Yo... Moe

[Jerry Oz]

The Commoners are in a pretty tough division, Jai. They'll be a good team but the NFC East is a lot like the AFC East and competition might be so tough, only one team makes the playoffs. It's good for your boys that the the Giants are stoopid enough to overpay Daniel Jones while insulting Saquon Barkley with their offer to him. He's the straw that stirs their drink and they decided that being chintzy was their best way to play out his negotiation. To paraphrase something a lot of people are saying these days: They're gonna fool around and find out what happens.

[arr&bee]

I HEAR YA JERRY, BUT I THINK THAT THEY HAVE FINALLY GOT ENOUGH TALENT TO DO SOMETHING FOR REAL THIS TIME...[stop that snickering, I'm sober[I think hehehe]THREE TEAMS FROM THE EAST WILL GET IN BUT THE[GIANTS] AIN'T GONNA MAKE IT...THE KID[ SAM HOWELL]WILL SCARE THE NFL TO DEATH AND SCARY TERRY WILL HAVE A BIG YEAR..AS THE MIGHTY TEMPS WOULD SAY...GET READY CAUSE HERE WE COME!!!

[Jerry Oz]

We'll see. I think Washington needs to win the division to get into the playoffs and they're capable. You have the same concern as the Falcons: We need Desmond Ridder to play better than his draft round and you need Sam Howell to do it. Both are capable.

[moe]

I was totally shocked about Barkley & I agree with you, Jerry. Not only Barkley but the guy from The Raiders.

I'm gonna have to go & wake up Ms M guys. It's time

[Jerry Oz]

Yeah, wake her up. It's almost time for training camps. And Dallas used the franchise tag on Tony Pollard. I saw a graphic today that said that the only position that are paid lower than running backs is kicker/punter. That's crazy.

[moe]

.......And I did. She said "I'll be back shortly."

Alex Highsmith got a nice contract from the Steelers. Great kid from a great family!

[Jerry Oz]

Rookies report to camp this week and training camp opens next week. We're less than a month away from exhibition season. The fun is about to start, folks. This is the time when every fan has hope.

[moe]

So what is Barkley gonna do? Pull a Lev Bell? I'm sure you saw the "apology" that Bell tweeted.

[Jerry Oz]

He said he's considering sitting out for the season. I don't think he will because the league colluded to teach Bell a lesson when he did it. If teams are using the same tactic to burn Austin Ekeler, Josh Jacobs, and Tony Pollard, Barkley needs to ask himself what's going to change next year. The Giants will just do the same thing in 2024 and he'll have one less year of earning potential. The only thing that a holdout will do is teach the Giants that what they're doing is not only disrespectful, it's bad for business as well.

[moe]

And The Commanders have been sold. Josh Harris [and others] takes the helm. And Snyder gets fined for not disclosing & keeping income, as well as for harassing women?
That man is hateful!

[Jerry Oz]

It says something that with all of his baggage, the sin that forced him to sell the team was his failing to share revenue with the other owners. But I guess he wouldn't be a billionaire if he wasn't willing to steal. No honor among ***holes.

[moe]

So the RB's had a Zoom meeting over the weekend?

[Jerry Oz]

I heard that. Afterward, Josh Jacobs is indicating that he won't play this season and Barkley is suggesting he won't show up until the end of training camp. And somehow, Kareem Hunt and Ezekiel Elliott are still unsigned. SMH.

[moe]

Barkley got his contract. And there is 1 rookie [I believe on Seattle] is the lone rookie holdout. I think it has to do with up front guaranteed $$.

And the season has started.

[Jerry Oz]

Yep. And as soon as it started, Jalen Ramsey got hurt in practice for Miami. Hoping for the best while bracing for the worst. Can't seem to catch a break.

[moe]

Ditto for Joe Burrow. Calf injury.

And now Zack Martin is holding out, getting fined, & wants a big payday from the Cowboys.

[arr&bee]

Haaaaaaaaaaaa...how bout dem coyboys[hi ms m]yes i'm giddy i mean dang..after [5,000yrs] of you know who[i ain't calling his name]we're finally out of bondage and we're gonna make some noise...[the fans are gonna be howellin for[sam howell]hehehehehehehe.......!

[Jerry Oz]

There are folks who believe Ron Rivera's fate lies in how Sam Howell plays. If the kid plays poorly, folks are going to say it was a bad decision to use a 5th round pick as your starting QB. I'm not hearing it as much as I'm hearing folks say that Atlanta screwed the pooch by deciding to play Desmond Ridder [a 3rd round second year player]. I hope they both play well.

Well, until they play each other. Then, I hope Ridder throws 5 touchdowns and Howell throws 5 interceptions.

[moe]

And now the latest RB news: Jonathan Taylor wants out of the Colts. Irsay says no.

[Jerry Oz]

I'm guessing they had a conversation and Irsay said that the Colts are going to use the franchise tag on him if he doesn't agree to a deal to the team's liking. Once again: If running backs are disposable and easily replaceable [hence, low value players], why are teams even franchising tagging them for ~$10 million? They should be able to draft a good running back in the 6th round and pay him a tenth of that amount, right?

They know it's not true. The tag is a way to keep their value low by killing movement between teams. They colluded to kill the market for players that have short shelf lives thanks to how teams punish them with their usage. Saquon Barkley's value next year will be diminished significantly, regardless of how well he plays. And even if he plays lights out, the Giants are going to do the same thing to him again.

[arr&bee]

The running back is going the way of the[dodo bird] and it's gonna be hard for us oldtimers to watch, as the game moves closer to all passing in the very near future...when that day comes i won't be watching much...just leave the game alone and play.

[moe]

I was watching the Steelers from training camp. They had Kendrick Green, their former center/D Line playing fullback! And he didn't do too badly.

And I was watching George Pickens hose Joey Porter, Jr. And JPJ wasn't too happy

[moe]

Preseason started! CJ Stroud throws his first INT. Steelers play the Bucs tonight.

And Ms M, wake up & get over here!

[Jerry Oz]

Falcons and Dolphins have a game after two days with joint practices this week. A lot of folks are surprised that Atlanta's defense looks to be much more stout than it has in the past half a decade. Hopefully it carries over to the season. Dolphins fans are freaking out that the offense has looked inconsistent but training camp is when you introduce new things. Sometimes, those things don't work out and you can either move on with something else or revert to what works. Don't be surprised if both play well this season.

With that being said, exhibition games are all horrible affairs. I'm looking to see how certain players and position groups fare. Winning doesn't matter for either side.

[moe]

Of course not, Jerry. Why else would The Texans beat The Patriots??

[Jerry Oz]

They did? LOL. I didn't watch after C.J. Stroud got pulled in the first quarter. I'm eager to see what happens with the Commoners now that the offensive players are rebelling against the alleged bullying of offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy. He was the hottest OC in the league for Kansas City but couldn't get a job. If his reputation takes on more bad water, he might not even be in the league two seasons from now. Any comments, Jai?

[moe]

Yeah, I'd be curious to know what he thinks, too. Could Eric B be good only because of Andy Reid? Asking for a friend.........

[Jerry Oz]

Early in the Fins/Falcons game but Atlanta's offensive and defensive lines are looking great. Of course, Miami isn't using starters so I'll take it with a grain of salt.

[moe]

I need to watch the Steelers game again. Offense looked sharp. Of course Pickett to Pickens made my neighbor scream with joy [she's a Georgia alumna].

[Jerry Oz]

Are you going to any games this season, Moe? My brother has relocated here from Vegas and told me the secondary market for Steelers games is much higher than it's been. He normally attends one or two games per season and even though we're within a 5 hour drive of six teams [two hours away from Pittsburgh], he's having a hard time finding a reasonable ticket. He wanted to go to the Raiders game but the nosebleed seats there are almost $1,000 right now.

[moe]

I am not going to any games as of yet. I think I told you [& if I didn't I apologize] I finally had to give up my tickets. The couple who sat next to us since it was built wanted my seats because they were on the end. And we gave them first crack at ours when we knew we weren't going to be there. To travel over 500 miles each weekend from Tennessee would be too hard.

This has been the week from hell. We had a tornado Monday that had a tree blast through 1 of my basement windows & shattered the glass everywhere. And a few things off the roof [shingles & a bit of siding]. Of course my husband was out of town so it was just me. However, every one of my neighbors on our end of the street showed up to help me. I will never say that kindness of others doesn't exist. That was followed by over 3 inches of rain Tuesday, & a severe thunderstorm yesterday. And our house's damage was minor compared to a lot. It could've been worse....no one was hurt.

The one bright spot in the week [besides not being hurt from the tornado] was that the Steelers didn't look too bad. I never saw any other game.

[arr&bee]

Moe..you ok? Wow, sorry to hear of the bad weather down your way, hope everything gets fixed...[gotta keep my[superstar]safe and sound]...your pal-arr&bee.

[arr&bee]

Hey jerry, the kid didn't wet the bed if the o-line don't get him killed we might score some points!!

[Jerry Oz]

Sorry to hear about the rough week, Moe. But I'm glad you're okay. I hate to tell you, but we've had pretty good [but hot] weather all week. We had one bad storm all month and it knocked the power out for 10 hours but otherwise left us unaffected.

My brother asked if I watched the Steelers and when I told him I was watching teams I could actually stomach, he smiled and said your boys look like they're going to be good this year. Maybe, but the first exhibition game is hard to gauge. This week will be a little better indicator of how well starters are.

I believe you told me you sold your season tickets but didn't know if that meant you wouldn't do like my brother and try to see a couple of games a year.

[moe]

My neighbor has offered me his family's tickets: 2 nd row behind the Steeler's bench.
I may go in October or November, depending on how cold it is. I put my hunting boots, storm coat & heated socks in permanent dry dock. Had enough.

[Jerry Oz]

Just checked to see if you play the Titans, but the game is in Pittsburgh.

[moe]

A couple of weeks ago my husband & I went to Nashville to see Oppenheimer in 70mmIMAX. One of those projectors is there next to the Grand Ole Opry. We also checked how long it would take us to get to the Titan's stadium for future games. A bit over 2 hrs. Almost identical from our old place in NE Ohio to Pittsburgh. Undecided if we will go. If the. Steelers play there then we sure will!

Ask your brother what he thinks of Kendrick Green. I'm curious.

[Jerry Oz]

I'll ask him.

BTW: Why was I thinking you moved to Nashville? [No need to answer; but for some reason that was in my head. Nashville is probably the only city in Tennessee that I could see myself moving to, so I was probably projecting.]

[moe]

The chances of bad weather are on the western part of Tennessee. And as I say that I just got over the tornado, which is pretty uncommon for Eastern Tennessee. But, we have friends in the eastern part & we love the hiking in the Smokies. Nashville is too crowded for us.

[Jerry Oz]

I lived in Memphis for a year. I liked it for the most part. But Lord, sometimes it would rain so hard, you could literally not see 20 feet in the distance. One of the most depressing memories was watching about 10 of my warehouse's employees huddled up on a break and smoking near the street in a driving rainstorm because smoking was not allowed anywhere on the premises, including the parking lot. I wondered how bad they needed a cigarette for that to even cross their minds.

Memphis had some of the best people but coming home was one of the best decisions that I made.

[moe]

We thought of moving back to Pittsburgh but the winter weather stopped us. My husband is from DC, & he had no urge to move back there. We have friends here in Tennessee, better weather so we moved here. Despite the tornado we're still glad we moved.

[moe]

Wow.....your Falcons tied with the Bengals & so did the Browns [with Philly]. I see where the Dolphins beat the Texans. I saw some of the Steelers game yesterday [first half] but will watch the replay later today. I have to wonder if Jaylen Warren may have a breakout year....I know, it's only preseason.

And the Steelers had a ceremony for Franco yesterday.

[Jerry Oz]

Yeah, Atlanta's starters only played a series vs the Bengals backups on Friday. Ridder looked comfortable. And Tua threw an interception with his first throw against the Texans before he looked like a world beater on the Dolphins second drive. To be honest, due to the crappy nature of exhibition NFL games, it's hard to gauge anything from either game.

Three weeks before the real bullets start flying though.

[moe]

And now the Steelers play the Falcons in Atlanta Thursday.

I know it's only preseason but Buffalo looked sloppy.

[Jerry Oz]

I'd suppose both teams are going to use the game to observe fringe roster players. I'm bowling with my brother on Thursday afternoon, so we'll have something to discuss between splits and gutter balls.

[moe]

Don't forget to ask him about Kendrick Green. I'm wondering if he'll make the cut. Some in Pittsburgh are raising an eyebrow about Najee. For God's sake.....it's only preseason!!
Loved JPJ's first pic as a pro [albeit an easy pic] & he gave the ball to his dad.

[Jerry Oz]

Haven't been hearing about Najee but if you want to drop him, send him to Miami or Atlanta. I did see the following on Twitter [by way of Reddit since I've deleted my Twitter account]:

Nick Farabaugh @FarabaughFB


Matt Canada said that Najee Harris is unequivocally going to be the Steelers RB1 heading into the season.
1:36 PM · Aug 21, 2023
·
64.1K Views 18 Reposts 25 Quotes 226 Likes 5 Bookmarks

[moe]

Again, it's only preseason!!

Kendrick Green & Kevin Dotson gone when roster cuts?

[moe]

Hey R&B, your Commanders pulled it out on a 49yd FG to beat the Ravens.

[ms_m]

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaccck:

Sorry to have taken so long and to be honest probably will not stay around much until the REAL season starts.

So hello everyone, and how you guys be?