d-dave

The JT O'Sullivan video was great. He's able to much better than a blow hard like Sims to articulate what's happening on a given play. Sims' value is of entertainment. I admit to listen to Florio and Sims sometimes when I just want some football talk - I know they're full of poo. It's just another perspective. I stopped caring about his ratings a few drafts ago. He's a former player, son of a player who is entrenched with NFL connections. He can have some interesting opinions, but at the end of the day, they are opinions. And opinions are like feet, we have a few and think each other's stink. Bryce will only go as far as the offensive line goes. The first month will have a fair number of "almost" plays that will start to click as everyone gets more familiar. I'm super stoked about Young and the Panthers future. But more and more I'm tamping down my expectations for early season. While preseason isn't overly meaningful - it does show we have a new team that needs time to gel. It won't happen over night.

I just don't understand why people are overreacting to preseason like it's going to determine how well we do. There are some concerns, and you hope that things get cleaned up. How well Bryce plays, along with the rest of the offense is going to determine how many games we win. That's just the modern NFL. If your D can keep people below 20 points a game, you give your offense a chance, even a subpar one. I think our D will do that... But I'm realistic - new coach, rookie Qb, new schemes, and a LOT of change. It's going to take a few weeks of real games for them to gel. After week 3-4, I think we'll have a much better idea of the team.

It's so easy to be negative. Optimism is hard - you have to maintain it. You have to keep believing, even when the road gets tough. In this case - our team has been pretty poo lately. It's easier to say "yeah they will suck" because that's just what we've seen. It's much harder to say "Ok, we're going to be better." While I'm not sure our defense will be as good as we hope, I do think that by the end of the season, Bryce Young will be proving his worth. What will our record be? I'm not sure. I think 7-10 (total wins, not record) is possible. We could be surprising, once we get through the first month of the season. I just don't see this team being horrible unless all of the wheels fall off the wagon. I'm going to choose optimism because it's more fun than being a pessimestic. Also, if the Panthers lose - I'm not going to let it ruin my life. I'm a fan, but I'm also a father, husband, and educator. I've got lots more things I care about more the Panthers. But if they go on a run, I'll be there for the ride!

While I am getting more concerned with each preseason game, I know the Panthers aren't game planning and they are trying to play vanilla. While it would be great to have a full steam ahead team - they just aren't there. New coaching staff, new schemes, and limited contact during training camp. I think for guys like Icky, they are thinking too much. That is going to happen. I think there could be a high possibility of us having a really rough first half of the season while everyone figures out how to play and we settle this play calling issue. Regardless of players - the team has done better with Brown calling the plays. More points, first downs, and yards in the 2nd half. So if I'm Frank, I have to be humble and give it Thomas. Frank should be part of the game planning, but I think it's Thomas Brown's offense moving forward. The good news is it's still preseason! We still have a good amount of time before the season. We'll see what happens!

For me: 1. More competitive play from everyone. 2. Better execution. Do your job: block the dude, tackle the dude, etc. 3. No injuries. I think if we do that, we'll look pretty decent in this game, regardless of the score.

I saw a couple of shots on twitter, and in one he starred the guy down, in the other he was super later to a hole in the zone. The big knock on him was being able to process the information on the field. Did he throw with any touch, timing or anticipation? CJ has the tools to be a great QB, and I was all for him before we traded up to 1. I don't want to see him fail (if for no other reason to be a successful OSU QB just so people stop making that argument). He also seems like a nice kid (like most rookies) so you root for them. Houston should not have him start if he's not ready. You'll ruin him. Look, let Davis Mills start until things slow down for CJ. In those two shots, he looked like a deer in the headlights.

I was/am. There's a lot of hope on my end for the story and exploration. I've fallen deep in the Baldur's Gate 3 hole! I will definitely check it out, since it's on Game Pass. Here's to hoping it's fantastic! EDIT: Oh, and I LOVE ME some No Man's Sky as well, so maybe this is a little more action/story driven than NME, that would thrill my soul!

I've heard a lot about the BG3 early access, but I figured I wouldn't have time to play. Well after seeing how much it brings D&D to life, I had to buy it. My god, this is a fun game! I love it! Not only as a D&D fan, but just as someone who appreciates how well the wrote the characters and interaction system. This is so much fun and I sneak in as much playtime as I can Though I will say, my party members need to keep it in their pants...sheesh! Everyone is horny for my dwarven cleric!

For my family - Jersey Mikes. Ours nearby is really good and my wife likes the GF bread. I like Jimmy Johns, but they suck at the GF stuff for the wife. Last one I had on a work day was meh, but we used to love JJs. Honestly, it really depends on who works at the shop. Our JM has great folks who do a good job. The JM near my work sucks ass because people are lazy and don't care. The Wich Witch at CCM is pretty meh as well. OK, but I don't need to go back. As far as the make your own: still spending your time and money. I'm fine paying for convivence.

For my family - Jersey Mikes. Ours nearby is really good and my wife likes the GF bread. I like Jimmy Johns, but they suck at the GF stuff for the wife. Last one I had on a work day was meh, but we used to love JJs. Honestly, it really depends on who works at the shop. Our JM has great folks who do a good job. The JM near my work sucks ass because people are lazy and don't care. The Wich Witch at CCM is pretty meh as well. OK, but I don't need to go back. As far as the make your own: still spending your time and money. I'm fine paying for convivence.

I just got back from a week in Florida for the whole Disney experience with my family. Oh boy! My credit card is weeping! We ended up paying for the Genie lighting lane pass for several rides. I think we added another $100 or so each day. It was worth it frankly. There are so many people at the parks. It was annoying. I think I'm just getting less peoply in my old age. Now the extra cash on top of the tickets was worth it - but we're not going to be hitting Disney again for several years. Magic Kingdom = overrated. Hollywood Studios = Star Wars area was cool, but the rest, meh. Animal Kingdom was by far the coolest! Just way more chill, less impatient and entitled fuggers. Next time, we'll hit up Epcot. We also went back to Universal for Harry Potter again. We just love going back to that area! But there is a difference between the quality in Disney and Universal. It's fun for a bit, but I couldn't do it again for a few more years. This was a great time as my son is 11, and it was still really exciting and cool for him. As far as the streaming services versus cable - it's been interesting to see with the WGA-SAG strike how things have changed for the worse for writers and actors. There was an interesting interview on Pod Save America with Adam Conover (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOSrzEfeftI) that talks about some of the changes that the producers have suggested to keep more money and try to remove the human element as much as possible. The change in rates and residuals is quite drastic. There is a real impasse between what the Producers want and the Writers. I think the producers are going to blink first as people stop watching and paying for their content. As Adam Conover said in the podcast, they do deliver the A+ quality entertainment that people want. AI can't replace the human element no matter what the producers want.

Is he that dumb if his article has been read and discussed a lot? Scott Fowler has a job to do, and clicks drive revenue. am I worried? Nope. It’s Training Camp, and the coaches want him to see what he can get away with before games count.

Honestly, I like it better than Defiance Going back to Titan is fun. I like the underwater mechanic. Story wise, it's OK. Help the macguffin by killing dudes each week. Drifter does have some good lines. The deep diving suit aesthetic is pretty cool in my book. My issue with Defiance was the season activity was too hard. Getting blitzed by snipers made each run 30-40 minutes with blueberries. The new Deep ones are much more casual and fun as opposed to punishing. I'd rather have to try hard in Nightfalls and Crucible (this week is Iron Banana) than the seasonal event. That's just me though, I know some people love the hardcore seasonal activity. The autorifle is pretty cool, blinding targets around a kill. Pretty fun. Honestly, we're all just waiting until The Final Shape at this point. So here's to hoping that's better than Lightfall!

Been a bit. Welcome back to your place? I guess..??

I have no problem with him saying that. CMC was a really fun player to watch. He was a great asset, but this is a QB driven league. If Cam hadn't been broken by the NFL - the last few years could have been VERY different for CMC and the Panthers. It just didn't workout, and that's OK. I wish him nothing but the best in SF. As we saw, he got one heck of an upgrade in SF. Good for him. With the picks we got, we were able to get our QB so we'll see what happens here.

Is that a compliment or an insult? =P

Yep, that's a really good use-case I didn't think about

Try blink cameras. They are part of the amazon eco system. I've had them for years and they have been great - though not tied into my current security system. With the water leak sensors - do you really need them? Personally, I never saw a reason for them - I thought they were just a cash grab kind of thing. I'm just curious if you have an actual need that I don't know about.

Because I timed out of the edit: There's the silver purchase stuff, like the armor set loos nice. The scout rifle is OK, more Mida less Hung Jury. There are some interesting perk combos, but it's not a huge deal if I don't get it. Now Supremacy... What a poo show. It's a straight Connection Based Match Making (CBMM). My first game I ran into a fully grouped bunch of unbrokens with adept Immortals. Without a mercy rule, we got rolled 150 something to 30... It was that way all Saturday when I played six games. I still need to collect another 20 crest but I'm not sure I care enough. It's just not fun when my team is of guardian rank 2s versus 10s and 11s... Heck, I'm still a 6 because I haven't put in the time to level the other stuff because of life! So needless to say, I'm not thrilled with the state of D2 right now. Heck, I was just trying to do some "chill" weekly strikes and I kept getting booted each strike. Weaseled...I was at least able to pop back in but WTF guys. I've got other games I want to play much more right now.

Nah, there's another week.

Here's what I'll say about Austin Proehl - he has a lot of his father in his game. But he's just not talented enough. Would Ricky have been as successful in the 2023 NFL versus the game 20 years ago? Even then, he was a WR4-5. Someone who could play, but not a game changer. Best of luck to him! It's a nice story, but I'm not placing any wagers on him. Then again, he could surprise everyone.

Where the budget allows. The $600m is from the travel and leisure budget. Now do we need to make sure all children have a warm bed, enough to eat, and a place for their families? Yes! Is that far more important than a sports team? Yes! But I'm not in the city council or county commission so what I think is pretty moot. Are there plenty of schools that need help with their roofing? With plumbing? With a litany of other issues? YES!!! Lord knows I taught at several schools that needed work that never got budgeted. It's just how elected officials play games with the tax money.

Since I'm no longer a Charlotte resident, I can't really weigh in on their local politics. Cabarrus county is it's own stupid animal! While I'm not in favor of giving money to Tepper or any billionaire for a private business, I understand the pressure to do it anyway. There are only 32 NFL teams, and each team is a very valuable asset. Does it create enough economic activity? I don't know. But I do know there is a certain "pull" to having an NFL team. Your city is shown in wide shots on game day. At night, your city becomes a star of the game. For a while, it was the mark your city "made" it. Was that a good one? No, but it's all fluff, right? The games can create a sense of community, give your city something to rally around when politics are so dumb. Game Day is infectious. I remember going to Panther games and feeling this sense of excitement throughout downtown. I loved that. If I could do that again, I'd love to. Will it be the end of Charlotte if our local sports team leaves? No. Will $600m be better spent in other areas the budget allows? I don't know enough about all of that to have an opinion.

I never said ban the gun. We're never going to ban any firearm in the US with the money and power of the gun lobby. Sure, I've said that in the past, but I've realized that's not the most helpful position to have. Many people just love their guns more than anything else. Who am I to stop being from being happy? How often are the other "deer hunting" rifles used in mass shootings? How many people are shot per year in an AR-type weapon versus a deer hunting rifle? While I did actually look for a "damage" comparison or impact comparison - you are correct that a "deer hunting rifle" is a deadly weapon. It has a larger, more powerful bullet. BUT - there is a significant difference in how the damage occurs. The smaller round starts it's expansion sooner than the larger. The larger will more often blow through a human sized target before it expands and tumbles. At least, that's what I researched in 10 minutes of googling. Is there a way to "solve" the ammo issue while still respecting gun owners who enjoy target shooting or legitimate hunting (animals not people)? I don't want to pile on the demonization of gun owners because while it is fun and easy, it's not productive. Hence why I think dealing with the ammunition the is the least bad way of trying to do some good.

My wife and I were considering a move because our neighborhood is full of renters and the HOA cares more about the colors on people doors and shutters than trashy renters. Oh, and Cabarrus county is a complete poo-show. We looked at the rates and the prices per sq. foot, and while we're still OK, we're going to stick it out. Like we could sell well, but what are we going to be able to get else where? So we're going to try to stick it out as much as we can.