This is a new feature where I’ll discuss stupid things done by NFL general managers, head coaches, and owners. I’ll rate them on a stupidity scale of one to 10, where 10 is the Saints trading their entire draft class for Ricky Williams, or Bill O’Brien trading DeAndre Hopkins for nothing.
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Sept. 17 Updates
Panthers bench QB Bryce Young: 0/10 Stupid Meter Rating
Panthers owner Axe Tepper famously pushed for Bryce Young to be selected over C.J. Stroud when Carolina management preferred the latter. Tepper must have finally seen the light because he signed off on Young being benched in favor of Andy Dalton.
I’ve seen many people criticize this move on Twitter, often saying something like, “I can’t believe the Panthers have given up on Bryce Young so soon.” I look at this much differently. Benching Young doesn’t mean that the Panthers are giving up on him. Rather, they’re trying to salvage his career because he’s clearly not ready to play. It would be best for him to take a step back and observe the game instead of losing more and more confidence each week.
Believe it or not, there is precedent for this working. The Chargers benched Drew Brees in his second year as a starter in favor of Doug Flutie for a few games, and we saw how that worked for the future Hall of Famer. Daunte Culpepper was benched in his fourth season as a starter in favor of Todd Bouman, and he followed that up with a tremendous fifth season. Donovan McNabb was benched at some point, and he managed to rebound. This can work for Young, who could really benefit from taking a break and then returning to action in a few weeks.
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Follow me @walterfootball for more hiring/signing grades and updates.
Sept. 5 Updates
Packers-Eagles game not moved from Brazil: 9/10 Stupid Meter Rating
The NFL has gone overboard with their international series venture. It was cute when they had one game in London for the Jaguars each season, but the entire process has degraded. The NFL installed numerous international games, spanning Germany and Mexico City as well. The league then screwed over its West Coast viewers and fantasy players with ridiculous 9:30 a.m. starts. Now, Roger Goodell has opted to endanger his workforce.
Several players participating in the Eagles-Packers game have voiced concern for their safety. Meanwhile, the logistics have been disastrous, with the Packers located a 2-hour drive from the stadium. And if all that’s not horrible enough, Brazil has squashed free speech of its citizens by banning Twitter and fining those who skirt the ban via VPN $9,000 per day. Part of the reason the NBA has dwindled in popularity is because the league has cowtowed to China. This could have been the NFL’s opportunity to stand up to Brazil and hurt them financially, perhaps forcing Brazillian leadership to treat their citizens humanely for a change. Oh, and moving the game back to Philadelphia would make real football fans happy. A crazy concept, I know.
Instead, the NFL once again chased a short-term payout without considering long-term ramifications. Goodell doesn’t care about his core fans, or his player safety, or free speech. It’s once again a quick cash grab for Goodell, a common theme of his role as NFL commissioner.
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Follow me @walterfootball for more hiring/signing grades and updates.
Aug. 30 Updates
Broncos don’t trade Courtland Sutton for 3rd-round pick: 6/10 Stupid Meter Rating
NFL reporter Dianna Marie Russini tweeted Thursday night that the 49ers had plans to trade Brandon Aiyuk if they were able to acquire Courtland Sutton for a third-round pick.
I don’t understand why Denver wouldn’t deal Sutton for a third-round choice. Sutton turns 29 in less than two months. He’ll be at least 30, perhaps 31 or 32, by the time the Broncos are another playoff contender again. When that happens, he’ll be on a sharp decline. Why keep him on the roster in lieu of receiving a valuable draft pick for the rebuilding process?
One argument is that Sutton will help Bo Nix’s development. I could buy that, but why, then, would the Broncos also cut Tim Patrick, who was finally healthy after all this time? Trading Sutton and keeping Patrick would have been the logical thing to do.
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Follow me @walterfootball for more hiring/signing grades and updates.
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