infrared41

It appears that losing your top two WRs while in the midst of a playoff run can change a coach's perception of things. It's the NFL, did you honestly expect anything else?

Not a chance, but at least I'll get the missing the playoffs part right.

Right on schedule.

Or put another way, it was like watching Baker Mayfield.

Because they named themselves National Champions?

Thanks for that. I feel a whole lot better knowing that I could be a ticking time bomb.

You're just a ray of sunshine today, my friend. We got to see Genesis live. That's not so bad, right?

OK, how about the data out of Ohio? Do we trust that? I ask because it's basically Florida's story in reverse. Cases way down in the summer and on the rise now. Same deal with Michigan. Literally nothing has changed in Ohio since summer yet our cases are now on the rise. To me, that screams seasonality. With regard to Florida, I'm not willing to dismiss information simply because I may not like where it came from. There were things I didn't want to be true about this mess, but I couldn't deny the facts that were staring me in the face. Some things are true whether I believe them or not. I prefer realist over defeatist. The reality is that in the history of ever, we have never eradicated a respiratory virus. Zero Covid is a pipe dream. It's not going to happen. Covid is endemic. That's just the way it is. Like it or not, our only realistic option is to ride this one out as best we can until it mutates itself down to mostly harmless - which I hope is exactly what's happening with omicron. Finally, I think going from "we're so -ed" to having a vaccine in less than a year is pretty good. I remember when this first started and I told you that I had faith in smart people figuring it out. Smart people figured it out and now we have a vaccine. Imagine how many more deaths there would be without it. Yeah, virus is gonna virus and we're going to keep figuring out how to protect people from it. That may be some Pollyanna bull-, but it's what I believe. We're much better off (and better prepared) than we were when this thing started. That ain't nothing.

It seems to be pretty much agreed upon that the shots are good for about six months. I'm curious as to how many of those vaxxed players were six months or more past their last shot. Hell, I wonder how many "breakthrough cases" overall were six months past their last shot and how many were actually cases that got past the vaccination. It seems like the powers that be should look into that. In any case, getting that booster is a really good idea.

Yeah, I've already lost interest. Sorry.

I have no idea what that means, but I'm happy we got there.

If you mean it works for the monkeys throwing feces, then it's hilarious.

I was hoping for more of a monkeys throwing feces at each other ending, but the Shakespeare thing works too.

I was trying to be nicer about it but, that's where I am too. If I'm being honest, it's not my problem that Jethro down the street won't get a shot because he thinks Bill Gates will be able to track him or some bull-. .I'm not about to shut my life down because he's an idiot. him, he knows the risks.

Ha!

Gee, I wonder what country would that be?

RE: 4: If we pay everyone to stay home, who handles getting food to people? Where do those people buy said food? Or are we willing to sacrifice "essential workers" again? Do we suggest people stock up now for the upcoming lock down? I think we can agree on how that would go. Think of all the new spread because everyone is at the Walmart fist fighting each other over a bag of Totino's Pizza Rolls. I'm not sure the word disaster would cover it. With regard to the bubble. Sure, if we can manage to isolate every single person on Earth by sealing them alone in a bubble for at least six weeks (gotta give the positives time to become negative) we stop the spread of the virus. At least we do until someone catches if from a deer or something and the whole thing starts over again. RE:5: We tried rules and enforcement. People are gonna people. Obeying traffic lights is ingrained in us from childhood. (An added incentive to obey the light is that not obeying it can get you killed - painfully) We're used to them. Masks and lock downs are brand new. Add in the fact that back in July, we were told that as long as we got vaxxed, we no longer needed the masks. Now all of a sudden we need masks and lock downs again. (And we wonder why there is vaccine hesitancy?) The kind of control and discipline you're looking for would take a generation to develop. And by then we wouldn't need it...I hope. RE: Seasonality: Holidays aren't what caused Florida's cases to go through the roof in July and holidays aren't what caused Ohio's cases to plummet in July. Seasonality did that. Florida now has one of the lowest case rates in the country and Ohio's cases are on the way up again. That's happening because Ohio is now indoors and Florida has cooled off enough for people to get back outside. Households are one of the main vectors for transmission. We pile people together indoors for extended periods of time and yeah, the virus is going to have a much easier go of it. Up to this point, our mitigation efforts are akin to killing mosquitos with a 7 iron. Yeah, we're getting a few mosquitos here and there, but there a millions of others laughing as they fly past us. Honestly, I don't know what the answer is. I'm basing my position on what I believe hasn't worked. Best I can tell you is virus is gonna virus. And there ain't much we can do about it.

I think it's going to be the latter in most places. Most of Ohio has it floored and is showing no signs of hitting the brakes.

Allowing for your premise... 1. Shutting down won't change that. I think it's clear at this point that we aren't going to change the minds of the majority of people who won't get vaccinated. To borrow a phrase, you can't fix stupid. 2. As a virus mutates, it becomes more transmissible, but it also gets weaker. Most everything I've read says that omicron is much milder than OG Covid or delta. If that is true, then there is no reason to react to omicron the same way we reacted to OG Covid. 3. The virus still spread like crazy when we were isolated the first time. I don't believe the same approach will have better success against a more transmissible variant. That being said, if governments try shut down the country again, it's going to get uglier than it already is. You're looking at a nightmare scenario. 4. It's easy for you or me to tell those in more precarious financial situations to "stay home until I feel secure." Let's leave the debate over capitalism to a more appropriate setting. 5. How about infected people stay home until they aren't infected and the rest of us go about our business? I'm not saying you're wrong about ebbing and flowing in relation to protocols, but I will say that it sounds awfully similar to seasonality. That said, if you can provide me the links, I'd love to see for myself.

Because it worked so well the first time? The only thing a shutdown does is delay the inevitable.

My post was just me going a long way to attempt a joke about Petrino ruining a perfectly good Harley. Meyer is the clear winner and it ain't even close.

Bobby Petrino has to be in the conversation. At least Meyer was fired. Petrino bailed on the Falcons by leaving the team a note - which I'm pretty sure is the same way he bailed on the Arkansas volleyball player that was riding with him when he wrecked a perfectly good Harley. Some things are unforgivable. That bike deserved much better.

Are we watching the same NFL?

Honestly, I've only voted a couple times over the years. The big things were voting on renovations at Lambeau and voting for board members. There may have been more, but I don't remember.

I solved that with a bigger frame and some matting from Michael's. Cost about 12 bucks.