CookieG

No, he isn't. But it is easy to create a highlight tape of him. He's going to get his tackles per game, but he's going to miss on a lot of others. Overly aggressive, bad angles a great deal of the time, slow to read misdirection, surprisingly taken out easy by a blocking WR. Living in the midwest, got to watch a lot of Big 12 football. Watch the Oklahoma st. game and watch him lose his jock on their TD run. Watch the Oklahoma game and watch them roll over Texas. Ask yourself..."where is Kenny Vaccarro?" In particular, watch the 95 yard TD run. He was in perfect position ot make a tackle, failed to diagnose a draw, shot the wrong gap and the RB was off to the races. Watch the 2nd half of the Kansas St. game, when they rolled up 35 points in the 2nd half. He couldn't seem to get a grasp of Collin Klein's head fakes. Or the West Virginia game, where they ran for nearly 200 yards. There was a reason that Texas didn't finish in the top 100 in rush defense (quite an achievement in the pass happy Big 12), and he was a part of it. They gave up nearly 200 yards a game rushing. He's actually a lot like Donte Whitner..he'll get his hits at the line and he'll run people down at times, but he's going to miss on a hell of a lot of others. Bad, bad idea, especially at 8.

Maybe because Narwocki is making things up. He's certainly never talked to Smith's coaches... Whatever the motivation, Smith's ability to stiff-arm the accolades and maintain his focus is as rare as it is powerful. "There are a lot of guys," Holgorsen said, "who will sit and get on the Internet and read article after article about themselves, or turn on the TV and record their interviews. He's a guy that just doesn't do that. He would rather read a book or put a on his iPad and go home and study. ... He'd rather do that than go check out what the club's like tonight or what these specific girls are doing in the library." There's a reason for that, the head coach said about his quarterback. "He's the most competitive guy I've been around," Holgorsen said. http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/page/football-121003Maisel/west-virginia-mountaineers-quarterback-geno-smith-focus-solely-football Given his position as points leader in the video-game era of college football offense, it's no surprise West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith would rather break down film than relive past glories, even when the visitor in question is his mother and the time at hand is the aftermath of the Mountaineers' 70-63 victory over Baylor. "I'm sure he had three Texas games on his iPad," said West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen, whose eighth-ranked Mountaineers play No. 11 Texas at 6 p.m. Saturday in Austin. "He's a student of the game." http://www.chron.com/sports/college-football/article/West-Virginia-QB-Smith-does-his-homework-3924068.php Spavital said the thing sets Smith apart is obsessive film study and relentless work ethic. He said Weeden also has good work habits, but that Smith was over the top. "Brandon studied a lot, but he did things on his own," said Spavital. "He was married and he went home to his wife. Geno, football is all he cared about. He'd take the O-line out to eat and then come back to the office and we'd watch stuff on the iPad. He was always trying to improve. I've never seen anybody study harder with the tape than he does." Spavital said Smith, who studied NFL QBs such as Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees, can do it all. "He's more of an under-center, pro-style play-action, quarterback, but he can throw out of the shotgun, play in the spread, run a zone-read," he said. "He's such a student of the game, there were times we let him check 80 percent of the game. He knows how to manage a game and he knows what everyone is supposed to be doing." ~Jake Spavital, former West Virginia QB coach http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2013/02/geno_smith_is_a_top-5_player_i.html Too many personal film sessions ran long. When Jake Spavital returned to his office at West Virginia, quarterback Geno Smith was usually camped out watching tape. The quarterbacks coach had no choice but to shag Smith away. The quarterback had class. So then, Spavital had a solution. “I got him an iPad so he’d go to class,” said Spavital, who is now at Texas A&M. “And then he’d start watching the iPad tape in class, which causes more distractions.” http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/190936841.html I remember reading the ESPN article last fall, along with another that was far more detailed regarding his game preparation. They were written around the time of the Texas game last year, well before the draft came. They were emphasizing not why he should be drafted, but why he was playing so well. Finding that article proved impossible. Finding these were hard enough. That's because when you now google +Geno Smith work ethic, 14 of 15 articles are something along the lines of "Pro Football Weekly Scout blast's Geno Smith's work ethic". Another Nolan Narwocki hack job. At best, he wrote some really stupid things, as filler for the analysis he failed to investigate. (or at least back up with examples of evidence). At worst, he saw how much attention his Cam Newton evaluation received, and chose a repeat performance. I'll take Nolan Narwocki with a grain of salt.

In terms of a mid to late round pick, I think I agree. He's only been playing the position for 2 years. Already a pretty good route runner with good hands, I think he'll learn how to use his 228 lb. body better in the future. I'm pretty sure he's faster than the 4.58 estimate the original link provides, but we'll see that at the combine. I've seen estimates of Stedman Bailey going mid rounds, I'd strongly consider him. He played half the season on a bad ankle and still put up 25 TDs. Austin got the ink, but in many games, Bailey was the go to guy. If there's one that reminds me of SJ, its Quinton Patton. He just looks like he has that same ability to confuse the CB at the line, keeps them guessing as to whether he's going inside or outside. Seems to have the same attitude of not being intimidated by the bigger teams either. His best games seem to be against the bigger teams, including that incredible performance against A & M.

Yeah, I saw that article the other night. He might not have been using an E-cigarette though. http://news.yahoo.com/device-exploded-man-mouth-not-electronic-cigarette-203227292.html Apparently, some people like to try and modify theirs, or "stack" batteries, for some reason or another. Kinda like a Tim Allen/Red Green e-cigarette.

I tried my first electronic cigarette on Sat. and have been using it since then. I wouldn't call it necessarily a completely safe alternative. But it probably is safer than smoking. I tried this one on a recommendation...Foos1.com With it, I'm averaging about 2 or 3 tobacco cigarettes a day, as opposed to a pack. To get myself down to 2 or 3 cigarettes a day, I usually have to be pretty sick. Though it isn't called a nicotine delivery system...it really is, At least as much as the gum or the patch. Its probably as close as you can get to smoking without really smoking. It really isn't like smoking air, as some believe. It takes a little to get used to, the first drag I took, I hacked like someone smoking their first cigarette. (My wife laughed). I treat it a little more like a cigar now, not fully inhaling it. You can at least "smoke" in the house, since there really isn't any smoke. Cost wise, the starter kit was $10.00, came with one cartridge and a rechargeable battery. Battery has a lifetime warranty. The cartridges are about the equivalent of a pack of tobacco cigarettes. If nothing else, it might get me off tobacco. We'll see.

I have a hard time comprehending THIS statement: Especially since the overriding theme of this thread is supposed to be this: Olson said. "So, our job as a coaching staff will be to identify the skill set of the players, who are our best players, what do they do best, and how can we put them in position to be successful and do what they do best." In that case..he did...exactly what you are saying a coach should do. He should have hitched his star to Trent Edwards? Or provided unwavering support for that Gibral Hamden guy (or whoever he was)? Buddy was too busy building a crappy defense to worry about the offense. That's always been the reason there hasn't been a QB drafted. So Gailey isn't given a QB...and he does what you want him to do..tries to take a guy with a limited ceiling, and tries to put him in a position to succeed..and it is his fault for trying to do so? I have no idea how doing the best with what you have translates into "the height of incompetency." I find it more difficult to comprehend this statement: I still believe a good HEAD coach would have found a way to get McKelvin some real coaching Not only is he responsible for Buddy screw ups, but he's responsible for Jauron's wasted draft picks? God knows Gailey had his problems..but people go way overboard in the scapegoat department.

Bruce didn't, Derrick Burroughs did though. Bills made him quit. He wasn't happy about it. http://articles.latimes.com/1989-11-16/sports/sp-2389_1_football-career I always thought they made the right decision.

She can sing in a bathroom.

That intersection made the national news, with someone doing just that. It isn't every day that something from Lancaster makes the national news, so it was kind of cool at the time. My mother in law lives on Harris Hill, and when we were home a few years ago, I bored my sons with that story as we drove through the intersection. And bored them further bringing up the paper route I had during the blizzard. The News stopped printing for a day or two, if I remember. Ah, struggling through 15 foot drifts to make sure the old ladies on my route got their Twin Fair slingers. You must be from Lancaster. Go Skins!

A friendship with Russ Brandon? Ah, so if a guy runs a top NFL offense, or top NFL defense, they are eliminated from consideration because they don't have head coaching experience. But if they do have head coaching experience and are looking for a job, they are a "retread". I like that. Certainly cuts down on the interviews.

Wondering "what big name was available?" is probably what Brandon was thinking, unfortunately. As he was turning over stones, ( or not)...he might have found a few like this: -Gus Bradley turned the Seahawks defense from one of the worst in the league to one of the best (No. 1 scoring D in 2012). Top 10 D the last 2 years. -Darrell Bevell- Bradley's offensive counterpart, turned Seattle's offense into a top 10 offense with a 3rd round rookie QB and a Bills' cast off at RB. -Rob Chudzinki - Did one of the more remarkable offensive turnarounds in recent memory. Prior to 2011, the Panthers offense was the worst in the NFL, by far. They were averaging 12 points per game. They ended up 4th in the league a year later. He was the one that actually made Derek Anderson a one year wonder in Cleveland. How he ever got a top 10 offense in Cleveland, even for a year, is incredible. -Greg Roman- OC San Fran. Created a top 10 offense in the NFL with Alex Smith, and later with a 2nd round, 2nd year QB. Fewest turnovers in the league. Coaching in the NFC championship game today. -Vic Fangio- DC San Fran. Probably the best D in the league since he's got there. -Bruce Arians- was originally brought in to groom a rookie QB on the worst team in the league, what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. Right before the season started, he found out he would be taking over the entire team. Not only did he groom his QB, he took his team to the playoffs. That's a short list. It doesn't include any asst. coach from NE, or Balt, or Atl, Pitt. or any other college coach, of which there are many good ones. That doesn't mean you choose all of these guys. Obviously, that's impossible. But how do you claim to :"turn over every stone" and conduct an "exhaustive and thorough" search, without considering, much less interviewing, a single coach from a playoff team, (you know, the successful ones)? I think this is what Mr. Wawrow is getting at. The claim of "turning over every stone" is at odds with the actions of this situation. Due diligence, like due process, varies under the circumstances of a particular situation. In this situation, where a team has not made the playoffs for 13 years, is going on its 7th coach in a little more than a decade, and has failed on its last 4 coaching hires, I'd say due diligence requires a little more from your non-football decision making CEO than "Hey, I know this guy!"

Unlikely successful lawsuit aside, you're right about that. Some guy cuts the legs off of 2 people while LOL'ing with his girlfriend and pays a whopping $775.00 fine. No jail time, not even the temporary loss of his license.

Leap? By stating the jurisdictional basis for federal involvement? Law enforcement should no longer investigate potential crimes? This Travyon Martin is lying about being shot to death? Who's denying him due process? He hasn't had ANY process yet. Sure did. Did you hear about the African American set on fire by the white guys in Council Grove, Kansas a few months ago? Same thing, doused him with gas and lit a match. Few have heard of it, it probably didn't get past regional coverage. Why? The police investigated, gathered evidence, made a probable cause determination. No need for protests, no need for politicians to get involved. That's always been the issue here, whether a bona fide investigation took place.

I'm not sure if you are merely talking about a civil suit by say, the kids' parents, or are looking for federal authority to become involved. If it is the latter, the Shepard/Byrd Hate Crimes Act confers jurisdiction. 18 USC § 249 - HATE CRIME ACTS (a) In General.— (1) Offenses involving actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin.— Whoever, whether or not acting under color of law, willfully causes bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, a firearm, a dangerous weapon, or an explosive or incendiary device, attempts to cause bodily injury to any person, because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin of any person— (A) shall be imprisoned not more than 10 years, fined in accordance with this title, or both; and (B) shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life, fined in accordance with this title, or both, if— (i) death results from the offense; or (ii) the offense includes kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill. If they determine is was racially motivated, he could get life. I'd agree that "color of law" would be pretty difficult to show, they would have to show a pretty good relationship between Zimmerman and the local police. Not impossible, I agree, but highly unlikely. The irony is that I have a strong suspicion that Zimmerman himself thought he was acting under the color of law. He seems to have the wannabe thing going on. Of course, that's not the test. Intentional torts aren't discharged in a 7. Not that it matters, the guy doesn't have anything anyways.

Well, if it helps, I can give you the genesis of the Clippers' misfortunes. Hint: they were in Buffalo at the the time. Google "John Y. Brown"

I'm sorry, Turner Gill was terrible. If there was worse than terrible, he'd be it. They were just becoming relevant. They lost 5 games in 2008, with a bunch of injuries, with 3 of their losses coming to top 10 ranked teams. They won their first 5 games in 2009 before the Mangino witch hunt began, and everyone knew what would happen once it got going. Mangino took them from a doormat, begging street free agents to join the team, to a team that was at least competitive. After years of begging, he finally got them to improve the training facilities and actually recruit. Turner Gill took them right back to door mat status, with teams putting in their 2nd stringers by the 2nd quarter. Mangino won national coach of the year in 2008, Gill just plain sucked.

And he's $10 million richer. Since he's getting paid for the next 3 years, maybe he'd coach at UB for free. If they were smart, they'd hire Mark Mangino

Well, moving him to offense makes a nice excuse for not picking up someone in next year's FA'cy, or next year's draft. The "we have to see what this can do" line they love to use so much.

He and Haley never liked each other. When Haley was named coach, he asked some of the Cardinals vets what they thought of him. He demanded a trade shortly thereafter, which, of course, Pioli wouldn't do. He was the best run blocker on the team that led the NFL in rushing last year, and gave up less than 1 sack. Regardless of the "leaving on good terms" stuff coming out of KC, it was a matter of time. I do agree that it was probably a mutual decision. Brian Waters playing on one foot is better than Urbik on 2. Of course, "we're not going to Super Bowl" war chant that's been going on since 2001 got old years ago. It would be great to bring him in for a year or two to help groom a nice prospect, unfortunately, outside of maybe Hairston, we don't have a prospect waiting in the wings to groom. and outside of Hairston, I don't know who these young guys are that you want to develop.

Urbik's kinda fun to watch, if he wasn't starting...for the Bills. Against Jax, there were several running plays where it looked like he was driving his guy, but really wasn't. On at least 2 of the plays, the play was designed to run wide to the right, and his guy beat him. Urbik stayed with the guy, hanging on to the defender's inside shoulder, as the guy was moving towards the play. He's OK at sealing off a side, but on many of the plays, I'm not sure that's what he was supposed to be doing. On at least one, FJ cut it to the inside, and it wasn't by design. But he does something I've rarely seen an OL do, especially a 330 lb. guy. It happened at least once against Urlacher, once against Denver, and happened in a trap block against Jax. Urbik is moving into a stationary target, usually with several yards of momentum in his favor...and gets knocked backwards! It happened twice against an LB and once against a DE. The play against Jax was a trap block, he pulled, the DE moved to the backfield and stopped, Urbik hit him and ended up moving 3 steps backwards. It's like the Longest Yard, watching the guys hitting the tackling dummy and getting knocked over by it.

From a 7-9 team to an 8-8 team, apparently.

You joined 3 days ago and you're tired of hearing about it?

For BBQ, there are plenty. Gates and Arthur Bryant's are the traditional legends. To me, both still live up to their legendary status. Gates has about 6 locations, I think Arthur Bryant has 3 now. One downtown, one by the NASCAR track, and I'm not sure of the 3rd. Most things at either are good, but try the burnt ends at Arthur Bryant's. You won't find them many other places. If its steak, Plaza III on the Plaza might be the best but is expensive. The Hereford House has been around forever, its pretty good. The Power and Light District and Westport are the big night spot areas, Power and Light centers on jazz, but really has all kinds. If you're taking a woman, the Plaza is an upscale shopping area in the south end of the city, lots of fountains, Spanish American motif, carriage rides, that type of thing. There are a few casinos on the river too. If you're flying in, I don't know about the cab or public transportation situation, rent a car, its about the same as Buffalo as far as getting around.

Yeah, I know, I watched most of it...at least the 70's onward. The post I quoted was referring to the early 80's. I can't go back to the 60's, but I can go back to the mid 70's. As late as 1975, the Bills had a very potent offense, they just didn't have a defense, and missed badly on a bunch of draft picks. But after 2 years of completely falling apart, they brought in Chuck Knox, a guy that came from a winning organization, who brought in a new culture. With him, you knew it might take two years, but you could sense a difference in how things were run. I just can't say that right now, I wish I could.

This is different than the 80's. The bleakness lasted for about 3 years, not 11. In the 1986 season, you could at least sense a turnaround. It wasn't just Kelly. They rebuilt their Oline in one year. They had just come off one of the best drafts in recent history. You knew the defense still needed work, but you knew that was coming. And it did, the following year. They rebuilt once in the 80's, it wasn't a continuous 3-4 year rebuilding plan. And maybe more importantly, the visions of playoffs past weren't a distant memory. Damn, my youngest son was born in the year of the last playoff berth. He just started middle school. This is different...now you're talking about hitting a high water mark of 7 wins, replace the old regime, trash the old regime, get rid of everyone from the old regime, start again, and hope that within 3-4 years...you get to 7 wins.