MHS831

Yes. I do not want to cut any of them--scared the next Coker, Hoover, Theilen etc. is in there. I just get the feeling that we researched the bottom of the roster as much or more than the top.

I wrote a long dissertation on who they would pick, breaking down the draft by needs and player availability and concluded (at that time) that we would go WR in the first. Being right is humbling and dignifying. I predicted that the Panthers would draft Matthew Golden.

It is probably harder to justify taking plays off in a draft where you are drafted six picks after a freak of nature--How Hunter did it is beyond me--and in Colorado of all places! WRs run sprint after sprint. Arizona was playing from behind a lot and that means pass every play. I get it.

Imagine where we'd be if AT retired and an UDFA had not secured a roster spot and played well.

Here is how I do it--consider that most teams improve (at least on paper) each year: QB: Can we say we improved here? Bryce is trending up and we got him 3 weapons and no more protection. WASH RB: Adding Dowdy and Eteinne is a pretty significant upgrade. UPGRADE TE: Adding a large TE with good hands and initial quickness over Thomas. Tremble and Sanders should improve. UPGRADE. OT: Ickey is improving each season and Moton (we hope) will be healed up and ready to go. WASH OG: No changes WASH C : No changes WASH WR: Added the best WR in the draft, one that other teams tried to trade up to get. Added Horn, and the Colorado WRs were scary good (making Shedeur look good). XL and Coker will improve. Lots to like. UPGRADE In my view, we needed to upgrade WR, TE, and RB. We did. I am guessing that C and OT are on the table to be upgraded in 2026. Edge: Nic and Princely replace Barno and Johnson and join Clowney, Wonnum, and Jones. Strong room. Biggest Need. UPGRADE DL: We get Brown back, so upgrade without doing another thing. Wharton, Brown III are both upgrades. Cam Jackson as a rookie NT---depth and size we did not have. UPGRADE LB: We added Rozenboom in free agency, and he was a decent addition. I think we will add an UDFA. I think our LB play will improve with better edge, DL, and S play. SLIGHT UPGRADE CB: Horn and Jackson are back, both following their best seasons. We added a CB (Devonshire) off the waiver wire and there are a few UDFAs who could actually make the team. WASH S: Ransom and Moehrig will probably start, with Richardson and (maybe Nick Scott) as depth. I think we are going to like these Safeties. UPGRADE We had desperate needs for Edge players, IDL, and Safeties. We upgraded them all. I am not happy with the ILB situation or CB depth. Special Teams: Too early to tell. BASICALLY, ON OFFENSE WE UPGRADED WEAPONS IN 3 AREAS WITH 4 PLAYERS. THE OL IS UNCHANGED. ON DEFENSE, WE UPGRADED DE, NT EDGE, AND S--4 AREAS WITH 4 DRAFT PICKS (edge, edge, safety, and nose) and 5 FREE AGENTS (nose, defensive end/DT, edge, corner, safety) THAT IS A HUGE OVERHAUL, with starters at DE (2), NT, OLB Edge, and Safety--a total of 6 of 11 players who did not play last season (including D. Brown). We won 5 games last season. I think we can win 8.5 if all goes well.

Smitty probably envies a 6-5 guy and sees him taking his gifts for granted. He had to work his butt off to play outside at 5-9. I think perspective has a lot to do with his evaluation. TMac played on a bad team. He was on the field a lot. Maybe he makes an assumption when he states that TMac loafed when the ball was not coming to him. Maybe he was advised to catch his breath during those plays--conditioning, coaching, etc. could have been an influence. Smitty can say what he sees, but not why he sees it, if that involves assessing TMac's mindset.

A friend of mine, Chip, was taking an exam in a business course that he had failed twice before. He would have to drop out of his major if he failed it for a third time--he claimed the professor, Dr. Brown, despised him, and several others who had Dr. Brown's class with Chip confirmed that Dr. Brown's hatred for Chip was obvious. Before the exam, Chip was up all night cramming, confiding to his roommate Jeff how nervous he was. Jeff was understanding and listened carefully. During the exam (an evening course) Jeff was at work delivering flowers for a local florist. As Chip describes it, a woman (another student who worked with Jeff) entered the classroom with flowers and a card with the words "Dr. Brown" written on the card. The professor immediately sent the girl out; Jeff was watching from the hallway. She left the flowers on his desk and scampered out. Chip laughed because he thought the professor, a man he hated, was being pranked. A few minutes later, the professor opened the envelope, and read the card. Chip was still laughing. He walked toward the students, still taking a timed test, and stopped at Chip's desk, staring at him. Chip stopped laughing. He dropped the card on Chip's desk while snarling at him silently. Chip read the card, "Dr. Brown. I can't tell you how much I have grown under the three semesters of your tutelage and guidance. You are my role model. I will miss you." --Chip Fxxxxx. Chip made a C.

The most important aspect of a prank is that it has no singular victim or is not personal in any way. The genius of a prank is that it might elevate the fun of a rivalry or something like that. This had a victim--and it was targeting an individual so it is malicious and stupid in that his father's job could have been compromised. As stated, I would have thought it was funny at age 22, but I grew up. I think Jared Allen's friends did the same thing to him by calling him from a back room at his draft party---that was wrong too, but they were in their early 20s. In fact the one story I did not share about the pranks between Yale and Harvard (not verified, but funny): https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/a-harvard-stadium-pigeon-prank-that-pavlov-would-be-proud-of

Not trying to pry, but 1 year old is too young to play football. I stand firm on that position. ...Wasn't there a player who was drafted and everyone bought his jersey and then he changed the number before camp?

have not heard about that. Funny that so many people think an Edge helps other edges--they should help the OTs more than anyone else.

When I was in my early 20s, this kid wound have been put on a pedestal. Not only did he get the information from an Atlanta coach, he framed the Saints. He is on a different level. Don't get me wrong--it was stupid-- and if I was his dad I would be pissed--but the nerve--the balls---the unbridled disregard for the consequences of the establishment--few people have ever reached this level. But there are others who were more brilliant, but for these examples, we have to go to the Ivey League and MIT. Let's start with MIT: During the 1982 season, seven members of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) managed to bury a weather balloon under the field in Harvard's stadium over a three-week period. The meticulous planning and technologically advanced prank led to those MIT students (safely) disrupting the Harvard/Yale game during the second quarter. The balloon, with "MIT" written all over it, inflated to eight feet before popping. The student newspaper at MIT covered the event with a simple, fitting headline. "Saturday's score: MIT 1, Harvard/Yale 0." -------------------- Yes, another Harvard/Yale game. This time, though, MIT wasn't involved. No, this clever trick in 2004 was the brainchild of two Yale students with the assistance of about 20 others. Disguised as "Harvard Pep Squad" members, the Yale students distribute red and white placards to the Crimson crowd. They assured the fans that "Go Harvard" would be spelled out on the cards. In reality? "WE SUCK" appeared on the Harvard side. --------------------------

About Clowney. He has developed into a leader and his value might be more than his performance would indicate. Young teams need that, which is why character matters. On the other hand, a veteran player can override the coaching--supposedly during meetings, after the coach would say something, players would look at Rodgers for confirmation. Players are in their twenties for the most part and easily influenced.

You should. My brother-in-law is an OSU graduate and a chiropractor in Columbus Ohio. He is active and religious about Buckeye football. I asked him about Ransom when we drafted him--here is his response: "I really like Ransom! Hard hitter, nose for the ball, high football IQ. Didn't get much attention because he was playing opposite Caleb Downs, probably the best DB in the country & a high first round pick next year."

Keep ICE away from him.

Sell Jeremy, Sell. That surgery you have been saving for can happen. Be liberated!!