Rob's House

Another Birddog strawman. You either support coercive "charity" to whoever "needs" it, or you want to let the needy freeze and starve. Another failed attempt.

I wouldn't be terribly disappointed with Manuel, but I wouldn't be all that excited either. He's big, has a strong arm, and can pick up yards on the ground, but he doesn't appear to put much touch on the ball and from what I've seen (admittedly only 2 or 3 games) I haven't noticed him surveying the field looking to his 2nd and 3rd options despite having pretty good protection.

I don't know if this was a response to my question, but assuming it was, the issue is a lot different here. It's not a matter of whether players can respect someone who did a bad thing, it's a matter of being able to respect someone who appears weak. Being involved in stabbings, getting strange, etc. may cast one's character in a negative light, but don't necessarily imply the kind of weakness that this situation does.

I'm not saying you're wrong, b/c I'm not the best at diagnosing route running accuracy, but this is the first time I've heard this knock on Stevie. Usually the criticisms are that he doesn't have game-breaking speed and has the occasional dropped pass. I was under the impression that route running was one of his strengths. You may be right. I keep my fingers crossed and hope to God he pans out so as to take the sting off decision to pass on Russell Wilson.

From a purely football standpoint, I'm curious how this affects people's opinion. Many had suggested taking him so we could get our Ray Lewis, a guy that's not only solid on the field but also the leader of the team/defense. Does anyone think he'll still be able to command the kind of respect necessary to be that guy?

Ever notice how when she's standing at the piano (who plays a piano standing up, honestly?) she always squats like she's about to take a ****?

I can't help but feel bad for this kid. He's either the biggest sucker in modern sports history, and EVERYONE knows about it, or he's the perpetrator of the stupidest hoax in modern sports history. Either way it's utterly humiliating, and if it's the former that's some hard **** to live down in the locker room as suckers don't command much respect, and if it's the latter...well that's just creepy. Either way, this kid's going to pay a hefty price for what at worst appears to be a mostly victimless crime.

This thread re-emphasizes the core of the liberal belief system: "Obama is great because I love Obama"

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I'm not going to address the part about Japanese internment & Indians b/c the distinctions are obvious. As far as riots, I would lock myself in the house as well, probably with a shotgun, but also with a hand gun & semi-automatic rifle, all locked and loaded with the biggest magazines available. Hopefully the shotgun is all I would need (if anything) but this all comes down to something I learned as a boy scout: be prepared. And why the hell would you mention going outside with your rifle in a riot? This is yet another example of you thinking up something absurd & attributing it to someone who never said any such thing.

I like him too. I see him as a serviceable number two, and an excellent depth guy.

Dude, that excuse can only take you so far. That one's more appropriate for something like, "sure the guy got wasted and got in a bar fight, but he's only 22." Or "yeah he stayed out all night doing blow off a stripper's ass and slept through practice, but hey, he's 22." But some things are just inherrently weird and indicative of ... hell, I don't know what it's indicative of, but whatever it is it's bizarre and disturbing and it's not good. And if he was complicit (which it appears he was) this is hardly something that can be chalked up to the normal indiscretions of youth. It's really really creepy.

Just to clarify, I didn't mean to imply SJ isn't a quality #1, but rather was suggesting we have a 1a, 1b receiver duo because 1. It's always great to have two guys that require double teams, & 2. To have an all around receiver on the outside to move Stevie around to give defenses match-up problems.

OMFG. I never imagined such hand wringing and gnashing of teeth over a 7th rd pick...for a b/u QB no less. Did it ever occur to y'all that there was NEVER any intention to start Tarvaris Friggin Jackson unless Fitz went down & the sole purpose of the move was to have a better backup? What is so hard to understand about that?

Good with me. I didn't bring it up, just clarified it.

It is different, but not for the reasons you stated: there's a difference between changing names & completely fabricating stories. The difference is Obama fabricated a couple of anecdotes that were sidenotes of limited significance in a book. Te'o played out this long elaborate & bizarre hoax in real time, intertwined it with his real life, & faked emotions that people don't often fake nearly to that extent, if at all. So much so that you wonder who he even is.

Totally different scenario. While what Ray did was probably worse (depending on his role & what led up to it) people can wrap their mind around someone taking a fight too far, and the details were fuzzy. This Te'o thing is just bizarre & hard for anyone to grasp the motivation behind it. Guys probably fear Ray, no one's going to feat Te'o.

I never followed his career either, just always thought he was a dick based on what little I'd seen of him. I don't even have a problem w/ him doping, it's just becoming clear that he's a bad person with a terrible personality. I'd like to kick him in his nut.

I think the best scenario for Te'o is if it turns out he is gay. That's the only thing I can think of that doesn't make him look like a creepy wierdo in all of this. Regardless of whether he got duped, he obviously lied about some aspects of it. If he's gay and it was a cover then most reasonable people can wrap their minds around a guy, especially a high profile athlete from a very religious background, doing otherwise bizarre things to cover it up. Otherwise, I'm just not seeing it. Of course, it would have been much simpler to take the virginity route and saying he's saving himself for marriage because that's what his religion suggests.

Was Graham really that bad? I remember him dropping a couple of passes, but not to the extent that it really jumped out at me, of course I missed significant portions of several games. I do remember him blowing the route that could have won the NE game Do you think he could improve with experience or has value at least as a situational deep threat?

WOW!! This kid is sick. Someone that big shouldn't be able to move like that. He's got great field vision and instinctively knows where to go and always is looking for the end zone from anywhere on the field. Not sure how he'd fit into the draft strategy, but he'd look real nice in a Bills uniform.

If you're going that route Matt Moore is the better option. Tarvaris Jackson isn't the worst, but he's not an improvement. There's a reason MN & SEA let him walk and why he didn't dress all season. He's not very accurate and doesn't make great decisions. He's like Fitz in that he's a great backup but a mediocre starter at best.

Supposing we added a true #1 receiver to work the outside with Stevie working out of the slot in 3+ receiver sets and moving to the outside in 2 reciever sets, what role would the rest of the receivers assume, and who could be the second wide out in the 3+ receiver sets? The idea here is to construct a dynamic passing attacks the whole field: one that stretches the field, creates mismatches underneath, and leaves Spiller open to be the kind of receiving threat Marshall Faulk was for the Rams. Donald Jones - He's been a good but not great all around receiver thus far, with decent size, speed, and hands. Could he be the other wide out in the three receiver set or is he just a depth guy? TJ Graham - There's no questioning the kid's speed, and when he gets the ball with blockers he often looks like a natural RB, but can he develop the all around game to make defenses fear him? In other words, does he have what it takes to be a starter, or is he a one (or maybe 2) trick pony? Brad Smith - Hasn't really been used as a primary receiver, but why not? He's big, strong, fast, and made several clutch catches to sustain drives throughout the season. If he focused on learning the position could be become a viable option as a receiver? And if so would he fit well on the outside? If not is he a viable option for the other slot in 4 receiver sets? David Nelson - Another good possession receiver w/o much speed, the outside clearly isn't his strong suit. Does he have what it takes to be the guy that gets the clutch 3rd downs and makes the defense pay for showing too much respect to the other threats?

Heard on the radio that Mike Golic, whose kid plays for ND said when they go to team parties Te'o never shows. Said no one really knows the guy. The Senator may be on to something.

That's a good point, although I think this story is bigger. Plus, like SJBF pointed out, the evidence is there & people are going to keep digging. He'd need a Jerry Sandusky style scandal to break to push this to the back page & even then I don't see it going away. Also, Condit disappeared into obscurity (only to be exculpated 10 years later), while Te'o is heading to a bigger stage. He's gotta come clean with whatever the truth may be.