Last Guy on the Bench

I don't see any way that Pegs forces his second year coach to do this after only two games. He might express disgruntlement, but I just can't see something that heavy handed. Plus Rex is notoriously loyal - I think he'd be kicking and screaming if this weren't his move. In my opinion, this is 100% Rex's move, good or bad. And Rex has never been knee-jerk about getting rid of people. So that makes me think there must have been disagreements of philosophy, play calling, time management, etc. And something last night (besides getting their ass kicked) pushed Rex too far. So he pulled the trigger, with the support of a pissed off owner. I don't know whether it's a good decision or not, but I hated the play calling this year (and many times last year), and the lateness of getting in plays was so consistent as to be laughable. Anyway, at least we have some drama to obsesses about, since we're not getting much joy out of the actual football games.

Yes. I don't understand how people can throw out everything we've seen from him for ONE game. Ludicrous. People who are commenting on things they saw last year that are continuing? Well, OK. Makes sense. But people who say he plays nervous, or only checks down - idiotic. Those are two things he absolutely did not do last year. He did look skittish this game, and it startled me and worried me a little. But it's not a trend yet, by any means. Quite the opposite. He has plenty of flaws as a QB that he needs to work on. No need to make up new ones based on one game.

I could live with that.

Wow. I'm not sure why - I don't usually react that strongly to injuries on other teams - but this one really hits me in the gut. I was enjoying TB's development and the evolution of the Vikings, and can really feel for him and the fanbase. Totally sucks. What a letdown for them. I always have a soft spot for the Vikes, ever since the days of Tarkenton and the Purple People Eaters.

If it's an option bonus, then that's right. Option bonuses, like signing bonuses, are amortized. Roster bonuses are not.

Maybe I'm a sucker, but I read this and I get extremely stoked. I don't care. If I'm disappointed later then so be it. Plus, I really like these guys as humans. It's not that I'm a fan of bluster in general. But their bluster is so authentic - it's just who they are. It doesn't seem insecure and fearful to me, as bluster often does. Those guys just have the life force gushing through them and it spills out of their mouths in hilarious, often a-grammatical, ways. I love them, and I'm glad they are coaching this team. Whether they turn out to be good coaches with these players in this time and this place remains to be seen. But I'm going to enjoy the ride. And I wish them well in their lives, whatever happens with the team. Between the Ryans and Tyrod Taylor, I'm finding this a very easy team to root for right now, which has not always been the case (though I always root for the team anyway because I have the incurable Buffalo Bills sickness. Chronic.).

I meant individual team drafts, of which there are currently 32 per year.

Was it on Howard Simon? Which hour? Thanks! Found it. For those interested it's Hour 4 of the Howard Simon show May 4th starting about 21:15 into the hour.

Somebody must have mentioned to him that a seven point drop in his rookie year, attributable to him, would probably make Ragland the greatest LB of all time. Here's hoping.

He's changed it since to say "in a major way" vs. the 7 points prediction, which was absurd (though it would be awesome).

I don't know. You're right you can't take this stuff straight at face value. But what do you base the Prescott theory on? They spent a lot of time on Jones pre-draft. And it's not like the source is saying that Jones was a steal or that they had him with a 2nd round grade. All of these things sound very plausible to me.

Sorry if already posted. I searched but didn't find it. http://www.scout.com/nfl/bills/story/1666353-bills-had-19-players-with-1st-round-grades

Wow. He's like a little piranha. Hope Rex can find ways to use him. Certainly should be a special teams maniac anyway. I'll be pulling for him to make the team. He's fun to watch.

Fair point.

You're ridiculous. 70% of the players in the league are black. That means on a random basis, there is an 8% chance that one team would draft 7 black players in a row. That means that on average, 8% of the teams (i.e., about 2-3 in any given year) would draft all black players. The idea that that is the same as drafting all white players is silly. With 30% of the league white, drafting seven in a row would happen .02% of the time or about once every 5,000 drafts, i.e., once every 156 years (assuming that there are 32 drafts per year). So yeah, if a team drafted all white players, people would take a closer look, as well they should.

Like the pick. I don't think we're all that deep at RB with Shady 's age and Karlos's head. The rest of the bunch does nothing for me. Watching Williams's highlights, he reminds me a bit of Priest Holmes (we can only hope). Kind of upright, short strider, with really nifty feet - makes quick little in-rhythm cuts look easy. I like that style a lot.

Impressively correct use of who, whose, and whom in one sentence. You should be banned from the internet.

Exactly. I love that guy. One of my favorites of the past decade. He is an imperfect player with tons of talent and a giant heart. And he is always capable of a making big play.

1) Would love to see the VIkings make a good run. Fun team to watch with a tortured history. I still have a soft spot for Fran Tarkenton and the Purple People Eaters in the 1970s. 2) Whoever is playing New England. I enjoy watching them lose more than I enjoy seeing anyone win, except for the Bills. 3) Probably the Bengals. As you say, they've earned it. 4) Panthers or Cardinals. I'm all about the new blood. Would like to see someone that hasn't won a Super Bowl win it. I was happy with yesterday's win, but I would have pulled for the Jets in the playoffs because of Fitz.

Maybe so. That's why I don't click on him. I don't even enjoy hating him. He's too boring to hate, for me. He's just bad. Though I guess we are talking about him in this thread, so you got me there. Hopefully the BN doesn't see this thread - wouldn't want to encourage them.

It's not that I disagree with Sully, it's that I never learn one flipping thing from him. He never has a fresh idea or an interesting, non-obvious take, at least in my eyes. And yes, Dunne is a reporter and Sully is a columnist, but a columnist can still do some legwork, whether it's talking to different people to develop his take or looking at interesting data that can suggest a new perspective. Does he ever do this?

Likewise. I try not to even click - hoping that over time enough people will stop reading him that the BN will fire him and hire someone who actually has something intelligent to say and is not just running on autopilot. On the other hand, I try to click every Tyler Dunne article. It is refreshing to see a reporter actually reporting - doing the legwork, calling non-obvious people for comments, etc. rather than just spewing back press conference material and hot takes.

Didn't realize that was Sheppard. I watched the game again last night and rewound that play about ten times, just to watch Icognito launch the LB off his feet and a yard backwards. Sheppard was actually airborne for a second. It was a thing of beauty.

I've been waiting for some Uncle John's Band from you, Bill. You've held it back for years. I think you picked the exact right time. I do think that we just saw the rising tide. Also, totally agree that TT's best play was that volleyball spike of the batted pass. That guy just never loses his cool or his awareness. He always seems so calm and together. I'm sure he'll have some rough spots down the road. But he feels different than any QB we've had in a LONG time.

I agree with you, except I arrive at a different conclusion. I think Brady may be the GOAT. Gronk is a blast to watch. And Belichick is a genius. It should be a privilege to watch them, as it is to watch Rodgers, Watt, Wilson, Peyton, etc. But the cheating and the generally joyless, bloodless temperament of that team take away the pleasure I might normally feel in watching such excellent play. I wish I could enjoy them. Heck, I cheered for them in the SB in 2001 when they were the scrappy underdogs. But they are, as a team, completely insufferable, despite their talent, and Brady is the worst of it. I admit it - I am going to take a great deal of pleasure in their downfall. I just hope it isn't in 2030.