Bobref

Great games … but generally unsatisfying outcomes.

I didn’t mean to suggest that only defenseless players can be the victims of targeting. Only that it is much easier to “target” a defenseless player than one who is not.

By rule, a runner is only defenseless when his forward progress is stopped and he is being held up, or when he’s already on the ground.

Keep in mind the critical fact that the runner was not a defenseless player. That makes all the difference when deciding whether to call targeting.

This is the controversial replay overturn of the Michigan TD. The Wolverines coughed it up on the next play in what might have been the pivotal play sequence of the game. This is an unbelievably close play. It embodies several fundamental concepts about catch, possession, etc. Call on the field by the back judge, who was in pretty good position, was a TD.

That’s what everyone says … until the call goes against your team. People need to understand there are limits to human performance. Perfection is not attainable.

That play was really, really close. Controversial either way. If Michigan had taken care of business, no one would have said anything. Having said that, I don’t think the crew is having a great game. The roughing the passer call against TCU was not a strong call.

I thought Buchner played like a QB of immense talent … who hasn’t seen game action in 16 weeks, About what I expected.

You’ve got to admit — Michigan vs. Ohio State for the National Championship would be the biggest college football game in memory.

You’re absolutely right that the Bears don’t need to use the #2 pick to get a high quality WR. All the better. Trade down with that #2 to some QB-starved team for additional draft capital.

So, you’ll be rooting for Georgia to beat Ohio State? You know, a real cynic might say you were ducking Ohio State because if the Buckeyes were to avenge their earlier loss by winning what would be the most significant game in the long history of the rivalry, it would erase all the progress the Wolverines have made in the last couple of years. Glad I’m not that cynical. I know it’s just because you hate the Buckeyes with an unquenchable fire.

The semifinal games are coming up, so I thought it was the appropriate time to start a topic on the championship. Post your predictions, observations, trash talk, etc. here. I am hoping with all my heart for a Michigan - Ohio State rematch in the Final. It will elevate what is already the greatest rivalry in college football to unprecedented heights. I know that places me in the distasteful position of having to root for Michigan Saturday afternoon, but I’m taking the long view.

Justin Fields is the franchise. Doing whatever is best for his development is what’s best for the Bears.

These kids, and the people advising them do not understand the basic economic reality: The demand by schools for, and the supply of, athletes, has not changed. There are still only so many positions available. What’s going on now is basically just re-shuffling the deck.

I got it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. It’s no secret.

The current interplay of the transfer portal and NIL presents a fascinating, real-time case study in “The Law Of Unintended Consequences.” One that has occurred to me is that this encourages some kids to stay in school longer, rather than trying to grab the brass ring of professional football. It reduces the economic pressure. Kids staying in school longer should result in an improvement in the quality of play overall.

Draft a wide receiver first, an OL second. Use cash in the free agent market to sign at least one quality wide receiver and at least a couple of OLs. Those are the priorities.

Notre Dame really wanted him.

At this point, the NCAA is all but toothless.

Wow, Bears come out and punch Buffalo right in the mouth!

You know, there’s medicine you can take for that. 🤣

And here I had you figured for a “bah, humbug!” kind of guy. 😉🤣😂 I was wrong! Happy holidays to you and yours!

For me, from this point forward, the default explanation for this sort of flip-flopping is that somebody came up with a better NIL deal.

So, the big rumor flying around is that the Wake Forest QB, Sam Hartmann, is going to Notre Dame as a grad transfer. He is the all time ACC passing leader, with 12,000 yds. and 110 TD passes. Last 2 seasons he’s thrown for about 8,000 yds. and 77 TDs against 26 interceptions. https://www.onefootdown.com/2022/12/23/23524618/notre-dame-football-is-wake-forest-qb-sam-hartman-going-to-transfer-to-the-irish-acc-news-update-nd College football in 2022 reminds me so much of the change in hiring philosophy our law firm went through. We’d hire the best and brightest law school grads, train them up for 3 years or so, and just when they got to the point where they knew what they were doing, and became profitable, they’d leave for a bigger firm with higher pay. So, we decided unless a kid was a true “can’t miss” star coming out of law school, we would only hire young lawyers who had a couple of years experience somewhere else, so they could hit the ground running. It looks like the college football “market” is trending in the same direction. Why spend a couple of years developing a QB when every year you can just poach a good one from someone else?