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znModerator3D holographic projection of a whale. It is a photographic process that produces images using the differences between 2 lasers. These images are projected into a school gym using a special video camera. There is no water in the room, let alone a whale….enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxpMBRmYpcQ
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znModerator
znModeratorznModeratorTrump tells Iran ‘never, ever threaten’ U.S. or suffer consequences
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https://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKBN1KD0GK-OCATPWASHINGTON/ANKARA (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump told Iran it risked consequences “the like of which few throughout history have suffered before” if the Islamic Republic made more threats against the United States.
His words, spelled out in capital letters in a late night Twitter message, came hours after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told Trump that hostile policies toward Tehran could lead to “the mother of all wars.”
The heightened rhetoric follows the Trump administration’s launch of an offensive of speeches and online communications meant to foment unrest and pressure Iran to end its nuclear program and its support of militant groups, according to U.S. officials.
Iran has faced increased U.S. pressure and possible sanctions since Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from a 2015 international agreement over Iran’s nuclear program.
In his message directed at Rouhani, Trump wrote: “Never, ever threaten the United States again or you will suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before. We are no longer a country that will stand for your demented words of violence & death. Be cautious!”.
Earlier on Sunday, Rouhani had told a gathering of Iranian diplomats: “Mr Trump, don’t play with the lion’s tail, this would only lead to regret.”
“America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars,” said Rouhani, quoted by the state news agency IRNA.
Rouhani left open the possibility of peace between the two countries, at odds since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Rouhani also scoffed at Trump’s threat to halt Iranian oil exports and said Iran has a dominant position in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping waterway.
A senior commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards reacted to Trump’s threats by saying Tehran would continue to resist its enemies, Iran’s Students news Agency ISNA reported.
“We will never abandon our revolutionary beliefs…we will resist pressure from enemies…America wants nothing less than (to) destroy Iran … (but) Trump cannot do a damn thing against Iran,” Brigadier General Gholamhossein Gheybparvar said.
In a speech late on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denounced Iran’s leaders as a “mafia” and promised unspecified backing for Iranians unhappy with their government.
Tehran denounced Pompeo’s speech as an interference in Tehran’s affairs, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
“Such policies will unite Iranians who will overcome plots against their country,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said.
With popular discontent over Iran’s faltering economy and sliding currency, and the prospect of tough new U.S. sanctions, Iran’s leaders have called for unity.
Many ordinary Iranians are largely skeptical of the Trump administration’s support for Iranian citizens because of the harsh U.S. sanctions on the country and a visa ban imposed on Iranians barring them from entering the United States.
Rouhani’s apparent threat earlier this month to disrupt oil shipments from neighboring countries came in reaction to efforts by Washington to force all countries to stop buying Iranian oil.
Washington initially planned to shut Iran out of global oil markets completely after Trump abandoned the deal that limited Iran’s nuclear ambitions, demanding all other countries stop buying Iranian crude by November.
But the United States has somewhat eased its stance, saying it may grant sanction waivers to some allies that are particularly reliant on Iranian supplies.
Iran has threatened to block oil shipments from the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf if countries heed U.S. calls to stop buying Iranian oil under U.S. pressure.
July 23, 2018 at 8:51 am in reply to: Projections, rankings, previews, fantasy analysis, etc. (July) #88399znModeratorznModeratorMike Cahill@PFF_Cahill
In Jared Goff’s one playoff game he had four Big Time Throws. Of the 11 QBs to play in last year’s playoffs, only three of them had more than Goff (Brady, Foles, Brees). They had 28, 61, and 94 more attempts than he did, respectively. He also had zero Turnover-Worthy Throws===
The terms “Big Time Throws” and “Turnover-Worthy Throws” are right out of the PFF glossary. This is them on all that:
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https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-pff-qb-grading-most-effective-tool-there-is
What is a big-time throw?
In its simplest terms, a big-time throw is on the highest end of both difficulty and value. While the value is easy to see statistically, the difficulty has more to do with passes that have a lower completion percentage the further the ball is thrown down the field. Therefore, the big-time throw is best described as a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window.
The idea of the tight window can often bog people down as they ask, “Why do you want your quarterback to make riskier throws?” But it’s less about taking a risk and more about executing a pass that perhaps makes up for a deficiency on the offense. If a receiver can only create a tiny window of separation and the quarterback can put the ball in an optimum spot, he’s now created a big-play opportunity despite the receiver, not because of him. “Throwing receivers open” is a necessary skill at the NFL level, and big-time throws are just one way to capture it statistically. Sometimes difficult throws are necessary, because every offense will end up in unfavorable down-and-distance situations at times, and completing a regulation 3-yard out doesn’t help on 3rd-and-15.
Furthermore, we may see big-time throws under heavy pressure, turning a negative play into a positive, making a tight-window throw in the red zone where all passing windows are compressed, or perhaps throwing the beautiful 50-yard bomb down the field with good ball location. Hitting receivers #InStride is also important and more difficult to achieve the further the ball is thrown down the field. Well-thrown downfield passes that allow for further catch-and-run opportunities fall into the big-time throw category.
The levels of grading in the PFF system also allows for us to separate simple “catch opportunities” and “optimum throws.” Consider a 30-yard ‘go’ route where the receiver has one step of separation. A quarterback can complete that pass with varying degrees of ball location, either hitting him perfectly in stride, hitting him on his frame for an easy catch, or underthrowing it just enough that the defender can get back in the play, but with the receiver still having the advantage. Allowing the receiver to catch and run is the important part of this scenario to achieve the big-time throw, while simply throwing a “catchable” pass may earn a positive, but it’s a step below optimum ball location.
Tom Brady with #BigTimeThrows all over the place vs. the Steelers. Played better than the stat line showed pic.twitter.com/P00SW27PQQ
— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) December 19, 2017
[Side note: notice who Brady throws it to in that play. ]
What is a turnover-worthy play?
For quarterbacks, there are two ways to achieve a turnover-worthy play: throw a pass that has a high percentage chance to be intercepted or do a poor job of taking care of the ball and fumbling.
Let’s start with the coulda/woulda/shoulda interceptions. Remember, we’re isolating the quarterback’s play in the PFF system and his grade on a given play will encapsulate his decision, timing and accuracy for the throw. With that in mind, there will be many times in which a similar throw will net a different result. Misreading coverage and firing a pass to a linebacker will result in the same grade whether he catches it for an interception or not.
There are a couple more key points to remember with turnover-worthy plays:
There are different levels of turnover-worthy plays
Not all turnover-worthy plays are created equally, and much like with big-time throws, the PFF system is able to capture the various levels of these poor throws. There’s a difference between a pass that is late and allows a defender a clean break on the ball versus the clear misread that is thrown right to a defender to the even more egregious pass right to a defender that is the easiest of catchable interceptions. All of those examples are “turnover-worthy” but not only are they at different levels when evaluating the quarterback’s play, but they also vary in how often they occur.
Not all INT-opportunities or fumbles are turnover-worthy
We all know that not every interception is the quarterback’s fault, but even in the case of turnover-worthy plays, there may be interceptions that are considered downgrades for the quarterback, yet not turnover-worthy. Examples of plays in which the quarterback assumes some fault, yet they are still considered “unlucky” to have been intercepted, include passes with poor ball location that get deflected up in the air or overthrows that end up as interceptions on plays where they’d normally fall incomplete. We can rely on our 2017 quarterback data to know that downgradable throws from the quarterback that are not considered turnover-worthy were intercepted 2.4 percent of the time, so while the quarterback gets his proper deduction, it’s not in that turnover-worthy category if it happens to be picked. Of course, there are even clearer pictures that can be painted, whether it’s a dropped pass or even a positively graded throw that is tipped up and intercepted, the quarterback will receive proper credit for his part in the play.
As for fumbles, there are many degrees of blame when it comes to the quarterback. The first thing to note is the quirkiness of NFL rules where quarterbacks will receive the “fumble” stat on poor snaps by the center, missed handoffs, dropped pitch plays and other situations where there’s simply no clear-cut evidence that they are to blame for the play. All of those situations are graded properly for context in the PFF system, despite the fumble stat.
There are also strip-sacks that are unavoidable and mostly due to something in the pass protection and those are plays where the quarterback may be absolved of the turnover-worthy label. However, fumbles in which the quarterback has a clear chance to avoid the ball coming free will result in a heavy downgrade and it will go into the turnover-worthy play category, even if the ball is recovered by the offense. Recovering fumbles is more luck than skill, and the quarterback will receive the turnover-worthy downgrade for putting the ball in harm’s way.
Not all turnover-worthy plays become turnovers
As the previous chart shows us, not all turnover-worthy plays will become turnovers. Using 2017 data, throws graded -1.0 were intercepted 34.7 percent of time, throws graded -1.5 were intercepted 58.3 percent of the time, and throws graded -2.0 were intercepted 83.3 percent of the time. They all fit into the turnover-worthy category despite different levels of interception probability, but there is a clear difference between the turnover-worthy throws and the throws graded -0.5 that result in an interception only 2.4 percent of the time. Therefore, it’s fair to put turnover-worthy throws in their own category, despite 48.2 percent of all turnover-worthy throws resulting in interceptions.
But you’re grading “what-ifs”
No, we’re grading what happened, not what that resulted in. There’s no “what if” when a quarterback makes a clear misread, there’s simply a varied result on the other side of the play: interception or no interception. Staying consistent with the grading regardless of the result is the most important thing when isolating players for evaluation, and that will always be our goal at PFF.
znModeratorIn Jared Goff's one playoff game he had four Big Time Throws. Of the 11 QBs to play in last year's playoffs, only three of them had more than Goff (Brady, Foles, Brees). They had 28, 61, and 94 more attempts than he did, respectively. He also had zero Turnover-Worthy Throws #Rams
— Mike Cahill (@PFF_Cahill) July 22, 2018
znModeratorznModeratorKartje: For Todd Gurley and other top NFL backs, there are no guarantees
How Le’Veon Bell’s contract woes in Pittsburgh could impact the Ram star’s future
RYAN KARTJE
Last Monday, as the NFL’s franchise tag negotiations deadline came and went, Le’Veon Bell held his ground. For the second straight year, the Steelers and their transcendent, 26-year-old running back failed to agree on terms of a long-term contract.
Bell, with his 3,830 all-purpose yards over the past two seasons, wanted to be paid like a running back and receiver. The Steelers refused, offering no more than $10 million guaranteed.
So, again, Bell resigned himself to playing under the tag – this time, for a guaranteed $14.5 million – before entering unrestricted free agency in 2019. All signs point to this season being his last in black and yellow.
His restraint, with so much money on the table, was significant. In the bleak market Bell and other running backs currently face, he’s betting on himself. In reality, it was Bell’s only hope of securing the long-term deal he deserves.
Even so, it could be a tough sell in a league that increasingly views veteran running backs as expendable. Only three of the league’s top 11 rushers weren’t on rookie deals last season. Since the advent of the rookie wage scale in 2011, the market at the position has been steadily free falling, as most of the league’s best backs are stuck under comparatively cheap deals through the majority of their prime.
(Here’s how sad this situation has become: The six-year deal that former Rams running back Steven Jackson signed in 2008 would currently rank as the largest guaranteed contract for an NFL running back. That was a decade ago!)
Second contracts for running backs, when they are agreed upon, are never what they seem. Given the high turnover at the position, non-guaranteed money routinely goes uncollected, meaning total salary figures frequently mislead. DeMarco Murray, who retired this month after being cut by the Titans, barely collected half of the 4-year, $25.5 million contract he signed with Tennessee before the 2016 season.
In Bell’s case, the same may have proven true in Pittsburgh. The Steelers’ offer would have allowed them to cut ties after one year, saving $4.5 million they would’ve otherwise spent on the tag. If not this year, the team would have an exit strategy in each season that followed, with the assumption that Bell eventually wears down. Considering he led the NFL in total touches (406) last season and missed 14 of 32 games with injuries before that, it’s a reasonable concern.
Nonetheless, Bell’s decision to turn down a 5-year, $70 million offer, one that would’ve exceeded the current largest deal for an NFL running back by nearly $30 million, is certain to reverberate around the league. At a position where only four players are paid more than $7 million on average, Bell’s refusal is an about-face. Is the next class of elite, versatile backs worth more than what the position is paid right now? As Bell enters the open market, his next move will set a baseline for how the next generation of elite running backs will be paid.
to all my Steeler fans, my desire always has been to retire a Steeler…both sides worked extremely hard today to make that happen, but the NFL is a hard business at times…to the fans that had hope, I’m sorry we let youu down but trust me, 2018 will be my best season to date…
— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) July 16, 2018
“If I’m representing any of these top young running backs, I’m taking the position that the offer Le’Veon Bell turned down is a part of the marketplace,” says Joel Corry, a former agent and salary cap expert. “Teams don’t like to look at what’s being forecasted. They like to go on what’s already in existence. When he enters free agency, (Bell) is the litmus test.”
Across the country, one of those backs is already watching Bell’s situation from afar. Todd Gurley is still under contract in Los Angeles through 2019, the fifth year of his rookie deal. When asked directly about his contract future, Gurley has brushed off questions and refused to engage in the past.
But after a campaign in which he finished second in MVP voting and was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year, those questions are coming up more frequently. And since, Gurley has quietly signaled where he stands.
Last Tuesday, at the Gatorade Athlete of the Year Awards, Gurley was asked about Bell’s contract situation.
“I definitely stand behind him and definitely support him,” Gurley told the NFL Network. “I wanted him to get that long-term deal, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. He’s playing on the tag for the second time, which is not bad at all, but you know you just want that security. It’s definitely a sad situation for a guy to be a top-three back since he’s came into the league and put in the work and can’t even get the money that he deserves. Definitely a sad situation.”
Less than two weeks earlier, Gurley told a TMZ cameraman that a “lockout” might be the only way the NFL starts offering fully guaranteed contracts, which are commonplace in every other major sport, but basically non-existent in the NFL. At a camp in Santa Monica, he told the L.A. Times that NFL players were “just mad about NBA contracts right now, that’s all.”
No one should be more upset than NFL running backs, who, in spite of their perceived decline in value, still shoulder a significant load on most offenses across the league.
Gurley’s transcendent 2017 season was an ideal example. While he accounted for 36 percent of the Rams total offensive yards and 42 percent of the touchdowns the team scored in 2017, Gurley, at $3.769 million, cost just 2.3 percent of the Rams’ salary cap. In 2018, that raises to just 2.5 percent.
He’s worth far more than that in L.A.. As is Bell in Pittsburgh. It’s the latter, though, who will set the precedent next offseason – along with Cardinals all-purpose back David Johnson, who will also be an unrestricted free agent.
Both will be pushing for as much guaranteed money as possible. How far they’re willing to go will set a baseline for what Gurley will demand after.
As Gurley continues to ascend in Sean McVay’s offense, those demands will only grow. In all likelihood, he’ll be looking to reset the market at the position. But with so many other negotiations to juggle until then, it’s hard to know what the Rams will be capable of offering.
Decisions will need to be made on Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh and Marcus Peters, to name a few. A huge chunk of cap space will need to be earmarked for Jared Goff’s extension a year after Gurley. With so many variables, it’s not unreasonable to think Gurley could find himself in the same spot Bell is now, with a decision to make on his future.
For now, there’s no need to worry. Gurley is in the middle of his prime, the most marketable player on a team that’s not exactly heavy on starpower. Thanks to a one-year rain delay, Gurley’s rookie contract expires just before the Rams are set to open their new stadium in Inglewood. And for sales purposes, letting your star walk ahead of the big stadium move isn’t exactly great for business.
Plenty can happen before then. But with Bell’s refusal, the first courageous move in correcting the running back market has finally been made. And for that, Gurley and the rest of the league’s top running backs should be eternally grateful.
znModeratorRams training camp primer: Aaron Donald likely to be missing as team reports https://t.co/Wm20jxWvGJ
— O.C. Register (@ocregister) July 22, 2018
July 22, 2018 at 6:28 pm in reply to: Projections, rankings, previews, fantasy analysis, etc. (July) #88388znModeratorfrom NFL Future Power Rankings: Projecting the next three seasons
Louis Riddick, Mike Sando and Field Yates
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[Note: 1-6 are Eagles, Patz, Saints, Vikes, Steelers, & Falcons]
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Why they’re here: When your quarterback is an established player but still on a rookie contract, it’s time to strike. The Rams have done exactly that, acquiring a litany of Pro Bowl-caliber talent this offseason to augment a roster already filled with dominant players such as Aaron Donald and Todd Gurley. Coach Sean McVay will soon establish himself as one of the league’s best (he’s rapidly on the track), which matters in a major way, as finding a way to fit all of the top-tier talent under the salary cap will be a chore for L.A. — Yates
Biggest worry: Rarely do all-in approaches to unrestricted free agency turn out the way you plan them when it comes to professional football. Having personally been through this kind of thing, I speak from experience. McVay will have to be the best version of himself in order to handle a roster that has some of the most “explosive” personalities in the NFL on it, particularly on defense, and I don’t mean that in a universally good way. If the Rams win early and often, all will be well. If they start to lose and expectations are not met, this could turn very ugly in a hurry. — Riddick
What could change for the better: It’s hard to envision the Rams being better in actuality than they appear on paper after collecting high-profile veterans such as Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib, Ndamukong Suh and Brandin Cooks. But if the Rams are to outperform already high expectations, it’ll likely be because quarterback Jared Goff takes another giant step forward in his development. Goff does seem to have the talent to make that happen. — Sando
znModeratorLe’Veon Bell accounted for more than 30% of Pittsburgh’s offense over the last two seasons, yet both sides cannot agree on a long-term contract. What does this mean for the next generation of RBs? https://t.co/hyHFmbsJlq
— The MMQB (@theMMQB) July 22, 2018
July 22, 2018 at 3:48 pm in reply to: tweets …. 7/21 & 7/22 … (Gruden hesitant to sign Mack?) #88382znModeratorCheck out the world’s most valuable sports teams of 2018. Did your favorite make the list?https://t.co/xEAjfdeoao pic.twitter.com/mmJibsBX9J
— Forbes (@Forbes) July 22, 2018
July 22, 2018 at 2:11 pm in reply to: tweets …. 7/21 & 7/22 … (Gruden hesitant to sign Mack?) #88381znModeratorJon Gruden promises Raiders fans that he'll find a way to get Khalil Mack into camp https://t.co/G4yeMf69wX pic.twitter.com/3tILWh3cKT
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) July 22, 2018
July 22, 2018 at 2:10 pm in reply to: tweets …. 7/21 & 7/22 … (Gruden hesitant to sign Mack?) #88380znModeratorThe Benson family feud that blew up the Saints was only the most public succession struggle inside the NFL’s family-run teams. @jon_wertheim on why they’re a major headache for the league in an era of soaring franchise values and intense public scrutinyhttps://t.co/Dmc8gr67oJ pic.twitter.com/lMh8BTRxkz
— The MMQB (@theMMQB) July 22, 2018
znModeratorIan Hartitz@Ihartitz
Todd Gurley out of the backfield is borderline erotic.July 22, 2018 at 1:59 pm in reply to: tweets …. 7/21 & 7/22 … (Gruden hesitant to sign Mack?) #88378znModeratorWith deep regret the Minnesota Vikings announce that Offensive Line Coach Tony Sparano unexpectedly passed away early this morning.https://t.co/AEjLksRoUp pic.twitter.com/sCJtnEvCVA
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) July 22, 2018
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Vikings offensive line coach Tony Sparano, a former head coach of the Dolphins and Raiders, has died at the age of 56 https://t.co/meVi3BPId8
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) July 22, 2018
znModeratorznModeratorSanders’ wing of the party terrifies moderate Dems. Here’s how they plan to stop it.
Party members and fundraisers gathered for an invitation-only event to figure out how to counteract the rising progressive movement.COLUMBUS, Ohio — If Bernie Sanders is leading a leftist political revolt, then a summit here of moderate Democrats might be the start of a counterrevolution.
While the energy and momentum is with progressives these days — the victory of rising star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York, buzz about Democratic Socialism and the spread of the “Abolish Ice!” movement are a few recent examples — moderates are warning that ignoring them will lead the party to disaster in the midterm elections and the 2020 presidential contest.
That anxiety has largely been kept to a whisper among the party’s moderates and big donors, with some of the major fundraisers pressing operatives on what can be done to stop the Vermonter if he runs for the White House again.
But the first-ever “Opportunity 2020” convention, organized here last week by Third Way, a moderate Democratic think tank, gave middle-of-the-road party members a safe space to come together and voice their concerns.
“The only narrative that has been articulated in the Democratic Party over the past two years is the one from the left,” former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell told NBC News.
“I think we need a debate within the party,” he added. “Frankly, it would have been better to start the conversation earlier.”
Pragmatism may be a tougher sell in the Donald Trump-era, but with the 2020 presidential race just around the corner, moderate Democrats know they are running out of time to reassert themselves.
The gathering here was just that — an effort to offer an attractive alternative to the rising Sanders-style populist left in the upcoming presidential race. Where progressives see a rare opportunity to capitalize on an energized Democratic base, moderates see a better chance to win over Republicans turned off by Trump.
The fact that a billionaire real estate developer, Winston Fisher, co-cohosted the event and addressed attendees twice underscored that this group is not interested in the class warfare vilifying the “millionaires and billionaires” found in Sanders’ stump speech.
“You’re not going to make me hate somebody just because they’re rich. I want to be rich!” Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, a potential presidential candidate, said Friday to laughs.
The invitation-only gathering brought together about 250 Democratic insiders from key swing states. Third Way unveiled the results of focus groups and polling that it says shows Americans are more receptive to an economic message built on “opportunity” rather than the left’s message about inequality.
“Once again, the time has come to mend, but not end, capitalism for a new era,” said Third Way President Jon Cowan.
For the left, Third Way represents the Wall Street-wing of the party and everything wrong with the donor-driven wet blanketism they’ve been trying exorcise since 2016. Thom Hartmann, a liberal talk radio host and Sanders friend, once called the group’s warning about Sanders “probably the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard,” before ticking through all the investment bankers on Third Way’s board.
But some elected officials in relatively conservative areas say progressives are clueless about what their agenda would mean for Democrats outside major cities and the coasts.
“We will be a permanent minority party in this country,” said Iowa state Sen. Jeff Danielson, a firefighter who represents an area that saw one of the biggest swings from Barack Obama to Trump during the 2016 election.
Single-payer, government-run health care may be a popular party plank in New York City, where Ocascio-Cortez, a Democratic Socialist, recently won a high-profile primary, Danielson said, adding, “But it does not work in the rest of America … and I’m tired of losing.”
Moderates said they feel they’re being drowned out by louder voices on the left.
Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., a member of House Democratic leadership who represents a district Trump won, invoked Richard Nixon’s “silent majority.”
“If you look throughout the heartland, there’s a silent majority who just wants normalcy. Who wants to see that people are going out to Washington to fight for them in a civil way and get something done,” she told reporters.
“There’s a lot of people that just don’t really like protests and don’t like yelling and screaming,” she added.
And they worry the angry left will cost Democrats a rare chance to win over those kind of voters, including Republicans who no longer want to part of Trump’s GOP.
“Republicans have chosen the far-right, which means that they have ceded a good portion of the middle of the road,” said former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who is considering a presidential run. “The Democrats, in my opinion, would make a big mistake if they decide to run a base election and just say, ‘Our base is bigger than your base.'”
With much of the recent policy innovation on the Democratic side been happening on the left, the “Opportunity Agenda” unveiled here tries to equip moderates with their own big ideas.
Some of the key initiatives are a massive apprenticeship program to train workers, a privatized employer-funded universal pension that would supplement Social Security and an overhaul of unemployment insurance to include skills training. Other proposals included a “small business bill of rights” and the creation of a “BoomerCorps” — like the volunteer AmericaCorps for seniors.
Meanwhile, they say the progressive agenda is out of date. They dismiss, for instance, a federal jobs guarantee as a rehash of the New Deal.
“Our ideas must be bold, but they must also fit the age we are in,” Cowan said. “Big isn’t enough. If it’s bold and old — it’s simply old.”
Matt Bennett, Third Way’s senior vice president for public affairs, acknowledges that Sanders “had a big head start.”
Many of the party’s biggest stars like — Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Cory Booker of New Jersey —have already signed on to Sanders-backed policies like single-payer health care. But Bennett said he thinks they’ll reconsider when they examine the details. “I think they were a little hasty,” he said.
Notably, the proposed moderate agenda does not take issue with the party’s broad consensus in favor of abortion rights, LGBT equality, stricter gun control and support for immigrants and a path to citizenship for the undocumented.
In a twist, the agenda is based largely geography, rather than class or race, which are more popular on the left. It focuses on trying to address the fact that cities are thriving as rural areas fall behind.
Clinton was pilloried earlier this year for bragging that she “won the places that are optimistic, diverse, dynamic, moving forward,” but Democratic losses in the rest of America have been politically disastrous for the party.
The difficulty will be selling this approach in the Democratic presidential primary to a base that has seemed to move in the opposite direction.
Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the chair of the New Democrat Coalition, said his side is not “naturally arbiters of emotion and anger.”
“How we tell our story and put forward our polices in a way that makes people want to mount the barricades is one of the biggest challenges we have,” said Himes, a former Goldman Sachs banker who represents Fairfield, Connecticut.
He pointed to calls to “Abolish ICE,” for instance, which he characterized as emotionally understandable but politically illogical.
“It hurts us in areas where we need to win,” Himes warned of “Abolish ICE” in the midterms. “You have now made life harder for the 60 or 70 Democrats fighting in districts where we need to win if we ever want to be in the majority.”
“We’re going to figure it out, though,” he added, looking down at his tie printed with little blue waves. “We’re going to figure it out.”
znModeratorznModeratorJuly 22, 2018 at 8:25 am in reply to: compare these 2 statements about Donald's contract situation #88373znModeratorThe thing is the tag situation could get messy cause it could easily lead to this: AD just sits out and demands a trade, and if the Rams don’t trade him, they still have the tag amount counting against the cap and don’t have HIM and don’t get anything for him. So I see a trade in that situation as likely, if it even gets to that.
He lost an accrued year with last seasons holdout loses another on if he’s not in camp by Aug 7 the Rams can keep him with the tag through 2022 so Donald has a lot to lose as well. I think he gets signed soon but just trying to imagine a trade it’s hard to conceptualize what that would look like
Well the tag goes up every year.
Since the tag is such a lowball compared to (the assumed range of) what he’s worth, he can sit out and demand to be traded. He counts against the cap doing that. I don’t think he would care about losing money sitting out–on year one of the tag that would make 6 years of being badly underpaid for what he is, with the Rams basically insisting he waste his prime on lowball tags. If he sat out, in that situation I just think the Rams would just be forced to trade him. In fact name the last time a name player demanded to be traded and wasn’t.
And as I said he’s reporting this year deal or no deal.
Plus I am inclined to think the hang-up is the Rams not Donald. I am leaning toward the “sticker shock” interpretation.
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July 21, 2018 at 10:04 pm in reply to: tweets …. 7/21 & 7/22 … (Gruden hesitant to sign Mack?) #88371znModerator“I don’t know why they’re kneeling,” says Lou Holtz, who apparently missed the one trillion times players explained why they are kneeling. https://t.co/B34PwqoOVP
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) July 21, 2018
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Giants' Steve Tisch blasts Donald Trump on NFL national anthem protests: 'He has no understanding of why they take a knee' https://t.co/2XeCRwqhtN pic.twitter.com/u42YQIhcol
— NJ.com (@njdotcom) July 21, 2018
znModeratorI will just list some prominent ones. Psycho, Vertigo, Chinatown, Planet of the Apes, The Sixth Sense, Get Out, Donnie Darko, Soylent Green, Usual Suspects.
I am kind of partial to Chinatown myself. The entire plot is confusing until you realize this:
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znModeratorListen I’ve said this for a year now: NOT ALL COACHES ARE CREATED EQUAL—but this may be just a human being not created equal type thing. This is fascinating stuff for anyone let’s alone a sports fan https://t.co/Q32nDBXe9b
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) July 21, 2018
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During an interview with Bryant Gumbel of HBO’s Real Sports, the 32-year-old coach showed off his incredible memory:
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znModerator<span class=”d4pbbc-font-color” style=”color: blue”>I think Gurley is more valuable than Cooks. Will I pay him $16 million per year? I will have to wait and see when the time comes.</span>
I am just not sure they can afford that. So if you figure by 2020 it’s Donald 23 M, Goff 30 M, Cooks 16 M, Peters 15 M, that’s already 84 M. Add another 16 M to that and it’s 100 M. That would leave 20 M for 2-3 more top contracts.
znModeratorfrom: https://overthecap.com/camp-holdouts-seeking-second-nfl-contract-not-successful/
Aaron Donald (Rams): 2018 Salary Cap Charge: $6,892,000
% of 2018 Team Cap: 3.85%
7/49 at 34DE
Fully Guaranteed Money: $6,892,000 – Fifth Year Option
Age – 27
Rams Cap Space: $2,206,614
It is not an exaggeration to say that if Aaron Donald ends up playing for his fifth-year option amount of $6,892,000 in 2018 it may be one of the more underpaid seasons for a premier player in NFL history following the standard four-year rookie deal (more on this later). The fifth-year option for a first-rounder outside of the top ten is calculated by taking the average of the 3rd through 25th highest salaries at the player’s position, in this case defensive tackle. Coming off Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2017, it still does not appear that Donald is going to receive the payday he deserves.
The Rams front office have shown with several offseason moves that they are certainly aware of how good they have it with Donald right now, and that they must capitalize before he gets a likely record-setting deal. With only 3.85% of the 2018 Team Cap allocated to Donald, and with Jared Goff, Todd Gurley and Marcus Peters still playing on their rookie deals, the Rams have gone all-in for 2018. The trade for cornerback Aqib Talib, who is set to make $8 million this season, bolsters a secondary that was exposed at times last year. The acquisition of Ndamukong Suh on a one year, $14 million deal creates one of the scariest defensive tackle combos of all time. The franchise tagging of Lamarcus Joyner to avoid negotiating a big, long-term payday for now… I could keep going. All of this is possible because of Donald’s fifth-year option.
Donald deserves a monster contract, a fact he is keenly aware of, but he may have to forego getting it now for a very legitimate chance at a Super Bowl ring instead. There is not much money left to dish out in LA at this point.
znModeratorBucky Brooks
Explaining the Rams’ decision to immediately lock up Cooks.
Much to the surprise of Rams fans patiently waiting for the team to lock up reigning Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald on a blockbuster deal, Los Angeles just inked newcomer Brandin Cooks to a five-year, $81 million contract extension before he’s even taken a snap for the team.
“Brandin Cooks has shown himself to be a class act on and off the field since the first day he joined our team,” head coach Sean McVay said in a statement. “He’s a proven professional in this league and signing him to a long-term contract was always our goal.”
Wow!
My surprise isn’t a dismissal of Cooks’ talents as a frontline receiver, but I’m a little shocked his new team made such a hefty commitment before his debut season in L.A. Despite racking up three 1,000-yard campaigns and 27 touchdowns — while averaging 14.1 yards per catch — during his first four NFL seasons, Cooks hasn’t put up a yard for the Rams. We aren’t exactly sure how he’ll fit into this scheme, which has already posted big numbers without a household name on the perimeter. Now, that’s not a slight to Robert Woods or Cooper Kupp, but neither is necessarily regarded as an A-level playmaker. The team’s passing game is more systematic than player-driven.
That said, the system does call for a speed receiver with fine route-running ability and catch-and-run skills. After Sammy Watkins’ departure, the team needed a long-term solution in this area. That’s ultimately why the Rams valued Cooks at a premium, despite only having seen him perform in offseason workouts.
“Cooks is a more complete player than Watkins,” a Rams official told me. “He is a better route runner and he has a little more position flexibility. … He gives us an opportunity to create more mismatches on the perimeter. That should lead to more points.”
To that point, Cooks has been miscast by some observers as a one-trick (field-stretching) pony. When I look at the tape, I see a legitimate WR1 with big-time playmaking ability in an offensive scheme with a history of elevating playmakers (see: DeSean Jackson under McVay in Washington). Cooks has 20 receptions of 40-plus yards in his brief career, including 18 over the past three seasons. That’s the kind of production that catches defensive coordinators’ attention and leads to fewer defenders in the box. Great news for Todd Gurley. In addition, Cooks’ presence on the perimeter should prevent opponents from squeezing Woods and Kupp with exotic coverage tactics. This will enable Jared Goff to continue stringing together completions on easy throws to his No. 2 and No. 3 receivers at short and intermediate range.
But how do the Rams plan to negotiate with Gurley and Donald after tossing this chunk o’ change at Cooks? Well, remember, the Rams have a Pro Bowl quarterback playing on a cheap rookie deal, which frees up significant cap dollars to lock up emerging stars on the team.
As the Rams look to dominate the NFC with their version of the “Big Three” (Goff, Gurley and Cooks), the decision to immediately lock up their new pass catcher could prove to be quite a wise investment when we look back at the move in a few years.
July 21, 2018 at 10:25 am in reply to: tweets …. 7/21 & 7/22 … (Gruden hesitant to sign Mack?) #88346znModeratorPretty incredible: #Browns record is 20-76 since Jimmy Haslam took over as owner in 2012 with 6 straight 4th-place AFC North finishes & 3 coaching fires in 6 years. Yet value of #Browns franchise has nearly doubled in that span: https://t.co/6wgtdJQXXJ
— Evan Silva (@evansilva) July 20, 2018
July 21, 2018 at 10:23 am in reply to: tweets …. 7/21 & 7/22 … (Gruden hesitant to sign Mack?) #88345znModeratorFOA tidbit: the Seahawks had 4 (!) offensive linemen rank in the bottom 10 in their position in snaps per blown block (Ifedi, Odhiambo, Joeckel, Pocic). That's remarkable
— Ben Baldwin (@benbbaldwin) July 20, 2018
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