Lucky Luciano

and you don't think I HAVE??? dude, i have been questioning the bears drafts since george halas senior (if only muggs halas hadn't died) hired mike ditka as a freaking head coach causing jim finks to say SCREW IT!!! vanisi did a good job but the that idiot mike mccaskey decided he was smarter than anyone because he went to freaking YALE university and wrote some idiotic book and football knowledge was somehow a genetic trait. so the "20ish" years you are talking about include exactly WHO as our GM?? mike mccaskey? jerry angelo?? phil emmory??? for anyone that does NOT know it mike mccaskey, FORGET the gardener moniker he wore, was in charge during angelo and emmory's tenure. that leaves finally GEORGE mcckaskey, for the most part (the keeping lovie scenario was STUPID), finally realized ted phillips is an idiot and he was rightfully smart enough to know he didn't have the football intelligence to be a GM hired then fired emmory and hired pace, someone who actually may have the brains and who had at LEAST good credentials coming in to be a GM!!! so just about ANYBODY on this board (or someone who graduated from the 2nd grade) was smart enough NOT to draft most of the ***players pre PACE. ok, then let's see what pace has DONE.... 2017 - Chicago Bears RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL 1 2 Mitch Trubisky QB North Carolina 2 45 Adam Shaheen TE Ashland 4 112 Eddie Jackson SAF Alabama 4 119 Tarik Cohen RB North Carolina A&T 5 147 Jordan Morgan G Kutztown dude, this is a good draft considering the position we are in at THIS TIME!!! we have the TIME to groom these people. 2016 - Chicago Bears RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL 1 9 Leonard Floyd LB Georgia 2 56 Cody Whitehair C Kansas State 3 72 Jonathan Bullard DE Florida 4 113 Nick Kwiatkoski LB West Virginia 4 124 Deon Bush SAF Miami (Fla.) 4 127 Deiondre' Hall SAF Northern Iowa 5 150 Jordan Howard RB Indiana 6 185 DeAndre Houston-Carson SAF William & Mary 7 230 Daniel Braverman WR Western Michigan floyd - had a very good rookie season and could be a perennial starter for us with a possible all-pro talent whitehair - this guy could be an all-pro somewhere on our OL in the future bullard - potential - are you going to cut a guy like this after one dismal season? kwiatkoski - same as above howard - this guy could turn out to be a franchise running back!! in fact the only one who didn't stick so far is the guy i believe YOU were high on - braverman 2015 - Chicago Bears RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL 1 7 Kevin White WR West Virginia 2 39 Eddie Goldman DT Florida State 3 71 Hroniss Grasu C Oregon 4 106 Jeremy Langford RB Michigan State 5 142 Adrian Amos SAF Penn State 6 183 Tayo Fabuluje T Texas Christian kevin white - a good pick that ended up problematic through unforeseen INJURY. still has miles of potential. goldman - shaping up into a very nice defensive tackle grasu - could be our starting CENTER this season langford - a good + running back, we now forsee as a backup to howard, that may be as good as some other teams starters. amos - still unsure of his stature but at least a rotational safety are you really going to tell me these last two drafts prior to 2017 are garbage? seriously?? i don't know what teams you are looking at but in MY BOOK that is a pretty impressive list of players he drafted especially when he didn't even have his own scouting staff employed the first year. ========================================================== ***2014 1 14 Kyle Fuller CB Virginia Tech 2 51 Ego Ferguson DT LSU 3 82 Will Sutton DT Arizona State 4 117 Ka'Deem Carey RB Arizona 4 131 Brock Vereen SS Minnesota 6 183 David Fales QB San Jose State 6 191 Pat O'Donnell P Miami (Fla.) 7 246 Charles Leno T Boise State 2013 - Chicago Bears RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL 1 20 Kyle Long OG Oregon 2 50 Jon Bostic ILB Florida 4 117 Khaseem Greene OLB Rutgers 5 163 Jordan Mills OT Louisiana Tech 6 188 Cornelius Washington DE Georgia 7 236 Marquess Wilson WR Washington State 2012 - Chicago Bears RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL 1 19 Shea McClellin DE Boise State 2 45 Alshon Jeffery WR South Carolina 3 79 Brandon Hardin FS Oregon State 4 111 Evan Rodriguez TE Temple 6 184 Isaiah Frey CB Nevada-Reno 7 220 Greg McCoy CB Texas Christian 2011 - Chicago Bears RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL 1 29 Gabe Carimi T Wisconsin 2 53 Stephen Paea DT Oregon State 3 93 Chris Conte DB California 5 160 Nathan Enderle QB Idaho 6 195 J.T. Thomas LB West Virginia 2010 - Chicago Bears RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL 3 75 Major Wright DB Florida 4 109 Corey Wootton DE Northwestern 5 141 Joshua Moore DB Kansas State 6 181 Dan LeFevour QB Central Michigan 7 218 J'Marcus Webb T West Texas A&M Harvey Unga RB Brigham Young 2009 - Chicago Bears RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL 3 68 Jarron Gilbert DT San Jose State 3 99 Juaquin Iglesias WR Oklahoma 4 105 Henry Melton DE Texas 4 119 D.J. Moore DB Vanderbilt 5 140 Johnny Knox WR Abilene Christian 5 154 Marcus Freeman OLB Ohio State 6 190 Al Afalava DB Oregon State 7 246 Lance Louis G San Diego State 7 251 Derek Kinder WR Pittsburgh 2008 - Chicago Bears RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL 1 14 Chris Williams OT Vanderbilt 2 44 Matt Forte RB Tulane 3 70 Earl Bennett WR Vanderbilt 3 90 Marcus Harrison DT Arkansas 4 120 Craig Steltz DB Louisiana State 5 142 Zack Bowman CB Nebraska 5 158 Kellen Davis TE Michigan State 7 208 Ervin Baldwin DE Michigan State 7 222 Chester Adams G Georgia 7 243 Joey LaRocque LB Oregon State 7 247 Kirk Barton T Ohio State 7 248 Marcus Monk WR Arkansas 2007 - Chicago Bears RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL 1 31 Greg Olsen TE Miami (Fla.) 2 62 Dan Bazuin DE Central Michigan 3 93 Garrett Wolfe RB Northern Illinois 3 94 Michael Okwo LB Stanford 4 130 Josh Beekman G Boston College 5 167 Kevin Payne SAF Louisiana-Monroe 5 168 Corey Graham CB New Hampshire 7 221 Trumaine McBride CB Mississippi 7 241 Aaron Brant T Iowa State 2006 - Chicago Bears RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL 2 42 Danieal Manning FS Abilene Christian 2 57 Devin Hester DB Miami (Fla.) 3 73 Dusty Dvoracek DT Oklahoma 4 120 Jamar Williams LB Arizona State 5 159 Mark Anderson DE Alabama 6 195 J.D. Runnels RB Oklahoma 6 200 Tyler Reed G Penn State

agree to a point. we do need to question them but how in the world can you evaluate most players in one year? if that's the case you would cut nearly every draft pick and pick the same position year after year. huh? nearly everyone on this site had been piping up to draft a tight end because it was so deep/talented this year. isn't that what they did?? draft one of the better TE's on the board that FIT our system and scheme? didn't nearly everyone on this board want us to draft a DB/S at #3? well we supposedly got maybe the third best safety in the draft in the fourth round. isn't that easy to explain? we got arguably the best QB in the draft and gave up a 3rd and 4th round pick to do it? how is that unexplainable? we have the potential for a very good change of pace RB to help our QB situation by running the football, we picked up a good offensive lineman (which is another thing everyone wanted) at a bargain price who needs some time to develop. so where is the problem? just the players we picked weren't ones you wanted in the order you wanted them? like any draft pick, none may turn out to be good. time will tell. but to slam a GM before his picks have had time to be realistically evaluated is pretty narrow minded. if over a three to five year period his top picks nearly ALL are out of the NFL for lack of talent then is the time to call for a change.

i agree. it is beyond ridiculous. our offseason 'allowed' us to draft as we did. we added to the core of young players SOLID veteran players to help us get through this season where our REAL chances of WINNING a superbowl are so low as to be nearly non existent. it gives us a chance to evaluate the players we already have in a real sense without breaking the cap bank for high priced free agents. this years draft has some real potential to be franchise/all-pro quality players. will they start this year? who freaking cares. what i am looking at is the potential to have some superbowl talent on this roster over the next five years. we have glennon to keep us from throwing our QB pick into the fire and groom him behind a QB who himself has the potential to become very good. if glennon does we are in a really good position for future trades for high picks. it's a win/win situation pace has put us in. all this behind a very good OC and QB coaching staff. this ain't like the lovie days in which we can now actually coach our picks to be better players. same goes for the TE position. we have some nice talent we picked up in free agency and can look at our 2nd round pick as a future premium quality player who matches up perfectly with sims for two BIG blocking tight ends for our running game who also have the skills to become red zone jewels. two good BIG blocking TE's also helps out our tackle situation so many on here question. same goes for the safety we drafted. this gives us time to evaluate what we already have and the competition becomes a real factor one to two years down the road once he has completely healed and becomes acclimated to the NFL. the players on our roster already had the possibility to become good players so why draft players and cut them the 2nd or 3rd year if they have real potential to either start or be solid rotational guys. we have given these younger players some good quality vets to guide them and help them transition. this goes along with my feelings that we have a very good coaching staff that can actually coach them up. first of all, hindsight is always right. you get to pick and choose players that are established as being very good just because they were drafted AFTER to your pick. it's a bad analogy any way you look at it. many people wanted adams as our #3 pick. in my opinion, there is NO WAY a freaking safety trumps a potential franchise QB especially at that pick. the only players that can even compete at that position would have been an elite LT (not there) or pass rushing DE. we got that DE last year and unless the freak garrot was there it was a no brainer if your scouts and GM did there work. yet again i must reiterate... you can NOT get all the pieces in one or two drafts for a team as bereft of talent as we had. next draft you work on the next phase, your tackles either in free agency or the draft and just keep building along with other key positions we have not even evaluated yet from our past two drafts before this one. i see us now as able to really evaluate our existing talent and still be competitive this season. also one last time... what QB's next year would be worthy of a top 5 pick? and if we draft in the middle of the first, which i have confidence we will come close to, how are you going to GET one?? if there is a can't miss pick he goes #1 without any trades in all probablility. so what do you do? offer an entire draft PLUS, like ditka, to get there? this is just media BS and it sells papers and fills air time with imbeciles who can't see further than their own nose. in all reality this is the kind of GM i have been dreaming about since finks/vanisie left chicago. one who has the balls to make the hard calls and really has the intelligence to acquire players for the future of our franchise and not just ones who are the most ready to start now. so walterdraft or whatever you call yourself.... EAT ME!! it's people who think like you that is half the reason this franchise has won one superbowl in over 50 years.

the pick i would like to see is us getting in the 2nd is Fabian Moreau a CB from UCLA. was projected as a 1st or 2nd round pick. this guy seems to be the pick if you want a cover/shutdown corner which i do way more than i would a RT. he is 6.0' and weighs 204 and get this... at this size the guy runs a 4.36. here is the description from the USA Today Sports draft paper: "POS: Functionally big, strong and fast. An above average athlete across the board. Trusts his speed in man coverage. Won't bail from his backpedal early and shows top-tier turn and run movement. Easy acceleration. Can catch up with anyone if he is beaten off the point of attack. Developed footwork and good use of his hands. CONS: Has a ways to go when it comes to technique development and confidence. His physical play is hot and cold. Seems hesitant at times." we are supposed to have one of the premier DC and defensive back coaches in the NFL. this guy would be a perfect fit for a shutdown corner we have been looking for.

in MY opinion the reason that the rams took so much heat was NOT that they sat their top 5 qb pick but BECAUSE they had him listed as the #3 qb on the roster. if you draft a qb that high he at least has to be your #2 qb getting the reps with the first team in practices and standing on the sidelines during game day. in my opinion it's SMART to do so rather than throw him onto the field if he is not ready yet for the the speed and complexity of the nfl or if the supporting cast is atrocious. it ruins careers. ask the texans what happened with carr. like cutler he was beaten to a pulp and never recovered even IF he had the possibility to become a great player. threatening to fire a coach in the first place is STUPID if your draft pick does not perform unless HE drafted the player. in my opinion it is ALSO stupid to fire a GM if one doesn't start in the first season after being drafted. to me it says that a GM has the BALLS to draft for the future and NOT the immediate impact someone may or may not provide. that is what I am looking for in a GM. not someone who only does what everyone else does just to keep his job. no, it's NOT a weak comparison. to draft a qb in ROUND 1 anytime you better have a plan as a GM. favre had at least 3-5 years of prime play left in him so you tell me how that benefits a team in the SUPERBOWL hunt like they were to use a first round pick on a bench warmer in your scenario. wouldn't it be LOGICAL if your offense was running on all cylinders to draft a high impact player on defense to help you GET THERE? what it DID show was a GM who had the brains and foresight to look that problem in the eye as to what was going to happen within a short time to his franchise with the MOST IMPORTANT position in football. he SAW the value there for the franchises FUTURE and took it!!

i disagree. first the "huge money" contract for glennon is NOT a huge money contract. it is in the bottom third of qb salaries currently being paid in the nfl. it is what it costs to have a starting qb that is even competent. it is a friendly keep or cut contract if it does not work out. second... the drafting of a player in the first round that for some reason HAS to start the first year and make an immediate impact (even in the top 5 picks) is in my opinion ridiculous. it is what the bears have done since mike mccaskey took over as GM in 1987 and jim finks and jerry vainisi were now by-products of this franchise. the let's 'win it now' (and keep our jobs) type of drafts and get the guy most ready to start is total BS. this is why we have had TWO superbowl appearances in FIFTY ONE YEARS!! immediate "reps" for a future franchise qb is NOT required. the packers have done exactly that with favre and rogers (not to mention all the draft picks they have acquired for other qb trades). anybody here be upset to have a top 5 pick qb sit on the bench for 2 or 3 years and come in and have a HOF career? i know i wouldn't. someone previously asked what qb's next year are going to be worth waiting for. well? anybody? how many are there? what if there are injuries or guys not wanting to come out? where in the draft are they projected to go? assuming we have an even AVERAGE year, which i believe we will at LEAST have that which puts us mid first round, how are we going to move up into the top 5 to draft one if he is that good or even POSSIBLE if someone else needs the franchise qb also? even doing so it's still a calculated risk he won't return dividends and have cost us MANY extra draft picks we can't afford to lose. so to me IF the qb's in this draft look to have a future as an above average starter or franchise qb then TAKE HIM!! if he sits then so what? who cares? as stated by others... what a 'liability' that would be if BOTH turn out to be great. can you imagine the draft picks we could acquire trading one? it would be the FIRST time this has happened since johnny lujack and bobby layne. the bears kept lujack, who was soon injured and done, and sent layne to the lions to become a HOF player. screwed again but what an opportunity we had.

the answer to that for me is a resounding NO!! i would just end the NFL journey and call it a day. the GREED of these owners and the NFL is disgusting.

if one of the qb's has the potential to be a franchise quarterback i would be shocked if he does NOT pick one even at #3. i don't care how many they carry on the roster it's not just smart it's essential to have that guy on the roster now when we are in this stage of a rebuild. if he sits for a year or two or EVEN three i could care less although i would like to see him as our #2 so he gets the reps in practice for development. after this time it would be a PLEASURE if glennon pans out to have a qb to trade for multiple firsts. we may not be able to pick this high again for some time so to wait would mean we have to give up the moon to get the quality player we seek in the top 5 picks. welcome to mediocrity or sucking on offense for another decade.

i would give up a 2nd round pick for m. butler in a heartbeat. at age 27 and considered one of the best corners in the nfl he would be a steal at that price. this would solidify our entire defense and put us on an even footing against the pass happy packers and lions.

both brother in-laws and a nephew are fitters working out of eastern iowa (one is retired now). not sure what their local is. just thought if you were in the area might know them. i'm a former UTU member.

very informative. thank you.

so what you are saying is you want to implement a new law that you know nothing about that effects OTHER peoples lives (not yours). correct? no need for the state and franchise owners to show the detailed cause and effects in a public forum? just what 'sounds' right to you in a one paragraph byline by someone you may never have heard of before who gives nothing in detail or an informative synopsis to base an educated decision on? hmmm let's see... the system in place has been in effect what? 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, longer? it has protected injured workers and their families without much complaint that has surfaced to my knowledge. have these lawmakers, billionaires and lobbyists explain it in great detail why it's a better system than the one in effect and maybe i will change my mind. you obviously must not ever question ANY laws that are passed or rescinded and assume 'they' (whoever 'they' are) are just doing it for the good of all to make our lives better when in reality it usually just makes them richer at our expense. the 1%er's love guys like you. win me over to your side. what happens after age 35 and WHO PAYS FOR IT??

i'm not even going to pretend i understand the complexity of these laws. there are so many nuances and exceptions and quite frankly lawyer BS that it would take a month talking to a lawyer and advocates in the state and federal capacity. you obviously must understand this otherwise why post it? explain it. how does it differ with this new bill compared to the old? how will this impact the the athlete? show me current examples of professional athletes collecting these benefits. >>any single one would be helpful. what are their average salaries, how are the payments allotted, what is the duration of workers comp per individual, what is the actual percentage paid and how is it determined and by who? what is the severity of the injury? are all medical expenses paid? by whom and for how long? for partial disability? permanent disability? what references? HOW MANY of these claims are in effect? how long have former employees of these franchise owners insurance companies been paying benefits? *IMPORTANT: how is workman's comp or disability payments, IF ANY, paid after the player reaches the age of 35 and at what base salary rate? who PAYS it? if you do know the answers post them in layman's terms for discussion. if your answers to all of these questions are unknown, how can you support something you know nothing about that could effect the lives of another human being and his/her families for life? here is what i understand and/or assume: 1. state law requires every employer to carry workman's comp INSURANCE. this means the employer pays premiums for this to a private insurance group. the payments for actual workers comp do NOT come directly out of the employers coffers in a weekly or annual payment. the costs to owners are from premiums paid to insurance companies. 2. every owner of every franchise allots this cost paid in insurance premiums as operating business expenses from day one. it is FACTORED into their profit/loss margin. the ONLY difference if this law is changed is the cost of the premiums would now be less because their obligation is deferred to someone ELSE besides them. instilling a higher profit margin for owners *at the state and federal tax payers expense. this ALSO benefits the insurance company providing the coverage premiums. now they are limited for how long their bottom line payout to the insured is actually PAID out. more profits for them, again, at the expense of the average tax payer. this law is the poster boy for corporate welfare and GREED!! 3. *if the law changes and 35 is the cutoff how is it determined what the athlete should be paid IF AT ALL after this allotment??? do the benefits just disappear? if not what salary model is it based on? if the athlete has a college degree how in the hell could it be used to determine his future earnings if he has never even worked in the field of his degree because he was drafted out of college? does it revert to some minimum salary he worked at before college? where is the build up of equity for this determination of how much 'workers comp' he should receive if the ONLY significant amount of earnings were as a professional athlete? he could literally be paid the disability comp wages of a person with no reported income at all and could virtually be getting poverty level benefits!!! once this age restriction takes effect, where does the money come from to pay him for his disability? i will tell you.... it comes out of every taxpayer in the united states pocket. he/she would be subject to social security disability benefits or some other form of state or federal assistance. 4. here is another twist to your GREAT law... many times a player is 'bought out' that becomes injured. in other words he is paid a lump sum in lieu of workers comp and is terminated from the team and or nfl. these players, many of them young, low round draft picks or walk-on's (although not all if the injury is significant) that would have incurred an injury whether in a permanent nature or temporarily, would now get virtually a pittance in these settlements. the cost factor would now have a LIMIT on the years that could be paid out in workers comp and the franchise can then low ball the offer. great huh? at least if you are an owner. but then that's GREAT for the bears 'franchise' as a whole if that is your only concern. happy richer billionaires are always a good thing for the fan. what effect does this have for players in free agency or walk-on's etc.? if it's a close choice between chicago and another team that does have protection for the players health i go to the place where the owners hopefully care about me and my health as a human being rather than pinch pennies to buy another rolls royce. sayanara chicago. finally you stated: "What do layman's Workers Comp rules have to do with a change in the law regarding professional athletes?" how else are you going to determine how much and if you are going to pay the pro athletes? where is the touchstone for that once they reach 35?

have you ever done ANY research of even layman's job-life statistics in multiple fields? or do you just base your opinion on what someone else tells you or writes in a blog (in this case the governor of illinois or the mccaskey family)? you obviously don't know anything at all about how workman's comp works for professional athletes and just want to rant. i even wonder if you know anything about workman's comp for anyone. i am certainly no expert and do not profess to know the in's and out's but before i would want to change a freaking law or support the change of a law that effects other human beings lives i would want to at LEAST understand it. it just sounds like salary envy to me rather than logic.

a fitter?

really? "The Average Number of Times People Change Jobs Today, the average person changes jobs ten to fifteen times (with an average of 12 job changes) during his or her career. Many workers spend five years or less in every job, so they devote more time and energy transitioning from one job to another. Gender and Age Factors The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that people born between 1957 and 1964 held an average of 11.7 jobs from ages 18 to 48. Remarkably, women held almost as many jobs as men despite taking more time out of their career for child-rearing activities. On average, men held 11.8 jobs and women held 11.5 jobs. 25% percent held 15 jobs or more while 12% held four jobs or less. A worker's age impacted the number of jobs that they held in any period. Workers held an average of 5.5 jobs during the six-year period when they were 18 - 24 years old." Courtesy of https://www.thebalance.com/how-often-do-peo...ge-jobs-2060467

i disagree that it is ridiculous. first, i am in the dark as to how much a payment is paid to players and what the scale and determination is to arriving at a fixed sum. do you have any model examples that have been paid out to professional athletes and how they have implemented payments to players on this? it would seem logical to understand this before anyone would want to cry foul. how convenient it is that the owners and governor have failed to create a forum to bring out the facts and chose to tag this to a hidden bill for the state budget. i believe workman's comp/disability does not give you the full amount of money as it relates to your full salary but is determined by a formula percentage (i could be wrong on this). but, even if it is at the full amount i am still in the camp that this law is just. EXAMPLE: let's say you work at minimum wage in the fast food industry for 3 or 4 years as a youth. as an adult you decide to go into a trade as a union pipe fitter. you pass your tests and work as an apprentice for 2 years until you get certified as a pipe fitter. you work as a full fledged union fitter for 1 year and are injured on the job and become incapacitated. what should your workman's comp pay you? most of your life you worked for minimum wage. is that what you should be compensated for the rest of your life? minimum wage benefits? is that what YOU would accept? in your definition, it was your CHOICE to go into this higher risk job.why should you get paid that higher rate for the next 30-40 years of your life? you knew that being a fitter was certainly more dangerous of an occupation than the minimum wage fast food worker. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: when does the labor clock start on a professional athlete? what counts as time and effort leading to the final results of your profession? in most instances it started as training and hard work in a pre-high school timeframe. if so, that implemented at the LEAST an 8 year window of training, hard work and hard knocks to even GET to the point of being drafted by an NFL team. this was all non paid work in which you personally gave up your time and effort and in the mean time were physically assaulted in the profession you hoped to achieve. so let's see... if you were drafted at age 20 and were incapacitated in the NFL after a 12 year career you were in the '"workforce" per se', of your profession for TWENTY YEARS. that is a vested commitment in nearly any viable company or corporation for a pension. even IF you were injured the first year in the NFL you have already at no expense to the NFL corporate put 8 YEARS with no salary and no benefits into your career. you are an even rarer percentage rate of individual that the 1% billionaires who hired you. your specialty puts you in a class of individuals in which you are one out of 1696 players in a population of 7.5 BILLION people. you are a rarer commodity than the cheap billionaire bastards that hired you by FAR. shouldn't you be compensated as such?

they ARE NOT average joe's. AGAIN, name ANY OTHER NON MILITARY PROFESSION that the employees are subject to blunt force trauma as a job requirement. CAN YOU? YES it's a choice for players to decide on this career. it's ALSO a choice for the owners if they don't like paying damaged players workers comp to SELL their freaking teams to someone who IS willing to pay this built in cost to operate. simple as that. if the NFL corporate doesn't like and can't live with this practice or procedure then just flat out dissolve the NFL so they do not have to pay these 'unfair' allotments of money!!! FINALLY......... if you really want ANY sympathy from me for these poor mistreated owners, have them open up their financial tax forms/records/books to the public and let's see just how much they are being unfairly treated having to pay former players who are permanently disabled. think they would be willing? give the mccaskey's a call and ask them. keep us informed on your progress.

quite possible. it may have turned out to be the field goal. i don't remember and don't have it taped to review.

yea, i do. in fact the nfl allots compensation to the franchises for these instances. that said, tell me of ANY other profession where you are paid to literally destroy your body and take physical abuse day after day (other than the military and they are getting a pittance of what they really deserve). these are not the 'electrician or welder' scenario working class hero they want to implant in peoples minds. it's not like joe schmoe can say... hmmmm i think i will become an apprentice and train to be a professional football player when i graduate from high school. there is nobody else in the world can do what they do so to compare them as such is so ridiculous as to be laughable. these are gifted people who have worked nearly their entire lives to reach this level of athlete. to expect them to be compensated like a cook at burger king flipping burgers when they become incapacitated is purely greed on the owners part. these owners make billions, i repeat... BILLIONS. off of these people. the owners and the league understand this and accept it as business expenses before they are ever drafted or acquired to play for their teams.

as i stated, these calls were nit picky calls that happen all the time during games that are not called. that said, the one ball was uncatchable the second also. if this were the bears offense there would not have been any flags and especially on the 2nd call. it was brady obviously dumping the ball off YARDS short to avoid a sack not even close to any receiver.

and just when the mccaskey's 'thought' the rumors of their being CHEAP were being put to rest they shoot themselves in the foot to save pennies. the law they want to pass, with the help of THEIR lobbyists and the governor, is BS. it's just another land grab by greedy owners and the corporate NFL who consider their employees replaceable meat suits. they don't just want all the pie, they want the pan it was baked in too. the rebuttals and justifications for passing this law are just calculated red herring's planned and planted by the PR leg of these franchises and corporations to appeal to idiots whose visual (in this case mental) depth perception is comparable to ray charles. if these were viable and just laws, why tack them nearly unheard of to the state budget to try and sneak them through?

you are correct. the era's are apple and orange comparisons. the nfl changed all the rules to the game in favor of the offense especially the passing game. where the tackles can line up. the holding on nearly every play is evident compared to the past. in the past there would be holding calls on nearly all the linemen on every single play. in the past you could not grab the jersey and hold on. as soon as your arms came out to wrap a player it would have been a flag.

the drive where the pats made their first TD... there were two instances where the drive stalled and they should have had to punt. it was third down and 9 or 10? in each instance. brady throws incomplete passes and then comes the flags. on the replay you are correct in a sense. there was MINOR holding but it should NOT have been called in reference to the rest of the officiating going on. one flag if you wanted to be VERY nit picky. two flags and it was a give-me drive by the officials that turns out to have been the difference in the game. this seems the MO of officiating in the nfl. give early questionable calls and makeup calls later in the game to the other team to 'appear' unbiased. it seems like no big deal at the time but in reality it IS a big deal. it gives the team they choose to favor riding time and momentum.

atlanta... complete chumps. had the game won twice and pissed it away. in reality, i find it hard to believe any coaching staff is that stupid. a field goal signs the pats death warrant and they do the SAME thing twice in a row and end up punting? smells like week old dead fish. again, the refs determined the outcome of this superbowl. the first TD was due to the refs giving the pats TWO golden penalties to give them the first touch down. subtract that and who wins?