MichiganCardinal

Indeed. First row in the 400s. Not the cheapest seat in the place but still cheaper than a single Lions game on my season ticket package.

Pulled the trigger. I'll be in Section 427. Free tissue paper comes with the seats to assist in any nose bleeds.

I did forget about this one. Rakestraw may have had more warning signs that was realized. I don't remember injuries being a major red flag of his in the draft process.

If the goal is to find football players in their young 20s who have not suffered a serious injury in the prior ten years while playing a violent game at a high level, you're going to struggle to succeed. Double that if the goal is to find a cheap free agent who has played several years of professional football into their mid- to late-20s. I would also push back on at least some of these. Jamo has been a success. Chark was a success. Rakestraw's hernia happened with the Lions. He started every game his junior year at Missouri, and missed four his senior year due to a groin injury that to my knowledge has not reoccurred. Mitchell was a 5th round pick. Levi didn't miss a game at Washington. Paschal missed one game in his last three years at Kentucky. To the extent that Holmes may be a little more willing to take a high-ceiling guy with some injury concerns, I agree. But I don't think it's that pronounced.

They’ve also rarely been favored in the championship. Villanova was favored by 7, Louisville was favored by 4. Last time they were the favorite to win was 1989, when they did win.

If they defend how they have the last three games, they’ll win by 10+ again and be regarded as one of the most dominant teams in March Madness history. Hurley’s teams have a way of playing out of their mind come March though. I expect a tight back-and-forth game.

Michigan has looked unstoppable through five tournament games. But they’ve been in this position before. Championship game against a pedigree program with a legendary coach. They’ve lost more than they’ve won.

You were about twenty seconds from nailing it.

I’m starting to think this Michigan team might be pretty decent at the game of basketball.

A 9pm tip getting delayed for techno music is not a way to win over the pro-bedtime crowd.

He’s batting .500 if you include Hooker. But I agree.

I'm predicting 7-2... 6-3 is possibly depending on how far gone Kavanaugh is. I agree that 9-0 is more likely (with several concurrences) than upholding the EO.

I don't think it's Lions exclusive, though the Lions do have more surprise retirements than most NFL teams. Jake Plummer got into a long, drawn out dispute with the Bucs over his bonus, which the Bucs effectively won. The Patriots refused to pay Antonio Brown a signing bonus even though they had no legal right to withhold it. This year, Drew Dalman retired from the Bears and is subject to return a portion of his $6MM signing bonus. What I don't get is why Rod Wood made it a story. The reverse is always going to be more well known, because Irsay in Indy looks like a good guy billionaire for not clawing back Andrew Luck's signing bonus. (When in fact, it might be just as likely that he realized it was better to keep Luck in his good graces in case he unretired). Likewise, Benson in NOLA looks like such a nice owner when it's published that Carr was allowed to keep his money. (When in fact, it looks likely it was negotiated to avoid Carr medically retiring and creating a messy drawn out arbitration over both the signing bonus and his fully guaranteed money). In both of those cases the team wasn't very good anyway, and wasn't seriously injured by not getting the cap relief. Whereas the Lions needed (or at least wanted) the cap relief. So why would Wood make a story out of the reverse, painting Sheila to be greedy, or at least justifying what the public will perceive as greed? I don't get it. I seriously doubt the Bears will make a public comment on whether they are clawing back Dalman's money, especially if they are. Because there is no benefit.

I don't know what Rod Wood or the Lions gained from that interview. I think the Lions are generally in the right here. Signing bonuses come with conditions. It's not as if I could sign a contract with a company and receive a $5,000,000 bonus, then realize after three months I can just invest that money wisely and work as a minor league groundskeeper for the rest of my life, so I quit and pocket the bonus. The company is going to want at least a pro rated portion back, and I'm guessing that's detailed directly in the contract they signed. Of course it's nuanced. Calvin and Barry you could have (and should have) worked with them on some PR agreements to keep them in the fold in exchange for them keeping their money. OTOH, Ragnow ostensibly left you high and dry in June. Anzalone comes across as a lot of sour grapes about not getting the money he wanted last season. Yes, in my hypothetical above I'm typing at a computer for a company. You are putting your life on the line for a company. No doubt about it, they're not the same and you deserve immense respect. But at the end of the day, yep, you said it, "business is business." The contract says what the contract says. If you don't like it, negotiate the ability to retire whenever you want and keep your signing bonus. I bet you none of the 32 teams will agree to that, even if some of them have historically not sought repayment. But back to my first point, why is this a story? Ragnow seemed perfectly happy fishing and hunting off into the sunset. He wasn't making public statements about the Lions wronging him. There was no Lions reputation to defend. I don't know why Rod Wood needs to make a public comment. "Our precedent goes all the way back to Barry Sanders. And if Barry Sanders paid back money... And I think the reality is, they're not paying back their money, they're returning our money. [Be]cause they were paid in advance for services that they hadn't completed." Seriously, it's not even making a one-day story into a two-day story, it's making a zero-day story into a one-day story. He could have easily declined to comment on Ragnow's contract and wished him well in retirement.

I love that comment honestly. Like “hell no I’m not calling him right now that’d be bull**** politicking, but when the time is right I’ll give him a call.” That’s a way better way to handle beef than crying to the media, even though it gives us as fans a glimpse behind the curtain.