Sidenote.... 

The greatest college basketball shooters I have ever seen in my lifetime..... Guys going full throttle and draining deep three's.... And occasional dunks with fast breaks

Rex Chapman - Kentucky 

Anderson Hunt - UNLV

JJ Reddick - Duke

They shot netters from all over the court, with no limit to their range, and some clutch shots.  Amazing in college, even though I didn't think it would translate to the NBA.  And yet, JJ played/got paid for 15 years in the NBA.

Anyway, I haven't seen anyone shoot  as good as they did in college ball.  And I have been trying to think of others 

15 hours ago, Lorewarn said:

 

 

His job isn't to be committed to a purely rational worldview, his job is to support and hype up his team and program. 

 

Next you're gonna tell me you have a problem with the inaccuracy of Husker Athletics using the phrase, "Our Red Burns Brighter".

I think you are absolutely right.  Thanks bro.  I should have considered that angle as well, and maybe I would have been more chill about it.  I'm working on it.   

Clemson made the Elite 8, or the Great 8....  Their coach was asked about "What does this mean to them, and to the rest of college basketball?" and the Clemson coach responded....

"It means we are not just a football program"  and then went on about their program.

Really? 

Your team made it to the tournament with 11 losses, but this season with some moderate success it means "We are not just a football program" ??

How about you make 3 or 4 Final Fours in 5 years before claiming that??

I mean, that's like Nebraska basketball having one good year and  making the NCAA tournament with 63 other teams, and giving the coach a contract extension.  (Too soon?  Yeah, I think so.  That's your normal goal every year).

It's like Bo Pellini having a football team with 4 losses, winning a bowl game and claiming "We're Baaack".

Instead of claiming how great we are RN, we actually become great year after year after year.  It's a 64 team tournament, with some upsets, some good wins, some bad losses.  

Seriously, "not just a football program" for a team with 11 losses doing well in March Madness.  

I'm not saying that can't make it to the Final 4 or play for a championship.  I'm not saying they can't win it all, or that they are bad.  I mean, they are playing pretty good and I am rooting for them.  I just think it's too soon to claim how great your basketball program is, or give coaches a contract extension for making a tournament with 63 other teams.  Let's just see how they do the next couple years first.

Chicago is such a great sports city..... I think the best.

I love New York too, but if it wasn't for the Yankees.... The occasional Giants or a Hockey team once in a while..... NY and LA just can't measure up to Chicago IMHO

EDIT..... Come to think of it, Chicago sports teams haven't exactly won much at all...... Lol.... They suck too ! 

13 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

Naaaa….i used to hate the American League with the DH. Now….i guess it doesn’t matter. 

Felt same about NL league, bc they would walk the 8th hole hitter to get a cheap easy out by pitching to the pitcher who can't even swing a tennis racquet.  And NL pitchers had better ERA because of it. And the game sucked because of it.

However, I do appreciate Cubs baseball and all that is good about Wrigley Field and Chicago.

But I also like Southside White Sox too, so there's that lol

18 hours ago, Mavric said:

Not a Duke fan.

 

Definitely not a Laettner fan.

 

But this was iconic.

 

 

I am a huge Masburn fan, and Kentucky fan during that era.....  But also, I am a huge Laettner fan and Hurley fan...... This game was amazingly fun..... And the winning cross court pass, catch dribble turnaround shot is still the most incredible, most impossible shot / play that I ever do seen......

7 hours ago, Xmas32 said:

I think he's going to be a very solid player. I started watching him a couple years ago when he was at Florida where he was obviously quite good. Once I read that Texas was going to let him join the club for Spring Training I figured it was worth a shot as there was a chance he might make the club out of ST given Texas's openness to playing young guys if they are ready regardless of service time.

Our recently new GM said that it's different these days and if some players are ready right away, you embrace it and give them every opportunity to play in the majors.  Carter was 20 years old when given a chance to play the final 21 games of last season and start nearly every playoff game.  And the GM said that Langford almost got added to the playoff roster when a few guys got hurt.... Even though he only played 44 minor league games.  

We are definitely in a good situation offensively.  Pitching not so much. And I don't think our closer is good enough and is really an 8th inning guy. We need a real closer.

19 hours ago, BigRedBuster said:

Well…isn’t this precious. We play each other tonight on ESPN.  
 

My story about the rangers. When I was in grade school, my dad used to do business with an owner (Brad Corbett).  He went a game with him. He brought me home a tee shirt that said “you gotta have balls to play for the rangers”. I wore it once and I never saw it again. Assuming my mom threw it away. 
 

Side note….he rode the elevator up with George jr before he owned them. 
 

Side side note…is it bad if your opening day starter leaves the game with a pulled hammy???  f#&%. 
 

 

Wow, you should have adopted the Rangers at that moment for your #2 team!  That's pretty cool !

Your starting pitcher last night was very difficult to hit.  Mixes speeds with his slider and sweeper. It's unfortunate for y'all he pulled that hammy.....  As it turned out it was a happy ending for us 

4 hours ago, Xmas32 said:

I have a decent sized futures ticket on Langford to win ROY so I'll be rooting for him. The rest of your team however, I will not be rooting for haha.

My friend that is a very wise decision.  Langford might hit 35-40 bombs as a rookie.  

I mean, he's got a serious swing for launching bombs to all sides of the field. And the Rangers 3rd baseman Josh Jung hit 26 as a rookie last year and missed a month of the season. Soo....with Marcus Semien, Evan Carter and Corey Seager in the lineup and Adolis Garcia going for 50 homers..... Langford might do something like Pete Alonso did and just rake bombs on his way to ROY honors. This young man is determined and built for it.

17 hours ago, Mavric said:

Or maybe McCarthy won't be available at #4....

 

 

Hmmm...  what happened to Daniels ? I don't believe JJ is a #2 pick in the NFL draft, but it is fun and interesting to enjoy.  But he is a 1st rounder for sure.  

On 3/27/2024 at 9:09 AM, Mavric said:

 

ESPN now has the Vikings trading up to #3 to take Drake Maye and the Broncos trading up to #4 to take McCarthy.  It takes the Broncos next two first-round picks to do it.

 

Also, it has the Broncos taking Luke McCaffrey in the fourth round.  

That would be awesome!  I like JJ and Luke!  And it will be interesting because JJ Mac is supposedly Payton's guy.  I'd go for it!  

19 hours ago, BigRedBuster said:

Ok…season starts on Thursday. My Cubs in the off season did better than any year since the liquidation. But, still not championship level. 
 

So, my prediction is they make the playoffs. If lucky, have success early but don’t make the World Series. 
 

How do you predict your team?

Most likely, I see the Texas Rangers playing pretty well.  Starting pitching will be a concern as we lost Montgomery (couldn't afford him).  Fortunately, we get Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer back after All-Star break.  So I'm hoping we aren't too far out of 1st place by then. 

I think we have the best offensive lineup in baseball.  Especially with Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford this year.  

Keep an eye on Langford.  He's built like a young Mike Trout, and has incredible power.  

I love our Manager Bruce Bochy.  Like I said, we should be pretty good.  

Road games.  Jump on their pitching, get an early lead, play solid defense and play from ahead.  Would be nice to get 5 or 6 good innings from the Husker starter.  They have done a good job.  Mid relief and late inning bullpen is hit or miss.  

I think this will be a good road test.  But I also think the Huskers have been tested plenty of times against good teams already.  So I am leaning on the Huskers in this one.

9 minutes ago, Mavric said:

 

I'm not a big fan of shipping away more early draft picks.  We've done a ton of that recently with terrible results.

 

That being said, I don't see Payton wanting to sit around and wait for a second-tier QB to develop, especially after a bad first year that they've basically blamed on Wilson (not that I disagree).  However, since they have done nothing to sign a free agent, and with those options basically gone at this point, I don't see that they have much in the way of options except to trade up as far as they can to get a guy that they think they can at least get to the playoffs with in year one.  

 

I think they would have a reasonable chance with any of the first five QBs to be drafted, and maybe Nix as well.  But if they stay at 12, they'll get no better than the fifth choice and you risk someone else trading up and grabbing that guy.

 

So my gut says they are going to trade up into the top five and get a guy they really want, future be damned.

I totally agree.  I think trading up is the best way to go, as high as possible as you say, so that you might have your choice between 2 guys.  And then you go from there (building around him).  

It's not impossible to make the playoffs with a rookie QB (Dak, CJ, Purdy, etc).  At least be in contention the last few weeks of the year. 

But the main thing is when you see the light turn on and realize your future is set at QB, your entire team and franchise and fan base gets excited.  And since they are rookie QBs, you have extra money to build a team around them (off/def). 

And I agree, I wouldn't waste a pick on a 2nd tier QB to fill in.  I'd go get the best players (edge rusher, OT) and look to the future draft for a #1 QB.  

Should be an uptick during Spring this year, compared to last season.  More familiarity.  

There really is only so much you can learn though.  Fall Camp is where the rubber the meets the road.  But, I will pay attention to the offensive line.  Who's healthy.  Who's improved.  Who's ready to make that next step.  And the depth.

I'm also hoping to hear some positives out of the WR room.

And will enjoy hearing about Dylan and the Nebraska kid too (DK).  

Defense will always have the upper hand, so I wont pay much attention to that side of the ball. 

And with RB's, I don't think they will be breaking tackles anytime soon during the Spring or Summer, so it is just a workout and staying healthy kind of thing.

I just watched the press conf from 7 days ago, by HC Rhule.

He did a great job.  He answered the questions about Trev, his reaction, the University, his thoughts on being in Lincoln, the sports outside of football, his expectations and his excpectations for an AD having urgengy and a go-getter/hard worker (the presser was before announcing Troy Dannen).

He did a great job and as expected, Rhule saved the day.  He is so personable and intelligent and passionate about Nebraska.  It's not fair they wanted answers and put it all on him though.

I am glad the University of Nebraska got a new AD quickly.  Will be good to hear his thoughts soon.  So far it seems like an AD that wants to be here and Troy is an Iowa/Midwestern/Nebraska kind of guy.  So that's good too.

3 hours ago, Mavric said:

 

 

CBS Sports

Nice.  I hope yall get your guy at QB in the 1st round.  Next year's draft might not have as many QB studs.  And I don't think the Broncos will be bad enough to select the cream of the crop.  That's why I would be all-in this year.  

Maybe next year Sanders will be a Bronco, if they want to wait and try to tank for a top 8 pick?

2 hours ago, BigRedBuster said:

So, I’m trying to figure out how some of these tackles should have been made. 
 

f they go in head first, they risk..inadvertently, having a penalty even when they don’t mean to. 
 

So, thus is a tackle that takes the head totally out of it. And, if you’re sacking the QB, you can’t land on him either. So, defenders will go to the side pulling him down. Now, that might get flagged for this. 

The hip-drop technique applies heavy weight with brutal force to bring someone down.

Just think about holding on a rope above your head, and someone grabs you by the waist and uses all his weight and power to jerk you down by the hip.  Of course you will drop with him and go down.  And hopefully avoid injury, but it's not promised.

As you can see in that one video alone of all the times it happens, it's a technique and a shady way to bring someone down.  I have never liked that hip-drop tackle.  Just like I never liked safeties or DBs launching their helmet at a receiver to knock him down.  

Just teach and learn how to tackle.  Gang tackle used to be a thing.  If a RB or QB or TE or WR breaks your attempt to tackle without the hip-drop, it's because they are pretty good in open field. The hip-drop is used to scare them to death by pulling them down with all their weight and extreme force.  It's ridiculous.

2 hours ago, BigRedBuster said:

Wow. I had to learn what that even was. 
 

 

Sherman and RG3 are crying lmbo...  So defensive about it too.

Well if they learned the dangerous hip-drop technique, which can cause serious injury, maybe they can learn how to tackle without it?  

I think Chicago PD is brilliant.  I've watched every episode over and over and over.

Any suggestions for an intelligence unit that searches for perps that you could recommend?

This is a good year.  And they haven't even peaked yet.  

I think there are some legit concerns that need to be addressed and changed, but if they can do that (identify and make changes), this will become a very special team.  

Please don't wait too long to address patterns and red flags that will get you into trouble down the road.  If you are managing this team you know what they are.  So get after it now, but do it nice and easy.  

So far I am liking what we are seeing for the most part. 

Regarding the talented QBs coming in, and who to pick and whatnot, this is how I've seen these guys and what I think.

If JJ McCarthy or Bo Nix or Michael Penix walk onto the field during OTA's....You are good to go.  Period.  Shut it down.  Nothing further is needed, you did good.

Penix is the most purest passer.  Has great accuracy, the touch on the long ball, and can get rid of it quick under pressure.  Very smart.  Has played for a few college programs.  And he's mature and older (23/24).

Nix is smart.  He doesn't need to scramble much because he goes with the OC's play called (read 1 / read 2 - coverages) and gets rid of the ball immediately.  He's accurate, but he does have quick feet.  He 6'2 220 like Pennix, but Nix is thicker and stronger.  And he is also older like Penix and has played 61 college games.  You gotta love that.  Seen it, been there, done it.

JJ Mac is a winner, just like Trevor Lawrence was.  He is kind of slender like Penix (also 6'2 and around 219).  But he is alusive when needed, and more agile than Nix and Penix.  He can throw from the pocket.  He can throw on the run.  He is very emotional and his team thrives off of it.  He doesn't have the pure arm strength as Penix, or the short accuracy of Nix. But there is something special about him in games where stats don't matter.  

Daniels may be a super fast when running the ball, but that attribute is only good a few times a game.  He loves to stay in the pocket like Penix, although he runs more than Penix or Nix or JJ.  He has a strong arm and throws a good deep pass - even if sometimes it falls short and needs receivers to slow down to catch it.  He is slender at 6-3 or 6-4.  He can escape pressure with quick feet, but doesn't always throw well outside of the pocket like Nix and JJ Mac.  

Maye is a a guy that needs to sit for a year.  Learn.  Get better.  And he needs a lot of talent and weapons around him.  If you put him out there Day 1, it won't be a good year.  
 

20 minutes ago, Mavric said:

 

I don't think they have much to trade up with either.  Unless they ship out more future picks.

 

If they're good with taking McCarthy or Penix (or Nix), they probably don't need to trade up.  Just depends on where their break point is.

I agree.  Although I don't think 1 out of those 3 will be available by #12. 

If 2 are gone then it means someone (team) is panicking in the draft, with too many voices in their ears.

I believe most teams picking in the top 15 know exactly who they are selecting by now. 

In the mean time, the fun mock picks by analysts and Joe FanGuy will tantalize us with their expertise with mock 7.5.... trying to mix things up. 

On 3/23/2024 at 9:48 AM, Mavric said:

 

Fantasy life predicting Williams to Chicago @ #1, Daniels to Washington @#2, Minnesota trading up to #3 to take Maye and Denver trading up to #8 to take McCarthy.  Then the Raiders trading into the #21 spot to take Penix.

 

8. Denver Broncos (from ATL): Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy
Another trade! This time Sean Payton gets (in this scenario) his guy. And, like the Vikings, a trade-up of sorts feels likely after the Broncos released Russell Wilson and traded Jerry Jeudy to the Browns for some extra late-round draft ammo.

Fantasy Life’s Chris Allen recently broke down McCarthy’s game in detail. It’s easy to hate on the Michigan Man’s lack of overall passing volume, but then again, the Wolverines defense hardly ever forced the national champions into pass-first situations in the first place, and man oh man was McCarthy lethal when it mattered.

 

I don't think or know if the Broncos have the pieces to trade up.

If JJ Mac is there, you get him.  I like him a lot.

If Nix is there, you get him.  I do like him though.

If you skip either for a cornerback, then shame on you Broncos.  That is the least impactful position in the NFL with a 1st round pick.  Compared with QB, Rush Edge, WR, Left Tackle.....

I've also heard that JJ Mac was Sean Payton's guy since the National Title game, and pre offseason and combine/pro day stuff.

Best of luck.  Get your QB and if you can trade up, I would.

Set aside your personal hate and disappointment, and drop the pitchforks.  It's been years since teh QB project didn't quite work out.  The kid moved on.

It's most likely due to having a brother with so much talent and NFL success, but teams and scouts point out the athletic ability, quickness and speed of Luke.

Not just drafted, but 3rd round?

Hmmm...

This mock projection is from 1 day ago.  We will see. And good for Luke if he can be an NFL player for a few years.  Not sure he would become something above average, but here we go...

49ers select WR Luke McCaffrey in Round 3

https://www.nfl.com/news/four-round-2024-nfl-mock-draft-49ers-select-wr-luke-mccaffrey-in-round-3