Punch

Did Dan Patrick "report" it, as in it was based on sourced inside information? Or was he merely giving his opinion? He's no longer a reporter so much as an editorializer these days.

Obviously, the statistics from that game (or any game, for that matter) are not simply a 1-to-1 comparison. Nassib played with the lead for the entire game. His passing numbers are pedestrian, but Syracuse was not in a passing mode for the majority of the game. Regardless, I would not argue that he had a great game. Geno Smith never got anything going. Syracuse's defense is better than WVU's, which isn't saying much, but there was never really a threat to the Orange's lead. He looked a little rattled and couldn't elevate the play of his teammates. Is that fair? Probably not, but it's hard to say considering we look at intangibles such as "leadership" when evaluating a QB prospect. I would not argue that Geno Smith's struggles in the Pinstripe Bowl define either his leadership abilities or talent. I've told you before in this thread, I wouldn't hate Geno Smith at 8. I might even love it. Nassib intrigues me as well, but maybe 8 is too high. Hopefully we'll get a better hint of where NFL talent evaluators see these 2 QBs in the coming weeks to give these threads more grist to mill.

I myself am still leaning toward Te'o as victim, even though there are many sketchy details--- clearly, I know what catfishing is and belive completely in the plausibility of this scenario. But I am curious why you're taking such a strong "nothing to see here folks, move along" stance, especially considering you yourself were in complete agreement with San Jose Bills Fan earlier in the thread--- that the questions he continues to pose needed to be answered for Te'o to be cleared, ie, phone records, proof flowers were sent, etc? Obviously, none of those questions were even asked by any of the investigators, which included the very media that slipped up in the first place. I don't want to attack the guy at all, but very little has changed in regards to "proof" Manti was not complicit at least on some level. Continuing skepticism does not need to equate to attacks on Manti Te'o.

Were there any other differences between the 2010 Panthers offense and the 2011-12 Panthers offense? I can think of at least one. For the record, Carolina's offense started the 2012 season as an absolute tire fire although they did eventually right the ship. In addition to the "no stone left unturned" comment, they also said in the same press conference that they would hire the right guy as soon as they identified him. Arians, Fangio, Roman, Bradley, and Bevell were all still coaching in the Wild Card playoff weekend. The Bills met with Marrone as many as 4 times. If Marrone didn't impress, it is possible the candidates still coaching wpuld have been interviewed. Do you know for certain this would not have been the case? My only beef with this argument is that it requires mental gymnastics to make it work. They said they'd hire the right man for the job when they identified him. They interviewed several candidates. Then they hired a guy. If Marrone isn't the right coach, we'll know very soon.

Just a little joke based on what has been written in this thread.

He's only saying that because he shares an agent with Marrone.

Colts punter Pat McAfee was nearly "catfished" via twitter a few years ago: http://deadspin.com/5977360/colts-punter-pat-mcafee-nearly-got-catfished-too-but-realized-he-wasnt-famous-enough-for-groupies

Assuming everything happened as Te'o alleges, isn't it possible that the woman he was on the phone with also developed legitimate feelings for him? And yes, these "catfish" relationships are typically as complex as the scenario outlined by Te'o.

Oh great, another inexperienced Syracuse crony hire!! Wait, what...?

WVU was down 26-7 with 5 minutes left in the 3rd Q when Geno threw his 2nd TD pass--- his stats were not great in that game, but a lot of them were accrued arguably in garbage time. Having said that, I wouldn't hate drafting him, even at 8. His brains, accuracy and athleticism are all big pluses. But there are plenty of question marks, and his Pinstripe Bowl performance didn't answer them.

What's the deal with this twitter "apology"? It is from the same account that tweeted the following: 3 days ago – It isn't fair to drag Reagan and Troy into this. a lot of truths and myths need to be addressed here, and they will be at noon PST tomorrow 2 days ago – My statement: This is incredibly embarrassing to talk about, but I have been told by Alabama's offense that Manti Te'o is not real. Why would Tuiasosopo apologize to Te'o and then tweet what is obviously a joke tweet, mocking him? Both of the above tweets were linked in this thread when posted, and both have been deleted. The twitter apology, per ESPN: (FWIW, one of the co-authors of the Deadspin article believes the below image has been photoshopped and it is not possible to send a Direct Message via twitter to another user that does not follow you--- Te'o does not follow the account @LennayKay. Deadspin will post a new article soon.)

Didn't Buddy/Russ explicitly state on 1/1/13 that if/when they find the right guy they would hire him? They didn't wait for Gus Bradley, Mike McCoy, Jay Gruden and didn't interview Trestman, but is it crazy that they acted when they were impressed with Marrone and 8 teams scrambling for a new head coach and a relatively small number of quality candidates? I understand what you're saying, but that opinion has also been expressed by the likes of Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter--- based on collective sentiment from around the league. That doesn't make Nix a great (or even average) GM, though.

Of course, with a multi-million dollar contract and NFL stardom at stake...

He's gotten a lot of mileage out of his time in Green Bay, although he only served as QB coach in 1997-98. Well after Brett Favre was established. Reid has proven successful at upgrading mediocre QB talent into average. Which as you say, is also a description that fits Gailey.

You may be right, but I don't think there's anything in the phrase "upgrading restrooms" that explicitly means they are not necessarily expanding or adding more. That very well could be what is meant by "upgrade".

Which later became the epitaph on the Buffalo Bills tombstone, 2000-2012. RIP

This paragraph from the linked article caught my attention: Caldwell won his first 14 games with the Colts in 2009 before losing the final two regular-season games after resting Peyton Manning and most of his starters. The Colts reached the Super Bowl only to lose to the New Orleans Saints. Indianapolis went 10-6 the following season and captured another AFC South title, but lost to the Jets in a wild-card game. With Manning sidelined all of last season, the Colts went just 2-14 and Caldwell lost his job. Which detail jumps out? Peyton Manning? This was clearly an example of The Emperor Has No Clothes. The issue with Jim Caldwell not getting any interviews has more to do with Jim Caldwell than a failure of the Rooney Rule. I bet you're right. A public comment to "look into it" could very likely be a PR move to settle down any potential angst.

The Rooney Rule is serving it's purpose, and serving it well. If the NFL believes otherwise, they should provide a list of minority candidates with acceptable credentials for public scrutiny. Having said that, I wonder if the reported argument between Ray Horton and management in Arizona is directly responsible for this announcement? Once McCoy was hired in San Diego, Horton believed he was getting the job--- possibly because he was led to believe so. When that proved to not be the case, and Arians was hired, there was apparently a spat.

This is true. The "draft boards" that are constantly changing are the draft boards of mock draft speculators and commentators, not of NFL teams.

I don't think Hater is comparing them as QBs, only in so much as they have seemingly shot draft boards via word of mouth and hype in a weak class.

By no means am I an expert on football analytics, but by my estimation, it is not a prerequisite, considering 80% of NFL head coaches are not named Mike.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/manti-teo-girlfriend-hoax-tough-questions-will-come-from-nfl-scouts-011813 Another general manager who spoke Friday with FOXSports.com believes Te’o is one of the best inside linebacker prospects entering the league in some time. He also said Te’o will remain a first-round pick unless “something really, really messed up” is revealed about the hoax. The GM, though, is curious to see how Te’o handles explaining what has transpired. “Part of me wants the kid to come out, be a man and say, ‘Hey, it ended up being a hoax. I’m a linebacker. At my core I’m a meathead ball-buster. I got carried away and I apologize,’ ” the general manager said. “Maybe that would be simplifying it, but instead so far he’s trying to come across as naïve. That’s a little funky in itself. “You’ve got to look through all this and make a judgment. If it’s a lying and major fabrication issue, you need to determine the depth and duplicity of it. In light of what’s going on with Lance Armstrong, we all know the best way to do this.” http://deadspin.com/5977235/heres-a-photo-of-manti-teo-with-ronaiah-tuiasosopos-sister-the-night-before-the-notre-dame+usc-game?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow Here’s A Photo Of Manti Te’o With Ronaiah Tuiasosopo’s Sister The Night Before The Notre Dame-USC Game This photo, provided to us by a friend of the Tuiasosopos, was taken on Nov. 23, 2012—the night before the Notre Dame-USC game. It shows Ronaiah Tuiasosopo's younger sister, known as Pookah, with Manti Te'o. (According to Manti's uncle Alema Te'o, Pookah supposedly posed as Lennay Kekua's cousin.) Geeze... http://deadspin.com/5977243/newspaper-lennay-called-manti-teo-in-december-and-said-shed-faked-her-death-to-elude-drug-dealers Manti Te'o has told family and friends that the woman who was the voice of his fictitious girlfriend "Lennay Kekua" called him in December and said she had to fake her own death months earlier to elude drug dealers, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser has learned. The woman, who has yet to be identified, tried to re-engage a relationship with Te‘o months after she supposedly had died of leukemia in early September, the Notre Dame All-American linebacker has told the people close to him. The account was shared with the Star-Advertiser by a source close to the Te‘o family. According to the account, Te'o asked the woman to transmit a photo to him with a date stamp, which she did, but this did not allay his suspicions and he later told his family and Notre Dame officials about being scammed.

I love Klosterman--- and Gladwell's no slouch! This Grantland correspondence piece is a gem.

If they do, he'll need a new tattoo, at any rate.

According to a post here on TSW, it was reported on the John Murphy Show. I haven't heard it directly myself.