dave mcbride

The defense gave up 15 points yesterday: https://www.espn.com/nfl/game/_/gameId/401438002. The Dolphins started 3 drives in FG range yesterday and scored on a fumble recovery. On the three drives that started in FG range, they scored one TD, meaning the D gave up 5 points they could have denied (inclusive of the 2-pt conversion). That’s 16 points that the Dolphins O had to do zero work for. 15 points were legit, but even three of those came after a terrible Bass kick that gave the Dolphins the ball at the 40.

I have always disliked him because of his delivery (it’s an aesthetic thing for me), but I will confess that he’s been good this year.

He was inactive because he was injured (hamstring).

Well, I literally just implied that I hate Dallas and Washington — and I do! — so there are teams that I actively root to fail. I would throw the Dolphins and Rams into the mix (the common thread here being odious owners). I despise Miami for other reasons too (the 1970s) and of course grew to hate the Pats over the years. I would hate the Jets given their jackass of an owner and the fact that they are in the AFC East, but they are so pathetic that I can’t bring myself to muster up much hatred for them. As for the Giants, a close friend of mine who is one of the nicest and funniest people I know lives and dies by the Giants, and generally speaking the Giants fans I know are good people. And they are a good franchise that beat the Pats twice in the SB. Basically, I may have hated them because of wide right for many years, but I just can’t anymore. Ironically, the one guy who took down Belichick twice on the biggest stage is a central New Yorker (Waterloo), although I realize he’s a Parcells guy too. As for their being a lot of Giants fans in your neck of the woods, when growing up in Buffalo the most popular baseball team BY FAR there (based on 1970s Buffalo Evening News/Courier Express survey — I can’t recall which) was the Yankees. I assume they still are. The point is that throughout NY State, there is always going to a disproportionate number of NYC team fans. Lots of people from the NYC metro area end up upstate because they go to, say, a SUNY in western NY and stay. I know a few who went to UB and never left. It is what it is and I can’t really bring myself to care much. Anyway, there is no shortage of Bills fans in western and central NY.

I’ll push back a little and say he had a pretty darn good second season (2019). He wasn’t the best LB in the league that year, of course, but he was definitely above average. He struggled in 2020 after hurting his shoulder vs the Jets and had a mediocre year in 2021, but he’s been great this year. You can say they “wasted” two picks on him, but that seems unfair given that I believe he was worth at least one of them.

You realize he’s 24 years old right? Aaron Judge didn’t do a damn thing in the pros until he was 25. Edmunds came into the league so young (19) that the assessments in my view have always been wildly off base. He’s elite now, and still very young.

Bad take. He broke up a huge pass to giesecki which was potentially game changing and had two other important pass breakups too. And you’re focused on *tackles*?!?

I live in NYC and many of my son’s good friends — all very cool people and Yankees fans to boot — are Giants fans. I don’t wish them ill and what happened 32 years ago is totally effing irrelevant. Get over it — I certainly did. I don’t root for the Giants but I like my friends being happy and prefer them to the Cowboys and Commanders of the world. And who gives a damn about the “bottom line” in a league run by plutocratic billionaires? I mean, seriously.

Late in the third quarter yesterday, the Seahawks were about to be second and two from the four yard line if not for a ticky tack call on a lineman downfield. If they score a td there, they are up 24-23 and who knows what happens. Tyler Huntley, who is no better than the scrub the bills faced today, almost got the ravens up 24-17 late but fumbled. Point is, most third-time-in-a-season divisional games are tough. (I am aware of the Bills’ carpet bombing of the Pats last year, of course, but that’s rare.)

Divisional games — always tougher than the pundits think they’ll be. Lest people forget, the seahawks were about to go up 24-23 at the end of the third if not for a questionable lineman-downfield call.

That was so freaking stressful. That’s all I got!

When you’re the Walton family, the term “overpay” is utterly meaningless as it applies to a coach (they don’t count against the salary cap).

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2023/01/15/mike-vick-to-lamar-jackson-put-a-brace-on-it-lets-go/ Mike Vick weighs in. Paraphrased: Put a brace on and play. I played a whole season with a torn MCL.

Out

For a PCL? I thought those could heal on their own (unlike ACLs).

I'd take Allen over Hurts, no doubt. The ceiling is way higher. But Hurts did have a really terrific season this year. There were few more down on Hurts than me a year / year and a half ago. He really got better in a way I didn't think possible.

Wow. Strong talk!

Better QB rating. Far fewer turnovers (fewer INTs, fewer fumbles). Better completion pct. Better YPA. These are key categories, particularly YPA. And one of the reasons his ypc was lower is because he had so many touchdowns (touchdown runs lower the yards you would have gained if the EZ line wasn't there). Anyway, as I mention in my thread below, Allen and Hurts were deemed by PFR to tie for the league lead in approximate value. He was entirely deserving. Allen was deserving too, but I have no issue with Hurts getting it given JA's propensity for red zone turnovers this season. It was a problem.

To be fair, Basham was picked at the tail end of the second round, and the difference between that and the third round is pretty small -- e.g., between the 61st pick (where he went) and, say, the 75th pick.

Hurts was better than Allen in virtually every statistical category except total passing yards, total TDs, and yards per carry. He had a PHENOMENAL season and was deserving. 14-1 as a starter too. Allen had a great year too, of course. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HurtJa00.htm

Most ridiculously unlucky Marty playoff loss ever, and there are a lot of them. Marlon McCree had the game WON if he takes a knee after picking Brady with almost no time left, but he runs it back and fumbles it back to the Pats!

Their AV measure is essentially their NFL equivalent for WAR (MLB; wins above replacement) and VORP (NBA; value over replacement player). Here are the leaders: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2022/leaders.htm. Hurts really had a great year too; such a great runner (13 rushing TDs, passer rating of 101.5). I never expected it of him, and kudos to him for proving me wrong. Allen was first overall last year (https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2021/leaders.htm) and 3rd in 2020 (https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2020/leaders.htm).

Wild prediction: Jackson and Roman end up on the Jets. Him not playing in the playoffs is about more than just the injury, I believe. He wants out. I also think we're in the process of watching a bridge between the player and the team being burned. I can't imagine the Ravens are thrilled with this at all.

Adams had fewer drops (7) on more targets (180) than Hill (8, 170) but Hill got 70 percent of the passes thrown his way and Adams 55.6. Two things here: having Waddle on the other side really takes away the double coverage potential, and Adams was doubled a LOT. Also, Tua is very accurate; more accurate than Carr, who is decently accurate. Adams was the most double-covered receiver in the league: Also, while this is only through 16 games, Adams was targeted 6 more times than Hill but had 22 fewer catchable balls: https://www.fantasypros.com/nfl/advanced-stats-wr.php. Point is, there are numbers beneath the numbers and also the broader team context that players operate within.

Well, don't highlight "the team is terrible" part because it absolutely affected his stats in a negative way. He's not the problem there. Josh Allen on Aaron Donald: "He's one of one, I think everybody knows that. It's scary to watch the film of him, but it's just understanding that you've got to go in with a plan."