DeeSpencer

Packers Panthers Raiders

For depth players Newton is an above average ball user and a decent enough ball winner. Michie is an above average ball winner and a decent enough user. But both of them have below average speed and endurance. Both are now 23. It's crunch time this preseason for them and if they have that Daniel Cross desire to give it all they might surprise us next year. If they don't then they'll be decent enough depth.

If your recruiters and most other recruiters are saying it's not a strong draft it's a bit silly to ignore the advice on the hope that they will find the diamond in the rough. It's a bit silly to ask a recruiter to use a pick they don't want to use. The recruiters said that the 2010 and 2011 drafts would be shallow due to GC and GWS. They said the 2006 draft would be full of great talls They said the 2012 draft would be pretty consistent in to the 2nd round and tail off after the first 40 picks All those look to be true. It can become a self fulfilling prophecy with clubs taking less live picks but I'd be inclined to believe the recruiters on this one. Watching Vic Metro in the carnival the lack of stand out talent was alarming and Metro produce a heave portion of the players from the draft most years. If the kids just aren't there it's going to impact the overall strength.

I don't see how Melksham helps fix our depth. He might help give us more competition for spots next year but depth is a long term issue that requires long term solutions. You have to keep drafting and developing well for years to get a good squad of players which then provides depth. If we are giving up anything more valuable than a 3rd round pick for Melksham, and the contract indicates we might be keen to do that, then we need Melksham to be part of the best 22 and a consistent player who has the skills to feature in a finals team. If we wanted depth for depth sake we could pursue delisted players or late round pick trades.

I thought the Steelers might be ok without Ben for 4 weeks, but vs Ravens, at Chargers, vs Cardinals at Chiefs is absolutely brutal. Then when he gets back it's SeaHawks, Colts and Denver (plus Oakland) and Divisional games to finish the year. They'll need to win at least 1 if not 2 of the 4 (if it is 4 weeks) to keep on pace.

Bears season is done so tossing up between the Bengals and Bills for my new AFC team to support for the rest of the year. That said holding the Seahawks to 6 at half time is a big step forward for the bears dreadful defense. Tank well enough and get a new QB and maybe we might turn it around quickly. Rebuilding in the NFL is even scarier than rebuilding in the AFL! Thinking of having a sneaky bet on the cardinals to win the AFC West. They haven't beaten much but are red hot right now and they seem a well balanced team.

I with titan. Colts Steelers Broncos Trying to stick with my theory of backing the best QB's to get it done on the road. But also worried that Luck and Manning might not be the best QB's right now!

He's at that age that players sometimes stagnate as expectation outweighs production and a new club can really benefit them. Remember how much Nath Jones was floundering under Bailey, reduced to being a tagger and not using the ball well at all. A coaching change and big preseason later he was our best player. That's the best result with Melksham and might not happen but it is possible he improves quickly. Personally I think the team would improve quicker with a more natural outside mid or half back than another depth midfielder who probably needs to play in the centre square to be at his best. But with the interchange cap dropping adding depth isn't a bad idea. Adding another mature mid might send the message that we aren't a young side any more and expectations are real. Having a deeper midfield rotation might also facilitate better development conditions for our youngsters playing forward and back.

I think it will be the white O linemen (not to make this a race thing they just happen to be white!) that will hurt Kelly. They had an amazing running game and he got rid of the 2 guards in Mathis and Herremans who powered a lot of that run game. And now they are spending money on expensive running backs who can't make any running yards because the line isn't blocking for them. And then the QB can't complete deep passes (partly because he's not great) because he's worried about getting sacked. You can't have everything in the NFL and be under the salary cap but I'd rather have a good O line and average running backs with 1 or 2 receiving weapons than a bad o line and whatever backs or receivers you want. Then you at least get a running game and from there you can help your defense.

As for the Bears. Well, it's a dumpster fire. I hope they keep pouring petrol on and ride out a lowly season to the number 1 pick. Tanking baby! It might work in the NFL if you're LUCK-y. The defense just can't make a play. No sacks. Dreadful secondary. Confused LB's. They aren't as bad as last year yet but they aren't much better and things probably won't improve for the rest of the year unless the D line which actually has some level of talent can make some plays. Cutler is spending most of the time being highly efficient and capable before throwing the costly pick. No bears fan will be disappointed if he's out, even if he gets unfairly blamed for every thing he just makes the killer mistakes all too consistently.

It's the American equivalent of liking Collingwood but I was very high on the Cowboys this year. For some reason I've gone from loathing Jerry Jones, Garrett and Romo to respecting the way they back each other. Will always be a fan of Marinelli's defense. So now I'm a bit sad that their season might be in big trouble. I wouldn't give up on the Eagles yet. Bradford's missed so much time it's going to take him a while to get to whatever his best might be (even if that's rubbish). The one thing I haven't liked with the Eagles is the way Chip has weakened what was a great O Line 2 years ago. I get him letting skill position players go and changing up the defense but if you have a great O Line and play hurry up running offense then why would you wreck that by not paying guys? Good to see the Bucs, Browns and Raiders (costing me the tip) bounce back with wins. 3 young QB's with interesting futures.

Arizona Baltimore Edit: Late change at 1am. Going for Atlanta for the 3rd tip.

His lack of progress this year has frustrated me. Freo seem reluctant to pinch hit him in the ruck and/or play him Pav and 2nd ruck. He'd probably still be part of their future alongside McCarthy. Michael Apeness is a 201cm ruck/forward who I'd be keen on of the Freo back ups.

If we have to give out 4 year deals to attract mediocre players then I'd rather we kept Toumpas, Watts, Garland and Howe. There's no point having a bunch of 2nd or 3rd picks if you can't deal them for anyone and the draft isn't good.

Was just reading a bit of Port discussion about him. A fair few Port fans seem to favour the other tall forward they've delisted in Mitch Harvey. Similar build. Similar concerns over lack of athleticism. I'd consider both for a rookie spot.

Presumably Viney, the coaches and recruiting staff evaluate players. Mahoney helps grade the finances. 400k isn't excessive. The AFL player earns 340 and in 4 years time 400k with be basement rates. But someone has to be responsible for the 4 year deal and whatever we trade (likely overs) and they better realise they are putting their balls on the line.

So I watched his highlights. His TAC grand final highlights (in a game featuring Prestia, Wallace, Libba, Mega-head on his side and Parker, Casboult for Dandy). And the cut of his 2013 Essendon made for their B+F Pro's: Burst speed and cat like agility Solid left foot Seems to cover the ground Can leap at the ball and mark when out in space Cons: Bad decisions under pressure Kicking goes astray under heat Tentative in some contests I do think there's a role for him as part of the midfield mix, especially as he brings a burst of speed that some of our mids don't. But if we expect him to help our ball movement at all then we are kidding ourselves. He can win a bit of the ball, tag a speedy opponent and cover some ground. It's going to take drafting or some different trades to find more skilled players to move the footy.

If we are going to pay him so much maybe we can walk him in to the PSD. Would Carl/Bris/GC/Ess/StKilda give out the 4 year 1.6 mil deal for him? 3rd round pick or lets find out.

1/2 Bancroft and Burns 3 - Smith 4 - Khawaja 5 - Voges 6 - M Marsh 7 - Nevill 8 - O'Keefe 9 - Starc 10 - Siddle 11 - Lyon

AUSTRALIA SQUAD FOR QANTAS TOUR OF BANGLADESH Steve Smith ©, Adam Voges (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Patrick Cummins, Andrew Fekete, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Nevill, Stephen O’Keefe, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc Interesting squad. 10 thoughts: 1. Nathan Lyon stiff not to be VC 2. Just the one keeper, selectors seem confident in Nevill 3. Usman is back 4. Shaun Marsh never dies 5. Johnson rightfully rested 6. Maxwell and O'Keffe are both interesting players, batting allrounder, bowling allrounder 7. Bancroft and Burns the first youngsters to get a chance 8. Not sure what to make of Cummins, I really think he needs to play first class cricket before his next test cap 9. Shocked that Fekete gets the nod over Sandhu 10. No Agar, shame, still think he has a future as a test spinner, just in the long term not short

I can understand clock management mistakes from some players but they are inexcusable for coaches and for starting QB's on 20 mil a year. Didn't matter if they ran or passed, all Eli had to do was take a sack instead of throwing it away. I guess that's easier if you run the ball and takes out the problem. But feeding in 2 plays and allowing Eli to run the correct one based on the coverage and seeing if he gets an open receiver makes some sense to me. I have no idea how much they can communicate via the QB headsets but the coach really had to say 'if there's no one open then take the sack' and Eli had to know that anyway.

Forgot all about tipping! Damn. Would've certainly gone GB and liked Miami and Carolina as well. Oh well. Everyones an expert in hindsight. Better start remembering for next week. Watching the highlights now, Bears did enough to show they might at least be a physical football team this year. Definite rebuild on the cards needing to draft most of a new secondary and eventually make the big call on a QB. But hopefully in the mean time we win some games. That or finish dead last and get the first pick. The same old story shaping up in the AFC I think. NE, Denver, Ravens.... Steelers don't write off San Diego. Teams with the best QB's. The Colts still way too reliant on Luck but also still in the weakest division unless....Mariota can keep having 4 touch down games. Bucs fans wouldn't be happy right now. Fix that leaky run defense and the Packers will be favourites for the NFC but I feel it's probably more wide open than the AFC if Seattle's struggles, particularly with the O Line continue. Although if your O Line is your weakness the Rams aren't a fair guide.

If the bombers have offered him a 2 year deal then we'd have to do the same and I'm not too keen on that. If he gets delisted he'd probably be better than most and worth a shot at taking one of the last spots on the list. A benefit of having AFL level fit and semi skilled (ie he can kick a reliable drop punt) player finishing off the list compared to a late pick in a bad draft is probably reasonable. He's the kind of player you consider late in trade week not in early September.

He's very ordinary and doesn't have a fixed position. Too short for a 2nd ruck, too slow for a key defender, not agile enough for a midfielder.

FB: Garland Dunn Jetta HB: Salem McDonald Stretch C: Toumpas Jones Watts HF: Vanders Hogan Kent FF: Brayshaw Pedersen Garlett Foll: Gawn Vince Viney Int: Tyson Newton Lumumba Petracca Back: Frost, Grimes, O Mc Mids: Michie, ANB, M Jones, Trengove Fwds: Harmes, Dawes, JKH Ruck: Spencer Extend as Rookies; White, King Promote: Harmes, Vanders Delist: Jamar, McKenzie, Hunt, Bail, Riley, Fitzpatrick, Cross, Terlich Trade: Howe – pick 15-25 or equivalent player Out: 9 In: Draft: 1, 2, 2, 3, 4/PSD DLFA Rookie: 1, 2, 3 Matt Jones is very lucky, he could easily be delisted or dropped back to the rookie list. Hunt I think has to be delisted and should train on with the club in search of a rookie spot. We shouldn't be afraid to carry more than the 4 rookies this year, we should in fact aim for the 6. If the draft is weak then just use the valuable picks in the first 3 rounds and stock up on rookie spots. Especially if we are keen on guys as depth talls. I'd certainly explore the trade and free agency markets but I still think the draft is our best shot at finding the skillful hard running players we need whilst experience or role playing types can be brought cheaply.