CincySportsFan

Hahaha...no. He's a master, I am but a mere mortal. I'm sure he would've done something better (1, *, C, IV, e, and - ...maybe?).

You're skipping over the first part in my initial post. Brady knew he still wanted to play, but retired in order to try to force a trade to another team. I think it was initially...Brady wanting to play elsewhere, so he retired...Bucs called his bluff, by not signing any high profile replacement at QB...Brady realizes Tampa is not going to trade him, and capitulates into coming back, but has Arians "removed" as a condition. Everything else done over the past 2-3 weeks has been dotting I's and crossing T's, and making the solution palatable (and to save face) for Arians.

According to one article I read this morning, he touched on it, but it was not "part" of the show. Apparently he said something along the lines of "So, how was your weekend?", but told the crowd he had the show already written ahead of the Oscars. Evidently he got a 2 or 3 minute standing ovation even before the show started. Here's all I need to know about the situation. Chris Rock apologized to Wanda Sykes (one of the 3 hosts for the show), for taking the attention away from them (as 3 women comedians), and that any attention was going to be focused on this event. That's upper-level thinking right there. Will Smith screwed up several times. The first was laughing at the joke in the first place. The second was feigning outrage over it just seconds afterwards. Third was not obeying Oscar staff when they asked him to leave. And fourth, was not apologize to Chris, by name, during his speech after the win. Not a good look, at all.

I'm not going to say he didn't draw things out in order to ensure Bowles got the job, or that he didn't do it more willingly knowing that Bowles would be his replacement...but, I think it (leaving as head coach, itself) was forced by Brady. I just don't think you go thru... 1) Brady's retirement, B) the beginning of free agency, 3) the combine, d) Brady's unretirement, 5) multiple pro-days, and f) the league meetings...JUST to get your guy the HC gig less than a month away from the draft. Bowles getting the job may have been a by-product, but I don't believe it was the initial motivating factor.

I don't know if it was a separate thread or not, or if it was just brought up in something else, but there's been a discussion on BGP about leasing before. I know there's been some strong advocates of it in the past. Don't know if that's still the case, given the current economic state. I know the first point I'd start at is how many miles do you normally drive. Because if that number is over what's allotted on the lease (usually 12-15k per year), the penalty makes it rarely worth it. I am traditionally in the 18-24k range, so it's never made sense for me.

Heck no. We'll never know, but this smacks of it being a condition for Brady to return. I think he retired, hoping that the Bucs would quickly find a replacement for him, and then he'd be able to force their hand into trading him elsewhere (San Fran, Miami, etc.). But, since they slow-played that, he was left with little choice. The one thing he could still "demand" is a different head coach. If Arians was going to voluntarily step down, he wouldn't have waited until now. This was pushed on him. The front office position is a way for him to save face.

I'm sure it'll be spun into something along the lines of "unprovoked attacks" and they'll use it to justify ramping up their attacks as a "counter-offensive".

Hear, hear!

In my mind, THIS was/is the biggest fault of overtime. Why in the world should the outcome of a game, regardless of the number of possessions guaranteed, play such a determining factor in who wins? The best way to start OT, in my mind, is to pick it up exactly where it left off in regulation. If Team A scores a tying FG as the clock expires, then they kick it off to Team B to start OT. If they score with :45 seconds left in the 4th, and have already kicked off, and Team B has it 2nd and 8 from their own 27...then THAT'S where they start OT. Overtime should not be a game amongst itself...it should be a continuation of the previous quarter...the same way the 2nd and 4th quarters already are. It's honestly not that hard. Play for an additional 10 minutes, max. If it's still tied after that, then add another 10 minutes and continue playing. In return, all regular season games end at regulation, tied or not.

I don't see that happening. Brady was involved in several FA's re-signing with Tampa Bay. To get them to come back, just to jump ship would be the biggest baby-face to heel transformation since Hulk Hogan joined the NWO. (And not how Brady is viewed by fans, but by fellow teammates.)

Great story. And no doubt there are good people involved with the Reds organization. Bob may even be one himself. That doesn't excuse his roster moves or on-field operating philosophy. Good people can still do stupid things. And that may very well be the situation we're going thru right now. I don't suddenly hate the Reds, or even despise the new players we've gotten. I just 100% believe that Bob will not be the owner that will lead us to success on the field. In the mean time, I hope he (and the rest of the Reds organization) continues to be great off-the-field, in situations like your cousins.

Solomon Thomas is signing with the Jets. It seems like the Jets have a spy planted inside PBS.

Possibly. If you look at the rest of the receiving corps from last year, Mike Thomas had 11 targets (but only 5 receptions), Trent Irwin had 5 targets, Morgan and Tate each had 4, and Trent Taylor had 3. Morgan was the only one of the bunch credited with a carry (just 1). So, not a lot of experience to draw on. But, whether it's someone from the draft, or one of these remaining guys, it'd be nice to get someone somewhat involved in the mix this year, because I really don't see Boyd being here after this year.

Auden Tate has signed with the Falcons, so he won't be back. Probably a smart move by him, given the suspension to Ridley probably means more chances at playing time.

WR Stanley Morgan Jr. re-signed to a 2-year deal. Good to have him back for special teams, but it'll be interesting to see if they try working him in more as a sub on offense, as a potential replacement for Boyd after this year.

I won't get into these particular players over someone else, but I do agree with the positions they've targeted. The one thing that you absolutely can't forecast from one season to another is health. I don't know that, as Bengals fans, you can expect them to be as fortunate as they were last year. After having addressed the glaring weakness in their starting O-line, the next best thing they can do is to build some quality depth.

Heard some conjecture on the radio this morning that said Chris may have been leaning in, anticipating Will saying something in his ear.

From a purely entertainment standpoint, I'd love to see him go to Arizona just for the drama.

Looks like the Bengals have officially cut Trae Waynes. Saves them $10M in salary, but still take a $5M dead cap hit.

Put Seth back in with them, and let them do everything. Give everybody else the month off.

I spent a good portion of Friday, Saturday and Sunday traveling, so I didn't get to watch a lot of games like I'd normally be able to. So, I was dependent on the halftime shows of the games I did see, to catch me up on those that I had missed. One thing that I've come to recognize is this...having announcers proficient with the "game" of basketball, is different than having announcers proficient with college basketball players. Ernie, Chuck, Kenny, etc. do a whale of a job with the NBA. But, they are not who I'd want giving a recap of the college games. I long for the days of Greg Gumble, Clark Kellogg, Wally Szczerbiak, and (later) Seth Davis. That was a well-oiled machine. You could tell they not only knew the sport, but they knew the kids. Hey CBS/TBS/TNT...more isn't necessarily better.

I believe I saw that, after the Collins signing, they only have about $13M left in cap space. Now, if they release/restructure somebody else, that could free up some more. And I believe that number also takes into account where their draft picks are slotted. So, you may have enough money to sign a backup (or two), but you won't be able to go crazy for a high-profile player.

Who's the "easy" game(s) in the AFC? Houston? Jets beat the Bengals and Titans last year, and should be improved this year. Likewise for Jacksonville. The AFC is going to be an absolute gauntlet to get out of. Certainly there are still going to be tiers, but I don't envision any cakewalks.

Colts don't necessarily need someone to go out and win games for them week after week...they just need someone to go out and not lose games for them. In that aspect, I think Ryan may be a great fit for them.

If you're the Colts, which QB do you prefer...Jimmy G or Mayfield? Both are coming off of surgery.