NFL 2022 Season - Continued…

[Kingspoint]

The NFL's system for parity does work. When you draft high year after year you do accumulate talent and you get a window to compete. We're seeing bottom feeders like Jax, Detroit, Cleveland, Arizona and yes, our Bengals competing. The question is, will it be short lived or will these franchises take long term advantage? Arizona was certainly short term. Cleveland could go either way but they're toying with blowing it. Remains to be seen with Detroit and Jacksonville. I'd like to think the Bengals have turned the corner for the long haul but we'll see.

NFL doesn't have a system for parity. Not intentionally, anyway.

NFL parity began when Offensive Lines stopped playing together for several seasons. When a team can get an Offensive Line to develop continuity through time together, and it takes several years together, then a team can establish consistency with their Offense and dominate opposing teams from year to year. That all gets thrown out the window because of the current free agency system, where a team can't afford to keep an O-Line that's good together for more than two seasons. No team can hold it together for three seasons because of Free Agency costs for quality O-Linemen. You can keep two, maybe three (at the cost of going cheap at some other position that weakens the team), but two or three O-Linemen will constantly be changing and that's going to make it so that there are never any elite teams again. One team will get hot for a season because they went all-in, or they managed to survive the long season injury-free (another reason for parity is that there are always missing key players every week for every team), but they'll soon fade like the Rams did this season.

This is why I love the two FA signings of Cappa and Karras. We bought quality with upside of Linemen who fit our schemes at mid-level prices for the positions. Even the RT acquisition had a lot of upside (and it showed in the run-blocking) while the cost stayed at a mid-level price. We are still in position for our Offensive Line to pay for a quality LT. Williams may be best used at RT, but his play is pricing him off of the team as he'll want more than he's worth, and he's not worth more than he is. He doesn't seem to have that kind of upside anymore.

[Kingspoint]

Super Wild Card Weekend
Saturday, Jan. 14

(7) Seahawks at (2) 49ers, 4:30 p.m. ET (Fox)
(5) Chargers at (4) Jaguars, 8:15 p.m. ET (NBC)


Sunday, Jan. 15

(7) Dolphins at (2) Bills, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
(6) Giants at (3) Vikings, 4:30 p.m. ET (Fox)
(6) Ravens at (3) Bengals, 8:15 p.m. ET (NBC)


Monday, Jan. 16

(5) Cowboys at (4) Buccaneers, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC)

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2...fc-postseason/

So, Tom Brady's disastrous (3 Int's, 2 Fumbles, 7 sacks and 0 TD's) final appearance in the NFL gets to be displayed to everyone on Monday Night Football.

Final:

Dallas Cowboys 38

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3

Micah Parsons: 1 INT, 2 Forced Fumbles, 4 Sacks, 1 Defensive TD.

[Kingspoint]

That looks beautiful but don't you think the Bears should play outdoors? Something doesn't seem right about that

Thought the same thing when the Vikings moved indoors a long time ago, and when Detroit moved indoors a long time ago.

What used to be the Black-and-Blue Division is now the Powder Puff Divisioin.

Yes, yes, the AFC North has also been referred to the Black-and-Blue Division, but the NFC Central was long before there was an AFC North.

[Kingspoint]

Miami did win, on the back of a completely phantom horsecollar tackle call against the Jets. Tomlin still hasn't had a losing season, but frankly, I wish he had. Pittsburgh would have been doomed to a bad first round exit (again), and now have a medicore first rounder to show for the season. At least a big thanks to the Texans for winning- which handed the Steelers the first pick in the second round for in exchange for Chase Claypool, who posted 140 yards...after the trade...over seven games for the Bears. Man, did that trade go badly for Chicago...ewwww.

With that pick, they at least won't be tempted to go QB in the 1st Round.

[Kingspoint]

I don't know how much Rodgers even cares that he lost. It's like he's fine heading into the offseason and enjoying his life as a multimillionaire celebrity. I'm not so sure how much he even cares about football at this point

His level of interest equals the Packers' level of interest at getting him O-Linemen and Receivers over his career.

[Kingspoint]

Goff who has had a really good year is probably at his ceiling though where I feel like Lawrence is scratching the surface of his potential with his new coaching staff.

Goff has been with this coaching staff for only two years, while their G.M. was also the same person in the War Room who recommended that the Rams take Goff at the time. The Lions are committed to Goff and see him differently than the RAMS did. I'm not saying that Goff will justify when he was taken in the draft, as many of his problems are uncorrectable because they are in the IQ department, like Carson Wentz, but Goff looks like he certainly has a much higher floor now.

- - - Updated - - -

Yea, you can tell he’s a guy who wakes up eating shards of glass. Even last year when The Lions were awful you could just tell there was something different in Detroit. Glad to see them turning that ship around.

You mean, like Ted Karras?

[Sea Ray]

NFL doesn't have a system for parity. Not intentionally, anyway.

NFL parity began when Offensive Lines stopped playing together for several seasons. When a team can get an Offensive Line to develop continuity through time together, and it takes several years together, then a team can establish consistency with their Offense and dominate opposing teams from year to year. That all gets thrown out the window because of the current free agency system, where a team can't afford to keep an O-Line that's good together for more than two seasons. No team can hold it together for three seasons because of Free Agency costs for quality O-Linemen. You can keep two, maybe three (at the cost of going cheap at some other position that weakens the team), but two or three O-Linemen will constantly be changing and that's going to make it so that there are never any elite teams again. One team will get hot for a season because they went all-in, or they managed to survive the long season injury-free (another reason for parity is that there are always missing key players every week for every team), but they'll soon fade like the Rams did this season.

This is why I love the two FA signings of Cappa and Karras. We bought quality with upside of Linemen who fit our schemes at mid-level prices for the positions. Even the RT acquisition had a lot of upside (and it showed in the run-blocking) while the cost stayed at a mid-level price. We are still in position for our Offensive Line to pay for a quality LT. Williams may be best used at RT, but his play is pricing him off of the team as he'll want more than he's worth, and he's not worth more than he is. He doesn't seem to have that kind of upside anymore.

The NFL system has made teams like Jax, Detroit and Cin competitive because it's landed then players like Lawrence, Sewell/Hutchinson and Burrow/Chase. Without those top picks those teams would still be bottom feeders

[Kingspoint]

The NFL system has made teams like Jax, Detroit and Cin competitive because it's landed then players like Lawrence, Sewell/Hutchinson and Burrow/Chase. Without those top picks those teams would still be bottom feeders

I don't think the Bengals would be. They changed how they did things when the children took over. These methods would work whether they had Burrow or Chase or picked someone else. Their Free Agency efforts the last two seasons have been A+, while their drafts have been very good. Look at where they got Higgins in the draft.

[traderumor]

And for the greedy owners' 17-soon-to-be-18 game season, 4 pre-season games, and if they make the playoffs, a possible four more games, for a total of 26 possible games. No human body, no matter how gifted it may be, was ever meant to hold up to that type of punishment. Even professional armies used to always quit for six months during the colder season.

There's definitely a lot of truth to the Master-Slave storyline that has been described by many players. Run them into the ground until they drop, who cares if they die (head injuries that they tried to hide for 20 years), and there's always a new ship of slaves arriving from the NCAA every season, who were taught well by the Universities how to behave like a slave and make money for the Owners while getting nothing in return comparatively.

There is no master-slave analogy whatsoever. Employment is at will, the risks of the job are well known, and the pay is really, really good. It does a great disservice to any form of forced labor to perpetuate this crass analogy.

[Sea Ray]

I don't think the Bengals would be. They changed how they did things when the children took over. These methods would work whether they had Burrow or Chase or picked someone else. Their Free Agency efforts the last two seasons have been A+, while their drafts have been very good. Look at where they got Higgins in the draft.

Even with Burrow we were 3-3 in the division. Without him (instead go with Andy Dalton) we'd be competing with the Browns for 4th in the division IMO

[Kingspoint]

There is no master-slave analogy whatsoever. Employment is at will, the risks of the job are well known, and the pay is really, really good. It does a great disservice to any form of forced labor to perpetuate this crass analogy.

In what world is it an employment at will. You are not free to leave one University for another without going through a million hoops and losing precious time. You aren't free to sell your services to the highest bidder from the colleges, nor do you get paid what you are worth by any of the colleges.

You certainly have no say, whatsoever, where you get to work, or who you get to work for, or the length of time you get to work for them at the "professional" level. It's definitely a master-slave society at both the college and nfl levels, where the masters decide where you work, where you can't work, how much you get paid, and that they'll decide who they want to sell you to when you are of no use to them anymore.

[Kingspoint]

Even with Burrow we were 3-3 in the division. Without him (instead go with Andy Dalton) we'd be competing with the Browns for 4th in the division IMO

Every single person agrees that Burrow pushed the franchise years ahead of schedule because of his unique abilities. But, the Bengals would still be on an upward projectory since the children took over, which was just three years ago. In the NFC we would be making the playoffs, but in the AFC, it would take more, and we would definitely need a much better Offensive Line if we didn't have a Top-10 QB.