cenj

All coaches and GMs manipulate stories -- that's part of the PR game. None of us know the details, but if I had to guess, I'd assume Vrabel wasn't with Russini just to manipulate her into being his schill. He could have done that without the sex part (like every other coach and exec). So there is both the controlling the stories angle and the infidelity angle. But it feels particularly egregious because Vrabel has been pumped up in the media and some great, loyal guy. I'm quite sure he's pushed that narrative himself. And Russini has been especially dishonest in favor of Vrabel. The fact that everyone here knew Vrabel was Russni's source for years, and accused them of an affair, and she continued pushing stories that absolutely affected FAs and perhaps tampering...

I added an edit above right when you asked this, fyi... In general, I do think both parties being married makes this worse, as does Vrabel's image of being a respected family man, as does Russini's multiple allegations and her dogging her husband on air. There are a lot of factors that make this situation particularly unpalatable.

As a hypothetical... If photos came out showing Albert Breer at a romantic getaway, holding hands with the wife of Robert Kraft, after public accusations of Sean McVay accusing him of sleeping with his wife, and Breer had been consistently pushing biased narratives related to the Pats... 1) No one would be like, "they are just friends!" 2) No one would feel like Breer was being pressured in an awkward power dynamic 3) It would be even more scandalous than the Russini/Vrabel story 4) Breer would catch way more media heat I do think there's an interesting conversation to have here, questioning if sexual favors are any worse than the non-sexual, blatant shilling that other insiders do? They are all pushing lies to help certain people, scratch backs, and gain access. All parties gain from the deception and get paid for it. And while this country can be extraordinarily sexist with double-standards, I think the problems with Russini are more based on the professional ethics of her job. Edit: I do think the general public wouldn't care as much about the sexual infidelity of Breer. Many would even respect him for wooing the women -- that's where I think some of the sexism and double-standard lies.

I stopped reading this thread at some point and can't keep up with nearly 400 pages of speculation. Anybody have a quick update on where the rumors currently are regarding our pick?

They are both adults and neither is a victim. Both used their relationship for professional perks. Russini comes across as worse initially because she has track record of this exact thing (where it's Vrabel's first major black mark publicly). She's dogged her husband and comes across as having few personal or professional morals. Women are even more angry at her than men because she's catapulted her career by exchanging sexual favors, instead of being actually good at her job. However, Titans fans know that Vrabel is full of shit and a total asshole. He's used Russini and media connections to control the narratives, ones we all know are BS. When Vrabel was with TN, the scrutiny was much lower and he could be a bully, or take his ball and go home. That's not going to work in NE. The Pats won't do anything to him, and the NFL doesn't want to voluntarily uncover any scandal that hurts the brand. But...before this, it made no sense to criticize Vrabel if you were in the media. But now, Vrabel puff pieces are going to draw criticism for perceived bias or moral judgement, so I do think the media coverage will change dramatically. And I think as things unfold, there will be more to come out against Vrabel. When he pouts and acts like a coward, the media won't give him a pass. They will poke him and try and anger him for something click-worthy. Vrabel cannot stand criticism or questioning and I don't think it's gonna go well for him.

I do feel bad for both families. These are two shitty people who have brought embarrassment and distrust to their families. I know nothing about their marriages or if there is some sort of agreement, but it certainly feels like a spouse probably hired a PI. The kids definitely don't deserve what's happening.

This is going to tarnish both individuals, and I can't help but find the karma highly cathartic.

If the general population in the USA or Europe start starving, or intensely suffering, it's a problem for leadership. Iran doesn't have this problem. These Christian fundamentalists are pampered babies -- the Islamic fundamentalists in Iran are intimate with harsh conditions, co-existing with conflict. They can handle their country and their people suffering to an extreme that these pop-country loving, "my beer, my truck, my dog" posers can't fathom. Think about how the USA reacted to the Towers; multiple countries have bombed Iran and threatened their existence -- Israel absolutely wants them destroyed (and vice-versa). Trump is a liar and neither he nor Israel's word can ever be trusted. This is the problem with trying to bully everyone and breaking deals: eventually someone calls your bluff and refuses to bend the knee. Because unlike the corporations and media in the USA who are only concerned with profit, Iran feels a moral and religious conviction combined with the opportunity to expand their autonomy and control. Because Trump so stupidly illustrated our military incompetence, he's set the stage for Iran to make a power play. The problem is that we aren't willing to take a full measure. You can't drop some bombs and demand some stuff and walk away -- you have to commit to a full, expensive, historical war to take over Iran. We're absolutely not gonna do that and Iran knows it. Even if the USA was willing to commit the lives and resources needed (which it isn't), that level of brazen land grab would be denounced by all our allies. I think Israel needs to be very careful here. They've enjoyed the protection and investment of the USA, but all their neighbors want them destroyed, and even Western support has disappeared due to their treatment of Palestinians. There's a very real scenario where Israel overplays their hand and gets absolutely smacked.

Some of us have been saying it, but whether or not you love Ridley at his contract, the real question is can he be upgraded for the same cost? By the time you eat his contract and pay these newer market rates, you're likely overpaying for a worse WR. They also just brought back Bryce Oliver as depth. I'm sure they will add 1 or 2 rookie WRs to the mix also. I'm sure they'd love an elite #1 WR, but none of those guys are available. J.Jennings should ideally be a #3; one of the classic mistakes in free agency is signing backup players to be starters -- especially signing a #3 to be the #2, or worse: s #2 WR to be you're #1. I'm not saying Jennings won't sign; I don't know. But he's not a great replacement for Ridley. He would be nearly 20M a year to be a possession, blocking WR that doesn't dictate coverage or threaten downfield.

Titans don't have to spend it all. They will definitely need to extend Simmons and Skoronski, and I can see them filling the roster out a little more. But whatever is left over can roll into future years. I'd continue avoiding future void years and frontload as much as possible. Roll some cash forward so we can spend on key FAs next year when the offense and defense have a year and Cam is on that rookie deal.

What in the world are the Dolphins doing?

The Dolphins being the ones to gamble on this makes it especially hilarious. They just ate $99.2 Million for cutting Tua, and they turn around and spend this money on a lottery ticket. I can't imagine this working out.

Reading through and watching the transformation has been fascinating. Titandan first started as apprehensive on war and wanting to pretend to be open minded (because fearless leader lied and did the exact opposite of what he wanted), to slowly talking aloud possibilities he could cling to, to eventually becoming aggressively in favor, attacking everyone against as morons who don't understand the obvious, genius play Trump made. A perfect example of how someone's mind reaches for any rationalization it can to affirm its worldview, rather than allow mental discomfort and the questioning of opinions. You see the conspiracy mind at work, then ease at which he gobbles up any half-baked opinion to claim his own, the desperation to find patterns and meaning where there are none, just to ease his mind.

Dude, this. I think every GM since Floyd Reese we've heard the same line -- that our GM is more clever than others, that it's just some trick. It never is -- every time, the rumors prove true and our front office isn't playing some master game. People need to come to terms with the reality that yes, Borgonzi loves him some Love. It doesn't mean he's the pick, but it's not some elaborate smokescreen.

I'm of the opinion that it's better to have a stable of good WRs than to have an elite #1. I don't think that true #1 matters much if your #3 WR is below average. I'm not particularly opinionated on which FA WR to get, but I'm less worried about a guy like Wandale Robinson not being an X. He's definitely played and won on the outside, and can be moved around. If the keep Ridley, sign Robinson (or Pierce), develop Dike and Ayomanor, draft another WR outside the 1st, then the overall group will be solid. I'm not advocating Love, but he makes sense and I get it -- add him to the group as someone who can split out as another WR, and you've got a number of explosive, big play guys to account for. Cam should be distributing the ball to everyone. But I also think that Dike has some WR potential. He's legit fast and I think they can develop him as a deep threat.