Mr. Scot

After watching us sit through a season where we paid a guy 13 million to sit at home and do nothing, plus the drama surrounding guys like Ray Rice, Josh Gordon and Adrian Peterson, you still question why we would avoid character problems? With the Rice story in particular, knowing how much of an image problem that was for the league and how hard they're gonna be looking at incidents like that, plus the fact that guys can now be made 'exempt' without allowing the legal process to play out, taking a chance on guys like that is a bigger risk than ever. All the talent in the world doesn't mean jack s--t if they're not on the field.

One problem: The scenario you're basing your argument on doesn't actually happen. If we're looking at two players in a given draft spot, they're going to be equally rated on talent. The team isn't gonna look at a guy with a third round grade as an option in the second round just because he has high character. Character could be used to separate two guys graded with equal talent, but they're not gonna raise a guy's draft grade. It's also a straw man because it's not like any given draft spot has only two guys to choose from. Even in the seventh round there are still plenty of choices available with no major character concerns attached.

Which I have no problem with. You think we're the only team that looks at character issues?

Not on Facebook but know some folks who are. Will forward to them.

Unless Marty Hurney is gonna be making picks for us again anytime soon, our second round history isn't all that relevant to the discussion.

We've hit on most (nearly all) of the picks Gettleman has made over the past two years, plus undrafted players, without having to take guys that had character concerns. Your point is invalid.

K K Short Kony Ealy Everyone before that was a Hurney pick, and he was garbage in the second round. One of his picks was a guy named Jarrett. He had 'concerns' and was a failure.

And we wouldn't be the only team of whom that could be said.

That's ridiculously exaggerated. Who have we drafted since Gettleman got here that you would call 'marginally talented'?

Putting your trust (and your money) towards someone that's already burned you before - and has definite potential to burn you again - isn't exactly the smartest move either.

How many million dollars of cap are you willing to devote to someone you acknowledge to be stupid and lacking good judgment?

Agreed.

Was I forced to hook up with someone crazy or did I put myself in that spot? And let's be clear: This is far from the only instance of Hardy showing poor judgment. It's a trend with him.

And he bears no responsibility for his own judgment?

Pretty much zero chance of all that happening. You guys know it's not even a lock that he's acquitted, right? Yeah, it could happen, but the jury's not gonna be loaded with Panther homers, so it's far from a slam dunk.

It's gonna be talked about for a long time, for certain.

Eeeehhhh, that's a stretch. Playcallers call plays for one reason: to win games. They're not PR guys. Bevell just overthought it and made a really dumb call.

That'd be the team that plays in an awful division and pretty much gets six wins handed to them annually. I will credit that tonight they didn't win by cheating, but they also didn't win that great a victory. The game was handed to them via the biggest brain fart in a long, long time. But hey, excuse the cheating they've done to date all you want. Admire them for getting away with it if you so choose. I don't, and neither does a pretty solid portion of the league. They're hated all across the league, and it's not so much for the success they've had as it is how they got it. Cheer for Tom Brady all you like. I'd rather cheer for a guy like Thomas Davis.

And they now have a loooooooooooong time to think about it.

Doubt it. But could it be the reason Lynch decides it's time to move on? Maybe.

This kind of charge actually gets thrown around at dome teams all the time, but no one's ever gotten caught. As to the Pats, you can claim it's jealousy or whatever, but the Pats aren't the only perennial contender (far from it) and they haven't won a Super Bowl in forever. Why aren't there more charges thrown at teams like the Steelers, the Eagles and the Ravens?

I have no trouble believing he could be found innocent. I have a lot of trouble believing he could be re-signed.

This is not exactly the first time Hardy has shown something less than good judgment.

Well then nobody would bother investigating a losing team like the Falcons, right?

That doesn't actually prove anything like what you're saying. Plus you left out all the other points raised.