@orion said:

So, you're saying that the Steelers rested players against us because they wanted to lose to us so that they could play us in the playoffs instead of the Ravens or Colts.  

That IS a theory that I came up with.   It would take some clever and devious  thinking to have come up with that. And with the new developments of today, if that were so,  it could be considered genius. 

Zombo said:

Because the Steelers were trying to improve their chances in the playoffs.

Z

So, you're saying that the Steelers rested players against us because they wanted to lose to us so that they could play us in the playoffs instead of the Ravens or Colts.  

If the Giants want to complain about something, it's their own offense that needs to score more points.. and their GM Gettleman needs to stop failing on draft day.

@hoorta said:

Tanking if you want to  call it that Z, but the Eagles weren't making the playoffs regardless.  So I can see the logic of not trying too hard  in the last game to improve your draft slot.  Sorry the Giants are all  butthurt about it. There's no guarantee Philly would have won even if Pederson had played Hurts the entire game anyway. 

Do you think the Browns would have lost had BR played Sunday? 

Nevertheless......It seems that the Football Gods are conspiring against the Browns now. 

@tour2ma said:

Rumors are flying...

Heard Wentz to PTG yesterday.

Works for me...

Unworkable cap number though is what some have said there.....I thought that was you.   Or, maybe Unsymp. 

Zombo said:

The guy has been with the team for four years, they didn't need any more tape on him, Hurts is the guy you want to develop, put him in a game-winning situation, don't bench him so you can "give snaps" to a loyal henchman. Besides, you are playing a division rival, you want to win all of those games, he did the fans and the league a disservice.

Zombo

Tanking if you want to  call it that Z, but the Eagles weren't making the playoffs regardless.  So I can see the logic of not trying too hard  in the last game to improve your draft slot.  Sorry the Giants are all  butthurt about it. There's no guarantee Philly would have won even if Pederson had played Hurts the entire game anyway. 

@bjh2130 said:

dumping Wentz

Rumors are flying...

Heard Wentz to PTG yesterday.

Works for me...

Zombo said:

The guy has been with the team for four years, they didn't need any more tape on him, Hurts is the guy you want to develop, put him in a game-winning situation, don't bench him so you can "give snaps" to a loyal henchman. Besides, you are playing a division rival, you want to win all of those games, he did the fans and the league a disservice.

Zombo

Hurts is their guy. They also have him at a very decent price. His playstyle at qb is conducive to injuries. So why not get some live bullets flying at the guy you think may be a backup to see how he performs. Then you are in a better position to know whether you need to go out and spend a little of that money you save going with hurts and dumping Wentz on a vet backup like a Case Keenum, nick Foles etc or if you have confidence in nate sudfeld to come in if needed so that money can go elsewhere.

@the-gipper said:

They just used the number five overall draft pick last year on him. Do you want them to pick somebody else this year? You know that they have the number three pick which they traded for with Houston.

That's their problem... Not impressed...

@tour2ma said:

Coming off the injury he had he looked better than I expected.

Jury is not in yet, but he looked the part of an NFL starter to me in the couple Fin games I saw.

As for noodle-arm... he's chucked the pigskin 55+ yards both at BAMA and for the Fins. It's just that he mostly throws with touch and anticipation... things a certain #6 needs to show more frequently.

Puhleeze... 6 will be fine...

@nickers said:

I'm not all that impressed with Tua and his noodle arm...

They just used the number five overall draft pick last year on him. Do you want them to pick somebody else this year? You know that they have the number three pick which they traded for with Houston.

@nickers said:

I'm not all that impressed with Tua and his noodle arm...

Coming off the injury he had he looked better than I expected.

Jury is not in yet, but he looked the part of an NFL starter to me in the couple Fin games I saw.

As for noodle-arm... he's chucked the pigskin 55+ yards both at BAMA and for the Fins. It's just that he mostly throws with touch and anticipation... things a certain #6 needs to show more frequently.

@htownbrown said:

Miami wanted to see what they had in Tua.  Well, they saw.  They were surviving off their defense, but the Bills' offense is better.  End of story.

I'm not all that impressed with Tua and his noodle arm...

Zombo said:

No one feels sorry for the Dolphins, and their fans are not pissed off at us or the Steelers. Anytime you have a "win and in" situation and you get crushed, you've got more work to do.

No, the Giants didn't deserve to be in the playoffs at 6-10, but I think the whole NFL world has got a legitmate beef with Doug Pederson and the Eagles. He treated it like a preseason game and wanted to get Sudfield "some snaps". WTF is that? These other teams are playing for their football lives. Tomlin smartly rested some key players for the playoffs but they gave 100% with the guys they had. Pederson "was getting guys reps", didn't even have some of his best players active, because he knew he was coming back next year ... Total Trash, I hope the Giants, and everybody else, drill him next year.

Zombo

They'll have a target on their backs as big as Supermans Logo S..

Zombo said:

No maybe about it. They wanted their stars healthy for the playoffs. That is winning football. Bills won anyway so it paid off, they wouldn't have had home field over the Bills anyway, and they got Ben and some key starters rest since their bye unexpectedly came early in the season. They weren't concerned with who their opponent was going to be,  they wanted to be healthy for their playoff run and I don't know anyone that has a problem with it, outside of maybe you.

Z

What I am saying is that whatever the motivation.....be it  having people ready for the playoffs, or putting themselves in position for a higher draft pick,  the action of sitting the personnel that may likely give them a better chance to win that game is in each case one of possibly tanking a game for an external purpose. 

And by "see above"  I meant see what I said about the Steelers possibly, actually being concerned who their playoff opponent would be and taking steps to assure it would the Browns.  Sure...Wild Ass speculation......but it is sure a more plausible conspiratorial  theory than believing that Trump won the election....or that there were ancient aliens;  or that we didn't land on the moon;  or Sasquatch  etc. 

(Oh...and Joe Judge had a bigger problem with it than I had....as I am not even saying I have a problem with it.  I just threw this hypothesis out for discussion because I did hear about his problem...and because it harkened back to 2007)

Zombo said:

Because the Steelers were trying to improve their chances in the playoffs.

Z

Maybe....see above. 

But here is the thing:  that is exactly what the NFL does NOT want.  They want all that drama coming down to the final week of the season.  They want many playoff spots to be on the line in the last week.  They want games like the one the Browns and Steelers played, or which the Texans and Titans played.   That is why they fixed the schedule so that  the last weekend is filled with Division rivalries.   On the final week they want:   will the Titans or Colts win the AFCS;  will the Giants or WTFs win the NFCE;   Will the Cardinals or the Bears make the Final Wildcard.   Will it be the Browns, Dolphins, Colts or Ravens ...4 teams fighting for  3 playoff spots.    And while they DID get all that, they also got some teams "letting up"  and more or less pre-ordaining what would happen.

On the other hand, I can see this point:    IF  for some reason the Browns  had their playoff position wrapped up,  and we were playing some team that if that other team won, it would mean the possibility of the Steelers or Ravens being excluded from the playoffs......then hell yes, I would rest my players,  suspecting that we would lose that game thereby denying the RFs or SSs from achieving a playoff spot.  Absolutely, there would be a venality to that.  And there would be perverse pleasure derived therefrom.  But I would also have to acknowledge that it would certainly lack complete integrity. 

Hell....maybe there was some of that in play this past week for the Steelers.   Maybe they thought:   If we have a choice of who our   playoff opponent will be,  we would prefer to take the Browns over the  Dolphins, Steelers or Colts.  "We always beat the Browns at home".   Maybe they were just clever and devious enough to have thought that out.  

And now, with our coach and play caller out....several coaches out, and more players out.....it seems like it may work out that way for them. 

@tour2ma said:

Miami is awful? I see a team on the rise... not there yet, but on the rise.

As for Philly... the loss moved them from the 10th pick to the 6th. Not a bad reward for dumping a meaningless game.

End of story.

Well again the game was meaningless to them but not to the Giants. 

As for Philly... the loss moved them from the 10th pick to the 6th. Not a bad reward for dumping a meaningless game.

End of story.

Zombo said:

No one feels sorry for the Dolphins, and their fans are not pissed off at us or the Steelers. Anytime you have a "win and in" situation and you get crushed, you've got more work to do.

No, the Giants didn't deserve to be in the playoffs at 6-10, but I think the whole NFL world has got a legitmate beef with Doug Pederson and the Eagles. He treated it like a preseason game and wanted to get Sudfield "some snaps". WTF is that? These other teams are playing for their football lives. Tomlin smartly rested some key players for the playoffs but they gave 100% with the guys they had. Pederson "was getting guys reps", didn't even have some of his best players active, because he knew he was coming back next year ... Total Trash, I hope the Giants, and everybody else, drill him next year.

Zombo

How is the Steelers resting players any different than the Eagles resting players?

I’ll buy them some Kleenex on my trip to Costco this week. 
 

The last NFL team to win a SB without a Bye in the playoffs were the Ratbirds. So easy to say, win as many games as you can to get the top seed, or seeds as in past years. Then rest 'em.

As a season ticket holder, I'd be pissed if I was an Eagles fan. You shell out the $$ to see your favorite team, and they give you an inferior product. Buyer beware, I suppose, but that was BS. 

Don't worry, the NFC East will once again be rammed onto your tv set next season. Knowing Roger, the season will open with Philly @ NYG?