Big Blue Huddle

Quote from: Gmo11 on Today at 04:54:14 PMEvery time I see the Laffy goal I shake my head. THAT'S the guy they drafted #1 overall! He took a leap this year and hopefully this is a sign of good things to come next season too. What a freaking goal!

It was unreal. Not just the play itself but the deftness and explosiveness of his rush up the ice on the left wing that preceded the play.

This guy was very good in the second half of the season and has been awesome in the playoffs. I'm starting to feel like the Rangers are short-changing themselves by not having him on the PP1 unit.

John Fox was not top 10 but he was pretty good I'd say.

The light bulb, among other important Thomas Edison inventions.

America may have some flaws, but being short on innovation (both today and historically) is not one of them.

Quote from: BluesCruz on Today at 03:48:37 PMDo you see Tyrod returning somehow? 

Do you mean way down the road, well after this season?

Taylor is a New York Jet now.

Strands #85
"Noodle on this one"
🔵🔵🔵🟡
🔵🔵🔵🔵

Can't believe I didn't see blue.


Connections
Puzzle #351
🟨🟪🟩🟨
🟦🟪🟪🟪
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟨🟨🟩🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟨🟦

Quote from: Ed Vette on May 26, 2024, 08:13:53 PMConnections
Puzzle #350
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟩🟩🟩🟩
Does a second Connections come out after eight? This says #350 but it's a different puzzle than this morning or am I having a senior moment? Tease, pan, and lay are three of these words.

Feel like it's the same one but I don't know. I will do it tomorrow AM and I expect to see something different.

Quote from: MightyGiants on May 26, 2024, 12:09:09 PMJeff,

Do you think DeVito would make it onto or last on the PS?

MG,

Further to this, maybe the pickup of Rourke was intended to be a potential insurance play in the event DeVito fails to clear waivers and make it back to the Giants' PS.

I suspect they also wanted an extra body in the QB room this spring just given the fact that Jones' health is still uncertain (albeit he seems to be well on track to be good to go).

Quote from: Trench on May 26, 2024, 12:38:39 PMOne of those losses should be discounted because if my memory serves, he basically wasn't allowed to throw the ball that 1st game

Fair enough.

We also saw the Giants win one of those games when the Pats kicker very suspiciously pushed a sub 30 yard chip shot (in the final minute or two with the game on the line) wide right.

Either way, the original point about DeVito deserving to be taken seriously stands.

He would be my candidate too. There is no player on the team who had a bigger 2022 to 2023 performance dip than Jones, so he is the most obvious candidate for a bounce-back as he has the most room to bounce back.

The more interesting question for me is whether he can be better in 2024 than he was in 2022. Being materially better than 2023 practically goes without saying. There is no way Jones is nearly as bad as he was in 2023.

Quote from: MightyGiants on May 26, 2024, 12:09:09 PMJeff,

Do you think DeVito would make it onto or last on the PS?

It is certainly my lean that he will not get claimed. I'm sure plenty of teams would love to have him on their PS, but I tend to doubt by the end of the summer any team will want him to be on their opening day active roster. Injuries or an incredible string of performances by DeVito in the preseason could change that, but my base case is that he'll make it back to our PS.

Could he get poached off the PS during the season? Yes, possibly, but that's the case with lots of PS players, and it's just the way it goes.

Good list.

One that really speaks to me is "tipping culture." I couldn't agree more that this has become annoying. In fact, I would say it has gotten out of control.

I have always considered myself a very good tipper. I recognize that waiting tables is not an easy job, and I appreciate good service and believe those providing it should be compensated. I usually tip a minimum of 20% in restaurants, and sometimes 25% if the service was really outstanding and the place wasn't a blatant ripoff. I am also pretty generous with barbers, hotel employees, cab drivers, delivery people, etc.

With all that said, there are appropriates times and places for tipping, and there are times and places when it is not appropriate. It is appropriate when someone provides you a personal service, such as being waited on in a restaurant, having your bags handled by a hotel bellhop, or getting a haircut. It is not appropriate when you go to a store, buy something, pay at the register and walk out of the store with the item. More and more now you see very aggressive requests for tips in these types of situations. Oftentimes, you're forced into an awkward situation where you need to click specifically how much you want to tip with the checkout person standing there staring at the screen you're about to click. I don't get bullied into tipping in these situations because I feel I very clearly understand when tipping is appropriate and when it is not, but I suspect many do. It is clear that more and more employers are trying to farm out their own responsibility to compensate employees to their customers, and it's wrong. I'm not surprised it came up in this list.

The Giants were 3-3 last year when DeVito started and 3-7 when he didn't. He also had the best QB rating of any Giant QB last year at 89.2. I personally don't think he will make the opening day 53, but he deserves the opportunity to at least compete in camp and the preseason.

Don't forget the Giants also signed Nathan Rourke, so we need to see how he figures into all this.

They have four QBs. Assuming Jones is healthy enough, he will be the starter, and then of the remaining three one will be the backup, one will likely be on the PS, and one will likely be sent packing. We'll see what happens.

I can't disagree with the B+ grade. I was a big fan of the Burns move (getting a 25 yr old of that caliber without giving up a first rounder when Carolina was previously offered two first rounders was great, I thought), and I did not really have an issue with any of their picks. I also liked that they didn't capitulate and pay up for Barkley, and I was fine with not bringing back Adoree or McKinney. Once they decided to make the move for Burns, they didn't really have the money for any of these players, and I would much rather have Burns than not. Obviously they could have spread Jones' exorbitant 2024 cap hit out over future years by committing to him for more than just this season, but they clearly did not want to do that, and I think that was absolutely the correct stance to take (which doesn't automatically mean he won't be here in 2025). So I'm good with this grade.

I think it's hard for fans to really know. Maybe those of us who have attended live camp sessions (I have not) and have managed to be within earshot of Daboll or at least observe his body language can have some idea, but the reality is it's difficult for any of us to really know other than what we hear others say, which is only reliable some of the time, as people (especially people who work for him or play for him) tend to only say complimentary things.