2025-26 NFL Thread

[CreightonWarrior]

No Jaire tonight.

[Jockey]

No Jaire tonight.

Unusual for him to miss a game.

[cheebs09]

No Jaire tonight.

A nice way to honor his Packer career.

That's snarky and he was a good player for us, but releasing him seems to be the right move.

[MU82]

Yeah, I thought they had really good futures value even after the Bosa injury, but its difficult to see how they stay competitive with good teams after losing Fred Warner, Mykell Williams, and a lot of DL depth.

The Rams and Seahawks are better teams but the 49ers have a nice 5-week stretch coming to keep themselves in the race: Arizona, Carolina, Cleveland, BYE, Tennessee.

[JWags85]

Starting QB out.
Two starting WRs out.
All-pro pass rusher out.
Other starting DE out.
All-pro MLB out.

It's incredible work by Shanahan and Saleh that they've been as competitive as they have been this season. Even today, that was a one-score game with 10 minutes to play.

I can't think of a team that has been as snakebit with major injuries following monster contracts.  Last year, Aiyuk signs a $120MM, top 5 value WR contract...plays less than half a season before a major knee injury.  This year, Purdy signs a top 5 value QB contract...gets Rodgers'd in the season opener.  Kittle becomes the highest paid TE in the league this year...tears his hamstring immediately.

Shanahan has such an interesting career/legacy right now.  For me, MAJOR Andy Reid in Philly vibes.  Both brilliant offensive minds, both probably overly maligned for justified bad in game decision making.

Giving Shanahan a break for the injury explosion last year...
First 7 years:

Reid: 70-42, 4 division titles, 3 NFC Championship losses, 1 SB loss

Shanahan: 65-50, 3 division titles, 2 NFC Championship losses, 2 SB losses

To Shanahan's credit, Reid was 4 years older/more experienced and started from the beginning in Philly with a top 5 QB of the 2000s.  Shanahan accomplished a lot of what he did with Jimmy G and f-ing CJ Beathard.

But like Reid, until he wins a SB, I don't think he'll get the credit he deserves even though people undersell how damn hard it is to win a SB.  However, if you give me an O/U on Shanahan SBs before 2050, I'd hit the over pretty confidently.

[WhiteTrash]

I think it was on SVP last night a guest asked if the Bears "were the best bad team or the worst good team in the NFL?"

I'd like to think they are a bad good team. They have a L.O.F.T. problem.

[JWags85]

I think it was on SVP last night a guest asked if the Bears "were the best bad team or the worst good team in the NFL?"

I'd like to think they are a bad good team. They have a L.O.F.T. problem.

I wouldn't even say they are a "bad" good team, I think they are just a very limited good team.  A young QB who has shown flashes of greatness, but still struggles with consistency and inexperience, exacerbated by an OLine that should be better, but too often leaves him at the mercy of top tier rushers.  A patchwork defense.  Young and talented but inconsistent offensive weapons surrounding Williams (see the contagious drop plague).

Full credit to Ben Johnson for getting the most of the team, having them win games and beat teams they should, turning a 7th round RB into an impact player, and having a team that nobody (including any sane or reasonable Bears fan) thinks is all that good...bea team that is a 4th quarter collapse in Johnson's first game as HC away from being 7-2 halfway through the year. 

They beat a terrible Browns team at home and somehow steal 2 of Minnesota on the road, Pitt at home, either Packer game, or Detroit at Soldier Field in January temps and they are 9-8, which for me would be a fantastic year all things considered.

[Pakuni]

Daboll out.
All his hard work to get fired has finally paid off.

[WhiteTrash]

Daboll out.
All his hard work to get fired has finally paid off.

That is the right move for NYG. I think his need to win now was not the best for Dart's long term development and health.

[Pakuni]

Bob Iger is going to be on the Manningcast tonight.
Hoping against hope Peyton and Eli don't play the role of loyal corporate stooges, but I suspect Iger wouldn't be going on if he didn't believe it would be a safe space.

[Jockey]

Daboll out.
All his hard work to get fired has finally paid off.

Bad coaches can survive for a while. Cowards can't.

I mentioned yesterday that they were the softest team I can remember - and that is saying a lot with the cincys and Dallas' of the NFL.

Daboll should never be an HC again.

[MU82]

Shoulda been fired for going into the blue tent to pressure medical personnel a few weeks ago.

[JWags85]

Bob Iger is going to be on the Manningcast tonight.
Hoping against hope Peyton and Eli don't play the role of loyal corporate stooges, but I suspect Iger wouldn't be going on if he didn't believe it would be a safe space.

I mean, nobody is tuning into Manningcast for investigative journalism or even substantive news, so I think table stakes is a light casual conversation.

But it might actually be interesting, cause Iger, if nothing else, is one of the most accomplished and savvy CEOs of the last few decades who has danced through some land mines in the not so distant past.  Not to mention, he cut his teeth in TV. I would think he's wise enough to not have it be some absurd pollyanna glad-handing and try to make a case for something (though there isn't too much of a positive case from the Disney/ESPN), but who knows

[The Sultan]

I have no idea what having Bob Iger on the Manningcast does to help ESPN here though. At best people are going to have no idea who he is. At worst he's the dude that is making people get a five day Fubo trial to watch a football game.

[JWags85]

Daboll should never be an HC again.

He won't get a HC job for awhile cause he went from COY darling to winning 11 total games in the next 3 years and everyone saw Jones go from a basket case under him back to Danny Dimes the minute he was with a competent coach.

But let's be real, it's the NFL.  If he goes somewhere as an OC and does with another young QB/offense what he did with Josh Allen and Buffalo, the peripheral stuff will be forgotten.

I have no idea what having Bob Iger on the Manningcast does to help ESPN here though. At best people are going to have no idea who he is. At worst he's the dude that is making people get a five day Fubo trial to watch a football game.

Oh I don't disagree. Like I said, there isn't much of a case from the DIS/ESPN side.  But when I think of detached, tone deaf CEOs, I certainly don't think of Iger. So I was saying it's interesting if only for "what do they think there is to gain here?"

[Pakuni]

I mean, nobody is tuning into Manningcast for investigative journalism or even substantive news, so I think table stakes is a light casual conversation.

But it might actually be interesting, cause Iger, if nothing else, is one of the most accomplished and savvy CEOs of the last few decades who has danced through some land mines in the not so distant past.  Not to mention, he cut his teeth in TV. I would think he's wise enough to not have it be some absurd pollyanna glad-handing and try to make a case for something (though there isn't too much of a positive case from the Disney/ESPN), but who knows

Nobody is expecting Eli Manning to do his best Mike Wallace impersonation. Maybe don't just fluff the guy, or give him an open mic to broadcast the company's talking points without question. I guess I'm hoping they approach it more like football guys than Disney employees.

As for Iger's vaunted landmine dancing abilities, they have, in the not so distant past, been not so good. The Kimmel thing was bad for the bottom line and his reputation. Even though he bested DeSantis - which seems less impressive every day - it was a fight he had to be dragged into kicking and screaming.
He benefits greatly from comparison to Bob Chapek ... never mind the fact that Chapek was Iger's guy and handpicked successor.

[WhiteTrash]

Nobody is expecting Eli Manning to do his best Mike Wallace impersonation. Maybe don't just fluff the guy, or give him an open mic to broadcast the company's talking points without question. I guess I'm hoping they approach it more like football guys than Disney employees.

As for Iger's vaunted landmine dancing abilities, they have, in the not so distant past, been not so good. The Kimmel thing was bad for the bottom line and his reputation. Even though he bested DeSantis - which seems less impressive every day - it was a fight he had to be dragged into kicking and screaming.
He benefits greatly from comparison to Bob Chapek ... never mind the fact that Chapek was Iger's guy and handpicked successor.

Iger on the Manningcast is a topic of discussion??

99.999% of Americans could care less ..... much less look for some agenda behind it.

Sorry to say, but the world is not out to get you.

[Jockey]

Iger on the Manningcast is a topic of discussion??

99.999% of Americans could care less ..... much less look for some agenda behind it.

Sorry to say, but the world is not out to get you.

99.998% don't care about Marquette BB, but we talk about it and have 'fun' anyway.

[Pakuni]

Sorry to say, but the world is not out to get you.

WTF are you talking about?

[tower912]

WTF are you talking about?

C'mon.  You can say that about at least half the posts here.

[tower912]

NYG situation.  Very Kafkaesque.

[Pakuni]

C'mon.  You can say that about at least half the posts here.

Fair.

[Pakuni]

NYG situation.  Very Kafkaesque.

Hoping this brings about a metamorphosis for the Giants.

[JWags85]

Hoping this brings about a metamorphosis for the Giants.

I feel like this will be the trial that really tells us what the organization is made of

[CreightonWarrior]

Yeesh. Gotta support the troops so not going to comment on whatever that was.