starrymessenger

Brady will never admit to knowledge/participation in a scheme. There will be no settlement IMO.

In terms of "compromise" this is the only deal ie failure to cooperate and 2 games, that always made sense. It also looks like the position that judge Berman was holding out to the parties as an obvious middle ground. If the League is hard nosing it they must be very confident that they are in a good place re the process being hard to attack. I tend to agree with them for what that's worth. I think that partly explains Brady's reliance on the bias argument, which personally I see as weak one and improbable to succeed. Still, the League is taking on some risk here IMO.

Not much of a pass rusher but great against the run. He can spell MD or move MD outside (he has the quickness to play DE) and they can see the field at the same time.

Good stuff re Bryant!

I think Goodwin makes the roster. I have doubts concerning Hogan, tho Lal has had nice things to say about him. I think the Bills need to think hard about Thompson and Davis. These guys are or should be in the mix. They are not camp fodder. When Thompson was taken from the Ravens PS he was getting paid twice the going rate. They liked him. With Harvin and Goodwin injury prone Thompson could be viewed as a reasonable facsimile. And watch out for Andre Davis. This kid may be special. He has a slow 40 yet he is a vertical threat. The reason is that he goes through his breaks completely seamlessly, he does not break stride or slow down. Instead he accelerates. He's one of these slow guys who somehow never get caught from behind. Sorta like that guy who played in SF. Plus he has great hands, better than Thompson it would appear. Needs to refine his route running and certainly his blocking but that's not unusual in transitioning to the pro game. Davis caught two long "touchdown" passes in practice against the Browns beating their first round corner handily twice. Looks like a kid with real upside. He had received a big school offer (Florida I think) but preferred USF to play in Tampa where he's from. Team captain and best player there. I'll be interested to see what the Bills do.

Maybe Brady Freed His Willy.

Black Monday.

Right. I think that neither the prosecutors in NY or the League will go after IK. Both players were at fault and the press is full of accounts saying that Geno was hardly an innocent victim (even if Florio seems to think so). What are they gonna do, punish only IK because Geno came out on the short end of that scuffle? I expect the authorities will choose to just leave it alone. Otherwise it's just a can of worms.

Wynn is a bad loss for the Bills. He finally showed last year that he could play a very useful role. Don't know that IK can really replace him either. Wynn could play the run. IK looks to be pretty much a pass rusher.

He 100% failed to account for the guy and got blindsided. He got blown up good but I wouldn't worry about it. One on one he destroys that guy who is maybe 50 lbs lighter than him.

Yeah. Apparently Rex's account to Whaley was that IK kept his mouth shut and worked hard. I think this guy makes the team, just as he was going to make the Jets, also a top shelf defence. We get a bargain basement good young player with some upside. Lol @ the Jets and Geno.

I also take your point about both players being at fault, something that Florio's appears not to acknowledge in his piece. Some reports are to the effect that Smith's finger actually made contact with IKs face. If so that's a battery, defined as the least touching of another in anger. Even if Smith's finger did not touch IKs face Smith's agitated and aggressive behavior is an assault, being such as to create a reasonable apprehension of potential violence. That's why, unlike Florio, I doubt that there will be any action by a DA in NY. Also Smith is certainly not going to lay an information and provide an affidavit. The prosecutors in Florida wouldn't even indict AHern when the guy whose face he shot wouldn't press charges.

Yes I get that to be his point thanks, but if as he says the risk of a no show is that of the customers and Smith was only one of a number of players expected to attend etc... then what IK gets from the customers belongs to him, or, more precisely to the charity for whose benefit the event was being put on and which was entitled to all the proceeds, so to me the charity was out money or money's worth when Geno failed to show and the expenses became a sunk cost. Maybe all I'm saying is that I don't think Florio's point was a good one. But it wouldn't be the first time I disagreed with him. Oh ok so IK saved the charity harmless and absorbed the cost himself. All the more reason for him to expect a reimbursement because then he really is personally out of pocket.

Probably just me but I don't really understand Florio's point that IK didn't lose any money. He says IK was going to be out the money whether Geno showed up or not. If I shell out to buy something it's true that I'm out the price whether I get what I bought or not. But if I don't get what I paid for I'm hardly in the same place that I'm in if I receive it. Here IK paid for Geno and didn't get him. Another way of looking at it is if IK had never asked Geno to show in the first place he would have the $600 he gave Geno.

Well he's certainly not Andrew Luck (or even Russell Wilson) but I don't even think he ever lined up under centre in college and he's doubtless got a long way to go. I too will be really interested in seeing the Rex-Belly chess match when the Pats have the ball.

I thought I saw two bombs that were incomplete because the WRs were not up to snuff but we're well thrown and that somebody like Watkins or VJax would have put away in their back pockets. Sure there was a lot of short stuff but that's what Belly did when Brady took over from Bledsoe too. Honestly I think they are grooming him properly and there is a real chance he will turn into a good one. No way he should be beating us now tho, but again I wouldn't take anything for granted in game planning for him. I think he's got one or two big plays in that arm.

JG is not nearly ready to handle a gameplan that opens up the offence and that is not specifically tailored to his capabilities such as they are right now, but make no mistake this kid is talented. Sure it was a bad outing and yes I counted at least two other throws that likely would have been picks in a real game but I saw lots to like. He is capable of making the throws, has a nice deep ball and generally has pretty good accuracy, timing and anticipation and it will only all get better IMO. In game planning against him I would not take anything for granted. He has the ability to burn you big time with intermediate and deep throws if you cheat. His O line didn't exactly help him out much last night. What was it seven sacks? He should be no match for Rex and the Bills D at this time but I'd sure feel good if he was in a Bills uni.

I would most certainly think not. In his comments the judge referenced only the lack of direct evidence. There is little doubt that the required burden of proof can be established through circumstantial evidence in any civil matter and indeed in a CBA arbitration hearing since the standard is the same. A text message from Brady instructing the attendants to deflate balls would obviously make the case but such evidence is not necessary. Furthermore the judge has no choice but to consider the weight of such circumstantial evidence since the League relied on it. He may or may not consider it to be of sufficient weight to affirm the Commisioner's conclusions. What he was doing here was saying to the League "Hey, your case is not water tight" in the interests of encouraging a settlement. But it's still open to him ultimately to decide that the circumstantial evidence is good enuf. Maybe the case turns on whether he is a football fan who knows or believes that ball boys don't do this sort of thing on their own (also taking into account necessary inferences from Brady's alleged non-cooperation).

It's hard to win in the NFL....even harder if you're a bunch of pansies.

That makes sense to me. I would not expect a judge in appeal to embark on a fact finding mission. He must accept the facts as disclosed in the evidence and gathered in the proceedings below. However, whether those facts meet the "preponderance of evidence" standard required by the CBA in order to justify disciplinary action is to me a question of law that the judge can and indeed should consider in coming to a decision. So I found the judge's comments referencing the lack of direct evidence of Brady's involvement in a scheme to deflate footballs interesting and I interpreted them in this light ie he is telling the League that they may not have discharged the required burden of proof with regard to this matter (leaving open the issue of having failed to cooperate, which he also spoke to). I wonder if he is not pointing them in the direction he would like them to go as a basis for settlement.

All depends on what exactly you have in mind I guess.

Rhonda. Geno Smith vs Betty White? Toss a coin.

He'd have to get them out of his mouth first tho.

Good catch FM.

IK has also been compared with David Harris, except Harris ran a 4.59 40. Big difference. His short area quickness looks pretty good though to the eyeball test anyway. Must be pretty strong too given his bull rush of Chance Womack (not to mention his KO of Geno).