stlramz

It has to be self defense. Otherwise the Cops are facing an “excessive use of force action” by tasing the guy fighting with Dunbar.

You can’t tase a guy that is defending himself.

Since tasing is only allowed to stop an aggressor basically from injuring himself or others, the police and Dunbar’s story will essentially have to match up.

That’s always a good place to be when you are defending someone.

According to the police reports, Dunbar told arresting officers he was just defending himself.

The arrest affidavits indicated that the defendants (Dunbar and the Greene brothers) were involved in a verbal altercation as they left the Club Dream. Club security and several patrons attempted to keep the parties from fighting by holding them apart.

But a short time later, the three started brawling just south of the club entrance. As Dunbar and Dmetrique were exchanging punches, Donte approached Dunbar from behind and began to punch Dunbar in the head and neck area.
”

If the “three started fighting” with one positioning from behind to later attack, no problem.

2 on 1 = Self Defense.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by zn.

Guardians of the Galaxy Review: Super Sounds of the 70s

James Gunn’s superhero space opera is an old story with a fresh new vibe.

July 25th, 2014 William Bibbiani

http://www.craveonline.com/film/reviews/731209

It doesn’t take long for the new Marvel Studios movie to take us to a desolate wasteland in the far reaches out of outer space and turn into a one-man musical performance of a 1974 pop hit. That’s Guardian of the Galaxy for you: an ecstatic celebration of all the conventional sci-fi tropes, told in a completely unconventional way. It’s full of unforgettable characters and unforgettable dick jokes. It’s Star Wars as told by a lovable a-hole.

And a talented a-hole: Guardians of the Galaxy was directed and co-written by James Gunn, who cut his teeth writing the indie pukefest Tromeo & Juliet and went on give us the kindhearted superhero satire The Specials and the mean-hearted superhero satire Super. In between he contributed to scripts for such formulaic genre flicks as Scooby-Doo and 13 Ghosts. He’s developed a singular storytelling style through experience in the mainstream, the outré, the classical and the nerdy, and he’s combined all of these elements into a single blockbuster experience that plays the same game as all of its brainless competitors but does so with grace and wit and, again, some great dick jokes.

That’s the precise and eclectic résumé necessary to bring Guardians of the Galaxy to the big screen, since unlike Marvel’s Golden and Silver Age creations – which were dramatically satisfying and mostly obvious metaphors (“Can’t control your rage? You’re kind of a hulk!”) – the middle years of the publisher’s sprawling comic book universe were full of a lot of attention-grabbing nonsense. There’s a talking raccoon – with an attitude – voiced by Bradley Cooper. There’s a sentient superarboreal tree voiced by Vin Diesel. Iron Man they are not. If anything, they seem one step removed from fast food mascots.

But that’s what makes Guardians of the Galaxy so great. Our emotional connection to these characters stems not from their universality, but from their distinctiveness. Dave Bautista plays a green-skinned tattooed convict on a mission to avenge his family, but who runs into constant problems because his species doesn’t understand metaphors. And Chris Pratt was abducted as a small child and taken to outer space, where he lives a life of adventurous escapism while still clinging to a mix tape of 1970s tunes that his Mom gave him. Tied to the past without ever technically looking backwards. His attitude is a little Han Solo, but he’s driven by something way more immature.

Along with a repentant assassin played by Zoe Saldana, these selfish jerks find themselves thrust together by a combination of fate and pointless circumstance. They’re in possession of a mysterious orb that could very well destroy the universe. A political dissident named Ronan the Accuser, played by Lee Pace, wants the orb, but our “heroes” want to sell it; or, if that fails, to turn heroic for no other reason than to save their own asses.

The plot is as perfunctory as any typical summer release. There’s a ragtag team of misfits, a MacGuffin everybody wants and a whole bunch of big explosions at the beginning, middle and end. But Guardians of the Galaxy feels special because this course of events brings some wonderfully unique characters together into something more than the sum of their parts. The outcome of the adventure may be inevitable but the connections they make to one another are not, any bond formed between these snarky, cynical jerks has to be earned. Through a combination of witty dialogue, carefully balanced structure and – most importantly – a highly developed sense of fun (remember fun? it’s so much fun), James Gunn succeeds at turning a relatively familiar and kinda dumb story into an impressively emotional and satisfying journey. The details are superb. The grand sweep is merely simple enough to keep the details from being overwhelming.

With a kickin’ soundtrack that may at first seem random, but gradually reveals itself as one of the most important parts of the movie, Guardians of the Galaxy bursts out of the typical Marvel mold and into exciting and bold new territory. The unexpected, the eccentric and a very welcome sense of joy are experienced in practically every scene, but they’re grounded in smart, winking humanity… even from the rodents and plants. It’s a spectacularly entertaining space opera and a guffaw-worthy comedy. It’s a thoroughly pleasing ensemble piece with a great cast, amazing visual effects and exciting action. It’s certainly one of Marvel’s best movies, and quite possibly their most fun. .

Welcome aboard, mcdah!

There’s free pie.

wv wrote:

I guess Westbrooks and Sam are the top contenders
for that last DLine spot?

Sam has the edge now, one would think.

w
v

I think Harlan is a contender too.

I think they will stash Westbrooks on IR.

I also think other things, for example I think I will save all that for another post.

NJRAM

It was mostly about Sam, open for interviews, no media restriction and he is not a distratcion just one of 90 players

There was a tidbit on Bradford playing in preseason though;

Coach Fisher on Bradford: “He is 100%. If he doesn’t play a couple preseason games, it’s because we keep him out.”

My own highlights version.

[re: Finnegan’s 3 M cap subtraction].. they can get by without the money this year. And they’ll have even more space entering the next offseason.

[Bradford] had one of his best practices _ at least those open to the media _ on the final day of OTAs (June 19). Bradford threw the ball very well, was anticipating his throws, and seemed comfortable moving around in the pocket. … Bradford’s mobility looked pretty good last month during OTAs. We’ll see what camp brings when the vets start practicing Friday.

I think Mason can be pretty good. As for Pead, I’m just not seeing [it] after 2 years in the league

I think [Bailey] would’ve been an opening-day starter were it not for the suspension.

The Rams are going to use a lot of different WR formations.

AP Pro32-Power Rankings

July 22, 2014

http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/AP-Pro32-Power-Rankings-5638914.php

The Associated Press Pro32 NFL Power Rankings, as voted by a 12-member panel, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through July 22, total points based on 32 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 32nd-place vote, and previous ranking:
W L T Pts Pvs
1. Seattle Seahawks (11) 0 0 0 383
2. San Francisco 49ers (1) 0 0 0 360
3. Denver Broncos 0 0 0 356
4. New England Patriots 0 0 0 352
5. Green Bay Packers 0 0 0 329
5. New Orleans Saints 0 0 0 329
7. Indianapolis Colts 0 0 0 301
8. Philadelphia Eagles 0 0 0 290
9. Cincinnati Bengals 0 0 0 266
10. San Diego Chargers 0 0 0 251
11. Chicago Bears 0 0 0 248
12. Baltimore Ravens 0 0 0 242
13. Pittsburgh Steelers 0 0 0 229
14. Kansas City Chiefs 0 0 0 214
15. Carolina Panthers 0 0 0 213
16. Arizona Cardinals 0 0 0 205
17. St. Louis Rams 0 0 0 188
18. Detroit Lions 0 0 0 181
19. Atlanta Falcons 0 0 0 171
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0 0 0 170
21. New York Giants 0 0 0 155
22. New York Jets 0 0 0 152
23. Washington Redskins 0 0 0 125
24. Miami Dolphins 0 0 0 105
25. Dallas Cowboys 0 0 0 103
26. Buffalo Bills 0 0 0 81
27. Tennessee Titans 0 0 0 80
28. Houston Texans 0 0 0 77
29. Minnesota Vikings 0 0 0 61
30. Cleveland Browns 0 0 0 48
31. Jacksonville Jaguars 0 0 0 46
32. Oakland Raiders 0 0 0 25

___
VOTING PANEL

John Czarnecki, Fox Sports

Tony Dungy, NBC Sports

Herm Edwards, ESPN

Bob Glauber, Newsday

Rick Gosselin, Dallas Morning News

Ira Kaufman, Tampa Tribune

Pat Kirwan, SiriusXM NFL Radio/CBSSports.com

Jeff Legwold, ESPN/ESPN.com

Jenny Vrentas , Monday Morning Quarterback

Alex Marvez, Foxsports.com

Jim Miller, SiriusXM NFL Radio

Charean Williams, Fort Worth Star Telegram

Rams rookies get back to work

Nate Latsch

http://stl.scout.com/2/1423601.html

ST. LOUIS — The Rams rookies and a few of their younger players took the field on Tuesday at Rams Park for the unofficial start of training camp.
Rookie offensive lineman Greg Robinson, the No. 2 overall pick, said it was a positive feeling to have a jump start on camp.

“I was kind of familiar with a lot of the plays that we went over today and it helped with the speed of the game,” Robinson said. “It helped me play a little faster.”

If it felt like these Rams were just on the field at Rams Park for OTAs, it’s because they were basically only a month ago. Since then the rookies had the rookie symposium but then returned home or traveled while keeping up on their training.

Robinson, the likely starter at left guard, said he traveled and visited with his family, but he also trained while in Florida, in Houston and when he was back home in Louisiana in his hometown of Thibodaux.

But the big man was happy to be back at work on Tuesday afternoon.

He said these first two practice sessions — they will go again Wednesday — before the official start of training camp will give him more opportunities to learn the plays and work on playing faster.

ALEXANDER PRACTICES

The St. Louis native said he had his knee scoped after something was discovered following the draft and he’s been at Rams Park rehabbing since the procedure. The Utah State product said he was cleared to practice on Monday.

FOUR NEW RAMS TAKE FIELD

The Rams announced roster moves on Tuesday and all four new players — offensive linemen D.J. Morrell and R.J. Dill and linebackers Lawrence Wilson and Pat Schiller — took part in the practice session with their new teammates.

BRODINE BACK AT DEFENSIVE END

The Rams said shortly after the draft that Mason Brodine was switching from defensive end to tight end. But the 6-foot-7, 284-pounder was back working with the defensive players and working out as a defensive end on Tuesday.

Brodine told reporters that he is practicing at both positions.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/powerrankings

Pete Prisco

NFL Power Rankings: Usual suspects start up top — but that will change

July 22, 2014

It’s late July and NFL training camps open this week, which means it’s time for another batch of Power Rankings, a way to set you off before some of your teams even hit the field.

Just don’t hold me to these rankings. There are reasons. In the next six weeks, we will surely see injuries impact teams in a big way. We will see young players emerge, players who could change our thinking on a team.

We will see older players show their age. We will see some teams come together, and some that will not.

All of that will change how the Power Rankings will look in September. One more thing: It’s simply too easy to just put the “supposed” good teams at the top now, when the reality is that two or three of them will not be nearly as good this season as a year ago.

I have the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos, last year’s two Super Bowl teams, ranked at the top right now, but you can bet that one or even both of them will be watching the Super Bowl in February.

History says so.

I am not going to make that proclamation for certain right now — hold off on those rip jobs — but I might in a month or so when it’s prediction time.

For now, I will fall into the trap of putting the power teams at the top.

17 They should be another strong NFC West defensive team, but the key will be how well Sam Bradford plays at quarterback.

For the rest, see the link above