The NFL thread

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The only opinion a white person is allowed to have is "yes sir" while blindly agreeing with the riots and protests by black people

[RBP]

by Sean Wagner-McGough - CBS Sports




With a birth year of 1920, back when they were known as the Decatur Staleys two years before they officially became the team we recognize today, the Chicago Bears have a rich and storied history full of all-time great linebackers, one of the best running backs ever, one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, and so on, which makes selecting their Franchise Five nearly impossible. Unfortunately, that difficult task was handed to me as we continue our offseason series here at CBS Sports, so with the help of CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli, who also happens to be a Bears fan in Chicago, I did my best to sort through the jumbled list of Hall of Famers that have donned the blue of the Bears to come up with a Franchise Five.

CBSSports.com's Franchise Five dives into five most impactful people in each NFL's team history. Our rules here bind us to pick just one quarterback, three non-quarterback players and one head coach.

For the Bears, picking a coach and quarterback was rather easy for differing reasons, but picking only three non-quarterback players was rather difficult. An NFL-high twenty-seven Chicago Bears have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. So, hard decisions and controversial snubs had to be made. That couldn't be avoided.

But with the help of Fornelli, I came up with a Franchise Five that I think appropriately reflects the rich and storied history of the Bears. We begin with the founder of the franchise in what was the easiest selection of the five.

Coach George Halas

There's a reason the winner of the NFC gets awarded the George Halas Trophy, a tradition that began back during the 1984-85 season. Halas isn't just the Bears' best-ever coach, he's also one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport. In his 40-year coaching career that began in 1920 with the Decatur Staleys -- who would become known as the Chicago Bears in 1922 -- and ended in 1967, Halas went a remarkable 318-148-31 with the franchise, leading them to six championships along the way.

Halas, who also owned the team, is the only acceptable answer here. His initials are still stitched on the Bears' uniforms, after all. It's difficult to imagine them ever getting removed.

This isn't really up for debate, but shoutout to both Mike Ditka and Lovie Smith, who deserve recognition as great Bears coaches, both of whom took the team to the Super Bowl -- with Ditka winning his appearance with that historically great 1985 defense, and Smith perhaps not getting the recognition he deserved until the Bears tried to replace him with Marc Trestman and then John Fox. Perhaps firing Smith after a 10-win season wasn't a smart move, after all. In the seven seasons since Smith last walked the Bears' sidelines, the Bears have made the playoffs only once (in 2018 under current coach Matt Nagy)

Just missed: Mike Ditka


QB Jay Cutler

Perhaps the most underappreciated and misunderstood player in Bears history, Jay Cutler never developed into the superstar the Bears thought they were acquiring when they traded a fortune for him in 2009, but by the time his career with the team ended after the 2016 season, he'd established himself as the best quarterback in the franchise's history.

Obviously, the Bears' history of quarterback play is dreadful -- so dreadful that Sid Luckman, who last played for the Bears in 1950, held most of the Bears' passing records until Cutler came along -- but Cutler departed Chicago as the team's all-time leader in passing yards (topping Luckman by 8,757 yards) and touchdown passes (17 more than Luckman). Keep in mind that for most of Cutler's prime, he was playing behind a terrible offensive line and throwing to receivers like Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, and Earl Bennett. He didn't have much help. Matt Forte, a running back, was probably his most consistent weapon over the years.

With a little more luck, Cutler could've brought a championship to Chicago, but luck was never on his side -- a torn MCL in the NFC Championship Game ruined his best chance, a broken thumb the following season wrecked a 7-3 start to the year, a 10-win season in 2012 wasn't enough to qualify for the postseason, and an Aaron Rodgers' fourth-down touchdown bomb to Randall Cobb ended the Bears' 2013 season one win short of the playoffs.

Cutler might not be popular among Bears fans because he never lived up to their expectations and never cared about his public perception, but that doesn't make him a bad player. He's the best player to play the quarterback position in franchise history, but that doesn't make him a great player. In the end, Cutler was good, not great. But that still represents the best the Bears have ever had at quarterback. After watching Mitchell Trubisky the past few seasons, Bears fans should finally appreciate Cutler for what he was: the best they've seen under center.

Just missed: Sid Luckman




RB Walter Payton

One of the best running backs in NFL history, Payton, who tragically passed away in 1999 at the age of 45, was the easiest selection on the player side. From 1975-87, Payton totaled 21,264 yards and 125 touchdowns from scrimmage. He's the franchise's all-time leader in rushing yards with 16,726. For the sake of comparison, consider that Matt Forte ranks second with 8,602 rushing yards. So, Payton has nearly double the amount of yards as the second-leading rusher in Bears history. Payton also leads the franchise in rushing touchdowns with 110 -- the next closest player, Neal Anderson, has 51. This time, Payton has properly doubled up (and then some) second place.

Payton meets all of the necessary requirements: He's the best running back in franchise history and it's not particularly close, won a Super Bowl, captured MVP in 1977, and is one of the best players at his position group in the history of football -- only Emmitt Smith has Payton beat in career rushing yards.

If we were ranking the top three players in Bears history, Payton would lead the list. Just take it from those who played with and coached him. Ditka once called Payton "the very best football player I've ever seen, period. At any position." Meanwhile, Dan Hampton once said Payton was "the best football player of our time. Bar none."


LB Dick Butkus

In more than half of his nine seasons, Butkus was named first team All-Pro, made eight Pro Bowls, racked up 22 interceptions, and generated the ninth-highest approximate value among all Bears players ever. But Butkus' importance to the Bears extends beyond the stats. He never won a Super Bowl, which would've enhanced his legacy, but he is regarded as one of the best and most feared linebackers in the history of the sport.

"Dick was an animal," said Hall of Famer Deacon Jones, per NBC Sports Chicago. "I called him a maniac. A stone maniac. He was a well-conditioned animal, and every time he hit you, he tried to put you in the cemetery, not the hospital."

Since the stats don't always do him justice, let's go to the anecdotes. This one, also via NBC Sports Chicago, might be my favorite:

Minnesota Vikings running back Dave Osborne had once been annihilated by Butkus on an ill-fated attempted sweep. Osborne was asked after the game what had happened to his blocker on the play. "I don't know," Osborne said. "Maybe Butkus ate him."

Butkus retired all the way back in 1973 and he's still considered one of the best linebackers in the history of the sport. It should remain that way. At the very least, it's difficult to imagine him ever getting replaced on a list of the best three Bears players ever.


LB Brian Urlacher

The Bears might not have ever had a truly great quarterback, but you can't deny just how many great linebackers they've produced. If Butkus is 1A, then Urlacher is 1B. The recent Hall-of-Fame inductee wrapped up his career in 2012, retiring with the most solo tackles in franchise history. The beginning of his career was marked by a Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Along the way, he won Defensive Player of the Year in 2005, garnered four first team All-Pro selections, and eight Pro Bowl nods.

Urlacher, of course, never won a Super Bowl, but he did play an integral part in getting the Bears to the Super Bowl in the 2006 season. He was capable of doing it all: rushing the passer as a blitzer (41.5 career sacks), covering downfield (22 career interceptions), and stuffing the run. It's difficult to think of a more complete linebacker to have played the game, and it's no coincidence that the Bears' defense immediately suffered once he retired -- though they've since returned to form. Urlacher is the best Bears player of the past two decades, and it's not particularly close.

Just missed: Mike Singletary, Dan Hampton, Richard Dent

@RBP

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The Daily Wire Staff




NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said during an interview on Tuesday that he wants a team to sign former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and that if Kaepernick does not make it back on the field then he is invited to the “table” to “help” and “guide” the NFL on social issues.

“Well, listen, if he wants to resume his career in the NFL, then obviously it’s going to take a team to make that decision,” Goodell said during an interview with ESPN. “But I welcome that, support a club making that decision and encourage them to do that.

“If his efforts are not on the field but continuing to work in this space, we welcome him to that table and to help us, guide us, help us make better decisions about the kinds of things that need to be done in the communities,” Goodell continued. “We have invited him in before, and we want to make sure that everybody’s welcome at that table and trying to help us deal with some very complex, difficult issues that have been around for a long time.”

Goodell added, “But I hope we’re at a point now where everybody’s committed to making long-term, sustainable change.”

Kaepernick has been widely criticized for some of his actions, including kneeling during the national anthem, donating money to a group honoring convicted cop killer and wanted terrorist Assata Shakur, wearing socks portraying police officers as pigs, and wearing shirts of brutal Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

Kaepernick has also claimed that the United States has conducted “American terrorist attacks against Black and Brown people for the expansion of American imperialism.” That remark was featured in a tweet from Kaepernick and came after U.S. forces killed Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, which is a designated terrorist organization.

In November, the NFL organized a private workout for Kaepernick in Atlanta in an apparent attempt to help him secure a spot in the league.

“The NFL arranged this workout opportunity for Colin Kaepernick, and teams will have the opportunity to evaluate his readiness and level of interest in resuming his NFL career,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted at the time. “His agents have said he wants to return to the NFL, and the league hopes this provides that chance.”

Kaepernick, who has been criticized for kneeling during the national anthem, abruptly cancelled the workout right before it was scheduled to take place because he said that he wanted to have his own camera crew there to film it and wanted to open the workout session to the media.

“The workout was originally set for 3 p.m. and was to be held at the Atlanta Falcons’ practice facility in Flowery Branch,” CBS News reported. “At 2:30, representatives for the free agent quarterback informed the league that Kaepernick would instead be conducting the workout at 4 p.m. at Drew High School in Riverdale, Georgia.”

The new location for the workout that Kaepernick gave was 60 miles away.

The Daily Wire reported:

After dissing the NFL, Kaepernick, a multimillionaire endorsed by Nike, attended his own workout in a “Kunta Kinte” t-shirt, comparing himself to a defiant slave from the movie “Roots.” The film showcases an iconic scene wherein Kunta Kinte is whipped by his master for refusing to acknowledge his slave name, Toby.

Kaepernick reportedly did not receive any offers or interest after his workout, but a wide receiver who participated in the workout was later signed to an NFL team’s practice squad.

[DemonGeminiX]

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Please lead us racist colonizers Saint Kap

[DemonGeminiX]

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Amanda Prestigiacomo - The Daily Wire




NFL legend Brett Favre recently talked about the “hero status” of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, comparing the famed national anthem kneeler to Pat Tillman, a former Arizona Cardinal player who died while serving in the U.S. Army following the September 11 terror attacks.

TMZ Sports asked Favre during an interview posted Sunday about his thoughts on Kaepernick reaching the Hall of Fame and the status of a Jackie Robinson or Muhammad Ali for his activism and football talent.

“Boy, I suppose that he’s helped his cause tremendously and is deserving of much praise and respect,” said Favre, “because it’s not easy for a guy his age, black or white, Hispanic, whatever, to stop something that you’ve always dreamed of doing and put it on hold, maybe forever, for something that you believe in.”

“You know, I can only think of, right off the top of my head, Pat Tillman, as another guy who did something, you know, similar, and we regard him as a hero,” the former Green Bay QB said. “So, I assume that hero status will be stamped with Kaepernick as well.”

Tillman, then a professional football player, signed up for the U.S. Army following the 9/11 terror attacks. While serving as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004, Tillmans was tragically killed by friendly fire.

Kaepernick’s high-profile social justice activism has included repeated criticism of the United States, “including at one point favorably comparing the oppressive communist regime of Fidel Castro to the U.S.,” The Daily Wire previously noted. The Nike-sponsored multi-millionaire has also donned socks with pigs wearing cop hats and “retweeted a quote from revolutionary socialist and chairman of the violence-embracing Black Panther Party Fred Hampton warning against the evils of capitalism.”

The transformation from athlete to racial activist was sparked in 2016 when Kaepernick, who was starting to see little field time, announced his infamous anthem protest over America allegedly “oppressing” minorities and allowing cops to “murder” innocent people of color.

“People of color have been targeted by police,” Kaepernick said at the start of his protest. “So that’s a large part of it, and they’re government officials. They are put in place by the government. So that’s something that this country has to change. There’s things we can do to hold them more accountable. Make those standards higher. You have people that practice law and are lawyers and go to school for eight years, but you can become a cop in six months and don’t have to have the same amount of training as a cosmetologist.”

Earlier in the TMZ interview, Favre said Kaepernick could still play in the NFL, depending on where his “head” is at.

“I think from a football sense, I can’t imagine him being that far out of shape or that far out of touch with football that he doesn’t deserve a shot,” the 50-year-old said. “And he’s still young and hasn’t been hit in several years, so there’s no reason to think that he’s lost that much of a step.”

“When he was in his prime … I was much as much afraid of his feet than anything, and he could throw well enough that he could beat you in that regard, too,” added Favre. “I think he’s still a very dangerous player, just a matter of where his head is.”

In November, Kaepernick skipped out on an organized tryout by the NFL.

WATCH:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Patriots sign Cam Newton.

[DemonGeminiX]

Patriots sign Cam Newton.

They really do go all in on cry-babies, don't they?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

They really do go all in on cry-babies, don't they?

We'll have to see if he can be as big of a whiner as Brady was

But I love how earlier they said there was NO WAY they were entertaining the thought of signing Newton, that they were fine going forward with their QB's on their roster. And of course then they go out and sign him.

I mean who knows, a change of scenery sometimes helps players, so he could end up having an amazing year statistically. But he could also end up falling on his face. I guess for a $7.5 million flyer, there were worse options they could have gone with.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Ryan Gaydos | Fox News


Cam Newton’s reported signing with the New England Patriots on Sunday drew reactions from across the NFL, including San Francisco 49ers star Richard Sherman, who appeared perturbed that the former MVP had to sign for the league minimum.

Newton and the Patriots agreed to a one-year deal which will pay the veteran quarterback more than $1 million, according to multiple reports. He reportedly could earn up to $7.5 million in incentives, according to the NFL Network.

Sherman tweeted that it was “disgusting” for someone like Newton to get paid that kind of money while some backups are making $3-5 million this season.

“How many former League MVPs have had to sign for the min? (Asking for a friend.) just ridiculous. A transcendent talent and less talented QBs are getting 15/16m a year. Disgusting,” he wrote.

Pro Football Focus pointed out that they ranked Newton between No. 23 and No. 27 among quarterbacks over the last four years, not including his injury-riddled 2019.

Other players reacted to Newton signing to the Patriots as well.

Newton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, led the Carolina Panthers to three straight NFC South titles from 2013-15, and a Super Bowl appearance during the 2015 season when he was awarded the league MVP. He also earned three Pro Bowls in nine seasons.

Newton missed 16 regular-season games over the last two years due to a foot injury that required a procedure. He also had multiple shoulder surgeries in his career.

Newton should step into a starting role in New England as the successor to future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady, who left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier in the offseason.

Newton, Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham are expected to be the quarterbacks on the roster when training camp begins.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The Redskins are in talks to change their name

[DemonGeminiX]

Newton can always earn a higher paycheck with awesome performance, and everybody's just kowtowing to the idiots. Maybe it's beyond time the silent majority became the not-so-silent majority?

Who am I kidding? I don't really care. I'm not gonna watch these asshats anyway. Let the NFL burn.

[RBP]

Arte they bitching about Newton because he's black? It's racist to negotiate well?