R. Rich

Gaining NOTHING is what we do best. Holcomb probably will start, while JP will continue to be a mystery. Must be a Tulane thing.....Patrick Ramsey is being jerked around in a similar fashion in Washington.

I do miss the stiffarms and the fearless way he hit the hole and kept going, like last year. He's obviously been taking dancing lessons from Nate Clements.

Well, w/ an NBA-type lottery, you can't just try to lose out to get the best pick.

I think that is just wrong, Tomas. Why can't people just come here to post? Why must you mess w/ people and be so sarcastic?

Well, @ least you admitted it.

Back before we beat Cincinnati, I was thinking that it was a good possibility that we could draft Williams. Now, I don't even see us being able to land Kiwanuka, let alone Williams. Damn. As much as we need a run stuffer in the middle, if we had a pick high enough to land Williams and we actually did draft him, I would be VERY happy. It doesn't look like that's going to happen.

Adding another skill player will fix the team's woes, eh? Tom Donahoe loves you!

What have you observed in the past 5 years that makes you optimistic about either #2 or #4 happening?

...and, in addition to playing sick/hurt, could you possibly play a lot better, too?

You both have valid points. I just don't believe there is one way set in stone to improve the talent level. It could be a mixture of getting good draft picks and of having a staff that can evaluate talent to the point where you can feel confident in the ability of the team to draft past round 2 or 3. Sorry fellas, but I don't believe there's any "I'm right and you're wrong" here.

This message is brought to you by the law firm of Coulda, Shoulda, and Woulda...

I'll try this, just for some kicks: PLAYOFF SCENARIO: AFC Wild Card Round Pittsburgh 27 - Cincinnati 17 New England 30 - Jacksonville 14 Divisional Round Indianapolis 24 - Pittsburgh 17 Denver 27 - New England 20 Championship Round Indianapolis 31 - Denver 23 NFC Wild Card Round Washington 34 - Tampa Bay 21 NY Giants 20 - Carolina 17 Divisional Round Seattle 30 - Washington 17 NY Giants 24 - Chicago 16 Championship Round Seattle 28 - NY Giants 13 Super Bowl Indianapolis 41 - Seattle 35

I hope everyone enjoys their holiday season. That was a nice gift we received yesterday.

Very good post, John. I've said it numerous times: if you're going to bring in a big group of guys w/ little mobility, have them drive block the guy in front of him out of the path of the RB. It seemed to have worked for the Dallas Cowboys in the 90s, right? Like you said: play to the strengths of the personnel you have as opposed to trying to fit the proverbial square pegs in the round holes.

The turning point was the 1994 offseason, when we let our starting OTs go and..........well, you get the idea.

We should sign him.

See ya next year! Enjoy your Christmas w/ the family.

Roaf is outstanding. In terms of him being the best, I don't know if I'd say that, but he's not far off. Considering all aspects (ability, experience, injuries, off the field issues, etc.), here's how I'd put the top 5 OTs right now: 5. Willie Roaf 4. Tarik Glenn 3. Levi Jones 2. Orlando Pace 1. Walter Jones Not bad company to be in @ all. Honorable mention to: Flozell Adams Willie Anderson Jonathan Ogden

This year looks to be a bad one in terms of voting. First off, congrats to Brian Moorman on being the lone Bill to be selected. Josh Miller and Shane Lechler are very good punters also, but it's nice to see Moorman get his due. Considering the conditions he kicks in and considering just how consistent he is, it's very impressive. As for those who got screwed, I could name a ton of people, but I'll just mention a few that were notable to me. I'll start w/ the position I played and one I always love to watch during the games: linebacker. There are 2 glaring omissions on the AFC roster @ LB and another who you could make a very strong argument for: SHOULD BE IN: Donnie Edwards, Jonathan Vilma COULD BE IN: London Fletcher ARE IN: Zach Thomas, Al Wilson I like Wilson a lot, but I don't know if he should be there over either Edwards (he'll make the NVT Hall of Fame) or Vilma. Then again, their teams suck (well, the Jets do, anyway) and Wilson's Broncs are in the thick of a playoff chase. Thomas is the king of the missed tackle and is nowhere near as effective as he was earlier in his career. This was a "legacy pick". [i'm not sure if Odell Thurman's stats are worthy enough for him to be thrown in this debate-lil' help, stuckincincy-but he had a Pro Bowl caliber rookie season.] Speaking of, let's move on to the OL... SHOULD BE IN: Levi Jones, Tarik Glenn IS IN: Jonathan Ogden Another "legacy pick" here. Jones was recently mentioned as perhaps the 2nd best tackle in the league after Walter Jones of Seattle (I'd say after Walter, Pace, and maybe Glenn). They gave Levi's teammate, Willie Anderson, a nod, so that's something. Still, Levi Jones is probably the top LT in the AFC, so why is he not going to the Pro Bowl? Glenn had a very good season for Indy, even better than last year, when he was selected. He was also jerked around today by the league, who announced he had made it again, then said they had made a voting error and that he was a first alternate. BS!!!!!!!! I'll mention 2 omissions for the NFC that I think are pretty bad too. 1. Lofa Tatupu Jeremiah Trotter??????? What a joke. Lofa should be there instead. They know it. 2. Alex Brown As much as I like Strahan and Umenyiora as a tandem, to leave Brown out for both of them (along w/ Julius Peppers; no argument here) was not right. He'll get his due, I'm sure. So, who did you think got the shaft?

Awwwww! Back atcha! Hey, pretty soon I'll be waist deep in draft stuff as opposed to being neck deep in Bills BS, so all's not lost.

Larry J has broken "The Curse"!!!!!!! It's now safe for Penn State RBs to turn pro. Ah, John Davis, arguably the 2nd best Plan B free agent signing in the NFL after the late, great Reggie White.

...or a 6th rushing TD this year?

I'll drink to that.

Our pass rush is pretty bad, so if we could somehow get Williams, I'd be thrilled. Add Gabe Watson in the 2nd, and that's a nice start to our draft. I'd rather have Watson than Wroten or Wright, as they aren't as big nor do they stuff the run as well.

Now, where have I heard this before? Hmm....