BillScottCanRake

I know Pittsburgh can use the Bell credit to offset the cap hit from trading Brown. But that would be using a credit from losing one All Pro player to pay for getting rid of another. Maybe that is what it will come to, but that seems pretty disastrous and worth avoiding if possible.

I guess the big question is just how willing are the Steelers to take that cap hit? That is a lot of dead money to absorb to lose a generational talent and they will need a good enough return to make those two things palatable. Andrew Brandt thinks his cap hit makes him virtually untradeable, and while his is just one opinion and it only takes one really big offer for Pittsburgh to jump on it, I tend to think he is less likely to be traded than most. I wouldn't be stunned if he gets moved, but if he does I think the price is going to be steep, and I think if the Steelers dont get their price they try to kiss and make up for a least one year. I think that would make a post 2019 trade much easier to make. Of course, this post means he will probably be traded for a 3rd and 5th on the first day allowable.... EDIT: I will say this. Acquiring Brown or someone like him would go a long way towards making Aaron Rodgers a key player instead of the key player, which I would like very much. It is going to be hard, but it is necessary if the Packers are going to compete for championships.

To be fair to Parkey the Eagles tipped the kick, making it more of a unit failure than on the kicker. I don't believe the misses by Viking kickers were anything other than on the kicker. So the Vikings "win" the playoff kicker fail sweepstakes. And how some Bears fans have responded on Twitter makes me wonder why athletes bother with social media.

In another thread we talked about Rodgers getting sacked a bunch this year (when discussing whether he should play against Detroit). I found this interesting tidbit. Ben Fennell @BenFennell_NFL 45 of the 53 sacks allowed by #Packers this season were OVER 2.5 seconds... That's not all on Rodgers, but it is a problem that needs to be addressed next year.

According to @NFLMatchup, Green Bay attempted 92 throws 20+ yards downfield (most in the NFL in 2018), completing 34%. Of those 92 throws, 30 were on 3rd down, 10 were on 3rd and 5 or less, and 7 were on 3rd and 3 or less. All of those were the highest in the NFL.

Yep. Too many third down calls were plays designed for big yardage chunks instead of just getting the first down. I'm all for taking the occasional shot on third and short, but you can't make a living off it like the Packers tried to do this year.

Rodgers sack numbers come from a lot of places. Free rushers and poor offensive line play are factors. Calling plays with long developing routes on third and short is an issue. Chemistry and trust with receivers (EQ and MVS in particular) is an ongoing issue. And Rodgers holding the ball has been an issue at times. Regardless of the issue and whose at fault, Rodgers has been sacked 48 times this year (and Kizer twice) and taken more hits than he usually does. I am amazed he's been able to play every game this year watching him take some of the shots he has. He's only been sacked more then 36 times in a season 4 times, and only once since 2013 when he was sacked 46 times in 2015. 48 sacks is a lot for a guy who turned 35, missed time with a collarbone injury last year, and a knee injury earlier this year. With Rodgers 2019 cap number being about 26 million dollars and the 2019 cap being between 185 and 190 million dollars, he accounts for about 13% of the Packers cap next year. We seen he's nearly irreplaceable from a productivity standpoint, but he's also a significant portion of the cap to be not playing when the games matter. Like I said, sitting Rodgers is not a slam dunk. And I enjoyed watching him play last week against the Jets. But I'd understand and support it if the Packers shut him down. I am excited about what 2019 can bring; I just want Rodgers to be a part of it.

If Rodgers were healthy and the line hadn't already given up 50-ish sacks I think there would be little debate about Rodgers playing. Seeing what happened in Week 1 and what we all thought had just happened to the season, I think there is plenty of room to argue he shouldn't be playing. But Rodgers isn't healthy. He received a new injury against the Bears. The line has been surprisingly ineffective this year. And Rodgers habit for holding onto the ball in search of big plays has been in full effect this year. He doesn't run as effectively as he did in the past. All of those things probably make the risk of Rodgers getting hurt higher than normal. I also wonder what a Rodgers injury would do to the coaching search? I know guys generally follow the money, but the Packers job is way less attractive if Rodgers can't play in 2019. The same thing with regard to potential FAs. I am sure some would sign with Green Bay no matter what, but any chasing a ring will think twice about signing if Rodgers misses 2019. I don't think sitting Rodgers is a no-brainer. But a really good case can be made the Packere are risking 2019 and beyond trying for a 7th win which in the grand scheme of things doesn't mean anything. For a team which realistically always has lofty aspirations (playoffs, win the division, Super Bowl, etc), this seems like an unnecessary risk for no reward.

The problem is there is no amount of money the Brewers can spend which will guarantee a World Series title now. Player X, Pitcher Y and Pitcher Z this winter, spend like crazy and it doesn't promise them anything. Injuries happen, players have down years, etc, any or all of which can conspire against a team winning a World Series. And if they don't "win now", all you get out of the deal is a bad team in 4-5 years. If Milwaukee can add a top-tier player at a reasonable cost which doesn't trash their ability to compete down the road I am all for it. But I am opposed to "winning now at all cost, future be danged". Because of this I am more in favor of smaller, incremental moves which improve the team now at minimal expense to the future.

Why do the Brewers need to spend big money (meaning player salary and/or trading assets) to find a "needle mover" when they were within one game of making the World Series? They don't have to stand-pat, but there is plenty of area between doing nothing and adding one of the games top 10 or 15 players which would help make the team better. I think the Brewers are better off making incremental improvements which have a reasonable cost instead of spending all their money and trade assets this Winter and leaving nothing to spend in June, July or August. If they "go for broke" this winter and something unexpected happens next summer, they could well find themselves being unable to fix the unforeseen issues through mid-season player acquisition. I understand big splashes are exciting, but I don't think in this case it is necessary or advisable. No matter who they sign or trade, it guarantees them nothing next year. And since nothing is guaranteed, I'd prefer they retain some roster flexibility so they can add players/payroll if they so desire. The other thing about waiting a bit to make their moves is there is a better chance the player they add is added at a more reasonable price. Obviously there is a balance, because if you wait too long to add a player they may no longer be available, but why pay a premium price if you don't have to?

While 2002 was sad, 2006 included 6 full-time starters: 1. Prince Fielder 3. Ryan Braun 4. Yo Gallardo 5. Corey Hart 6. Alcides Escobar 8. Nelson Cruz Of the six listed above, only Yo wasn't named an All-Star at least once, and of the 10, only Will Inman never played in the Majors. Not a bad group...

Poor Jose Mieses... 108 innings as a 21-year old rookie at R+ ball. Then 169 innings the next year in A and A+ ball; only 43 innings at 23 at four level (R, R+, AA and AAA), missed his age 24 season, out of baseball at 25, unsuccessful comeback at age 26. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=mieses001jos You've got to wonder how much his innings jump between his 21 and 22 year old seasons might have affected his career.

Here is my top 10 pitchers I was sure were going to turn into top end starters or high leverage relievers for the Brewers. Lots of careers cut short by injuries, while some had success with other teams or in other countries. If you go back and look at Toby's Power 50 (http://www.brewerfan.net/ViewPower50Archive.do), it gives you the ages of these guys... but look at your own risk. Seeing how old these one time future starts are can make a person feel a bit on the old side. 1. Nick Neugebauer 2. JM Gold 3. Mike Jones 4. Manny Parra 5. Dana Eveland 6. Luis Martinez 7. Mark Rogers 8. Dennis Sarfate 9. Tom Wilhelmsen 10. Jose Cappellan

I am not sure what to think about this team other than it has not played well and that falls on the entire team, coaches and players alike. Players playing better would help, and probably help inspire the coaches to call a different game. Less predictably probably would help the players be more successful, but it will only go so far. Wisconsin will probably never have a program like Alabama or Ohio State which will allow them to coast to a 10-2 or 11-1 record. Maybe they aren't casting, but they sure aren't living up to being a final four contender. Losing Cephus right before the start of the season had to hurt, but he also broke his leg last season and they managed without him. I do think Davis and Taylor are better suited to being complementary parts instead of the focus of the passing game, but I think they have regressed and that has hurt the passing game. The defense is a work in progress. Last year's defense allowed the offense to play they way they did and have a lot of success... short fields, staying ahead on the scoreboard, etc, things that are not happening this year. The offense, both in terms of personnel and style of play, are never going to be comfortable playing games like they have this year and it shows. I think next year will be a big year for the program. They will have to replace most of their offensive line, but they will be very experienced at QB and the skill positions. The defense will still be youngish but they will have a fair amount of experience, so they should be in a position to be a bigger contributor. And they won't be expected to play for any titles, so less pressure may help. And they will have their best QB prospect to ever set foot on campus. If the program makes the necessary adjustments (tweaks moreau than changes) the optimism of last year and this past offseasons should return. If not, we may be talking about Chryst's Badgers winning 8,9 and 10 games most years.

It sure would help if Aarron were playing better. In particular, getting the ball out on time and accurately. I know he hasn't been practicing and I know Cobb and Allison haven't played for a couple of weeks, but he's missed a bunch of easy throws he normally makes. And probably worse he has not pulled the trigger on some throws that could have been big plays. There was on play on Monday where he move Montgomery to the slot to go to a 5 wide look, and Montgomery beat the linebacker badly at the LOS. Rodgers had an easy throw to Montgomery running a slant which wouldhave probably been at a least 30 yard gain, but instead he doesn't make that throw and ends up taking a sack. This isn't an isolated thing; outside of the second half of the game against the Bears he has been very ordinary most of the time. Don't get me wrong, I love Rodgers and wouldn't trade him for anyone right now, but guys are open, and they are open on time. He has got to be better getting the ball out on time and accuarately and let the big plays happen more organically instead of trying to force them, which is what he appears to be doing a bit. If Rodgers can get back to getting the ball to the open guy on time and the become more committed to running the ball this offense can be just as good as it was in2014 or the "run the table" offense. Both of those offenses where good enough to get to or win a Super Bowl. Yes, I'd love for them to upgrade the WR position, but they have enough there now to win if they get good QB play.

I was encouraged by the way they played. I don't think they executed well (too many turnovers, for example), but I think their shot selection and defense were much improved and it allowed them to win a game when they didn't play their best for 48 minutes. I will be curious to see where they stand after 20 games or so and how they play their last 60. If they can play well enough as they unlearn the habits they learned under Kidd and learn new habits they will be a better team. I think third in the East is attainable is they are able to round into form quickly enough

Voltron shirts are high fashion no matter where you are.

I think now it would be perfectly OK to sell Wild Card tickets to Cubs fans.

I've never gotten even close on any of the prediction threads. So I'm going to go big and predict the Brewers sweep the playoffs in epic fashion. Wild Card: Brewers beat Rockies 2-1 in 15 innings. Manny Pina hits a 0-2 pitch over the RF wall for a walk-off HR. NLDS: Brewers sweep Cubs 4 - 0. Josh Hader is MVP having pitched 8 innings while striking out 21 batters. NLCS: Brewers sweep Braves 4 - 0. Christian Yelich is the MVP after going 12 - 20 with 3 Triples and 4 HRs. WS: Brewers sweep the A's 4 - 0. Ryan Braun is MP after going 9 - 22 with 6 HRs. Gio Gonzalez, Corbin Burnes, Josh Hader, Corey Knebel and Jeremy Jeffress combined for a no-hitter in Game 2. Mark Attanasio then sells the team, going out on the highest of high notes, to former Brewer's Robin Yount and Prince Fielder.

I grew up with the Packers of the late 1970s. My first memories of the team are going 5-11 and 5-10-1. I was 16 before Green Bay had a non-strike winning season and 20 when they made their first full season playoff game. So I think I have learned to accept losses and appreciate wins appropriately. Winning an NFL game is hard. The Packers played in 4 playoff games with James Lofton and Sterling Sharpe on the field. Two Super Bowl wins with two of the best quarterbacks to play. The margins are so small. Now you have to account for how the game is officiated, and while that has always been true , I didnt grow up wondering what a catch was. I think until recently I knew the difference between a hard tackle and a penalty. And you have a league which is all about player safety playing games in Thursday nights just four days after another game. So now teams are not only having to beat their opponents, but they have to navigate poorly worded and inconsistently applied rules. And if they play on a Thursday it is almost more important to survive that game physically than win. I love football, and I won't go so far to say I am done with it. But I can say I am much less invested in it both in time and money, largely because this random element the NFL has injected into the game over the last 10 years. I would probably feel the same way about baseball if I stopped understanding what a hit was.

I didnt get to see the Iowa game, but did they play a lot of zone? I think Leonard may be trying to protect his corners a bit, and if he is that limits what he can do with regard to rushing the passer. Maybe after the bye we will see a more aggressive approach.

The military will issue replacement medals if you are Next of Kin. https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/awards-and-decorations#nok The only service which recognizes grandchildren as NOK is the US Army, and in that case it only applies to the eldest. Anyone else is considered a member of the general public. My wife displays one of her grandfather's medals in a shadow box in our house and it is a nice way to honor his memory. Everytime someone new visits they ask and it gives her a chance to talk about him.

If you decide to spend some time around the Mall area, I'd highly recommend renting a bike. My wife and I did that a few years ago when we visited Madbad2000 and we had a blast. Even with bikes we still didn't get to see everything we wanted to see; I can't imagine how much less we'd have seen if we walked.

Awesome... that means they can go for the division without blowing up a chance to win the wildcard game if they need to.

This might deserve its own thread, but what would you do in game 162 if the Brewers wrapped up a Wild Card but needed a win to win the Division? How much might you compromise who is available for a Wild Card game to avoid a Wild Card game entirely? It sure is nice to talk about these things instead of wondering which starter will get win 82 in game 162.