NFL Preseason Thread

[-Jrabbit]

The off-season thread is about at its limit, so it's time to start another...

Camps are opening, young millionaires are reporting (well, most of them), and the denizens of Poly Sports are praying that their draft picks just stay healthy. Put another way...

Are you ready for some football?

[Lord Avalon]

Re: NFL Preseason Thread

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
Are you ready for some football?

[-Jrabbit]

As camps open, the signings are coming fast and furious. Just for grins, here's a list of first round draft picks and their contract status.

1 Oakland - JaMarcus Russell, QB -- Unsigned
2 Detroit - Calvin Johnson, WR -- Unsigned
3 Cleveland - Joe Thomas, OT -- 6 years
4 Tampa Bay - Gaines Adams, DE -- 6 years
5 Arizona - Levi Brown, OT -- Unsigned
6 Washington - LaRon Landry, FS -- Unsigned
7 Minnesota - Adrian Peterson, RB -- Unsigned
8 Atlanta - Jamaal Anderson, DE -- 5 years
9 Miami - Ted Ginn Jr., WR -- 5 years
10 Houston - Amobi Okoye, DT -- 6 years
11 San Francisco - Patrick Willis, LB -- Unsigned
12 Buffalo - Marshawn Lynch, RB -- 5 years
13 St. Louis - Adam Carriker, DE -- 5 years
14 N.Y. Jets - Darelle Revis, CB -- Unsigned
15 Pittsburgh - Lawrence Timmons, LB -- 5 years
16 Green Bay - Justin Harrell, DT -- 5 years
17 Denver - Jarvis Moss, DE -- Signed; Undisclosed
18 Cincinnati - Leon Hall, CB -- Unsigned
19 Tennessee - Michael Griffin, FS -- 5 years
20 N.Y. Giants - Aaron Ross, CB -- 5 years
21 Jacksonville - Reggie Nelson, FS -- 5 years
22 Cleveland - Brady Quinn, QB -- Unsigned
23 Kansas City - Dwyane Bowe, WR -- Unsigned
24 New England - Brandon Meriweather, FS -- Signed; Undisclosed
25 Carolina - Jon Beason, LB -- Unsigned
26 Dallas - Anthony Spencer, DE -- 5 years
27 New Orleans - Robert Meachem, WR -- 5 years
28 San Francisco - Joe Staley, OT -- 5 years
29 Baltimore - Ben Grubbs, G -- 5 years
30 San Diego - Craig Davis, WR -- 5 years
31 Chicago - Greg Olsen, TE -- 5 years
32 Indianapolis - Anthony Gonzalez, WR -- 5 years

[snoopy369]

That list is also available from nfl.com:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/10245904

[-Jrabbit]

Well, duh. That's where I got it. So folks wouldn't have to follow a link.

[snoopy369]

I figured a link would be good too since it'll change

[SlowwHand]

Vikes, RB Peterson agree to 5 year $40.5M deal (AP)

[snoopy369]

There goes some of chester taylor's value...

[-Jrabbit]

Get serious. If Chester Taylor's value was based on Adrian Peterson not signing, it was an illusion from the start.

[snoopy369]

Chester Taylor's value with an adrian peterson holdout > Chester Taylor's value with no holdout ... that math isn't too hard?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Snoopy is right. The longer a rookie holds out, the better off the starter at the position is. The rookie generally doesn't know the playbook that well and isn't conditioned as well as he should be if there is a lengthy hold out. A rookie that signs early (like AP did), is in a MUCH better situation, because he comes in early in training camp, learns the offense and gets into shape better.

[-Jrabbit]

Well, duh again. I certainly don't deny that holdouts at most positions (including RB) handicap themselves by doing so. That's pretty obvious, and those of us in Chicago (like Snoop and me) have plenty of experience seeing it.

This is the 2nd or 3rd day of Vikings camp. I'm just saying that drafting a player based on the assumption that another rookie will have a long holdout, is probably overthinking it. If that was a major factor with the pick, there were several other intriguing options with greater upside value.

That said, Taylor was the best RB available at 9.03 IMHO, based on the idea that he would start early in the year, then eventually become the 3rd down back as Peterson's role expands.

So I'm not saying Snoopy made a bad pick. I'm just ragging him for whining about it. Sloww would understand.

[Edit: just realized this is the NFL thread, not the FF draft thread. ]

[-Jrabbit]

Another first rounder signs...

Redskins signed first-round S LaRon Landry to a five-year, $41.5 million contract. The deal includes $17.5 million in guarantees, according to ESPN.

Pretty big bucks for a safety.

[Donegeal]

Bears land DT Walker -- potential replacement for Johnson -- in trade with Bills

PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) -- The Chicago Bears acquired defensive tackle Darwin Walker in a trade with Buffalo on Sunday, landing a veteran to replace Tank Johnson.

The Bills, meanwhile, acquired a draft pick in return, and dropped a player who refused to report to Buffalo in a contract dispute. The Bills obtained Walker in March in a trade that sent linebacker Takeo Spikes and backup quarterback Kelly Holcomb to Philadelphia.

Walker, however, refused to report to Buffalo until the team renegotiated the remaining two years on his contract. He was scheduled to make $1.3 million this year and $1.4 million next season.

"When he didn't show up to begin camp, it looked like it would drag on," Bills general manager Marv Levy said. "The opportunity presented itself for us to make this deal with the Bears, so it seemed like the best thing to do. We did it and we're moving on."

Levy added the draft pick the Bills receive will depend on Walker's playing time in Chicago this season. The Bills would've been forced to return Walker to Philadelphia in exchange for a sixth-round pick if the player had not reported by Aug. 5. Bears general manger Jerry Angelo said Sunday the deadline no longer applies.

Walker had no trouble getting to Bears training camp in Bourbonnais, Ill. Shortly after the trade was announced, the seven-year veteran was taking a physical during the team's afternoon practice.

"Philly, I have no regrets. I enjoyed myself in Philadelphia," Walker said. "I'll always have those years, championship years, to remember. But I'm extremely excited to be here."

He said it's a whole new situation with a team he thinks is a Super Bowl contender.

Walker's agent, Albert Irby, said his client was eager to join the Bears and planned to negotiate a new contract with Chicago.

"Darwin's old deal is gone. The new deal will be talked about tomorrow," Irby said. "We'll take a one-year deal. We'll do whatever it takes. We're not going to hold out."

The Bills offered Walker a one-year contract, but for the same money he was scheduled to make this season. The offer, however, was immediately rejected.

Asked if he thought the Bills misled him, Walker said, "I'm not going to go there. I think that situation is now behind me, and I'm looking forward to being a Chicago Bear."

Walker fills an immediate need in Chicago, after the defending NFC champions released Johnson in June because of the player's constant run-ins with the law.

"Losing Tank, we were one defensive lineman down," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "We feel we filled that need."

Walker has 26 1/2 sacks over the past five years, making him the fourth-most productive defensive tackle during that span.

The Bears were one of the teams Walker was interested in joining when the Eagles allowed him to seek a trade last spring. But Chicago, at that time, had no room for him because Johnson was still on the team, Irby said.

"We felt that bringing in another defensive lineman, in particular a defensive tackle, would be a good thing for us," Angelo said. "To get a quality player that we think is still in his prime is a good get for us."

The Bills hoped Walker would bolster their defensive line, but are pleased with the progress John McCargo has shown in camp. The second of Buffalo's two first-round draft picks last year, McCargo appeared in only five games in 2006 before breaking his foot.

McCargo then had a setback in his recovery and needed a second operation on his foot earlier this year.

"We're very encouraged by the progress John has made. That helps alleviate a little bit of the fact that we weren't able to come to terms (with Walker)," Levy said. "If we could have worked something out with Darwin, we would have liked to have had him."

Walker faced being fined by the Bills for missing the first three days of training camp, which opened Thursday in suburban Rochester. He also faced potential fines for missing Buffalo's three-day mandatory minicamp in June.

Never heard of the guy, but the Eagle have been putting together a good statistical LB corp since he been playing. Add that with the 4th most sacks for a DT over the past 5 season (as bolded) and you have an interior pash rush threat that does a great job of taking on blockers so the LBs can do their job! Great addition for DA BEARS!

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
Another first rounder signs...



Pretty big bucks for a safety.

Well, Landry is supposed to be a great safety. Some were saying he could be a Lott type of player. It really can solidify a secondary.