Dr. Who
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Posts posted by Dr. Who
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It will splinter the vote some more, and outside Florida, Rubio has very little support. He had a strong debate a few weeks back, but failed to generate voter support after that. I'm guessing there's now a lot of voices on the back bench telling him to get out before Florida. I think it was flipped a few weeks ago with pressure on Kasich to drop out, but after a strong showing in Michigan, support switched. With Rubio gone sooner than later, the votes among the three will be much closer. Kasich should be much more competitive in non-conservative states and grab most of the 65% I Hate Trump vote.
Well, tactically, I don't see the benefit of Rubio getting out before Florida. He's not taking many votes elsewhere right now. After Florida, he probably should get out. Of course, if he wins Florida, he won't, so it's rather bad either way (assuming one does not want Trump.) As I dislike both Trump and Cruz (and vote GOP because I am not a progressive,) this has been a very disappointing nomination process.
In any event, it's moot, because I can't see Rubio dropping out before a Florida result.
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The Trump phenomenon was created actually by Obama. In many ways they are the mirror image of each other. Trump's wall is no different than Obama's halting the rise of the oceans. They're both selling Hope and Change, just in different packages. If Obama can get elected so can Trump. Sad, isn't it?
I surmise that most of the media would still want to get Hillary elected. I suspect there will be much more negative material coming out in abundance if Trump secures the GOP nomination. Though, of course, Clinton is a very flawed candidate herself. Who knows? I have never felt this alienated from the American public. Both right and left seem to me immensely stupid.
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Might be a bigger bump to Kasich.
Every dropout is a blow to Trump but it might be too late. They all hung on to hope for far too long. And Rubio staying on in Florida will almost certainly give it to Trump, which is a major blow to the anti-Trump movement.
So far as I can tell, Rubio is the only one with a chance to beat Trump in Florida. Since it's a winner take all state for delegates, supporters of non-Trump candidates should hope Rubio wins it.
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I don't think the Bills can get worse in the free agency period. None of the losses were that important and they paved the way for OL continuity,
Add a couple of guys that fit Rex better at DL or LB on reasonable deals, the defense should be marginally better. Communication issues get sorted, they're possibly 2 wins better on their own.
We retain pretty much everyone offensively that helped lead the NFL in rushing. 2nd year in a system, QB still on a cheap deal.
I think the team would have to suffer catastrophic injuries to do worse than last year. Being better relies on better coaching/execution. Same as with 31 other teams.
This is far too rational and seems to miss the required pessimism to be in this thread.
Where do you see us drafting the first three rounds or so?
I forgot who you write for. Where's your draft analysis stuff?
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Let Jahri play RG and Cog the LG. That leaves us with having to find a starting caliber RT and this rushing attack is rollin.
That's a nice plan if we can afford it. Not so nice if it's Evans or Cog. Since Jahri is apparently suited to RG, if Cog is not resigned, what do they do, move the less than overwhelming rookie Miller over to LG? Doesn't sound very promising.
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Bailey is back with the Amerks to further develop his game. Wouldn't be surprised to see them sign Fasching at the end of his Minnesota Gophers' season this year and get a taste of the NHL as the year winds down. In addition to getting an excellent prospect, GMTM should be able to swing deals for good players at the draft because there will be several teams up against a flat salary cap with no ability to sign pending RFAs.
I am really looking forward to seeing what GMTM does this off-season. Didn't know Bailey was back with the Amerks. I live in Atlanta, so it's hard to keep current.
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I'll admit I overreacted to the McEichel game the other night because I was just like "really?" but the Sabres absolutely must contend for the playoffs next season. It looks like Lehner is legit, Ocho is a decent backup, and they have a lot of pieces in place. GMTM has a lot of draft picks to work with to fill in the gaps, and the way they're finishing they'll have a shot at a really good prospect as well.
Anything less than a 90+ pt. season next year will be very bad news...
It's going to be Lehner and Ullmark down the line. We're fine between the pipes. We need a LHD to pair with Risto and a talented top six that can take advantage of Eichel's superior skills. Bailey is already up. Next year, add Fasching -- sign him first! Maybe Baptiste makes the leap. GMTM, as you note, has the ammo to get some players. I think Stamkos will cost too much, but who knows? Anyway, I expect to contend for the playoffs next year and be a Cup contender in two to three years.
Oh, and it would be nice if the hockey gods let us win the draft lottery. No matter, we should get a nice player at the top of the draft.
Hey, Bettman, the draft is in Buffalo this year. That means, enough Edmonton #1s overall already . . .
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As it stands, the Bills are second worst in terms of cap space. After the Clay restructure they'll be tied for 5th worst. They aren't in cap hell, but they aren't in good shape either.
I think they did overspend, but for me (I've been following the team for 45 years) it was refreshing to have an owner with deep pockets.
I trust OBD will figure it out. Even if we're in a tight spot now and perhaps for a season or two. Over the long haul, having owners like Terry and Kim Pegula will only be helpful, imo.
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Yeah, the "all in" language is silly. The Bills are finally spending to the cap -- which is what every team should do every season. It's not like 2015 was a "make or break" year for a veteran team about to be torn apart -- they spent a lot of money to upgrade the offense and now they have to make decisions (like every team) about re-signing FAs and how they will compose the roster for 2016.
The hand-wringing about the Bills' cap situation is nonsensical.
I think people are just not used to the Bills spending to the cap. So, when we did so, it "feels" like an all in, when, as you say, it should just be normal procedure.
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I was delightfully SHOCKED to see so many Sammy intermediate routes, especially over the middle. I don't really understand why that wasn't happening all year but glad to see it. Next year we need to do way more of that.
But in general I agree. Feed the man. Keep the targets up.
Get a real #2 receiver and a real RT and this offense ought to be dangerous to anyone.
This is the perfect Rx. Hope Whaley, Rex, and Roman get this right.
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Actually, I don't ignore the fact that Rex has a "pretty consistent history of fielding good defenses"
I question the premise - that he has a "pretty consistent history of fielding good defenses"
Team ranks during Rex tenure as DC (Ravens) or HC (Jets, Bills) [scroll down]:
By one metric, Yards per Game, Rex has indeed had top-5 defenses from 2005-2008 with the Ravens and 2009-2011 with the Jets, top-10 defenses 2x (2012, 2014) and 11th one year (2013).
Sounds great.
But YPG are only one metric. Points per game is the other dominant metric - after all, to stop a team from winning, you must stop them from scoring points.
By that metric, Rex's record is more mixed: 10th, 1st, 22nd, 3rd with the Ravens; 1st, 6th, and most troubling, recently 20th (2x), 19th, 24th with the Jets, 16th this year with the Bills. Bottom half of the league the last 5 years.
When there's a big discrepancy between points per game, and yards per game, for a D, it bears close scrutiny. It means something. It might mean that the D is "all or nothing" - they get a lot of 3 and outs, but they also give up the big play, thus allowing points with not many yards. It could mean their ST sucks or their O gives up a lot of turnovers, leading to poor field position to defend. Or the fact that 5 of the 6 bad years on points per game are recent, could mean that OC's have "solved" Rex's D and figured out how to attack it. I simply haven't had the interest to dig into it.
I don't think it's entirely O turnovers to blame when Rex has a bad year (a claim Rex's staff has made, "Geno killed us with turnovers"), because Rex had a good year in 2005 (10th on points) when the Ravens were 28th in the Takeaway/Giveaway ratio and his best year (2008, #1 both categories) when the Ravens were mediocre (16ht) in T/G. This year with the Bills, a poor year defensively (20th on yards, 16th on points so far) the Bills are 10th in T/G. So I don't quite know what to make of that, but it's not quite as simple as "Rex needs a ball-hawking 2ndary" or "Rex's D takes the fall when the O sticks them in bad field position with turnovers" - that may contribute sometimes, but it's not the whole story.
The bottom line seems to be, Rex's history on D is actually spotty, and for the last 5 years in PPG it's been the bottom half of the league with no excuse about turnovers handy this year with the Bills.
I don't give Whaley no responsibility. I believe Rex was a group hire by Brandon, both Pegulas, and Whaley. I think he charmed them all and persuaded them all to buy into him. I don't understand what evidence anyone has to think otherwise. But I also think there's an ameliorating circumstance for Whaley: I think Rex persuaded Whaley by saying all the right things, claiming he's not a scheme guy, he's a football guy, just give him great football players and he'll put them into positions to succeed (this belief is supported by Rex's published words in his new-hire and spring pressers). Rex may even sincerely believe that about himself, but his actions this year as HC and defacto DC speak against that belief as matching reality. He ran an undisciplined team with no apparent accountability, and no apparent adjustments when he must have seen that the players weren't executing for whatever reason (late plays, lack of buy-in, unsuitability to scheme, injury).
Nice post. Reasonable conjecture and I think you are right in your surmise about the trajectory on Rex's defense and the ambiguity about his character.
Alas, not much there to inspire hope.
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I like Pagano as a person. Have no idea what kind of coach he would be, but could it be any worse than what we've got now?
Hopefully the communication issues get straightened out, whoever is the putative DC.
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He is a good coach. He also cheats and Tom Brady is his qb -- who also probably cheats and is good.
Lack of character is why respect is grudging and/or mitigated.
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It won't. The meddling in mediocrity will continue.
I strongly suspect you are right.
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Don't be so sure this is gonna happen.
And there is no clear or major conflict between Doug and Rex.
Polian might be trusted, but only to a degree by Pegulas.
The only real negative energy emanating from the locker room seems to be from a player who is on his way out.
jw
So. Mario, that can't shock anyone.
I am not happy with Rex. Hope it works out.
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The question I have is whether Rex's exotic schemes that work well against the old five and seven step drops will ever be successful against the spread, quick release offense.
If the ball is coming out so fast, it doesn't matter how clever and confusing you are with your blitzes.
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thebandit27,
I think your reasoning and thought process is sound, but sometimes one just has to realize when dialogue isn't going to get you anywhere but perpetual frustration.
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Seriously, all this complaining and analysis is a moot point.
Ryan will bring in players better suited for his defense.
The players that remain, presumably, will have a full grasp of the big playbook.
The o-line needs a RT badly, but there is hope for that side of the ball as well.
If you just can't stand the thought of Rex, better tune out at least for next year.
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You're probably right that they won't fire him.
But I want to ask you honestly, with sincerity and no hostility, what do you like about Rex Ryan? What has he shown this season that makes you confident he will do better next season. Do you believe that the Bills under him will ever be consistently good over a season, let alone five or ten years, the way the Pats or Steelers or Broncos have been?
It was a naive hire. The Pegulas are very decent and I am very grateful they saved the Sabres and Bills for Buffalo.
They were charmed by Rex. He's a likeable guy. He doesn't appear to be a good head coach.
He won't adapt to his players, so we appear to have payed a lot for DL when lbs and dbs are a premium for his scheme.
He doesn't appear to make good in-game adjustments and he is too fun and friendly to instill discipline.
But it's a five year contract, so all one can do is hope we get players more suited to his style and that the offense makes another jump forward as well.
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The last time the Buffalo Bills made the post-season, the infamous Music City forward lateral, I was at my best friend's funeral.
I was in my mid-thirties. Little did I suspect I would be in my early fifties and still waiting to see the red white and blue field a decent team.
I feel like Charlie Brown, Lucy, and the football this season. It's one too many times.
I'll root for the team, but I'm not buying any hype. Game-to-game and I'll wait and see if they can do something other than disappoint.
I'm not sold on Ryan. He's fun and likeable, but his trend is not good. Two good early years, then mediocrity or worse.
Maybe he'll work out, but initial sense is the also likeable Pegulas fell for the sweet talk. Hue Jackson and Jim Shwartz sounds a lot better just now.
I am not sold on TT, but he's the best of a bad lot. Maybe he'll work out. I'm one of those who was hoping EJ would emerge with sound coaching.
I'm disgusted with the "fans" who continue to take gratuitous shots at him and those who hoped he'd turn out well. The hell with youse guys.
I would certainly continue to develop Taylor, but I would also definitely keep taking flyers in the draft until I had a surefire top ten qb.
I think Hackenburg was poor in college the last two years, but he has talent. If he falls in the draft, maybe you take a shot. There's this big kid, Carlton Wentz at North Dakota who is supposed to be a sleeper. We need to upgrade RT, o-line depth, and we still need a strong #2 WR.
Defense, we need lbs and safeties. Mario will be restructured or cut. I'd rather restructure, but we'll see. I like Whaley, but I liked him better before this year went splat -- again. Special teams: Bye Crossman. I'd look for a kicker that is reliable and has a strong enough leg that one doesn't need to hold a roster spot for a specialist. Then again, maybe we need to spend a spot on a fair catch specialist.
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I think Ryan makes a fool out of himself sometimes. I think he goes overboard sometimes. But the guy is fun and wants to have fun and some if not most of the criticisms of him being a clown and ridiculous, exemplified by the fake IK outrage, is the same kind of stuff we hate the NFL for taking all the fun out of the game.
Criticizing him as a coach, for when his defense is not playing well or the team is losing, of course, is all legit.
Most people lose their sense of playfulness as life goes on.
Corporate NFL is all about making money, but love for the game ought to include the sheer joy of the contest.
As you note, a sense of fun won't make up for poor performance, but it sure makes it easier to root for a jovial fellow over a mumbling, killjoy cheat (for example.)
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We are overly litigious as a society and often overly sensitive and just waiting to take offense.
Imo, the fellow was a dope for taking the sign. Sports, especially football, are driven by emotion.
An athlete excels because he is spirited (what the ancient Greeks called thumos.)
I think it's fair to ask an athlete to refrain from avoidable violence like hitting an unprotected player, but I actually expect the kind of response Cam had to the sign.
Doesn't strike me as thuggish; more like a spirited, instinctive reaction to finding enemy propaganda in the house.
My instinct was to laugh, not indulge in moral outrage.
There are plenty of real evils in this world to invoke that.
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Correlation between people who support Hardy and people who think EJ is good = +1.0
What an inexcusably stupid comment. Most EJ "supporters" hoped he would improve and wanted to see how he would do with better coaching.
This does not make them thickheads, but even if it did, it would not imply that they were callous and stupid.
On the other hand, the fact that you felt the need to drag EJ into this thread at all and used it as an opportunity to gratuitiously bash other Bills' fans is a sign of vicious character. So, let other readers decide where the better analogy lies.
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Doesn't sound like it in his pressers. He continues to make excuses, he agreed with his players to an extent but I'm skeptical that things drastically change. Rex's ego is too big.
Yes, the hope for humility with Rex is probably like asking Donald Trump to be quiet and reserved.
He has said that he'll not repeat the same mistakes he made as HC of the Jets. Here's a premium chance to prove he's true to his word and keep some of his most important players engaged and in his camp.
I agree with this. I guess we'll find out soon.
Do We Have Any Bernie Sanders Supporters Among Us?
in Politics, Polls, and Pundits
Posted
Right, but in a presidential election, unless one wants to merely register a vote of conscience, there are only two choices that have a legitimate chance to win. I suppose it's possible under extraordinary circumstances, a third party candidate might garner significant votes. Personally, I suspect I won't be voting if things continue along the path they appear to be going.