Doozinbrah Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=8428 Welcome to The Show! On Wednesday, Gary Horton of Scouts, Inc. will stop in to talk NFL. We'll talk about the upcoming season, recap the NFL draft and more! Send your questions now and join Gary in The Show on Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET! The ShowGirl: Welcome to The Show! NFL Insider Gary Horton will be here shortly. Send in those questions now! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- wil (philly): Ga-ry, Ga-ry, Ga-ry, Ga-ry, GARY, GARY, GARY Gary Horton: Well, this is a coach's favorite time in the NFL. The last days leading up to a month's vacation. I talked to several coaches this week and most of them are wrapping up their offseason programs and rookie orientation. Most teams will start their vacations this weekend, coming back in mid-July. So, we won't see a lot of movement for the next 3 or 4 weeks as players and coahces gear up for the season. Ironically, we don't even see a lot of movement in contract negotiations for rookies until we get to about mid-July. But it's still a fun time to anticipate and look forward to training camp! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ryan (Philly): Any news on the TO situation?? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Perry (Philly): If TO was quiet about this whole situation to begin with could the Eagles have given him some more money or altered his contract in some way without it becoming public and without the other players on the team knowing? Gary Horton: I think they would have been milling to move some money around to make T.O. feel a little better, but I don't think they would have given him more money b/c this is an organization that has been fiscally responsible over the years and they have had to make some very tough decisions on some very good players and if you make an exception on T.O., they'd have a line outside the door of other players. When T.O. went public, in my opinion, was that it really offended Andy Reid. Andy asked T.O. when he came to Philly if he was comfortable with the contract and if he would be a stable and steady player. Reid is a very principled guy. He's probably thinking that Owens turned his back on them and didn't live up to their agreement. That makes this a very stubborn situation on both sides. I know the Eagles organization well enough to say with conviction that they will NOT give in to T.O. and his demands. The only way this gets resolved is if T.O. comes up with a plan to save face, but make it look like he got what he was after. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- eric (las vegas,nv): what is the word in buffalo on losmans progress and the travis henry situation? Gary Horton: The Buffalo organization is happy with the progress of Losman ... and they BETTER be b/c they have no other option. They are absolutely backed into a corner with this young guy. I personally think that he will have a rollercoaster 2005 where he will tease us on some games, but there will be a lot of games where he looks like the young inexperienced player that he is. This is dangerous because this is a playoff team that should probably be led by a more veteran QB -- even one with LESS talent. But, I would hate to see a really good team held back by QB misktakes -- even though I think Losman will eventually be a really good NFL QB. Gary Horton: On the Travis Henry front ... The Bills don't want to give him away, and you know he's probably not going to show up for training camp. There's not a huge market for him right now b/c most teams don't have much money. But, I think Buffalo will probalby keep him through the early days of training camp and wait for a starting NFL back to go down with injury. That's when another team will be forced to pay Buffalo's asking price. Henry's value in August is probably higher than it is today. This is risky for the Bills. That is, to assume McGAhee can get through a 16 game schedule without getting hurt. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jason (Stamford, CT): Gary, How does the NFL East stack up this year? It seemed very mediocre ladt year with only the Eagles owning a winning record. How does another year of experience and the solid free agent period of the G-Men change the landscape of the division? What about Washington's offense? Gary Horton: I think the Eagles are still far and away the class of the NFL East. They will probably run away with the division, but I think the other three teams -- Giants, Dallas and Washington -- will all be better than they were a year ago. All will be very competetive and will give their fans a glimpse of steady improvement. I honestly don't think any of the three are playoff teams, however. I think they could all finish 8-8 ... which would be a good season but would probably not make them happy. ... AND, I do think that even though Philly should win the division comfortably, they WILL have some tough games and maybe a couple of losses against their scrappy division opponents. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alan (Richmond, VA): How come reporters speculate about Joe Gibbs not finishing his contract and bailing on the Redskins? He has already said that he's in it for the length of the contract, that it's going to take time to over-haul the roster and get "redskins", and that the fans and media should be patient with the process. how come it seems the media has ignored his comments and constantly speculate about issues he has already negated? Gary Horton: I don't think that anybody wants Joe Gibbs to quit. I think there are a lot of people including fans and media that are pulling for him and hope that he finds success. BUT, I think there is also a lot of people out there -- including me -- that wonders if he's really enjoying this experience. He had a wonderful life in the NASCAR world, with a lot of success. Coming back to the NFL is probably a longer, tougher process to win than he imangined. Although he is a very principled guy, and I think he WILL finish out his tenure, you just wonder if he ever gets up in the morning and says, ''What am I doing this for?" Should his quality of life be better at his age? I don't know. That's just speculation. And I do think there is a tremendous pride factor with Gibbs that will keep him in Washington until he accomplishes what a lot of people think he wont. I think we'll continue to have speculation if they don't have huge success. In all honesty, he set the bar so high the first time around, that that's what people want. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tony (Danbury, CT): What team that made the playoffs last year is most at risk to miss the playoffs this year? Gary Horton: Green Bay. I think the Packers are very vulnerable this year b/c Minnesota has had a much better season and they are not he odds on favorite to win the division. Plus, Detroit and Chicago are closing the gap. When I look at The Pack, I see their once rock-solid O-line missing two key guys. they are no longer a dominating group. I also see a defense that was not very good a year ago who has made virtually no offseason improvements. I just don't see Green Bay getting to the playoffs this year, even as a Wild Card. Gary Horton: It is shocking to me that the Packers did not attack the defensive side of the ball in free agency. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AJ (Denver): Gary, Speaking of speculation and high goals, why is Mike Shanahan so widely criticized? Is he just a lightning rod for the media? Denver made a lot of highly publicized moves this offseason, but most of them really don't warrant the attention they get (Rice, Clarett, Dayne). Let me put it this way, Bill Belichik brings in D Terrell and its a "coy" move, Mike Shanahan brings him and its just another "turd" on the Denver roster. Why is that? Gary Horton: That's actually a very fair question, AJ. I think the answer is probably partially b/c Shanahan is perceived to have all the power and personnel moves, but he is not having the success on the field that Belichick is having. This limits his genius tag. Too many people make a big deal out of Shanahan not being able to have great success since Elway. Now, every move they make in personnel seems to be a comparision to the Elway days. As a perfect example, it was an organizational decision to bring in Jake Plummer, but yet every one wants to tie Jake's success or lack thereof to Shanahan. I happen to think Mike is a smart personnel guy who makes sound decisions, but the Broncos just haven't won enough on the field to keep everybody happy. Because their struggles coincided with the retirement of Elway, it's easy to assume that he was the key to their win and not a coach. However, in my opinion, there is nobody else in the NFL that can get more out of this roster than Shanahan. In the post Elway era, this has still been a very competetive football team in a very tough division. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Andrew (New Orleans, LA): Gary, Does it strike you as odd that the Saints would draft Adrian McPherson because they think "he's another Aaron Brooks" ! Isn't one maddeningly inconsistent quarterback enough? Gary Horton: A lot of people were really intrigued by McPherson during the draft. I think that most teams -- including the Saints -- put a value on him where when they selected him, it would actually be a steal. That's what happened. I don't know if you can tag him yet for being inconsistent -- although he has had some personal problems. I think it was more than inditement with the organization's unrest with Brooks for a guy that can take them to a championship title. I'll say this, to me, Aaron Brooks is one of the most puzzling players in the NFL. I look at his stats and I watch him on film and I see potential greatness. BUT, then I see ridiculous mistakes, slopiness and a general lack of concentration and I'm just not sure that he will ever be consistent enough to win on a big time basis. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- rob (jersey city): Does Cleveland actually believe that Reuben Droughns will be their #1 back this season or did they just bring him in as an insurance policy for Lee Suggs? Droughns,if you recall, was benched last year after fumbling problems and lost his job to Tatum Bell for the rest of the year basically... Gary Horton: I think that they envision a good training camp battle between Suggs and Droughns. THe coaching staff feels that whoever becomes the starter, they will have a good one-two punch. That is very important for this team in 2005 b/c with Trent Dilfer as a caretaker QB and a defense that's a work in progress, they MUST be able to run the football and slow down the game. I think that Droughns and Suggs will get A LOT of carries for the Browns this year. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sean (Washington DC): Gary, please let me know what is going on with my Jets! I keep hearing rumors about going after Law if his price comes down. Can we still do that, even though Abraham didn't retire? Gary Horton: I think it's a possibility, but I really think that Ty Law isn't ready to play yet, no matter what his agent is saying. It could be well into training camp before he finds a home. The interesting thing about the Jets, or anybody else that wants to sign Law, is -- Will he and his agent demand to be paid for what they THINK he will become OR will they accept what a team thinks he is right now. If I'm the Jets, I'm intrigued about having Ty Law as a cover corner, but I also have not idea what he has left. I don't know which Ty Law I'm getting. It may be tougher for Ty to get ''the right'' job in August than people might think. That said, the Jets have transformed their defense into a much more attacking man-to-man scheme, and Law would really fit well into that IF he is healthy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- joe cubicle hell: Gary What is your predicted order of finish in the NFC Norris Division? Gary Horton: I think the VIkings have had the best offseason in the leauge. THey've taken a mediocre defense and have transformed it into a potential Top 10. AND, on offense, they have quietly added enough weapons at WR to offset the loss of Randy Moss. This will be a much happier team in the lockerroom. I like their chemistry, and I love their athleticism and speed. I think they will run away with the NFC North. I do not see a Wild Card coming out of this division, but much like the NFC East, I think Green Bay, Detroit and Chicago will all fight it out and I could see them all in that 9-7, 8-8, 7-9 range. I will say that I think Detroit will be the next surprise team to jump on to the playoff train, but I don't don't know if this is the year, I think they need one more, but eventually, they will pass Green Bay. Gary Horton: OK folks, we'll let the coaches and players go on vacation this weekend, but we'll man the store while their gone. We'll continue to chat and solve all of their problems right here while they are sitting on some beach. The entire year is always fun in the NFL, but I LOVE late June and early July as all the pieces of the puzzle are together heading into camp. You know what your roster is, you've had the chance to evaluate and you have 32 teams that will be fresh and well-rested when when come back. Right now, everyone of us that chats thinks his team has a chance to go to the playoffs. That's what makes this so much fun! As a side note ... if you really want to be entertained, watch the College World Series this week. Even though my ASU Sun Devils have to open up against the Cornhuskers who may be the best team in the country, I think this will be the most exciting CWS we have seen in recent years maybe because of Nebraska's participation. This is great college baseball! Since there are no NFL games or practices, you have no excuse! Tune in! See you next time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-Dog Night Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Gary Horton: I don't think that anybody wants Joe Gibbs to quit. I think there are a lot of people including fans and media that are pulling for him and hope that he finds success. Well I can think of at least one guy who doesn't feel that way... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 His comments about Gibbs were spot on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forbeskin Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Scrappy division opponents? I pray we have an awesome season!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bird_1972 Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Originally posted by Henry His comments about Gibbs were spot on. Does that mean you suspect Gibbs has second thoughts about v. 2.0? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Originally posted by bird_1972 Does that mean you suspect Gibbs has second thoughts about v. 2.0? Not exactly. I suppose I should have said 'reasonable' instead. I do think a lot of writers think along the same lines as Horton, and they may be right. 'Second thoughts' is too strong a term, IMHO. I do think he didn't REALLY know what he was getting back into, but now that he's here he'll figure it out. Which is pretty much was Horton says I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I don't think for one second that Gibbs thought he could come in and start winning right away. I think he thought it might've been even harder. He said it wouldn't happen overnight, and he asked for patience. :2cents: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bird_1972 Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Originally posted by Henry 'Second thoughts' is too strong a term, IMHO. I do think he didn't REALLY know what he was getting back into, but now that he's here he'll figure it out. Its a very sensitive topic, so I'm not expecting this, though I wish our new "reporters" from extremeskins could somehow get the true read on this without seeming disrespectful. (I know, I know ... good to keep it vanilla for a while so as not to bite of the hand that feeds us, at first). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McMetal Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Unless I'm mistaken that was ExtremeSkins' own AJWatson who submitted that question on Gibbs. We were discussing that very topic this past weekend. That you, Mr. A? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJWatson3 Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 Originally posted by McMetal Unless I'm mistaken that was ExtremeSkins' own AJWatson who submitted that question on Gibbs. We were discussing that very topic this past weekend. That you, Mr. A? Alan (Richmond, VA): How come reporters speculate about Joe Gibbs not finishing his contract and bailing on the Redskins? He has already said that he's in it for the length of the contract, that it's going to take time to over-haul the roster and get "redskins", and that the fans and media should be patient with the process. how come it seems the media has ignored his comments and constantly speculate about issues he has already negated? good call McMonkey. nice seeing you last week and i always love talking Skins with you. i really didn't think Horton would answer that question. it was a fair response though. i just got sick and tired of hearing so many media types and non-Skins fans talk about Gibbs quitting after he had already prepared us for what was going to happen and that he was in it for the duration of his contract. good luck Skins and good luck Gibbs! Verbal Kin beatches! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skins11 Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 Originally posted by Henry Not exactly. I suppose I should have said 'reasonable' instead. I do think a lot of writers think along the same lines as Horton, and they may be right. 'Second thoughts' is too strong a term, IMHO. I do think he didn't REALLY know what he was getting back into, but now that he's here he'll figure it out. Which is pretty much was Horton says I think. Maybe he didn't know what he was getting into, but I think he KNEW that he wouldn't know everything about what he was getting into. Basically, he was expecting the unexpected.. this much is evident from his first press conference. He knew it wouldn't be easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 Originally posted by Skins11 Maybe he didn't know what he was getting into, but I think he KNEW that he wouldn't know everything about what he was getting into. Basically, he was expecting the unexpected.. this much is evident from his first press conference. He knew it wouldn't be easy. Works for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinshog Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 BUT, I think there is also a lot of people out there -- including me -- that wonders if he's really enjoying this experience. He had a wonderful life in the NASCAR world, with a lot of success. Coming back to the NFL is probably a longer, tougher process to win than he imangined. Maybe a longer, tougher process than you imagined. Listen next time when Joe speaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Califan007 The Constipated Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 Question: "He has already said that...it's going to take time to over-haul the roster and get "redskins", and that the fans and media should be patient with the process. how come it seems the media has ignored his comments and constantly speculate about issues he has already negated? " Media Answer: "Coming back to the NFL is probably a longer, tougher process to win than he imagined." :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.