Big Blue Huddle

Some players really wowed at the combine yesterday...for me, it was a tie between Payton Wilson and Braden Fiske. They put on a show...both of them are freaks of nature, but smooth as silk when blowing everyone else out of the water

Also looked good, but didn't exactly steal the show: "Chop" Robinson, Dallas Turner, and Bryan Murphy II

I'm floored that I am having fiber optics installed for my internet today. For some, that might not be big news, but for me, it's huge. I live in a very rural area where I see Amish drive by in their horse and buggies and when it snows, there are more snowmobiles than cars. I have to drive several miles to get to a small village with one store. Yet, a small company in Ithaca decided to run fiber optic lines throughout the rural areas...and that includes dirt roads like "Bloody Pond Road" out of Texas Valley (population under 75), where there are only 2 houses on a 2-mile stretch. Incredible because I have friends in Binghamton who still can't get fiber optics and my son who lives in Homer, NY can't get it

I've had Spectrum for many years, and it constantly goes out or becomes so slow, it's like Chinese Water Torture. When streaming a HD movie or show and the internet slows, the picture becomes blurry and sometimes freezes...very irritating

Price: 59.95 for 300 mgb; 69.95 600 mgb; and 79.95 for 1gb...I opted for the 1 gigabyte speed because I do a lot of streaming on the TV as well as download a ton of music videos and other stuff from my computer. Anyway, I'm happy about it

https://twitter.com/NYGDaily/status/1762514668067692783

Although it has already started, for the next several days, it is registering, media interviews, etc. The real meat of the program will start on Thursday (Feb. 29th "Leap Day). Workouts will be available to watch on NFL Network, for those interested

For me, there are two movies that I won't even watch a highlight of because they unnerved me so much and left me traumatized:

The Deer Hunter
Pet Semetery

The Russian Roulette played in The Deer Hunter was beyond comprehension to me. On top of that, some kids up the road decided to do it after watching the movie, and one of the kids blew his head off. Just freaked me out. Couldn't believe it. Left me having nightmares

I'm not a fan of horror movies at all unless they are downright funny, like "Tucker and Dale vs. Evil" or "The Babysitter", that I loved and laughed my ass off. Same with one of the "Scary Movie"s with the rude and crude parrot. And I actually liked "An American Werewolf in London", even though parts of it scared the crap out of me. There were no parts in Pet Semetery that were humorous

Horror works for me when it has a comedic theme, otherwise, not thank you



Warning...very bad language

We all know that Mahomes is a franchise QB and potentially the best to play the game since Brady. He's sort of a "Brady who can run" IMO

But two things stuck out to me as I watched the last year's and this year's Super Bowl

1) Last season the Chiefs used to use a fullback and two TEs to help block the offensive line (and it doesn't escape me that San Fran now uses a fullback to help the ground game and protect Purdy)

2) The Chiefs used a three TE set at times in the Super Bowl, with two of them blocking Basically, having a bigger, faster fullback to aid in blocking

My take on this...and I could be wrong (been wrong a lot)...is that the use of a fullback and/or multiple blocking TEs gives additional protection to Mahomes that allows him time to get the ball to where he wants it to go, as well as, gives the ground game some holes to work with. My father used to say that "paint can hide a multiple of sins" and believed paint was a secret to making a place look better than it is. Perhaps this is the Chiefs' way of hiding offensive line issues

Personally, I think it might be borderlines genius (considering the difficulty in putting together a solid offensive line), and maybe it's their "secret sauce" that no one seems to notice. I was surprised during the Super Bowl that the Chiefs employed 3 TEs on plays. Does anyone else think this, or am I off my rocker...again. I know a lot of fans believe that a QB wins games all by himself because he is just so f..n good. I am of a different camp who believes that a QB can only be as good as his teammates who are in sync with him...and it helps to have extra protection and guys who can get open and make hard catches. What say you? Am I out to lunch on this observation or on to something?

Wordle Streak Breakers

Note: Words preceded with asterisk *, have already been used in WORDLE that had high percentage of breaking streaks

QUEUE: objects or people waiting in line
AQUOX: An oxisol with a water table at or near the surface
MYYRH: a red-brown resinous material, used throughout history in medicine, perfumery, and incenses.
*MUMMY: a human being or animal that has been ceremonially preserved
*CACAO: tree that bears cacao seeds, from which cocoa, and chocolate are made
QWAKE: rumbling vibrations
*WOOER: one who seeks favor or support
DUCAT: an admission ticket
OUIJI: a spirit board, talking board, or witch board
ERGAT: a fungal disease
MIMIC: imitate
*PARER: one who pares
CRAIC: enjoyable social activity; a good time
*KNOLL: small hill or mound
SQUAB: a young pigeon
QUIRK: peculiar behavioral habit
ENOKI: an edible Japanese mushroom
*IONIC: composed of, or using ions
*COYLY: outwardly shy or modest in order to allure someone
*NYMPH: immature form of an insect
*REBUS: a puzzle in which words are represented by pictures and/or individual letters
TRITE: overused and consequently of little import; lacking originality
ONION: an edible bulb with a pungent taste
TRUSS: a framework, typically consisting of rafters, posts, and struts
*MIDGE: a small fly that is often seen in swarms near water or marshy areas
SYLPH: imaginary spirit of the air; or type of dark green humming bird
WINCE: involuntary grimace
HUMPH: expressing slight sound of scornful doubt or dissatisfaction
APHID: a tiny insect
*TRYST: a private romantic rendezvous between lovers
*AGORA: a public open space used for assemblies and markets.
EPOCH: a period of time in history or a person's life, typically one marked by notable events
SALVO: simultaneous discharge of artillery or other guns in a battle
RABBI: a Jewish scholar or teacher
KOALA: Australian marsupial that has thick gray fur and feeds on eucalyptus leaves
QUARK: any of a number of subatomic particles carrying a fractional electric charge

IOLJackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon
DL Darius Robinson, Missouri
CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
WR Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky
IOL Christian Haynes, Connecticut
TE Theo Johnson, Penn State
WR Roman Wilson, Michigan
DL Gabe Hall, Baylor

As a side note: QB Spencer Rattler, South Carolina was named the Senior Bowl MVP

A write-up on each of the eight named above: https://sports.yahoo.com/8-standouts-2024-senior-bowl-153408479.html

Another opinion (Winners and Losers) https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/sports/college/2024/02/03/senior-bowl-2024-winners-losers-mobile-alabama-spencer-rattler-tvondre-sweat-christian-haynes/72464761007/

Daniel Jeremiah's Top 10: https://www.nfl.com/news/2024-senior-bowl-daniel-jeremiah-s-top-10-nfl-draft-winners-from-week-of-practice

Another opinion: https://www.al.com/sports/2024/02/senior-bowl-2024-10-players-who-made-big-impressions-this-week.html

33rdTeam's "Risers and Fallers": https://www.the33rdteam.com/2024-senior-bowl-biggest-risers-fallers-at-this-years-event/

Only recently I've noticed that I end all my calls with "bye, bye" and that the end of the call, the caller just says, "bye". It makes me think I send out a hidden message that I'm effeminate or something. Would you guys ever say "bye, bye"?

I worked in an office environment for years and answered the phone with a brisk tone and identifying myself - name only. At the end of the call, I basically said, "yup" or "okay". But now that I'm an old retired coot, I don't like the way I end my calls. Even my daughters and granddaughters don't say, "bye, bye". Is there something wrong with me (that's a rhetorical question BTW, I know there are plenty of things wrong with me, so be kind please)

In the old days when I was a kid on a farm, my father and whoever he was on the phone with just hung up when they were through with whatever they had to say...never said "bye", just "click". Anyway, I need to up my game on the phone. Anyone else have this issue?

LA Chargers are bringing Brown in for his second interview for their GM. Likely gone. It was always going to happen that he would be a GM for some team...just a matter of time

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/chargers-to-have-second-g-m-interview-with-brandon-brown

Proportionately, how much of the rectangle is colered?

Please don't grab your trig tables and calculators, just take a stab at it based on intuition

Eagles fired their DC and showing interest in Wink. Wouldn't that be a kick in the ass 

https://nypost.com/2024/01/21/sports/eagles-interested-in-wink-martindale-after-sean-desai-firing/

This is a creature who lives on our planet. Hint, it is not uncommon and it is not an insect

Hell to get old, but you can look back and see how the world has changed, in particular, technology, but a whole lot more than just that...some for the better, a lot for the worse

The first time I went to Israel was in 1990. I was 37 yrs old, and my sister went to a vending machine and bought a bottle of water. I laughed my ass off. I said, "I can't believe people would buy a bottle of water and that it's even for sale". She told me that it is common around the world, especially in hotter climates. That was news to me. Now, Walmarts have an entire aisle of nothing but bottled water...by the gallon, 48 packs of different brands of water, etc., and young people buy special bottles for their bottled water as a fashion statement. All the years growing up, I thought nothing of drinking from any water hose lying around on the ground between jumping on rickety ramps with my bicycle with no helmet. I lived

When I was young (late 50's, early 60's) I loved cars and I would sit on the front porch watching cars go buy educating myself to each brand and year...particulary excited to see an Avanti. Exciting because every year, the big car companies would completely retool their manufacturing equipment and deliver an exciting new model, usually radically different from the last year's model...every single year. Now, I can barely tell the difference between cars other than by their grill pattern or insignia...boring 

You tell me the maker of these 2023 cars:



In the old days, you didn't wonder if it was a Ford, a Chevy, a Plymouth, an Oldsmobile or Buick...or who made the Falcon, or the Nova, or the Barracuda...or the Avanti (Studebaker for you old car enthusiasts)



I understand the economics in a highly competitive business and the high cost of retooling and engineering, but it pains me to see a model look almost identical over a 5 year (or longer) span as they make minor changes if at all. And the similarity between car companies (American, European, Japan, S. Korea) is almost a joke...although, I tip my hat to the designers of EVs which seem to have strayed from the "consensus design" of gasoline cars. Some are quite intriguing

When I went to school, if I cut up (which was often), I'd get sent to the office or the teacher would have a talk with my parents (much worse for me), and we had a town cop (Johnnie) who instead of writing me a ticket when I left rubber or for speeding like a mad man, he would stop in and have coffee with my parents, and then I'd get my ass kicked (mostly figuratively, but sometimes I got the real deal). Regardless, the last people on earth I wanted to find out I was a trouble maker, were my parents

I won't even go into technology and going from 45's, to LPs, to 8-track players, to cassettes, to whatever kids use today...or phones, or computers, or flight, or TVs, microwaves, etc. I'll give one example: in 1986 at the company I worked for, we had a climate controlled clean-room that was about 40'X40' and was filled to the walls with giant computer equipment that ran an antiquated (now) CAD system and was the best system from IBM money could buy. My cell phone today has more than a thousand times more computing power and hundreds of times more storage

For the good: I'm thankful for the environmental push to clean up rivers and air and getting rid of certain pesticides. I now can watch eagles fly every day as they hunt up and down a clean river while being antagonized by little birds. Never saw an eagle as a kid, and didn't see one in Upstate New York until I was at least 50 yrs old. Now they are as common as Cardinals and Orioles...maybe more so

Anyway, I digress

Answers to the above are A) Mazda B) BMW and C) Honda

From The Athletic (subscriber's only) this morning by Dan Duggan

In a nutshell: Schoen tried to turn the team around too fast. Instead of slowly building the team and coaching up current players, he took a few too many swings for the fences in order to shorten the timeline, i.e., trading for Waller (a known oft-injury prone player), paying Saquon, and grasping at Parris Campbell in hopes of getting new offensive weapons in the arsenal "now", and in order to get players quicker, he went against his belief and started to restructure contracts to free up money, opposite his own belief. From the article: "Schoen frequently described restructures as a 'last resort' during his first offseason, but they became common practice..." Pushing the cap down the road was always viewed by Schoen as "break glass in case of emergency", but he did it anyway. A lot of it was driven by his successful first season causing a false sense of success, and then he went against his own premonitions and strayed from the lesson he preached about the virtue of "patience"

Duggan does praise Schoen for getting Okereke and locking up Dex...for which I concur

I find this area of engineering to be intriguing, to say the least. A company called "Sirius" has developed two different hydrogen-fueled aircraft that is going through testing and will debut next year. It will be the first zero-emission jet with long range capability. For now, it is only "Business Jet" size, but larger sizes are planned. It has vertical takeoff and landing capabilities like a helicopter. This area of technology is fascinating...to me anyway. I really hope hydrogen is the future of energy propulsion. I have too much money wrapped up in hydrogen companies' stock while betting on it.   







https://www.hydrogeninsight.com/transport/formula-1-engineering-swiss-start-up-unveils-futuristic-hydrogen-powered-passenger-aircraft/2-1-1582110

Skip Bayless having a meltdown

https://twitter.com/RealSkipBayless/status/1746701972034801946

I thought Jimmy Johnson might stroke out during the half-time show. He was taking is personally. Strahan tried to console him, but the producers quickly cut away when Jimmy didn't want to be consoled
https://www.tiktok.com/@jackmacbarstool/video/7324098052774579487

I've been putting this chart together for the last few weeks and updating it now and then. It's not set in concrete, but just a chart to aid in ranking players...which will change over the coming weeks. Some of the players names have a "strike through" because they decided to return to college. I think I got most of them, but not 100% sure

Anyway, one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb: The draft is stacked to the max with WR's, OL, and CBs, with a pretty good crop of ERs

Subject to change (because it will be) and subjective anyway. Unfinished after 4 rounds and likely never finished, but we'll see. Most position rankings are a combination of CBS Rankings, NFLMockDraftDatabase, Great Blue North Draft Report, Walter Football, etc

I know that everyone has personal preferences and "favorite" or "best" is completely subjective. But when I look at the top 100 songs of '61,'62.....'69, the internet is utterly ridiculously wrong naming the top song from each year as crap songs like: "I'm a Believer" by the Monkees, or "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies (are you f.. kidding me???), or "Come Together" by the Beatles (not even a top 15 song of the Beatles IMO), etc..blah, blah, blah - complete nonsense. In time, I might start a separate thread for each decade up to about the 90's when good music died 

But for now, I'll stick to the 60's. I was pretty young in the first couple of years of the decade and didn't follow music as I grew up on a dairy farm doing chores until dark and the using my tinny transistor radio next to my bed to listen to Yankee games when it was bedtime. My parents were into Elvis, which never did anything for me. I think music became a big deal to me after reaching puberty and finding something more interesting to me than baseball...girls!!!...which is still bit of a problem, LOL

When I started getting into music, I was a huge fan of The Beach Boys, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Four Seasons, the Supremes, The Who, Mama's and Papa's, Three Dog Night, Beatles, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Tommy James and the Shondells, etc., that is, during my early teens...by the time I was in my later teens, it was Grand Funk Railroad, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Jethro Tull, etc.

For the 60's, I struggled with choosing between "California Dreaming" by Mamas and Papas; "Heard it through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye (will always be the best rendition - sorry CCR - and will always be on my top songs list); (Sittin' on) "The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding; "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks, "I Can See for Miles" by The Who; "I think we're alone now" by Tommy James; "Happy Together" by the Turtles; "A Day in the Life" by the Beatles (should've been my no.1...but I'll call it my no.2), etc

With all that said, 60 years later, the one song that still sticks out to me, as I'm attempting to name my favorite song of the 60s, was a collaboration between best friends who hung out together, George Harrison and Eric Clapton in 1967 during their "druggie days". The song is called "Badge" because when Clapton put a tune to Harrison's written lyrics, Harrison's writing was so bad that he couldn't tell that he wrote "Bridge" (or maybe they were just too f-d up), and after releasing the song from Cream, they didn't bother to change it...it was too late. The (supposedly) is about a young and very pretty girl (groupie) who followed them around and was getting in over her head trying to keep up with their sordid drug and unscrupulous bedroom antics, and they continually warned her that she was a nice kid and should try to go back to a normal life with normal boys. I have no idea whatever happened to her. Anyway, my top choice...and I don't particularly care for Clapton's music, especially after he left Cream (crank it up...LOL):

A guy wrote this shortly before his death

A few clues: he was a "Beatnik", predating "hippies" and "yuppies". He was scorned, praised, arrested and jailed, beloved, hated, had his own style, rocked the political boat, and was one of a kind

"I'm a modern man. A man for the millennium. Digital and smoke-free. A diversified, multicultural, post-modern deconstructionist. Politically, anatomically and ecologically incorrect. I've been up-linked and downloaded. I've been inputted and outsourced. I know the upside of downsizing. I know the downside of upgrading. I'm a high-tech low life. A cutting edge, state of the art, bi-coastal multitasker, and I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond.

I'm new wave, but I'm old school. And my inner child is outward bound. I'm a hot-wired, heat seeking, warm-hearted cool customer. Voice-activated and biodegradable. I interface from a database, my database is in cyberspace. So I'm interactive, I'm hyperactive and from time to time, I'm radioactive.

Behind the eight ball, ahead of the curve, riding the wave, dodging the bullet, pushing the envelope. I'm on point, on task, on message and off drugs. I got no need for coke and speed. I got no urge to binge and purge. I'm in the moment, on the edge, over the top but under the radar. A high concept, low profile, medium range ballistic missionary. A streetwise smart bomb. A top gun bottom feeder. I wear power ties. I tell power lies. I take power naps. I run victory laps. I'm a totally ongoing big foot, slam-dunk rainmaker with a proactive outreach. A raging workaholic. A working rageaholic. Out of rehab and in denial.

I got a personal trainer, a personal shopper, a personal assistant and a personal agenda. You can't shut me up. You can't dumb me down. Because I'm tireless and I'm wireless. I'm a alpha male on beta blockers.

I'm an overachiever. Laid back but fashion forward. Up front, down home, low rent, high maintenance. Super size, long-lasting, high definition, fast-acting, oven-ready and built to last. I'm a hands-on, footloose, knee-jerk head case. Prematurely post-traumatic, and I have a love child who sends me hate mail.

But I'm feeling. I'm caring. I'm healing. I'm sharing. A supportive, bonding, nurturing primary caregiver. My output is down, but my income is up. I take a short position on the long bond. And my revenue stream has its own cash flow. I read junk mail. I eat junk food. I buy junk bonds. I watch trash sports. I'm gender-specific, capital intensive, user-friendly and lactose intolerant.

I like rough sex. I like tough love. I use the F word in my emails. And the software in my hard drive is hardcore, no soft porn. I bought a microwave at a mini mall. I bought a minivan at a megastore. I eat fast food in the slow lane. I'm toll-free, bite size, ready to wear, and I come in all sizes. A fully equipped, factory authorized, hospital tested, clinically proven, scientifically formulated medical miracle. I've been prewashed, precooked, preheated, prescreened, preapproved, prepackaged, post-dated, freeze-dried, double wrapped, vacuum packed and I have an unlimited broadband capacity.

I'm a rude dude, but I'm the real deal. Lean and mean. Cocked, locked and ready to rock. Rough, tough and hard to bluff. I take it slow. I go with the flow. I ride with the tide. I got glide in my stride. Driving and moving. Sailing and spinning. Jiving and grooving. Wailing and winning. I don't snooze, so I don't lose. I keep the pedal to the metal and the rubber on the road. I party hearty. And lunchtime is crunch time. I'm hanging in. There ain't no doubt. And I'm hanging tough. Over and out."

This according to Sports Illustrated Fansided

1) Darnay Holmes, his contract is up and he hasn't proven to become a starter...and there are just too many better options on the team already - especially the emergence of Flott ["The Giants were hoping that Holmes could become a solid slot corner for a defense that needed it, yet in every opportunity he was given, he let the team down. It's unfortunate, because there really were a few moments in which Holmes looked like he could have been a real contributor..."]

2) Mark Glowinski, he hasn't played up to his previous status and it will save the team 5.4 million to cut him ["Through two seasons and 21 starts with New York, Glowinski allowed 52 pressures and 11 sacks. Interestingly enough, Glowinski also ranked top five in sacks allowed at his position in both seasons, which is insane considering he started just five games in 2023"]

3) Justin Pugh, at 33 yrs old, he just wasn't the player he was in his youth ["Pugh hardly looked like an NFL-caliber lineman, let alone a starting one. With how many offensive line issues the Giants have, Schoen can't afford to waste the money and roster spot on a player like Pugh, regardless of the locker room presence he may be..."]

4) Sterling Shepard, sad, but it's time ["Shepard is a player who will be missed greatly. He is the embodiment of what it means to be a New York Giant. Regardless of quarterback, record, or injury, it didn't matter, Shepard showed up, worked his tail off and never complained about the things around him. He was truly built for the New York spotlight and if not for injuries, he could have had a much more memorable career.

For the die-hard Giants fans, he'll always be remembered by what he meant to the team. What he brought both on the field and off will be nearly impossible to replace, and we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors..."]

Other players chances of being gone:

Saquon Barkley 50:50
Adoree Jackson 50:50 [depends on what he'd take to stay...he won't make as much as if he leaves]
Tyrod Taylor 65:35 [this will come down to cost and Daboll's belief in DeVito]
Xavier McKinney ? (was his problem with Wink, or something else?)
Isaiah Simmons ? (did he show enough?)
Azeez Ojulari 40:60 (probably has a lot to do with what he expects to get paid...Giants will low-ball an offer)
Jihad Ward ? (good buddy with Wink and was well-liked by players...probably gone since he was Wink's guy)
Parris Campbell ? (never seemed to pan out...don't know what went wrong)

1) The Giants played their finest first half of a game of football yesterday in the last decade. We looked like men playing against boys. The only thing sweeter than it coming against the Filthadelphia Eagles, would have been hanging that throttling on the Cowboys. Especially nice that the first half was against Hurts and we made him look like an average QB

2) We MUST re-sign Xavier McKinney and extend Pinnock. The combo of McKinney/Pinnock/Belton is an elite NFL safety tandem. Give Xavier what he wants and don't let him go

3) The front office made two great decisions at the beginning of the season: signing Okereke and locking up Dexter. Okereke is the stud LB we've been missing for one long time. And it's nice to see that McFadden is looking very good. Simmons was a good get, and it seems Wink has found a way to use him to get the most out of him...knock on wood (as a side note, I think it was a stellar move by the Giants late in the season to sign Gunner Olszewski, a legitimate returner - thumbs up to the front office for that move...long overdue)

4) I was a little disappointed to see Hawkins drop off from his early games when he looked like a steal. I suspect defenses studied him and found the flaws in his game and exploited it. I haven't given up on him at all, I just think he needs to take the next step...which is fixing the flaws

5) I think it would behoove us to re-sign Adoree...he's proven his worth. He's only 28 and has a couple of good years left in him, IMO. He stays healthy and is steady and goes wherever the coaches ask him to go...without complaints. With him and Banks, and our safety tandem, and the Okereke-led LBs...we have a damn good defensive backfield. We should keep it together

6) I think we should sign/extend Ojulari. It sucks that he's had to deal with injuries, but when he's healthy, he's a top-notch ER. His presence this year has helped Thibs take the next step. When he's not in the game, Thibs is the focus of the other team's offense and they stack the side to keep him at bay. Can't do it when Ojulari is terrorizing the other side

7) I love Saquon, but if I was a betting man (and I'm not), I think he is gone. He's a great football player and an even better person, but I can see the writing on the wall and I think he has too. He might close out his career on another team, but I will always think of him as a Giant

8) For all the DJ haters, you're probably not going to love the draft...because a new QB is NOT likely to be the priority of Schoen and Daboll. I could be wrong, but I believe in my heart that they really like DJ and believe in him far more than some of the fan base and the talking heads

9) Biggest disappointment this season? Where do I begin? Waller did NOT live up to the hype. Evan Neal did not "take the next step" and JMS will be good, but he wasn't great this year. He had moments, but he also looked like a rookie at times. He will come around. But the biggest disappointment was in the coaching and the team, seemingly unprepared to start the season. The team had no rhythm, seemed lost, and was out coached. This...and the o-line MUST change!!!

10) I don't care that we dropped to picking 6th in the draft...we humiliated the smug Eagles..."Dive Eagles, Dive" should be the new chant. I just wish we could humiliate the Cowboys the same way.

The draft: I hope we spend 3 of our 7 picks on offensive lineman - a top shelf OT, and two OGs. Probably won't, but that's what I'd like. Of course, it will have a lot to do with who we pick up as free agents. I have a few players in mind, who are flying under the radar that I'd like to see us take:

- WR Ainias Smith (5-10/200+ lbs Texas A&M), listed as a WR, but he's a jack of all trades with a "can do" attitude and puts it all on the field. He's one of the toughest guys in the draft for his size and is a great blocker, a special teams ace, a returner, a gunner, a RB, and plays with a chip on his shoulder. Last year I touted a player who had the same attitude, Puka Nucua and I was right about him. Some players just have that "it" factor and it's all in their attitude


- TE Brevyn Spann-Ford (6-7/270 lbs Minnesota) flying way under the radar because his forté is BLOCKING and PFF has him as the highest rated blocker along with Cade Stover (who is smaller than Spann-Ford). What is missing from all the pre-draft ratings is that he also has soft hands, makes great catches, and is far more athletic than most people believe because they only see him as a blocker. To me though, he's like having and extra offensive tackle to keep the QB clean. He will be a late round steal for some team


- DL Maason Smith (6-6/301 lbs LSU) not really "under the radar", but falls to about 10th in the ranking order of defensive linemen. He's on Bruce Feldman's "Freak List" as he's abnormally quick, athletic, and strong. He could be an ER, but is listed as a DE because of his size. He would be a great replacement for Leo and it would be nice to have another DE/ER on the right side to pair up with Ojulari (if he's still with us). Feldman's writeup: "A Freshman All-American in 2021 after making five TFLs and four sacks in 2021, Smith injured his knee in the first quarter of the 2022 season opener against Florida State and was out for the season. Smith hit a high score in momentum as LSU gauges speed in relation to a player's body weight of 1,124 kg.m/s. At 6-6, 315, Smith clocked 19.2 MPH. Now he's 15 lbs lighter and is clocked at 19.5 MPH.


- RB/FB Carson Steele (6-1/233 lbs UCLA) flying way under the radar and might go undrafted. However, he's on Feldman's "Freaks List". Here's his write-up: "He made the Freaks List last year even before having a monster season for Ball State, rushing for 1,556 yards. Not bad for a guy who only had one FBS scholarship offer. The Bruins were elated to get him in the transfer portal. Steele, at 6-1, 233, has wowed his new teammates with his strength. He bench-pressed 450 pounds and squatted 685. His wheels have been impressive too, clocking 20.96 MPH and vertical-jumping 35 inches.

Steele, with his long flowing locks, looks like a fit in Hollywood. He also owns a pet alligator named Crocky-J.

"He's a dawg," says Bruins center Clemens. "He's huge. He's like a bowling ball. I always see him in the weight room doing extra work after we're done with our workouts. You know why he is the way he is. I'm excited for him this year. He definitely can plow some people..."

Last year averaged over 5 yds per carry and racked up 847 yds and 6 TDs rushing, and 163 yds and 2 TDs receiving. And he can block like a Mack truck. As a running back, he simply pushes the line like a bulldozer. We haven't had a Csonka-type RB since Brandon Jacobs


- OG Zak Zinter (6-6/322 Michigan) Broke his leg in his last regular season game. One of only a handful of players to be named "Unanimous All American" this year in a list that includes WR Marvin Harrison, OT Joe Alt, TE Brock Browers, OG Cooper Beebe, and one of my favorite under the radar players, S Xavier Watts who for some reason, gets no love from writers. He will fall on draft day ONLY because of his broken leg, that should be healed by next season. Cooper Beebe is another to keep an eye on. Beebe is rated higher right now ONLY because Zinter broke his leg. Zak reminds me of another Zach..."Martin"

One of my favorite comedians of all time, Tommy Smothers has passed away at 86 after a recent bout with cancer. Tremendously funny, an "Olympic" yo-yo player, talented musician...he will be missed

College football fans are going to go into shock next year when they see the "New" Syracuse Orange Football program (I hope I don't jinx them by propping them up)

Here's the changes made so far:

1) Head Coach Dino Babers fired, replaced by new HC Fran Brown (Georgia's Defensive Backs Coach). A local guy from New Jersey who was Georgia's recruiting ace (the number one recruiter in the nation for the past two years). He has brought three top players from Georgia with him through the transfer portal (two WRs, one OL)

2) New Offensive Coordinator: Jeff Nixon, NY Giants Running Backs coach

3) New Wide Receiver's coach and Passing Game Coordinator: Ross Dougland, New England Patriots WR coach

4) New Defensive Coordinator: Elijah Robinson, Texas A&M's assistant HC, Defensive Coordinator, and interim head coach

New Players:

1) Ohio State's junior QB Kyle McCord through the transfer portal...absolutely shocking OSU's fans and pundits. McCord replaced CJ Stroud, this past season and threw for 3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns in his 12 appearances in 2023

2) Some of the new players through the transfer portal: QB Kyle McCloud (Ohio State) of course; Safeties: Soph. Miles Farmer, Fr. Jaeden Gould, and Fr. WR Jalil Martin (all from Nebraska); Fr. CB Jayden Bellamy (Notre Dame); Fr. IOL David Wohlabaugh (UK); Fr. DL Braylen Ingraham (Alabama); the aforementioned Georgia players (WRs Yazeed Haynes and Jackson Meeks) and OL Joshua Miller, etc.
3) Highest rated recruiting class in the past 30 years signing commitments from multiple high profile programs, beating out the likes of the SEC and B1G recruiting machine, and several more elite players in the transfer portal contemplating coming to the Orange

4) Syracuse's top TE/WR Oronde Gadsden II (really just a WR, 6-5, 221 lbs) who was 1st team ACC and second-team preseason All-American this year at tight end by the Associated Press, just behind Georgia's Brock Bowers, after catching for 969 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2022, but sat out most of last year due to an injury, announced yesterday that he would forego the NFL draft and would come back for his senior year because of the excitement of where the team is heading

5) Strongest WR class in Syracuse history, and a packed RB class

Finally...maybe my hometown team will be back amongst the elite. I for one am excited 

I have a complete set of Encyclopedia Americana and a complete set of The Book of Knowledge. In the office, it looks sophisticated as a lawyer's office...yet they take up half a wall and are totally worthless, not to mention, there's no way to even get rid of them 





Anyone have an idea what to do with these encyclopedias? Together they weigh about 500 lbs. Can't burn them, can't sell them, can't donate them...

One of my favorite ads from the past:

I've been going through a variety of bodily changes the last two days. First, I thought maybe I was having a heart attack, as I could feel pain deep inside my chest to the left. I worried all day that I might need a stint, but the pain moved to a different part of my body and seem to be subsiding. Then I started into coughing and sneezing and I woke up in the middle of the night trying to figure out what was going on inside my body - I could feel things going on, but I couldn't identify it because I have no memory of such feelings going through my body like that. I got up this morning with a terrible cold, blowing my nose all day, coughing, hacking, and feel like I'm freezing even though I have it at 80 degrees in the room and am draped in an electric blanket turned all the way up. Took two extra strength Tylenol capsules, which seemed to help. I've spent more time in the jacuzzi the last couple of days than I have in weeks...and as soon as I'm through typing this, I'm going back in

I didn't really consider COVID because I've had all the vaccinations and boosters, plus the RSV shot, plus the regular flu shot. I got my last booster only 4 or 5 weeks ago. Anyway, I have two different types of home tests for COVID. The first was fairly complicated. After 15 minutes, the lines on the test module were clear as a bell - COVID Positive. I had my doubts, so I tried a different test given to me by my doctor. It was a little easier than the one mailed to me by the government. I went through all the steps and read, "even if the lines are very light, almost too light to read, look carefully because it's positive". Well, once I took the strips out, the two lines were so clear you can see them across the room

My biggest worry is that my 92-year-old mother will catch it, so I've wiped down the whole house with alcohol, and I'm wearing a KN95 mask and keeping my distance from my frail Mom. I'm not worried about me, but extremely worried about her

Anyway, I just read an article a few days ago about the new variant JN.1 which surprised a lot of experts about how fast this has spread across the northeast since Thanksgiving...faster than any other previous variant. I still wash my hands like a madman, wipe down shopping carts, get all the latest boosters, etc., and I still got it
Damn 

A lot of concern about injuries due to the "hip-block-tackle", which could become a penalized tactic in the NFL next year. It is the cause of many injuries and is called the "cousin of the horse-collar tackle"

It has come into focus as a serious problem after Roger Goodell mentioned the other day of the possibility of banning the tackle...most likely because of the tackle by Isaiah Simmons on Geno Smith as well as the injury to Tyreek Hill last game by the hip-drop-tackle that will force him out of upcoming games

Basically it is defined as: "defender grabs player by the hips, the turns the offensive player sideways, before 'flop-dropping' on the offensive player's legs with dead weight - particularly the lower part of the leg near the ankle"

It has already been banned in Rugby, which defines it as:





This next play shows Isaiah Simmons using the tackle method on Geno Smith and it made Smith outraged

As I'm studying potential draft prospects for the Giants, I came across a name that gets precious little attention and nearly every board fails to even include his name in the top 300 or even 400

I was thinking this guy is a great "sleeper pick" (he actually has risen 294 spots in the last week on one board), but the more I researched, the more I realized the Giants would NEVER take a guy with this much baggage

Anyway, the guy's name is Shemar Turner, a 6'4, 290 lb DE for Texas A&M. He leads the team in every category including tackles, TFLs, QB hits, and sacks. He's a monster at DE who brings terror to the offense. Sounds like a perfect pickup to replace our loss of Leo. But hold on...he was ejected from the game with Ole Miss a while back when he took a cheap shot after the play (ok...crap happens, and he apologized). I can deal with that, just needs discipline from a strong coach like Wink. But then I looked deeper, and he's been arrested for reckless driving while going way over the speed limit...and (and this is a big "and") was found with a little less than 2 oz of pot AND "possession of an illegal substance ranging from four to 400 grams - the latter charge is a second-degree felony". In short: takes cheap shots at other players, speeds, has drug issues, and is bankrupt in character (at least it seems)

My first thought: Giants would never go for a person with that much baggage. My second thought: SOB, the Cowboys will draft this guy in the 7th round, typical of Jerry Jones, and he'll be a star and a mainstay like Micah Parsons (and a dozen players in the past with shady history) 

The guy who got this buck has been tracking him for two years with multiple trail cameras. He spent months plotting his paths, times, etc. Finally got him

Taken in Tioga County, NY