The Titans-Rams Trade And What It Means For Others

As we all know, the lead story today in the NFL is the Tennesee Titans trading the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft to the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams acquired a couple of picks in return but are giving up quite a few picks in return. The full rundown of picks swapped:

Rams receive the No. 1 overall picks from the Titans, along with the Titans’ fourth (No. 113) and sixth (No. 177) round picks.

Titans received the No. 15 overall picks from the Rams, along with the Rams’ second-round picks, No. 43 (which the Rams originally acquired from the Eagles) and No. 45, the Rams’ third-round (No. 76) pick, and the Rams’ 2017 first- and third-round picks.
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The 2016 Regular Season Schedule For The Broncos

Wk Team Date Time (ET) Network
1 Carolina  September 8  8:30 PM NBC
2 Indianapolis September 18 4:25 PM CBS
3 @ Cincinnati September 25 1:00 PM CBS
4 @ Tampa Bay  October 2 4:05 PM CBS
5 Atlanta October 9 4:05 PM FOX
6 @ San Diego October 13 8:25 PM NFLN/CBS
7 Houston October 24 8:30 PM ESPN
8 San Diego October 30 4:05 PM CBS
9 @ Oakland November 6 8:30 PM NBC
 10 @ New Orleans November 13 1:00 PM CBS
 11 Bye
 12  Kansas City November 27 4:25 PM CBS
 13 @ Jacksonville December 4 1:00 PM CBS
 14 @ Tennessee December 11 1:00 PM CBS
 15 New England December 18 4:25 PM CBS
 16 @ Kansas City Dec. 25 8:30 PM NBC
 17 Oakland Jan. 1  4:25 PM CBS

As we await the release of the schedule at 6 PM MT, you can comment here on any thoughts, wishes, etc. regarding the schedule of the Broncos or any other team as we await the three hour tour the NFL wants to take us on for something that really only takes a few seconds to release and a few minutes to explain.

Are You Really Learning From This Site?

I know many people who come here to Thin Air, and who visited the sites before that they enjoyed, aren’t always interested in discussing things outside of the sports realm, but as we are finding out, it’s not always possible to avoid this.

The biggest example is the shooting death of former New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith. It’s already drawn non-football-related diatribes ranging from quarterback Drew Brees talking about his Christian beliefs to head coach Sean Payton talking about how he doesn’t like guns.

Rather than talk specifically about that issue, though, I wanted to talk to everybody about some things to keep in mind about what everyone who comes to this site have learned over time about how to think about things, dating back to those who you liked to follow on Mile High Report, then followed them when they launched It’s All Over Fat Man, and how your desire to keep a community together led to the launch of Thin Air.
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7th Seeds In NFL History

I’ve long had ardent opposition to the expansion of the NFL playoffs from 12 teams to 14.  Yet this is an idea that refuses to die, and it seems like it will be an inevitability. If I were an NFL owner, I would still vote against it.  However, in recent years I have slightly softened my opposition.  The main reason why is because if we’re still going to retain giving division winners automatic home playoff games, no matter how terrible the division is (one of my most hated rules in the NFL), expanding the field to 14 would at least ease the pain for one team who put together a good record in a tough division, but would be at risk of missing the playoffs in favor of a mediocre division winner.

The above paragraph, of course, consists of opinions (my own and those of the Competition Committee), so I decided to add a bit of objectivity to determine just how wise of an idea this would be.  Beyond the fold I have constructed a table listing out all of the 52 games that would have taken place since 1990 (when the playoffs expanded from 10 to 12 teams) if the #7 seed was granted entry into the playoffs against the #2 seed.  Included are the teams’ records, as well as Football Outsiders’ DVOA ratings to add a little extra depth.  At the end, I’ll add some commentary for the most notable hypothetical games Continue reading 7th Seeds In NFL History

Broncos Draft Preview, 2016: Part 2 – Defensive Roster and Needs Analysis

As the NFL Draft inches ever closer, I’ll continue to post installments of the Broncos Draft Preview, 2016. Last week I dissected the offensive roster and identified which positions the Broncos need to improve through the draft, and I defined the three categories of needs. This week I’ll dive into the defensive side of the ball, and I’ll throw the specialists in for good measure as well. So let’s get to it.

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