Instant reaction: Thoughts on Seattle's draft

To post just a bit from the thread above...click on the link for more...

Seahawks 2020 draft class

R1 — Jordyn Brooks (LB)
R2 — Darrell Taylor (EDGE)
R3 — Damien Lewis (G)
R4 — Colby Parkinson (TE)
R4 — Deejay Dallas (RB)
R5 — Alton Robinson (DE)
R6 — Freddie Swain (WR)
R7 — Stephen Sullivan (TE)

Thoughts on Seattle’s 2020 draft

The Seahawks know they need to be tougher.

They’re no longer the bully in the NFL. They’re not even the bully in the NFC West.

The attitude, intensity and swagger of the LOB era is missing. Their run defense is poor. Their pass rush is poor. They miss tackles. They struggle to defend the perimeter.

They’re trying to fix the problem.

They added a thumping, physical linebacker, a speedy edge rusher who plays with attitude and a violent run blocker with their first three picks. They followed it up with more pass rush help, a big move TE and a fierce running back.

They’re going to keep trying to create the team they want. They crave to be the punishing, physical, take-your-soul team that they used to be.

Smart, tough, reliable.

It makes sense. It’s reasonable. It’s something they’ll need to reclaim if they’re going to get back to the top.

If you take a step back and acknowledge, rightly, that the Seahawks were never going to blow your socks off with this class — you can look at it through a positive lens. It wasn’t realistic to address the large collection of needs they had. They needed to do more in free agency for that to be the case. They’ve added fast, physical tough guys with upside and potential. That’s a good thing.

There are also issues though.

They didn’t draft a defensive tackle to help anchor or provide pass rush. In a reasonable DT class, that’s disappointing.

They drafted two pass rushers but they still require the veteran proven quality of a Jadeveon Clowney or Everson Griffen. It’s an absolute must that they secure one of those two as soon as possible.

They’ve not added a nickel corner. They need one. Ugo Amadi is not a guaranteed solution.

They’ve not added a developmental left tackle or further competition for Brandon Shell.

They’ll need to add at least one more running back to the stable.

There’s so much that still needs to be done.

While there’s nothing this draft class could really do to change this — the Seahawks have not moved the needle this off-season towards winning a Super Bowl. San Francisco added two first round picks then stole Trent Williams from Washington. The Cardinals nabbed DeAndre Hopkins and Isaiah Simmons.

In comparison, the Seahawks have been strangely quiet. They’ve padded their depth. Their biggest investment so far is on a linebacker — despite the fact Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright are taking up $25m in cap space this year.

Russell Wilson keeps Seattle a contender of sorts but his presence shouldn’t be taken for granted. You can’t pretend that this team isn’t dragged along by the quarterback. It is. And there’s been a lack of aggression this off-season. Failing to land the pass rushers in free agency or improve the front seven forced them to prioritise both areas in a draft that was superior at offensive tackle and the skill positions early.

Russell Wilson called for superstars. They haven’t been added.

The roster, currently, is good enough to once again make the playoffs. Taking the next step — being a genuine contender and reaching a Super Bowl — requires more talent. Whether it’s developed or added. There’s still an awful lot of work to do.

The problem is — they no longer have the benefit of draft picks and a heap of cap space to work with. They are somewhat limited — even if they start cutting the likes of Justin Britt to create space.

The next few weeks are vital. They have to find a way, somehow, to add more...

Day two review: Seahawks make two quality additions

Points to Ponder:

I ask if anyone is truly learning anything from what we are all going through with this pandemic. Sadly, if the feeds are at all an accurate indicator, the answer is no.

Far too many of you continue to play politics with this pandemic, whether from the #Resistard left or the #Trumpbot right trying to manipulate various and sundry kook conspiracy narratives for some perceived political payoff. FFS, knock it off! There is a time for everything and now is not the time for politics.

The bottom line is, more places will start opening soon because they have to. Deal with it. There will be correspondingly greater restrictions on public gatherings of any sort for some time and social distancing, masks, gloves, etc will be the new norm for an indefinite while. Deal with it. If you flout safety protocols because you have a retarded notion of "muh liburty" that endangers the common good, then you will be made to pay for it. Again: Deal with it.

You are guaranteed to see some things in how we move forward that you do not like. Deal with it. Stop acting like whiny brats and grow up. It is not all about you and never has been. [Circa April 24, 2020]

NFL scout praises Seahawks pick LB Jordyn Brooks: 'He brings the juice'

NFL draft analysis: Three reasons the Seahawks picked Texas Tech’s Jordyn Brooks

Seahawks select Jordyn Brooks out of Texas Tech in the first round

Points to Ponder:

You are the agent of your own destiny, whether you realize it or not, whether you act it or not. [Mike Mentzer]

"One From the Vault" Dept.

The following is a flashback to the archives of this website from 2003...

I found myself focusing on a radio ad this morning which was targeted against youth smoking. The ad was actually well done; however it revealed of course the kind of absurd double standards that many who crusade in that field utilize. The line that began the ad was "there is no such thing as a safe cigarette." And the ad built on that theme with the usual statistics approach. I found myself substituting the word "sex" for the word "smoking" when listening to the ad -knowing that those who promote "safe sex" amongst the youths would never run such an ad as I envisioned. Think about that for a moment if you will.

The same people who would never accept the argument that "well, you should not smoke but if you do try to smoke a low tar cigarette because that is safer" nonetheless promote condoms under the rationale that "kids are going to do it anyway." Well, if that is the case, there is always the possibility of handing out free low tar cigarettes to the youths who are "going to smoke anyway." Is this going to happen anytime soon??? Do not bet on it if you have any pretentions of being smart.

For the same people who post these ads against youth smoking who like to point to statistics that show that said ads have a positive effect in reducing the number of youths who smoke are not infrequently the same people who get outraged about sex education programs that emphasize abstinence or even (God forbid) do not explain in detail -and with props at that- how various contraceptives actually work.

And do not think that when supporters of such programs point to statistics that show that their programs result in a reduction in the number of youths engaging in sexual activity that these statistics are going to be accepted as viable arguments for the program -though for some reason these are viable arguments for the anti-youth smoking commercials. No, in the case of the sex education situation, these kinds of statistics -valid or not- will be swept aside and not honestly interacted with. And this brings us to the notion of consistency and how it must undergird any method which can have a potential claim to be true...[Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa December 4, 2003)]

How to Make China Pay

This should be done as soon as possible...

"...In addition to halting any further trade cooperation with Beijing, the administration could also seize the assets of Chinese state-owned companies. Under its Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing reportedly has loaned billions to developing nations in Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, and then taken over their strategic ports and facilities once the debts fall due. The U.S. could turn this strategy on its head by supporting the expropriation of these assets by legal process and the cancellation of these debts as compensation for coronavirus losses.

Seizing Chinese property would allow the United States to finally use international law to its advantage. Let China try to go to court and claim that the U.S., its allies, and the developing world have violated international rules. Let Beijing try to show that these nations have no right to compensation for its coverup of the coronavirus outbreak. Let the Chinese Communist Party try to claim, outside its own borders, just as it does within them, that it can deny common sense and blame the very victims of its wrongdoing for the worst public-health catastrophe in a century."

Century Links 4/19: Draft Week is Finally Here

Points to Ponder:

Alright, here goes. I'm old. What that means is that I've survived (so far) and a lot of people I've known and loved did not. I've lost friends, best friends, acquaintances, co-workers, grandparents, mom, relatives, teachers, mentors, students, neighbors, and a host of other folks. I have no children, and I can't imagine the pain it must be to lose a child. But here's my two cents.

I wish I could say you get used to people dying. I never did. I don't want to. It tears a hole through me whenever somebody I love dies, no matter the circumstances. But I don't want it to "not matter". I don't want it to be something that just passes. My scars are a testament to the love and the relationship that I had for and with that person. And if the scar is deep, so was the love. So be it. Scars are a testament to life. Scars are a testament that I can love deeply and live deeply and be cut, or even gouged, and that I can heal and continue to live and continue to love. And the scar tissue is stronger than the original flesh ever was. Scars are a testament to life. Scars are only ugly to people who can't see.

As for grief, you'll find it comes in waves. When the ship is first wrecked, you're drowning, with wreckage all around you. Everything floating around you reminds you of the beauty and the magnificence of the ship that was, and is no more. And all you can do is float. You find some piece of the wreckage and you hang on for a while. Maybe it's some physical thing. Maybe it's a happy memory or a photograph. Maybe it's a person who is also floating. For a while, all you can do is float. Stay alive.

In the beginning, the waves are 100 feet tall and crash over you without mercy. They come 10 seconds apart and don't even give you time to catch your breath. All you can do is hang on and float. After a while, maybe weeks, maybe months, you'll find the waves are still 100 feet tall, but they come further apart. When they come, they still crash all over you and wipe you out. But in between, you can breathe, you can function. You never know what's going to trigger the grief. It might be a song, a picture, a street intersection, the smell of a cup of coffee. It can be just about anything...and the wave comes crashing. But in between waves, there is life.

Somewhere down the line, and it's different for everybody, you find that the waves are only 80 feet tall. Or 50 feet tall. And while they still come, they come further apart. You can see them coming. An anniversary, a birthday, or Christmas, or landing at O'Hare. You can see it coming, for the most part, and prepare yourself. And when it washes over you, you know that somehow you will, again, come out the other side. Soaking wet, sputtering, still hanging on to some tiny piece of the wreckage, but you'll come out.

Take it from an old guy. The waves never stop coming, and somehow you don't really want them to. But you learn that you'll survive them. And other waves will come. And you'll survive them too. If you're lucky, you'll have lots of scars from lots of loves. And lots of shipwrecks.

From all appearances, I have finally finished the project I mentioned earlier in the week. Essentially, when I was researching my archives for material to use in the magisterium project published on Ash Wednesday, I noticed some glaring problems with the template that was reflected across many past postings. Most dialogues had a colouring scheme that worked with the old templates but with the new one did not work at all and made in many cases differentiating who said what difficult.

To address this apparently longstanding problem, I undertook a restoration of colouring schemes for all the posts in the Dialogues main threads so that problem was fixed. I then applied the same scrutiny to the Expository Musings main threads and then waded through the Miscellaneous Threads/Brief Musings main threads. In the process, I found some threads with two main thread tags and fixed them so that each only had one main tag. I also reclassified some main tags to more accurately reflect the nature of the particular posting in question. Also in the process, I made sure any noticeable spelling or grammar glitches in the applicable threads were also fixed as well as making sure the threads were more uniformed going back to January 1, 2003. There was a process of finding a uniform approach to footnoting, source citing, etc, in postings that gradually took hold by some time around mid-2004.{1} However, prior to that, there was some variegation going back to the very beginning of this site's founding. I sought to iron a bunch of that out as well. I had to pick a hard delineation point for the sake of time and my sanity so I chose January 1, 2003 for that purpose.

Prior to January 1, 2003, there was a lot of postings numerically to an extent that was not replicated much past that time{2} that made tending to them in that fashion far more daunting than I cared to undertake. I did however where applicable in those postings still fix colour differentiations and glaring spelling or grammar glitches in those postings too but uniforming the whole site was impossible. But I did what I could to fix the majority of the site archives in the areas above and make sure all postings on the site had only one main tag delineation which was my intention all along but for reasons of complexity{3} was not always achieved previously.

Notes:

{1} It was so gradual that it was hard to find a definitive point where things were permanently what they eventually became. The same issue presented itself the last time I undertook an archival restoration project somewhat similar to (but by no means as extensive) as what I just undertook over the past week.

{2} It was a mixed bag in 2003 in this respect but at least moving in the direction of what I settled on eventually whereas 2002 was all over the map as this site gradually found its footing.

{3} See the threads HERE and HERE for an explanation of this process as I originally envisioned it being.

Points to Ponder:

Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged. [James v,9]

My mother in law Raffaelina Barone passed away last night. If those who read these words would say a prayer for her and her family, it would be appreciated.

Eternal rest grant unto her soul oh Lord and may thy perpetual light shine upon her...May her soul and all the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen

On the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the Atonement, Etc.

This is the text of a dialogue from social media circa September 9, 2012

Jesus paid it ALL...and nothing more is needed! You see, Christ is our high priest, eliminating ANY need for an earthly priest.

As Vincent Serpa OP, explains so succinctly on this matter:

"Hebrews states that the ideal high priest would have to be holy, innocent and uncontaminated (by sin). He would not have to offer sacrifices every day, as other (Levitical) high priests did, first for their own sins, and then for those of the people. Christ has done this once and for all by offering himself. (Heb. 7:20-28) This is no way excludes those men he has chosen to share in his priesthood. The key to all this is the Eucharist. He deliberately shared this with his Apostles in the upper room. When the Protestants dropped the sacrificial aspect of the Eucharist, it quite logically became a symbolic meal and no more. Can you imagine what dropping the sacrificial aspect of Christ’s death would do to Christianity? 

In that eternal moment when Jesus struggled to take his last breath and failed, he died and gave us life at the same time. All of humanity was redeemed by that moment of sacrifice. While that moment transcends all time, the Eucharist is that moment IN time. It brings the reality of that moment into our lives in a concrete, sacramental way. The Apostles were the first to be made privy to this and were actually given the power to 'do this in remembrance of Me.' (Lk. 22:19) 

The Eucharist completes his Incarnation. Through the Eucharist he not only joins us in our humanity, through it he concretely permeates our bodies as well as our souls, nourishing us with his divine life. If one can accept and grasp the reality of this most holy sacrament, then the priesthood of Jesus becomes quite necessary and understandable. In the words of St. Thomas Aquinas, 'It (the Eucharist) was the fulfillment of ancient figures and the greatest of all his miracles, while for those who were to experience the sorrow of his departure, it was destined to be a unique and abiding consolation.' (Opusculum 57, in festo Corporis Christi, lect. 1-4) How sad it is that so many Christians go without such a consolation!"

Protestants deny the need for priests because they have stripped the sacrificial aspect of the Eucharist away fifteen hundred odd years after Christ's time without any authority whatsoever to do so. When you understand that ancient and apostolic principle as established by Jesus at the Last Supper, the need for a priest becomes obvious.

So JJJ, with all due respect, those who follow what was commanded of them by Jesus Christ are not heretics. Instead, it is those who refuse to believe and follow what Jesus said and who decided to go against the unanimous consensus of Christian belief from the apostolic days through the first fifteen hundred odd years after the resurrection to ignore and reject this command of the Lord Jesus Christ who are the real heretics.

The Eucharist Re- Crucifies Christ...

TTT, this is one of the stupidest statements I have ever seen! Need I remind you that JESUS instituted the Eucharist? And that he instituted it prior to the crucifixion as the means whereby HE commanded of His apostles to offer His one sacrifice in perpetuity?

The mistake you are making is confusing Jesus' death with his sacrifice. Sacrifice is not the killing of the victim but the offering of the victim to God. Jesus in an unbloody manner offered Himself to the Father at the Last Supper -the only place in Scripture where he acted in a priestly capacity. On the cross, He was the victim. But the priestly offering (of which again He commanded to be offered by His followers) was again not made on the cross but instead it was made in the Upper Room. And like the Passover which foreshadowed it, the Last Supper (which itself was part of a Passover seder) was (i) instituted prior to the death of the First Born the following day and (ii) to be made in perpetuity thereafter.

The Eucharist is a non bloody re-presentation of Calvary. It was prophesied by Malachi:

"[F]rom the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts." [Malachi 1:10-11]

The pure offering made from the rising of the sun even unto the going down by the non-Jewish nations as prophesied by Malachi only has one possible fulfillment and that is in the Eucharist. For nearly 2,000 years there has been no other event that could possibly explain this. If the fulfillment of this is not in the liturgical eucharistic offerings of the Apostolic churches west and east since the days of the apostles, then Malachi was a false prophet!

Now I can understand to some extent that the manner of looking at these things outside of earthly time can make for a perspective that is difficult to grasp and that is ok. But at the very least, if you deign to speak on something at least have some familiarity with what you are talking about ok?

While Giving Mary & The Pope Glory????

What on earth are you talking about? Do the Orthodox Churches also give the pope glory through their daily liturgical offering of the Eucharist in obedience to the command of the Lord Jesus and in fulfillment of the prophecy of Malachi? By your "logic" they would but I will wager if you asked them that question that they would knock your block off! As far as Mary goes, how does the Eucharist give Mary glory?

I am unaware of any liturgy in the west or the east which gives glory for the offering of Jesus to anyone but the Father. In fact, if I was in an ornery mood, I would call you out on your assertions and demand that you demonstrate your assertions and then mock you incessantly when you failed to do so. However, I am actually in a good mood and besides, I know already that you not only cannot do this but furthermore, I doubt that you would even try to. But either way, need I remind you that bearing false witness is a violation of one of the Ten Commandments?

It's a Free Gift of GOD,

God's grace indeed is free. However, He has the right to prescribe how His grace is ordinarily to be received.

Paid In FULL By The SON Period!!!!

No one has claimed otherwise.

Offered To All!!!

Offered to all but offered as He saw/sees fit to do so. Those who knowingly reject His grace (in the manner whereby He has instituted it to be received) reject Jesus no matter how much they run around invoking His name and you would do well to remember that.

A 2020 Lenten Recapitulation Thread:

This is a series of threads posted during the Lenten season spanning from Ash Wednesday through Good Friday in order from oldest to most recent. Without further ado...

On the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, Obedience, and the Requirements of Faithful Catholics (circa February 26, 2020)

On Clarifying and Retracting Some Prior Statements on the Magisterium (circa March 8, 2020)

Points to Ponder on Obedience From St. Catherine of Siena (circa March 10, 2020)

Spiritual Instruction on Rash Judgment --Part I of IV (circa March 12, 2020)

Spiritual Instruction on Rash Judgment --Part II of IV (circa March 15, 2020)

Spiritual Instruction on Rash Judgment --Part III of IV (circa March 17, 2020)

Spiritual Instruction on Rash Judgment --Part IV of IV (circa March 20, 2020)

Pope Francis Blessing the World (circa March 29, 2020)


Points to Ponder on Obedience From the Bible (circa April 10, 2020)

Points to Ponder:

[O]bedience is better than sacrifices: and to hearken rather than to offer the fat of rams. It is like the sin of witchcraft, to rebel: and like the crime of idolatry, to refuse to obey. [1 Samuel xv,22-23]

Points to Ponder:

The Democratic party is and always will be the party of slavery. The difference is that they have moved from physical slavery to economic and psychological slavery. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa November 6, 2002)]

Things have been quieter here lately as I have been busy with a project I will post on later. It is not another writing project{1} but something that because of the current stay at home orders over the Covid19 epidemic is something that I would not have time to tend to in any other circumstance. As of this writing, it is about probably 55-60% completed. I will not comment on it again until it is completed.

Note:

{1} Though when I was out undergoing some cigar therapy a few days back, I thought of a subject to write on that considering the virus epidemic we are seeing right now will be rather timely. It is still however in the embryonic stage right now and not even ready to put the first jottings down in draft form.

He walked alone across the empty piazza of St Peter’s, wearing the simple “house cassock” that he favors, through the rain. He did not carry an umbrella. That image alone hit me with the seriousness of the prayer that Pope Francis was about to begin. To pray for the world as he invited the world to pray, on that spot where he says mass and speaks to tens of thousands, alone except for a single aid to help him up the steps. It is an image of these days we share, apart. But Pope Francis was not entirely alone in the rain. To the right, at the foot of one of the great columns of the facade, the icon of “Our Lady, Help of the Roman People,” protected from the rain in a plain plexiglass shrine. It almost never leaves the church of St Mary Major, dedicated in AD 434. Except for the time when Pope St Gregory the Great carried her through the streets of Rome in 593, praying for the end of a great plague, an event that earned the icon the title she has born for almost 1500 years since. To the left, a crucifix at the foot of the other column flanking the entrance. It survived a fire at the church of St Marcello on the Corso in 1519. Three years later, during a great plague it was carried from the rebuilt church through the streets of Rome to St Peter’s. The 600-year-old wooden figure of the crucified stood in the rain, unprotected.

It was between these two ancient images that Francis led the world in a simple prayer. The reading of the account of the Stilling of the Storm in Mark 4:36-41 (read by a lay person), words of reflection from the pope, walking through the rain again to pray before each of the two ancient images, kissing the feet of the crucified Christ.

And then into the portico, the “front porch” of St Peter’s, where the Eucharist was brought to a temporary altar, while the choir inside the church sang Parce, Domine, “Spare Lord, spare your people.” There Francis was joined in silent prayer by just a few of the residents of the Vatican.

And then, while St Peter’s rang every bell it had to let the people of Rome know what was happening, Francis took the monstrance containing the Eucharist in his hands, walked out to the steps, and blessed “Urbi et Orbi.” That blessing, of “The City and The World,” is reserved for two occasions, Christmas Day and Easter Day. It is normally delivered from the pope’s window in the Vatican apartments, using his raised hand. Francis chose this Friday of Lent to bless the world with the True Presence of Christ, from the steps of St Peter’s, in the rain.

There is an ancient tradition of the popes to visit a different church in Rome each day of Lent and the Easter Octave. They are known as Station Churches. Today’s designated church is San Eusebio, the church of the Roman martyr Eusebius. But I noticed on the papal calendar the designation today was changed to “Statio Orbi.” Today, the pope’s church was not San Eusebio, nor even San Pietro where he stood, it was the world. [Fr. Lou Meiman]