Buddo

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-53423637/coronavirus-us-v-other-countries-did-it-mess-up-its-reopening Interesting piece, with decent graphical representations of the things that are being looked, at in respect of when, and how, to open things up.

Ringo wasn't anywhere near as 'lucky' as people like to make out. Was he the least talented of the 'fab four', undoubtedly. Were there a whole bunch of other more technically accomplished drummers around in his era, for sure. A few things that do stand out though, are the simple fact that the other guys (Beatles) wanted him, which was why Pete Best got fired. Ringo was also not interested in being especially technically proficient, what he was interested in, and was one of his strengths, was finding the right 'groove' for the song. Some of those were especially unique at the time. He came up with things that others wouldn't have even thought of. His 'feel' for the songs, was also brilliant, as evidenced by his 'fills'. They were simply 'right'. Over the years, I've seen many articles where different drummers have paid their respects to those aspects of Ringo's playing, with all coming to pretty much the same conclusion, that his contributions to the music, were very underrated.

Melting Pot - Blue Mink. Sentiment wise, nothing particularly wrong with it. Lyrically could be quite offensive, to certain minorities these days. Apparently, has been banned already from some radio stations in the UK.

Here in the UK, we just want to be first to embrace a new, completely inane, conspiracy theory.

Wouldn't have a problem with the flight - as pointed out, the filtration systems are very good on board. My 'issues' are with the getting to, and from the flight, which will undoubtedly require far more questionable interractions with people.

Thanks for posting that! Something I hadn't really noticed before, but after he throws to Foster, he manages to pop up out of the pile, and is still looking downfield, pretty much ignoring the guys who had just piled onto him. It was a very pretty, and good selection, and the top 2 are just downright embarrassing for the Vikes and Cowgirls respectively.

One of the biggest difficulties for NFL teams, is the simple size of rosters and coaching/training staff. That's an awful lot of people to try and keep away from viral contact. Especially when families are also concerned. In an odd way, while teams may well be able to better organize their protocols etc. at their own facilities, having players away at a TC, actually could have an alternative benefit of keeping them away from external exposure via their families. If I was a gambling man, my money would be on a season largely played behind closed doors, with the definite potential for disruption due to a viral hotspot or two occurring. So far, some soccer is back to being played in Europe, behind closed doors, and for the moment, there doesn't appear to be any specific issues. While it is a 'contact' sport, it's a minimal contact sport, and doesn't involve very large bodies glaring at each other from a foot or so away. Currently there are no clear plans for rugby to re-start, which would be a far greater risk, probably more so than the NFL, where guys are on the field for most of the 80 minutes, and often in close contact. It is also the case that people throughout europe generally, have been a lot more compliant with their respective governments measures, than the US has, imho. I think that that is possibly going to be a problem for the NFL going forward, as it needs players and their families, to observe whatever measures are agreed upon. My confidence that that will happen, is pretty minimal.

While undoubtedly many of the NFL players are very fit, areas where they aren't so much, are on both lines. Look at how much weight guys who have recently retired, shed with ease. The assumption that NFL players will all be ok if infected, is very much just an assumption, and is based upon the fallacy that they are both young nd fully fit. Young yet, fully fit, not really. Again, the majority will be, but guys on the lines put on weight deliberately, and are quite likely to be considered obese. Obesity being a condition that doesn't match up particularly favourably with covid-19. Just about every coaching staff will have guys on it who can be considered 'high risk' through age or other conditions. I wonder how many people have to die before risks become unacceptable.

As to the notion that McDermott isn't qualified to say who might or might not make a good NFL coach, I believe he's been in the NFL for long enough, and with enough success as both a coordinator and HC (2 playoff berths in 3 years is not to be sniffed at, especially while re-building), to have a clue. As regards his staff turnover, well he was pretty clear from the get go, that he had lists of who he wanted to work with, and he obviously wasn't able to get every first choice to begin with. In that respect, is there a change of coach that he's made, who hasn't been an improvement? Off the top of my head, so far, I don't believe there is, although I could easily be wrong. But it won't be by much.

Soccer isn't anywhere near to being a good example to monitor. There are a lot less players available, for one thing. They are much more spread out naturally within the game. You also have societal differences. In Germany, people generally are going to follow rules. In the US, not so much. Evidence for that would be how relatively successful the German lockdown has been, against many other countries, the US included. A soccer team will probably have no more than 24 people involved in an actual game. The 11 starters, then 5 replacements, then about the same in coaches/managers/ fitness guys. (per team) There are 53 guys in the playing roster on a Sunday. Probably a minimum of a dozen coaches, plus assorted trainers/waterboys. That's even before we get into the areas of contact, from within the game itself. Soccer doesn't have numerous instances of guys piling on after tackles, or in search of a fumbled football. It will be an awful lot easier for the virus to spread through an NFL roster, than it will be through a soccer team. That isn't to say it will happen, just that it could, and sports generally aren't a low risk occupation, due to the amount of air expended when straining. They also aren't at the top of the risk tree either, but I think you could say that their risk factor would be fairly consistent.

I think the issue, is less about if there's an NFL season, but moreso about if there's a college season. The NFL will have played at least some games, whereas the colleges may not be in a situation to play any at all. Colleges, while they do 'bestow' scholarships, aren't paying kids tp play. They can't force them to either. They also aren't about to pay for the levels of testing that should be required, as evidenced by a college recently trying to get students to sign covid19 waivers regarding practices. (Can't remember which one, but it was on PFT). No college season, equals very little to go on, when it comes to a draft. As such, it might be that the NFL goes to a lottery, as it won't make much difference anyway.

Fleetwood Mac existed well before Buckingham, and the guy who started it, was way better than Buckingham ever will be (good though he is) - his name is Peter Green. B.B. King said of Green, that he was the only (white, I think) guitarist who gave him chills. Personally, it’s Hendrix, but nobody has mentioned Green, and he very much deserves to be, especially as he was better than May. ? Jeff Beck is another guy not being mentioned, and he’s as good as anyone bar Hendrix, who was truly out on his own.

I wish I could believe in the degree of altruism, you want to associate with people who decide to join armed forces. While I'm sure there will be some who do so out of the desire to protect and serve, particularly in times of conflict, I would think that there are a far greater number who do so for other more mundane reasons, especially economic ones. Note that I am referencing contemporary times, not historic ones, where in both World Wars, even when conscripted, many would have believed they were doing the right thing.

Tbh, I don’t think Dak is worth it. They now have an adequate replacement in Dalton, so I would be playing hardball, right around now. I’m not convinced there will be much of a queue for his services from elsewhere at those numbers. I don’t blame him for trying, but he simply hasn’t shown enough to me to justify that level of deal. Good QB? Yes, in the top echelons of the NFL? No way. Probably gets into the top 10, atm, but could easily get bumped out of it by some of the guys trying to break through.

Kid's a worker and a winner. Barring injuries, he will be the 'franchise' QB we've waited so long for. Might not be certain until 2021 season though, due to the vaguaries of the current situation as regards what sort of season 2020 will bring. I wonder where that puts the rest of the QBs drafted with him then, as I only see Jackson as being ahead of him under those circumstances.

R.I.P. A big influence in many ways, on those who came after him.

Sometimes, setting yourself an unrealistic goal, is the best way to achieve a realistic one.

Does make some sense. I would also guess that they will look to do 2 home and 2 away consecutively, to reduce travelling for the teams. For those first 4 games.

The bit I find both funny and disturbing, is the fact that although she took the magazine off the gun, she didn't realize there was still one in the barrel. I wonder how many people would have wet themselves if it had gone off.......;)

There is every likelihood there will have to be cap adjustments of some sort, due to a reduced revenue stream. The revenue stream is what defines the cap number. Now, the NFL might be able to do something as regards allowing teams to be over the cap, due to extenuating circumstances, but the NFLPA, doesn't really have a leg to stand on. Where things can, and probably will, get ugly, is in the area of individual contracts that have to be honoured.

Ah, but it is to me, and I was giving my opinion. Vegas is about money going on, and not about a rational assessment of where teams stand necessarily. A basic look to begin with, which probably goes along the lines of both teams made the playoffs. Bills mostly the same roster where it matters. Cheaters now without Brady. Tbh, the assumption that Stidham, or whatever his name is, will come in after 1 season as a backup, and get the Cheats to 9 wins, seems very optimistic. If Hoyer was supposed to be starting, then I might be able to see it, as he does have more familiarity with their system, and is a relatively known quantity, as a respectable backup.

I really like Beane, but it is too soon to anoint him, imho. There are challenging times ahead, which will include some difficult decisions, and tricky negotiations. If he comes out on top with those, then it will probably be time to extend him (and McDermott). The point about waiting and seeing as regards his draft choices, is also well made. While it all looks good so far, there is still a way to go before we can assess properly how well he's done with his drafting. He has by no means been perfect, as he will readily admit, but he does appear to learn from his mistakes. If, for some indeterminate reason, I had to decide now, I would extend him, but unlike in another year or two, when I feel it will be a 'no brainer' decision, I wouldn't be especially comfortable in doing so.

I definitely think the Bills are favourites to win the Division. I don't think the Patsies will be as bad as people are saying here, but that's simply because of coaching. Their current roster shouldn't scare anyone. Jest aren't especially well coached, and Bell aside, don't have weapons. I think they are the potentially worst team in the Division. Darnold has plenty of talent, but is actually as careless with the football as Josh can be occasionally. Difference being, Allen is more careless when he's looking to run, as opposed to passing. Darnold is more prone to ints, imho. Fins could be anything. Their best chance, will be to start Fitz, hope he can keep them in it, and maybe get Tua involved after the halfway mark. I think they are a team that is going to become better as the season progresses, and I also think they are well coached. Gailey might be a really interesting decision for them, and he might be a guy who can get Tua going later on in the season, while still getting the best out of Fitz in the meantime. He's still a very capable OC, irrespective of how he might be viewed as a HC. If you want numbers on things, Bills 9-11 Cheaters 7-9 Fins 7-9 Jest 5-7

The thing I particularly like about it, is that it adds competition to everything. It means that the guys we do hang onto, are 'buying in' and have both worked to earn their spot, and shown they are better than the guy(s) who are going to be traded. I also like the fact that it appears to be a quite effective way of improving your roster, without being totally reliant on incoming draft picks. Belicheck often drafts a bunch of guys who he thinks will fit what he wants them to do, and will discard those who don't measure up. I think this is a similar approach, but by using relatively cheap vets, you don't have so much of a learning curve, and it can become more quickkly apparent, who is going to 'stick'.

I think it was @GunnerBill who talked about this the other week in a thread, and it appears it's just a different approach. Maybe partly circumstantial, but it, atm, appears to be a method of gaining an extra pick or two for next year.