K-9

Nathan Beaulieu needs to get off my favorite hockey team. And Eichel needs to get his head out of his ass and start playing his game.

That’s ok with me. He is incapable of lighting a fire underneath these guys. He can take his Howdy Doody, milquetoast ineptitude and go work on his wife’s campaign.

Nobody sucks the life out of the crowd, out of the moment, like this team. They deserve the boos at the end of the period. So, how will they respond? If history is any indication, they will choke on the enormity of the task and fold like the cheap team of imposters they are.

Same crap, different year.

We haven't played a game together as a group, yet. And it's been more than a week for many of these guys to have seen any other competition other than their own teammates. Boston has a game under their belts and should be more cohesive than us at the beginning. We need to weather the first frenetic 10 minutes as I imagine Boston will come out fast, especially after their embarrassment last night, which can have a sharp, focusing effect. That said, there is no reason we can't continue Boston's early season pain.

It’s ironic that Shanny’s last year with the Red Wings was the first salary cap year. The Yankees comparison is a good one as Detroit took good care of their own. Nobody left money on the table. I agree that having a chance to play for a great team with the best coach in the game would be mighty attractive. But how attractive? Millions of dollars a year attractive? It will be interesting to watch it unfold.

Stay in your lanes!!!

Because he can?

I gotta kick out of Shanahan’s comments about how the young players will need to settle for less money if they want to win a cup in Toronto like Red Wing players did back when he won cups with them. Never mind that there were no salary cap restrictions back then. It will be interesting to see how that plays out but I think that’s a tough sell to a star like Matthews who will command upwards of McDavid money. Not to mention Marner. And Nylander is already not toeing the company line on that score. Lot of pressure on the Leafs to win it all this year. It helps having the best coach in the game to help with that.

It’s a start.

You vacillate between “I told you so” and “I’ve been wronged, DAMNIT, and I DEMAND apology!” This incessant need for validation in an anonymous fan forum pitiful.

Thanks, gentlemen. Someone needs to inform Josh Reed.

Was it groin or hamstring?

Can’t argue that. My my philosophy is that if you fill your organization with enough people that possess football character the culture, whatever tf that is and however tf it manifests, will take care of itself.

I leave that to whatever scribe first coined the phrase. I suspect it’s difficult to do though.

Good point. When these twitter dweebs refer to the “Patriot Way” they aren’t referring to a strategy, the are referring to a deeply ingrained culture. I like your suggestion that establishing a culture can be part of a strategy, too.

I shudder at the prospects of Nathan Beaulieu playing defense for this team. Leafs had a ton of fans in Buffalo before the Sabres. They were on TV all the time in our market.

He’s right; football character trumps every other aspect involved. All the talent in the world means squat without the character to do what it takes to get the most out of it and it’s what separates those who make it and those who don’t; the bad teams from the good, the good from the great. The greatest strategists can incorporate schemes to beat the opponent, but it is wasted if players don’t have what’s necessary to apply them. Every player in the league is athletically gifted enough to be there and there is a razor thin line between super bowl champ and worst team in the league when it comes to that aspect. Football character applies to GMs, coaches, scouts, trainers, and everybody else in football ops as well.

Now, now. No reason to get all bichie.

Another glaring example of Daboll’s failure to help Allen figure things out. Pettine had shown that look several times previously and the least Daboll could have done was put a man in motion to help identify man or zone. It also looks like Daboll had no designed hot reads for his recievers vs. that look, either. Additionally, and I’m not sure if it’s because he doesn’t trust Allen enough, but it appears Allen has little authority to get in and out of plays when he sees certain things. They couldn’t have been surprised by that defensive look presnap given they’d seen it several times previously and to not give Allen the ability to change things up against it is just playing right into Pettines’s hand. Daboll mad it far too easy, especially for a good DC.

Kelsey with ruptured spleen and lacerated kidney.

I’m sold. Kid is a star.

That was amazing!

Garbage indeed. And an insult to every serious fan out there. I can’t believe anyone consumes this crap.

Last thing in the world Denver could do. Keenum coming up small. Mahomeslice will win this thing.