O/T: The NFL thread with some baseball thrown in

[PaulUSA]

I was just looking at the Raider schedule. Looks like your best option for attending a game this year would be to target the 4 Dec game at Miami. That game and Buffalo are the only two east coast (cheaper air fare) games. Plus, you'd find yourself in sunny Florida in December --- bring some sunglasses, roller skates, and your....err, official Raider thong and you're all set.

[PaulUSA]

One mound I would not mind pitching from, mate! Good call

Clearly, your priorities are in good order, Gino! :clap2:

[The Subhuman]

Prime candidate for Understatement of the Year! :thup:

B/t the reading and your passion for music, I'm reminded of that old XTC song -- one...two...three...four...five senses working overtime....

As an apprentice we were royally riped off by our bosses with the same rate pay for Saturdays and Sundays as other days we used to sing Senseless Working Overtime

[The Subhuman]

Marcus Canon has the treatable type of Non Hodgkins I see

[PaulUSA]

Marcus Canon has the treatable type of Non Hodgkins I see

Sad to hear that. My wife was diagnosed with the same a year into our marriage (days after my first daughter was born). Mercifully, her chemo zapped everything, and she's still ragging on me daily -- 27 years later.

[PaulUSA]

Well, the idiotic Panthers went and did it...drafted a QB. This team and this player deserve each other. Tim Couch...Jamarcus Russell...Alex Smith...Vince Young......Cam Newton...timber-er-er-er-er-er-er!!

[The Subhuman]

Well, the idiotic Panthers went and did it...drafted a QB. This team and this player deserve each other. Tim Couch...Jamarcus Russell...Alex Smith...Vince Young......Cam Newton...timber-er-er-er-er-er-er!!

Ryan Leaf? the Panthers must be thinking they'll finish dead last again and pick up Luck next season, though that would have happened if they just stuck with Clausen...( they're gonna rotate QB's like running backs next season. Cam Newton will be the third down QB ) But if Cam Newton starts the 1-2 punch with the half backs becomes redundant surely

Von Miller goes second ( the real no 1 pick) . Fairly to the Lions blew me away and The Falcons pay the price and more for a receiver with dodgy hands (coughHedywoodBeycough)

Jets fan over on waccoe says DT is not a need, Pass Rush is, no way will the Jets take a DT


Raiders play tonight.....3 second round QB's on the table will they be able to resist if one falls their way

and finally is it New Englands ploy to have all 32 picks in the first round of a draft in a few years to come

[PaulUSA]

Ryan Leaf? the Panthers must be thinking they'll finish dead last again and pick up Luck next season, though that would have happened if they just stuck with Clausen...( they're gonna rotate QB's like running backs next season. Cam Newton will be the third down QB ) But if Cam Newton starts the 1-2 punch with the half backs becomes redundant surely

Von Miller goes second ( the real no 1 pick) . Fairly to the Lions blew me away and The Falcons pay the price and more for a receiver with dodgy hands (coughHedywoodBeycough)

Jets fan over on waccoe says DT is not a need, Pass Rush is, no way will the Jets take a DT


Raiders play tonight.....3 second round QB's on the table will they be able to resist if one falls their way

and finally is it New Englands ploy to have all 32 picks in the first round of a draft in a few years to come

As a Niners fan, not sure how I feel about Aldon Smith. Justin Smith worked out fine; Alex Smith, not so much. Might be tempting fate to go with yet another Smythe. (See how I translated the name into Brit Talk for you? )

I think the Saints may have done well with Cam Jordan and Mark Ingram late in the first.

Good luck to the Raiders tonight. I hear they're considering drafting Bradley Johnson because they like the way his kicks invariably soar high into the upper deck -- could be the successor to Sebastian.

[Gino 1959]

Good luck to the Raiders tonight. I hear they're considering drafting Bradley Johnson because they like the way his kicks invariably soar high into the upper deck -- could be the successor to Sebastian.

Didn't NFL teams used to draft rugby players from England (and maybe other places) and bring them on just for the kicks at goal?

[The Subhuman]

Didn't NFL teams used to draft rugby players from England (and maybe other places) and bring them on just for the kicks at goal?

a 26 yearold former Rugby player and a Canadian to boot got drafted in the first round last night going to the Eagles, a fireman too I believe....

It'll be interesting to see who the Raiders take at 48 we have needs at QB,WR, OL, DL LB and Secondary but braking it down a little the reciever needs to be of the experienced type and we could wait on the d line. secondary is the greatest area of need, corner if Nmandi goes and a saftey. with Canon probably not feasible I reckon we go Corner, Guard, saftey, olb, then it'll be gloves off for Al and Buster Skrine ( or someone else at light speed,) a late pick QB and don't be surprised to see a Half Back come to us in case talks with Bush go badly

[The Subhuman]

3 players off the raiders board already in this second round

Ras I, Kaepernik and of course Canon

[The Subhuman]

is it me or are the Raiders having a poor draft

[PaulUSA]

Well, they got that center you mentioned -- I guess you really never know about a draft until 6 months on or more.

Last night, the Giants and a few other teams in need of CBs all passed on the top remaining possibilities....causing the commentator to say that they were all preparing to negotiate for the Raiders' hot corner (whose name I won't try to spell).

[The Subhuman]

Well, they got that center you mentioned -- I guess you really never know about a draft until 6 months on or more.

Last night, the Giants and a few other teams in need of CBs all passed on the top remaining possibilities....causing the commentator to say that they were all preparing to negotiate for the Raiders' hot corner (whose name I won't try to spell).

asomugha, nut I know what you mean I often spell it wrong

I'm not that unhappy with mini wiz, but the third round looks dodgy Van Dyke was probably a 4th rounder at best, I think Chekwa looks the more talented corner and I guess this means no chance of Nmandi returning, and Bush might be going to as it seems we are replacing Thunder and Lightning combo with Lightning and Lightning...

Now have we drafted the three fastest players at the Combine yet?

edited to add: a speed guy arrives, finally we get a pace on the team. we needed a really quick reciever Bey and Ford

two to go and I reckon we'll still take a qb...if McElroy goes welcome Mr Portis ( he must be quick being related to Clinton)

[The Subhuman]

nice Matthew Berry Column had me chuckling today, excellent use of a Jay Cutler put down. Using maxim's hot 100 by way of introduction he expounds

Who needs to work on her hotness? Well, Brooklyn Decker (fell from No. 2 last year to 36 this year), Arianny Celeste (23 to 70), Joanna Krupa (37 to 55) and Zoe Saldana (3 to 37) apparently had down seasons and should work on getting back to fundamentals and stop doing all the non-hot things they did last year. At least I understand Kim Kardashian's fall (9 to 35) since she traded in a Saint for a Net. Sure, you're courtside, but it's courtside in New Jersey. Just sayin

anyhoo

trying to come from behind in all 3 of my head to head point games for this week but comfortable in the two roto based leagues

Just picked up Mauer in one league and he can sit on DL till he's ready, but I'm not sure how long I can sit on both Uttley and Morales in another, two long tem DL'ers is kind of wrecking my pitching staff. I spent reasonably high picks on both (6&8) so I'm loathe to let them go...now if I could put them back on the shelf behind the Mantovani albums and get away with it I would (that's not bad, maybe I could sell that one to the great Mr Berry himself)


Just Saying is all...............

[PaulUSA]

nice Matthew Berry Column had me chuckling today, excellent use of a Jay Cutler put down. Using maxim's hot 100 by way of introduction he expounds
anyhoo

trying to come from behind in all 3 of my head to head point games for this week but comfortable in the two roto based leagues

Just picked up Mauer in one league and he can sit on DL till he's ready, but I'm not sure how long I can sit on both Uttley and Morales in another, two long tem DL'ers is kind of wrecking my pitching staff. I spent reasonably high picks on both (6&8) so I'm loathe to let them go...now if I could put them back on the shelf behind the Mantovani albums and get away with it I would (that's not bad, maybe I could sell that one to the great Mr Berry himself)
Just Saying is all...............

Pardon my ignorance, but I'm not catching the Jay Cutler connection in the hot list quote. Is it simply that Cutler was being compared to a Brooklyn Decker (doing a nose dive down the chart) or is he connected to one of the women mentioned? (I guess it's not funny if you have to ask, but I'm at sea here. )

Believe it or not, I'm still on the fence about keeping Cutler next season. Rodgers, Manning, Rivers, Brady, and Brees will be unavailable to me -- and possibly Vick, too -- so I can either keep Cutler or Eli or try to catch on with a Stafford, Bradford, or other young QB on the rise....ah, too soon to be thinking about that nonsense. First I have to talk to Uncle Ken about some upgrades.

[The Subhuman]

Pardon my ignorance, but I'm not catching the Jay Cutler connection in the hot list quote. Is it simply that Cutler was being compared to a Brooklyn Decker (doing a nose dive down the chart) or is he connected to one of the women mentioned? (I guess it's not funny if you have to ask, but I'm at sea here. )

Believe it or not, I'm still on the fence about keeping Cutler next season. Rodgers, Manning, Rivers, Brady, and Brees will be unavailable to me -- and possibly Vick, too -- so I can either keep Cutler or Eli or try to catch on with a Stafford, Bradford, or other young QB on the rise....ah, too soon to be thinking about that nonsense. First I have to talk to Uncle Ken about some upgrades.

sorry mate you'd have to read the whole article, I confused you by quoting a different part of it

http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/baseb ... =tmr110505

but the relevent passage is

Make no mistake, when I read the 2011 edition of Maxim's Hot 100 list, I had my share of head-scratchers. Like, where's Marisa Miller? She was No. 10 on last year's list and now she doesn't make the top 100? Was she in a grease fire I didn't hear about? Look, you want to drop Kristin Cavallari (last year's No. 76) from the list? I got no issue with that. Bears fans will tell you the addition of Jay Cutler drops anyone from contention.

[The Subhuman]

As for Cutler. I'm not a fan and if I possibly could I'd ditch him I would. I don't trust him our his weapons. Freeman maybe, Bradford, Ryan, Romo, Flacco, Schaub even, there must be better available

[PaulUSA]

As for Cutler. I'm not a fan and if I possibly could I'd ditch him I would. I don't trust him our his weapons. Freeman maybe, Bradford, Ryan, Romo, Flacco, Schaub even, there must be better available

You could well be right about Cutler -- certainly the conventional fantasy wisdom would support you. I just can't forget what he did in Denver -- w/ no one but Brandon Marshall to help, he put up monster numbers and looked to be the next "gotta have" fantasy QB.

The trade to Chicago chilled the buzz b/c everyone knows that the Bears are a "run first" team -- always have been. But after a year of adjustment, the Bears brought in Mike Martz as offensive coordinator and he's asked to install an offensive scheme like he used in his glory days at St. Louis -- where Kurt Warner first flourished.

So I figure, give Cutler another chance. And he was erratic, but put up very good numbers at times. He also showed that, with his cannon arm and his cocky nature, comes a propensity for throwing into coverage and an unwillingness to throw the ball away. Hence, interceptions (which don't hurt me in my league) and sacks (which hurt Jay and his ability to perform).

If Jay has the capacity to learn from his mistake, make adjustments to his game, and play smart, he can still get over the hump and be an elite fantasy QB. Martz is a great teacher and a riverboat gambler to boot. However, Jay may not ever reach the point where he plays smart and he might take enough beatings that he gets that shoulder injury that neutralizes his cannon and negates his potential.

My strategy will be to do what I did last season: pick up a Romo or an Eli or someone steady in the early going and bank on picking up Cutler as my backup. I don't think any of the other owners in my league value him as much as I do, so I can probably snatch him up in the middle rounds of the draft -- and give him one last chance.

[The Subhuman]

You could well be right about Cutler -- certainly the conventional fantasy wisdom would support you. I just can't forget what he did in Denver -- w/ no one but Brandon Marshall to help, he put up monster numbers and looked to be the next "gotta have" fantasy QB.

The trade to Chicago chilled the buzz b/c everyone knows that the Bears are a "run first" team -- always have been. But after a year of adjustment, the Bears brought in Mike Martz as offensive coordinator and he's asked to install an offensive scheme like he used in his glory days at St. Louis -- where Kurt Warner first flourished.

So I figure, give Cutler another chance. And he was erratic, but put up very good numbers at times. He also showed that, with his cannon arm and his cocky nature, comes a propensity for throwing into coverage and an unwillingness to throw the ball away. Hence, interceptions (which don't hurt me in my league) and sacks (which hurt Jay and his ability to perform).

If Jay has the capacity to learn from his mistake, make adjustments to his game, and play smart, he can still get over the hump and be an elite fantasy QB. Martz is a great teacher and a riverboat gambler to boot. However, Jay may not ever reach the point where he plays smart and he might take enough beatings that he gets that shoulder injury that neutralizes his cannon and negates his potential.

My strategy will be to do what I did last season: pick up a Romo or an Eli or someone steady in the early going and bank on picking up Cutler as my backup. I don't think any of the other owners in my league value him as much as I do, so I can probably snatch him up in the middle rounds of the draft -- and give him one last chance.

I don't rate his receivers and whilst it was only Marshall in Denver, what a weapon that is, they get a playmaker like that then I may rethink my point of view.......

I've got this one bloke pestering me for Tulo and not even with good offers, 4 times in the last two weeks he's proposed a trade 3 times I've rebuffed him, this time I've given him a price.