Good luck tomorrow, I think this is a good chance for you guys to turn your season around. I'll be watching the game and pulling for you.

Hmmm....right now I am a dispatcher for a concrete company. In the past I have operated Nuclear power plants, been a dog catcher, and installed air-conditioning units/duct work in Florida. What i do now is the most challenging of all those jobs, which is probably why I drive myself nuts continuing to try and do ir.

Masters said:

So I saw a post and it made me think about this. Both guys are BB pupils, for lack of a better term

When McDaniels was offered a HC job, BB encouraged him, wished him luck, and had nothing but kind words for him.

When Mangini was offered a HC, BB frowned on it, gave EM the silent treatment, offered no kind words or encouragement.

It makes me wonder why BB gave different treatment to his two pupils when they had got their chances to be the boss.

There is also that dude that became the GM in ATL, and he got love from BB and Pioli.

SI McDaniels article

"I had been talking to Bill for a few years about being a head coach, and after I didn't do any interviews during the bye week in the '07 playoffs he said, 'I will help you in any way I can to get you ready for all the other things that go into the job,'" McDaniels said. "Just being around him every day was going to help me from a football standpoint because I could see what he did and how he did it. But he was saying he would help me with some of the things that you won't really get a chance to witness or understand or become knowledgeable about until you're in that position.

I think I saw this article on here, possibly in the same thread the post you mentioned came from. I think what it breaks down to is McDaniels left with Bill's permission, while Mangini left on his own terms without waiting for Belicheck's "permission". Arguments could be made for either approach being the "right" way to leave the Patriots organization, but I am sure in Bill's mind McDaniels took the "correct" course. Not positive if that is the answer to the question you asked, but take it for what it is worth.

Edited addition: Of course the things that came after, division rival, spygate, only exacerbated the situation, but I think this may be the original source of the friction.

Good lord that was a hell of a catch. You guys still got the best value for Edwards you were ever going to be offered though, and Edwards never would have made that kind of effort for Mangini. Edwards is playing for Edwards and his contract now, it sucks that you had to let that go, but that catch was something you never would have seen in your uniform, sorry.

@deadwombat said:

I'm already preparing a ransom note. I fully intend to steal the ugly thing with the intentions of giving it back under certain stipulations. What should I ask for?

Nothing serious like money, folks... This is just for fun, and I know the family pretty well.

Also, I'm open to any other suggestions in addition to flag kidnapping.

Turn it upside down (symbol of distress), then liberally apply superglue to both the flag and the post to prevent it being removed. Spray paint 3-2 on the flag in Brown paint for additional points. If you decide to go with the ransom, go for something small, a Browns keychain or something, just making him purchase it and explain at the store should make his eye twitch a bit.

Thanks for your service to our country. Stay safe and God bless.

Edit: Quote removed, it was not intended to be a quote to begin with, don't know how it happened. Mental note to self, don't post drunk.

@squintz said:

I know this is a whole bandwagon thread and all, but I can't help but have a part of me also that wishes we could have secured a Pioli/McDaniels tandem here.

I know Pioli hired a different coach in KC, but wasn't that only because McDaniels was already hired in Denver? Or am I wrong on this?

Your Pioli / McDaniels timeline is correct, Josh was hired before Scott got the anchor that is KC hung around his neck. Really though, I think you guys need an experienced GM, not a young guy with a hot hand. There are organizational changes that need to be made in your FO, that I think an experienced guy would be better equipped to deal with. Whoever comes in needs the clout to be able to get Lerner to stay the F outta things and let the football guys run the football operations. Once things get ironed out, and your support staff (from positional coaches to scouting staff and everything in between) gets entrenched, then it is time to grab a young guy with fresh ideas, but some fundamental things appear to be wrong inside the FO, and I doubt a first time GM or HC will solve them for you.

Congratulations to the Browns, a win is a win, no matter how it happens. Enjoy it while it is here, and I hope for many more in the future for you guys.

Having a head coach under investigation for attempted murder is a new low even for the Raiders. I would laugh at them, but the subject at hand is serious, and no laughing matter. I honestly think the Raider organization has become a cancer that the NFL will need to do something about in the very near future.

I know I am a bit biased, but he is awesome. To the guys saying his success is built upon having the foundation already in place, keep in mind he is winning through the defense, which was definitely NOT in place. A lot of that may be Nolan, but there was a guy responsible for bringing Nolan in. I had some unkind things to say about McDaniels early on, I apologize for all of them now. Also, for the Browns, keep in mind Denver's turnaround came on a hotly contested, defensive based game. not saying you will win your next five, or that we will win ours, just food for thought...and hope.

@bonedawg said:

3. Owner bashing (in the raiders case, most fans just wishing Al davis would die at this point)

As a member of the Bronco nation, I protest even the mention of this. the Orange and blue want Davis to have a long (not necessarily healthy though) life.

Masters said:

I am happy to see Davis doing well. Always liked the guy and think he was under appreciated. He's not Ray Lewis, but who is besides, well, Ray Lewis.

True on Ray the knife, there is a player I just can't get behind on a philosophical level, but you can't deny his greatness. Reminds me of Pete Rose, he was a childhood hero of mine, and I was demolished when the betting scandal came out. I still don't like him as a result, but for the love of God give the man his props and put him in the hall of fame. Anyways on to the Davis report...

If you haven't managed to watch many of our games Andra is completely reversing what I thought about him. for the past few seasons I had viewed him as a run stopper, nothing more, and a fairly ineffective one at that. In his games at Denver, he has stepped up his level of play to be one of the core veteran leaders, and most importantly the primary one around the line. He has excelled in run protection, and not merely gap assignments, but pursuit to the edge and containment. He is adequate in pass protection, which is not as necessary given our DB's, but still impressive to me as I had not considered that to be a strength of his. Additionally he is putting pressure on opposing QB's. He has one sack thus far, but many more instances where he forces QB's to hurry, throwing it away, making bad decisions, or pushing them into one of the other rushers. He is currently our #2 tackler behind DJ Williams. He is a very welcome addition to our system, and is having a distinct impact. By the end of the season I expect Champ, Goodman, or Dawkins to credit him with an interception or two in a presser, due to the pass rush he is helping generate. In particular he had a very good game against Cincinatti, and put his hands on Carson at least four times that I remember.

Giants vs... Ravens (I know, I am sorry, go ahead and yell at me, I just think they have all the elements in place this year.)

TheJokersWILD said:

Not that anybody pays attention to what I say but I have already said the Vikings will go to the Super Bowl this year. They can do it all, they stop the run, the can run the ball with the best back in the league, and now they have a legend a QB that can stretch the field. If the Vikings don't make it to the Super Bowl, they will get awful damn close because they have everything you need to make it. But I think they do.

That's a very good take. I was high on the Bears going into the season, Cutler + bears Defense + Matt Forte I thought = Division, but with Urlacher down and Forte hitting a slump, I think you've got the right call on the division winner. Not sure about them Vs the Eagles, the Giants, or the Saints, it will probably come down to home field advantage, but they do have one heck of a package.

@hammertime said:

Are there any positive things happening with the Cheifs.

Directly toward this question, in all seriousness there are three positives that I see, Cassel is better than most of the hacks they have run through behind center, and with the amount of money they dropped on him, they will probably focus on other areas of the team for a few years. This is positive motion for the Chiefs, who have much larger problems than who is taking the snaps, they need to build both lines and start to win games in the trenches.

The second positive is that they have a stable FO. I am not positive the staff they brought in is the correct solution, but I am certain they will be given the time to find out for sure. Stability there will bleed down through the rest of the organization and create a better atmosphere in general.

The third positive is that they are in a very weak division. The window looks to be closing on SD, the Broncos despite the 4-0 start are young and suspect, and the Raiders, well their HC is about to be arrested for assault, that should say it all.

All three of these points are good news for the Chefs in the long run, but for this year, not so much. With any luck at all, you guys should pound them, and I will be smiling the whole time.

@alo said:

Not sure about that: through four games last year, Favre had completed over 70% of his passes for close to 1,000 yards and 12 TD's. Then his body broke down.

But as a couple people have already noted, Favre's chances of success in Minnesota are better because he's so familiar with the system and isn't being asked to do as much. That could help keep him steady, although it may prevent him from amassing great stats.

The 500th touchdown pass may have to wait until next year.

Will the number of times he retires break 500 by then?

@oconrecon said:

Vikings are 4-0 (assuming Favre continues his flawless performance)

Broncos are 4-0

Ravens are 3-1

Bengals are 3-1

Yes, each one gets a notch in his belt for beating the Browns.

The thing is, it doesn't really make me feel any better knowing this.

Quinn couldn't extend his leash with a good game, or even a good quarter

DA, now with nearly 30 starts, has only once beaten a team with a winning record.

We're eventually going to have to beat teams with winning records.

You are in the first year of a new regime, and looking at it now I think 2 or 3 of those 4 teams make the playoffs. Yes you have to beat winning teams to be successful, but there is a lot of rebuilding to be done on your team. Patience and practice will eventually lead to perfection, give it a bit of time.

@karmadawg said:

I think Favre is playing so great because he's finally on a team that he doesn't need to shoulder all by himself.

Agreed, AP and a good overall team are doing wonders for Farve, then again, Farve in the backfield keeps opponents from stacking the box far better than Tavaris Jackson, so it is kind of mutually beneficial.

Masters said:

Don't say such things about Andra Davis around here. He's the worst LB in the league and wouldn't start on any other NFL team. Or so I have been told.

The killer part there is I kinda shared the same view and said so on my board. I ate my crow on that one last week. Andra is having a career resurgence with us, I am sorry for you guys he didn't do better while he was here.

Being an AFC west fan I watch the chiefs very closely, as depressing as that sounds. While it is a boring, arduous, and perennially pointless task as they haven't been relevant for decades, it does let me say that you have the better team in that match up. If you haven't broken the W by then, you will in that game, but I believe you will get one coming up soon here. DA wouldn't be my choice of QB when building a team, he is way too erratic, but once in a while he can shock you. I don't think Anderson will ever get you, or anyone else, to the playoffs, that dream died a few seasons back, but there will be a game or two you win thanks largely to his arm.