K-9

You mean that turnover that came on the heels of his great pass for the one-timer by Gaudreau?

Risto QBing the PP there. He looks good coming up the ice.

I'm on board with this. He has no QB and an offensive coordinator that also knows he has no QB and is handcuffed accordingly. Let Sammy get back to 100% while TT and the rest of the offense craps the bed on a weekly basis.

I hear that. I don't get into the "must win" scenarios until the math dictates that, but this is as close must win as possible. The O certainly "must win" in terms of not duplicating Sunday's travesty and if they don't, I can see a succession of games where the press which leads to frustration then to more pressing and before you know it, they can't function. McCoy has to get his head out of his ass and execute his blocking assignments. He whiffed too many times on Sunday which led baby Gronk also whiffing too many times and then having to take Clay out of the passing O because they needed him to block. I can't put that on Taylor or Roman. McCoy has been around long enough to recognize certain fronts and be able to make a block when needed. Normally, I'd be really pumped for this game but Sunday took a lot of enthusiasm out of me. The O looked like it regressed and we are going up against a better front seven than the Ravens' tonight. Oy.

It pretty much went down hill from there.

Yay robber barons!

You mean the CB coming off of Sammy that recognizes the Ravens were screwed if TT sees Woods? Because I gotta believe a CB doesn't make the decision to leave Watkins otherwise. I could see that if it were the SS dropping back, but it's a task to ask a CB on a wideout to make that adjustment to get into a cover 2 from that far position. Almost impossible, I think. EDIT: The more I look at it, the more I'm convinced this was a broken play by the Ravens defense. Woods' assignment does NOT come off Woods like that unless he KNOWS there is safety help behind and there wasn't. Unless of course they really were convinced TT wouldn't even notice it.

Regarding paragraph one, if that is the case, and I don't believe it is based on his 14 games last season, it's over. This isn't college where you can just concede half the field and force yourself to operate in constrained space against NFL talent. It is just too stupid and Roman should be fired immediately if that's the case. It's hard for me to get past, "If Taylor had seen the strong safety." That is his first read; it's his JOB and something he should be adept at after 5 years in the league. And that 2nd progression he should have made? Yes, he should have made it. That simple. Look, I get that TT and the rest of the team for that matter weren't in midseason form, but that's no excuse for his poor recognition and impatience with his reads post snap. And I'll just agree to disagree with you on this point. EDIT: I meant to add that I tend to agree with the Ravens player that said their game plan was to make TT be a quarterback. That speaks volumes to me. And it's indicative of seeing something about TT's tendencies on film. That's not cover two, it's cover one with the single safety deep middle. If it were cover 2, Woods wouldn't be so wide open.

No, I'm blaming the QB because he didn't read the play properly, both pre snap and post snap. QB's first read is always the strong safety and TT missed that. If he's being coached to ignore an entire side of the field, we are in bigger trouble than I thought at this level. It appeared to me that when he gave that cursory glance to the left post snap, he didn't trust what he saw or was too quick to give up on it. My guess is the latter. As for knowing the play beforehand, I think that's certainly possible as there are a number of ways plays are tipped and good film study often finds that key, but it doesn't excuse TT's lack of execution. Point is, whether they knew the play or not, the Ravens were giving us something and TT should have seen it. I think TT made up his mind that if Clay wasn't there, he was checking down to McCoy no matter what. And he did exactly that.

There is no defending TT's utter lack of QBing skills on that first play from scrimmage. He paid little attention to what the safeties were doing pre snap, never looked left pre snap, and was too quick in his progressions post snap. On another note, he has GOT to stop stepping into pressure as well. This was a frequent problem last year that I attributed to his inexperience as pocket command is acquired through experience, but I was hoping to see some progress on that front and didn't see much of it on Sunday. 15 starts into his career, I'm willing to be patient, but he needs to start showing more command, more often.

Totally not related to your post, PA. I was just expanding on N'eo's point. We sometimes marginalize other voters because we think they aren't smart enough, aren't informed enough, aren't something else enough. For good or bad, we view things through the prisms of our own experiences and I don't get to tell people their's aren't valid. Again, not that you suggested that. But I think it's a fair question to ask Trump voters if they've heard his rhetoric, are they at all conflicted with voting for someone with such transparent racist and xenophobic views? I'm not the barometer for that. The GOP itself seems divided on that issue which is why I thinks it's a fair point to make. Why even our own moderator posted a link to an article and made the point of "why some people will hold their nose and vote for Trump." They know it's an odious thing to do.

I agree entirely with this. One person, one vote. And there should NEVER be a litmus test for that. That is dangerous territory and I've had that argument with many liberals over the years, too. And more than a few of my conservative friends as well who seem to think that voters must pass some sort of literacy muster before being allowed to vote. It's an absurd and decidedly un-American position to take.

Not terrible. Predictable but not terrible. Interesting to me how defensive the right is on this issue. As well they should be. This is what happens when a candidate like Trump spews his kind of rhetoric. As stupid as her comment was, Hillary struck a chord in those who resent being given a bad name by the "ignorant, racist, white trash" who find comfort in Trump's ideology.

Well, we are. Troops still in Afghanistan. "Advisers" in Iraq and Syria. Not to mention the ongoing "War on Terrorism" and the ongoing drone operations. Things are quite the mess still.

A buck says we see Jack back on the half wall with Matthews playing in front on the first unit come tourney time.

Do I dare say, "McDavid floating?"

Other than the ones we are already in?

Good point.

Ditto. Do young folks still say, "ditto?"

I don't know if I can agree with that given his rhetoric about Mexico, Iran, ISIS, Syria, Iraq and the seeming attraction that has for his constituency. Then again, foreign policy can be boiled down to "bomb the schit out of them" by some, I guess.

Anyone who gives that positive weight is an ignoramus. That's as kind as I can be on that score. What single issue could demand more gravity than the literal ability to determine the deployment of weapons that could annihilate 100s of millions? EDIT: It occurs to me that "ignoramus" might be a banable offense, depending. Right up there with "bigot", "racist", and, God forbid, "white supremacist." Oh the humanity!

I think you're parsing the language a little too finely here. A vote for Trump is not always a vote for racism, sexism, xenophobia. I doubt it is for the majority of his voters. It may simply be a vote for a single issue as previously mentioned or simply a vote NOT for Clinton. Regardless though, it IS a vote for the guy who is also that racist xenophobe. I think that's why much of his constituency is conflicted. It's not easy admitting you're voting for a guy who espouses such negative values. For me, his deal breaker of all deal breakers is his war rhetoric. "Bomb the schit out of them" and "I'd blow the Iranians out of the water for gesturing" speak to his utter lack of temperament for the job. Personally, I don't know why that doesn't scare the crap out of everybody when they hear that. Racist, sexist intemperate xenophobes are generally harmless but one with his finger on the button is a whole different matter.

I know the IIHF tourney doesn't mean best on best, but ROR acquitted himself nicely in that tourney for Canada.

Don't we all, as semi-adult grownups, understand the concept you describe? Of course Trump voters don't stand for everything Trump is. But his odorous rhetoric can't be ignored. I can say I voted for the anti-abortion Trump, but the racist, xenophobe Trump got my vote, too.

After waiting through the playing of three, count 'em THREE, national anthems before puck drop, I wonder if Kaepernick's knee would hold up. Sheesh!