Jason_R

You see one or two hits like Hutch laid every week. Frustrating to see as a fan but it is not as easy to go from full speed to full stop as it might look. You see one or two hits like Branch laid every year. As coach pointed out, it is not acceptable.

All this talk about how Chiarot would be better suited for the third pairing is missing the point. Of course he would be, but when he was hired there was nobody else suited to play on the first pairing. Chiarot has done exactly what he was hired to do, which is to eat up minutes for four years until the franchise had credible prospects to replace him on the blue line. Even now, leaving aside Edvinsson and ASP who promise to be a formidable second pairing, there is nobody who is clearly head and shoulders above Chiarot. Anyway, his contract is up after this season so the search for a successor is on, whether it is a prospect or a new free agent.

It’s almost like Yzerman and the staff have done a good job of rebuilding the talent pipeline and there are now several talented prospects who promise to be able to win jobs from replacement level veterans who command NHL market salaries. Looking at the roster/contracts going into this season, I thought maybe they’d call up one or two players to start the season at most. I assumed the youth movement would begin next year. But clearly the youth movement has started this season, and will undoubtedly see at least Danielson and Mazur and probably Wallinder up this year also.

I don’t even know who two of the top three defensive performers are. And the third is a backup.

They also need to make the audio between NY command center and field officials available after the fact. If they want to put to bed any notion that they might be in cahoots with the bookies who are now their biggest sponsors.

As always, it is disappointing when the refs pull points off of the board. It would have been a different game had they not. Also, ASB catches that pass 999 times out of 1000. It is a different game if he catches it. Apart from that, it seems like the front seven was a lot less aggressive tonight than they were against the Ravens. Was that by choice given the depleted secondary, or was it that they just did not have time to get home? Probably a bit of both. Hopefully Alim is back for TB to juice the pass rush. Then we can get healthy over the bye.

This is not the first time Detroit has had points taken off the board by the officials on an arcane point from the rule book in a prime time game. So did Dan talk to the refs about this play before the game? Assuming so, what was that conversation? Did they get out their rule books after and look for a technicality?

Welp…

Ballet from the big man. Amazing. Plenty of time left.

Merry Christmas, Dan Campbell.

There is plenty of time left.

Never see that from ASB.

Eat your heart out Mahomes!

Broken up by who now?

Hutch is the demolition man.

Agreed, but nobody had any reason to think Fields would amount to anything. Holmes had insider info on a buy-low asset. AG will end up with a top-three pick and get his QB of the future. Unrelated, I just watched a Ravens DB get away with a blatant defensive hold on a catchable 3rd down pass. Terrion Arnold would have been flagged for that 100 times out of 100 and maybe even disqualified just to be on the safe side.

DET 29 - KC 24

Feel bad that Aaron Glenn is stuck with such a bad option at QB.

Watched the replay. Skaters were much improved but Talbot gave up two weak goals. Goaltending has to be better than it has been.

Absolutely could not get a hit last night, and really from the All Star Break onward. Let’s hope McGonigle is ready to start next season and some of the other young bats are ready by the end. But it feels like they need to bring in a proven bat as well.

Also this. I know there are people upset about Hinch pulling Skubal after six, and Harris getting cheap and useless relief help at the deadline, but if slots 2-9 go 1-33, well, that’s not going to win many ballgames. Now I’m just a simple fan but I am smart enough to hear the TV crew point out that the Mariners were pitching sliders all night. At what point should a major league hitter recognize and adjust to this?

One year, $1 million. If he doesn’t play again this season it’s no big deal.

Looks like the big culprits were the new defensive pairing, but Mac was calling someone out. Rasmussen was a -2 on the night, so were Soderblom, Kasper, and MBN, but they haven't been "doing it for years." Wonder what happens when Danielson gets healthy.

I'm not sure Rivers is the right comp, at least at this point. Goff still has maybe ten years to play and he is playing with a loaded roster and one of the top GM/head coach duos in the league. Vegas would probably set the over/under on how many Super Bowls Goff is likely to win at 1.5. Maybe he won't get there, but we know Rivers won't.