The NFL Thread V3: 2022! It's Happening!

[Jerzylvania]

Peyton Manning has Forest Gump's personality. He always reminded me of that character. Dull.

With all that forehead, surely there has to be something back there behind it?

Images of stacks of Papa John's Elway approved pizzas heading out to relieve the insatiable munchies of Denverites and the occasional flatlander for the next century. That's all.

[Ranoria]

The Texans have now added Rex Burkhead to the jumbled mess of running backs on their roster. No slight against Burkhead, but the words "jumbled mess" are perhaps some of the best to describe the football team in Houston right now. Some of the best, that is, if one avoids all the naughty curse words

And finally, Cleveland is not a "bum" NFL franchise. About every twenty years there's gotta be a new "bum" team which fails year after year after year. Welcome the latest member, the Houston Toxins.

So Houston, good luck with financially surviving that (which you dealt yourself) deep in the heartlessness of Texas. Also, just a heads up, signing AB and moving to San Antonio and calling yourself the San Antonio Browns will not help either. Trust me, Janis McNair, nix that idea right now.

Imagine only being able to win 4 games with one of the best pass rushers/the best run stopping DL ever and a top 5 quarterback who has a solid left tackle.

Just insane. And they’ve got maybe one of those guys left. This is gonna be ugly for them.

[Ellbonnia]

Welcome the latest member, the Houston Toxins.

So Houston, good luck with financially surviving that (which you dealt yourself) deep in the heartlessness of Texas. Also, just a heads up, signing AB and moving to San Antonio and calling yourself the San Antonio Browns will not help either. Trust me, Janis McNair, nix that idea right now.

I can't stop thinking about UT's metaphor with Houston selling its soul for a single (now-tarnished) World Series title; now I'm just wondering how much longer will they have to suffer in the depths of mediocrity for pretty much all of their sports franchises as a result.

[Jerzylvania]

NFL says it will stop assuming Black players start out with lower cognitive functioning

The NFL on Wednesday pledged to halt the use of “race-norming” — which assumed Black players started out with lower cognitive function — in the $1 billion settlement of brain injury claims and review past scores for any potential race bias.

The practice made it harder for Black retirees to show a deficit and qualify for an award. The standards were created in the 1990s in hopes of offering more appropriate treatment to dementia patients, but critics faulted the way they were used to determine payouts in the NFL concussion case.

Wednesday’s announcement comes after a pair of Black players filed a civil rights lawsuit over the practice, medical experts raised concerns and a group of NFL families last month dropped 50,000 petitions at the federal courthouse in Philadelphia — where the lawsuit had been thrown out by the judge overseeing the settlement. Senior U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody later took the unusual step of asking for a report on the issue. Black retirees hope it will include a breakdown of the nearly $800 million in payouts so far by race. They fear the data will never come to light.

“Words are cheap. Let’s see what they do,” said former Washington running back Ken Jenkins, whose wife Amy Lewis led the petition drive on behalf of NFL friends struggling with cognitive problems. Jenkins, an insurance executive, has so far been spared.

According to the NFL, a panel of neuropsychologists formed recently to propose a new testing regime to the court includes two female and three Black doctors.

“The replacement norms will be applied prospectively and retrospectively for those players who otherwise would have qualified for an award but for the application of race-based norms,” the NFL said in a statement issued Wednesday by spokesman Brian McCarthy.

Lead players lawyer Christopher Seeger, who negotiated the 2013 settlement with the NFL, said earlier this year that he had not seen any evidence of racial bias in the administration of the settlement fund. He amended those remarks Wednesday, apologizing for any pain the program has caused.

“I am sorry for the pain this episode has caused Black former players and their families. Ultimately, this settlement only works if former players believe in it, and my goal is to regain their trust and ensure the NFL is fully held to account,” Seeger said in a statement.

The NFL noted that the norms were developed in medicine “to stop bias in testing, not perpetrate it.” And both Seeger and the league said the practice was never mandatory, but left to the discretion of doctors taking part in the settlement program. However, the NFL appealed some claims filed by Black players if their scores were not adjusted for race.

“If it wasn’t for the wives, who were infuriated by all the red tape involved, it never would have come to be,” Jenkins said of the attention being paid to the issue, three years after lawyers for former Pittsburgh Steelers Kevin Henry and Najeh Davenport say they first raised it.

The binary race norms, when they are used in the testing, assumes that Black patients start with worse cognitive function than whites and other non-Blacks. That makes it harder for them to show a deficit and qualify for an award. Henry and Davenport, for instance, were denied awards but would have qualified had they been white, according to their lawsuit, which Brody dismissed in March, calling it an improper “collateral attack” on the settlement. They have appealed the ruling.

More than 2,000 NFL retirees have filed dementia claims, but fewer than 600 have received awards, according to the most recent report. More than half of all NFL retirees are Black, according to lawyers involved in the litigation.

The awards so far have averaged $516,000 for the 379 players with early-stage dementia and $715,000 for the 207 players with moderate dementia. Retirees can also seek payouts for Alzheimer’s disease and a few other diagnoses. The settlement ended thousands of lawsuits that accused the NFL of long hiding what it knew about the link between concussions and traumatic brain injury.

This is a major step in bringing real racial equality into the NFL. Nice.

Yet extremely overdue. Better late than never.

[Jerzylvania]

Welcome the latest member, the Houston Toxins.

So Houston, good luck with financially surviving that (which you dealt yourself) deep in the heartlessness of Texas. Also, just a heads up, signing AB and moving to San Antonio and calling yourself the San Antonio Browns will not help either. Trust me, Janis McNair, nix that idea right now.

I can't stop thinking about UT's metaphor with Houston selling its soul for a single (now-tarnished) World Series title; now I'm just wondering how much longer will they have to suffer in the depths of mediocrity for pretty much all of their sports franchises as a result.

Overall Houston bad karma for the Trashtros cheating in the World Series?

Hmm. Well, I had always thought Houston shad old it's actual soul decades ago for petrochemical $$$, not for some measly sports championship. Maybe remember Enron too. Lots of stuff. I have a long memory.

Back to sports, other than the tainted Trashtros lately, the NBA Rockets is all they've ever managed to see champions going back 60 years. And the Toxins have been pretty weak most of the last 19 years. Oilers were perennial also-rans as well.

And finally, Cleveland is not a "bum" NFL franchise. About every twenty years there's gotta be a new "bum" team which fails year after year after year. Welcome the latest member, the Houston Toxins.

So Houston, good luck with financially surviving that (which you dealt yourself) deep in the heartlessness of Texas. Also, just a heads up, signing AB and moving to San Antonio and calling yourself the San Antonio Browns will not help either. Trust me, Janis McNair, nix that idea right now.

Imagine only being able to win 4 games with one of the best pass rushers/the best run stopping DL ever and a top 5 quarterback who has a solid left tackle.

Just insane. And they’ve got maybe one of those guys left. This is gonna be ugly for them.

Hide all the mirrors, Houston!

[Ameriganastan]

Julio is finally free of Atlanta.

[United Kingdom of Poland]

Julio is finally free of Atlanta.

sweet jesus did Atlanta get fleeced

[Impaled Nazarene]

Julio is finally free of Atlanta.

sweet jesus did Atlanta get fleeced

Welcome to the NBA. Players have too much power now when they're able to force trades like this.

[Ranoria]

Julio is finally free of Atlanta.

sweet jesus did Atlanta get fleeced

Yeah there's 31 teams wondering wtf happened here. Hell yeah, let's go.

[CoraSpia]

Did anyone know that the New York Giants decided to sign Kelvin Benjamin a few weeks ago? I didn't, now I'm left wondering why.

[Shazbotdom]

sweet jesus did Atlanta get fleeced

Yeah there's 31 teams wondering wtf happened here. Hell yeah, let's go.

He is worth easily three times as many picks.

The Titans are going to be a force next season

[Ethel mermania]

sweet jesus did Atlanta get fleeced

Yeah there's 31 teams wondering wtf happened here. Hell yeah, let's go.

He wanted out.

[Northern Connecticut]

Atlanta got more than fleeced, they got absolutely scammed. I mean they already sucked enough last season, and now. This means no ones gonna stand in the way of Tampa this season, (with Brees gone and all). And what about Texans, don't get me started on the Texans. They self destructed this offseason, Cut Duke Johnson, cut JJ Watt, apparently Deshaun Watson is a sex offender now, where does it end?

[Jerzylvania]

sweet jesus did Atlanta get fleeced

Welcome to the NBA. Players have too much power now when they're able to force trades like this.

They always get fleeced. Last year Ravens got a second rounder out of them for TE Hayden Hurst. The Failcons are called this name for more than one reason.

[Ellbonnia]

They always get fleeced. Last year Ravens got a second rounder out of them for TE Hayden Hurst. The Failcons are called this name for more than one reason.

Ah, glad to see they fail both on and off the field.

[Ranoria]

Atlanta got more than fleeced, they got absolutely scammed. I mean they already sucked enough last season, and now. This means no ones gonna stand in the way of Tampa this season, (with Brees gone and all). And what about Texans, don't get me started on the Texans. They self destructed this offseason, Cut Duke Johnson, cut JJ Watt, apparently Deshaun Watson is a sex offender now, where does it end?

Well, Houston was more the last couple seasons than this one. They traded a ton of picks for LT for Laremy Tunsil Jr, didn't force him to sign an extension beforehand which gave him a ton of leverage. Big win now move, protect Deshaun Watson. Then they take David Johnson of Arizona's hand for D-Hop, and Arizona just got to offload a big contract. Cutting JJ was a good-will thing. He's earned that.

But yeah, they're bad. I have no idea how Atlanta made that trade. You want out? Cool, but we're getting something in return.

Yeah there's 31 teams wondering wtf happened here. Hell yeah, let's go.

He is worth easily three times as many picks.

The Titans are going to be a force next season

My only concern is that we're very top heavy on offense. Basically no backup QB, our #3 and lower WRs are a joke, and our TE room is among the worst in the league. But they're way better. Bud Dupree was a big signing, and our DBs shouldn't be as bad. Jim Schwartz being on the defensive staff is huge, he's gotten a lot out of his front four, and should help Harold Landry III be used more effectively. I'm really excited.

The question, of course, is if Henry has still his legs under him or not. I'm hoping those two years of splitting carries with the Demarco Train (2016-2017) mitigates the wear and tear.

[Ameriganastan]

Watson still wants to be a Bronco.

Yeah, I bet you do...

[Ethel mermania]

And former NY Giants head coach Jim damsel has passed.


Rest in peace

[Jerzylvania]

And former NY Giants head coach Jim damsel has passed.


Rest in peace

Jim Fassel. Indeed, RIP.

His high point in coaching was winning the NFC Championship in 2000 as Big Blue beat up the VI Kings 44-0.

[Ameriganastan]

And former NY Giants head coach Jim damsel has passed.


Rest in peace

Jim Fassel. Indeed, RIP.

His high point in coaching was winning the NFC Championship in 2000 as Big Blue beat up the VI Kings 44-0.

And then got his balls handed to him during Superbowl 35.

[Ethel mermania]

Jim Fassel. Indeed, RIP.

His high point in coaching was winning the NFC Championship in 2000 as Big Blue beat up the VI Kings 44-0.

And then got his balls handed to him during Superbowl 35.

Yeah, that game was pretty horrible...

[Kohr]

And former NY Giants head coach Jim damsel has passed.


Rest in peace

Jim Fassel. Indeed, RIP.

His high point in coaching was winning the NFC Championship in 2000 as Big Blue beat up the VI Kings 44-0.

I'm glad I'm not old enough to remember that particular game...

[Ethel mermania]

Jim Fassel. Indeed, RIP.

His high point in coaching was winning the NFC Championship in 2000 as Big Blue beat up the VI Kings 44-0.

I'm glad I'm not old enough to remember that particular game...

Nah, I remember watching Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson play. Barry Saunders run, good memories

[Jerzylvania]

And then got his balls handed to him during Superbowl 35.

Yeah, that game was pretty horrible...

It was a smash mouth performance by Billick's Ravens in all three phases of the game, 34-7. No other team in the NFL could have beaten Billick's team on that day.

BTW, Fassel and Billick were close friends. Billick hired him as his offensive coach a few years later.

[Jerzylvania]

Jim Fassel. Indeed, RIP.

His high point in coaching was winning the NFC Championship in 2000 as Big Blue beat up the VI Kings 44-0.

I'm glad I'm not old enough to remember that particular game...

I'd suppose so.