stevewin

What is that one popular Buffalo bar in Charlotte? My son is heading down now for the game Tavern on the Tracks - is that it?

Worst game ever - worst live sports experience I've ever had. What Roscoe did that day muffing the game away was a felony - but everyone responsible for that putrid "game" should have been put in jail.

Thanks for the updates. Curious - how is the fan access like there, are you able to get close to the action? Have you been to SJF - curious how it compared.

I heard that Sir Purr and Billy Buffalo had an illicit affair which resulted in a rare Panthallo breed bastard. They shunned and rejected the obnoxious bastard, but not before they named it Train Horn.

1. This year I realized that Sutherland is a little quicker - one thing is that it turns onto the street midway through downtown - while the Mendon bus has to go the full length and has more delay b/c of that 2. Last Wed someone had the bright idea of bringing like 40 small kids from a YMCA camp and sticking them right behind me. I thought they were going to explode. Forgot how annoying groups of little kids can be (see 4). After 20 mins the counselors finally realized the futility of having them there and thankfully they left. I think even Britt and Grandma Allen were annoyed. 3. I still like to go and see things/players up close. It helps that I've scored passes to the Entitled Area the last couple years. Can def say after going to SJF for 2 days then to the stadium practice (the last couple years) - the stadium practice is much more of a snoozefest. I do wish there was closer access at SJF - last year spoke to a guy who works every camp and he basically said McD really is focused on the actual football part of camp, and fan experience is really not high on his list of concerns (to put it mildly) 4. Truer words were never spoken

The situations I was referring to weren't what you are describing - free shots from Offside etc. They were dead plays where they whistled the play dead for sacks etc. - or plays that were completely blown up. There were a lot of those plays/whistles (the defense being dominant), and from being there and seeing Josh multiple times just throw up brutal passes in those situations, it really didn't come off at all as a positive play

I mentioned on the board from the two practices I went to at SJF last week - there were multiple times where the play was whistled dead or completely blown up and Allen just threw the ball up like "screw it". The interceptions in that scenario were bogus - but still I didn't feel like that was a great habit to get into honestly. I also went Friday - my impression with Josh from viewing those three practices was there was good and bad - but also that he didn't look particularly sharp overall - inconsistent to be sure. I'm not worried yet - it's still early and there is time for things to come together. I'm most interested to see how things go in the preseason against other defenses - in situations where real drives are trying to be put together. I agree it is ridiculous to keep stats in the practice situations. It is interesting to go live and compare to what other people report. There were some things even Astro reported (opinion wise) that I didn't necessarily see for the practices I went to. But that is why even for real games, which everyone sees the same broadcast, there still are disagreements between people on how different players performed.

He had shoes - just no socks. I'm not sure what type of shoes though - presumably high quality - but this is a man who sleeps on a mattress on the floor with no furniture after all...

I was at last two days at camp and yesterday noticed him in 1-1 drills. Had one of the most impressive reps that I saw running step/step down the field with receiver and breaking up the ball. Don't remember there being anything on his leg/ankle. Seemed to be running at full speed far as I could tell - as someone mentioned he was also in on some 11-11 as he had an int on tipped ball. Side note - I happened to see him on Wed cross the street after practice from the locker rooms to the dorms - no socks and nothing on his ankles, walking normally no trace of any limp etc (thighs like tree trunks BTW)

Re: the 5 TD in red zone discussion - I will say that I don't think anyone who was there today came away thinking Josh or the offense did well in that portion of practice (or even overall), regardless of there being 5 TDs in that portion of practice. Some pretty brutal plays and throws - no real rhythm or consistency. Definitely think it's fair to say Josh and the offense were really not "on" today. Bottom line though think it can really be attributed primarily to the D playing so well vs Josh/offense being terrible. The D really is playing at a high level as a unit (at least in the last couple days I saw) - tough, fast, loose, and confident. I'm looking forward to seeing the offense go against another team.

Random notes from camp today - Snuck into the VIP area with our passes from yesterday Was nice to see the familiar faces of our old friends Britt, Grandma Allen, and the rest of the Allen clan. At least four bold young men on separate occasions summoned the courage to ask Britt for a selfie with them - that wasn't happening yesterday. She nicely obliged, but can see how that would get old very fast. I was thinking I'm not sure she'll be hanging out with the common people next year - My man Towbridge showed up again with a one-hand grab during 1-1s, and overall still looking pretty nimble on pass routes. Sweeney had a real nice (highly) contested grab that he won with pure will - to me Sweeney looks like he belongs (almost surprisingly so), and to me showed actual skill to run and catch the ball. Milano had a great defensive rep stayed step for step down the field and broke up a nice pass - was an impressive bit of running/coverage. Singletary still is not slow - dude can make moves and catch the ball - Noticed today Leslie Frazier really works in the background - in contrast to Daboll and even most of the position coaches. It took me a long while to even find him out on the field at one point. Thought it was interesting in one red zone session McD was actually in the EZ behind the D coaching them the duration of the drill with Leslie nowhere to be found. During 11-11 Frazier (after I finally spotted him) would stand on the sideline and call in plays with a walkie-talkie - assume he was communicating with Edmunds or whoever else was in at MLB at the time. One of the assistants - think it was the safety coach - was they guy who was getting guys on and off - Shady had some burst today and was light on his feet - like $55K lighter <rimshot> - Finally got the view I was waiting for all camp - Beasley and Singletary side by side. It looked to be a draw height-wise - potentially Simgletary by a single hair. Singletary looks to have like 30 lbs on him though. When you just focus and look at Beasley when he is just standing around next to group of guys sometimes he honestly looks like a little kid out there - Poyer really throws his body around - like all the time. I was cringing sometimes like dude just take it easy and don't hurt yourself - Trent Murphy and Lee Smith with no pads: they look like much skinnier versions of Tormond Giantsbane - and just as ancient - Worst wardrobe choice goes to SillsV. A lot of players were wearing shorts that had a wide red stripe on the lower back of each leg. This dude for some reason cut off an amount of the lower front part of the shorts equal to the width of the stripe in the back to create some kind of ridiculous short-short front with big red stripe skirt in back - I guess to show off his skinny legs. If there was any question before it's been cemented now - definitely not making the 53. It's possible those shorts exempt him from the PS as well - In two days watching live action Andre Roberts is now one of my favorite players. I really hope he ultimately makes his way into the regular WR rotation come opening day - My son drew from his pee wee football experience and alertly observed that Christian Wade had his hands the wrong way when he took a handoff near the goal line - think he subsequently corrected it - Tried to watch Oliver a bit more - a few plays he burst in seemingly untouched. So explosive. Was very disruptive at times - Especially at end of 11-11, similar to yesterday, defense just was dominant. It wasn't just that - just in their body language on the field and sideline - you could tell they knew they were dominant. Seemed so confident as a unit. Have to believe some of the offensive struggles are due to the defense playing so damn good. Looking forward to see how the offense looks against other team's D in the coming weeks - Related to that, in last two days there were a number of plays that were being blown up or blown dead, and to me it seems there were times where Josh just threw it up at the end as if to say - well play is screwed so I'll just launch it - but not sure that is necessarily the best practice habit to get into to prepare for live action - Got pics of my son and Dad with Edmunds and Shady down in the Entitled Children area - both super nice - Josh went over to the far corner of the EZ for NFL network interview. We saw the long line of people that had gathered along that fence - then saw the people along the bleachers waiting for him - and knew if he ever did get back over by the tunnel it would take forever. On the the way to the car I said to my son - you can see it's true, once you get big there are so many more distractions to deal with with media and fans all wanting a piece of you. Then on the way home I heard someone actually asked about it in his PC. He gave the "PC" answer - but man just being there and seeing what he has to go through after a full practice - and no doubt he feels obligated as the face of the franchise - it's definitely got to wear on you if it isn't managed with care

I never said he was normal

Yep thats him

Some random non-Grandma-Allen related observations from camp today - Andre Roberts is the real deal. Looks different than anyone else (in a good way) when he returns and gets upfield. He is also a seriously legit WR. Had some nice catches and just looked so natural running routes, catching, and running after - New bulletin - Singletary is not slow Looks awesome catching passes as well - think he will be a real surprise to the rest of the NFL this year. It's amazing though to see him in the huddle - the top of his helmet might not make it to the top of Josh's shoulder pads - Towbridge looked impressive to me today - had a few catches in space and looked natural doing it (despite his huge frame) - Barkley is a legit QB - not just a legit backup QB, but legit QB. He had full command and was making very nice passes. Also - he walked by with his pads off - he is a surprisingly stout man - like buffet-stout - Knox and Croom walked past side by side with no pads on - was surprised how built Know was - was wider than Croom in shoulders and back - Not sure what reports were for interceptions - but at least two times the ball was "intercepted" the whistle blew and the play was dead and Josh just threw it up. One int was a battle between DB and Sills that Sills lost. Going to go out on a limb that Sills doesn't make the 53 - The defense totally stuffed the O in the last part of 11-11 - like 3-4 series in a row went 3 and out - Kudos to Josh for signing so much after (with his family (who just got in last night) waiting for him) - always trying to keep a smile and stay upbeat - and best part was the way he worked to engage so many little kids with a high five and "How ya doin!" instead of just scribbling his sig. And he was able to walk that line and blow you off nicely and politely - as he had to keep moving

OK last one 😛 Pat Kirwin and Jim Miller (from TC) Note: there is no link available to the interview - High intensity practice - It definitely was. It definitely ratchets up the first day in pads - I knew it, some guys were already getting antsy with each other and the first day in pads and one guy gets what the other thinks is a little cheap shot and he's waiting on him. We had a small little one today, but you know, it's ball - Offseason - so many new guys - It starts with everyone facing the music, and our offense was not good enough last year. It started upfront, we couldn't get the run game going. The pass protection was not what we see it should be. So we started there - let's fix our front, let's bring in some competition in the running game, and get some wideouts - let's get some weapons for Josh. We added a TE too in Tyler Kroft - he broke his foot in OTAs but he's rehabbing and working hard, He's progressing and is super positive so that's another piece we don't have right now that we'll be excited to get back. Continuity - building that cohesion - that's probably the biggest thing you want to get as quick as you can. It's not an ideal thing to have so many linemen as we have we want to get that 5 figured out - who it's going to be, and start gelling when we get in the preseason action - Leaders who believe in message and head coach to bring team together - Yeah - we look for guys who are pros on and off the field, and maybe sometimes we drop down on talent - not to say these guys - sometimes the guy who isn't the all-star or pro-bowler but gives you everything he's got, is a great teammate - we believe in the 11 as one. We'll sacrifice some "star power" so to speak to have everyone working together. It's taking time, it's year three and we like where we're at, and we're trending, but we got a lot of work to do because of some of the new parts we have. - Josh - (him leading the team in rushing) Caught a lot of people by surprise. This time a year ago it was "well is he accurate enough" and all the things - can he play NFL QB - and I think people, if you only watched him throw the ball, if you didn't watch him at Wyoming - he was their leading rusher in a decent amount of games. He made plays with his feet - he tested very well against all the QBs. I think he and Lamar Jackson were the highest two testers across the board but it got overlooked - people were so focused on the "accuracy" and breaking that down. It's one of those things - we do still want him to use his legs, I don;t want him to be the leading rusher though - I agree with you there. But a lot of times defenses manned up and brought heat and if he makes a guy miss, especially if they're playing man, he's taking off - He's super talented and can take over games - He's a super athlete. The thing we did want to see - he had the elbow injury - and that we saw was he was not taking as many hits, he was getting down - he was getting OOB. you do want the threat of the run, it's just that when the run's over - get down or get OOB and don't take that hit. The one thing we still stressed towards the end of the year when he was getting out of the pocket trying to make a play sometimes he was holding it so long that he allowed a defender - even after he got rid of it, to still take a shot. Those add up over time. I think if we can get him to stop those and take the check downs - he's an aggressive kid, and he thinks he can make every throw 25 yds down the field in a tight window when sometimes take that little dump pass and let someone else make the play for you - Mitch Morse - When I was in Carolina we had Ryan Kahlil - he set the table for Cam and set the front, and such a great communicator with the OL. We had some injuries but when Ryan was out there even if we had other linemen go down, it was like the unit kept rolling. That piece up the middle is so important. So when Mitch was avail, obvi a large part of what KC had going the last couple years - we love who he is, the communication that he has. Him and the other guys - the Spains, Felicianos - what we brought in were guys we did research on , felt were team guys - maybe not the most talented or highest paid but were going to buy in. Maybe started some, didn't start all the time, competitive guys looking for their chance and oppty. It's been a good battle. The think we know now is we have a lot more depth. That's something we were lacking the most and when we got some injuries we suffered because of it - Other than RG it looks like you are pretty well set - is that fair to say - You know we're trying - time is not our friend here as far as the OLine is concerned - so we're trying to mix those guys in. I'd say we have 6-7 guys who are really fighting right now in that top group. But games will matter - we could have someone when we get in the preseason games is not gelling for some reason - there's some other guys right behind who have played, We've got more experience. We just want to be solid up front. We don't have to be elite - we're just trying to make it gel. - With so many diff guys with diff experience/opinions - OL coach has to have a strong backbone - this is how we're doing it period. Looks like he has that - an approach to not do a lot of things at first - get good as you go - Bobby's been a great addition. When we were looking for this job, we made a lot of calls to other staffs - to players that have played under him - and his name kept coming up - hey this is a guy you should at least interview. He's been great - he brought Terry Heffernan in <Proceeds to praise Ryan Wendell up and down - at length>. - Love Cody Ford - the compete/finish - He's a competitor. He was the nastiest guy I saw last year in college. If the whistle hadn't blown, he's looking for work. - For such a big guy you never see that. <chime in> Oh now they'll be more fights in camp now that I hear that part <laughter> - Let me say the first day we had a brawl he was the first guy over there - <laughter> Finishers always start brawls! - Receivers - not biggest group but offer everything - Andre (Roberts) is a big time pro - he had a pro bowl year as a returner. He single-handedly beat us last year. He's been a great addition, a great leader in the room. John Brown - w tried to get him a year ago, we lost out - he was looking for an established QB. Going into this year he was very interested in us - knew this was year two. He's been a great leader. He's not just a vertical speed receiver - he can do a lot of the vertical routes, which gives him an advantage because they're not just always sitting on the nine ball. Beasley - had a hernia in the offseason - just now building up timing with Josh. Has been a great addition - he's so savvy. Was a good fit as he learned what his role would be in this offense. Been a great guy and been a great leader for some of our younger guys. Robert Foster back, Zay Jones year three - and some other guys Ray-Ray and McKittrick are all battling for some spots. We feel there will be better depth there - will be an interesting battle if these guys stay healthy - Going to be tough to get to 25 offensive players - I hope it is tough. It is going to be tough. I hope we're healthy. I looked at it in June as OK if we keep 5 receivers, 4 TEs, etc. where are we going to cut a spot - and I love linemen - I don't want to be short there. Once you get into late Sept the talent level really starts to drop off if you need a replacement. You can find one earlier in the year, but you start getting into late Sept early Oct you're crossing your fingers - OLinemen 6,7,8 are guys who played in this league - Yeah - and that's the goal. You cross your fingers everyday and these guys are out here just going at it - it's a collision sport and things happen. It's been a fun camp do far we love coming up here. We're going down to Carolina in a couple weeks to practice against Carolina so that will heat it up for us a little bit - Depth in secondary. Levi Wallave, Gains, Johnson - Kevin Johnson 1st round pick. You understand why he got picked where he did. The durability has been the issue. He's beefed up and come in with a refreshed attitude. Sometimes a fresh start works out for a guy - again he'll have to prove that he can stay healthy. You see his twitch. He's one of the most twitched-up corners I've been around. He's got very good ball skills. Several picks. EJ Gaines - we had EJ two years ago. We were 8-3 when he started for us. He had some injury issues with us - left to go to Cleveland and I think thought man I fit this defense well. Levi Wallace was an undrafted young man - came in and kept his mouth shut - late in the year we started him the last seven games. It wasn't too big for him. We brought in competition for him - to this point he has held his own. It will be a tough battle thru this preseason to see who will start opposite Tre. - Oliver - Ed's been good. He's a rookie - a lot of this is learning trial by fire. He's playing totally different than how he was playing in Houston - we have him mainly in the 3-trch. The main thin is in pass rush he's got the get-off , he's got to work on his moves. He's seeing linemen he hasn't seen before - and some of the stuff they do [Ed. note: ie., cheat?] I kind of view him like Tremaine last year. Tremaine was a young player, learned a lot trial by fire - had to run the whole defense. ed is the same way - he's going to makes some plays just off his athletic ability, and he's going to make mistakes, but we're willing to live with those. He's been a hard worker - tough kid, super explosive, he wants to be great - he believes every snap the guy across from him can't block him. That's the belief you want to have. He's a good kid. He doesn't say much, he's quiet, but when the ball is snapped he's ready to roll