nfreeman

That sounds like a pretty material walk-back.

While I agree that the other factors mentioned upthread are relevant, I also think football simply attracts more sociopaths than the other sports do, probably because (i) of the violent nature of the game and (ii) more young kids with violent tendencies are funneled into football. For the record, I think most football players do not fit that description -- I just think a higher percentage fit that description than is found in other sports.

Marcel Dareus continues to cover himself in glory: https://deadspin.com/jaguars-dt-marcell-dareus-has-been-accused-of-sexual-as-1827574312

I was driving on a 2-lane country road in upstate NYS a few days ago, where the deer are dense and an ongoing road hazard, and I saw a pretty gruesome car-deer collision. (You might want to stop here if you are squeamish.) I was traveling at about 50 mph, and I assume the car coming towards me was doing about the same. It was dusk and darkening. I could see, from about 50 yards away, a small deer in the other car's lane, with his hind legs and butt pretty much on top of the dividing line in the center of the road, and the rest of him facing the side -- so he was perpendicular to the oncoming car in the other lane. As I got closer, it seemed apparent that the other car didn't see the deer, since the car didn't appear to be slowing down or honking or anything. The car's left front bumper hit the deer squarely in the head and neck. The deer was decapitated. Its head and neck went spinning away from the collision like a frisbee and landed on the shoulder on my side of the road. The rest of the deer's body just crumpled to the ground immediately. A second later, we passed the other car (which didn't appear to be damaged) and then the headless body of the deer on our left and the head and neck of the deer on our right. It was like something out of Game of Thrones -- like what the Mountain might do to a deer if he was in a bad mood.

Joe Yerdon has a good article on Reino's contract status in the Athletic today:

Well, I appreciated Brawndo’s report. Not sure why a couple of others were so crabby about it.

Now that was a nice quote, Thorny.

Well, either McCoy or the accuser is a dirtbag, depending on which one is telling the truth.

Bold!

Roy played heavily sheltered minutes in 2006, since the Sabres had so many good forwards that played ahead of him. The next year, when it got harder in the absence of Dumont and Grier, he had 2 goals and 7 pts in 16 playoff games. And, after Black Sunday, when it got much harder, he put up numbers in the regular season and then had zero goals and 2 assists in 6 playoff games in 2010. Like Vanek, there's a reason Roy played with 5 NHL teams in 3 years after leaving Buffalo (and 4 Euro teams in 3 years after leaving the NHL). Once other teams got a good look at each of them, they quickly decided that their numbers weren't a reliable indicator of quality hockey.

Vogl on the Athletic today (he did a Q&A):

Yikes. My mistake on Skinner. I still like him better than Roysie though.

The difference is that diving is an annoyance created in an attempt to give one’s team an advantage, while Roysie’s gutlessness manifested in his vanishing when it mattered, which very much disadvantaged his team. And gutless players don’t make the US (or Canadian) Olympic team.

I guess I don’t think Pacioretty would sign an extension for less than, say, $6MM x 6 years, and I wouldn’t want the Sabres to give him that contract.

Well, Flagg sure is being a poopy-pants.

But would you want to give up all that and give Pacioretty a fat contract? I’ve heard that he’s looking for term and high dollars.

It wasn’t the diving that bothered me about Roy. It was the gutlessness. To be fair, Skinner has never made the playoffs, so we don’t know whether he’d vanish under pressure like Roysie did. Also, Skinner is much faster and a much better finisher than Roy was. And Skinner was a US Olympian.

I like Skinner too.

Hmmmm...what would I give for Pacioretty? 2019 3rd-rounder that becomes a 2nd if he signs an extension with the Sabres? Casey Nelson and Justin Bailey? Nylander if the Habs include their 2019 2nd-rounder?

Awesome work sir. Interesting positive take on Beaulieu.

I too am optimistic on Thompson, but I think he’s a RW and as such I have him on Eichel’s line with Sheary at LW, and Reino at RW on Casey’s line with ERod at LW. If those 2 lines, or a similar mix, are in place and working well, it will indicate positive results for Jbott’s plans so far.

My rosy scenario of being in the WC hunt presumes without mentioning that Jackie boy has a huge season. If he gets hurt again — yikes.

McCabe on D. ERod or Thompson at F. And please please Ullmark and Hutton!

I can’t tell whether you’re joking, but this made me happy. Good breakdown. I can see NJ backsliding to the fighting-for-WC group, which would mean there are 2 spots available for that group. Yesssss!! But extenuating circumstances with that weird and dangerous injury! KO is too slow, but he doesn’t strike me as a quitter. If he’s physically able, he’ll be in good shape and reasonably productive IMHO. Unhappily, this is also quite reasonable. I voted in the WC hunt. That would really require strong seasons from Dahlin, Risto, McCabe, Bogo or Pilut, Reino, Casey, Berglund, a couple of other forwards and most of all Hutton and Ullmark. So it’s not super-likely but not impossible either.

Welcome! Reino getting 60 points would be an excellent outcome for him this year, as long as they don’t come in the 2nd half of the season with the Sabres already 20 games out of the playoffs.