1984Echoes

The pressure point is when a politician is going to lose his job unless... He caters to the kooks. How many Republicans we never thought would've... did just that the past 12 years? Lindsey Graham is an easy one because his spine is made of water... But how many "real" Republicans bent the knee to kiss Trump's feet? And how many chose integrity instead? It would be interesting on a tally sheet to see how many bent versus how many left the party to become a Never-Trumper... I think the NT's get swamped by the boot-lickers... IMO.

That's my language...

It's about time they came out with some fire in their belly. Now they need to see this all the way through to 2 points...

Probably not. But I'm hunting the kind of prospects he looks for: Athletically gifted, crazy about the game. Team leader. Injuries don't matter if they are believed to be medically recoverable back to 100% (90% + ...?); actually, I don't know their exact criteria on injuries... but something like that. That leads to some guys who are wildly raw but with massive athletic gifts... a lot who can't get coached up all the way to NFL technique. Brodric Martin, possibly Manu (we'll find out soon enough...). And a few guys who struggle to get past their injuries... And some deeper in the draft guys that pick up on NFL technique and shock everyone with how good they actually are... St. Brown, Joseph, Barnes... even Rodrigo has outperformed "draft expectations", I would think. So I look for scouting profiles that read "lives & breathes football", "nasty demeanor on the field", "team leader", "dominates his opponent", "his teammates rave about him"... stuff like that to go along with the athletic profile. Doesn't mean I get anything right... but I like to think I'm somewhere "in the ballpark".

Meaning... Don't over-rush your gap-contain in the race to the QB and leave a wide-open lane that Lamar Jackson exploits/ blasts through for 28 yards and a TD. I would have confidence in Faulk maintaining discipline but a speed-rusher hell-bent in beating the OT getting too far up-field... leaving that nice juicy OG-OT gap wide open for any kind of running QB.

Yep!

This

I've lost track... Any good day for Ukraine is a good day overall...

Moot point since we don't have a 1st this year (I don't mean that as Shane Wright per se... more about drafting this year's Shane Wright or something... but... yeah, fanbase is pretty down... bad). Basically... we're just crying over spilt milk. The past is the past and nuttin' we can do about it now... Except hope a bunch of these kids in Detroit or GR or almost there... actually turn into something good. Like a real core the Wings can build a winning team on. We don't have (enough of) that right now.

Exactly my point. SOME rookies/ 2nd year players show out right away... But a LOT of them take 3 years. Just because 2021-23 were exceptional, doesn't mean you should just write off 2024-25. IMO. Besides, I'm with MB... Ratledge is a starter and should only get better in his 2nd year. He was a run-blocking demon and should improve on pass-rush so... we'll see. Tyleik will be better this year than last year and is supposed to have Akim McNeil pass-rush ability (we'll see if that comes to fruition or not). Teslaa was the starting WR3/ X Receiver and blocks like a monster. DC believes he'll show out on the receiving end in 2026 too. Frazier will vie with Mahogany for starting LG... No one on this board can say whether Vaki or Manu or Ennis will turn into something good, or pumpkins... YET. No one on this board. Those guys are wait-n-see if the Lions can coach them up or not. Same with Hassanein, Wingo and Lovett. May all turn into nothing... but no POSSIBLE way to say one way or the other just yet. Arnold we have to wait on but, as MB said, he was playing well when not hurt. PS: Derrick Barnes took until his 3rd year before he showed himself good enough to be a starter. Melifonwu didn't blossom until year 3, he was a project. Same with JAMO. Same with Kerby Joseph (he was good his 1st two years but he POPPED in year 3...), Jack Campbell was good his 2nd year but REALLY POPPED last year (year 3 for him). Just my 2 cents.

I'm not so certain about this "Kerry Carpenter leading off" idea... I'd rather have McGonigle-Torres 1-2 against righties and Torres-McG 1-2 against lefties. Not to put any pressure on the kid... But Carpenter can bat 6th-7th IMO... Just my 2 cents...

Damn...! THANK YOU Casty for the flyout to Meadows...!

Since it takes 2-3 years for most draft picks (not all... but most) to reveal themselves at the NFL level... I think it's disingenuous to say anything about the 2024-25 drafts.

Yeesh!!! I think 3rd baseman McGonigle was nearly to 2nd when he snagged that ball and threw out the runner at 1st... He might have some range... Which would be good enough at BOTH SS and 3B... IMO.

1st impression of MLB Drew Anderson: meh. Could just be 1st game jitters... but he's WAY out of the strike zone on multiple pitches so he's going to need to tighten that up. Can't tell what he is until he starts pounding the zone...

And now we get to look at Drew Anderson in MLB right off the bat...

HAH! Deja vu... PLEASE!

Expectations for McGonigle are now: ___________.

McGonigle is OUT?!?! WTF?!?! (j/k...)

No... That's a Baez throwing error all the way... IMO. He should have been out... by a step. But Baez pulled Tork off the bag... by centimeters...

"14 in a row for Skubal..." 8-0 lead, Dingler HR, McGonigle 3-3 with a single and two doubles... Startin' the season RIGHT!!!

There were at least TWO Baez "specials" that were MORE than a foot off the plate... Some things never change...

Game of Thrones: "Here is your golden crown".

The other thing you can do when not spending cap money on mediocre FA's... Is take on a veteran contract for an additional 1st or 2nd (depending on the contract...). This would be my preferred method. NOT adding mediocre talent for a mediocre record and screwing draft position and INSTEAD... adding a BAD contract for an expensive/ bad veteran for an additional draft pick. For several years running. THAT, IMO... would have expedited the Wings rebuild. But then also... no guarantees... So whatever, here we are. But I think the Wings/ Stevie Y/ current crop of "prospects" require a couple more years to sink or swim.

More pass-rushing chops but STILL having some ability to set the edge (more rounded but not as good edge-setting as Faulk) looks like Zion Young/ TJ Parker (end of 1st, top-of-2nd... maybe with a trade down but I see no way of either getting to 50), Dani-Dennis Sutton, Malachi Lawrence, Gabe Jacas (one of these guys are more likely to be around 50-ish...); and a few others. Howell doesn't fit as a one-dimensional pass-rusher-only, at least not as a 1st rounder... So I don't think he fits the Lions. Malachi Lawrence is a better speed-rusher and a 2nd rounder/ better fit ... IMO. They are ALL going to have their flaws. Later round pass-rushers to look at: Max Llewyllen, Patrick Payton, Romello Height, Derrick Moore, Trey Moore (Holmes will find one of these guys in the 4th-5th-6th round... so if you want a situational pass-rusher, HERE is where I would want to grab one of these guys... IMO). I am on board trying to maneuver to get Mauigoa or Freeling in the 1st... Or have Fano/Lomu fall to #17... But I also think there are a couple worthy OT's in a 1st round trade down (Fano/ Lomu/ Blake Miller/ Iheanachor... whoever fits into the 20's area) the mid-2nd round range even up to #50... like MAYBE Miller or Iheanachor and/or Caleb Tiernan... So I think there are multiple options, for both positions... in the 1st two rounds. But... Who does Holmes/ DC LOVE?!?!?! (I think ALL of those guys will get some DC/ Holmes love but... who do they love the MOST?!!!) THAT is the most important question...! IMO.