UND-RedSox fan

I have varying degrees of problems with each. I never would have flopped if I played a sport where that was possible (I only wrestled and played baseball beyond junior high). Its embarrassing for the individual. I have no problem with stealing signs as long as its the players doing it on the field. Part of the catcher's job is to make sure the other team isn't picking up on his signals to the pitcher and the same thing for the manager and his signs to the players. I don't think spygate made much of a difference and was pretty much irrelevant. It came out early in the season the Patriots went undefeated and nothing has changed in the team's performance since then. If anything their offense has gotten better since they stopped recording the other teams' signals. With PEDs, nearly everyone was doing them. Its unfortunate that individuals had to put their bodies through something unhealthy like that and I have much more respect for the players like Griffey than I do for those like Bonds, but I can understand the drive to use them. It wasn't just the stars using them.

And he stated after the game that he isn't questioning any of his decisions. Making bad decisions is one thing, but refusing to learn from them is worse.

If you ain't cheating you ain't trying Honestly I think Belichick is a humongous asshole but a good coach and great at getting the most out of his players. I also think he was lucky to have Tom Brady. There's a reason he was fired as a coach when he didn't have a QB like Tom Brady. Belichick isn't immaculate. He was outcoached in two straight Super Bowls by Coughlin. He almost cost us having Tom Brady for the Super Bowl by leaving him in too long on Sunday. If the Patriots lose to the Seahawks, I will still think Belichick is a good coach and that Tom Brady is one of the best QB's ever.

But I'll agree to disagree. That's what makes sports fun. You can debate the value of people far better at a game than you or I will ever be with a complete stranger and have fun doing it. I've had fun these last couple of hours, so thanks for the disagreement.

You sure like to defend people that aren't very good at their jobs. Yes the Matt Cassel that has more career turnovers than touchdowns and a career 80.1 quarterback rating sucks. The Matt Cassel that hadn't started a game since high school prior to being an 11-5 quarterback for the Patriots, wasn't good. The career season that you mentioned left him behind the legends Kerry Collins and David Garrard in ESPN's QBR and just one spot ahead of Mark Sanchez for the season. Yeah, I don't think that guy is very good.

I'm sorry were you trying to say Caldwell's work with the Ravens is a sign he isn't a bad coach, Year before Caldwell was the Ravens coordinator they were 16th in yards and 10 in scoring offense. Year he was the Ravens OC, 29th and 25th. Year after he left they improved to 12th and 8th respectively. Detroit went from 6th in yards and 13th in scoring last year to 19th in yards and 22nd in scoring this year. That looks good for an offensive coach...

2013 Lions in one score games: 3-6 including 4 one score losses in the last 6 games of the season. 2014 Lions in one score games: 6-1 Much more intelligent statisticians than me have looked at it and said teams tend to regress towards the mean (.500 record) after having an abnormally good or abnormally bad seasons in one score games. Now Schwartz was also a pretty poor coach. But just look at the example I provided you of how hilariously stupid some of the decisions Caldwell makes are. The Patriots went 11-5 with Matt Cassell as their starter for a full season. While not as bad as Curtis Painter, Cassell definitely is a bad quarterback. This year the Browns won 7 games with Brian Hoyer. Bills 9 games with Ryan Fitzpatrick. Eagles 10 games with Mark Sanchez and Foles. The Rams 6 games with whoever Bradford's backup was. The Cardinals won 11 with the fearsome foursome of Palmer, Stanton, Lindley, and Logan Thomas. That's a pretty solid list of bad quarterbacks winning more than 5 games.

From the moment Peyton Manning was hurt, Jim Irsay continued to be high on heroin or whatever it was he was busted for. The front office may have been tanking but the coaches and players sure as hell weren't unless they had no problem losing their jobs. Getting Luck helped them recover quickly but so did getting rid of Caldwell.

"For whatever he offers as an offensive guru and a quarterback whisperer, Mike McCarthy is one of the worst in-game decision-makers in the league. It’s one thing to get fourth-and-1 decisions wrong, and McCarthy did in this game. But it was more than that. This is the same coach who ran a meaningless pre-halftime draw last year with Eddie Lacy, who promptly sprained his ankle. It’s the same McCarthy who threw his challenge flagon a fumble that would have been automatically reviewed. He kicks extra points to go down 12, uses his timeouts after the two-minute warning, andeven that’s too much to ask sometimes." http://grantland.com/the-triangle/afc-nfc-championship-patriots-colts-seahawks-packers/ From Barnwell on McCarthy's decision making.

Q) Who was the coach that lost one player and went from super bowl contender to 2-14? A) Jim Caldwell http://grantland.com/the-triangle/nfl-week-8-detroit-lions-atlanta-falcons-arizona-cardinals-new-orleans-saints/ Just read that article where it discusses Jim Caldwell and Mike Smith's decision making and then try and tell why I'm wrong when I say Jim Caldwell is a bad coach. Trying to argue that Caldwell and McCarthy aren't bad in game decision makers is like trying to argue 2 + 2 doesn't equal 4

I could be wrong but I think he played on the third line with Kristo. Either way that team was so stacked and the only guys taken in the first two rounds were Nelson and Forbort, if I'm not mistaken. Was Kristo taken in the second round?

McCarthy is to Rodgers what Jim Caldwell was to Peyton Manning. Both bad coaches that were lucky enough to have amazing quarterbacks. McCarthy has a history of being a bad in game coach and he made two terrible decisions that were the biggest factor in his team losing Sunday's game.

I agree as well. I was shouting at the TV when I saw that hit because I thought it was going to be a serious knee injury. Belichick should be questioned as to why Brady was in the game at that point. Doesn't put him in the same class as McCarthy. He is generally considered at worst completely inept at his job and at best a good in week prep coach that struggles at managing games.

I know I'm living up to the stereotypical Sioux fan demanding a coach's head on the platter but McCarthy is an awful coach. Maybe he is good during the week but Aaron Rodgers has covered up how poor of an in-game coach he has been for years. Bill Barnwell over on Grantland.com can say it much better than I can and he has mentioned McCarthy repeatedly for years. He has been a weekly mention in Barnwell's Thank You For Not Coaching segments. McCarthy likes to run meaningless run plays right before the half that has gotten his running back hurt before. He doesn't know how to use timeouts around the 2 minute warning. It's really simple, call the timeouts before the 2 minute warning because it saves more time, an 8th grader with a Madden game can figure that out. He was super conservative on 4th down which cost his team the game in my opinion. If you can't do the simple things like managing the clock, how can he possibly be the best fit as a coach for one of the best teams in the NFL? There are much better coaches that have been fired over much smaller things (Harbaugh, Rex Ryan, and John Fox).

The Packers should have fired McCarthy on the spot yesterday. He has a history of showing that he has no clue how to make in game decisions. He doesn't understand when to go for it on fourth down, when to use his timeouts at the end of a half, or how to call a decent game. Kicking those two field goals were absolutely brutal decisions. There are a lot of goats for the Packers coming out of that game but none were a bigger reason for why they lost the game than McCarthy. I would have loved to see the Patriots go up against the Packers instead of the Seahawks simply because of how big of a mismatch there is between Belichick and McCarthy.

I'll go with Tucker Poolman tonight

Not only is Murphy on the power play but we are also trying to force it to him in the middle and it completely kills the power play. I'm not sure if he has gotten a shot off from there yet.

Agreed but still would like to see Simonson play. I don't know what should be done because I'm not a smart hockey person but I still feel like Simonson should play. I haven't seen anything from Murphy. It sounds like hating on the guy but I just think Simonson should be getting ice time

Can't lose. The entire season depends on a healthy McIntire so don't worry about Johnson right now. I think Simonson needs to get in the lineup again. LJ takes bad penalties, so maybe sit him. Murphy doesn't bring much, so could sit him. Nick S. looked off tonight but he will recover. I would still like to see Caggiula back with parks and Mark Mac. They were one of the best lines in the country the first half of the season.

First time by the first round!

I'm going with O'donnell

I'm hoping Olson develops into the next Brad Malone. Big physical presence with his hits and in front of net, getting a lot of tip in and rebound goals.

Mark Mac

Les Miles turned down the Michigan job the last time it was available, didn't he? I think LSU fans can be pretty certain he isn't going anywhere or at least he isn't going to Michigan.

Also the NCHC has 4 teams within 2 points of each other in the league standings at the break. Going to be a fun race down the stretch.