If a team tanks, I think they need to get a franchise altering player with that pick.

Jury is still out on Lawrence. But it’s promising.

Jury still out on Travon Walker, and not looking great so far.

Too soon for Bryce Young.

Of the other 21 first overall picks of the 2000’s, I think these guys were franchise altering (in a good way).

Michael Vick (though derailed off field)

Carson Palmer (slightly derailed by injury and then contract dispute, but overall I think worthy of #1)

Eli Manning

Jake Long

Matthew Stafford

Cam Newton

Andrew Luck

Jared Goff (I guess.)

Myles Garrett

Joe Burrow

So that’s 8 out of 21 that would have been worthy of tanking for. And I’m being generous on a couple.

Dolphins always lose to the Ravens until last year.

We’ll see how this year goes.

Pudge Heffelfinger

I think the Rams got exactly what they were hoping for. So win for them.

I think the Lions have probably gotten more out of Goff than they expected. So win for them, with the possibility that he can still take the team to at least a conference championship in the next year or two.

I love the NFL.

I hate Thursday games. (I’m not even a huge fan of the Thanksgiving games, because I rarely get to watch them due to Holiday activities.)

Part of what makes the NFL great is the “once per week” aspect. Then one last game on Monday to cap it off. Thursday games just ruin the flow. Not to mention the Thursday games put a bit of a wrench into fantasy football and office pool timelines.

And then to cap it all off, by forcing (nearly?) all teams to play a Thursday game each year, by definition it puts too many bad teams in those matchups.