Bobref

Trying to figure out whether this improves the trade market for Fields, or not. I think not. One more veteran QB capable of starting on the market, and I don’t see Denver as a destination for Fields. Plus, Russ is dirt cheap.

And I think Keith Olberman should be dissolved. He should have stuck with Sports Center.

That the opinion was unanimous is very significant. Increases the legitimacy of the decision … and the Court.

Their trade position deteriorates with every free agent QB signing. Mike Evans got an extension, so Baker Mayfield is probably going to re-sign with the Bucs.

For me, it’s difficult to be objective about Caleb Williams since he’s from USC. But there are an awful lot of red flags popping up. Either way, it’s time for the Bears to fish or cut bait. Deals are getting done. Free agency starts in a week, and the Bears are losing leverage in the Fields trade market.

Happy 136th birthday to the legendary Knute Rockne!

Note from the NFL Scouting Combine: There’s no doubt who stands atop the leaderboard in the “Best Hair” category.

That’s what I was trying to convey. In that scenario, the tight end is not on the line.

Again, not true.7 It’s more of a knock against me than you. I clearly did not understand what you were trying to get across because I was thinking in rulebook language. Non-officials don’t do that.

It’s finally happened. I have lost the ability to communicate effectively to civilians. I can make myself understood only to other officials. 🙁

Yes, you are wrong on several counts. You can’t have a back “on the line.” Your problem is that you feel compelled to classify a player as either a back or a lineman, and that is incorrect. If any part of his body is breaking the plane of an imaginary line drawn ­parallel to the line of scrimmage through the waist of the nearest teammate who is legally on the line, he cannot be a back. But if his head or foot is not breaking an imaginary plane drawn parallel to the line of scrimmage through the waist of the snapper when the ball is snapped, he cannot be a lineman, either. That is the issue. He’s neither “fish nor fowl,” and that is illegal under the rule as written. Yet, it happens all the time. Picture a wingback, located just outside the tight end, and in a 3 pt. stance. His helmet breaks the plane through the waist of the tight end, but not the plane through the waist of the snapper. That is an illegal formation at the snap.

Not necessarily. He’s on the line if he’s breaking the plane through the waist of the snapper.

I suppose you can win without elite QB play … if you surround your “good” QB with 5 star talent at every other position. But as you pointed out, “ND simply isn't going to "out five star" the usual guys (Bama, OSU, UGA).”

I don’t know about trusting you … 😂🤣 … but we’re in agreement here. But “can” is the operative word. The margin for error is much smaller. So, it certainly “can” happen. But everything has to break right; they have to be lucky with injuries and with the schedule. And most importantly, they need a 1st round draft choice talent at QB.

Notre Dame has held to a particular set of values for over 180 years. Any practice, of any type, that is inconsistent with those values is a nonstarter. They will win their way, or they won’t win … and every true Notre Dame person is fine with that. Believe it or not, the University is bigger than any sport, TV contract, or national championship.

That will never happen.

Their standards are the same, whether you are coming out of high school, or through the portal.

I can’t take credit … if I was correct. I stole it from a post by @temptation, who posted that ND’s “ceiling” under the new plan was #5. Since he is the clearinghouse for all things potentially negative about Notre Dame, I trust his interpretation. 😉

So, the new college football 12 team playoff is in place. Jack Swarbrick (on his way out the door in a few months) was one of the unanimous votes for the plan. Under the new format, even if ND is ranked in the Top 4 at the end of the regular season, the highest they can be seeded is #5, meaning they have to win 4 playoff games to win the natty. If this comes back to bite them (they have to get to the Top 4 first), the inevitable result will be an even louder outcry for the Irish to join a conference. They’ve always said a few things would have to happen for ND to reconsider its position on conference affiliation. One of them is if independent status was a formidable obstacle to competing for a championship. This might be it.

All I can say is that you’re dead wrong about all of that. Take a look at a state like Ohio. That last weekend of the season, you have de facto elimination games, where whether you get in or not depends on that last game. You think those teams, their fans, the coaches, the media, don’t keep track of their Harbin points, and those of other playoff contenders? The last few weeks of the season all they talk about is potential playoff scenarios based on “what ifs.” Just like the pros … and college … and every place else but Indiana.

A very typical “objection” to a qualifying format: all emotion and supposition. No facts or logic. By the way in a top 50% qualification format, you can add a 10th regular season game and the number of games played in the season, in total, is the same as it is now, so the experience is not “minimized.”

Again, you simply make these pronouncements, without any supporting rationale. A qualification format turns regular season games into playoff games. Who gets excited when two 4-4 teams play each other in Week 9? Nobody. But if a playoff qualifying spot is on the line, suddenly a ho-hum game turns into a playoff game. Better for players, coaches, fans … everyone. Now, explain to everyone why the all-in, with its 9 weeks of practice games, is better for a high school football in Indiana.

Says who? I never got to play in a football sectional, and I don’t feel deprived. You “deserve” what you earn. Apparently, thousands and thousands of kids all over the country are just ticking time bombs because they didn’t get to the playoffs in their respective states when they were in high school. Thank goodness we don’t have to worry about that in Indiana.

I wouldn’t assume the distribution formula was equal shares, although it might well be.

I would say you are technically correct, but not practically. Revenue from the upper levels of the tournament goes into the big pot of money from which IHSAA operating expenses are taken out. But the remainder of the pot is distributed to all schools. So, to the extent the football tournament revenue contributes to that “excess” revenue, it actually does go back to the schools.