20 minutes ago, Utebird said:

The coaches really value Stoll's in line blocking and calcaterra is more of a move TE.

Albert O I'm not sure how well he blocks, other than one clip that was posted I have no idea.

When one is in 12 personnel having 2 TEs like goedert and stoll that can block keeps defenses more honest as defenses can't just line up up small nickel to stop the pass as they'll get gouged in the run.

Not sure Albert O is a good enough blocker in the run game, if he is then he's a far better weapon In the pass game than stoll which could really cause problems for defenses.

Be interesting to see if they keep 4 and use a guy like calcaterra more as a big slot receiver.🤷‍♂️

Hurts trusts Stoll.  He's probably a bit underrated as a solid receiving TE.  I think he's the number 2 TE because he's not prone to mistakes and can block.  I think Albert O is a flier of a pick.  I am not sure that they would keep him over Calcaterra at this point although he has more experience.  I do wonder if they will look at using him as a big slot type receiver but it's more likely that he's seen as a potential better back up receiver for Goedert.  

41 minutes ago, Aerolithe_Lion said:

I still irrationally hate Bobby Hoying, and I can’t really explain it

Sometimes I’ll be sitting doing nothing and suddenly get really upset about Bobby Hoying

F that guy

He had that great game against Cincinnati. 

7 minutes ago, Sack that QB said:

Remember what happened to Ingram? He had his ACL surgery before he was drafted and during camp his knee swelled up and they found out the graft in his knee didn’t take and it was rotting within his knee.

That's awful.  

1 minute ago, NCiggles said:

Hurts trusts Stoll.  He's probably a bit underrated as a solid receiving TE.  I think he's the number 2 TE because he's not prone to mistakes and can block.  I think Albert O is a flier of a pick.  I am not sure that they would keep him over Calcaterra at this point although he has more experience.  I do wonder if they will look at using him as a big slot type receiver but it's more likely that he's seen as a potential better back up receiver for Goedert.  

This is a vastly underrated piece, especially for backups.  Many times, we focus on the flash of what the player can do in terms of 'making plays'.  A lot of coaches are more concerned about what the backup can do to not cause negative plays.  The coaches can work around a backup and utilize the other skill players, assuming that the backup 'does his job'.  But, when that player's job is to block this guy or that guy, or run this route and get proper spacing to create a void elsewhere... if they aren't picking up the right assignment, or they aren't hitting their landmarks, then they can negatively impact the play to the point of scuttling it.  Sometimes a positive play includes an incomplete pass, especially if the alternate is a TFL, sack, or turnover.  

Just now, NCiggles said:

That's awful.  

It was bad... and there were hints of it during the draft.  He was a '2nd round' TE prospect for a really good UF team.  Then during the draft, he starts to fall and fall and fall, and no one knows why.  That's when the news leaks about the concern about the knee injury.  He ended up blowing it out again that first TC, and had to have it done all over again.  And frankly, I don't know that he ever got his head right about it.   That's a tough enough injury to come back from the first time... trust in the knee being one of the last hurdles for the players to overcome.  Imagine the nagging feeling that will continually linger in your mind with that history.   😬.  It's a shame.  He was a flat out stud at UF.  

Interesting uniform move by the University of Houston. Their school colors are red and white but these are essentially Houston Oilers knockoffs. I know there's a huge love for this uniform color set to be used by the Texans or the argument that the entire Oilers identity should have stayed in Houston so this is quite the statement. For the record, I think schools creating uniforms that have literally nothing to do with their schools identity is silly.

 

The problem with Stoll as a #2, is that when Goedert gets hurt, they abandon the tight end position in the receiving game. Hopefully, Albert O alleviates this issue.

Just now, bpac55 said:

Interesting uniform move by the University of Houston. Their school colors are red and white but these are essentially Houston Oilers knockoffs. I know there's a huge love for this uniform color set to be used by the Texans or the argument that the entire Oilers identity should have stayed in Houston so this is quite the statement. For the record, I think schools creating uniforms that have literally nothing to do with their schools identity is silly.

 

In general, I agree with you.   However, they are looking to change their history.   They are a very small program by comparison to those around them and they want to become more relevant in the new NCAA landscape.  There are opportunities coming in the next few years for them to make a significant jump.   So, they are trying to grow their fan base.   It's a smart move to try to grab a market share of the old Oiler faithful looking for a touch of nostalgia.   

Houston got shut out years and years ago when the SWC died and Texas, A&M, Baylor and Tech went to the Big-8, to make the Big 12.   Houston, TCU, SMU, and Rice were left scrambling and ended up in the newly formed Conference USA.  Since then, they've always been on the outside of the major conferences.  So, they are at a crossroads... grow and get their foot in the door with the big dogs... or be relegated to minor league college football for good.   Looks like they are swinging for the fences a little bit with this uniform.  

52 minutes ago, Aerolithe_Lion said:

I still irrationally hate Bobby Hoying, and I can’t really explain it

Sometimes I’ll be sitting doing nothing and suddenly get really upset about Bobby Hoying

F that guy

I went to his first start, a game in Baltimore in their old dilapidated stadium. My only game ever there. It ended in a disgusting tie when Chris Boniol missed a game winning field goal in overtime. Long day. Got home late. Listened to some conversation on the radio at the end and was stunned when I heard Eagles fans raving about Hoying's performance. They acted like had been some great revelation, that he was just brimming with talent. I thought he had been mostly pretty crappy.

It's weird how perception can be.

Here's something I remember about Hoying's next year. Not only did he set an NFL record for the highest number of passes thrown in a season without throwing a single touchdown pass (something like 224 passes and not a single touchdown) but he also had one of the most stupid plays I think I've ever seen a quarterback make. It was late in an early season game against the Falcons. Possibly the end of the first half but probably not. Can't remember the specifics. The Eagles are driving for a score with time running low. There is about a minute left on the clock. A minute, not seconds. Eagles are out of timeouts. But they have a minute. They get a play which gets them a first down at about the one or two yard line. With a minute. Time enough to run as many plays as you need. No need to hurry. No need to panic. You can line up normally and throw a ball which even if incomplete leaves you with about forty seconds for three more plays. Plenty of time. And Hoying hurries them up and SPIKES THE BALL to stop the clock. He just gave up a down. Voluntarily. They ended up not scoring. The dude had no poise, no understanding. Just brutal.

43 minutes ago, bpac55 said:

Gotcha, thanks for clarifying. Essentially, Cleveland could be back on the PS once healthy, even if it's just a few weeks from now?

Yes at some point. It depends on what they negotiated the length of the settlement to be, which never comes out publicly so there's no real way to say exactly when. Just "at some point". 

 

35 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

It was bad... and there were hints of it during the draft.  He was a '2nd round' TE prospect for a really good UF team.  Then during the draft, he starts to fall and fall and fall, and no one knows why.  That's when the news leaks about the concern about the knee injury.  He ended up blowing it out again that first TC, and had to have it done all over again.  And frankly, I don't know that he ever got his head right about it.   That's a tough enough injury to come back from the first time... trust in the knee being one of the last hurdles for the players to overcome.  Imagine the nagging feeling that will continually linger in your mind with that history.   😬.  It's a shame.  He was a flat out stud at UF. 

If I remember , after the first surgery there was talk about how his knee wasn't healing properly and the first surgery was a mess so they elected to manually re tear it so they could fix it.

Really sapped all his athleticism, before the injury he was a freak.

43 minutes ago, NCiggles said:

Hurts trusts Stoll.  He's probably a bit underrated as a solid receiving TE.  I think he's the number 2 TE because he's not prone to mistakes and can block.  I think Albert O is a flier of a pick.  I am not sure that they would keep him over Calcaterra at this point although he has more experience.  I do wonder if they will look at using him as a big slot type receiver but it's more likely that he's seen as a potential better back up receiver for Goedert.  

They wouldn’t have made the trade if they wanted Calc over him

Josiah Scott to the Steelers PS. Happy to see new blood at the CB position behind the starters. 

1 minute ago, McMVP said:

They wouldn’t have made the trade if they wanted Calc over him

Maybe but they kept Tyree Jackson last year.  

WIP out here reading the blog from yesterday 

 

35 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

It was bad... and there were hints of it during the draft.  He was a '2nd round' TE prospect for a really good UF team.  Then during the draft, he starts to fall and fall and fall, and no one knows why.  That's when the news leaks about the concern about the knee injury.  He ended up blowing it out again that first TC, and had to have it done all over again.  And frankly, I don't know that he ever got his head right about it.   That's a tough enough injury to come back from the first time... trust in the knee being one of the last hurdles for the players to overcome.  Imagine the nagging feeling that will continually linger in your mind with that history.   😬.  It's a shame.  He was a flat out stud at UF.  

It's always a gamble, question is when in the draft do you gamble?

Sweat had a horrific knee injury, but was able to rebuild the knee and become a top rate DE. Certainly worth a 4th rd gamble, but would you have used a 2nd without the benefit of hindsight?

47 minutes ago, Utebird said:

Eagles with swift added a new wrinkle to the pass game maybe adding Albert O will be another?

I don't even think he's going to dress for games. Only in the case of injury. I think it was just a depth move for someone they thought was good enough to make the back end of the roster and figured the cost was minimal. The equivalent of an early seventh round pick.

3 minutes ago, NCiggles said:

Maybe but they kept Tyree Jackson last year.  

They did…

I also think you are right that they are going to view him as a third wide receiver.  Quez is WR3 and Albert may be WR3a… depending on which mismatches they are trying to create 

So is it Noon if/when we find out if Braden Mann was claimed by us?

47 minutes ago, NCiggles said:

He had that great game against Cincinnati. 

Here's what really pisses me off about that game. F'n Ray Rhodes. The Eagles are up six and score a touchdown with about five minutes left. Instead of going for two like any normal coach with at least a couple of brain cells would, Rhodes opts to simply kick the PAT, leaving the Eagles up by thirteen. So of course the Bengals score twice to take the lead, forcing the Eagles to have to come from behind in the final minute. Thankfully Hoying led them to a field goal winning drive at the gun. It all worked out but it shouldn't have had to come to that.

And yes I understand that at two point conversion was only about a 50% proposition but still...you gotta do it to improve your chances

1 minute ago, garingovt2000 said:

So is it Noon if/when we find out if Braden Mann was claimed by us?

If so, whom do you drop from the 53?

1 minute ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

If so, whom do you drop from the 53?

Probably Calcaterra or Stoll

4 minutes ago, garingovt2000 said:

So is it Noon if/when we find out if Braden Mann was claimed by us?

I think it might be an hour later today.  Not sure

2 minutes ago, pgcd3 said:

Probably Calcaterra or Stoll

And go weeks with only two TEs that know the offense?  Especially how to block in the run game.