KurtGodel77

It seemed to me the problem was that the Patriots' secondary outplayed the Colts' receivers. Those receivers had a ton of drops; and add to that the fact they had trouble getting open. I don't know if it was a case of those guys failing to adjust to the cold or what, but those receivers sure didn't live up to the hype today.

If that was what you were suggesting back in 2001, I have more respect for your point of view. Of those three choices, two would actually have worked out pretty well; though Blake would have been a bust. So it's really a choice between getting the extra first round pick and cap space by going the FA route, and getting the instant credibility and prestige that allows you to sign Sam Adams and Takeo Spikes.

The key to the Patriots' success has been their long, back-breaking drives. I don't see Pittsburgh's defense letting them take control the way that they did against the Colts and against us.

Well, you could go with the Pats, with the idea that you need to be an AFC East fan. I'm an AFC East fan myself. Well, except for the Dolphins. And except for the Jets. Also, except for the Patriots. But except for those three teams, I'm an AFC East guy.

Noted. But the problem with the FA option is that it encourages too much hindsight. I don't remember anyone on these boards arguing for Jake Delhomme at the time. Instead, it was guys like Doug Johnson, Jeff Blake, and others who haven't done anything in the ensuing years.

Those draft picks were already gone by the time TD had to make the decision about what to do at QB. There weren't a whole lot of free agent QBs in the market after the 2001. Those guys either had the reputation of being journeymen (Kitna, Blake), or were unknowns (Delhomme). Had TD waited a year at QB, he could have used his 2003 first round pick to replace Johnson.

Jeff Blake????

Was trading for Drew the best use of our 2003 first round draft pick?

TD already has already cut an aging, over-the-hill QB who started for 9 of his team's wins. Doug Flutie had about the same QB rating, number of yards, completion percentage, etc. in 1999 that Bledsoe has this year. The main difference is that Flutie had better legs. In both cases, the wins came more because of the defense than the QB. I feel our defense was better in 1999, but our running game and overall offensive talent (players and coaches) were better this year.

Yeah, Donahoe has made his share of mistakes--who hasn't?--but he's turning out to be a good GM overall.

Well, at least the refs know how to call holding on the Colts. Gees . . .

A good post. I like this scenario.

Whether we trade Travis to Miami largely depends on whether Miami falls in love with someone at the top of the draft. If they aren't in love with someone at the top, they could trade down a few spots, pick up a second rounder, and trade the second rounder to us for Travis.

We could use one of those three players to replace Eric Moulds if he's not willing to take a paycut. The cap savings we'd get would allow us to re-sign Jennings, and maybe Pat Williams too.

Any research capable of creating an immediate benefit for humanity will probably get funded by the private sector. Goverment can fund research projects that are too risky, or whose benefits are too long-term, for the private sector.

TO going for a second was a red herring. TO should have become a free agent, except that his agent missed some deadline to file for free agency. So San Francisco assumed they still had his rights, which they traded to Baltimore. Except it turned out there was a special provision in TO's contract which gave his agent extra time to file for free agency. On this basis, TO signed with Philadelphia as a free agent. The whole thing went to arbitration, with Philadelphia giving San Francisco and even Baltimore compensation for TO, but not as much compensation as San Francisco would have gotten had there not been this controversy. Had the parties not worked out this compromise, it's likely that neither San Francisco nor Baltimore would have gotten anything, because the wording of the contract favored TO.

It seemed to me the Patriots won last year despite Antowain, not because of him. It must have seemed that way to their management too, because they cut him. As for trading Travis within the division: you're giving a team like the Dolphins a player, but you're taking away a draft pick. So they're not necessarily better off.

More often than not, teams that go to or win the Super Bowl have really good QBs leading their team. The one exception I can think of would be Trent Dilfer, and that's only because Baltimore had a ridiculously good defense. The first round has traditionally been a good place to find QBs. A few years back there were some major first round busts, because general managers got away from the fundamentals. They assumed that a QB could win the game with his arm (Ryan Leaf) or his legs (Akili Smith); while forgetting that a QB wins the game with his head. Now that GMs are starting to get back to the fundamentals when drafting, you're seeing more first round QBs in the playoffs--6/8 in the divisional round.

I could actually build a convincing case that we need what Warner has to offer. At the beginning of the year with the Giants, he looked like the Kurt Warner who won the Super Bowl MVP trophy. He'd stand back in the pocket and pick defenses apart like a man among boys. As the year went on, the Giants' offensive line looked increasingly bad, and the offense as a whole seemed to implode. After Warner was benched, he helped Eli Manning as best he could; just as he'd helped Bulger. Warner was a good sport. Could Warner still be Warner if he was given a respectable offensive line, and weapons like Evans, McGahee, and Euhus? Maybe. You start the year off with him under center, and you see how far he will take you. If, halfway through the season, it becomes clear he's no longer the same QB he used to be, you could bench him. He'd be the perfect mentor for Losman.

I know what you're saying, but we don't know whether Losman is ready. Are you saying we should throw him in there even if he's not ready? Sometimes doing that to a first-year QB can permanently destroy his confidence. I'm not saying Losman isn't ready. I don't know whether he is, because I'm not a coach. But if he isn't; the coaches would probably start the year with Drew under center. Unless they decide to bring in Warner . . .

I've been in that situation, and it's not pretty. What I've come to realize is that the hungry don't get fed. The more obvious you make it that this woman can date you any time she wants, the less interested she'll be. Attraction isn't a choice. Maybe this woman is attracted to jerks because she is comfortable with abuse. Or maybe it's because she's attracted to guys with a take it or leave it attitude. She sounds like a woman with emotional issues that you should be running away from. But if you want to make the mistake of dating her, you can increase your chances by doing the following: increase the emotional distance between you, without completely ignoring her. Always be prepared to walk away, both literally and emotionally. Act self-confident. Remind yourself you don't NEED her for anything; though from time to time you might choose to spend time with her if she feels like it. If not, no big deal. Start dating other people, and make sure she knows you are doing this. But don't make a big production out of telling her about these people; because that's a sign you're trying to impress her. If you act like you're trying to gain her approval you'll put yourself in a submissive position, and women are not attracted to submissive men.

I think we should take a serious look at Kurt. The guy's got a cool name, after all.

Funny, you sound at least as hateful as them.

As Astrobot pointed out, Moulds is 7th in the league in passes thrown to. If I was a defensive coordinator, that fact would incline me to double cover him, whether he was that great a receiver or not.

So let me get this straight. Moulds was never a deep burner to begin with, and now he's slowing down. His hands aren't that great. He's no longer going over the middle very much. Well, at least he's big . . .