Lots of good wagers in there! Wow, thank you @flv and bookies.

The league year resets our credits and we crown a winner for the 2019 season (in March, each year).

Get in... make your move!

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson named 2019 NFL MVP

The NFL's consensus choice for Most Valuable Player has officially assumed the throne.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was named the 2019 NFL MVP on Saturday at NFL Honors in downtown Miami. Jackson earned all 50 first-place votes, making him only the second unaimous MVP in NFL history (Tom Brady, 2010).

Jackson was a source of pure spectating delight in 2019, shredding opposing defenses while leading the league in touchdowns with 36 passing scores and seven trips to the end zone on the ground. Jackson threw for 3,127 yards and posted a 113.3 passer rating, with the latter mark exceeding the average rating of an MVP quarterback (107.8) en route to the AFC's top seed.

That's not all, of course. Jackson rushed for 1,206 yards, breaking Michael Vick's single-season record for a quarterback in the process and obliterating the average mark for an MVP quarterback (131). He more than tripled the average mark for rushing touchdowns with his seven scores.

Jackson's league-leading marks in passing touchdowns and quarterback rushing yards made him just the second quarterback to do so in NFL history, joining Hall of Famer Steve Young, who did so in 1994 with nearly 1,000 less rushing yards. Jackson's 1,206 yards also landed him at sixth place in the entire NFL in rushing yards.

Jackson became the youngest quarterback to ever win MVP at 22 years, 358 days old (on Dec. 31, 2019) while leading the NFL's No. 1 scoring offense (33.2 points per game). With Jackson at the controls, Baltimore finished first or second in five key offensive categories: points per game, total yards per game, rushing yards per game, big plays per game and red-zone percentage. Jackson also posted the second-highest passing touchdown percentage (9.0) in the Super Bowl era (minimum 350 attempts).

Jackson's season could only get better if his Ravens were able to reach the Super Bowl. Baltimore's 14-2 finish didn't carry over into the postseason, as the Ravens were eliminated by the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Divisional Round.

His MVP makes him the first Ravens player to win the award.

Game Day Thread

Super Bowl LIV, Chiefs vs. 49ers, Feb. 2, 2020

Site: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida

Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. EST on FOX

TV announcers: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman

Rules analyst: Mike Pereira

Sideline reporters: Erin Andrews and Chris Myers

Pregame/halftime: Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson, Michael Strahan, Jay Glazer

Radio: Kevin Harlan and Kurt Warner, WFAN (660-AM, 101.9-FM)

Halftime show: Jennifer Lopez and Shakira

National anthem: Demi Lovato

Point spread: Chiefs minus-1

Over/under: 54.5

This guy is a machine. I don’t know what he has going on genetically, but I hope his wife is an athlete and they have children.

If they have a son... draft that boy.

———


Frank Gore: I can still play, have to see who wants me

After the Bills were knocked out of the playoffs by the Texans, running back Frank Gore said that he would take some time before deciding if he wanted to extend his playing career to a 16th season.

It appears Gore has moved closer to making that decision. During an interview with Chris Simms from Miami, Gore said he feels good physically and just needs to find a good fit to continue his career.

“I’m going to wait til March and see what team really wants me,” Gore said. “I still feel good. I know I still can play. It’s just gotta be right.”

The South Florida native wouldn’t mind playing for the hometown team. Gore spent the 2018 season with the Dolphins and said this week, via the Miami Herald, that he “would love if [Dolphins General Manager Chris Grier] would bring me back” for a second tour of duty with the team.

JERRY JONES TO AARON DONALD, I Was Hurt At '14 Draft ...WE WANTED YOU!!!

Zack Martin ain't going to love this ...

Jerry Jones told Aaron Donald, after a steak dinner in Miami on Thursday, he was devastated when the Rams drafted the DT just 3 picks before the Cowboys took Martin in 2014!!!

"First of all, you broke my heart," Jerry told the L.A. superstar at Prime 112 steakhouse in Miami ... "They took him before we could take him!"

Of course, the draft ended up alright for Dallas ... Martin has made SIX Pro Bowls since Jerry drafted him, after losing out on Donald -- but it's pretty clear JJ wanted AD badly!!



"I'm going to tell you something right here," Jerry said, as he took Donald's hand. "You raise your hand to this guy. Now, this is the definition of a War Daddy. This is, 'Be a War Daddy!' right here!"

Jerry's son, Stephen Jones, clearly felt the same way ... 'cause when he grabbed AD at the restaurant, he told his dad, Donald is "the best player in the NFL!"

Don't worry, Rams fans ... Aaron ain't going to bolt for Dallas anytime soon -- he just signed a $135 MILLION contract that's locked him in to Los Angeles for the next half decade!!!

By the way, we also asked Jerry if he'd put Jimmy Johnson in the team's Ring of Honor now that his ex-Cowboys head coach is going into the Hall of Fame ... and all Jerry would tell us is, "Aren't we proud of him in the Hall of Fame?"

Translation ... don't bet on it.

WITH THE MANNING AND LUCK ERAS OVER, WHERE DO THE COLTS GO FROM HERE?

After starting this past season with a 5-2 record, the Indianapolis Colts fell off the map in a big way. They lost seven of their final nine games en route to finishing third in the AFC South.

The season started with franchise quarterback Andrew Luck shockingly announcing his retirement. Indy then locked up backup Jacoby Brissett on what was, on the surface, a long-term deal.

Now heading into the offseason, there’s renewed questions about Brissett’s future in Indy under head coach Frank Reich. With the team in the post-Luck and Manning era, what must the Colts do moving forward to once again become relevant on the broader NFL stage?

It’s about the quarterback, stupid: It should not come as a surprise that it starts and ends with Brissett under center. The Colts reportedly don’t believe he’s the long-term solution at quarterback.

• That’s where this gets interesting. Indy signed Brissett to a two-year, $30 million extension shortly after Luck’s retirement. The team had seemingly committed to the quarterback for two seasons.
• Not so fast. Said contract called for an out after the 2019 season with an ability to save about $10 million against the cap. This enabled the Colts to see what they had in Brissett in 2019 and move on from him if need be.
• Brissett started the season strong. But after suffering a knee injury, he fell completely off the map. This coincided with the Colts’ struggles in the second half of the season.

First seven starts: 64.8% completion, 14 TD, 3 INT, 99.7 rating

Final seven starts: 56.4% completion, 4 TD, 3 INT, 75.0 rating

This seems to suggest that Brissett is no longer the long-term solution in Indy as the organization has reportedly soured on him. If that is the case, what must the Colts do this offseason to find a solution at quarterback and add to a roster with multiple holes?

Trade Brissett: Despite his relatively lofty $21.375 million cap hit for the 2020 season, Brissett seems to be a tradable commodity. The Colts would likely get something for him.

• By my estimation, as many as 10 NFL teams will be looking for new quarterbacks this coming March. The market will be there should Indy look to move Brissett.
• It would be as much about moving Brissett’s contract without a dead cap hit as it would be about receiving a ton back in return.
• Moving Brissett to say the Redskins or Bengals for a mid-round pick could make sense for general manager Chris Ballard and the Colts.

Add a stopgap veteran option: The free-agent and trade markets will be plentiful for quarterback-needy teams once the spring comes calling.

• Tom Brady: Indianapolis has been linked to this six-time Super Bowl champion more than any other team in the NFL. If Brady were to leave the Pats, he makes a ton of sense as a stop-gap option for the Colts.
• Philip Rivers: Yet another potential future Hall of Fame quarterback who has been linked to the Colts, it sure looks like Rivers will leave the Chargers in free agency. If so, he makes a lot of sense, too.
• Cam Newton: Indy could use the pick(s) it acquires in the hypothetical Brissett trade as part of a package to entice the Panthers into trading the former NFL MVP. Reports suggest that Carolina plans on doing just that in March.

Draft a quarterback in Round 2: While we have the Colts going a different direction in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, they could look quarterback later.

• Indianapolis has two second-round picks in the coming draft, including the valuable 34th overall selection. This gives the team a real chance to land a potential future franchise signal caller.
• Heck, the Colts could potentially package their two second-round picks in a trade up scenario for someone like Jalen Hurts. He’s quickly rising the draft boards.
• If Indy were to stand pat, Washington’s Jacob Eason and Georgia’s Jake Fromm could also make sense.

A couple veteran free-agent options: We’re obviously not talking about Indianapolis tearing it down. The team still has a ton of talent and could contend for the AFC South title with the right mix in 2020.

• Spotrac projects the Colts will have north of $90 million to spend in free agency, the second-largest sum in the NFL. That’s going to help matters as it relates to adding top-end talent.
• The needs are vast and glaring on both sides of the ball for Indy. Getting a No. 2 receiver behind T.Y. Hilton is chief among them. Someone like Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green makes sense. If the Colts really wanted to make an imprint, maybe chase after Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper.
• Defensively, we’d love to see the Colts add more talent to the secondary, specifically at corner. The team could entice Byron Jones or Chris Harris Jr. to take lucrative shorter-term deals. A trade for Lions Pro Bowler Darius Slay might be in the cards, too.

Bottom line

Indianapolis remains in position to contend for a playoff spot in 2020. If the team were to hang on to Brissett, that wouldn’t necessarily change things.

Even then, improvement has to be the name of the game for Chris Ballard and Co. It could very well start at quarterback.

If the Colts were to add someone like Brady, Rivers or Newton and team him up with a pair of solid receivers, contention would be the name of the game in 2020.

Kinda funny, rams ones weren’t all that good.

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DAK PRESCOTT SEEMS FED UP WITH COWBOYS OVER CONTRACT TALKS

Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott has said all of the right things as extension negotiations continue to draw on between the two sides.

It appears Prescott is now done playing nice. The impending free agent laid into the Cowboys over said contract negotiations on Thursday, seemingly calling the team out in the process.

“You would hope and you would think something is going to get done, right,” Prescott said Thursday, via David Moore of Dallas News. “I mean, you would have thought something would have gotten done before the season. In my brain, it only says that it gets done. Without the tag.”

Click to expand...

This is the issue. Dallas holds the right to place the dreaded franchise tag on Prescott. That value is expected to come in at about $27 million, much less guaranteed cash than what the quarterback would earn on a long-term deal.

”I don’t think any of that is necessary,” Prescott continued. “But that’s business. That’s all calculated. That’s all on them.”

Click to expand...

It’s obvious Prescott is placing the ball in Dallas’ court heading into the offseason. And while the Cowboys’ brass remains confident, these negotiations started long before Week 1 of the 2019 season.

When asked if he planned on working out at The Star in Dallas this offseason without a long-term deal, Prescott did not mince words in saying he’d be absent. “Report that,” Prescott uttered. “Be sure to report that.”

Things seem to be growing contentious on this front. Sure cooler sides could prevail with a deal ahead of free agency in March. At this point, that does not look to be in the cards.

Seriously? What in the actual holy hell has happened to time? Makes me sad.

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Ok I'm better.

In 2018 the Rams began to rebuild their O-line. That year they drafted Noteboom and Allen their LT and C of the future. In his limited snaps in 2018 Noteboom played well at LT displaying the potential they saw in their scouting. In Allen, they had their Center who spent the year being mentored by an excellent John Sullivan who was brought in on a short contract for that purpose.

In 2019 they finished their starting 0-line rebuild with drafting Edwards and Evans and trading for Corbett someone they had targeted in his draft but was picked by Cleveland before they had a chance to grab him.

How have they done? Before his injury, Allen was rated by many services including PFF as playing as well or better than Sullivan.

#LARams Austin Corbett and David Edwards were able to provide some impressive production in 2019 during a period of OL uncertainty

Among all Guards (min 500 snaps):
- Corbett allowed 11 pressures (4th) and 1 sack (T-7th)
- Edwards allowed 14 pressures (T-6th) and 1 sack (T-7th)

According to the rankings, the Ram rebuilt interior o-line is looking pretty darn good. There is no question that Evans easily outplayed Havenstein at RT. Give this unit time to gel and there is real talent on the o-line. Their problems were in essence poor technique in the run attack. That IMO is at the feet of Kromer and Dickerson who did a piss poor job in coaching them up to make the transition from a simplistic outside zone to more of a power gap scheme. But the underlying talent is clearly there if it is properly developed.

Poor coaching also was apparent in the RBs when they really struggled to understand how to execute the new run scheme.

They look to have decent depth with Brewer and Shelton as their gameday reserves.

The only concern would be when Noteboom will be 100% ready. In that case, they could simply move Edwards to LT and Brewer or Shelton at RG until Noteboom returns. What I'm saying is that McVay and Snead have assembled their starters on the o-line, they simply need time to develop and gel as a unit. IMO this could be a very good o-line, especially in pass protection which is in actuality the most difficult skill the o-line must master.

As I've postulated in another tread I see this team moving to a power gap run attack. I think they might draft a FB or they simply could have Mundt or better yet Blanton at 6'6" 266 lbs, as a lead blocker out of a pulling TE or H-back position. They also add value as receivers as well.

The bottom line I simply don't see the need to spend draft capital on the o-line at this point and neither do I see a reason to be overly concerned. As long as the coaches step up their game the unit should be fine.

Once again boy did we dodge a bullet with this dude:

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I was just diagnosed recently and could use some help figuring out numbers for my meals. I have no clue the amount of carbs, sugars, sodium..etc...etc.

I've tried to find answers online and even apps. But i cant seem to find anything solid. If anyone knows where I can find this info, I would appreciate it.

Before someone says nutritionist, my insurance wont cover me going...its garbage.

Chris Jones Flat-Out Says Chiefs Want to Make Jimmy Garoppolo Beat Them

On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers will face off in the culmination of the 2019-2020 NFL season: Super Bowl LIV. When asked what the key to winning the Super Bowl is, Chiefs star DE Chris Jones had a very straight-forward take.

Jones, a Pro Bowl awardee, said that the Chiefs' game-plan is to prevent the 49ers from running the ball as effectively as they have previously against other teams, and to force QB Jimmy Garoppolo to beat them. The 49ers ran all over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship, and the Chiefs would rather avoid that same fate.

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The 49ers were incredibly effective against Green Bay. Running back Raheem Mostert ran the ball 29 times against the Packers for 220 yards and four touchdowns.

While the 49ers are, in fact, a dominant running team, Garoppolo's talent should not be understated. The 49ers starter has had a great season, throwing for 27 touchdowns and winning the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award.

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We cannot wait to see how this strategy works out for the Chiefs, and if Jones' words come back to haunt KC.

Why the NFL's championship is called the Super Bowl: The Chiefs' historic tie to naming the big game

For the first time in 50 years, the Kansas City Chiefs will be playing in the NFL's ultimate championship game -- this Sunday -- in Super Bowl LIV. However, the Chiefs' franchise ties in historically to the big game -- the two almost go hand in hand -- and they go way back. It all starts with Lamar Hunt -- a true innovator. After trying -- and failing -- twice to acquire an NFL team, Hunt decided to do the unthinkable: create a brand new football league that would one day compete with the league that spurned him. Payback, however, was not Hunt's goal. The goal of Hunt's league -- the American Football League -- was to create a more exciting brand of football while tailoring rules to help the offenses (sound familiar?).

After several lean years, the AFL quickly established itself as a more fun, entertaining alternative to the more traditional NFL. Not only did AFL games include higher point totals, they also included colorful jerseys (to help reel in young fans) and just as colorful personalities that included Chiefs coach Hank Stram and Jets quarterback Joe Namath.

Along with Namath, the league possessed several household names that included Jack Kemp (who quarterbacked the Bills to two AFL titles while appearing in four straight AFL title games) and Chargers receiver Lance Alworth, whose career earned him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Over time, the league thought it was ready to compete with the mighty NFL, and before the start of the 1966 season, Hunt, who was also the owner of the Chiefs, penned a letter to NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle to see if the NFL champion would care to face his league's champion once their own championship game had concluded.

"If possible, I believe we should 'coin a phrase' for the Championship Game," Hunt wrote, according to Michael MacCrambridge's book, "America's Game." "I have kiddingly called it the 'Super Bowl,' which obviously can be improved upon."

Rozelle, according to former NFL publicity director Don Weiss, did not love the nickname. It's been reported that Rozelle would have called the game the Pro Bowl if that wasn't already the name of the league's all-star game.

"Pete was a pretty regular person, but he was a stickler on words and grammar, and 'super' was not his idea of a good word," Weiss said. "He thought 'super' was a word like 'neat' or 'gee-whiz.' It had no sophistication."

When no other ideas came to light, Rozelle and Hunt settled on the first game between the two leagues being branded as the "AFL-NFL Championship Game."

Rozelle wasn't the only one that didn't love Hunt's "Super Bowl" nickname. Before pitching the name to Rozelle in his note, Hunt initially mentioned it during a meeting with the other AFL team owners when trying to decide if there should be one or two weeks between the leagues' respective title games and the AFL-NFL Championship Game. While no one directly shot down Hunt's idea, the name Super Bowl was received with chuckles by the other owners.

"Nobody ever said, 'Let's make that the name of the game,'" Hunt recalled in MacCrambridge's book. "Far from it, we all agreed it was far too corny to be the name of the new title game."

At this point in the story, there's a few questions that need answered. Where did Hunt's "Super Bowl" idea come from? And how did the AFL-NFL Championship Game get renamed to the Super Bowl after it was mocked by AFL owners and rejected by Rozelle?

The answer to the first question can be traced back to a kid's toy that was played with by Hunt's children during the mid '60s. One day, Hunt saw his kids playing with a Superball, a "mystery ball with 1,000 bounces" that was branded as "the greatest ball ever created."

While the AFL-NFL Championship Game was the official name for the 1967 game played between the AFL champion Chiefs and the NFL champion Packers, the game was often referred to in the media as "the World Series of football." But while that nickname never gained momentum with the general public, several players and media members had begun to use Hunt's "Super Bowl" nickname when publicly talking about the AFL-NFL title game. In fact, NFL Films, during their coverage of Green Bay's 35-10 victory, referred to it as the "Super Bowl."

Over the next year, the phrase "Super Bowl" spread like wildfire, as fans, players, media circuits and national commentators had starting using Hunt's phrase on a regular basis. Following the second AFL vs. NFL installment, another blowout victory by Vince Lombardi's Packers (this time over Al Davis' Raiders), the leagues decided to officially use Hunt's nickname as the official name of the AFL-NFL matchup.

Super Bowl III, played in January of 1969, was the first AFL-NFL game that was officially dubbed as the Super Bowl. Fittingly, the third installment of his annual game would break the mold while helping make the Super Bowl the spectacle that it is today. Despite being 18-point underdogs to Don Shula's heavily favored Colts heading into the game, Namath famously guaranteed a victory for his Jets. With more hype surrounding this Super Bowl than the previous two combined, Namath, in front of a packed house at Miami's fabled Orange Bowl, helped lead the Jets to a shocking upset that exponentially increased the popularity of the NFL and Super Bowl while also providing instant validation for Hunt and the AFL.

A year later, the AFL and NFL agreed to merge following the 1969 season, meaning that the fourth installment of the Super Bowl would be the final game ever played between the two leagues. A year after watching the Jets become the first AFL team to defeat the NFL, Hunt looked on with pride as his Chiefs pulled off their own upset in Super Bowl IV, defeating the Vikings, a 13-point favorite, 23-7 to even the AFL's record with the NFL at two wins apiece.

While the Super Bowl trophy has been named after Lombardi, the AFC championship trophy has been named in Hunt's honor. Last Sunday, the modern day Chiefs secured their first Hunt Trophy since the Chiefs last appeared in the Super Bowl 50 years ago. A week from Sunday, they will look to win Hunt's "other" trophy in what would be a fitting end to the NFL's centennial season.

WHY THE FALCONS SHOULD CONSIDER BLOCKBUSTER TRADES OF JULIO JONES, MATT RYAN

The Atlanta Falcons are coming off yet another sorely disappointing 7-9 season under head coach Dan Quinn. This team started a horrendous 1-7 before a great run in the second half of the campaign.

This gave the Falcons and their fans false hope. False hope that contention could be the name of the game in 2020. False hope that Quinn was still the long-term answer on Atlanta’s sideline.

Now, with the Falcons preparing for a big offseason, I’m here to say it’s time for owner Arthur Blank and Co. to blow this whole thing up.

The why: In a top-heavy NFC, Atlanta is not contending for anything of substance over the short term. It does not have the young talent, its core is aging and multiple teams have passed this squad up.

Harsh reality: Without much young talent, the Falcons ceiling is incredibly low. And as we saw during the first half of the 2019 season, their floor is also pretty low.

• Matt Ryan is 34 years old, and has been in regression mode since earning the NFL MVP back in 2016 en route to leading Atlanta to the Super Bowl.
• Devonta Freeman could very well be done in Atlanta following a disappointing 2019 campaign that saw the former Pro Bowler average just 3.6 yards per rush and score two touchdowns on the ground.
• Recently extended, Julio Jones remains one of the game’s best talents. Set to turn 31 in February, Jones is also at the age where most receivers hit the back end of their primes.
• Defensively, Vic Beasley has not panned out. Desmond Trufant seems to be a shell of his former self. There’s a lack of true young talent on this unit.

The salary cap: According to Spotrac, Atlanta currently ranks in the bottom four of the NFL in cap room. Quick fixes in free agency are not coming this team’s way.

• Ryan, Jones, Trufant, Jake Matthews, Grady Jarrett, Alex Mack and Deion Jones are slated to count a combined $109-plus million against the cap in 2020.
• Of this, Atlanta can’t realistically get out of any contract to create a worthwhile amount of cap space. As an example, everyone on that list outside of Mack boasts dead cap hits of $10-plus million.
• This is not a core group capable of competing with the big boys in the NFC. That’s for sure.
• Even if the Falcons were to create $8 million in cap room by releasing Devonta Freeman and Allen Bailey (two cut candidates), it would not come close to giving this team enough cash to be big-time players in free agency.

The NFC: This is the most important aspect of the argument. There’s no logical reason to believe Atlanta can even contend for a wildcard spot in 2020.

• For argument’s sake, let’s just go ahead and conclude that the 49ers, Packers, Vikings and Saints are all better than Atlanta. Any objective person would be hard-pressed to deny this.
• That leaves Atlanta competing with the likes of the Eagles, Cowboys, Seahawks, Bears, Rams and Buccaneers for a wildcard spot.
• It’s hard to pick two teams from that list that the Falcons are better than. As a result, it’s unrealistic to expect contention.

The Julio argument: Once Atlanta is prepared to contend with the top teams in the NFC, Jones will be well past his prime. The team can find value for him right now.

• There would not be a shortage of contending teams in both the AFC and NFC interested in a receiver that is averaging 103 catches for nearly 1,600 yards over the past six seasons.
• Unlike other receivers who have hit the trade market, Jones does not come with the off-field baggage. That’s no small thing in today’s climate.
• Below, we’ll check in on a few legitimate trade scenarios for the Falcons and Mr. Jones.

Jones to the Philadelphia Eagles for a first-round pick and fifth-round pick in 2020, a second-round pick in 2021 and Derek Barnett: To say the Eagles need an upgrade at receiver would be an understatement. They would pay a heavy price to add someone of Jones’ ilk for Carson Wentz. In turn, Atlanta nabs three valuable picks and an upgrade at edge rusher.

Jones to the San Francisco 49ers for a first-round pick in 2020, Dante Pettis and Ahkello Witherspoon: There’s no reason to believe that Kyle Shanahan wouldn’t salivate over the idea of reuniting with Jones. He’s actually directly talked about it. Moving Jones to the defending NFC champs might be a bitter pill to swallow, but the Falcons add two talented young players at positions of need and a first-round pick in return.

Jones to the New England Patriots for first-round pick in 2020, third-round pick in 2020 and third-round pick in 2021: Regardless of what happens with Tom Brady, the Pats need help at receiver. If they do bring him back, going all-in for another Super Bowl run makes sense. In this case, New England offers its first-rounder in 2020, another mid-round selection this April and a third-round pick in 2021. It’s a deal the Falcons might have a hard time passing up on.

Jones to the Las Vegas Raiders for a first-round pick in 2020 and Derek Carr: Atlanta could very well look to swing a trade for a stopgap option at quarterback and delve into finding a longer-term option later. Carr is known to be on the outs in Vegas. Raiders head coach Jon Gruden just recently went big-game hunting for a receiver last spring. If the Falcons were to decide to move on from Jones, this is the deal that could make the most sense.

Moving on from Mr. Ryan: Trading Julio Jones would be one thing. Dealing your franchise quarterback would hint at a complete rebuild. Again, we check in on what a Ryan trade might look like.

Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts for a first-round pick in 2020 and second-round pick in 2020: What’s the going rate for a quarterback entering his mid 30s? We’d like to believe the Falcons could still get a first rounder and change for the former MVP. And if the team were to put him on the block, Indianapolis makes the most sense. It has been linked to other big-name quarterbacks to replace Jacoby Brissett. Yielding a first-rounder and one of their two second-round picks could make sense for the Colts.

Ryan to the Washington Redskins for Dwayne Haskins, a third-round pick in 2020 and a first-round pick in 2021: Is Washington’s brass sold on Haskins after an up-and-down rookie season? We’re not too sure. What we do know is that those in charge in D.C. right now are not the ones that drafted him. The Skins could pull a complete 180 and move Haskins, their third-round pick and a future first for Ryan. Atlanta gets a potential franchise quarterback and two valuable selections, one of which they can use this April.

Ryan to the Chicago Bears for Mitchell Trubisky, two second-round picks in 2020 and a second-round pick in 2021: The theme here might be for Atlanta to find another long-term option to replace Ryan, one of which could be a struggling quarterback in Trubisky. Add in three second-round picks, and this is magnified even further. For the Bears, they get a true franchise quarterback in hopes of riding a championship-caliber defense to a Super Bowl.

NFL Draft: Let’s say for argument’s sake that Atlanta is able to move Jones for a first-round pick in 2020 and Ryan for another first-round pick (and change), things would be set up swell for this squad come April. For now, this is how we envision the draft unfolding for Atlanta with its current slate of picks.

1- Yetur Gross-Matos, EDGE, Penn State

Vic Beasley is a free agent and will likely leave once March comes calling. Takk McKinley has struggled making a major impact after being a first-round selection himself back in 2017. After that, Atlanta’s leading returning sack getter is Grady Jarrett with 7.5 from a season ago. In Gross-Matos, the Falcons get a pro-ready edge rusher with true Pro Bowl upside.

2- Bryce Hall, cornerback, Virginia

As noted before, Desmond Trufant has regressed in recent seasons. He’s now set to embark on his age-30 season. It’s time for Atlanta to get some more new blood in there at cornerback. Hall likely would have been a top-15 pick if he didn’t suffer a devastating ankle injury six games into his senior season. Hall would be a value pick at a need position.

3- Michael Pittman, wide receiver, USC

We still like what 2018 first-round pick Calvin Ridley has done with Atlanta. One of the team’s few star youngsters, the Alabama product has put up nearly 1,700 yards with 17 touchdowns in his first two seasons. Even then, getting someone of Pittman’s talent in Round 3 would be too hard to pass up on. The 6-foot-4 pass catcher would work perfectly with Ridley in the post Julio Jones era.

Bottom line

Outside of what Atlanta does in the draft, the suggestion here is that the team move on from its past by trading Ryan and Jones while releasing Freeman.

If you’re not improving in the NFL, you are not doing it right. A false hope of contention with an aging roster in a budding young conference makes absolutely no sense. The Super Bowl window in Atlanta is completely closed.

Ryan and Jones are still in their primes. The Falcons could get a whole bunch for them. While it might constitute giving up on the 2020 season, it would be the best long-term bet for owner Arthur Blank and Co.

There are so many decisions to be made that it's fair to say this is really a crossroads type season for the Rams, where they need to hit on a lot of them at the least in order to keep that championship window open. And for those who think our window is closed already, well enjoy the draft talk and no hard feelings. But for me, I'm not ready to concede yet when the Rams were so close to getting into the playoffs not to mention gave the 9ers everything they could handle in week 16 even with all the flaws in their 2019 roster.

Basic idea here is that there are some things we can assume are coming this offseason, whether it's basic approach type stuff or even particular decisions on players who obviously need to go. Figured I'd throw out the ones I think are 100% a given, to my mind at least:

1. Ramsey will be signed. I just don't see this going any other way. The Rams invested heavily in draft capital to bring him in, and not signing him isn't really an option. If you want to see what his reaction is to being tagged, look at the reason he came available in the first place. IF he hits the 2020 season without being signed I believe his representation will push him to test the market. Expect the Rams to circumvent all this and lock him up.

2. Goff will be restructured. I don't think the Rams have lost faith in him. He is a pocket passer and as such those guys need to be protected. And I may be in the minority but when I watch the games from 2019 I can see plenty of good things in his play, he made a lot of passes and kept us in a lot of games when there was nothing on the ground and it's not like we had wideouts running wide open all over the joint (and I say this having watched the all-22 for every game). He wasn't perfect, he did make some really stupid decisions too, but if you look at the body of his play with perspective 2019 will go down as a good learning year for him. So assuming he's still the guy as far as the Rams are concerned, which I think is a safe assumption, a restructure makes sense. I expect it will happen this offseason.

3. Cooks will play out 2020 with us. Rams have an out in his contract for 2021 so this will be a business decision to try to get him back to where he was in 2018 which would be the best possible ending. And there was a significant difference in his play in 2020, as well as his mental sharpness. And it didn't really get much better as the season finished up, with a good example being the wheel route he started and stopped on vs the 9ers (he got outside on Sherman vs cover 1 and Goff read it and threw it accordingly) as late in the season as week 16. The old Cooks was a smart and aware receiver. So Rams will try to get him back to that, and if he struggles JRey will step in (this is a contract year for JRey btw).

4. Gurley will play out 2020 with us. The only way the Rams would consider moving him is if he was a problem in the locker room but given what we know about him from the outside looking in that is not an issue. So financially they will ride him in 2020 but hopefully add to that room a bit so that if he does miss significant time we have enough guys to eat snaps. I don't think they will assume Hendy or Brown can eat those snaps so I expect an addition.

5. Weddle will be cut. This is a no brainer of course given the cap boost he'll bring. At this juncture in his career he is a SS who isn't too good as a tackler any more (he changed after the concussion IMO). We have two good SS types, guys who can hit, tackle with sureness, and cover underneath, in Rapp and Johnson. It is possible the Rams add to that room if they don't think they will be able to sign Johnson, which includes both draft and FA, but even if they do nothing but cut Weddle they are in good shape compared to most other rosters.

6. Brown will be cut. A backup has one job: to be available when the main guy can't go. Brown has failed to deliver two consecutive seasons. Rams will upgrade his roster spot in the draft at the very least.

7. Rams will decline Nickell Robey-Coleman's option. NRC is a good nickel back still but his play in 2019 was not something the Rams can do without when the gain is $4.5M. This is basically a cut, and yes he is definitely good enough to try to trade, however I think the Rams simply let him go and replace him in-house. Sucks but it's a cap and business decision to ensure they can field the best roster possible. Rams will 100% move on from him IMO.

8. Littleton will be allowed to leave in FA. I've put up some stuff to show why I think this and don't want to get all crazy about it, but Littleton is not a strong run fit ILB. You can get guys in every draft (college SS types or mobile backers who aren't great in traffic vs the run) starting round 2 who can play third down nickelbacker type roles. They won't be as good as Corey in that role. But his liability in run defense is something the Rams will not accept when it comes to paying him big market money. He is absolutely gone IMO and best wishes to him.

9. Rams will make noticeable investment in the LB roster. The options are out there to upgrade both OLB and ILB in both FA and the draft. OLB is going to see some FA possibilities that fit and it's likely we will see good edge possibilities at our pick in round 2. ILB is going to have good options in FA as well as the draft. It's been a long time since the Rams have prioritized LB in general, however that changes this year because we have a new DC who is used to rosters with superb LB talent. There is zero chance he looks at our game film and comes away happy.

10. Rams will make noticeable investment in the OL roster. I don't know if it will be FA or the draft and it may be both. But I am certain there will be an influx of talent for competition and depth at the very least. There is simply zero chance the Rams stand pat with the roster group that was most to blame for their 2019 results. With the money invested in Goff & Gurley, the stadium opening in 2020, they are going to set up their star offensive players with every opportunity to regain that status by investing in the line that makes it all happen.

1: Step-by-step

Sarina: What's the update on Joe Noteboom, how's your knee?
Joe: I think we're about eight weeks from surgery. Haven't started running yet or anything like that, just trying to get the quad strength up and figure out walking. I think in about four weeks we start jogging and stuff like that on the field.

2: The little things

Sarina: What's the healing process taught you?
Joe: I've never really taken walking for granted, but now I do. Health and eating well and getting your body right. I've always thought it was important, but now [even more]. I never want to get hurt again, because this sucks.

3: Still learning

Sarina: Is there anything you learned watching the game, not being in the game?
Joe: I haven't really watched a game from up top, it just looks so different from up there.
Sarina: Welcome to our life as fans.

Joe: I know. even on TV, it looks different than in person. But you see more and see the bigger picture of plays and stuff. It's hard to get that when you're just playing your position.

Click above to read full report

Do you guys dislike us almost as much as your NFC West rivals?

The Pats oline coach who worked miracles with their o line has retired, again.
I remember a couple years ago their line was awful when he retired and improved dramatically when they convinced him to come back.
now if they could only talk McDaniels into taking one of these jobs maybe we could be rid of them for good.

Deion Sanders: They’re letting too many players into the Hall of Fame

Deion Sanders is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he thinks that club is adding too many members.

Sanders said on the Dan Patrick Show that he believes there are too many players being allowed into the Hall of Fame, even if they weren’t truly great players, and it’s watering down the honor.

“What is a Hall of Famer now? Is it a guy who played a long time?” Sanders said. “It’s so skewed now. Once upon a time, a Hall of Famer was a player who changed the darn game, who made you want to reach in your pocket and pay your admission to see that guy play. That’s not a Hall of Famer anymore. Every Tom, Dick and Harry, you’re a Hall of Famer, you’re a Hall of Famer, you’re a Hall of Famer. They let everybody in this thing. It’s not exclusive anymore. And I don’t like it.”

Although Sanders didn’t want to name any specific players who he thinks have watered down the Hall of Fame, when Patrick asked him about Eli Manning, Sanders answered, “You get the point.”

Sanders added that he doesn’t think there should be a minimum number of new Hall of Famers each year. The Hall has enshrined at least six new members in every class since 2006, and Sanders thinks that’s too many.

“It should be based on, ‘Are you that guy?’ Not just because we have to meet a quota,” Sanders said.

Sanders’ comments may not make him popular among some of the Hall of Fame finalists hoping to get voted in on Saturday, but he sees the Hall of Fame as a club that ought to be more exclusive than it is.

MOD EDIT: Title Change from Rumor Status on Feb-29.


Report: CBS will make aggressive offer to try to keep Tony Romo

Much has been made of ESPN’s impending efforts to convince Tony Romo to join the network, but it does not sound like CBS will be letting him go without a fight.

According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, CBS is aware that Romo will demand a “huge increase” in salary and is prepared to compete aggressively to prevent him from leaving the network. The network wants to keep Romo, in part because they do not want to have to hire a new lead analyst to pair with Jim Nantz in a year in which CBS will be broadcasting the Super Bowl.

CBS is confident, as they have the contractual right to match any offer made by another network in the Romo sweepstakes.

Reports indicate that Romo could be offered north of $10 million by ESPN. The onus would be on CBS to match that, but it sounds like they might be motivated to do so.

Super Bowl LIV betting: The most popular prop bet every year, and who everyone always bets on

MIAMI — Betting on the final score of the game isn’t enough for the Super Bowl.

Sure, you can join the crowd and place a wager on the Kansas City Chiefs as 1-point favorites against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, but then you’d be missing out on the real action: Prop bets.

It’s impossible to have a conversation about Super Bowl betting without discussing the prop bets. That’s where you can bet how many penalties there will be in the game, or if the Toronto Raptors will score 38.5 more points than Travis Kelce has receiving yards.

MGM released 13 pages of prop bets for Super Bowl LIV, but every year, bettors focus most of their attention on the same one.

The most popular prop bet for the Super Bowl

Each year, the most popular prop bet is a simple one: Who will score the game’s first touchdown?

There are also odds on which player will score the last touchdown, but MGM Resorts International director of trading operations Jeff Stoneback said the first touchdown prop does about 10 times more action.

It makes sense. Once your player scores, it’s a sure winner. And, as long as the Super Bowl isn’t an offensive snoozer like last year, you don’t have to wait long for the result.

MGM offers the first touchdown prop for prime-time games during the regular season and that’s popular among bettors too, but nothing like the Super Bowl.

“In the Super Bowl it gets magnified,” Stoneback said.

There’s always a trend within that prop bet too. The quarterbacks typically end up being the most popular plays among bettors.

That has held so far with this Super Bowl. Stoneback said the only change in the odds for the first touchdown prop was with 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who dropped from 50-to-1 to 40-to-1 based on the amount of bets on him. Stoneback said MGM has written about the same amount of tickets for Garoppolo and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on that prop and they lead the field. Mahomes is 22-to-1 to score the first touchdown.

Neither Super Bowl LIV QB scores often

While betting the quarterbacks to score first is annually a popular play, there’s a reason the odds are usually long.

While both quarterbacks in Super Bowl LIV are fairly athletic, they don’t score often. In six seasons, Garoppolo has 116 yards on 94 carries and only two touchdowns. While Mahomes had an instant classic of a touchdown run in the AFC championship game, Mahomes has just four rushing touchdowns in 31 regular-season games.

And yet, bettors will take their chances on the quarterbacks, as always.

“No matter what, the quarterback will have his hands on the ball,” Stoneback said. “It doesn’t have to be a called play for him to score.”

Hey fellow Rams bros.

The Phoenix Open is here for the week.

I've never gone to a golf tournament.

Anyone gone before? Are they fun? What's it like? What type of ticket should I get?