hondo in seattle

Shaw66, I just want to say Thank You.! I personally love discussions about team-building and I think you gave a great summary of the Jackson book. When people want to fire a coach about in-game decisions, I cringe a little. The stuff you talked about is far more important.

I worry about a lot of things: the changes in the offensive coaching staff, the depth at CB, the offensive line... We do have a lot of talent but it's hardly a gimme that this team is going to the SB.

Congrats to Leslie. Well deserved!

More 4-3? I'm not sure about that. McD and Frazier have been doing well in a 5-2.

When I was a teenager, I spent an evening listening to the newly released Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti album in my brother's darkened room (it was his stereo). I entered a deep trance-like state where I felt that nothing was beyond the comprehension of my expanded consciousness. And I had a tremendous insight: "Never worry about that which cannot be changed." I shared my new wisdom with a friend who responded with, "Oh, yeah. My mom says that all the time." Her mom was a typical Buffalo mom from that era: a chubby homemaker who watched a lot of daytime soaps. She didn't have an intellectual or philosophical bone in her body. I couldn't imagine her mom saying anything deep or meaningful. "You mom says what I just said all the time?" I challenged in disbelief. "Well, she phrases it a little differently: 'No use crying over spilt milk.'" I was devastated! My great philosophical discovery was nothing more than an old cliche! And that's what I think about 13 seconds: No use crying over spilt milk.

Far more athletic than his Uncle Ray.

Those were two good teams left. Let's say the chance of winning each game was around 50%. That means the chance of winning the Lombardi - even if we got past the Chiefs - was about 25%. To look at from another perspective, some folks/players in KC thought beating the Bills was a big deal because we were the best team they'd have to play. Yet the Chiefs couldn't even make it to SoCal after dispatching us. The winner of that monumental game earned no guarantees.

This shows how important PFF has become. If there are rumors of $50,000 bribes, somebody is taking PFF seriously. I've heard that all 32 teams subscribe to PFF. I've also heard that GMs and player agents will both use PFF stats if they support their side. As much as many of us mock PFF, it's relevant if not always accurate.

I was over 13 seconds once the game was over. Things happen in games. Life moves on.

I voted "Nothing." But if he went 0-17 with a healthy roster and an average point differential of 20+ points, I might reconsider.

I saw a list of the Top Ten cities in America. Seattle was - bizarrely - on the list. Buffalo wasn't. I wrote to the authors to express my strong disagreement.

I lived in Seattle for years. The Buffalo wings you find at the sports bars and pizza places there are not the best. They do, however, have excellent wings in some of the ethnic restaurants. Soggy dishes? That's a weird observation and I can only speculate that you weren't eating at the right places. Seattle is one of the great foodie cities of America. Lots of great food (and ice cream) there.

Who knows how good he can evaluate talent? His methods may have been discouraged and his recommendations ignored.

Whaley is not an unknowledgeable guy. He was the pro personnel coordinator, as I recall, when he was with Pittsburg last time. And I remember Peter King once viewed him as a rising star because Whaley was good at what he did there. But it turns out pro personnel coordinator is the right role for Whaley. He's not a great speaker as you point out. His judgment is sometimes lacking. And he seems to be a batter evaluator of pro talent than college.

Maybe the best "Buffalo Wings" are in Buffalo. But the very best wings I've ever eaten have been Brazilian, Szechuan, Korean and Thai wings in restaurants outside of Buffalo. And I personally make my own wing sauce with a combination of gochujang, doenjang (Korean fermented bean paste), tomatillo, roasted garlic, and other ingredients. It's a personal preference, but I'd take my own culturally mixed-up wings over anything Bar Bill or Duff's has to offer. I recently read some folks are making Buffalo - and other wings - confit style (slow cooked in their own fat). That will be my next experiment: Mexi-Korean Wings Confit.

My understanding of a QB coach in general (not Brady in particular) is that they do things: (1) Work with the QBs, particularly in the offseason/preseason, to make sure they understand the playbook and the offensive scheme. When running drills, they'll coach the QB to throw to the right guy at the right time given the play-call and circumstances. (2) Work with the QBs during the playing season to make sure they understand their opponent: scheme, proclivities, players, weaknesses and so on. As I understand it, most QB coaches do very little work on things like accuracy and biomechanics - though some do more. Some, I'm told, are also good at teaching the leadership aspect of the QB position.

I tend to agree with you that McKenzie won't be cut... but I'm far less certain than you are. McKenzie was clearly in McD's doghouse for part of last year. Whatever you and I may think of him, if the coaching staff doesn't love him for whatever reason, he may end up being expendable.

Damn. I predicted two CBs. I was right. I predicted a LB and WR. I was right. I predicted two OL. We only got one though I know Beane wanted another! But I only got two picks in the right order. I'm a failure.

I'm not sure it'll be remembered fondly in any context. But I hope it becomes kind of like Ronnie Harmon's drop: the heartbreaking mishap that preceded the greatness. Except this time the greatness includes Lombardis.

That was a really good article. For me, probably the best tidbits were... Moss's ankle was injured and that's why he had an off year. Beane really is in charge of the draft. I know some Bills fans think McDermott runs every aspect of the team. But Schoen cleared that up: “Early on, (McDermott) was heavily invested (in the personnel process). The more we earned his trust, the more hands-off he was. It’s a testament to him that he and his coaches did such a great job of clearly defining what they were looking for, and then in developing the players we brought in.”

It's not a simple question of which body part is strong: the arm or the leg. Many years ago, as a skinny kid, I could throw a football 55 yards. That's not impressive, to be sure. But it was further than most of my friends with much stronger arms. Throwing isn't all about arm strength. Throwing uses the whole body. And you're not pushing the ball, you're catapulting it. The biomechanics and explosiveness of the throwing motion matter far more than simple arm strength. In the 1997 QB Challenge, Brett Favre threw a ball 75 yards. Drew Bledsoe threw 74 yards. Jeff Blake and Jeff George both threw 72 yards. I wouldn't automatically crown Punt God the winner in this competition. Josh has a chance.

There's a lot to be excited about. This offense has weapons and is led by an amazing QB. But I still have worries about the OL. And we have a new OC as well as new OL and QB coaches. All this newness brings uncertainty. And there's always the chance of injury. I voted 31.1 to 32.0.

Gregg I do and don't disagree. I'm also concerned about the offensive line. But if it's the 2nd round for example, and you see a good 3rd back available and no offensive linemen you like, what do you do? You can't pick a guard just because you want a guard when you have little faith any of the guards available will be viable NFL players. It's all about probabilities. After the 1st round, it's unlikely that any of these players will be any good in the pros. It's better to pick a player at a position of little need if you think he has a fair chance to succeed in the NFL, than a player of high need but little probability.

Professional personnel guys are often wrong when they project the NFL futures of college kids. I won't even pretend to know. What encourages me is that we presumably filled three positions of need: CB; 3rd down/receiving back; punter.

It's an interesting draft because I do agree that we picked up some kids that will be contributors quickly. I think Elam will earn playing time quickly. I think we'll see Cook in certain packages. And I think we'll have a rookie punter.