1984Echoes

3rd time's a charm... 1) Branch blew a gimme INT in the end zone and gives Minny 7 points. Changes the score but just a WAG because it doesn't say 30-17 at the end since the game flow changes. But... still... 2) Cominsky kicks the ball instead of falling on it. Ends the game. 3) Melifonwu - THIRD TIMES a CHARM!!!

MELIFONWU SAVES THIS ****ING GAME!!!!

Iffy was going for the ball... Why the penalty? It shoulda been Vikings penalty not offsetting...

And then Jefferson...

Melifonwu!!!!

That's my point. Don't overpay him just because he has a "history" with Goff. DPJ, and also Antoine Green could be developed into replacements... We have a boatload of veterans that are helping the team win games... but they are middling or old or injured and we can't stack overpay on top of overpay on the next contract for guys like these... even with names like Decker & Ragnow...

Manning pitched an average of 86 innings in both 2022 and 2023, 0 innings in 2020 and 118 innings in 2021... I don't think they'll jump him to 186+ innings in 2024. I don't know IF they will limit him, but I'm guessing yes, and then, if yes... does that mean 120 innings or 150 innings or what...? I don't know. But on a guess... I don't think he pitches innings in a "go-for-broke" vein...

That was exactly my point as well... The middling players will be tougher calls... All depends on the cost of the "next" contract for these middling guys...

The trickier decisions are Decker, Ragnow, Josh Reynolds and other veterans who are part of the core of the team but not the critical components like those on your list. I think your list is big money decisions, but the other side of the coin is do we pay relatively high contracts to players who may be: (A) close to getting too old, (B) replaceable in some ways, but difficult to replace in others (how do you replace top talents a LT, C, and RG (Glasgow) easily when picking at the back end of each draft round/ there are multiple needs/ these guys ARE critical components of team success? (C) Goff is another tricky call. I think he deserves an extension... but at what cost? And we have no idea what Hooker is or is not at this point... (D) All the money spent on middling players that is a high-dollar veteran cost (in relative terms) adds up, and restricts future Cap Flexibility. I think Sewell, ASB, Hutch, McNeill & Jamo are all easy decisions IMO. Houston is not in a position to demand big money. He'll be affordable. The same with Barnes, Melifonwu, etc... guys who are just now starting to step up... But I definitely pay the other guys on this list. I see no issue with that. It's the building blocks in the middle that will be tougher calls, IMO.

Yeah that's how I described it: 5-man rotation using 6 starters. I think that works mostly if they want to severely limit Mize's, and maybe even Manning's innings this year. Even moreso if they want both in MLB and NOT in Toledo, but the top 4 spots have been taken by Skubal/ Maeda/ Flaherty/ Olson. They could pitch ~4 innings each in a game, and alternate who starts each time. 30 starts where each pitch ~ 4 innings = 120 innings each. More or less... Just an idea...

Also, they have Glasgow and Sorsdal as RG's... IMO... 1st need on the O-Line is the best talent in the 2nd and/or 3rd rounds so I'm looking at C first, with flexibility to switch to Guard. And a top backup tackle 2nd. I'm not worried about RG for at least another year or so...

RT? You mean... Sewell? Or are you expecting Sewell to switch to LT soon to replace Decker...?

In alignment. On the bolded part though... Ragnow's injuries worry me. So... I want to draft an athletic Center who can also play Guard... sort of like both Ragnow & Glasgow. I don't want a Guard incapable of playing Center. A Center-Guard gives us the most flexibility IMO.

PS: 2023 2nd round (43 overall) Starting Center for the Jets (and looking really good according to PFF...) Joe Tippmann: https://nypost.com/2023/12/10/sports/rookie-joe-tippmann-proves-he-belongs-as-jets-center/ 2023 2nd round (57 overall) Starting Center for the Giants (and looking OK, not great according to PFF... 3 sacks in eight starts at center...) John Michael Schmitz

Not looking for a top-10 guy. Just 2nd/3rd rounder types that can develop into top backups or eventual starters. Glasgow and Jackson were both 3rd rounders. Glasgow was a Center.

We'll have to see what his new-found splitter can do...

It's just really, really, really nice to not be hankering for draft position next year. It's been a great season and whatever we get, we get. Obviously, playoffs and positioning and getting some playoff wins are foremost in mind right now... But... Not gonna lie... I cheated and looked at 2024 Prospect Rankings yesterday after seeing this post... Not because I'm worried about draft position... but more along the lines of... we know what the weaknesses are on this year's team and if we're trying to get to "the pinnacle", what should we expect in the way of help in next year's draft? Thinking ahead, so to speak... Needs? #1. Pass-rusher. #2. It gets tricky here IMO. Our O-Line is critical to our success. That's become so overwhelmingly obvious that I don't think it can be dismissed with "we need a top-notch CB". We do, or most likely do, need an improvement at CB. But I don't know that it is as critical as our O-Line... just a thought. I'm putting O-Line #2. #3 CB #4 Gotta get an NFL-caliber Kicker. #5 Either a depth/develop guy at LB'er, or same thing at RB. Just someone that may help down the road, or if there's an injury. Depth never hurts. So... 1. There's a crapload of edge rushers next year... Holmes just has to decide on the right guy... and be able to get his hands on him with a late 1st. A couple guys will fall and/or there are actually a couple slotted in our area so I don't think I stress here. Top of the 1st: Laiatu Latu, Jared Verse, Dallas Turner... mid-to-late 1st (in our range): Chop Robinson, Jack Sawyer, Bralen Trice, JT Tuimoloau. 2. I want Holmes to move to the top of the 2nd for Troy Fautanu, who looks like a monster in the middle, able to play Center or Guard. He can sit behind Jonah Jackson (I think they sign him to a multi-year), Ragnow & Glasgow for a year and come in only as needed (injuries, etc.). If he steals the RG spot eventually, for example, Glasgow can swing back to the top interior backup O-Lineman. Maybe Sorsdal gets better and we have a strong interior O-Line backup and/ or transition plan... 3. I think we need a top backup OT too but CB is still a concern. But if Holmes can keep our two 2024 3rds (trade a 2025 4th since we have two, if that gets us in the right spot to select Fautanu)... then he can draft both a draft-n-develop OT as well as a CB. All sorts of options in this area so I'll just leave it at that. 4. Our next pick is in the 5th... and here Holmes is just working his magic to find depth players at RB, LB, a Kicker maybe... whatever he can find. Just a couple thoughts I had perusing what's available in next year's draft...

They're trying to gain an advantage. Fans also in all-white? They're trying to "hide" their players against a white backdrop to confuse the Lions... on O and/or D. Whether that's worth 0 or 3 points or...? Who knows... but it's mildly nefarious to me.

Well... Toledo might have a really nice rotation in 2024...

PS: I don't think the team goes after Hanifan, IMO. If they go after someone, it's a bigger 2-way power forward so... I'm looking more at Elias Lindholm than Hanifan. In fact... that's the guy I want. I think a forward like Lindholm improves our defense (over what we've got: Veleno or Berggren probably lose their spot) more than Hanifan improves our D (over what we've got... I mean, Hanifan is definitely an improvement over Maata/ Chiarot/ Holl, whoever loses out, but I think the difference is smaller here than in the forward group).

I could see Chiarot and Maatta losing their roster spots but... 1) What does it cost to get Hanifan? 2) and... how do you get Chiarot off the roster? 3) If not Chiarot, then Holl? Then: who plays off-hand with only 2 right shot D'men if Holl goes out the door...?

I was going to say Vest would have the most risk at losing his spot but that may not be true. I think Lange may still have some risk even though the bullpen and rotation look pretty much set. Just a WAG theory but... if 6 starters actually squeeze onto the roster (and Manning/Mize work by tandem starts) in a 5-man rotation... that exposes one of those relievers to a trade. It'd have to be a Spring Training move though... and late... March 31st, 2024: Traditional (modern) staff...? Or "calculated risk"?

Both of those are going to be upgraded by kids already at Grand Rapids. Even if that takes a bit of time (and seasoning...).

Per the Acronym Finder. And the Bullpen (BP) Tournament... And... a lazy typist like me...

Except when it also means Bullpen.