JohnC

Neskhe was a good pickup. He's versatile enough to play every position on the line but center. The Skins wanted to keep him but because of cap issues had to let him go to the market. I'm hoping that the Bills can assemble a solid line with their offseason acquisitions and draft of Cody Ford.

No question that he is an elite LT. And his work ethic is exceptional. The problem is that his knees are rickety. They are bone on bone. When his career is concluded he will probably have to deal with life long pain. Although he is well respected in the organization and among his teammates the organization has the leverage over him. When Trent signed his contract he was well/fairly compensated as one of the best tackles in the game. As time goes by the pay scale rises and he slides back compared to lesser players. That's just the nature of the system. If the Redskins could have foreseen this possible holdout I'm sure they would have made a more determined effort to keep Ty Neskhe. When he filled in for Trent he did a solid job.

The front office dedicated the offseason to improving the offense. The OL and to a lesser extent the receiving corps was strengthened, at least on paper. It's apparent that in the free agent market the theme of the organization was to put the young qb in a position to not only succeed but also to survive. There is no doubt that the wrestling coach's inclination is more toward the defense than the offense. And it is obvious that in taking the reigns this defensive coach's first priority was the defense. That shouldn't be surprising. But there is no debate that this offseason he and the GM were determined to thicken a very hollow offensive unit. Our offense has been primitive for quite a while because of the decrepit caliber of our qbing. In an era of the modern NFL offenses that centered around the passing game our passing offense was rudimentary at best. For too long the Jauron mentality of football that didn't center around the qb influenced this franchise. Looking back and rating our offense of the recent past isn't an important issue, at least as I see it. The real issue is whether this regime did enough to upgrade the offense to give this team a better chance to compete. If the intended OL upgrades don't adequately materialize then this staff will have failed.

I agree with you that TT was less than adequate. But the reality is that at the time he was the best qb we had. That is a testament to organizational ineptitude. To McBeane's credit they made it a priority to address that position. The more perplexing question is why didn't the prior regimes address that issue sooner?

Getting a third round pick for a qb that we no longer wanted was a heist. The truth about that transaction is not that Beane outmaneuvered anyone so much as Cleveland was stupid.

You are a whack job. Direct your attention to someone else.

Not only did McDermott know about Taylor so did the rest of the league. He was not a hidden gem waiting to be placed in a situation where he would thrive. As a starter he was not a starting caliber qb. His utility is as a holding pattern qb and as a backup. I don't want to be a basher. We were fortunate to have him at the time. He served as an adequate bridge qb. He is the type of qb that you are always looking to replace as a starter. When all is said and done he is carving out an extended and lucrative career. Good for him.

The below link is a ranking of prospects. With respect to Caufield his ranking jumped up from 15 to 8. He's a player who is on the rise. Where we are drafting I don't see a selection offering immediate help. The best approach to drafting regarding the hockey draft or any draft in any sport is to select the best talent. http://www.nhl.com/ice/draftprospectbrowse.htm

Simple solution to your revulsion toward the team: Ignore them. I'm confident that they would survive without your support.

You are more gentle and considerate than I am. I would have pushed him out the door so he wouldn't vomit in the car and stain my clothes. There is nothing more rancid than the smell of alcohol vomit.

When you enter this raucous room you have to be prepared to be on guard from the wayward arrows.

Would you be so kind as to replace me as a passenger with Plezmd1. He's already irrevocably traumatized so the outcome shouldn't make any difference.

I not only thought Rob Johnson was going to be a good qb but I also thought Trent Edwards was going to be our long term franchise qb. And admittingly was wrong about Spiller. That's not the point of the discussions in this topic. I'm probably more wrong on my opinions that I am right. That's not the issue. No one is arguing that presenting different opinions is a bad thing. Quite the contrary considering opposing views is the best way to learn and expand one's knowledge base. What I do find objectionable is having people (primarily Badol) question one's integrity and professionalism (jw) because of what he presents. That type of scurrilous posting is not acceptable. The one attribute that I much detest in a person is condescension. He reeks it to the extent that I find him to be an insufferable bore. He is knowledgeable about football but his dismissive conduct towards others and their views is tiresome.

You are astute, perspicacious and adroit. ?

Oh boy, I am in trouble. The driver thinks he is driving a car when he is steering a bus. For my safety and well-being can I get off at the next stop.

It's the yin and yang syndrome. When one person says up the other person instinctively says down. What is surprising about this topic is how people perceive success vs failure. In my eyes entering the third season this regime has dramatically remade the roster and restructured the cap that has given this franchise the flexibility to engage in the market. In the first year of McDermott's tenure he took a stripped down team into the playoffs for the first time in a generation. In the second year of operation this regime successfully maneuvered prior to the draft and during the draft to acquire its franchise qb. This organization didn't have a franchise qb for nearly a quarter century, since the Kelly era. And it is noticeable that outside commentators are finally describing our franchise in positive terms instead of bleak terms. If that is not progress then I don't know what it is.

Right from the start McDermott and company were very open and explicit in stating what their intentions were. And everything they have done starting with trading Watkins demonstrated that this regime was determined to implement its plan. There was no hidden agenda. There was little mishmash in their approach. The hymn book they were singing from was an open book that everyone can see and hear. Those who argue that there was more than one way to run the operation are creating a false argument. Of course there were different approaches to take. Who is saying otherwise? When you decide to take a route and take it what is the purpose of continuing to harangue that there were other routes to take? It's a pointless discussion.

The player we are going to get at the seven spot is going to be a good prospect but not offer immediate help. That's fine. If there is a player more ready to play in the NHL compared to a prospect who has a more long term upside I would rather take the longer term player. The player that find I most compelling minus the top three or four players is Caulfield. K-9 may be the driver on the bus for him but I am the backseat driver yelling which way to turn. An interesting question about this upcoming draft is what will the GM do with its low first round pick? Will he parlay it in a deal for some immediate holp or continue to feed the system for the long haul?

We have been down this road so many times that it is exhausting. No one is arguing that there weren't different avenues to take in running the team when this new regime took over. As Gunner and others have pointed out McDermott had a blueprint on how to run the organization if he were selected for the job. His strategy was to dramatically remake the roster and cap structure. That's exactly what he has done. And as Gunner has pointed out it was done in a short time frame. As Gunner and others have pointed out there were different strategies to take. They weren't compelled to take one approach over another. They chose the approach that best suited their vision on how to run a franchise. It's not surprising that they selected an approach that was the antithesis of the Whaley approach. That's why the owner found McDermott appealing and hired him and empowered him.

I agree with you that I don't see Botts trading up. My fear is that it is not unusual for a player such as Caulfield to become more appealing as the draft approaches. Because of the success and dynamism of some of the small statured players a player such as Caulfield might go even sooner than we thought. Caulfield would certainly bring some excitement to a very bland team. What also adds to his attractiveness is that he has an engaging personality that the fans would embrace. I love Reinhart as a player. As a personality he is a bore.

The below link is a WGR interview with Mike Morreale talking about the prospects. This is a 15 minute segment. He talks glowingly about Cole Caulfield. He's on my wish list. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/06-03-mike-morreale-nhlcom-howard-and-jeremy

You don't know JW very well. He's not into fine wines. He's more interested in going into these hole in the wall bars to drink obscure beers and listen to exotic music not suitable for the masses.

Don't allow yourself to be sucked into this wrestling match in the sewer. What this self-anointed football genius is doing is not commenting on what you are saying but essentially challenging your integrity and professionalism. According to his twisted logic if you are not giving a scathing criticism of everything this franchise is doing then you are succumbing to their exploitation of you. I'm confident that you can handle challenges and criticisms on everything you say or report without being affronted. But what is unacceptable is this too frequent insinuation and very often more explicit questioning of your integrity and professionalism. Some people believe that they are oracles who preside over the village inhabited by the stupid peasants. What triggers their condescending and belittling responses is that these pompous characters can't handle people who have the audacity to disagree with their world view. Do you know the best way to deal with these self-absorbed and insufferable characters? Don't bother. They are not worth it and nothing is to be gained.

I have no grudge against Berglund. He unexpectedly got traded from St. Louis when he thought his no trade clause was in force. Due to negligence by his agent and himself he found himself traded from a location where he was comfortably ensconced. He wasn't happy in Buffalo and lost his desire to play. So he basically walked away from the game giving up a lot of money and returning home. I don't look at it as walking away or quitting on Buffalo. He walked away from the game. He had enough integrity to not fake it and cruise just to collect unearned checks. Ultimately it worked out for the Sabres in that we recouped the salary and cap hit. Since he wasn't contributing on the ice losing him and gaining his salary slot was more of a positive transaction than negative. It turned out to be addition by subtraction. After listening to the link he comes across as a good guy. I wish him well in his future endeavors and am glad that his cap space can be used on a more productive player.

Boxing is dead. While you were watching the clips of the slugfest you missed the clips of the slapfest. Check the arms of the knocked out slapper. So much for conditioning. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=russian+slap+contest&view=detail&mid=D72B3095D8475FAE446BD72B3095D8475FAE446B&FORM=VIRE