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dianamathur-novelist · 6 years

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European Project, Baltic Dream, Paths Forward Where American Dream Falters

Robert J. Shiller, Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University, 2013 Nobel Laureate, and kin to four Lithuanian grandparents, addressed attendees at the Baltic Boston Conference on November 24, 2018, commemorating the Baltic centennials.

Professor Shiller spoke about the evolution of “The American Dream,” a notion that was coined and lauded in 1931; and compared it to the European Project and the “Baltic Dream”.

Using search tools Ngram and Proquest, Schiller traced the American Dream origins to the nation’s founding thinkers, including Thomas Paine, who challenged the logic of hereditary advantage in Common Sense (1776); and Ben Franklin, who in 1782 France published the pamphlet, Information for those Who would Remove to America.

“Don’t come to America if you think you will impress people with title and money,” Franklin wrote. “Come if you can do something. Americans say, ‘God Almighty is a mechanic.’” Franklin claimed the humble husbandman (farmer) would be respected in America.

A sister concept to the American Dream was portrayed by Israel Zangwill in his 1908 play, “The Melting Pot,” wherein a Jewish man marries a Christian woman. President Teddy Roosevelt applauded the play, making assimilation, the coming together of different nationalities and cultures, the preferred face of the nation (rather than, for example, the Jim Crow laws of the day*).

In 1930, “The American Dream” was advertising copy for a box spring mattress. (It cost $13.50).

In 1931, “The American Dream” was coined by historian James Truslow Adams in his book, Epic of America. (So named because Adams’s publisher said a book entitled The American Dream wouldn’t sell.) With that phrase, Adams was defining a hopefulness that he admired in American culture.

"…that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone (emphasis added), with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. … It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman (ahead of his time, Prof. Shiller points out, Adams specified both genders) shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position."

“Ideas are contagious,” explained Shiller, “like viruses, thoughts change and mutate over time, their popularity goes in and out.” In the depths of the Great Depression, the hopeful idea of the American Dream was born, its roots already established in the nation’s consciousness, and the notion went viral.

Immigrants came to America because of the American Dream, some aspiring to own farms – one version of the Dream. America attracted hardworking people. Every young activist thought of the United States as a bastion of freedom and democracy.

Continuing the etiology, in 1931 and 1961, respectively, playwrights George O’Neill and Edward Albee* used the title with irony, dealing with the disintegration of the American Dream.

The American Dream doesn’t mean today what it meant in 1931.

1950 real estate ads painted the American Dream as home ownership: Man marries and children arrive. Man gives them a place to call their own. The ideal was a suburban home, where couples could entertain using their stylish wedding gifts. The concept had lost its idealistic and intellectual tenor since 1931, even neglecting the original idea of inclusion.

The American Dream further mutated by1980, when homes became thought of as investments. Prof. Shiller pointed to the shift in public attention from land prices to home prices, among other proofs.

Today, suburban home ownership no longer represents the American Dream. Walkable cities offering art, community space, and eateries, make life meaningful to young people.

In 2018, Frank Rich wrote in New York magazine, “That loose civic concept known as the American Dream … has been shattered. No longer is lip service paid to the credo, however sentimental, that a vast country, for all its racial and sectarian divides, might somewhere in its DNA have a shared core of values that could pull it out of any mess.”

The American Dream is history*.

Across the Atlantic, the counterpart to the American Dream is often referred to as the European Project. In contrasting the two mindsets, Jeremy Rifkin explains:

For Americans, freedom is associated with autonomy, which requires amassing wealth. One is free by becoming self-reliant, an island unto oneself — and with exclusivity comes security.

For Europeans, freedom is not found in autonomy, but in access to a myriad of interdependent relationships with others. The more communities one has access to, the more options and choices one has for living a full and meaningful life. With relationships comes inclusivity, and with inclusivity comes security.

The American Dream puts an emphasis on economic growth, personal wealth and independence. The new European Dream focuses more on sustainable development, quality of life and interdependence.

The American Dream pays homage to the work ethic. The European Dream is more attuned to leisure and deep play.

The American Dream is wedded to love of country and patriotism. The European Dream is more cosmopolitan, less territorial, … and secular to the core.

Neither Americans nor Europeans have lived up to their respective dreams, but Europe has articulated a vision for the future that focuses on quality of life, sustainability, peace and harmony.

(Rifkin, 2004.) (Check out the highlights of a collective vision based on personal transformation rather than individual material accumulation here:

Professor Shiller shared brief references to national Canadian, Chinese, and French Dreams, elaborating on views of the Russian Dream obtained through a primary source. “They don’t talk a whole lot about it, but …we too have a national dream. Not for happiness. We dream about what the majority of Americans already have, a cottage (single family home).”

A common aspect of the American and Russian Dreams: We want to live well, and not be limited by a society that prevents us from doing what we could do.

That this is the sincere desire of a typical Russian is evidenced by the popularity of recent presidential candidate Alexei Navalny, who said, “The idea we are destined to always live in poverty is deeply engrained in people’s minds. The goal of my campaign is to conquer it.” Navalny’s run against Putin was halted by conviction of a tax irregularity.

What is the Baltic Dream? Professor Shiller picked the brains of his Yale Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian students to elucidate its themes. Recurrent were feelings of loyalty, and of love for country and culture – though not in a nationalistic way – and of wanting to go back. It’s a dream of integration into exciting things wordwide; of being part of the family of European countries, small by might, yet world citizens, technological leaders and entrepreneurs in the vein of Finland’s Nokia and Estonia’s Skype. “The Baltic Dream is to be free, independent democracies; to own our land, and speak our language.” Power in song and dance is part of the genetic code, still as relevant and victorious as the Singing Revolution.

What comes next in the evolution of national dreams?

A desperate political atmosphere has come in after the demise of the American Dream. It’s every man for himself. There is loss of commitment to policies that redistribute to the poor, and loss of entrepreneurial optimism. Political attitudes are hostile. Troubled polarization and the rise of nationalist politics beset the quest for our identity and hope for the future.

Last year 69 million people were displaced by war and discord, and are pushing at borders.

Fear of immigrants, fear of automation stealing jobs, fear of home price inflation, especially for people who haven’t yet bought homes, is rampant.

Professor Shiller’s tone was tactful in answering questions from the Baltic Boston audience, which comprised both Trump supporters and critics. He deftly replied that discussing America First as a national sentiment and public policy requires a psychologist as much as an economist.

What obligation do Baltic countries have to help Muslim refugees? Muslim refugees don’t have that much interest in going somewhere where you have to learn an exotic language. And the national identities of small countries may be threatened by the influx of different perspectives. But certainly the Baltics should take some Muslim refugees, and be nice to them.

Shiller’s documentation of the rise and fall of the American Dream ended on a note of reasonable hope when he compared President Trump to the historical figures of William Jennings Bryan, a populist of the 1890s; Father Coughlin, a fascist radio priest of the Great Depression; and Senator Joe McCarthy, Red-scare smear tactician of 1950.

“These men all were very popular at one point in time,” Shiller pointed out. “Then they went too far and that did it. McCarthy eventually became ridiculous, even accusing communists of mind control.” The citizenry eventually withdrew support for these figures. “Trump’s antics may be pushing his luck. Calling a woman ‘horse-face’ doesn’t have to do with politics. You don’t call people that, even an opponent.”

“I just hope he does the right thing in the remaining two years,” Shiller concluded.

by Diana Mathur

* the author’s observation

#Baltic Boston #Robert Shiller #American Dream #Baltic Dream #The Ghastly Year

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mongoose232323 · 3 years

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How Stupid Are These People?

Joe Biden Won The Presidential Election In

November And Was Certified As President

On Jan. 6th.

BUT YET HERE WE GO AGAIN

BREAKING NEWS

After THREE RECOUNTS

And Not Finding ANYTHING Wrong

The Arizona GOP Has Now Demanded

AN OAN SPONSORED FOURTH RECOUNT!!

From The Article

An audit of the vote in Arizona’s most populous county was meant to mollify angry Trump voters. But it is being criticized as a partisan exercise more than a fact-finding one.

It seemed so simple back in December.

Responding to angry voters who echoed former President Donald J. Trump’s false claims of a stolen election, Arizona Republicans promised a detailed review of the vote that showed Mr. Trump to have been the first Republican presidential nominee to lose the state since 1996. “We hold an audit,” State Senator Eddie Farnsworth said at a Judiciary Committee hearing. “And then we can put this to rest.”

But when a parade of flatbed trucks last week hauled boxes of voting equipment and 78 pallets containing the 2.1 million ballots of Arizona’s largest county to a decrepit local coliseum, it kicked off a seat-of-the-pants audit process that seemed more likely to amplify Republican grievances than to put them to rest.

Almost half a year after the election Mr. Trump lost, the promised audit has become a snipe hunt for skulduggery that has spanned a court battle, death threats and calls to arrest the elected leadership of Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix.

The head of Cyber Ninjas, the Florida-based firm that Republican senators hired to oversee the audit, has embraced Mr. Trump’s baseless theories of election theft and has suggested, contrary to available evidence, that Mr. Trump actually won Arizona by 200,000 votes. The pro-Trump cable channel One America News Network has started a fund-raiser to finance the venture and has been named one of the nonpartisan observers that will keep the audit on the straight and narrow.

In fact, three previous reviews showed no sign of significant fraud or any reason to doubt President Biden’s victory. But the senators now plan to recount — by hand — all 2.1 million ballots cast in Maricopa County, two-thirds of the entire vote statewide.

Critics in both parties charge that an effort that began as a way to placate angry Trump voters has become a political embarrassment and another blow to the once-inviolable democratic norm that losers and winners alike honor the results of elections.

“You know the dog that caught the car?” said Steve Gallardo, the lone Democrat on the Republican-dominated Maricopa Board of Supervisors. “The dog doesn’t know what to do with it.”

After a brief pause on Friday ordered by a state court judge, the audit continues without clarity on who will do the counting, what it will cost and who will pay for the process, which is expected to last into mid-May. The One America network is livestreaming it, and Mr. Trump is cheering from the sidelines.

In an email statement on Saturday, he praised the “brave American Patriots” behind the effort and demanded that Gov. Doug Ducey, a frequent target of his displeasure, dispatch the state police or National Guard for their protection.

Katie Hobbs, Arizona’s secretary of state, a Democrat, was less enthused.

“My concern grows deeper by the hour,” she said in an email on Friday. “It is clear that no one involved in this process knows what they are doing, and they are making it up as they go along.”

The Senate president, Karen Fann, said in December that the audit had no hidden agenda and could not change the settled election results in Arizona, regardless of what it showed.

“A lot of our constituents have a lot of questions about how the voting, the electoral system works, the security of it, the validity of it,” she said, and so the senators needed experts to examine voting processes and determine “what else could we do to verify the votes were correct and accurate.”

Other state legislatures have looked into bogus claims of election fraud. But the Arizona audit, driven in part by conspiracy theories about rigged voting machines, is in a league of its own. Experts say it underscores the sharp rightward shift of the Legislature and the state Republican Party even as the state edges toward the political center.

“I get why they’re doing it, because half of the G.O.P. believes there was widespread fraud,” said Mike Noble, a Phoenix pollster who got his start in Republican politics. “The only problem is, a majority of the electorate doesn’t believe there was widespread fraud.

“The longer they push this,” he said, “the more they’re alienating people in the middle.”

In Arizona, the state party is headed by Kelli Ward, a former state senator who has rejected Mr. Biden’s victory and supports the audit. Under her leadership, the party in January censured Mr. Ducey, former Senator Jeff Flake and Cindy McCain for being insufficiently loyal to Mr. Trump.

The 16 Republicans in the State Senate reflect the party’s lurch to the right. November’s elections ousted the Senate’s two most moderate Republicans, replacing one with a Democrat and another with a Republican who claims lifetime membership in the Oath Keepers, the extremist group that helped lead the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Another self-proclaimed Oath Keeper, State Representative Mark Finchem, proposed in January to give the Legislature the power to reject presidential election results and choose new electors by a majority vote. (The proposal went nowhere). Mr. Finchem since has become a vocal backer of the audit.

“The people in the Legislature are more prone to believe in the conspiracy theories and are more prone to espouse them” than in the past, said Barrett Marson, a Phoenix campaign consultant and a former Republican spokesman for the Arizona State House.

Ms. Fann, Mr. Farnsworth and Mr. Finchem did not respond to requests for interviews.

The Senate’s rightward drift is simply explained, political analysts say. Most of the 30 Senate districts are so uncompetitive that the Democratic and Republican primaries effectively choose who will serve as senators. Because most voters sit out primary elections, the ones who do show up — for Republicans, that often means far-right Trump supporters — are the key to getting elected.

Responding to stolen-election claims, through tougher voting laws or inquiries, is by far those voters’ top issue, said Chuck Coughlin, a Republican campaign strategist in Phoenix.

“They’re representing their constituency,” he said. “The whole process was built to produce this.”

The senators warmed to the notion of a Maricopa County audit from the first mention of it in early December.

Before long, they sent subpoenas to the county seeking the 2.1 million ballots, access to 385 voting machines and other equipment like check-in poll books, voting machine passwords and personal details on everyone who voted. The supervisors resisted, calling the election fraud-free, and said they wanted a court ruling on the subpoenas’ legality.

The reaction was immediate: The four Republicans and one Democrat on the Board of Supervisors were deluged with thousands of telephone calls and emails from Trump supporters, many from out of state, some promising violence.

“All five supervisors were receiving death threats,” said Mr. Gallardo, the Democratic supervisor. Two police officers were posted outside his home.

** Long Article, To Read Rest Click On Link**

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/25/us/Election-audit-Arizona-Republicans.amp.html

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packernet · 5 years

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New Post has been published on https://www.packernet.com/blog/2019/12/10/2020-nfl-draft-big-board/

2020 NFL Draft Big Board

For years I’ve been tracking NFL Draft websites and their big boards and aggregating their boards to make 1 master big board. Unfortunately, earlier this year I decided to shut down the site but since I still have the information I figured I would continue the tradition right here on Packernet. Below is my board. the full board has 717 prospects which have been cut down to only players with 2 or more rankings bringing us down to 381 prospects, and then sorted based on highest average rank.

Rank Player Position Type School AVG 1 Chase Young EDGE DE Ohio State 1.5 2 Jerry Jeudy WR WR Alabama 4.3125 3 Joe Burrow QB Pro LSU 5.1875 4 Andrew Thomas OT LT Georgia 5.3125 5 Jeffrey Okudah CB CB Ohio State 7 6 Tua Tagovailoa QB Dual Alabama 7.0625 7 Derrick Brown DL 3 Tech Auburn 7.6875 8 Isaiah Simmons LB SLB Clemson 9.5 9 Ceedee Lamb WR WR Oklahoma 10.0625 10 Grant Delpit S SS LSU 11.4375 11 A.J. Epenesa EDGE DE Iowa 11.4375 12 Tristan Wirfs OT RT Iowa 11.8125 13 Henry Ruggs WR WR Alabama 14.69231 14 Javon Kinlaw DL 3 Tech South Carolina 15.125 15 Kristian Fulton CB CB LSU 16.1875 16 Justin Herbert QB Dual Oregon 18.6875 17 Trevon Diggs CB CB Alabama 19.93333 18 D’Andre Swift RB RB Georgia 21 19 Tyler Biadasz IOL OC Wisconsin 21.53333 20 Dylan Moses LB WLB Alabama 23.76923 21 Laviska Shenault WR WR Colorado 23.875 22 Xavier McKinney S SS Alabama 30 23 Jonathan Taylor RB RB Wisconsin 30.375 24 Yetur Gross-Matos EDGE DE Penn State 30.6875 25 Creed Humphrey IOL OC Oklahoma 30.78571 26 Alex Leatherwood OT LT Alabama 31.5625 27 Raekwon Davis DL 3 Tech Alabama 32.75 28 Travis Etienne RB RB Clemson 32.8 29 Curtis Weaver EDGE OLB Auburn 32.85714 30 Marvin Wilson DL NT Florida State 33.06667 31 Kenneth Murray LB MLB Oklahoma 33.13333 32 C.J. Henderson CB CB Florida 35.625 33 Julian Okwara EDGE DE Notre Dame 36.26667 34 Tee Higgins WR WR Clemson 37.46667 35 Paulson Adebo CB CB Stanford 37.73333 36 Jalen Reagor WR WR TCU 38.6 37 Jedrick Wills OT RT Alabama 40.57143 38 Bryce Hall CB CB Virginia 43.26667 39 Terrell Lewis LB SLB Alabama 43.53333 40 K’Lavon Chaisson EDGE OLB LSU 44 41 Neville Gallimore DL Oklahoma 44.07143 42 Shaun Wade CB Ohio State 44.38462 43 Jacob Eason QB Pro Washington 46.66667 44 J.K. Dobbins RB RB Ohio State 47.92857 45 Tyler Johnson WR SWR Minnesota 48.92857 46 A.J. Terrell CB CB Clemson 49.53333 47 Prince Tega Wanogho OT LT Auburn 52.13333 48 Austin Jackson OT USC 52.58333 49 Hamsah Nasirildeen S Florida State 54.33333 50 K.J. Hamler WR Penn State 57.83333 51 Jake Fromm QB Pro Georgia 58.53333 52 Jalen Hurts QB Dual Oklahoma 59.92308 53 Jordan Love QB Pro Utah State 60.5 54 DeVonta Smith WR WR Alabama 60.85714 55 Lucas Niang OT RT TCU 61.64286 56 Brycen Hopkins TE TE Purdue 61.64286 57 Darryl Williams IOL OG Mississippi State 62.36364 58 Jaylon Johnson CB CB Utah 64.71429 59 Trey Adams OT LT Washington 64.875 60 Carlos Basham EDGE DE Wake Forest 65.92308 61 Jeff Gladney CB CB TCU 66 62 Chuba Hubbard RB Oklahoma State 66.30769 63 Ashtyn Davis S California 66.57143 64 Justin Jefferson WR WR LSU 67.21429 65 Alton Robinson EDGE DE Syracuse 67.69231 66 Tylan Wallace WR WR Oklahoma State 67.92857 67 Josh Jones OT Houston 68.7 68 Netane Muti DL Fresno State 69.09091 69 Sage Surratt WR WR Wake Forest 73 70 Brandon Jones S FS Texas 73.83333 71 Leki Fotu DL Utah 73.91667 72 Samuel Cosmi OT Texas 75.42857 73 Cameron Dantzler CB CB Mississippi State 77.4 74 Kenny Willekes EDGE DE Michigan State 78 75 Jabari Zuniga EDGE Florida 79.16667 76 Cam Akers RB RB Florida State 79.66667 77 Zack Moss RB RB Utah 79.66667 78 Trey Smith IOL OG Tennessee 81.09091 79 Hunter Bryant TE Washington 83.57143 80 Nick Harris IOL Washington 83.81818 81 Anfernee Jennings EDGE DE Alabama 84.91667 82 Jonathan Greenard EDGE Florida 85.90909 83 Jack Driscoll OT RT Auburn 86.3 84 Jared Pinkney TE TE Vanderbilt 87.07692 85 Lloyd Cushenberry IOL LSU 88.375 86 Troy Dye LB ILB Oregon 88.69231 87 Collin Johnson WR WR Texas 88.81818 88 Malik Harrison LB OLB Ohio State 89.27273 89 Bradlee Anae EDGE DE Utah 90.54545 90 Brandon Aiyuk WR WR Arizona State 91.1 91 Jacob Phillips LB MLB LSU 92.5 92 Mekhi Becton OT LT Louisville 94.45455 93 Monty Rice LB Georgia 94.875 94 Antoine Winfield S Minneosta 95.5 95 Solomon Kindley IOL OG Georgia 95.53846 96 Richard LeCounte S Georgia 95.8 97 Rashard Lawrence DL 5 Tech LSU 97.27273 98 Darrell Taylor LB SLB Tennessee 97.72727 99 Grant Calcaterra TE TE Oklahoma 100.75 100 Shyheim Carter CB CB Alabama 101.8 101 Alaric Jackson OT LT Iowa 102.3333 102 Jaylen Twyman DL DT Pittsburgh 102.5 103 Shane Lemieux IOL OG Oregon 102.8889 104 Najee Harris RB RB Alabama 103.1818 105 Jake Hanson IOL OC Oregon 103.7778 106 Khalid Kareem EDGE DE Notre Dame 105 107 Albert Okwuegbunam TE TE Missouri 105.2308 108 Justin Madubuike DL 3 Tech Texas A&M 105.9 109 Clyde Edwards-Helaire RB LSU 108 110 Jared Hilbers OT RT Washington 108.5 111 Devin Duvernay WR Texas 108.5455 112 Logan Stenberg IOL LG Kentucky 109.625 113 Hakeem Adeniji OT LT Kansas 111.625 114 Deommodore Lenoir CB Oregon 111.7778 115 Ben Bredeson IOL OG Michigan 112.7 116 Josh Uche LB SLB Michigan 112.7273 117 Keandre Jones LB SAM Maryland 113.5 118 Marlon Davidson EDGE DE Auburn 115.3 119 Kyle Dugger S Lenoir-Rhyne 119 120 Cole Kmet TE Notre Dame 119 121 Walker Little OT LT Stanford 119.1429 122 Markus Bailey LB Purdue 119.2857 123 Eno Benjamin RB RB Arizona State 119.75 124 Raequan Williams DL NT Michigan State 121.3 125 Michael Pittman WR Southern California 122.4545 126 Levi Onwuzurike DL Washington 124.2 127 Ke’Shawn Vaughn RB RB Vanderbilt 124.6667 128 Nick Coe EDGE OLB Auburn 126.5 129 Jordan Elliott DL Missouri 126.7143 130 Isaiah Hodgins WR Oregon State 126.9 131 Reggie Floyd S SS Virginia Tech 127.5714 132 J.R. Reed S S Georgia 128.1 133 Larrell Murchison DL NC State 128.625 134 Antonio Gandy-Golden WR WR Liberty 129 135 David Woodward LB ILB Utah State 129.1429 136 Calvin Throckmorton OT RT Oregon 129.5 137 Donovan Peoples-Jones WR WR Michigan 129.5 138 Zack Baun EDGE OLB Wisconsin 129.5833 139 Denzel Mims WR WR Baylor 129.6 140 Jordyn Brooks LB Texas Tech 130.4286 141 Shaquille Quarterman LB MLB Miami 130.7143 142 Antoine Brooks CB SCB Maryland 131.7778 143 Jamie Newman QB Wake Forest 132.2857 144 Anthony McFarland RB Maryland 132.375 145 Darnay Holmes CB CB UCLA 134.7778 146 Chazz Surratt LB ILB North Carolina 136.25 147 K’Von Wallace S Clemson 136.8 148 Lamar Jackson CB CB Nebraska 138.3636 149 Dontavious Jackson LB MLB Florida State 139 150 Damon Arnette CB CB Ohio State 139.1 151 Jacob Breeland TE TE Oregon 140 152 Lamical Perine RB Florida 140.2222 153 Zach Shackelford IOL OC Texas 140.2857 154 Paddy Fisher LB MLB Northwestern 140.3333 155 Hamilcar Rashed EDGE Oregon State 141.5 156 John Hightower WR Boise State 142 157 Colby Parkinson TE TE Stanford 142.8889 158 Bryan Edwards WR WR South Carolina 142.9 159 Justin Strnad LB Wake Forest 143.125 160 Trajan Bandy CB Miami 145.4 161 A.J. Dillon RB RB Boston College 146.2222 162 Eric Stokes CB CB Georgia 146.4286 163 Richie Grant S FS UCF 147 164 Willie Gay LB WLB Mississippi State 147.3333 165 K.J. Hill WR SWR Ohio State 147.9 166 Nico Collins WR Michigan 148 167 Myles Bryant S SS Washington 149 168 Ross Blacklock DL DT TCU 149.8333 169 Trevon Hill EDGE Miami 150 170 Joe Bachie LB MLB Michigan State 150 171 Cole Van Lanen OT Wisconsin 151.4 172 Mustafa Johnson DL 5 Tech Colorado 151.5 173 Alex Highsmith DL UNC Charlotte 151.75 174 Tommy Kraemer IOL RG Notre Dame 153.125 175 Essang Bassey CB CB Wake Forest 153.2222 176 Jaron Bryant CB Fresno State 154.3333 177 Josiah Deguara TE Cincinnati 154.7143 178 Kylin Hill RB 0 Mississippi State 155.25 179 Quartney Davis WR WR Texas A&M 155.25 180 Julian Blackmon S Utah 157 181 Cheyenne O’Grady TE Arkansas 160.3333 182 Baron Browning LB Ohio State 161.6 183 Trey Sermon RB 0 Oklahoma 161.6 184 Liam Eichenberg OT LT Notre Dame 163.25 185 Jonathan Garvin EDGE Miami 163.2857 186 Aaron Fuller WR Washington 163.5556 187 Jalen Elliott S Notre Dame 163.8571 188 Myles Dorn S North Carolina 164 189 Chase Claypool WR Notre Dame 164.75 190 Gabriel Davis WR WR UCF 165 191 Patrick Jones EDGE Pittsburgh 166.5 192 Michael Divinity EDGE OLB LSU 167.8 193 Ezra Cleveland OT LT Boise State 168.3333 194 Charlie Heck OT North Carolina 169.875 195 Frederick Mauigoa IOL OC Washington State 170.5 196 JD Spielman WR Nebraska 170.75 197 Anthony Gordon QB QB Washington State 170.8571 198 Alohi Gilman S FS Notre Dame 171 199 John Reid S Penn State 171.5 200 D.J. Wonnum EDGE DE South Carolina 171.625 201 Kwity Paye EDGE DE Michigan 172.2 202 Tre Walker WR San Jose State 173 203 Levonta Taylor CB CB Florida State 173.2857 204 Tyler Clark DL 5 Tech Georgia 173.5 205 Quintez Cephus WR WR Wisconsin 174.1429 206 Chauncey Rivers DL Mississippi State 174.5 207 Tyler Huntley QB Utah 174.5 208 Lavert Hill CB CB Michigan 174.875 209 T.J. Brunson LB MLB South Carolina 175.8 210 Damien Lewis IOL LSU 176 211 Harrison Bryant TE Florida Atlantic 176.375 212 K.J. Costello QB Pro Stanford 176.5714 213 Davon Hamilton DL Ohio State 177 214 Jordan Mack LB Virginia 177.25 215 Mitchell Wilcox TE TE South Florida 177.4286 216 Troy Pride CB Notre Dame 177.5 217 McTelvin Agim DL 3 Tech Arkansas 177.6 218 Jordon Scott DL Oregon 177.6667 219 Tipa Galeai EDGE Utah State 177.875 220 T.J. Carter CB CB Memphis 179.3333 221 Mohamed Barry LB Nebraska 180 222 Charles Snowden LB Virginia 180.4286 223 Jason Strowbridge DL DT North Carolina 182.3333 224 Justin Herron OT Wake Forest 183.8 225 Steven Montez QB Pro Colorado 184.2 226 Nate Landman LB Colorado 184.3333 227 Nate Stanley QB Pro Iowa 185 228 Levante Bellamy RB Western Michigan 185 229 Evan Weaver LB ILB California 185.7143 230 Benito Jones DL Ole Miss 185.8 231 Robert Landers DL Ohio State 187.1429 232 Carter Coughlin EDGE DE Minnesota 187.7143 233 Kendall Coleman EDGE DE Syracuse 187.75 234 Terrell Burgess S Utah 188 235 Jaylinn Hawkins S California 189 236 Kamal Martin LB Minnesota 190.4 237 Darrion Daniels DL NT Nebraska 190.5 238 Colton McKivitz OT LT West Virginia 191.2 239 Michael Warren RB Cincinnati 193 240 Kendrick Rogers WR WR Texas A&M 194.8571 241 Brad Stewart S Florida 196.3333 242 Kylan Johnson LB Pittsburgh 196.5 243 Kalija Lipscomb WR WR Vanderbilt 197.8571 244 Anthony Hines LB Texas A&M 198.5 245 Tyler Vaughns WR WR USC 199 246 Thomas Graham CB 0 Oregon 200.5 247 Binjimen Victor WR Ohio State 202.5 248 Scott Frantz OT LT Kansas State 203 249 Joe Gaziano EDGE DE Northwestern 203 250 Matt Hennessy IOL OC Temple 203 251 Patrick Queen LB LSU 203.2 252 Joey Magnifico TE TE Memphis 204.5 253 Marquez Callaway WR WR Tennessee 204.5 254 Khaleke Hudson LB SLB Michigan 205.3333 255 Van Jefferson WR Florida 205.75 256 Akeem Davis-Gaither LB Appalachian State 206 257 Cam Brown LB Penn State 206 258 Ben Cleveland IOL OG Georgia 206 259 Matt Bushman TE BYU 206.2 260 Chase Lucas CB CB Arizona State 206.75 261 Yasir Durant OT Missouri 207 262 Tariq Castro-Fields CB Penn State 210.5 263 Lynn Bowden WR Kentucky 214.5 264 Daniel Bituli LB Tennessee 214.75 265 Kevin Jarvis IOL OG Michigan State 215 266 Daelin Hayes EDGE Notre Dame 216.3333 267 Cesar Ruiz IOL OC Michigan 217.2 268 James Smith-Williams EDGE NC State 217.5 269 Bryce Perkins QB Dual Virginia 218.5 270 Reggie Corbin RB Illinois 219 271 Jake Luton QB Oregon State 220 272 Joe Reed WR WR Virginia 221.75 273 James Proche WR WR Southern Methodist 222.2 274 Jared Mayden S Alabama 222.5 275 Big Kat Bryant EDGE Auburn 222.6667 276 Sadarius Hutcherson OT LT South Carolina 223.5 277 A.J. Green CB Oklahoma State 224 278 Dante Olson LB Montana 225 279 Michael Pinckney LB WLB Miami 225.5 280 Sean Pollard IOL OG Clemson 226.5 281 Isaiah Wilson OT RT Georgia 228.5 282 Saahdiq Charles OT LT LSU 229.6667 283 Robert Hunt OT Louisiana-Lafayette 229.6667 284 Brian Lewerke QB Pro Michigan State 231.3333 285 Erroll Thompson LB MLB Mississippi State 231.75 286 Matt Peart OT UConn 232.25 287 Terence Steele OT LT Texas Tech 233 288 Elijah Riley CB Army 233.5 289 Jeff Thomas WR Miami 235.2 290 Kellen Mond QB Texas A&M 235.75 291 Naquan Jones DL Michigan State 236.3333 292 Patrick Taylor RB RB Memphis 237.25 293 Nigel Warrior CB Tennessee 237.7143 294 Geno Stone S SS Iowa 239 295 Lorenzo Neal DL 3 Tech Purdue 245 296 Kindle Vildor CB 0 Georgia Southern 246 297 David Dowell S FS Michigan State 246.6667 298 Shane Buechele QB SMU 247 299 LaBryan Ray EDGE DE Alabama 247.3333 300 Sam Ehlinger QB Dual Texas 247.3333 301 T.J. Vasher WR Texas Tech 248.3333 302 Damar Hamlin S FS Pittsburgh 248.6667 303 Trevis Gipson DL Tulsa 249 304 Jeremy Chinn S Southern Illinois 249.3333 305 Salvon Ahmed RB Washington 249.5 306 Khyiris Tonga DL NT BYU 250 307 Ahmad Wagner WR Kentucky 250.5 308 Jordan Fuller S SS Ohio State 255.5 309 Josh Metellus S Michigan 255.5 310 C.J. Verdell RB Oregon 256.5 311 Dane Jackson CB CB Pittsburgh 257 312 DeeJay Dallas RB Miami 257.5 313 Mike Hampton CB CB South Florida 258 314 Jeffrey McCulloch LB Texas 258 315 Michael Onwenu IOL OG Michigan 258.5 316 Evan Foster S Syracuse 262 317 Tamorrion Terry WR WR Florida State 262 318 John Simpson IOL OG Clemson 262.5 319 J.J. Taylor RB Arizona 263 320 Gage Cervenka IOL Clemson 263 321 Chris Orr LB ILB Wisconsin 263 322 Glen Logan DL 5 Tech LSU 264 323 Juwuan Jones DL Western Kentucky 267 324 Thayer Munford OT Ohio State 268.5 325 Jack Anderson IOL OC Texas Tech 268.5 326 Cole McDonald QB Hawaii 269 327 Jace Whittaker CB CB Arizona 269 328 Carlos Davis DL Nebraska 269.3333 329 Kyahva Tezino DL San Diego State 271.5 330 Robert Windsor DL Penn State 272.25 331 Krys Barnes LB UCLA 273 332 Sean McKeon TE Michigan 273 333 Rayshard Ashby LB MLB Virginia Tech 275 334 Luke Farrell TE TE Ohio State 276 335 Logan Wilson LB Wyoming 277.6667 336 Shaun Bradley LB Temple 278.5 337 Larry RountreeI RB Missouri 279 338 Adam Trautman TE Dayton 280 339 Khalil Tate QB Dual Arizona 281 340 Charleston Rambo WR WR Oklahoma 282.3333 341 Garrett Marino DL UAB 283 342 Joshua Kelley RB UCLA 286.5 343 David Reese LB MLB Florida 288.5 344 Keisean Lucier-South LB OLB UCLA 289 345 Darius Anderson RB TCU 291 346 Jay Tufele DL USC 291.3333 347 DeMarkus Acy CB CB Missouri 292.5 348 Josiah Coatney DL DE Ole Miss 299.5 349 K.J. Osborn WR Miami 303.5 350 Jaquarius Landrews S Mississippi State 311 351 Brendon Hayes DL UCF 312.6667 352 Bryce Huff LB Memphis 313.5 353 Alex Taylor OT South Carolina State 314.5 354 Ty Chandler RB RB Tennessee 315.5 355 Tyrie Cleveland WR WR Florida 317 356 Mike Panasiuk IDL Michigan State 317.5 357 Riley Neal QB Vanderbilt 319 358 Sage Lewis LB MLB FIU 319.5 359 John Penisini DL Utah 322 360 Isaiahh Loudermilk DL DE Wisconsin 327 361 Trystan Colon-Castillo IOL Missouri 328.3333 362 Nyles Pinckney DL Clemson 333 363 Rakeem Boyd RB Arkansas 333.5 364 Shea Patterson QB Pro Michigan 333.6667 365 Jared Rice TE Fresno State 336 366 Mason Fine QB North Texas 336 367 Tra Minter RB South Alabama 337.5 368 DeAndre Pierce S Boise State 338 369 Tanner Muse S Clemson 338 370 Jon Runyan OT LT Michigan 340.3333 371 Easop Winston WR Washington State 342.3333 372 Christian Rector EDGE OLB USC 345 373 Dicaprio Bootle CB CB Nebraska 346 374 Chapelle Russell LB WLB Temple 348.5 375 Kennedy McKoy RB West Virginia 349.5 376 Cedric Byrd WR Hawaii 351 377 Luke Campbell OT Michigan State 353.5 378 Greg Eisworth S SS Iowa State 355.5 379 Keith Taylor CB Washington 356.5 380 Asmar Bilal LB Notre Dame 361.5 381 Mykal Walker LB Fresno State 381

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junker-town · 6 years

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Arkansas State faces the ultimate stability test in 2019

Blake Anderson’s Red Wolves are the steadiest entity in the Sun Belt, but a new quarterback and staff turnover could challenge that notion.

Bill C’s annual preview series of every FBS team in college football continues. Catch up here!

“It’s a lot like Year One.” That’s how Blake Anderson described going into his sixth year as Arkansas State head coach. A cliche? Perhaps, but it’s also applicable.

On the field, he’s looking at replacing what were basically the faces of his 2018 squad: his quarterback (Justice Hansen, who threw for nearly 3,500 yards last season), his left tackle (Lanard Bonner, a multi-year first-team all-conference performer), two absurdly productive defensive ends (Ronheen Bingham and Dajon Emory, who combined for 31 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks), and one of my favorite nickel backs in the country (Justin Clifton, who produced 10.5 TFLs and 21 passes defensed over two seasons).

Overall, the turnover isn’t horrible — ASU is right in the middle of the pack in overall returning production — but these five players’ respective coach-on-the-field absences will be felt quite a bit because of turnover on the sideline.

Take a quick look at ASU’s coaching staff page. Offensive coordinator Keith Heckendorf, defensive coordinator David Duggan, offensive line coach Sean Coughlin, tight ends coach Rashad Jackson, defensive ends coach Brandon Joiner, and interior defensive line coach Ed Pinkham all have “1st year” by their names. Third-year running backs coach Kyle Cefalo is now the dean of ASU offensive assistants.

To a degree, this is the price of success. It’s a compliment, in a way. Duggan was hired because former DC Joe Cauthen got hired away by Houston. Offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner went to Southern Miss. Other assistants went to Louisville, Duke, and Houston again. Once you prove you’re good at hiring assistants, your reward is having to hire more assistants.

Still, Anderson had managed to bring stability to one what was, coaching-wise, one of the more unstable places in FBS — in 2014, he became the fifth ASU head coach in five years. ASU survived because of a strong, burgeoning football culture and continuity behind the scenes, but Anderson stabilized things up top. The Red Wolves have won more steadily than any Sun Belt team, having now attended bowls for eight straight years.

And when I say steady, I mean steady. Look:

Basically the same team for five years in a row.

Anderson is still in Jonesboro. Most of the familiar faces around him aren’t.

Then there’s what’s happening off the field, something I struggle to simply insert into a piece about football: Anderson’s wife is currently battling Stage 4 breast cancer and has been receiving radiation and immunotherapy this offseason. His most recent update on her health was not completely encouraging.

WENDY UPDATE 3/20... not the news we were hoping for. Kp fighting & trusting Him ‼️ #NotFightingAlone pic.twitter.com/cEZVO7oijs

— Blake Anderson (@CHbanderson) March 20, 2019

Ugh. Anderson has had to rebuild his staff this offseason, but he’s done so while getting pretty clear reminders of what’s work and what’s actually important. Only the best of wishes to Wendy Anderson.

Offense

ASU will indeed be breaking in a new starting quarterback, but he’ll have weapons around him. The running back corps appears well-stocked despite the loss of Warren Wand, and the receiving corps features two of the most efficient wideouts in the league in Kirk Merritt and Omar Bayless. A trio of JUCO transfers and some star freshman recruits should provide skill depth, the line still features six players with 65 career starts. (The defense still returns stars like tackle Kevin Thurmon, safety Darreon Jackson, and linebacker Tajhea Chambers, too.

You don’t become the steadiest winner in your conference without generating layers of star talent, and ASU’s defense could improve enough to absorb a slight drop-off from the offense. This program is sturdily built, even if said sturdiness will get a bit more of a test than normal this fall.

Anderson has been his own play-caller, so perhaps that makes a coordinator transition easier, but it appears he’s handing those duties to Heckendorf.

A former St. Cloud State quarterback, Heckendorf spent the last seven seasons with Larry Fedora, a former Anderson boss, at North Carolina. Anderson first tried to bring him to town five years ago. You figure there won’t be any massive stylistic changes with Heckendorf in charge of the O.

That’s good because the ASU offense usually works pretty well — the Red Wolves have ranked in the Off. S&P+ top 60 for four of Anderson’s five seasons.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Kirk Merritt

To make it five of six years, the Red Wolves need a quarterback. Obviously. And I’m not completely sure they have one.

Over two years as Hansen’s backup, junior Logan Bonner has completed 24 of 53 passes for 235 yards, two touchdowns, and two INTs. In a minimal role in 2018, Bonner’s marginal efficiency was minus-13.1 percent, far worse than Hansen’s plus-4.4.

Junior Jake Walker, a onetime UT Martin signee, is a career backup.

Freshman Coltin Clack is one of the stars of the 2019 recruiting class; Karon Coleman signed in February, too.

The likely starter is Bonner, and it’s hard to make too much of his stats because they were mostly in small samples against Alabama (6-for-14), Coastal Carolina (5-for-9), and SMU in 2017 (7-for-17). He might be just fine, but he hasn’t necessarily proven it yet.

You know what can do a new QB favors? Efficiency weapons. Merritt and Bayless are tremendous in that regard. The seniors-to-be combined to catch 122 of 166 passes (73 percent) for 1,571 yards and a 55 percent success rate. ASU’s quick passing game worked really well for Hansen and could for Bonner, too. And it would probably help further for Heckendorf to continue Anderson’s against-the-grain play-calling — the Red Wolves threw a lot on standard downs (99th in SD run rate) and ran a lot on passing downs (40th in PD run rate).

The depth is strong at receiver, too. Eleven players were targeted at least 12 times last season, and eight return. That includes not only Merritt and Bayless but also big-play weapons like Jonathan Adams Jr. (17 catches for 267 yards) and tight end Javonis Isaac (12 for 210). And while I expected more production from Boise State transfer Bubba Ogbebor and Oklahoma transfer Dahu Green (combined, they caught seven of 14 passes for 68 yards), they’ve still got time.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Omar Bayless

Marcel Murray’s emergence built a bridge in the run game. Wand was expected to be ASU’s top back, but Murray came out of nowhere as a two-star freshman, averaging 5.6 yards per carry and carrying the ball more than 14 times per game over the last half of the season. He’s back, and he’ll likely get help from either JUCO transfer Ryan Graham, three-star freshmen Isaiah Azubuike and Samy Johnson, or both.

Despite leaning partially on a freshman running back, ASU lost minimal ground in the run game. The Red Wolves were stuffed at or behind the line on just 14 percent of their non-sack carries, sixth in FBS. That says very good things about the line.

Losing Bonner and guard Marvis Brown hurts, but center Jacob Still was honorable mention All-Sun Belt, four others started games last year, and tackle Troy Elliott started in 2017. Throw in two JUCOs, and you’ve got enough quantity to make quality likely.

Defense

Not including the bowl game — an incredibly unlikely loss in which ASU created nine scoring opportunities to Nevada’s four but somehow lost, 16-13 — Arkansas State allowed 18.8 points per game in wins and 41.8 in four regular season losses.

The pass defense was aggressive and efficient for most of the season, but if a team could run on the Red Wolves, they would run on them for 60 full minutes. Alabama, Georgia Southern, App State, and UL-Lafayette averaged 43 rushes and 275 rushing yards per game.

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

B.J. Edmonds (3) and Forrest Merrill (92)

For better or worse, Cauthen deployed a huge rotation up front. That might not have helped at the time, but it could help this year, as five players with at least 4.5 tackles are gone but six return. And with Kevin Thurmon and Forrest Merrill in the middle, the new line coach has some known play-makers.

It’s all-hands-on-deck at end. Only one of those six returnees — William Bradley-King (9.5 TFLs, six sacks) — is a non-tackle, so some combination of senior T.J. Harris, junior Noel Iwuchukwu, and three JUCO transfers (Kailon Davis, Aaron Donkor, Billy Tuitavake) will have to produce.

Duggan is also from the Fedora tree. He and Anderson worked together under Fedora at Southern Miss, and he served as Southern Miss DC from 2013-15. (He was also head coach of NFL Europe’s Cologne Centurions, which is pretty badass.) He’s been a linebackers coach as much as anything, and it seems he’s got a good one in junior Tajhea Chambers, who, after missing most of 2017, broke through with 56 tackles and 7.5 TFLs last year.

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Darreon Jackson

The secondary has been a strength and should remain so.

Clifton’s gone, as are corner Brandon Byner and safety Michael Johnson, but the Red Wolves still have safeties Darreon Jackson and B.J. Edmonds (combined: 7.5 TFLs, eight passes defensed) and corners Jerry Jacobs and Jeremy Smith. And it might not be a bad thing if junior safety Demari Medley got some more playing time: he was on the field only long enough to make 13 tackles, but in that time he picked off two passes and broke up four more. And there are six three-star freshmen and sophomores in the chamber.

Special Teams

ASU was all over the map in special teams last year.

Punter Cody Grace ranked 15th in punt efficiency. His punts were not incredibly long (40.6 average), but they were damn near un-returnable — opponents attempted only eight returns all year and lost 15 yards.

Kickoffs and punt returns were decent.

Kickoff returns were below average.

Place-kicking was bad. Blake Grupe made just 14 of 21 field goals and ranked 117th in FG efficiency.

Grace and Grupe are both back, and Grupe’s no longer a freshman, so that can’t hurt.

2019 outlook

2019 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 31-Aug SMU 85 5.7 63% 7-Sep at UNLV 100 6.0 63% 14-Sep at Georgia 2 -32.1 3% 21-Sep Southern Illinois NR 25.1 93% 28-Sep at Troy 69 -2.9 43% 5-Oct at Georgia State 114 13.7 79% 17-Oct UL-Lafayette 99 10.7 73% 26-Oct Texas State 102 12.3 76% 2-Nov at UL-Monroe 103 7.4 67% 16-Nov Coastal Carolina 116 19.1 86% 23-Nov Georgia Southern 81 5.0 61% 30-Nov at South Alabama 127 19.3 87%

Projected S&P+ Rk 70 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 82 / 58 Projected wins 7.9 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 0.3 (74) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 95 2018 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* 4 / 5.2 2018 TO Luck/Game -0.5 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 64% (53%, 75%) 2018 Second-order wins (difference) 8.7 (-0.7)

On paper, this team looks like ... Arkansas State. The Red Wolves have produced an average S&P+ ranking of 70.6 in Anderson’s tenure, and they’re projected 70th this season. They have averaged 7.8 wins per year with Anderson, and their projected win total is 7.9.

If they have a merely decent quarterback, you could see how this might be a big year. ASU plays eight teams projected 99th or worse and is either a projected favorite or the slightest of underdogs in 11 games (the trip to Georgia might be out of reach, to put it politely).

Off the field, things are obviously trickier. The coaching attrition bug bit Anderson and ASU hard this offseason, and you just never know how a batch of new hires will go. It’s a crapshoot. (And this, of course, doesn’t mention Anderson’s wife’s battle, which trumps any sort of “key 2019 factors!” list.)

This season is the ultimate stability test for the Arkansas State program. You could see things playing out in a lot of different ways, and it starts right at the top of the schedule with tricky non-conference games against SMU and UNLV.

The steadiest team in the league is a mystery this year.

Team preview stats

All 2019 preview data to date.

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unclescurvy · 8 years

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2017 NFL MOCK DRAFT

April 23, 2017

This is a five-round mock draft with projected trades. This will be updated at least once more before the draft.

ROUND ONE

1. Cleveland – DE/OLB Myles Garrett, Texas A&M

This is becoming the surest of things. Myles Garrett is probably the best player in this draft, and the Browns happen to need his services badly. The rumors of a Trubisky pick here are laughable.

2. Cleveland (PROJ. TRADE W/SF) – QB Mitchell Trubisky, North Carolina

What do you do when you covet two players in the first round and you’ve got loads and loads of ammunition? You unload and go get your guys. The Browns make a blockbuster deal with the Niners (# 12, 33, and 52 this year, plus a 2nd round selection in 2018) and go secure the quarterback they covet: hometown boy Mitchell Trubisky. Whether or not he deserves to be drafted here doesn’t matter. The Browns know the only way they can be sure to get him is by securing the first two picks.

3. Carolina (PROJ. TRADE W/CHI) – RB Leonard Fournette, LSU

The Panthers extended Jonathan Stewart’s contract by a year, but he’s never been someone the team can rely on to stay healthy for an entire season. Carolina has fallen in love with Fournette, and they have to get ahead of Jacksonville to secure him (Tom Coughlin has made multiple statements about improving the running game there). They trade next year’s first rounder as well as their top 2nd-round pick to move from 8 to 3.

4. Jacksonville – DE/OLB Solomon Thomas, Stanford

The Jags just barely miss out on Leonard Fournette, who would have been their choice, so they go back to the drawing board. Jacksonville was in the bottom half of the league in sacks for the second straight year. Solomon Thomas has the prototypical size and speed for the Jags’ defense, and he could make an immediate impact.

5. Tennessee (THRU LA RAMS) – SS Jamal Adams, LSU

Pure safeties just don’t get drafted higher than #5. Period. I don’t see Jamal Adams as the sort of once-in-a-lifetime athlete who would change that history. The Titans signed Jonathan Cyprien to play the strong side in free agency, but he could be moved to free safety to accommodate Jamal Adams. This guy has Rodney Harrison-like potential to be one of the very best safeties in the league for a long time… but I just don’t see him going any higher than this.

6. NY Jets – FS Malik Hooker, Ohio State +

If the Jets don’t fall in love with any of the quarterbacks, they will roll with Josh McCown, Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg and select the promising ball-hawk Malik Hooker. He doesn’t have much to offer in the run game, but the Jets are more concerned with finding someone to stop Rob Gronkowski and the lesser Gronk clones that are cluttering the league. Hooker has a nose for the ball like few others, and he could lead the league in interceptions within the next few years. Or he could be the biggest bust of this year’s class.

7. LA Chargers – CB Marshon Lattimore, Ohio State +

The Chargers made a great free agent pickup last year in former-Packer Casey Hayward. He and Jason Verrett may form a strong partnership in 2017, but Verrett has had a lot of trouble staying healthy. And if the team opts to keep him in 2018, he’ll cost them around $8 million. It may be time for the first cornerback to come off the board here: Marshon Lattimore has spent the off-season separating himself from a fine, fine group of corners as the very best of the crop.

8. Chicago (PROJ. TRADE W/CAR) – DT Jonathan Allen, Alabama +

The Bears need defense more than anything, and one of this year’s best college defenders falls into their lap. Rumors of chronic shoulder injuries drop a man with top-three talent down to #8, but he’s certainly worth the risk here. Jonathan Allen is the sort of talent the entire city can rally around.

9. Cincinnati – DE Derek Barnett, Tennessee

The Bengals gave up on the Margus Hunt experiment, and they’re considering what life will look like without Michael Johnson, whose contract will expire next year. Barnett helps the team improve their defensive end rotation for this year and perhaps they’ve found their starter next to Carlos Dunlap next year.

10. Buffalo – TE O.J. Howard, Alabama

The Bills have almost no receiving talent beyond the oft-injured Sammy Watkins. He desperately needs help. Howard might be the most well-rounded tight end to come on the scene since Jason Witten. He’ll help in all aspects of the offense, but his receiving skills will be most needed.

11. New Orleans – RB/WR Christian McCaffrey, Stanford

This would be the sort of WTF? Moment that makes drafts interesting, wouldn’t it? The Saints need defense and they need it badly, but instead they bolster their offense with the obscene athleticism of Christian McCaffrey. Mark Ingram remains the lead back in 2017, but his contract is voidable next year. And there isn’t much talent behind him. This pick makes more sense than it does on first glance.

12. San Francisco (PROJ. TRADE W/CLE THRU PHI) – QB Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech

The Niners trade down with Cleveland and select their quarterback of the future. Many, many teams are crushed that they couldn’t pull the trigger on Mahomes themselves. He’ll have to sit behind Brian Hoyer for at least half a season as the team breaks down Mahomes’ awful technique, and they’ll teach him how to be a pro. He seems willing and eager to learn. His natural gifts but unwieldy technique remind me of Brett Favre coming out of school. He needed time to develop too.

13. Houston (PROJ. TRADE W/ARZ) – QB Deshaun Watson, Clemson

Houston is SO CLOSE to making a serious run in the playoffs, they know they’re just a quarterback away. They can’t go into this season with Tom Savage as their uncontested signal caller, and they waited too long for the guy they really wanted, Pat Mahomes. They package their 1st, 2nd and 3rd round picks to go up to Arizona’s spot and grab Deshaun Watson. What he lacks in pinpoint accuracy and arm strength, he makes up for in leadership and heart. He makes everyone around him better. That’s a rare quality.

14. Philadelphia (THRU MIN) – CB Tre’Davious White, LSU

The Eagles are said to covet a cornerback at this spot, and they’ll practically have their pick of the litter. Who knows if they’ll covet the speed of an Adoree Jackson or the size of a Kevin King. On my board, Tre’Davious White is the 2nd best CB available, so here he sits. He’s part of the great lineage of LSU cornerbacks, and he’s got the skills to play man or cover at an elite level.

15. Indianapolis – RB Dalvin Cook, Florida State *

The Colts cannot take the risk of going into another season with Frank Gore as their starter. He served admirably last year, but his days of greatness are long behind him. Dalvin Cook is said to have less-than-admirable athleticism despite his college numbers and some behavioral issues worthy of concern, but the Colts take a risk on him.

16. Baltimore - WR Corey Davis, Western Michigan

The Ravens lost Steve Smith to retirement and they are cautiously optimistic that a late-season surge from Breshad Perriman could signify improve play in 2017. However, wide receiver has been an anemic position for the team practically since they left Cleveland for Baltimore. Joe Flacco needs targets – especially scoring threats. Corey Davis is a touchdown magnet – a perfect addition to Flacco’s choice of targets.

17. Washington – CB Gareon Conley, Ohio State

The Redskins took quite a few blows this off-season, losing both key players and key coaches. They were also fairly quite in free agency. They need to draft carefully. They’ll take a flyer on speedy corner Gareon Conley to pair with Josh Norman. Bashaud Breeland got burned repeatedly last year and may have to transition to free safety, and Kendall Fuller is better off as a nickel.

18. Tennessee – WR Mike Williams, Clemson

The Titans took big risks with their receivers in 2016 by trading Dorial Green-Beckham to Philadelphia, cutting Justin Hunter and letting Andre Johnson retire mid-season. This became a team built on the run and the short passing game thanks largely to 32-year old tight end Delanie Walker. The team clearly needs another option in the passing game. Mike Williams may be the best deep-ball receiver in this year’s class. He’s got certain Dez Bryant qualities without the problem attitude.

19. Tampa Bay – OLB Haason Reddick, Temple

The Bucs made quite a few splashes in free agency this year, but they’ve neglected their linebacking group, which is thin at best. Lavonte David is as good as they come on the weak side, Kwon Alexander showed some promise in the middle, but the strong side is a gaping hole. Enter Combine darling Haason Reddick. His ascent has been staggering, and if he lands in the top 20, you’ll probably hear me cheering from wherever you happen to be watching the draft.

20. Denver – OT Garett Bolles, Utah

Right tackle Donald Stephenson graded out as the worst at his position among starters last year. And as of this moment, he’s slated to start again. That cannot happen. The Broncos must upgrade their o-line immediately, and Bolles might help. He’s only played top-tier college football for one year so he might completely flop in the pros, but his off-season workouts and prototypical body type for the position suggest he just might make it as an NFL tackle yet. He and a rejuvenated Ty Sambrailo will fight for the two starting spots.

21. Detroit – TE David Njoku, Miami

The Lions have made waves this off-season about upgrading their tight end position, and if Njoku falls to them, he will almost certainly be their pick. He’s an excellent receiver and a willing - if pedestrian - blocker. Detroit forgoes the option on Eric Ebron next year and hands the starting role to Njoku, but in the meantime they make a forbidding duo.

22. Miami – DE Charles Harris, Missouri

The Dolphins are a better team than most folks outside Miami know. But with the release of Mario Williams, they’re left with a question mark at defensive end. Andre Branch was re-signed in free agency, and William Hayes came over from the Rams (presumably to be closer to the mermaids). But Hayes will be 32 when camp starts, and he can’t be counted on beyond this year. Charles Harris might be a little small to take on the punishment of playing a 4-3 end in the NFL, but the trainers will work on bulking him up for the campaigns ahead.

23. NY Giants – OLB Jarrad Davis, Florida +

Word on the street is that Jarrad Davis is a hot name among scouts and GMs. He performed quite well at the Combine, and he’s been killing it at his individual meetings. If he lasts this long, the Giants will pounce on him; they may even be willing to trade up to get him. The team certainly needs linebacking help.

24. Oakland – CB Adoree’ Jackson, USC

Cornerback D.J. Hayden split in free agency this year and Travis Carrie will be up for it in 2018. And honestly no Raiders CB was especially great in 2017 despite the team’s record. Can you imagine the old Al Davis Raiders passing up a speedster like Adoree’ Jackson?

25. Arizona (PROJ. TRADE W/HOU) - QB Deshone Kizer, Notre Dame

The Cardinals trade back with the Texans and still get the developmental quarterback they were looking for. Kizer has the prototypical NFL build with a strong-enough arm, but his accuracy and footwork are a mess. A year or two behind Carson Palmer and learning from Bruce Arians will be a very good thing for him.

26. Seattle - CB Kevin King, Washington

The Seahawks need offensive line help desperately, so perhaps they’ll do the right thing and select Forrest Lamp or Garett Bolles here, but the rumor is they covet the hometown gargantuan cornerback Kevin King. He fits right in with Seattle’s tradition of playing massive corners to counteract the effects of big receivers, and King can do that. But if he gets matched up with a quick smaller wide out, his lack of fluidity will be exposed.

27. Kansas City - WR John Ross, Washington +

The Chiefs need receivers. This much is true. And John Ross has shown that he’s worthy of a first-round selection. But I’m having trouble imagining the diminutive Ross on the same team as the smaller-than-ideal Jeremy Maclin and Tyreek Hill. But I’m also having trouble seeing the Chiefs pass on him if he’s available. The Lollipop Guild may do wonders in K.C., who knows!

28. Dallas – DE DeMarcus Walker, Florida State

The Cowboys are rumored to be pretty committed to upgrading their defensive line this year. Walker would be a great player to fall to them. He was amazingly productive against top-level competition throughout his college career. He’s probably the most NFL-ready defensive end available this year, and his positive attitude may be the very thing that will turn around a guy like Randy Gregory.

29. Green Bay – SS Jabrill Peppers, Michigan

One of the biggest questions of the draft: Where will the celebrated Jabrill Peppers end up? He played practically every position on defense for Michigan (and some not on defense). Plenty of teams have a desire for a player who can fill more than one spot (the Pats, the Cardinals, the Rams, etc). The Packers lost Swiss army knife Micah Hyde to free agency, and Peppers might be the guy to replace him.

30. Pittsburgh – DE/OLB Takkarist McKinley, UCLA

When Pittsburgh re-signed James Harrison, it was yet another acknowledgement that they haven’t been able to replace him despite their many attempts. The Jarvis Jones experiment is over; time to start the Takkarist McKinley experiment. Takk is a raw lump of clay, but he’s natural gifts are significant. He’s just got a nose for the quarterback and the will to get there. Playing in a rotation with Harrison would be a great thing for him as he learns to control his body and bait his blockers.

31. Atlanta - DE/OLB Jordan Willis, Kansas State

Not many mock drafters have Willis going in the first round, but there are rumors that he may go as high as #23 to the Giants. It’s been quite a run on pass-rushers in the first round, so the Falcons feel lucky they can snag him here. Willis was a Senior Bowl standout, and when coaches went back to look at his tape after that, they finally noticed that he’s one of the hard-working, craftiest ends in the college game. His upside is tremendous as he’s constantly adding to his bag of tricks.

32. New England (PROJ. TRADE W/NO THRU NE) - OT Ryan Ramczyk, Wisconsin +

The Patriots dealt New Orleans this pick in the Brandin Cooks deal, and I predict they’ll get it right back when they deal CB Malcolm Butler to New Orleans on draft day. With the pick, the Pats bolster their offensive line. New England is scheduled to have tackles Nate Solder and LaAdrian Waddle hit free agency next year. With the cutting of Sebastian Vollmer, that leaves the team quite vulnerable at such a key position. They roll the dice on the one-year-wonder Ryan Ramczyk. They’ll give him a year of development to see if he can take over for Solder. Remember: Matt Light and Nate Solder were on the team together in 2011. The Pats do draft replacements early.

ROUND TWO

33. San Francisco (PROJ. TRADE W/CLE) - FS Budda Baker, Washington

34. San Francisco - SS Obi Melifonwu, Connecticut

35. Jacksonville – G Forrest Lamp, Western Kentucky

36. Chicago – CB Chidobe Awuzie, Colorado

37. LA Rams – DE Taco Charlton, Michigan

38. LA Chargers – QB Davis Webb, California

39. NY Jets – TE Evan Engram, Ole Miss

40. Chicago (PROJ. TRADE W/CAR) – OT Cam Robinson, Alabama

41. Cincinnati – ILB Reuben Foster, Alabama +*

42. New Orleans – CB Marlon Humphrey, Alabama

43. Philadelphia – RB Alvin Kamara, Tennessee

44. Buffalo – CB Quincy Wilson, Florida

45. Arizona – ILB Zach Cunningham, Vanderbilt

46. Indianapolis – OLB T.J. Watt, Wisconsin

47. Baltimore – RB Joe Mixon, Oklahoma *

48. Minnesota – OLB Ryan Anderson, Alabama

49. Washington – DT/NT Caleb Brantley, Florida

50. Tampa Bay – WR Zay Jones, East Carolina

51. Denver – ILB Raekwon McMillan, Ohio State

52. San Francisco (PROJ. TRADE W/CLE THRU TEN) – CB Sidney Jones, Washington +

53. Detroit – OLB Tyus Bowser, Houston

54. Miami – DT Carlos Watkins, Clemson

55. NY Giants – DE Tanoh Kpassagnon, Villanova

56. Oakland – DT Malik McDowell, Michigan State

57. Arizona (PROJ. TRADE W/HOU) – CB Fabian Moreau, UCLA +

58. Seattle – OT Dion Dawkins, Temple

59. Kansas City – G Dan Feeney, Indiana

60. Dallas – SS Justin Evans, Texas A&M

61. Green Bay – OLB Tim Williams, Alabama *

62. Pittsburgh – CB Teez Tabor, Florida

63. Atlanta – DT Dalvin Tomlinson, Alabama

64. Carolina (THRU NE) - DE Carl Lawson, Auburn +

ROUND THREE

65. Cleveland – WR Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington

66. San Francisco – WR Chris Godwin, Penn State

67. Chicago – WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, USC

68. Jacksonville – TE Jake Butt, Michigan +

69. LA Rams – WR Curtis Samuel, Ohio State

70. NY Jets – WR DeDe Westbrook, Oklahoma

71. LA Chargers – FS Marcus Williams, Utah

72. New England (THRU CAR) – CB Cordrea Tankersley, Clemson

73. Cincinnati – RB D’Onta Foreman, Texas

74. Baltimore (THRU PHI) – C Ethan Pocic, LSU

75. Buffalo – DE Trey Hendrickson, Florida Atlantic

76. New Orleans – DE/OLB Dawuane Smoot, Illinois

77. Arizona – G Dorian Johnson, Pittsburgh

78. Baltimore – CB Jourdan Lewis, Michigan

79. Minnesota – RB Brian Hill, Wyoming

80. Indianapolis – OT Antonio Garcia, Troy

81. Washington – RB Samaje Perine, Oklahoma

82. Denver – RB Jeremy McNichols, Boise State

83. Tennessee – CB Ahkello Witherspoon, Colorado

84. Tampa Bay – FS Desmond King, Iowa

85. Detroit – DT Chris Wormley, Michigan

86. Minnesota (THRU MIA) – OT Taylor Moton, Western Michigan

87. NY Giants – RB Kareem Hunt, Toledo

88. Oakland – DT Larry Ogunjobi, North Carolina-Charlotte

89. Arizona (PROJ. TRADE W/HOU) – ILB Anthony Walker, Northwestern

90. Seattle – SS Eddie Jackson, Alabama +

91. Kansas City – ILB Kendell Beckwith, LSU +

92. Dallas – DT Montravius Adams, Auburn

93. Green Bay – G Isaac Asiata, Utah

94. Pittsburgh – TE Adam Shaheen, Ashland

95. Atlanta – OT Roderick Johnson, Florida State

96. New England – DE/OLB Tarell Basham, Ohio

97. Miami (COMP. PICK) – CB Damontae Kazee, San Diego State

98. Carolina (COMP. PICK) – G Nico Siragusa, San Diego State

99. Philadelphia (COMP. PICK THRU BAL) – C Pat Elflein, Ohio State

100. Tennessee (COMP. PICK THRU LA RAMS) – DT Elijah Qualls, Washington

101. Denver (COMP. PICK) – LB Alex Anzalone, Florida +

102. Seattle (COMP. PICK) – QB Brad Kaaya, Miami

103. New England (COMP. PICK THRU CLE) – LB Duke Riley, LSU

104. Kansas City (COMP. PICK) – OT Jermaine Eluemunor, Texas A&M

105. Pittsburgh (COMP. PICK) – QB Nathan Peterman, Pittsburgh

106. Seattle (COMP. PICK) - DT Charles Walker, Oklahoma

107. NY Jets (COMP. PICK) - OT Adam Bisnowaty, Pittsburgh

ROUND FOUR

108. Cleveland – DT Jarron Jones, Notre Dame

109. San Francisco – CB Jalen Myrick, Minnesota

110. Jacksonville – C Tyler Orlosky, West Virginia

111. Chicago – SS Josh Jones, NC State

112. LA Rams – WR Amara Darboh, Michigan

113. LA Chargers – WR Josh Reynolds, Texas A&M

114. Washington (THRU NYJ) – DT Jaleel Johnson, Iowa

115. Carolina – SS Josh Harvey-Clemons, Louisville *

116. Cincinnati – DT Eddie Vanderdoes, UCLA +

117. Chicago (THRU BUF) – WR Carlos Henderson, Louisiana Tech

New England (THRU NO) selection forfeited

118. Philadelphia – DT Davon Godchaux, LSU

119. Arizona – WR Jehu Chesson, Michigan

120. Minnesota – SS Xavier Woods, Louisiana Tech

121. Indianapolis – OT Conor McDermott, UCLA

122. Baltimore – DE/OLB Carroll Phillips, Illinois

123. Washington – WR ArDarius Stewart, Alabama

124. Tennessee – CB Howard Wilson, Houston

125. Tampa Bay – RB Marlon Mack, South Florida

126. Denver – TE Bucky Hodges, Virginia Tech

127. Detroit – WR Chad Hansen, California

128. Minnesota (THRU MIA) – OT Chad Wheeler, USC

NY Giants pick moved to end of 4th round

129. Oakland – DE Deatrich Wise, Jr., Arkansas +

130. Houston – SS Montae Nicholson, Michigan State

131. New England (THRU SEA) – CB Rasul Douglas, West Virginia

132. Kansas City – CB Corn Elder, Miami

133. Dallas – FS Marcus Maye, Florida +

134. Green Bay – RB Wayne Gallman, Clemson

135. Pittsburgh – RB James Conner, Pittsburgh +

136. Atlanta – QB Josh Dobbs, Tennessee

137. Indianapolis (THRU NE) – G Aviante Collins, TCU

138. Cincinnati (COMP. PICK) – WR Taywan Taylor, Western Kentucky

139. Philadelphia (COMP. PICK THRU CLE) – OLB Vince Biegel, Wisconsin

140. NY Giants – TE Jordan Leggett, Clemson

141. LA Rams (COMP. PICK) – WR Noah Brown, Ohio State

142. Houston (COMP. PICK THRU CLE) – TE Gerald Everett, South Alabama

143. San Francisco (COMP. PICK) - RB Jamaal Williams, BYU

144. Indianapolis (COMP. PICK) – DT Vincent Taylor, Oklahoma State

ROUND FIVE

145. Cleveland – WR Kenny Golladay, Northern Illinois

146. San Francisco – OT Will Holden, Vanderbilt

147. Chicago – CB Cameron Sutton, Tennessee

148. Jacksonville – DE Derek Rivers, Youngstown State

149. LA Rams – DE/OLB Daeshon Hall, Texas A&M

150. NY Jets – CB Shaquil Griffin, Central Florida

151. LA Chargers – OT David Sharpe, Florida

152. Carolina – WR K.D. Cannon, Baylor

153. Cincinnati – G Danny Isidora, Florida

154. Washington (THRU NO) – ILB Richie Brown, Mississippi State

155. Philadelphia – CB Brian Allen, Utah

156. Buffalo – WR Isaiah Ford, Virginia Tech

157. Arizona – C Kyle Fuller, Baylor

158. Indianapolis – ILB Blair Brown, Ohio

159. Baltimore – DT Nazair Jones, North Carolina

160. Minnesota – WR Travan Dural, LSU

161. San Francisco (THRU WAS) – WR Ryan Switzer, North Carolina

162. Tampa Bay – TE Jeremy Sprinkle, Arkansas

163. New England (THRU DEN) – FS Delano Hill, Michigan

164. Tennessee – WR Malachi Dupree, LSU

165. Detroit – RB T.J. Logan, North Carolina

166. Miami – ILB Connor Harris, Lindenwood

167. NY Giants – K Zane Gonzalez, Arizona State

168. Oakland – FS John Johnson, Boston College

169. Houston – OT Julie’n Davenport, Bucknell

Seattle’s selection forfeited

170. Kansas City – G Zach Banner, USC

171. Buffalo (THRU DAL) – CB Marquez White, Florida State

172. Green Bay – ILB Jayon Brown, UCLA

173. Pittsburgh – ILB Ben Gedeon, Michigan

174. Atlanta – SS Tedric Thompson, Colorado

175. Cleveland (THRU NE) – OT Dan Skipper, Arkansas

176. Cincinnati (COMP. PICK) – OLB Devonte Fields, Louisville

177. Denver (COMP. PICK) – DT Ryan Glasgow, Michigan

178. Miami (COMP. PICK) – OLB Javancy Jones, Jackson State

179. Arizona (COMP. PICK) – G Damien Mama, USC

180. Kansas City (COMP. PICK) – RB Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego State

181. Cleveland (COMP. PICK) – FS Jordan Sterns, Oklahoma State

182. Green Bay (COMP. PICK) – WR Fred Ross, Mississippi State

183. New England (COMP. PICK) – C Jon Toth, Kentucky

184. Miami (COMP. PICK) – TE George Kittle, Iowa

1 note · View note

thisdaynews · 5 years

Text

Deval Patrick's eensy-weensy campaign

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/deval-patricks-eensy-weensy-campaign/

Deval Patrick's eensy-weensy campaign

“A lot of the talent has already been acquired here, professional talent to run his campaign,” said former New Hampshire Chief Justice John Broderick, a Joe Biden supporter. “He’s not going to be on the debate stage, most probably. It’s pretty damn difficult.”

The campaign hasn’t publicized the few staff hires it has made, so far divulging only two names: Rakov and LaJoia Broughton, who will serve as South Carolina state director. The old adage about pictures and words came to mind last week when a photo of an empty classroom at Morehouse College in Atlanta appeared on Twitter. Patrick was supposed to speak there the night of the Democratic debate, but only two people showed up and the event was canceled.

At a private dinner last week in South Carolina, Patrick told a group of black Democratic insiders that a traditional campaign is coming soon, according to three people in attendance. And Rakov said the fledgling campaign is becoming more organized by the day.

“I think it says nothing about momentum or anything,” Rakov said of the Morehouse mishap. “It just shows that there is a miscommunication on one event after a very good week.”

Patrick has told supporters that his strategy is to build just enough of a campaign in New Hampshire to place near the top, then hope that momentum carries him for two weeks into South Carolina, according to a fundraising email obtained by POLITICO. But Patrick faces the possibility of not participating in a televised debate and making a poor showing in Iowa. And New Hampshire voters, who relish meeting candidates several times, may not know him enough to give him the boost he needs.

Still, some Democrats in early states aren’t ready to write off Patrick. At the South Carolina dinner, Patrick quizzed members of the state’s Democratic Black Caucus about potential operatives who aren’t committed to other candidates. Patrick didn’t appear to be in a big rush, they said, focused instead on finding the right fits.

“First of all, the lateness of his entry in the race has absolutely nothing to do with it,” said Johnny Cordero, chairman of the caucus. “As far as we’re concerned, that’s not a disqualifier. My grandmother used to say there’s a difference in being in time and on time. So he’s on time as long as he made the filing time.”

“There is a narrative in the media that, you know, Biden has got this thing wrapped up,” added Michael Bailey, another member of the caucus. “Well, Biden has the support of African American voters. The No. 1 reason is because of his affiliation with President Obama, but Patrick has the same affiliation.”

Nevada looks less hospitable to Patrick’s eleventh-hour campaign.

With the holiday season on tap, time is running out there to build an organization before the Feb. 22 caucus, said Laura Martin, executive director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. Other campaigns have been working the state for months, Martin said. And Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren have a history helping other candidates in previous elections, building familiarity and credibility.

“I think that even with all of those folks who may have different challenges of their own, his challenges might be too hard to overcome,” said Shaundell Newsome, a Las Vegas businessman who is active politically. Biden and Harris have been courting his endorsement for months, Newsome noted.

On the fundraising side, longtime Patrick allies are jumping in to help ramp up his big-dollar donations. While his competitors have spent months banking money, building donor lists and glad-handing contributors at events, Patrick — who last ran for office in 2010 — is just starting to rekindle relationships with past supporters.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, who started October with $25.7 million and $33.7 million in the bank, respectively, have amassed huge war chests heading into the primaries. Even former Vice President Joe Biden, who has struggled with fundraising, has held multiple high-dollar fundraisers per week this fall.

Patrick is planning to do few in-person fundraisers, a person working with the campaign said, because he needs to spend the bulk of his time meeting voters. Allies hope he will catch fire on the trail and build a following of online donors, though he does not start with a base. And it will be difficult for Patrick’s campaign to build a broad fundraising network this late in the primary, a Democratic bundler based in New York said, at a time when some donors are uncommitted but many others have chosen candidates to support.

“It’s a pretty drastic thing for people to pivot” at this point, the bundler said. “But he’s got to pay for the campaign. He’s not Bloomberg. We’re going to have to start seeing the math.”

Still, some loyalists have started stepping in to help Patrick’s cause, making phone calls and even pleading on Facebook for money in an attempt to help the campaign get off the ground.

One top Boston-area donor who has thrown his weight behind Patrick is John Fish, CEO of Suffolk Construction Co., the largest building company in New England.

“The field, needless to say, is crowded, but there is no one candidate who has differentiated themselves,” Fish said in an interview. Patrick, he said “is doing it for the right reasons” and “is the most effective campaigner, by far” of those in the race.

Though he doesn’t plan to spend the bulk of his time raising money, Patrick and his wife, Diane, plan to attend a fundraiser next week at the home of Joshua Boger, founder and former CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, one of the largest biotechnology companies in Boston.

The event is being billed as the last time Patrick and his wife will be in the same room in Massachusetts until March 2020. It suggests contributions of $5,600 or $2,800, according to a copy of the invitation obtained by POLITICO.

Co-hosts of the event include longtime Patrick allies like Democratic donor Sean Curran, former Patrick administration official and president of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council Bob Coughlin, Corvus Insurance founder Phil Edmundson, and Boston Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, among others.

While acknowledging Patrick has an uphill climb, Boger pitched him as a candidate who can beat President Donald Trump and offered a veiled critique of the liberal campaigns of Sanders and Warren.

“Deval has a realistic, if long-shot, path to the nomination,” he wrote. “More important than odds-making on that, he is the candidate who stands the best chance of trouncing Trump.”

#campaign #eensy-weensy #Foreign #Politics

0 notes

thesportssoundoff · 5 years

Text

A 2019 NFL Mock Draft To Kill Some Time

Joey

April 8th, 2019

1) Arizona Cardinals select QB Kyler Murray, University of Oklahoma There's two likely outcomes to consider at this point. The first is that Kyler Murray winds up in Arizona with Josh Rosen getting moved somewhere (and honestly, a 1st round QB with three years left on an affordable deal should not require much arm wringing to jettison) and the second is some team moves up to #1 to take him here. Either way, he's the guy right now.

2) San Francisco 49ers select DE Nick Bosa, Ohio State University I feel pretty confident in the first five picks or so but the most confident I am as of right now is in San Francisco picking Nick Bosa. Nick Bosa plus Dee Ford on the outside with Arik Armstead, Deforrest Buckner and Solomon Thomas rotating on the inside? That's a tremendous defensive line. Also don't get caught up in 3-4 vs 4-3 or who plays where; remember these teams play in the nickel close to 60% of their defensive snaps. Plenty of room to get rushers on the field.

3) New York Jets select Edge Josh Allen, University of Kentucky The Jets are spending like a team that believes it's ready to take the next step with a young QB which is probably want you want to do when you have a cheap quarterback. Allen to the Jets is one of those heavily whispered rumors in the Tri-State area that grows louder by the day.

4) Oakland Raiders select DL Quinnen Williams, University of Alabama Arguably the top player in the draft being there at 4? Good fit for a team that traded away a top flight pass rusher and then spent the next four months opining about their lack of a pass rush. Williams + Hurst could create a tremendous interior presence for the Raiders.

5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers select LB Devin White, Louisiana State University More defense! The Bucs and Devin White rumor started around the combine and the loss of Kwon Alexander does little to shake those feelings off. White is the best linebacker in the draft and it's worth remembering that there's a bit of a linebacker renaissance going on in the NFL with guys like Leighton Vander Esch, Darius Leonard, Roquan Smith, Tremaine Edmunds and Fred Warner all having tremendous seasons as rookies.

6) New York Giants select DL Ed Oliver, University of Houston Ed Oliver didn't quite have the big time top pick season people thought he'd have with some injuries and a blow up with head coach Major Applewhite weighing down the end of the year. That said, he's still a freakishly athletic and highly productive undertackle prospect who can flip just about any defensive line. He could play end in a 3-4 but again. a lot of nickel defense for pro teams. Oliver would eat on 3rd downs and the Aaron Donald comparisons are NOT entirely off the mark.

7) Jacksonville Jaguars select OT Jawaan Taylor, University of Florida Tom Coughlin is an old school guy who does old school type stuff. They just spent a lot of money on a QB who is not exactly renown for his mobility and they still have Leonard Fournette on their roster. It'll be an OL or DL, just pick which one you prefer.

8) Detroit Lions select DE Rashaan Gary, University of Michigan Here's the pick I struggle with the most. Gary's a superb athlete who lacked any sort of consistent production at Michigan. I think the Lions, like most of the teams in the top 10, are aiming to repair their pass rush and so Gary walks into the door with Tre Flowers creating a unique DL front.

9) Buffalo Bills select TE TJ Hockenson, University of Iowa I bet this pick dances for a QB. Either way kudos, credit and plaudits to Buffalo for trying to give Josh Allen the help necessary to succeed. They grabbed a few smaller quick-ish twitch slot types in Cole Beasley and John Brown who can help their QB and they have a gluttony of old aging RBs who are at least reliable. Even Tyler Kroft as a massive overpay has some sensibilities. TJ Hockenson is a stand out tight end who can do it all be it blocking or receiving. He'll make the Bills offense better and help Josh Allen.

10) Denver Broncos select QB Drew Lock, University of Missouri On paper I'd be shocked if either Lock or Haskins hits THIS number but no trades and outside of New York, there's no real immediate option from 2 to 8 on a QB. John Elway has been tagged to Drew Lock since January and so I doubt Joe Flacco changes anything in that regard.

11) Cincinnati Bengals select QB Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State University My guess is that the Jets and Bengals will have a chit chat about a pick swap. The Ohio State guy playing ball in Cinci seems way too easy to peg if he falls this far or via a move up. Perfect situation for Haskins to sit, learn and develop behind a still kinda competent Andy Dalton.

12) Green Bay Packers select DE-OLB Montez Sweat, Mississippi State University Green Bay's draft last year focused primarily on its defense and they had some hits in their secondary. Perhaps the arrival of Montez Sweat would help complete that defensive turnaround. Again there's a lot of great EDGE talent here.

13) Miami Dolphins select DE Brian Burns, Florida State University This is the final defensive end I feel really confident with and Miami, about to embark on a long rebuild, can at least feel confident in snagging a great athletic edge.

14) Atlanta Falcons select CB Greedy Williams, Louisiana State University The Falcons could use defensive help but let's discuss the law of diminishing returns real quick; does it make sense to take the fourth of fifth best defensive end or the top corner or safety? Think this is the better value and while you can debate Greedy Williams vs Byron Murphy, I think a corner might be a better fit here.

15) Washington Redskins select WR DK Metcalf, Ole Miss I personally find Metcalf to be overhyped (I'd take N'Keal Harry and Hakeem Butler above him) but Washington needs wide outs who can do a thing or two. Metcalf and Doctson would make for a tremendous 1-2 combination and you could do worse at 15 overall than a WR with Metcalf's high upside.

16) Carolina Panthers select OT Andre Dillard, Washington State University The Panthers OL was RAVAGED by injury up and down the line all year. Andre Dillard is a freakishly athletic player who can play either tackle spot and would be a key protector for Cam Newton.

17) New York Giants select QB Daniel Jones, University of Duke If the Giants don't go QB at 6, I can't see how they don't go QB at 17. Daniel Jones to the Giants is going to be a trendy trendy pick going forward with the David Cutcliffe ties and the Manning Academy talk.

18) Minnesota Vikings select OC Garrett Bradbury, North Carolina State The Vikings added Josh Kline which is a help but the interior could still use some work. Garrett Bradbury is the best interior OL in the draft in my estimation so this is a tremendous get for a team in dire need of figuring out its offense going forward.

19) Tennessee Titans select TE Noah Fant, University of Iowa The Titans can choose an edge rusher, another WR, more OL help and etc etc etc. I think Noah Fant can pretty much become the top receiving option for Marcus Mariota without much of a challenge and in due time. A great athlete who was sort of hamstrung by the requirement of Iowa's offense and their chemical dependency on blocking tight ends.

20) The Pittsburgh Steelers select LB Devin Bush, University of Michigan This is probably the tail end of Bush's value but I really didn't see a spot earlier than this where he is a perfect fit. The Ryan Shazier replacement if one can view it under such coarse terms.

21) Seattle Seahawks select FS Nasir Adderly, University of Delaware The continued rebuilding of Seattle's secondary moves forward with Nasir Adderly. Small school guy or not, Adderly is a versatile chess piece by which any defense would be happy to have him.

22) Baltimore Ravens select OL Cody Ford, University of Oklahoma The Ravens could grab an edge, they could grab a WR but I like Cody Ford. He's arguably the best value I've got available and would do wonders for what the Ravens are aiming to build on offense. He could play inside or outside for the Ravens offense.

23) Houston Texans select OT Jonah Williams, University of Alabama The slide of Williams from top 5 player to late first rounder is a touch confounding but the Texans won't mind. They've got some guys at tackle already but Julie'n Davenport was awful and Seantrel Henderson is struggling to stay healthy. Williams gives you an improved tackle option.

24) Oakland Raiders select LB Blake Cashman, University of Minnesota A big time combine riser, Blake Cashman gives the Raiders a somewhat undersized freakishly athletic linebacker. The Raiders are trying to rebuild their defense with draft picks.

25) Philadelphia Eagles select RB Josh Jacobs, University of Alabama Josh Jacobs has ultra limited production at Alabama but that's actually a good thing for a running back. He's got Leveon Bell type traits and the Eagles could use more help as Carson Wentz tries to get back to 2017 levels.

26) Indianapolis Colts select DT Christian Wilkins, University of Clemson The best member of the Clemson DL who is a mature team leader type. Would immediately step in as as a key part of this defensive line and it's worth remembering that Matt Eberflus spent the past four years learning under Rod Marinelli and what he values in defensive line help. It's not the BIGGEST guys but the guys who have the athleticism to play 3 and the size to play 1.

27) Oakland Raiders select DE Clellin Ferrell, University of Clemson The Raiders can't take a WR at pick 27. There's a subtle rule you can't use a pick to replace the dude you traded to get the pick. Ferrell fits here and now the Raiders have a genuinely great young DL with Hurst, Ferrell and Williams.

28) San Diego Chargers select WR Hakeem Butler, Iowa State University I know it's a bit loaded up at the WR spot for the Chargers but they have a young defense, a tremendous QB on the back nine of his career, Mike Williams still trying to find himself, Keenan Allen as a stud guy and you add Butler, another big bodied vertical threat? Seems like a winning formula to me.

29) Kansas City Chiefs select CB Deandre Baker, University of Georgia The secondary was the bugaboo for the Chiefs last year and while it could be argued that injuries didn't help, talent overall is needed. Baker fits the spot.

30) Green Bay Packers select S Taylor Rapp, University of Washington Safeties and corners are likely to be all over the place on the back end of the draft. The Ha Ha Clinton Dix trade opened up a spot in the secondary and Taylor Rapp feels like a perfect fit for what the Packers need. Rapp is good enough in coverage and a tremendous box safety who is instinctive and quicker than fast. Don't let the pro day talk you out of the player.

31) Los Angeles Rams select CB Byron Murphy, University of Washington Corners and safeties. Byron Murphy is a tremendous corner prospect who would provide a long term answer to the CB spot for the Rams with Aquib Talib likely on his last legs and Marcus Peters the sort of dude who burns out his welcome eventually.

32) New England Patriots select WR AJ Brown, Ole Miss A real perfect fit for New England. AJ Brown can play all three key WR spots, he's polished as all hell, he's got the open field ability to be more than just a fun slot guy and Tom Brady would probably embrace him as a new go to. I just don't see an easy fit at tight end to replace Gronk.

#NFL #Mock Draft #Killing Time #Drama #draft

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watchingthesuperbowl · 7 years

Text

Notes taken during Super Bowl XLVI

PREGAME

This is an NBC broadcast. Recording starts with the coin toss.

Coin toss. 2012 Hall of Fame inductees. Curtis Martin will do the honors.

As the visiting team, Giants call the toss. They call tails. It's heads. Patriots will defer.

That ends the NFC's streak of 14 consecutive coin toss wins.

Giants were 7-7 at one point, haven't lost since.

Eli Manning: We're all playing for each other. Love and respect each other, ready for a big night.

Michele Tafoya: Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski suffered a high ankle sprain in the AFC Championship game.

Commercial: Hyundai doing some sort of Rocky theme song thing.

FIRST QUARTER

Giants receive. Decent return from Jerrel Jernigan to the 23.

First play: Ahmad Bradshaw up the middle for no gain. Michaels says the Giants have the worst rushing offense in the NFL.

Manning converts a third down. Hits Victor Cruz for 8-9 yards.

Fans seem pro-Giants. It's not surprising that people in Indianapolis don't want the Patriots to win.

Michaels: In three of the last four Super Bowls, the team with the worst rushing offense in the NFL has taken part.

Nice drive here for the Giants. A couple completions to the tight ends, that catch by Victor Cruz, now Hakeem Nicks for 19 into New England territory.

Drive stalls. Two sacks and a stuffed running play knock the Giants out of any semblance of field goal range. Steve Weatherford pins the Patriots at the 5 on a punt.

Commercials: Bud Light Platinum. (Gross.) Audi commercial featuring an Echo and the Bunnymen song. (Awesome.) Audi headlights are so bright they kill vampires, it seems.

Obligatory cutaway: Gisele Bundchen.

Patriots' first play, Brady is under pressure in the end zone. Throws it deep down the middle to nobody. The officials confer....yep, that's intentional grounding and a safety. 2-0 Giants.

Commercials: Pepsi featuring Elton John as a king of some sort of singing contest. He's dropped into a dungeon. Flava Flav greets him. The only good part of the ad. Hyundai Veloster. Promo for "Smash", tomorrow on NBC.

FLAVA FLAV!

Michaels: That's the first safety in a Super Bowl since XXV, 21 years ago.

Replay shows it was the right call. Brady was in the tackle box, under pressure, and nobody within at least 15 yards of where the ball landed.

Manning is 6-for-6 early. I'm pretty sure all six are to different receivers. Giants approaching midfield.

BIG run from Ahmad Bradshaw. Makes a couple tacklers miss and gets 24 yards down the left sideline. First and 10 from the New England 33.

Now a completion to Bear Pascoe inside the 20. First down. Giants on their second dangerous drive before the Patriots run their second play.

Patriots were 31st in the NFL in yards allowed.

Confusion in the Patriots' secondary. Completion to Cruz, maybe a fumble, maybe not. They say it's a fumble but it doesn't matter. New England had 12 defenders on the field.

First and goal from the 6. Bradshaw to the 2. Clock ticks under 4:00 left in the first, Patriots still only have that one offensive play.

Oh, man, crazy-dangerous throw. Manning throws a slant to Cruz for a score. 9-0 New York. Linebacker Jerrod Mayo dropped back to cover a slant but never looked back for the ball. He could have picked it like James Harrison did three years ago against the Cardinals.

No, Mayo!

Commercials: Bud Light Platinum. Still gross. M&Ms. Best Buy - "any phone, any carrier". Celebrity Apprentice. Even more gross than Bud Light Platinum.

Commercials: Coke ad featuring CGI polar bears hanging out. Chevy trucks - they'll still exist after the 2012 Mayan Apocalypse, but Ford trucks won't. Halftime show promo. Madonna. Promo for "Rock Center" with Brian Williams.

Offensive plays: Giants 19, Patriots 1.

Collinsworth: I've never seen the Patriots look this unsettled to start a game.

Brady converts a third and 4. Over the middle to Deion Branch at midfield.

Now a quick pass to Welker. Giants trying to cover him underneath with a linebacker. Goodness. 19 yard gain.

2nd and 6, Welker on an end around for 10 or so. Patriots inside the New York 20 as the first quarter ends. New York 9, New England 0.

Commercials: Bridgestone. They made a football out of Bridgestone tires. It's easy to control, just like Bridgestone tires. GoDaddy commercial featuring Danica Patrick, Jillian Michaels, and a scantily clad woman. Lexus. "Battleship" film. It looks awful.

SECOND QUARTER

Oh, hey, it's Aaron Hernandez. Catches a pass on the first play of the quarter. Gain of 2. Becomes the leading receiver in Super Bowl history among murderers.

3rd and 4 from the 11, Brady pass knocked down by Jason Pierre-Paul. That forces a field goal attempt from Gostkowski. 29 yarder. Got it. 9-3 Giants.

Commercials: Budweiser. Prohibition is over! Hooray, but your beer is still awful. Doritos. A dog bribes a guy with Doritos to not tell on him for killing their cat. Camaro.

NBC runs a song about Jason Pierre-Paul. "JPP", set to the tune of Naughty By Nature's OPP.

Commercials: GE. We make turbines that keep your Budweiser cold. Gross. Commercial for John Carter, which somehow may have been a worse film than Battleship. TaxAct dot com decides it's a good idea to have a kid peeing in a swimming pool as its Super Bowl ad. Promo for The Voice, premiering tonight after the Super Bowl.

Manning is 9-for-9 to start the game, a Super Bowl record. They jinxed him. He's 9 for 10 now after throwing it away on first down.

Brandon Jacobs up the middle for 11. Patriots not doing much to stop the Giants early.

Manning hits Bradshaw in the face with a pass. Incompletion.

Michaels: People wondered why the Giants weren't favored heading into the game.

Commercials: The Lorax, A dog loses weight so he can fit out the doggie door and chase a Volkswagen. Darth Vader chokes a guy in a bar for laughing at that. Promo for America's Got Talent featuring Howard Stern, coming this summer.

Third and 6, great catch from Hakeem Nicks downfield. Pass looked high, but he went up and got it at the New England 48. First down.

3rd and 15, Manning completes a pass to Bradshaw at the 40. It's short of a first down and Weatherford will punt it into the end zone. Welp.

Commercials: David Beckham in his underwear for H&M. The CGI Coke polar bears again.

Another Brady pass knocked down by Jason Pierre-Paul.

Chad Ochocinco comes into the game on third and 7. It's a six yard pass to Welker and the Patriots will punt.

Tafoya: Giants TE Travis Beckham is out with a torn ACL.

3rd and 11, Manning deep to Manningham, but incomplete. Weatherford will punt with around 4:00 left in the half. Kicks it out of bounds at the 4.

Commercials: Chevy Sonic doing stunts. Star Wars Phantom Menace 3D. Gross. Promo for a Madonna halftime show.

Gronk! His first catch of the game is down the seam for 20. Out to the New England 35, 2:30 to go in the half.

After a running play, it'll be 2nd and 6 when they return from the two minute warning.

Commercials: The Avengers, Teleflora dot com, Skechers, NFL Play 60 promo sponsored by Kinect for X Box 360, Cars dot com.

Brady to Hernandez to the Patriots' 49. First down. 1:40 and counting.

Now Brady to Hernandez again. Ruled a catch and down by contact. Probably the right call. Yep, replay shows his elbow was down before the ball came out.

Brady to Woodhead to the New York 37. Flag on the play. Holding, offense. Big penalty.

Brady keeps going to Hernandez. Moves the chains again. Out at the 34 with 1:01 left on the clock.

Brady to Welker at the 23. First down. 0:28 left, Patriots timeout.

Commercials: Doritos - grandmother uses a bungee slingshot to fire a toddler at a kid with a bag of Doritos. Talking baby for Etrade. G.I. Joe Retaliation.

Brady to Woodhead. Out at the 12. First down. Clock stopped at 0:24

Brady to Woodhead at the 3. Flag down. Giants offside. Declined. 0:18 left, 2nd and 1 at the 3.

Draw play! Woodhead chopped down in the backfield by Pierre Paul. Timeout, New England.0:15 left in the half.

Third down, Brady looking, looking, looking, touchdown. Threads a needle to Danny Woodhead in the end zone. 10-9 Patriots with less than 10 seconds left in the half. Presumably, they'll squib the kickoff, the Giants will take a knee on first down, and it'll be 10-9 at halftime.

Touchdown.

Collinsworth: That tied a record for longest drive in Super Bowl history.

Yep. Squib kick, Giants take a knee. At the half: New England 10, New York 9.

Commercial: NFL Fantasy Football

HALFTIME

Rodney Harrison: Belichick will tell his players we haven't played our best and if we cut out the mistakes, we'll win this game.

Tony Dungy: If I'm Tom Coughlin, I'm telling my players that we're moving the football, we just have to finish drives. We can move the ball on these guys.

Dungy: With the injury, Gronkowski can be covered one-on-one with a linebacker. He's a decoy. They have to stop Welker and Hernandez.

Harrison: Hernandez is a matchup nightmare for the Giants. Tough to bring down in space.

Harrison: Giants need to run at Brady, not go around the offensive line. They need to get in his face or it will be a long day.

Commercials: Toyota Camry, Will Arnett for Hulu Plus, LMFAO playing the halftime show in a bar instead of at the game - commercial for Bud Light, Tonight Show promo with Madonna in an elevator with Jay Leno.

Halftime show. Madonna! She's being brought to the stage by some sort of legion. Vogue. She's lip synching to obvious samples of herself. This is about eleven million times better than last year's Black Eyed Peas debacle, and I'm by no means a Madonna fan. Music. LMFAO. It's a mashup of Music and Party Rock. Everybody's gonna have a good time. Sexy And I Know It. I work out! Okay, now it's a Madonna song that I've genuinely never heard in my life. She seems to want all the love today. Nicki Minaj cameo. Now MIA. Nice. MIA flips the bird to the camera. The NFL is having a collective freakout about that, I'm sure. Open Your Heart featuring a drum line and Cee-Lo Green. Like A Prayer after an extremely quick wardrobe change. Cee-Lo joins in on backing vocals. Show ends with a "World Peace" message on the field. Madonna crushed it out there.

Commercial: Promo for The Voice with a cameo from Betty White

Costas: Last three times these teams have met, they've been decided by three, three, and four points. Every Super Bowl that Tom Brady has played in has been decided by three points. Kickers could play a key role in the second half.

Commercials: "It's haltime in America" featuring Clint Eastwood not screaming at an empty chair. I guess this is a Chrysler commercial. Cool, guys, maybe don't make dogshit cars if you want to be successful. NFL Fantasy Football.

Michaels: Brady finished first half with eleven consecutive completions.

When these two teams played in the regular season, it was scoreless at the half.

THIRD QUARTER

Patriots receive. Julian Edelman to the 21.

Tafoya: Belichick says they have to do better in the red zone and stay out of third and long.

First play of the drive. Brady to Ochocinco for 20 or so.

Brady on final drive of first half: 10-10, 98 yards, TD.

The law firm gets going. BenJarvis Green-Ellis for around 15. Giants on their heels, observes Collinsworth.

Brady's 14th consecutive completion. Super Bowl record.

Third and inches, Green-Ellis for three. First down at the New York 20.

"Second and a deuce", says Michaels. Aaron Hernandez one-on-one against a linebacker. No chance for the Giants. Touchdown. 17-9 New England. That's Hernandez's sixth catch of the game.

Patriots have back-to-back drives of 96 and 79 yards.

Commercials: Promo for Smash - series premiere tomorrow

Giants convert on third and four, get out to midfield with a pass to Nicks. Collinsworth says Patriots are trying to shut down Victor Cruz and the Giants have responded by using other receivers.

Another first down to the New England 36. Bradshaw blasts through the middle of the line.

Manning to Nicks again. First down to the 25.

Collinsworth: Patriots' gameplan is to allow short, quick passes but not big plays. Manning needs to stay patient.

Nicks gets blasted by Patrick Chung, going up for a catch. Comes out of the game injured. He's back in after a play. Would have been big if he had been knocked out.

Third and 10, short pass to Manningham. Lawrence Tynes will come on to try a 38 yard field goal. Just sneaks it inside the left upright. 17-12 Patriots midway through the third quarter.

Commercials: Fiat Abarth. Pepsi Max - a Coke delivery guy wins free Pepsi Max for life after trying and failing to buy one without anyone noticing.

Cutaway: Eli Manning's wife and mom.

Commercials; Toyota Camry - reinvented everything else after reinventing the Camry. Coke polar bears. John Stamos for Dannon Oikos yogurt. Century 21 commercial featuring Donald Trump, Deion Sanders, and Apollo Ohno.

First play of the next Patriots drive, Jason Pierre Paul is injured on a tackle in the backfield. NBC goes to commercial.

Commercials: Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno for Acura, General Electric.

Pierre Paul is up. Looks like he took a shot to the head making a tackle, which as we know is no big deal as far as the NFL is concerned. He'll be back. Brains are overrated.

Patriots go three and out. Justin Tuck sacks Brady on third down. Patriots will punt. Blackmon returns it to the Patriots' 48.

Commercials: Budweiser. For people who like to celebrate big events with garbage beer. Bridgestone. They made a basketball out of Bridgestone tires. They're quiet. NFL Fantasy Football.

Replay shows Brady may have injured his left shoulder on the sack. That's his non-throwing arm.

Completion to Nicks at the 30. He's stripped, but fullback Henry Hynoski falls on it. Lucky.

Jacobs finds a seam up the middle, runs to the 23. First down. 3:00 and counting in the third. Giants down 5 but threatening to score.

Completion to Bear Pascoe inside the 12. Another first down.

Tafoya: Patriots medical staff isn't paying attention to Brady, but he's occasionally rotating his left arm to check the shoulder.

Third and 8, Manning sacked at the 15. Giants will settle for a field goal attempt. Tynes from 33 yards. Got it. 17-15 Patriots with 0:35 left in the third quarter.

Second play of the Patriots drive, nobody covers Deion Branch so Brady immediately throws it to him. Gain of 13.

Patriots just barely get a play off before the end of the quarter. Green-Ellis up the middle for a few. After three quarters, it's 17-15 New England.

Commercials: Canton Bulldogs, representin'! It's a commercial for the NFL.

FOURTH QUARTER

Brady makes a crazy escape from the pass rush a la Eli Manning in the last Super Bowl. Chucks it deep and is picked off by...a middle linebacker?!? Chase Blackburn, who was substitute teaching a couple of months ago, makes the play. He beat Rob Gronkowski on a jump ball.

Oh, huge break for the Giants. Brandon Spikes forces Bradshaw to fumble, but the Giants recover. Chris Snee, coach Tom Coughlin's son-in-law, made the recovery.

Commercials: Matthew Broderick for Honda CRV - a parody of Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Wow - a bold move to have a car commercial featuring a guy who killed two people while driving a car. "Act of Valor" film. Cartoon characters for Met Life. Another promo for Smash.

Third and 7. Incomplete pass, but there's a flag down. Offside, defense? Yep. The Patriots give New York another chance, this time on third and 2.

This time they convert. Manning steps up and throws a rope to Nicks. Threw it right over a linebacker.

NBC graphic: Eli Manning threw 15 TD passes in the fourth quarter this season, the most of any QB in NFL history.

Now Giants tight end Jake Ballard is hurt. Commercial time. He's grabbing his left knee. Giants are down to one tight end, Pascoe.

Commercials: Hyundai. Driver doing CPR on a passenger by starting and stopping. Bud Light. A dog named Wego who brings people beer when they say "Here, Wego!"

Oh, man. Dangerous throw. Manning in traffic to Victor Cruz on third and 1. That worked, but it was a crazy idea.

Now a completion to Manningham for 12. Into Patriots territory at the 43. 10:00 or so left.

Tafoya: Ballard has a knee sprain but will try to play.

Replay: Ballard testing the knee on the sideline and wiping out badly. He's not okay. It's gutsy of him to try to play, but that looks bad.

That’s...not good.

Third and 10, Manning goes downfield to Manningham. Collinsworth immediately: "That's interference." No flag. Giants flipping out. Bad non-call. Weatherford to punt. Welker fair catch at the 8.

Cutaway: Ballard being helped to the locker room, putting no weight on the leg.

Commercials: Motley Crue for Kia. Kick Start My Heart. CareerBuilder dot com. Monkeys annoying a guy. NBC promos. Thursday night comedies. None of the shows is Community, which, yeah. NBC did that a lot.

Collinsworth on the non-call: Everybody's going to have their own opinion on that. That's exactly how opinions work, Cris.

Big third down conversion on the first set of downs for the Patriots. Danny Woodhead in the flat, gains around 25. Patriots up 2, less than 8:00 left.

Giants DB Antrel Rolle down, injured.

Commercials: Samsung Galaxy Note featuring the Darkness. They believe in a thing called love. Promo for The Voice.

Second and 7, Patriots run a reverse to Welker. Gains 11 yards for a first down. Patriots out to their 45. Clock under 7:00.

Clock rolling, under 5:45, Patriots have a third and 3 at midfield. Giants only have one timeout - they need to get a stop fairly urgently.

They don't get the stop here. Brady to Hernandez. First down. Clock under 5:00 now.

Green-Ellis stuffed on first down. Clock rolling near 4:00.

Second down, Giants defense confused, Welker wide open and he just drops it. Huge drop. It's third down with 4:00. Clock stopped.

Welker doesn’t ever drop this ball. But he dropped this ball.

Incomplete pass on third down. Patriots will punt with 3:53 left in regulation. Fair catch at the 12.

The Giants only need a field goal here. 3:46 left, one timeout. Plenty of time, but it has to happen on this drive.

Collinsworth: Wow. We should just have these two teams play all the time. Everyone in the country who isn't from New York or New England: Gross. Yuck. No.

First play of the drive, Manning deep to Mario Manningham down the sideline. Great catch at midfield. Replay shows he caught it and got both feet down. What a play.

Collinsworth: That catch isn't quite David Tyree, but it's pretty close.

Patriots have challenged this, but it's pretty obvious that it's a catch. Yep. Call is "confirmed".

Cutaway: David Tyree on the Giants sideline.

Second and 10, complete pass to Manningham again, this time to the 34. They're in fringe field goal range. This game is indoors, which will help Tynes. Less than 3:00 left.

Collinsworth drops a Scott Norwood bomb. Thanks, Cris. Thanks for that. 2:10 and counting.

Quick pass to Nicks, complete to the Patriots' 18 as we reach the two minute warning.

Commercials: Cadillac. Testing at the Nurburgring. Swamp People on the History Channel. GoDaddy dot com. Danica Patrick and scantily clad models. She won as many races during this commercial as she did in her NASCAR career. Promo for Awake. That was such a great friggin' show and I'm still upset it got cancelled.

Run to Ahmad Bradshaw to the 11. 1:45 and counting. Patriots unsure whether to use timeouts.

Snap at 1:15, quick pass to Nicks. Goes out of bounds inside the 10. 1:09 left, clock stopped. First down.

First down, Bradshaw up the middle, stuffed. New England timeout at 1:04.

Second and goal, the seas part and it freaks Bradshaw out. He tries to fall over at the 1 but slips into the end zone. One of the few times in the sport it can be a mistake to score a touchdown. Giants going for 2, up 21-17 with 0:57 left. They don't get it.

Replay shows Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes appears to have been ready to knock Bradshaw into the end zone to force him to score, so New England could get the ball back.

Patriots have 0:57 and a timeout. They need a touchdown. Michaels says Belichick had to choose between giving Brady 0:20 to get in field goal range and stop the clock,. or a minute to score a touchdown.

Kickoff downed in the end zone. They need 80 yards in 0:57.

Collinsworth: In an interview, Brady said he'd rather have the ball, trailing, than have a lead but the other guys have the ball.

First down, Branch drops what would have easily been a 20-25 yard completion. 0:52 left.

Second down, dropped by Hernandez. 0:48 left.

Third down, Brady sacked by Tuck. Patriots burn their last timeout. 0:36 left on the clock. It's fourth and long.

I dig this facemask.

They convert on 4th and 16! Brady buys time, moves in the pocket, and finds Deion Branch for 20.What a play. 0:32. Branch got out of bounds.

Completion for 11 to Hernandez. Down the middle, though. No timeouts. They get up to the line and spike it at 0:17.

Next play, the Giants have 12 men on the field. Patriots gain five yards on the penalty, but the clock is down to 0:09.

Brady to Branch down the sideline, barely out of bounds. 0:05 left. They'll have to chuck it into the end zone on the next play. Patriots at their own 49.

Tipped in the end zone - Gronkowski maybe could have gotten to it, but does not. Giants win! 21-17 final.

POSTGAME

Cutaway: Archie Manning, apparently crying tears of joy.

Commercial: Promo for NBC Sports Network

Michaels and Collinsworth vamp for a while, then they go back to commercial.

Commercials: Chevy Sonic and OK Go. Act of Valor film. L'Oreal makeup. DiGiorno frozen pizza. Geico. NFLShop dot com has Giants Super Bowl Champions stuff.

Lombardi Trophy presented by Raymond Berry, Colts legend. He's a Baltimore Colts legend, my dudes. This game was in Indianapolis.

Berry looks extremely frail as he walks through the Giants to get to the podium. It kind of bums me out to see.

Roger Goodell: It's been an extraordinary season for the fans. Thanks for the support. An extraordinary game to end an extraordinary season. Congratulations to the Mara and Tisch families.

John Mara, Giants President and CEO: Giant fans are the most loyal in the league and this is for you!

Mara: There's not one coach in the league I'd trade Tom Coughlin for. Proud to have him.

Steve Tisch, Giants chairman: Never been around a bunch of guys with more love for each other and for the game of football. This team played their hearts out for the fans.

Tisch: I thought four years ago was great. That was just a dress rehearsal for this.

Coughlin: Everybody did a tremendous job to get us here, playing against a great team like the Patriots.

Coughlin: At halftime, I said we can play better than this, guys. We're better than this. They agreed.

Eli Manning named MVP.

Manning: Wild game, wild season. Great, tough bunch of guys who never quit and have great faith in each other.

Dan Patrick: Any point in the game where you thought We're In Trouble? Manning: Nope. Stay positive.

Patrick: How's it feel to win a Super Bowl in the stadium your brother built? Manning: It's great to win a Super Bowl anywhere, but Indianapolis is great, happy to be here.

Manning wins a Corvette for being named MVP.

Mario Manningham: Just trying to be patient, gotta be patient in this game. We knew big plays would come and we had to take advantage.

Hakeem Nicks: Feels great, happy to be a part of this team.

#nfl #football #super bowl #super bowl xlvi #new york giants #new york #giants #new england patriots #new england #patriots

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neoraven · 7 years

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2017 NFL Season Predictions - AFC Win Totals

A note about this and my process! These are win predictions, not firm power rankings and direct comparisons of quality. I haven't done any analysis of whether these win totals "work out" in the math of it. I know it doesn't look like there are enough "playoff teams" (only 5 with 9+ wins), but whatever. But I think this just means that the 6th playoff spot is really up for grabs in my opinion. The half games are obviously me cheating. When I get to a game in the schedule that feels like a genuine tossup, I give half a win. NFC version of this post will be coming out sometime before Sunday noon kickoff. Also, I hearby swear that I typed all these words before week 1 kicked off, including no changes to Pats/Chiefs even though I firmly had a Pats win in both predictions. I will probably screw up the other way to compensate. I flip flopped between sorting them by divisions or in descending order, and have kinda split the difference into rough tiers.

Playoff Teams

New England Patriots [13.5] They're the preseason champs of nearly every power ranking or prognostication. Their Vegas odds are double the next team at more sportsbooks. Losing Edelman hurts, but the strength of the Belichick era has always been replacing parts. I'm not going to go as far as saying a perfect season or a runaway Superbowl champ. But they'll have absolutely no trouble winning the AFC East.

Pittsburgh Steelers [12.5] They sit very firmly at the 1a spot behind the Patriots. They're immensely talented all over, and have a great coach and consistent leadership. They're also going to fully take advantage of a weaker division and weaker schedule to likely coast to a first-round bye.

Tennessee Titans [11.5] I'm not going to pretend to hide my homerism or bias for the Titans, but I'm still pretty confident this is the year they figure out how to beat the worst teams in all of football. They're also undoubtedly one of the offseason champions after upgrading WR and CB drastically through their draft and free agency. Marcus Mariota is only going to get better, and I think we haven't seen close to his best in the NFL yet. Even if the offensive line takes a step back from #1, it's still a talented team in a bad division on the right side of injury luck as the season stops. This team could not only win the division, but contend for the #2 seed if everything falls right.

Oakland Raiders [10.5] I believe the Raiders kind of peaked last season with their 12 wins. They'll still probably win the AFC West, but they'll struggle to repeat the highs of last season. I'm not sold on Derek Carr, despite his steady and constant improvement over his three seasons. Despite Khalil Mack being a legitimate star, the defense is going to lose them some games this year.

Kansas City Chiefs [10] Andy Reid has been grinding out double digit wins in Kansas City for a little bit now, and he'll just barely keep at that pace this year. Losing their starting RB isn't as bad as it could be, given their offense. Kareem Hunt is poised to shine in the full-time role in the run-heavy scheme.

Playoff Maybes

Cincinnati Bengals [8.5] Despite Marvin Lewis' dismal playoff record, the Bengals have made the playoffs 6 of the past 8 years. Last year's 6-win season looks like a fluke from bad injury luck, but they'll still struggle to be much better and break through deep into the playoffs. The head coach's contract year will end in frustration and uncertainty. If they sneak into the playoffs, this team doesn't look like the juggernaut to push them into the divisional round for the first time in 30 years.

Baltimore Ravens [8] Despite a heavy investment on an already-good defense, the Ravens will keep treading water. No offense to Joe Flacco, but this team is barely holding on to the edge between contender and barely good. They could sneak into the playoffs with a perfect record in close games, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Houston Texans [8] Tom Savage and JJ Watt helm the most divergent units in the NFL. The defense is as good as the offense is bad. So, my easy prediction for this yin and yang and cancelling out is that the Texans will be firmly a .500 team, depending on when Savage gets launched into the sun in favor of DeShaun Watson.

Miami Dolphins [8] It's easy to forget that they were a playoff team last season. They're also going to benefit from 4 games against the Bills and Jets, but they'll probably hit .500 on the dot. Jay Cutler will be a little better than expected, and the rest of the team will hold up around him. Playing fifteen straight games due to the Irma cancellation is brutal, but keeping the home game in a London season is probably a little more important.

Los Angeles Chargers [7.5] Improving on 5 wins will be easy for the new head coach, despite the brutal division. However, they're still mostly the same team with the same rash of injury problems. The disruption from moving to LA will probably cost them half a win or so as well, despite Phillip Rivers' mobile film room commute.

See You Next Season

Indianapolis Colts [7] This is a team in a messy transition. It's not exactly rebuilding with Andrew Luck's immense talent in the mix. But it's a bit of a dire situation with him making nearly zero progress toward recovery on his injured shoulder. The only positive sign was that he wasn't completely put on IR or the other 6-8 game long unable to play list. Depending on how long Luck is hurt, and how bad Tolzein and Brissett are getting thrown into the fire, the floor of the season could fall out and drop them below the Jaguars.

Denver Broncos [6] John Elway's squad, ironically, can't find a QB to save their life. Another lopsided squad to make the Texans blush, this elite defense can't find the endzone enough to win every game on their own. Von Miller might have another great season wasted as the QB position stumbles through a combo of Trevor Siemien, Paxton Lynch, and Brock Osweiler (yes, back again). They'll drop back from playoff contention when the QB situation gets especially bad.

Buffalo Bills [5.5] If not for the Jets, the Bills would be comfortably tanking at the bottom of the division. However, some parts of the Bills are way too damn good. Like McCoy, the offensive line, and rookie Zay Jones. They'll be stuck in that limbo between a single digit draft pick and the playoffs.

Jacksonville Jaguars [5.5] Improving on a 3-win team is pretty easy, and the Jags will be able to do that. Coughlin running things is a good sign, as well as the influx of talent on defense. But you only go so far with Blake Bortles throwing passes, and that's not out of the basement of the extremely awful AFC South. Also, throwing in there that Fournette will be a beast with some great plays and stats no matter how dismal the passing game gets.

New York Jets [2.5] This team sucks, and won't be fun for anyone involved by design. I don't know how else to put it. I'm not bold enough to predict that they get zero wins, but each one they squeak out will be a minor miracle. They have a pretty soft schedule, including hosting the Jaguars, Bills, and Chargers after a cross-country trip.

Cleveland Browns [2.5] Browns fans, I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is - the Browns will be fighting for relevant results in the last month of the season. The bad news - this will be a fight for the first overall draft pick yet again. It's really easy to detail all the ways the Browns suck and all the reasons they'll never win a game. But here's two reasons they could improve on last season - hosting the Jets and Jaguars. Get well soon, Myles Garrett.

#patriots #dolphins #bills #jets #browns #steelers #bengals #ravens #chiefs #broncos #raiders #chargers #titans #colts #texans #jaguars #nfl #nfl 2017 #nfl season preview #nfl predictions

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trendingnewsb · 7 years

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The 2020 Democratic race is underway. Here are 5 takeaways

Washington (CNN)Democrats got their first side-by-side view of the biggest names vying to lead the party — and potentially its ticket against President Donald Trump in 2020.

More than a dozen senators, governors and House members got their first chance to flash their personalities, policy platforms and cases against Trump in front of a largely establishment audience at an “Ideas Conference” hosted by the liberal think tank Center for American Progress.

Here are five takeaways from the first potential candidate showcase of the 2020 election cycle:

The problem with focusing on Trump

Democrats sense that they’re in the middle of a drop-everything moment, where nothing matters more to their voters than fighting Trump with everything they’ve got.

But those who want to lead the party in 2020 and beyond know they need to offer an optimistic and policy-focused message of their own, too.

The problem is, the transition from issuing dire warnings about the immediate emergency to selling a vision for a post-Trump America isn’t a smooth one.

The messaging challenge facing Democrats was on display Tuesday. Most speakers simply attacked Trump at the outset of their remarks, and then — with no real transition — moved on to the policy topic they’d been assigned for the day.

Two senators seen as 2020 presidential prospects did try, though, to offer a cohesive vision.

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker cast Trump as another of the “demagogues” — Joseph McCarthy and Father Charles Coughlin were others he cited — that have been obstacles to overcome in the arc of history.

“I want to fight in this climate. I want to dedicate myself,” Booker said. “But we cannot just be a party of resistance — we’ve got to be a party that’s reaffirming the American dream.”

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren made a much more Trump-focused case.

She cast Trump’s sharing of highly sensitive intelligence with Russian officials and his decision to fire FBI Director James Comey as symptoms of a political elite run amok.

“Concentrated money and concentrated power are corrupting our democracy and becoming dangerously worse with Donald Trump in the White House,” she said.

The ideas on display here were broadly familiar. Many of the key talking points echoed the core principles that guided Hillary Clinton’s campaign. They spoke soberly about technocratic solutions to all manner of economic displacement. Trump was dismissed as a craven bully.

“We can’t allow Twitter wars to become shooting wars,” former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice said to applause. Close your eyes, change a sentence here and there, and it could have been the late summer of 2016.

The touchier policy questions roiling the left in the Trump era were mostly glossed over. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper spoke with conviction, but the particulars — “Investment in education has got to be all the way from birth through higher education” — were gauzy and familiar. The repeated nods, over and again, to coal miners felt like clumsy lip service. (The whiplash came when Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley suggested, to cheers, that the US “put every coal electricity generating plant into a museum by the year 2050.”)

The 2020 anti-Trump messaging test drive

It’s 42 months from Election Day 2020 — but Democrats seen as presidential prospects used the first “cattle call” of the new cycle to take their best shots at Trump.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand focused on Monday night’s report that Trump had shared classified information with Russian officials in the Oval Office last week. “Last night’s reporting has taken us to a whole new level of abnormal. The President is truly creating chaos,” she said.

For Warren, it was all economic inequality, all the time.

“The swamp is bigger, deeper, uglier and filled with more corrupt creatures than ever before in history,” Warren said.

“The CEO of Exxon-Mobil is now the secretary of state. Goldman Sachs now has enough people in the White House to open a branch office,” she said. “Do you get the feeling that if Bernie Madoff weren’t in prison, that he’d be in charge of the SEC right now?”

Sen. Kamala Harris, a California freshman who many Democrats see as a rising star, harshly criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ push for harsher sentences for drug-related crimes — and accused Trump and Sessions of “reviving the failed war on drugs.”

Another Harris swipe at Trump carried racial, geographic and urban vs. rural implications. “We need this administration to understand that if they care about the opioid crisis in rural America as they say they do, they have also got to care about the drug-addicted young man in Chicago or East LA,” she said.

The names you didn’t hear

Specifically: Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

Tuesday’s event was an opportunity for new Democratic leaders to take the stage without a former president or presidential candidate seizing the limelight. But it was impossible to ignore the shadow those figures still cast over their party.

Clinton’s name rarely came up — but occasionally, Democrats did take implicit shots at her 2016 campaign.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar pointed out that Clinton’s campaign did not pay attention to rural towns.

“Winning candidates do that,” she said.

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock — a two-time statewide winner in a place Trump cruised — faulted the party for what he called an over-reliance on analytics and its focus on turning out the base.

Democrats should worry more, he said, “about really offering voters a reason to vote for a Democrat for president.”

“From my perspective, Democrats need to do a better job of showing up, making an argument — even in places where people are likely to disagree,” he said.

Not all the cattle showed up for this ‘call’

If this was Democrats’ first semi-formal gathering of potential 2020 nominees, it was an incomplete one.

To the extent Tuesday’s speakers were competing, it was to define their particular styles and cadences. The room was full of friends. When Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a longtime party fundraiser and Clinton super supporter, delivered his spirited argument about the importance of redistricting reform, his exaggerated drawl drew only warm smiles.

Warren, who probably tracks as far left as anyone of the keynote speakers, delivered the most round and polished remarks. Her decision to so vocally support Clinton in 2016 seems to have won her the trust of the party’s liberal professional class.

But even as the politicians preached inclusion, it was, perhaps oddly, the panel titled, “The Resistance,” that spoke in the harshest terms about the absent “cattle.”

Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas dismissed “that grassroots Bernie (Sanders) thing” as a corrosive element that would forestall Democratic victories, even suggesting the Berniecrat call to win over working class whites was a cover — “code,” he called it — for uglier ambitions.

“There’s a changing of the guard in progressive leadership to one where women and marginalized communities are centered. It doesn’t mean they’re part of the party anymore, they’re leading it. And there is some resistance among some corners of that, and you see it in things like people saying, ‘Well we need to reach out to working class people,'” Moulitsos said. “Because, you know, none of us know any working class people in our communities.”

Sanders was not present because CAP, as a spokeswoman explained, did not offer invitations to anyone who had previously run for president.

Still, the absence of anyone — Warren aside — who might feasibly win his and his supporters’ enthusiastic support gave the event a narrower feeling.

Few new ideas on health care

Democrats here were prepared to fight and die in defense of Obamacare. Activists and organizers onstage and off pointed to the Republican bill as the party’s ticket back to a House majority.

The language was stark. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called the Republican bill “deadly” and “the most damaging bill for women in legislative history.”

Of all the issues coming down the pike, health care is “the huge one,” Indivisible Project co-founder Leah Greenberg told CNN before her panel discussion.

And still, the elephant in the room went unaddressed. Through a full day of speeches, group discussions, and one-on-one chats, the question of what, specifically, Democrats would pursue and sell voters — beyond preserving and beefing up the ACA — went unanswered.

Single-payer health care, or “Medicare-for-all,” a demand of the progressive left movement led by Sanders, never came up. No one for, no one against — though by its absence, the message was clear. Democrats in Washington, and those who perhaps aspire to careers in the city, are still choosing caution.

Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, praised Warren for her “big ideas” on job creation, and shouted out Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley for their ambitious infrastructure programs.

But he conceded that health care would be a tougher nut to crack.

“It will take discipline,” he said, “for progressives to pivot to offense and use the oxygen in the room to educate Americans about Medicare for All and big-picture themes like taking on the insurance industry monopolies.”

There is still more than a year until the midterm elections, and maybe a little while longer before big decisions are made ahead of the party’s presidential primary, but the health care divide isn’t going away.

And like any other fight among mostly like-minded people, the longer it lingers, the nastier the eventual reckoning.