| Favorite team: | LSU  |
| Location: | Baton Rouge, LA |
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| Number of Posts: | 2643 |
| Registered on: | 9/16/2013 |
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quote:
If it's Really Big you don't have to advertise it. People will notice how big it is.
If you have to tell us "It's gonna be really big!" then it isn't big at all
You're correct, on the surface. However remember that Tony Bobulinski, business partner to Hunter Biden, went on live television and provided proof that a sitting US President/former US Senator was in the pockets of a foreign government and the majority of the main stream media didn't even acknowledge and those that did downplayed.
Candace has been out there a bit lately, and I'm not a fan of how she's been publicly calling for doxing of innocent civilians (to our knowledge) in regards to Charlie Kirk's assassination. Now if she were to show any compelling reason to, and share that with the public, then that would be different, but I cannot be on board with how's she's currently doing it, that is unless she drops a bombshell proving her actions were warranted. But I just don't see that happening.
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We just got back from our trip, and it was fantastic! We stayed at a villa in Pedregal, in a gated "community" area with the entrance gate being right at the Waldorf.
TACOS GARDENIAS: Cannot recommend enough!! It's off the beaten path, so not too touristy which is what we like to experience. Great food at pretty cheap prices, perfect place for a lunch/afternoon bite & drink. Best meal we had hands down, all 4 of us. GREAT tacos, quesadillas, and ceviche and their spicy margaritas were awesome. Food, drinks, & service were each legit 5/5 stars.
El Farallon at The Waldorf Astoria: Fancy atmosphere with 4 course menu where the cheapest option I believe was $100, so if you are planning on each having a cocktail, champagne or glass of wine then prepare for a $400 evening. Excellent scenery starts with driving through the "bat cave" of the hollowed out mountain to the cocktail lounge area overlooking the pool & ocean, then restaurant on the mountain side with the waves crashing against the rocks. Beautiful movie type views, and this is what you are paying for! Cocktails were great, salads & appetizer courses were great, but the entree was honestly pretty bad overall. 4 entrees were 2 sea bass which was just "okay" and a tuna that was fishy and a steak that was a bit overcooked yet somehow still cold in the middle. Our dinner reservations were at night so it was dark but still beautiful, and we enjoyed the cocktail lounge area so much that we went back there another evening to watch the sunset and again it was very relaxing and beautiful.
The Office: The wives went there one day for lunch and absolutely loved it. Out on the beach at one of the few places people could actually get in the water to swim. They said the food & service were great, they loved everything about it.
Solmar Golf Links: We squeezed in 1 round and it was beautiful. Challenging course with ocean views on I think 16/18 holes. $235 greens mid day dropped from $295 in the morning is a bit steep, but worth it when on vacation for that kind of course to me. A few holes have actual beach surrounding them & so if you go in it you have to swing out of your shoes to move the ball out of that heavy sand lol. No cart girls, but they have "comfort stations" set up about every 3rd hole where you can get drinks & food that are complimentary.
Catering to Cabo: We booked this company to come to the villa and cook dinner for us and thoroughly enjoyed it. We did fajitas the first night since we were a little tired from traveling, and it worked out great because we had leftovers to snack on the next couple of days. They have several options to choose from, all were delicious! GREAT service, extremely pleasant, creative enough to use what they brought along with different things we had in the villa to set up & make it a nice setting. After finishing they cleaned up even more things than they touched, literally could not tell they were there other than the leftover food they packaged for us.
TL;DR: Tacos Gardenias & The Office are great relaxing lunch spots.
El Farallon is beautiful & pricey, food just okay. Not mad that we went, but I would not go back. But I highly recommend going to the cocktail lounge area to watch the sunset. Definitely make reservations
Catering to Cabo was fantastic
Solmar Golf Links was awesome.
TACOS GARDENIAS: Cannot recommend enough!! It's off the beaten path, so not too touristy which is what we like to experience. Great food at pretty cheap prices, perfect place for a lunch/afternoon bite & drink. Best meal we had hands down, all 4 of us. GREAT tacos, quesadillas, and ceviche and their spicy margaritas were awesome. Food, drinks, & service were each legit 5/5 stars.
El Farallon at The Waldorf Astoria: Fancy atmosphere with 4 course menu where the cheapest option I believe was $100, so if you are planning on each having a cocktail, champagne or glass of wine then prepare for a $400 evening. Excellent scenery starts with driving through the "bat cave" of the hollowed out mountain to the cocktail lounge area overlooking the pool & ocean, then restaurant on the mountain side with the waves crashing against the rocks. Beautiful movie type views, and this is what you are paying for! Cocktails were great, salads & appetizer courses were great, but the entree was honestly pretty bad overall. 4 entrees were 2 sea bass which was just "okay" and a tuna that was fishy and a steak that was a bit overcooked yet somehow still cold in the middle. Our dinner reservations were at night so it was dark but still beautiful, and we enjoyed the cocktail lounge area so much that we went back there another evening to watch the sunset and again it was very relaxing and beautiful.
The Office: The wives went there one day for lunch and absolutely loved it. Out on the beach at one of the few places people could actually get in the water to swim. They said the food & service were great, they loved everything about it.
Solmar Golf Links: We squeezed in 1 round and it was beautiful. Challenging course with ocean views on I think 16/18 holes. $235 greens mid day dropped from $295 in the morning is a bit steep, but worth it when on vacation for that kind of course to me. A few holes have actual beach surrounding them & so if you go in it you have to swing out of your shoes to move the ball out of that heavy sand lol. No cart girls, but they have "comfort stations" set up about every 3rd hole where you can get drinks & food that are complimentary.
Catering to Cabo: We booked this company to come to the villa and cook dinner for us and thoroughly enjoyed it. We did fajitas the first night since we were a little tired from traveling, and it worked out great because we had leftovers to snack on the next couple of days. They have several options to choose from, all were delicious! GREAT service, extremely pleasant, creative enough to use what they brought along with different things we had in the villa to set up & make it a nice setting. After finishing they cleaned up even more things than they touched, literally could not tell they were there other than the leftover food they packaged for us.
TL;DR: Tacos Gardenias & The Office are great relaxing lunch spots.
El Farallon is beautiful & pricey, food just okay. Not mad that we went, but I would not go back. But I highly recommend going to the cocktail lounge area to watch the sunset. Definitely make reservations
Catering to Cabo was fantastic
Solmar Golf Links was awesome.
He's still playing at a GOOD level. He's also definitely lost a step, which started last season. Both of these can be true at the same time.
I don't recall reading anybody calling for his head either, especially not "a few years ago". Majority of posters wanted Pete Werner upgraded last season, and simultaneously to find a LB that can begin to replace Davis as his play will unavoidably decline with age and his real contract is up after '25 season. Though he does have void years & dead cap through 2029.
He is one of the all time free agent signings in Saints history.
I don't recall reading anybody calling for his head either, especially not "a few years ago". Majority of posters wanted Pete Werner upgraded last season, and simultaneously to find a LB that can begin to replace Davis as his play will unavoidably decline with age and his real contract is up after '25 season. Though he does have void years & dead cap through 2029.
He is one of the all time free agent signings in Saints history.
re: FDA reverses guidance on Menopause Hormone Therapy
Posted by Doug_H on 11/10/25 at 1:28 pm to OysterPoBoy
quote:
My wife has enough hormones, no thank you.
Exactly the point, this is to help with their hormones and aid in giving them balance.
My wife has been in perimenopause for about a decade, and it's honestly a damned shame how uneducated (or dare I say how much they purposely chose) the women's OB and Primary Care doctors are about women's hormones! It seriously is a travesty! I'm not the most educated fella, but even I knew enough from basic experience and education through sports & exercise to be able to challenge her doctors and legitimately stump them. Again this is not me bragging trying to say I'm the smart man in the room that knows all things, but rather how BAD it is from the doctors.
Then you go into potential links to heart disease and the rise in hormonal cancers in women from most of the guidance given by doctors then that really makes me want to put on my tin foil hat.
Not a Rattler fan boy but I did think he edged out Shough in preseason to be QB1 in week 1 with a short leash. Rattler showed a few signs in preseason games of pushing the ball downfield and extending the play, so I was hoping that would translate.
Part of my thought process was that if Shough was not clearly better than Rattler then you start the "veteran" so that either A) they show up & win or B) if they underperform then you have the excitement of the unknown rookie with upside to turn to.
Week 2 against 49ers, late in the game after Olave & Johnson both missed off-target but very catchable balls I said on here that the offense needed a shot in the arm and it was time to put Shough in.
Week 3 butt-kicking by Seattle was definitely not all on offense, especially Rattler, mostly STs, but still that game solidified my thoughts from previous week.
No doubt the first 8 weeks Shough continued to improve in practice and in the film room to help display what we have seen the last 2 weeks, but I do wonder just how much growth came in the five week gap from weeks 3-8.
It's nothing "negative" towards Rattler, just that he was simply not elevating players around him. That's an intangible trait that some players just have, and when it's a QB it can have a significant impact on the whole offense & team. Think back to Olave's missed TD against the 49ers, off-target throw but more catchable than the 1-hander he had against Carolina yesterday. Those are types of plays where there area handful each game that can really change the outcome if the player rises to the occasion or not.
Now to critique Rattler, even considering o-line & WR/TE play, he did miss throws a little too often but even moreso was his inability to anticipate and hesitancy to throw the ball downfield. Instead of potential sacks he took several short positive runs which on the surface is good but he tucked too soon often missing a WR that came open for a big gain.
The playcalling is another factor that I think Moore didn't have enough confidence with Rattler that hamstrung the offense. Shough thus far does not seem to have any reason to shrink the playbook. Taking more planned shots downfield, and his ability to evade the rush and extend the play while scanning the field and deliver a strike for a big gain not only creates 1-3 potential game changing plays but also completely opens up the offense by having the defense play back a little having to respect that, which in turn opens the run game some which makes the offense more balanced. Balance allows for better scheme which can then help mask subpar play particularly on the o-line.
Part of my thought process was that if Shough was not clearly better than Rattler then you start the "veteran" so that either A) they show up & win or B) if they underperform then you have the excitement of the unknown rookie with upside to turn to.
Week 2 against 49ers, late in the game after Olave & Johnson both missed off-target but very catchable balls I said on here that the offense needed a shot in the arm and it was time to put Shough in.
Week 3 butt-kicking by Seattle was definitely not all on offense, especially Rattler, mostly STs, but still that game solidified my thoughts from previous week.
No doubt the first 8 weeks Shough continued to improve in practice and in the film room to help display what we have seen the last 2 weeks, but I do wonder just how much growth came in the five week gap from weeks 3-8.
It's nothing "negative" towards Rattler, just that he was simply not elevating players around him. That's an intangible trait that some players just have, and when it's a QB it can have a significant impact on the whole offense & team. Think back to Olave's missed TD against the 49ers, off-target throw but more catchable than the 1-hander he had against Carolina yesterday. Those are types of plays where there area handful each game that can really change the outcome if the player rises to the occasion or not.
Now to critique Rattler, even considering o-line & WR/TE play, he did miss throws a little too often but even moreso was his inability to anticipate and hesitancy to throw the ball downfield. Instead of potential sacks he took several short positive runs which on the surface is good but he tucked too soon often missing a WR that came open for a big gain.
The playcalling is another factor that I think Moore didn't have enough confidence with Rattler that hamstrung the offense. Shough thus far does not seem to have any reason to shrink the playbook. Taking more planned shots downfield, and his ability to evade the rush and extend the play while scanning the field and deliver a strike for a big gain not only creates 1-3 potential game changing plays but also completely opens up the offense by having the defense play back a little having to respect that, which in turn opens the run game some which makes the offense more balanced. Balance allows for better scheme which can then help mask subpar play particularly on the o-line.
re: It’s the offensive line
Posted by Doug_H on 11/10/25 at 11:55 am to NotaStarGazer
quote:
It is the OL as by far the #1 problem on offense. I can't possibly tell you whether it is lack of talent or lack of OL coaching but it really doesn't matter. The OL sucks big time. Second worst problem on offense has been Sloan. There are PARTIAL solutions to a bad OL and he never tried them. More screen passes, misdirections like counters, running the wildcat on short yardage situations, the occasional trick play, etc. Third worst problem is a QB who refuses to run past the LOS when there is open real estate.
And for those who want to blame Kelly for the offensive woes, his name was on the head coaching office door. Davis should have been fired last season. Sloan should have never been promoted to OC and his resume for that position was only La Tech. On the QB situation, I cut him some slack there. LSU had Underwood committed until he reneged. And Van Buren last night didn't exactly light it up.
OL problem is both talent & coaching. Bama beat us consistently with a THREE MAN RUSH!!! LT-Curne #57 especially had a bad game.
100% agree with you on Kelly/Sloan.
Van Buren left some to be desired sure, but again OL was getting beat by a 3 man rush leaving 8 defenders back against the pass. That is very hard for any QB to beat let alone a QB that has not been getting #1 reps and comes in mid-game.
Nuss has played bad and deserves to be benched. Van Buren is more mobile and gives us a better chance to win. I'd even go as far as to say if Van Buren was given the QB1 reps in practice and started the Ole Miss & Vanderbilt games that we would have won those 2 games.
re: Cabo trip recs
Posted by Doug_H on 11/10/25 at 10:32 am to ctowntiger
Solmar Golf Links is the only one that I've played, and it was very nice! Ocean views on just about every hole.
quote:
Probably, Simpkins. If he plays well
No need to move on from a cheap UDFA depth piece
re: Saints 17 @ Panthers 7 | Final | FOX SAINTS WIN! Next ATL (3-6) @ NO (2-8) 11/23 @ 3:25 PM
Posted by Doug_H on 11/9/25 at 2:46 pm to Fat Bastard
quote:
NEED A TD here moar points
What’s the spread, can’t forget about Vegas
quote:
Shough absolutely should have been starting the season over Rattler. He lost 7 games of important reps and experience.
I did not think he did enough to win the job in preseason, but he didn’t lose it by much. We should have turned to him after the 49ers game and 0-2 start.
re: Saints 17 @ Panthers 7 | Final | FOX SAINTS WIN! Next ATL (3-6) @ NO (2-8) 11/23 @ 3:25 PM
Posted by Doug_H on 11/9/25 at 2:10 pm to Eternalmajin
quote:
Curious how its not dead since it was blocked and bounced off bodies behind the line of scrimmage.
Stupid rule to penalize defense for blocking a kick! Even if it goes beyond LOS the offense should not get a 1st down without the defense recovering & then losing possession
He didn’t catch it but good effort by Vele to layout for the ball
re: Can someone check on Bryce?
Posted by Doug_H on 11/9/25 at 12:21 pm to Gonadballbarian
quote:
I just feel like that rule should be altered to where it needs to be forcible contact
If he would have just tapped it then yes, but he grabbed his damn face mask & yanked his head down, that’s been a penalty since the 80’s! Dumbass play by Reid
quote:
The rules are ridiculous
You mean face masks? Because that’s what Reid did, blatantly grabbed Young’s face mask & pulled it down. Stupid play from a veteran
re: Who is the taking Penning’s place on the OL
Posted by Doug_H on 11/6/25 at 6:53 am to Yippie_Ky_yae
quote:
Who is the taking Penning’s place on the OL
Yippie_Dillion Radunz or Torricelli Simpkins?
Radunz most likely.
It's a lot to move at one time mid-season while giving a rookie QB only his 2nd NFL start but if I'm more I'd be tempted to shake the line up a bit.
Banks / Radunz / Ruiz / Fortner / Richards (with Fuaga being hurt he's playing bad and needs to heal)
Banks / Fortner / Ruiz / Simpkins / Richards
Fortner filled in nicely for McCoy and appeared seamless with no issues. Can't ask for better, and hard to swap him. But IF the staff feels he could play equally as good at G and IF they think Ruiz could improve his play from G to C then that could get interesting.
re: Saints gained 3.5+ million, a 4th, 5th, future 6th rd picks today
Posted by Doug_H on 11/5/25 at 1:28 pm to Townedrunkard
quote:
So Shaheed may have hit his ceiling but Vele, who is older, has room to grow?
Yes I think the guy who's in only his 2nd season has more room to grow than the guy in his 4th season.
re: Saints gained 3.5+ million, a 4th, 5th, future 6th rd picks today
Posted by Doug_H on 11/5/25 at 11:02 am to Townedrunkard
quote:
We essentially traded Shaheed for Vele straight up
We cannot correct past sins. That does not give Loomis a pass on the past but just looking present day going forward in regards to contracted players in 26, 26 draft assets, and 26 cap/cash availability makes today a good day in context. That does not mean anyone is white-knighting for Loomis.
No we did not straight up trade Vele for Shaheed. Even if we did, trading away a WR that may have already hit his ceiling who we cannot afford beyond 25 for a WR who's only in his second season and on a cheap contract for 26 & 27 is a good deal.
I don't want to pay Olave a contract worth more than the $15.6M he's getting next year on the 5th year option, but if we pay him even MSRP WR2 money we still have a need for WR1, which Shaheed is clearly not.
WRs under contract in 2026 is actually a good looking group IF and only IF we add a true WR1.
Not paying Shaheed $18-$25M/yr allows us to put that money towards a WR1. And/or we can now use a higher pick on WR since we can use the 4th/5th round picks from trading him on other contributor and possible starting positions like OL/DL/LB/TE which are easier to find in the middle rounds.
Chris Olave........6'0" 195
DeVaughn Vele..6'5" 210
Brandin Cooks...5'10" 190
Bub Means.........6'2" 215
Ja'Lynn Polk.......6'1" 203
Trey Palmer........6'1" 190
Mason Tipton.....5'11" 187
MSY and Denver were both normal this past weekend
re: Saints open to trading WR Rashid Shaheed, sources say
Posted by Doug_H on 11/3/25 at 10:40 am to Chalkywhite84
quote:
Are you fricking joking or just this stupid?
Trade for vele and give up a high 4th(top 102 pick) to then trade Shaheed for let's say pick 130.
That is horrible management.
1) On the surface you are correct, and I'd also like to keep Shaheed.
2) You are not accounting for the financial aspect. We are a team with a lot of talent needs & cap relief. We cannot keep everybody that we'd like, financials aside, and still be able to actually pay them.
3) It depends on how we hit on the draft picks. If we get a 3rd and select a WR would you be upset or happy if in his first 4 years he has the same stat line as Shaheed listed below? Now consider we'd only be paying him maximum average of $1.5M/yr on a rookie contract versus $17M+ that Shaheed will likely get and will have to greatly increase his current production, like his best season thus far would have to be his absolute floor to not be considered a terrible contract.
4) You are gambling just as much on Shaheed taking a big step up in the future as you are of Vele not panning out. Though I do give you that Shaheed statistically is on pace for his best season barring injuries, and we have not properly utilized Vele.
5) Statistically, prior to 2025, they are not as far apart as people think.
6) 2025 & beyond we have to figure how to best utilize them both. Shaheed should not be averaging just 11.3ypc unless he's going to be your trusted blanket to get open type WR1 and replace Olave. Vele halfway through his 2nd season cannot only have total what amounts to essentially 1 game of production from his rookie season. Both of these issues are on Moore in the same way that we are not using Kamara & Hill properly.
Vele
2024: 41rec/475yd/3TD
2025: 5rec/39yd/1TD
Shaheed
2022: 28rec/488yd/2TD
2023: 46rec/719yd/5TD
2024: 20rec/349yd/3TD
2025: 44rec/499yd/2TD
re: Trade
Posted by Doug_H on 11/3/25 at 10:09 am to Chad504boy
There's only a few players that I would not trade
OFFENSE:
QB-T.Shough is cheap potential QB1
S.Rattler is valuable as a backup, but I'd prefer to have a more seasoned vet in that role.
RB-K.Miller & D.Neal are still cheap contributors/potential starters
A.Kamara is giving us literally nothing on the field. If he rather retire than be traded then go ahead & start the paperwork. If he retires then surely some money would come off the books right???
WR-D.Vele is the only I consider not tradeable since we just traded for him and we still have 2 cheap years on his contract.
C.Olave expensive & expendable.
R.Shaheed currently cheap, depends on compensation & potential new contract cost
B.Cooks expensive & expendable
OL-K.Banks, E.McCoy, T.Fuaga are 3 legit starters and A.Richards, L.Fortner, T.Simpkins are 3 quality & cheap depth pieces.
T.Penning is expendable, depends on what a new contract looks like for him but I'd assume it would only be a 1yr prove it type
C.Ruiz expensive & expendable.
TE-F.Moreau & J.Stoll are cheap depth.
J.Johnson is expensive & expendable.
T.Hill is very expensive & we aren't utilizing him at all.
DEFENSE:
DT-B.Bresee, V.Broughton, K.Boyd are cheap starters/contributors
N.Shepherd & D.Godchaux are both expendable
DE-C.Young & C.Granderson are the only edge guys that can pass rush. C.Rumph II is cheap depth
C.Jordan I'd love to see go to a contender
LB-D.Stutsman & I.Stallbird are both cheap contributors with starter potnetial. J.Ford is cheap depth
D.Davis I'd love to see go to a contributor & get cap relief. Father time is showing
P.Werner has hit his ceiling. Serviceable starter/great backup.
DB-K.McKinstry, Q.Riley, J.Sanker are all contributors/starters that are cheap
J.Reid is expensive & expendable, but depends on compensation
OFFENSE:
QB-T.Shough is cheap potential QB1
S.Rattler is valuable as a backup, but I'd prefer to have a more seasoned vet in that role.
RB-K.Miller & D.Neal are still cheap contributors/potential starters
A.Kamara is giving us literally nothing on the field. If he rather retire than be traded then go ahead & start the paperwork. If he retires then surely some money would come off the books right???
WR-D.Vele is the only I consider not tradeable since we just traded for him and we still have 2 cheap years on his contract.
C.Olave expensive & expendable.
R.Shaheed currently cheap, depends on compensation & potential new contract cost
B.Cooks expensive & expendable
OL-K.Banks, E.McCoy, T.Fuaga are 3 legit starters and A.Richards, L.Fortner, T.Simpkins are 3 quality & cheap depth pieces.
T.Penning is expendable, depends on what a new contract looks like for him but I'd assume it would only be a 1yr prove it type
C.Ruiz expensive & expendable.
TE-F.Moreau & J.Stoll are cheap depth.
J.Johnson is expensive & expendable.
T.Hill is very expensive & we aren't utilizing him at all.
DEFENSE:
DT-B.Bresee, V.Broughton, K.Boyd are cheap starters/contributors
N.Shepherd & D.Godchaux are both expendable
DE-C.Young & C.Granderson are the only edge guys that can pass rush. C.Rumph II is cheap depth
C.Jordan I'd love to see go to a contender
LB-D.Stutsman & I.Stallbird are both cheap contributors with starter potnetial. J.Ford is cheap depth
D.Davis I'd love to see go to a contributor & get cap relief. Father time is showing
P.Werner has hit his ceiling. Serviceable starter/great backup.
DB-K.McKinstry, Q.Riley, J.Sanker are all contributors/starters that are cheap
J.Reid is expensive & expendable, but depends on compensation
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