2025 NFL Discussion

[adambr2]

Lol, Campbell finally tries to just take the points on 4th and 4 in FG range and his kicker misses.

[duewizard]

Rivers looks soooooo old. Seriously, that's the best the Colts could do?

[HarryDoyle]

11 minutes ago, duewizard said:

Rivers looks soooooo old. Seriously, that's the best the Colts could do?

It just goes to show that the NFL has a QB problem. There's such a lack of talent at that position that you have to go out and bring back a 44 year old who hasn't played in four years out of retirement?

[adambr2]

Hate to root for Detroit today, but I definitely am.

[BrewerFan]

18 hours ago, HarryDoyle said:

It just goes to show that the NFL has a QB problem. There's such a lack of talent at that position that you have to go out and bring back a 44 year old who hasn't played in four years out of retirement?

It's a BIG swing from ~5-6 years.

Brady, Brees retired. Watson looked like a great QB, Lamar looked... not as good as some people argue, but good. Mahomes looked like the next great and Rodgers was still winning MVPs.

Even Big Ben was still playing, Ryan Tannehill was good, Wilson was still good.

One of those guys is still an elite QB and he just tore his ACL yesterday. 

Who are the elite QBs now?

Allen, Mahomes. Is there a 3rd? Herbert? I don't think I'd put him in there, but I like him a lot. 

Then I guess Love(IMO...I realize opinions vary on here). Dak? Is Dak actually an elite QB or does he play with Pickens and Lamb on turf with a good OL? Maye looks really good, but it's one year and Jayden Daniels looked great last year. 

[LouisEly]

20 hours ago, HarryDoyle said:

It just goes to show that the NFL has a QB problem. There's such a lack of talent at that position that you have to go out and bring back a 44 year old who hasn't played in four years out of retirement?

I've been saying this for years.  We've been seeing it at the college level for a long time.  People have complained about UW QBs since Russell Wilson, but Graham Mertz is on an NFL roster and Jack Coan signed as a UDFA (didn't make the Colts' roster).  Stave bounced around practice squads for five years.

My theory is that a lot of the kids who would have been college QBs 20 years ago are now getting $1M+ to play pro baseball out of HS.  Some are playing basketball.  But if you have to choose between getting crunched by 320 lb DTs or smoked by 240 lb LBs who can run a 4.5 40 (along with the long-term issues with CTE), or get 7-figures to play baseball as an 18-year-old... you take the financial security and fancy car at age 18.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

36 minutes ago, LouisEly said:

I've been saying this for years.  We've been seeing it at the college level for a long time.  People have complained about UW QBs since Russell Wilson, but Graham Mertz is on an NFL roster and Jack Coan signed as a UDFA (didn't make the Colts' roster).  Stave bounced around practice squads for five years.

My theory is that a lot of the kids who would have been college QBs 20 years ago are now getting $1M+ to play pro baseball out of HS.  Some are playing basketball.  But if you have to choose between getting crunched by 320 lb DTs or smoked by 240 lb LBs who can run a 4.5 40 (along with the long-term issues with CTE), or get 7-figures to play baseball as an 18-year-old... you take the financial security and fancy car at age 18.

Taking this further, youth football has only minimally changed relative to the 180s other sports have done. Sure, the very, very best kids are in all kinds of super camps all year, but even a mediocre soccer, baseball or basketball player is doing year-round club. Not really a thing in football. You play in the fall, and that's kind of it. There's lifting, but you have autonomy to do other sports. 

Very typical nowadays for an 11-year-old to have to decide between soccer or baseball because of indoor/spring ball, to decide if basketball has to go in favor of wrestling, etc. I'm not saying it's good or bad, but you are probably losing some kids because their fall is taken up by some other club they're already specializing in, plus concussions, injury risk etc.

[JosephC]

It's pretty amazing how "short" the NFL passing game has become, and yet the league cannot seem to find QBs that can make pretty simple throws.  Looking at the highlights of that Colts game, I see one pass to the tight end 11 yards down the field, one pass to the tight end 12 yards down the field, one back shoulder throw to a wide receiver 16 yards down the field, and one other down the field throw to a wide receiver that was a bad overthrow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7o2S7zgHF0

The rest is the typical boring NFL short passing game, totally built around the concept of "this 5 yard pass will turn into a 10 yard pass because the first guy will miss the tackle about 90% of the time."  Looking at those highlights...swing pass to WR, numerous dump offs to RB, little 5 yard square in, little 5 yard crossing route.  And yet we need a "big time" QB to come in and run this crap.

Rivers finished that game with 27 attempts and 120 yards.  Maybe the will open up that offense in a couple weeks, but considering Rivers can't move at all, I kind of doubt that they will.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

4 minutes ago, JosephC said:

It's pretty amazing how "short" the NFL passing game has become, and yet the league cannot seem to find QBs that can make pretty simple throws.  Looking at the highlights of that Colts game, I see one pass to the tight end 11 yards down the field, one pass to the tight end 12 yards down the field, one back shoulder throw to a wide receiver 16 yards down the field, and one other down the field throw to a wide receiver that was a bad overthrow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7o2S7zgHF0

The rest is the typical boring NFL short passing game, totally built around the concept of "this 5 yard pass will turn into a 10 yard pass because the first guy will miss the tackle about 90% of the time."  Looking at those highlights...swing pass to WR, numerous dump offs to RB, little 5 yard square in, little 5 yard crossing route.  And yet we need a "big time" QB to come in and run this crap.

Rivers finished that game with 27 attempts and 120 yards.  Maybe the will open up that offense in a couple weeks, but considering Rivers can't move at all, I kind of doubt that they will.

It's become less about the actual throw and more diagnosing the look at the LOS, finding the guy that will be able to run for those 5 extra yards. That's why they entertained Rivers. There are a million guys who can throw.

[Fear The Chorizo]

23 hours ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

Taking this further, youth football has only minimally changed relative to the 180s other sports have done. Sure, the very, very best kids are in all kinds of super camps all year, but even a mediocre soccer, baseball or basketball player is doing year-round club. Not really a thing in football. You play in the fall, and that's kind of it. There's lifting, but you have autonomy to do other sports. 

Very typical nowadays for an 11-year-old to have to decide between soccer or baseball because of indoor/spring ball, to decide if basketball has to go in favor of wrestling, etc. I'm not saying it's good or bad, but you are probably losing some kids because their fall is taken up by some other club they're already specializing in, plus concussions, injury risk etc.

I think so much of the game going to short/quick passing is due to the speed of the defense, and the focus on keeping your QB1 healthy over the course of a season.  There are still some big sack numbers, but since the NFL has gone away from run-focused offenses to score more points you don't see a ton of 7 step drops to give 2-3 receivers time to get downfield into their routes - those are the type of pass plays that leave QB's vulnerable to getting blown up by a blitz or great pass rush more than the spread it out and 'basketball on grass" style of passing game.

It's also a byproduct of college offenses going away from the traditional pro style and turning quarterbacks into point guards distributing to pass catchers in space with higher percentage short passes and leaning on skill position talent to make tacklers miss and get downfield.  That element makes evaluating quarterbacks difficult on what they could become at the NFL level difficult.

[Vgmastr]

JJ Watt says he wanted to come to the Packers in 2021 and was willing to take a significant hometown discount to do it.

 

[LouisEly]

13 minutes ago, Vgmastr said:

JJ Watt says he wanted to come to the Packers in 2021 and was willing to take a significant hometown discount to do it.

Did his agent tell Gutey that?

[Jopal78]

2 hours ago, Vgmastr said:

JJ Watt says he wanted to come to the Packers in 2021 and was willing to take a significant hometown discount to do it.

 

Watch the clip, he must’ve taken too many shots to the skull: he doesn’t remember that he actually got 23 million dollars guaranteed from Arizona. Next, he says while there was no guarantee he would accept it; he wanted  the Packers to make him an offer, then contradicts himself at the end of the clip, saying if they would’ve offered him $5 million he would’ve taken it.  
 

That’s the problem with talk shows and podcasts they need content,  so when some guy goes on and feeds them a line of BS, they don’t have the ability to call the on it. 

[endaround]

3 hours ago, LouisEly said:

Did his agent tell Gutey that?

JJ Watt was 32 in 2021. Gute would not touch an over 30 non QB/kicker no matter what.

[yourout]

Unless they get bit by the injury bug late the Rams are the team to beat in the NFC.

[yourout]

That was quite a comeback by Seattle. 

Honestly both of those teams are better than the Packers.

[HarveysWBs]

1 hour ago, yourout said:

Unless they get bit by the injury bug late the Rams are the team to beat in the NFC.

[HarryDoyle]

How can anybody lose that huge of a fourth quarter lead in Seattle?

[homer]

On 12/16/2025 at 10:28 AM, JosephC said:

It's pretty amazing how "short" the NFL passing game has become, and yet the league cannot seem to find QBs that can make pretty simple throws.  Looking at the highlights of that Colts game, I see one pass to the tight end 11 yards down the field, one pass to the tight end 12 yards down the field, one back shoulder throw to a wide receiver 16 yards down the field, and one other down the field throw to a wide receiver that was a bad overthrow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7o2S7zgHF0

The rest is the typical boring NFL short passing game, totally built around the concept of "this 5 yard pass will turn into a 10 yard pass because the first guy will miss the tackle about 90% of the time."  Looking at those highlights...swing pass to WR, numerous dump offs to RB, little 5 yard square in, little 5 yard crossing route.  And yet we need a "big time" QB to come in and run this crap.

Rivers finished that game with 27 attempts and 120 yards.  Maybe the will open up that offense in a couple weeks, but considering Rivers can't move at all, I kind of doubt that they will.

You're talking about a 44-year old grandpa who hasn't played in five years. 

[CheezWizHed]

On 12/17/2025 at 5:14 PM, Vgmastr said:

JJ Watt says he wanted to come to the Packers in 2021 and was willing to take a significant hometown discount to do it.

 

My memories were that we did talk to him, but he followed in the footsteps of Rod Tidwell.

[HarryDoyle]

So the Rams have fired their special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn. Interesting.

 

[HarryDoyle]

Dan Campbell goes for it on 4th and goal on their opening possession and fails. Let's see how this plays out.

[yourout]

On 12/20/2025 at 3:51 PM, HarryDoyle said:

So the Rams have fired their special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn. Interesting.

 

Your allowed to do that... Who knew?

[HarryDoyle]

So DK Metcalf is getting suspended at least one game.

[HarryDoyle]

Gainwell channeling his inner Antonio Freeman.