West Ham Online

"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."

"it's going to be difficult for it to be a fair process, especially when we're already lined up to play so many play off teams & the possibility of another in the bills or ravens"

"If they can't find another media sponsor, then it most likely won't happen in 2021."

"It all looks and sounds like a plan to play more matches in Britain, Germany, Japan and Mexico, though."

"Sorry, I wasn't being very clear there... The plan is for the 17th game to be one single AFC V NFC match-up. Making it three ""loose"" (non-divisional) games per season - two against sides from your own conference and one against a side from another conference. So the no-names would play 12 games against NFC teams and five against AFC."

"brown didn't look too bad in the carries he got, goff/mcvey need to get higbee or everett involved. woods can't carry the receiving corps on his own. reynolds isn't bad, but the TEs are decent and could really help"

"TM - yeah, not sure if they plan to start that in 2021 or 2022. Personally, I think it's a bad idea, but the players have provisionally OK'd it and the owners have done their usual fudge by agreeing to it ""in principle"" but only as far as potential scheduling for 2021 goes. So it's all still slightly up in the air for 2021. The plan is for the extra game to be another single AFC v NFC match-up, making it three (of those games) against teams from the other conference (on top of the four from one other conference division). It's all getting messy. The deal - which requires another huge media partner to fund it - would mean shortening the pre-season by one game, expanding the season to 18 weeks (with everybody still having a bye week) and pushing back the play-offs/superbowl."

"Takashi Miike 6:07 Wed Jan 13 Re: NFL (since 2016) It's going to be very difficult for the Rams. Donald, Akers and Kupp are all banged up. You make a good point about Akers and unfortunately Henderson is out who could have taken some of the burden from him. If they can stifle the Packers offence and then run the ball well they have an outside chance. I'm looking forward to it."

*talking*

"SB, was listening/watching dan patrick taking to the browns centre yesterday about the proposed new 17th game, which the players in the league have voted for. no idea if it starts next season, or how the opponent is decided?"

"The main NFL rule to remember, Gaffa, is... ...if you support the Jets, just take your medication and be grateful that you're allowed out at weekends."

"Gaffer, Yeah, TM has it spot on. You play the three teams in your division home and away - SIX GAMES. You play one NFC division per season (two home, two away) - FOUR GAMES. You play one AFC division per season (two home, two away) - FOUR GAMES And you play one side from each of the remaining two divisions within your conference (AFC or NFC) - TWO GAMES. TOTAL = 16 GAMES. So you always play 12 games against sides from within your own conference (AFC or NFC) and four from the other lot."

that first game saturday should be good. I can see another upset if donald's fit & akers can last the game

Come on Miike I'm just pulling your (spiral/compound fractured right) leg.

"you smashed up a team led by a bloke playing his first game since a spiral/compound fracture of his right leg, where he almost died. big deal"

Luckily it looks like you won't be getting smashed up by the Rams again next season Miike.

"gaffa, I'll explain the skins schedule next year.... 6 games within the division against the Cowbows, Chiefs, Eagles (H&A) 4 games against the teams in an AFC division, this year the AFC West and the Chiefs, Raiders, Chargers & Broncos (2H, 2A and the division you play is rotated every year) 4 games against the teams in another NFC division, this year the NFC South and the Saints, Bucs, Panthers & Falcons (2H, 2A and again the division is rotated every year) The remaining two games are decided on his well you performed the previous season, so because we finished 1st we have to play the two highest seeds in the NFC which was the Packers & Seahawks (the Saints were no2 were but we're already playing them)"

"I enjoy the NFL but don't really follow any team, what I'd like to know is as there are 16/17 league games before the playoffs how is it decided who plays who as there are 32 teams, so obviously you cannot play everyone as per the premiership. Any simple explanation would be appreciated."

"A few reports in NYC today suggesting that the Jets are 'winding down' their search and that Saleh looks like he'll get the job. You'll probably be hearing me complain a lot more on here, then!"

"Yeah, Rivera is transforming the no-names. Solid, sensible decision-making. It's amazing how that can transform a previously-deranged franchise. That's where the Jets need to get to."

"Hahaha! He's definitely going to chin somebody soon! I like his intensity, don't get me wrong. But I think he's a perfect fit as a DC. I'm not yet sure he's a HC and, even if he is, I'm certainly not sure he's the HC we need. Ryan was an even better DC and he was absolutely clueless about offense. People think it doesn't matter providing you appoint a good OC. But the problems start early - it distorts the draft focus, for example. So Ryan overspent hugely when he (and the GM) traded up to take Mark Sanchez with the #5 pick in 2009. It meant we wasted other key picks on a below-average QB who was only useful at handing off to a good half-back (partly because Ryan didn't know how to nurture what talent Sanchez did have, so the kid stood still for several years). All these little details matter. If the Jets had an already established starting QB and a steady looking O-line, I'd say Saleh would be a decent risk. But our problems are offensive. He's unlikely to be the solution to that."

"fans aren't always right, but in my mob's case, the fans were perfectly correct in knowing bruce allen was a toxic presence and had to go. the biggest problem a lot of these franchises have is either hiring a bad GM like allen/wiseman or a meddling owner who interferes in football decisions like snyder/jones. luckily snyder listened to joe gibbs and spoke to rivera, and let him run the show. it's still only a year, so nothing's guaranteed but the atmosphere now is reminiscent of our great days in the 80s"

"no, keep ranting. I wouldn't want him if I was a jets fan. he seems far too intense for me and I'd imagine he'd clash with certain players, especially the more laid back characters. maybe the intensity is just for show, but he looks on the verge of upping someone whenever the camera goes on him :.)"

"The next head coach of the Jets HAS to have a ""day one"" plan to sort out the QB situation and start scoring points. He can't, in my view, be a coach who has to learn that side of the game. I'll stop ranting now!"

"I like Saleh as a person, but I'll be underwhelmed if the Jets appoint him. Because we've had several Saleh's in recent years. He's the guy I was referring to when I said the Jets could over-reach an appoint somebody just because they are available on a particular day. He'd improve our defense, no doubt. And I like good defense. But Rex Ryan was a brilliant defensive mind - and he took us backwards after a couple of promising seasons because he didn't have a clue about offense. My worry is that Saleh looks like the same sort of guy - and at a time when our QB/skills positions conundrum is the biggest issue to resolve."

"TM - yeah, I have two concerns about Saleh. He's obviously a good DC but... a) The Jets' biggest problems are on the offensive side of the ball. Whether to keep Darnold, how to develop him if you do keep him, finding some effective skills position players (HB, WR etc) and the basic challenge of not having scored anywhere near enough points to win games in the past five years. b) Saleh looks like a very good motivator and sideline guy on defense. But that's just it: his strength seems to be that he'd the vocal, shouty guy on the sidelines who gets on with his defensive players and is good at game-day motivation. We not only need more than that, but we've also had those very coaches several times in recent history and they did not perform the sort of franchise transformation that is now necessary. So Rex Ryan, Mangina and Todd Bowles were those sorts of coaches (Bowles a little quieter). You have to go way back to Bill Parcells in the late 1990s before you find a Jets appointment that bucked that trend in terms of impact across the franchise. The Idiot Gase was an experiment with an offensive ""mind"" (ahem!) which should never have happened. But I firmly believe we still need to lead with an offensive coach at this point. We need to get back to basics and learn how to put points on the board, which we have failed to do for many seasons now - even when our D-line has performed well (it didn't this year). For that reason, I'd be more interested in Bieniemy, Pederson or Daboll. Saleh would probably last two or three years in New York, would no doubt use up key top draft picks (we have many in the next two years) on (albeit potentially good) defensive players - at a point when the primary focus should be offense. Saleh is no doubt a fine DC. He may even become a fine HC. But I'm not sure he's the HC we need or want. We have many more problems on the side of the team that he has never been responsible for."