d-dave

The pro game is completely different from the college game, especially at BYU. That's why BC should have been starting and playing a LOT more. Another thing is the lack of communication. Without good communication, the OL will struggle. Because we've been playing shuffle the OL since August, there's next to zero chemistry, no one really knows what/how to communicate in our offense (that's a coaching issue). BC has to improve. But the only way that will happen is via reps and better coaching. Is he a better option than some of these other draft guys? Nope. I'd be thrilled if we could draft a true franchise LT, but it's going to come down to coaching, either way. Rhule and his incompetent staff need to go. Period.

So I was excited to see how Amazon took on an absolutely massive IP like Wheel of Time to bring it to the masses. I watched the first couple of episodes, then immediately ordered the entire series of books (they were half price in a holiday deal). I've been absolutely grabbed by both the show and the books for different reasons. I like the story the show is telling. The first novel, Eye of the World, is considered the weakest, and the producers were dealing with an actor who left before filming was wrapped. So the season is up and down. The meat of it was quite enjoyable. The last episode was kind of weak/hurried. They could have used 2-3 more episodes to allow the characters to grow and develop. The were some really rad moments in there, and as I start book three, there could be some super awesome stuff in store for the coming seasons. Anyone else? Thoughts? The first Episode felt like the MTV Shannara series - very TV hair commercial, but then it took that sheen off quickly.

I just got a Series X from Best Buy. I saw on Wednesday there was a restock so I tried it out, like I have but failed time and time again. This time, I got lucky. Not sure if they are using a lottery system or something like that, but because I used my BB rewards membership to log in and get in the list, it seems like it was weighted to give me priority over random folks over the internet. I played with it a little on Sunday (I picked it up at 1pm Sunday), and I love the speed of the SSD. Reminds me of playing on my laptop lol.

He's just so very inconsistent. There are times when he will fight through arm tackles and look very physical. Then there are times when he's taken out by the first guy. Then again, our OL is putrid, and that will effect any RB behind them. I think he could be a quality guy. I hope so. You can see when he gets some room, he's got some wheels. The problem is everyone knows we're playing within 10 years of the LOS all game long so he's running into 8-9 all day long.

I tried to watch out for him as much as possible, easier said than done. What I saw were two tackles having to try to carry the load of a crappy interior OL. I mean, BC wasn't near as bad as Erving usually is. He had some bad plays, but then again, the NO defense schemed up blitzes that exposed his lack of experience. The delayed/corner/edge blitzes beat him pretty routinely. He also did a fair amount of holding that wasn't called, par for the ref crew. I mean, it wasn't a trash game, but he did some good and had some real "learning" moments. Would having a real LG next to him help? How about a Center or QB who can make the calls at the line? Oh yeah. But he wasn't all bad. Honestly, the iOL was so putrid he was just trying to make something out of nothing.

I know there are several pro-Matt Rhule accounts, trolls or not, and I would be interested to see what their perspective is? Jokes are sad-funny-true. We're a worse team than when Rhule was hired. In nearly two seasons, we have simply spun wheels without making a real progress. Tepper paid Rhule very well to run around in a circle. I'm just not sure how you can justify Rhule's process going forward at all.

Man, this thread gets me so excited! Too bad we're probably stuck with Rhule. I'd love to move on, but I have no idea what Tepper is going to do. If Rhule is back, I have no hope for 2022.

Hold on, Erving was a first round talent!!! He should just "be" better!? I figure we're stuck with Matt for at least next season, so he'd better figure out that players are more than draft positions and numbers. I hold zero hope for 2022 with Rhule at the helm, but at least Christensen wasn't complete dog poo. The rest of the line...

I'm really starting to wonder if that reddit conspiracy theory is holding up: Matt is going to pull out all the stops to make Sam look good while pooing on Cam to prove his point/ego. Also, fact is Rhule has coddled Sam, but beat the other three black qbs to bits about their decision making... I'm not saying Matt is showing favoritism, but it really can be viewed from an unflattering perspective. I also understand, in a way, for putting Darnold back out there. May as well see what you're working with. Has he changed any? Or is he still poo? I'm guess Sam still sucks... Matt just needs to stick with one guy, and ride that horse until the end of the season.

My curiosity is what has Matt Rhule done to demonstrate improvement. Coaches have done a lot more with less in NFL history. But a bigger thing for me is that Rhule has no improved in his game time decision making, situational awareness, and roster building. I'm happy to be proved wrong if Rhule is able to turn things around next season, but I don't see the point in keeping him around if we're not progressing as a team.

Honestly, Rhule is a really good college coach. It hasn't translated in the NFL. It's just a different game, and he's not picked up on the differences. The DBO sign, the fact he's raving about the athletic profiles of guys who suck (Cam Erving) as players, the game and time management decisions, etc. Look Rhule did some great work at Temple and Baylor, but I think that's where he needs to stay.

I bet we're seeing the result of all these Antonio Brown style vaccinations. But I also wonder if they are getting the Omicron variant? That one seems to be the one that can more easily bypass vaccinations.

Personally, I love DJ. This year has been problematic for a lot of reasons. DJ has had some drops, but he's also been our best WR who isn't a RB. But the main problem I hear and read about him is his sloppy route running. Now he's only 25 so he's got plenty of time to work on that, but I'd really want to see him make a concerted effort to improve there. It will help him get open more consistently. DJ has a really laid back personality, which puts him at odds with the Michael Irvin style diva WR. But DJ is a hard worker, plays hurt, and makes plays. He's had his issues this year, for sure. So has most of the team. I still remember one of the most impressive plays that wasn't made this year. He ran a zig zagging route 70 yards down the field at 100 mph. Dude made everyone else look like they were standing still. Sam didn't throw him the ball, else it would have been an easy TD.

Well, hopefully Rhule was clothed in your dream!

Another off season isn't going to fix his coaching. We haven't seen a coach improve in how he evaluates players, how he manages the game, or delivering a message. That's the biggest problem I have regarding keep Rhule for year three. He's not shown any growth as a professional, and that's the problem.

We didn't, the NFL did. And he paid in cash...

So when Rhule was hired, I appreciated his process, getting better everyday, competing our butts off rhetoric. It sounded great, but that's all it was. I'm sure Matt is a good guy, but he's not a good NFL coach. He hasn't adapted at all to the pro-game. I get wanting to bring the guys with you who brought you success. It builds a level of comfort, but the main issue is that without discomfort, there's no growth. Rhule hasn't grown as a coach because he's surrounded by yes men and his friends. I'm super tired of watching real pros like Cam, Taylor Moton, CMC, Shaq, etc have to try to defend him and his process as we see the process dying on the field. The team just is not performing at all. I'm done with Rhule. I hope he gets some great college offer and he can go be successful there. I want an actual NFL coach for our team. College is a different game because it's mostly about recruiting. When these great college coaches hit the NFL, they can't scheme the same way because the athletes are all of a similar class. There's no Ohio State in the NFL (a school that can rely on getting the best players year after recruiting year).

Honestly, I think a lot of this stuff is going to go into sex robots. Jokes aside, we need to be careful in trying to recreate humanity. I mean, besides all the sci-fi movies telling us what a bad idea that is, but what happens when our artificial friends decide we suck and need to die? Skynet? Now I am amazed at the possibilities that these articulated robots could do in exploration of space, deep oceans, and inhospitable environments. Imagine being able to put them to work on a planet while humans control from a space ship above via VR or programed movements and AI detection and adaptability software. This would be so cool!

Honestly, who knows? Who will coach the team if Rhule is canned? That's the issue I have. If the Panthers turn it around and become competitive and play better, even in losses, then Rhule will finish the year, possibly get next year. On the other side of the coin, if he get embarrassed by Atlanta, then Tepper will probably fire him and write the season off and start planning for the Draft and Free Agency with Fitts while they search for a new coach. Or something else could happen.

I saw in an interview that most dogs breed for fighting do not possess the required aggressive traits. https://www.npr.org/2016/05/10/477350069/friend-or-fiend-pit-bull-explores-the-history-of-americas-most-feared-dog Interesting read. Honestly, I wish people wouldn't get so caught up on the breed and their histories. Instead, they need to consider the breed and their needs when adopting a dog. Like I knew someone who adopted a German Shepard-type but didn't train or exercise them or anything. They just thought the dog would take care of itself to a degree. Needless to say, their house was trashed until they learned they had to give the dog structure, jobs, and lots of training. Thankfully, that person found someone who wanted to train the dog and keep them as a service animal for their spouse. They have been happy for a long time. The Bully Breeds are fantastic animals. They aren't for everyone, but they are amazing animals for those who learn what to expect from them. I will always have at least one bully in the house from now on.

I've been thinking a lot about this, and questioning the timing. It just feels convenient. That being said the offensive issues have been pretty prevalent. From a lack of a consistently threatening running game without CMC, I mean, he's missed most of all the past two season. Like c'mon man! Hubbard has some good tools, why isn't the offense being set up to allow him to be successful. The fact that Brady hasn't been able to adjust his game plan at all. Third Quarters have been horrific. We've gone through SEVERAL QBs over the past two season. What is the deal? Brady is responsible for a lot of the problems. He might have a LOT of good ideas, but he's just not ready to run the show right now. But this is something that should have happened a LONG time ago Honestly. Nothing has changed over the 12 games we have played so far.

Every single incident is human caused, not animal caused. Historically, we have breed traits into dogs: protectiveness, sentry, herding, etc. If an animal is not allowed to stretch those legs, or find a suitable alternative, then we will see behavior issues. Animals are responsibilities. For everyone who knows a great lazy dog, there are tons of dogs dumped in shelters because they don't fit that mold, and people can't be bothered to learn some responsibility. People have raised animals to fight, it's not the dog's fault that humans did that. Now when a person is irresponsible with their animals, all the animals get blamed and lumped together. I have a friend who's daughter was attacked by a dog. Why did that happen? Because the owner of the dog was not responsible for their animal. If your dog has issues, it's up to you to either learn to deal with them or find someone else who can, or give the animal up. The friend doesn't blame the dog or the breed, but her neighbor who knew their dog didn't like small kids and still let the dog lose without restraint. Like everything else, it requires responsibility on the part of the owner. For example: if I drive a car and hurt someone because I was doing something wrong (speeding let's say), I will suffer the legal consequences for it. Does that stop people from speeding? Nope. People will continue to speed down the highways. I know my dog doesn't like many other dogs. She LOVES people, but can't stand other dogs, especially loud, small dogs. So I take her out on the leash all the time. She never goes out without a leash, period. My neighbor has a dog that barks and irritates her all the time that they let run loose in the backyard. It can't be more than 20 pounds. My dog would happily blow through the fence and have a snack if I let her. But I don't, because I take responsibility for my animals, even if it is a little inconvenient at times. I've only ever been bitten twice in my life, and both times were with the smaller, more anxious breeds.

Because I'm posting here, don't be surprised if something or nothing happens =P Unless the offer is really good, I don't see Rhule leaving this season. I think he really wants at least his three season to see what he can do. If he was really hating the pro game, then that's a different animal, but I get the impression that he'll stick around as long as Tepper has patience for him. (Don't be surprised if Rhule to College_X happens right now)

Oh yeah, it's way smarter to do the more costly loans first, then hit the lower interest, cheaper loans. That's generally what my wife and I have done. I have a co-worker who is really big into the Dave Ramsey stuff, and he gave me a book. I skimmed it. I'm not a huge fan of self help stuff, but I get that it's very valuable to a lot of people. The financial principals were pretty easy and basic things I googled years ago. We JUST got to a financial point where our income finally exceeded our expenses by enough to actually pay things off. We know a few things about stagnant wages! We just got our worst high interest debts knocked out. Then we've taken that payment, rolled it against our smallest debts to free up the monthly cash flow. So far, we're making really good progress. You just have to make a decision, and make smart payments. Good god, we've been able to establish a savings account for the first time in 15 years! It's so freeing to know if something comes up, we can cover it instead of having to use credit.

Also, the most important thing is that you love your dog and take care of them. Wherever you get them is up to you, and I have zero judgements if you buy or rescue. Just love and take care of your dogs. I'm a sucker for a rescue story so we rescued both of our dogs. My pit (75% Staffordshire Terrier, 25% "companion breed") required some training. She's not perfect, she still has her own jerk issues, but she learned how to assimilate into our family unit. She learned that I am the alpha. She knows the order of things, and she feels safe. I'd say every dog and human could use the training. When we did the class, the trainer said it was 90% for us because it was up to us to continually reinforce the training at home. She's such a good girl, with her moments of butthole-ness.