Fan in Chicago

Just got a text about it. Not sure who he is, but looks like a big dude http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/9451/ruvell-martin

Methinks you are in the wrong thread

- D has good blend of experience (Williams, Barnett, Merriman, McGee) and youth (Dareus, Troup, Batten, Moats). They should work together to vault our overall D to the mid-tier. Possibly right in the middle as averaged for the entire season - Spiller, Jackson, Fitzy, Stevie, B Smith, Gailey will keep the O humming (if the OL gives them a smidgen of time). My widcard - Easley comes on real strong by mid-season - We steal a win over NE (yea, I really think so) on the strength of an opportunistic D - Our DBs mature and while I dont expect much from McK, Byrd/Aaron Williams/Scott should do quite well with the DL's aggressiveness

Bob, good topic. Not sure about being the most negative time, but it is pretty damn depressing. Particularly after the way these past few weeks have unfolded, I feel partly cheated. As with every new regime, we are prone to give them the benefit of doubt. But, the FO came in with a keep your own and build through the draft philosophy. Well, they have thrown that first part out the window over these past few weeks and entrusting the team largely to rookies and second players on D. On the O side, excuses abound about why we have not upgraded the OL + got rid of a proven veteran in Evans. Finally, these confusing personnel movements and promotions are giving me the feeling that instead of competent football personnel, we have a dysfunctional and divisive set of people at the helm.

Normally there is no smoke without a fire. I personally think someone on the coaching staff reads TBD. We will see how it plays out, but I am not convinced the coaches are emphatic about FJ being the starter.

Maybe you were the only one awake. Seriously, hope this is not a big deal and all of you are okay.

In the eventuality that Levitre does well at the LT spot and going in with the logic of trying to put your best possible combination, I think the following should be the lineup: LT Levitre (assuming he plays well at that spot) LG Rinehart (cos he has shown some degree of promise and frankly we will have no one else) C Hangman (Wood may be better but we truly suck at the RG spot and Wood is needed there) RG Wood (see above) RT Pears (cos we have no one else) No one is optimized for each position but this may be the best combination

BTW, speaking of tackles, whats the reports on Chris Hairston ? I thought he was injured but cant find any links to validate that. Is he getting any playing time ? Is he not expected to contribute this year ?

Not quite. A few days back, when Chan said that Rinehart has earned the right to play with the 1's to see if he is better than Levitre, I was okay with that. In this situation, CJ has been annointed the #1 (or so it seems) with no real reason for FJ's demotion. If Chan instead had said that he will give both of them equal time with the 1's for the rest of the pre-season and then make a decision about who starts as #1 in the regular season, I would be fine with that. But CJ has shown little so far. I liked some brief flashes in the Denver game, but FJ still outplayed him. So, what has CJ shown that merits his promotion ? I think irrational moves like this could cause locker room strife.

Couple that play with a contrasting one made by FJ - a terrific block in the Denver game (cant remember the drive) and I can see this situation being unsustainable unless CJ totally turns the corner.

First of all, you know I agree with you that selecting a gadget/RB with such a high pick was the wrong thing to do with so many more glaring needs. But his selection and his recent 'promotion' are not CJ's fault. He may or may not have the commensurate talent but he is not the one making these decisions. Ergo, he is not the one causing the dissent (if there is any). I think this one is on the FO/coaches. This situation is not looking good - letting Poz walk followed by trading Evans has to cause some doubt in the locker room. if this action sticks despite CJ not performing, then it will really cause the players to question the ability of the coaches to select the starters. Ofcourse, if CJ plays up to his billing and lights it up then this is a moot point. Let us see how things play out but I am beginning to have doubts about the decisions being made the past 3-4 weeks.

Why would that be a knee jerk reaction ? Trying various options is what practice and pre-season is all about for a rebuilding team.

This thread should be named "Wang Demoted" Seriously though, I think Levitre played LT in college. Given our tackle woes, this may be an effort to see who can fit at areas of critical need. But, again, I think this is not a big deal especially as he is in with the second unit and the fact that there have been lot of combinations being tried.

Fair enough. He is probably wise not to attempt a Lynch-like move given the frame size difference. Spiller was drafted to add another dimension to the offense and be a play maker - not to be a grinder. I just wish the OL did something competent so we can evaluate the skill players.

In the first half, I don't remember seeing any holes, let alone ones that Spiller missed.

Preeeeeeecisely...

Thanx for the heads-up !!! I am keeping DirecTV just for the Ticket. So total price for me $30 per month x 6 months + $150 ticket = $330 (accounted suspended for other 6 months). So its a wash for me.

jboy has given an excellent review of the rides so I wont bother. But we went last year for the first time. My wife was too scared off rides but came to give us company. By the end of the day the security staff had to drag her off Gemini cos the park was ready to close. So we now have made it a plan to go every year and we did go this year also. We love the park so much that we rather drive the 5+ hours than go to the local Six Phlags. I have not gone to the waterpark, just the regular side. They really have their act together. We stayed off site in a pet friendly hotel. In June, they had weekday tickets at a steep discount so we got them there. I think there is a local Meijer which has the best prices - ask the locals when you get there if you dont buy in advance. While you are there, make a one day trip to Put-in-bay (the decent playground for adults). Bars, parasailing, boating, walking, golf carts all over the island etc Top Thrill dragster !!! 0-120 mph in 4 seconds, then straight up and corkscrews down ! I didnt have the guts to do it but my daughters did it twice.

What you describe pretty closely resembles what does happen in my consultancy workplace. On some jobs, I am the project manager and on others, someone else is. Over time, the better PM gets more PM roles and the other ones' role gets relegated. It has pushed me to do even better than my internal drive. (Note- I do not work in a government organization)

Forget all that. I am from India and I hoard gold because I need to give it as dowry when my two daughters get married. Else nobody will accept them as brides. Linky

Motivation may have nothing to do with this. Gailey truly may be wanting to see how CR does with the 1's. Just because the right side of the line sucks does not mean he should shut himself to the possibility of upgrading the LG spot. As of now, Gailey does not know whether or not CR is better than Levitre. As good and consistent as Levitre has been, if there is an opportunity to upgrade that spot (any spot), you take that opportunity. But to do that the coaches have to know whether or not CR is better. Then, as a side benefit, if AL gets more competitive and plays harder to keep his starter spot, it only makes the team better. If AL folds like a pack of cards and gets de-motivated then the coaches know that this is a guy we do not want on the roster. Sorry, but there are NO sacred cows. (if there were, Belichick would have gone back to Bledsoe when he came back from injury and Brady would have been on the bench for a couple more years)

I would add that there is developing evidence to the current crop's competence. The large majority of the D is now firmly selected/acquired by the current regime - Dareus, Troup, Merriman, Barnett, Carrington, Moats. If what we saw in the Bears game was an example of things to come, we have to hand it to the FO. And then it kinda gets me excited thinking about how the O will turn out once attention shifts to that area of the team. Having said that, I do wish a little more was done on the OL in the past 2 years.

You mean the draft in which Wood and Levitre were picked ?

Is Levitre being tried at LT ? Cos I think he can play tackle also.

Read for yourself. And don't ask me if this website is authentic cos I have no clue