thebandit27

How apropos, as my point in the post you quoted was: "The correlation between sound nutrition and career sustainability is obvious; why do so many of these terms ignore it?" Case-in-point: while I may not agree with all of the tenets of his diet, look at how meticulously Tom Brady watches what goes into his body, and then tell me that it's a coincidence that he's still at the top of his game at 39 and hasn't missed a start in 15 seasons (save for the year he tore his ACL, which wasn't the typical non-contact injury). https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2016/01/04/meet-the-chef-who-decides-what-tom-brady-eatsand-what-he-definitely-doesnt http://www.gq.com/story/tom-brady-nutrition-book-tb12-interview As I said, I'm all for treats, but Preston Brown carrying candy in his hoodie while on the field is absolute lunacy.

Right--the point here is that the upside is high enough that it's worth looking into. There is absolutely no chance that the Browns are getting a 1st round pick for a guy that (a) hasn't played football since 12/21/14, (b) missed 11 games in his last season in the league, and © is one mistake from an indefinite ban. Not happening.

Thanks to you (and kelly) for clearing that up--I was apparently mistaken

Are you thinking that the Bills (or any other team) would be offering a day 2 pick for this guy? We're most likely talking about a conditional pick--for example: a 7th if he makes the team, 6th if he starts 2 games 5th if he eclipses 40 catches, and a 4th if he starts 8 games and eclipses 50 catches.

Good thing they didn't go out and pick up a known misogynist to play LG last year

Yes, provided they'll take a late-round conditional pick

He got his in the '98-'99 NFC Championship, didn't he?

Well, as you know, I'm not huge on drafting for need either. I have a slightly higher opinion of Manny than you do; I think he goes in the category of starter-on-about-1/3-of-teams. Your point about this being his best fit, however, is dead-on, given that his greatest assets are coverage ability and funneling ball carriers. I know you and I differ on Shaq--I don't think that was an aim-low pick. It was definitely a need pick, as the ceiling pick there was Myles Jack. I agree on Ragland--that was a need move that reeked of desperation. The irony of it, IMO, is that taking Jack at 19 would've meant that they could stand pat at 49 with their ILB already in the fold and had another 4th round pick in their back pocket; I wasn't a fan of that move. For me, I always feel that "stick to your board" is the best philosophy. No pick has shown me the value of that approach more than Darby. At the time, he wasn't considered a "need" pick because the team had Gilmore, McKelvin, Graham, and Robey, who were all coming off of solid-if-unspectacular seasons at CB. Lo-and-behold, come week 1, it was downright critical that Darby be in the starting lineup. The cream always floats to the top.

The rule is written poorly and legislated even more poorly. A catch should be simple: possession and two feet or one major body part. You remove ambiguity with modifiers that are simple as well: if the defender is trying to strip the ball, then the ball needs to be moving or being juggled prior to establishing possession with 2 feet or 1 major body part down in bounds in order for it NOT to be a catch. If the receiver gains possession with 2 feet or one major body part, but loses possession when he hits the ground, then it's a fumble (provided he wasn't contacted by an opposing player). The league is doing the players, officials, and fans a disservice with this convoluted definition.

He's not worth going to the back of the waiver wire for; not when he won't play for 4 games and isn't in shape.

That he didn't even make it to camp is immaterial; it's an injury, not an indictment of his ability. As to who can say whether or not he's a better player than the guys we have in there now, well, he did lead the nation in TFLs, and he lead the conference in sacks. He was awfully good as a senior; far better than Lawson or The LorAx. Does that mean he's a lock to be a great player in the NFL? Of course not, but there's no reason to suspect that a return to health would see him become a lesser player than those guys, so the fact that he's 10 years younger than Lawson bodes well for him to become a better player.

Present!

Well, they did need a tackle. My problem with the Kouandjio pick isn't the position, it's the player; player quality should govern in most cases. Also, I don't necessarily think it's safe to say that guys like Shaq and Ragland wouldn't and won't eventually be better than the guys out there simply because they were able to execute the game plan for a quarter. I do see your larger point--that there are certain pieces that are more replaceable than others. That doesn't, however, mean that there's diminishing returns on all non-QB positions.

I think the PUP list deadline has passed--I believe it's available up until the first TC practice. From now on, it's IR, IR-DTR, or active roster only.

Thanks...in fact, I went back and edited my post to put Henderson on the final 53

Gotcha--thanks for explaining. I think some of those points are well-placed, especially regarding the lack of reliable targets in the passing game outside of Sammy and Clay and the penalty issues. I think I have a bit more faith in the defense--it's mostly based upon what Rex was able to to with the Jets with personnel that was mostly lesser than what he's got here (IMO). Of course, my whole idea for their "winning identity" could be completely blown up if Taylor develops into a more complete passer, so that's a consideration as well.

Wow...ask and ye shall receive!!! Chris Brown ‏@ChrisBrownBills 1m1 minute ago Bills activate Seantrel Henderson off PUP expected to practice tonight. More at http://Buffalobills.com #Bills

I'd like to hear more about your thinking on this, as I'm sure you've got your reasons. For me, that's part-and-parcel to this team's winning model: use all of their running backs to grind out yards on the ground and force teams to commit to stopping the run, while at the same time using weapons like Sammy and Clay to hit big chunks of yards in the more open secondaries. Defensively, Rex is a 3-and-out kind of coach...force the ball out quickly and tackle. With a back-7 interior of P. Brown, Z. Brown, C. Graham, A. Williams, and NRC, that seems to be how they're built. Not saying you're wrong; merely that you probably have thought of some issues that I haven't, as I'm worried about them having to score quickly to keep up with teams on offense and having to get sacks and force turnovers on defense.

Indeed--I'd expect that they'll want to save $2M or so for seasonal transactions, but it'd be nice to see some of that money be used toward front-loading a portion of a new deal for Gilmore, so as to keep his year 2 & 3 cap hits down a bit.

2016 NFL Rulebook: Catch Rule ARTICLE 3. COMPLETED OR INTERCEPTED PASS. A player who makes a catch may advance the ball. A forward pass is complete (by the offense) or intercepted (by the defense) if a player, who is inbounds: (a) secures control of the ball in his hands or arms prior to the ball touching the ground; and (b) touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands; and © maintains control of the ball after (a) and (b) have been fulfilled, until he has the ball long enough to clearly become a runner. A player has the ball long enough to become a runner when, after his second foot is on the ground, he is capable of avoiding or warding off impending contact of an opponent, tucking the ball away, turning up field, or taking additional steps (see 3-2-7-Item 2). Note: If a player has control of the ball, a slight movement of the ball will not be considered a loss of possession. He must lose control of the ball in order to rule that there has been a loss of possession. If the player loses the ball while simultaneously touching both feet or any part of his body to the ground, it is not a catch. If the player goes to the ground before establishing as a runner -- i.e., in cases ofCalvin Johnson in 2010 or Dez Bryant in the 2014 playoffs -- here is what the rule now says: "[He] must maintain control of the ball until after his initial contact with the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete."

To be honest, with Ragland and Shaq hurt and Dareus suspended, I had trouble finding a 53rd guy for the front 7. I don't think they're going to keep 11 DBs, so it came down to identifying the DL/DT/LB/EDGE guy with the most updside/versatility, so I went with Strike. I also had to stretch to find an 8th OLmen worth keeping given how poorly Velasco has played. I know he's not great, but it would be huge if Henderson could get healthy and be available; 2 backup OTs and a backup interior guy seems the way to go to me (at least with the current crop of players). Now, that may change if they feel that another interior guy from someone else's cuts is their best option.

My latest update: QB (3) - T. Taylor, E. Manuel, C. Jones RB (4) - L. McCoy, M. Gilislee, R. Bush, J. Williams FB (1) - J. Felton WR (6) - S. Watkins, R. Woods, M. Goodwin, G. Salas, W. Powell, G. Little TE (3) - C. Clay, C. Gragg, J. Dray OT (4) - C. Glenn, J. Mills, C. Kouandjio, S. Henderson OG (3) - R. Incognito, J. Miller, R. Groy C (1) - E. Wood K (1) - D. Carptenter P (1) - C. Schmidt LS (1) - G. Sanborn DL (3) - C. Bryant, A. Washington, J. Worthy DT (3) - K. Williams, C. Walker, L. Edwards EDGE (5) - J. Hughes, M. Lawson, L. Alexander, B. Albright, K. Biermann LB (4) - P. Brown, Z. Brown, B. Spikes, D. Hawthorne CB (5) - S. Gilmore, R. Darby, N. Robey-Coleman, C. White, K. Seymour S (5) - A. Williams, C. Graham, R. Blanton, C. Anderson, D. Williams PUP - S. Lawson, M. Easley RES/SUS - M. Dareus IR - R. Ragland, I. Enemkpali

That is funny. Seriously though, I'm continuously amazed by how few coaches emphasize it. Chad OchoJohnson laughed his entire career about eating McDonald's drive through for every meal. Von Miller was chowing fried chicken the week before the super bowl. Preston Brown keeps candy in his hoodie WHILE ON THE FIELD. It's crazy to me. The correlation between sound nutrition and career sustainability is obvious; why do so many of these terms ignore it?

I don't see $30M on DBs. It's about $22M right now, and since neither Darby not Seymour are eligible for new deals until 2018, and at least one of Aaron and Corey will be gone next year, I can't envision $30M being in the picture even if they signed a FA to start at safety

I actually have an entire week dedicated to Alabama's defense--too many kids to get a feel for, and the way Saban structures that D, it takes several views to get somewhat comfortable with who made the plays and why. I'm looking at McCaffrey as a Danny Woodhead/Shane Vereen type--receiving back that can take carries in the red zone and be a weapon on returns.