MichiganCardinal

RE backup QB, I think they want to see what Sudfeld brings to the table before spending any sort of big money on a backup. If the timeline is roughly as expected, that Hooker could compete for QB2 by mid-season, then you’d be paying Bridgewater or whoever a lot of money to hold a clipboard for half the season, and have that task not even be a need for the other half of the season… Sudfeld knows Ben Johnson and the playbook better than anyone but Goff by now, so you might as well see if he can at least be competent in the role during camp and the preseason. He’ll probably play nearly entire games in the preseason. RE kicker, that surprised me too, but if I had to guess there was a lot of internal debate regarding the Badgley vs. Patterson decision last year, and they reflected on the last year in total and decided that there was no decision to be made this go around. I think it’s Patterson’s job.

I don’t think the NFL “allows” this per se, but I do think they will react less harshly. After what happened with Ruggs, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Addison get a game or two suspension based off the personal conduct policy.

I’ll take gambling on non-NFL games from a hotel over this reckless behavior 10/10 times.

Without looking at the Jets message boards, my guess is their reaction is similar to what ours was when the Falcons acquired Okudah for cheap. I don’t expect much out of Mims, but he’s worth the price paid. ASB/Jamo*/Jones/Mims/Raymond/Reynolds/Green

Benson was a flash in the pan during preseason that just never translated to play against the first string. This is definitely different from that (not that that means this will work). We were lacking depth at the position after half the group decided to gamble their careers away. I think it makes sense. Or Antoine Green had the worst first day of training camp for any rookie ever.

I agree that by this definition hazing should be handled swiftly and strongly and that there is no excuse for it, just as there is no excuse for bullying. Some institutions have (or at least utilize it) a definition much more broad than that. For instance, the fraternity advisor at my undergraduate school once told me that four guys, all of legal drinking age, drinking on a couch and playing video games, could be considered hazing if one of the four guys was an incoming member or incoming leader to a mutual social group (not just fraternities). Because he could plausibly in some nonexistent reality feel coerced into the drinking. Personally, I just call four guys drinking on a couch and playing video games pathetic. Not hazing. 🙂

What’s the operational definition of hazing? I’m not defending hazing by any means, but I think the conversation behind what is acceptable in social groups, on teams, on college campuses, etc., and what is not, has to be grounded in some shared understanding of what that word means. It seems murky at the institutional level.

This feels desperate on the part of the Titans and like a money grab on the part of Hopkins. Let's see how that works out for both sides.

By the university's definition following a lengthy investigation, I was deemed to have been a part of a group that was the victim of hazing in undergrad. Nothing sexual, coercive, or even what I would consider bad. There was voluntary drinking (some by under 21s, appalling I know) and that drinking went against university rules. Coupled with it being an outgoing/incoming leadership event, which made the university think it could have been coercive. That was the net sum of it. It only came up because a disgruntled ex-member who had been there got upset over a year later and decided to say report it to admin because they knew it would cause all sorts of problems. Which it did. I was also in a fraternity and was "hazed" without it being reported. Nothing sexual. Maybe a little coercive in that all your friends are doing these ridiculous tasks and you're "supposed" to do it to get in, but nothing outrageous was expected, boundaries were completely respected, and anyone definitely could have said no. I said no to one or two. Some others I joined with did not drink (by choice) and that was totally fine.

Really cool interview. Holmes is an amazing dude.

If we evaluating how meritorious WF’s predictions are (which is a dumb exercise, but what else are we supposed to do until Training Camp?) 2022 Prediction: Eagles v. Bills, Chiefs out in Wildcard Round (Actual: Eagles v. Chiefs) 2021 Prediction: Chiefs v. Buccaneers, Rams out in NFCCG, Bengals finishing 7-10 (Actual: Bengals v. Rams) 2020 Prediction: Chiefs v. Buccaneers (Actual: Chiefs v. Buccaneers) 2019 Prediction: Eagles v. Chiefs, 49ers out in Divisional Round (Actual: 49ers v. Chiefs) I’m not going further so it’s possible it gets worse. But predicting four of the last eight appearances is pretty decent. And only one outlier, being the Bengals, and no one saw Burrow coming the way he did.

I don’t think so. They are very hyped but I don’t think it’s without reason. There are a lot of reasons to be excited. The offense was one of the best in the league last year. They return their OC, QB, and 4/5th of the O-Line, and on paper they improved at RB and TE. OG too if Vaitai plays to his past self. They will also eventually get another first round WR on the team in Jamo. The defense steadily improved last year and certainly improved with an overhaul of the secondary this offseason. The interior defensive line isn’t good, I’m still not sure who will start next to Alim McNeill and I’m sure there will be games where the line gets bullied by opposing offensive lines and running backs. But they should generate a consistent pass rush from the outside, and their linebackers look pretty decent if Jack Campbell can start from week one. Their depth is lacking, and injuries could derail them, but that’s the case for any NFL team. It’s also definitely possible that paper improvement doesn’t translate to wins. Comparing football to baseball, we see it this year with the Mets and Padres. Great on paper, mediocre on the field. It’s always a possibility that upgrades and a new 53-man don’t mesh how is planned and new players don’t play how they used to or are expected. When you look at the NFC though, I’ll take those concerns over any team but the Eagles. I’d rather be the Lions than the 49ers, they don’t have a QB. I’d rather be the Lions than the Cowboys, they don’t have a real coach. I’d certainly rather be the Lions than the Vikings, Packers, or Bears. They were 9-8 last year and look better comparing apples to apples. The hype is real and reasonable, I just hope they can live up to it.

I said the same thing. I think it's more likely they go to the Super Bowl than that they go 2-4 in-division and 10-1 out-of-division.

For those who put stock into what the site thinks, WalterFootball released his postseason predictions today. Has the Lions going 12-5 (losses to the Chiefs, Packers, Bears, and Vikings x2). Winning the North and being the #3 seed. Beating the Vikings 34-24 in the Wildcard Round, beating the 49ers 38-34 in the Divisional Round, beating the Eagles 41-38 in the NFC Championship, and losing to the Bengals 31-24 in the Super Bowl. I guess I'd be okay with that.

I think it being Northwestern probably made him more likely to be fired than had it been an SEC school not named Vanderbilt. The highest echelon of universities care about their public image, making money, and not much else. Some are better at protecting their image than others, but I don’t think Northwestern’s ultimate decision makers would hesitate for a second to burn entire athletic programs to the ground, so long as it the cost in money doesn’t outweigh the benefit to image… fresh off a 1-11 season, this was easy.

Me and a buddy from school are in talks about going down to KC for the opener….. it’s only an 11.5 hour drive after all….. Football withdrawal is getting to me.

Last time this board (well, the last one) universally loved a show that I ignored was Breaking Bad and I regretted it immensely when I had to catch up on the entire series plus four seasons of Better Call Saul. Think I'll learn my lesson and try The Bear tomorrow. I don't have the time nor the attention span to binge anything though so it'll probably take me a couple weeks.

Or even just about social media. This is not a story if he doesn’t post about it.

If you're referring to the fireworks, I think fireworks themselves are really really stupid, and are something a lot of 20-somethings do. I don't think it's any cause for specific concern regarding Jamo. I think if we had already seen what he's capable of on an NFL field, no one would bat an eye about any of this stuff, and would just want to see him back on the field. But because he was out most of last year, there is a sense of impatience that leads to us looking for signs that he is more (a star) or less (a bust) than an unknown.

I’m tired of being patient (in more sports than one), but I haven’t lost any confidence in Yzerman. This isn’t Avila, where gross mismanagement was happening year-in and year-out, on an every move basis. Nothing SY has done screams “WTF”. It’s frustrating that the Wings can’t luck out in the lottery, because one win and we are probably in a much better spot than we are now. You can’t deny that we are improving, it’s just at a snail’s pace. I take his comments at face value. I think there is something to be said for not wanting to turn into the Wild, Predators, Canucks, or Oilers, just good enough to make the playoffs while not good enough to make it past round two. I want to compete for the Cup and I’m okay with it taking another year or two to get to that point.

Paid McAfee

Demetrius Taylor was the identity of the (hopefully last) Lions player. He was released back in May.

I heard Becky tell Sydney that Melissa overheard Aubrey in the bathroom saying that Buddha thought Lisa’s dancing was tacky and this team doesn’t need that kind of gossip or negativity.

I had a drowning scare when I was like five or six years old. At a hotel for my dad’s work conference, my mom took us all to the pool. She was in the hot tub and my older brother was supposed to be watching me and my sister in the bigger pool. I tried taking my floatie off while hanging onto the side (my brother was on the other side) and sank like a rock in a split second. My mom scraped her leg bad scrambling to get to me. I was okay, but probably one of my earliest vivid memories. Ever since I’ve been avoidant of water. I won’t get in the ocean beyond ankle deep and I much prefer the hot tub to the pool. I can swim now fairly well, but I choose not to more often than not. Water is scary powerful, especially in the ocean or Gulf of Mexico where this happened. It doesn’t matter who you are or how strong you are, you can’t breathe underwater. I feel so bad for his family. Probably was with loved ones on the vacation, only for something like this to happen.