mav1234

6-9 is honestly a good position to be in, in terms of having a good selection of quality players. There's going to be the usual "QB rush" at the top and that might either mean a QB we like more will drop (as Fields did, but .... ) or it might mean that someone(s) reach on a raw but talented prospect (like AR), causing other prospects to fall. Obviously we'd like to be higher, but our draft is far from ruined IMO.

I basically think any team secure in their beliefs on the playoffs this year and in the future would decline it, frankly. He's arguably in the second most important position on the field (and I really do hope he starts to play like that lol). I really don't think it is quite the haul a lot of people here do, because again, it was so far in the future - basically the total value was barely over a first round pick this year in the middle of the round (~1170 for the trade vs 1000 for pick 16). Obviously those draft value charges are highly dependent on how the Panthers viewed the Rams future stock. Then again, I probably would still have personally done it because I think we need to really hit reset. Of course, that also means one or both of those first rounders have to hit on an edge rusher, which isn't a guarantee. Ugh.

Can move schedule discussion here to keep this clear for updates on the players health.

Thanks for starting this. Lots of considerations. This impacts seeding directly and who wins the AFC North. But playing the game Wednesday would mean that both teams have a very short turnaround to other important games on Sunday, potentially resulting in significant swings in W/L.

I personally think quite a few would, but I also understand why others would want the trade as it would have provided a lot of assets to get our QB. I still do think if either had been a first rounder this year, he'd be in LA. Ultimately I think he can still improve as his first half of the year was much better actually against the run. I think that the changes to our D coaching staff actually were a very large net negative mid season. Not sure if Snow was better or just how many fewer coaches there were overall...

Just hard because a tie also influences who can get the first seed and who can win the AFC North. The Bengals can't lose the division with a tie.

Harbaugh would be a great choice for a quick turnaround. I think he could have us in contention next year to push deep in the playoffs. He'd be a very exciting hire that would tick both significant NFL experience and strong understanding of good offense. Also reminding me of JR and his stupid pie chart. Which is always a great thing in the new year lol

The problem with playing Wednesday is both teams have an extremely short turnaround to more (additional not greater) meaningful games the next weekend really. Not sure the solution here.

Usually those top QBs have gone for a first in the year of the trade too. I know it seems trivial to us (the year of the pick) but it does matter a lot to the people making these decisions.

Sam just wasn't throwing the ball enough in most of his games to get other players involved as consistently. If you're only throwing 20 passes, it's hard to do that.

We know how owners view their players already, don't expect them to turn on Goodell over something like player safety. If this causes the firestorm many of us think it might, well...

Unless there's something behind the scenes we don't know about, then yes, he should.

oh I think the game was, for all practical intents and purposes, over for ~half an hour before Goodell did whatever he finally did. The players were not continuing.

yeah I think so. My assumption was the officials were telling the coaches the game had been canceled, but with the amount of time it took to hit the rest of us, I don't think so. I think it was the opposite - the coaches telling the officials the players would not be resuming play tonight. edit: referring here to the discussions outside the Bills lockeroom

I mean the coaches actually did have to intervene to prevent the officials from warming the players up and returning to the field. Then we had to wait how long for anything close to an official announcement? Really fuged up response IMO.

I think we are all in a bit of shock and reacted strongly in various ways. But the fans in the stadium, even more than us, are likely in an extreme state of confusion and shock given what they saw live.

fuging disgusting clown piece of poo. cancel the game and figure it out later. love the stupid shitty throw-away at the end. what a garbage person.

only because the players/coaches refused to play. or that's how the NFL has now made this look. which is absolutely pathetic.

right, not sure what's hard about this. As long as there are no safety complications for fans or players associated with announcing the cancellation quickly (no idea what those would even be, but just saying), no reason at all to wait this fuging long. disgusting

Some of them may have been expecting positive news about the player, or may have just been waiting for lots to empty etc... don't judge the fans in this circumstance.

his typical bullshit hot-take with a throw-away line at the end. disgusting

Not going to check it again but basically a "how could the NFL possibly postpone a game with such important ramifications, even if this is an awful situation". I may be paraphrasing it worse than it was but it was pretty shitty

If it's his call this is on his shoulders for not making a decision sooner. What the fug

The game has got to be already cancelled and the NFL isn't making the announcement public yet for some reason. There's no way they still think this game can go on.

I doubt the Bengals players want to continue either. The NFL has to understand. They may just not want to make an announcement without letting the coaches know first