Bolts' Mathews having one of those offseasons

I agree that how good a guy looks in shorts means nothing. But the fact that he learned from last year's mistake of not showing up in shape, and that he is working on holding the ball and delivering hits instead of absorbing them, tells me that Mathews is dedicated. That couldn't be said last year. Have to wait and see as always, but as L said with a real fullback back there now I'm liking how our running game is looking so far.
I'm not crowning them yet, but I think we'll be able to get leads with our passing game, and be able to run out the clock a lot better this year. The defense will be a work in progress as always with all the young guys, but i'm more optimistic this year than in the past. I think we'll do a lot better than everyone is projecting, including people on this site.

So...were you able to sell all your gear?

I guess it's a little bit of apathy and pessimism on my part.

I'm just tired of it all at this point. When the Bolts became a legit team again after so many years, I was drinking GALLONS of the Kool-Aid. Only to later realize the shit wasn't sweet.

After so many years, nothing quite makes my dick go limp like hearing about Chargers preseason hype.

Am I inteested in seeing what the draft has really given us? Absolutely.
Am I hoping PR returns better than ever this year? Damn right
Am I still willing to roll the proverbial dice on a new coach and GM? Place your bets.

However, I am not going to let a homerific article written by a beat writer cloud my sense of judgement and expectation. I'm not saying we won't contend for the division, what I'm saying is don't buy the hype. Let's temper our expectations a little and remember what we have.

http://www.glorifythepast.com/forum...nfl-la-section-has-changed.16389/#post-160044

You Picard ("we surrender") lovin' sad excuse of a Bolts fan, optimism is what powers the NFL fans during a dreary off season.

FALSE....pessimism, seasoned with a hint of curiosity would be the fuel for me.

There is a fine line between "optimism" and "homerism." I don't indulge in either anymore.

Preseason accolades would've had us thinking Larry English is going to be an elite LB or that he's going to play a full season.

Preseason accolades had us thinking "this is the year" 6 out of the past 8 seasons.

Preseason accolades had us thinking Bob Sanders was gonna be a solid force for us on defense last year


Jokes been on us for a while due to optimism going overboard into homerism.

Hey I totally get that. I have been pessimistic ever since 2006...that Pats game ruined my optimistic/homer ways. And I'm not one to preach at people that they need to support the team and not criticize. I do it all the time.
But looking at the team from a roster standpoint, I think we will do better than everyone is saying. That's not being hopeful IMO, just what I expect based on what I've learned being a fan of the game and acquiring the knowledge that I have so far. Not that I think that I'm an expert or anything. Just my opinion.
I just think the addition of Peyton and the tough schedule has everyone down more than usual. Understandable, but I expect more than 7, 8, or 9 wins. With Phil our O will always put up points, and our D can only get better now that Manusky's sorry ass is gone(new that was a bad call right from the start as did many of you guys).
I'm not homer enough to say that this is our year.....shit...I think we ALL will believe that when we see it. Didn't mean to call you out or question your loyalty either. I know you're a diehard....just tired of these BS off-season articles. So am I, but this one about Mathews made me feel a little better about his dedication and passion for the game.

A quick glance at the roster says Manusky did what he could (I remember lots of people liked him because they thought he was a eat-sand-for-breakfast dumbass who would blitz every down). We are hoping that those young players all emerge as more than suck but last year all we had was suck and one great pass rushing OLB.

Matthews is underrated but he seems to work hard and plays tough through injuries.