DawgTalkers.net Forums Active Threads

DOJ fails for second time in seven days to indict James after the case was dismissed. I guess you really can't indict a ham sandwich......

For 2nd time, grand jury refuses to indict New York AG Letitia James: Sources

A grand jury in Norfolk, Virginia, rejected the charges last week.

For a second time in recent days, a federal grand jury in Virginia has refused to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James for alleged mortgage fraud, sources said, again rejecting the Department of Justice's attempt to refile the case after a federal judge dismissed an earlier case based on the unlawful appointment of the U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia.

Federal prosecutors on Thursday failed to convince a majority of grand jurors to approve charges that James misled a bank to obtain favorable loan terms on a home mortgage, according to sources.

The charges were presented to a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia's Alexandria branch after a grand jury in Norfolk, Virginia, last week rejected the charges.

A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

An attorney for James did not immediately comment.

Prosecutors have alleged that James, who successfully brought a civil fraud case against now-President Donald Trump last year, falsely listed a home she purchased in 2020 as a second home instead of an investment property in order to save potentially $19,000 over the life of the loan with a more favorable mortgage rate.

As ABC News previously reported, prosecutors who investigated James for possible mortgage fraud found evidence that appeared to undercut some of the allegations in the indictment of James secured in September -- including the degree to which James allegedly personally profited from her purchase of the property.

James has denied all wrongdoing.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/2nd-time-grand-jury-refuses-indict-new-york/story?id=128279779

This is what an actual witch hunt looks like.

Just curious. Now that trump himself has well established the fact he has committed piracy by stealing a Venezuelan oil tanker, a nation we are not at war with and the oil which is its cargo, should we now call him Captain Crook? Curious minds want to know.

Damon...you could be right...

We do know that starting a war is easy..but stopping a war is more difficult..witness Iraq for example.

Once body bags begin to return to the U.S. it creates a situation that is rather difficult to explain to the American people..justifying the sacrifice of American soldiers over a drug war.

Especially after Trump pardoned Honduran Drug Lord Hernández. No way can Trump claim he is fighting a war on drugs when lets the worst offenders walk free.

This sounds scary. Hope he's OK.

TJ Watt injury: Steelers' star being evaluated for lung issue at hospital - CBS Sports
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/t-j-watt-injury-lung-steelers-hospital/

T.J. Watt was taken to a Pittsburgh area hospital for further evaluation of his lung after experiencing discomfort at the Steelers practice facility on Wednesday, the team announced.

Watt will not practice on Thursday and his status for Pittsburgh's upcoming game against the Miami Dolphins is in question. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin will provide more updates "at the appropriate time."

The 31-year-old Watt is in the middle of his ninth season with the Steelers, who selected him with the 30th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

A seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, Watt won NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021 after tying the league's single-season record of 22.5 sacks. Watt, who has led the NFL in sacks on three separate occasions, is the Steelers' career leader with 115 sacks. Earlier this season, he surpassed his brother and future Hall of Famer JJ Watt on the NFL's career sack list.

In 13 games this season, Watt has recorded 7.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception for the Steelers, who are currently 7-6 and lead the Baltimore Ravens by one game in the AFC North standings.

If Watt can't face Miami, he will be replaced by Nick Herbig, a fellow former Wisconsin Badger who has made nine starts over the past two years. This season, Herbig has recorded a career-high 6.5 sacks to go with three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception.

I quit smoking many years ago when our Governor at the time (Taft, Bleh) decided to raise the cigarette tax substancially. I decided that I would never pay that tax. (and never did)

I was smoking 2 packs a day. I marked the date that the tax was going into effect on my calendar on the wall. I started cutting down on my smoking, pushing off the next cigarette as long I could ..... smoking half a cigarette instead of a whole one ... then down to a quarter. Eventually I got down to lighting up a smoke, hitting it once or twice, then putting it out. I got down to one pack a day .... then one pack every 2 or 3 days ..... and my last pack lasted me a week. My last cigarette came when I had a few left in what would be my last pack. I went to this girl I worked with's birthdya party .... came home and took my dog out. As was my long standing custon, I lit up that cigarette. I took one hit .... said to myself, "This tastes like crap" (I may have used a different word) put it out, crushed the pack with my last couple smokes in it, and threw it in the trash. That was it for me.

I was a part-time closet smoker for about 15 years. I tried to quit way back at the beginning of that span but couldn't kick it. Two years ago, Thanksgiving, I quit for good. As a long-time smoker, I'll tell you that it is easier than you think. Just get past the 20-day mark and becomes remarkably easy. At that point, the urges go quickly and, in my case, I would actually feel sick even thinking about it. There are still little triggers, but they pass in seconds.

As far as the lungs... and the voice. I can attest to what you're going through. The coughing will fix itself; the voice may be different forever. I've always had a good singing voice. I still do, but my range has narrowed terribly. I've been singing out loud a lot more and just cannot wrap my mind around how much it changed for the worst after quitting. I'll probably go to my grave wondering why, but hopefully I'll get there about 15-20 years later.


Anyway, I'm not sure there is an easy answer on how to quicken the "repair". Proper hydration, as a practice, will help. Cardio will help. If you're changing all these habits, work a nice 20 minute walk into the fray every day - that could very well work wonders. Brisk walk, exercise the lungs.

Don't know what all you're trying to change. Sounds like you're maybe giving yourself a wakeup call, health wise? At any rate, not sure why you're trying to quit coffee. That's just sacrilegious for a Canuck.


Congrats on taking the first step(s)! I wish you the best of luck. Pretty sure we're the same exact age, I promise you a new lease on life psychologically, above and beyond the physical rewards. So many at my 40th reunion talking about "the damage is done" as an excuse to keep smoking. It's not done, the mind and body have a remarkable way of healing themselves. At our age we start to look at that monkey on our backs and think he's there forever. Throw 'em on the ground bro, throw 'em on the ground. You can do this!

I'm not surprised Deion has been quiet. He's smart. He can read the room. SS still has to prove himself and Deion knows that him piping up only hurts SS here or anywhere else should he struggle.

If SS get's named starter next year and the team struggles but he plays relatively well, I think that will change.

Yeeeeaaa, I don't know. Small sample size? I think the next 4 games will indeed be very interesting and if SS can do reasonably well, I'll be very surprised but frankly happy to be wrong. He's the best QB on our roster which is like saying you own the tallest building in Des Moines.

I have a crystal clear, rock solid policy that creates a lot of peace and serenity in my life...

NEVER EVER (ever) listen to shock jock pundits. It's so simple, right?

If they're proven very knowledgeable, even minded and emotionally stable, smart, they've played the game (whatever that game is), and are not obviously and wantonly raking for engagement, clicks and eyeballs, I'll maybe listen for a minute. But I (and you) can spot outrage farmers a mile away if you're being honest.

I click off of SA Smith and Clueless faster than Real Housewives and any number of political carnival barkers. They are all the same. They're professional emotional manipulators. They add nothing. They only cost. Popcorn drama at best, theater fire starters and yellers at worst. But we just love to give them our time and energy.

Don't. Just.... don't.

On Oct. 1st, I joined a support group for people who want to quit smoking (uh, just cigarettes, I'm not THAT fanatical).

Don't laugh at support groups because after a week or so, with the help of Nicorette gum, I started cutting way back and now I have one or two cigarettes a day. With the exception of a couple of "cheat nights", both of them involving beer, I've been doing great. I absolutely recommend the gum if you want to quit, it certainly helps me.


Speaking of beer, I've also been forced to cut WAY down on beer, which doesn't really bother me like I thought it might and in fact, I've lost a good chunk of my beer gut, which wasn't huge but made me look like I was in my second tri-mester (for years, no tight t-shirts for this dawg)

The worst part is having to avoid coffee in the morning (peril #1), which I actually miss more than the cigarettes, it's a major trigger for me. The smell of it, when others have their coffee, is tough to take, lol, and Tim Hortons commercials make me envious of those well-dressed, smiling, non-smoking bastards on TV.

Peril #2: they told me this might happen, but I cough more than I did when I was smoking 20 cigs a day (sometimes more), which they say is due to my lungs getting rid of 40 years' worth of crap. I jokingly say that my lungs are rejecting all the good air not previously available to them. They told me this could take months to resolve. YAY!

All this coughing has made my voice constantly hoarse (peril #3), so the real reason for this post is to ask if anyone has a tried-and-true home remedy for getting the lungs cleaned out faster.

I mean, it makes sense. We are seemingly addicted to both massive noisy drama and shooting ourselves in the face. All the chucky loving lunkheads who want a hothead will love it. Until they don't. I don't mean to be negative. Maybe he'd be great. But it'd be chaos. Again.

There seem to be a few items crossing from rumor to fact at this point...


Moore definitely had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

MANY among the college ranks and media say this was common knowledge for quite a while.

It is WIDELY reported that he got her pregnant and "forced" her to get an abortion. After which, he raised her salary from $58,000 to $90,000.

It is WIDELY reported that the arrest took place near the staffer's residence and that the charge was assault.

It is WIDELY reported that he threatened to kill her with a knife and threatened to kill himself.

Absolutely bonkers.

I would think keeping KS and AB would be the prudent thing to do and as was stated add some talent in our areas of need and see how we do.

Agreed. I too am surprised that no noise has come from Deion which leads me to believe that he’s a smart guy who understands the situation. He possibly has passed some of that onto his son and that also is a good thing. It’s early yet but maybe just maybe we may have something with Sheduer. Time will tell.

I'm convinced he wants a war. I think he believes that he can stop elections from happening if we are at war...

All previous history to contrary

Well we are not boring which is hard to accomplish when your record is 3-10.

With four games to go and being way out of the playoffs.

Every game we play will be interesting.

The future is TBD.

We don't need a coaching change that will set us back again. Keep KS, SS build OL (OT & Gs), New coach will probably dump and draft picks to show their power and grab a new QB that is always a ?

The noise is exactly that, noise. Outside voices don't really bother me. As has been mentioned their job is to stir up controversy to get ratings. Truthfulness and accuracy is neither their goal nor intent. Many of these talking heads were also some of the very same people that were saying Sanders would be a first round pick. Yet it took until round five for anyone to take a flyer on him and the Browns were the team that did so.

My worry from the beginning is that the noise would be coming from Deion and to a lesser degree Shedeur. That would have been what I would consider to be a real mess. But to this point none of that has transpired. I'm certainly happy that my concerns turned to to be unfounded. Shedeur seems to have put his nose to the grind stone and been working his azz off. The last game put forth evidence that his and the coaching staffs work is paying off. I'm not sure what more anyone could expect or ask for.

I use my eyes to weigh what is going on. People who pay more attention to what they hear than what they see are playing the part of the fool.

Pretty sure Gruden just bought a mansion on the lake...

Man, where to start. I guess a tip of the hat to you, Bone. Nice introspective discussion. Besides, you had me at "Skip Clueless". 🤣

I'll be blunt, but probably not brief.


But first, the media... simple... *%^ the media. Since Stefanski set foot in Berea, he's been adamant about "the noise" and tuning it out.... on every level.

The game-show-style beginning of Shedeur's career jumped right on stage with the draft day(s) saga. I'm sure a long lecture about "noise" (especially since the brass had no idea how when Deion may appear from behind Door #3), took place from the first time his a$$ sat in the seat.


From that point, in my eyes, Shedeur has humbled himself and become a student... not just to the game, but to life in the NFL. At least that's the way it appears on the surface.

This says nothing to his growth on the field, but his growth as a young man trying to navigate what appeared as a shattered "destiny"... and craft it into a puncher's chance. That has been a refreshing surprise.

And that $h*t happened fast. Dude woke up and realized, not only was he not the "chosen one", but teams were also about to pass on him a half-dozen times each. He didn't cry to daddy or throw a hissy-fit to the media. In the face of that media screaming racist, conspiracy, blah,-blah-[censored], he has never paid a bit of attention to that (at least not out loud). That demeanor continued while they were all screaming that he should be starting.

But let's be real -- Shannon Sharpe just said Shedeur should refuse to start the rest of the season. Implying that the Browns are sabotaging his career by starting him against such good teams at the back end of this schedule. Cannot make this stuff up. I hope, if crap like that actually makes it to Shedeur's ear-hole, a hearty laugh is at the back end.


Kudos to Shedeur, despite some harmless immaturities, he's put his nose down and has been humble to the grind; all red flags averted. And Deion being a basic zero-dark-thirty is a huge plus as well. Let's see where it goes.


I won't rant into his performance on the field. There are things I like and things I don't. I'm at the point where I feel like the biggest hurdle will be his arc from Rookie QB1 to verifiable fQB. It may be a bumpy, unpredictable road. And the end product may be another guy we love to hate and hate to love.

Things I love are his nuance with velocity... and ability to throw a very accurate and catchable ball. He has thrown some dimes.

I feel like when QBs that have learned the fine art of putting some air under the ball, the synergy with WR's becomes exponentially effective. DBs just have a hard time adapting -- almost like great hitters trying to adapt to a knuckleball pitcher. However, that style makes timing even more critical.

I also cosign with Woofer's analysis that the coaching staff is adapting right along with him, that points to a healthy relationship when we can watch constant development from week to week.

I'll stop, but in the short term, I'm excited to see how that style meshes. It only takes a handful of connections, and a certain rapport with a WR like Isaiah Bond, before that duo could be deadly to defenses. If Sanders can show constant progress in his read progression and timing, and limit the Chicken Little drop backs, he can find himself smack-dab in the wheelhouse of a Stefanski-type offense.

Fingers crossed.

He said we will keep the oil from the tanker. I wonder how stealing a ship and its contents from a nation we are not at war with isn't piracy?

Every draft is like a fingerprint.

Once the draft order is official. We can start to speculate on who to draft.

The Browns will have a full year with Shedeur to review. So they will have a pretty good idea of who he is as a player, teammate, leader, worker.

They will not have the same information about the draft prospects.

KS was a quarterbacks coach with the Vikings. For anyone to criticize KS without direct knowledge of the time and coaching he has given to Shedeur is just background noise.

To question his intent is totally absurd. Of course he wants him to succeed.

Answers will come as time passes. Let's see what happens in the games to be played.

"NO" to Tomlin as the Browns next HC.

A name that has surfaced as a possibility as the Browns next HC...JON GRUDEN.

LINK

https://www.brownsnation.com/alex-wright-reveals-how-players-feel-about-shedeur-sanders/

There is quite a bit of media noise about Sanders and Stefanski. Read this article and it tells you what the media won't. Stefanski has to be given some credit for how Sanders has performed since starting for the Browns. Alex Wright says Sanders brings and energy to the team and everyday he gets to work he comes in and sees Sanders in the office with Stefanski. That comment speaks volumes. One it blows up the narrative that Stefanski does not like Sanders. Two it shows Sanders is serious about being a great QB. He is in early with the coach in the office watching tape.

I believe that when the NFL draft started Sanders was not in Berry and Stefanski's plan. The bottom-line is Sanders was projected by talent to be a late first to early second round pick. Sanders is a deadly accurate passer that is fearless and will stand in until the last second to deliver a pass. He sees the field well and spreads the ball around. Has been a part of two bringing bad teams back to respectability in college. Jackson State was 15-19 before Sanders at QB and 23-3 with him at QB. Colorado was 1-23 before Sanders and then 13-12 after two seasons with Sanders including a 9-3 regular season in 2024. Sanders is not Lamar Jackson but he is a better athlete than he is given credit for. Sanders does not have a great arm, but he has better arm strength than he is given credit for. Shedeur is a good leader and well liked in his locker rooms. He fell in the draft for 2 huge reasons. Sanders is immature and undisciplined. It was noted many times his Father as his coach begged and pleaded with him many times to not take so many sacks. He begged him to throw the ball away. His biggest knock was QB's in college that take sacks take more sacks when they get to the NFL. The immaturity factor was a concern because many did not know if he was coachable.

Like him or not Stefanski has taken a lot of heat when it comes to Sanders but he has to be given a lot of credit when it comes to what we have seen so far out of Sanders. Stefanski has gotten the strengths out of Sanders game while minimizing the weaknesses.

The irony I see with Sanders and Stefanski is the similarities between Sanders and Baker that Stefanski was on record as saying I cannot work with him. Both Baker and Sanders are 6'1 and some change. Both are brash, outspoken, came into the league immature, do not have elite talents that most franchise QB's have but fairly solid in most areas of their games. When I watch Sanders play I see so many similarities to Baker.

I was never a Baker guy. I do not think Baker will ever win a super bowl but I am not blind enough to say it was a mistake trading for Watson and cutting Baker. I think the FO panicked when they saw Joe Burrow and the Bengals pass them up so fast in 2021. I think Sanders can easily have a Baker career, so I do not want to see them just give up on him quickly make a mistake on just drafting a new rookie QB and the teams takes another step back. See the Minnesota Vikings with McCarthy after what they had last season in Darnold. If they have a chance to draft a QB they are fairly certain will be a franchise can't miss future super bowl winner and hall of famer they have to draft the QB. Is that Mendoza? If not lets build around Sanders and give him a 1st round wide receiver and left tackle in the future draft.

To start, I am not a Sanders fanboy.
TBH, he kind of annoys me.

However, I have seen enough to feel that we should pass on a Qb in the next draft and give him a full season next year.
Unless he completely collapses
I expect a bad game or 2 but do not expect a complete collapse