Rocky Landing

I figure it's going to happen around the same time that my kid cleans his room.

These numbers more or less even out when you consider that Murphy got about twice the snaps as Shaq.

McKenzie gets cut. All of the little gadget plays that McK did last year Stephon Diggs did for the Vikes. And, quite frankly, Diggs does them better. McK offered versatility that Daboll cherishes. Diggs makes him redundant. If there is a role that keeps McK on the team, it will be for the other versatile attributes that he has for which they may not want to risk Diggs-- special teams, etc. They had him in as a defensive back at one point last season. But, I don't think that is going to be enough to keep him on the team.

I work in the motion picture industry in Los Angeles, and productions are just starting to crawl back to life-- but very slowly. Some of the commercial work-- small productions, with minimal crews-- started up last week. And, the first TV show started up the other day-- The Bold, and the Beautiful. I think there are also some very low-budget movies starting to be being made, taking advantage of the rock-bottom prices of equipment that would otherwise be collecting dust on shelves. But, the word is, at the moment, that the bulk of movie, and television production isn't starting up soon-- possibly not until the end of the year, or until a vaccine comes out. With all that in mind, Hard Knocks reality TV in Los Angeles is kind of a no-brainer. Crews are going to be far away from the cast. The cast will be in close proximity to one another, regardless of the TV crews. They will have the best production infrastructure, at the lowest cost that they have ever had. And the protocols for safe TV production in LA have already been written, and approved, and the personnel are lining up for the jobs. Bottom line: HBO will have two teams worth of drama, with more production value than they have ever had, for less money than they have ever spent.

Speaking personally, I would put the order of rivalry at: 1) Pats* 2) Jets 3) Dolphins 4) Everyone else. But, to be honest, the only one of those 31 teams for which I would feel anything close to "hatred" would be the Pats*.

I stand corrected.

If anyone ever proposes to my daughter, they better not do it on one knee, or I'm going to punch them in the mouth.

I think we've both said what we wanted to say. But, I very much appreciate the discussion, extraneous to football though it may be. Cheers!

Would his recommendations for people protesting be any different than the recommendations he had already made for any other public space?

I'm willing to concede the "lie of omission." The guy can only do what he can do. He doesn't have the authority set policy. He can only make recommendations. But, I absolutely do not believe that any of those recommendations have been politically motivated.

I don't see it as a question of whether they're right, or wrong. Why should Fauci care what the public thinks? That would be political. As they learn more about the disease, they amend their assessments. That's the way it works. Fauci makes the best recommendation he can with the information he as at the time. As the information changes, his recommendations change.

I certainly don't see it that way. Fauci has never been responsible for government policy, and he's been very clear on that. The government held off promoting face masks because it knew shortages were so bad that even doctors couldn't get enough. In their assessment at the time, promoting facemarks would have made the situation worse. How is that dishonest?

Fair enough. I would say that the fact that Fauci often changes, or amends his statements gives me more trust in him. He's a scientist, not a politician. When a politician changes their mind, it's called "flip-flopping." When a scientist changes their mind, it's called the scientific method.

You're making my point for me. "Fauci said US government held off promoting face masks because it knew shortages were so bad that even doctors couldn't get enough," is not political in any way. It wasn't advancing any political agenda. It was a matter of managing a pandemic for which they weren't prepared.

This statement is exactly the kind of narrative that I'm talking about. There is absolutely no reason to believe that Fauci, a 79-year-old epidemiologist, has, at any point in all of this, been untruthful. The narrative you're pushing, however, has easily recognizable political motives.

Political expediency is something that is done to advance something politically. Fauci's role is not political. The narratives being pushed about an epidemiologist trying to do his job, on the other hand, are the very definition of political expediency. That's my point.

Politically expedient? Do you think he's running for something?

Did you guys read the article? He's using words like "may," and "could." These are cautionary statements he's making. It's not really even about whether he's right or wrong. It's really about how serious the risks become, and whether the NFL can deal with those risks, both for the player's safety, and the safety of the communities they play in. Whether football happens, or not-- he's not wrong.

Serious(ish) question to those who are still clinging to the "kneeling is disrespectful" narrative: Is there another context in the history of the world where kneeling was ever considered disrespectful?

It is certainly your right to go crawl under any rock you want. But, what makes you think you can speak for those who are (respectfully, imo) protesting during the anthem? Do you not see that protest is a vital form of patriotism?

"Reason for despair The Bills have not made consecutive playoff appearances since 1998-99 and have not won a playoff game since 1995. The odds are against Buffalo making it back to the playoffs this year. They also will not sneak up on any teams now. They will get their opponents’ best shot." But... we just... huh...???

At best, I would say that you have a flawed definition of "freedom of speech" where someone's expression should be free of consequences. That's not the way it works, and it never has been. Gundy's opinion of OANN was strong enough that he wore their advertisement on his chest. That expression had consequences. And yet, you're against players kneeling during the anthem...

This "blowback" your referencing is literally based on people's perception, and opinion of OAN. So, you're saying that Gundy should have the freedom to wear a T-shirt, but others should't have the freedom to express their opinion about it? How is that not a double standard?

Honestly, I wish those who are trying to confirm, or deny systemic racism by blithely referencing statistics would just hush. It's clear that they're being used merely to support longstanding conclusions. It's only my opinion, but statistics aren't the key to understanding systemic racism. History is.

QB: B-: I just don't have the emotional capital to rate them any lower... RB :C+: I love Singletary, but he's not elite. I have reservations about Moss. I'm a huge Wade fan, but realistically, his transition to the NFL is far from a given. Yeldon is a damp sack of wheat. TE: C-: I believe that Knox could develop into a true playmaker. He showed flashes last season that are undeniable. But, he also had some egregious drops, which don't particularly concern me. Kroft is dry, white toast. I love Lee Smith, just as a fan. But, color commentators refer to him as "blocking tight end Lee Smith" when he is on the field. And, too many flags! But, the problem with all them is that none of these guys are complete tight ends. WR: A: I think it's safe to make a judgement on Diggs, before he takes a snap as a Bill, and say that he is elite. I've watched every snap of his NFL career, at this point, and I think that he may be the most versatile WR in the league. After him, we have the exact same cast, just bumped down a notch. Smoke as a #2, Beasley as a slot, and the supporting cast below them, all of whom belong on an NFL team, and all of whom offer a range of skills. IMO, this group could elevate Allen into the A range, all by themselves. The most exciting unit on the team. OL: B-: This grade might be high. But, I suspect that they have not reached their ceiling as a unit, and the continuity they have from last season is going to be a distinct asset. My biggest concern is Ford. But, we still have Nsekhe, and we shouldn't sleep on offseason acquisition Daryl Williams. CB: B-: Of course Tre is elite. But, Wallace was a bit of a disappointment, last season. It was a mistake, IMO, to let Kevin Johnson walk. I get the money thing, but I think, in hindsight, we may have been better off giving him the #2 spot over Wallace. In the end, I think he was the better CB. He just never got the snaps to prove it. Gaines, and Norman? Top shelf backups, to be sure. But I don't think they are going to light the world up. And, I'm a fan of Taron Johnson, to be sure. His effort is 110%, and he always seems to have one great play per game. Kind of like Trent Murphy... S: A: It's been said over, and over again-- Hyde/Poyer are the best safety tandem in the NFL. And Neal ain't no scrub. LB: B-: I suspect that the loss of Lorax is bigger than many of us suspect. I'm happy with the moves Beane made to address the position, but I don't think his contributions to the LB room can be overstated. I'm a huge fan of Milano. He's a workhorse. And, there is little doubt in my mind that Edmunds will be elite-- maybe this year? DL: B-: I hate to say it, but this may be too high. The biggest question marks, are on the DL. Between Oliver's legal woes, and the new acquisitions, it's the unit with the least amount of continuity on the team. But, some serious talent, here. ST C : I wish there were some more ST plays that would get me up out of my seat...