NFL (since 2016)

[crystal falace]

"Free agency started last night and was pretty crazy some huge money being spent. Osweiler getting £18m a year for the Texans, leaving the Broncos without a QB, Giants have spent a fortune on good but not great players, Oliver Vernon has more guaranteed money than JJ Watt. lots more deals but cant be bothered to list them all."

[Far Cough]

"The Lions have let the division down, history wise and that is in spite of having arguably at one time, the greatest running back of all time in Barry Sander but if you ignore him, I'm struggling to come up with anyone else on that franchise that has made a significant impact?"

[southbankbornnbred]

"Yeah, it's a real shame, too, because those teams and fans in that division deserve better - given the incredible histories they all have. The Pack keeps going, due largely to having had back-to-back hall of fame quarterbacks in Favre and Rodgers. It's a well-run place, too. Chicago and Detroit in particular have had more false starts than a twitchy 100m runner. Bit like the non-Patsies in the AFC East."

[Far Cough]

"I DID say they were in a bit of decline but as Arnie says, we'll be back"

[southbankbornnbred]

"The black and blue division hasn't been in the top three or four most competitive for some time, though. Excellent franchises with great histories, all of them. But with the exception of the cheeseheads, they've not performed consistently for some time. The Bears and Lions in particular, are struggling. The Vikes seem to constantly flatter to deceive. Right now, it's not as competitive as the the AFC North, NFC West, NFC South - hasn't been for a while. The only things black and blue in that division are the loyal fans."

[Far Cough]

"Even though it's in a bit of decline apart from the Packers, the Black and Blue division will always be the best, it wasn't called Black and Blue for nothing"

[Takashi Miike]

*early 80s*

[southbankbornnbred]

Yep - you're a fucking disgrace! ;-)

[IsaacHock]

"southbankbornnbred 3:53 Mon Feb 1 Re: NFL (since 2016) ""And us and the Fish stink to high heaven!"" Did you just bracket the 2 win Jets with the narrowly missed the playoffs with 10 wins Dolphins?"

[southbankbornnbred]

"Yeah, I'd generally go along with that, Scorch. I'd say it's the AFC North and either the NFC North or NFC West. AFC East had a strong moment when the Jets and Fish very briefly grew to threaten the Patsies. But it was fleeting and we too quickly reverted to type!"

[El Scorchio]

"I'd say AFC North. One or the other or both of Baltimore/Pittsburgh has been championship calibre or thereabouts for the last 15-20 years, so that division has always produced at least one really good team, if not two. Others have usually had one perennial contender (and some shit) or a revolving door of contenders, or fours constantly shit teams. NFC North I think is the other strongest division. The rest have been really up and down."

[southbankbornnbred]

"Here's a Q for you - and honest answers, please, rather than heavily biased ones (albeit all answers will contain some bias). Was chatting to a friend of mine about the upcoming Superbowl over the weekend. He's British but a huge Giants (spit!) fan as he married a lovely, kick-ass producer from New York who's family were all from the blue side of the divide. We got talking about the old NFC East in the 1980s and how ridiculously competitive it was. Basically, it was the old line about 'if you're in the sort of shape to win the NFC East, then you're in good shape to win a Superbowl'. Which was certainly true for the decade from the mid-80s to the mid-1990s. Not been like that for a while, with the exception of the Phillies a few seasons ago. But which division - either AFC or NFC - has been consistently the most competitive of late? Lots of talk about the NFC West and, sure enough, the Seahawks (particularly), Rams, 49ers and Cards have all had their moments in the past decade. But which is the dominant division nowadays? Even as a Jets fan, I can't make a case for the AFC East, which is not great now that the Patsies are in decline (!). The Bills have been a pleasant surprise for some, but are not in that league. And us and the Fish stink to high heaven! Personally, I like the dynamic in the AFC North now that Cleveland have gatecrashed the party that the Ravens and Steelers were dominating. You've got three fiercely competitve sides there now, and the Bengals' record until recently was surprisingly strong under Marv Lewis. So which division has bragging rights right now? Is there a modern equivalent of the old NFC East? If so, why? Discuss."

[Nutsin]

"Burnsie you slaaaaaaag! Looks like your Mickey Mouse outfit finally figured out Goff is gash. Stafford is a good QB, big upgrade, Rams just got a whole lot better congrats. Although they are 30 mill over the cap so will be losing some talent this year. Still, the Niners will sweep you again next year no doubt."

[southbankbornnbred]

"They've overpaid, again, but the Rams have got themselves a good QB. Big upgrade on Goff. I thought he'd go elsewhere, but that's a good signing for them."

[Holstebro Hammer]

"Crazy trade, The Rams still only have the 3rd best QB in the division. Stafford is good but not the answer ."

[Hermit Road]

Takashi Miike 8:29 Sat Jan 30 Absolute hot mess. Doesn't inspire any confidence and looks like a deer in the headlights. Be lucky if he sees out 12 months.

[Mr. Burns]

We don't need first round picks.

[crystal falace]

"Unless they acquire another pick from somewhere the rams will now go 7 years without making a first round pick, since drafting........Jared Goff"

[crystal falace]

"Huge deal! Rams are trading jared Goff, two 1sts and a 3rd for Matthew Stafford!! Watson is going to be worth at least 4 1sts based on this"

[Takashi Miike]

"the new eagles head coach's press conference was interesting, hopefully he calms down before training camp :.)"

[southbankbornnbred]

"Not heard Saleh's view of Sam Darnold yet, but at this stage of the Jets' thinking, I'd say we're more likely to stick with Darnold and take Sewell at #2. That would leave Wilson, Fields and Lance etc to others. It will be a risk to pass on Wilson, but I think that Douglas will give Darnold one more season to prove himself. Besides, if we bomb again next year and need to move on from our current QB, the 2022 draft looks almost as tidy for play-callers."

[southbankbornnbred]

"Trundle - cheers. Bucky Brooks must be the worst judge of anything on the NFL website. He's just happy to be there. I can't see the Jets taking Wilson at #2, although you never know. And there is little chance that Penei Sewell - the most immediate NFL starter in this year's draft (even above Lawrence) - will drop as far down as #8. I doubt that seven teams will pass on him. That said, there is very little logic applied to the NFL, and draft, these days. So who the hell knows..?!"

[southbankbornnbred]

"Looks like the Texans' new leadership have come out on the offensive, and diplomatically, over Deshaun Watson. Declared their full intention to keep him and not trade him. Of course, they would say that - wouldn't they? But they are saying all the right things about rebuilding the relationship with him and have effectively called his bluff by saying that they expect to have candid discussions with him this coming 'spring' - meaning they are in no mood to talk trades until at least then (which would be too late for some franchises). It's a clever move. Said the right things, took the sting out of the immediate situation and indicated that they will work to accommodate him. So he now has to kick-up an almighty fuss to get a trade. And he'll need to do that long before the spring. We'll find out soon enough. If he goes on a hold-out, he'd face much sterner sanctions under the NFL's stricter new rules on not playing. Best way to placate their superstar? Have him take part in the scouting/assessment process that the Texans need to undertake for their big off-season target: a free agency wide receiver. The Texans have no first or second round draft pick this year (because of the 2019 Tunsil deal with Miami), so they have to go to free agency to replace Hopkins at WR. If you want to convince your five-star QB to stay, you'd ask him to be part of the process that brings his first-choice receiver into the franchise. Then he has no excuses. How many QBs get to cherry-pick their primary target?"

[Lee Trundle]

The NFL channel have done their mock draft for the first round: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOBhfunolwo&ab_channel=NFL

[crystal falace]

For the sake of the patrios SB i really hope the jets and fins brass agree with you

[southbankbornnbred]

I'd start removing high-round draft picks (as well as impose the standard financial sanctions) from teams operating beyond the cap. It should be a more direct forfeiture system. Watch how quickly each team falls into line then.