From Rappaport:

Sources: The #Falcons are trading All-Pro WR Julio Jones to the #Titans in exchange for at least a 2nd round pick. A blockbuster for Tennessee, who now gets the coveted big-play threat. And Atlanta ends up with very nice value.


My two cents:  Julio Jones is a deep threat?  I like him, and he has had a hell of a career but is that what he was doing in Atlanta?  I thought his TD numbers were really low?

AJ Brown is about to be buying a lot of number 11 jerseys...

Wow.

Titans are not playing around. They really want to be in the SB this year.

Nice pickup for the Titans.

The fight for the top of the AFC is going to be intense. Feels like the 2nd-5th best teams in the NFL are all in the AFC. Chiefs, Titans, Bills, and probably Browns?

Meanwhile it feels a bit like the Bucs have the NFC locked down. Doubly so if Rodgers isn't playing for the Packers. Really only leaves the Seahawks and maybe the Rams as their competition and I don't think that's really a favorable matchup for either right now.

Guess that's what happens when the NFC only had 5 teams with winning records last year and 2 of those 5 are probably missing their HoF QBs in 2021. (Brees and Rodgers)

Falcons get 2022 2nd round and 2023 4th round picks. Titans gets Jones and 2023 6th round pick. Look for a contract renegotiation to be announced soon. Jones contract puts the Titans over the cap

(06-06-2021, 02:11 PM)pally Wrote: Falcons get 202w 2nd round and 2023 4th round picks. Titans gets Jones and 2023 6th round pick

Thanks for the details.  I thought it was crazy to think at his age that he would get a first rounder back.  The Titans are in a pathetic two-team division and will likely still win 10 games so that 2nd round pick is likely at best outside the top 50.  I don't blame the Falcons for trading him at all, and I think they still got the better end of the trade.  

I mean, look at what we got for Green.  Nothing.  

(06-06-2021, 12:57 PM)SHRacerX Wrote: From Rappaport:

Sources: The #Falcons are trading All-Pro WR Julio Jones to the #Titans in exchange for at least a 2nd round pick. A blockbuster for Tennessee, who now gets the coveted big-play threat. And Atlanta ends up with very nice value.


My two cents:  Julio Jones is a deep threat?  I like him, and he has had a hell of a career but is that what he was doing in Atlanta?  I thought his TD numbers were really low?

Julio hasn't been scoring many TD's lately that is for sure. Still if he turns this part of his game around great trade for the Titans.

(06-06-2021, 02:47 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Julio hasn't been scoring many TD's lately that is for sure. Still if he turns this part of his game around great trade for the Titans.

He certainly could thrive with defenses set up to stop their rushing attack.  Or he could fall off a cliff, a la AJ Green. 

(06-06-2021, 01:21 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: The fight for the top of the AFC is going to be intense. Feels like the 2nd-5th best teams in the NFL are all in the AFC. Chiefs, Titans, Bills, and probably Browns?

Meanwhile it feels a bit like the Bucs have the NFC locked down. Doubly so if Rodgers isn't playing for the Packers. Really only leaves the Seahawks and maybe the Rams as their competition and I don't think that's really a favorable matchup for either right now.

Guess that's what happens when the NFC only had 5 teams with winning records last year and 2 of those 5 are probably missing their HoF QBs in 2021. (Brees and Rodgers)

Sucks to be in the AFC North right now. But if we can win here we can win the whole thing, we aren't going to be facing push overs
all season that is for damn sure. Do we play the Titans this year? I forgot? We beat them last year which is wild. Tough team.

(06-06-2021, 02:48 PM)SHRacerX Wrote: He certainly could thrive with defenses set up to stop their rushing attack.  Or he could fall off a cliff, a la AJ Green. 

Yep, that Play Action game could help him though and he doesn't have AJ's injury problems.

(06-06-2021, 02:49 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Sucks to be in the AFC North right now. But if we can win here we can win the whole thing, we aren't going to be facing push overs
all season that is for damn sure. Do we play the Titans this year? I forgot? We beat them last year which is wild. Tough team.

You are dead on about the AFC North.  Battle tested as well if you win that division.  

Titans defense sucked but they made some moves...I like their coach.  I think Tannehill is Dalton.  

Interesting trade. Tennessee addresses a problem area and the Falcons get more draft ammunition for what is clearly a full rebuild.

As to our division, I do think the Rats will be good enough to make postseason and the Stealers may rebound. The Browns I think are getting overrated - remember they basically snuck into the playoffs because the Stealers imploded and then in the playoffs the Stealers lost that game far more than the Stains won it. KC had no issues handling the Stains after that. As to us, with as many new pieces as we have how we do will be a function of how long it takes for all the pieces to gel into cohesive units. I suspect too long and that we are likely a 7-9 team.

(06-06-2021, 08:47 PM)Joelist Wrote: Interesting trade. Tennessee addresses a problem area and the Falcons get more draft ammunition for what is clearly a full rebuild.

As to our division, I do think the Rats will be good enough to make postseason and the Stealers may rebound. The Browns I think are getting overrated - remember they basically snuck into the playoffs because the Stealers imploded and then in the playoffs the Stealers lost that game far more than the Stains won it. KC had no issues handling the Stains after that. As to us, with as many new pieces as we have how we do will be a function of how long it takes for all the pieces to gel into cohesive units. I suspect too long and that we are likely a 7-9 team.

I'm not sure that is an accurate depiction of how the KC/Cle game went down.  It was a very competitive game.  I seem to recall the Browns fans complaining about a no-call by the refs that changed the momentum and direction of the game.

https://www.wkyc.com/article/sports/nfl/browns/browns-rashard-higgins-touchback-chiefs/95-27f886d6-f3e5-4ecb-98c0-cbf8162090cc

Quote:But as Higgins dove toward the pylon, he fumbled the ball into the end zone and out of bounds on a play that was ruled a touchback, giving the ball back to the Chiefs.

With Kansas City leading 16-3 and Cleveland getting the ball back after halftime, the play proved to be a pivotal moment that cost the Browns the potential opportunity to tie the Chiefs. Upon further review, the touchback appeared to be even more heartbreaking for Cleveland fans, as it appeared that Kansas City safety Daniel Sorensen got away with a blatant head-to-head hit on Higgins that should have been called for a penalty.

Now, I'm not complaining about the no call, as I want to see all AFCN teams that aren't the Bengals also be watching the Superbowl, rather than playing in it.  I'm just saying that the game was no walk over, and could have easily turned the momentum on that one pivotal moment.

I saw the game and the call. It WAS a fumble and the contact was incidental as Sorenson was clearing reaching for the ball to strip it. Even if it had gone the other way it just becomes 16-10 and assuming the same drive 19-10 at the half. Really the Chiefs handled the Stains pretty easily.

(06-06-2021, 08:47 PM)Joelist Wrote: Interesting trade. Tennessee addresses a problem area and the Falcons get more draft ammunition for what is clearly a full rebuild.

As to our division, I do think the Rats will be good enough to make postseason and the Stealers may rebound. The Browns I think are getting overrated - remember they basically snuck into the playoffs because the Stealers imploded and then in the playoffs the Stealers lost that game far more than the Stains won it. KC had no issues handling the Stains after that. As to us, with as many new pieces as we have how we do will be a function of how long it takes for all the pieces to gel into cohesive units. I suspect too long and that we are likely a 7-9 team.

Your opinion on the Browns seems to be a popular one.  I don't see them that way at all.  They have one of the most balanced offenses in the league with a great offensive line, probably one of the best RB rooms in the NFL, and a solid array of receiving talent.  They added Clowney opposite Garrett, and they have a very solid draft.  I think they are the team to beat. 

The steelers have a lot of cap issues and lost some of their key pieces from the defense that was their strength a year ago.

The Ravens are kind of an enigma.  They were pretty close last year, but they too have lost some talent.  I think that as much as Lamar Jackson runs the ball, he may be living on borrowed time.  

The Bengals?  All boils down to health for me.  Best case scenario:  they are all healthy for most of the season and they end up a 10 or 11 win team.  One this is for sure:  If they make the playoffs, they will have earned it.  Their division is loaded and having the Packers and Chiefs on the schedule won't help.  I'm hoping they are opposite of last year and have a quick start.

I have to admit it, as someone that is a bit of a conspiracy theorist on the NFL, as bad as last year's schedule was for the Bengals (starting off with some of the best pass rush teams in the league) this year's looks really favorable.  Of course, we don't really know how different the teams will look this  year, but the early part of the schedule is much easier than last year's and a quick start could have this young team full of confidence and a tough matchup down the stretch.  

(06-06-2021, 02:11 PM)pally Wrote: Falcons get 2022 2nd round and 2023 4th round picks. Titans gets Jones and 2023 6th round pick. Look for a contract renegotiation to be announced soon. Jones contract puts the Titans over the cap

I knew that report of a first round offer was BS

(06-06-2021, 02:11 PM)pally Wrote: Falcons get 2022 2nd round and 2023 4th round picks. Titans gets Jones and 2023 6th round pick.  Look for a contract renegotiation to be announced soon. Jones contract puts the Titans over the cap

Too bad, Bengals didnt have the foresight to get something like this for AJ back when he was in shape and was a good player. 

(06-07-2021, 11:25 AM)kalibengal Wrote: Too bad, Bengals didnt have the foresight to get something like this for AJ back when he was in shape and was a good player. 

In Greens last healthy productive season he was only 29 and we were a 7-9 team just two years removed from our 5 year playoff run.  NO ONE considered us to be ina rebuilding mode at that time.  Fans would have screamed bloody murder if we had traded away the best player on our offense when he was still 29 and productive.

(06-07-2021, 01:56 AM)Joelist Wrote: I saw the game and the call. It WAS a fumble and the contact was incidental as Sorenson was clearing reaching for the ball to strip it. Even if it had gone the other way it just becomes 16-10 and assuming the same drive 19-10 at the half. Really the Chiefs handled the Stains pretty easily.

People were more-pissed about the rule than the actual play; Twitter went nuts (non-Browns fans too) at the rule.

I have 0 idea why people are so against that ruling; if you fumble the ball and it goes out the opponent's EZ, it's a touchback just like any ball that goes out the endzone, by the attacking team (punt, kickoff, etc).