Carl Spackler

Was this expected?

Minnesota only had that vet QB (Cousins) for less than half the season. He got hurt in week 8, and the team finished 3-6 without him. Minnesota was starting to gel (back-to-back wins over SF and GB) when he got hurt, so I think they would have finished better than 7-10 had Cousins stayed healthy. But with that said, I think there is a substantial chance that Minnesota does not improve on 7-10 in the '24 season, so your larger point about the future 2nd round pick likely being a relatively high pick in that round is probably going to end up being correct.

That's what it looks like to me as well. I don't think they're picking up a late first round pick in a draft of this type (i.e., solid in terms of depth but unexceptional in the top 20) simply to get another player; rather, they're looking to package and move up to get someone in the top 5 picks or so.

Never saw the movie, but watched the first episode yesterday. While I felt it was a mixed bag in some respects, there was enough good stuff to keep me on board.

Cousins is going to have a lot of weapons.

I suppose it's somewhat a matter of perception, but I think Hunter has been far more inconsistent than Abmas this season. One thing we can agree on is that Terry and this fucking team give the fans a shot to the collective balls on just about a weekly basis. It's maddening.

I would not call him a "mediocre" QB in the years prior to his injury (2018-2022). Rather, he was a good, not great, overall QB. He was probably a top 10 QB in some (if not all) of those years, but not top 5 and not elite. He can't carry a team like Mahomes, Lamar, etc. And that will always be the albatross around his neck. But when you're being voted by your peers to the top 100 pretty much every year, throwing for 4,000+ each season, and throwing 150+ TD passes in five seasons (several of which involved pretty shaky O-lines), you're not mediocre.

John Lennon was a fan of this one. I am too. That means Lennon had great taste. RIP, Mr. Carmen. You wrote some really good ones.

I know -- been a Vikings fan for about 50 years. The key now will be making the correct call on a young QB in the draft. A wrong decision will be an albatross around the neck of the franchise for several years. A good decision that nets the team a good young QB puts this team right back in contention for a division title in '25 or '26. I'm already writing 2024 off because (A) I don't want the team to throw a rookie QB to the wolves by starting him too early and (B) I don't think Darnold has the ability to win games consistently as a starter.

Sam Darnold in a bridge year (which portends a lot of turnovers and pain for Vikings fans) while the rookie first rounder watches and learns. 2024 will not be a fun season in Minnesota.

And it seems that they've all congregated on this thread. Buncha fucking pussies pissing and moaning over one goddam hour of time change.

I certainly didn't watch a lot of UM football the past couple seasons, but when I did, McCarthy didn't impress me that much. Not that he was bad -- he just didn't wow me. Maybe I just happened to watch at the wrong times, but I didn't see too many throws that made me sit up and take notice. That said, he did his job and played within their system. Didn't turn the ball over much (only 4 picks last season). It made sense for Michigan to lean more on their ground game, their behemoth O-line, and the defense.

There were four times in the Penn State game in non-garbage time situations when it was 3rd and 6 or longer, and Michigan ran the ball. (FWIW, one of those runs produced a TD.) I remembered watching a good chunk of that game and thinking that Michigan ran quite a bit when in 3rd and long. Not that it didn't make sense -- with a good ground game, a very good defense, and a lead on the road, I probably would have been inclined to run the ball more than normal in 3rd and long situations as well. 2Q 3rd and 11 at PSU22 Shotgun Edwards,Donovan rush middle for 22 yards gain to the PSU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 06:07, 1ST DOWN. 3Q 3rd and 10 at PSU10 No Huddle-Shotgun Edwards,Donovan rush left for 6 yards gain to the PSU04 (Reed,Jaylen), out of bounds. 4Q 3rd and 6 at MIC7 Shotgun Edwards,Donovan rush right for 5 yards gain to the MICH12 (King,Kobe; Reed,Jaylen). 4Q 3rd and 10 at PSU43 Shotgun Edwards,Donovan rush middle for 1 yard loss to the PSU44 (Isaac,Adisa). I don't know if Michigan tended to run on third and medium-to-long more than normal for the rest of the season because I didn't watch that much UM football. But the Wolverines did take the ball out of McCarthy's hands quite a bit on third and long in the Penn State game.

Obsessing over our backup QB is very . . . aggy.

The Who were masters of this. Tommy. Quadrophenia. Hell, even Who's Next started out as a concept album. The Wall Sgt. Pepper

Apparently, Henley had kept approximately 6.000 pages of evidence under wraps by previously invoking the attorney-client privilege. When he waived the privilege midway through the trial, all this new evidence came to light, and apparently there were emails in the docs that cast doubt on Henley's claim that his handwritten lyrics had been stolen. The judge found that Henley had "manipulated" the DA. Frankly, Henley pulling a stunt like this does not surprise me.

Most critics disliked it, it's nowhere near the best Will Ferrell movie, and it needed a different title, but I will watch Semi Pro anytime it comes on. "My God. What the fuck is that? It's incredible. It's called fondue. Fon-what? Fon-Due. Three different cheeses, melted. That's what you're tasting. Gargonzola, muenster, and cottage."

NSIAP

The thing about Worthy is that while he's lightning fast, he's also a football player with a chip on his shoulder who will take on defenders (check the B12CG game film) and is not afraid to go over the middle. He's not a track athlete just trying to play football. Just wish his build was bigger. But within that 175 lbs. or so is a much bigger player fighting to get out.

I definitely recommend trying to see at least one or both if you have the time. No, there's a road that goes from the mainland to the island. My understanding is you can either take a shuttle bus or walk to the island. I visited many years ago, i.e., 40+ years ago as a kid. But a friend went there within the last few years, and what I said above is based on what he told me after he got back from his trip. My understanding is that the place has gotten a lot more touristy over the years, but it's still definitely a worthy visit if you're in that part of France.

The entire mountain at Mammoth is shut down today. I saw a wind speed reading of 90+ mph late yesterday at the summit. The McCoy livecam is completely gray. Howard Sheckter is saying the mountain might get 7.5 feet by the time the system blows through.

This thread now pertains to my interests because, after living only near Costco stores for the past 20 years, I'll be moving to a location that has both a Sam's and a Costco in close proximity. The two stores are within a half mile of each other. Hell, there's even a Wal-Mart close by, too, even though I have vowed to never step foot in a Wal-Mart again. Time to get the Sam's Club membership, I guess, even though I'm not a fan of the Walton family.

Yup. Like I said, VPD is in basically in a class of its own when it comes to incompetence and general fuckuppery.

The Vallejo PD is in a special class almost by itself when it comes to issues involving excessive force, other types of civil rights violations, incompetence, etc.

Brock got the heave-ho and that should have been the end of it. I can understand fans getting a little riled -- it was a flagrant foul and it's a rivalry. But throwing shit on the court? That's just stupid. But, hey, it's Tech.