Ranking the AL Central on a historical basis
March 28, 2017The return of Edwin’s parrot
March 29, 2017Down by two with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom half of the last inning, my eldest son stepped into the batter’s box. There would be no waiting for a walk as a chin high fastball was offered, and he accepted it with full fury. The clack off the bat was all the runners needed to race towards home. The sound of the ball hitting the fence on the fly meant there would be no chance at catching them on this night. The umpire called the game, and my son walked up to me shaking his head, angry. All of the lessons in the batting cage about elevating the ball came to the forefront as he said “If I hit that a little higher, I clear the fence.”1
Baseball season might be about to begin, but NFL stories abound as reporters ask questions at this week’s owners meetings.
Quarterback Market
Colin Kaepernick reportedly wants to sign with a team that will give him a chance to start and pay him accordingly https://t.co/5MvxHFuMWn
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 28, 2017
The report that Kaepernick wants $9-10 million per year may be #fakenews https://t.co/2daDU0tnqm
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 28, 2017
Whoo boy. Let’s start with the most exhausting storyline of the offseason. ESPN ran a multiple-sourced article early on Tuesday that indicated Colin Kaepernick has told teams he wants to be able to compete for a starting position and be paid accordingly. The writer reasoned that means high-end backup money or low-end starter money, which would be around nine to 10 million per year. Kaepernick sources (likely agents) fired back that he has never demanded nine to 10 million per year (they did not refute the assertion he wanted a chance to compete for a starting spot).
That ESPN article is about as fair as any at detailing the Kaepernick current situation. If he wants to compete as a starter, then there are precious few teams he would have a chance to do so (the article denotes the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, and Cleveland Browns). He opted out of the 49ers, so they are eliminated. Two of those teams are waiting on a decision about Tony Romo from the Dallas Cowboys- Chiefs and Broncos. One of those teams- Jets- has an owner, Woody Johnson, who does appear to have crossed him off their list due to his political assertions. That leaves the Cleveland Browns. Hue Jackson has said that the team has not discussed Kaepernick as an option yet, but it could change in the future (perhaps waiting to see how the 2017 NFL Draft falls).
Kaepernick isn’t the only veteran on the open market either. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Chase Daniels, and Jay Cutler are still looking for work. A.J. McCarron and Jimmy Garoppolo might or might not be available for trade. There is still a whole bunch of fall-out going on.
Speaking of Jimmy-G:
Patriots owner Robert Kraft said QB Tom Brady told him two or three days ago that he wanted to play six or seven more years
— PatMcManamon (@PatMcManamon) March 27, 2017
As Joe Thomas stated, Tom Brady playing six to seven more years- heck, even three more years- puts more impetus on trading Jimmy Garoppolo. Unless anyone thinks the Patriots will sign him to the franchise tag (currently $23 million for quarterbacks).
The main issue still being the Patriots want to trade him for the assets of an established starter and he wasn’t able to make it through his only two games ever started healthy.
Josh Gordon
https://twitter.com/SInow/status/846389999293599744
Craig brought up great points earlier this week about why the Browns should just ride out the Josh Gordon situation and accept whatever he might be able to give the team. He laid out how wide receivers are more mercenaries to a NFL team anyway, and the distractions they bring are more forgiveable (or ignoreable). Plus, just imagine Patrick Mahomes tossing 40 yard bombs to Gordon streaking away from a defense.
If the Browns were a more established team, then I would be completely on board with Craig here too. Problem is that Gordon is a short term fix if he can be the first ever NFL player to return from an indefinite suspension. Of course, getting caught with drugs in the car while speeding less than a year ago and then being placed back on the indefinite suspension list for another offense later leads one to not trust the potential superstar.
Here is what I would do. Trade Gordon to a contending team that needs an offensive boost like the Chiefs. Do not accept any draft assets in 2017. Instead, make it a sliding scale of draft pick compensation based on if he remains off the suspension list and his production on the field. Say, a seventh-round pick in 2018 that can become a third-round pick if he breaks 1200 yards or 12 touchdowns.
Raiders leaving Oakland for Las Vegas
Mark Davis can get the H-E-L-L out of Oakland, but leave the name, logo & colors here. We have CLEAR precedent! https://t.co/cdlt1wx1rK
— Oakland Vs The World (@Oakland_1st) March 29, 2017
Fans tend to side with ownership in many of the CBA discussions and free agency because the owners care about the long-term health of the league alongside the short-term ramifications on our particular team. While the point of view is obviously quite different through the varied lens, there is a more clear linear train of thought that both the fan of the team and the owner of the team care more about the team. Everyone is keeping their own selfish perspective, it just happens to be somewhat aligned.
That alignment breaks down with relocation. Ownership desperately needs the community to believe that the team is embedded in their particular city so that everyone can rally behind them and feel a deeper connection that will last through the rough patches every team faces. However, once another city lifts their blouse to show off their enhanced new stadium for the team to play in, any alignment is broken.
The NFL now has moved out of San Diego, St. Louis, Oakland, and San Franciscso in the last two seasons. The Bay area (one of the most populous areas of the country) has zero teams (Santa Clara is not Bay area). Football is currently king, so the short-term ramifications are small. But, rough days could be ahead for the league and leaving behind huge areas with great fan interest could bite them. A large portion of me hopes it does.
New Uniforms
Dee Haslam confirmed to me another full #Browns uniform re-do could be in the works soon as new window opens in 2020.
— Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) March 27, 2017
White helmets! Gun-metal gray accents! Another three years of speculation and discussion just to have the team announce a gigantic reveal where they remove the dumb wording on the pants.
Weird NFL stat manipulation
Stat of the Week: This was the least-injurious season for starting QBs in at least 12 years.
'16: 35
'15: 59
'14: 77https://t.co/2uDUpYeskF pic.twitter.com/uITe4f5TP1— The MMQB (@theMMQB) March 27, 2017
OK. So, the Browns had Robert Griffin III miss 11 games due to injury after being named starter. Cody Kessler missed four games due to injury after being named starter (he is specifically listed as being included in the article). Josh McCown missed four games due to injury after being named starter. That is 19 games right there, and we haven’t even mentioned Teddy Bridgewater and Tony Romo.
I call shenanigans.
Cameron Erving, right tackle
https://twitter.com/Browns/status/846859715334356992
The Browns made more official what most of us already assumed. After signing J.C. Tretter (center) and Kevin Zeitler (guard), the only remaining starting position open is at right tackle. Cameron Erving will compete with Shon Coleman for the spot (and perhaps others). Those two players both played right tackle in the Browns Week 17 contest.
Myles Garrett
Hat tip to Draftwire who landed an exclusive interview with Myles Garrett. Well worth the read. Here’s a snippet:
When asked what fills his headphones when he’s not on the field, Garrett gave a comprehensive list:
Could be Michael Jackson, Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Teddy Pendergrass. Could be Journey, Queen. Could be Tupac, Drake. Bruno Mars, Adele, Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5, Of Mice and Men.
- Apologies but you will be subjected to a story from my 10 and under PONY team from time to time. The other cool part of this particular story is that my younger son was standing on first base, which means he scored the winning run. [↩]
65 Comments
Re: Garrett’s playlist – I wonder if he meant Of MONSTERS and Men. True story, I once accidentally ordered the Of Mice and Men CD from the library when I meant to order Monsters.
I’m going to get back to the uniforms tangent.
https://factoryofsadness.co/2017/03/27/browns-rumors-browns-considering-switching-white-helmets/
First I was like:
https://media.giphy.com/media/106khIgfhrcIqk/giphy.gif
Then I remembered, New Orange, and was like:
http://digitalspyuk.cdnds.net/16/25/640×352/gallery-1466418985-sansa-smile.gif
What say ye?
Is there an RFP for the Consultant that will charge them $2M to come up with plain white helmets? I’d like to apply.
Will it be the New White?
I would most definitely take the challenge of coming up with a whitier white.
You may want to work with Crest on this, I hear they have these crazy White Strips that make everything in the world whiter and brighter.
Davis needs to leave the “Raiders” in Oakland, and bring back THIS!
http://www.all-xfl.com/lasvegasoutlaws/images/Outlaws_800_Red.jpeg
Yeah, I too got angry when I hit a two-out bases-clearing walk-off triple when I was 10. (Michael, since you brought it up, what the heck was that all about?)
Anyway, our old friend Teez Tabor made some draft news this week. After he flamed in the 40-yard dash at the Combine (4.62), he got a do-over at his pro day, and he flamed worse (a series of 4.7s). But he didn’t let that deter him. Afterward he said, “It’s not going to be my loss if you pass on me [in the draft]. I’m going to be in this league for a long time. Somebody could lose their job if they pass on me.”
Yeah, sounds like a guy I’d want.
How about a brownier brown?
I could broker the deal to sell the orangier orange to them for the tubes, to really make the whitier white stand out. Work both sides for a commission. I may have to bid $2.5M.
Did someone say white helmets?
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/cb76e2b96649302b9339c09a972b96018249bbd3b03d0c84a372d77da8e313c0.jpg
Man, I gotta get up earlier. You keep stealing all the good jokes.
There’s a joke in there that involves Care Bear…
Attention Oakland fans: Be careful what you demand. Keeping the team name, history, and stuff in your town IS NOT ALL THAT IT IS CRACKED UP TO BE.
I’m drawing up some schematics on an orangier brown and a brownier white.
At least that dirty scumbag Art Modell was forced to leave us something after he took all the monies and sole custody of the kids/team.
Cold comfort, Bode. Cold comfort.
C’mon, you know you wanted to be Cleveland Zebra Mussels. Or the Cleveland Walleyes.
I’m still pining for the Cleveland Bulldogs.
The Cleveland Rust.
Here’s a crazy thought. How about you take the whitiest white helmest you can make and…
oh man, this one makes me really excited…
OK, are you ready? Do you want to sit down?
Really, take a seat for this one.
How about you take the whitiest white helmets you can make and… put a Brown stripe down the middle of them. Genius right?
How can you be an outlaw in a city where everything is legal?
Only if they relocate to Canton.
You act like a decent human being.
Ah, but the Canton Bulldogs are just part of why I thought it was a great idea!
Calling it now. Pac Man Jones signs for the league minimum w/ Raiders for the “perks”.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/03/28/nevada-businessman-plans-a-raiders-themed-brothel/
I was very tired of NFL news but I genuinely enjoyed your write up 🙂
NFL Silly-season: Innovating in fake news since 2007.
Why a cow’s skull? Much cooler to have a guy wearing a duster and doo-rag over their face.
First, hard pass on Teez.
There is more nuance to my 10yo’s anger (of course). He was the catcher the inning beforehand and the other team scored the two runs to take the lead when a huge gust of wind kept him blinded by dust (he missed the pitch, then couldn’t see as it bounced off the backstop and rested on the plate as a run scored and the other runner advanced to third and scored on the next contact). He wasn’t happy about it.
He also had been walked every single AB of the season (this was Game 4). He just hasn’t been given anything to hit (he was the one who told me walking up there that he wasn’t going to walk).
Also, he has been telling me since we started playing on this field that he was going to hit one over the fence. We have a friendly father-son wager on if he can actually do it in a game. He’s not going to hit too many better than he did last night as it peppered the 210 sign halfway up that fence.
Finally, that anger subsided in approximately one second as we were all jumping and clapping in unison and the kids were all screaming for him.
Vince would be proud.
But, the actual Cleveland Bulldogs were purchased, moved, and became the Detroit Wolverines.
Oooooooh, loyalty conundrum!
I should have spent more time in Vegas in my youth. I’d have been the cool outlaw guy.
Ah, but again, just another reason that it’s a great idea! It even makes room for demented Cleveland fans that also like the skunk badgers!
It gets better…
New York Giants owner, Tim Mara, purchased and folded the Detroit Wolverines just so he could get native Clevelander AND UM All-American QB Benny Friedman.
Tangled web…
You go, Dee Haslam, change that uni. Your team is not the Browns, it’s a new, heretofore hideous franchise, playing in a soul-less hunk of concrete stupidly set on the same landfill where the actual Browns once roamed.
And if you have to incrementally change the uni to appease the local thumb-suckers who lap up the national media fallacy that this is the same “storied franchise,” fine. The incremental trick seems to be working for the Dolans as they shed Chief Wahoo. But Dee: change it, embrace that this is yours, that you are responsible for this mess. Own it. Hey, maybe a propeller-head helmet logo while the HBT is still in charge.
Ooooh, propellers. Bids up to $3M. I have to pay royalties for these ideas.
So send us Eli and call it even?
Not bad. We could keep the orange and brown.
Well, the Arena League team folded, so they could go with this:
http://content.sportslogos.net/logos/20/5483/full/9981_las_vegas_outlaws_-primary-2015.png
Indeed it is cold. And comforting.
https://68.media.tumblr.com/aca420f696107f41e9f6358464873d7a/tumblr_nsiiytNLtr1ur7mdeo1_500.gif
Re: “the local thumb-suckers who lap up the fallacy that this is the same ‘storied franchise'”
I resemble that remark.
Thanks. Yeah, the silly season is in full force this year.
Maybe the New Browns can steal that logo instead…
Another tangent…
Last week there was a woman from Akron on Jeopardy. Yeay!
She professed allegiance to the Cubs, and the Braves. WTF lady?
She got crushed and finished dead last. Ha ha! Screw you frontrunner.
I was happy.
Carry on.
hi RGB … i saw that episode & thought the same thing..
Peter King is such a company man. Of course he’d unquestioningly parrot the League’s line. Maybe the NFL has become too safe! I can’t even come up with a bad math way to figure out how they came up with that number. RG3, Kessler, McCown, Cutler, Hoyer, Mariota, Carr, Romo, Bridgewater, Tannehill…. God, I hate the NFL.
While legal in some other parts of the state, prostitution is illegal in Vegas (along with the rest of Clark County).
nyuk nyuk nyuk
will we still want to change the uniforms when we go 9-7 in 2018 & then make the playoffs in 2019 ?? and what if the unthinkable happens & we win the Super Bowl in 2019 ? … still change the uni’s ??
Yes.