iknowcool

We weren't running a "modern" passing scheme, that is unlike the majority of teams, we were over-reliant on downfield passing. It's why our offense, despite finishing #1 in scoring that year, was very boom-or-bust. You could go watch a lot of our games that season, the ones where we would march out to a huge lead and squander it (the games against the Giants and Colts, and the Seahawks playoff game are good examples) and see how we had a tendency to go long lulls without moving the ball well. The passing scheme was never meant to be efficient. It was meant shoot off big plays. Not to say Newton is completely free from blame. He definitely wasn't one of the most accurate QBs, but I don't think he was any less accurate than say, Eli Manning, who from 2008 on-wards was consistently at about 61 or 62%. That isn't all that great either, but not nearly as bad (on paper) as the sub-60% Newton had. And the WRs played a role too. The years where Kelvin Benjamin was our #1 were hard to watch. He wasn't an outside WR. I think CMP% is pretty meaningless. IMO it is more of a reflection of scheme than it is QB (for the most part - a guy like Brees would have a high CMP% no matter where he played, but that is why he's a HOFer). I always kind of figured that, but it became even clearer to me in 2018 when Newton had a 67.9% despite clearly being a shell of himself after the Pitts game. Hell even before that, his arm wasn't what it was, but the scheme was so much better under Norv than under Shula that it made up for it. Norv Turner in 2018 was such a positive change, it makes it even more frustrating that Shula wasn't canned sooner. Everyone always thought Panthers fans were just trying to make excuses for Newton, and maybe that was true, but Shula really was a terrible offensive coordinator. I wouldn't be worried about that with Newton. My biggest worry would be if he can still move the ball downfield and do it well. I'm not sure that he can, but I hope he proves me wrong. Nobody really knows what his arm is like anymore.

Maybe, but I would argue it rewards better teams more. For example, why would McCaffrey stay with the Panthers if he could go to another team like the Chiefs and get paid the same/similar amount of money just because they are able to sign a guy like Mahomes to a market value deal without strongly affecting their cap? I think you'd see a high increase of great players leaving bad/mediocre teams if there are more top teams around to spend money.

I think he can still be a good quarterback. Maybe my favorite player ever, so I'm definitely rooting for him. And he's going to work hard as he always has. His accuracy isn't the best (obv), but he gets too much criticism for his career CMP%. Any QB that wasn't along the lines of the Rodgers' and Brees' of the world would have been inefficient in Shula's offense. But staying healthy? I'm not sure about that. 2018 and 2019 aren't the only times injuries have affected his play. Newton went through a lot in 2016 too. 2017 is the only year since his MVP season where he's managed to stay reasonably healthy. Patriots #1 priority should be keeping him upright. If they can keep the pocket clean, Newton can do work. But I don't think he can take the hits like he could in the past.

Them listing "bug fixes" as an improvement in an entirely different game is some funny stuff though. EA is trolling.

McDaniels and Cutler were at odds as soon as the former arrived, so McD never coached Cutler. Nevertheless I agree with your point. They are definitely going to be running a different passing scheme that fits more with Newton, but I don't think it will have to be that drastic. Newton had a lot of success in 2018 (prior to his shoulder going limp) in a passing game focused on throwing underneath and intermediate. It helped a lot having a guy like McCaffrey, but the Pats always have RBs who can come out of the backfield and make plays.

It's also worth mentioning that while Bolt still would have been fast as hell, he likely wouldn't be quite as fast as he is/was if he was focused on football too.

They were 11th in points and 9th in yards last year. The year before, they were 6th in points and 7th in yards. And the year before that, they were 13th in points and 6th in yards. "Average at best, terrible at worst" doesn't seem all that accurate. They have been an above average defense the last 3 years and consistently among the league's best at not allowing a ton of yards. With Byron Jones gone maybe we can expect a drop-off, but if we're just going off what we've seen on the field (which is what you are doing), then there are so many other defenses worse than the Cowboys. And for as "fat" as Zeke was, or however long it took him to get into the groove, the Cowboys still finished 5th in the league in rushing yards and 5th in YPC. Maybe the Cowboys really aren't as talented around Dak as people say, but I get the impression you are throwing some units under the bus that don't deserve to be. Relative to the rest of the league, the Cowboys have a very good defense and great running game.

Gameplay isn't even the problem with Madden. And I'd argue that if anything has been improved over the years, its that. The game plays much better than it did 3-4 years ago. Yea, sure, there are some flaws. Run defense needs to be improved, for example. But if Madden ignored gameplay for 2 years and focused strictly on improving other aspects of the game, such as presentation and game modes like franchise or superstar, then the game would be 10x better. Personally, I enjoy playing the game. It's how bare-bones it is that is an issue for me. The reason NBA 2K is as popular as it is isn't because of the gameplay, but because of everything else you can do. How it feels. There is absolutely nothing to do in Madden outside of Ultimate Team. Franchise mode doesn't have even 1/2 the features of MyGM. I wish they would stop touting things like "improved animations" as improvements. I couldn't care less about that. I just want them to add features to the game.

What recent cover would you take over it? It's not great, but none of their covers ever are. I'm easily taking it over the bland covers they have done since Madden 11.

I think they could have for sure. Brady threw 3 picks in that game. And sure, there's no guarantee Rivers would have played better, but playing on a torn ACL certainly didn't help. I'd still bet on the Pats winning though. Now if Rivers AND Tomlinson were healthy? I might lean towards San Diego, assuming Brady's play stays the same.

That's the best cover they have had in a long time, so at least there's that.

I could be wrong, but I'd bet it is a lot harder for someone his size to come back from that injury than someone like Suggs.

Anyone as tall as Bol would probably have their knees shattered after 1 or 2 plays lol

I'm not throwing it out of the window, but you are saying he never lived up to the high school hype in college when he absolutely did. For two seasons, he was great. And he was great enough to get Heisman votes. How is that not living up to the hype past high school? Just because he had one bad season? By that same logic, Cam Newton didn't live up to his high school hype in college either, because he was only great for 1 year and otherwise was a back-up or at some small school in Texas. Clowney would have been a top five pick if he could have came out after 2012 (and the only reason he wouldn't have been #1 is because of Luck and RG3), and it wasn't just because of his potential or what he showed in high school. It's because he actually produced in college. And he did it at a high level, until his final season. And yes, that season happened for whatever reason, but it just isn't true to say he never lived up to his hype past high school. That is part of what made him so enticing as a prospect. It is rare you have a player who has both elite physical tools and produced at an elite level. NFL officials and fans had every reason in the world to think 2013 was a fluke. And really, who knows what could have become of him if he didn't battle injuries so early in his career? He's still a great athlete, but I don't think he's as fast or as explosive as he was before injuries began to pile up. And what's left is still a monster against the run. Regardless I know Clowney didn't become the player he should have been. And if you say he didn't live up to the hype in the NFL, you are absolutely right. But I just don't see how you can say that was the case in college. In 2 out of his 3 seasons he was a great player, 1 of those seasons he was arguably the best in the nation at the time. I don't see how that isn't living up to the hype, considering top HS prospects flame out in college football constantly.

That's kind of my point though. Either all involved need to accept the circumstances and play out the season normally, or don't have a season at all. Because in all likelihood, not much will have changed next year. Sitting players and coaches out because they test positive for COVID-19 is going to be horrible for the league. There is no way numerous players and coaches on each team aren't gonna get it over the course of an entire season. Like I said, I hope I don't come across as morbid or anything. I don't want players to play if they don't feel comfortable, so if they don't want to take the risk, then I don't think football should be played until everyone is more comfortable or the situation has "mellowed" out. But pulling players is going to have a terrible result. At least in the NBA, players getting injured (for multiple weeks at a time) is a relatively low probability. NFL teams already have to deal with players getting injured at a higher rate than other leagues, which might become even more of a problem than usual considering the lack of OTAs and available gyms for players. So now we're talking about a season where teams have to deal with multiple injuries AND having to sit players out once they test positive. I just don't really understand the point of having the season if you are going to pull players because they test positive. If the NFL says so other players don't get it, then why play games in the first place? If players say so they don't get it, why are you playing in the first place? They can't have it both ways. Either everyone has to understand the situation and move forward with it, or not have the season, because that is the only (and best) way you are going to guarantee protection for the players and coaches.