DeeSpencer

Cinci Arizona Carolina

Yet at the same time totally believable. It's the Browns. Pre game I think it was Steve Young saying the Browns can't be influence by the past and have to make decisions based on what really is right but I feel for them because they just can't seem to win no matter what they do. Not even the other perennially bad teams in the NFL compete with their level of misery. So with their history you'd say they needed to win every game they can, build confidence in their coach and build a winning feeling. But the other side of that is they need a top draft pick and to get one right for once and they need to decide if Manziel (or even Davis) is the long term QB. Plus they need to find the right coach and the right GM. I think they have the right coach but not the right GM. I'm really glad no poor bugger on here follows the Demons and Browns.

In classic Rams fashion I expect a good showing this week, although not the win, the Bengals need to get back in the good books. Is it tank time if you lose this one? Go for a draft pick aiming for a QB +/- changing the Coach and GM? Or fight out the season aiming for 6-8 wins?

If you compare with some of the bigger heavier key forwards who have had injury issues at some early stages in their first year: Boyd 9 games. McCartin 6 games. Hawkins 9 games. Patton 7 games. If he breaks through for 1 game he's likely to get a stretch of a few games, especially if it's late in the year at that junk time stage of the season. My advice would be don't play him until he's really ready and had a consistent run of form, not just one or two games but a month mostly in the best at Casey. Then when you are ready to pick him wait another week just to be sure! If all that happens by mid year then throw him in then. If not just keep waiting.

Chuck him in the locker next to Tom McDonald and let him be mentored on his fitness and professionalism. They'll be more good numbers available by the time he's ready to play consistently!

Sounds good enough to me. The media love a good story about Oliver being a bolter when I'm sure the consensus recruiting opinion would've had him top 10. We know Weideman will take a while, that's why we got him now so we have time. If you get 1 sure thing key forward ie. Hogan you've done well, there's no way we'd be lucky enough to find another. Even number 1 picks like McCartin and Boyd aren't sure things, same with the Dixon trade to Port that gave GC then us the pick that eventually was traded up to get Wedieman. No problems with speculative talls in this draft given the lack of depth and given our list needs. Maybe a shame no one slipped to our 3rd pick but in a few years we might be pretty happy we took the talls and gave them time. I'd prefer skilled but slow than fast but no skills. We need speed but probably need skill more. The Hawks have never had a great deal speed from half back but have always loaded up on skills and reading the play and hence they are so adept at intercepting and rebounding. They have a heap of speed on the wing and half forward lines and that should be our focus for future drafts.

I wouldn't except... are Philly just completely rubbish? Like worse than even we could possibly think? Have they given up completely, maybe tanking for a QB?

Yep the importance of coaching certainly helps create equality because bad head coaches get fired (and often then resort to being very good coordinators) and good coordinators get hired away from teams and it helps share the knowledge around. And free agency helps as well. Unlike in the AFL where it probably hinders equilisation. That said the teams in small markets that can't attract free agents besides huge contracts probably aren't helped. I'm so impressed by what Vic Fangio has done with the Bears defense. They were all time bad the last couple of years. Today we had 2 high priced OLB, but nothing but journeymen and rookie/2nd year types at every other position on defense. Houston and McPhee are getting paid, and Willie Young is making 3 million dollars but no one else is making more than McClellin on his rookie deal (and he's probably overpaid!). It's a bunch of bargain pick ups with the same scrubs who were rubbish the last two years and Fangio has brought them together and made them competitive. That said I'm not frustrated that the Bears have kind of wasted a year where they could've made the play offs in a reasonably wide open NFC. After the Panthers and Cardinals it now does look like every spot is up for grabs. I still believe the Vikings and Packers are in some order the 3rd and 4th best teams and the Giants might be 5th best, but it's going to be a fun ride down the stretch for a lot of teams in the NFC I think.

Yep I watched the same. Tackling probably the weakness right now, he let a couple slip. It did look a bit like he was playing on Tom Fields, who was 1 and done at Carlton despite being able to roost the ball 75m reliably which is a bit of a worry. But still a more developed body and in what looked like a pretty competitive game.

The turn around for the Chicago D has been amazing. Quality coaching in the NFL makes all the difference. Need an impact player in the secondary and a bit more talent on the D Line and we'll be rolling. It's funny because I think John Fox is a bit short sighted with his game plan and having poor relations with the local media and so on but he obviously understand locker room culture and he hires very good coordinators and puts them in a position to succeed. It seems less is often more with NFL head coaches. Way too often teams hire the quality coordinator instead of picking a guy to be head coach who can then delegate. I think Roosy would be an awesome NFL head coach. He'd just keep the players happy, hire the best coordinators, make sure to always play competitive and tough football and go from there.

Vikings Cards Pats Upset alert for Carolina who I didn't tip and NE who I did. No doubt they'll contain and make life very hard for Osweiler but they might struggle to score on Denver as well. Could be a 13-9 type game.

Darcy Moore is doing well at Collingwood, so is Joe Daniher at Essendon. Every young key forward with or without a famous surname has a lot of pressure on them to perform. Some do, some don't. Who knows if the pressure is a factor. Certainly developing alongside a gun key forward is a good advantage and Weideman will have that, but I doubt it's an AFL conspiracy. They are busy enough.

A calf injury? Dawes is fit. Beep test would hurt him though with all the acceleration/deceleration. 2 or 3km time trial is a better guide for an AFL tall in their prime. In the repeat 300m's a select group were running the other day Dawes was leading whilst Hogan was spotting him 10m. It's not a race, they are more just trying to run consistent times, but Dawes when healthy does have a high motor. He can repeat lead and get back and apply forward pressure. It's the when healthy that's key.

It's best to forget anything that happened between 2007 and the end of 2013 besides the 2012 draft/trade period. We've just had our 4th trade and draft period and will be entering our 3rd year of a proper rebuild. We need to see results on field but it's way too early to panic in to try and pick every draft pick to fill holes.

Neither Brayshaw nor Petracca were that fit last year. Petracca certainly wasn't, he had more weight (mainly in muscle) than Oliver does and Brayshaw had done an ankle and had been off legs for a while after the end of his season. I think it's well and truly time for us to stash some draftees and let them develop more in the VFL but it wouldn't shock me if we have a few injuries and Oliver sneaks in to a forward pocket. Brayshaw wasn't meant to debut in round 1, they held him out of the NAB challege after a concussion but he was just too good for VFL footy.

The Toumpas comparisons with Parish are silly. In 3 or 4 preseasons and I actually think Parish after beginning his career on a wing or back flank will end up like Nathan Jones, despite coming from a completely different body shape and skill set. Our skipper is about 180cm, wins his share of ball at the contest, covers the ground and links up well and is an underrated kick on either foot. 3 or 4 preseasons from Clayton Oliver and he could be Luke Parker, even a Patty Dangerfield or a Jake Stringer (with a greater midfield v forward mix). I like the risk.

Give them a ruckman each, bounce it and see who gets more touches from the hitouts. Anyway, I don't really care. There's plenty of room for both. Just got to get Dom back on track and I'm confident he will be. I'm in no hurry to add Brayshaw, Petracca and Oliver to our centre square rotations on anything more than a casual basis. Jones and Vince, then Viney and Tyson and after that Vanders probably deserves first crack at some midfield minutes. If the youngsters are ready then we can always move Jones or Vince out. The Dogs did that this year with Boyd but we might be a year or two from that.

That's true, but the trade off even if they are average they usually get a second chance. Along with longer contracts the AFLPA should push for a greater pay scale for the early round picks. If they are good they get it though, play 22 games and you go close to earning 200k due to all the match payments. Play no games and you get 70k or whatever it is.

Clayton 'Clarry' 'The Hamburglar' Oliver. Love it.

The thing that makes me feel comfortable with Oliver is: - As a prospect he's really raw. Heaps to work on with the body and developing his game But - His production is there. It's not just half a season, it's most of the season, winning the league B+F, playing 2 solid VFL games. The bolter narrative is ridiculous. From those who watch TAC he's been well in the first round calculations for a large part of the year and just kept getting better and better. Then turned up to draft camp looking like an AFL footballer (or an 18 year old one).

I think the comparisons to Cripps - Draft bolter - Great inside - Tall and pale Are a bit lazy. Cripps is amazing at clearances. He's as good as any in the AFL. Oliver is a very good clearance mid at TAC but we don't know much else yet. Cripps is very good at accumulating the ball around the ground through work rate, but that's about all he does away from stoppages. I see agility, skills, marking (Cripps is a good mark due to his size, not for his size) and a burst of speed from Oliver that I rarely see from Cripps. I'm not saying he's as good as Cripps. We will be lucky if that's true. But I think he's much different to Cripps despite the similarities. Maybe a cleaner Dane Swan or a slower Dangerfield. There's a bit of Luke Parker about him and a bit of Robbie Gray.

This might be sacrilege or stupidity but I think he could be better than Jesse under a high ball/pack situation. Jesse is amazing one on one (or even one on two) and working an opponent over in space, plus down right brilliant for a tall for when the ball is on the deck and in contested situations. But he throws himself a bit wildly at pack situations. Weideman seems to have long arms and nice balance in the air. If he basis most of his game on Hogan and develops against men the same way (if not at the same astronomical rate) and is even 3/4's as good as Hogan at most things he'll be a gun. But his pack marking could be even a step above. His set shot routine at this stage is also much better!

Ran 12.4 beep test last week, so he might not be super fit but he is running. Has been running for a while actually.

Highlights video scene by scene: - Strong mark back with the flight - Gathers a clearance against 3, firm handball to the loose man - Positions well for a handball up, snaps a goal quickly under pressure - Marks a kick out 30m from goal, bursts and shimmies through to the middle of the ground, launches inside 50 on a quick breakaway - Clearance - Loose ball get, spots up a man inside 50 - Clearance - Clearance on the move, weave, snap goal - Contested mark - Loose ball get, step, left foot spot up kick - Contested mark inside 50, taking the ball at the highest point - Loose ball get, pause, laughs at opposition, runs round, kicks inside 50 that leads to a goal - Beastly tackle - Clearance - Handball receive, turns, trips, bounces up and handballs to a runner I'm at 2:06 and I've seen enough. Any more and I'll turn in to Osilik

It's an issue. But we are still in the early phase of rebuilding I think. So stack up on ball winners and talls and hard running smart footballers. We can trade or draft for a bit of speed once the base is established.