Sports

[teganslaw]

Andrew Luck started his book club more than a year ago, and it has grown since then. I like to read, but haven't read anything on his list. Many of the books in his club are for teens and young adults, with a few about sports. 

My parents encouraged my sisters and me to read; I've had  a library card even since I can remember. I haven't been to the library in several months, though; instead I just download the books to my Kindle from my online account. I probably should make another trip to the library just to see what's new. 

I have a feeling that Jernigan won't be with the Eagles much longer. The team is not happy with him, and will probably replace him. The NFL initials "not for long" is right. 

[gardenman]

Pretty much the worst thing you can do as a higher priced veteran is get injured late in the offseason and let the coaches get long looks at lower priced kids during the OTA's and training camp. The more reps the kids get the better they get, and the harder it becomes to hold onto your job. There's the old saying that the best ability is availability. Jernigan just made himself unavailable. He'll likely start the season on the PUP list and may not even see the field this year if a kid is playing well. With no more guaranteed money going forward, he could have a very limited future in Philly.

[teganslaw]

Yardbarker listed the most exciting off season addition for each NFL team. The Colts was Quenton Nelson. It's unusual for a guard to be drafted so early, but Nelson is something special, according to the article. 

Darrius Guice for Washington is listed in the same category as Leonard Fournette and Ezekiel Elliott as far as talent. Nothing was mentioned about the problems Guice encountered off the field; a lot of it exaggerated. I think that he will put all of that behind him and perform well. 

The Eagles' addition is Michael Bennett. He adds more talent to the already intimidating defense. 

Of course, Kirk Cousins was mentioned. It will be interesting to see how he does in Minnesota. I'm  not used to seeing him in another uniform, just can't picture him as a Viking yet. 

[gardenman]

I think Kirk Cousins will be fine in Minnesota. He's got a solid receiving corps, good running backs, a good offensive line, and good coaches. The only real issue is that Cousins isn't "special." When you're in the same division as Aaron Rodgers (who is "special",) Mitch Trubisky (who might be "special," ) and Matt Stafford (who's probably a bit better than Cousins,) getting enough wins, even if you're "fine" might be challenging.

Kirk Cousins could play better than Case Keenum did in 2017 and win half as many games. Six of the Vikings games are against the Packers, Bears, and Lions. Two of those teams (Lions and Packers) have better quarterbacks, and the Bears might have a better quarterback also. They also play the Eagles, Patriots, Saints, Rams and Seahawks where Cousins will likely be the second best quarterback on the field. That's as many as eleven games where Cousins is the lesser quarterback.

The Viking defense and supporting players give Cousins a chance to shine, but he's going to need their support. He's not an Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, etc. who can carry a team.

As to the Eagles most exciting addition, I've got to say it's Dallas Goedert. That kid's college highlights films are impressive. His ability to just snatch balls out of the air is unmatched. He's got the best hands I've ever seen. He had four or five OBJ type one hand circus catches in college. There are a lot of things you can coach, but hands aren't one of them. Goedert is just a natural ball catcher with great size, speed, and talent. He runs over defenders. I think he'll scare opposing teams for years to come. 

I wouldn't be shocked to see Michael Bennett not make the final roster. We're deep at defensive end and Bennett's an older guy with a higher price tag. Some veteran players tend to ease their way through camp. Bennett will have to earn a roster spot. He should, but you just never know. I could see that last defensive end roster spot coming down to Chris Long or Michael Bennett. Of those two, Chris Long might have an edge.

[Spurt]

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@teganslaw

I agree about Guice---he was the most exciting addition for the Redskins, if he lives up to expectations he should really help our running game paired with Chris Thompson..........

I do like the Colt's addition of Nelson and he should really help protect Andrew Luck.  I was reading an article and they said the Colts were the hardest team to figure out, they liked their draft, and if Luck is healthy they could make the playoffs......if Luck wasnt healthy and didnt start they could end up slightly better than last year....

@teganslaw @gardenman

Kirk Cousins isnt going to have any excuses now that he's with the Vikings....plenty of weapons, a decent O line, and a solid defense....it might take him a short time to adjust to his new teammates on offense, but if he doesn't produce and what he's being paid....things might get ugly...The competition is going to be tough in the NFC with the Eagles, Rams, Saints, Falcons all vying to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.....I agree Tegan it will be odd seeing him in a Viking uniform........

As far as the Eagles....Wentz is saying he will be ready for week one...I hope he doesnt come back too soon.......

If Bennett goes to trial and/or the NFL decides to suspend him under the player conduct policy, he's more than likely going to get released.........

[Spurt]

I was curious on who Yardbarker  listed for the Cowboys and they said Free agent WR, Allen Hurns-acquired from the Jags. With Dez one, and Gallup a rookie, they said Dak would be relying on Hurn....Hurns had 2 injury plagued seasons with the Jags. One analyst agrees with me he said, " And no, Allen Hurns and his garbage-time stats from 2015 don't count." Personally I think the Cowboys will rely on Beasley...........

Personally, JMHO, I think the Cowboys oddest pick was in round 5-when they selected QB Mike White (maybe Jerry thought he was related to Danny White--lol)..Mike White was originaly thought to be a baseball pitcher...his connection with the Cowboys is that he used to call the Cowboy's QB coach, Moore, because Moore ran a similar offense at Boise State. They met with him at the combine and his pro-day ...and Jerry thought White would be a good choice to compete for the backup QB job with th "ever illustrous" (JMHO) Cooper Rush   Even though Jerry had praised Rush...of course remember he also praised Brandon Weeden and then let him go....

White was at South Florida, but his stock dropped so he transferred to WKY, 2nd All Conference team in 2016, but then they said White had a downturn in every important category in 2017, some said this was due to porous protection, but some scouts blamed White for a lot of those sacks too...  Some projected at best he'd be a 3rd string QB....With so many needs thats who the Cowboys went with and a lot of talent was still left on th draft board for the 5th round....??????????? Ahh but that's Jerry......

[gardenman]

@Spurt

One of the analysts during the draft said Mike White was an insurance policy in case Dak didn't shake off last year's doldrums. He said the Cowboys had believed Dak was a franchise quarterback, but that belief got challenged last year and they didn't want to go into the new season without some insurance in case Dak continues to slide. They thought his confidence got shaken last year and there was concern within the organization about his long term status as a starter. It was an interesting pick and tells you the Cowboys are a bit more worried about Dak than they're letting on. The Cowboys went into the draft with holes, came out of it still with holes, and seemed to waste a pick on a third string quarterback.

Cooper Rush looked impressive in the preseason last year, but maybe the Cowboys don't believe in him. They seem to have some doubts about Dak also. Mike White could end up making the team and might even be starting before the year is done. You never know.

[Spurt]

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@gardenman wrote:

@Spurt

One of the analysts during the draft said Mike White was an insurance policy in case Dak didn't shake off last year's doldrums. He said the Cowboys had believed Dak was a franchise quarterback, but that belief got challenged last year and they didn't want to go into the new season without some insurance in case Dak continues to slide. They thought his confidence got shaken last year and there was concern within the organization about his long term status as a starter. It was an interesting pick and tells you the Cowboys are a bit more worried about Dak than they're letting on. The Cowboys went into the draft with holes, came out of it still with holes, and seemed to waste a pick on a third string quarterback.

Cooper Rush looked impressive in the preseason last year, but maybe the Cowboys don't believe in him. They seem to have some doubts about Dak also. Mike White could end up making the team and might even be starting before the year is done. You never know.

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@gardenman

Scouts compared Mike White to that well known QB Zach Mettenberger a journeyman who is currently trying out for that Spring League..........

If the Cowboys were that concerned about the QB spot --Luke Falk who went to a bigger school was there in the 6th round, and in the 4th round they could have gotten Kyle Lauletta, Richmond who got some positive reviews......Giants took him, Redskins looked at him.............

Or they couldve gone with a veteran QB.....

Mike White doesnt sound like that good of a prospect....But your right, without Zeke at RB and having to rely more on the passing game the Cowboys got to see what the real Dak was about and to me he's just an average QB at his best nothing special.......Id be worried if I was the Cowboys....

[gardenman]

That last game a player plays tends to stick in the minds of coaches and GM's. Dak's last game was against the Eagles backups and third stringers, and Dak scored a total of six points. When your starting offense can only score six points against a rival team's second and third string guys it gets the attention of the higher ups. He was 17 of 30 for 179 yards against the Eagles' second and third team defense. That's the kind of game where a team should put up big numbers to go into the offseason on a roll. It took the Cowboys until the fourth quarter to score their only touchdown. Had Dak been 24 of 30 for 350 yards and the Cowboys had won 35-0, chances are the Cowboys wouldn't have drafted a quarterback. Dak finishing with a less than pretty finale, gave the Cowboys something to worry about. 

[Spurt]

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@gardenman wrote:

That last game a player plays tends to stick in the minds of coaches and GM's. Dak's last game was against the Eagles backups and third stringers, and Dak scored a total of six points. When your starting offense can only score six points against a rival team's second and third string guys it gets the attention of the higher ups. He was 17 of 30 for 179 yards against the Eagles' second and third team defense. That's the kind of game where a team should put up big numbers to go into the offseason on a roll. It took the Cowboys until the fourth quarter to score their only touchdown. Had Dak been 24 of 30 for 350 yards and the Cowboys had won 35-0, chances are the Cowboys wouldn't have drafted a quarterback. Dak finishing with a less than pretty finale, gave the Cowboys something to worry about. 

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@gardenman wrote:

That last game a player plays tends to stick in the minds of coaches and GM's. Dak's last game was against the Eagles backups and third stringers, and Dak scored a total of six points. When your starting offense can only score six points against a rival team's second and third string guys it gets the attention of the higher ups. He was 17 of 30 for 179 yards against the Eagles' second and third team defense. That's the kind of game where a team should put up big numbers to go into the offseason on a roll. It took the Cowboys until the fourth quarter to score their only touchdown. Had Dak been 24 of 30 for 350 yards and the Cowboys had won 35-0, chances are the Cowboys wouldn't have drafted a quarterback. Dak finishing with a less than pretty finale, gave the Cowboys something to worry about. 

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@gardenman

Against the Eagles in Sept Kirk Cousins was 23/40 for 240 yds 1 TD 1 INT-Redskins were at home too

In October Kirk was 30/40/303 yds 3TDs 1 INT

Redskins lost both games..........