Blokestradamus

Pretty much this.

In preparation for England's next game, I shall paint a wall in my house and watch it dry. A good team will make us pay for being so bloody wasteful. So much was made of taking so many attacking options and none of them could hit the broad side of a barn.

I frankly don't trust the football IQ of the local football media. I'm at the point where I've heard it all before. Maybe I'm just jaded from the offseason/preseason process.

And it's tremendous for Dez and the team if he's making progress. I just want to see it with my own eyes before I buy it. When the bullets start flying is when old habits come back.

Beware of fluff pieces in June. 90 guys on the roster, all of them are amazing.

I think he would've been my #2 interior OL behind Ryan Kelly and a fringe 1st rounder. I think he'll probably test pretty average but he's so fundamentally sound. Just a powerful, square wrecking ball. I've seen quite a few people with OSU connections talk him up as a human being. That's always a great first impression. Great for his pro prospects if he can play C at a high level. I think he'll be fine, plays with power and leverage.

I need Yolo to talk Pat Elflein with me. It's like someone took everything I love in an interior lineman and made him into a real boy. He's the RG - https://twitter.com/LedyardNFLDraft/status/730788336999272448

He's always going to be struggling with his length but he has the mentality to become a pain in the arse as a blocker. 2nd half of the Notre Dame game, his senior year. Stayed in as a 6th OL on a lot of snaps and was probably their best blocker. I think Dray has the #2 role locked up (should be a good mentor for O'Leary too). I wouldn't be opposed to Nick spending another year on the PS.

What he did in college stopped mattering the day after the draft. The truth is that he's a really average athlete with good hands. It really limits him that he's unable to get open vs NFL speed and most targets are schemed wide open or contested. I think he has a RZ skill set that we could use but his blocking has to get better to see looks at TE. I adored him at FSU and he's an easy guy to root for. I got a little sour on him because Bills fans pre-draft kept telling me he was the next superstar TE. I just think he'll get overlooked because teams will always be more intrigued by athletes and the idea that you can't teach speed.

If you're like 95% of the NFL and not blessed with everything needed to excel, you need to combine your talent with good, old-fashioned hard work. It doesn't guarantee success but it gives you opportunity. Guys like Annen bounce around, the ones with the work ethic get recommendations from coaches. Most free agents are lacking something but the lazy ones rarely get multiple chances.

Dude lit up his Pro Day a couple years ago. Absolute specimen. 6'4", 247 pounds. Ran a 4.41, tested at least average in every other drill. Definitely a guy that I will keep a keen eye on in preseason. There's a H-Back/TE job open and I'd rather he got it than O'Leary.

I voted that we'll probably leave. I will vote to stay in on Thursday though. The truth around the motives/justification surrounding the murder of Jo Cox would sway things massively if he really is a Britain First member (plenty of things are pointing that way as of right now). Too much fear and panic being spread, not nearly enough fact on the table. There's absolutely a case for leaving but I'd much rather see the real numbers in terms of trade agreements and the effect on GDP before I could vote to leave. I've seen half a dozen figures on the net gain associated with leaving from half a dozen sources. I'm pretty intelligent and I can't comprehend some of it, I'm terrified that this is falling into the hands of absolute morons. The leave campaign is being fronted by some of our very worst politicians (many of whom are trying to evoke the spirit of Enoch Powell). I can't help but think some are entirely racially motivated, using the argument of sovereignty to legitimise very dark personal politics. In all good conscience, I can't align with them.

I would've thought it would be standard practice, even just as an insurance policy. Possibly bitter former employee with inside knowledge of a huge scandal. There may be institutional failings that haven't made the public domain yet.

Probably a healthy amount and some form of NDA included to stop Baylor looking even worse.

Not today, Satan. Saving my 'On your bike' related quips for January.

https://twitter.com/lebronstein/status/743847629755453440

@Rotoworld_FB Report: Monroe unwilling to play right tackle. I think we can safely put this to bed from a Bills perspective. Quite right too, never played RT before. From the blurb: "Bleacher Report's Jason Cole reports free agent LT Eugene Monroe turned down an offer from the Giants to play right tackle and isn't willing to play the position. Monroe is in "no rush" to sign now that OTAs and minicamps are over, leaving five weeks until training camps open. But the 29-year-old is adamant at staying on the left side. Cole mentions the Seahawks and Panthers as options for Monroe, specifically if Carolina wants to move Michael Oher to right tackle. After signing Oher to an extension Friday, we doubt that's the case. Monroe's best fit right now from a position and scheme standpoint would be Seattle"

Haden has been pretty average since he signed that deal. Last year, albeit struggling with health, he gave up a 158.2 passer rating (158.3 is the max). Gilmore hasn't had a slump quite like that. Here's the tough thing. I don't think basic stats are going to help figure out worth. A lot of the time, a dominant corner doesn't get thrown at enough to have fantastic stats. I'll pose these questions: 1) Does the opposition match up their best WR on him or do they sacrifice someone and let their #1 WR work on the other side? 2) When matched up on the #1 WR, how do his targets compare to being matched up on other #1 corners? If a corner is taking away half of the field and/or the opposition's biggest WR threat consistently, he's a stud. I think Gilmore qualifies as a top 8 player at a position with a lot of talent.

But he has been credited with 50 pass breakups in 51 career games. That shows that he's at least identifying the ball and playing it.

His work ethic has got him to this point. If he doesn't kick on from the guy he was last year, it won't be for a lack of trying. If you're going to talk developmental QB's, you have to ascertain their commitment to their game. You don't get anything handed to you at this level and Tyrod gets it.

If he has to leave, I would love Slay. Loved him in college, turning himself into a high calibre professional. Not entirely sure he would be all that much cheaper on the open market than Gilmore though. I've not looked too much at the 2017 cap but I thought it was feasible to extend Gilmore and sign a QB. Failure to do so, if plausible, would leave a bad taste in my mouth. Edit - Since Rex loves Clemson and corners, it's safe to think they might be considering Cordrea Tankersley in the draft as well.

It's a tough one. On one hand, he's not Sherman level so matching his $14m/year isn't fair market value. On the other hand, he's better than Joe Haden and he got $13.5m/year. Both deals were 2 years ago so there's salary cap inflation to take into consideration. I'd still probably pay him $15m a year if that's what it takes. Not taking any chances on this one, he's a stud.

If I was at the Ralph, I doubt it. Not because he doesn't deserve it, I just don't think it would be appreciated by some of the drunken morons around me. In my living room, he'll get one from me. As sports fans, we tend to hate greatness and add caveats to it.

United and England have been playing him out of position for most of his career. He's never been an out-and-out striker. The midfield role is better for him and I think that he's played well in the first 2 games, minus the pointless foul that led to the Bale free kick. I've been a long time critic of him and the way he's been used.

When I watched him, all I could think was that he's baby Jay Cutler. He's raw because of the disruption he's caused to his own career but he's just as 'toolsy' as someone like Cardale. He'll get a shot. The big issue is off-field. Sociopathic tendencies.