NFL Conference Championships week

[Gunpowder]

Gould was 85% from all distances over the last three seasons (66/78). Jake Moody was 80% as his replacement (24/30).

Jake Moody would probably have the same percentage if he got as many 25 yard attempts as Gould did. I doubt they are even attempting a 50+ yard kick in the rain with 2023 Robbie Gould.

[Gunpowder]

So what to do with Goff? He's not going to play another down without guaranteed money. Keep him or move on?
Go with Hooker? Go after someone like Cousins?

Goff has that fanbase believing in a QB in a way Detroit hasn't since Bobby freakin Layne. He's getting paid.

Also there’s no one better out there unless the staff has been slow playing Hooker’s progress in practice. But he’s only been active for like 6 weeks.

The nice thing is that the Lions can extend Goff and actually IMPROVE their salary cap situation in the short term since they can spread the hit out. They have a shitton of space but they need to do new deals for St. Brown, Jonah Jackson and need to be ready next year to make Sewell the highest paid right tackle in history. Goff’s deal won’t break the bank and he might be willing to do a 4-5 year deal and bet on getting one more big payday at age 34.

Goff's deal will absolutely break the bank. I don't see him signing for less than like $45 mil a year.

That’s about what he makes now. I think his 2024 cap hit is like $41M. If they extend him at let’s say 4/190 they can lower that cap number a little in 2025 and 2026. After that either the cap and QB salaries go up so much that a $55-57M cap hit is reasonable or they can cut/trade him if Hooker develops.

$31 MM, 11th in the NFL. He can almost certainly get what Daniel Jones got.

Daniel Jones cannot feasibly be cut until next year and he is untradable forever.

Very few QBs are trade candidates because if Jared Goff continues to play well enough that someone would trade for him, the Lions are almost surely not cutting him for a 3rd round pick.

[Brontoburglar]

Hendon Hooker is already 26 too

[DSafetyGuy]

Gould was 85% from all distances over the last three seasons (66/78). Jake Moody was 80% as his replacement (24/30).

Jake Moody would probably have the same percentage if he got as many 25 yard attempts as Gould did. I doubt they are even attempting a 50+ yard kick in the rain with 2023 Robbie Gould.

Gould's last three seasons - 36/38 from under 40 yards and 30/40 from 40+ yards, including 7/10 from 50+, but long of 52 in those three years.

Kyle Shanahan had him attempt 14 FGs of 29 yards or less in 2022. That seems absurd unless there was a lot of "driving late in a game we're up 17 and easing off the gas".

[EnochRoot]

I just read a story on yahoo that Tom Brady has been promised the analyst spot on Fox’s number one team for football broadcasts next season. ($375 million for 10 years.)

But, we have no indication if he is any good (or bad) at his new job.…

Yeah, that seems to be a pretty big risk, especially since I thought Olsen was outstanding. I know they're doing it for the name, but it will be interesting if he can expand on what Romo did with the presnap reads.

I can’t stand Romo. Yes, he stumbles into moments of clarity once something happens in his wheelhouse, but that is usually after a commercial break, which to me suggests he doesn’t take his job seriously enough. Plus - he gets awestruck by moments in the game way too often. His job is not to cheerlead. It’s to expound and then expand on the play by play. The only reason he doesn’t get smacked across the booth is that Jim Nance is too distracted with sniffing the players’ jocks. Collinsworth is as bad as Romo and Nance in that regard, but his grasp of the BoK far exceeds Romo’s. Honestly I’ve no clue how that clown grasped an NFL playbook.

Greg Olson is awesome at his job, and his improvement over these past few years is notable. Romo is nothing. Oh, he also sounds like he smokes cigars and drinks. A lot. I get that he could have a condition, but that doesn’t mean we need to listen to it.

Fox loves their media darlings, so Brady will bump Olson out of any ascension he has to #1, but he’ll land somewhere, or Fox will have to pay him accordingly.

[degenerasian]

How do you guys rank Aikman? I think he's been good this year and he's good with Buck obviously. And he's not afraid to be negative and rip guys, like how he ripped Zach Wilson.

[tennbengal]

Romo is 100% fuckawful.

[EdRomero]

Oh, I'm all in on the Romo hate. He was helped by following Phil Simms. Aikman has the same problem that Simms had in that they haven't played in 30 years so their understanding of the game isn't what Romo's was when he first started (Simms is also a buffoon where I think Aikman is more of a cranky asshole). Simms seemed to be ok and then got worse and worse and now Romo is doing the same, so maybe the problem is Jim Nantz.

So Brady will have more current experience to go off of, but I don't know If all of his presnap abilities will translate in the booth. Maybe he'll tell us who the Mike is every time. I think Olsen being a former tight end helped because he has a better understanding of the blocking game compared to a former WR or QB.

[degenerasian]

Oh, I'm all in on the Romo hate. He was helped by following Phil Simms. Aikman has the same problem that Simms had in that they haven't played in 30 years so their understanding of the game isn't what Romo's was when he first started (Simms is also a buffoon where I think Aikman is more of a cranky asshole). Simms seemed to be ok and then got worse and worse and now Romo is doing the same, so maybe the problem is Jim Nantz.

So Brady will have more current experience to go off of, but I don't know If all of his presnap abilities will translate in the booth. Maybe he'll tell us who the Mike is every time. I think Olsen being a former tight end helped because he has a better understanding of the blocking game compared to a former WR or QB.

Glad Olson worked out because Witten was terrible.

[DSafetyGuy]

Oh, I'm all in on the Romo hate. He was helped by following Phil Simms. Aikman has the same problem that Simms had in that they haven't played in 30 years so their understanding of the game isn't what Romo's was when he first started (Simms is also a buffoon where I think Aikman is more of a cranky asshole). Simms seemed to be ok and then got worse and worse and now Romo is doing the same, so maybe the problem is Jim Nantz.

So Brady will have more current experience to go off of, but I don't know If all of his presnap abilities will translate in the booth. Maybe he'll tell us who the Mike is every time. I think Olsen being a former tight end helped because he has a better understanding of the blocking game compared to a former WR or QB.

Glad Olson worked out because Witten was terrible.

All three of those guys in that Witten booth (Tessitore and McFarland) were terrible individually and even worse as a trio. The three-man booth wasn't working after a couple weeks, so they put McFarland on a cart. Good idea when the analyst who doesn't talk much is left in the booth with the play-by-play guy who can suffocate a game by describing everything with an exceptionally high excitement level. It's a six-yard screen pass, not the Stanley Cup-winning goal, Tess. In his defense, McFarland was stuck out there on a sideline camera cart, awkwardly trying to get involved when he's not next to the two guys with whom he's doing a game.

Just an all-around terrible broadcast that was doomed by mid-October and had to play out the string.

[mister d]

I will continue to not understand how anyone can hear, see or think about Greg Olsen without thinking about the 7th Floor Crew.

[Pruitt IV]

How do you guys rank Aikman? I think he's been good this year and he's good with Buck obviously. And he's not afraid to be negative and rip guys, like how he ripped Zach Wilson.

I used to hate Aikman, but he's now one of my favourites - her and Buck are a great team.

Romo is still okay, and while he isn't perfect, Greg Olson is great.

And whenever we talk announcers, I have to reiterate my loathing of Trent Green. If he's ever said anything meaningful or interesting, it must have been when I was in the washroom.

[DSafetyGuy]

I will continue to not understand how anyone can hear, see or think about Greg Olsen without thinking about the 7th Floor Crew.

Every week.

[Gunpowder]

How do you guys rank Aikman? I think he's been good this year and he's good with Buck obviously. And he's not afraid to be negative and rip guys, like how he ripped Zach Wilson.

I used to hate Aikman, but he's now one of my favourites - her and Buck are a great team.

Romo is still okay, and while he isn't perfect, Greg Olson is great.

And whenever we talk announcers, I have to reiterate my loathing of Trent Green. If he's ever said anything meaningful or interesting, it must have been when I was in the washroom.

I had no idea Todd Blackledge was an announcer until the Browns/Texans game. He was pointless.

[L-Jam3]

I will continue to not understand how anyone can hear, see or think about Greg Olsen without thinking about the 7th Floor Crew.

Every week.

Was the 7th Floor Crew part of the group that took a dump in that girl's hamper, or was that just Najeh Davenport?

[sancarlos]

Davenport is six years older than Olsen, so I doubt he knew those guys.

[L-Jam3]

Right. It was Shockey and Kellen II who were the TEs on that great 2001 team.

[DaveInSeattle]

How do you guys rank Aikman? I think he's been good this year and he's good with Buck obviously. And he's not afraid to be negative and rip guys, like how he ripped Zach Wilson.

I used to hate Aikman, but he's now one of my favourites - her and Buck are a great team.

"That's right, Joe...."

[rass]

I really like Buck and Aikman. I like Nantz but am getting tired of Romo. I like Olsen and Burkhardt is competent but is lacking something.

Also, I had memory-holed the Romo/Jessica Simpson relationship until I heard it mentioned on the radio this AM. Weird that the country survived that one.

[L-Jam3]

Buck & Aikman always give you a professional-level of PBP/Analysis. That seems like a low bar, but clearly it's a lot harder to achieve, or else every pairing would clear it.

[mister d]

Was the 7th Floor Crew part of the group that took a dump in that girl's hamper, or was that just Najeh Davenport?

They were not associated w/ Najeh, just some rappin' friends from Miami. Its absolutely permeated my mind. In the same way Tupac makes me think "is you sick from the dick or is it the flu" any time someone has the flu, most times someone talks about multiplying, my brain goes right to "multiply that bitch up" because of this Tavares Gooden line ...

She thought 5-2 was just my number, then she realized
You multiply the bitch up, dog, you get my dick size

[Johnnie]

G-Reg's voice is so different now that people wouldn't put 2 and 2 together. Can't believe I forgot about this song.

[Brontoburglar]

I had no idea Todd Blackledge was an announcer until the Browns/Texans game. He was pointless.

you never heard him on a college game over the last 20 years?

[Gunpowder]

I had no idea Todd Blackledge was an announcer until the Browns/Texans game. He was pointless.

you never heard him on a college game over the last 20 years?

I don't watch much college football and when I have heard one of his games I probably didn't realize who it was.

[Gunpowder]

G-Reg's voice is so different now that people wouldn't put 2 and 2 together. Can't believe I forgot about this song.

I forgot all about the Meadville Crew as well. It was terrible.

[sancarlos]

I had no idea Todd Blackledge was an announcer until the Browns/Texans game. He was pointless.

you never heard him on a college game over the last 20 years?

I don't watch much college football and when I have heard one of his games I probably didn't realize who it was.

Yeah I think he was a top pairing guy for a long time. I always think about how he was part of the great Elway, Marino, Kelly, O’Brien QB draft class - the weak link.

[EnochRoot]

I had no idea Todd Blackledge was an announcer until the Browns/Texans game. He was pointless.

you never heard him on a college game over the last 20 years?

I don't watch much college football and when I have heard one of his games I probably didn't realize who it was.

Yeah I think he was a top pairing guy for a long time. I always think about how he was part of the great Elway, Marino, Kelly, O’Brien QB draft class - the weak link.

When I think of Todd Blackledge, I think of Ken O’Brien and Tony Eason as the trio of QBs who were taken when Dan Marino was still on the board.

[The Sybian]

Reading all of the critique on announcers, I'm glad I FF through games. I always know who is calling the games I watch, but skipping the time between plays and all of the time they fill during stoppages, I'm only annoyed by Collingsworth. All the Romo hate is interesting. When he first started, I was seeing all these articles praising him as a revolutionary genius in the booth by correctly predicting pre-snap so often. What's changed?

[HaulCitgo]

Not Marino but recall O'Brien and eason being ok. Eason played in a Superbowl I think. Didn't go well

[Johnnie]

The previous year Marino played in a Super Bowl. Didn't go well.

[sancarlos]

That draft class’s quarterbacks came in 2nd place in four straight super bowls (the other two were Elway’s).

[Pruitt IV]

That draft class’s quarterbacks came in 2nd place in four straight super bowls (the other two were Elway’s).

Make it 9 out of 10. You forget Jim Kelly

[Johnnie]

[brian]

Brad Holmes absolutely let the media have it on Monday at his year-end presser for criticism of taking Sewell over a QB in 2021 and Gibbs and Laporta too high (amongst other receipts he brought) and I’m here for it.

[mister d]

Should go kicker and punter in rounds 2 and 3 next year and if they kick and punt good, tell everyone to fuck off because he was clearly right again.

[brian]

Because OT, RB and TE are clearly the same as punter and kicker.

(That said I do hope they draft a kicker in the late rounds this year. That seems to be working for a lot of teams. Going with practice squad castoffs isn’t cutting it.)

[A_B]

Because OT, RB and TE are clearly the same as punter and kicker.

(That said I do hope they draft a kicker in the late rounds this year. That seems to be working for a lot of teams. Going with practice squad castoffs isn’t cutting it.)

That’s what I never understood. Sign a younger guy and if he sucks hopefully it doesn’t cost you a game and you can hit the trash heap anyway.

[mister d]

Because OT, RB and TE are clearly the same as punter and kicker.

I meant RB but ... is there anything to a theory that punters are undervalued? Presumably far more predictable than kickers and, in theory, could make a difference in field position a half dozen times per game?

[brian]

So what to do with Goff? He's not going to play another down without guaranteed money. Keep him or move on?
Go with Hooker? Go after someone like Cousins?

Goff has that fanbase believing in a QB in a way Detroit hasn't since Bobby freakin Layne. He's getting paid.

Also there’s no one better out there unless the staff has been slow playing Hooker’s progress in practice. But he’s only been active for like 6 weeks.

The nice thing is that the Lions can extend Goff and actually IMPROVE their salary cap situation in the short term since they can spread the hit out. They have a shitton of space but they need to do new deals for St. Brown, Jonah Jackson and need to be ready next year to make Sewell the highest paid right tackle in history. Goff’s deal won’t break the bank and he might be willing to do a 4-5 year deal and bet on getting one more big payday at age 34.

Goff's deal will absolutely break the bank. I don't see him signing for less than like $45 mil a year.

This sounds about right. Most importantly if this is accurate the Lions will have plenty of cap room to extend St. Brown and Sewell and probably still have flexibility in free agency if they choose.

[Gunpowder]

Brad Holmes absolutely let the media have it on Monday at his year-end presser for criticism of taking Sewell over a QB in 2021 and Gibbs and Laporta too high (amongst other receipts he brought) and I’m here for it.

The Sewell pick was almost universally praised and LaPorta was considered a fringe first rounder so yeah the Lions are totally not insecure