KSpan

Alternatively, it may be a decent year or better.

2014 was not that long ago. Bell, Silatolu, and Chandler all on the same line by design... tough to beat that.

Very few games are 'must-win', and none of them are season openers. 2013 was exactly the same - if the team loses vs Seattle the season is over (some were calling that the 'most important regular season game in the history of the franchise's), then a loss vs Buffalo was the end, then a loss vs. AZ... we all know how 2013 turned out. Winning is preferred but a season opener means little. Much more important how the team looks across the first half, and subsequently the first season.

Eh, I've always felt like Hester is a bit overrated. Still a weapon and an excellent player, no question, but the TD stat that gets trotted out frequently on his behalf saw more than half of them scored his first two years, which to me points as much to the unit itself as to Hester. A guy like Dante Hall arguably made bigger things happen of his own accord. I'm not saying Hall or any other returned deserves to get in over Hester, and more than anything I'm just playing devil's advocate to Hester's case. I bet he gets in at some point and if he does, the voters will have spoken and no real complaints. With respect to Smitty he absolutely deserves to be in the Hall. As others have pointed out though there are a number of folks that also deserve strong consideration and Steve may have to wait a while while the numbers work themselves out.

And cheap-shotted that Falcons gunner on the sideline.

I was just thinking today that this seems like the quietest/most unremarkable training camp period across the league that I can recall. If all teams are doing this same throttling of content, a lack of exposure/content may be a reason why.

Gabbert re-signed with Tampa.

That's my point though - how many actual hot topics are there that haven't already been beaten to death, particularly with TC content being throttled by the team?

Not many can go to camp to see things firsthand and the team (NFL as a whole, teally) is attempting to be the only real source of TC information. What else should be here?

A Carolina fan favorite up close here at Chiefs camp today.

In a general grouping: Rashard Anderson, Bruce Nelson, Eric Shelton, Dwayne Jarrett, Jason Peter (could've had hometown Vinnie Holliday...), Ellison, all of 2009, Mitch Marrow.

Or traumatize any youth of America with deplorable dancing.

Not sure they'd make a decision like that a week into camp but from a strategic viewpoint it makes sense to play it up and buy time. If the team sucks and it's a lost year then yeah, slow play the injury and save the higher draft pick. If the team is competing and Wentz may elevate then take the chance and bring him on back.

There's a line that crosses from competing into being a dumbass, and Ibe went over it. An unfortunate circumstance but a fringe guy like that has minimal, if any, margin for such lapses. If he's gone it's no one's fault but his own.

Man, that was just cheap and will be flagged, if not ejected, every time these days. Very poor decision on his part.

That clip makes me giggle.

Even in models where the coach 'reports to' the GM or some other executive on a paper org chart, that doesn't mean they don't have control. This notion of Carolina's structure being better because it's somehow special and revolutionary (which it really isn't) is silly and worthless anyway unless/until the team actually shows that the approach yields above-average and continuous results. With that said, only time will tell if that's the case and because of that it cuts the other way too - no one can definitely say that the model/approach is ineffective.

Some things can be toughed out but signs like that should never be ignored - good on you for calling and then actually following that advice. To join you in this point, when I was a kid me left foot started hurting and swelled up like a black balloon in the span of only a couple of hours. My parents opted to immediately take me to the hospital, which was good because I had necrotizing fasciitis (internal flesh-eating bacteria) and we were told that any further delay would almost certainly have resulted in my foot being amputated. As it was, some major antibiotics got it back under control and I kept my foot.

Probably just means there isn't anything overly positive/noteworthy to share.

Jimmy Clausen is a QB that doesn't deserve as much shade as he gets/got. He was not a good QB but you could tell he was trying his best at all times and he created exactly zero drama here or anywhere, even with the short stick he was handed in Carolina. Guy conducted himself as a pro. Teddy, on the other hand, is a middling QB who appeared nigh uncoachable during his year here, poorly handled QB 101 situations as a supposed 7-year veteran leader, and a whole lot of signs point to him being a guy interested in using burner accounts to defend himself on social media and get into spats with fans. I don't agree with personal attacks of course and he certainly stepped into a tough scenario between being Cam's successor and being overpaid like he was, but he did next to nothing to help himself out. He earned his shade fair and square. Honestly, I struggle to think of an ex-Panther not named Carruth that I like less at this point based on their time as a Panther. Even DeAngelo Williams at least showed some growth and humility early in his career before spouting off.

Quote from Fangio today (not in that article but seen elsewhere) “Checkdowns are good, but you need more than checkdowns.” Lolz.

But I've been told that Tepper has instituted the Appaloosa Model® where he retains all control and exercises final rights on all decisions. ...

Teddy was already such a bland, timid, uninteresting, and uninspiring QB, let alone factoring in the post-Cam effect People knew it was a poor choice even if it was expressed incorrectly at times and lo and behold he turned out to be exactly as expected. Your first sentence nails it. Put another way, Teddy the QB may not be a loser but he sure isn't a winner either. He just... is.