The time after the NFL Draft is an awkward one for the league. There aren't many official activities happening outside of small camps. The NFL news cycle, however, stops for nothing -- Not even a total dearth of meaningful news.With 24-hour news coverage of sports and the media behemoth the NFL has become, something has to fill the dead air. For many teams, that something has become largely meaningle s platitudes about new acquisitions or players who went into the offseason with concerns.While it's good to have goals
Zach Eflin Jersey and there's nothing wrong with keeping a fanbase engaged, these cliches have become so old-hat many fans could recite them verbatim without reading a headline.MORE:In keeping with the slow nature of the news cycle, here is a ranking of the best NFL offseason cliches, along with some examples from this year.1. " x is in the best shape of his life"This one is especially prevalent with players whose bodies and body management have been called into question. Without really seeing much of the players, it's easy for coaches to start to steer opinions of the fanbase by talking about how tremendous players are looking as soon as they walk through the door.Before he was a walking piece of low-hanging fruit, Kelvin Benjamin saidI need to be in the best shape of my life" before the 2017 season. In 2016, Eddie Lacy made headlines when he worked out .The reality is, if a player is in the best shape of his life or always was getting better, there's no reason to talk about it. Although, shoutout to Zach Wilson and the Jets, who are innovating on the cliche. Robert Salah said his quarterback is "beefy, but in a good way," Patriots QB Mac Jones has also reportedly shed his dad bod, and his It's not called Best Shape of his Life season for nothing. Expect a lot more of this to come.Why is it No. 1?If you come at the king you'd best not mi s. "Best shape of his life" is a multi-year champion, and it's off to a strong start this year. This isthecliche, and it will be respected as such.2. "He throws a beautiful ball"An archetype is attached to this common quote from wide receivers and coaches. If they're working with a quarterback for the first time, every ball is blinding in its majesty. A perfect spiral. A gorgeous spot. No quarterback has ever, in NFL history, made a terrible throw before the preseason, when they mysteriously forget how to
Francisco Rodriguez Jersey play.A cursory search will turn up this absolute gem of a tweet.Falk throws a beautiful ball. Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) This, from 2018, is about Luke Falk. And this is nothing against Daniel Jeremiah whatsoever. Rather, it illustrates the perils of talking about players playing without a defense. Dear readers could be forgiven for not being entirely certain who Falk is. He appeared in two games for the Jets in 2019. His legacy lives on in this video from the team.Tyreek Hill made headlines this week "one of the prettiest balls I've seen." NFL wide receivers are paid good money to make lemonade out of lemons, but regardle s of how good Tagovailoa ends up being this year -- and he could end up being very good! -- he doesn't throw a ball one would often call "pretty."Matt Eberflus has also been effusive with praise for Justin Fields, saying something similar.Man, he throws a good deep ball. Bears coach Matt Eberflus on what hes learned about QB Justin Fields
JT Realmuto Jersey this week in OTAs. Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) We will hear various versions of this quote throughout the offseason, but whoever you are out there, congratulations. It's been said you throw a beautiful ball.Why is it No. 2?Consistency is a beautiful thing, and it's great to see when this quote turns up. Every receiver is best friends with a quarterback when they start out. Then fast-forward to Week 9 and they aren't getting enough targets. (Getty Images) 3. Late-round pick/UDFA is turning headsHitting on a first-round pick is one thing, and it is commendable. But nothing short of a tremendous trade will improve a GM's stock quite like finding a hidden gem after the draft as an undrafted free agent.Coaches love to be right about those players, too, so there are always a few players every team pa sed on seven times who are extremely impre sive in training camp.It's not that these players are incapable of bearing out, but they rarely do. Brandon Coleman for the Saints in 2014. Sixth-round receiver Theo Jackson has from the Titans.Figure out who your gems are and track them. While it's po sible they pan out, it's a long journey from OTAs to the regular season.Why is it No. 3?This one is a bit lower because it is, through a certain lens, a little mean-spirited. There are few things more fun in the NFL than an underdog story, and it's great to see someone come from out of nowhere and succeed. NFL fans want so badly for this one to
J. T. Realmuto Jersey be true, and so rarely does it pan out. (Getty Images) 4. New acquisition is right where we want him to beWhen you trade or make a splash in free agency for a big name, you expect results. With that in mind, fans are going to be tracking their movements. If there's even a hint of trouble, you'll see the
Maikel Franco Jersey fanbase start to panic, or question the GM.Take Brandon Staley of the Chargers, who played cliche bingo when he said of Khalil Mack on Monday, :Hes in really good shape. He's got a lot of confidence in where hes at right now. We just want to make sure we phase him in the right way ... He could probably go full speed right now, as you guys probably saw. He looks good. But we just want to make sure we phase him in properly.There are also le s-ringing endorsements, like Pete Carroll talking about Drew Lock.Geno (Smith) reallyhas the package nailed, so I have that to gauge him on," Carroll said Monday, per . " Lock is hanging with Geno throughout all of this. Were not holding anything back."Why is it No. 4?This quote is nothing more than a coach giving an update on a player and having no idea what to say. Khalil Mack has been around a long time and he knows how to rush a quarterback. How can you expound on that? This comes in many shapes and sizes, but it doesn't have the track record of the top two on the list.
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