dave mcbride

It also happens right when we find out that Gronk ain't coming back.

He was a healthy scratch because Reid is managing workload given his age and accumulated wear and tear. He doesn't want him broken down in December/January. McCoy is good with it and said he felt better than he's felt in a long time at this point of the season.

Yep, and also, who was the guy Brady went to in the biggest moments? Remember that unbelievable 4th and long catch he made down the field vs Denver in the 2015 AFC championship game in the last minute? They lost that game largely because Brady didn't throw to an open Gronk on the 2 pt conversion. Re your comparison above, it's a bit like Sandy Koufax. He only had 165 wins, but he was hands down the best pitcher of his era in his prime.

No, "mere counting stats" are cumulative lifetime numbers rather than seasonal averages or ypc averages. Again, he averaged, per a sixteen-game season, 72.5 catches, 1,095 yards, 15.1 ypc, and 11 TDs. 15.1 ypc lifetime is unbelievably great (Jerry Rice averaged 14.8). Gonzalez averaged 11.4 ypc and 6.6 TDs per season. He just played forever. As for blocking, yes, it matters. Look at the Pats run game with him in there vs. without him. He was dominant for a TE, and his dominance opened the offense up in ways that go beyond measure.

Those are mere counting stats. He was more dominant in the peak years of his career than those guys, and Gonzalez was basically a slow WR who couldn't block. Gates isn't in the same conversation as Gronkowski. I mean, Craig Biggio got 3,000 hits. Was he better than Joe DiMaggio? Also, Gronkowski played in 16 postseason games. He had 81 catches for 1,163 yards, 14.4 ypc, and 12 TDs. Those are the biggest games and against the best teams, and those are first-team all-pro numbers for a single season. He averaged, per a sixteen-game season, 72.5 catches, 1,095 yards, 15.1 ypc, and 11 TDs. 15.1 ypc lifetime is unbelievably great. Gonzalez averaged 11.4 ypc and 6.6 TDs per season. He just played forever. As for blocking, yes, it matters. Look at the Pats run game with him in there vs. without him. He was dominant for a TE, and his dominance opened the offense up in ways that go beyond measure.

The Rams have played two excellent defenses in the past week -- Pitt and Chicago. At this point, they are 12th in points and 13th in yards. They aren't as good as last year, but let's not exaggerate. They're still a better-than-average offense. They do have a truly brutal final schedule, however: Ravens, Cowboys, Seahawks, 49ers, and AZ twice.

I found the final paragraph here to be very funny. The piece is about his crazy-eyed press conference: https://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2019/1/15/18183659/adam-gase-meme-nfl-jets-wtf 'I was fully prepared to hear there’s some sort of medical reason why Gase looked like he was trying to send a hidden message — but by all accounts there aren’t. Gase went on the radio Tuesday morning and was asked about his eyes, and had no explanation at all. There were about 300 ways Gase could have played this off and won everyone back. He could have made a joke about himself, explained he was nervous ... literally anything. Instead, his way of settling everyone’s nerves while his eyes bugged out like Wile E. Coyote was to explain how he’s a 40-year-old man who doesn’t use the internet or watch TV. He is the absolute perfect coach for the Jets.'

I think Mayock had a very good draft. Credit where credit is due. Maxx Crosby (4th round; 6.5 sacks) has been way better than expected, and Hunter Renfrow is very productive for a fifth rounder. Two of the three first rounders -- Jacobs and Ferrell -- are playing well (Abram is injured).

As someone who has Sony Michel on his fantasy team, it is very much about the line. He is a legit good back, but he's not getting any room to run at all -- the opposite of last year. He has gone from 4.5 ypc last year to 3.3 this year. He's a young, very talented guy and he's not injured. It's not as if he suddenly became a lot worse. It totally hamstrings their offense. I think he looks the same as he did last season, but the line and quality of the receiving corps have nosedived. I will say that Ben Watson looks like a professional football player out there, and he's an upgrade over what was there before his re-signing. I mean, Izzo was playing TE, and he stinks outside of ST.

I focus on collective passer rating given that team passer rating differential is the best statistical predictor of success/failure in the NFL. YPG doesn't matter much when you're down by 20 and the team is running it all the time to milk the clock. Having said that, Cincy and AZ are worse (https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/opponent-average-team-passer-rating), although Miami's schedule is much easier than theirs. They are 30th in pass defense DVOA through week 10, although they are likely to decline to 31 or 32 given that Atlanta (31st) shut down Carolina and Cincy only gave up 17 points. https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef/2019

?? -- Miami is last in the league in sacks with 13, is near the bottom in INTs with only 6, and are allowing a collective passer rating of 105.6. That is terrible. I am certainly higher on Allen than Tesla and think he's judging too harshly, but he's making an arguable point.

I am thinking of the slant early in the game (first drive) where it was thrown slightly high and the DB just behind him got his hand in to knock it away.

Was that a drop? Looks to me like the DB got his hand in there and swatted it away.

He was a high draft pick too, going in the first half of the second round. A lot of people thought he'd go in the late first. Walter Football was pretty high on him: https://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2015jphillips.php In this draft scouting report, he's compared to Snacks Harrison: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2410300-jordan-phillips-nfl-draft-2015-scouting-report-grade-for-dolphins-rookie The larger point is that guys like Phillips aren't always going to be ideal employees, and you have to actually manage them because the talent is there. You can't give up on it. Maybe you trade the player or sit him down, but cutting a talented player like that when you're 3-1 (which is what the Dolphins were after 4 games last season) is just plain dumb. Phillips wasn't his guy -- he was drafted just prior to the last year of the Joe Philbin era -- and Gase's emotional reaction got the best of him (as it did with other players). It certainly worked out for the Bills -- Phillips has been truly disruptive this season.