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Thrashen

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RB Patrick Laird signs with the Dolphins. He has a tough road ahead, but maybe a few injuries will strike and he can at least make the PS. Best of luck to him...
upload_2019-4-29_12-10-56.jpeg
 

Leonardfan

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I think Laird made a solid choice. The Dolphins RBs are Kallen Ballage, Kenyan Drake and Kenneth Farrow. None of those players are anything more than average at best RBs. Ballage was overrated coming into the 2018 draft - I compared him with another Pac 12 RB - Ryan Nall. Nall was much more productive on a worse team and their measurables are almost identical. Ballage was a 4th round pick being gifted a job and Nall was an UDFA (who the Bears are going to replace this year). Nall led the league in rushing during th preseason. The Ballage/Nall situation is the best litmus test for the caste system from the 2018 draft. Drake has been a disappointment coming out of Alabama (seems to be a trend with Alabama RBs) as a 2016 3rd round pick. Farrow SHOULD be nothing but training camp fodder as he is a mediocre journeyman They drafted an undersized (5'9" 193lbs) RB Myles Gaskin who was productive in the Pac 12 who had 945 rushing attempts / 5323 yards (he was a starter every year of his career) in college (alot of wear and tear) and was not a back that caught the ball as much out of the backfield - 65 career receptions / 465 yards. Laird is a jack of all trades type RB - can run between the tackles, break it to the outside but also more of a pass catcher. Laird had 425 rushing attempts/2153 yards during his time at Cal but also caught 99 balls for 608 yards. It's a rare case where the odds are tipped in our guy's favor.

Laird's pro day numbers that I can track down were 4.56 40, 6.84 3 cone, 11.36 60 yard shuttle, 20 yd shuttle 3.96. According to the article I go the information from Laird ran the fastest 60 yard shuttle of anyone at the combine (only 4 RBs participated including Vikings draft pick Alexander Mattison). His 20 yard shuttle would of been the best of all RBs at the combine, 40 time was 11th and 3 cone drill would of been the best as well.

I'll eat crow here as both the GM Grier and new head coach Flores had a white friendly draft. Perhaps Flores will be more white friendly than other former Pats assistants who have gone on to be head coaches.
 
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Don Wassall

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The Patriots just traded TE Jacob Hollister to Seattle for a 7th rounder next year. That leaves Matt LaCosse and big-time bust Austin Sefarian-Jenkins at the top of the current depth chart. Not very encouraging at all. . .
 

icsept

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The Patriots just traded TE Jacob Hollister to Seattle for a 7th rounder next year. That leaves Matt LaCosse and big-time bust Austin Sefarian-Jenkins at the top of the current depth chart. Not very encouraging at all. . .
I read somewhere that Ryan Izzo is expected to be in the mix - last years 7th rounder from FSU.
 

Thrashen

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The Patriots just traded TE Jacob Hollister to Seattle for a 7th rounder next year. That leaves Matt LaCosse and big-time bust Austin Sefarian-Jenkins at the top of the current depth chart. Not very encouraging at all. . .

Based on their respective contracts, LaCosse would definitely be the starter over Austin “DUI” Sefarian-Jenkins.

LaCosse’s 2-year deal:
Signing bonus - $300,000
Average Salary - $1.4 million
Total Guarantees: $500,000

Seferian-Jenkins’ 1-year deal:
Signing bonus - $50,000
Average Salary - $895,000
Total Guarantees: $50,000

The rumor is that NE will be looking to trade for a proven TE this off-season. I’ve seen Ryan Griffin, Jake Butt, and Kyle Rudolph mentioned.
 

Truthteller

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I'll eat crow here as both the GM Grier and new head coach Flores had a white friendly draft. Perhaps Flores will be more white friendly than other former Pats assistants who have gone on to be head coaches.

LF, the one to focus on here is GM Chris Grier. Looking at his family history, it's quite possible he will not be as overtly hostile towards white athletes as Reggie McKenzie (who works for Grier now), Jerry Reese, Martin Mayhew, James Harris and several others were/are?

He is the son of Bobby Grier, who was recently hired by the Miami Dolphins as a consultant. I still remember watching the Dolphins face the Patriots at the end of the 1992 season. Bobby Grier was the Patriots running back coach that year, but I believe the head coach was ill that day and Grier Sr. was elevated to offensive coordinator or co-offensive coordinator for that game? Either way, the Patriots utilized a white rookie, Scott Lockwood, at tailback and he responded with 123 yards that day. I also recall various media outlets claimed Grier Sr. was a supporter of Lockwood. That was the season finale. Bill Parcells was hired in 1993 (right after Kraft bought the team) and Lockwood never touched the ball again -- total Caste cleansing, ala Hatie Smiff rapidly getting rid of Brock Forsey in the early 2000's.

After Parcells was hired, Bobby Grier moved to scouting/front office work for the Patriots, until he was fired by Belichick, who wanted to take over the drafts. Patriots drafts when Bobby Grier was around seemed much less anti-white than they have been since Belichick took over -- particularly on defense.

Bobby Grier landed in Houston right after his firing. Grier Sr. is widely credited for pushing the Patriots and Texans to select Tom Brady and J.J. Watt*. Don't forget, at one point during the Kubiak era (2013), the Texans, led by Grier and black GM Rick Smith, had 26 whites on their 53 man roster?

Chris is the brother of Mike Grier, current New Jersey Devils assistant coach and the first African-American to have an impactful NHL career. He played 14 seasons. Both Grier brothers grew up in a affluent New England suburb playing football and hockey. With that, again, it's quite possible he is not as hostile towards white athletes as we might have feared. CF poster Tannehill has noted he was happy with the Dolphins picks on offense the last couple years. That time frame coincides with the arrival of Chris and Bobby Grier, although many at CF attributed that to Adam Gase? Would not surprise me if the signing of the white tailback from Cal, and AAF star receiver Reece Horn, were due to Grier Sr., a rare black scout/executive who truly does not see color?


* https://247sports.com/nfl/houston-texans/Article/Houston-Texans-Tidbit-Who-is-Bobby-Grier-105165483/
 
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Shadowlight

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Certainly something to keep an eye on. Maybe the Gase/Grier answer could get fleshed out this season with Mike Gesicki being a symbol. See below how Gesicki is getting ready for an overhaul in 2019.

https://dolphinswire.usatoday.com/2...ke-gesicki-to-change-numbers-wear-88-in-2019/

I remember watching Scott Lockwood at USC and used to think he had NFL talent. See below nice article on him. Those speed numbers are off the charts.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-28-sp-21421-story.html
 

Truthteller

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Shadowlight, had to amend my previous post a bit, as I actually found the Lockwood game was recently posted on YouTube. NBC's announcers that day (including Dan Hampton) were very mediocre and added little insider insight. But I do remember various media outlets, at the time, claimed that Patriots running back coach Bobby Grier was a staunch supporter of Lockwood. The tape quality from the game is not great -- I bet you can find clearer game tapes from the 1970's, or prior. But if anyone wants to see it, I added the link below. Lockwood did not start, but came in very early after the starter fumbled. Patriots quarterbacks at the time were beyond wretched, meaning the Dolphins were stacking the line of scrimmage to stop the run -- making Lockwood's day even more impressive. I don't even remotely remember the Patriots quarterbacks (Jeff Carlson and Lee Saltz), that's how obscure they were. Lockwood also returned 4 kicks for 89 yards that day**

The thing to knew is the Patriots had the #1 pick the next draft (1993) and selected Drew Bledsoe over Rick Mirer. While Bledsoe and Mirer went 1st and 2nd overall, only two whites were selected between pick #3 and pick #50 (Center #14 overall and DE #36). Shows how staunchly anti-white the NFL Draft was after 1989 and it hasn't changed much.

Back to Lockwood, several months ago I posted a article on former Michigan State white running back Blake Ezor. It's weird, in the mid to latter part of the 1980's it seemed all the top schools in the Nation were heavily recruiting Ezor and Lockwood -- Miami (Fla.), Notre Dame, Colorado, USC, Michigan State, Penn State, ect. But by the time Lockwood and Ezor left college, the "need not apply" sign was clearly rolled out for white runners in the NFL. In the tape below, Lockwood, who was probably only like 5'9" and 195 pounds, is repeatedly referred to as a fullback by the Caste cuck announcer? Lockwood never touched the ball again after that 123 yard game, thanks to Bill Parcells. Ezor mostly was a backup return specialist for the Broncos for one year.





** https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/L/LockSc00/gamelog/1992/
 
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Shadowlight

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It is official. After trying to nab Peyton Manning and failing yet again the MNF crew will bring back the same crew minus Jason Witten. Fans aren't happy. I am cautiously optimistic. Tessiture wasn't stridently caste and was passable albeit he tends to get over excited.

Booger McFarland is the big contention among fans. I thought as the season wore on he improved and became less caste flavored. My fear is he could still tip over the edge and become a grating presence. But being in the minority I also think he might be ok in that area. He has to become more professional and less of a shoot off at the mouth type but I think it will all turn out imperfectly acceptable.

Time will tell. ESPN is saving big bucks.

Dan Orlovsky has been an annoying caste hound. Louis Riddick is better as a studio analyst. Ryan Clark would have been an interesting choice but I fear his caste leanings would overwhelm him. All three of these guys were being considered before they settled on Booger. I don't think Booger is very popular here at CF but I am willing to give him some breathing room.
 

Bucky

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Panthers decline option for Vernon Butler. 2016 1st Rd pick has 2 sacks in his career.

Cardinals decline option for Robert Nkemdiche. 1st Rd pick from same draft as Butler, has 4.5 sacks in his career.

LOL dat upside never came true.
 

Don Wassall

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Broncos cut Chad Hansen already. Hopefully he catches on with another team.

Hansen is afflicted with the same problem as Jeff Janis (and David Sills): they're outside receivers in a league that doesn't want White outside receivers.
 

Leonardfan

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Broncos cut Chad Hansen already. Hopefully he catches on with another team.

Disappointed in Elway for this (I can't knock him completely since I appreciate how landed Lock) The Broncos WR corp is not very good - at least River Cracraft is still on the roster. Emmanuel Sanders is 32 (his best seasons were with Peyton Manning - he isn't a number 1 WR) and Courtland Sutton did have a good year as a rookie. All the other WRs are scrubs. Hansen was better than them all. Hopefully Butt and Fumagelli get healthy this year. Not a fan of Fant who is going to be a glorified WR rather than a true in line TE.
 

Thrashen

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It is official. After trying to nab Peyton Manning and failing yet again the MNF crew will bring back the same crew minus Jason Witten. Fans aren't happy. I am cautiously optimistic. Tessiture wasn't stridently caste and was passable albeit he tends to get over excited.

Booger McFarland is the big contention among fans. I thought as the season wore on he improved and became less caste flavored. My fear is he could still tip over the edge and become a grating presence. But being in the minority I also think he might be ok in that area. He has to become more professional and less of a shoot off at the mouth type but I think it will all turn out imperfectly acceptable.

Time will tell. ESPN is saving big bucks.

Dan Orlovsky has been an annoying caste hound. Louis Riddick is better as a studio analyst. Ryan Clark would have been an interesting choice but I fear his caste leanings would overwhelm him. All three of these guys were being considered before they settled on Booger. I don't think Booger is very popular here at CF but I am willing to give him some breathing room.

I remember “Booger” commentating during last year’s Colts-Texans Wildcard playoff game. The Texans were driving and had one final chance to score, so Booger said: “Put da ball in the hands of da man wiff an ‘S’ on his chest. Give it to the Supaman, Desean Watson!”

“Supaman,” Watson, did absolutely nothing and the Texans lost.
 

Shadowlight

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If nothing else this Kyler Murray ala Circus Act is cut from the cloth of Barnum and Bailey. A dazzling showman with the instincts of a con artist used car salesman. His ( I admit sharp looking) three piece pinkish pin stripe suit he wore for the draft paid homage to the Great Gatsby and the roaring 20's.
Compare that with the Steelers first round pick LB Devin Bush who showed up dressed up as a woman. That's what you want in a linebacker. A player with an affinity for women's clothes.

I have read " The Great Gatsby" probably six times in my life. It is one of the greatest American novels of all time and in fact it was on TV last night, the one with the superb Robert Redford. The irony of it all doesn't escape me. I am sure most of you know what happened to The Great Gatsby at the end of the novel.

Perhaps on some sub conscience level Murray understands his own fate as well? Underneath all that flash and dazzle is something much more troubling and undesirable.
 

Shadowlight

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The Cardinals just signed seldom used Ravens TE Maxx Williams to a one year deal to team up with the Great Gatsby. So one more Honky added to a team in serious transition as they try everything in their power to accommodate the Circus Act ( Murray).

Williams was considered an ace prospect about five years ago but injuries and whatever have curtailed his progress. He does have some talent. Will it finally be properly exploited? He was the odd man out with the Ravens since they have two stellar white TEs in front of him.

I have been watching Murray closely. I still feel his lack of overall size will hinder him but to me he is one clever SOB. While a few of us including myself saw through the baseball shenanigans he was smart enough to know he could play the media and the suddenly stupid Oakland Athletics like a fiddle. And man did he do a number. He played the baseball angle all the way into a number one NFL draft pick which is no small achievement.

As mentioned many times Murray wasn't considered a top tier NFL QB prospect, even during his season with Oklahoma but somehow the flood gates were released after the college football season ended. He shot up from a borderline 2nd round talent at best all the way to the very top of the heap in the blink of an eye.

Agile on and off the field Murray understands how to pull the strings on a media that goes gaga over the idea of a hyper athletic black QB running amuck. Essentially Murray understood the media's lusting after another RG3 and Michael Vick. Using deception to generate leverage Murray had both the NFL and MLB in the palms of his hands. These weak kneed institutions predictably fell in line as he became their master and they became his wide eyed groupies.

The black media has never gotten over the fact that neither RG3 or Michael Vick could bring home the bacon so with Lamar Jackson as their standard barer for a year they shifted gears a touch jumping on Murray's bandwagon who they rightfully recognized, despite his diminutive size, as being more more talented and savvier than Jackson. The odd side note is the Ravens drafted McSorley who appears to be a similar but better QB than Jackson.

Whether all this cleverness translates to the field of play is a big question. It worked in college in the weak willed Big 12 but the NFL is a different story. And for this circus act like medicine to go down I would hope white players like Andy Isabella and Zach Allen (on defense) play large roles in the proceedings. Otherwise this act will be tough to swallow if Murray somehow becomes a bit of a success. The jury of course is out on that score.
 
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Shadowlight

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The Taysom Hill effect is showing some legs but the proof will be in the pudding. There are three areas of great concern for the future of the white player in the NFL. While CB used to be the only real taboo position it now looks like that is being carried over into the safety spot. This is really bad news.

The WR position looks to be in a downward state for the next couple of drafts. To top it off as mentioned many times now it looks like the split end/flanker ( white WRs split out wide) is being exterminated from the NFL too.

And RB has long been a problem. However I would argue Taysom Hill is pretty much a RB with added features.

So with that in mind the three Taysom Hill type QBs are worth keeping an eye on.

Eric Dungey is the biggest longshot. He is currently in the Giants camp and Taysom Hill was frequently mentioned as a touchstone for Dungey. At least teams are catching on.

We know about Trace McSorley and the Ravens. They drafted him to specifically become their Taysom Hill. To me McSorley might have enough talent to start in the NFL so I tend to think he will make the 53 man roster and just might supplant media hero Lamar Jackson at some point. Who knows? McSorley can read defenses better and goes through his options better than Jackson.

And finally the Bucs. Perhaps all of their moves are empty. Maybe WRs Justin Watson and speedy newcomer Scott Miller won't factor in much at all. But at least there is the possibility which is more you can say for teams who have zero white WRs on their roster.

Now comes this. They are seriously (we hope) considering using UDFA Nick Fitzgerald in the Taysom Hill role. Like McSorley, Fitzgerald told teams in no uncertain words to take a hike when asked to change positions. And I agree with both of them. Thank goodness they are standing their ground. Sure like Taysom they could end up on special teams too but these young men are running QBs and that should be the end of that story.

See interesting article on Fitzgerald below.

https://saintswire.usatoday.com/2019/05/01/tampa-bay-bucs-nick-fitzgerald-saints-taysom-hill/
 

Truthteller

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After four straight months of beating Abner to a pulp, using anonymous sources to claim he was only worth a 3rd round pick in trade talks and assassinating his character outright, most notably the night of the draft*, NFL.com has turned over a new leaf and they are suddenly heavily praising the Miami Pelican. Check out this recent glowing article, via Bucky Brooks: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...he-dolphins-brett-favre-ravens-transformation

Looks like the media got what they wanted: They debased Abner 24/7 since January saying over and over he lacked "leadership skills" and he's always "rubbed his teammates the wrong way". I don't disagree with that, but it's become crystal clear the sole purpose of all this negative stuff from media outlets like ESPN, CBS and NFL.com was seeing to it diminutive, former Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray would be selected #1 overall. Now that Murray is safely ensconced with the Arizona Cardinals, it's time to change course and compare Ab's Row to Brett Favre, circa 1992?

All of a sudden, he's a perfect fit for Miami's system and the Dolphins unquestionably got a franchise quarterback at the very end of round two (via trade), less than one year after Arizona paid a hefty price moving up to select him 10th overall. Boy, opinions change real fast over at NFL.com and NFL Network?

The recently dispatched quarterback doesn't have a playing style that mirrors the former three-time MVP, but he has an opportunity to impact the Miami Dolphins like the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee transformed the Green Bay Packers in the early 1990s after being acquired in a trade following a disappointing rookie season with the Atlanta Falcons.

Just for the record, that's not totally accurate by Bucky Brooks and is mostly bullspit. Brett Favre, unlike Abner in Arizona, never really got a chance to play in Atlanta (only 4 throws/2 Int's in garbage time of a 56-17 loss) because they already had a young, rising star in Chris Miller, who was selected 13th overall a few years prior. Also, Favre, who was selected in the 2nd round in 1991, was still not fully recovered from very serious injuries he sustained in a car accident as a college senior. Once NFL teams saw he was okay physically, they ignored those 4 bad throws as a rookie and went after him hard. The Green Bay Packers and New York Jets offered #1 picks in 1992 for Favre. It's possible other teams did too? Green Bay, obviously, won out. So, unlike Abner, Favre was in heavy demand during the spring of 1992, despite the fact that he barely played in 1991. Reality is, Brook's analogy makes little sense, considering Favre was the exact opposite of Abner, who played a lot as a rookie and was a top ten pick traded for a very low 2nd the next spring, after failing to impress in numerous starts.

By the way, if anyone is wondering, Chris Miller, who had a lot more white hair in his 20's than Favre had well into his 30's, looked like the real deal early at quarterback, but his career was ravaged by injuries/concussions. He made the Pro Bowl in 1991 for Atlanta, making Favre expendable, but soon broke down and resurfaced with the Rams for a short while. In hindsight, Atlanta would have been wise to retain Favre, but who could've predicted Miller's concussion issues or Brett's wild success?



* http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-draft...Rosen-after-unfollowing-Cards-on-social-media
 

Don Wassall

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This sparkling athlete was taken in the fourth round at a position Whites aren't allowed to play:

Steelers signed fourth-round RB Benny Snell to a four-year contract.
A fourth-rounder is a pretty substantial pick to use on a running back these days, but Snell doesn't exactly light up the sheet. He's big at 5'10/224, but Snell tested extremely poorly at the Combine as a ninth-percentile SPARQ athlete with a dreadful 4.66 forty and pedestrian 29.5-inch vertical. Snell is slotted in no higher than No. 3 on the depth chart behind James Conner and Jaylen Samuels.
 

Extra Point

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They could probably have a superior running back, Ryan Nall, when the Bears cut him. They wouldn't have to spend a draft pick on a player.
 
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Leonardfan

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The Cowboys have apparently offered a contract extension to Dak Prescott. Amazing how these teams have their blinders on. Prescott struggled when the admittedly good Ezekiel Elliot was not playing behind their dominant offensive line (which has gotten a little worse every year since 2016. I hope the Cowboys dump money into the mediocre Prescott. Word is that Amari Cooper is also asking for a huge pay day and they just paid an overrated DE a huge contract.
 
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