thebandit27

I think 18th is a bit low--I might say top 1/3 of the league, so probably in the 10-13 range. I think I'd definitely put Belichick, Tomlin, Reid, Carroll, McCarthy, Zimmer, Payton and Pederson ahead of him. I also think there's room to make an argument that any of Harbaugh, O'Brien, Marrone, Jon Gruden, Jay Gruden, Garrett, Riviera, Quinn, or McVay could go ahead or behind McDermott. So considering that, I think anywhere between 9 and 18 can be argued within reason.

I would respectfully submit that you don't quite have it straight. Shaq's roster spot is in jeopardy because he hasn't been very productive and he's had availability issues coupled with being admittedly out of shape. Also, just because a guy his the UFA market (like Trent Murphy) that doesn't mean he's a "reject". As for lighting a fire, people (including yours truly) said the same thing last offseason when the team didn't pick up Sammy's option, and we know how that ended. Maybe Bulaga if he proves to be healthy during TC?

I'm most intrigued by the RT spot. If someone can acquit themselves well on that side, then there's the potential for the OL to stabilize somewhat. I think there's a fair chance that Miller can recapture his 2016 form at RG, and they may have some raw material in Wyatt Teller, so interior is actually less of a concern for me. I shudder at the though of what would happen if Dawkins goes down for any period of time--imagine trotting out a bookend pairing of Newhouse on the left and Mills on the right.

The biggest takeaway for me was understanding just how many times these guys must have to watch a play in order to determine play calls, progressions, DL fits, coverages, etc. Then I get to thinking about the QC guys who's responsibility it is to track the number of plays that an opponent runs in each scheme/coverage/etc...QC = the most underappreciated members of the staff.

We talked about it pre draft, and I distinctly remember saying that he was an Adrian Clayborn type with Terrell Suggs measurables, whereas you were full-go on Courtney Upshaw. At this point, I'd take Clayborn production from him and call it found money. I responded further up the thread if you want to discuss

In the long-term that's probably true, for this upcoming season I don't think we'll see much closure

Kony Ealy fetched a 2nd round pick from NE after putting up back-to-back 5.0 sack seasons, but he also had a monster Super Bowl. I think it would be reasonable to seek a R3/R4 pick for Shaq.

Regarding Jerry Hughes, his sack numbers have been down the past 3 seasons, but that's not the whole story. I can't find stats for 2017, but in 2016, he had 29 QB hurries, which ranked 9th in the NFL https://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/defensive-hurries/2016/ In 2015, he had 22 hurries, which ranked 25th https://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/defensive-hurries/2015/ Now compare that to 2014, a season in which he had 10 sacks...in 2014, Hughes had 21 hurries, which ranked 6th https://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/defensive-hurries/2014/ It appears that his pass rush ability hasn't really declined at all; he simply hasn't been finishing plays as much. I guess I'd say that his game has dropped off a bit, but probably less due to his own play than due to much less help from other areas on the DL. I don't know if that'll change with this offseasons' DL additions, but I can't put it all on Hughes.

New England...and it's very unlikely IMO that any other AFC East team will make the playoffs.

Or Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell...did they keep Kenny Britt?

Good stuff from the folks above, so I'll add a few others: - Never say anything negative about the restaurant to a customer. Ever. If someone asks your opinion on a menu item, the worst thing you should say is "it's not my personal favorite, but people sure order it a lot" - Be efficient; always ask if there's anything else a table needs. - Just be polite to everyone around you. Almost any mistake can be forgiven with a good attitude. - Use the words "sir" and "miss" in the direction of your customers (and do not say "ma'am"). Men enjoy being called sir, but calling any woman over the age of 40 "miss" will immediately be noticed and appreciated.

That would certainly make sense. Thanks!

I just listened to it--one thing that permeates this roster is that they all sounds like such great kids.

It means that his test sample(s) showed evidence of PED use--perhaps abnormally-elevated testosterone or some other specific marker--but that the testing group is unable to identify specifically what substance was used to achieve the effect.

I love that Allen will throw the ball anywhere; it's part of his biggest weakness (that he tries to do way too much), but I love it

I am absolutely a fan of neural kinetic therapy...it was the key in alleviating 20+ years of back pain from when I fractured 3 vertebrae playing hockey when I was 15. So as far as the neurological approach to physical medicine, I'll back its inclusion. I don't know enough of the details about his holistic approach to opine one way or another on that side though. In general I've found most holistic nutritional approaches to be decent on the surface, though often rooted in pseudoscience.

Mental aspect is important, but I was actually referring to the automatic nervous system's effect on involuntary muscle compensation. For example: you twist an ankle when you're 18 years old. It hurts, so you limp (involuntarily). Your brain knows that this hurts, so it slows down and/or changes the way that muscles fire so that it doesn't hurt when you move. Eventually, the injury heals and it doesn't hurt to move anymore. Do your movement patterns return to pre-injury form? Not unless your brain sees some problem with the way they're currently acting. Now, imagine 5 years down the road. You're 23 and carrying an additional 20-30 lbs. After 5 years of imperfect movement patterns causing forces to be transferred to muscle/soft tissue where they can't be handled properly, you move the wrong way at the wrong time and tear an ACL. Was the ACL the problem, or was the compensation established 5 years prior--which caused too much force to be placed on the ACL, which isn't designed to handle that load--the problem? IMO, the best trainers and physios are the ones that can identify and eliminate those patterns most effectively.

It's my opinion that only so much can be done with physiology; the big difference maker is the neurological side. Any injury is going to cause neurological compensation patterns that the body will not voluntarily remove in the long-term. The trainers/physios that can effectively remedy the neurological compensation patterns are the ones that can do the most to prevent injury and speed along rehab.

It was Brandon Spikes that took the ridiculous PF penalty that cost NE a chance to tie after a FG.

Its was at KC, and yes, it was among the most outstanding game-winning efforts in team history

The plan was fine...the problem was that they backed off the plan to pressure Brady and play tight coverage about halfway through the 4th quarter; Marrone got conservative and went to a prevent D...and the predictable happened.

There's a decent chance they keep 7 on the roster, but I think there's almost zero chance they cut Zay.

Charles Clay. He's very likely to be 1 or 2 amongst pass catchers in targets provided he's healthy for 12+ games, and he's been a solid performer.

Considering that Kelvin, Zay, and Holmes are near roster locks, and Kerley is a probable, they'd probably have to keep 8 WRs to keep all of the guys you've mentioned.

Oh absolutely. 3-4 years in an NFL strength and conditioning program should most certainly have the athlete at peak physical condition. Most of my exposure is power-lifters, who don't typically peak until late 20's at the earliest--more often it's early to mid 30's. Many of them start out strong--I mean freakishly strong--but yeah, it still takes at least a year or two of honing technique, increasing favorable biomechanics (like ankle mobility for the squat just as an example), establishing leverages, etc. to get them in a position to perform their best in competition. I'd be watching for a big year from Malcolm Mitchell