Quote:Agree. Their defense is really good. I also think they need another RB. C.J. Spiller is good, but he can't stay healthy and Fred Jackson is already 33.
Good post.
Bruce Arians gets my vote as well, but I could also see Jim Caldwell (especially if the Lions win NFC North) or Jason Garrett winning Coach of the year.
When Jay Cutler signed his new contract I was expecting he would be a problem for the Bears in 3-5 years, but didn't expect he would have a down year already this season. It will be interesting to see what they will do with him in the offseason. I don't see many teams willing to spent draft pick to get his big contract. It will be also interesting to see how he'll react this week when he plays against Minnesota because of Clausen's concussion.
What do you think about Suh? I know he'll be testing free agency, but how much chances do you give the Lions to keep him? Can they afford to pay him with Stafford and Megatron already having a big cap numbers? Is he willing to take a little less money to stay in playoff contender or will he just want to get paid and go to one of the teams with a lot of cap room like Oakland? Do you think the Jaguars have any chance to sign him or if they will even be interested?
Also, good luck to your Lions on Sunday and then in the playoffs. If we can't win it again, I will be rooting for you. And for the Bengals in the AFC, but I can't see them winning a playoff game. Hopefully they can surprise me.
I would like to see a Seattle-New England matchup in Super Bowl, but it's a long way there. First thing first, we need to win against the Rams this week. I respect Arizona and San Francisco as divisional rivals, but over the last few years I always fear the most the games against St.Louis. Don't know why, but they always seems to get a special effort to beat us. Maybe Jeff Fisher just hates us. We usually win, but the games are always ugly. Still, the team know what's on the line in this game. A bye week and 2 home games if we win versus (most likely) 3 road games (if we lose) on the way to another Super Bowl.
Thanks!
Even if there's no demand for Jay Cutler because of his contract and / or his body of work, I think the Bears would be better off cutting him. If Cutler remains on the roster after March 12, 2015, $ 10 million of his contract becomes guaranteed in 2016. The Bears would be better off getting Cutler totally off the books in 2015. They need to rebuild. Hence, they can use 2015 as an opportunity to develop many younger players.
It's hard to predict what will happen with Ndakumong Suh. I don't think Suh will take a home team discount. The Lions are very likely going to have to give Suh a projected market value contract if the team wants to keep him long run.
My strategy with Suh would be as follows if in G.M. Martin Mayhew's position. I would let Suh know that the Franchise Tag will likely be used if he doesn't sign a long term agreement. The cap hit for 2015 would be at or close to record setting. But the alternative of letting Suh hit the open market is worse. A strong case can be made that Suh is the Lions MVP in 2014. The Lions are currently 2nd in the NFL through 15 games in least amount of points allowed, with the Seahawks 4 points ahead. This is despite DT Nick Fairley missing the last 7 games, MLB Stephen Tulloch missing the last 12 games, and the Lions being w/o the top two Nickel Backs the last 13 games. Suh has been as durable as any player in the NFL. He's the player on the Defensive Unit that opens up the most opportunies for other Defensive Players. The Lions have to find a way of keep him in 2015. IMO, one thing that will help the Lions chances of retaining Suh is if Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin doesn't leave Detroit for an NFL Head Coach job in 2015.
Regardless of whether Suh is back in 2015, the Lions need to address the DT situation in a meaningful way. Especially since Fairley is set to be an UFA. If the Lions Franchise Suh, the team will probably not be able to retain him in 2016 if Suh doesn't sign a long term contract. Hence, the Lions will need to add 1 or 2 DT's in the off-season that will need a season of development, before playing bigger roles in 2016.
I would be surprised if the Jaguars make a strong attempt to sign Suh if he hits the open market in 2015. Especially, if the medical report on DT Roy Miller is favorable, which I believe will be the case. The Jaguars have a much greater needs at DE, LB, and FS. Not to mention TE and RT on Offense. I could be wrong but right now I can't envision the Jaguars being in serious consideration for Suh in 2015.
One thing I'm expecting when the Seahawks host the St. Louis Rams is a physical game. The NFC West games are often like blood baths. This probably won't be an exception. Jeff Fisher and Def. Coordinator Gregg Williams aren't in a good mood after the Giants had a huge Offensive performance in St. Louis this past Sunday. Yet, in the end, I believe the Seahawks Defense is just too good for the Rams to have enough success to win, unless the Seahawks turn the ball over many times and/ or lose the Special Teams battle by a wide margin. For the record, in the Yahoo picks contests, I'm predicting the Rams to score the least amount of points in week # 17.
