[fudgesundae]

So happy

Pats have basically wrapped Gronk up for his whole career. Contracted through 2019!

edit: also a bargain as well!

[RabbitCFH]

Damn, Gronk is awesome. How could you not love this guy...

[OxfordGoBrach]

Well the Dolphins have a workout scheduled with Ochocinco, appears I could be wrong then...

[The Patriot]

(Original post by CAPTAIN CAPSLOCK)
The off-season just goes on for way too long. Is there a reason that it pans out that way? Couldn't they space it out a bit more like have a couple weeks break halfway through?

Momentum for the team would be hammered first of all. Teams often put together long runs coming off a bye-week, like the Patriots for example :L, and the NFL doesn't want to ruin that.

From a capitalist perspective also, the more condensed and action packed a short space of time is, the more exciting it is for a fan. Also, the off-season then leaves us begging for more football by the time August rolls around, and so we are more in need.

The other point I guess is the weather. They would rather play through autumn and winter than spring and summer. Summer would be far too hot in most places in the states.

[Baltimoron]

(Original post by shunter7634)
It's a great system, but it only really works because American football is such a closed shop in the US. There are no other professional leagues worth talking about, so all the players go straight from college to the NFL, and it wouldn't really work unless the college game was as well supported as it is.

In Major League Baseball, for example, players from other countries are not subjected to the draft, and may be signed by any team (I think this is right - I'm not a baseball fan by any means, please correct me if I'm wrong). The signing of foreign players is kept in check by the salary cap, which is something that would need to be introduced across UEFA in football to keep the Champions League fair, but this would be nearly impossible to sort out. So while the draft is great, unfortunately I can never see it working to fix the disparities in English football.

Major League Baseball doesn't have a salary cap, which is one of the biggest criticisms of the league. As a result, the same teams win all the time, just like in the EPL. It kinda sucks, but whatever.

[fudgesundae]

(Original post by Baltimoron)
Major League Baseball doesn't have a salary cap, which is one of the biggest criticisms of the league. As a result, the same teams win all the time, just like in the EPL. It kinda sucks, but whatever.

The NBA has a salary cap though doesn't it? And it is even more dominated by 2 or 3 teams than the MLB. Although I guess that stems from rosters being so small, that you can easily afford 3 star players on your roster and when you only have 5 guys on the court at once, you're gonna dominate.

[RabbitCFH]

(Original post by fudgesundae)
The NBA has a salary cap though doesn't it? And it is even more dominated by 2 or 3 teams than the MLB. Although I guess that stems from rosters being so small, that you can easily afford 3 star players on your roster and when you only have 5 guys on the court at once, you're gonna dominate.

NBA is dominated by 2/3 teams? Dude... Where were OKC, Clips or Pacers a couple of years ago? Where are the Lakers, Magic or Mavs now? Sure, there are some teams that have been qualifying to the playoffs regularly in the last few years and some that have been crap, but still.

[fudgesundae]

(Original post by RabbitCFH)
NBA is dominated by 2/3 teams? Dude... Where were OKC, Clips or Pacers a couple of years ago? Where are the Lakers, Magic or Mavs now? Sure, there are some teams that have been qualifying to the playoffs regularly in the last few years and some that have been crap, but still.

Before last year I think 9 out of 12 NBA finals were won by either the Lakers or the Spurs. The Bulls dominated the 90s. Celtics and Lakers in the 80s. In fact isn't this year the first time in 13 years that the finals are not in California or Texas? The Mavericks, Lakers and Spurs have dominated the NBA in the last 10-12 years. Now those teams have ageing players so a new group of teams are going to start dominating. Heat are starting to come good with Lebron on fire. OKC looking good as well hosting the finals. It is just time now for a new group of teams to start dominating taking over from the Mavs and Lakers.

With the very small rosters, it is much easier to put together a team with a core of 2 or 3 maybe even 4 star players, and with that recipe you will most likely make a deep run in the playoffs.

Comparing this with the MLB which someone bemoaned earlier for being dominated by a few teams, in the last 10 years, 8 different teams have won the World Series.

[OxfordGoBrach]

AAAAaand we got Ochocinco, contrary to what I thought would happen. Might as well have someone who has ability, just don't know if he's a fit mentally, if we want to spread the ball around, he'll hate that a lot.

[Baltimoron]

(Original post by RabbitCFH)
NBA is dominated by 2/3 teams? Dude... Where were OKC, Clips or Pacers a couple of years ago? Where are the Lakers, Magic or Mavs now? Sure, there are some teams that have been qualifying to the playoffs regularly in the last few years and some that have been crap, but still.

I gotta agree with fudgesundae, the NBA is even worse in this regard. For their playoff run, the Thunder beat every team that has represented the western conference in the Finals since 1998. That's three teams. The Lakers, Mavericks, and Spurs.

[RabbitCFH]

Well, maybe, I didn't look at it that way.

[Baltimoron]

(Original post by RabbitCFH)
Well, maybe, I didn't look at it that way.

Haha, fair enough.

[Owen laughing]

Ravens all the way. Ray lewis will get his second ring and finally retire as the GOAT ILB. Also people will stop saying Flacco is terrible and realise he outplayed Brady in the AFC championship.

[fudgesundae]

(Original post by Owen laughing)
Ravens all the way. Ray lewis will get his second ring and finally retire as the GOAT ILB. Also people will stop saying Flacco is terrible and realise he outplayed Brady in the AFC championship.

I counter that with Brady winning 2 rings in the next 3 years with the Patriots now having playmakers on both side of the ball. He retires with 5 rings 4 MVPs and is finally recognised as the GOAT.

[The Troll Toll]

I counter both of these predictions with reality.

[Baltimoron]

(Original post by Owen laughing)
Ravens all the way. Ray lewis will get his second ring and finally retire as the GOAT ILB. Also people will stop saying Flacco is terrible and realise he outplayed Brady in the AFC championship.

Hell yeah, another Ravens fan (I'm assuming). Couldn't agree more with what you said regarding Flacco. I'm tired of people hating on him. The fact is, he played well enough to win the AFC Championship game and make it to the Super Bowl. If Lee Evans could catch a damn pass they would have been there. That game was not his fault. He flat out wins. What more can you ask from the guy?

[Stevo112]

Chicago win all

[shunter7634]

(Original post by Baltimoron)
Hell yeah, another Ravens fan (I'm assuming). Couldn't agree more with what you said regarding Flacco. I'm tired of people hating on him. The fact is, he played well enough to win the AFC Championship game and make it to the Super Bowl. If Lee Evans could catch a damn pass they would have been there. That game was not his fault. He flat out wins. What more can you ask from the guy?

I feel bad for Alex Smith for the same reason, but somehow I can't see him getting the same level of sympathy on these boards.

[Owen laughing]

(Original post by shunter7634)
I feel bad for Alex Smith for the same reason, but somehow I can't see him getting the same level of sympathy on these boards.

The thing is although both he and Flacco went in the first round of their respective drafts Alex smith was first overall pick and the 49ers took him over Rodgers. But Smith is a game manager he get the completions when needed and rarely turns the ball over. With their running game and Defence they don't need a Manning or Brady to be QB

[The Troll Toll]

I think the only thing dumber than using wins to rate a quarterback is using almost wins.