d-dave

If you want to make a real statement, boycott the Panthers. No new Panthers licensed stuff, no games, no purchases, etc. That's about the only way peons like us can "take it" to big cats of the world.

Thanks! I am a pretty prolific reader. My poor sleep schedule! I also have started reading more in the daytime, like when my wife wants to watch her terrible 90 Day Fiancée Shows. I just put in my noise canceling headphones and I'm down for an hour of reading at a time lol. I also have a tendency to skim through crap. Like as soon as I see Rand start complaining, I skip to the last line of the paragraph to see if it's worth reading. LOL. Honestly, he's not a well written character at this point in my reading. I understand he goes through a lot of changes, but man he's whiney AF!

Too much dead money, too much for a team to pay, and his market is SO dead right now. CMC is going to have to come back and be a difference maker again. Then we'll see. As far as Rhule. Who knows? "be patient while I do impatient things."

Yes! I had to spend a LOT of time studying a map lol. Between WoT and the Witcher...so much fantasy geography!

Oh yeah, that was the weakest episode of the season for me. It was such a let down. The scene from the book is intense AF. I loved that part. I think they could have done something similar with the show, and keep the changes to Rand's exit.

I think the far bigger point is that Matt Rhule is a bad pro coach. He makes arbitrary decisions, and Matt Rhule being right is far more important than doing the right thing. Rhule's ego is enormous. It's costing the team, and will continue to do so.

That's the biggest thing for me. Imagine if they had 10-12 episodes? Sheesh, that would make life a lot easier. One of the best parts of the show, and what is so central to the story, is when the Emond's Fielders get to hangout. The chemistry of the cast is so good in those moments. In the books, that is one of the driving forces of the entire series. Seems that a lot of those moments were cut out of the show for the sake of getting the information across. My hope is that season 2 will have the time to adjust to the loss of the Mat actor and consequent recasting, and then be able to combine the main points of Book 2 and 3 (still working on three, but I have a good theory as I read it). Book 2 was entertaining, but way too long in certain aspects. There's a fair amount of fat to trim there. I saw on reddit someone say that WoT was a bunch of 800 page books that could have been cut in half. There is a bit of truth to that, and hopefully the showrunners will take the opportunity to showcase the important stuff without burying the story in poo.

Fun thought game, for sure! No idea what the Panthers will actually do. Here's mine 1. H. Reddick (OLB) - Got to think if Rhule is back, Reddick will be resigned. 11. F. Luvu (LB) - He's a must keep guy. He plays with so much energy! 2. S. Gilmore (CB) - No clue what he really wants, but I'd love to keep him as a vet presence and starter 22. M. Haynes (OLB/DE) - He's a good depth guy for sure. Though will probably get signed by Buffalo. 14. Z. Gonzalez (K) - Before he got hurt, he looks like the guy we need to be our kicker. 5. D. Jones (DT) - I'd love to see him back, very good mentor, but might get paid elsewhere. 15. A. Abdullah (RB/KR) - Loads of speed, I like him as a complimentary piece. 9. D. Jackson (CB) - I really thought he was playing very well. He might get a prove it deal, or he might leave for the paycheck. 19. B. Zylstra (WR) - I really like his utility. He's a useful piece and he should be pretty cheap. I love Cam, but this isn't the place for him anymore. Breaks my heart, but Cam either needs to retire or find a place that's going to be a better fit.

Ghost of Tsushima looks amazing! Since I upgraded my TV, I've noticed the new consoles really do bring that "extra" bit of polish and flair in games. I was messing around with Fallen Order the other day, and the train section in the beginning, where it's all wet and rainy was so pretty. The reflections, ambient light, etc. Super cool. I can't wait for more games to be "built" for these new platforms with their super fast SSDs and GPUs. I think we're all in for a treat!

After the first two or three episodes, I started reading. I finished the first book before I finished the show. You won't find any spoilers for the 2nd book in the first season. Really, it's more of a different kind of story-retelling, if that makes sense. It's adapted from the source material, but it's still fairly different, for some usually good reasons - some problematic.

The pro game is completely different from the college game, especially at BYU. That's why BC should have been starting and playing a LOT more. Another thing is the lack of communication. Without good communication, the OL will struggle. Because we've been playing shuffle the OL since August, there's next to zero chemistry, no one really knows what/how to communicate in our offense (that's a coaching issue). BC has to improve. But the only way that will happen is via reps and better coaching. Is he a better option than some of these other draft guys? Nope. I'd be thrilled if we could draft a true franchise LT, but it's going to come down to coaching, either way. Rhule and his incompetent staff need to go. Period.

So I was excited to see how Amazon took on an absolutely massive IP like Wheel of Time to bring it to the masses. I watched the first couple of episodes, then immediately ordered the entire series of books (they were half price in a holiday deal). I've been absolutely grabbed by both the show and the books for different reasons. I like the story the show is telling. The first novel, Eye of the World, is considered the weakest, and the producers were dealing with an actor who left before filming was wrapped. So the season is up and down. The meat of it was quite enjoyable. The last episode was kind of weak/hurried. They could have used 2-3 more episodes to allow the characters to grow and develop. The were some really rad moments in there, and as I start book three, there could be some super awesome stuff in store for the coming seasons. Anyone else? Thoughts? The first Episode felt like the MTV Shannara series - very TV hair commercial, but then it took that sheen off quickly.

I just got a Series X from Best Buy. I saw on Wednesday there was a restock so I tried it out, like I have but failed time and time again. This time, I got lucky. Not sure if they are using a lottery system or something like that, but because I used my BB rewards membership to log in and get in the list, it seems like it was weighted to give me priority over random folks over the internet. I played with it a little on Sunday (I picked it up at 1pm Sunday), and I love the speed of the SSD. Reminds me of playing on my laptop lol.

He's just so very inconsistent. There are times when he will fight through arm tackles and look very physical. Then there are times when he's taken out by the first guy. Then again, our OL is putrid, and that will effect any RB behind them. I think he could be a quality guy. I hope so. You can see when he gets some room, he's got some wheels. The problem is everyone knows we're playing within 10 years of the LOS all game long so he's running into 8-9 all day long.

I tried to watch out for him as much as possible, easier said than done. What I saw were two tackles having to try to carry the load of a crappy interior OL. I mean, BC wasn't near as bad as Erving usually is. He had some bad plays, but then again, the NO defense schemed up blitzes that exposed his lack of experience. The delayed/corner/edge blitzes beat him pretty routinely. He also did a fair amount of holding that wasn't called, par for the ref crew. I mean, it wasn't a trash game, but he did some good and had some real "learning" moments. Would having a real LG next to him help? How about a Center or QB who can make the calls at the line? Oh yeah. But he wasn't all bad. Honestly, the iOL was so putrid he was just trying to make something out of nothing.

I know there are several pro-Matt Rhule accounts, trolls or not, and I would be interested to see what their perspective is? Jokes are sad-funny-true. We're a worse team than when Rhule was hired. In nearly two seasons, we have simply spun wheels without making a real progress. Tepper paid Rhule very well to run around in a circle. I'm just not sure how you can justify Rhule's process going forward at all.

Man, this thread gets me so excited! Too bad we're probably stuck with Rhule. I'd love to move on, but I have no idea what Tepper is going to do. If Rhule is back, I have no hope for 2022.

Hold on, Erving was a first round talent!!! He should just "be" better!? I figure we're stuck with Matt for at least next season, so he'd better figure out that players are more than draft positions and numbers. I hold zero hope for 2022 with Rhule at the helm, but at least Christensen wasn't complete dog poo. The rest of the line...

I'm really starting to wonder if that reddit conspiracy theory is holding up: Matt is going to pull out all the stops to make Sam look good while pooing on Cam to prove his point/ego. Also, fact is Rhule has coddled Sam, but beat the other three black qbs to bits about their decision making... I'm not saying Matt is showing favoritism, but it really can be viewed from an unflattering perspective. I also understand, in a way, for putting Darnold back out there. May as well see what you're working with. Has he changed any? Or is he still poo? I'm guess Sam still sucks... Matt just needs to stick with one guy, and ride that horse until the end of the season.

My curiosity is what has Matt Rhule done to demonstrate improvement. Coaches have done a lot more with less in NFL history. But a bigger thing for me is that Rhule has no improved in his game time decision making, situational awareness, and roster building. I'm happy to be proved wrong if Rhule is able to turn things around next season, but I don't see the point in keeping him around if we're not progressing as a team.

Honestly, Rhule is a really good college coach. It hasn't translated in the NFL. It's just a different game, and he's not picked up on the differences. The DBO sign, the fact he's raving about the athletic profiles of guys who suck (Cam Erving) as players, the game and time management decisions, etc. Look Rhule did some great work at Temple and Baylor, but I think that's where he needs to stay.

I bet we're seeing the result of all these Antonio Brown style vaccinations. But I also wonder if they are getting the Omicron variant? That one seems to be the one that can more easily bypass vaccinations.

Personally, I love DJ. This year has been problematic for a lot of reasons. DJ has had some drops, but he's also been our best WR who isn't a RB. But the main problem I hear and read about him is his sloppy route running. Now he's only 25 so he's got plenty of time to work on that, but I'd really want to see him make a concerted effort to improve there. It will help him get open more consistently. DJ has a really laid back personality, which puts him at odds with the Michael Irvin style diva WR. But DJ is a hard worker, plays hurt, and makes plays. He's had his issues this year, for sure. So has most of the team. I still remember one of the most impressive plays that wasn't made this year. He ran a zig zagging route 70 yards down the field at 100 mph. Dude made everyone else look like they were standing still. Sam didn't throw him the ball, else it would have been an easy TD.

Well, hopefully Rhule was clothed in your dream!

Another off season isn't going to fix his coaching. We haven't seen a coach improve in how he evaluates players, how he manages the game, or delivering a message. That's the biggest problem I have regarding keep Rhule for year three. He's not shown any growth as a professional, and that's the problem.