APIAD wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

Now McDaniels back out of his commitment to the Colts, leaving the assistants he's already hired high and dry. What a jerk.

Any chance it is because belichick is leaving this offseason or next and mcdaniels wants to take over the throne?

McDaniels had to get some kind of commitment from Krafty Bob, because no other owner is going to hire him after this. The story floated by the Patriots' Pravda about McDaniels backing out of the gig in Indy because he's a devoted father who doesn't want to move his family is about as deep as bullshit gets. 

Kraft's primary interest here is sticking it to the Colts for the dropping the dime on the Deflategate thing. He probably told him, "Sure, Josh, you'll get the gig when Bill retires," and then under his breath finished the sentence with "... in about a dozen years."

Palm, meet Face ...

http://www.12up.com/posts/5971774-unreal-patriots-fan-files-harassment-claim-against-co-worker-for-eagles-practical-joke

alz wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

Palm, meet Face ...

http://www.12up.com/posts/5971774-unreal-patriots-fan-files-harassment-claim-against-co-worker-for-eagles-practical-joke

Win 2 of the last 4 Super Bowls, appear in another, and have 5 wins and 8 appearances since 2002.... And you're THAT sensitive about this? Wow.... Artie you need to move, you're too good for those folks.

I've wanted to get the hell out of here for decades, but my wife won't move.
We become empty nesters in abut 6 months, so maybe I'll begin negotiations again.
As far as the Patriots' component is concerned, the man love for Brady it's the weirdest sports dynamic I've ever encountered. A few years ago, there was un uproar here when he showed up for training camp with longer hair than usual. They spent all sorts of oxygen defending the weight of his balls, and then started wearing "Free Brady" t-shirts like he's Nelson Mandela. Brady posts a home video on Facebook, and the defenders of the faith on talk radio spend a week breaking it down. Grown men are jealous of Giselle to the point where until they beat Seattle a couple of years ago they thought she was the Patriots' version of Yoko Ono.
 

Yup. It's all a misunderstanding ... again.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2019/12/09/patriots-say-they-werent-videotaping-bengals-play-calls-per-report/2634298001/

forsberg_us wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

Yup. It's all a misunderstanding ... again.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2019/12/09/patriots-say-they-werent-videotaping-bengals-play-calls-per-report/2634298001/

Pretty sad you have to cheat to beat a team that’s 1-12

They've almost certainly been doing this all along. When Walsh was caught filming the Rams' walkthrough before the Super Bowl, he told the NFL investigators he was given instructions to say he was with Kraft Productions, was filming a documentary and to obscure any clothing that might identify him as being with the Patriots. The guy who was caught filming the sideline on Sunday told the Bengals he was filming the advance scout for a documentary produced by Kraft Productions called "Do Your Job" and was apparently wearing Bruins merchandise.
The laughable part of this is Belichick's explanation that he knew nothing about a documentary when he's renowned for his attention to minutiae and that the documentary had nothing to do with "football operations." The New England Patriots are a NFL franchise. Last anyone checked, the "F" stands for football. So everything they do revolves around "football operations."

 

artie_fufkin wrote:

Best thing I heard this weekend: "Hey, at least Brady's last pass in a Patriots uniform went for a touchdown."

We need a “like” button for posts like these.

APIAD wrote:

So if Brady is gone who would they even get to take his place?

There are several QBs likely to move this offseason. Off the top of my head:

Cam Newton
Jameis Winston
Phillip Rivers
Andy Dalton
Teddy Bridgewater
Marcus Mariotta

Not saying those are perfect options, but one of them could get you a year or two while you develop a rookie.

APIAD wrote:

So if Brady is gone who would they even get to take his place?

Most of the speculation has been about Brady going to Los Angeles to play with the Chargers. Rivers is apparently a free agent, they need a big name to fill the new stadium and LA is a city of which Gisele would approve. And Taummie is a California boy, albeit Northern California, but he'd be closer to his family.
The backup theory is Brady will follow Josh McDaniels to wherever McDaniels lands. McDaniels is supposed to interview this week (now that he has the time off) with the Giants, Cleveland and Carolina. From a personnel perspective, Cleveland makes the most sense because they have two all-pro caliber receivers and a good running back, but it's tough to see Brady living in Cleveland. Or Carolina for that matter. Even though the Giants have a young quarterback, I don't think anyone would deny even a 43-year-old Brady would be an upgrade, but there's not much around him. 
And I understand the oddsmakers apparently include Las Vegas among the most likely landing spots. IIRC, Carr still has a couple of years left on his contract, but it's structured in such a way that the Raiders wouldn't take much of a salary cap hit if they move him. 
 

The coaching vacancies in New York and Carolina have been filled today. Have fun in Cleveland, McDaniels. Though I don't know why anyone would hire you after the bullshit you pulled in Indianapolis a couple of years ago.

APIAD wrote:

Do the Patriots see brady as not being their best chance of winning or is brady sick of belichick's shit?

I think it's a little bit of both. Brady was an average quarterback last season (Derek Carr's numbers were better), and Belichick doesn't want to pay premium salary rates for a player whose skills are eroding. Though I don't think the Patriots would have trouble paying him the going rate because they're supposedly so skillful with the salary cap (and don't get me going on that, because the Patriots somehow always have enough cash in reserve to pay whomever they want).
There's a thirst on both sides to prove one can flourish without the other, though if Belichick's dismal record without Brady is any indication, Brady will win that battle.
The reaction to this is interesting. I'm in a chat group with six other guys from my hometown. Four are Belichick/Brady era Patriots' fans. One has been going to Patriots games since he was a teenager because his father had season tickets that he now owns. The other is a Bills' fan. The nouveau fans reaction this morning went pretty quickly from shock to anger at Brady, while the guy who has been around since the Patriots were the laughingstock is warning them they're never going to have it as good as they've had it for the past 20 years.
Unfortunately, the guy who is going to come out of this looking the best is Kraft. He said all along he wanted Brady back, and now he gets to say they tried but hey, Taummy wanted to leave.
 

"Interesting the raiders got Witten"

Yeah, I don't get that. The one position at which they're set is tight end. Waller emerged as one of the best receiving tight ends in the league last year, and Moreau was really developing into a threat, especially in the red zone. And Carrier is a good blocker.
While I'm not thrilled with the Witten signing, I'm overjoyed the Raiders signed Littleton. They still need a shutdown corner and a receiver who can stretch the field. They can address those needs in the draft.

forsberg_us wrote:

The draft is really deep at receiver.  I don't know much about the cornerback pool other than the kid from Ohio State.

I've seen mock drafts that have the Raiders taking Jeudy at #12. I like Higgins' size, but most of the mock drafts have him going in the 20s. Maybe they take Jeudy and then Henderson, the CB from Florida, with the pick they got from the Bears.
The kid I like a lot is Queen, the linebacker from LSU. Every time I watched LSU play, he seemed to always been around the ball. But the Raiders just signed two linebackers yesterday, so they may feel they're set at the position. 
Keep your eye on Shenault, the wide receiver from Colorado. He's had trouble staying healthy, but he's big and he's got great hands. He could be a steal for someone in the second round.