My elderly father lives with us. He is nearly blind, deaf, and barely ambulatory.

He watches the news on his ipad because he can’t see the TV very well.  Unfortunately, given his hearing that means the ipad is usually at full volume so we are forced to listen to it too.  He mainly watches/listens to CNN, MSNBC, and  FOX.

Prior to my father moving in, I hadn’t listened to main stream news in years, but if anyone thinks there is an appreciable difference between what passes for left wing and right wing news in this country, they should listen to the reporting on what’s happening in Gaza.  It is so blatantly pro-Israeli that I defy anyone to close their eyes and listen to the broadcasts  and tell me which news outlet they’re listening to.

zn wrote:

wv wrote:

A game like that — 158 yards — makes one start thinking about running-style ‘comparisons’. I watched K. Williams and tried to think of who he reminded me of in ‘that’ game and i thought of…..Emmitt Smith ? w v

He actually reminds me a bit of of Sony Michel. A smaller but smart, tough back with decent vision who does not have extra speed or elusiveness but who maximizes basic RB skills. He has enough physical talent but uses his head and sheer will to get more out of what he has. Wms. is a one hit and go gap-blocking runner who does not have the power of a power back or the magic in traffic of an elusive back or the raw speed and acceleration of a speed back–on most teams with premier backs he would be the #2, but a valuable one. That’s not a put down. He may be basic physically–certainly talent enough to play in the NFL, just not exceptional–but he is gifted at maximizing and getting the most out of what he does have, including things like reading blocks. If you listen to him talk about games, he has the same kind of knowledge of the game for his position that Kupp does as a receiver. He sees lanes but can’t make people miss and can’t run over guys, but he knows how to take what is there and has the mindset of a true gamer who sees and does all the little things that add up to him being a great opportunist. In fact he sees his opportunities quickly, and has great anticipation based on what he sees, but he’s never going to be the kind of back who creates second and third opportunities after he seizes the first one. If Dickerson had Williams’ head and mindset he would have been unstoppable. I don’t mean he’s a JAG. More like (an unlikely analogy) a Brady at RB. Brady didn’t have the arm, toughness, size, or magic of the qbs you automatically see can be special, but he processed more quickly than anyone else, and just wanted it more than most. So Wms. has enough strength, enough toughness, enough burst, enough quickness, enough vision–but his gift is to maximize all that by just willing it and processing fast, plus being an instinctive student of the game. In his own, different way I compare him to his favorite NFL back of all time–Steven Jackson. He may not be Jackson physically but he has #39’s will and instincts and smarts.

I completely agree. He is not a physically gifted RB, but he has good vision and anticipation.  He’s also short and runs low which makes it harder for defenders to find him in traffic. That and his abilities as a pass blocker and receiver make him a great fit in McVay’s offense.

I also sort of see wv’s Emmitt Smith analogy too.

wv wrote:

Well, we have no idea if Kupp is gonna be Kupp. Or half-Kupp. w v

If it’s half Kupp then the question becomes is Kupp half empty or half full? Of course how you answer that says more about you than it does about Kupp. An pessimist would say Kupp is half empty and an optimist would say Kupp is half full.

As a realist I say 4 oz of Kupp is better than 8 oz of just about anyone else.

Really happy for Stafford.  He deserved to win the way he gutted it out in the second half.

Hard not to like this team.  Yeah, they’re gritty but there’s more to them than that. They’re also talented.  This is a good roster.  It’s young, but it’s good.

They have a nice receiving corp that could be great when Kupp gets back.  They’ve fixed their o-line.  They have a good young secondary that will only get better with experience.  Barring injury this is a 10 win team.

They will be going into the off-season with few if any major holes, no dead money, and a first round pick.

Right now they are a legitimate playoff contender.  Next year they could be scary good.

I see Puka is listed as questionable this week and played last week with sore ribs.

Gotta wonder if he can survive an entire season getting so many touches a game.

I think not.   Kupp coming back in a couple weeks is the best thing that could happen to him.

Zooey wrote:

Who was it that became a Rams fan because of that electric football game? Anybody remember that? I thought that was Cappy.

Yeah that was me. Xmas of 71.  Rams vs Packers.  All the neighborhood kids became Rams fans because of that game but it only stuck permanently with me and my brother.

Zooey wrote:

nittany ram wrote:

Kupp and Robert Woods we’re the same guy, and that worked out ok for a few years.

I dunno about that. I think Woods’ was notable for his ability to find open space in crucial situations, and make those catches. The thing I see in Kupp and Nacua is the ability to create tight windows, fight for the ball, and then fight for extra yardage when it looks like the play is over. How do you see Woods and Kupp as similar?

Neither Kupp nor Woods are speedsters, but they get separation through precise route running.  Kupp takes that ability to another level.

When the Rams traded Woods, it wasn’t just because of the cap. Snead said they wanted someone with a different skill set because Kupp and Woods were similar players. Then they went after Robinson who had a different skill set – which turned out to be none.  The no skill set.  But in Snead’s defense, having no skills did set him apart from Kupp and Woods.

Zooey wrote:

InvaderRam wrote:

he and kupp should be dynamite together. if he’s supposedly playing the robert woods role. and cooper kupp will presumably play the uhhhh… cooper kupp role, they should complement each other instead of being redundant. that’s also very encouraging.

My concern – and it was expressed by Steven Smith – is that Kupp and Nacua are the same guy. Not complementary guys. But…I would think a good coach would be able to stress a defense with 2 guys who are that good. And maybe this is where Atwell actually gets to be the lightning.

Kupp and Robert Woods we’re the same guy, and that worked out ok for a few years.

I’m not using social media as much as I used to, and I certainly won’t be on Twitter anymore if Musk makes it a pay site.

Zooey wrote:

The #Rams have placed rookie QB Stetson Bennett on the reserve/NFI list, taking him off the active roster

Was Bennett or Rypien the backup to Stafford?

zn wrote:

He just made the claim that Joy Reid, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Shiela Jackson Lee and Michelle Obama “don’t have the brain processing power” to be taken really seriously. He then said, that they “had to go steal a white person’s slot (affirmative action) to go be taken somewhat seriously.”

Unsurprisingly Kirk’s limited ‘brain processing power’ prevents him from recognizing it in others.

Sucks that this sort of bigotry gets a forum.  Yeah I know, free speech huzzah…

My expectations are low for 2023.  I will  pray for a pox on San Francisco and look towards 2024.

I liked Slater’s story about Youngblood.

Unfortunately I can’t say the same about the new helmets…

Zooey wrote:

nittany ram wrote:

Beautiful garden, zn. I do perennials too. My dream is to someday make my entire backyard into a Japanese garden comprised of native plants.

If it’s made with native plants, it can’t really be Japanese, can it? Or have you moved to Japan?

It’s common knowledge that Vermont has been a Japanese possession since Emperor  Higashiyama purchased it from Chief Etow Oh Koam in 1709.

How is it possible to not know that? Were you sick the entire semester dedicated to Nippo-Mohican history in school?