Captroop

ITT: I learn that apparently half the board thought Matt Corral was the second coming of Christ and Baker is standing in the way of his apotheosis to instant football godhood. I'm excited about Corral too. But he's a third round rookie. Getting a year on the bench can only be good for him. And an instant upgrade at QB is definitely good for the Panthers.

I don't have a problem with this. Dude is a legit gunslinger. His best years are definitely in front of him, and I think he's a guy who can command a huddle. And I don't think he has the headcases here that he had to deal with in Cleveland. With protection, there's no reason to think he can't succeed here. I was content to roll with what we have, but this could actually make us a contender for the next 2-3 years.

Cuba Gooding Jr. would like a word with you... This is amazing! The cast is incredible, the plot sounds exciting, I'm really looking forward to seeing it. If I can make it down to Greensboro for the premier, I'll be there! You should be incredibly proud because this is a huge accomplishment!

He was never quite the "tank for draft picks" guy. He was the placeholder. More often than not it seemed like he went to a team that had an outside shot at the playoffs, but due to injury or poor roster management found themselves without a quality QB. He was Captain He's The Best We Can Do. For that? Probably Jimmy G will end up in the journeymen QB for teams with a glimmer of hope role.

If a homoerotic volleyball sequence only revs your engine 5 out of 10, I feel bad for you, son.

That was a particularly mean-spirited way to say that, if that was your point. I will say, however, as someone who wasn't nearly as follicly blessed as McAdoo, it's always irksome to see such a glorious mane of hair so flippantly misused.

He's just got reverse progeria like Benjamin Button. He'll look like a high school freshman when he retires.

Yeah, Tarrant County is trying to establish itself as a modern, cutting edge metroplex, and they're probably tired of playing second fiddle to Dallas. Honestly, this move would make a lot of sense to me.

Twice as many home games at AT&T Stadium. Actually makes sense to me.

I wholeheartedly disagree. From watching Panthers games during my travels to Vegas, I can say without caveat that a 10am game eating an omelette with a mimosa in hand, is the superior way to watch any football game. And "night games" that end at 8:30pm? *chef kiss*

Yes. I'll guess 1 of these two. Monday Night Game vs. TB: ESPN likes games with stars and divisional rival games. And I also get the feeling networks will want to give Tom Brady a fairly hefty farewell tour this year. Check all those boxes and let the nation watch Tom Brady beat up on us one last time. Sunday Night vs. CLE: Sunday night games tend to feature story lines and drama. And in this they could either watch the Panthers play against the one who got away in Watson, or the one they wouldn't shell out money for in Mayfield. Either way the Browns QB situation plays out, there's a lot of "drama" that could be hyped up to reel in a national audience.

I really hope I'm right to be encouraged by this.

Neal is a different kind of human. 350lbs and 6'7". He's a giant. But 320 lbs and runs a sub-5 40? Ickey, with some refinement is the ideal specimen to block the Edge rushers that are currently the pass rushing threat of the NFL. I have every confidence we picked the correct LT.

Seems simple to me. He tipped his hand that Corral is our future starter and they have no confidence in Sam pulling it together.

First Reaction: If it gets us into day 2 of the draft, and they take on his salary, I can't think of many people more replaceable on the roster than Robby. Second Reaction: Hmmmmmm...

I don't know if Sam will be better behind this line. But I know he had no chance behind the line last year. Wish we'd ever given Cam the amount of protection we've invested this off-season.

YESSSS! PIIIIIEEEEEE!

Pick is in! Gotta be Ick

We've got to be working the phones right now. Someone fell who someone wants bad. Let's see if we stay put

All I know is The Rock now owns XFL, and that guy is no fool with his money. And he very publicly made a "partnership" with the NFL. Really, it seems like it's in name only; some BS explanation, "The partnership with the NFL does not involve games or teams specifically but is an agreement to work together in studying the game of football and collaborating on “forward-thinking physical and mental fitness programs for players.'" But regardless, NFL is the 800 pound professional football gorilla in the room, and it's very smart on his part to have XFL and NFL co-branded in ANY capacity if you want to see your league survive. I truly believe the resurgent XFL has a shot.

Was that the conference where Rhule aggressively poo his pants on a hot mic?

USFL is doing an abysmal job promoting itself! The XFL came out with great fanfare (for a startup league) and actually did a very admirable job building up some hype. I knew DC had a team. I knew when we were playing. I knew who the players were. And I actually made a point to go watch a couple games at a rooftop bar, where I no-poo saw someone wearing a DC Defenders shirt. They had the rotten luck of launching right before the pandemic, but honestly I felt like it might have actually caught on. The USFL in stark contrast, I don't begrudge anyone for not realizing it's already several weeks into the season. I'm not sure it'll finish out its inaugural season before shuttering.

It was a Batman movie. And I mean that kind of in the "you know what you're getting" sense. But also very literally. I honestly can't remember a Batman movie that had more Batman in it. I'll have to re-watch it to get the actual percentage, but just from a rough estimate, it seemed like 80% of the screentime was Batman in costume. Your typical Superhero movie formula is lots and lots of the human secret identity business, and then costuming up for the action beats. I was honestly shocked, because almost the entire movie was Batman, in costume conducting his investigation, which took place over one week. Even the B story (Bruce dealing with his family's own imperfection) plays directly into the A story. I also like the small more minimalist approach. I like that the stakes were smaller (yeah, there were explosions, but at the end of the day, the villain's big plot was a mass shooting. Hardly the world-ending giant blue laser in the sky that usually comes with a modern superhero flick). I like the more stripped-bare technology and fumbling Batman techniques of Year 2 Batman. I found it a lot more interesting that Batman actually was in danger of falling. Even Batman himself was more minimal. His arc was personal, not macro. It wasn't the evolution of "is he the symbol the city need or the dark knight it deserves?" It was, "I need to evolve from someone bad guys fear to someone good guys respect. And to do that I need to end my fixation with vengeance." That's why I kind of love the Batmobile in this movie. It's the perfect allegory for his character; a fugging jet-powered, intimidating, collateral damage machine that is so overpowered and eager to get in the fight that it stalls out in its big dramatic reveal. I don't think it's supposed to be cool, as much as its supposed to feel unfinished and reckless. You see tools laying around, suggesting Bruce and Alfred are working on it in the garage. Before that he's just on a motorcycle. The suggestion is it's the first Batmobile. Batmobile 1.0. If there's a sequel, or even if not, I just assumed he'd take lessons away from his experiences in this movie. The Batmobile would be sophisticated. His flying squirrel suit would be upgraded to his wing suit. He'd use stealth instead of just clomping up noisily to a gang. He's a work in progress, which is an aspect of the movie I really liked. I liked it, and I'll watch it again.

Counterpoint: No.

That was Henny Youngman! You put some respect on his name.