Captroop

Multiple things can be true at the same time: DJ should not have been penalized DJ should have known better. We're sitting at #1 in the NFC South if he kept his F***ing helmet on, instead of #2 in the draft order Hey! We're #2 in the draft order The most costly thing that happened yesterday is I think the helmet fiasco broke our kicker, which, if we had any devices on winning the division, will be incredibly costly. Pinero's second miss was because of the 1st miss. He was 14 of 15 on the season for FG, and perfect on XPs going into the 4th quarter yesterday. Now after those game-losing 2 misses, I think his confidence is irreparably rattled. He'll have the yips the rest of the year. Lesson learned. Keep your damn stupid helmet on. Don't give the refs any excuses. We lost, and what's the best we can hope for from the league? Everyone agrees we were hosed. They review and give us a half-hearted apology. Still an L on the record. Keep your helmet on.

Never seen NFL rule analysis in haiku.

I like the picks of Atlanta getting 17, and I think it would be poetic for a "prove it" game like we face this week. Rhule was 1-25 when opponents scored 17 or more. So let's say Atlanta hangs 17 on us. Do we score fewer and prove we are still the same garbage team Rhule got fired for coaching, and last week was an aberration? Or do we score more and prove that we're the team Wilks has the players believing they are, and end the week tied #1 in the division with a tie-breaker? I really don't know, but I want to believe the latter: Panthers 18 - Falcons 17

More fun to root for a win and win, then hope for a loss and lose. There's going to be plenty of opportunities to lose games, so I'll never go into Sunday hoping for it. Win all day, baby!

Alls I know is, this is a lot more fun than talking about the draft. Hope the players keep fighting for him and we get another W this weekend.

Regarding this, I don't know. It seems like they were playing to win. When we were 4th and 1 at our own 20 on the first drive, and again on the second drive being 4th and short, I was wholly with the boo-birds. I was sure thinking "what have we got to lose? Go for it!" But playing cagey, playing the field position game and trying to win a game of attrition, I get the feeling they thought from the start we could win that game, and win with PJ passing.

I got suspicions about that Rams gameplan. I think the intention was to bring PJ along slowly considering it was a short week, new coach, new playbook, and he was starting unexpectedly. But primarily the idea was to showcase CMC who was very much on the trade block. Didn't want him to have a 6 rush, 28 yard game when you're trying to a first (or multiple day 2 picks) for him.

We should do a complete Head Coach search. If he does well, I think he should be in the running. But I wouldn't hand him the job outright considering there appear to be several interested candidates. I hope he does well, but I don't want us to make the mistakes of last time. Let's go through the process and hire the best person for the job.

Ooh, say it again. My nipples got hard.

It's a simple question. What do you want? If we tank, and you get the QB of your dreams, what would make it worth it? You and growl are intellectuals. You have a clear picture in your mind of what will happen if we tank and get the best QB in the draft this year. So, what is it?

...yeah. Because in your plan, we're Detroit. Detroit took him #1. Not L.A. He didn't do poo in Detroit. So now you're saying it's a good thing to tank so we can draft someone else's Super Bowl winner? I plainly documented to you that the Super Bowl winners aren't teams that drafted QBs #1 overall. So I don't know why you keep saying this is emotional. I'm looking at the most recent 10 years of human existence. You don't have data to back up your point aside from pointing out that they have a higher TD/INT ratio. Whoopdie-fuging-doo. As for the highlighted portion, we did draft an elite QB at #1. And we got no titles to show for it. That, again, is very recent history. Why do you think if we repeat the process the results will be different?

Depends what you want. You want a Super Bowl? Then yes, it was a waste. Because he didn't win one. If you're saying that it was worth it because he made the team wildly entertaining and fun to watch year in and year out regardless of record... They why the hell are we talking about tanking and not about hoping this is the best, most entertaining season it can be with 10 games less and in position to win our division? I don't see how those two thoughts can inhabit your head simultaneously. If you're so pragmatic that you're willing to call an entire 10-game an unimportant "exhibition match" because you think the #1 QB will make us a contender. Then how can you say a QB who did anything less than win a title was anything but an utter failure. The Luke, TD, Cam era was a colossal waste of time. Shouldn't we should have traded Cam for more picks when he was the MVP and tanked every year of the Rivera dynasty because clearly he wasn't the right coach? Look at all the #1 picks we missed out on! So, in seriousness, I ask you: What do you want? If we tank, and if we get the #1 pick, what do you want the outcome of that to be?

Google "Classic Projection" How is it intellectual to say "tank for the #1 QB" when you have no basis to say that's a formula for success? Let's look at the talented QBs in recent memory: XLVII Baltimore 34, San Francisco 31 - Flacco Pick #18 XLVIII Seattle 43, Denver 8 - Wilson - Round 3 XLIX New England 28, Seattle 24 - Brady - Round 6 50 Denver 24, Carolina 10 - Manning - Free Agency LI New England 34, Atlanta 28 - Brady - Round 6 LII Philadelphia 41, New England 33 - Foles - Round 3 LIII New England 13, Los Angeles Rams 3 - Brady - Round 6 LIV Kansas City 31, San Francisco 20 - Mahomes - Pick #10 LV Tampa Bay 31, Kansas City 9 - Brady - Free Agency LVI Los Angeles Rams 23, Cincinnati 20 - Stafford - Free Agency So go ahead, intellectually explain how tanking for the #1 QB is the super duper sure-fire smart solution. If you want a stud QB who will get you a title, buy one in free agency. Get Lamar. If you want to develop a winning talented QB, odds are he's not the first QB off the board.

So, we lose out, and we're a Super Bowl contender for the next 10 years? It's a lock? We're definitely getting a future hall of fame QB at the 1st overall pick? And we'll go to the playoffs every year? We just need to lose every game, and it's as simple as that? That's what your crystal ball says? I'm sorry I let my feelings get in the way of your ad hoc prognostication. While we're at it, who wins the super bowl this year?

...wut?

Look at it this way: If we did, how bad would that make Matt Rhule look? Hell, he might not even get a college gig after that. If that's not something magical to root for, I don't know what is.

Honestly, Philly, I'm a little surprised to see you riding comfortably on this particular bandwagon. I don't think fanbases can afford to be so pragmatic. Nor do I think that pragmatism equates to success. If we tank, and if we get the #1 pick, do you really think that's a guarantee of success? The Jaguars got the once-in-a-generation Trevor Lawrence at the #1 spot. How far away are they from looking like a contender? We got a once-in-a-generation-type player in Cam Newton. And for us the story of that team ended with one Super Bowl run, and zero championships. You could rightly say, "We didn't have the right coach. We didn't have the right line. We didn't have the right opponent in the Super Bowl." And you'd be right. There are innumerable factors that affect the record of a team, that I don't think you can look at one position, especially one as hit or miss as the QB position, and say "That's worth intentionally bombing 10 games for." As a fan, what's the goal? Root for a championship? So why not this season? Our division is the weakest it's probably been in the last decade. So why not capitalize on that now? Why not try to get a ticket to the dance and see if we get hot at the right time? Why be so confident that a rookie QB is our salvation that we're willing to risk rolling into next year with our division finding White Knights of their own? Isn't it equally likely the Buccs, Falcons, or Saints will hit on a QB and be the power in the South? Stanger things have certainly happened. The Giants won it all with a 9-7 record, riding a game-changing, pass-rushing defense. We've got a punishing defense that just held the GOAT to 3 points, with several starters not even in the line-up. So why not? Is it improbable that we'd win it all this year? Absolutely. Is it improbable that we'll get the #1 overall pick? Yes. Is it improbable that we'll get our pick at QB? Yes. Is it improbable that QB will actually be the generational talent we hope he is? Yes. Is it improbable that he will become our franchise QB that will lead us to the promised land? Yes. Is it improbable that the stars will align and we'll have not only our star, generational QB, the right talent around him, the right coach, the right defense, the right game plan, the right opponents, and we'll rattle off multiple championships? You bet your fuggin ass it is. So is hoping for the "get hot at the right time" plan really any crazier? We're one slot outside of 1st place in our division with 10 games to go. I don't know why as a fan you wouldn't root for the improbable to happen now. You're already comfortable rooting for the improbable later. I'm just less patient. ...But talk to me next week. If we manage to lose to Atlanta, and this week was completely an aberration, and we come back down to earth as the dumpster fire everyone thought we were after the trades, then I might have a different perspective.

What is this thing the 49ers are doing? McCaffrey is on the sideline? He's not even injured! Are they using a sp- a spill back? Is that the word? That thing where you don't run one running back into the ground because he's the most talented?

Every team in this division has a losing record. We just throttled the division leader. The Falcons and Saints are trash and we have the best division record. I think we could win this division. And I'm here for it. You think the #1 pick is the key to the future being successful? I say an improbable playoff run and a fighting spirit is the best advertisement for a stud head coach and quality FAs that you could ask for. That will go a lot farther to help our chances that putting our hopes in a rookie QB and a coach who was grateful for a chance to coach anywhere, even a sinking ship! Win, baby, win!

We're undeniably a weaker roster than we were when we were 2 weeks ago after the trades and injuries. But this is the best, most complete game I think I've seen the Panthers play in 4 years. Holy crap. Maybe Rhule really was that bad...

I am so hype right now! And let's do it again next week! Draft be damned, I don't want to wait for April to be excited. I want to beat Atlanta! I want to win this soft ass division! I want to take this crazy train to the playoffs!

Throwing in a controlled non-gametime environment with no pads or pass rush looks good?

Watching Stroud's highlights, and he really has me questioning my adamant position of "No OSU QBs ever, for any reason." One thing you can't argue is his placement is perfect, and you can't teach that. Every pass hits his receivers in the hands, in stride, where only they can catch it. I'm just sitting here with my jaw on the floor. Those two passes on the sideline...I've never seen anything like it at the college level. 0% margin for error and he nails them.

It's a 16-team league. You're really scraping the bottom of the barrel for RB2/Flex picks. So much so that D'Onta Foreman has been rostered for about 4 weeks and wasn't available.

I'm also in a more positive mood, because I grabbed Chuba for my office fantasy team while my coworkers on the West Coast won't even know about the trade for another hour.