MichiganCardinal

Question remains whether Ohio State gets punished for their lackluster performance. The weather is a valid excuse but they did not play like the #2 team in the nation. 1- Georgia 2- Ohio State 3- Michigan 4- TCU 5- Tennessee

Down goes Bama!!

They survived but they were very lucky to. Hopefully that provides something of a blueprint for Michigan (other than hoping for bad weather).

I think those are all fair criticisms, but I think they are arguable. There is a position you can take to defend those decisions, and had they gone the other way, they’d already be forgotten. To say a single decision cost us a 60-minute football game is a very high bar. YMMV.

When someone is there for that long they basically become a part of the walls. Same with Kirk Ferentz at Iowa. Too many friends in too many places to hold accountable. Especially when you’re Northwestern and the expectations are tempered to begin with.

I think this is a fair prediction. Stroud has to show he can make a throw in the conditions though too to score three more TDs, any team in America should be able to shut down the run if it’s all they’ve got.

7-7 at the half... Final may very well be 14-7, one way or the other. It's a downpour with 50mph gusts.

Stroud on the day is 6/16 for 46 yards.

The weather is only getting worse, and Ohio State is punting the ball back late in the 2nd... If Northwestern can score another, this game may be interesting.

I always felt like Hock was much better than Ebron. Maybe it was Ebron's drops, and that Hock never had any real talent surrounding him.

I think saying he "cost us" those games is a bit of a stretch. I would those games a step or two below Schwartz throwing a challenge flag on a play that was already under review against the Texans (and costing us a TD in a game we lost by 3 in OT), or Caldwell inexplicably protecting the sidelines against Aaron Rodgers.

HIPAA would not apply to the Lions as an employer in this context. It's for "covered entities", which is primarily healthcare settings and insurance companies. The hospital the baby was born at couldn't tell the press "Penei Sewell's son was born!", but the Lions could tell the media, or pass a card around the locker room for him, or whatever. I think more likely is that "personal" is just the only drop down box available to the team when completing the practice report that's not injury related and all the reporters close to the Lions knew already and didn't think it was news or tweet worthy. There is certainly a personal nature to child birth, and he may have wanted family and friends to know before us.

Feels like the QuickLane Bowl when Rutgers plays Boston College. Waiting for the "I will pay you $5 to go inside and purchase a $12 beer" promo to drop.

PFF put out a list in late May 2022 of their top TEs. Here's the top ten corresponding to where they were drafted. 1. Travis Kelce: 63rd pick (3rd Round) of 2013 2. George Kittle: 146th pick (5th Round) of 2017 3. Darren Waller: 204th pick (6th Round) of 2015 4. Mark Andrews: 86th pick (3rd Round) of 2018 5. Kyle Pitts: 4th pick (1st Round) of 2021 6. Dallas Goedert: 49th pick (2nd Round) of 2018 7. Rob Gronkowski: 42nd pick (2nd Round) of 2010 8. Dalton Schultz: 137th pick (4th Round) of 2018 9. TJ Hockenson: 8th pick (1st Round) of 2019 10. Hunter Henry: 35th pick (2nd Round) of 2016 Two first-round selections, one of whom is in the midst of a sophomore slump and one of whom is Hockenson. It's worth noting too that those teams that have the best tight ends (Chiefs, 49ers, Ravens x2) are the better franchises in the NFL, and found those guys later in drafts.

MTB pointed it out, but Birkett was pretty misleading in his tweet. I heard the full quote on the radio later, and it's a nothing-burger of a quote. "if... it made sense for us..." can do a lot of heavy lifting. I know Brad doesn't care about trading within the division, but I think the heart of the quote, though ultimately meaningless, goes more to his idea (that I agree with) that selecting a TE 8th overall was stupid, and paying big money to pretty much any TE not named Travis Kelce is equally stupid. This is even more true when you should already have a dynamic offense headlined by Swift, ASB, and Jaymo... Brock Wright and James Mitchell should be able to do a competent job of being a 6th lineman and/or going downfield and catching 10-20 yard passes. If they can't, you can find cheap options in free agency who can.

Or, his lawyers told him to start shopping for a nice home in countries without extradition and he can't bring his team on the plane.

It's virtually guaranteed that two SEC teams make it. Moreover, if Alabama wins the SEC again and the loser of Georgia/Tennessee finishes without another loss, you could have three SEC teams at 12-1, 12-1, and 11-1. Wouldn't be shocked to see all three make it, plus the B1G Champ. That said, I don't think Alabama will survive LSU, Ole Miss, the Iron Bowl, and the SEC Championship unscathed. I also don't think Clemson survives Notre Dame, Louisville, Miami, South Carolina, and the ACC Championship without one loss minimum. TCU may have the best shot at playing spoiler, but I don't think they survive back-to-back trips to Texas and Baylor. I won't believe that the PAC-12 can't stay out of their own way until they prove it, so whoever wins USC/UCLA will probably get blown out by Oregon. In the scenario that you have 1/SEC Champ, 2/B1G Champ, and 3/SEC Runner-up, a one-loss Michigan or Ohio State, that lost a close game, will be looked upon more favorably than a one-loss Big 12 Champ TCU, but would have a difficult time sizing up to a one-loss PAC 12 Champ (particularly if there is USC bias) or a one-loss ACC Champ Clemson. It would be close though.

Someone pointed out to me today that every team the Lions have played so far this year has a record of 0.500 or better. Won't be the case after this week, even if Green Bay wins they'll be 4-5, but I didn't realize just how difficult the last-place schedule has shaped out to be thus far.

I think there is some truth to this statement. Not that it’s absolutely true (if the Lions were actually 6-1 I don’t think they make this trade), but I do think that dealing Hock this year was on the radar well before we started 1-6.

I don’t doubt the Lions suck, but I can remember Tyreek making at least one contested catch that made me say “there’s Tyreek”. Not sure how accurate this stat is.

Feels like someone told him "we have the votes"

I agree with this. When the playoff expands, I think there will be more benefit to scheduling more difficult opponents in non-conference play (to distinguish yourself if you finish with two losses). As it stands though, if you have two losses, you’re definitely out. Why risk it against a real opponent when you don’t have to?

I don't understand the rationale of Clemson above Michigan. Win by 6 over Wake Forest in OT and by 6 over Syracuse (in addition to a close call against Florida State), compared to wins by 24 over Penn State and 13 over Iowa. I guess you can call Maryland by 7 a close call, though that score is a bit deceiving to anyone who watched the end of the game. I have to think this is a statement at their weak non-conference schedule. Doesn't matter at the end of the day. They control their destiny. I also think Clemson will almost certainly lose to one (or more) of Notre Dame, Lousiville, Miami, and South Carolina.

I would put both teams at a B.

fine - but you can’t make me be happy about it. 😉