Maybe, Just Maybe, Bill O’Brien knows what he is doing.

So far, the Stills acquisition has been a stroke of genius. He's not just an insurance policy against Fuller and/or Coutee getting hurt; he's a legitimate weapon. I'm also hopeful Akins, who, by every report, had a terrific camp, is taking a step, too. If so, this is a legitimately dangerous offense with - when healthy - potentially *six* big-play weapons (Hopkins, Fuller, Stills, Coutee, Akins, Johnson) + BO'B's wet dream of a RB that he can pound into the line for 2-3 yards a carry.

And they get two more weeks to refine and figure everything out before Kansas City. If they can stomp Carolina this weekend, NBC may flex that game to prime time - right now, they have Steelers-Chargers scheduled that night and that's not going to be a very good match-up for them.

 

Fells has been huge as well and when Thomas comes back look out.

 

MMQB/SI

 

KC plays on Thursday night the following week. Game won’t be flexed

 

Hmmm... that's interesting - do they have a rule about Thursday teams playing night games? I would certainly understand no Monday games, obviously.

 

I'm still pissed about the playoff record, but you know what? Can't do anything about that until the playoffs actually start. And we have to make the playoffs first...which means we have to win as many regular season games as possible - no matter who the opposing QBs are (or aren't).

So...

I'm going to send the jury back into the jury room to deliberate until this season is over.

The really big picture is, we spent over a decade b****ing about not having a franchise QB. Now, we have one. What do you need for your franchise QB? A really good LT. We may have that too, now. If Tunsil turns out to be a bookend LT for the next 10 years, I don't think anyone is going to care, or even remember, what we gave up for him.

I will still, however, laugh at any and all "doesn't matter, Brian" references. That will never change.

 

NFL won’t flex into a night game if one of the teams play on the following Thursday.

Not enough time for them to recovery

 

Amen.


I'm not going to start complaining about the draft picks until I see as an awful team, because right now, there's no reason not to think we could legitimately be competing for Super Bowls during those seasons of no number one pick.

You know a team that wins Super Bowls but never seems to nail it's first round pick? Yeah, they play outside of Boston.

Draft picks in the NFL are lottery tickets, even in the first round. I'm never going to complain about losing a few to legitimize this team, which may be exactly what we did. Especially considering Stills has HUGE value in solidifying this offense as it should be. He's not even talked about as being part of the trade, hardly.

 

Not true:

That game getting flexed is a huge possibility

 

good ish...would be badass to see us spank them on national tv.

 

I stand corrected

 

I initially read that as Thursday, Saturday and Monday night games were ineligible to be flexed...

 

I want to say that last year a team got flexed to SNF then had a Thursday game on the road 4 days later, I recall Bill Simmons harping on it about how the league doesn't care about it's players. Might have been Chicago.

Edit: The Vikings at Bears game in week 11 was flexed to SNF, then the Bears played at Detroit on Thanksgiving four days later.

 

You want to flex them, then FLEX their ass!

 

Sign him Billy

 

I don't expect miracles and they have plenty of draft picks in 2020. In 2021 I expect a 2018 type draft.

I'm just glad the ol is improving and will be much better once they play together.

Getting Tunsil and Stills is hardly robbing Peter to pay Paul.

 

Your view is too short-sighted. Like others have said, it's been only a couple of games. I'm glad we're seeing good short-term results so far, but the Tunsil trade may prove to wreck us, long-term.

Mercilus should not have to be "freed up" with the loss of another defender. That doesn't make sense. If anything, Mercilus' production should have dropped. Good to see him coming back into form tho.

And your last point of "getting close to a sack" is weird. That's like praising a QB for "getting close to throwing a TD." If that's what you hang your hat on, at the end of the day, then that's not really something to write home about.

 

Draft picks in the NFL are cheap depth. You know why every single year the Texans seemingly lose like 1 key player and the season falls apart? While other teams can lose several stars and still make the playoffs or even compete for a SB? Because smart teams don't treat the draft like the lottery.

The whole "If we only had Player X healthy we'd have done Y" excuse is much more prevalent in Houston because in Houston because they can't draft worth a damn. Especially outside round 1.

 

So, with the trade, instead of getting three depth players or potentially three depth players (seeing as how some first rounders don't last more than three years in the league), we got two players that are essentially good caliber starters.

I'm still fine with that trade.


The Clowney trade still sucks though.