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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Sunday Football Open Thread

Sunday Football Open Thread

by Betty Cracker|  December 28, 20141:46 pm| 181 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Sports

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The Bucs are leading the Saints early in the second quarter. If they’re not careful, they’ll fuck up their shot at the #1 draft pick.

As someone pointed out last time I mentioned the #1 draft pick, there’s no one coming out of the college farm teams this year who is a no-brainer #1 pick.

If it were me, I’d go with Amari Cooper out of Alabama. I’d be as eager to import Jameis Winston to my city as I’d be to volunteer to bury toxic waste. I don’t know much about the Ducks QB who just won the Heisman.

Who would you pick for your shitty team?

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Reader Interactions

181Comments

  1. 1.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 1:48 pm

    My Kingdom for a good CB.

  2. 2.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 1:50 pm

    JJ Watt has 19.5 sacks with 2 1/2 quarters to go. If he gets another he’ll be the only player with 2 years with 20+ sacks.
    Imagine if he had just one lock down CB.

  3. 3.

    burnspbesq

    December 28, 2014 at 1:50 pm

    Leonard Williams, the DT from USC. He’s good enough to start immediately, and barring injury will likely have a long enough career to thoroughly destroy his brain.

    According to the pundits, this draft class is deepest on the O-line, so much so that some guys who’ve made All-American teams may not go in the first round.

  4. 4.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 1:53 pm

    @burnspbesq: In this context, who is your team? The Jets?

  5. 5.

    burnspbesq

    December 28, 2014 at 1:54 pm

    @Corner Stone:

    My Kingdom for a good CB.

    Kevin Johnson from Wake Forest is your guy. Good enough to start immediately, and undervalued because he played for a bad team. How many times do you have a chance to get a starter in the third round?

  6. 6.

    Amir Khalid

    December 28, 2014 at 1:56 pm

    Reposting, because at least this one says “open thread”:
    Sorry for going very off-topic, but can anyone here recommend a book on Spanish grammar? I’m leaning towards Routledge’s Modern Spanish Grammar, but it’s steeply priced here. (I like the German and French grammars from the series.)

  7. 7.

    KG

    December 28, 2014 at 1:56 pm

    Mariotta has potential to be really good and appears to have the off field stuff locked down, if you need a QB he would probably be the way to go. Cooper is a hell of a WR, also I like Jalen Strong from ASU but he hasn’t got enough press to go that high. Otherwise, I’m not sure at all

    Next year, Scooby Wright out of Arizona is going to be a helluva defensive pick

  8. 8.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    December 28, 2014 at 1:56 pm

    Are there any offensive coordinators available in the draft?

  9. 9.

    burnspbesq

    December 28, 2014 at 1:56 pm

    @Corner Stone:

    who is your team? The Jets?who is your team? The Jets?

    Oh FFS no. To the very limited extent that I am emotionally invested in a NFL team, it’s the Giants. But my level of emotional investment in the Giants falls somewhat short of my level of emotional investment in the Duke fencing team.

  10. 10.

    CarolDuhart2

    December 28, 2014 at 1:57 pm

    This Bengals fan, while she loves Dalton, would love to draft/waiver wire a solid quarterback backup, plus solid defense. (Defense wins Super Bowls), and a few people for some of the 30+ people on the team.

    Four years straight to the playoffs-a franchise record. If only there can be a first-round win in them….

  11. 11.

    Tree With Water

    December 28, 2014 at 1:58 pm

    Today’s NY Times contains an outstanding chart that beautifully simplifies the playoff implications of today’s games. Whoever designed it did a great job.

  12. 12.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 1:59 pm

    Jonathan “Andrea” Grimes for the big first down pick up!

  13. 13.

    wmd

    December 28, 2014 at 2:00 pm

    I’d have John Madden as owner instead of Al Davis’ spawn.

  14. 14.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 2:01 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead:

    Are there any offensive coordinators available in the draft?

    Hey, at least you’re still on your starting QB…oh, wait.

  15. 15.

    Mike J

    December 28, 2014 at 2:03 pm

    I’m just hoping the Detroit-Green Bay game doesn’t end in a tie. I don’t care who wins, just no ties.

  16. 16.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 2:03 pm

    BLOOOOO!!
    TD Texans!

  17. 17.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 2:06 pm

    I’d be as eager to import Jameis Winston to my city as I’d be to volunteer to bury toxic waste.

    Any team who takes Winston in the first round deserves all the Vince Young 2.0 + unalloyed scumbag that they’re going to get.

  18. 18.

    JPL

    December 28, 2014 at 2:07 pm

    Betty is just lucky that Manziel was taken last year. I sure hope the Falcons don’t tie because in order to make the playoffs, they need an outright win.

    @Amir Khalid: Keep posting and surely someone will respond.

  19. 19.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 2:09 pm

    @JPL:

    Keep posting and surely someone will respond.

    If the question was about 60’s or 70’s music, or what to feed a sick pet he’d have about elebenty answers by now.

  20. 20.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 2:12 pm

    Gurley. Outside of Vick’s performance in the National Championship I’ve never seen anyone nearly as good.

  21. 21.

    Amir Khalid

    December 28, 2014 at 2:15 pm

    Come on, guys. Someone here must have taken a Spanish class in high school or college.

  22. 22.

    Betty Cracker

    December 28, 2014 at 2:16 pm

    @raven: I didn’t realize he was going pro (haven’t followed my sports feeds as closely as I should). He is damn good. As long as that knee is healthy.

  23. 23.

    Betty Cracker

    December 28, 2014 at 2:20 pm

    @Amir Khalid: I took Spanish in both, but I don’t remember being impressed enough with a grammar guide to recommend it. Also assuming there are better books available now than were on the market in 1988!

  24. 24.

    Tommy

    December 28, 2014 at 2:21 pm

    My team, where it is not even PC to say their name is really bad. I expect to get a phone call in a few hours from my brother, a Cowboys fan, with him taunting me.

  25. 25.

    Tree With Water

    December 28, 2014 at 2:21 pm

    @burnspbesq: I bet the Duke fencing team had a better year than the Giants.

  26. 26.

    Gin & Tonic

    December 28, 2014 at 2:22 pm

    @Amir Khalid: I didn’t, sorry. But you know me, I just know the languages the CIA taught me.

  27. 27.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 2:23 pm

    That ball was tipped, Ref. You can’t call that.

  28. 28.

    KG

    December 28, 2014 at 2:26 pm

    @Tree With Water: in fairness, the Democrats had a better year than the Giants

  29. 29.

    lamh36

    December 28, 2014 at 2:29 pm

    So ya’ll know (or may not know, but…) I’ve been following the news around the new Selma movie. So far it’s gotten nothing but rave reviews from critics and the like. Someone on a thread here, mentioned an article in WashPo from an “LBJ Historian” criticizing the film for it’s treatment of LBJ and I’ve noticed a few more references to the op ed. So much so, that’s it’s getting some attention on twitter. Enough that the director of the film took to twitter to comment on it as well.

    Here’s the WashPo article tweeted by TNC:

    @tanehisicoates · 3h
    Ruh-roh…”In fact, Selma was LBJ’s idea…” #twitterstorians http://t.co/VbHhiZpLUq

    Now, I see this as the partisan press trying to find a reason to critic the film. Because what I’ve read elsewhere, the film has pretty much been wowing audiences and critics alike. Essentially I guess, the critic is that the film doesn’t give LBJ enough credit for the civil rights movement?

    BTW, the “critic” has reached the director of the film and she responded on twitter with this:

    @AVAETC
    I can argue, @HitFixGregory. Notion that Selma was LBJ’s idea is jaw dropping and offensive to SNCC, SCLC and black citizens who made it so.

    More detail here. LBJ’s stall on voting in favor of War on Poverty isn’t fantasy made up for a film. “@donnabrazile: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/07/08/the-color-of-law ….

  30. 30.

    burnspbesq

    December 28, 2014 at 2:30 pm

    @Tree With Water:

    I bet the Duke fencing team had a better year than the Giants.

    Tenth at the NCAA championship, IIRC. Only four ACC schools compete in fencing, and we didn’t have a meet with Boston College, but we beat ND and Carolina.

  31. 31.

    gwangung

    December 28, 2014 at 2:34 pm

    @lamh36: I’m interested in SELMA to compare and contrast with the stage pllays All the Way/The Great Society. While it’s LBJ centric, it paints the relationship as somewhat antagonistic, but also as symbiotic where the two were mutually beneficial, but also were coming from two different platforms, both valid.

  32. 32.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 2:34 pm

    The Bucs are leading the Saints early in the second quarter. If they’re not careful, they’ll fuck up their shot at the #1 draft pick.

    Good Lordt. What are the Bucs thinking? Almost two TD lead at half?

  33. 33.

    Bob In Portland

    December 28, 2014 at 2:35 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead: I hear Greg Roman will be looking for work soon.

  34. 34.

    CaseyL

    December 28, 2014 at 2:36 pm

    @Amir Khalid: The last time I took Spanish was at a one-person school, and she wrote the “textbook” herself.

    I’ve seen recommendations for “Breaking Out of Beginner’s Spanish,” by Joseph Keenan and “No Pise El Pasto”, edited by BIll Gallacher, but know nothing about those books myself.

  35. 35.

    Amir Khalid

    December 28, 2014 at 2:41 pm

    @CaseyL:
    I too am taking Spanish at a one-person school. I’m self-taught in German and French, and currently going the same way for Spanish and Arabic. (A medical retiree has to have some kind of hobby, so why not languages?)

  36. 36.

    Tommy

    December 28, 2014 at 2:42 pm

    @gwangung: I saw an extended review of the movie, or of the time. I thought I knew about what happened. I am not so sure that is true. Want to see the movie and pick up a book or two. They showed almost the entire segment Oprah was in and it was very hard to watch. A lady trying so many times to register to vote. They kept putting up obstacles for her to register. She’d overcome them. They’d put up another.

  37. 37.

    Violet

    December 28, 2014 at 2:43 pm

    @Amir Khalid: I took Spanish off and on from kindergarten through high school. Hated it. Could not tell you anything about the books at all. Sorry.

    I don’t know if you can access used textbook sites or the used book sites on Amazon, but if you can, that might save you some money.

  38. 38.

    Andrew

    December 28, 2014 at 2:47 pm

    Mariota is very, very good and will be the #1 pick. Very accurate, strong arm makes good decisions, elite speed. Not quite can’t miss like an Andrew Luck, but probably the grade just below that.

    Winston screams bust like Manziel did. More of an NFL talent, but even more off the field issues.

  39. 39.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 2:47 pm

    @Tommy:

    They showed almost the entire segment Oprah was in and it was very hard to watch. A lady trying so many times to register to vote. They kept putting up obstacles for her to register. She’d overcome them. They’d put up another.

    Ask your mom why exactly it is that she cries when so few people vote.

  40. 40.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 2:51 pm

    @Andrew:

    Winston screams bust like Manziel did. More of an NFL talent, but even more off the field issues.

    Winston is like a bigger, faster, more physical Doug Flutie. He is not an NFL QB. The scramble to make something out of nothing type QB stopped being viable several years ago. R Wilson in SEA does it because he keeps his eyes down field and slides ahead of any contact. Nobody else does it even close to that level. Scaempernick is a bust, and Cam…whoa Cam…has not been able to consistently produce, even with a pretty solid defense.

  41. 41.

    Tommy

    December 28, 2014 at 2:53 pm

    @Corner Stone: Oh I know why she cries. At least where we live it is about as fast to vote as it is to order a Big Mac. There is no excuse not to vote. It is stupid simple. She, as myself, doesn’t understand why our fellow citizens don’t vote.

  42. 42.

    lamh36

    December 28, 2014 at 2:54 pm

    @wizdom4you 8m8 minutes ago
    Dorothy Counts, the first African American girl to attend an all-white school, being taunted by her peers. (1957)
    https://twitter.com/wizdom4you/status/549289505220722688

  43. 43.

    Schlemazel

    December 28, 2014 at 2:55 pm

    My pick? Competent management. But that isn’t going to happen

  44. 44.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    December 28, 2014 at 2:58 pm

    There’s an ad running on Balloon Juice front page that I initially thought was for a gay dating site but it turned out to be for the mormons.

    “I believed in him.. and he believed in me.”

  45. 45.

    Roger Moore

    December 28, 2014 at 2:58 pm

    @Tommy:

    My team, where it is not even PC to say their name is really bad

    Is it really non-PC to say “Washington”?

  46. 46.

    jharp

    December 28, 2014 at 2:59 pm

    Art Schlichter.

    And if he is still serving time I’d go with Ryan Leaf.

    Two can’t miss picks.

  47. 47.

    Andrew

    December 28, 2014 at 3:01 pm

    @Corner Stone:

    Winston is, when he’s playing decently (aka last year), a pocket passer primarily who can make a play on the run if he has to. He doesn’t have top end speed at all (Mariota will crush him in the 40). He has the physical tools (size, arm strength, accuracy) to be an NFL quarterback but that kid with first round pick money/attention will be a god damn nightmare.

  48. 48.

    Baud

    December 28, 2014 at 3:01 pm

    Didn’t the Saints put their cheerleaders in the lineup today?

    Please God, tell me they did.

  49. 49.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    December 28, 2014 at 3:02 pm

    @Roger Moore: I hope not, that’s my middle name.

  50. 50.

    Roger Moore

    December 28, 2014 at 3:06 pm

    @Andrew:

    Winston screams bust like Manziel did.

    It seems a bit early to call Manziel a bust. Plenty of QBs take a few seasons to get their act together in the NFL, and Manziel is under-age for a rookie. I’d give him at least a couple more seasons before pronouncing him a bust. Of course that makes it questionable whether it’s worth spending a #1 pick on a QB, since he’s much less likely to help the team from day one.

  51. 51.

    Tommy

    December 28, 2014 at 3:09 pm

    @Andrew: My teams QB is RG3. ESPN did an hour long special of him coming off his ACL. Working out. Not in pads. I might only be 5’4 and 132 pounds, but I swear I got more muscle mass then he does.You can’t be as fragile as he looked and get hit by 300 pound men all day Sunday. You look at Luck or Russell and they seem to have some “mass.” I am not saying I wouldn’t like to be as fit nor have the body of RG3, but not so sure I want to have said body get hit by large men with mean intent.

  52. 52.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    December 28, 2014 at 3:10 pm

    @BillinGlendaleCA: I’ve been reading it as Glenda all these years.

  53. 53.

    BankerNole

    December 28, 2014 at 3:10 pm

    I almost never comment here, but I feel compelled to do so because the original poster made an offhand comment about Jameis Winston, currently the FSU QB and arguably the best college QB in many years.

    Jameis Winston walked out of a takeout seafood restaurant without paying and uttered an obscene meme in a public area on campus. These were douche-y acts. But no one would say that “I’d be as eager to import Jameis Winston to my city as I’d be to volunteer to bury toxic waste” based on these peccadilloes.

    Undoubtedly, the original poster is motivated to express this vitriol because Jameis Winston was accused of rape by another student about two years ago. Rape is a very serious crime and if Winston is guilty of that, he should be in jail. However, despite what many people have come to believe from reading heavily slanted accounts from ESPN, the NYT, and other media, the evidence suggests that this is one of the rare instances where a woman is making a false rape accusation.

    Why do I say that? As detailed in an extensive police report that is available on line, the accuser changed her story several times within only a few hours of the alleged incident, saying that she had been knocked unconscious from a blow to the head (but a medical examination revealed no such injury), that she had been drugged at a bar (but two toxicology reports revealed no date rape drug in her system), and that she had passed out from drinking too much at a party (but she was never at that party and the two toxicology reports revealed she hadn’t had that much to drink that night). She told these various accounts to her friends, family, hospital workers, and the police. She then said she had gone voluntarily home with Winston who subsequently forcibly raped her in his bedroom. That is theoretically possible but two eyewitnesses at Winston’s home directly contradict this claim. She has subsequently changed her story several more times.

    Clearly, based on this fact pattern, it would have been impossible for the Tallahassee Police Department and the local district attorney to successfully prosecute the case. It was also based on this evidence – as well as other evidence – that a retired Florida Supreme Court judge declined to find Winston in violation of FSU’s code of conduct.

    Of course, none of this proves Winston is innocent, but given that they did have sex, proving innocence would be impossible.

    We are at a point where Winston deserves the benefit of the doubt with respect to this accusation.

  54. 54.

    Mnemosyne (iPad Mini)

    December 28, 2014 at 3:12 pm

    Sports-related, I really enjoyed this New Yorker article about hockey player PK Subban who, along with his two younger brothers, is breaking new ground as a Black Canadian hockey player (both of his parents immigrated to Canada from the Carribbean as children). Even for a non-hockey fan like me, it’s a really good read and deals with multiple issues, including (but not only) race in hockey:

    http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/12/15/ice-breaker

  55. 55.

    JPL

    December 28, 2014 at 3:13 pm

    @Roger Moore: True. Unfortunately, it does not help to have a press interview on Tuesday mentioning that you plan to take football seriously and then on Saturday morning, have the Browns send over security to find out why you missed your physical therapy.

  56. 56.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 3:13 pm

    @raven: Gurley’s great, but he’s also a running back and those have less draft value than any other position. If anyone drafts him in the top ten they’re making a mistake.

  57. 57.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    December 28, 2014 at 3:14 pm

    @Roger Moore:

    It seems a bit early to call Manziel a bust.

    No, it’s not.

  58. 58.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 3:16 pm

    @JPL: If Cleveland had played their draft cards differently they could have had Sammy Watkins and Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater, I think, is going to be the steal of the draft.

  59. 59.

    KG

    December 28, 2014 at 3:19 pm

    @Roger Moore: there aren’t many QBs that can help a team from day one. Usually, if you’re drafting a QB in the first round, you’re terrible everywhere. QBs are only as good as their receivers and offensive linemen. Aikman, Peyton Manning, and John Elway were horrid their rookie years. Brady and Montana barely played their rookie years. Andrew Luck is a bit of an anomaly as a player and because of the team’s situation when he was drafted (the Colts were Super Bowl contenders until they lost Manning, but without Manning they were a nightmare).

  60. 60.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    December 28, 2014 at 3:21 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Shaw is looking better in his first start than Johnny Smarm did.

  61. 61.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    December 28, 2014 at 3:21 pm

    Having leftover curry puffs for brunch, yummy.

  62. 62.

    Andrew

    December 28, 2014 at 3:22 pm

    @Roger Moore:

    Manziel coming out was 100% likely to be a bust in the first round as far as I’m concerned. Until he proves me wrong I’m sticking with that. He tried all kinds of audaciously stupid shit that would be an automatic turnover in the NFL but against college defenses if you were lucky enough would work a majority of the time. And he was insanely lucky.

  63. 63.

    Eric

    December 28, 2014 at 3:22 pm

    @raven:
    You can get RBs in the 3rd round.

    Mariotta is a perfect fit for TB, if they aren’t sold on him they should take the DE from USC.

    Not understanding positional value and drafting skill position guys too early is what keeps teams like Cleveland perpetually losing

  64. 64.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    December 28, 2014 at 3:28 pm

    @Eric:

    Not understanding positional value and drafting skill position guys too early is what keeps teams like Cleveland perpetually losing

    And ignoring off-field issues. Gibson is a bust, too, behind an undrafted rookie on the depth chart.

  65. 65.

    Betty Cracker

    December 28, 2014 at 3:28 pm

    @Corner Stone: There’s still plenty of time for the Bucs to step on their own dicks.

  66. 66.

    the Conster

    December 28, 2014 at 3:31 pm

    @Mnemosyne (iPad Mini): I got a chuckle recently from a Boston news person who referred to him as African American, and they were corrected that he wasn’t American. I don’t know whether Canada has the analog of Caribbean Canadian. Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.

  67. 67.

    KG

    December 28, 2014 at 3:31 pm

    Speaking of Cleveland: How did Flacco lose 22 yards on a sack?

    Also, wouldn’t winning this game behind Connor Shaw and thinking he might be the answer be the most Clevelandy thing the Browns could do?

  68. 68.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 3:32 pm

    J.J. Watt needs to throw a TD pass to win today’s game. If he does that he could win the MVP.

    Seriously, is there anyone who didn’t want to see Houston just put him in as the starting QB just to find out if there’s anything football related he’s not great at?

  69. 69.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 3:33 pm

    @Eric:

    Not understanding positional value and drafting skill position guys too early is what keeps teams like Cleveland perpetually losing

    Especially when they fire the guys who made the best trade steal of the last several years by dunking Indy in the Trent Richardson deal.

  70. 70.

    Amir Khalid

    December 28, 2014 at 3:34 pm

    @the Conster:
    That hyphenation of ancestry to nationality (African-American, etc.) seems to be a uniquely American thing.

  71. 71.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 3:38 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym:

    Seriously, is there anyone who didn’t want to see Houston just put him in as the starting QB just to find out if there’s anything football related he’s not great at?

    Yes, there is at least one person Bill Simmons.

  72. 72.

    the Conster

    December 28, 2014 at 3:38 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    It also is another way to put people in broad categories that don’t apply, like my Haitian son in law who is black but definitely not African American.

  73. 73.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    December 28, 2014 at 3:39 pm

    @KG:

    How did Flacco lose 22 yards on a sack?

    Scrambling. I don’t think he believed they would actually catch him.

    Also, wouldn’t winning this game behind Connor Shaw and thinking he might be the answer be the most Clevelandy thing the Browns could do?

    Gah, yes. OTOH, it might keep them from drafting yet another QB.

  74. 74.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 3:41 pm

    @Eric: Yea, you are right, Gurley is just some running back.

  75. 75.

    SteveLCo

    December 28, 2014 at 3:41 pm

    Jameis Winston is the #1 pick, he hasn’t lost a game in 2 years and he gets better when the game is on the line. Any GM that doesn’t draft him needs to be fired.

  76. 76.

    KG

    December 28, 2014 at 3:42 pm

    @Corner Stone: I thought Simmons said he wanted to see Watt at QB, or at least said he wouldn’t be surprised

  77. 77.

    The Dangerman

    December 28, 2014 at 3:42 pm

    Put me down for Manziel being a bust; he and RGIII have the same set of problems, mostly, their skills worked wonders in College but it won’t in the Pros.

    ETA: Someone will take a flyer on Winston in the 1st Round (and probably live to regret it).

    ETA2: Oh, well, at least I won’t have to watch the Chargers choke in the playoffs.

  78. 78.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 3:44 pm

    @SteveLCo:

    Jameis Winston is the #1 pick

    Jameis Winston is a head case who will implode in the NFL. If the NCAA had any semblance of normalcy they would have forced him off the roster long ago.
    Seriously. Who the fuck jumps on cafeteria tables and starts shouting epithets at female students on campus?

  79. 79.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 3:44 pm

    @The Dangerman: Johnny Bench!

  80. 80.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 3:45 pm

    @KG: Yeah, that’s why I didn’t put a comma.
    I was trying to say that what dumbass was saying was the same nonsensical nonsense that Bill Simmons has recently said.

  81. 81.

    Mnemosyne (iPad Mini)

    December 28, 2014 at 3:46 pm

    @the Conster:

    As I understand it, most of the other English-speaking countries still use Black as an ethnic identifier, so someone will be Black Canadian or Black British. B-J favorite Idris Elba is Black British, not African-American.

    I don’t know for sure, but I think African-American came about because people started talking about Asian-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Native Americans, etc. as distinct groups and it seemed weird to exclude Black people from that. Of course, white people are still excluded from that even though it would make more sense to say “European-Americans” to match everyone else’s ethnic designation, so it just gets weird all over again.

  82. 82.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 3:46 pm

    Yes! Count it for two!
    JJ WATT!!

  83. 83.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 3:46 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Well, they’re behind now. Does that count?

  84. 84.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 3:47 pm

    Only player to have multiple seasons with 20+ sacks. JJ Watt.

  85. 85.

    Tommy

    December 28, 2014 at 3:48 pm

    @raven: Normally, well years ago I would have agreed with you. But it seems now you can pick a RB in the fifth round from gosh knows what college program and they can be a total stud.

    I might also add my Washington team and the Cowboys are about to brawl. I like my team to play with passion, but come on guys. You suck. You are getting beat by your main rivals. Play with some dignity darn it.

  86. 86.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 3:51 pm

    @Mnemosyne (iPad Mini): European Americans are generally broken down by nationality.

  87. 87.

    Goblue72

    December 28, 2014 at 3:52 pm

    Based on this season, OL is a priority for the draft. That and someday finding a decent QB to be Brady’s understudy.

  88. 88.

    Tree With Water

    December 28, 2014 at 3:54 pm

    @Mnemosyne (iPad Mini): I’ve lived through three incantations of what constitutes respectful address: 1) negro; 2) black; 3) afro-American. Doubtless owing to my age, Afro-American does not trip off my tongue, so ‘black’ it is with me.

  89. 89.

    Gravenstone

    December 28, 2014 at 3:54 pm

    @Amir Khalid: I did in high school. But I’m afraid a barely remembered class from nearly 40 years ago won’t afford you much help.

  90. 90.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 3:58 pm

    @raven:

    Yea, you are right, Gurley is just some running back.

    No, he’s the best running back in the NCAA. The reason no one should draft him highly isn’t because he’s not really damned good. It’s the the gap between the very best running back in the world and some guy you pick up in the 4th round is a hell of a lot smaller than the gap at any other position on the field. Running backs are injury prone (even for football players) and subject to notoriously high variance from one year to the next (which is partially a result of being injury prone).

    It isn’t any comment on Gurley that he’s not worthy of a high pick. It’s a statement about running backs.

  91. 91.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 3:59 pm

    And Tampa clinches the #1 pick.

  92. 92.

    Tommy

    December 28, 2014 at 4:01 pm

    @Tree With Water: It is hard to know what phrase to use. African American is OK but black isn’t. Can I say homosexual or or I should say gay? As I get older, near 50, I am having a harder and harder time knowing what I can or can’t say. I want to be respectful to others but my gosh it is getting harder and harder to know what phrases are acceptable.

  93. 93.

    Tree With Water

    December 28, 2014 at 4:01 pm

    I took a dislike to Phillip Rivers within just the last 2 weeks, owing to his big shot smack talking about a truly mediocre 49er team. So I’m glad the Chargers got beat today, and hope Darrel Issa took a bath betting on them to win.

  94. 94.

    The Dangerman

    December 28, 2014 at 4:05 pm

    I’ll also predict that the Niners will rue the day they ran Harbaugh out of town; sure, he’s an arrogant prick that is insufferable. He’s also a winner. The Niners will get a calmer locker room that will go well with their Napa Valley wine but they will be no better than .500 for a while.

    ETA: …and, no, Niners, you can’t have Jim Mora, Jr.

    ETA: I’m looking forward to what Mora can do with a real QB talent (Rosen, though he’s probably a couple years off); Hundley’s another QB who had the skills for a decent college QB but has no chance in the NFL.

  95. 95.

    Brendan in Charlotte

    December 28, 2014 at 4:08 pm

    @SteveLCo: FSU hasn’t lost in 2 years partly because the men in stripes have been there to rescue Jameis.

    @Corner Stone: Someone who’s never had consequences to deal with because of his athletic talent.

  96. 96.

    Tommy

    December 28, 2014 at 4:12 pm

    @The Dangerman: Oh they will rue the day. I’ve played a lot of sports at high levels. Including D1. I am sure they are out there, but I’ve never had a sports coach, that was good, that wasn’t a total dick. Not one. Funny thing, years later looking back I realize they were pretty awesome people. Giving me a kick in the ass. Tough love. Asking more of me.

  97. 97.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 4:12 pm

    @The Dangerman:

    I’ll also predict that the Niners will rue the day they ran Harbaugh out of town; sure, he’s an arrogant prick that is insufferable. He’s also a winner. The Niners will get a calmer locker room that will go well with their Napa Valley wine but they will be no better than .500 for a while.

    Maybe they can hire Mike Singletary back.

  98. 98.

    KG

    December 28, 2014 at 4:13 pm

    @The Dangerman: eh, I think Harbaugh is one of those guys that burns out with people after about four years. That’s a risky thing to do in the pros because you’re best players tend to be there for more than that. They also tend to make more than the coach and know that the team can more easily release a coach than they can a player (because of salary cap issues). I think Harbaugh’s schtick is better suited to college where guys are looking at 3-5 years and have much less power.

  99. 99.

    Eric

    December 28, 2014 at 4:14 pm

    @raven:
    I’m not saying he’s just some RB, I’m saying the difference between a really, really good RB and a really good one isn’t that much. A good running game in the Pros is about the O-Line a lot more than the RB.

  100. 100.

    The Dangerman

    December 28, 2014 at 4:17 pm

    @KG:

    I think Harbaugh’s schtick is better suited to college…

    Yes, and he will bring UM back pretty quickly; still, he got a raw deal in SF (or, at least, as raw as you can get while getting paid several Mill a year).

  101. 101.

    Mike J

    December 28, 2014 at 4:20 pm

    @The Dangerman:

    he’s an arrogant prick that is insufferable. He’s also a winner. The Niners will get a calmer locker room that will go well with their Napa Valley wine but they will be no better than .500 for a while

    From all reports, the Seahawks have the calmest locker room in the NFL. Players who think they;re more important than the team get traded. The coach is in charge, even of players who make more money than he does. No shouting is required. The players enjoy the (relative) lack of drama.

    Refusal to put up with assholes doesn’t seem to have hurt the Seahawks.

  102. 102.

    pablo

    December 28, 2014 at 4:24 pm

    GOOOOOOO Falcons!!!!
    Hello…..anybody here?

  103. 103.

    Tommy

    December 28, 2014 at 4:28 pm

    @Mike J: You have the same with the Pats. They don’t seem to suffer fools lightly. You mess up on the field or off and they shit can you. Just reload. I can’t stand the Patriots but all of that is they just run a tight ship.

  104. 104.

    Mustang Bobby

    December 28, 2014 at 4:31 pm

    Of course the Dolphins lost. What did you expect?

  105. 105.

    Tree With Water

    December 28, 2014 at 4:33 pm

    @The Dangerman: The onus of the Harbaugh situation rests with Jed York. It’s a bad, bad sign when a team is in viable contention- as the Niners were- yet talk about head coach being traded dominates the headlines. Even worse, until Harbaugh’s being hired, York’s judgement of head coaches was abysmal. Many people seem to forget how godawful the Niners were prior to him taking over from the hapless Mike Singletary. My gut tells me that’s what lays in store for the team, but jee-zuz I sure hope not. I can enjoy watching the season of a losing 49er team, but I can’t stand watching them play wretched football. And that’s how badly they consistently played prior to Harbaugh.

  106. 106.

    SRW1

    December 28, 2014 at 4:39 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    Sorry, but I hate grammer books, no matter what language. Also, too: I don’t speak any Spanish.

  107. 107.

    Tommy

    December 28, 2014 at 4:39 pm

    @Tree With Water: I will defer to you since you seem to be a 49ners fan. But If I am not mistaken Harbaugh took over and turned the team around in a single year. Heck made Alex Smith look like an All Pro QB.

    As I said in another comment every coach I have ever had that was any good was a dick. Same for my bosses. If you didn’t buy into what they thought life was hell and you’d be soon looking for another job.

  108. 108.

    Violet

    December 28, 2014 at 4:40 pm

    @Mustang Bobby: The Dolphins? Are they still a team? Haven’t thought about them in years.

  109. 109.

    Mike J

    December 28, 2014 at 4:42 pm

    @Tommy: The guy who is in charge doesn’t have to yell.

  110. 110.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 4:42 pm

    @pablo: Yup.

  111. 111.

    Tommy

    December 28, 2014 at 4:47 pm

    @Mike J: Oh I am with you. I had some pretty hardcore bosses. They always taught me that if I had to raise my voice or yell I wasn’t doing my job very well.

  112. 112.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 4:48 pm

    I don’t get it. I thought CBS had AFC games but the Falcons-Panthers are on CBS and the Packers and Lions are on Fox.

  113. 113.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 4:51 pm

    @Tommy: One of the reasons I’ve come to enjoy women’s sports more than men’s is that successful coaching styles are, on average, very different. The good coaches aren’t, for the most part, assholes. Two of the three most successful current coaches in women’s ice hockey, Mark Johnson and Brad Frost, don’t behave that way. In fact, Johnson has some very good comments about how he had to learn not to yell at his players in order to become a success coaching women.

    It’s really refreshing.

  114. 114.

    JPL

    December 28, 2014 at 4:52 pm

    @raven: Carolina is certainly moving the ball well and now they score a touchdown.

  115. 115.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 4:53 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Shit, Andy Landers, the highly successful women’s hoops coach at Georgia is a total asshole.

    I spent 20 years running municipal sports programs and addressing the issues in kids sports was a focus for me. We had an excellent training program for coaches with an emphasis on coaching psychology. I finally gave up because the only thing worse than the coaches it’s the idiot fucking parents.

  116. 116.

    Gravenstone

    December 28, 2014 at 4:53 pm

    @raven: Last time a similar arrangement occurred, someone here explained that it was compensation for having a conference appropriate game shifted into either the Sunday night or Monday slot.

  117. 117.

    Tree With Water

    December 28, 2014 at 4:56 pm

    @Tommy: You’ve got a good bead on the Niners. Harbaugh righted the ship. He isn’t a jerk so much as a quirk, which everyone knew when he was coaching Stanford. He certainly deserved better treatment than he’s received from York. To which York would probably reply, “Better treatment? I made him a multi-millionaire”.

  118. 118.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 4:57 pm

    @raven: This is why I said, “On average.”

  119. 119.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 4:58 pm

    @JPL: It’s a long game.

  120. 120.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 5:01 pm

    @efgoldman: My shitty team is the Bears and I’d take Gurley.

  121. 121.

    KG

    December 28, 2014 at 5:03 pm

    @Tommy: I’ve had plenty of asshole bosses, I wouldn’t call any of them good. The good bosses I’ve had tended to be not assholes, who were willing to listen/learn.

  122. 122.

    Tommy

    December 28, 2014 at 5:05 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: I don’t know. Thinking out loud. Do you think that is a difference between women and men? You can yell at boys to get results, but not girls. I don’t have any kids so I only know my experience and yelling at me seemed to work. The only side experience I have is my six-year-old niece. She is playing like every sport, because that is what we do, and none of her coaches yell at her.

    I joke I went to see her play soccer. I was told they don’t keep score. I was like WTF, then why play? Seeing the game was stunning. Like eight soccer fields. No score kept. Kids playing as hard as I think any would if they kept score. Made me think I need to rethink the whole “win/lose” concept.

  123. 123.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 5:12 pm

    @raven: The Bears just gave up more points than any other team in the NFL (Oakland could still catch them with a sufficiently brutal performance. Meanwhile, their offense was borderline average, with a running game that was better than that. They really shouldn’t take Gurley with the #7 pick.

  124. 124.

    Tommy

    December 28, 2014 at 5:14 pm

    @Tree With Water:

    He isn’t a jerk so much as a quirk.

    See I got that about him. I am a little “off.” I march to the beat of a different drummer. It is not always easy for people to understand. Honestly why I never worked for a large company, always small firms, that I could work with people that were either like myself or understood me.

    To tie back to Harbough, so the dude is a little “off.” Well he wins doesn’t he?

  125. 125.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 5:15 pm

    @Tommy: Johnson says that you don’t need to yell at the women because they’re already listening to you and that you shouldn’t yell at them because they tend to believe what you tell them. So if you start screaming at them that they suck, you are more likely to demoralize them than you are to motivate them.

    Is that inherent to being women or is it cultural? I don’t know.

    I should add that that fits with some of the behavior I’ve witnessed just as a fan. It’s not just that I find the coaches more appealing in women’s hockey; I find the athletes more appealing, too.

  126. 126.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 5:17 pm

    @Tommy: That yelling bullshit it totally overrated no matter what the gender. There are some kids that may be motivated by it but, by and large it does no good. Kids coaches have a tendency to emulate what they see as “successful” coaching styles and idiots like Bob Knight have set the trend. Kids are pushed into organized sports way to early and, if they have to be, they should be taught fundamentals.

    If you can meet victory and defeat
    and treat those two imposters just the same. . .

  127. 127.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    December 28, 2014 at 5:17 pm

    I would draft an adult to supervise Johnny Football, his agent needs to tell him, that he his pissing away his money with his antics, maybe he needs Brian Bosworth to grow him up.( ESPN had an excellent doc on Bosworth, called Brian and the Boz. I recommend it)

  128. 128.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 5:18 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Besides, he’s got one hell of a name.

  129. 129.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 5:19 pm

    @Tommy:

    As I said in another comment every coach I have ever had that was any good was a dick. Same for my bosses. If you didn’t buy into what they thought life was hell and you’d be soon looking for another job.

    I’ve never had a professional “boss” that yelled or was a dick. The people elevated into the top tiers all did so by building consensus, not being make or break assholes.

  130. 130.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 5:19 pm

    @Mr Stagger Lee: He’s rich, he don’t give a fuck.

    “Manziel was born in Tyler, Texas on December 6, 1992, the son to Michelle (née Liberato) and Paul Manziel.[12] He has a younger sister who is in high school. Manziel’s great-great-grandfather Joseph emigrated to the United States in 1883 from the Mount Lebanon region of Syria in what is now Lebanon.[13] His family became wealthy through the Texas petroleum industry.[14]”

  131. 131.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 5:23 pm

    Dog bless Gary Busey.

  132. 132.

    Roger Moore

    December 28, 2014 at 5:25 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym:

    European Americans are generally broken down by nationality.

    Which doesn’t help for people who don’t have a simple ancestry. What do you call somebody who has one grandparent each from Poland, Italy, Germany, and Ireland?

  133. 133.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    December 28, 2014 at 5:25 pm

    @raven: I can see in a few years, an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary on Manziel, Ryan Leaf and JaMarcus Russell on first round QB’s who crapped the bed.(feel free to any more like Brady Quinn,or Tim Couch both Cleveland Browns first picks.)

  134. 134.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 5:25 pm

    @raven: He has an awesome name and two goals over the Soviets in the 1980 Olympic medal round. Fuck Eruzione; Johnson and Craig were the heroes of that team.

  135. 135.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    December 28, 2014 at 5:25 pm

    @Tree With Water: The onus is on Jim Harbaugh. He’s always been a world-class douchebag.

  136. 136.

    Tommy

    December 28, 2014 at 5:26 pm

    @raven: You will be happy to know I am not coaching any children.

    In my life coaches yelled. Even put their hands on me. I recall my wrestling coach, more than twice my size, used to throw me around. Tell me I was a wimp. I told him I was 98 pounds and he was like 220, this didn’t seem fair. He said to “buck up.”

  137. 137.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 5:26 pm

    @Mr Stagger Lee: Joey Harrington. Oh, god, Joey Harrington.

  138. 138.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 5:27 pm

    Carolina appears to want to go to the playoffs.

  139. 139.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 5:28 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: You ain’t tellin me nuthin.

  140. 140.

    Violet

    December 28, 2014 at 5:29 pm

    @Corner Stone: I have. One professional boss yelled and was so manipulative he pitted one worker against another for months on end until he got bored and then picked another duo to torment. It was nightmarish working for him. I could go on about that horror show but the only thing we could figure is that he had to have dirt on his boss because no one like him could have kept their job without blackmail material.

    I worked for a female boss who yelled a lot. A. Lot. She was more bark than bite, though, and everyone knew it. Loved her. We’d laugh at her yelling, then she’d laugh and it was all good.

    I didn’t work for this guy but knew him and knew the people who reported to him. He yelled so much and turned so red in the face that his management made him go to the doctor to get his blood pressure checked on a regular basis. He broke his phone by slamming the receiver down too hard when he was angry. More than one phone. Constant yelling and throwing and breaking things. His employees were scared of him.

    I worked for another guy who yelled all the time, including using expletives on a regular basis. The previous guy at his job had died at his desk because of the high stress. Everyone in that job yelled all the time–expletives constantly. It was the culture of the job. If you couldn’t take it–find something else to do.

    These were all professional jobs with college educated or advanced degreed people.

  141. 141.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 5:32 pm

    @Violet:

    I worked for a female boss who yelled a lot. A. Lot.

    I worked with, not for, someone like this. The company moved her out against her will by changing compensation and she decided to start her own company.

  142. 142.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 5:33 pm

    The Lions, on the other hand, clearly have no interest in having a bye.

    Though, Aaron Rodgers just crumpled to the turf.

  143. 143.

    Violet

    December 28, 2014 at 5:37 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Now he’s being driven off the field. That’s not good.

  144. 144.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 5:38 pm

    @raven: In the game against the Soviets at the 1980 Olympics, Mark Johnson twice tied the game, at 2-2 with less than a second left in a first period that the Soviets completely dominated and again at 3-3 early in the third period. Mike Eruzione has been working the rubber chicken circuit for 35 years off of scoring the winning goal but he actually didn’t have a very good game and Johnson did.

  145. 145.

    Betty Cracker

    December 28, 2014 at 5:40 pm

    @Roger Moore: In that situation, the ethnicity of the last name seems to dictate the pigeonhole into which the person is placed.

  146. 146.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 5:41 pm

    Sidearm Stafford looks awful today.

  147. 147.

    Betty Cracker

    December 28, 2014 at 5:43 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: What happened to Rodgers?

  148. 148.

    Gravenstone

    December 28, 2014 at 5:43 pm

    @Violet: I hope the defense can hold that 14 point lead (he says as the Lions execute a 2 minute drive). There likely won’t be much GB offense in the second half. Granted, if all Flynn (or Tolzien) does is hand the ball to Lacy/Starks/Cobb, there are worse ways to run an offense.

  149. 149.

    Gravenstone

    December 28, 2014 at 5:44 pm

    @Betty Cracker: He tweaked his left calf last week. Aggravated it today on a scramble. Couldn’t put weight on it and crumpled, right as he was dishing off a TD pass.

  150. 150.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 5:48 pm

    @Gravenstone: The Lions have the best run defense in the NFL, despite what it looked like on the first GB possession. This Lions’ fan will be perfectly happy if the Packers take that approach.

  151. 151.

    Betty Cracker

    December 28, 2014 at 5:48 pm

    @Gravenstone: Thanks!

    Apparently Lovie Smith is being accused of throwing the game for the #1 pick; he issued a denial. It’s perfectly plausible to believe they were really trying to win. They’ve blown multiple leads this year.

  152. 152.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 5:55 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: You really think I don’t know that? I was at the NC State School of Sports Management held up the road from Cole at Oglebay Park in Wheeling West Virginia and we watched all the hockey we could. Damn.

  153. 153.

    carolus

    December 28, 2014 at 5:56 pm

    If your team has a high draft pick, consider trading down.

    There’s no QB or RB that’s going to help you in this draft. The smart team will stockpile picks to get OLs and CBs. And you could very well well get a gem of a QB in the 5th or 6th round..someone like Cody Kessler (USC) or Bryce Petty (Baylor).

    Build an offensive line and even mediocre NFL Q Bs and RBs will prosper. Get at least one lockdown CB and your defense improves dramatically.

    QBs, RBs and WRs are all risks–they could pay off but it’s like the lottery.

  154. 154.

    Gin & Tonic

    December 28, 2014 at 6:02 pm

    @Tommy: You can yell at boys to get results, but not girls.

    You may get short-term results, but not long-term.

    I’ve worked for a long time with teenaged boys in a community/youth-group sort of setting. I’ve never, ever raised my voice. Frankly, they find it far more intimidating if I speak quietly.

    Anyway, I’ve kept up with many of them, adults now, who still understand the difference between fear and respect. Respect lasts.

  155. 155.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 6:02 pm

    Methinks the Falcons is done.

  156. 156.

    ruemara

    December 28, 2014 at 6:02 pm

    I’ve had the worst headache all day, the new windshield wiper arm went on like a dream but it’s not fitting the actual windshield wiper head and we still have to lift the inner chassis to the shifter to replace the light. At least this week is a two day one for me. Or I’d have to take sick leave.

  157. 157.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 6:07 pm

    @ruemara: What is this, 2 weeks on a windshield wiper? You must have gone to Cole’s School of Auto Repair!

  158. 158.

    The Dangerman

    December 28, 2014 at 6:08 pm

    @raven:

    Methinks the Falcons is done.

    …and starting to get crispy.

  159. 159.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 6:10 pm

    @The Dangerman: I watched Hard Knocks and can’t forget that Smith told the guys he was cutting “this is going to happen to us all”!

  160. 160.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 6:14 pm

    Fuck Cam Newton. Fucking punk-ass auburn shit sucker.

  161. 161.

    Tommy

    December 28, 2014 at 6:16 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Understood. As I said in another comment I don’t coach children. Maybe if I did I wouldn’t be the best at it.

    This pains me. Six-year-old niece is starting to play tennis. I can play tennis almost like you see on TV. I can do things with a tennis racket that will blow your mind.

    Worried I might yell at her …..

  162. 162.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 6:17 pm

    Tie game at Lambeau.

  163. 163.

    Roger Moore

    December 28, 2014 at 6:17 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:
    I would also say that actions speak louder than words. Nothing makes people pay attention better than making clear rules and enforcing them, especially when it’s clear that the rules apply equally to everyone.

  164. 164.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 6:20 pm

    @Tommy: Here’s what you do. Remove “Tommy” from it and teach her how to play the game. I had a coaches training video with Arthur Ashe in it and he told a story about a guy he played with at UCLA. He said his parents made him play all his life and when he played his last match in college he put his racket down and never picked it up again. He hated it. We should want kids to play because the love, or at least like, the sport. It’s about what they are going to do for the rest of their lives not what some adult get from living through them.

  165. 165.

    Tommy

    December 28, 2014 at 6:28 pm

    @raven: Stealler advice.

    From like 12 to 16 I spent every free time at a tennis camp. I loved the game but when you and others were at home for Christmas I was at tennis camp. Every spare day there. You might think it is cool, looking back not so much.

  166. 166.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 6:32 pm

    @Tommy: I had a friend who was a scholarship football player at Illinois but he was never going to be more than scout team (he was a really good athlete compared to most people) and he HATED football with a passion but he hung to get through school.

    Lest you think I’m blowing smoke I always coached in the programs I ran. I felt that if I was going to ask people to conduct themselves in a certain way I needed to lead by example. The most fun I ever had was a team of 4th-5th graders and 8 of 10 had never touched a basketball. We ended up .500 and had a ball.

  167. 167.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 6:50 pm

    @raven: Sorry. I misunderstood your comment.

  168. 168.

    Violet

    December 28, 2014 at 7:12 pm

    @Tommy: Your niece’s ability to play tennis is not about you. If you find yourself yelling at her you need to remove yourself from the situation and find someone else to coach her. If you yell at your niece that has to do with you and your issues and nothing to do with your niece’s tennis skills.

  169. 169.

    ruemara

    December 28, 2014 at 7:13 pm

    @raven: I have no idea how to repair a windshield wiper arm. I had to wait until one of my mechanically inclined friends was free to work on the car with me.

  170. 170.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym

    December 28, 2014 at 7:14 pm

    The Lions are toast. I don’t have a good feeling about them winning their second playoff game of the Super Bowl era next week, either.

  171. 171.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 7:26 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Nah, it’s just that I share the name so I’ve always known about him.

  172. 172.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 7:28 pm

    @ruemara: Unless I’m missing something you just want to replace the entire unit, arm and blade.

  173. 173.

    Tree With Water

    December 28, 2014 at 7:39 pm

    @raven: A guy I grew up with was an outstanding football player who started for our very good high school team. But he despised summer practice, and ducked it altogether going into our senior year. Which meant he didn’t make the team. We were standing together when the championship winning catch was made by his replacement. My friend quietly said, “That would have been me”, then turned and walked away while everyone else was going crazy.

  174. 174.

    Corner Stone

    December 28, 2014 at 8:21 pm

    @Tree With Water:

    But he despised summer practice, and ducked it altogether going into our senior year. Which meant he didn’t make the team.

    That is completely outside the realm of what others are talking about. If he didn’t want to put the work in, and be equal to his team mates who all had to show up and work, then no, that would never have been him.

  175. 175.

    raven

    December 28, 2014 at 9:14 pm

    @Tree With Water: That’s the way the cookie crumbles they say.

  176. 176.

    grandpa john

    December 28, 2014 at 10:17 pm

    @Mike J: Their coach covers the asshole part for the team

  177. 177.

    PaulW

    December 28, 2014 at 10:46 pm

    I was at the Bucs game today, by the by.

    As for the top overall draft pick, while Cooper is a solid Top Five, the Bucs don’t need WR this year. The needs are in this specific order: OT, QB, MLB, OG, FS, DE. And while OT trumps QB for NEED, the availability in this draft is reversed: there are no Offensive Tackles currently valued even within the Top 10 projected rookies. Meanwhile, Mariota is being projected as a Top Five talent (with Winston projection dropping to a Top Twenty due to the off-field concerns). Like it or not, Bucs are drafting QB in 2015. And they might as well go get the guy being scouted as best-available.

  178. 178.

    PaulW

    December 28, 2014 at 10:51 pm

    @carolus:

    If your team has a high draft pick, consider trading down.

    Problems with that:
    1) Not a lot of teams eager to trade up, which is the only way trading down can work. (heh)
    2) If you have serious woes at QB – McCown?! Glennon?!?! – then drafting Mariota even as a rookie is a viable upgrade.
    3) Stockpiling picks for OL and CB not feasible in a draft where the scouting is telling us the OL talent is thin and the CB talent always big question marks. Sometimes you gotta see what the Free Agency market is gonna provide for Guard and Cornerback, which tend to have good veteran talents for signing that can improve depth.

  179. 179.

    billb

    December 28, 2014 at 10:56 pm

    I am a HomeBoy here, as an Oregon alum, but there is no better man in the game than Marcus Mariota. Hey if I had a big company [looking at you Phil Knight] I would pay him MORE than the NFL to have him rep my brand. GO DUCKS

  180. 180.

    Bonnie

    December 28, 2014 at 11:13 pm

    Winston and Mariota will be going head to head on New Year’s day. That should settle the “which is better” argument. Personally, I am rooting for Mariota, though. And, very personally, if I were 40 years younger, I would be wanting to marry Mariota.

  181. 181.

    dmbeaster

    December 29, 2014 at 3:37 pm

    @BankerNole: You are a jerk. I just read through the evidence concerning this case. Just more victim bashing. No one can ever know beyond a reasonable doubt whether or not Winston was guilty, but there is nothing to suggest that the witness made up the story or that she is lying about her own perception of being assaulted. This case was not prosecuted first and foremost because the local police refused to do anything meaningful about it, and dropped it once Winston was identified as the suspect. There was plenty of evidence available that might have shed some light on what happened, but which was all lost since the police simply do not take campus rape seriously in Tallahassee. Evidence such as the bar videotapes, the recollections of the taxi driver, the videotape taken by Winston’s friend, and other such info all lost because there was never a meaningful timely investigation.

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