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Member Since 03 Feb 2009
Offline Last Active Mar 16 2012 01:48 AM

Topics I've Started

Will Leave The Hurneywagon If We Don't Make An Effort To Improve The Team This FA.

13 March 2012 - 01:19 PM

Now this is just an opinion "piece" so if you don't agree, don't go getting your panties in a bunch, but I was just sitting here thinking about this and thought I'd share.

As I tried to state in the title, but had to shorten thanks to the character limit-I will forever leave the Hurney bandwagon if we don't make a significant effort to improve the team this free agency period.

The reason is this:

We are so close to being where we want to be as a team-but-and I say this with the expectation that Hurney isn't going to do anything of any worth this FA period-Hurney is too narrow minded to finish the job.

He looks at the team and says to himself- "Self, we had a pretty good team last year had we not been decimated by injuries, so I really don't see the need to improve the team. Throw in a decent draft pick (singular) and we'll be set to go!"

But let's step back and look at the league as a whole. What if Washington lands V-Jax to pair with RG3? What if Chicago lands the greatest defensive prospect to hit the market since Reggie White and forms the greatest DE tandem of all time? What if other teams improve while we stand pat (and yes, we happen to play both of those teams this year)?

If there's one fact of life that has seemed to elude this organization over the years, it's this:

If you aren't progressing, you're regressing.

So what happens if all those other NFC teams progress, while we sit? What happens if we put all our chips in on the hopes that an average 34 year old DT coming off an entire season on the bench, a LB coming off 3 major knee injuries, and an OT who hasn't been able to stay healthy since this team was contending for the number one record in the NFC? (and possibly before)

Next season isn't so bright and shiny then, is it? Is Hurney really content to say:

"Weellp, if that's the case it looks like we're have to spend another year improving our draft picks!"

Really? Again? When we're this close? How long is this gonna go on? Will it takes five years for our draft picks to fill all our needs and then, hopefully, be good players? Then what will we have to look at? Both RB's could be gone. Steve Smith will be 37 and you haven't been able to find a decent receiver during your entire tenure here-at what point is it okay to admit to ourselves that it's okay to sign good players that weren't "born" here?

When building a team, to build long-term success, you have to balance the "now" (free agents) with "future." (draft picks)

Some teams lean too much towards free agents (the Skins of yesteryear) and some team rely too heavily on draft picks. (the Panthers )

Some teams, most notably the Pats, have found the perfect balance of the two. Either way, we know that you can't have success and sustain it long-term without a nice combination of both.

Now, am I asking for Mario Williams? No, of course not. I understand that when discussing free agents, you have to take into account financial feasibility. But I do expect without expecting, that this team make a serious effort to address needs from the previous season this FA by bringing in talented, veteran players that have built a reputation of being good players in this league. Not an UDFA, two year pro, up-and comer out Mississippi Valley State that we really liked coming out, but just a handful of decent players, and I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the team to do so yearly-but especially this year, when we are this close to making a run.

I guess the bottom line is that, if we don't make a serious effort to improve the team via FA, and it costs us what is a very, very promising season this year, I just wouldn't be able to forgive Hurney, in spite of the fact that I like the guy.

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Panthers 2012 Free Agency Thread

12 March 2012 - 05:26 PM

With less than 24 hours to go, figured we should put a thread for the general discussion of personal targets, rumors, cap movements, confirmed interest in certain players, and of course signings.

Finally something Panther related to talk about! (at least there better be!)

Finally Going To Start Tracing My Genealogy. Could Use Some Pointers.

09 March 2012 - 08:48 PM

Hello Loungers.

If there is one thing I can say about me, it's that I remember the importance of the past. I formulate my approach to life by looking at history, by learning from it, and by respecting it. I've always been the oddball amongst the people I knew because I love history, and I cherish it. It's important to me.

Tracing my genealogy is something I have wanted to do for a very long time, and I'm now tired of putting it off. I long to learn about my ancestors, and to make sure they are remembered, to learn from them.

Growing up, my father told me of two notable peoples in our recent family history. The first being the Studebakers, some of the first automobile manufacturer's, and the one I'm very proud of, Dwight Eisenhower, who was a role model for me before was ever even told I was a descendant of his.

Which brings me to my question.

Where do I start? Ancestry.com seems to have a poor reputation among the "true" genealogists of the e-world, because it apparently provides poor documentation, if it provides any at all.

I know I'm not the only one on the Huddle with an interest for such things, so if someone else who has been down this road could provide me with a place to start and some important tips I need to know, it'd be appreciated.

Assassin's Creed 3.

04 March 2012 - 10:20 PM

I recently became a fan of the series and am delighted to hear this news, because it sounds AWESOME. The game has been in development for a few years, and the overall scope is going to be massive. Rumors are that story and characters spoilers online, so obviously, I won't dive into that, and ask that noone else does either-but I figured I'd throw it out in case any of you are curious. Also, there's supposed to be a big reveal on the website tonight, but likely won't be too much more than what's been leaked.

The first Assassin's Creed 3 gameplay details have emerged via US magazine Game Informer.

According to GI, Assassin's Creed 3's set to star a half English, half Native American protagonist in New York and Boston during the years between 1753 and 1783.

The new hero is called Connor and has an English father and Native American mother. During AC 3's opening players will experience Conner's childhood on the American frontier as he's raised by the Mowhawk.

Conner eventually dedicates his life to confronting tyranny (and Templars), says GI, after white colonists attack and burn down his village.

An updated game engine capable of putting thousand-man battles on screen powers Assassin's Creed 3, and a brand new animation system (with nothing carried over from previous games) and impressive facial animations are promised.

A new platforming approach will have players climbing trees and mountain cliffs, and you'll meet George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Charles Lee during your journeys.

Most importantly, not all British colonists will be cast as evil oppressors, says Ubisoft.

The first Assassin's Creed 3 screens appeared this afternoon. Here's the full breakdown of the GI details, via NeoGAF:


More details about the protagonist/scenarios: You will experience Conner's childhood on the American frontier as he is raised by the Mohawk. The Mohawk eventually clash with white colonists who burn their village down, causing Connor to dedicate his life to confront tyranny and injustice.


Uses a new version of the Anvil engine that can "depict thousands of troops engaged in bloody battle" along with highly detailed face close
ups. They later imply that if they used version numbers, they would be like going from Anvil 1.0 -> Anvil 2.0 or something of that nature.

Judging by the images, the faces really are quite good.



Character details:

George Washington: Interacting with Washington is one of the core relationships of the game.

Benjamin Franklin: He's not a convenient inventor a la Da Vinci.

Charles Lee: His role is a mystery.

The game is set between the years 1753 - 1783 and is centered around the cities of Boston and New York.

"It's not just going to a historical building now; it's going to a historical event."




Not all the Colonists will be cast as good people, and not all the British will be cast as evil oppressors. They're trying to focus on how both the Assassins and Templars viewpoints exist in a gray morality as the Templars really believe they're saving the world.

The French and Native Americans will also feature in the game, as was probably really obvious.

The modern day stuff relates to that location in New York at the end of Revelations.



The Frontier is not empty like in Assassin's Creed 1, but features a third of the game's missions and gameplay content.

You can hunt animals for resources, and how you kill them effects your reward. A one hit kill on a bear gets you a much more valuable pelt than stabbing it eight times.

The wilderness traversal plays a big part in the gameplay in the Frontier, allowing you to use trees, cliffs, ledges, and more to set up kills and combat.

Connor does have a hidden blade.



In the winter, soldiers will move slowly and stumble about in the snow, and lakes and rivers will freeze over allowing you new terrain to work with. This gives Connor an extra advantage since he can still use the trees and wilderness pretty effectively during this time of year.

There are all sorts of clubs and groups who want you to join and give you quests. These are separate from the mission system. These clubs will contact you based on what you do in the game. For example, hunting a lot will get you an invitation to the hunting society.

There will be a goods based economy, a new property system, and more Desmond stuff.

There's going to be some new puzzle thing like the first person Tetris.

There's a new Animus database known as Animus 3.0.

They're not unveiling anything about the multiplayer yet.

There will be more platforming levels.

Full synchronization returns, but with major tweaks. Missions have checkpoints, You also get significant rewards for doing these tasks instead of a 100%. "Imagine a leveling system in an RPG, except there's a finite amount of XP to find. The more in-sync you get, the more you fill your sync bar. Within each mission, each activity you complete has a value". You can replay everything to increase your score.

They imply there is something resembling the Brotherhood system of picking up fellow assassins.

Aligned groups are gone, but something new is replacing them in regards to factions. They don't say what.


The game has fast travel because the game has more traveling.

Don't expect more tower defense.

You can upgrade Connor's gear and costume as the game goes on in an attempt to make it feel more authentic.

The cities have a lot more subtle detail now in terms of ambient things that happen.

You can now leap over wagons or slide under obstacles, including navigating over and around moving objects. The free running stuff also has you jumping through windows to trees and then on top of church roofs. Basically, expect the free running stuff, but more fluid and presumably generally closer to the ground.

Connor enters battle with two weapons. The game uses the same controls in and out of battle.

The tomahawk and knife are a "constant presence" in battle. They also let you do double counters and multiple takedowns, and you can chain kills.


You can use human shields and other context sensitive moves.

They want you to constantly move in battle.



There is a new sprinting system also, so you can hold the button to instantly turn around and start fleeing from combat. They also let you kill people while still moving so you can keep chasing a target. They kind of imply you can even leap off of them after you kill them, though I'm not sure if that makes you faster or just doesn't impede your movement.

They really, really, really want you to constantly move. I mean like they say this every four sentences. Not just in battle, but in every section of the game.

They also try to keep you more in control of the combat than ever before.

There are around 2.5 hours of character scenes in the game that are fully acted and recorded. They mean this in Naughty Dog style where they have the actors being mocaped while performing on a set that resembles the scene in the game.

They're aiming for accuracy by having historical dialog consultants and actual Native American actors.


They want the game to feel like AC3.5, and the game will have its first version complete in just a few more weeks, at which point they're going to spend the rest of their time refining it.

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Defensive Linemen Taken in the 1st Round of the NFL Draft over past two years

04 March 2012 - 04:35 PM

So there seems to be this delusional myth by this certain segment of awkward people whom are overly obsessed with the term "BPA."
They seem to think, contrary to the evidence, that a DT takes 9 years to finally be able to contribute to a team. So I figured I'd post this here, and every time they say something to you like that in the future, you can point your finger and laugh and stuff.

Disclaimer: Frankly, I wanted to do a five year span, but began to wonder why I'm even bothering argue what is so apparent to everyone else, so this will have to do for now.

Marcel Dareus
Aldon Smith
JJ Watt
Nick Fairley
Robert Quinn
Ryan Kerrigan
Cory Liuget
Adrian Clayborn
Phil Taylor
Cameron Jordan
Muhammad Wilkerson
Cameron Heyward

That's 12 linemen out of 32 picks (or perhaps 31, since the Ravens were skipped)

12 Defensive linemen. Literally all of which saw immediate success in their first year. You may be wondering how many LB's were taken in the first round of last year's draft. One. The answer to that, is one. Let's keep moving.


Ndamukong Suh
Gerald McCoy
Tyson Alualu
Jason Pierre Paul
Derrick Morgan
Jared Odrick
Jerry Hughes

That's 7 there. There were 2 LB's taken in that round, and once again, the defensive linemen had a very high success rate and most all performed well their first season. I know someone will make the stupid argument but but but there isn't a Suh in this draft so let me stick this in before someone who thinks their witty comes in, jots it down, and then runs off back to the Lounge to show us more pictures of their cat.

There isn't a Calvin Johnson in this class either. That isn't going to keep a team in the top 10 from taking Justin Blackmon. There isn't a Jake Long in this class either, that isn't going to stop some team from taking Matt Kalil. There isn't an Ndamukong Suh in this class, but it isn't going to stop some defense needy team from taking a nice DT prospect. So take that argument, poop it out, so it can go to New Orleans with the rest of the feces.

Good Defensive Linemen can contribute immediately.

If the guys in the NFL offices feel there are good DLmen (which they obviously do..no e-nerd screaming zomg but he isn't Suh is going to sway the opinion of a fanbase who saw what the entire world saw last year-that our DT's arent good. (:eek6:)

Edit: For those who may be curious, the 2007 and 2009 drafts were also good for DLmen. '08 was poor but also saw like only four guys taken, so what does that tell you? I won't be bothered to write all it down...this is where you must became and man and type "Google" into your browser all by your lonesome.

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