OldHeidelberg

Great game to be at, awesome weather and 6 Packer touchdowns! Really great to see Rodgers spreading it around and not being stopped all day. MVS may never develop into a 6-7 catch a game guy but he seems like he could be a great deep threat and as long as we have good backs and TE's to throw to that will have a lot of value. Tough day for the D but as long as our corners and OLB's stay healthy I am still hopeful for improvement by seasons end there. We got in line at the Onieda gate at 11:40 and didn't get in the door until about 12:05 and missed the first Raider drive while in line for beers. It's our own fault for not being a little earlier but geezuz, 25 minutes in line sucks, sort of reminder of what a pain in the ass going to the game can be when you can just stay home and watch on your HD TV. One positive after all the complaints about referee's was we went down at the 2 minute warning before half to hit the restroom and get food/beer as you can never get that all done during the 12 minute half. Line for the bathrooms was as long as I have ever seen but watched the first 2 Raider plays on the monitors and by the time they worked through the review of the fumble was in the concession line and got back to our seats with beers and brats in time to see the Kumerow TD catch. Thanks replay! That last Raider TD drive was right in front of us, on the first play Jackson blew we were all screaming pick when the ball was in the air but somehow he didn't even get a hand on it. He was sort of visibly upset about it and I think it carried over to his awful missed tackle on the TD. I still have hopes for the kid but he is really struggling, no wonder he doesn't play in front of some of the other guys.

Despite his mediocre stats Rodgers is really playing well, my concerns earlier in the season that the collarbone injury has turned him into a high end game manager appears to have been wrong. He needs some more weapons though, I feel like Gutes blew it a bit going with the young receivers, we really need Adams back. I will be at the game, I am on I think a 7 game winning streak on games attended going back to the Super Bowl so hoping to keep it going.

Yeah but there was also maybe about a 10% chance Crosby blows the pressure kick from 37 yards or whatever it was at that point as well. It was one of those tough game end situations for the Pack, you want the TD but you are behind so really don't want to risk a turnover or sack when you are already in FG range. Plus you want Detroit to use it's timeouts so you sort of have to run it a couple of times but then you leave them a decent chance to win even with a minute and a half and no timeouts. I was certainly relieved when they called that penalty. Williams taking the knee at the 2 made me nervous about the FG as well, it is the right call obviously but still sort of a strange thing to do when behind in the score.

I think the Lions were at least a 50/50 bet to win if that last hands to the face call wasn't made considering how their kicker was nailing them, a good passing team with 4 downs only needing a FG is tough to stop. But I think the media is making way too big a deal out of this, I heard Bak on the radio the other day said that he complained to the refs since Flowers was doing it repeatedly and asked if he was allowed to do it too. I mean the guy just got called for the same thing the previous drive and did it again anyway, I am sure to try to keep Bakhtiari from getting his hands on him. I would prefer the refs stay out of it on plays of that magnitude unless it is blatant but that thinking is what made them not make the call in the NFCCG that started this whole round of ref madness.

I didn't tape it but that's the way I saw it live, he didn't show control until he was sliding into the end zone. Until I came here it never even occurred to me that there was controversy there.

Pretty annoying listening to the ESPN guys, yeah they were bad calls but quit sticking your hand up by his neck and giving them a reason. Sometimes calls like that come out because the refs see you doing it all night. I'll take it, we got screwed by the refs all season last year.

Just checked the trade value website and they still have Braun as -16.5 million value even though he has just 21 million left on his contract and just put up nearly 2 WAR this season. But yeah he isn't going anywhere and next year will be his last unless the NL starts using the DH. He still seems to enjoy playing but I don't see him dragging out the end of his career as a DH on bad AL teams hoping to flip him at the deadline. Not sure about the Lux trade, it's covered plenty in the other thread. Hader seems a lot more tradeable all of the sudden with his arby status and painful blown saves to end the year but he is still one of our top 2-3 players. We might regret it but I still hold onto him.

I have trouble getting a good read on badger pro prospects too but Cephus sort of jumped out at me even as a freshman as potentially one of the Badgers better receiver prospects. I did find a web site that ranks him at #176 which makes him a 5th-6th round pick but their scouting report which I will post below seems to factor the trial in as a pretty big negative. Maybe putting another year between his draft and the trial will help but he is going to make it or not, passing up a year of potential NFL pay and delaying free agency is a big decision. PROS: A whole lot to like with Cephus' receiving skills. He's a natural hands catcher, comfortable catching the ball away from his body and showcasing very good body control to adjust to the football. Showed some dynamic receiving ability down the field on back shoulder throws and poorly placed footballs due to poor quarterback play -- hauling in receptions that a lesser receiver couldn't adjust to. He's quick! I like his ability to stack defenders against press coverage when able to establish a clean release -- he feasted against Central Michigan by torching corners at the LOS and separating vertically. I don't think he's a true burner from a 40 or testing perspective, but he's got a second gear when he needs to flip the switch. Runs a reasonably diverse number of routes -- Wisconsin has moved him from boundary to slot and tasked him with running routes to all levels and into the teeth of the defense in the middle of the field. CONS: Missed the 2018 college football season after being charged with two separate accounts of sexual assault -- faced a maximum of 40 years in prison before being found not guilty to all charges shortly before the start of the 2019 season. His name is cleared, but teams will conduct thorough vetting of the circumstances to ensure they are comfortable with the details. On the gridiron, Cephus hasn't been afforded the opportunity to showcase himself with high volume due to run heavy offense and spotty quarterback play. He can get a little sloppy on his breaks with defenders leveraged overtop and won't always snap off his stems when having to play around contact in the secondary. Updated: 09/18/2019 https://thedraftnetwork.com/player/quintez-cephus/A49cn2BxKO

I don't know either, he was out of football 2 months ago and at least none of the free draft sites I have browsed seem to even realize he exists yet. But he looks like a pro player to me, great hands and concentration and he looks fast enough, he isn't going to get any better coming back. It's really his senior year.

I think Notre Dame is out short of unforeseen mayhem, they just don't have the schedule strength to jump a one loss power 5 champ. Last year they were undefeated and that is why a 1 loss big ten champ was left out. You have to wonder if a season like this will put pressure on ND to finally join conference. I think when breaking a close race for #4 the committee has established 2 things it uses first: - number of losses - power 5 conference championship game winner If one team falls short in one of these the other team gets in. If there is split like OSU(champion with 2 losses)/BAMA(didn't make their title game 1 loss) 2 years ago they go to other criteria. I remember the committee pointing to OSU's blowout loss in Iowa as a big factor. It does appear number of losses is weighed heavier as 1 loss OSU got in over 2 loss champ PSU even though PSU beat them. I could be wrong but I don't think a 1 loss non champ has jumped a 1 loss power 5 champ to get in. The championship is a defined criteria and they want those games to be meaningful for ratings so I don't think it will happen. Of course Alabama and Clemson are 2 of the best teams but they still have to qualify. I remember one year they said Bama was in win or lose but they were playing a 3 loss Florida who could not jump them, PSU and Wis were in BTC with 2 losses and there was no one loss team in the Big12. I think a one loss big ten champion Wis is a lock over a one loss Bama or whoever non champ, there is no way they put a 2nd SEC team in over a Big Ten champ with losses being equal in my opinion. Look at it another way, they are probably feeling the heat of all the Clemson/Bama title games and would be thrilled with some fresh blood there.

I can think of a worse plausible scenario, we beat OSU and everyone else but lose in Minnesota and miss the title game entirely. Looking at the schedule the Goofs only have to split their PSU and Iowa games for that to happen. We aren't getting the Alabama treatment if that happens.

I think Biadasz will leave early for sure and I would be surprised if Cephus didn't, he just lost a year.

But not ahead of a 1 loss big ten champ, it was a close call when Bama got in ahead of a 2 loss OSU a couple of years ago. I had a pretty good laugh about it because I was still sore about the Badger loss the night before but I still thought it was wrong, you shouldn't get credit for missing your conference title game and losing in one should take you out in most cases. Just take care of business in the non Columbus games the rest of the way and the Badger will have a play in game in the BTC. Long way to go but things looking good after today.

Do you think he'd rather be an NCAA HC or NFL DC? Hard to say what he is thinking but he had a long career in the NFL and his alma mater HC position is filled for the foreseeable future. The NFL loves young coaches.

I would think the shutouts will start turning some voters but noticed Clemson and Bama were beating down their opponents as well. It's tough at the top of FBS, these are pro factories we are hoping to topple.

This team is really special, so impressed how quickly Leonard turned around this defense. He will be tough to keep this offseason.

I like seeing them go for it on 4th. Chryst has been really conservative in that regard in the past. Totally, I hate punting from inside the 40 college or pros. If it wasn't clear I was referring to the 8/8 or whatever with my insane comment.

TD would have been nice but have to be wearing MSU's D down. At some point we are not going to convert 4th down this year, that is getting insane.

Cephus and JT both have to see their NFL stock rising fast. great start

Yep and from an earlier conversation pretty much assures a 1 loss big ten champ gets in this year.

Even if georgia pulls this one out they should drop a few spots in the rankings...this is a bad display at home against a below average team But you know what? At the end of the year if Georgia is in a close race for the #4 playoff spot no one will remember that they should have lost because the SC kicker missed a chip shot in OT, it will all be about how they play in the all mighty SEC and they will be given the benefit of the doubt. Oh well, go BUCKY! Edit just saw Georgia did lose

Man, sort of Badger related as a Georgia loss has playoff implications but South Carolina just held a receiver on a ball that was out of the end zone on 4th down when up 7 under 3 left. oof South Carolina weirdly tries to kick a 57 yard FG on 4th and 3, guess I know why they are 2-3

I don't remember him ever doing it where it didn't make sense; not saying he didn't, just none that I can recall, but it just killed them the last couple years. It seemed like every time he did it, they'd hit the Packers with a 20 yard draw play and then use their own TO and end up going from 1st and 20 to them putting up points. I remember one instance, I think it was a divisional rival(Detroit maybe). But the Packers punted to them, they started out on their own 10, they tackled them for a loss on the first play and then the Packers call a TO. They picked up the 1st down on the next play and then scored a TD. Using a TO when you've got a team backed up at the end of the half makes sense to me, but it was really just like McCarthy's career in Green Bay. Everything that worked the first 75 pct of it stopped working the last quarter. I guess you could always argue it makes sense but MM ALWAYS called a timeout after an opponent gets a short run on first down inside their 30 at the end of the half. It was so predictable I think teams started to take advantage of it, show run on 2nd and play action to get an easy first. In my opinion you don't stop the clock for them until you are at a high percentage chance of stopping them, either third down or sometimes 2nd and long. But in the end probably the biggest flaw in how he handled it was that his defenses were bad. As a coach you have to be honest with yourself about your chances of making a stop. If you are the 85 Bears hell yeah you call timeouts.

The guys on Packer radio were talking about it after a recent game, maybe last week, but one of them was saying it's really about having a grasp of the game flow. Things like if the opponent D is gassed, has your D been stopping them, who gets the second half KO, etc. Christl at JS used to say you NEVER take a timeout when the other team has the ball before half. MM just did it off a chart regardless of what was going on in that game. I think in the recent Packer game MLF was criticized by the announcers for not taking the timeout on first down but he got it right and took it when it got to third and long

They are good but let's keep it in perspective, they gave up 398 yards and 24 points to the Raiders yesterday and it could have been worse if they didn't punch the ball away from Davis at the goal line. Davis looked pretty good other than that play.