Big Blue Huddle

Jones is throwing and on target for camp


https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39948929/giants-qb-daniel-jones-expects-cleared-training-camp

Repeating as champions is an incredible feat by itself.  Doing that by winning 12 straight tournament games by double digits is historic dominance.

8 years in the NFL, he is 28 years old

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39767600/detroit-lions-de-romeo-okwara-retires-eight-seasons

DETROIT -- Romeo Okwara delivered some breaking news of his own on Tuesday night.

The veteran Detroit Lions defensive end used his Instagram account to announce that he's retiring from the NFL after eight seasons.

Not sure what to think on this one.  On one hand Ranaan certainly has contacts in the organization.  On the other why would this leak out?

One thing I really don't understand ( and it might be I just dont understand how the NFL works) is why the Giants would reach out to his "team". Aren't the Giants his team? I would expect a move like this to be handled with a meeting between the HC and the player. 

https://giantswire.usatoday.com/2024/03/17/new-york-giants-reached-out-evan-neal-team-about-moving-to-guard/

Heard this on NFL Radio.  Mac Jones to the Jaguars for a 6th round pick.

If there was any doubt about the Patriots drafting a QB, this should remove it.

It's all fun and games until...

"The brutal January 13 playoff game between the Chiefs and Dolphins at Arrowhead will be remembered forever. The -4 weather, combined with a -27 degree wind chill made it one of the coldest NFL games of all time, and now two months after the game some fans are still feeling the effects — and could for the rest of their lives.

FOX4 in Kansas City reports that a staggering 70 percent of people who had to seek medical assistance for frostbite due to the game are now facing the reality of amputation"

https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2024/3/7/24093340/chiefs-dolphins-playoff-fans-amputation-nfl

This was expected but must announced in a press conference.

6 time 1st team all-pro, is likely a 1st ballot HOFer.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39653213/eagles-jason-kelce-announces-retirement-13-seasons&ved=2ahUKEwjlx_7MnduEAxU7FFkFHcRhBu4QFnoECCMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0uv9FXxhBWQDmg-JrFeIZy

"The Eagles, who last played an international game in 2018, will face a to-be-announced opponent in São Paolo on Friday, Sept. 6, the day after the NFL season kicks off on Thursday night. This will be the NFL's first Friday game on opening weekend in more than 50 years"


https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39467033/eagles-play-nfl-first-game-brazil-kick-24

49ers Vs Chiefs

49ers -2
O/U 47.5

Right now I am leaning toward a 49ers win.  One of the few statistical differences with these teams is offensive points/game. 

These offenses are an interesting contrast in terms of the way they are built.  KC has the QB widely regarded as the best in the league.  His surrounding cast aside from Kelce is very average. Purdy, who's ceiling is somewhat of an unknown, is surrounded by multiple All-pros and guys just a tier or two below that. 

They are both run by top offensive minds of this generation.

The defenses are both top 5 in the league and will likely be the story of the day.

I could definitely see KC winning this game.  Will Spags have a relatively inexperienced Purdy confused?  He looked a little shaky against Detroit for a half. 

On the other hand I think it will be tough sledding for KCs offense with no one that really stretches the defense. 

I dont see a unit on either side that will be an absolute game wrecker ( like DL in Deb-Sea or Den-Car for example).

In the end I think SFs skill guys make enough plays for a low scoring close victory.   

I have been looking at the Eagles contracts for a few weeks.  I started this last year looking at how Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce's contracts looked if they decided to retire.  What I found is that almost all of the Eagles bigger name vets have 3 or more void years on their contracts.  I don't fully understand how all that works but it seems like it allows teams to spread guaranteed money further into the future and therefore taking a smaller hit annually. 

I got more interested this year when looking at Jalen Hurts contract.  He signed an extension back in April of this year.  The prevailing thought process is that having a QB on a 2nd contract is a big obstacle to obtaining talent elsewhere because of the huge yearly cap hits of QB contracts.  Here are Hurt's cap numbers:

2023 6.1m
2024 13.6m
2025 21.8m
2026 31.7m
2027 41.8m

So even with Hurts on a 2nd contract, the Eagles will not see his cap number go above 32M until 2027.  That can change if the Eagles restructure or whatever else, but for the next several years, his contract will not be a major factor in the team acquiring talent.  I would guess that by 2027 when it gets to 41.8m, that number will be low for a good starting QB. 

Its not just Hurts, they have a lot of players with contracts like this. 

Here are 3 examples Lane Johnson, Darius Slay, and James Bradberry.    The cap hits over the next couple of years are what kind of amaze me.  Its allowing this team to keep talent and still add talent in a way that I have not seen before this.  Did Howie mortgage the future (2026 and beyond) to win a Super Bowl now?  Or is the future not really mortgaged and they will be able to avoid any big repercussions in the future? 

It boggles my mind that a team with as much talent as the Eagles and a QB on a 2nd contract, still has more cap space than the Giants for next year. 

Anyone have a really solid understanding of how this works?

https://people.com/jason-kelce-retiring-from-nfl-philadelphia-eagles-reports-8426668

Jason Kelce Tells Teammates He's Retiring from NFL After 13 Seasons with Philadelphia Eagles: Reports

The NFL and ESPN both cited sources who say the Philadelphia Eagles center, 36, played his final game on Monday night.

Sources told ESPN that Kelce announced to his teammates in the locker room after they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 32-9, in a wildcard playoff game that he intends to retire.

If anyone is wondering why the NFL is putting more and more games into exclusive time slots,  this should give you an idea.

It's pretty incredible that football owns this much of the top 100


https://x.com/LevAkabas/status/1743248483963027567?s=20

Interesting class of 15 finalists. I see 7 or 8 that strike me as having similar resume's.  I think Devin Hester is a good debate topic.

Last night's MNF football game had a strong former Giant presence.

Leonard Williams had a couple of tackles for loss and played well overall.

Julian Love had 2 INTs, one on deep pass in the endzone and another to seal the victory to go along with his 9 tackles.

James Bradberry played a big role in the opposite direction.  He was beaten twice in the final drive, both times on 3rd and 10 plays.  The first was Metcalf for a 1st down, the next one was the winning TD where Jackson Smith-Njigba beat Bradberry over the top.

Who do you think should be in?

Bills kept trying to give the game to the Broncos and they refused to take it until the very end.

This is a play I was wondering about when it happened. At least in terms of how the free blitzer went completely unnoticed. Dan gives his opinion on what broke down:

https://twitter.com/danorlovsky7/status/1709155176236355829?t=GKyjuBKVgv9fD3Dlro_sLg&s=19

Here is the link:
http://m.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/giants-win-title-30-13-35-059-thrilled-fans-mob-heroes-cops-article-1.1999002?utm_content=buffere1c8e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=NYDNSportsTw