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#1

General Highway Talk / Re: Roads that you have been o...

Last post by jmacswimmer - Today at 11:01:21 AM

Key Bridge & I-95 Philly like several others have mentioned. One I haven't seen mentioned yet, though it didn't turn out to be a huge disaster, is I-10 near DTLA - I was on that stretch about 3 weeks before the pallet fire that closed it for a little over a week.

#2

Sports / Re: NFL (2024 Season)

Last post by JayhawkCO - Today at 10:57:49 AM

If I were a Falcons fan, I'd be pissed. Thankfully I think my Vikes had a good night.

I think Penix is the 2nd best QB in the draft. I'd be more pissed that they gave Cousins so much money.

If I were a Falcons fan, I'd be pissed. Thankfully I think my Vikes had a good night.

I don't see the Falcons picking a QB as such a negative. Not having a backup plan to Cousins basically forced the Vikings into a spot where they had to draft a QB this season. Drafting a QB you're intrigued by when it's not a top roster need is much bolder strategy, but it sure worked out for the Packers (and Chiefs!). I think there's a decent chance it works out great for the Falcons, and an even greater chance it's viewed more positively in three years than it is now. Having Cousins basically boxes them out of a top draft pick for as long as he's on the roster unless he gets injured, in which case they'd be plenty happy to get a look at the rookie. And even if they were bad this year, next year's QB class is not projected to be very good.

Definitely worked out well for the Vikings though that they were able to get Dallas Turner at pick #17 when he had been widely (and ironically) mocked to the Falcons at #8.

Drafting Penix when you just signed Cousins is completely asinine. An analogy would be if you were single for a long time and then met a woman that you fell in love with and got married. Right after the wedding, you meet another attractive woman with whom you have an instant connection. Yeah, it sucks at the timing, since you went so long without a relationship, and now you have found two in a short span of time. But now that you've committed to someone, you have to let the other one go. If you decide to engage with both, it's just going to end up messy and cost you a lot of money and heartache.

Of all the QBs to draft as the Falcons, Penix was specifically the worst one, since he turns 24 in two weeks. By the time Cousins is done earning his guaranteed money, Penix will be almost 28, and at least halfway through his prime athletic years.

The whole reason that QBs are so over-drafted is because, when you pick a winner, you get what is basically a $35,000,000 a year player for the price of a rookie contract. That allows a ton of roster flexibility. If you're only in the market to get really expensive free agent QBs, your salary cap obviously gets skewed by the most expensive position in sports.

#3

General Highway Talk / Re: Roads that you have been o...

Last post by triplemultiplex - Today at 10:56:23 AM

Drove down some roads in Hawaii a few years before they were buried in lava in 2018.  Only one has been rebuilt since then.

#4

Sports / Re: NFL (2024 Season)

Last post by jmacswimmer - Today at 10:54:00 AM

Bears quarterback cycle:
pre-draft hype
underwhelming start
glimmers of hope
one really good game or two
regression to the mean
whole season of mediocrity
benched
cut/traded
<start over>

I'm sure it'll be different this time.

Hey now, at least let us ride our high for a little bit before it all comes crashing down    (as my boss just came over and made the same joke not 15 minutes ago...)

#5

Sports / Re: NFL (2024 Season)

Last post by jmacswimmer - Today at 10:53:04 AM

If I were a Falcons fan, I'd be pissed. Thankfully I think my Vikes had a good night.

Likewise as a Bears fan, the Falcons taking Penix allowed Rome Odunze to make it to the Bears at 9 so no complaints here. I thought Williams+Odunze would be too good to be true after the reports of them working out with DJ Moore & Keenan Allen and then flying into Detroit together, but here we are!

Bears social media was also quick to (both sarcastically & seriously) point out Ryan Pace's presence in the Falcons front office perhaps contributing to the situation - remember the Glennon/Trubisky situation in 2017?

It still blows my mind that Lovie Smith, knowing he was getting fired anyway, decided to go for it on a 4th & 20, miraculously scored a touchdown, and then went for 2 and converted for the win to give the Bears the 1st-overall last year. Then from there, the fateful Bryce Young trade has thus far turned into DJ Moore, Darnell Wright, Tyrique Stevenson, and of course now Caleb Williams (you can even possibly count Keenan Allen - the 4th-rounder traded to LAC was the one received from PHI in the Carter-Wright 9-10 swap last year), with an additional 2nd-rounder still to come next year. What a trade

I'd rather Odunze not have been available because the Bears need a first round LT or EDGE way more than they need a first round WR.

Joe Alt would have been a great pick at 9 if he had made it that far, and I imagine that the Bears would have traded down and gone defense had Odunze been taken before 9. An EDGE to pair with Sweat definitely strikes me as the biggest remaining need, as for LT I guess Braxton Jones gets at least one more year to prove it now. My bigger concern on the o-line was C - Bates is probably fine for the short-term, and Powers-Johnson isn't happening barring some sort of crazy trade-up to the early 2nd round.

#6

Sports / Re: NFL (2024 Season)

Last post by triplemultiplex - Today at 10:51:58 AM

Bears quarterback cycle:
pre-draft hype
underwhelming start
glimmers of hope
one really good game or two
regression to the mean
whole season of mediocrity
benched
cut/traded
<start over>

I'm sure it'll be different this time.

#7

Sports / Re: NFL (2024 Season)

Last post by NWI_Irish96 - Today at 10:46:33 AM

If I were a Falcons fan, I'd be pissed. Thankfully I think my Vikes had a good night.

Likewise as a Bears fan, the Falcons taking Penix allowed Rome Odunze to make it to the Bears at 9 so no complaints here. I thought Williams+Odunze would be too good to be true after the reports of them working out with DJ Moore & Keenan Allen and then flying into Detroit together, but here we are!

Bears social media was also quick to (both sarcastically & seriously) point out Ryan Pace's presence in the Falcons front office perhaps contributing to the situation - remember the Glennon/Trubisky situation in 2017?

It still blows my mind that Lovie Smith, knowing he was getting fired anyway, decided to go for it on a 4th & 20, miraculously scored a touchdown, and then went for 2 and converted for the win to give the Bears the 1st-overall last year. Then from there, the fateful Bryce Young trade has thus far turned into DJ Moore, Darnell Wright, Tyrique Stevenson, and of course now Caleb Williams (you can even possibly count Keenan Allen - the 4th-rounder traded to LAC was the one received from PHI in the Carter-Wright 9-10 swap last year), with an additional 2nd-rounder still to come next year. What a trade

I'd rather Odunze not have been available because the Bears need a first round LT or EDGE way more than they need a first round WR.

#8

Sports / Re: NFL (2024 Season)

Last post by NWI_Irish96 - Today at 10:44:33 AM

It still blows my mind that Lovie Smith, knowing he was getting fired anyway, decided to go for it on a 4th & 20, miraculously scored a touchdown, and then went for 2 and converted for the win to give the Bears the 1st-overall last year.

Hey, the Texans sure aren't complaining about how that worked out for them either. 

(you can even possibly count Keenan Allen - the 4th-rounder traded to LAC was the one received from PHI in the Carter-Wright 9-10 swap last year)

Wasn't that a separate trade though? I'm not seeing how that pick was part of the trade haul from Carolina.

The #9 pick that the Bears traded to PHI was one of the picks they got from CAR, and the 4th Round pick they got from the PHI trade was used to acquire Allen, so it does count as part of that haul.

#9

Off-Topic / Re: This is true? - Geographic...

Last post by PColumbus73 - Today at 10:36:33 AM

Out of the 50 states, Kansas has the 2nd most mainline US highway mileage, behind Texas. That kinda blew my mind the first time that I heard it.

Speaking of highway mileage...

I-70 in Kansas and I-40 in North Carolina have nearly the same mileage, I-70 at 423 miles, and I-40 at 420

#10

Sports / Re: NFL (2024 Season)

Last post by webny99 - Today at 10:19:32 AM

It still blows my mind that Lovie Smith, knowing he was getting fired anyway, decided to go for it on a 4th & 20, miraculously scored a touchdown, and then went for 2 and converted for the win to give the Bears the 1st-overall last year.

Hey, the Texans sure aren't complaining about how that worked out for them either. 

(you can even possibly count Keenan Allen - the 4th-rounder traded to LAC was the one received from PHI in the Carter-Wright 9-10 swap last year)

Wasn't that a separate trade though? I'm not seeing how that pick was part of the trade haul from Carolina.