson for a cornerback roundtable in The MMQB.

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/03/13/howie-roseman-philadelphia-eagles-nfl-free-agency

Calvin Johnson played his last football game at 30 years, 3 months old.
Barry Sanders played his last football game at 30 years, 5 months old.

Calvin Johnson was the second pick in the first round of the 2007 draft.
Barry Sanders was the third pick of the first round of the 1989 draft.

Calvin Johnson retired without a press conference, through a statement.
Barry Sanders retired without a press conference, through a faxed retirement letter to his hometown newspaper Wichita Eagle.
 
3736556144_73eefde4e9.jpg
 
He was also injured, old, and realistically not a fit for the system. There was no development to be had. It was a bad mesh. Offense started to look better under Brock, but he started to fail because of bad OL play, holding on to the ball like a rookie, and not being able to motivate the team to turn things around. Could he have improved under Kubes? Most certainly. The work with Schaub/Plummer tells me he can take a junk yard project and turn it around or into something good/serviceable.
This has nothing to do with what I said. Kubiak did nothing to improve Manning's game and as such should and will be open to criticism. Period.

If the offense continues to trend this way for years to come, you may have an argument. Right now you don't. Besides, Shanny/Kubes style offense isn't a Star Wars stats style offense for the QB anyways.
Uh, okay? I have no idea what this has to do with what I posted.
 
Most people in New York don't like trump. They see him as the guy who used is fathers money to bankroll landgrabs then failed to capitalize and then settled for becoming an entertainment figure.

Trump probably bribed him then.. That must be it.

Why is Bread posting? I thought he quit the thread and got hit by a bus?

WHAT THE FUCK YALL LIED TO ME!

Because it's easy to trick you.

I could see it happening... Unfortunately.
 

Kastrioti

Persecution Complex
—Cleveland cornerback Tramon Williams, who played against Calvin Johnson 14 times, on the retirement of Johnson for a cornerback roundtable in The MMQB.

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/03/13/howie-roseman-philadelphia-eagles-nfl-free-agency

I have heard this time and time again but Megatron's "sportsmanship" was something I don't think I've seen from any athlete in any sport, let alone from an NFL WR.

In a game where trash talk is intertwined with the game because of how it's played it boggles my mind when I read stories about Megatron never talking smack and actually complimenting opposing DBs when they make a nice pass breakup. The WR position has always been known as a diva position. But Calvin Johnson was something else.

Throughout his career, pre Stafford, he never threw his Coaches or QBs under the bus, even when he could've/should've especially after the 2008 season. But he never did. He never demanded a trade, never blamed teammates when 99.999% of other players, regardless of position would have.

Really going to miss him, wish he would have played one more season because this current Lions team is making a Super Bowl run, but I'm grateful to have watched him play.

stafford-statement-thumb-030815.jpg


Even with Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, Eric Ebron, Theo Riddick etc. it's going to be weird not seeing Calvin Johnson lace them up this season.

Thanks for the memories, looking forward to having
Megatron as an ambassador for the Lions franchise.

He even returned some of his signing bonus back to the Lions yesterday.
 
Field Yates ‏@FieldYates 47m47 minutes ago
Prince Amukamara’s 1-year deal with the Jags has a base value of $5M ($3M guaranteed). $1M more available via roster bonuses/incentives.

I'm kind of stunned that the market wasn't better for Prince. He's injury prone but when healthy he was a solid player. Physical against the run, too.
 
Is it just me or is how good their team performed factor in too heavily to a players worth in free agency?

Like the Rams secondary players and Bengals receivers are getting huge contracts but their value seems inflated. Meanwhile guys like Prince get low balled because he came from the worst unit in the league. I know injuries play a part with him but still
 

Kastrioti

Persecution Complex
I'm kind of stunned that the market wasn't better for Prince. He's injury prone but when healthy he was a solid player. Physical against the run, too.

Wow, much lower than I expected which is good for the DB market overall. Should help the Lions with out Darius Slay contract negotiations.

In Russell Okung news he's looking for around $10 Mil a year, but he does not have an agent and is negotiating with teams by himself.

Adam Schefter talks about it for about 30 seconds in the link.

http://espn.go.com/blog/detroit-lio...l-okung-watch-continues-for-the-detroit-lions

Found that interesting, meaning he has confidence but I think he's overvaluing himself without an agent and NFL teams like the Lions, Steelers, Giants are hesitant to pay him $10 Mil a year given his injury issues.

Bob Quinn and the Lions would offer an incentive based contract based on playing time like we did with Rafael Bush, Haloti Ngata, but if he wants close to $10 Million a year guaranteed he can go sign with the 49ers.
 

Striker

Member
Wow, much lower than I expected which is good for the DB market overall. Should help the Lions with out Darius Slay contract negotiations.
Prince is not regarded as an upper echelon CB, and misses half the games per season, Slay is getting what Jenkins and Maxwell got.
 
Like the Rams secondary players and Bengals receivers are getting huge contracts but their value seems inflated.
Most everyone's value is inflated given the current structure of the cap. We're seeing some more reasonable signings now that we're in the second and third wave of free agency but for the top names? Team performance no doubt plays into it but given the amount of money teams have to spend - guys were going to be overvalued. Especially the pass rush market which did not have a strong crop of free agents to choose from.
 
By the way, I'm digging The Division. I didn't think I would but I'm having a good time with it. Though I can see where the content is starting to get repetitive and I've read the end game is poor. Though I'm hoping they address that in timely fashion. I'll play until it loses me or stuff like Uncharted 4 and Quantum Break draws my attention away.
 

Kastrioti

Persecution Complex
Prince is not regarded as an upper echelon CB, and misses half the games per season, Slay is getting what Jenkins and Maxwell got.

Prince was originally asking for much higher than he got IIRC.

And Darius Slay is better than both Jenkins and Maxwell. Given his talent, shutdown ability and age he'll probably command $12-16 Million a year.

Darius Slay is that good. Doesn't get mentioned much in the national media because he just finished his 3rd season but he's a shutdown corner who will go toe to toe with your best WR.

He had great practice covering Megatron and Golden Tate in practice as a rookie and his second year. He's probably the best young (under 28) DB in the league, IMO.

I think he'll command a deserved, $12-18 Million a year.

He's already signed with Drew Rosenhouse and is working on a contract extension with the Lions. Will probably get worked on next season.
 

Striker

Member
He supposedly wanted $10M per and that was insane considering his career thus far. His injury history and lack of turnovers strained his value. Perhaps he was asking for too much from a few teams calling about him. He only visited the Jags IIRC. One source said Giants gave thought to bring back back on a one year deal but I doubt it was in Prince's interest. I wish him luck, he's a good dude, just not a guy who stays healthy.
 

Fantomex

Member
By the way, I'm digging The Division. I didn't think I would but I'm having a good time with it. Though I can see where the content is starting to get repetitive and I've read the end game is poor. Though I'm hoping they address that in timely fashion. I'll play until it loses me or stuff like Uncharted 4 and Quantum Break draws my attention away.

It's really good if you're a loot whore like I am. One of the reasons I enjoyed Dragon Age was because of the cosmetic loot you could get. The game gets stale, but hopefully they'll add some stuff soon. It's also very interesting seeing clueless Call of Duty and Halo players take on WOW/Everquest type elements by trying to blast through everything. No concept of tanking, kiting, pulling adds or even when to DPS. I seen many dead bodies. It's funny when they get destroyed and they crawl towards me to revive them :jnc
 

Kastrioti

Persecution Complex
He supposedly wanted $10M per and that was insane considering his career thus far. His injury history and lack of turnovers strained his value. Perhaps he was asking for too much from a few teams calling about him. He only visited the Jags IIRC. One source said Giants gave thought to bring back back on a one year deal but I doubt it was in Prince's interest. I wish him luck, he's a good dude, just not a guy who stays healthy.

I wanted the Lions to draft Prince A in 2011 but we opted to go with Nick Fairley 6 picks ahead, a pick I liked at the time.

Darius Slay is a Top 5 DB already in the league in his third season, IMO. Especially after watching him this season.

I would take Darius Slay over Patrick Peterson, who is IMO, overrated.

Aaron Rodgers shows respect for Detroit Lions CB Darius Slay during and after game

Slay's coverage was so sticky, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers rarely looked Jones' way, throwing to the trusted veteran target just twice. And just like Slay didn't make a dent in the box score, neither did Jones. He was held without a reception for the first time this season.

Rodgers' respect for Slay showed throughout the game as he generally focused on the opposite side of the field, where Josh Wilson and Nevin Lawson attempted to cover Davante Adams and Randall Cobb. Those two combined for 15 catches and 152 yards after being targeted 31 times.

After the game, Rodgers offered Slay some words of encouragement that put the young, boisterous defensive back over the moon.

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2015/11/detroit_lions_darius_slay_5.html

I particularly watched Slay this past season moreso than any other Lion other than Matthew Stafford and Theo Riddick.

He was toe-to-toe with whoever the best WR on the opposing team was. Was with the opposing WR every single play and even if the WR made a quick slant route catch, Slay was there for the tackle.

He has the height and weight for a DB at 6'1, 195 lbs to cover any WR.

His biggest problems this season was against the Broncos on National TV where he promised to pick off Peyton Manning but instead of knocking down the football, which he was in perfect position to do so, he decided to try for an INT and failed.

Lions fanboyism aside, Darius Slay is a Top 5 cover corner at 25 years old. He's that good.

It certainty helps to practice against Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate who he would routinely shut down in training camp.
 
Man the Division is so good. I am still early in the game but the missions so far have all been really fun. I really liked the tech wing upgrade mission. My god that was so tense at the end with only 2 people. My wife and I were also under leveled so we had to be super careful. Hopefully there is a lot more stuff like that.
 
Nick Fairley, one of the bigger name free agents still available, has drawn some interest from the Eagles according to a source familiar with both the team and the player.
According to the source, who wished to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak on the subject, there are three or four teams with serious interest in the 6-5, 291-pound defensive tackle. One of those teams is the Eagles. The New Orleans Saints and Jets could also be in the mix.

He was also fairly sure that Fairley would not return to the Rams where he played on a one-year deal in 2015.

Fairley was the 13th overall pick of the Detroit Lions in 2011 when new Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was the Lions' head coach. He underwhlemed in his four seasons with the Lions.

He played in 46 of a possible 60 games and started 30. He recorded 13.5 sacks and one tackle behind the line on a running play.

Eagles should pass on Elliott at No. 8

As an unrestricted free agent a year ago he signed a one-year deal with the Rams. That deal included $2.5 million in base salary, a roster bonus of $1.75 million and in-season bonuses of $31,250 per game. Fairley played in 15 games for the Rams as the third tackle behind starters Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers. He recorded one-half sack.

The Eagles, switching to a 4-3 defense under Schwartz, need depth at defensive tackle behind projected starters Fletcher Cox and Bennie Logan. Fairley could provide that depth.

http://www.nj.com/eagles/index.ssf/2016/03/eagles_showing_interest_in_nick_fairley_per_source.html
 
I totally missed the Martavis Bryant story this weekend. What kind of drug do you all think he was using?

I'm going to guess it's something opiate.
 

Kastrioti

Persecution Complex
Fairley is a perfect 4-3 DT, especially under the defense Jim Schwartz runs...when he wants to play. Fairley has supreme talent but for whatever reason plays when he wants to.

He's still young but the injury issues combined with "I'll ball the fuck out this week then take a week off" soured Lions fans and most NFL teams who did not sign him after we cut him.

The potential is there but he really reminds me of former Lions DT Shaun Rodgers. Have four, dominant games a years and the other 12 you're wondering where the hell is he?

His relationship with his former coach should help him and he has all the talent in the world.
 
Holy crap MS bringing cross-network play

By the way, I'm digging The Division. I didn't think I would but I'm having a good time with it. Though I can see where the content is starting to get repetitive and I've read the end game is poor. Though I'm hoping they address that in timely fashion. I'll play until it loses me or stuff like Uncharted 4 and Quantum Break draws my attention away.

I like running through it with the group I've been playing with because I'm a sucker for loot like that. The DZ has potential but the way NPCs spawn in there gets frustrating real fast and at higher ranks there doesn't seem to be incentive to go rogue because the amount of stuff you lose is massive.
 

Hindl

Member
I totally missed the Martavis Bryant story this weekend. What kind of drug do you all think he was using?

I'm going to guess it's something opiate.

Apparently it was multiple missed drug tests.

Fairley is a perfect 4-3 DT, especially under the defense Jim Schwartz runs...when he wants to play. Fairley has supreme talent but for whatever reason plays when he wants to.

He's still young but the injury issues combined with "I'll ball the fuck out this week then take a week off" soured Lions fans and most NFL teams who did not sign him after we cut him.

The potential is there but he really reminds me of former Lions DT Shaun Rodgers. Have four, dominant games a years and the other 12 you're wondering where the hell is he?

His relationship with his former coach should help him and he has all the talent in the world.

If he comes to Philly he'll be a backup, so maybe that will help with his motivation problems. Not sure if that's the right spot for him though, he'd probably start for the Saints.
 
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