NFL 2018

happening baba' hope your week is off toa great start
a good skillet or broiler game can make a solid steak; season the meat and let the heat do its thing
i think the seasoning is even more critical when you are cooking in a pan so im always interested to hearing new spice mixes
but like you said, a big part of the "taste" for me is that smoke flavor that you can only get with an outdoor fire
i made a steak yesterday and therw a bunch o peach wood on the coals
this was my first time using peach wood chips and it came out really well
im with you and dont eat that much red meat and have chicken more during the week
but even that tastes great off the grill, especially for chicken salad; them creamyness of the mayo and the smoke makes a great flavor
i hope the grill isnt too much of a chore to clean and you are back outside cooking this spring

so it looks like the aaf might be over
just read about how they may be pulling the plug on the season already
it sounds like they were hoping to get at least some funding from the nfl as well as access to players, but there are a few sticking points and i dont see things going foreward as the alliance league hoped
one of the biggest backers has now pulled out and unless the aaf gets a big cash infusion in the next few days i think its done for
/im bummed because i was hoping to get to at least one game

You’ve mentioned chicken salad a couple times before, imma have to try making some myself one day, been making tuna salad sandwiches lately, can of tuna, little mayo, mustard, chopped up celery and red onion, hmmm really good and simple and quick. Blows subway tuna salad out of the water.

For seasoning meat, im more simple and old school, salt and black pepper is all I need, I want the flavor of the meat to be the star, and salt (and a little pepper) makes it really pop. But of course, some bbq requires rubs and marinades and sauces, you’ve been using that toscino spice, a lot of Asian bbq’s use a sweet soy sauce ginger garlic sesame oil based marinade, a lot of American bbq uses sauces (im partial to KC masterpiece and sweet baby ray’s), those are all very good flavors that can really enhance the meat.
The charcoal I get in bags I think is hickory or mesquite, ive never messed with any other wood flavors before but that’s something to be considered, apple wood is very popular. Never heard of peach tree wood being used but sounded like it came out good.

Yeah, it’s funny that the Alliance only lasted about 2 months before running out of money, the owner of the NHL Panthers supposedly invested 250M last month, now im thinking that was just his long term commitment and maybe he only pumped in 10-20M so far, otherwise you’d think they wouldn’t have run out so soon. Plus that’d be a really poor investment, put in 250M into a business and have it fold a month later, I don’t think he got rich by being stupid like that.

Im not sure how the NFL allowing their practice squad guys to play in the alliance would have made them a more viable league, I don’t think their ratings and attendance would significantly go up if practice squad guys came into the league. But vince mcmahons XFL version 2.0 is going to come next year, so there’s still hope for non-NFL leagues then.

thats pretty much the same recipe i use for my chicken salad
you have to chop up the celery and onions to give it that crunch and extra flavor
sometimes i will add in some diced bell peppers for the extra flavor and color
other than that its just the meat and mayo flavor
you are right, its just as good as any chopped salad you can get eating out
im the same way with my beef, mostly salt/ pepper, im a big fan of garlic powder and nion powder too so i will toss some of that on too
i like to let my meat sit with all the dry rub on it for at least the day if not overnight
im a big fan of the sweet baby rays too, its jsut simple bbq sauce with lots of flavor

yeah i think that is the same guy who invested in the aaf earlier
i guess he only threw down some of the money but withdrew the rest he had committed to the league
im sure it was a combination of low game attendance and bad tv numbers that prompted him to pull the majority of his funding in addition to the nfl saying it had no interest in pairing up with them for a developmental league
while i am all for alternatives to the nfl, i dont see there being any real players out there any time soon
the nfl has the ncaa to develope its young talent and football is a big booster sport

I think I would really like chicken salad more than tuna salad, just cause I like chicken more than canned tuna, which isn’t even real tuna, but it’s hard to have any spare chicken round here with the dogs around, yknow…

Sometimes if a recipe calls for the rub or marinade to work on the meat overnight I’ll do that, but usually ill just throw salt and pepper on the meat when it’s on the pan, or sometimes after it’s cooked – I think sometimes putting the pepper on the meat when it’s raw ends up burning the pepper, not that I notice a bad flavor or anything. I used to use a lot of garlic powder with my s&p, but lately I’ve left it out, because 1. I ran out of garlic powder and 2. I don’t really miss it.

I bought a big jug of sweet baby rays at sams a year ago when I made some ribs in the oven, a mistake since it’s been sitting in my fridge for months now, I hardly ever use bbq sauce in my meat even though it’s one of my favorite condiments. I expect that to change though once I start grilling again.

Supposedly tom dundon lost 70M so far in the past 2 months, he bought into the alliance in Feb and folded it in April. Ur right that with the nfl and college football, and even high school football in some states, that americans really don’t have any more appetite for more football leagues. I know personally im way more interested in college football than I would be for the alliance or the xfl or whatever, and I barely watch cfb, maybe if there’s a top 5 matchup or the cfb playoffs but other than that I rarely follow it. And you hit it on the head, the feeder league for the nfl is cfb, not a 2nd professional league. Look at the draft, we’re talking about which college player is going to be the next nfl star. No ones talking about which alliance player is going to be the next nfl star, although I think the chiefs signed an alliance cornerback recently, but he had spent time on their practice squad so maybe that would have happened anyway.

happening baba'
hope you had a great weekend my man!
the mrs was sick so i had a really chill time on the couch
saturday she felt good enough to join me on the couch and i mixed a little oil into her cana oil into her lemon tea
it was a great excuse for me to just toke and watch tv
did you get out or do anything?
depending on the flavor im looking for i do the same sometimes, not really flavoring the meat, just adding some seasoning while it cooks
i need to pick up one of those jogs of sweet baby rays bbq, its good on its own or you can always dr it up a bit
the whole alliance thing has me scratching my head
at one point i read how the major investors werent chasing short term gains and were in it for the long haul
they supposedly had a window of several years before they expected to see any kind of profit but were hoping to establish the aaf as a legit farm system for the nfl
whatever happened i hope the owners and major interests come forward and explain why they suddenly went under
so only a few more weeks until the draft but not much else in football news
hope you had a great start to your week and the weather is starting to get nice

Sorry to hear that your woman came down with a bug, but sounds like it was a relaxing weekend at least. Nothing is better for rest and healing like a little THC.
I didnt get out much this weekend, but youre right, yesterday and today were pretty darn nice, 60-70F. So it's nice to see that winter is officially over, and we can look forward to nice weather for the next 6 months.

I think my issue with garlic powder was that i was using it too much, i really only like strong garlic flavor in stuff like mashed potatoes. Other than that, i should have gone lighter on garlic flavor on meats.



It's kind of surprising the Alliance folded so quick, i guess they didnt really have the financing lined up before they started. The only reason the NBA G-league and maybe MLB minor league clubs can exist is that they're financed by the higher leagues, NBA and MLB. Attendance is so sparse at the g league and minor leagues that they really cant support themselves without the upper level supporting them.

i hear the same is true of the wnba;that they recieve big time financial support from the nba
but i was hoping this time it would work and the aaf would stick around for more thana few games
the bright side is im hearing a few of the players are getting picked up by the nfl and can hopefully keep their dream alive
so how do you feel about brown throwing shade on everyone under the sun?
at first i just thought he was just getting things off his chest when he wetn after rapelsburger but now hes just gnashing teeth and talking trash
its not a good look for him and i dont agree that you can place all of the blame for any teams success/ failure on any one individual
so they released the rpeseason schedule but im waiting for the official 16 games
/rams dident really play their starters last preseason
the weather this year has been crazy and its back in the 60's today
we went from the mid 70'-80's yesterday so its kind of all over the place, but thats kind of typical for coastal southern california
thats so funny you are backing off on the garlic man, for some reason i figured you as a big garlic eater
i like garlic a lot and time adding it to a dish just to get a certain flavor profile
/the mrs loves garlic too, maybe even more than i do
hope you are having a great week brother

Yeah, if you ever see a broadcast of a wnba or G-league (NBA minor league) game, you’ll hardly see anybody in the stands. Like high school games have better attendance. Without decent ticket revenue (and associated parking and concession dollars) and tv revenue, these leagues are basically money losing ventures and wouldn’t survive without big brother support.

Im not too sure whats up with Antonio brown, but I can see why the steelers traded him away for a couple low round picks. They were done with that headache. I just hope brown still has the game to back up all his talk, else he’s going to look really bad this season.

I always figured socal and especially san diego had pretty consistent weather, and that it was the Midwest that had crazy temp swings. But I guess you have the el nino currents in the ocean out there that can mess with the weather patterns.

I love garlic but prefer my meat to taste like meat, and salt and pepper just enhances the meat flavor while garlic tends to overpower it imo. That’s why I like garlic on stuff like bread and potatoes and pasta, carbs that don’t have strong flavors of their own and the garlic really gives them good flavor, imo.

I STILL haven’t gotten around to cleaning the grill up, been busy the past week with other stuff but the weather is getting better, looks like it wont drop below 40 from now on, so once I get a spare afternoon that I don’t feel like being lazy ill roll up my sleeves and clean the mess that is my Komodo grill.

haha ive never really watched much of the wnba or the g league
the g-league has value as a farm system and i could see the teams supporting them
i guess overall, its more an investment in the game of basketball for the nba supporting the wnba/g-league
i read the rams picked up a former aaf player, a qb so i hope he finds a spot on the roster on opening day
im with you and think brown has a lot to prove this season
/a big part of his success is going to rest on d.carr

you still have a few weeks left but its not really spring until you get that grill going brother
im hearing about the crazy weather some places are having, so im thankful for the nice mild climate we have in scal
but you got this my man! and have some good meat on hand for after
im ready for the weekend!

I haven’t watched them either but there was an article on the aaf needing nfl subsidies, and there was a picture of a G-league game where literally no one was in the stands as an example of why g-league teams needs nba support. Although I think that picture wasn’t a good example of a typical g-league game, because they had to move the venue for some reason and so tickets weren’t being sold for that game…
Yeah, im hearing a lot of Alliance players are signing contracts with NFL teams. Not sure if any of these guys will make the final roster after preseason cuts, but until then they can at least say they were on an nfl team.
Yeah, I need to get the grill cleaned but April is known for a lot of rain so bbq weather is going to be iffy the next few weeks. I got some raw chicken that needs grilling too, may have to just throw it in the oven before it gets too skunky…

We must be getting close to the midway point between last season and the beginning of next season.

you know it j'fish
only the hardcore fans left for now i guess
but it was a fun season and i think next year will be even better
hope to see you float around from time to time bruh
/you are a colts fan?

our window for rain is just about closed here in socal, so that means no measurable precipitation for the next 6m or so
im thinking the rain can be your friend and rinse away some of the dust and grime, plus if you make a mess on your porch it will it wash away
im sure you will handle things when the time is right and i cant wait to hear how good the food is coming off your grill
/post up a pic once you get that girl cleaned!
how do you like to bake your chicken?
do you season it up before putting it in the oven or do you just go au'nautral
i used to get a whole chicken and bake it myself but stopped
now when i want a whole bird i just go to costco and get their roasted chicken
ive seen the photos of empty seats too or just as bad, where there is only one or two people in an entire section
like you said, it rarely tells the whole story and sometimes its just camera bullshit
when i was younger i used to go to padres games and we would sit in the worst seats in the house in the upper deck; once the crowd thinned out enough we would blaze up a few hits and enjoy the game in our own section

its friday fellas!

I would fry or grill a chicken before I would ever bake it, but if I did, I'd cook it in a crockpot, then rub the outside with salt/pepper/sage and finish it in the oven.


Colts fan, yeah. They had a respectable season last year with Luck coming off the injured list. They should be fun to watch this year, I think.


My thing on the grill is pork chops. I put the Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning on both sides, and grill them up. Cheers!

i remember you mentioning that tony cacheres seasoning before and i went out a got a shaker of it
i like the flavor profile but its kind of salty for my taste so i used it sparingly
i love friend chicken but roasted chicken is good too
i like it because i can do a lot with the leftovers, one of my favorites is making chicken salad

i think the colts are one the rise and they should have a good year next season
so what do you think they should look for in the draft? they have a solid young defense and i think the run game is starting to get on track, maybe one of those big receivers maybe?

That would be good.

I used to make up a seasoning mix in a ziploc, salt as the base with black pepper, red pepper, garlic powder, herbs like basil thyme etc, lemon pepper, white pepper, etc. Anything i could throw in there, really. I'd add in cumin and turmeric for a middle eastern or indian style seasoning.

Nowadays i'll sprinkle some salt on it with a bit of black pepper, but often ill just bake it plain and season it later.

Baked chicken is kind of boring but it goes well with whatever, tacos, rice, potatoes, pasta. It's a nice lean meat to eat with your meal, and the dogs get the inedible bits so they enjoy it too.



I used to do a lot of crockpot cooking, Jelly, but never really heard of cooking something in a crockpot and finishing it in the oven. Usually when it's done cooking in the crockpot it's fall apart tender, you must only cook it halfway in the pot and then take it out and put it in the oven. I could see how that would be good, get that nice crispiness from the oven...


Pop, the colts signed Devin funchess from the panthers, he's a big WR, and also signed justin houston from the chiefs to help with their pass rush. Theyve been pretty conservative in free agency which isnt a bad thing, you dont want your team to sign a bunch of high priced guys and then have them underperform.

Im no colts fan but i do hope that they can be a team that dethrones the patriots in the afc, them or the chiefs or maybe the browns or chargers.

the mrs has this recipe for crockpot ribs that is really good
she starts them in the crock pot and then finishes them in the oven
we usually do stuff like pulled pork or carnitas style pork in the crock pot but finish it under a broiler to get that brown crunchyness going
have a bunch of pork loin sitting in that toscino seasoning
im going to get on the grill later today and will do some fish or chicken too
plus im going to make some chineese noodles and asian style squash to go with it

yeah the colts have made a few offseason moves
i think the addition of houston is big, he should still has a few good reps left in him
he might not be playing every down but he can be disruptive in pass rush situations
funchess is a big body receiver and i can see him being a decent #2 behind hilton
add in e.ebron at te and it looks like luck will have a target rich environment; but i would still like to see them add another good set of hands on the offense

i tihnk the chargers and colts both have nicely balanced teams but the chargers are a step or two ahead
im looking forward to seeing how the browns play with all the new talent they have been adding
its going to be a fun season

Yeah, Ebron was huge at TE for the colts last year, which was funny because jack doyle was expected to be their main receiving TE. But he struggled with injuries all year, and ebron had 14 td’s, which was 2nd in the league to Antonio brown for receiving td’s. That’s one thing luck does well, is use his TE’s.
Im not sure if Houston can ever get back to being a pro-bowl level pass rusher, but like u said, all he needs to do is contribute with a big play every so often, he’s not expected to be an every down guy.

Chargers are very good, and should be even better this season with a healthy joey bosa from the get-go. Theyre a team that could actually draft a QB next month, rivers is 37 and playing very well but could hit a wall in the next year or two. I would actually favor them to dethrone the patriots in the AFC, but for some reason they just fall flat against NE every playoffs, last time it wasn’t even competitive they were down 28pts at halftime. But they definitely have the talent to breakthrough, it just has to happen first.

Seems like the “cook meat in crockpot, finish under broiler” method is pretty popular. I knew it was possible but don’t think ive ever tried it myself. May have to give it a go one day, see how it works. Pork is really good slow cooked, gets really tender, but chicken if you tend to overcook it in the slow cooker it can get dry unless there’s plenty of liquid when you serve it, IME…

i like the way the carnitas comes out after the crock pot/ broiler
it gets that slow cooked tenderness but has that crispy brown that really brings home the flavor
next time you crock pot some pork you should try it, at least shred up a few mounds and throw them in the oven to see if you like it
the chargers have one of the best teams on paper but still lack the spark that really lights the team on fire
i tihnk rivers can play at least another season or two, im not sure but i think he had a good season statistically last year
plus the defense will be full power and i think anthony lynn is a good coach who can put them on track with a winning attitude
the thing is will he have rivers long enough to bring home the bacon
i think they have tyrod taylor as a backup (actually tyrod and geno smith are the backups)
i dont see either of these guys as being the #1, especially if we are talking championship
they are stacked with young talent and im expecting them to pick up where they left off last season
#f-spanos

You know, I think I did something similar with carnitas, I wouldn’t broil it after the slow cooker but I did fry it in the pan. Once the juices evaporated it started sizzling in its own fat and got nice and crispy, then I would throw that on some tacos and go to town. But broiling is a good idea if you want to crisp up a whole pan of meat, yeah.

Rivers was a top 5 MVP candidate for most of last season, he was that good. He’s currently way better than Eli, his draftmate (and who he was traded for when eli refused to play for san diego) and even better than Roethlisberger, who led the league in passing yds last year but also had the most interceptions. And he’s always healthy, seemingly, his only serious injury coming in the playoffs 10 years ago when they lost to the patriots when rivers played on a torn acl. But yeah, it seems like he could play at a high level for another 3 years, till his 40’s. Can he actually win a title with the bolts? Well, Lynn seems like a good coach, like you said, but I keep scratching my head at last season’s playoffs, when they had this perfect game plan to shut down the ravens in round 1, and then in round 2 they came up with the crappiest game plan against the patriots and got blown out. But you know, learn from your mistakes and all that, and lynn should keep getting better. He’s only been a head coach for 2 years, and even belichick needed experience before he started winning all those superbowls.

[FONT=&quot]Russell Wilson just signed the biggest contract in nfl history, 35M for 4 yrs (140M total), surpassing Rodger’s 33.5M average he signed last year. You made a point that Antonio brown was acting all nutty, Pop, and I think part of the fact that there’s so much drama on teams nowadays (Steelers, Eagles, Packers, Seahawks last year) is jealousy from other players over preferential treatment given to QBs. Brown though Ben was untouchable and could freely criticize other players like he owned the team. Richard Sherman when he left the hawks last year didn’t have nice things to say about Russell Wilson, thought he was being coddled by the team. Some eagles and packers players thought Wentz and Rodgers were too arrogant and demanding and wanted things done their way, not the coaches’ way. [/FONT]