The Frankish Reich

So who are we sending up there?

This is why the draft is boring. (I'm watching because it is currently snowing in Colorado!) Nowadays everyone knows everything about everybody. It's the classic efficient market. No more ridiculous overdrafts (except that punter who just went in the 4th). No real surprises. All pretty much according to rankings. Film on everyone available at a click.

Bears, team with a lot of needs, picks a punter in the 4th. Kiper says it's great! Pivotal player, game changer.

What happened to Mel Kiper? Every draft pick is a great one now.

As one Justice asked: where in the constitution does it say that the President shall have lifetime immunity for criminal acts committed while he was President? The answer is: nowhere. There is absolutely nothing in the constitution that accords former presidents immunity from criminal prosecution. The Supreme Court is just making it up. So what about the textualist's backup argument? That we should look to history of the interpretation of the constitution? Well, no help there. Gerald Ford preemptively pardoned Nixon because there was no one who even thought that Nixon would have lifetime immunity for any involvement in criminal activity while he was president. So they are making it up. How is this different from the "liberal justices just made up the right to privacy (and, in turn, abortion) which is found nowhere in the constitution?" Answer: it isn't. This article states the argument in greater detail: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/27/supreme-court-trump-immunity-00154744 Read the conclusion before you snap back "oh, so I guess you're fine with Dobbs." No, I'm not. The article (and I) just think that the idea that Supreme Court justices are just some kind of rabbinical interpreters of the words of the constitution without imposing their own ideas of what is necessary for what they've called "ordered liberty" is nonsense. There is no such thing, and this case proves it.

I know someone who worked with Jenna Ellis when she was a young DA handling low-level cases. True. She was canned. There were also a lot of stories about her personal behavior/late nights, etc. Apparently she wasn't aware that everyone knows what everyone else is doing in a small town.

Ol' Labia Neck is at it again!

WTF was that supposed to be?

He's a fake punt specialist now.

Injury, Cam Newton throwing to him, pre-Ozempic era = fail.

He may just have one good season right before free agency, just in time for the Bears to sign him and watch him suck again. Did you know Tremaine Edmunds was only 19 when we drafted him?

I get the jokes, but ... what the hell would be wrong with finding a new young Kelvin Benjamin with the 33rd overall pick? He was pretty damn good until he ate himself out of the league. You really can't expect more than that at 33.

McD likes WRs who block too. It is overlooked, but it matters. Not sure who Xavier Worthy is blocking.

I have to assume Beane/McD really, really like what they saw from Shakir late last season (what's not to like?) and they're confident that he fills that role, which now becomes the Diggs role. So they went for another Gabe. Look, it makes sense to me. Other than Harrison I don't think there was a can't miss pro bowler type in the draft. So they got one of the B grade runners up.

Yep. The Beane/McD type. Actually had his moment (the singular is on purpose). Just didn't last. Wiki page says he's pursuing his dream of playing in the NBA. Still a distant dream - he's 29 and playing in the Philippines.

I just looked back at Kelvin Benjamin's scouting report. Guess what his 40 time was? 4.61. Guess what the report said? "Plays faster" It's a Beane/McD thing. They've been trying to find that big receiver since they came to Buffalo. One epic fail (Benjamin), one moderate success (Gabe). Third time is a Hall of Famer.

I'd take that. Or a prime/young Kelvin Benjamin. Or a 2nd year Gabe Davis. Not exciting, but seems like a high floor, medium ceiling guy.

Kelvin Benjamin. But the one that was in his prime. After all is said and done, it seems that we had one guy head and tails over all other WRs (Harrison), and then about 8 guys that you could order whatever way you want. So the trade down made sense if you look at it that way.

Here's a good interview with Paul Volcker about presidents and the Fed: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/23/business/dealbook/paul-volcker-federal-reserve.html while President Trump has complained in recent months about the Fed’s plan to raise interest rates, he isn’t the first to try to influence the independent Federal Reserve. Mr. Volcker recounts being summoned to meet with President Ronald Reagan and his chief of staff, James Baker, in the president’s library next to the Oval Office in 1984. Reagan “didn’t say a word,” Mr. Volcker wrote. “Instead Baker delivered a message: ‘The president is ordering you not to raise interest rates before the election.’” Mr. Volcker wasn’t planning to raise rates at the time. “I was stunned,” he wrote. “I later surmised that the library location had been chosen because, unlike the Oval Office, it probably lacked a taping system.” So it happens, and I don't know if anything forbids it. But making some kind of consultation mandatory nevertheless impacts the independence of the Fed in a way that isn't good for stability.

I'm no scout, but this reminds me of what we see when MLB scouts talk about "projectability." Worthy just looks like a guy who will always be skinny, not the guy who may fill out and gain strength/weight as he matures. Franklin seems to have more of a projectable frame. So if they were pitching prospects, I think we'd see something like "Franklin has the frame to fill out and add 2-3 mph to his fastball."

Hidden behind all the silly "it's TDS" comments is the actual policy changes being cooked up by people and groups waiting to pounce in a new Trump presidency. And so far, this is one of the scariest - Trump with a say in monetary policy. Say what you want about the Fed, but having an independent central bank has been one of the most critical factors in sustained economic growth, and as a preventative against political manipulation of the currency. It is an awful, stupid, dangerous idea. And it's in play if Trump wins.

Thanks. Great summary!

He HAD 4.4 speed. He actually flashed some potential with the Broncos, but he just couldn't stay on the field. As for Worthy: after sleeping on it, I'm fine with the trade and passing on him. A lot of talk here about how he's 165 pounds (o.k., I'll give him 170) and how he'll get beat up in the NFL. I'm not so worried about getting beat up running routes. But receivers do need to block too, and I can't see him having the ability to do that. So everything is kind of screaming situational speed guy, not primary X receiver. Andy Reid no doubt feels that he can make that work. With our current WR room, I don't think the Bills could make it work.

It's not the trading down that bothers me. It's the fact that I got suckered into watching the most boring two hours on TV since Geraldo opened Al Capone's vault.

Breaking: RG3 pissed that Washington drafted Cousins in the same year as him.