Sierra Foothills

Amazing story... 3 cancers in 2 years plus 20 surgeries, plus his Mom getting cancer. Good thing he's such a tough son of a gun. Prayers to you Sam in your fight. Glad you're cancer free.

How valuable is he really? "Archaeologists believe that hides provided an important source of clothing and shelter for all prehistoric humans and their use continued among non-agricultural societies into modern times." I'd say that's pretty damned important. He probably works in conjunction with the equipment manager. All trades are subject to the player(s) passing a physical so while I don't recall a specific instance I'm pretty sure it's happened and if it hasn't, it could based on the contingencies.

I know you're being mostly facetious with the Gus Frerotte stuff but yes QBs do hit the wall... and in some cases they plateau which is slightly different. Sometimes (I believe this applies to Wentz) the player has been solved for by the league and simply can't rise above the fact that there's a book on him... he's being game planned for and doesn't have the answers. So in the case of plateauing it's different than the loss of physical skills which we often see in aging QBs who've hit the wall. Anyways that Frerotte incident was comic/tragic. He never seemed like the same player after that self-inflicted injury.

I believe it's a bit of all of these factors... not just one. Another factor I think is a shortage of coaching talent at this level. You see so many college coaches fail in the NFL and each offseason 6-8 teams are changing coaching staffs. Blowing up and replacing an entire coaching staff is generally counter to success. The best teams in the league are generally the most stable with just a few exceptions.

Mahomes and Josh are both way better than Rodgers... and cheaper. Not only does he point the finger at his teammates, he also gives his opponents zero credit. What a guy. There's exactly nothing in Rodgers' past that would be the basis for giving him the benefit of the doubt. He even publicly disses his own family. Really a perfect illustration of the limitations of statistics. It seems like every game this year the Packers have scored on their early scripted drive and then done nothing for the rest of the game. Green Bay is averaging 18.3 points per game. How's that for a statistic? Vague finger pointing is at least as bad as specific finger pointing. By being non-specific he's implicating everyone in his criticisms. It would actually take a lot more backbone to be specific.

I wonder who would win in a footrace between Brady and Bledsoe. Super interesting idea and one I've not heard before. Interesting also that both Brady and Aaron Rodgers have come under considerable criticism for skipping OTAs (Rodgers also skipped mandatory mini camp last year). Rodgers has made passive agressive remarks that the team should "simplify the offense" and that players who blow assignments should be benched. He totally abdicates his responsibilities to the team's corps of very young receivers. What a great leader of men. This is exactly the sort of behavior you will never see from Josh Allen. Brady has missed tons of OTAs and training camp due to his off-field dramas. It's hard to imagine that the piss-poor offenses of these teams aren't connected to their QBs poor attendance. Yes the bar graphs are super interesting. Previous to last night's MNF game Justin Fields ended up scrambling on almost 20% of his pass plays. Daniel Jones of the 6-1 Giants was second at over 12%, Jalen Hurts was at 11% and Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson were tied at 8% and Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Kyler Murray were tied at 5% of pass plays resulting in scrambles. This means the most effective QBs in the NFL this year (excepting Justin Fields) are those who end up scrambling on pass plays the most.

First of all, if you like good writing, good journalism, and a modern perspective on analytics... but don't like paying for it you should bookmark and regularly visit The Ringer. This is Bill Simmons' newest sports and pop culture website and the successor to the now-defunct "Grantland." As I said, it's free. https://www.theringer.com Today's edition had an excellent article that specifically addressed the Indy/Matt Ryan situation but more broadly addressed the continued ascendency of the mobile NFL quarterback. https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/10/25/23422203/indianapolis-colts-sam-ehlinger-matt-ryan-scrambling The Simple Math Behind the Colts’ Decision to Turn to Sam Ehlinger: Benching Matt Ryan isn’t about trying to find a better passer—it’s about trying to find a better runner. Indianapolis looks poised to show us the true value of a quarterback who can escape pressure and scramble. "This is related to, but not completely the same as, the league’s move toward mobile quarterbacks in the past decade. After spending the 2000s chasing cerebral, statuesque quarterbacks in the Peyton Manning–Tom Brady mold, the NFL started to find competitive edges with dual-threat quarterbacks such as Cam Newton and Robert Griffin III, and expanded on those edges with Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, and others. In 2022, it’s known that the league’s elite quarterbacks—Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen—can beat you with their arms, no problem. But if you somehow manage to quiet them in the air, they’ll just beat you with their legs instead." . "Consider a quarterback with little to no scramble ability at all. Quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo, Davis Mills, and Matt Ryan. When they are pressured, they are almost certainly not going to try to break the pocket. Instead, they’ll throw the ball away or take a sack—or attempt a pass, but one that is far more likely to be inaccurate. No matter what, it’s a win for the defense, and we can see it in the performance of these stationary passers. With pressure, Brady falls from 17th in EPA per dropback to 31st; Garoppolo from third to 32nd. (Houston QB Davis Mills weirdly goes from 33rd in EPA per dropback without pressure to 12th with pressure. Don’t ask me what’s going on there. I have no idea.) But most importantly for our conversation today: Matt Ryan falls from 11th to 33rd." There's some additional discussion of case studies like Jalen Hurts and Daniel Jones and then some analytics thrown in for good measure. It's a pretty good read.

Yes. I'm sure at this point that Fitz is just hoping to avoid hip replacement surgery. And according to Spotrac, Fitzmagic made over $82 million during his 17 NFL seasons. I think he's good with retirement.

I remember Hagy. White dude... safety. He was small but packed a wallop. Good college player, just not quite talented enough for the NFL.

Gene the Anal-Rentetive Chef! One of my all-time fave SNL characters.

Love Foreman and posted here that I wanted the Bills to sign him. Forget what? 😃 He recently complained about his contract. https://brownswire.usatoday.com/lists/kareem-hunt-trade-rumor-contract-demand-browns/ I've heard of him!!!

Dancing on his grave? More like a mausoleum. When JC feels sad he can think about his $40 million guaranteed. i don't get any joy from his misfortune but I'm not feeling sorry for him either.

I also noticed this.

Wait... but you're The Fun Police... 😆

Gene, You said that "QB legacies are judged based on ring count" and then you said "It's not a ring only." You've successfully confused yourself.

And then... I'm being pedantic? A smart ass? You're talking out two sides of you mouth... again.

Wishing him evil? Do you have any idea how many millions of people would like to have his first world problems? Get over yourself Marcia. Put your problems in your satchel and buckle up your chinstrap.

He was just sacked by Brian Burns and was slow to get up... they're wrapping his shoulder in steamed banana leaves...

Couldn't disagree more. The next time the Anorexic Metrosexual says something interesting will be the first time. Brady's personality is like generic store brand, room temperature vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of imitation vanilla syrup mixed with equal parts tap water... served on a paper plate... with a plastic spoon and one of those cheap napkins that you couldn't even use to write a girl's phone number on. Also there's a huge difference between having knowledge and being able to convey it. I bet Frank Abagnale would be way better as a game analyst than Marcia. The bolded above is one of funniest things I've read in awhile... kudos!

The Bills are gonna crush Green Bay. Does that make you feel better? Agreed. Rodgers should have retired 2 years ago and spent his energy mending fences with family members and working on his putting. It's not going to matter if Green Bay is overconfident, underconfident, has a chip on their shoulder, their backs against the wall, a gun to their heads, is a team on a mission, has their manhood questioned, is a team of destiny, or any other motivation/imperative/mandate. They're gonna get their asses kicked by the Bills. They should definitely call in sick to work.

Gene, you say that a QB has to win a Super Bowl to be considered great. Then you say that winning a Super Bowl doesn't qualify a QB as being great. Then others point out consensus great QBs who have never won a Super Bowl. It seems to me that your criteria is binary in a world that is anything but binary. So far you're saying that a QB is not great unless they win a Super Bowl but a QB who wins a Super Bowl is not necessarily great. Get outta here with that tbh.

These are interesting thoughts... a post-Josh world for Bills fans and particularly in comparison to a post-Brady world for Cheatriots*** fans. I can't speak for their side because I'm not one of them but I believe that Josh Allen has a very deep emotional connection with Bills fans that I'm skeptical that Brady has with New Englanders. Maybe I'm wrong. Specifically I feel like Josh has a more visceral, Brett Favre-type chemistry whereas Brady would be more of an Aaron Rodgers attraction... it's hard to explain.

I'm so glad to see an analysis that doesn't dwell wholly on Josh's physical gifts or his "work ethic." Of course he's the total package so he has both those things but you read a lot on this site where people attribute his success to his work ethic. If NFL success was as easy as work ethic Mike Viti would have been a multiple time All Pro: https://www.againstallenemies.com/2019/11/11/20960679/army-assistant-coach-mike-viti-former-fullback-wins-armed-forces-merit-award Do you know how many American males have devoted every fiber of their body to succeeding in the NFL (including guys at the D3 level) and failed? Josh is a highly-gifted person who possesses rare traits. That's the main reason he's as great as he is.

You watch "good" QBs like Carr... Cousins (?) and the drop in performance is a huge chasm. Russell Wilson looks like a high schooler, Lamar Jackson as MVP???? In what universe? Burrows looks like he's malnourished. People were/are touting Justin Herbert as if he's on the same level as Allen and Mahomes... so who was that wearing his uniform last Monday night against the Denver Broncos??? Brady and Rodgers look they need Rascal Motor Scooters. It's Allen and Mahomes and no one else is remotely close. I'm like you. Some people go through life taking much for granted... not even questioning how/why they were born into the life they now enjoy. Being a Bills fan since 1968, I will also never be spoiled. To me it's a privilege and a joy to watch Josh Allen play for the Buffalo Bills. It exceeds my wildest imagination and I am eternally grateful. Sincerely, Brad Johnson, Trent Dilfer, and Nick Foles History is still being written. It's too early to talk about legacies. Tom Brady lost 3 Super Bowls. The video of McBeane watching Gabriel Davis run the 40 at the combine was great... they were hoping he'd have a poor time so he'd fall farther down draft boards. Interesting conspiracy theory.

I wasn't on TSW when Josh was drafted but I was one of those who thought we drafted the "wrong Josh." My opinion was based on having watched all available video from his Wyoming days... I was not impressed. However the one game I did not watch pre-draft was the Senior Bowl and that's the one where you could actually see that he had a huge upside and was a diamond waiting to be polished. Had I watched the Senior Bowl stuff I would have had a very different opinion of him.