Utah John

The NHL playoffs are too long, and there are too many games for viewers to keep track of. But for the teams involved, of course the tournament is a grueling demonstration of toughness and stamina. I just can't watch that much hockey when the weather is so nice (here in Memphis).

What I remember about White last year was him getting a DPI call (for Baltimore) while covering a Bills receiver, Coleman I think. But that was a bad call, happy for the Bills but that wasn't DPI. And that's the only time White's name was mentioned. And that's a good thing. Usually when a CB gets mentioned it's while he's chasing a receiver who beat him. That didn't happen to White in that game. So who knows, maybe he's got enough game to help the team win. Plus there's the locker room factor. The other players loved having him around, keeping things fun. Plus it was so sad when he was injured in his last game as a Bill (v.1), knowing that at least at that point it was his last chance for a ring with the team that drafted him.

The three demoted officials are second-year umpire James Carter, third-year line judge Robin DeLorenzo, and first-year down judge Robert Richeson. I went through the box scores for all the Chiefs games in 2024. I found them on the ESPN site, and all the officials were listed except for the Week 9 game when the Chiefs beat the Buccaneers. With the exception of that game, I found that each of the three demoted officials worked one Chiefs game apiece. Robert Richeson worked the Week 2 game where the Chiefs beat the Bengals 26-25. Robin DeLorenzo worked the Week 12 game where the Chiefs beat the Panthers 30-27. James Carter worked the Week 13 game where the Chiefs beat the Raiders 19-17. The result of all this is that the demoted officials had only a limited opportunity to help the Chiefs. However all three of the games I mentioned were very close (total point differential:6). So who knows whether there's any correlation. nfl officials 2024.xlsx

Byrd got interceptions, but he wasn't even the best CB on the team then. That was Booker Edgerson, the shut-down corner of that era. But all-time? The best was Robert James.

They improved from being busts to being mediocre, and with 32 teams all needing a QB, that's enough to pull down that kind of money.

Possibly the Pats did this at Milton's request. He doesn't want to be a backup, and Maye is clearly a rising talent who would have kept Milton on the bench. But the Pats seem to have sold for a very low price. This looks like a steal for the Cowboys.

OK, fine, her parents are wealthy and can provide a private jet for her, that she really can't afford on her own. Just asking, wouldn't it be nice if Terry Pegula sold the jet and used the money to pay to the cap for the Sabres?

Now, Cook.

Gotta give some props to the chair, too. Maybe literally if you want to use the chair again.

I was at Rich for all the games in 1973, preseason and regular season. I was working as a pop vendor in the stands. Doubtful I'll get to any games this year since I live in Memphis now.

He's 31, and tore an ACL in the middle of last season. He will need to spend this entire season in rehab until maybe the last few games. Check out Von Miller's recovery to get a sense of how good Diggs will be this year. Next year, 32 years old, and probably not allowed to bring his walker out on the field. Diggs's big sin with the Bills was that he wanted the ball. All. The. Time. Allen was much more effective throwing to whichever of his (less talented than Diggs) receivers were open. But Diggs was very professional in how he prepared, and he took great care of his body. He'll have a good impact in the Pats' WR room and in the locker room, but on the field...?

By leaving money on the table, Allen could have a ripple effect around the league. Other GMs can look at their starting QBs and point out that Allen is the MVP and is willing to help the team win by forgoing some of the money he could have gotten, just to help his team win. (I think Brady did the same thing in NE, and he's doing just fine.) As other QBs look around, some of them might feel a little sheepish about demanding Watson-like dollars, and those teams' fan bases will look at that greedy QB as their team flames out, and ask whether a less-well-paid QB with a better roster around him might have been a better choice.

I think Allen is safer moving out of the pocket and passing, than he is either remaining in the pocket where someone could fall on his knees, or when he chooses to run. Even when he runs he usually can see what's coming and can protect himself, although there certainly are plays when he takes a shot or lands awkwardly. Brady's offense relied on quick passes to receivers who could get open quickly. And he always had a good O line. He was so smart he could diagnose where the defense was attacking and usually could identify which receiver would be open. And he became a great, accurate passer for long balls when he needed to and when the opportunity presented itself. The QB who's the true GOAT, IMHO, is Joe Montana, and he was certainly willing to get out of the pocket and move. At his time, he was one of the more effective QBs at scrambling, as it used to be called. When he got replaced in SF by a younger (and also quite good) Steve Young, Young was even more of a threat to run, possibly at that point the best running QB who was also very good at passing, in NFL history. So much comes down to the skills of the individual and how the coaches design the offense around that guy.

Benford didn't get targeted much because the Bills' other CB was always worse, with Douglas struggling at times and Elam a train wreck. Of course other teams looked the other way.

The Texans front office seems to make questionable moves. They gave up a huge haul to Miami to get Laremy Tunsil, who did play very well for years but wasn't the best LT in football. They gave up a second to the Bills for Stefon Diggs as a one-season rental when they really didn't need another great WR, and unfortunately Diggs got hurt so he didn't even play a full season. Now this enormous contract, way out of line with what other top CBs have been getting. The winners in all this are of course Stingley but also Stingley's agent, who twisted the Texans into paying this much. Stroud's rookie contract will run out before Stingley's new contract does, so there will be a period in there when the Texans are really up against the cap.