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Carl Spackler

Burnt Ends
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Everything posted by Carl Spackler

  1. That's a room with talent, but it's a completely unproven room and the biggest question mark on the team IMO outside of "Can Arch be the man?" This position group is even more unproven and inexperienced than the TE group at the start of the '24 season, which is saying something. Fingers crossed that someone like Washington can step up and be something of a revelation like Helm was this past season, but at this point we really don't know if any of these guys will be able to perform (esp. in terms of run blocking) at an acceptable level.
  2. Bumpity bump for restaurant recs. It's looking like we'll probably end up in Arlington near the Courthouse station for our trip in May. We've got a place booked in that area, but we can cancel without cost at any point up to shortly before our trip, so we'll keep an eye out for better deals or locations over the next few months. Now the attention turns to lining up some restaurants. I'll look back through this thread for ideas, but if anyone has recs I would appreciate it. I'm looking for something nice in D.C. for a celebration dinner, and also recs for places in or near Arlington (on the assumption that's where we'll end up staying). TIA EDIT: Got some great ideas from reading the thread. Too bad several of the D.C. restaurants bit the dust because of Covid. Could always use more ideas in the D.C. and Arlington areas.
  3. I don't believe they have to. It's a preference thing.
  4. That's Kelce's replacement, Jurgens, who got beat on that I believe.
  5. Bad news on Sam, unfortunately.
  6. Pulling for Buffalo over the Ravens, but will root for the team that wins that game over the Chefs. Wishing for a meteor strike in Philly. Will pull for Washington over whichever team happens to survive the strike.
  7. Wait -- shouldn't the top one be a bottle of Moet et Chandon in a pretty cabinet?
  8. Look for increased numbers of visitors at VNP over the next several months. Lava geysers at Kilaeua. https://www.yahoo.com/news/eager-visitors-flock-see-spectacular-010755604.html
  9. The talent is certainly there, and aggy is (as usual) overprojecting when they hope the O-line will be a disaster. But anytime you have to replace both tackles as well as the guy who directed traffic the last three seasons, it's reasonable to expect that there will be bumps in the road, esp. in the early going as they gel. This line should be good at some point, but it's going to take a while. Sorry if I'm raining on anyone's parade. Just calling it as I see it.
  10. Some of it may be RPO, but QE's arm slot is pretty low, so it's probably a combination of these and other factors. He's had plenty of passes batted in traditional dropback/pocket situations.
  11. Yep, that's the assumption. But I don't necessarily agree that it's "not very likely" Williams could jump in development from a Day 2 or possible late first day pick to a top 15 pick if he stayed another year at Texas given his physical skills at his size, the amount of improvement he apparently showed between '23 and '24 according to reports, and the jump in quality of play that his predecessor (Jones) showed between his junior and senior seasons which demonstrates that Texas is actually developing O-linemen these days. And, of course, the issue of whether he'd be better off declaring vs. staying depends in part on how deep in quality the '26 tackle class is, which is a subject about which I admittedly know very little. None of this is an exact science. I just have a feeling he's making a mistake given the holes in his game and the possibility that a year of development could send him up the draft grade lists. Hopefully I'm wrong or the mistake ends up being relatively minor in nature.
  12. Caused millions of smiles, chuckles, and laughs. That's a life well spent. RIP, Mr. Uecker.
  13. For sure. If his grade is high 2 or low 1, it makes the decision all the more understandable. But insurance can mitigate the risk you mentioned. And NIL helps offset the $$ loss occasioned by staying in school vs. turning pro. Ultimately, it's his decision and I wish him well. But I still think it's a mistake.
  14. I'm not sure about the relative strengths of the '25 and '26 tackle classes. If the '26 class is strong, that might have influenced Williams' decision to come out now. And if he's getting first round grades, it makes his decision even more understandable, though I would have to question a grade that high for him. Putting all that aside for a moment, I think he's making a mistake. He's not a finished product at this point, and the pass pro whiff on the 4th down play against Ohio State is only one piece of evidence in that regard. He could have made himself a lot of money had he stayed in school and showed improvement in '25. I would have also liked to see him return for selfish reasons. His departure means Texas has to find 3.5 new O-line starters (I'm counting Hutson as a .5 since he has started in the past). That's a lot of flux for an O-line. One of the advantages the team had this past season was that the O-line continuity was substantial. We won't have that next season. It'll be tough to have the offense humming on all 8 cylinders next season breaking in a new QB and an O-line that is mostly comprised of new starters. FWIW, I'm hearing Hutson probably moves to center next season, making a possible O-line of: Goosby-Umeozulu-Hutson-Campbell-Baker.
  15. Good afternoon. Would this be the proctology tent?
  16. RIP, young Mr. Hoffman. You fought the good fight.
  17. Hilo area is good to use as a base for visiting Volcanoes NP, but it sounds like you're already staying somewhere near VNP for a night. VNP is a must-see, esp. now that it's apparently erupting again. But there are enough sights in the Hilo area to fill up at least a day. Rainbow Falls, Boiling Pots, and the area around Wailuku River, Akaka Falls, and the the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden are all worthwhile IMO. I'm not a big botanical garden fan in general, but that one was definitely worth it. The farmers market in Hilo is supposed to be pretty cool, but I don't think it was going on the days we were there. I think 2 nights and a day in Hilo is about right. A couple other must-sees for me on the Big Island would be Mauna Kea (make sure you acclimate for 1+ hours while at the Visitors Center before driving to the summit) and Waipi'o Valley. We did the Waipio Valley Shuttle tour with the company that takes you down into the valley, and we found that to be very worthwhile.
  18. Cunningham, not Culpepper, in 1998. And the Vikings didn't just slowly melt down over time in that game. There were things like a sack/fumble at the end of the first half that led to 7 Atlanta points when Minnesota could have simply run out the clock to get to halftime. Robert Smith inexplicably running out of bounds instead of killing clock in the 4th quarter when Minnesota had the lead. Gary Anderson missing his first field goal OF THE ENTIRE SEASON. Shit like that. Oh, and FU for making me think of that nightmare.
  19. I was thinking of putting road in quotation marks. I probably should have.
  20. Got it. There have certainly been some shitastic instances of upfuckery on their part over the years. The 1998 NFCCG and the the 2009 NFCCG both immediately spring to mind.
  21. Yeah, I agree with that.
  22. Shit, prior to the season the Vikings were expected to win approximately 7 games. Nobody expected them to even sniff the playoffs, let alone win 14 games. I'm a fan, and the absolute best outcome I could conjure was 9-8. Yes, they didn't play well the last 1.5 games of the season/playoffs. But to lose a road playoff game in which they were barely favored against a team that had previously beaten them -- that isn't choking. That's called getting your ass kicked by a good team that played what might have been its best game of the season. It happens. I'll be rooting for Buffalo from here on out.
  23. A little early to be throwing in the towel, my friend. Hang in there.
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