JohnC

It's well known that the NHL desperately wants at the minimum have some form of the playoffs. There's a need to salvage some of the revenue loss from this catastrophic health event. Yet, when there is a discussion about how to do it the mountain of details that need to be addressed seem to be insurmountable. Right now the players are located all over the world. International travel in of itself is complicated for people entering the country. Will they have to be quarantined when they arrive before being allowed to go to their respective locations? What happens if a team is finally gathered and a player or staff member has the virus? Do all the players and staff then get quarantined? What happens if the players start playing and then a player or a coach has the virus? Do the games proceed? As the months pass by what is the level of fitness for each player and how long does it take to get in shape so that there isn't a greater risk of injury for the players? Most people are fixated on resuming play for this season. My bigger concern is not this year but next season. Even if there is a late start that doesn't necessarily mean that the virus is less prevalent resulting in the same difficult issues that are being addressed for this season. As I see it the call for cancellation of the AHL is likely to also happen for the NHL. The below link is an 11 min segment with EJ Hradek from the NHL Network on WGR. He brings up a lot of questions without having many answers to them. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/05-11-ej-hradek-from-nhl-network

You have a keen eye for hidden talent. Trey Adams is an interesting prospect. The issue with him is his health. He sustained a torn ACL in 2017 and missed most of 2018. Last year, he played with a bulky back. It was obvious that he didn't fully regain his form and live up to his potential. He's not just a big body who overmatched most of the players he went against in college. He is considered a good technician who knows how to play the position. That certainly is critical in making the leap from the college game to the pro game where you are not going to overmatch the opposition as much as you are going to stalemate them. It's not unreasonable to believe that if Adams didn't have to contend with the accumulated injuries in his career he had the talent to be a second or more likely a third round prospect. This is a player who after a year in a pro training program and using the time to get healthy and refresh his body he can eventually be a solid starting RT or more likely a quality backup player. And that would certainly be a terrific value pick.

Attached is a column by Lance Lysowski from the Buffalo News. It is a fan mailbag column in which he answers questions from the fans that mirror the issues that we discuss here. In the column he states the obvious that this roster needs to be better balanced with additions for the second line. He also notes that because of the shutdown from the coronavirus and the probable later resumption of the playoffs (that might or might not include the Sabres) player transactions are on hold which make it even more challenging for the Sabres to rework the roster. It's an open question whether Cozens, Tage and to a lesser degree Mittelstadt are ready to contribute. Yet it seems that a lot is riding on their ability to contribute. It's my opinion that this year's high first round will need to be packaged in a deal to get back an impacting second line forward that this team desperately needs. https://buffalonews.com/2020/05/09/buffalo-sabres-jason-botterill-ralph-krueger-carter-hutton-nhl-opinion-2020/

There are a few other good defenseman prospects in the system. Mattias Samuelsson, Pilut and Borgen come to mind. Yoki arguably is one of our most consistent blue liners. And Pilut is ready to play now. Included in the advanced young player group already playing in the NHL are Dominik Kakun and Yoki. In the few games I saw Kahun last year I was really impressed with his skills. I'm not sure he is a second-line caliber of player, but if not he is certainly a contributing third line NHL player. The challenge for the GM is to use some of his assets in a trade or two to better balance out the roster at the forward position.

The below link is a column by Jordan LaBarber writing for Sabres.com. He profiles Ryan Johnson, one of the first round picks, who is playing for the Univ. of Minnesota. The basic point of the article is that he is coming along as a prospect. My guess is that he is maybe two to three years away from being a NHL player. The Sabre system is not the richest prospect system in the NHL by far. But it has enough young talent in the system to absorb losing a high first round draft pick this year if the pick is dealt in a deal to bring in a young ready to play second-line forward. https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-prospect-profile-ryan-johnson-minnesota/c-316825840

The attached link is a WGR interview with Wayne Simmonds on the Instigator Show. This is a 25 minute segment. It's obvious that he is a high character and physical player. Will the Sabres re-sign him? I'm not sure. The Sabres certainly could use a younger version of Simmonds on the team. From what I saw in the few games that he played with Buffalo I thought he was a diminished player from what he was. In the interview he points out that he was still recovering and working his way back after a series of surgeries from the offseason. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/05-05-sabres-forward-wayne-simmonds

What is remarkable about the Patriot run under BB is that it was accomplished under a cap and free agency system. Think about the level of success he had and the organization had in a system that is designed to give advantages to teams that are down and disadvantages to teams are up through the drafting system, salary system and waiver claims. In a system designed for turning over rosters his teams remained consistently good even when his rosters were being turned over. He overcame a system with a built in cycle for success and decline. That to me is BB's and the organization's greatest achievement i.e. being consistently good for longer than a generation. There are the jealous critics who always point to the fact that BB had arguably the best qb in the history of the modern game directing his teams. What is conveniently left out is that other coaches and teams had HOF qbs such as Peyton, Favre, Elway and Rothlisberger etc taking the snaps and didn't come close to matching the success of New England. While others make excuses about their sustained success and their own failures I tip my hat to them.

If this season and playoffs are going to presume however which way then the trade market won't happen for this prolonged season. On the other hand there will be opportunities to make deals the next season which would start much later than usual. There is no reason that the player we take in this draft with our first pick can't be dangled in a deal or even in a multi-player deal after this season. Botterill has taken an approach that accentuates drafting and developing. He is invested in young players such as Tage, Mittelstadt, Cozens, Kahun and Yoki. If they don't develop as he hoped he will probably not get an extension on his contract that will run out next year. He made the plan and he is wedded to the plan.

As usual, excellent write up. In essence what you are saying is that their success is predicated on player development. Again, as you noted it seems that their HC and GM are in sync like McDermott and Beane are. One of the best coaching jobs that I have seen recently is what McDermott did in his first year (a playoff year) with a stripped down roster. I thought that Flores did an equally tremendous job with a cleaned out and thin roster. A lot of teams have hired Patriot coaches without much success. Flores, a former special teams coach with NE, seems to be on an upward trajectory where his prior NE associates have had less than middling success.

Where he was drafted doesn't necessarily reflect what his talent level is. Coming out of high school he was one of the top rated qbs. He then went to Auburn where the coach who recruited him left. According to a number of reporters and analysts who followed him at Auburn he ended up playing in a system that wasn't well suited to his individual talents. Without a doubt his college career didn't come close to matching his hype entering college. Are his extending circumstances a legitimate excuse for his disappointing college career? I can't say for sure. But what I can say is that based on the fact BB didn't pursue some qb options that were available, other than the Hoyer option, he is the designated starting qb. And that assessment was made by a few New England media people who commented on WGR. New England has been the most successful franchise in the NFL for longer than a generation. Based on their roster I don't believe that they will be a SB contending team. It shouldn't surprise anyone that they are to an extent in a rebuilding cycle. I don't see it as a major overhaul but they are in the process of clearing out some talent in order to bring in replacement talent.

When there is minimal body of work bordering on almost no body of work then it is unfair to judge a young player on his body of work. New England and BB had him on the roster last year. Mostly based on practice they should have an inkling on what he is capable of. I don't know if he is going to develop into a capable franchise qb. However, what is apparent is that the organization made no effort in the draft or made a significant qb acquisition other than bringing in the pedestrian veteran, Brian Hoyer, when there were more prominent qbs available such as Dalton, Winston and Newsome. My point is that I wouldn't be making any negative assumptions on him because he hasn't played.

There is not a state in this country where the highly contagious covidvirus doesn't exist. Each state has adapted stay home rules to deal with their specific situation. What is insidious about this virus is that people may have it without having symptoms resulting in further exposure. https://www.bing.com/search?q=covid+map+usa&form=EDGEAR&qs=LS&cvid=cd2e681c7a3149ea8012691dbf929237&cc=US&setlang=en-US&elv=AQj93OAhDTi*HzTv1paQdngOmn8ZZSwLdjFbdmbGYf44NTbbXLEtqDWsFdEanO8CVjhYPNWLT*h9a7lx3E89fEWIyNnT5yiFTMcPdJZmgboR&plvar=0&PC=HCTS

Don't kid yourself. Even before the coronavirus spread your associates participated in social distancing because you were nauseously odoriferous. If you want to know why the EPA kept showing up at your house it was because your neighbors repeatedly called them because they felt your property was contaminated.

I have known some power lifters who throughout the day consume a lot of protein drinks. I'm not saying this to be funny but when they fart it is like a chemical war zone. A killer gas exploding out of one's ass.

I'm asking a couple of questions and am not indicting. Do most of the participants in power lifting competitions take stuff to improve their performances? Or are many of these big fellows chemically inflated? And do people interested in this area of lifting stay away from cardio activities in order to become bulkier and stronger? Just curious.

My understanding is that assault rifles are legal in the US. Although I believe they may have to be modified.

I agree with you that there is a distinction between assault weapons and assault rifles. My reading is that law would be directed toward assault rifles. Very soon there should be a clarification as to which weapons are involved in this issue.

The proposed Canadian ban has not been finalized. But it mainly applies to assault rifles. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-politics-guns-idUSKBN22C3NS

Can't you blasted people over the pond speak proper English! Dam you people. Speak American! https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=my+fair+lady+the+rain+in+spain&docid=608028813110676132&mid=7144ABB96F486A5F6AE17144ABB96F486A5F6AE1&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

Gotham Bill, Attached is a link of Jeff Dantzler from the Bulldog Network on WGR talking about Fromm. It is an 11 min segment. Dantzler points out that Fromm hurt his draft standing at the combine. And he noted that because of the coronavirus plague he wasn't able to have interviews and workouts where he could rectify the combine perceptions. By all accounts Jake Fromm is an exceptional person who has a good head for the game. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/05-01-jeff-dantzler-from-the-georgia-bulldog-network-on-jake-fromm

You and I have different recollections of the pre-draft and post-draft assessments of Josh as a prospect. Most credible analysts acknowledged his raw physical talents while also acknowledging that he was very far from being a refined NFL qb. That is not only a fair assessment of him as a draft prospect but also an accurate assessment of him as a young NFL qb. There is no doubt that he had his critics as a prospect. But the reality is that most analysts had him rated as one of the top three to four qbs in the draft who would be picked early in the first round. And that is exactly what transpired. There are always going to be people who have extreme views on players from being elite to being a bust. But in general (my opinion) most credible analysts and hometown fans were reasonable and fair in how they evaluated him. My view of him in the early part of his career is that he has demonstrated improvement as a qb. I'm happy with his development but there is still a long way to go for his impressive physical to be fully actualized.

I always understood what you said about Fromm. There is a fanatical faction here who believe that any comment interpreted as a criticism of a Buffalo player, real or imagined, is a treasonous fan who should be hung by their testicles. I like Josh Allen and am happy that he is a Bill. However, I believe that Houston's Watson is a better qb now and will forever be. Many fans here believe that having an opinion contrary to the home crowd's tribal view is an unforgiveable traitorous transgression. It is a silly and childish way to follow sports.

I don't see him going to New England. By all accounts the HC seems invested in Stidham.

Keep your money in your wallet. Or use it to spend it on an enjoyable ice cream. At least you get something tangible with your money. Do you remember when derivatives were the rage on Wall Street? That incomprehensible product/market collapsed and contributed to the financial market crashing. There is a simple rule of thumb when investing: If the product is too complex for the layman to understand then stay away. If you want to gamble just go to the casino. At least there you have the added benefit of seeing some young babes shaking their booty while serving drinks so you will be less inhibited to throw more green stuff on the tables.

I thought you might appreciate this assessment of Jake Fromm from ESPN's Jim Nagy who was on WGR. His positive view corresponds with your view of him. He points out that Fromm outperformed Eason and Fields, now highly touted as a player at Ohio State, when they were at Georgia. He's not saying that he is better but that he competed against them and had to show something to earn the starting job. This is a 10 minute segment. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/04-30-espns-jim-nagy