Rob's House

This post really cuts to the heart of what's going on here. You have people who like to get high and are open to all the possibilities of a plant that has some very rare and interesting properties, and you have others who associate the plant with people like dog48579 and are really not interested in about hearing about those possibilities because they've been turned off to the subject by (often disingenuous) potheads who are using that as an excuse to legitimize their position. That's why I brought up Actual Innocence. They do a lot of good work and are a very valuable organization for anyone concerned with the legitimacy and proper administration of the justice system, but they turn people like me off because they harp on the "but if just ONE innocent..." theme when what most of them really are concerned with is ending the death penalty. That's where most of that crowd loses me in spirit because I know the reason they're giving me isn't their reason even if it may be a good one (and I don't even feel strongly about the death penalty). And FTR, I think we should allow people to study all illegal drugs for potential medical benefits; but then I also support decriminalization generally, so...

Dude, you can put the sexiest hookers and finest blow in a luxurious penthouse above a Vegas style casino in Baltimore, but.... you're still in Baltimore.

It's funny to see this after months of people who saw a couple of highlights and Kiper's board declaring this guy's the man. He looks good to my eye, but I thought Geno Smith looked pretty good dominating scrub teams too.

I like the idea of bringing in Barden if for nothing else than to have a big WR for the DBs to practice against. Around this time last year I suggested we look at Barden, Manny Lawson and a few others as low cost role players to bring in. At the time we were all clamoring for Mike Wallace, Dwayne Bowe, and a one hit wonder by the name of Chad Kruger. Funny the difference a year makes.

I didn't say I'd be happy about it. I basically said that was the minimal performance standard that would keep me from joining the proverbial lynch mob.

I agree. Of course the criteria for accuracy is judged according to how closely your list resembles my own, but hey.

Speaking for myself, I hope for playoffs next year, but I'll give Marrone until year 3 before I'll call for his head as long as there is noticeable progress. I can even see a scenario where I'd be willing to give him 4 yrs - like if we go 7-9 then 9-7 in yr 3 but miss the playoffs. Of course if the wheels come off the bus & the team looks like raw **** next year I may lose my patience.

The drop stats change my outlook on Lee. I think he's better at running and cutting than the other guys on that list, but that doesn't matter if you can't catch the ball. I still wouldn't mind seeing him as a Bill, but I don't know that he's at the top of my list. As far as the line, I'd like to see upgrades to the OL, but the group we have is reasonably adequate at pass protection. The rookie QB carousel made the pass protection look worse than it was.

I assume this means they're taking a run at Jameis Winston.

Like in fertilizer. I thought you were a farmer?

Easy with the negative vibes. You're harshing my mellow, man.

No problem, man. I know you guys aren't privy to all the new ****, but hey, that's what you have me for.

I gotta say, pot isn't really similar to alcohol as far as it's impairment of motor function. Anyone who smokes for the first time and bugs out probably thinks driving while high is crazy, but to anyone who smokes with any frequency the effect to one's ability to drive is minimal. Your chance of missing a turn goes up exponentially, but I doubt it has much effect on your chance of getting in a fatal accident. Plus, people drive slower when they're stoned.

I never realized how there really is no proverbial "Michael Jordan of Coaching" in the NFL. Everybody who could lay claim to the title has something you can throw out as a disqualifier. Bellichick - Hard to argue with this guy, but he's always got Spygate looming over his SBs; and no SBs since. Andy Reid - Consistent winner, but he never got a SB which to me is a greater measuring stick for a coach than a QB. Bill Cowher - Finally got his SB but Tomlin took that team to a SB win just a few years later. Jimmy Johnson - Turned a dumpster fire into a dynasty, but a college reject won the SB with that same team. Mike Holmgren - Took 2 teams to the SB, won 1, but his teams never really dominated except GB w/ Favre. Joe Gibbs - Pretty solid SB winning coach. Came out of retirment and eeked in to the playoffs. Tony Dungy - Consistent winner who couldn't get a SB team in Tampa over the hump and inherited Manning in Indy. Tom Coughlin - Coached some strong teams in Jax and has 2 SB wins over Bellyache, but his teams are streaky and inconsistent. Bill Walsh - Actually, I can't think of a big knock on the guy other than I suppose the bulk of his work occurred before the deadline. Marv - Obviously the lack of a SB win. I'm sure I'm leaving several off and maybe included one or two that really don't belong. Just reflecting on how there's a knock on virtually everyone in the discussion. I can't really think of a good criticism for Gibbs or Walsh, but they're a bit before my time and Dick Vermiel might have an argument taking STL to the SB and turning KC around.

I've been pondering this lately. I think that Brandon is trying to build a winner, but I also think he's failing to take Marv's advice and he's listening to the fans. I think if not for concern over public opinion Chan would have finished out his contract this year. They'd probably have brought in a veteran QB or mid round pick to compete with and hopefully unseat Fitz, but I don't think they'd have taken EJ in the 1st. If Chan didn't win after his fourth year they would make the change this year and let the new coach draft his QB in a better draft class. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I think rolling that crowd out for one more year was going to be a hard sell with the fanbase. I can't even saying I blame them. As a football fan I would like them to be in the football business, but in reality they are in the entertainment business and have to be careful alienating their fanbase. I would argue that consistently bad football will ultimately alienate the fanbase, but my opinion is biased because I'm just a fan who only cares about seeing the team win. I should point out the silver lining - Even though we went QB in a worse draft class it's looking like we took HC in a better year and probably wouldn't have gotten Pettine at DC w/o Marrone.

I'm not disputing any of that. None of this, however, takes into account the fact that the game is faster, players are bigger & more athletic, and the competition to play NFL football is far greater than it has ever been making the talent level considerably higher than it was in the olden days. I don't claim Unitis couldn't dominate the league now, it's just hard to quantify & compare guys who played in vastly different eras.

Tell the kid to steal his mom's stash and stay out of mine. Greedy little mother!@#$ers.

I'm pretty much in agreement with you on the issue generally, but you're doing a poor job of advancing your position. This post, for example, just comes off as naive. It reminds me of the people big on "Actual Innocence" who give lots of lip service to concerns of the innocence, when half the time their real issue is the death penalty regardless of guilt. IMO, the better argument is that it's not that big a deal if people want to get high because it's their business, rather than pretend the medical marijuana angle is the legitimate end. And if you're telling me that that it isn't relatively easy for virtually anyone in CA to get a prescription for marijuana I'm just trying to figure out if you're a stooge or if you just think that I'm one.

It's an interesting choice of prioritization I guess. To me, seeing as how only 2 teams in the history of the game have gone undefeated in the regular season, and you've got a great chance of being the first to run the table since the implementation of the 16 game season, and you throw it all away to sit your QB for an extra quarter of football is a decision I cannot abide and will never respect. You're obviously entitled to your opinion, it's just something I can't wrap my mind around or find any way of rationalizing or casting in a positive light. Put another way, anyone who's willing to throw away something that special to avoid such a slight risk is someone who has no business running a billion $ football franchise IMO.

I find it hard to compare guys from the 60s to guys from today because so much about the game has changed. Not only are the skills required to succeed at QB vastly different today from what they were at that time, but the level of competition has increased exponentially. Johnny Unitis may have been the greatest QB ever relative to the competition in his day and time, but can you really say definitively that he'd dominate in today's game? And by contrast, would the top QBs today thrive under the old rules? That's why I think Marino and Favre are vastly underrated. Their stats from the the previous century would still be respectable by todays standards and they were the only ones putting up those numbers back then. And in the case of Favre, by putting up his best statistical season ever at the age of 39 he proved that his game translates. I don't think any top 5 list is complete without these guys. I agree with your point about Kelly, but no, that is not how I judge the great ones. I try to base that on a totality of the circumstances analysis as best I can.

Going undefeated in the regular season is hardly meaningless. No offense, but I don't really have any respect for this line of thought in a NFL HC. Even if you accept this line of thought he's still a (*^*&%^$^#because if the game was so meaningless that they needed to protect Manning from injury why would you play him in the first place? Instead he played him for the first half and IIRC he started the 3rd quarter, then got pulled with the Colts up by maybe a TD. So he risked injuring his QB and then pulled him out just in time to throw away a shot at history. It seemed to me he threw it almost for the sake of sticking true to his "that's not our goal" mantra, which to me is the mark of a born loser. I don't care about the Lions, so I'm fine with this hire, but if I were a Lions fan I'd be thinking of other ways to spend my Sundays right about now.

I can't believe more isn't made out of him all but throwing a game with an undefeated season on the line. To me that's one of the top 5 most eggregious coaching moves of the last 10 years. Say what you will about Tom Brady and Bill Bellyache, I think the kind of stat padding and scoreboard running they engaged in during the 2007 season to be in poor taste, but I at least give them credit for playing to win the game. Caldwell needs to have a mentoring session with Herm Edwards.

This is the perfect example of bad teams being bad over the long haul because of bad decisions at the top. Any GM that so much as interviews Jim Caldwell for a HC position (unless it's to satisfy the Rooney rule) should be fired and never able to work in the NFL again. This guy's as bad as it gets. Forget that he coached a team to a 2 win season. This loser gave up on an undefeated season. He may be the greatest guy in the world, I have no idea, but as a competitor and coach I have absolutely no respect whatsoever for Caldwell. He's garbage.

I'm going to predict Derek Carr doesn't get past TN. The Wiz needs a big arm QB & I doubt he's betting his coaching career on Jake Locker suddenly finding a way to stay healthy. And Fitz doesn't have the arm for that offense.

I heard someone (I think Wilfork) said that despite the relatively pedestrian stats that Brady may have done his best work this year. I have to admit, although hating Brady and the Pats* is one of my favorite aspects of football fandom, now that he's reaching the twilight of his career some part of me involuntarily pulls for him out of respect for what he's done. I like watching him take it to Luck - after all our ass whippings at his hands I guess it's kind of like the brother you smack around, but you'll be damned if someone else is going to pick on him.