2025 NFL Offseason thread

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

You have a prob w/the lateral? You can lateral to anyone anywhere on the field.

Yeah, I didn't know you could throw a backward pass to an ineligible receiver.

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by Ragnar

Yeah, I didn't know you could throw a backward pass to an ineligible receiver.

Yeah the rule is only for forward passes. You can lateral to anyone on the field at any time, including offensive linemen, including at the 50 after you’ve already caught a pass.

[Syd Thrift]

dola,

The bigger shock to me was seeing Morten Andersen on the Chiefs…

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

Yeah the rule is only for forward passes. You can lateral to anyone on the field at any time, including offensive linemen, including at the 50 after you’ve already caught a pass.

I was unaware. Probably because of a college football game I watched long ago. In that game an OG went out into the flat. The QB bounce passed it to him. I remember mistakenly thinking the QB did that on purpose so it would be recorded as a fumble recovery, not a pass. But apparently he could have hit the G in the chest as long as it was backwards.

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by Ragnar

I was unaware. Probably because of a college football game I watched long ago. In that game an OG went out into the flat. The QB bounce passed it to him. I remember mistakenly thinking the QB did that on purpose so it would be recorded as a fumble recovery, not a pass. But apparently he could have hit the G in the chest as long as it was backwards.

Yeah there’s a really specific run in college about advancing on fumbles. I’m the NFL you just can’t fumble forward on purpose, a clause that was added after the Holy Roller play of the 1970s. But yeah either way you can lateral all you want; it’s sort of a throwback to the beginnings of the game when you weren’t supposed to throw it forward at all or, for a little bit, there was a limitation as to how far forward you could throw it on an actual grid that was laid out on the field (I believe the origin of the term “gridiron”).

It’s also sometimes one of those things like the drop kick or the fair catch kick that is easy to forget still exists because nobody has used it regularly for years. In the case of laterals, though, they’re basically what you see on pitch plays, flea flickers, and the hook and ladder play (not to mention the whole deal where a team will just start lateraling the ball at the end of a game in a last ditch effort to score).

[Déjà Bru]

Philadelphia Eagles (grrr - how could that happen?) running back Saquon Barkley's iconic hurdle will forever be memorialized on the cover of "Madden NFL 26".



Bear in mind, he was moving backwards (and gaining an extra five yards with the maneuver). Here is the play:

https://x.com/NFL/status/1853191441843163479

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Philadelphia Eagles (grrr - how could that happen?) running back Saquon Barkley's iconic hurdle will forever be memorialized on the cover of "Madden NFL 26".

Attachment 1066312

Bear in mind, he was moving backwards (and gaining an extra five yards with the maneuver). Here is the play:

https://x.com/NFL/status/1853191441843163479

It would have been nice to see him drafted by a contender. That means a lot. The Giants almost ruined his entire career.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

Yeah there’s a really specific run in college about advancing on fumbles. I’m the NFL you just can’t fumble forward on purpose, a clause that was added after the Holy Roller play of the 1970s. But yeah either way you can lateral all you want; it’s sort of a throwback to the beginnings of the game when you weren’t supposed to throw it forward at all or, for a little bit, there was a limitation as to how far forward you could throw it on an actual grid that was laid out on the field (I believe the origin of the term “gridiron”).

It’s also sometimes one of those things like the drop kick or the fair catch kick that is easy to forget still exists because nobody has used it regularly for years. In the case of laterals, though, they’re basically what you see on pitch plays, flea flickers, and the hook and ladder play (not to mention the whole deal where a team will just start lateraling the ball at the end of a game in a last ditch effort to score).

I agree. The holy roller cracked me up. I don't think they needed to make a rule. If you fumble, forward or not, it should be ok IMO. Stabler pretty much admitted he did it on purpose. But that's a ref issue. They had to see him just chuck the ball forward. What were they looking at?

[Cobra Mgr]

Steelers fans rejoice! https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...rs-sources-sayAaron Rodgers decides to sign w/Pittsburgh.

[Cobra Mgr]

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Steelers fans rejoice! https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...rs-sources-sayAaron Rodgers decides to sign w/Pittsburgh.

Well, I guess they needed him — they have only a couple of journeyman backup QBs and a kid they drafted in the sixth round — but I don't see this as a cause for celebration. It's only a one-year deal; Rodgers will turn 42 before the season is over; and though he did well last season by Jets standards, "he also had 11 interceptions and finished with a 48.1 QBR -- 25th out of 32 qualified passers in the NFL".

Plus, he seems to have a reputation for outspokenness and controversy, including with his own teammates. Indeed, somebody has already updated Rodgers' article on Wikipedia with this: "Rodgers courtship and subsequent signing was met with mixed to negative reaction among Steeler fans as well as ex-Steeler Ryan Clark due to his polarizing attitude, with some fans feeling like he doesn't fit Western Pennsylvania's traditional blue collar base."

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

he seems to have a reputation for outspokenness and controversy, including with his own teammates. Indeed, somebody has already updated Rodgers' article on Wikipedia with this: "Rodgers courtship and subsequent signing was met with mixed to negative reaction among Steeler fans as well as ex-Steeler Ryan Clark due to his polarizing attitude, with some fans feeling like he doesn't fit Western Pennsylvania's traditional blue collar base."

ARod fits only w/other narcs.

[Déjà Bru]

According to this, Rodgers was third-choice:

Steelers signed Aaron Rodgers after failing on two other QB options, per report

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

According to this, Rodgers was third-choice:

Steelers signed Aaron Rodgers after failing on two other QB options, per report

About 30 choices too high.

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Well, I guess they needed him — they have only a couple of journeyman backup QBs and a kid they drafted in the sixth round — but I don't see this as a cause for celebration. It's only a one-year deal; Rodgers will turn 42 before the season is over; and though he did well last season by Jets standards, "he also had 11 interceptions and finished with a 48.1 QBR -- 25th out of 32 qualified passers in the NFL".

Plus, he seems to have a reputation for outspokenness and controversy, including with his own teammates. Indeed, somebody has already updated Rodgers' article on Wikipedia with this: "Rodgers courtship and subsequent signing was met with mixed to negative reaction among Steeler fans as well as ex-Steeler Ryan Clark due to his polarizing attitude, with some fans feeling like he doesn't fit Western Pennsylvania's traditional blue collar base."

They built everything around him and not Mason Rudolph being their starter this year. Like, this was always the plan and Rodgers was just being his normal jerky self in delaying it as long as he did. I don't disagree that they have no backup plan and Rodgers already looked kind of meh last year anyway but this is who the Steelers are tied to (apparently they originally tried to bring back Fields but Fields went for more money with the Jets, so by "always the plan" I mean "since Fields went elsewhere").

This was also a really, really weak year for quarterbacks so I don't blame them at all for not going after Shedeur Sanders (although maybe they could/should have taken a flier on him around the 4th round - at the same time he was just plain off a lot of teams' boards after the interviews he reportedly gave and if the Steelers were one of them... well, a small talent upgrade over the journeyman-looking guy they drafted in the 6th isn't worth the potential headache). If Rodgers stinks they always have that route available to them next season. Plus, I know a lot of Pittsburgh fans have been complaining that Tomlin is too good (the actual complaint is that they never draft high because he always manages to coach the team up to 9 wins no matter what but this is what it comes down to) and having a complete black hole at QB for a year (if Rodgers gets hurt or turns into a pumpkin) might be the final nail in his coaching coffin...

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

According to this, Rodgers was third-choice:

Steelers signed Aaron Rodgers after failing on two other QB options, per report

I mean, that makes him choice 2.5 because trading for Stafford was never reasonable. I don't think they'd have been able to meet the asking price even if Stafford had agreed to renegotiate his deal and if you're Stafford why on Earth would you do that to go to a much worse offensive situation?

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

I mean, that makes him choice 2.5 because trading for Stafford was never reasonable. I don't think they'd have been able to meet the asking price even if Stafford had agreed to renegotiate his deal and if you're Stafford why on Earth would you do that to go to a much worse offensive situation?

And leave LA for Pittsburgh?

Steelers prob is they are afraid to be bad. I guess the Rooneys are still paranoid from their pre-70's existence.

[Syd Thrift]

I think Rodgers himself strung them along hoping that the Vikings would get in the mix but Minnesota seems content with trotting out JJ McCarthy (Sam Howell is a kind of wild 2nd choice but a. he does have experience at least and b. it's not like Rodgers would have been OK with being the second banana, let alone ceding the job in midseason if McCarthy isn't quite ready to go yet). I think that once Justin Fields left the building it was pretty much Rodgers or Russell Wilson and they'd already given Russell Wilson a go...

[Cobra Mgr]

Am I wrong in saying https://x.com/Scott7news/status/1932895654956945827Deebo looks like he lost a step & gained a few buffets?

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Am I wrong in saying https://x.com/Scott7news/status/1932895654956945827Deebo looks like he lost a step & gained a few buffets?

You're not wrong. But this is what training camp is for. To get back in shape.