Too Deep Zone

The Too Deep Zone will be moving from Substack to Ghost sometime in the next few weeks. As you might surmise, there are sociopolitical reasons for the move. It’s hard to enthusiastically climb a subscriber list when Andrew Tate is at the top of it. Substack’s platforming policies have repelled some former subscribers while discouraging many new ones. They also do not jibe with my personal standards and values.

Aaron Rodgers needs a new creative team. The character has gotten dull. The storylines have grown repetitive and stale. Comic book legend Steve Ditko created Rodgers in 2005. To this day, Rodgers retains all the hallmarks of a classic Ditko creation, including lithe, angular features and objectivist-leaning politics. Ditko crafted an underdog origin story for Rodgers as Brent Favre’s oft-neglected sidekick, making Rodgers one of the most compelling, popular characters of the early-2010s.

The following countdown of Tampa Bay Buccaneers signature moments contains ZERO highlights from Super Bowl XXXVII or Super Bowl LV. No Dwight Smith pick-6’s. No Shaq Barrett sacks. No retellings of the (still disputed) tale of how the Buccaneers defense knew the Raiders’ offensive signals in the Super Bowl. Oh, the 2002 and 2020 Buccaneers are represented in this countdown. So is Tom Brady. Some legendary defensive plays by all-time greats are featured.

Starters are better than their backups. That’s such an obvious truth that it’s practically a tautology. Yet sports fans love to debate it. The backup quarterback is the most popular guy in town for a reason. Backup running backs also hold a special place in the hearts of fantasy speculators. But when cornered, or when asked to talk about some other team’s backups, most of us would not argue with the suggestion that the best players on any team are the starters, and that the backups are not as good.

These are the AFC Draft Performance Assessments. They are like draft grades, only better, because I am committed to a 20-year old bit they accurately reflect how trades and needs impact each team’s roster. You can find the NFC Draft Performance Assessments here. Improved Roster: B Used Resources Well: A Met Needs: C Brandon Beane is very good at sliding around draft boards and at managing in-house veteran contracts. He’s mediocre-to-bad at choosing players.

Get more from Mike Tanier in the Substack app Available for iOS and Android

These are not draft grades. They are Draft Performance Assessments (DPAs). They are like draft grades, but 3000% better because they accurately reflect how subjective and superficial this whole process is they have a fancy name and a scientific veneer. Plus sub-categories; some readers actually find those helpful. The AFC DPAs will be published on Tuesday.

The Raiders picked the worst possible year to be normal. For decades, the Raiders have been the NFL’s unrepentant hyper-anarchists. They were self-destructive, counterproductive, problematic, dreadful and endearing. They did everything wrong and nothing worked, but their punk-metal defiance of common sense was charming, even when it was unintentional. If ever there was a year to hop on a Harley and do donuts in the front yard of conventional wisdom, it was 2026: the Year of the Cursed Draft.

Get more from Mike Tanier in the Substack app Available for iOS and Android

Welcome to the master file of the Too Deep 96. If you have been reading along with this year’s draft capsules, then you have read just about everything in this document. Also, thank you for reading all of that. I’m sorry that this draft class was not more interesting. It’s not my fault. If you have only been dipping in and out of this year’s draft capsules, this document is a handy index for finding players who might interest you. It’s also my official “draft board” for 2026.