NFL 2019-2020 season

Still should have given it to Marshawn down in close range. And it was second and goal because of the quick snap-and-spike to stop the clock.

Strange ending to that Seattle game. Wow, are they going to hear about that in Seattle. It was their chance to rectify the Lynch debacle of the '15 Super Bowl. If that was a decoy when he came out, it was a seriously bad time for it.

Not that I can sneer. Patriots, with a bye on the line, lose to Miami--MIAMI--at HOME. What a lost season. Who knows, maybe they get it together by the time they will have to play KC and Baltimore on subsequent weekends on the road (assuming they take Tennessee), but it will be their biggest accomplishment yet if they do. A regular season that started by looking like they would go undefeated ends with them losing to a team that looked like it would go winless. Crazy NFL! (At least I won a pick ems week.)

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

I have seriously mixed emotions about that...

I heard AB was invited, but was told to leave his entourage at home. He showed up with, like, 15 people. What a dweeb.    

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

Wild ending to tonight's game. Thanks, for the 3 seed, Seahawks! The Saints just looooove playing the Vikings in the playoffs...

Yeah, you never want to play a wounded animal. Cousin may show up and you'll be in trouble.
But, don't forget, you're playing in that "screamathon", MB-Superdome.

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...1st and goal from the 6 to win the game and division. Of all the times not to have a running back. They played a hell of a game though. I think Seattle should be favored to win in Philly.

TBC wrote:

Still should have given it to Marshawn down in close range. And it was second and goal because of the quick snap-and-spike to stop the clock.

Peggy Sawyer wrote:

Strange ending to that Seattle game. Wow, are they going to hear about that in Seattle. It was their chance to rectify the Lynch debacle of the '15 Super Bowl. If that was a decoy when he came out, it was a seriously bad time for it...

Yeah, what do the Seagulls have against running the ball. Although, TBC, you guys were out of time outs.
But, what got me was the obvious Pass-Interference in the endzone. How is that not called? HRD, you probably could answer that! At least, what about a booth-review?

Peggy Sawyer wrote:

...Not that I can sneer. Patriots, with a bye on the line, lose to Miami--MIAMI--at HOME. What a lost season. Who knows, maybe they get it together by the time they will have to play KC and Baltimore on subsequent weekends on the road (assuming they take Tennessee), but it will be their biggest accomplishment yet if they do. A regular season that started by looking like they would go undefeated ends with them losing to a team that looked like it would go winless. Crazy NFL! (At least I won a pick ems week.)

Yeah, "FitzMagic comes thru again!
I don't see the Pats going thru to the Conference final. There are too many teams that are definitely "better" than New England.

Speaking of Tennessee...Is that Tannehill's team now? What do they do with Mariota? Did they pick up his 5th-year option?

The Cowboys demolish the Washington Redskins. A game late and a dollar short!
This team is so bad, it's hard to explain.
Just waiting for the next shoe to drop. See ya Jason. Don't let the door hit you where the sun don't shine.

I almost think that Philadelphia can beat Seattle because Seattle is so up and down. If SF had to travel to Philadelphia then I'd say SF would automatically be victorious.

New England gave away a bye week. But I think they'll beat Tennessee. And then more than likely they'll beat Kansas City on the road because Kansas City loves to choke.

The AFC will ultimately belong to Baltimore.

The NFC generally will be far more competitive.

Meh. The Eagles finished the season 9-7, but that is 5-1 in games against their own dumpster fire of a division with the only loss coming at AT&T and 4-6 against everyone else. Incredibly, two of those wins were at Green Bay and Buffalo.

davidalan wrote:

I almost think that Philadelphia can beat Seattle because Seattle is so up and down...

TBC wrote:

Meh. The Eagles finished the season 9-7, but that is 5-1 in games against their own dumpster fire of a division with the only loss coming at AT&T and 4-6 against everyone else. Incredibly, two of those wins were at Green Bay and Buffalo.

Yeah, I've got'a believe the Seagulls can win in Philly. They're an inclimate weather team too. They should be able to move on without to much trouble.

davidalan wrote:

...New England gave away a bye week. But I think they'll beat Tennessee. And then more than likely they'll beat Kansas City on the road because Kansas City loves to choke...

This is my upset game of the weekend.
With Tannerhill under center, this is the highest scoring team in the League.
They're going to feed Henry the ball on a constant basis, and that Patriot "D" is going to wilt like a flower.
So let it be written. So let it be done.

The Chiefs, Titans, and Texans are all in the playoffs. So every team whose franchise started off in Houston is in the playoffs this year, and none from Dallas.

I don't know. To me both Seattle and Philadelphia fall under the category of: which team will show up. Philadelphia has won four games in a row and Seattle hasn't. So I think that counts for something.

The Buffalo Bills almost win. Good for them.

The Patriots lose. Or did the Titans win. I didn't watch so I don't know. No matter. Baltimore will cream Tennessee. Houston at KC will be interesting to see whether KC will just choke or will Houston actually beat them---for the second time this year.

NFC tomorrow.

Well, the Patriots lost in the wild-card round at home against an inferior team. Brady may be done in New England with his last play being a pick-six. Josh McDaniels may move on, and the dynasty may be over.

But more importantly--

WE SHOWED ANTONIO BROWN WHO'S BOSS.

Way to keep the good times rolling, Robert Krapt.

Robert Krapt is too busy trolling cheap hookers in Florida to pay attention to football.

davidalan wrote:

Robert Krapt is too busy paying the greatest living US football coach to rebuild his football team to pay attention to American carryegg.

FIFY

Times the Saints lost to the Vikings in the playoffs: 1987 (the franchise's first postseason appearance, and yes i'm old enough to still be bitter), 2000, 2017, and 2019.

Times the Saints beat the Vikings in the playoff: 2009, in OT, en route to the only Superbowl Championship in franchise history.

13-3 NFL teams to play on Wild Card weekend before this year: the 1999 Titans, who handed the 14-2 Jaguars their only two losses of the regular season and all 3 losses overall; and the 2011 Saints.

All in all a very interesting and exciting Wild Card Weekend. The Seahawks over Eagles was the largest margin of victory at 8 points.

yes. it was a competitive playoff dynamic.

the next round?

Ravens by a mile.

Will KC choke? Or play will? I'll go for Houston.

I think GB will outlast Seattle.

But! I think Minnesota can beat SF. I just feel it.

TBC wrote:

davidalan wrote:

Robert Krapt is too busy paying the greatest living US football coach to rebuild his football team to pay attention to American carryegg.

FIFY

my line was funnier.

davidalan wrote:

TBC wrote:

davidalan wrote:

Robert Krapt is too busy paying the greatest living US football coach to rebuild his football team to pay attention to American carryegg.

FIFY

my line was funnier.

Possibly. But my line was truer. He's hired Bruce Arena (Former HC of DC United and La Galaxy, winning MLS Cup multiple times with each, bookending a stint in charge of the USMNT) to turn around the Revs, who have been a dismal failure ever since they fired former Liverpool manager Steve Nichol after losing MLS Cup 2014 to Arena's Galaxy.

Peggy Sawyer wrote:

Well, the Patriots lost in the wild-card round at home against an inferior team. Brady may be done in New England with his last play being a pick-six. Josh McDaniels may move on, and the dynasty may be over...

I don't know if I'd call the Titans an inferior team. They had a formula against the Patriots. Run the ball down their throat.

This has been a tough season for TB12. No wide receiver help really showed his weaknesses. Because of age, his fastball is not really that fast anymore. He's never been that agile in the pocket, but I don't think I've seen so many of his passes fall short of its mark.
I remember something Giselle said after he lost a Super Bowl. "Tom can't throw and catch the ball too."
Peggy, I too think this was the last season he'll spend in New England. Where he might go is another subject.

Peggy Sawyer wrote:

...But more importantly--

WE SHOWED ANTONIO BROWN WHO'S BOSS.

Way to keep the good times rolling, Robert Krapt.

I assume you're being facetious, Peggy.
I think it was a great stand for the Patriots and football in general. Yeah, AB would've helped win a couple more games, but at what cost.

I was really devastated by the Saints lost. Especially, since it was another blatant missed call. According to the rule, and I'm paraphrasing..."If an Offensive player locks his arm in an effort to gain separation, that's pass-interference."

Yeah, it was the dictionary definition of Offensive Pass Interference. Personally, i never doubted the Vikings would win in the end. It was a hard game to watch from that perspective, but watch it i did, and feel that way the entire time, i also did.

I'm no longer really used to watching the Saints play and feeling, the entire game, like i already know that the Saints are going to lose. I remember feeling that way a lot a long time ago, so it wasn't an entirely unfamiliar feeling, but it seems like it's been a long time since i felt that way. Not that that feeling made watching the game any easier. I think if i'd felt like the Saints were actually in danger of winning, it couldn't have hurt more than it already did.

So, yeah, the 2019 Saints are the worst 13-3 team in the history of the NFL, breaking their own 8 year old record.

Hodgepodge wrote:

I think it was a great stand for the Patriots and football in general. Yeah, AB would've helped win a couple more games, but at what cost.

AB was exactly what the team needed this year. He was a perfect fit for Brady, and Brady in slight decline needs that level of help. AB would have made a huge difference to the season, and I wish they would have retained him. Let the courts decide AB's off-field issues; while available, use him, say I.

Releasing Josh Gordon was also a mistake.

But for all our problems at receiver this year, our receivers coach (Joe Judge) just got hired as the Giants' HC. So someone thinks the Patriot Way is still one worth emulating.

Peggy Sawyer wrote:

AB was exactly what the team needed this year. He was a perfect fit for Brady, and Brady in slight decline needs that level of help. AB would have made a huge difference to the season, and I wish they would have retained him. Let the courts decide AB's off-field issues; while available, use him, say I.

I'll say this again. "Legal troubles"are not AB's problem. CTE is his problem, largely thanks to a certain former Bengals player whose name we won't mention. (but his initials are "VB").

Quote :

Releasing Josh Gordon was also a mistake.

His statistics and the events following his signing with the Seahawks would suggest otherwise. Kraft and Belichick went to bat for him to get him reinstated, Schneider and Carroll gave him a chance after he was released, he made all four of them look like saps.

As for Brady playing anywhere except New England next year, please tell me where the hell that would be. Sure, there are a lot of teams in need of a good QB right now but "43-year-old cap-buster" is probably on the wish list of exactly zero General Managers right now.

Fact is that most teams in need of quarterback help have pressing issues everywhere. Situations like with the Cardinals in the mid 2000s, when they had solid defense, good running backs, and a pair of excellent receivers named Boldin and Fitzgerald, and Matt Lienart, the hot rookie out of USC at QB...those are rare. Mike Martz had taken over a team built by Dick Vermeil, won a Super Bowl, lost a Super bowl, and then started dismantling it. The final piece was Kurt Warner, released to make room for Marc Bulger. We all remember what happened there. Warner didn't even have time to file for unemployment before the Cards signed him, rode him all the way to their first title game of any sort in since the team was a joint operation with the Steelers during WW II.

You might be thinking "What about Denver?" Sure, John Elway got three great seasons out of Peyton Manning. But they just got a miserable half season from Joe Flacco before that gentleman was lost with a neck injury and a fine final 5 games of the season from Drew Lock and Elway has already committed the team's future to the rookie.

Peggy Sawyer wrote:

AB was exactly what the team needed this year. He was a perfect fit for Brady, and Brady in slight decline needs that level of help. AB would have made a huge difference to the season, and I wish they would have retained him. Let the courts decide AB's off-field issues; while available, use him, say I...

I guess because I'm a father of 3 daughters, I'm glad the League has taken a proactive position when it comes to these issues.

Peggy Sawyer wrote:

...Releasing Josh Gordon was also a mistake...

TBC wrote:

...His statistics and the events following his signing with the Seahawks would suggest otherwise. Kraft and Belichick went to bat for him to get him reinstated, Schneider and Carroll gave him a chance after he was released, he made all four of them look like saps...

Yeah, I'm with TBC on this topic.
Obviously, Gordon's addition means more to him than having a lucrative stay in the NFL. Which I've mentioned on several occasions, doesn't make sense to me. Marijuana + NFL=No $ Clean urine tests + NFL=Mucho denaro!

TBC wrote:

...As for Brady playing anywhere except New England next year, please tell me where the hell that would be. Sure, there are a lot of teams in need of a good QB right now but "43-year-old cap-buster" is probably on the wish list of exactly zero General Managers right now...

I've heard a rumor, that the best place for TB12 is the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers would cut/trade Rivers to the Patriots, as a stop-gap until they can groom Brady's successor.
Or, is the successor already in-house? Oh Peggy!

He was a 6th round draft pick. How hard could he be to replace? Next man up!

Hodgepodge wrote:

I've heard a rumor, that the best place for TB12 is the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers would cut/trade Rivers to the Patriots, as a stop-gap until they can groom Brady's successor.

...and suddenly I am having flashbacks to the day when the Raiders and Oilers did a straight-up swap, Kenny Stabler for "Flack Jacket" Dan Pastrami Pastorini. Both guys played one season with their respective new teams before retiring, as I recall.

TBC wrote:

Hodgepodge wrote:

I've heard a rumor, that the best place for TB12 is the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers would cut/trade Rivers to the Patriots, as a stop-gap until they can groom Brady's successor.

...and suddenly I am having flashbacks to the day when the Raiders and Oilers did a straight-up swap, Kenny Stabler for "Flack Jacket" Dan Pastrami Pastorini. Both guys played one season with their respective new teams before retiring, as I recall.

Damn TBC, I remember Dan Pastorini. Stop dating me!

TBC wrote:

Hodgepodge wrote:

I've heard a rumor, that the best place for TB12 is the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers would cut/trade Rivers to the Patriots, as a stop-gap until they can groom Brady's successor.

...and suddenly I am having flashbacks to the day when the Raiders and Oilers did a straight-up swap, Kenny Stabler for "Flack Jacket" Dan Pastrami Pastorini. Both guys played one season with their respective new teams before retiring, as I recall.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Can you even imagine Phil Rivers trying to break shit down to Belicheck like Rivers thinks he's the one in charge. That's a trade that would go over like a machete attack in a synagogue, much less a fart in church. No way the GOAT Belicheck brings in a Prima Donna QB. He needs a next-man-up mentality from every single player.

Now ESPN is pushing some sort of thing about how Brees and Bridgewater are both out of contract and the team is out of cap space so Brady is the logical guy there while the team develops the next guy, or maybe Carolina should ditch Newton for Brady while they develop K. Allen. If they reach any further they are going to tear muscles they don't have.

I've heard the Chargers and Saints rumors. Ridiculous to trade out one aging potentially-HOF QB for another. Rivers has always been overrated, and as Mo said, a prima donna. NO WAY he comes to NE. Now if Brees were to retire, I could almost--just barely--see an interest in Brady in NO, but not really. The fact remains, Brady would have to learn a new system, give up his coach (BB), his best friend and receiver Edelman, and much more in order to start anew at age 43. Such a thing almost never works. Odds are on him staying in NE. If Kraft dangled a big name or two to help him out (AB, Gronk unretiring, OBJ, etc) Brady would sign and retire here. Here's hoping.

Personally i expect both Brees and Brady to re-sign where they are or retire. If NE doesn't offer Brady a deal, it's hard to imagine him going anywhere else right now. Even most of the bad teams have good QBs. It's not a situation that future HOF QBs have often faced in this league. And Brees will be in the same boat if NO doesn't make an offer to him.

Bridgewater is particularly difficult to predict. He showed that he's ready to start in the NFL, so if Brees decides to take a one-year deal and Bridgewater wants to make better money, he might move on. He's been a pretty smart and patient guy so far, and he might be happy to take one more year playing behind a guy like Drew Brees. On the other hand, he might justifiably think it's his time to shine.

Actually, discussion about Brady, Brees,, etc. is exactly why I started the Off Season thread. I know. I know. Old habits...Sue me.

Good Grief. I thought it would be the Vikings to win. But it was the Titans. To be truthful though I'm glad the Ravens are out. Maybe this is the break that KC was hoping for. If they don't choke (again) that is.

All three AFC franchises still alive in this year's championship hunt originated in Houston Texas.

I'm also glad that the Ravens are out. I still like Mark Ingram and hope he has a great career; i enjoyed seeing Lamar Jackson this year, he's an extraordinary talent and could be a deservingly unanimous MVP; and furthermore i can't think of anything in particular i have against any member of the team or coaching staff.

I still hate the way they crept out of Cleveland. I'm not even from Cleveland or anything like that, i just think it was scummy and it will forever skew my opinion of the franchise. Well, maybe forever. I guess if they became perennial cellar-dwellers and the new Browns had a glory era i might forgive. So, probably forever.

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

All three AFC franchises still alive in this year's championship hunt originated in Houston Texas.

Incorrect. The Chiefs originated as the Dallas Texans. Lamar Hunt moved the team to Kansas City a year later out of unwillingness to compete for fans with the NFL franchise. He saw an open market and went for it. The Athletics had just moved there a couple of years earlier so that seemed to prove the viability of the market.

No shit.

A quick Google search backs you up.

I could swear i recall reading a fluff piece when Houston got that expansion about how the NFL had "owed" Houston an expansion since the Oilers left, which was longer than since the Browns had left Cleveland (though iirc it was about the same time), and how both Houston and Cleveland would eventually get their original team names and colours back. Sure enough Cleveland got the Browns, and i never doubted that what i'd read was gospel truth. Maybe i'm mis-remembering some important detail, or maybe what i read was just wrong.

Either way, thanks, TBC.

On a completely unrelated note, another Saints postseason ended with a play that should have been a penalty against the other team, and i'm glad my fellow Saints fans haven't made national news with their combined whinging again this year. To be fair to my fellow fans: last year's Saints team were definitely a better team overall, and all NFL fans might've had a better Superbowl last year (and just maybe even a different championship team) if the refs had gotten the call right; this year i think the best NFC team got the best seed, and i can only hope that forces conspire to send someone else to the Superbowl.

I would be okay with half-heartedly rooting for the Packers or Seahawks against the Chiefs (or Texans, i guess, lol). If it's ultimately two wild card teams in Titans and Seahawks, i just might have to root for 6 seeded Titans. I really have no serious care for who wins any particular game at this point though. In any given game, i'd rather watch a good game than root for a particular outcome... except for one thing: i am rooting against the Chiefs. I used to sort of like them, waaaaay back in the days of Christian Okoye et al. But those days are over, and i revile Roger Goodell, so nothing against the players, but i hope they lose.

On my guesses for the playoffs I've been wrong right and left. It'll happen. Fortunately I don't gamble.

As for the Browns, well, Art Model was persona non grata in Cleveland. I don't think he ever returned. Even for Ravens vs Browns games. I could be wrong though. I wouldn't be surprised if a Browns' fan hasn't spit on his grave. However, the Ravens have won two Super Bowls so maybe it was a wise choice. The Browns have been notorious for not putting forth good teams for many a season. But maybe Model was a part of that???? In the end, it was greed. And in this country greed is rewarded.

The Titans are definitely the surprise team of the playoffs. And don't count them out against the Chiefs. The soon-to-be once more former Oakland Raiders won the Super Bowl with a 9-7 record. And of course more recently the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants swept through the playoffs as number sixes and won their respective Super Bowls. So I guess anything can happen. I think this playoff season epitomizes the team that shows up wins. It certainly was not this season's 14-2 Ravens. Too bad.

In the NFC, #2 visits #1, and in the AFC, #6 visits #2.

I'm taking Packers over Titans.

What are your picks?

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

Personally i expect both Brees and Brady to re-sign where they are or retire. If NE doesn't offer Brady a deal, it's hard to imagine him going anywhere else right now. Even most of the bad teams have good QBs. It's not a situation that future HOF QBs have often faced in this league. And Brees will be in the same boat if NO doesn't make an offer to him...

Don't mention this to Joe Montana. He left the 49ers for the Chiefs because he didn't appreciate being pushed out by Walsh.

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

On a completely unrelated note, another Saints postseason ended with a play that should have been a penalty against the other team, and i'm glad my fellow Saints fans haven't made national news with their combined whinging again this year...

TPTB (Mrs. Hodgepodge) went on a expletive filled tirade once she heard the "exact" verbiage used in the rule. Needless to say, I stayed out of her way. Didn't want to be hit by any flying shrapnel.

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...I would be okay with half-heartedly rooting for the Packers or Seahawks against the Chiefs (or Texans, i guess, lol). If it's ultimately two wild card teams in Titans and Seahawks, i just might have to root for 6 seeded Titans. I really have no serious care for who wins any particular game at this point though. In any given game, i'd rather watch a good game than root for a particular outcome... except for one thing: i am rooting against the Chiefs. I used to sort of like them, waaaaay back in the days of Christian Okoye et al. But those days are over, and i revile Roger Goodell, so nothing against the players, but i hope they lose.

Well, I'm a big Chiefs fan.
Watching that Texans vs. Chiefs game was something to behold. Honestly, when they got down in the 1st-quarter (24-0), I thought it was over. I started watching a NOVA special about the inner planets.
I checked back right after the Chiefs got a great return. Then all-hell broke loose. 7-straight possessions for TDs. All toll, 8-straight possessions ending in a score.

davidalan wrote:

...The Titans are definitely the surprise team of the playoffs. And don't count them out against the Chiefs. The soon-to-be once more former Oakland Raiders won the Super Bowl with a 9-7 record. And of course more recently the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants swept through the playoffs as number sixes and won their respective Super Bowls. So I guess anything can happen. I think this playoff season epitomizes the team that shows up wins. It certainly was not this season's 14-2 Ravens. Too bad.

They are a surprise to me as well, BA.
That OL is something to watch, and Henry is a beast.

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

In the NFC, #2 visits #1, and in the AFC, #6 visits #2.

I'm taking Packers over Titans.

What are your picks?

I think the 49ers will win against the Pack. I'm hoping the Chiefs can win against the Titans, but I reserve the right to change my mind.

Hodgepodge wrote:

That OL is something to watch, and Henry is a beast.

You hit the nail on the head, though, about Tannehill being that missing ingredient they needed. It's amazing what can happen for a guy if he can get away from The Dolphins before they ruin him. And it's amazing how one guy can change the whole chemistry of a team, even if he is the starting QB.

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

Hodgepodge wrote:

That OL is something to watch, and Henry is a beast.

You hit the nail on the head, though, about Tannehill being that missing ingredient they needed. It's amazing what can happen for a guy if he can get away from The Dolphins before they ruin him. And it's amazing how one guy can change the whole chemistry of a team, even if he is the starting QB.

Curious, what happens to Mariota (spl) now?
Does anyone know what his contract looks like? Did the Titans pickup his 5th-year option? And, if they didn't, is he a Free-Agent this coming season?

I think the Niners going to "fail to show up" this time.

Hodgepodge wrote:

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

Hodgepodge wrote:

That OL is something to watch, and Henry is a beast.

You hit the nail on the head, though, about Tannehill being that missing ingredient they needed. It's amazing what can happen for a guy if he can get away from The Dolphins before they ruin him. And it's amazing how one guy can change the whole chemistry of a team, even if he is the starting QB.

Curious, what happens to Mariota (spl) now?
Does anyone know what his contract looks like? Did the Titans pickup his 5th-year option? And, if they didn't, is he a Free-Agent this coming season?

Mariota's current contract status: https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/tennessee-titans/marcus-mariota-16726/

Mariota's career statistics: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MariMa01.htm

I think that if he wants it and is willing to work hard for it at a fairly low pay rate, and with a little luck thrown in too, he's likely to at least be given a chance to become a starter again, but it looks like even odds or worse that even given such a chance, it might not work out.

Wasm't he like the #2 overall draft pick in his class? He had a couple decent years, and hasn't been bad, but...

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

Mariota's current contract status: https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/tennessee-titans/marcus-mariota-16726/

Mariota's career statistics: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MariMa01.htm

I think that if he wants it and is willing to work hard for it at a fairly low pay rate, and with a little luck thrown in too, he's likely to at least be given a chance to become a starter again, but it looks like even odds or worse that even given such a chance, it might not work out.

Wasm't he like the #2 overall draft pick in his class? He had a couple decent years, and hasn't been bad, but...

Am I reading his contract correctly? Last season, he was paid over $20Mil? And, this season, he'll be an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA)?
If that's the case, I'd try to keep him in Tennessee as Tannehill's backup. Not sure how much that'll cost the Titans.
I think his chances of being a "starting QB" again might be difficult.

I probably should've spelled out what i mean by all that: Mariota can absolutely find work in the NFL as a second-or-third string QB, or maybe even with a short-term deal in a place where they at least pretend he has a chance to start; he will take a pay cut if he wants to do that, or probably anything at all in any industry. I doubt his ability to become a successful starting quarterback in the NFL again, but IMO if he does, it will be short lived and also not good enough to earn the Lombardi.

I know nobody here has mentioned it, but i couldnt help but notice it: after the end of regular season week 16, the Ravens had the 1 seed locked down and nothing to play for. In week 17 they were hosting a Steelers team with nothing to play for except the dubious distinction between a winning record with no playoff appearance and a .500 record with no playoff appearance. So the Ravens rested their key players. Then the whole team had a bye week. Then, after essentially two weeks off that the younger starters didnt really need, they hosted a team that was hot as hell and squeaked into the playoffs at the last second and then went and won in Gillette. Were the 14-2 Ravens victims of the bye?

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...Wasm't he like the #2 overall draft pick in his class? He had a couple decent years, and hasn't been bad, but...

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

I probably should've spelled out what i mean by all that: Mariota can absolutely find work in the NFL as a second-or-third string QB, or maybe even with a short-term deal in a place where they at least pretend he has a chance to start; he will take a pay cut if he wants to do that, or probably anything at all in any industry. I doubt his ability to become a successful starting quarterback in the NFL again, but IMO if he does, it will be short lived and also not good enough to earn the Lombardi.

In answer to the first question, yeah, Mariota was the overall #2 pick in the 2015 NFL draft. Here's the kicker. RGIII, was the overall #1 pick in that same draft. Now both of them have been regulated to backups. Just damn!

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

I know nobody here has mentioned it, but i couldnt help but notice it: after the end of regular season week 16, the Ravens had the 1 seed locked down and nothing to play for. In week 17 they were hosting a Steelers team with nothing to play for except the dubious distinction between a winning record with no playoff appearance and a .500 record with no playoff appearance. So the Ravens rested their key players. Then the whole team had a bye week. Then, after essentially two weeks off that the younger starters didnt really need, they hosted a team that was hot as hell and squeaked into the playoffs at the last second and then went and won in Gillette. Were the 14-2 Ravens victims of the bye?

I'm a fervent believer in not having a "rest" week.
I remember when the 'Boys were the #1 seed in 2007. They went into the playoffs with a 13-3 record. They lost in the Divisional round, which was their first game, to the N.Y. "football" Giants. Same thing happen in both the 2014 & 2016 seasons.

SF vs KC.

I suppose order was restored with the home team wins. For KC they can thank the Titans for gifting KC home court. Maybe this was the best matchup after all. With Balt's dismal performance.

I think we can reasonably expect to see Baltimore in postseason regularly again in the next few years, but this matchup does kinda feel like what the NFL Story Committee has been building towards all season. The 49ers won the Lombardi Trophy imn 1994 behind Steve Young's best statistical year, which iirc was the last big hurrah for Bill Walsh and his famous west coast offensive system, though the system itself became ingrained league-wide. They'd won a few with Montana (and Young) before that, but 1994 was a long time ago. The Chiefs, on the other hand, haven't won a Superbowl since 1969, which was their only Superbowl win despite having won two AFL championships previously and having been the AFC's representative in the first Superbowl.

Statistically the 49ers seem to have a slight edge, and i expect Vegas will have them giving Kansas City a thin margin, possibly as slight as 1/2 a point or as large as 3 points, but my guess is 1.5 - 2.

I don't really have a dog in this fight in any meaningful sense, but i will root for the Chiefs because of old history between the 49ers and Saints franchises and also because i'd like to see Andy Reid get a Superbowl win.

I'll be rooting for the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes is completely likable. Probably the result of growing up the son of a guy who played over a decade in the Bigs. This is just business to him, none of it's gone to his head. Garoppalo on the other hand, he's out there sticking his his junk in Pornhub stars. Nothing says "full of yourself" quite like shagging a chick who does internet porn.

Andy Reed needs a game where he doesn't give the win away. KC has been scoring a lot of points. But so has SF. So we'll see.

Ya know, DA. I keep watching your sig gif. That's got to be one of the greatest catches ever. Dude even got two feet down inbounds.