Rocky Landing

Look at it this way: There are over a million people actively serving in an all volunteer military. As the economy improves, low wage jobs are created, and minimum wages are increasing around the country, it's going to become harder (and more expensive) to fill those boots. A big part of any marketing campaign is referred to as "branding." And, clearly, it is a big part of the American Military brand that in America, soldiers are honored-- constantly. At sporting events, during holidays, state-of-the-union speeches, awards shows, in the cinema, on the news, free meals at Denny's, free upgrades at airports, free drinks at bars, and most certainly during the Super Bowl. I wouldn't be surprised if right now, there were a military marketing executive talking to John McCain and saying, "what the hell are you trying to do? Put us out of business???" Edit: btw- I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Mets, or Yankees received money for events honoring first responders in NYC. It must have been hard to recruit firefighters, and police officers after 9/11, and I'm sure those organizations have marketing budgets, as well.

I'm not sure you do. Marketing campaigns encompass far more than billboards, radio, television, and print ads. There are literally companies that pay warehouses full of people in foreign countries like India to click on produced media to force if to go "viral," so that the ads that accompany the page will be seen. If you see someone on your favorite TV show drink from a can of Pepsi, or get into a cab with an ad on the side, that product was placed very deliberately. Even the cars that actors drive in movies represent sponsorship. There are companies that scour social media sites and mine individual's data so that your personal computer will display advertising tailored to your personal preferences. For that matter, I would submit that there is very little that is "honest" about standard advertising. Why would we expect the military to be any different? Very well stated. Thank you.

There are a lot of reasons to not sign Vick. He wouldn't come cheap. He is injury prone. He would add controversy to the QB competition. If they decide to trade EJ (certainly a possibility), Simms makes sense as a third stringer. In that situation, he would be a better third stringer than Tuel. And, considering how the QB "competition" went in Jersey, it doesn't seem like Rex thinks very highly of Vick. I would imagine they were considering him when they decided to sign Cassel. Really, rather than Simms, the more apt question would be, "why Cassel over Vick?"

I posted this in another thread about Kujo a while back: Kujo last season: Kujo next season:

If Bellichick were really a genius, he would have had his CBs drop the interceptions, as well.

They also have Corey Graham listed as a safety.

The Bills website has him listed as DE.

We could just shorten it to DQB.

I assume you're being facetious... but, that notion crossed my mind, as well.

The only advertising that is obvious, is the advertising that is obvious. There is an enormous amount of money spent by advertisers that is far more subtle, from product placement, to "viral" marketing. In this age where people commonly walk around with their faces buried in their cell phones, advertising is more, and more disguised as something else. I wonder what part of the military's budget these events came out of? I would assume it was part of their recruitment budget. But, regardless, I would also assume that the military felt like they were getting something out of this. Time is money, as they say. If an NFL team is using up time to promote the military, be it a recruitment commercial, or an "honoring our troops" event, they are still providing a service. Why shouldn't they be compensated?

Schadenfreude is an enticing addiction.

Certainly. What grabbed my attention about this is that when Taylor was first hired, I feel like all I heard were negatives about everything except his mobility. His college scouting reports were poor, he had barely played in the league, and there was much speculation about his accuracy issues, his height, etc. I believe there was even a poll on this site about who would start that didn't even include him. And so, when Ryan started gushing about Taylor, I found myself thinking about Ryan's judgement concerning QBs. That does seem to be a common concern about Rex. It's comforting to hear other players, and pundits echoing his praise.

Very different situations, though. Ryan has gushed about Taylor, and the major gripe that I kept hearing upon his signing was that he was inaccurate. He does seem to be getting a lot of buzz.

Whoa... "Of the three starting options, Tyrod Taylor showed the best on Wednesday. Although he'll try to escape the pocket a bit more than you would like, his accuracy on deep throws made him stand out from both EJ Manuel and Matt Cassel."

Sorry if this was already posted on this thread (I've been out of the country for a while), but this is hilarious: http://deadspin.com/the-hilarious-brady-bashing-texts-sent-by-the-pats-bal-1702598756

Kujo becomes a reliable starter. Marqueis Gray. Fred, once again, exceeds expectations.

Does such a rule change increase the likelihood that we keep Tyrod on the roster?

It would be crazy for us to only carry two QBs, considering who we have: Matt Cassel, who has had injury issues, EJ, who has had injury issues, and Tyrod, who Rex is touting as being a great running QB. If our O-line is not significantly improved from last year (or even if it is), we could easily burn through all three of them before the end of the season. The position is just too tenuous. The argument could be made that the only reason Orton lasted 12 games is because he was so adept at collapsing into the fetal position.

Were this a civil case, a good defense attorney would settle out of court.

I'm going to cynically agree with this.

It's kinda funny...

Plus, Hogan has developed some great chemistry with EJ, if that ends up mattering.

Hell yeah! Great attitude, great work ethic, GREAT BILL!

I was wondering when the Tuel fans would come out of the woodwork to defend their guy. He certainly hasn't gotten much love lately. MAKE SOME NOISE, TUEL-TIMERS!!!

I hope Kujo will step up. But, unfortunately, that is a big "IF." Who???