chw42

QUOTE (TRU @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 04:52 PM) That's stupid, why cant I complete streak routes all game that's what real football is. I don't want to have to run slants and option routes, I just want to throw deep bombs to wide open receivers all game. I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic. Real football is not throwing streaks all game. Even the Broncos can't do that.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 04:50 PM) I don't see a use for it anymore, I erased it and gave it to my wife, the bigger screen on my phone is more than adequate for everything I used the mini for. I have a 5 inch phone and a 7 inch tablet and when I put them next to each other, I don't see how I can prefer the phone for media consumption or even web browsing.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 03:25 PM) Go outside, young man! I play more than enough softball already.

I picked up FIFA 15 today. Between that and Madden, I'm going to do nothing but play video games for a while.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 02:08 PM) It's big, and anyone that tries to say it's not is lying through their teeth but the thinness of the device helps a LOT in this regard. It feels smaller than it is, and it's pocketable so long as you don't put it in a case and make it 2x as thick as it is, but that being said a bigger person with bigger pockets probably could use a case and not care. The pros/cons I weighed when making the decision were based on the fact that during the day I was an avid iPhone user, but the second I got home or someplace outside of work, I'd put my phone down and use my iPad mini the rest of the time (other than making calls, which I almost never do outside of work these days). The industry moved forward from smaller devices, so it's time to adapt and go big or bigger...the jump from the 4" 5 to the 5.5" 6+ is daunting, but the jump from the 4.7" 6 to the 5.5" 6+ isn't quite as bad. I figured if I was going to get used to a larger size, I may as well just get used to the largest size and replace 2 devices with 1. Of course, this could just be me justifying my purchase...but so far I've not been affected by the size and I've really enjoyed not needing two devices anymore. I'd tell a person that often used a phone/tablet combo that it might be a device they'd like, but if you aren't a tablet user, then I'd avoid the +. I honestly don't think a phablet can effectively replace a tablet. If you want a bigger phone, it's because you want the bigger phone. In the end, a tablet will always be bigger than a phablet and it'll feel different.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 02:38 PM) That's a great deal for you, yes. Shrewd. I didn't want to take the risk with Jordy. Maclin and Sanders are both likely to regress, so I couldn't take the risk of getting rid of my only elite wideout. I ended up trading Maclin and Boldin for Morris and White. It gives me 3 good RBs (Charles, Stacy, Morris) and 4 solid wideouts (Nelson, Sanders, Crabtree, White). The only bummer is that I don't get Morris this week since he plays on Thursday and the trade is processed Friday. I'm short on players this week since Stacy and Sanders have a bye too, so that kind of sucks. I'll probably have to play White as my flex.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 01:52 PM) Haven't experienced the WiFi speed issue, however, my friends phone has issues scanning for WiFi networks from time to time (sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and we can't reproduce it at will), but also doesn't experience slow WiFi issues. Haven't experienced the battery drain issue, but I've seen this happen in previous releases of iOS, seems restore specific...I always do a fresh install on a new series phone, so that may attribute as to why I've always avoided the issue. HAVE experienced the increased app crash issue a number of times. HAVE experienced 3rd party keyboard issues. HAVE experienced input issues on certain websites through Safari. This just in, large aluminum phones bend, but so do small ones...I remember this same issue cropping up with the iPhone 5 bending when people sat on it or did something else I consider ridiculous. Anecdotal, but I've been carrying my 6+ in my pocket since Friday and it's not bent...I attribute this to people being careless, as I've seen far too many iOS and Android devices smashed, shattered or otherwise bent/broken over the years and I just don't understand what the f*** people are doing with these devices... EDIT: Oh, and if Steve Jobs was still alive, iOS8 would be completely bug free, and the aluminum shell/glass panels on the iPhone 6/6+ would be indestructible. So you got a 6+? Do you consider it big at all?

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Sep 22, 2014 -> 05:06 PM) I've enjoyed it. That said, NHL 15 and Destiny have kinda taken over. I swear, the first games of Madden are enjoyable, and then suddenly it always becomes impossible to do anything but slant routes without getting intercepted. Madden on higher difficulties forces you to play smart. You can't go throwing streaks all game, it doesn't work. They're opportunistic plays you take advantage of every once in a while when you catch a one-on-one. You have to run a balanced offense on all-pro and all-madden. Runs up the middle are incredibly effective this year. Mesh and stick plays work great in this year's game. You're not going to get much more than 10 yards on them, but that's part of the game. Control the tempo of the game and run the clock. Personally I'm not real good on defense so I have to control the clock to beat teams.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 12:11 PM) Likely 2-2? Come on now, 2 weeks ago you were saying likely 0-3. The Packers are far from unbeatable and they have a lot of their own injury issues We've beaten the Packers twice in like the past 5 years. With our safety situation right now, I fear we're going to get carved by Rodgers this week.

QUOTE (Jake @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 01:09 PM) Looking through PFF's QB stuff, here are some knocks I see for Jay: -weak YPA -compared to other QBs, relatively un-victimized by drops -his accuracy % (completion percentage that counts drops as completions, doesn't count spikes or throwaways) ranks 21/31 -27 out of 35 QBs throw a higher portion of their throws under pressure, suggesting he's had a lower difficulty level -related: he's sacked a high portion of the time he is pressured, taking sacks counts against the QB's grade Worth noting that PFF's grades so far have league-wide QB play being pretty weak. Jay is 22 out of 35 QBs. Also worth noting that yesterday was possibly Jay's worst game so far. 23/38 (60%), 2 TD, fumble lost, 225 yards, sacked 4 times, 1 batted pass, 2 deflected passes. Anyway, this negative rating isn't all that negative. It's early in the season. He's one 300 yard/3 TD/65% completion game from being in the upper tier I can't complain much honestly. He's only turned the ball over 3 times this year with 8 TDs. Including a 6-0 TD to INT tally in the last two games against pretty good defenses.

QUOTE (Jake @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 01:27 PM) More on iOS 8 issues: http://www.informationweek.com/mobile/mobi.../d/d-id/1315984 Cliffs: -slowed WiFi speeds -faster battery drain, ranging from ridiculous to marginal -Crittercism analytics shows a huge increase in app crashes (I wonder if this has been observed with past updates) Also, something I've feared happening on several different phones since it broke my Motorola SLVR: iPhone 6 plus units getting bent in users' pockets I guess they made it a bit too thin.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 11:58 AM) Difference between winning and losing can be small. The thing that really irritates me is 3 games into the season and we are still making some crucial mistakes. Have to clean it up. We have been lucky it hasn't gotten us these past 2 weeks and that was mainly cause the other team made them too. Bills didn't and thus we weren't able to overcome our mistakes (although I still say we win the game with our wideouts in the game...but you have to play the game with who you have healthy). Despite giving up a lot of yards, I am happy with our defenses play, considering the injuries. Making a lot of strides and looking much quicker and more instinctual. Allen has stepped up in 2nd half last 2 games but still isn't finishing plays. Zone read qb's make it difficult to get as many sacks. Rush has been significantly better then past couple seasons though and tackles have been significantly better. Rush D had some holes but minimized big run and had some nice stops as well. The after whistle penalties are just brutal though. Lamarr Houston hasn't exactly played well either. I like his versatility a lot since we can have him, Young, and Allen in on the same play if we wanted to. But that 15 yard penalty he had yesterday was dumb as s*** and he didn't seem like a big factor in the pass rush. Not that anyone else really contributed that much on the line in that aspect anyways.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 11:52 AM) Jay made some real nice plays against a tough defense. This is the type of game a few seasons ago that would have been a complete meltdown. We know we'll have some tough games out of Jay but major strides are being made. To do what he did despite having zero rushing attack and that much heat was solid. Great game, no, but it was a good game with few bad throws. We really need a 3rd wideout to step up given the health issues of Marshall / Jeffrey. Bennett has been awesome. The throw he made down field to Jeffrey and the TD pass to Bennett and the called back one to Marshall were things of beauty. Huge game this week, especially given how we are in our most difficult part of the schedule here (1st half of season). It still bugs me that we lost that first game. We could be sitting pretty at 3-0 right now playing with house money this week. Instead, we're likely looking at 2-2.

QUOTE (bmags @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 11:51 AM) That was a terrible throw that thankfully worked out. I call it Jay using his receivers to his advantage. If it was anyone but Alshon or Marshall out there, I don't think he makes that throw and if he did, it would have been picked off.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 11:30 AM) So he just eats meat now a days, eh? Maybe I need to reconsider wanting to get rid of him.

QUOTE (Boogua @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 11:48 AM) I thought it looked like he threw off his back foot on the huge third down conversion to Alshon late in the game too. Also against an all-out blitz I think you're right. That was another lob if I remember correctly.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 11:25 AM) @thekapman: Olin Kreutz on Ron Jaworski criticizing Cutler: “Ron never had Jay’s arm so he couldn’t throw off of his back foot." He threw off his back foot twice last night. One of them was on an all-out blitz screen, which is fine. The other one was completely under-thrown and could have gotten picked. Arm or no arm, throwing off his back foot usually brings Bad Jay.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 11:17 AM) Trestman has a 7-1 record in prime time games. Not bad Cutler's 7-1 on Monday Night.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 11:03 AM) Perhaps it's because I really don't know much about FIP and all that jazz, but I still think John can be a quality starter for us next year. I'd trade him if they get the oppertunity to do so without paying an arm and a leg, but I don't see the need to do a straight up salary dump where they pay 50%+ and get nothing in return. His numbers look awful because of a few truly dreadful games, but for the most part he's been able to keep the team in it for most games. Whereas a guy like Edwin Jackson, who some here wanna swap (I know it comes with the caveat of working with Coop again), has consistently been trash. He's got a chance to do that. And yeah, he's had his fair share of awful starts, but it's not like those don't count.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 11:05 AM) Now a group of college students also say that Bironas chased them in this car, tried to drive them off the road, and threatened to kill them. Story keeps getting weirder. http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2014/...tened/16096649/ Wow. Looks like Bironas went off the deep end. I'd love to say this is due to football and brain trauma, but the guy was a kicker. Edit: some people on reddit think it's ambien. Some people sleep-walk/sleep-drive while on it.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 10:59 AM) Playing against Peyton too. He doesn't have a backup. There's one decent option in Tony Romo on waivers so I'm gonna drop my kicker so he doesn't grab him then wait til Sunday morning and drop romo. Probably a douche move but whatever. Nah, that's a smart move. Nothing wrong with it.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 10:12 AM) A different take on an offseason thread that I hope will invite some thoughtful responses. The rules: First name three moves the Sox absolutely need to MAKE this offseason, then name three moves the Sox absolutely need to AVOID this offseason. To wit: Three YEPS: 1. Sign Russell Martin at anything up to 4yr/$60m -- He will NOT ever be as good at the plate as he was this year, but that's okay because he was a MONSTER this year and doesn't need to be to make the deal worth it. He has a career high 145 wRC+ this season, but all we need from him is about 100, and his career line is 106. THat would make him an elite defender with a league average bat who also happens to bring Veteran Leadership™ to the table. Even if his bat begins to decline immediately, game-calling and pitch-framing tend to improve with experience, and having that kind of glove back there witha bat that doesn't kill you is worth its weight in blood diamonds. Admittedly, this was a much more attractive option when I first started clamoring for it midseason before the national media caught the scent, and he's going to be expensive as a result, but when you take a look around at the free agent classes of the next couple years and try to find ones that are going to pay dividends both immediately AND going forward, this is one of the few that jump out. And if paying Martin $14m a year is your big money acquisition, you're not really risking much, especially with our current payroll commitments being so low. 2. Trade Alexei Ramirez, probably to the Yankees -- I love Alexei. I really do. I have bragged about Alexei being the most underrated player in the game to all my friends for about four years now. But there are two reasons that it's time to move on: (1) he will be 33 years old, meaning that his defense will most likely decline as soon as next season, meaning that he will NOT be the player he is today when we need him the most a couple years down the line, and (2) we have a glut of MI prospects in the advanced levels of our minors, all of whom need a shot to stick at the majors. It is the position we are best able to fill with AT LEAST a stopgap. The market will be ripe this offseason as several big names will be looking for a SS, most notably the Yankees (who not only want a SS, but also one that will be an immediate contributor but won't require a long-term commitment, which is EXACTLY what Alexei is), who just happen to have a bunch of extra decent catching prospects laying around, which just happens to be exactly what our system needs. Even if none of the guys in the minor can cut it at SS, we have Leury, who can hold the position down admirably on defense until Tim Anderson or whoever is ready. Alexei is great, but he's not likely to be a part of our next contender, so it's time to move him while he has value and we have the in-house candidates to replace him. 3. Acquire TWO corner outfielders -- It is time for Dayan Vicedo to go. I have always, ALWAYS been down on Viciedo and have always been willing to go down in flames if he broke out. Remember when I agreed you guys could stone me if he was good? Well he's not. He sucks. He has to go. "But Eminor, he hit a few homers the other day!" Yeah, look at his line this year: .231/.281/.405 with 21 HR (87 wRC+). "But Eminor, right-handed power is at a premium!" Yeah, but when you do everything else like a minor league utility player (except defense, which you do like Carlos Lee), you do more harm than good. Just for reference, 87 wRC+ is 13% below league average, and is exactly equal to the average MLB shortstop. We should give him to Seattle or something for anything in return. But he should be replaced with TWO OFs, at least one of which needs to be left-handed. What this does is make our team more like Oakland in that it will allow us to play match-ups like crazy. THIS is what the rotating DH should look like: four starting outfielders, and extra starting caliber corner infielder, mixed handedness, use DH to make sure the best/hottest guys are in the lineup every night, maximizing platoon advantage and ensuring good health. Giving Abreu some days off, too. I think we sign one (maybe a mid-tier guy, maybe a reclamation. Probably not Markakis even though he makes sense in every way except price) and trade for another. Another guy like Eaton would be ideal but let's not kid ourselves. If we spend more on the FA, maybe the trade is for the reclamation guy. Dominic Brown? I don't know, but we need two. Three NOPES: 1. Do NOT sign James Shields -- He has been a great pitcher, had a cool career, he's eaten us up, I get it. But he's going to be 33 and is already experiencing the effects of a natural decline. His velocity is down and he's now relying much more on contact than before, which has kept his K/BB rates good, but cannot go on forever. Also, it's risky because you rely more on BABIP luck and good defense to get by. Shileds would be good next year, but already worse than this year, and it'll keep going downhill as his velocity goes. Given what he's going to cost (I'm guessing roughly 5yr/$100m plus a draft pick), we just are not ready to mortgage our future for 2015. It's just the wrong time, both for us and him. 2. Do NOT sign Victor Martinez -- This dude is about to get PAID. He's also really old, really injury prone, and really REALLY unlikely ever to touch what he did this year again. I'm not saying he's going to be useless, but guys at his age are one knee injury from becoming bums (see Carlos Beltran), and even if he stays healthy, you're not going to get that value back to justify the cost of what this season si about to earn him. He may be in line for 3yr/$60m. Also, locking up the DH spot with a one-dimensional player takes away our ability to do my rotating DH/platoon OF thing. This is money that can go toward Russell Martin! 3. Do NOT alter the pitching plan -- It didn't work out this year. With the exception of Noesi, all of our bullpen and rotation upside plays busted. That is NOT likely to happen again. It's a process that has worked wonders for several franchises in our position. We need to do a better job of selecting them, but the plan is sound. Do not let Felipe Paulino cloud your judgement, Hahn. Continue to leverage your pitching development staff, continue to find assets that can be moved if necessary, continue to find assets that don't block anyone, and continue to fish for upside. Unless we get back a really good prospect for Alexei, I really don't think we should trade him. There are a lot of good reasons to trade him, like you brought up, but I don't see a good replacement in the near future that can replicate his bat and defense.

At this point, Danks has below average stuff for a ML starter. He needs to be pin-point with his control and he hasn't exactly had the best control in the past. The only way he can succeed consistently is if he cleans up his mechanics to get better control. He's limited the runs in his last 3 starts, but his peripherals don't seem any better outside of the 0 HRs allowed. Still, I'll take anything out of Danks at this point. Hopefully he'll be more than paperweight next year.

I'm in half-PPR and I'm loaded at receiver ATM (Nelson, Sanders, Maclin, Crabtree, Boldin) and not so great at RB (Charles/Davis, Stacy, Ridley). I was offered either Nelson for Forte or Maclin for Morris. Think I should bite on Forte?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Sep 23, 2014 -> 01:21 AM) After watching Erik Johnson down the stretch in 2013 and then completely destructing in 2014, I'm not going to believe in any rookie pitcher unless they can produce over at least 3-4 months of starts...and, even then, they'll probably run out of gas in August/September. Wow, just looked up Johnson's AAA numbers this year: 6.73 ERA and a 1.8 WHIP. WTF happened to him?