OFFICIAL NFL Discussion Thread: 2015-16 Season - Congrats to the Denver Broncos and their fans! SB 5

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Vikings' new 'Legacy Ship' will have 55-foot video board as sail

The Buccaneers may have the pirate ship at Raymond James Stadium but the Vikings have plans for a ship of their own outside their new stadium, which will open in 2016.

But this isn't your garden-variety Viking vessel; the "Legacy Ship" will sit in the plaza outside the new $1.1 billion stadium and will have a 2,000-square foot video board serving as its 55-foot high sail. There's more: the bow will be a 43-foot-high dragon's head adorned with Vikings horns and purple eyes that glow.

“We have this amazing three-acre plaza that we wanted to bring to life with something fans would be drawn to,” Vikings vice president Tanya Dreesen said, via the StarTribune.com. “It also provides a nice dotted line to the spirit of the art collection” inside the stadium, she said.

Unlike Tampa, where only team personnel are allowed on the pirate ship, fans will be able to board the Viking ship, which will have seating and 150 feet of historical displays. The ship will be privately funded and construction is set to begin in late spring. It will open in time for the Vikings' first preseason game next August.

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:pimp:
 
StillIn729 said:
 
Peep Game said:
If that's the one with Jeremih, yes
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it's bad but perfectly fits in with everything else on the radio
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My Place ft. Jaheim will forever be my jam
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Jaheim the Dream 
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Read earlier Brees tweaked his delivery after hurting his shoulder earlier in the year. Whatever he's done, it's working.
 
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Browns' wasted draft opportunities contribute mightily to 2-8 record

If the NFL draft is the lifeblood of a team, it’s not difficult to see why the Cleveland Browns are dying.

In the past four years, the Browns had seven first-round picks. Only one team had more during that span -- the Minnesota Vikings with eight. The St. Louis Rams are right behind the Browns with six.

No team has had less success with those picks than the Browns. What should be the foundation of a team in Cleveland instead is little more than headaches and question marks. Factor in that three of the picks were top 10 and the pain cuts that much deeper.

The case can be made that the jury remains out on the most recent picks, that Johnny Manziel was only this week given a chance as a full-time starter and that Danny Shelton's work ethic will help him get better.

But the Browns' drafts wither when compared to the other two teams that had a large amount of high picks.

Aaron Donald was drafted 13th by St. Louis in 2014, and in his first season was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year. This season he is headed to All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections. Shelton is ranked 97th among interior defensive linemen by ProFootballFocus.com; he was taken 12th in this year's draft.

Teddy Bridgewater was drafted 32nd overall by Minnesota in 2014 and, with the great help of Adrian Peterson, is quarterbacking a 7-2 team. Manziel was taken 22nd in the same draft. He has had well-documented struggles and will be given the next six games to show he can be a long-term solution.

Barkevious Mingo was a No. 6 pick by the Browns in 2013; he’s a backup. Minnesota’s Anthony Barr was taken ninth in 2014; PFF ranks him the NFL’s third-best outside linebacker.

All this illustrates the flaw in the argument of Browns general manager Ray Farmer, who noted that the league is composed one-third of undrafted free agents. That may be true, but the core -- the foundation of a team -- comes in its drafts.

Farmer guided the last two Cleveland drafts. Mike Lombardi and Joe Banner were responsible for 2013, and Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert in 2012. That three different front-office groups were responsible for four drafts says a lot in itself.

Going back to 2012, the Browns' first rounds went this way:

2015: DT Shelton (12) and OL Cam Erving (19)

2014: CB Justin Gilbert (8) and Manziel (22)

2013: LB Mingo (6)

2012: RB Trent Richardson (3) and QB Brandon Weeden (22)

There are two starters among those seven players, and the only reason there are two is because Manziel was named the starting quarterback this week. Shelton has started at nose tackle this season. Erving struggled mightily in his first start in Pittsburgh. Gilbert was inactive in Pittsburgh because the Browns preferred to play sixth-round pick Charles Gaines and converted safety Johnson Bademosi. Mingo is a backup with an uncertain future. Richardson and Weeden are no longer on the team.

To think the Browns got so little for those seven picks illustrates why they are floundering.

Then there's this truth: 2011 was the season the Browns traded out of the sixth spot. That trade sent Julio Jones to Atlanta; he has 80 catches, 1,029 yards and six touchdowns already this season. The player the Browns acquired, defensive tackle Phil Taylor, is out of the league due to injuries.

Here are the Rams' last four first rounds:

2015: RB Todd Gurley (10)

2014: OT Greg Robinson (2), DT Donald (13)

2013: WR Tavon Austin (8), LB Alec Ogletree (30)

2012: DT Michael Brockers (14)

Count the starters. In fact, don’t count them. There’s no need to. They all start, and Gurley and Donald should go to multiple Pro Bowls. Gurley carries the offense, Donald the defense. Ogletree is out with a broken leg, but he led the team in tackles his first two seasons. The Rams lack a quarterback because previous No. 1 pick Sam Bradford hurt his knee twice, but this group of high picks forms the foundation for the future.

Then there’s this: In 2012, the Rams took cornerback Janoris Jenkins in the second round, and in 2011, they took defensive end Robert Quinn in the first. That’s two more impact starters from high picks.

Here are the Vikings' last four first rounds:

2015: CB Trae Waynes (11)

2014: LB Barr (9), QB Bridgewater (32)

2013: DT Sharrif Floyd (23), CB Xavier Rhodes (25), WR Cordarrelle Patterson (29)

2012: OT Matt Kalil (4), FS Harrison Smith (29)

Of the eight picks, six are starters. Barr is a very good young outside linebacker. ProFootballFocus ranks Bridgewater 16th among quarterbacks; in terms of Total QBR, he is 15th. Both are in their second seasons. Smith leads the team in tackles, Barr ranks second. Waynes has struggled, and Patterson is the Vikings’ version of Gilbert -- a high pick who returns kicks. But the return on a top returner at pick No. 29 is much better than the return at pick No. 8.

Lamenting the Browns' drafts these days has become like lamenting the wind and snow in Cleveland in the winter -- it’s simply a regular occurrence. From 2007-2010, the team had three first-round picks and wound up with left tackle Joe Thomas, center Alex Mack and cornerback Joe Haden. That draft success ended there, though.

In fairness, every team has missed on some players. It's also easy to second-guess. Very few analysts criticized the selections of Shelton or Erving. In fact, those picks were praised as logical and beneficial. In the end, though, players are judge by their production, not by day-after analysis.

The Browns' draft opportunities of the past four years provided a chance to build a team. Instead, those opportunities have either been wasted or teeter on the edge.
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nickmaz96 said:
Dolphins fans: what's up with DeVante Parker? he's not still hurt is he?
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He is probably gun shy on his foot at this point, and even when he is "available" they use freakin Greg Jennings ahead of him.

Our coaches are idiots and usually take a year or two before putting young guys into regular rotation.

See Lamar Miller, Jelani Jenkins, Reshad Jones, Olivier Vernon, Dion Jordan, Jamar Taylor, etc etc.

They all did nothing their rookie year, then start to ease into spots after that. (minus Jordan)
 
2012-2014

Trent Richardson
Brandon Weeden
Barkevious Mingo
Justin Gilbert
Johnny Manziel

might be early on some but they all look like bad picks to me
 
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