Linky Link

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Jonathan Turley on the legality of the redistricting map voted for by Virginia. Reminder the voters of Virginia also voted to secede from the Union - ask Robert E. Lee if that vote was overturned.

- The climate change function problem.

- How to keep your brain sharp.

- Interesting draft day story.

Bill Burr on the NFL Draft

Some Memes You May Enjoy

Many a truth is said in jest.

- Brutally honest wine bottles.

- Situation today explained

- Too soon (besides his dad wouldn't let that happen)

- Heh Heh

More Linky Links

More stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Interesting - the evolution of the modern chicken. Who knew crocodiles were related to chickens?

- Jonathan Turley: Brown threatens student journalist. While sympathetic with Brown to a degree - wouldn't the student also be covered by whistleblower laws?

- As a Mass taxpayer - I didn't vote for this.

- NFL 5th year options tracker for 2022 1st round draft picks. What will New England do with Cole Strange?

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Glenn Reynolds - Alito was right - Supreme Court may pay the price for opposing Trump.

- From the archives: Five superpowers. 

- NFL 2025 Draft picks and opinions grades. 

- VDH: What is Democratic legality? 

Bill Burr on the NFL Draft

Some Memes You May Enjoy

Many a truth is said in jest.

- Love this

- Freedom!

- Heh Heh

- News you can use

Bill Burr on the NFL Draft

 

Ever since I first saw this I haven't watched the draft. You know most mock drafts are just made up guesses and as Bill Belichick points out most of the pre-draft info you see from "insiders" is coming from player agents. Don't waste your time.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Which countries are granted the most new patents? China is kicking the US's ass.

- Dr. David Sinclair and the science of anti-aging.

- Famous historical philosophers brought to life by AI. This is the future of teaching.

- Doug Kezirian with advice on how to bet the NFL draft. I won't watch the draft but I did bet Bryce Young to be the overall number one pick back when the odds were even money.

Watching the NFL Freak Show Draft from Vegas

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Why can't Type II Diabetics sue Kellogg's for making Pop Tarts and McDonalds for Super-sized sodas the way lung cancer patients sued the tobacco companies? Would it surprise anyone if there were class action lawsuits down the line?... Vermont making billboards illegal really adds to the aesthetic of the state. Next they should outlaw just randomly leaving old tires on every other street. That would be nice... Was a little surprised at the news Elon Musk would be hosting SNL and "what's in it for him" is a valid question. I guess it's a cool thing billionaire geniuses get to do. I think if Tony Stark was a real life character he's host SNL too... Not sure where he'll end up but I find myself pulling for Mac Jones. Heard that he comes from a tennis background and that makes me think of Drew Brees who at one point was one of the top amateurs in the country and who was a training partner to Andre Agassi. Brees was picked 32nd in 2001 and he turned out pretty good... 

A Few Good Belichicks

"Son, we live in a wold that has playoff games, and those playoff games have to be played by men with talent. Who's gonna do it? You Felger? You, Tom Curran? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for N'Keal Harry and you curse my draft picks. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know, that N'Keal Harry's pick, while tragic, was the best we had on our board. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, 'wins playoff games.' You don't want the truth because deep down in the places you don't talk about on sports talk radio, you want me in that draft room. You need me in that draft room. We use words like talent, intelligence, character. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent building a winning organization. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man whose income comes from the very wins that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide those wins! I would rather you just said 'thank you' and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you take a job yourself in a front office. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to!"

[The NFL Draft is Thursday which means until then Boston sports reporters will continuously speculate on who Bill Belichick and the Patriots will pick and they will also continuously litigate Belichick's capability as a General Manager. It's predictable and stupid.]

Patriots Games

There has been much reaction and over-reaction to Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots NFL free agent spending spree. I think much of it misses the point. The team had roster needs and $60 million in cap space to spend in an environment where most of the other teams were cap strapped. It's basically that simple.

The signings addressed needs at tight end, receiver, defensive line, and pass rush. Belichick loves competition for roster spots and now he has it to the point where there may not be many spots left for new draft picks.

The remaining needs are at center where I would really like to see them bring back David Andrews who is a free agent and a key piece to the offensive line. Kicker where Nick Folk is likely to return (IMHO). And QB where I don't think anyone believes Cam Newton is any sort of long term (or short term) solution.

I don't see the Pats being able to move up significantly in the draft to grab one of the top 4 QB prospects (though could be wrong). I could see them staying put at the 15th pick and taking Alabama QB Mac Jones to be Newton's protege for a season. Failing that trading a 4th round pick to the Jaguars for Gardner Minshew and his mustache.

Just to be clear - the moves that Belichick made had nothing to do with Tom Brady winning the Super Bowl and everything to do with just trying to field a more competitive roster. Mission accomplished on that front. Optimistic that we're looking at least an 11-5 season coming up and a return to the playoffs. Really optimistic view - the Patriots may have just put together the best defense in the NFL.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Just a reminder but there is no greater waste of time than reading "mock drafts" whether they be NFL, NBA or any pro league. Complete waste of time... Good question... The White Obama would be a cool name for a show about a former President who goes on to coach a basketball team made up of prep school white kids... The Red Sox won the 2018 World Series with an outfield of Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. With Bradley signing as a free agent with Milwaukee all three are now gone from Boston. They make it hard to root for this team... Was fascinated by this video about home made electric ice skates... 

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Draft nugget from ESPN's Mike Reiss. "The Patriots have selected 15th once in their history - quarterback Tony Eason (1983). Since then only one quarterback has been selected 15th - Dwayne Haskins." That alone has me now hoping New England doesn't take a QB in the first round (unless they trade up)... Who could have guessed that Timothy Leary's mantra of the 60's, "Turn on, tune in, drop out" could also become this generations mantra for getting off social media and living a more authentic real life... If you're wondering what to get me for Christmas or my birthday - a Jyroball would do nicely. And currently pre-orders are less than $500... As an aside the villain from Casino Royale was a stock short-seller whose plans were ruined by the heroics of James Bond. But that was 2006 and villainous short-sellers now seem A-OK with MI6, the CIA and other big government entities... Yesterday I said that Ulf Samuelson is easily the number one sports villain in my life as a Boston sports fan I should clarify that what Jack Tatum did to Darryl Stingley was slightly before my time... 

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Surprised more comparisons between former Patriots All-Pro tight ends Russ Francis and Rob Gronkowski haven't been made. Francis was deemed "All-World" by Howard Cosell and "retired" abruptly in 1981. He took a year off (just like Gronk) and then returned to the NFL with another team (just like Gronk). Francis played 7 more seasons after un-retiring but he came back in 1982 aged 29-years old. Gronk will be 31-years old this season... Have to wonder if Bill Belichick had dog friendly videos playing on that middle laptop to keep his dog Nike sitting there like that... Did not know this - Dr. Anthony Fauci received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008 for his work in combating the AIDS epidemic... Bowling alleys reopen in Georgia... Remember back when "experts" were convinced that Segways were going to be the next big thing? When's the last time you saw anyone on a Segway?... On Thursday night as the Detroit Lions were about to make the 3rd pick of the draft I found myself wondering about how Matt Millen is doing. Millen had a rare disease that made a heart transplant necessary. He had the heart transplant surgery in 2018 but there's been little update on his health since...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Keep seeing the idea bounced around that Joe Biden should pick Michele Obama as his VP. Why in the world would Michele and Barack agree to that? They didn't want Joe to run in the first place... I laughed way too much at this... The Mike Pence v Michele Obama debates would be good fun though... "The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly." - Abraham Lincoln. Kept thinking about that quote when reading stories like the mother getting arrested for pushing her child on a swing... This is SPARTA!... Barack Obama has had to watch as Donald Trump dismantled his accomplishments. There's no way he'd allow his legacy to be further damaged by allowing Michele on Joe Biden' ticket. No way!... I'm the guy who every year posts the Bill Burr bit on the NFL Draft yet last night I watched the entire first round. Starving for sports and normalcy...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Love dogs but if any appear on a GM's video feed during tonight's NFL Draft that's a good signal to bet that team's season total under the number. The dog show's that GM isn't really serious... If life gives you melons - you may be dyslexic... Heh Heh... Back in 1978 future Hall of Famer Robin Yount held out from Spring  training because he needed to decide if he wanted to be a pro baseball player or a pro golfer... ABC/Disney should re-make the TV show Barney Miller with Dave Attell playing the lead role... So those folks who did the COVID-9 models that were so very wrong - what other models of theirs have we been using?... "You act like mortals in all that you fear, and like immortals in all that you desire." - Seneca... The President Tweets for the US Navy to "shoot down and destroy" any harassing Iranian gun boats and the price of oil jumps (when it really needed a lift). That's how that works. But "shooting down?" Do the Iranians have flying boats?...

Top 5 - Observations About the Patriots Draft

Here are my Top 5 thoughts and observations about this past weekend's NFL Draft as it relates to the New England Patriots.

1. Nobody really knows who the "winners and losers" are from the draft and won't know probably for five years. That's how long it takes to see if draft choices actually pan out. (Unless you're the New York Giants then yes you're a loser in this draft. Daniel Jones WTF?)

2. The New England Patriots are pretty unique in that once the players are assembled it is what you do on the field that determines if you play or not - not where you were taken in the draft or how big your contract is. It starts with a sixth round QB unseating the number one pick in the entire draft and extends to the entire roster. That's one of the reasons it appears that the Patriots don't do a great job drafting. If an undrafted free agent performs better than a second round pick then in Foxboro it is the undrafted free-agent that plays.

3. New England didn't draft a tight end but they did take N'Keal Harry with their 1st pick and Harry might have been the best receiver at catching balls in traffic in this year's draft. Catching contested balls was one of Rob Gronkowski's strengths and while Harry doesn't play TE he can possible replace the retired legend on some of those jump balls Brady used to throw Gronk in the corner of the end zone.

4. With the Pats drafting Auburn QB Jarrett Stidham you have to wonder what that means for Danny Etling who was third on the depth chart last season.

5. One of the things that bugged me leading up to the draft was the theme that the Patriots do such a poor job in drafting players that get named to the Pro Bowl. In New England the players don't play for "all-pro" or Pro Bowls. Patriots players play for championships. How has New England done in that regard?

On a local note - Boston College had more players taken in the first three rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft than powerhouse Notre Dame. Just saying.

Bill Burr on the NFL Draft

(NSFW) Tomorrow night is the NFL Draft and Bill Burr's the reason I don't watch the draft anymore (some comedy hits close to home).