1 minute ago, Alphagrand said:

It's really difficult to change a person's writing style while their personality remains the same.

Yes, but a little self-awareness can go a long way.

4 hours ago, Aerolithe_Lion said:

A nonexclusive franchise tag means if Indy gets a contract with Lamar that Baltimore won’t match, then they automatically trade #4 overall and another 2024 first round pick for his rights. It’s unavoidable.

So what you’re saying should happen is exactly what happened in that mock: Indy signed him to a deal that Baltimore didn’t want. It’s why no one has even touched him yet, Baltimore either gets Lamar or 2 1sts

Right, that helps.  No GM in their right mind would sign Lamar before the draft unless they had a very low 1.  If Indy wants Lamar (and I don't know that they do), it would make a lot more sense for them to sign Lamar AFTER the draft, and then work out draft compensation.   

3 minutes ago, Next_Up said:

Yes, but a little self-awareness can go a long way.

Sure can.  One of the best lessons I learned in communicating, albeit a very small change, is to try to eliminate the word you out of conversations.  I work in sales so this was regarding follow up and such but when using "you", it can be perceived as accusatory.  Really changed my perspective on how I spoke/emailed clients and people in general.

16 minutes ago, EricAllenPick6 said:

Right, that helps.  No GM in their right mind would sign Lamar before the draft unless they had a very low 1.  If Indy wants Lamar (and I don't know that they do), it would make a lot more sense for them to sign Lamar AFTER the draft, and then work out draft compensation.   

Yeah I was thinking Indy could trade out, move down in the draft, pick up a 2024 first and then sign Lamar before this year’s draft

1 hour ago, Utebird said:

Would they still have to pay US taxes while living in say Germany?

I mean I can't imagine paying taxes in two countries at the same time.

But yeah there's definitely a lot of headaches that players wouldn't want to deal with like travel.

I think there's usually a credit for the taxes paid in another country.  Yes, as long as they maintain a US citizenship they have to pay taxes in the US. I am not sure how the salary cap would work given the currency differences.  I would think the NFL may want to allow a team to cover things like housing and a flight allowance to offset the problems with going overseas to play.  

Who the hell is Bob Grotz and is he always such a moron. I never hear of the guy. He was on Birds 365 today and had some real gems:

-James Bradberry isn't that good, he can't run at all anymore

-Slay isn't nearly as good as when he first got here

-Terrell Edmunds is a special teams player at best

-Keanu Neal would have been a way better signing because he's a cover guy

43 minutes ago, Aerolithe_Lion said:

It’s relative. Jumping from 14 to 16 games was to be the end of the NFL, then Free agency was supposed to ruin the league, then a salary cap was going to ruin the league, then watering it down with 4 straight expansion teams in small markets, then moving to 17 games was going to be the straw that broke the camels back.

 

10 years from now, contemporary fans will consider it the best era of football and be chastising any new adjustment they consider making, and then the cycle will continue

You are wrong on this one man. Adding a game is very different than sending teams to Europe for weeks at a time or giving teams a major home field advantage. I love the Eagles, but even as a fan living out west I'm not getting up that early with an 8 hour time difference to watch a game in Germany.

Past the time difference and jet lag you are completely wrong if for no other reason that they don't have 32 starting caliber QB in the NFL now, so what do you think will happen when they need 4 more starters and 4 more backups? There may not be even 12 starters now who have the talent to win it all.

That's before we get to starting skills players, OL, and CB. From a talent aspect alone it's going to dilute things to an unenjoyable level. That's why many of us don't watch the other BS leagues out there, but hey...die on the hill that people will think it's the best era in football watching 4th quarter preseason talent during the regular season.

 

4 minutes ago, Diehardfan said:

You are wrong on this one man. Adding a game is very different than sending teams to Europe for weeks at a time or giving teams a major home field advantage. I love the Eagles, but even as a fan living out west I'm not getting up that early with an 8 hour time difference to watch a game in Germany.

Past the time difference and jet lag you are completely wrong if for no other reason that they don't have 32 starting caliber QB in the NFL now, so what do you think will happen when they need 4 more starters and 4 more backups? There may not be even 12 starters now who have the talent to win it all.

That's before we get to starting skills players, OL, and CB. From a talent aspect alone it's going to dilute things to an unenjoyable level. That's why many of us don't watch the other BS leagues out there, but hey...die on the hill that people will think it's the best era in football watching 4th quarter preseason talent during the regular season.

 

Conversely, popularity of playing football is declining in the US.  The only way to develop more potential NFL players is to expand into other countries and encourage the development of the sport.  While the short term quality would suffer for the League, adding foreign teams helps secure the long term future of the sport.  

9 minutes ago, T-1000 said:

-Keanu Neal would have been a way better signing because he's a cover guy

An incredible statement.

10 minutes ago, NCiggles said:

I think there's usually a credit for the taxes paid in another country.  Yes, as long as they maintain a US citizenship they have to pay taxes in the US. I am not sure how the salary cap would work given the currency differences.  I would think the NFL may want to allow a team to cover things like housing and a flight allowance to offset the problems with going overseas to play.  

The reciprocity is on a country by country basis.  Of course, most western European countries have an agreement with the US so while all Americans living in Europe have to declare they would almost surely not be double taxed.

35 minutes ago, bpac55 said:

Just realized tomorrow is April 1.  

 

Awwww, F.

 

@Moderator4 I'm taking a vacation day.  You're on duty now

2 minutes ago, Moderator12 said:

Awwww, F.

 

@Moderator4 I'm taking a vacation day.  You're on duty now

Someone needs to speak up for the new guy.  

1 hour ago, RememberTheKoy said:

 

Only 12 cities with 4 major sports teams and I do think most fanbases overall are fairweather.  But if we look at those 12 cities the ones that come to mind where their teams seem to always have consistent attendance despite how the teams are doing is probably NY, LA (just aren't a lot of football fans there but the other sports consistently fill up despite how the teams are doing), San Francisco, Boston and probably Dallas too if we are being honest.

But it's tough to judge because I don't live in the sports economy system of those cities so I can't say definitively.  I can only really speak to Philadelphia sports and the individual team fanbases.  Of Philly, the Eagles will always sell out despite how the team is doing.  Flyers used to be that way but they have done everything they can to kill off their fanbase.  Sixers fanbase dwindled away in the post-AI years as they didn't have any star talent and its a start talent driven league.  Then they openly tanked for years and while attendance was down it did create a passionate sect of process fans and ultimately led to them getting Embiid and now having that star talent and have consistently been one of the top attendance teams in the league for a half decade now despite no real post season success.  Phillies have only been top attendance active fanbase when they were in their WS runs.  The team just doesn't have the staying power with fans in this city when they aren't making consistent deep playoff runs.  And consistent deep playoff runs can make any fanbase look great and in it (with the exception of the Miami Heat).  Look no further than the Bucs during the Brady years.

I lived in SF, no one gives a crap about the warriors or the giants when they aren't winning.

And the San Jose sharks no one cares about at all. There are some die hard hockey fans I guess but San Jose is like an hour out of SF and golden state warriors  are in Oakland which has a rival with SF so some people that are say A's and warriors fans won't be fans of niners out  of principle because it's in SF where the giants are.🤷‍♂️

Not to mention the hardcore Oakland raiders fans who hate those uppity niners fans.

I used to take the BART Into the city for work and when the Giants were in the WS and won it that bart was full of tons of people wearing giants gear, when a couple years before that no one was wearing giants gear, no one wears niners gear, except old people.🤷‍♂️

Almost forgot about the kings as well, it's tough being a kings fan in N California but those that are love their kings cuz they live in a cow town and they turn their nose up at uppity SF and those rude people in Oakland.

I dont know if I'd call fans in N Cal fair weather I just think there are so many things in SF to occupy ones attention and The close proximity of Oakland to SF and SAC jumbles up loyalties.

Where as Utah there's only one team, the Utah Jazz, Jazz fans aren't fair weather, it's not cool anywhere out of Utah to be a Jazz fan, it's not cool in Utah, once  you're in it  you're in it through thick and thin, what else you gonna do ski???

In Philly all your teams are right next to each other if I understand. 

They all have the same first names, it's not the cherry hill flyers VS the Scranton eagles, they're all Philly.

You east coast states are so small geographically  that all that jumbling that happens in N Cal happens in multiple states where other state rivals are, NJ Maryland NY.

I guess the closest thing would be Pittsburgh, but they dont have a basketball team so🤷‍♂️.

Are people that are Steelers penguins and pirate fans not fans of the Sixers out of principle?

 

22 minutes ago, NCiggles said:

Conversely, popularity of playing football is declining in the US.  The only way to develop more potential NFL players is to expand into other countries and encourage the development of the sport.  While the short term quality would suffer for the League, adding foreign teams helps secure the long term future of the sport.  

Not sure parents in Europe are going to be any more willing than parents in the US to sign their kids up to play in a high impact collision sport and open themselves up to head injury.

Is the league hoping that they can hide CTE reports from European parents or that European parents don't care about the things that are causing the decline of popularity of youth football in the US.

I think the amount of kids in Europe wanting to play football is minimal. Soccer, rugby, basketball and even cricket are king there.

Rugby in Europe  is considered a gentleman's game as is cricket, American football is not.

I think the NFL in Europe is a fools errand.

35 minutes ago, Diehardfan said:

You are wrong on this one man. Adding a game is very different than sending teams to Europe for weeks at a time or giving teams a major home field advantage. I love the Eagles, but even as a fan living out west I'm not getting up that early with an 8 hour time difference to watch a game in Germany.

Past the time difference and jet lag you are completely wrong if for no other reason that they don't have 32 starting caliber QB in the NFL now, so what do you think will happen when they need 4 more starters and 4 more backups? There may not be even 12 starters now who have the talent to win it all.

That's before we get to starting skills players, OL, and CB. From a talent aspect alone it's going to dilute things to an unenjoyable level. That's why many of us don't watch the other BS leagues out there, but hey...die on the hill that people will think it's the best era in football watching 4th quarter preseason talent during the regular season.

 

That’s been the conversation every time there was expansion, and every time it was proven to not have the affect it was fearmongered to have. There wasn’t 28 pro bowl QBs in the 90s and the league balance was supposedly ruined when Carolina and Jacksonville were added. Or after when browns #2 and Houston. It only got more popular, made more money. Going from 32 to 36 isn’t going to hurt anything; Talent gets diluted evenly, never has every team had an equal shot to win in a 5 year window than right now. Competition sells tickets, not Kirk Cousins and Derek Carr.

I used to love listening to Kallas and Ashburn on hot summer nights. You could walk through neighborhoods and hear them through open windows. Most of the time the Phils were dreadful but those two were like Bach and Beethoven. I don't know if I was so much a Phillies fan as a fan of Harry and Whitey.

1 hour ago, pgcd3 said:

I'd argue the depth now is fine but the starters are the ?  LB is a huge question mark.  Dean never started and Morrow wasn't rated well by many anyway. The depth is non-existent really

Just the way Howie likes it...😉

33 minutes ago, T-1000 said:

Who the hell is Bob Grotz and is he always such a moron. I never hear of the guy. He was on Birds 365 today and had some real gems:

-James Bradberry isn't that good, he can't run at all anymore

-Slay isn't nearly as good as when he first got here

-Terrell Edmunds is a special teams player at best

-Keanu Neal would have been a way better signing because he's a cover guy

I'd be interested to know what his take is on converting Lane Johnson to a freak beast  VB with Mailata blocking for him at freakbeast 2a...🤔

Despite not receiving an invitation to the Scouting Combine, Ben VanSumeren is clearly one of the most athletic linebackers in the 2023 draft class. He showed out at the Michigan State Pro Day, clearing 42.5 inches in the vertical jump and posting a 10-foot-11 broad jump. Both numbers would have been first among linebackers at the Combine. His 29 reps on the bench press would have been tied for first among linebackers, too, and he ran a 4.40-second 40-yard dash. A 6-foot-1, 237-pound backer, VanSumeren could slip into the later rounds after an otherworldly Pro Day.

SAF Nico Bolden, Kent State

Already one of the bigger safeties in this year’s class at 6-foot-3 and 203 pounds, Bolden’s insane pro day performance has NFL evaluators taking another look at his film in the final stages of the draft process. He ran a 4.44-second 40-yard dash, which would have been second among safeties at the Combine. His 41-inch vertical jump would have been third overall among all positions at the Combine, too. And with a solid 10-foot-7 broad jump, Bolden showed at his pro day that he is every bit as athletically capable as this year’s top safeties. He is a tackling machine who clearly has the physical traits to be a playmaker on defense (and, perhaps more importantly for his pro career prospects, special teams).

CB Reese Taylor, Purdue

One of the most agile testers in this year’s class, Taylor was phenomenal at his pro day. He ran a 4.46 in the 40-yard dash while posting a 6.63-second three-cone drill and a 4.07-second short shuttle. These times would have ranked among the best across all positions at the Combine. Taylor’s agility would allow him to keep up with nearly any wideout in the NFL on breaking routes. He offers value as an athletic, if undersized, cornerback who should get an opportunity at the next level.

19 minutes ago, Utebird said:

Are people that are Steelers penguins and pirate fans not fans of the Sixers out of principle?

I'm not sure about the sixers thing but, I know way to many eagles fans that also cheer for the Steelers.... It drives me nuts

 

4 hours ago, wussbasket said:

I could understand getting 2 teams in Mexico and 2 more in Canada, but they are really trying to tap into a newer market that has a lot more money and a bigger potential market for a fan base. You barely have enough good teams now with the 32 team setup, there's really about 4-6 good teams a year. Does anyone actually think there are 32 starting caliber QBs in the NFL right now? Now dilute the league even further by adding 4 teams. I understand this would have a ripple effect locally with driving more interest in the NFL and Europeans start actually training to play football, but that would be 10+ years down the line until that pipeline starts getting more consistent with talent.

Any European Eagles fans want to chime in on the legalities of player contracts, trades, or if the NFL could even do a draft? I'm fairly sure there are laws in Europe protecting players against forced trades and the player has to agree to it. Would the NFL have to make it standard for no-trade clauses in every contract now?

The UK is out of the EU, so the rules as they once were, are different here.  In terms of stadia, White Hart Lane is a very obvious choice for a team as it was built with it in mind.  Other than that, stadia would be an interesting problem as there is a ton of sport in the Europe at the same time of year, so any teams would likely not have a permanent home for a number of years, if at all.  Germany would make sense for a team - my guess is a team would be in Spain and maybe France/Holland.

I assume the idea is a no goer though; especially come playoff time.  Much more likely a team like the Jags is moved.

1 hour ago, DrPhilly said:

Yes, they would still have to file US taxes.  All Americans do now matter where they reside.

Filing does not equal paying though.  It all depends on the reciprocal agreements between countries plus the local tax levels.  The first $100k (roughly) made in a foreign country is not taxable in the US to start.  From there, any western European country will have an agreement with the US that means the player wouldn't be double taxed.  The real issue is going to be if the local country has higher tax rates than the US which will be the case for many countries in Europe.  Of course, that will factor into the contract negotiations.

My assumption would be the players would be employed in the USA, but play games/be based in Europe for the season, or just the games in the season - esp with a salary cap and the currencies involved.  Logistically, not sure how much sense in making players and team personnel based in Europe permanently.  The PS would be an interesting concept thousands of miles away; Julian Vandervelde, come to London for a week and then you are cut. Etc