"Two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl"... Two people connecting in a foreign land whose personal lives were out of sync. The Bill Murray character didn't jump on the young bride (Scarlett Johansson), which was commendable. And it was difficult imo not to like her/empathize with her and her marriage/meaning of life dilemmas. And Murray, with his hitting the midlife crisis wall. It was pretty gloomy, not at all reflecting the experience that a newlywed couple would have over there, for sure. But a good movie nonetheless. This place in Kyoto was impressive- if you haven't seen it and you go back to Japan some day I would strongly recommend checking it out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanjūsangen-dō
That makes interesting conversation, Boombastic, b/c I usually stick to my guns when watching players, but every year like clockwork there's a guy or two I really like whom I start questioning myself about b/c he seems to be non-hyped or downgraded for this and that despite my eyes telling me all the kid does is produce..... and it's funny you mention Barron & Watt b/c those were the first two who came to mind after reading your first sentence. I was highly smitten with both, but with Barron I really began second guessing my eyes after reading scouting profiles like "Has the makings of a heck of a special teams player" from Bunting. BTW, I don't care who we have at LB; I wouldn't be upset if we drafted Te'o and had our own Ray Lewis to QB the defense the next dozen years. Why the hell not, right. Look at the elite LBs over the decades and see what they have in common, and it's often that they're a key piece to a sustained, top NFL defense. Ray Lewis (10 seasons w/ scoring D ranked 3.5 on avg) Brian Urlacher (5 top 4 scoring Ds) Derrick Brooks (10 years w/ scoring D ranked 5.5 on avg) Patrick Willis (3 top 4 scoring D over past 4 years) Ray Nitschke (1st or 2nd ranked scoring D 7 straight years, followed by 3rd, 4th, 3rd) Mike Singletary (six straight years of scoring D ranked 2.5 on avg) Jack Lambert/Ham (#1 or #2 scoring D in 5 of 7 years) Zach Thomas (5 Top 5 scoring Ds in 9 years) Randy Gradishar (and Tom Jackson) from the Orange Crush Broncos D of the 70's Sam Huff (3x #1 scoring D, 1 championship, 6 playoff trips in 8 years) Isiah Robertson (Rams top 4 scoring D 5 straight years, including twice #1... followed by 4 straight years in Buffalo ranked 8th or better) Nick Buoniconti (Top 6 scoring D 6 straight years, including twice #1) Willie Lanier/Bobby Bell (Chiefs top 5 scoring D in 5 of 7 years, twice #1, SB winner) Levon Kirkland (7 of his 10 defenses ranked #2, #8, #2, #9, #4, #7, #6) Steelers scoring D with Farrior and/or Timmons has ranked Top 3 seven times. A.J Duhe (Miami's scoring defense with Duhe: 5th, 6th, 4th, 9th, 5th, 2nd, 7th, 7th) That's over a dozen SB wins and a handful more Championships from the above group. .... and perhaps Sam Mills (paired with Pat Swilling & Rickey Jackson) of the Dome Patrol, Harry Carson (paired with LT), Karl Mecklenberg, and Chris Hanburger (4 straight years with Skins ranking #4, #3, #6, #4 in 70's). It ****ing amazes me looking back that Rickey Jackson had 4 straight 100+ tackle 9+ sack seasons (with 3 INTs, 10 FFs, & 7 FRs to boot)
Call me crazy, but I would absolutely love a draft of Te'o, Chase Thomas, and Ansah to help transform our D into something special the next 10 years. I'd put Te'o in the middle of course and slide Dansby over. Chase Thomas becomes the OLB hybrid. Ansah at DE of course. In nickel we'd have Dansby & Te'o roaming the field.... with Thomas, Ansah, Starks, and Wake applying pressure. We'd still be stout verse the run, but our coverage & pressure ability would increase and prove more consistent. We could use FA to address the offense and perhaps 1 CB.... and then use the 3rd, 4th, and 5th rounds for corners & receivers and maybe Jordan Reed.
On the subject of Chase Thomas: http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/41934/321/chase-thomas-conundrum
Don't be so hard on yourself, If I recall correctly you were higher than most on Darrelle Revis in that draft.
Oh I'm not....easier to show up your mistakes than your wins. If you start showing your wins, people just show your mistakes! Thanks tho.
Buffalo thinks so, too. I think we have a better shot at Urbik since backup Rinehart isn't a terrible consolation prize for them on a constricted budget.
As to the Guard issue, Chris Collinsworth is singing the praises of Donald Thomas. Ouch. BTW I'm trying to key on Thomas a bit, and he looks pretty darned good, solid as a rock in run blocking and pass pro against the Jets. Dude is stonewalling D-linemen out there. Now Collinsworth is praising Wes Welker. As to other players in this game, Clyde Gates has a couple of catches. Rob Ninkovich has a couple of tackles. Yeremiah Bell has three tackles. And we need help at G, WR, S and OLB. Curious. Also, I wonder if Will Allen, who is now getting playing time at Safety with the Steelers, could help us a bit on defense.
Makes you wonder how much player development our prior coaching staff held back. Not all coaching is created equal, and college kids don't realize their potential as if its some sort of given.
That's a different one than the Will Allen who played for Miami. The Will Allen on the Steelers is the guy who injured Willis McGahee's knee in the 2002 BCS Title Game. Same name, different guys.
Not to be that guy, but I think the lack of development was glaringly obvious under previous coaching staffs. If you just look at the time from when Tony Sparano coached to the few weeks that Todd Bowles did, you can see slight differences. And now, well, it speaks for itself.
Good point. I forgot that the patriots went to the well again and signed our Will Allen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Allen_(cornerback)
I never got how quickly they gave up on Thomas. IMO he showed more upside on the field than Jerry has ever.
I could be down with the following FA/draft to build the offense in a hurry: (let's pretend Te'o & Werner are off the board and we have a partner to trade down with and pick up an extra 2nd) WR- Da'Rick Rogers (Mid Round 2), Rishard Matthews WR- Tavon Austin (high round 2) WR- Mike Wallace (FA), Ryan Swope (round 4) TE- Jermichael Finley FA, Egnew Hback- Jordan Reed (Round 3a), Charles Clay LT- Long LG- Jonathan Cooper (late Round 1) C- Pouncey RG- Kraig Urbik (FA) RT- Jon Martin RB- Miller, Thomas, Dennis Johnson (round 4), Michael Dyer (round 6) PR/KR- Tavon Austin **Iknow this is a complete makeover of the WR corps, but I care infinitely more about building something special for the future than temporary familiarity with Bess & Hartline. Besides, Tanny has familiarity with Swope and some with Matthews, and any unfamiliarity with Wallace, Rodgers, and Austin will quickly be made up by their ridiculous ability. FA Mike Wallace Kraig Urbik Jermichael Finley Aqib Talib, with Marshall moving to FS {I'd prioritize signing Talib over Hartline if cap space is an issue and then use a mid round pick on Swope or Stedman Bailey as Hart's inexpensive replacement. Why would I pay millions for Hartline if I can have one of 2 players at a fraction of his cost but with better upside and playmaking ability? Seriously, Talib & Swope/Bailey vs Hartline/some mid round corner? I like Hitman Hart but there's no way I take the latter. I'd stall Hartline's contract negotiations until after the signing of Talib [if it can happen] and the draft so that I know what my hand looks like.} Draft 1. G, Jonathan Cooper 2. WR, Tavon Austin (and PR/KR) 2. DE, Ziggy Ansah... or..... SOLB/hybrid, Chase Thomas (don't mind trading up if needed) 2. WR, Da'Rick Rogers 3. Hback, Jordan Reed 3. LB, Shayne Skov or Sean Porter (they might make it this far considering the abundance of good LBs) 4. WR, Ryan Swope 4. RB, Dennis Johnson (via Bess trade) 5. 6. RB, Michael Dyer 7. The above doesn't feature a heavy focus on defense, however the addition of Talib, Ansah (or Thomas), Skov (or Porter), and Marshall moving to FS would significantly improve an already good defense. The offense would be a dream, and we'd have the entire 2014 draft to turn the defense into something special as well. If anyone criticizes this I'll beat you with a rubber hose. lol
I really like Jonathon Cooper, great pass pro and finishes blocks well. Would be fun to see Pouncey and Cooper on the same line with their pulling ability. Hard to see us going O-line in the first round. If Ireland is still around and picks a guard in the first round, the fans might revolt haha. Would be fine with the pick if we had a similar off season to what you suggested, trading back in first to get an extra second. On the other hand, I would really like to see us pick Werner or Te'o.
Just saw Austin house a simple receiver sweep 75 yards., all speed. Let the very friendly Bailey/ Austin debate continue...it's a fun one.
Not enough conversation is occurring about Miami Hurricanes' running back Mike James and that's a mistake IMO. I'll have more on him on Monday. He's going to be a better value than Mike Gillislee.
I'll say again, Alec Ogletree is one of the best players I've seen in college football in the past 18 months. He reminds me of Daryl Washington who I loved at TCU and is playing for a second season at an All Pro level.
Ogletree is a player. I also kind of like Aaron Murray, I think that he's underrated. What do you think about John Simon DE/OLB from OSU? He put on quite a show against Wisconsin, got my attention. He strikes me as a good fit for the Dolphins- a relentless pass rusher with some versatility. ps Ogletree looks rather lanky and high cut as an ILB, I wonder how he projects to OLB, just curious.
Yeppers, Dougy. Got me a 12 pack of Ballast Point's Big Eye IPA. At 6.8% I gotta pace myself so I'm coherent by the Tigers-Shamecocks game. Who you watching today, brobeans?
We need a draft column solely for linebackers this year... call it "Boomer's Boners". J/K....... we all know you can't get it up.
Florida Florida state, and your game.. I can't fathom how much talent you guys have on offense.. At one time, y'all had T Boyd, Dwayne Allen, A Ellington, De Hopkins, Sammy.. That's fu&$in ridiculous..you guys better beat those cocks tonite.. I can't believe the NFl keeps a player like Marques Lee from entering the league, he's played two years in college, and should have the right to enter..I mean the NFL rules could change,where that first year if a Sophmore is coming out, has to be on the practice squad where his development takes precedent for one year..it's Bs.
That dude has a little extra something when he smells the ball, the burst to close and strip is special.
And that doesn't include freshman QB Chad Kelly (Jim Kelly's star nephew) or sophomore WRs Charone Peake & Martavis Bryant who have as much or more NFL potential than Hopkins (they were as high or higher rated recruits than Sammy but not as polished). I don't mind the rule, but it does stink for guys like Lee who can't much more by staying another year.
LOL @ Will Muschamp saying at halftime, "We've played better defenses this year.", and saying it in a way to insinuate FSU's D is nothing special. What a douche. Has he played comparable defenses like LSU, Georgia, SC? Perhaps..... but "better"? yeah, ok. I really despise the SEC.
Werner just showed some great hands and awareness in that play against UF- attempted shovel pass or whatever it was. Game changing play. ps And on the next series Werner lights up Driscoll again.
I agree. I was not very high on him coming into this year. I just never saw the appeal, but he has really impressed me this season. He runs so hard, does so many of the little things well, and really has deceptive speed. I would not mind seeing him reunited in a tandem with Lamar Miller.
Smart instinctive player, linebacker size, so lets say we take him, Gonna have to figure out what were gonna do with Starks/Odricks..keeping all three is an admission of failure with the first rounder Odrick, unless their thinking about letting Starks walk..
I really don't see it that way, my friend, buddy ole pal. Nothing wrong with having a 1st rounder in rotation after having Starks come back to life and Soliai emerge as a stud. Heck, the Giants & Texans spend 1st rounders on their Dline despite it not being a need (I call it Dline for Houston considering they often like to run a 5-2). NY didn't have to take JPP, and Houston didn't have a pressing need for Mercilus. Plus it's not as though Odrick would strictly be a DT. If we run any hybrid stuff he's still our SDE, and against running teams or obvious run downs he can still rotate in a SDE with Werner flipping to WDE. Plenty of snaps for Odrick & Company to see even if we draft a DE high. Oh, and not to mention the Giants with a 2nd round pick (#46) on DT Linvall Joseph, a 2nd the following year on DT Marvin Austin despite having Chris Canty.