JohnC

I will say with ho hesitation that Allen will never develop that accuracy that Brees or Brady has. There is no debate that Allen is a superior athlete to either of the HOF qbs. But his game is different from the other two. If you think he has the potential to become such a precise passer then you are entitled to your opinion. I'm standing hard and fast to my opinion. What's obvious to me is certainly not obvious to you. So be it. You may think that my opinion is foolish. That's okay. I can handle that judgment because I think your position is ridiculously foolish. Brees and Brady are a couple of the most accurate passers in the history of the game. If you believe that Allen has the potential to match them then believe it. Join with some of the others in the delusional hometown fan club. I'm confident in the position that I have taken.

The OP has a good list. I thought McDermott was a given as a swing tackle but he may be on the bubble.

One of my criticisms of Saban was historically he seemed to be resistant to modernizing his offense. He had an old school inclination to emphasize defense and special teams and take a more conservative approach with the offense. Until recently, he didn't seem to go out and get the big time qb that other programs coveted. His hiring of Kiffin to run the offense was a marked change from the type of conservative OCs that he usually hired. Although Kiffin was immature and not particularly suited for that more subdued culture he represented a significant change from how Saban looked at the his offense. For all the antics that Kiffins was involved in he did offer a more modern offense to the Saban program. I'm aware that Saban now has a high end qb leading the offense, and more qbs in the pipeline. But that certainly is a major change from the standard Saban restrictive approach to the offense. What;s the saying?: You can teach old dogs new tricks!

What you saw on the bottom line on ESPN probably referred to the Donald situation with the Rams. ESPN was posting that the Rams were intensifying the negotiation with Arnold.

Trust me, I'm realistic about my expectations on Allen. I expect him to be a franchise qb. That is better than what we have had for a quarter century.

As the article stated the trainer was one of his first hires. The neanderthal HC hired the type of trainer he wanted to hire. He knew exactly what he was getting. It was his program and he established it the way he wanted. This rises to criminal negligence. The death of a young player wasn't an incident. It was the outcome of a system of reckless endangerment. This is beyond being stupid----this is an example of gross negligent manslaughter.

I have half a dozens responding posts that state I am wrong in making such an obvious claim. Of course it is crazy talk to believe that Allen is capable of being as accurate passers as these two HOF qbs. Tell the zealots, not me, to come back to reality.

Maybe bold for you but not for me. I would gladly leave this board if I were wrong. On this issue I am supremely confident. Take my post and put it in your pocket. If I am wrong you can bring it to may attention so that I can act on my departure if it comes to pass.

I read about this story before but I didn't realize that he selected AJ to be in his wedding party. Some people talk about their faith while others live it. Wonderful guy.

The death of the player from the circumstances he was subjected in my mind met the level of negligent manslaughter. The head coach should have been the first person suspended until the investigation was complete. You don't have to have a medical background to recognize the danger in pushing players to the maximum limit , especially large athletes, in such extreme heat. How does one make the phone call to tell the parents that their son is near death and now dead?

Let me say this about Saban and the Alabama program. It is rare that a program that has been at the top or near the top for an extended period of time doesn't have some shadow of improprieties from within the program or from the alumni. I'm not naive and believe that most big programs are pure. But Alabama under Saban has run a clean program. He runs a tight/right ship on the recruiting trail and within the program. Saban can be dour and arrogant and sometimes (to me) be insufferable. But to his credit there is a level of rectitude that he exhibits and is reflected within his program. I don't like him (nor dislike him) but I admire him and what he has accomplished. Getting to the top is challenging but staying on top for an extended period of time is even more challenging.

The Ohio State saga might be pushed off the front page when the full story comes out about the recklessness of the Maryland program. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/maryland-football-athletic-staffers-placed-on-leave-amid-report-of-harmful-culture/

Is it true that your middle name is sardonic?

A more interesting discussion is who is better between McCarron and Peterman. Or when Allen starts who will be the better backup between the other two. I suspect that most people would say McCarron but it is not unreasonable for someone to prefer Peterman. McCarron might be better now because he is more experienced but I consider them similar qbs i.e. functional backups.

Those attributes are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

Of course no one knew how great Brady was going to be when he was selected. What I do know now is that he is arguably the greatest qb in modern times. I'm confident that Allen who was not known as a precise passer in college will never attain the Brady level of accuracy. If you disagree with that then so be it.

Carter Page is not a friend of mine. It was much earlier than 16. I can tell you stories but I won't. I don't want a stray Russian spy spiking my meal with a deadly never agent.

Brady is a HOF qb who is one of the most accurate passers in the history of the game. I'm confident that Allen will never attain that extraordinary level of accuracy. If you think otherwise then so be it.

I am confident that there is no coach on this team and in this league who will say that Allen will ever be as precise as Brady or Brees. If you think otherwise that is fine. With respect to plan/timetable or whatever word you are comfortable with of course it is predicated on how Allen advances.

Of course the timetable/plan is not iron clad. That's not what I meant. That would be a foolish thing to implement. Whichever word you are more comfortable with they are not mutually exclusive. What I am comfortable in saying is that this staff is not going to throw Allen in as a starter until he is ready enough to handle the role. And that will be determined by the rookie player. With respect to the issue of precision passing I simply disagree with you about what Allen is capable of. You may consider it too early to come to that conclusion but I don't. He has a different style of play than those two HOF qbs, Brees and Brady. I say with absolute certainty that Allen will never be as precise of passer as those two special qbs. If you think otherwise that is fine.

You make an interesting point that the challenge for Allen's development is not making the eye popping plays but making the more routine plays on a consistent basis. My sense is that this staff has a plan mapped out for Allen. McDermott has without revealing it repeatedly stated that he has a plan (time table) for Allen. I'm confident that the timetable falls within his rookie year. I don't foresee Allen being a precision passer in the mold of Brady and Brees with an emphasis on a quick rhythm passes. He will never have that innate pocket presence that those two HOFers have. But from a style perspective I see him having a Rodgers and Favre type of style where he can extend plays with his athleticism and then let it rip. I'm not comparing him to these Green Bay players but referring to their unbridled styles.

I wouldn't be against relaxing the rules. But that's not the case right now. If you want to change the rules then change the rules. The players are told what they can and can't do when they enter the program. The Carolina program was established as a program so loose that it was a renegade program where rules were meant to be skirted. As I said in a prior post the lesson to be taken from their situation is that North Carolina did the right thing. As far as you citing Winston getting away with stealing my response is simple: They (Florida State and Winston) are the model what not to do. Winston is still crossing boundaries that he doesn't believe apply to him. No one should be surprised that this entitled character (fool) in college still believes he is entitled in the pros. Why do you think he is serving a suspension? Because he is the model citizen? With respect to Alabama if Saban found out that he had players selling sneakers against the rules there would be no need for the NCAA to intervene because he would quickly and decisively handle the situation. As you well know Saban is not known to be a gentle leader when it comes to enforcing discipline.

If taken in isolation I would agree with you. But this program has had systemic problems for nearly a generation. As eball pointed out UNC immediately took action after they found out what was going on. They deserve credit for their decisive action. This isn't a high crimes indiscretion. It is kids being kids and doing stupid things. The players are going to serve their suspensions and then the slate is clear. When you have an environment where small infractions are allowed to occur that leads to an environment where bigger infractions are allowed to occur. The University quickly put a stop to it not allowing a more permissive environment to get established. The real story here is how UNC responded (as eball noted). For that they deserve credit.

If I were a betting man I would take Cleveland over against the 4.5 Vegas line. They have a lot of young talent. What they need is simply competent qbing in order to make a major leap forward.

No question that the team was bad and got some unexpected luck. But you have to give credit to this limited team for mostly playing hard. Sometimes it is more about not losing rather than about winning. The big difference last year was not turning over the ball. TT was super cautious about exposing the ball. That was both a good thing and also a bad thing.