stuckincincy

Yep...that's always a contentious thing. To the penalties themselves...the difference in weight and strength of today's defenders compared to quarterbacks is far greater than years past - and, today's qb contracts are so very large. Had Palmer not came back, the B'gals would have had to shell out 29 million. I imagine Peyton Manning and some others would be in that ballpark, too. Such losses would seriously wound a franchise. So for the $$$ aspect, and I suppose for the survival of starting qbs and therefore competitiveness, the penalties exist.

None yet... But there was an article in my n'paper Sunday, about the Raiders and the draft... - they have only once had the #1 overall pick. They took Roman Gabriel in 1962, who signed of course with the L.A. Rams. - they have taken a 1st round QB only twice since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger: Marc Wilson at #15 in 1980, and Todd Marinovitch at #24 in 1991.

Thanks! Happy New Year to you and yours, SDS! PS...great avatar!

"Friends we are today, And friends we'll always be - For I am wise to you, And you can see through me."

Yup!

Well, we'll get a 3rd round comp pick.

Seems to be a good player, but perhaps a "luxury" pick for an already well-stocked team...

The NFL and the broadcasters are in show biz, and Peyton Manning is a big draw. I assume their market studies tell them that they will be able to get more money from advertisers with him flapping his arms all over the screen.

North Buffalo reporting in...Pogeying!

Doesn't matter if they beat BAL. We play DAL, and their games get splattered all over national TV all season long. Same with the Giants. So there's two.

Mcgee's scouting reports out of college had him as a fine safety, but only a marginal cornerback. But he was switched by the former staff, having nothing better at the time. The same staff that overlooked his glowing college KR credentials, not using him there until his second season...

Peashooter Wars. When split peas were abandoned for the much harder-hitting, far-ranging Navy bean, it was like going from conventional to nuclear. Empty cigarette packs were prized - if you stepped on a Luckies pack, you proclaimed "Lucky Strikes, No Strikes Back !!!" and you got a free slug on your pal's shoulder. There were also Salem Slaps, Kent Kicks and so on. Also mass snowball attacks on cars and especially NFT buses. These days, they would call out the SWAT team...

Well, they know it will eventually end up on shelves, and also know that in the last 20 years, Americans have become the World Kings of Shoplifting Theft.

Kick your gambling habit.

Too bad Air America couldn't manage their finances and went belly up. All staff, talking heads, and guests were required to have panic attacks.

Good point!

Why does the first page of the emoticons contain an abundance of snotty or derisive ones?

RIP, Mr. President. You were a decent and civil man.

Looks like Tiki is getting out at the right time...

B'gals like 5th year CB Bauman, but he's been on IR since very early in the season. I don't recall what for but it was pretty bad - busted ankle, torn ligaments - not sure. Tory James is a smart enough CB, but he's on his downside. A blurb from the morning n'paper here... "...There are some farewells on the horizon. Without a playoff berth, the regular-season finale against the Steelers is likely the last Bengals game for rapidly aging cornerback Tory James, whose contract expires in March. It's also the likely last game of guard Eric Steinbach, a consistent, versatile player whose flexibility probably priced him out of the Cincinnati market.". http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art.../612260381/1066

Plus, some players have contract incentives for # of starts, being on the field for so many snaps and the like.

Heh. Here is what you missed here...the arduousness of the recent bunch who turn a topic into a chat room. The game thread here hit over 500 as they posted in clusters of mutual admiration, play-by-play-by-play, wow-weeing, predictions, effing of this or that play, predictions of doom for eternity, etc.. It was like a day, at a... roly-poly-precious-beyond-belief-ritalin-downing-McDonald-weaned day care center hootenanny... Or am I just being ancient and harsh?

Plus, teary hand-wringing about druggie, boozed-up players was off the radar then.

Just wait until the..er...erotic/scatologic titles start showing up...such as...dunno..."Humpty Dumpty"?

I was responding to Bill's and UConn James thoughts about him being worth a #1 overall. They are being enthusiastic fans, about a player that has far exceeded anyone's expectations. They are right. Remember the contention - turn down #1 overall for Peters...an improbable happenstance. I don't think he is worth a #1 overall - only a handful of players are - and if anyone offered that, I would make the trade. Hate to lose an up-and-coming LT, but I'd take that hit if I could fatten the general roster with two years' worth of higher picks if some sap came along and offered them. There are 53 spots to be concerned about. A GM, like a factory manager, has to look at the whole. KC lost a number of their fine line, and were given up as dead, but there they are. NE took heavy line hits, and there they are. B'gals played much of their season sans 3 of 5 OL starters...but they still have a pulse going into the last week. Those 3 clubs have good OL coaching...but also have the not-insignificant advantage of spiffy, marquee QBs or RBs or WRs or TEs. And those top skill players make their OLs look better. Before we anoint Peters, give some credit to the Bills' coaching staff. The have their warts like all do, but all in all, a remarkable change from last season. It's not a question of Peters being relatively inexpensive now - his agent will address that, and without anything more than cosmetic protest from the Bills.