NFL 2018 Regular Season Thread

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Gronkowski is entering the final year of his contract. It expires after 2019...so Belichick can cut him without hurting the teams salary cap much at all. New England will likely be in market for a TE in the draft though.

[Gray Lensman]

Gronkowski is entering the final year of his contract. It expires after 2019...so Belichick can cut him without hurting the teams salary cap much at all. New England will likely be in market for a TE in the draft though.

I looked it up - this season, cutting Gronk would cost 1.5 million more than keeping him. Next year, he can be cut and save about 10 million. Add in the difficulty of finding someone who can play the position as well as he can (even at his reduced level) and it looks to be better to keep him this season and cut him at the end (based on when he is due any bonuses).

That is presuming I have read this correctly.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

I’ll keep Fronk for another year if he’s going to block like this all day. Dudes been beasting today with the big boys

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I looked it up - this season, cutting Gronk would cost 1.5 million more than keeping him. Next year, he can be cut and save about 10 million. Add in the difficulty of finding someone who can play the position as well as he can (even at his reduced level) and it looks to be better to keep him this season and cut him at the end (based on when he is due any bonuses).

As one article pointed out Gronkowski only had 700+ yards receiving and teams went to just single coverage on him due to him looking like he lost a step. Gronk's contract expires after 2019...

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/new-engl...onkowski-6551/


He's gonna count $11+ million against the cap next year if he plays.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Gronk looked like himself on that play

[Gray Lensman]

As one article pointed out Gronkowski only had 700+ yards receiving and teams went to just single coverage on him due to him looking like he lost a step. Gronk's contract expires after 2019...

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/new-engl...onkowski-6551/


He's gonna count $11+ million against the cap next year if he plays.

I think next season he takes a pay cut or goes home, unless Bill feels comfortable with him and his chances of returning to earlier play levels.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I think next season he takes a pay cut or goes home, unless Bill feels comfortable with him and his chances of returning to earlier play levels.

I think given that Belichick seemed willing to trade Gronkowski this past off-season ; I'm thinking he knows Gronk may show flashes but due to injuries and all...he's not the all-star TE. If he does get cut , Gronk will have to weigh the big pay day a team will over pay him believing he can be a 1,000+ yard TE again vs taking the stance he doesn't want to play for any team that doesn't have Tom Brady behind it.

[Sacred Knight]

I bet a lot of people would love to see Brees vs Brady for a matchup of the 2 best career QB's still playing in the NFL. And for Pats haters, there is poetic justice in seeing the final nail in the coffin of the dynasty be hammered in by the team that it started against if the Rams make it in. Both those scenarios, however, require them to defeat the Chief in Arrowhead - which isn't going to be easy.

Fair enough, I should indeed just speak for myself, I was really just being colorful. But man I couldn't possibly care less about anymore Patriot storylines. Media would love it though, and like you said there's probably other fans who'd dig it.

I'd be in just for the Brees storyline though. Saints are my NFC team, I've been a fan of theirs ever since my younger days when I just felt sorry for them for being so bad.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I think San Diego bought into their own hype as usual. Where they felt they were this team of destiny (which players would claim like Gates etc) and that Brady was 41 and things weren't going well for him. At times you can buy too much into that and here its clear the Chargers team as a whole did this. Its why they all look stunned and haven't responded at all . They were thinking ahead to an AFC Championship game.

[Sacred Knight]

Damn, I know the Chargers didn't show up, but Nance is roasting them hardcore.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Rivers has never beat Brady.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

This is how bad it was for San Diego. In this past series the Chargers WR's forgot what play was called and Rivers was forced to save himself and dump the ball to Gates. Then at the redzone he is yelling to run a play as the team decides to go to goal line substitution. A fact Nance says that they are losing 30+ seconds doing this. They run a stuffed run play and lose more time. New England has mentally beaten this team at this stage.

[Gray Lensman]

This is how bad it was for San Diego. In this past series the Chargers WR's forgot what play was called and Rivers was forced to save himself and dump the ball to Gates. Then at the redzone he is yelling to run a play as the team decides to go to goal line substitution. A fact Nance says that they are losing 30+ seconds doing this. They run a stuffed run play and lose more time. New England has mentally beaten this team at this stage.

The Chargers defeat themselves even when they outplay the Patriots. The play that describes this best for me is one where a Chargers receiver split the NE safeties and caught a 30+ yard dart throw from Rivers with a diving catch. It looked awesome, and the guy put the ball down and started flexing. Only problem was, no defender had touched him yet so the NE safety just ran by and scooped the ball up before the idiot realized what had happened.

On a more heartfelt note..

NE has moment of silence for Chargers player who lost his daughter Jan. 3

[Deathstroke]

I love how all the Patriots haters complain about the team making the Super Bowl so often. As if it is up to them to stop themselves from winning. If fans of other teams want to see the Patriots sitting at home before the Super Bowl, tell your team to play better and actually win when you play the Pats.

[Sacred Knight]

Who said anything about how the Patriots should stop themselves from winning? That's a goofy projection. Complaining about good teams doesn't mean people are too stupid to know that they're winning specifically because they're good. Fans outside a team's fanbase get tired of teams that keep winning. Its only been that way since the invention of sports. Dynasties get hate outside their base specifically because of it. Is it an us problem and not a them problem? Absolutely. But that's part of being a fan. If anything is silly its when people try and pull rank over common behaviors that are end of the day how all fans react when it comes to sports.