2025-2026 NFL Season Thread

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by Darth Anakin

Cliff Avril got franchised today too so that's the two best DEs that were due to hit the market out of reach. Almost think I'd rather draft one anyway, like the Texans did last year with game-changer JJ Watt.

Mario Williams isn't going to be franchised, and will likely get the biggest deal for a defender in NFL history, and the Cowboys are mentioned as one of the teams that will likely go after him.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

Mario Williams isn't going to be franchised, and will likely get the biggest deal for a defender in NFL history, and the Cowboys are mentioned as one of the teams that will likely go after him.

Yeah I know, I meant Calais Campbell, well aware Mario Williams is going to break the bank quite a bit. Hope we don't try to get him, we have needs at more spots than just DE.

[Blu-Benny]

Originally Posted by Darth Anakin

Yeah I know, I meant Calais Campbell, well aware Mario Williams is going to break the bank quite a bit. Hope we don't try to get him, we have needs at more spots than just DE.

the packers need an OLB/DE!! `

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by Blu-Benny

the packers need an OLB/DE!! `

Why don't you see if they'll let Johnny Jolly out early for good behaviour?

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by Darth Anakin

Yeah I know, I meant Calais Campbell, well aware Mario Williams is going to break the bank quite a bit. Hope we don't try to get him, we have needs at more spots than just DE.

Williams works best in a 4-3 defense, and I agree the Cowboys have other needs that should be addressed rather than spending virtually all their cap room on Williams. The Patriots have been mentioned as a possibility for Williams but I can't see them spending that much on a free agent even though he'd fill a need. I think he ends up with someone like Seattle or Jacksonville.

Arian Foster's deal is reportedly 5-years, $43.5 million, and $20.75 million guaranteed, and unlike a lot of reported guarantees Foster's money is truly guaranteed. He will receive $18 million this year and $30 million in the first 3 years of the deal.

Now that the top-end market has been set I think Matt Forte's agent should try and get a similar deal. I have heard Forte wants a deal like Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson but that's not happening and coming off an injury he needs to get as much guaranteed money as possible rather than play under the franchise tag.

[Blu-Benny]

Originally Posted by Darth Anakin

Why don't you see if they'll let Johnny Jolly out early for good behaviour?

ouch!!

or we can hope the iggles cut jenkins and we can get him back @ a discount!!

my buddy said they may be eyeing the center from the texans....or drafting that kid form WI.

they better do 1 or the other since they are talking about letting Wells walk.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by Blu-Benny

ouch!!

or we can hope the iggles cut jenkins and we can get him back @ a discount!!

my buddy said they may be eyeing the center from the texans....or drafting that kid form WI.

Jenkins already reworked his deal with the Iggles so neither of our teams will be getting a crack at him. I don't really want to pay a 25+ DE/DT in FA anyway, rather draft and develop one to keep the youth movement on defense going.

[Blu-Benny]

Originally Posted by Darth Anakin

Jenkins already reworked his deal with the Iggles so neither of our teams will be getting a crack at him. I don't really want to pay a 25+ DE/DT in FA anyway, rather draft and develop one to keep the youth movement on defense going.

Jenkins is getting up there in age anyway. But we def. need an OLB or DE….someone to take the focus off of Matthews on the 1 side.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by Blu-Benny

Jenkins is getting up there in age anyway. But we def. need an OLB or DE….someone to take the focus off of Matthews on the 1 side.

Isn't that what that mountain of a man BJ Raji is for?

[fatediesel]

Interesting point by Darren Rovell:

darren rovell ‏ @darrenrovell

Arian Foster will make more by halftime of week 1 of next season ($529,462) than he made all of last year ($525,000)

[Blu-Benny]

Originally Posted by Darth Anakin

Isn't that what that mountain of a man BJ Raji is for?

he's there to clog the middle which he does an excelent job of.

when Jenkins was there, he was good enough to get some pressure on the QB so teams had to decide who to concentrate on…him or Matthews.

There was none of that this past season, that’s why Matthews didn’t have a stand out year sack wise like he has the past 2 seasons. He was still productive but not when it came to sacks.

[Batman1980]

The Cowboys never used the word bounty.

But the pay-for-hit program that has been exposed in New Orleans was practiced by the Cowboys during their Super Bowl run in the 1990s.

"That's how we went about our business,'' said safety Darren Woodson, a key figure during the Cowboys title run. "As defensive backs we would bet or get money for interceptions, big hits, sacks or hits that caused fumbles.

"It was never a situation where we had malicious thoughts of wanting to seriously hurt someone. But hey, we wanted to knock people's teeth out. We wanted to hit people as hard as we could and seperate them from the ball. That is how we were raised to play the game. That was our job.''

Woodson stressed that what took place was never organized or sanctioned by the Cowboys coaching staff. It was something done among the players as a point of pride and for bragging rights.

Woodson said safety James Washington, known as Drive By among his teammates, was loosely in charge of the system and established the payments. But again, Woodson stressed that everyone in the secondary bought into what was being done and fed off it.

The word bounty was not used and the Cowboys did not have a specific payment for a hit that resulted in a player being carted off the field. But Woodson said you would receive a higher payment if your hit knocked the player out of the game for a play or two because that gave the Cowboys a competitive advantage.

"Say I won the pot one week,'' Woodson said. "It wasn't about the money. The reward was in being recognized in front of 12 other guys in the room.

"It might have been $800. It might have been $500. It was whatever the guys put in that week. But when you're making $4 million a year it's not about the money, it's about being recognized for it by your teammates.

"It's the machismo part of it. I'm the big alpha dog in the room.''

Woodson knows how this sounds. He understands it won't go over well with those who have never played football and will come across as some sort of cave man mentality.

"Let me try to put it into perspective,'' Woodson said. "A buddy of mine is a Wall Street trader and has been a trader forever. He was trying to explain to me a payout system.

"The first thing I said was, 'dude, that's way over the line.'''

The trader's response?

"He said, 'man, this is what we do,'' Woodson related. "This is who we are. It's not going to change.

"It's not going to change for football players, either.''

Source - http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/ar...s-had-pay.html

[dcowboy7]

You can also now scratch the saints off the list for the NBC opening game against the giants.

So its down to cowboys, eagles, redskins, packers, steelers.

Im sticking with the packers.

[Navster]

Originally Posted by StereoMike

September - Regular season

Also a little ... Then

[Blu-Benny]

Originally Posted by dcowboy7

You can also now scratch the saints off the list for the NBC opening game against the giants.

So its down to cowboys, eagles, redskins, packers, steelers.

Im sticking with the packers.

after that divisional round, it would almost have to be the packers out of that group.

the league MVP coming back wanting revenge on the Super Bowl MVP.

all kinds of headlines that week!!

[Brandon.]

Originally Posted by dcowboy7

You can also now scratch the saints off the list for the NBC opening game against the giants.

So its down to cowboys, eagles, redskins, packers, steelers.

Im sticking with the packers.

It'll be the packers for sure.

[fatediesel]

As expected the Cowboys used the franchise tag on Anthony Spencer and the Patriots used the franchise tag on Wes Welker. The deadline to use the franchise tag is 4:00 Eastern Time this afternoon.

Edit: The Chiefs used the franchise tag on Dwayne Bowe, the Colts used the tag on Robert Mathis, although they are reportedly near a long-term deal, and the Giants used the tag on punter Steve Weatherford.

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

As expected the Cowboys used the franchise tag on Anthony Spencer and the Patriots used the franchise tag on Wes Welker. The deadline to use the franchise tag is 4:00 Eastern Time this afternoon.

You've gotta be tired of Wes by now. All the love he gets, and he doesn't get ripped nearly as much for the dropped balls as T.O. did.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

Mario Williams isn't going to be franchised, and will likely get the biggest deal for a defender in NFL history, and the Cowboys are mentioned as one of the teams that will likely go after him.

I still remember Texans fans freaking out on draft day over the team taking Williams over Reggie Bush and Vinve Young. Houston got that pick exactly right.

[Blu-Benny]

Originally Posted by ChadFL

I still remember Texans fans freaking out on draft day over the team taking Williams over Reggie Bush and Vinve Young. Houston got that pick exactly right.

yeah they did!!

i remember that day....i was going w/my buddy to his dad's place to watch the draft and get drunk.

he called me that morning to say the texans took williams and i was like