Fan in Chicago

I was responding to the statement that the position of your first pick matters on draft day. One # 1 pick does not make your point. Ben was #14 (I think) and again, Pats* regularly draft low. Detroit, 49ers have been picking high for years with marginal results. Draft strategy, good scouting and consistently picking high performers is the key to long term success in the NFL today, irrespective of draft position. How does whatever you wrote refute my rebuttal to that point ?

Wrong. All that matters is picking the right players for your team year after year. If you are picking teams to make your point, I will chose perennially elite teams such as the Colts, Steelers, Patriots* as examples of teams who regularly pick out of the top 10 (or even 20) yet manage to bring in enough talent to stay at the top. I will root for us winning every game day with no ifs, ands or buts.

Highest RZ efficiency One of the least penalized team in terms of number of penalties and # of yards. Guys, we are heading in the right direction

Freddie 6 rushes 35 yards so far. nice

Excellent play calling so far on O

Long drive time wise but we havent moved much

Nice play kiddo ! (Nelson)

No kidding !! That was huge mistake trying to jam that in there considering the coverage

Need to make a D stand

In which case, I will endorse, nominate and vote for you.

Having the ninth highest tackles so far this season isn't good enough for you ? http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=0&statisticCategory=TACKLES&conference=null&season=2010&seasonType=REG Are you going to rationalize away that stat to support your contention that he is not good ? Poz is not a problem on our defense.

Hey guys, Just writing a quick note from India where I have been vacationing for the past 2 weeks and will be for the next 5 days or so. Missed the Chiefs and Bears game though none of them gave us the coveted first win. I was supposed to return this Saturday but work called and gave me an opportunity to present at a conference so will be back next week. Some views from this side of the globe: - The Obama visit was a huge hit. Newspapers, TV, people were totally enamoured by both the Obamas and there is lot of respect for them here. The question most often raised was how his visit really helped the Indian economy (which I suppose is a good thing for the US economy if you believe in a zero sum game which ofcourse it never is) - It is friggin hot here in Mumbai even in November and most houses I visit don't have a/c. Friends and relatives have been going overboard to entertain me though - Food is incredible - been eating everything I want, any where I want and so far the tummy is totally stable - Have been following the Bills the rare times I find an internet cafe and I suppose this was as good a year as any to miss three games. having said all of the above, I am already home sick and can't wait to get back. Stay cool my friends and see you on the other side in a few days.

In addition to the above, I would say that Cutler came to Chicago with a lot of fanfare and lot of hoopla. The expectations were gargantuan as they should have been considering what the Bears gave up for him. But pairing him with Martz was the wrong move (heck not too many QBs and offenses are matched well to Martz anyway but that is besides the point). As it is Cutler is careless with the ball and not a game manager. Both are qualities that I want in a QB, hence I prefer Fitz (atleast the way he has played these past few games). Another thought may be that Gailey is making the most of what Fitz has to offer - a studious approach to the game, fast thinking on the field and ability to take calculated risks. Perhaps Gailey could have done the same for Cutler but Cutler does not strike me as a learner type. Hence my vote goes for Fitz and I hope he continues to do well for us

Actually it makes some sense to me. I think Kelsay is mostly an average player better against the run than pass. We need serious talent at the LB and DE position but not every player needs to be a super-star. Contrary to popular belief, I don't think Kelsay sucks. He is locked up as there is one less hole to fill next year as we go for the impact LB and DE in draft/FA. That player will replace the likes of Maybin (should he not improve), Torbor and not Kelsay.

Except the OP was referring to the nominations for NFL Fedex Air Player of the week which is a category open only to QBs.

I wouldn't mind that conversation at all. In a previous thread, I had mentioned hoping that Dallas keeps losing (besides for the usual Cowboy-hate reasons) so that Wade gets fired and we have a chance to get him. I think he will be great as a pure DC. If Nix agrees, he can probably mend the fence between RW and WP. Boy Wade and Bruce DeHaven both back with Gailey as OC - throw in a bit of talent and we are good to go for years. That should be the most formidable combination of coaches in the league.

And never more evident than in their decision to get hitched during the prime of their career and age. They should uniformally leave the commitments for after their career has played out.

I am looking for a turnaround this season which implies I like reversing the culture of losing which means no #1 pick. If our core starts emerging over the next few games, I would consider this to be a very successful season.

Interesting - a simple graph yet quite indicative of his career thus far. I think for some QBs, the light goes on and they start playing well. Others show a gradual improvement. What I find encouraging is that in his last 6 games, the lowest has been ~ 82 which is pretty good. I think it is too early to tell if he that proverbial bulb has flickered on. One likelihood is that Gailey is designing plays to take advantage of his skills and hence we can expect to see the same range of ratings. If there were weaknesses for opposing teams to take advantage of, the Ravens of all teams would have done that. Him having passed a tough test gives me some hope for the rest of this season. Lets not get our hopes too high and expect the same high performance for every game. If he consistently performs in the 90-100 rating, 250-300 yards, 2-3 TDs and a few tens of yards rushing, I will be quite pleased.

Nice of them to say those things. If I guess correctly, they are going to take this as a wake up call and beat the living daylights out of the Dolphins after their bye week.

Good to see your Thoughts back. I few comments: - I could not watch the entire game but whatever little I saw, made me think that Whitner is not playing like a high first rounder. If the mistakes were indeed him alone, I wouldn't be surprised to see the coaching staff make a stand and bench him for a game or two - Maybin seems to be in the dog house and will need to do a lot to emerge out of it - Man it feels good to see a functional offense. Its been a while - I like the fact that Fitz is aggressive. Sure he makes mistakes sometimes but I will take it - Depends on how Fitz plays the rest of the year will ofcourse determine draft strategy. But I sure hope the FO does not stubbornly stick to their BPA philosophy. Having said that, if they believe one of the top QB prospects is indeed a franchise-worthy choice, they should take him. Let him sit a couple of years behind Fitz and then we have the luxury of trading one away. If such a QB is not available, go RT, LB or DE

I particularly liked how the team and Fitz in particular handled the TD drive. No panic, no rush, no nervousness. The announcers were saying that 'they need to hurry up' but it was critical that we got some score on that drive and it was worth the measured pace to make sure we did that without stupid mistakes and penalties. For that calm demeanor alone, I give the O high grades.

I will add that this terrific O performance was against the vaunted Ravens D. Oh, but wait it was because they were looking past the Bills and waiting for the bye week For weeks I have been hearing how Fitz played well against 'inferior' defenses. Today's game proved a lot in favor of Gailey and Fitz - they got a lot done with a make-shift OL, supposedly second tier QB, mostly no-name WRs etc.

Officials just making sure the Ravens have a comfortable shot at the FG

Why was the whistle not blown ???? Is this reviewable ??