MichiganCardinal

It wouldn’t surprise me if there were generally more bets placed on Vegas Raiders games than your average team. It’s fact that the NFL is in bed with the books. Wouldn’t surprise me if there was influence on what games were prime time. The league can just say the Raiders have a big fan base though and it’s not like they are really wrong.

65-12-5 is still mind blowing to me. Only to lose three in a row to a team that came within a point of not making the playoffs. This Panthers run is slightly redeeming to the Bruins I'm sure (if consolation points mean anything when you're watching from home). I think they'd likely be the ones up 3-0 on the Canes if they had won game seven against the Panthers.

Shame that they will end the streak of the Super Bowl winner hosting the next year’s draft.

Their PR folks have gotten to the point of “what are they going to do, relocate my job?!”

Looks like Michigan self-reports a 96% freshman retention rate. (source). So the roughly 2,000 transfers Michigan accepts yearly make up for that 4% they lose, plus what they had previously planned on bringing in. If I had to guess probably 100 or less makeup the athletic portion of those. It seems to me like they could be a little more forgiving to transfer applicants about what is accepted. But I'm a dumdum what do I know.

I understand this and as a current grad student can respect it to an extent, but at the same time the dichotomy that exists between Michigan and other peer schools is puzzling. Without looking it up, I can't imagine that Michigan has a problem of mass exodus with their freshman class before their sophomore year that needs to be remedied by harsh standards in the transfer class. It seems that other schools fill this gap with the best their admissions department can find, and the registrar trusts that those identified have taken quality coursework to "cut it", while M has two lines of review, with Admissions potentially saying "we want this person" and the registrar occasionally saying "that's nice, but we don't want the courses they come with" I also think there is a difference between a transfer student (who takes courses precedent to enrollment usually for an ulterior purpose than graduating from M) versus an enrolled student at M taking coursework elsewhere (whose purpose is solely to graduate from M without spending 100% M prices). I think it's okay to evaluate those two students differently.

The Michigan Admissions problem goes beyond athletics. I was accepted to multiple schools as a transfer student. The vast majority were totally chill. They approved over the maximum number allowable credits, and just lowered me the maximum allowable of 60, first semester junior status, using the credits that made the most sense for graduation requirements. At Michigan though, they performed this comprehensive audit on my entire academic history. They threw out AP courses that had been previously granted by my prior college and evaluated the courses I had taken individually, deciding on a course-by-course basis whether there was a "Michigan equivalent" course. I remember receiving this ridiculous email asking for the syllabi for courses I had taken four years prior (which of course I didn't have and had to contact professors who barely remembered teaching the course, let alone me). This process led to courses that, while rigorous (more rigorous than some courses taught at UM), getting tossed, because the same course (or one "similar enough") wasn't offered at Michigan... Eventually Michigan offered me about 50 credits (midway sophomore status). I thought it was about money, and wanting to nickel and dime me for every credit hour they could squeeze me for. It's not about money though if they're doing it to athletes on scholarship too. It must be some holier-than-thou prestige thing, but it's just incredibly stupid, and it's surely costing them both traditional and athletic transfers. I'm sure they aren't alone in this crusade, but they are the only school I encountered that devoted more than a due diligence glance to care what credits I was coming in with.

The Coyotes probably should have relocated long before we got to this point, where they are playing in a C-grade college arena in front of like 4,500 fans. I feel for the fans, as I can remember how crazy the Coyotes white outs would be back in the day of seeing them in the playoffs. It's clear though that the city doesn't want to play ball with a modern day professional sports team. I think the NHL has different lists for expansion and relocation. Expansion efforts make more sense in markets with a fanbase that will need to be energized quickly for sustainability. They played this masterfully with Vegas and Seattle. If either of those cities inherited a sad excuse for a team like the current Coyotes, I don't think they would be enjoying anywhere near the long-term success they're currently setup for. OTOH, relocation makes more sense with an existing fanbase you knew would welcome anything and everything that comes its way. Winnipeg being the example. Atlanta, Kansas City, and Salt Lake City would all make sense for expansion, but I think would struggle to inherit this Coyotes team. For that, I think Houston, Hamilton, and Quebec City make the most sense. Maybe Milwaukee as well. I'd love to see a team in Halifax out of morbid curiosity if it would work, though I doubt the NHL has big enough cajones to try it. Moving the Coyotes east would also be interesting for potential ramifications on the Wings, as a relocation to the east coast could see them return to the Central.

I think Jeff Simmons was more realistic. The Titans are in purgatory and should really rebuild.

The Jets are in a very tough spot, but I think there is (nearly) a 0.0% chance that Quinnen Williams is traded before the 2023 season. Their first priority has to be restructuring the Rodgers deal. His cap hit is $1.2MM this year, but is scheduled to be an outrageous $107.55MM next year. That's not feasible, even in a New Orleans world where the cap is made up and the points don't matter. Both sides probably know that's not feasible, but Rodgers holds all of the leverage there. He's a total douche, and will want to keep the option of retirement open at all times. If something goes wrong for the Jets this year and they go up like the Hindenburg, Rodgers could totally hold the entire franchise over a barrel for the near future. They have to know what their 2024 (and beyond) cap looks like before they can ink Williams to a nine-figure deal. Which Williams obviously, and understandably, doesn't like. He wants his deal and he wants it now. The thing that is known right now though is that they are in a win-now mode. The Jets are entering a period where they are looking to win a Super Bowl. It may only last one year, it may be a couple, but either way, you don't trade your defensive anchor when you are entering this window. You just don't, under any circumstance. If Quinnen Williams threatens to hold out, you call his bluff. He is under contract for another year, and there are franchise tags after that that would allow you to extend him for a single year at a time, at or below what he's asking for in a long-term deal. There is just no reason to panic and trade him. Of course, if the Jets are absolutely moronic (they are the Jets after all) and he is available, you need to be on the phone. I would do a 2024 1st and 3rd and a 2025 2nd with no hesitation. I think he is one of the best defensive players in the NFL, and I would have zero issue signing him to a 4 year / $120MM deal. That 1st should be in the late 20s at the earliest, and I think he could catapult you from being just the NFC North favorite to being a serious Super Bowl threat.

An added element is that he was the second to last regular selection of the second day, and 6th or 7th to last selection overall on the second day. Regardless of where you think you're going to go, when pick #95 comes and goes, and you still haven't been selected, it was probably fair for him to expect at that point that it was more likely he goes in the four rounds happening Saturday than in the next five or so picks happening Friday. I also don't think the comment really helps anyone, and he probably shouldn't have made it. It's just going to be used against him and the regime if he doesn't come out of the gate like a 3rd round pick, so why say it? Give a nondescript nothing-burger of an answer like you're taught and move on.

This is an interesting thread. The most notable thing is that there is a large disparity this year between teams who have a lot of rest coming in when compared to their opponents, as reflected by this neat graphic. The Lions are a +1, which is pretty negligible. More interesting is the 49ers, who I would think may be competition in the NFC. They are playing a lot of games with very little comparative rest, with a very young QB. Not an easy task.

I think if Detroit was in it would force their hand. But generally they don’t. I went on a Thursday night to a bar last fall and there was no football on. Ended up streaming it on my phone instead of watching whatever garbage was on instead.

Streams online are free and easy to find. Especially for large events.

Being a two-sport athlete is great and all, but I would rather him focus his efforts on being a linebacker right now anyway.

#AmericasPastime

I don’t think teams would mind but I think the NFL would axe this for money reasons as well. They probably don’t want to box themselves out of money. If the Panthers and Cardinals for instance were really good one year, and were playing each other in week 16, they would want that to be a TNF option, which couldn’t happen if they were the week two and week six TNF teams.

There’s nothing quite like playoff hockey. Can’t wait for the Wings to be competitive again.

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Probably wasn’t actually hurt, they just wanted to make everyone get all the overreactions out of their systems early.

Institutions don’t need to be in control when they’re winning nattys.