Losman-McGahee-Evans

Starting rotation - Tim Hudson John Smoltz Mike Hampton Horacio Ramirez Closer - Danny Kolb C Johnny Estrella 1B Adam LaRoche (L) 2B Marcus Giles 3B Chipper Jones (S) SS Rafael Furcal (S) LF Eli Marrero (S) CF Andruw Jones RF TBD Their run has come to an end? Once they plug RF THEY HAVE IMPROVED OVER LAST YEAR and reduced payroll. Are you nuts???

I think we know what we have in Pittsburgh but it just seems like Cincy is lights out one game and then, well Cincy the next. I really admire and respect the job Marvin Lewis is doing with that club so to me I think if we can win this one we actually will run the table and finish 10-6. Can you say "Mike Mularkey - Coach of the Year"???

Yeah but then we'd be idiots. Anything can happen ONCE you make the playoofs. It's about getting in.

Not expecting us to make the playoffs? I'm don't think anyone "expects" us to but the easiest path to the playoffs comes through winning out. For us to win out we need all the help we can get. i.e. a Steeeler team NOT playing for home field advantage in their final game against us!

I think the Jets have all but locked up one of the wild cards. I believew we are only realistically competing with Baltimore and Denver for the second spot. For us to have an easier final game it must come against a Steeler team resting it's starters not playing lights out for home field advantage. Again that's my point.

The first of course is obvious but the second is just as important. We've got to make sure our game against Pittsburgh means nothing to them and they rest their starters. These four final games are going to be nerve racking to say the least.

Either way it's great to see JB in an avatar!

I can only hope we can get a big Jerry Porter/Tyrone Calico-type Wr to replace Moulds.

I'm very concerned about that as well. I've read that Mark Campbell's injury appears to be serious. I've found nothing regarding any of the others.

I'd only re-sign him if he doesn't want to break the bank. To me the biggest offseason priority is sorting out LT because I believe Jennings wants to leave to play in Atlanta near his home. Second on that list is trading into the first round for a shut down CB if one is available (RB Travis Henry and our 2nd Rd pick for a high 1st from a cap strapped team?). Just as important should be restructuring Moulds' contract.

I think that both AFC wild cards come out of the AFC East with the records looking like this : Bills: 10-6 Jets: 10-6 Ravens: 9-7 Jaguars: 9-7 Broncos: 9-7 There is a very good possibility that we drop that game to Pittsburgh unless Indy or NE has already clinched homefield so my worries are the tiebreakers.

With Pittsburgh playing for homefield advantage they won't be resting anybody in their game against us. In my opinion if we beat Pittsburgh we're in. If we don't I think we finish 9-7 and are on the outside looking in with tiebreakers.

As I see we are competing with the following teams for the second wildcard spot. We of course have to win out but if those teams lose the games they should lose it looks like we're in if we do indeed win out. 7-5 Denver (MIA, @KC, @TEN, IND) Baltimore (NYG, @IND, @PIT, MIA) 6-5 Jacksonville (PIT, CHI, @GB, HOU, @OAK) 6-6 Cincinatti (@NE, BUF, NYG, @PHI) I think it's a very real possibility that we will be playing in the playoffs.

Manning is Dan Fouts until he actually wins something.

The priorities as I see them are : 1. OL - We need a road grader at C to allow us to jettison Teague's contract. We also need a LT to replace Jennings when he leaves or a RT to replace Williams when he moves to LT. The OL will determine if the transition from Drew to JP is a smooth one. It will also help if we can continue to run the ball with Willis to take the pressure off JP next year. 2. DT - Pat Williams has lost a step, Sam Adams isn't getting any younger and Edwards, Bannon et al are not the answer. If a can't miss DT drops in the first round I believe we must trade up and draft him (2nd rounder and TH?) because we can upgrade the position as well as give us the ability to drop a big money contract. 3. CB - I feel that Troy Vincent is going to be our FS for a couple of years so what we really need is another big-time CB. Not sure how we will get that in next year's draft so we could be seeing a full year of McGee out there until we can grab one in the 2006 draft. 4. WR - We need to replace Eric Moulds sooner than later. I'd sign a free agent rather than use a draft pick and I'd do it next season if Moulds won't restructure.

Why wouldn't any of those teams take our 2nd and a pro-bowl RB for a mid-first pick? He'd be perfect for each of the above teams and could fit in CIN if Johnson is pursued by a couple of teams.

What the teacher was doing was wrong in a public school. What about kids of different faith's? It's not about removing all references. It's about prostelytizing at public schools. If the teacher wishes to do this they can...at a private school.

Unfortunately, this is a complete lie. The teacher was FORCING his students to listen to and read "Christian Nation" propaganda. The school asked him to stop. The teacher is suing the school with the help of a right-wing "Christian Law" organization, the Alliance Defense Fund. (http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/) Also see this : http://www.alliancealert.org/ The school did NOT "ban the Declaration of Independence" -- that is just a lie. This story is like when you hear that a man was "arrested for praying" and you find out he was kneeling in the middle of a busy intersection at rush hour and refused to move. This was a BIG STORY today, on Rush, and Drudge, and the rest of the Usual Suspects. And it is a carefully planned and carefully timed lie. The story was timed for this afternoon so that it cannot be refuted until Monday. It is timed to cause fights and hatred at family Thanksgiving dinners across the country. It is part of a strategy to reinforce a "conventional wisdom" notion that "liberals" are "going too far" with their demands of separation of church and state. People For the American Way has a web page about the Alliance Defense Fund if you are so inclined : http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=4457 ADF's Founders: Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ Larry Burkett, founder of Christian Financial Concepts Rev. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family Rev. D. James Kennedy, founder of Coral Ridge Ministries Marlin Maddoux, President of International Christian Media Don Wildmon, founder of American Family Association (And 25+ other ministries) President and General Counsel: Alan Sears Date of founding: 1994 Finances: $15,411,093 (2001 budget) And note this: 'ADF defines itself by its ability to strategize and coordinate with lawyers all over the United States.' And this : 'ADF also defends the right of Christians to 'share the gospel' in workplaces and public schools, claiming that any efforts to curb proselytizing at work and school are anti-Christian.' "Strategize and coordinate." Sounds like what's happening with this story, planted on Rush and Drudge, in time for the holiday. I suspect many of you are going to miss how wrong and important this is -- how big of an effect this is going to have on things we care about. This story is designed as ammunition for family conversations tomorrow. In fact, O'Reilly was on the air on FOX saying "Another ruling by an activist judge that puts us all in danger." That's an exact quote. It isn't about this story, but it reinforces it: Yet more "liberals' who are "going too far." See the forest. See how this stuff works! To be clear about this story, the school said the teacher could not use handouts that INCLUDED quotes from the Declaration and other documents. A San Mateo Times story says, "She then prevented Williams from giving students several handouts including: - Excerpts from the Declaration of Independence with references to "God," "Creator," and "Supreme Judge." And from the Alliance's press release, 'Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund filed suit yesterday against the Cupertino Union School District for prohibiting a teacher from providing SUPPLEMENTAL handouts to students about American history because the historical documents contain some references to God and religion.' Supplemental handouts, huh? I wonder where he got those from? That's all this is. The rest is strategic disinformation -- agitprop. And for the Right's spin on the story -- how's suing for saying "Merry Christmas?" Update II - Digby's on it too. And the blogosphere is picking it up: Atrios, Daou Report. Now Blue Lemur, Liberal Oasis, Information Clearing House, First Draft, APJ, archy. We might just get the major media involved and beat this lie down before it does too much damage! 2 years from now, the right-wingers will still be talking about that story like it was true.

Unfortunately, this is a complete lie. The teacher was FORCING his students to listen to and read "Christian Nation" propaganda. The school asked him to stop. The teacher is suing the school with the help of a right-wing "Christian Law" organization, the Alliance Defense Fund. (http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/) Also see this : http://www.alliancealert.org/ The school did NOT "ban the Declaration of Independence" -- that is just a lie. This story is like when you hear that a man was "arrested for praying" and you find out he was kneeling in the middle of a busy intersection at rush hour and refused to move. This was a BIG STORY today, on Rush, and Drudge, and the rest of the Usual Suspects. And it is a carefully planned and carefully timed lie. The story was timed for this afternoon so that it cannot be refuted until Monday. It is timed to cause fights and hatred at family Thanksgiving dinners across the country. It is part of a strategy to reinforce a "conventional wisdom" notion that "liberals" are "going too far" with their demands of separation of church and state. People For the American Way has a web page about the Alliance Defense Fund if you are so inclined : http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=4457 ADF's Founders: Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ Larry Burkett, founder of Christian Financial Concepts Rev. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family Rev. D. James Kennedy, founder of Coral Ridge Ministries Marlin Maddoux, President of International Christian Media Don Wildmon, founder of American Family Association (And 25+ other ministries) President and General Counsel: Alan Sears Date of founding: 1994 Finances: $15,411,093 (2001 budget) And note this: 'ADF defines itself by its ability to strategize and coordinate with lawyers all over the United States.' And this : 'ADF also defends the right of Christians to 'share the gospel' in workplaces and public schools, claiming that any efforts to curb proselytizing at work and school are anti-Christian.' "Strategize and coordinate." Sounds like what's happening with this story, planted on Rush and Drudge, in time for the holiday. I suspect many of you are going to miss how wrong and important this is -- how big of an effect this is going to have on things we care about. This story is designed as ammunition for family conversations tomorrow. In fact, O'Reilly was on the air on FOX saying "Another ruling by an activist judge that puts us all in danger." That's an exact quote. It isn't about this story, but it reinforces it: Yet more "liberals' who are "going too far." See the forest. See how this stuff works! To be clear about this story, the school said the teacher could not use handouts that INCLUDED quotes from the Declaration and other documents. A San Mateo Times story says, "She then prevented Williams from giving students several handouts including: - Excerpts from the Declaration of Independence with references to "God," "Creator," and "Supreme Judge." And from the Alliance's press release, 'Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund filed suit yesterday against the Cupertino Union School District for prohibiting a teacher from providing SUPPLEMENTAL handouts to students about American history because the historical documents contain some references to God and religion.' Supplemental handouts, huh? I wonder where he got those from? That's all this is. The rest is strategic disinformation -- agitprop. And for the Right's spin on the story -- how's suing for saying "Merry Christmas?" Update II - Digby's on it too. And the blogosphere is picking it up: Atrios, Daou Report. Now Blue Lemur, Liberal Oasis, Information Clearing House, First Draft, APJ, archy. We might just get the major media involved and beat this lie down before it does too much damage! 2 years from now, the right-wingers will still be talking about that story like it was true.

I'm a huge Losman fan and do believe he is the future but we easily could be 7-3 (Three close losses) right now. One more loss and my vote goes to putting Losman in for the remaining games. I'd like to see if we can win out first. I know it's not likely but I'd like to give JP some time to learn the system.

My guess is that with Auburn catching Oklahoma in the polls and an additional win over a ranked opponent in the SEC championship game it will be Auburn. that would be sweet since that's a re-match of last years season opener.

Poll only.

With 11 starts left (7 regular, 4 pre-season) until next year this guy needs every rep he can get. We need to start thinking about next year and who is to say that by the last fourth of the season JP won't give us the best chance to win? The offseason will be about drafting a DT so we can shed one of the huge contracts invested in Williams/Adams, S so we can get out from under Milloy's huge deal or upgrade FS and/or the answer at CB if McGee doesn't hold the job.