Bobref

Sounds great in theory. But how many people have the skill set to be both GM and Head Coach?

I wonder if the players (75% of whom are black) realize that they have an unbelievable opportunity here. They could absolutely use this issue to change the balance of power in the NFL to more like the NBA.

That’s a really good question. But keep in mind that my analysis of the difficulty in proceeding as a class action doesn’t mean that Flores’ claim is without merit. He could always succeed in his individual employment discrimination claim, if he can prove it. Possible remedies include reinstatement, back pay, front pay.

First of all, everyone should get it straight: I’m not advocating one viewpoint over another. Just adding to the discussion by making sure diverse viewpoints are represented. As for tanking and race, I believe the theory goes something like this: The team is bad Decision is made to “tank,” i.e., trade lack of competitiveness now for a rebuild that will pay off big down the line. Hire the black coach to absorb the losses that come with a rebuild. Lure him to an admittedly bad team with a promise that a bad W/L record won’t hurt him financially, because his performance will be judged by other metrics. When the rebuild is complete, fire the black coach because of his W/L record and hire a white coach you really want.

The reason his shortcomings were hidden at ND most of the time has already been explained. At ND they pay more than just lip service to the idea that the University runs the football program … not the other way around. He acted out his first few years and they sat him down and told him that it doesn’t matter how many games he won. If he didn’t represent the University appropriately, he would be gone. So, he shaped up … until he no longer had to answer to the ND administration. He’s got a much longer leash at LSU. But if he doesn’t win, it’ll get a lot shorter pretty quickly.

The Jaguars double down, hiring an old, white retread (Doug Peterson) in the current climate. More than a little surprising with Byron Leftwich still in the mix.

Can’t believe it took this long to do that.

Yes, but his inference was unwarranted. More significantly, I take exception to something everyone else is glossing over: the idea that winning every game should be the highest priority for a team, i.e., anything else is “tanking.” I can conceive of several scenarios where other things might legitimately be higher priorities.

I don’t have a dog in this fight. But I was referring to the statements of both Flores and Hue Jackson that their owners/management incentivized other things besides winning games. If winning is not your top priority, then you’re not really concerned about whether your coach is good enough to get you to the Super Bowl.

Actually, they don’t. Like anyone else, their employment practices are constrained by law. And some recent evidence, if believed, would tend to suggest that the ability to lead a team to the Super Bowl is not the only factor that goes into some coaching decisions.

This is fun. Look at this stat: Playoff wins: 37 — Patriots 36 — Steelers 36 — Packers 35 — Cowboys 35 — Tom Brady Tom Brady has more playoff wins than 28 franchises.

Does anyone think he would be doing this sort of thing if he were still at Notre Dame?

I’m good with that.

From a strictly legal standpoint, there are some real problems with bringing this case as a class action. Just filing it as a class action is not enough. Before it can go forward, the judge has to certify it as appropriate for class treatment under all the very complex procedural requirements that are quite different than “normal” civil litigation. To be certified, the judge has to find that the class is defined in a way that “common questions of law and fact predominate” in the claim of each putative class member. The second issue I see is proof. In large employment race discrimination class actions, statistical proof is often key. Because there are large numbers of employees and large numbers of employment-related decisions, statistical analysis can be brought to bear to show a systematic bias, despite the fact that employment decisions are done on an individualized basis. NFL coaching decisions are not nearly so numerous, which would leave any statistical analysis open to serious attack on any purported conclusions. That leaves the proof to rely on individualized scenarios, with a lot of “he said, she said” type situations. The fact that such decisions are so individualized not only presents proof problems, but argues against class certification. Also, I wonder where the EEOC is in all this. Civil claims by an employee or applicant for employment based on Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which protects against racial discrimination in the workplace, must normally be first presented to the EEOC, which investigates and can take action against the employer itself. Once the EEOC investigation is over, they issue the employee a “right to sue” letter, which you normally have to get before you can file a case in court. Haven’t heard any mention of it here. On the other side side of the coin, it’s highly unlikely the NFL allows this to go anywhere for very long. They run from any sort of publicity that might turn off the money printing machine they are operating. They’ll settle this with some sort of an agreement that is a stronger version of the Rooney Rule. The owners will sign some sort of pledge. Maybe the League will even create a position specifically to monitor compliance. Flores may get some money. His lawyers certainly will. I’m very interested to hear what the NFLPA has to say about this. Crickets, so far.

They’re not the only ones “elated.” There’s Ohio State, Michigan State, Penn State ….

That’s like comparing the best player on the campus flag football champ to the Heisman Trophy winner.

Get back to me when he marries a supermodel.

Chew on this one awhile: He was a starting QB on a Super Bowl champ when he was 23 years old. And he threw more TD passes after turning 40 than he did before turning 30.

I believe the IFOA has a service in the members section of their website for people looking for crews or crew members. You are a member of the IFOA, right? www.IFOA.us You might also try the Facebook page of the IHSAA Football Officials.

How long before we reach the point when it is just important to recruit the transfer portal as it is to recruit high schoolers?

Ask any of the ‘85 Bears who the best player on their defense was, the guy who really made it go. There were multiple Hall of Famers on that defense, but on this question there is unanimity.

😆🤣😂😅

As an unabashed Brady fan, the most amazing thing to me is that he has played the position at the very highest level, even as the position has evolved dramatically over time. Playing QB in the NFL in 2021 is nothing like playing the position in 2000. Yet, he was able to evolve and maintain over that dramatic change in the skill set needed to play at that level.

That is true, as far as it goes. But keep in mind that all power ultimately flows from the people. And the legitimacy of the Court flows from the belief by the people that the Court is an unbiased interpreter of the law. To the extent the people view the Court - and thus, it’s rulings — as being fair and unbiased, they have legitimacy. It is easier to believe objectivity and lack of bias when the Court is constructed so that diverse viewpoints are brought to bear on the issues. Diversity in race, culture, political viewpoints, background, etc., on the Court is a valuable thing, and a perfectly appropriate factor to take into account when choosing a Justice.