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."

[southbankbornnbred]

"""...but I thought you just said it was the GM, with the say so of the owners, that agreed to hiring Hackett, who most teams wouldn't have touched with a barge pole after Denver?"" TM - sorry mate, I probably wasn't being very clear: I don't think Joe Douglas had much at all to do with the appointment of Hackett as OC - at all. I'm quite sure the owners, in their lustful rush to land Rodgers (Woody visited Rodgers at the QBs home before anybody else) were all too keen to let Rodgers pick an OC he's pals with. I doubt Douglas had much choice, and I doubt Saleh knows a good OC when he sees one. Hackett is probably not a good OC - he just happens to be mates with Rodgers, who is the talent. But where people can absolutely say that some of this is the fault of Saleh, is that he has really not made much attempt to improve his understanding of the offensive game since becoming a head coach. You have to. You can't just be a 100% specialist defense guy. Because even if you are not really going to call the offensive plays (Saleh does have oversight of our offense), at the very least you have to know who is a good - and who is a poor - offensive co-ordinator. I genuinely don't think Saleh has worked hard enough on his offensive knowledge. So when Rodgers wanted Hackett (and the owners wanted Rodgers), he went along with it all - probably unaware of what level of talent his OC does or doesn't have. That's not a good look for a HC. And Douglas (GM) has been emasculated by the owners. I like Saleh. He's a fine defensive mind. But I liked Rex Ryan's defensive mind (even more) - and he was dreadful on offense."

[RBshorty]

Love the Jets. Even when it's a hurricane of shit for the Giants. You can always guarantee the Jets will out do them when it comes to shitness.! Go G Men.

[Takashi Miike]

"""they are partially correct about Saleh: he has been too focused on defense and hasn't improved his understanding of how to score points."" but I thought you just said it was the GM, with the say so of the owners, that agreed to hiring Hackett, who most teams wouldn't have touched with a barge pole after Denver? I'm struggling to see how it's Saleh's fault when he was probably forced to have Hackett on his staff. it sounds like an untenable position for me"

[southbankbornnbred]

"FC - the Ryan family were basically a university of defense! Those apples did not fall far from the tree. Even the other son, Rob, was a good defensive mind. Buddy, and then later Rex, threw defensive shapes at teams that they had never seen before. When Rex brought back his dad's old skool 46-Bear formation - an ultra-aggressive pass-rush system out of base or nickel - even Tom Brady struggled at first. He got used to it, though."

[southbankbornnbred]

"Don't get me wrong, as much as I don't like the Johnsons as owners, they are partially correct about Saleh: he has been too focused on defense and hasn't improved his understanding of how to score points. That has fed through into his coaching choices, draft picks etc. He's a Grade A defensive coach. He's ungraded on offense. I'm generally against players running the show, but maybe it will do the Jets some good if Rodgers has more say on play-calling. The risk is that old bighead will try to take over. That could split the dressing room."

[southbankbornnbred]

"Don't get me wrong, as much as I don't like the Johnsons as owners, they are partially correct about Saleh: he has been too focused on defense and hasn't improved his understanding of how to score points. That has fed through into his coaching choices, draft picks etc. He's a Grade A defensive coach. He's ungraded on offense. I'm generally against players running the show, but maybe it will do the Jets some good if Rodgers has more say on play-calling. The risk is that old bighead will try to take over. That could split the dressing room."

[Takashi Miike]

"they let rodgers choose the OC? hahahahaha. it's snyder levels of dysfunction. as soon as owners intefere in the process, it's over. we've just watched a quarter of a century of that clown show shit in washington"

[southbankbornnbred]

"Yeah, Hackett was 100% Rodgers' choice for OC: the club will deny it, but they definitely let Rodgers pick his own man. At that point, I'd say Joe Douglas (GM) lost control and oversight of the franchise at playing level - and we now have a three-way battle of wills between Woody, Rodgers and Saleh. Douglas and Hackett have, for different reasons, become secondary considerations. It's a shame, too, because I like Joe Douglas and he was helping to gradually improve what was an awful roster. But the moment the owners decided they wanted Rodgers, any plan for a patient build went out the window. If you're a GM and you're told in no uncertain terms that the owners are going to visit Rodgers, then you've lost oversight of recruitment."

[Far Cough]

"sbb, that reminds me of Buddy Ryan, great DC but not so much as a HC."

[Takashi Miike]

"why aren't they questioning the GM? isn't he the reason you mortgaged the franchise on Rodgers, and then hired Hackett as the OC after doing such a horrendous job in denver?"

[southbankbornnbred]

"I could see Saleh giving a lot of power to Rodgers when the QB returns for pre-season. In some ways it would make sense. It's potentially Rodgers' last season, and perhaps Saleh's final year at the Jets (unless they improve considerably). Maybe his best option to let Rodgers and Hackett (OC) have more say over offensive plays. But what happens in the draft, with the #10 pick, will tell you who won the war of words between the owner and HC."

[southbankbornnbred]

"Widespread reports that it's all kicking off at the Jets. Owner Woody Johnson has, for some time, been unimpressed by head coach Rob Saleh's lack of progress on offense - despite the fact that Saleh is an excellent defensive mind. Johnson is reportedly urging Saleh to improve his knowledge of the offensive game, but also to use the Jets' #10 pick in the draft to take a top-level offensive talent. Reportedly, Saleh has been talking about taking another defensive player at the top end of the draft. Woody and his brother are, it seems, less than impressed - and several media outlets are reporting that it all kicked off at the NFL owners meeting, with the pair arguing openly. I have to say, I don't like our owners. And Saleh is a very fine defensive coach. BUT...the owners do have a point. For a head coach, Saleh is exceptionally naive about how to move the chains in the modern game, and some folk at East Rutherford think he's little more than an expensive defensive co-ordinator. I think that last bit is harsh, but I get it: he needs to improve his offensive knowledge, or hand over that side of the game, completely, to a new and experienced offensive co-ordinator. Considering how shit we are so regularly, it's never dull in Gotham. There's a real risk that Saleh will turn into another Rex Ryan: superb only on one side of the ball."

[Takashi Miike]

"I watched a lot of the combine footage of the QBs that turned up, and subsequent pro days. JJ McCarthy was the stand out for me, and hearing new owner Josh Harris was also impressed gives me hope they make the right decision"

[southbankbornnbred]

"TM - yeah, that's a great move for Norf's brother. I genuinely hope he does well there - that's some place to play your home games and they value good defense. Seattle or Washington would have been good for him. Hope he gets the time and space to deliver. Norf - if your brother is up for an interview interview with a proper British journalist (!), let me know: there's a really interesting piece in it..."

[Joe C]

"Yeah it's brilliant - I've been to a few different ones, and found Seattle the best (and not just saying that as a Hawks fan)"

[OccupyGreenStreet]

Thanks for the heads up Joe C - didn't expect that but the matchday experience is supposed to be right up there so I'm sure those streets/areas have it covered.

[RBshorty]

Great for Norf's brother. Hawk's in full rebuild mode. (And let's be honest. It hard too support them Cowgirls.!) Love what Pittsburgh did to Chicago with Fields. More like the Stealer's than Steelers. Go G Men.

[Joe C]

"OGS - No tailgating at Lumen Field. Some people do it a few blocks away, but it's not the same as in other places as you can't have alcohol on the street in Washington state. King Street Bar and Oven is where the main lot meet up"

[OccupyGreenStreet]

"Nice, thanks TM. Sounding a very decent acquisition. It's on the bucket list to get out there, went to the London Game Hawks vs Raiders, which is good enough but you need the full match day/tailgate stateside."

[Joe C]

"I went to Seahawks v Commanders with OTB last year, was very impressed with Sam Howell. Read this week that it was when we identified him as the QB to sign."

[Takashi Miike]

"OGS, when you get time have a look at his full debut at the back end of the 2022 season against the cowboys, who were still competing for the division going in to the game. full game without adverts and other distractions (just over two hours). it's a great advert for Sam and why McDonald would have been interested https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8NPhQf5W868"

[OccupyGreenStreet]

"Thanks TM, that's a positive and informed take. From the little I've seen and read, he could really push Geno, and then who knows? At worst a great back up and more than solid replacement for Drew Lock, and a potentially very high ceiling: plenty of upside at low cost."

[Takashi Miike]

"I watched him the last two years at NC, first with all the weapons like carter, williams, brown, etc before they all left for draft. if he'd also gone, he would have maybe been a top ten pick. instead he carries the offense on his own, without any weapons and calls to us in the fifth round. bienemy destroyed him last year. we didn't have a great I-line but it was better than the previous year that wentz had to deal with. the problem was bienemy refused to run the ball, I think one particular game sam threw fifty consecutive passes. there's a reason eric wasn't hired by a pro team after he was released by us. I'm also not saying sam didn't make mistakes, but he was traumatised by the final third of the season came round, as he was sacked that much and don't have the comfort blanket of a run game. I'd have been happy going again with him this year but a new regime and that number two spot, they want their own man but he couldn't have landed in a better alternative. throughout the bad times, he kept professional and is a great kid"

[OccupyGreenStreet]

"Good to see Norf will be backing the Hawks for a while at least. New head coach in the ex-Ravens guy, post-Pete Carroll. And Sam Howell in - any good? Media reports saying that's quite a good under the radar acquisition, that the Commanders didn't have the personnel or coaching in place to give him enough protection or targets/options but he might do well in the PNW?"

[Takashi Miike]

"SB, did you see norf's brother got the DC job in seattle? I know dan quinn wanted him in washington but it can't be a lateral move so it did him a favour. could end up being the first british head coach, impressive stuff"