San Jose Bills Fan

Care to excerpt some of those stats? To not do so is to basically make unsupported statements. Clearly basic stats show that the teams Morris was associated with were generally excellent at running the ball. What exactly are you gleaning from the Footballoutsiders stats? Is your unsupported statement based on his 13 years as an O-line coach or are you basing your statement also on the 2 years as an assistant and TE Coach? Basically, what are you talking about?

It looks at this point like those who theorized upthread about a successful hoax that Te'o bought into and embellished on were right. In fact, Manti used the word embellished in his interview with Schapp. In his own words he admitted that he gave the impression that he met Lennay and fostered that impression (for plausible reasons) but also embellished some of the details of their relationship. I'm guessing for instance that we won't see any proof of 8 hour phone calls, etc. And of course once he knew that he had been fooled, he didn't immediately come forth with this information (also for plausible reasons) and continued the fictitious narrative (again for plausible reasons). It also looks like the Te'o camp was hurt by the fact that they had the opportunity to beat Deadspin to the punch but chose not to do so. This was a tactical error. The Te'o camp was in serious denial if they thought that this story wouldn't eventually break. They moved too slowly and the 50-60 hours of silence did not suggest a simple, plausible truth. This in spite of the fact that his story is in fact, plausible. The long silence only provided fuel to the negative beliefs that Team Manti were trying to re-configure the truth to fit their own story. Nevertheless, I find his story mostly plausible. If everyone buys that Manti was fooled but also embellished (again his words) the relationship, the discussion boils down to another simple crux: To what degree did Manti willingly foster this narrative as a way of capitalizing on good publicity? Did he take it too far? Do the anonymous criticisms of some of his teammates that he was a publicity seeker hold some truth? We may very well never know the answers to these questions. I'll predict that Manti fans will see zero fault in his actions while people with a natural and healthy skepticism will see the argument that Manti ran too hard and too far with this ball.

Nnamdi Asomugha of the Philadelphia Eagles? Okay. BTW, with regard to the Patrick Willis discussion earlier in the thread, there's concern in the Bay Area that Willis might be a liability in pass coverage as he's struggled with this part of his game. The concern this week particularly regards his ability to cover Tony Gonzales. There's talk that NaVarro Bowman will see more snaps because he's a superior cover linebacker. And again, many Niners observers as well as some reporters covering the team continue to make the case that Bowman is the better player. I guess it's like Marv used to say, "Once you get a reputation as an early riser, you can sleep in all you want." Willis is a great linebacker but I continue to be amazed at people who would use him as a team building block.

The link is our friend. Besides, it's a short read. Here's one quote: "Morris has guided an offensive line that paved the way for a top 10 rushing offense nine times in his 15-year NFL coaching career, including three years as the league’s best (1998, 1999 and 2007). Morris’ offensive lines also blocked for a 1,000-yard rusher 11 times in his 15 seasons in the NFL." Haven't you heard? The Bills proficiency in sacks allowed has nothing to do with the skill or talent of the blockers and has only to do with Fitz' ability to get rid of the ball quickly. However when criticizing the Bills new O-line Coach, it apparently becomes valid to point to sack numbers to make the case that he's a bad hire. Gotcha, Kas. BTW two of the three times Morris coached the NFL's top rushing attacks, he was in San Francisco and his lead rushers were Garrison Hearst in 1998 and Charlie Garner in 1999 so your statement about Adrian Peterson is a bit off.

Yeah this is required reading. It is a one-on-one interview between Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel that happened less than two weeks after Manti's grandmother and girlfriend died. As Rubes said, the amount of detail is staggering. Again based on this interview there should be zero problem providing phone records and e-records of these letters that Lennay wrote on her iPad and that were read to Manti by her family members and then later sent to Manti, I'm assuming email. Manti also talks at length about the numerous marathon phone calls between the two. It should be very easy to document the statements he made in his SI interview. It's been over 30 hours since the story broke. I'm guessing the silence will end tomorrow. Manti needs to clear his name and his silence is nearly deafening at this point.

True. Probably there was a race to release going on.

Very interested to see how this works out.

That's what I would expect them to say. And as you noted in an earlier post of yours, it's quite possible that Notre Dame and/or Manti's family was aware of the Deadspin investigation. In fact, considering how many people Deadspin spoke with, I would say that it's more probable than possible.

Manti said: "He described her as the "most beautiful girl I've ever met" and "someone that you talk to every single day." That's good. It means that they should have tons of phone records showing conversations between the two. It will also allow the investigators to find out whose phone that is/was. "Wojciechowski wondered why Notre Dame didn't get ahead of the story." Probably because as I said upthread, they would prefer that the story just go away. Now they have no choice but to address it.

Well I already answered you the first time, before you posted that article. Again: I have zero idea. Are there investigators involved or just the media relations department? I would say anyone involved in the institution is hopeful that there's a logical explanation. Without really knowing, I doubt Manti is being "grilled" by investigators. More likely in my mind is that a lot of "suspension of disbelieve" is being exercised. A lot of people are in denial, hoping that Manti can defend himself with evidence. The school will not lie on his behalf, in my opinion. He released an ambiguous statement. That's the extent of their involvement as far as I can tell. I'm glad there are investigators involved. That will make it very easy for Manti to clear his name.

Good. Then he can clear himself. Here's another basic question: Lennay's cell phone… who was it actually owned by? This "Reba" woman?

Here's another very basic question one could ask Manti: Where are the emails and private messages between you and Lennay? Or do people actually believe that two people who were in a serious romance (his parents thought they might get married) would only communicate publicly on Twitter and Facebook? In my mind, it will be very easy for Manti to clear himself. Just provide basic evidence.

I have zero idea. Are there investigators involved or just the media relations department? I would say anyone involved in the institution is hopeful that there's a logical explanation. Without really knowing, I doubt Manti is being "grilled" by investigators. More likely in my mind is that a lot of "suspension of disbelieve" is being exercised. A lot of people are in denial, hoping that Manti can defend himself with evidence. The school will not lie on his behalf, in my opinion. He released an ambiguous statement. That's the extent of their involvement as far as I can tell. My position on this is very simple. Manti has been seriously damaged both monetarily and from a reputation standpoint. He can provide basic evidence to clear his name and prove that he was the victim: Who picked up Lennay's phone and placed it to her ear when she was comatose in the hospital? Where are the phone records, the emails, the gifts on birthdays and special occasions that you sent "your girlfriend" who is "the most beautiful person you ever met?" Who told him that she would breathe more quickly when she heard his voice? What family members of Lennay's did Manti speak with? Who informed him of her passing? Who told him of the funeral arrangements? Where are all these correspondences? What did Manti base his belief that this was a real person, a girlfriend, with family members?

Who picked up her phone and placed it to her ear when she was comatose in the hospital?

Also, what family members of Lennay's did Manti speak with? Who informed him of her passing? Who told him that she would breathe more quickly when she heard his voice? Who told him of the funeral arrangements? Where are all these correspondences?

Yes. Te'o does need to provide proof that he was the victim of a hoax. His reputation is taking a huge hit here. He's gonna lose millions of dollars for playing football and endorsements. It's not plausible to me that if he was a victim, that he wouldn't prosecute those who victimized him. But even if he doesn't prosecute them, he has to clear his own name. Things like phone records, flower receipts, and emails, would be all that's needed to prove that he was the victim and not the perpetrator. At the very least, if he can't provide proof to clear his name, you can bet he's lying. http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2012/11/10/through-grief-linebacker-manti-leads-notre-dame/wfFqrlVFAk8p3kvwPAqgPN/story.html “So every morning when I wake up and my girlfriend is not on the phone it reminds me that she’s gone. That’s the hardest part for me. I go through it every day.” http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/100412aaa.html "Yeah, it was definitely hard. That has to be the hardest thing that I've had to do so far; to be able to operate, and to be able to try to continue with my daily routine, but knowing that I just lost two women that I truly loved. That was the hardest thing. And the other hardest thing was my girlfriend's service was the day of Michigan's game. And I remember when I found out I knew when they were going to close the casket and all that stuff, and it was during walk thru. And I remember I asked Coach Diaco, "Coach, what time is it?" And he said, "It's 12:01." And that would be 9:00, 9:01, California time and 9:00 is when they closed the casket for my girlfriend, so I had a moment then. You know, I really wanted to see her. I really wanted to see her. But I knew that she made me promise, you know one day she made me promise that, she said, "Babe, if anything happens to me, you promise that you'll still stay over there and that you'll play and that you'll honor me through the way you play, and know that I would rather have you there." And just make sure that all she wanted was some white roses. White is her favorite color. So she just wanted some white roses and that's all she asked for. So I sent her roses and sent her two picks (interceptions) along with that, so that was good." Receipts please. Maybe some proof that you actually believed that "your girlfriend (Manti's words said on numerous recorded occasions) had passed away? Te'o claims that he promised Lennay that he would not attend the funeral and would simply send her white roses. Where did he send the roses? How would he know the address of a funeral that never happened? Also, why in November was Te'o deleting tweets he made to his girlfriend Lennay sister's twitter account? This doesn't add up at all. It's easy Manti. Where are the phone records, the emails, the gifts on birthdays and special occasions that you sent "your girlfriend" who is "the most beautiful person you ever met?" As I said above, if he doesn't provide proof to clear his name, then what conclusion would any reasonable person draw?

You've already asked this. And I've already answered. So why are you asking again? In the last 3 years at the combine, Wilson was the only QB under 5'11". Only one other quarterback was under 6' tall. Tyrod Taylor. So there's only a few possible explanations. One is that if you're not over 5'11" it's impossible to have a strong arm. The other is that if you're not over 6' tall, it's rare that you're given the opportunity to play quarterback in college or in the pros.

I don't think your last post refutes Flutie not being given a fair chance at the beginning of his career. I doubt he got much support to succeed. As for Bears fans, fans are just as guilty as coaches for not wanting 5'10" quarterbacks. Our points were made in the first two posts above: I think a lot of these prototypes are self-fulfilling prophecies. Pro scouts would rather draft and give a legitimate chance to a guy like John Skelton or Levi Brown than they would someone like Kellen Moore. I understand that but I think they're guilty of being a bit too dogmatic (no pun intended). For the record, I wanted the Bills to draft Wilson in the 3rd round.

As GG said, I'm not recalling any wave of opinion that the Bills should have drafted Wilson in the first round. Nix has been criticized roundly and constantly for passing up on Dalton, Kaepernick, and Wilson. More to the point Nix has been criticized for spending draft picks outside the first round to Aaron Williams and TJ Graham immediately before the 3 aforementioned quarterbacks were drafted. That's the only significant criticism I've been aware of.

No I didn't. But I addressed that point twice in each of my posts. 1) Players with the stature of Russell Wilson are usually diverted away from quarterback before they get to the pros. 2) There is a difference between being given a legit chance and simply being a camp body or a roster filler. There's a difference between a quarterback who is the starter by default and one who has the true backing of his organization (like Fitz has enjoyed the last two seasons). Take a guy like Kellen Moore. I know nothing about the guy except that he was a great college quarterback and he's on the short side. Do we know that he's ever been given a fair chance to compete for a starting role in the NFL? All we know is that Detroit likes him running their scout team. It's immaterial that he's on a roster if he's not been given a legitimate chance to compete for a starting job. Doug Flutie spent 5 seasons in the NFL before going to Canada and arguably becoming the greatest player in CFL history. In those 5 seasons at the start of his career, he started 15 games and went 10-5 in those games. And yet he was never given the real opportunity to be the unquestioned starter, as Fitz was. Why wasn't Flutie given a true untainted opportunity despite being 10-5 as an NFL starter? I think we all know the reason.

Forget what?

Well I have no idea what kind of player Mathieu is but I do know that cornerbacks in general are quite coveted.

Besides Jenkins, another comparable is Jimmy Smith who was a Top 5 talent who slid to 27 because of failed drug tests and an aggravated assault charge.

I understand your point but I'm talking about steering a guy who might have been a good quarterback into a different position. My premise is that there is more bad to this (discrimination by measurables) than good. That's why I took exception to Kelly's post. It's certainly a case by case deal and one where we'll never know the true accounting.

That's one possible explanation. The other explanations aren't quite so flattering.