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Carl Spackler

Burnt Ends
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Everything posted by Carl Spackler

  1. Yep, that's the assumption. But I don't necessarily agree that it's "not very likely" Williams could jump in development from a Day 2 or possible late first day pick to a top 15 pick if he stayed another year at Texas given his physical skills at his size, the amount of improvement he apparently showed between '23 and '24 according to reports, and the jump in quality of play that his predecessor (Jones) showed between his junior and senior seasons which demonstrates that Texas is actually developing O-linemen these days. And, of course, the issue of whether he'd be better off declaring vs. staying depends in part on how deep in quality the '26 tackle class is, which is a subject about which I admittedly know very little. None of this is an exact science. I just have a feeling he's making a mistake given the holes in his game and the possibility that a year of development could send him up the draft grade lists. Hopefully I'm wrong or the mistake ends up being relatively minor in nature.
  2. Caused millions of smiles, chuckles, and laughs. That's a life well spent. RIP, Mr. Uecker.
  3. For sure. If his grade is high 2 or low 1, it makes the decision all the more understandable. But insurance can mitigate the risk you mentioned. And NIL helps offset the $$ loss occasioned by staying in school vs. turning pro. Ultimately, it's his decision and I wish him well. But I still think it's a mistake.
  4. I'm not sure about the relative strengths of the '25 and '26 tackle classes. If the '26 class is strong, that might have influenced Williams' decision to come out now. And if he's getting first round grades, it makes his decision even more understandable, though I would have to question a grade that high for him. Putting all that aside for a moment, I think he's making a mistake. He's not a finished product at this point, and the pass pro whiff on the 4th down play against Ohio State is only one piece of evidence in that regard. He could have made himself a lot of money had he stayed in school and showed improvement in '25. I would have also liked to see him return for selfish reasons. His departure means Texas has to find 3.5 new O-line starters (I'm counting Hutson as a .5 since he has started in the past). That's a lot of flux for an O-line. One of the advantages the team had this past season was that the O-line continuity was substantial. We won't have that next season. It'll be tough to have the offense humming on all 8 cylinders next season breaking in a new QB and an O-line that is mostly comprised of new starters. FWIW, I'm hearing Hutson probably moves to center next season, making a possible O-line of: Goosby-Umeozulu-Hutson-Campbell-Baker.
  5. Good afternoon. Would this be the proctology tent?
  6. RIP, young Mr. Hoffman. You fought the good fight.
  7. Hilo area is good to use as a base for visiting Volcanoes NP, but it sounds like you're already staying somewhere near VNP for a night. VNP is a must-see, esp. now that it's apparently erupting again. But there are enough sights in the Hilo area to fill up at least a day. Rainbow Falls, Boiling Pots, and the area around Wailuku River, Akaka Falls, and the the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden are all worthwhile IMO. I'm not a big botanical garden fan in general, but that one was definitely worth it. The farmers market in Hilo is supposed to be pretty cool, but I don't think it was going on the days we were there. I think 2 nights and a day in Hilo is about right. A couple other must-sees for me on the Big Island would be Mauna Kea (make sure you acclimate for 1+ hours while at the Visitors Center before driving to the summit) and Waipi'o Valley. We did the Waipio Valley Shuttle tour with the company that takes you down into the valley, and we found that to be very worthwhile.
  8. Cunningham, not Culpepper, in 1998. And the Vikings didn't just slowly melt down over time in that game. There were things like a sack/fumble at the end of the first half that led to 7 Atlanta points when Minnesota could have simply run out the clock to get to halftime. Robert Smith inexplicably running out of bounds instead of killing clock in the 4th quarter when Minnesota had the lead. Gary Anderson missing his first field goal OF THE ENTIRE SEASON. Shit like that. Oh, and FU for making me think of that nightmare.
  9. I was thinking of putting road in quotation marks. I probably should have.
  10. Got it. There have certainly been some shitastic instances of upfuckery on their part over the years. The 1998 NFCCG and the the 2009 NFCCG both immediately spring to mind.
  11. Yeah, I agree with that.
  12. Shit, prior to the season the Vikings were expected to win approximately 7 games. Nobody expected them to even sniff the playoffs, let alone win 14 games. I'm a fan, and the absolute best outcome I could conjure was 9-8. Yes, they didn't play well the last 1.5 games of the season/playoffs. But to lose a road playoff game in which they were barely favored against a team that had previously beaten them -- that isn't choking. That's called getting your ass kicked by a good team that played what might have been its best game of the season. It happens. I'll be rooting for Buffalo from here on out.
  13. A little early to be throwing in the towel, my friend. Hang in there.
  14. Very poignant. Kinda surprised they let him stick around as long as they did.
  15. Maybe. We're assuming the playcall and defensive scheme would have been the same on the next play, which isn't a given in part because the field would have been more compressed. [I'm basically trying to rationalize why Helm's mistake didn't cost us a TD, because I like the kid and wish him well in the NFL.]
  16. Yeah, I thought Helm might get flagged for it in a recent game (either Clemson or ASU, can't recall which) when he basically did the exact same thing, and remember thinking to myself at the time that we were lucky they didn't call him on it. Then he does it last night & I knew instantly they were going to flag him for it because he was pointing right at the OSU player instead of generically signaling first down. You can't point in the direction of the opponent after making a play. Our players should know this & the coaching staff should have drilled that into every player. It might be a stupid rule, but it's the rule, so they've got to follow it. Fortunately, the offense was able to overcome it. Too bad the O couldn't overcome Sark's playcalling when we were GTG and Cam Williams' pass pro on 4th down. It was.
  17. Yeah, having a new starting QB almost always entails some bumps in the road. I think it's a good thing that Arch got some starting experience early in the season, which may help mitigate some of the growing pains. I think we'll be fine at QB next season provided Arch remains healthy. I'm actually more concerned about losing a big chunk of the O-line. I could see those two things combining to limit the Texas offense in the early part of next season. We do get Baxter back, though. And if Golden returns, it will be big.
  18. Agreed. Sam certainly left it on the field and wore it on his sleeve. QE was very flat-line -- which can be a really good thing in a QB -- but I think fans wanted to see the occasional "I bleed burnt orange" emotion that Sam so often displayed.
  19. Well, there's a time and place for running outside on the goal line. But it depends on circumstances. And I'm definitely not doing it unless my back can really fly so that he can overcome angles and get to corners, and that's not Wisner. Tre was terrific this year, but he's not the type of speedster that you want for that call. Just another reason why that was a bad call -- the personnel didn't fit it.
  20. To me, they were both ultimately good, not great, college QBs. Hoping Arch can step up to the "great" pedestal next season or in '26, and that might be what we need the most to get back to the promised land.
  21. Don't fucking start that shit here and now. It was beaten to death this past week. Plus you're wrong.
  22. How fucking big was that TD at the end of the first half? My God. Nightmares of the same shit happening several years ago against USC. Take away that play, and there's a great chance that the game is tied at the end instead of Texas being down 7. Could have kicked the FG on 4th down and probably won the game. Coulda, woulda, shoulda . . .
  23. Helluva missed opportunity, because I think we would have beaten Notre Dame. Now I'm really depressed.
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