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AmishBengalFan

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Everything posted by AmishBengalFan

  1. Tomorrow, we Reds fans get to say those three magic words that will only be true on Opening Day. "We're in First"
  2. Updating: Wembley: Jets at Jaguars Spurs: Rams at Bears / Texans at Vikings Allianz (Munich): Bengals at Panthers Sau Paulo Brazil: Current Browns at Eagles (Week 1 Friday, seemingly confirmed)
  3. Hold the presses! I just stumbled across this! Linky: https://sports.yahoo.com/either-packers-browns-play-eagles-175114816.html "Either Packers or Browns will play Eagles in Brazil for Week 1 of 2024 season Zach Kruse Tue, Mar 26, 2024" So, PHI is opening their season in Brazil, and based on the earlier tweet they're playing CFT. And since it's Week One, no "loss of rest" issues since neither have a game before and both will have 2 extra days after. So CFT-PHI looks close to a lock if the leak is accurate.
  4. Of course the term "Season Opener" here could mean the first Friday Night game of the season, not necessarily the first game of the entire season. But even if that were the case and this game were mid-season, I doubt the league would make teams fly to Brazil for a Friday game, taking two days' rest off the table in a game the NFL wants to use to showcase their product and expand into a new market. The only way I see CFT-PHI as still being Brazil is if both got a bye the week prior.... long but not impossible odds. In spite of all of that, I view this announcement as taking CFT-PHI out of Brazil and will find new International pairings as a result.
  5. CFT-PHI will not be in Brazil. This makes GBP-PHI the leading candidate for Brazil, assuming no intra-divisional game and no team traveling in consecutive seasons. I'll redo the full analysis today, and I expect there will be some impact to the other International pairings, but I don't think this affects the likelihood of CIN-CAR significantly.
  6. Current "acknowledged" processing time from the State Department for issuance of new Passports is 6-8 weeks. Experience has shown that they under-estimate fairly regularly to avoid looking like total schmucks, and to generate extra revenue when people freak out and pay for last-minute "expedited" service. Realisitically, once your application is completed, your photo taken, and everything is double-checked and paid-for at your local full-service Post Office, you should get your Passport within 9-12 weeks. Possibly sooner, but generally not. Nerdwallet recommends applying no less than 6 months before you need it, as they're reporting that State is "warning of massive delays". State is recommending submitting the paperwork three months before you need the Passport, which by the +50% rule, means 4-1/2 months, minimum. If the game is in late October and you believe State, with the +50%, then you should apply by early June. If you don't believe State, you should apply by mid April..... or, to put it another way.... immediately.
  7. Only three more days until Reds fans get to say those words we never get to say any other day of the year: "First Place Reds"
  8. If not for his lack of academic eligibility, he would be perfect for UK or any of the SEC schools - could really help them when they play juggernauts like Oakland or Yale.
  9. Thanks for posting this. The NFL has made this VERY WORDY AND CONFUSING but it is very similar - I'd say nearly identical - to the kickoff rule used in the XFL. Here's a video explaining the XFL kickoff rule - if you understand this, you'll pretty much understand the NFL version. (This video explains ALL of the major XFL/NFL rule changes, kickoff was explained first so you only need to watch the first 40-50 seconds to get it.) It dramatically cut down on injuries, and turned the return basically into something similar to the old schoolyard game "Red Rover" that we used to play when I was a kid. If the returner can find a hole and bust thru, he'll have only the kicker to beat to get to paydirt. The first KO TD was scored - of course - by the St Louis BattleHawks. Ka-Kaw!! In 2023, the XFL modified the rules, adding stuff like "landing zones" and such, and it ended up making the kickoffs LESS exciting, as it resulted in the returner getting posession signficantly further behind the faceoff line, allowing the defense time to collapse and penetrate the returning team's line, limiting the opportunities for the returner to find the "Red Rover" hole and punch through. I always thought that if the teams lined up five or ten yards closer to the returning team's end zone, the returner would have a better chance of busting through the line even though the defenders are all closer to him at the start. We'll see if the NFL's tweaks will improve this back to the "cool" level that the 2020 XFL set of return rules had.
  10. Let's bow our heads and thank the Jets for taking Zach Wilson in 2021 1 - JAX - Trevor Lawrence (Pro Bowler) 2 - NYJ - Zach Wilson (Jets can't even give him away) 3 - SFF - Trey Lance (2nd or 3rd string in DAL) 4 - ATL - Kyle Pitts (Pro Bowler) 5 - CIN - Ja'Marr Chase (Pro Bowler) 6 - MIA - Jaylen Waddle (was really good on my fantasy team when Hill was down this year) 7 - DET - Penei Sewell (Pro Bowler) 8 - CAR - Jaycee Horn (played all of 4 games last year and 20 in the three seasons since drafted) 9 - DEN - Patrick Surtain II (Pro Bowler) 10 - PHI - DeVonta Smith (kicked my butt in the Fantasy Bowl this year - lost by a TD because of that fucker) If NYJ had passed on Wilson and taken another QB, Lance, FIelds, and Mac Jones were the next three taken. One washed up, one now a backup in PIT, and the last is a headcase. And, as mentioned above, if Chase had gone before our pick, Sewell was our man. He dosen't catch as well as Ja'Marr, but we might have been okay with him otherwise.
  11. In case anyone cares, here's the # of picks on Days 1 & 2 for each team - including compensatory selections and trades -as of all of the announced trades by midnight Saturday 3/16 (Ties broken in favor of more earlier round picks - AFC-N teams in bold) 6 (1-1-2-3-3-3) ARI 6 (1-2-2-3-3-3) WAS 5 (1-2-2-3-3) GBP 4 (1-2-3-3) ATL CIN LAR PIT TBB 3 (1-1-3) CHI 3 (1-2-2) PHI 3 (1-2-3) BAL DAL DET IND JAX KCC LAC LVR NEP NYG SFF 3 (2-2-3) CAR HOU 2 (1-1) MIN 2 (1-2) BUF DEN MIA NOS TEN 2 (1-3) NYJ SEA 2 (2-3) CFT
  12. Denver spent way too much cash and capital and we're in a bind. They were stuck paying his ridonkulous salary whether he played for them on not, so PIT swooped in to exploit their mistake and got Wilson for nothing. In other words, DEN got drunk and was backed into a corner bathroom stall where PIT took advantage of them. The rape analogy still fits.
  13. PIT gets Justin Fields CHI gets 6th round pick that could become a conditional 4th if he actually plays Even though Jerry Sandusky and Ben Roethlisberger are gone, Pennsylvania is still quite comfortable raping others to get what they want.
  14. Russ is much better at QB than I am - maybe 100x better - so I'm willing to cut Denver a deal. They could pay me $250K, less than 1% of Russ' salary, for me to not play for them.
  15. For the record, here are the last international dates for all 32 teams: 2023: ATL BAL BUF IND JAX KCC MIA NEP TEN 2022: ARI DEN GBP MIN NOS NYG SFF SEA TBB 2021: NYJ 2020: --- 2019: CAR CHI CIN HOU LAC LAR LVR 2018: PHI 2017: CFT 2016: WAS 2015: DET 2014: DAL 2013: PIT Another way of looking at the JAX/PHI opponents is that at least one of NYJ/GBP will be tapped, as CFT can't play in both games. NYJ hasn't been in 3 seasons, GBP went 2 seasons ago, so for "fairness" that makes more sense, which only reiterates CFT playing at PHI (in Brazil). Of course, the league could decide to throw divisional balance out the window and have PHI play an NFC-E opponent, or fill Tottenham stadium with back-to-back NFC-N games, or something equally as stupid. But unless there are some behind-the-scene deals being made (which I don't for a moment doubt there are), the parings I have settled upon seem to make the most sense.... which is why I'm certain they're all wrong.
  16. Rationale for my predictions: My assumptions are: 1 - Except for JAX, no team will play TWO international games. 2 - If JAX plays two, they will be back-to-back and BOTH must be in London (like 2023) 3 - Divisional games are not desired (though they have happened) 4 - Cross-conference games are desired as they don't impact tiebreakers as much. 5 - Games against a team's previously-unscheduled "Game 17" opponent are highly desired as the visitor still plays 8 domestic road games, including every team already on their schedule due to rotation. 6 - NFC hosts against PIT and AFC hosts against GBP or DAL are unlikely (those home teams likely want the extra revenue that the visiting bandwagon will bring, and they only get one shot at that money every 8 seasons). Here are the 'home' games each of the locked-in International Series teams will play: JAX: HOU IND TEN NEP NYJ CFT GBP MIN CHI: DET GBP MIN LAR SEA CAR JAX TEN NEP MIN: CHI DET GBP ARI SFF ATL HOU IND NYJ CAR: ATL NOS TBB DAL NYG ARI KCC LAC CIN PHI: DAL NYG WAS ATL CAR GBP CFT PIT JAX The first three are division opponents The next three are conference opponents The next two are cross-conference opponents (desired under assumption 4) These are ITALIC The ninth one (if there is one) is the "Game 17" opponent (highly desired under assmuption 5) These are UNDERLINED If we throw out CHI/MIN/CAR/PHI as a visiting international team (assumption 1), non-London JAX-as-a-visitor (assumption 2), division opponents (assumption 3), and NFC/PIT AFC/GBP/DAL (assumption 6), we're left with: JAX: --- --- --- NEP NYJ CFT --- --- CHI: --- --- --- LAR SEA --- JAX TEN NEP MIN: --- --- --- ARI SFF ATL HOU IND NYJ CAR: --- --- --- DAL NYG ARI KCC LAC CIN PHI: --- --- --- ATL --- GBP CFT --- --- The following teams played Internationally last year - I see no way they'll go again this year: NEP KCC BAL ATL MIA TEN IND BUF (I've taken JAX off this list, for obvious reasons) We now have: JAX: --- --- --- --- NYJ CFT --- --- CHI: --- --- --- LAR SEA --- JAX --- --- MIN: --- --- --- ARI SFF --- HOU --- NYJ CAR: --- --- --- DAL NYG ARI --- LAC CIN PHI: --- --- --- --- --- GBP CFT --- --- With PHI going to Brazil, I see that as ideal for an NFC v AFC game, so they get CFT. And that leaves NYJ as the only team JAX can host. We now have JAX: --- --- --- --- NYJ --- --- --- CHI: --- --- --- LAR SEA --- JAX --- --- MIN: --- --- --- ARI SFF --- HOU --- --- CAR: --- --- --- DAL NYG ARI --- LAC CIN PHI: --- --- --- --- --- --- CFT --- --- The only AFC opponents for CAR are LAC and CIN. LAC would fly from West Coast, CIN is a desired "Game 17" opponent. That one seems simple. MIN can host HOU (AFC, preferred) or an NFC team from the West. That one also seems simple. We're left with: JAX: --- --- --- --- NYJ --- --- --- CHI: --- --- --- LAR SEA --- JAX --- --- MIN: --- --- --- --- --- --- HOU --- --- CAR: --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- CIN PHI: --- --- --- --- --- --- CFT --- --- I know JAX *could* play CHI and get the back-to-back London games like in 2023. But LAR haven't played Internationally since 2019 (SEA was 2022), so even though it might make more sense for CHI to draw JAX (AFC), my guts tell me the NFL would prefer the higher-profile Rams in London. This makes the games: Wembley: Jets at Jaguars Spurs: Rams at Bears / Texans at Vikings Allianz (Munich): Bengals at Panthers Sau Paulo Brazil: Current Browns at Eagles Of course, Jags at Bears (Spurs) would be okay too.
  17. Dude was non-existent last year. When we played the Bills, I kept looking for him but only saw him once of twice. Turns out he barely took 1/3 of the defensive snaps (34%), but that number was HIGH for Miller, he only beat that 5 times in 2023. Overall, he barely played 20% of their regular season snaps. Even a reduced $8.855M for less than 1/4th of a season is a TON of cashola for very little actual work. He's ripping them off.
  18. I find no direct flights from CVG to MUC, but the four least-inconvenient ones I've found (assuming travel in late October, departing on a Wed and returning 6 days later): United to ORD, 51m layover, Lufthansa to MUC Air Canada to YYZ, 3h layover, Lufthansa to MUC United to EWR, 53m layover, United to MUC United to IAD, 1h6m layover, United to MUC Of the 4, I would prefer the longer layover in Toronto, if only to have a better chance of making a connection that likely involves changing terminals and passing thru Security a 2nd time (ORD, EWR and YYZ guaranteed, IAD likely). Plus the YYZ connection lands at 10am, the others at 7am. Much easier to check into your hotel room after a long-ass flight when you get to the front desk at noon rather than 9am. Trust me, even with my hotel "status" and early check-in guarantees, showing up in London mid-morning on both prior NFL trips meant a significant wait for my room. A noon show-up would've meant avoiding that wait. I presume MUC would be similar.
  19. Nice to see the NFL catching up to what the XFL had 4 years ago.... 2/29/2020 - BattleHawks vs Sea Dragons - "The XFL down-and-distance markers are digital AND they communicate with each other. The first down marker displays the distance between it and the line marker. Which is pretty cool."
  20. I could give my reasons, but I'll just cut to the chase.... here are my predictions for the five 2024 international games: Wembley: Jets at Jaguars Spurs: Rams at Bears / Texans at Vikings Allianz (Munich): Bengals at Panthers Sau Paulo Brazil: Current Browns at Eagles I'm probably wrong. I always am.
  21. ^ Gawd..... those optic-nerve-searing lime-jello-green shirts the Thunder wore were an abomination. Our threads were so much better...
  22. Adding.... Per Howard Balzer (the St Louis equivalent of Paul Daugherty).... "QB AJ McCarron asked to be released by the Bengals (team announced it today) so he can re-sign with the UFL's St. Louis Battlehawks, where he played last season when they were in the XFL. Hearing that he will officially sign Thursday."
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