Bobref

“Archie” as a nickname? I suppose it could be worse. It could have been “Jughead.”

I think that was the whole idea. It’s not like they had a hidden agenda.

American Psycho

It’s Archie Miller. Ryan Miller is a hockey player.

I noticed you didn’t “swear to God” on that one! 😂🤣

I don’t think you necessarily have to go that far. But it should be illegal for a public sector union to strike. Eliminating the tool of a work stoppage, coupled with the Janus decision by SCOTUS in 2018, pulls a lot of the teeth a public sector union might otherwise have.

Apparently the agenda of “divisiveness” is being pushed by both sides, just in different ways.

Heard ex-NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum say on KJZ this morning that the Bears need to go after Sam Darnold, now that it’s pretty clear the Jets are taking Zack Wilson at #2, since Darnold gives them a better chance to win “than an aging Andy Dalton.” Thoughts?

The tally is now up to 19 lawsuits, with the potential of at least 5 more. And Watson’s lawyer said “We categorically deny that he has reached out directly to his accusers in an attempt to settle these cases." (Emphasis supplied). What I get from this is that some initial overtures have been made by Watson’s attorney to the attorney for the accusers. One thing that I find interesting is that you have 20+ events (some of the complaints allege multiple occurrences), but they all took place within a calendar year, from March 20, 2020 to March 5, 2021! I wonder what Watson’s budget for massages is. The claim that Watson is attempting to destroy evidence by deleting social media messages is legally interesting. Destruction of evidence is referred to as “spoliation,” and there’s a huge body of law that describes the various consequences of that, depending on the circumstances. It becomes really interesting in the context of a possible criminal investigation. While spoliation of evidence in a civil case can result in significant civil liability, destroying evidence of criminal actions is called obstruction of justice. And you can be convicted of felony obstruction, even if the crime you’re covering up turns out to be only a misdemeanor... like indecent assault under Texas law. https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/03/29/deshaun-watson-three-new-cases-allege-harassment-assault New Lawsuit Says Deshaun Watson Is Deleting Messages to Massage Therapists Three more civil lawsuits were filed early Monday morning against Deshaun Watson, alleging sexual harassment and assault, including one that claims the Texans' quarterback is deleting Instagram messages and contacting people who've provided massages to him. Watson, 25, is now facing 19 lawsuits, all filed in the past two weeks, about sexual misconduct. Among the three new lawsuits on the Harris County District Clerk's website is an incident from October 2020. The lawsuit says Watson assaulted and harassed a massage therapist by "exposing himself to her and touching her with his penis." That lawsuit also claims that "as a result of the repeated lawsuits against him, Watson is deleting Instagram messages and contacting those who formally [sic] provided him massages, in an attempt to settle." Watson's attorney, Rusty Hardin told ESPN's Sarah Barshop on Monday that Watson has not deleted any Instagram messages over the last two weeks and "categorically" denied that his client contacted any of the women directly. "Like a lot of people, Deshaun regularly deletes past Instagram messages," Hardin said. "That said, he has not deleted any messages since March 15th, the day before the first lawsuit was filed. We categorically deny that he has reached out directly to his accusers in an attempt to settle these cases." Another lawsuit says that in November 2020 Watson exposed himself to a massage therapy student and was "purposely touching her with his penis and ejaculating onto her." The plaintiff of the lawsuit, who is a flight attendant but was in massage therapy school at the time, said that she had known Watson previously through mutual friends and "never could have imaged he would eventually assault her." Before the first of two massage sessions between them, which occurred at the plaintiff's mother's house in Pearland, Texas, on Nov. 6, Watson texted the student saying, "I even have a NDA I have therapist sign too." During that session, he continued directing her to his groin, per the lawsuit, and "repeatedly stated 'get up in there' and 'don't be scared.' " The second session between the two occurred just days later, according to the lawsuit. Among other details, it alleges Watson "kept aggressively moving his penis toward plaintiff's hand" and that Watson later ejaculated "all over" plaintiff's arm and hand. According to the lawsuit, after wiping the semen off of her and finishing the session "as quickly as possible," she told Watson to leave. "After Watson left the house, he sent her a text saying 'Maybe 4:30 pm? At Houstonian. I see you're getting comfortable with certain techniques and areas,' " the lawsuit states. "When Plaintiff declined the massage, Watson texted her incessantly almost every day afterwards asking for a massage. Plaintiff did not respond to his messages. Watson would also call Plaintiff almost three times a day. Plaintiff would not answer his calls. Plaintiff felt violated, disgusted and betrayed." The third lawsuit filed Monday morning details three alleged incidents involving Watson and another massage therapist, in which Watson "assault and harassed Plaintiff by exposing himself to her and purposely touching her with his penis." The nearly two dozen suits against Watson allege misconduct that ranges from refusing to cover his genitals to forcing women to give him oral sex. The news of the first filing broke on the evening of March 16 after Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee, who has filed all lawsuits thus far, disclosed the news on social media. The lawsuits explicitly cite events dating as far back as March 30, 2020, and as recent as March 5, 2021. The sessions reportedly took place in multiple states and venues. Watson denied the accusations in a statement on Twitter on March 16 but has not commented on more recent allegations. Watson's attorney said last week that he believes "any allegation that Deshaun forced a woman to commit a sexual act is completely false." An NFL spokesperson confirmed to Sports Illustrated on March 18 that "the matter is under review of [the league's] personal conduct policy."

Just for comparison purposes, Juwan Howard makes just under $2 mil a year at Michigan ... although I expect there will be an extension and a nice bump in that in the near future. Their paths to a B1G head coaching job were somewhat similar, although Woodson has much the better coaching resume.

From the outside looking in, and from someone who doesn’t really follow the program — or any basketball — very closely, that seems smart. I am interested to hear the details of their two contracts.

😅😂🤣

Or ... perhaps the thought process goes something like this: In order to return IU to the top tier of NCAA teams, you’ve got to recruit players who are potential NBA players. Woodson’s entire 25 yrs. of coaching experience is in the NBA. He knows how to prepare kids for the next level. That could be an attractive selling point to recruits. His past glory at IU will earn him the necessary grace period with the alums and boosters so that he can rebuild the program. That’s one way to explain it.

There will always be a shortage of good coaches, just like there will always be a shortage of good officials.

That was the rap on him coming out of UCLA. He apparently comes from a very well-to-do background, and some said that caused him to develop poor work habits.

I believe at some point Josh Rosen will emerge as an effective QB in the NFL. A first round draft choice who never really got a chance anywhere he’s been. The one real chance he got was with the Cardinals, who were horrible, and then they decided to go the Kyler Murray - Cliff Kingsbury route. He could flourish under Kyle Shanahan’s system ... if he got a chance.

Hopefully, they wouldn’t place it with one end zone so close to the building next door that the officials under the crossbar on a field goal or try have to worry about taking a ricochet in the back of the head.

They’ll keep him for this season, probably. They have Super Bowl aspirations, so I don’t see them starting a rookie right off the bat. Isn’t Josh Rosen also on their roster?

The National Federation has changed the rule on low blocking in the free blocking zone. So, it may be useful to review that rule, just to get everyone current. The free blocking zone (FBZ) is an area that extends laterally 4 yds. to either side of the snap, and 3 yds behind both the offensive and defensive lines of scrimmage. A player is considered to be in the FBZ if any part of his body is in the FBZ at the snap. Blocking in the back is permitted in the FBZ when the following conditions are met: The block is by an offensive player The blocker is on the offensive line of scrimmage at the snap and within the FBZ The defender being blocked is in the FBZ at the snap The ball has not left the FBZ Blocking below the waist is permitted in the FBZ when the following conditions are met: Both the players are in the FBZ at the snap Both the players are on their respective lines of scrimmage at the snap The block occurs in the FBZ immediately at the snap. Important points: Only offensive players can block in the back. Either offensive or defensive players can block low. Although offensive players can block in the back, and either side can block below the waist, no one can clip.

The 49ers threw their hat in the QB ring by moving up to #3. This pretty much guarantees that the first 3 picks in the draft will be QBs.

What?

The Eagles are now officially “all in” on Jalen Hurts, trading out of #6 to get an additional 1st round pick next year. https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/eagles-trade-dolphins Eagles bolster draft arsenal in blockbuster trade with Miami Dolphins Mar 26, 2021 at 01:36 PM Chris McPherson The Eagles on Friday agreed to acquire the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, a fourth-round pick (No. 123 overall), and a 2022 first-round pick from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and a 2021 fifth-round pick (No. 156 overall). The Eagles still have 11 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft and are lined up to have three first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft (their own, from Miami (Dolphins' original pick), and from Indianapolis in the Carson Wentz trade). Eagles 2021 Draft Picks Round 1: No. 12 overall (From Miami) Round 2: No. 37 overall Round 3: No. 70 overall Round 3: No. 84 (From Indianapolis) Round 4: No. 123 (From Miami) Round 5: No. 150 overall Round 6: No. 189 overall Round 6: No. 224 overall (Compensatory selection) Round 6: No. 225 overall (Compensatory selection) Round 7: No. 234 overall Round 7: No. 240 overall (From San Francisco)

Can we throw in Nick Foles?

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/2021/03/25/mark-baltz-honored-for-25-year-career-by-nfl-referees-group/43480803/ Many of you may know Mark. I’ve had the pleasure of calling him a friend for many years. He’s one of those guys with an incredibly successful career, who never stops giving back. Whether they know it or not, every official in Indiana owes Mark for the tireless work he’s done over the years to advance the interests of Indiana officials. With everything else he had going, Mark took time to be a founding Executive Board member of the Indiana Football Officials Association, and is still active today. Mark Baltz honored for 25-year career by NFL Referees group AP View Comments WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Football League Referees Association has named Mark Baltz its 2021 Annual Honoree for his 25-year career as an official and another 15 years as its treasurer. The NFLRA announced the honor Thursday. Baltz called it an honor being selected by his friends and peers both on the field and on the NFLRA board. “Lifetime friendships were formed during those 25 great years, which served as the second half of my wonderfully rewarding 50-year sports officiating career," Baltz said. Baltz was a head linesman in a career that started in 1989 and went through 2013. He worked 21 postseason games, including five conference championships. He also worked as a referee for three seasons in NFL Europe. He was elected treasurer of the NFLRA's board of directors in 2000 and stayed in that job through 2014. “He has given so much to our officiating community, and we are honored to celebrate his career and accomplishments," NFLRA President Tony Steratore said. A native of Lancaster, Ohio, Baltz started officiating while in college at Ohio University and was working high school football and basketball games by the time he was 19. He started officiating in college in 1984 with the Mid-American Conference and then the Big Ten.

Honestly, Dakich himself has become something of a caricature.