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!!! Bengals 2019 FOURTH Round pick QB Ryan Finley!!! #104


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11 hours ago, Sox said:

 

So using a 2nd or 3rd round pick to be a successor for a Hall of Famer that has shown no signs of slowing down is a waste,but a 4th rounder to have a reliable back up is a waste? Asking for a friend.

Brady will be 42 in August and there are absolutely signs he is slowing down. Don't forget that Peyton Manning literally fell off a cliff when he lost it.  Brees is slowing down as well.  He really dropped off the last few games of the year. 

 

A 4th rounder as a backup when you have way more areas of concern is kind of a waste.  Also, I don't foresee a poor man's version of Andy Dalton taking over QB duties here simply to save money.  

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Yeah, we should have taken someone who will get on the field in the 4th. Burr-Kirven was available then. I think Omenihu was too. I thought Driskel did reasonably well last year considering the lack of talent around him. But if we need to replace him, sign Chad Henne or some other vet. 

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50 minutes ago, sparky151 said:

Yeah, we should have taken someone who will get on the field in the 4th. Burr-Kirven was available then. I think Omenihu was too. I thought Driskel did reasonably well last year considering the lack of talent around him. But if we need to replace him, sign Chad Henne or some other vet. 

 

My overall perception of Driskel HAD BEEN that he was decent.  However, when he got on the field last year, he was a train wreck...and it wasn’t because of lack of talent around him.  He’d miss wide open receivers by three yards...or more. 

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Taylor and Callahan already addressed this without waiting for a question to be asked at the press conference after the pick - they both immediately stated he is here as a backup.

Of course they did.

The quarterback controversy will begin soon enough all by itself. There was no benefit in them kicking it off sooner than it needed to.

I honestly believe that Finley will be the starting quarterback for the Bengals. I’m not sure that’s going to happen in the next nine months, though.

Whether or not Finley can push Dalton this year will be evident after the first mini camp. After this year, it becomes an economic decision where, if it’s close Finley probably gets the nod, and Dalton gets cut.


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1 hour ago, Big Alice said:


Of course they did.

The quarterback controversy will begin soon enough all by itself. There was no benefit in them kicking it off sooner than it needed to.

I honestly believe that Finley will be the starting quarterback for the Bengals. I’m not sure that’s going to happen in the next nine months, though.

Whether or not Finley can push Dalton this year will be evident after the first mini camp. After this year, it becomes an economic decision where, if it’s close Finley probably gets the nod, and Dalton gets cut.


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If Finley becomes the starting QB for the Bengals it will be because of injury.  If he replaces Andy then the organization isn't really interested in winning.  Nothing I have seen or read indicates Finley has  the talent Dalton had in college or will be anything more than a backup.   TCU ended up 2nd in the AP Poll Dalton's final year and beat #4 Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.   In fact, TCU ended up 7th, 6th and 2nd Dalton's last 3 years there and he was a huge reason why. 

 

Its the same nonsense that people had in regards to McCarron who had the mobility and pocket awareness of a tree sloth.  Its not hard to hand off to future NFL RBs or  sit back in the pocket for 10 seconds behind a future NFL offensive line and wait for future NFL receivers to beat average college DBs.   Seriously,in AJs senior year he had Amari Cooper, OJ Howard, TJ Yeldon, Kenyan Drake, Derrick Henry, Kevin Norwood and Deandrew White.  That is 7 future NFL skill position players.  

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5 hours ago, Cricket said:

 

My overall perception of Driskel HAD BEEN that he was decent.  However, when he got on the field last year, he was a train wreck...and it wasn’t because of lack of talent around him.  He’d miss wide open receivers by three yards...or more. 

And yet Dalton's passer rating last year was 89.6 while Driskel's was 82.2. That's despite Dalton having Green and Eifert while Driskel got their backups. 

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3 hours ago, SF2 said:

If Finley becomes the starting QB for the Bengals it will be because of injury.  If he replaces Andy then the organization isn't really interested in winning.  Nothing I have seen or read indicates Finley has  the talent Dalton had in college or will be anything more than a backup.   TCU ended up 2nd in the AP Poll Dalton's final year and beat #4 Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.   In fact, TCU ended up 7th, 6th and 2nd Dalton's last 3 years there and he was a huge reason why. 

 

Plenty of people think the Bengals aren't serious about winning because they have kept Dalton as QB.  If he leaves, it will be because of money and the new staff owing him nothing.  My hope would be a better option than Finley to replace Dalton if it comes to that.  Ideally, we won't see Finley unless there's an injury and Dalton plays well in the new system.  

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Finley will be a better QB than Andy Dalton eventually. Write it down. Screenshot it. 

 

The new staff will give Andy this year to see what he can do while getting Ryan up to speed.

 

You don't trade up for a career backup and camp arm. They just don't want to hurt Andy's confidence, until Finley is ready. 

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Think about it, you're hired as a new NFL head coach. It's your first off season. You have a QB who has never won a playoff game on the roster with only 2 years left on his deal and the going rate is 35 mil a year now. You have all the college QB's to interview and look into ... and you invite 1 single top QB to visit your stadium - Ryan Finley.

You put all your eggs in his basket as you're so impressed with him from his visit. He's the smartest QB in the draft and teaches your coverages back to you. And it just so happens that he's very similar to the last QB you coached and won the NFL job with (Jared Goff) same height, similar playing style .... and then you trade up and give up 2 extra picks to ensure you draft him.

 

If you believe this looks like someone just grabbing a backup arm in case of injury, then you're not seeing the full picture. I don't care how many times they say in the media that this is "Andy's team"... that's temporary. It's Finley's future. 

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I agree that the staff is high on Finley and think he has a chance to start,  but don't read too much into the trade up.  It's not line they gave up a first round pick for him; the Bengals had more 6th round picks that could ever dream of making the roster so they used some of them as capital to get who they had targeted (just add I said I hoped they would before the draft).

 

The trade for Finley was a far cry from trading up in the first for a guy whos sure to be given a lot of leash like a trade for a guy like Rosen......oh, wait. 😉

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4 hours ago, BlackJesus said:

Think about it, you're hired as a new NFL head coach. It's your first off season. You have a QB who has never won a playoff game on the roster with only 2 years left on his deal and the going rate is 35 mil a year now. You have all the college QB's to interview and look into ... and you invite 1 single top QB to visit your stadium - Ryan Finley.

You put all your eggs in his basket as you're so impressed with him from his visit. He's the smartest QB in the draft and teaches your coverages back to you. And it just so happens that he's very similar to the last QB you coached and won the NFL job with (Jared Goff) same height, similar playing style .... and then you trade up and give up 2 extra picks to ensure you draft him.

 

If you believe this looks like someone just grabbing a backup arm in case of injury, then you're not seeing the full picture. I don't care how many times they say in the media that this is "Andy's team"... that's temporary. It's Finley's future. 

Naww.   We need to tank this season and get Tua.  Finley's ceiling is Andy Dalton.

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23 hours ago, sparky151 said:

And yet Dalton's passer rating last year was 89.6 while Driskel's was 82.2. That's despite Dalton having Green and Eifert while Driskel got their backups. 

I'm guessing you didn't watch Driskell play?

I couldn't care less what his passer rating was, he couldn't hit the broadside of a barn when he was out there....that's the reality of it.

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7 hours ago, BlackJesus said:

Think about it, you're hired as a new NFL head coach. It's your first off season. You have a QB who has never won a playoff game on the roster with only 2 years left on his deal and the going rate is 35 mil a year now. You have all the college QB's to interview and look into ... and you invite 1 single top QB to visit your stadium - Ryan Finley.

You put all your eggs in his basket as you're so impressed with him from his visit. He's the smartest QB in the draft and teaches your coverages back to you. And it just so happens that he's very similar to the last QB you coached and won the NFL job with (Jared Goff) same height, similar playing style .... and then you trade up and give up 2 extra picks to ensure you draft him.

 

If you believe this looks like someone just grabbing a backup arm in case of injury, then you're not seeing the full picture. I don't care how many times they say in the media that this is "Andy's team"... that's temporary. It's Finley's future. 

 

P much this.  Everyone not named "Brown" has seen enough AD.  I think he's been at least partially the victim of seriously shitty OL play but unless this year is well beyond expectations I think we've seen his ceiling.  

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Bengals Notebook: Teammates; Quez Update; A Hondo Appreciation

 

Hobson_Geoff

Geoff Hobson

SENIOR WRITER

 
 

Jordan Brown, CB | Round 7

Butch Dill/AP Photos
South Dakota State cornerback Jordan Brown, seen in the Senior Bowl, shared a state championship backcourt with Ryan Finley.

The odds of landing on an NFL team with a college teammate aren’t great, but having a reunion with a high school teammate are astronomical bordering on ridiculous. But North Carolina State quarterback Ryan Finely has done both.

Finley, the Bengals’ first of three fourth-round picks, played in college with linebacker Germaine Pratt, the Bengals’ third-round selection that marked the first time since they took Notre Dame’s Dan Santucci and Chinedum Ndukwe in the 2007 seventh-round that they drafted college teammates back-to-back. Then in this year’s seventh round the Bengals took South Dakota State cornerback Jordan Brown, Finley’s No. 1 target at Paradise Valley High School in Phoenix.

“He’s just a great athlete. He probably would say basketball was his first sport. He got into football kind of late,” Finley said Thursday of the 6-1 Brown. “He played a lot of wide receiver and then when I left the next year he played more DB.”

And before Finley left they also teamed up in the backcourt to lead Paradise to Paradise for the 2012-13 state title in the Arizona basketball tournament. The 6-4 Finley, who has been blowing away scouts and coaches with his mental prowess in tests and on the grease board, has pretty good recall.

“I was a 2 guard or a 3. He was the point guard,” Finley said “We had a really good team. Everybody could bring it up the floor and score. The position thing is kind of ancient.”

But Brown was quite definitely a wide receiver for Finley while named a first-team all-section and second-team all-state player with 54 catches for 862 yards and eight touchdowns to help Finley lead the state with 3,442 passing yards to go with his 35 touchdown passes.

“Very fluid, very fluid,” Finley said.

Finley raved about Pratt the day he was drafted, about 12 hours after the Bengals took Pratt, talking about his endless tape study and anticipation in practice that would frustrate Finley because Pratt would put his preparation to use and call out the plays before his QB could run them.

“I want him to do exactly what he did college,” said Finley when asked if he’d try to talk to Pratt about not disrupting practice. “If he does that, he’ll be a good linebacker for us … He’s got his own destiny in his hands. He’s definitely not going to get outworked. He takes very good care of his body. We had a lot of players come before us that showed us what it was like to be professional and I think Pratt benefitted from those guys that came before him.”

The Bengals are in a mini-run of drafting college teammates. They took Ohio State center Billy Price and defensive end Sam Hubbard last season and the year before that Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon and linebacker Jordan Evans. After that you have to go back to 2011 and Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green and offensive lineman Clint Boling. But the high school thing is unbelievable.

“What makes it even crazier is that we were the only two guys from the area the last three or four years that went Division I. It wasn’t like it was 15 to 20 guys,” Finley said. “Honestly, it’s kind of nice to have some familiar faces right off the bat.”

 

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Jordan Evans (50) reacts after a near interception in action against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday November 18, 2018 in Baltimore. (Damian Strohmeyer via AP)

Damian Strohmeyer/AP 2018/Damian Strohmeyer
Jordan Evans is expecting big things from Rodney Anderson.

TEAMMATES II: Speaking of Mixon and Evans, they got a third teammate in the sixth round when the Bengals took Sooners running back Rodney Anderson. They both gave you the sense how popular Anderson is in Norman even though they’re older.

“Hard worker. Runs really hard. Explosive. He’s one play away,” Mixon said. “I played with Rod for two years. It’s great having him in the building. He definitely brings energy and fire and he’s a physical runner.”

Evans counts Anderson as one of his best friends and he’s predicting great things for him as he comes back from a spate of injuries that limited to 200 college carries.

“He’s a great person. A fun guy to be around. Good personality that’s good for the locker room,” Evans said this week. “I think we’ve got a pretty young locker room and when young guys come in I feel like it’s easier for them to mesh when you have lot of younger guys. He was a leader at O.U. even as a freshman. He wouldn’t say much, but the way he worked made older guys work, too, because he’s a workout warrior. He’s always had some form of leadership whether it’s non-verbal or verbal.”

And then there’s the athletic stuff. Well, not even the stuff on the field.

“He’s a freak of nature,” Evans said. “He put out a video of him jumping out of a pool about three or four feet and landing. You know the explosion that shows? Whoa. He’s a freak. That’s what he is.

“He’s special. Y’all got to see a little bit of it. I saw it every day in practice. The one word I’ll say is special. Let him get healthy, get adjusted. I think he’ll be great.”

TEAMMATES III: And then there’s second-round pick Drew Sample, a tight end from Washington, re-united with ex-Huskies receiver John Ross.

 

“He was excited,” said Ross when he picked up the phone to congratulate him for the pick. “We didn’t really talk (football). He asked about the best places to live and I told him don’t live near me because I’m too far away… He blocks very well. They pointed that out during the draft broadcast. He really fights.”

JUNE RETURN FOR QUEZ? The Bengals are hoping slot cornerback Darqueze Dennard returns for the mid-June mandatory minicamp after what is believed to be a minor knee scope. The Bengals were aware of the potential for surgery when they signed him to a one-year deal in March, but its thought it could be corrected quickly if it didn’t respond in the off-season workouts. Until Dennard returns, they’re covered in the slot with another free-agent signing from March, B.W. Webb, a guy that played last season for Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo in the Giants secondary.

 

John Havlicek and Ohio State coach Fred Taylor hold the trophy the team won for winning the NCAA Mideast Regional Basketball tournament by defeating Kentucky, 74-64, March 17, 1962 in Iowa City, Iowa. In background is sign carried by Ohio State fans from Middleton, Ohio who attended games here. Men at right are unidentified. (AP Photo/Larry Stoddard)

Larry Stoddard/AP1962
When John Havlicek (left) played basketball at Ohio State, Woody Hayes asked him to play quarterback, too. But he didn't return to football until Paul Brown's training camp in Cleveland.

HONDO, AN APPRECIATION: John Havlicek, whose 16-year NBA career spanned two different editions of the championship Celtics, surfaced in Bengals founder Paul Brown’s last training camp as head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

Havlicek, a native of Martin’s Ferry, Ohio who died last week at age 79, helped Ohio State to three NCAA basketball title games during a stretch Buckeyes football coach Woody Hayes couldn’t talk him into coming out for the team. Havlicek, nicknamed “Hondo,” because he looked like John Wayne in the movie with the same name, told an Ohio State publication in 2011 that Hayes once introduced him as “the best quarterback in the Big Ten, except he’s not playing.”

 

Bengals president Mike Brown was at that 1962 training camp in Hiram College when Havlicek decided to pick up the game he played at Bridgeport High School. Despite his four-year absence from the sport, Paul Brown took Havlicek in the seventh round of the ’62 draft with the 95th pick, a selection a tad overshadowed by Brown’s trade for top draft pick Ernie Davis, the running back from Syracuse that had just won the Heisman. That draft was on Dec. 4, 1961. The NBA gathered three months later and Celtics boss Red Auerbach took Havlicek with the seventh pick in the first round.

“He was very popular and he was obviously a fine athlete,” Mike Brown recalled Thursday. “At that time, it was pretty tough traveling in the NBA and that would have been a reason to try it. I remember his hands. He was a good catch, no question about it. His hands, his catch stood out. But he just wasn’t fast enough. From what I can remember he may have been about 4.9 (in the 40-yard dash) and that’s the one thing that’s been consistent down through the years. You need speed on the perimeter.”

It has been reported that Havlicek was the last receiver Paul Brown cut that year and Havlicek later said that was one of the two biggest disappointments of his career with the other not making the 1960 Olympic team. But Paul Brown’s decision spawned a Hall of Fame basketball career crowned by teammate Bill Russell when Russell called him, “the best all-around player I ever saw.”

“He was a great player,” Mike Brown said. “Clutch. He made big plays. He could do a lot of different things and the Celtics won for so many years … He just wasn’t quite fast enough (in football) and maybe it was best for him he wasn’t.”

Havlicek had the same sentiment when he talked to the Ohio State publication eight years ago.

 

 “I was going to try and play both. But the intuition of the good Lord had me in his good standing by cutting me and saying that, ‘I think you belong in basketball not football,'” Havlicek said.

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20 hours ago, SF2 said:

 We need to tank this season and get Tua.

I'm not that high on Tua. I think he will basically be what Mariota is. 

 

However, Trevor Lawrence who can't be drafted for 2 more years I think will be the best QB in the NFL. He would have been the #1 pick this draft as a true freshman if allowed. Many teams are going to "Tank for Trevor" in 2020

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2019 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Ryan Finley

Ryan Finley Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

 
Strengths:
  • Accurate passer
  • Ball placement
  • Protects the football
  • Makes good decisions
  • Moves his eyes
  • Works through his progression
  • Can throw receivers open
  • Doesn't miss open receivers
  • Shows good timing
  • Anticipation
  • Able to loft in touch passes
  • Has more mobility than many realize
  • Will use his feet
  • Sneaky ability to pick up yards on the ground
  • Quality mechanics
  • Good fit in a West Coast offense

 

Weaknesses:

  • More of a game manager than a play-maker
  • Arm strength is adequate, but not special
  • Limited passer
  • Not a dual-threat weapon

 

  • Summary: Finley started out his collegiate career at Boise State. In 2015, he won the competition to be the Broncos' starting quarterback, but after two starts, he broke an ankle and was out for the season. Brett Rypien excelled in his place, taking and keeping the starting quarterback job. That led to Finley transferring to N.C. State to be reunited with his Boise State quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Eliah Drinkwitz. In 2016 for the Wolfpack, Finley completed 60 percent of his passes for 3,055 yards with 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

 

  • During a 9-4 2017 season, a lot of attention was paid to N.C. State. Part of that was because the Wolfpack had a NFL defensive line with perhaps the best defender in college football with end Bradley Chubb, but going under the radar was a potent offense that consistently produced big point totals. In fact, the Wolfpack had only four games during the entire season in which they didn't score 30 points or more. Finley was the steady commander of that offense, guiding the team up and down the field. He completed 65 percent of his passes on the season for 3,518 yards with 17 touchdowns and six interceptions.

    In 2018, Finley completed 67 percent of his passes for 3,928 yards with 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He was an accurate game-manager for N.C. State, doing a good job of protecting the football and leading an efficient passing offense.

    There is a lot to like about Finley translating to the NFL. The most important trait for any quarterback is accuracy, which Finley has. Consistently, he demonstrates good ball placement to complete passes and keep the ball away from the defense. Finley makes good decisions and shows impressive ball security. He is adept at avoiding interceptions and rarely makes mistakes from being overly aggressive. Finley is very good at throwing slants, digs and crosses - the staple routes of a West Coast offense. With his timing and precision, Finley has very good ball placement to help throw his receivers open. He would be an excellent fit for a NFL West Coast offense.

    Finley improved his deep-ball passing as a junior and made some beautiful throws downfield. With loft underneath a lot of his passes, Finley throws a very catchable ball, and his timing can be excellent to hit receivers in stride to lead them to yards after the catch. Finley has a quality arm that should be adequate for the NFL. It does not jump out as an elite cannon or rare arm strength, but in the right system, Finley's arm should not be a liability.

    While Finley is not a true running threat, he does have some athleticism and a sneaky ability to pick up yards on the ground. Finley caught defenses by surprise on a lot of zone-read runs, as he is not expected to be a danger with his feet, but he has more quickness and agility than one would think. In the NFL, Finley's running ability will be reduced because of the speed of the defenders. However, he is capable of picking up a yards with his feet when nothing is open, and it will help him to avoid some sacks.

    Finley was a good college quarterback, but he is more of a game manager than a play-maker. He is not a dynamic thrower of the football. His arm strength and skill set lead to him having some limitations as a player. Thus, Finley could become a starter in the NFL, but he does not have a special skill set to be a top-10 starting quarterback as a pro.

    Because of Finley's strengths and weaknesses, he is more of a second-day pick for the 2019 NFL Draft. He may not become an elite starter, but he should at least be a good backup quarterback.
 
Player Comparison: Alex Smith. During the 2018 season, Finley repeatedly reminded me of a less athletic version of Smith. Finley does not have Smith's athleticism and running ability, but they have a similar style of play as passers. In the NFL, I could see Finley being a quarterback like Smith who is a slightly above-average starter, but not elite or special.

NFL Matches: New York Giants, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, Denver, Cincinnati, Miami, Washington, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles Chargers, New England

Obviously, free agency will have a big impact on the quarterback market because some teams will acquire veterans and won't consider taking a signal-caller with a first-round pick. The first quarterback-needy team selecting in Round 1 is the New York Giants. They have an aging and declining Eli Manning, but passed on a potential franchise quarterback last year. If they do that again in the first round, New York could consider Finley on Day 2.

The Jaguars could move on from the inept Blake Bortles and get a new franchise quarterback this offseason. They could sign a veteran in free agency and draft a quarterback like Finley on Day 2 or in the mid-rounds to serve as a backup.

Staying in the state of Florida, Tampa Bay could take Finley as a backup to Jameis Winston. If Winston isn't re-signed, Finley could be an in-house replacement option for the Buccaneers.

Denver needs a quarterback of the future due to Case Keenum just being a stop-gap veteran. If the Broncos address a different need in Round 1, they could look at Finley later on.

Cincinnati could decide to move on or bring in competition for Andy Dalton with its new head coach. Ditto for Miami with Ryan Tannehill. Thus, Finley could be in play for the Bengals or the Dolphins on Day 2 or in the mid-rounds.

The Redskins could consider taking a quarterback because Alex Smith may miss the 2019 season due to his leg injury. Even if he comes back, he is aging and limited, so Washington could easily select a quarterback in the 2019 NFL Draft. Finley could be a fit for one of the Redskins' three selections on Day 2.

The Steelers, Chargers and Patriots are all teams that could consider a quarterback as their aging signal-callers have a limited number of years left.

 
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I think the NFL is going to wisen up and stop paying ridiculous contracts to non generational quarterbacks. Let the mediocre one's battle it out in free agency, give the young ones more chances. A team being quarterbacked by Andy Dalton for 15 years is not something many want to tune in for, in my opinion.

 



"When you go forward in this league, it is not clear which is the better way to go," Brown said, per the team's official website. "Do you have a high-priced quarterback and less elsewhere or do you try to have as many guys as you can have and maybe a quarterback that is young and not so highly paid?

"Seattle, for example of that. In fact, you look at the statistics it is rather surprising how few quarterbacks that are old in recent years -- saying over 30 -- have won the Super Bowl. They've gotten there but they haven't won it. I don't know is that (a) better formula to go with a younger guy and spread the money around? That's a dilemma for us. We are trying to work through it. It's slow going. I can't predict when we are going to get that matter resolved."

 

That's from 2014. One of these teams is going to go this route one day. Obviously, things have changed, but still.

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