A little unrealistic, don’t you think?
Lendale White could never make it all the way to the sideline with somebody chasing him.
I want to go on record as NOT posting this. 
I would consider “to the point where you could throw Peyton Manning or Drew Brees onto a shitty team and they’d have a good shot at the playoff” one of those cute little truisms, though I’m not sure the most common stating of it. Maybe “it’s a passing league” or something.
Anyway, I was trying to point out that you were guilty of the same thing you were trying to refute.
I don’t think I was trying to simplify the game to a truism to the extent of “defense wins championships” or "run and stop the run [you will be very successful implied]. I guess we’d have to define “shitty team” and “good shot”, but you don’t think that if you threw Peyton Manning on, say, the Bills or the Browns that they’d have a pretty good shot at making the playoffs?
It was more a reflection that I don’t think he’ll be given the chance or find the coaching to propertly develop, in the NFL to become a success.
I don’t know the kid, I don’t know his character, his thoughts, or his personal makeup. I don’t know, but assume, the scouts and coaches did their due dilligence on him. I do know, however, that you don’t have sex with your sister. Even though it was years ago, and he’s paid his price to society, and he very well may be a good kid, it is shows a major lack of judgment, much moreso than getting caught with a little bit of pot, or getting into a fight. Maybe he’s all better now, maybe he’ll get a shot at making it in the NFL. I just don’t think so.
Too late, he signed with the Jets right after the draft.
Heh. So the Jets get the incestigator and get to deal with that hot mess.
He may have done his time and all that, but these sorts of things just tend to follow you around-
ie: The baltimore ravens still get complaints of being a team of “murderers and thugs”, Vick is forever going to be associated with the Dog fighting issue, and now the Jets will get to deal with their rival fans calling them the team that’s chosen to emphasize good ol’ “family values” by getting that guy. Maybe that’s why they had to get rid of Leon Washington before they picked up this Washington, don’t want him getting confused by the last times or anything like that… and so on and so on.
Kudos to the Jets for focusing on skills rather than image and reputation; but at the same time that’s a double edged sword, and easy easy cannon fodder anytime someone wants to mock the team.
I know. I know. Reviewing the NFL draft the week after it took place is sheer idiocy. A waste of time. Nothing but guesswork and inanities.
But it’s fun. And, in another 3 or 4 years, it will give me a chance to look back and laugh at how stupid I was. And that’s always fun too.
Let’s start with my favorite division in football
NFC NORTH
CHICAGO BEARS
Round 3, Pick 11 (75) Major Wright, FS, Florida
Round 4, Pick 11 (109) Corey Wootton, DE, Northwestern
Round 5, Pick 10 (141) Joshua Moore, CB, Kansas State
Round 6, Pick 12 (181) Dan LeFevour, QB, Central Michigan
Round 7, Pick 11 (218) J’Marcus Webb, OT, West Texas AM
UDFA
Freddie Barnes WR Bowling Green
Cornelius Brown CB UTEP
Levi Horn OT Montana
Greg Mathews WR Michigan
Matt Mayberry LB Indiana
Brandon Minor RB Michigan
Antonio Robinson WR Nicholls State
Quentin Scott S Northern Iowa
Barry Turner DE Nebraska
Tim Walter C CSU
Lawrence Wilson DE OSU
With no first round pick (Jay Cutler smirk) and no second round pick (Gaines Adams RIP), the Bears’ draft grade already starts low. But starting in the 4th round, they did an excellent job of drafting for value and getting some high upside players. I think Major Wright could be special … on special teams, but his pedestrian senior year makes me think he won’t be a gamebreaker at FS. Still, it was a huge need for the Bears and he could be adequate. I hate the Wooten pick, precisely because I think it was a very good pick. It all depends on his recovery from a knee injury though. Moore does nothing for me, he needs a zone defense to hide his inadequacies; and Webb had a ton of potential and no heart, so I can’t see him turning it on now. I’m sure Bear nation will be happy getting LeFevour in the 6th round (he is very good value there), but I don’t think he’ll cut it in the NFL. Finally, I think getting Freddie Barnes as an UDFA was a great job. He won’t ever be a stud, but he works hard, gets separation, and has great hands, so he could easily find a spot as a #2 WR, and he comes with no risk whatsoever.
All told the Bears put a premium on value at positions of need, getting players like Wooten and LeFevour well after they were supposed to be drafted. Great job. The only problem is that, unless Wooten gets healthy and develops, I don’t think they drafted an NFL caliber starter. I thought they would want to address their O Line a little more (I think they actually are trying to qualify for the AARP program there), though. But, again, they didn’t have much to work with. C+.
DETRIOT LIONS
Round 1, Pick 2 (2), Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
Round 1, Pick 30 (30) (From Vikings) Jahvid Best, RB, California
Round 3, Pick 2 (66) Amari Spievey, CB, Iowa.
Round 4, Pick 30 (128) (From Vikings) Jason Fox, OT, Miami
Round 7, Pick 6 (213) (From Seahawks) Willie Young, DE, North Carolina State
Round 7, Pick 48 (255) (Compensatory selection) Tim Toone, WR, Weber State
UDFA
Aaron Berry CB Pittsburgh
Robert Calloway DT Saginaw Valley State
Matt Clapp FB Oklahoma
Mike Moore WR Georgia
Ryan Stamper LB Florida
Almost everything I’ve read has praised the Lions draft this year. I, on the other hand, thought the Lions squandered a great opportunity to build a great foundation for a team in a very deep draft. With the deep talent in this draft and an early pick in each of the rounds, I really thought they could maneuver, pick up extra picks, and fill a lot of the holes they have with great prospects. But they didn’t. They got Suh, which, while an excellent pick, was a complete no brainer, so it’s hard to give them credit for it. Then, rather than taking advantage of their spot going into Friday, they drop in the 4th and give up a 7th to trade up 4 spots. I thought it was a bad decision strategy-wise for a rebuilding team. I also think it was a bad decision because I’m not convinced Jahvid Best is anything more than an easily broken change of pace back. I think they really reached for Spievey (I like Lewis, Thomas, Ghee, etc. better). However, I think they did a great job getting Jason Fox, wonderful move. And I like Young’s potential as a pass rusher. Toone and the UDFA class do nothing for me. All in all, I really liked some of their picks (Suh, Fox, and Young), I disliked others (Best, Spievey), and thought they did an awful job of managing the draft to rebuild the team. C-.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
Round 1, Pick 23 (23) Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa
Round 2, Pick 24 (56) Mike Neal, DT, Purdue
Round 3, Pick 7 (71) Morgan Burnett, SS, Georgia
Round 5, Pick 23 (154) Andrew Quarless, TE, Penn State
Round 5, Pick 38 (169) Marshall Newhouse, OT
Round 6, Pick 24 (193) James Starks, RB, Buffalo
Round 7, Pick 23 (230) C.J. Wilson, DE, East Carolina
UDFA
Chris Campbell OT Eastern Illinois
Shawn Gore WR Bishop
Tory Harrison RB Southern Mississippi
Alex Joseph LB Temple
Tim Knicky LB Stephen F. Austin
Jeff Moturi WR UTEP
Shepar QB South Dakota
Quinn Porter RB Stillman College
John Russell DL Wake Forest
Sam Shields CB Miami
Robert Vaughn S Connecticutt
Chastin West WR Fresno State
Frank Zombo DE Central Michigan
I have a love hate relationship with this draft. I love Bulaga pick, hate the Neal pick. Love Morgan Burnett, hate not having a 4th round pick, love Marshall Newhouse and Wilson, hate Quarless. Love the building of the O Line and D Line, hate them not drafting a CB or a punter. I’m obviously a very emotional guy.
Bulaga was great value and fills a desperate need. I think Newhouse has the potential to be a long term starter in the NFL and, if he continues to develop, could even push Bulaga to RT. I like Neal, I just think he was waaaay overdrafted and poor value. I’d rather miss out on Neal and get a guy like Wilson late than miss out on guys like Vlad Ducasse, Charles Brown, and others. I really like Burnett, but he better make an immediate impact as SS, because we gave up a fair amount to move up and get him. Quarless was a pure value pick, but I don’t like him. And our RB coach loves Starks, but I don’t see him as every being a starter in the league, but he might be a capable backup/special teams guy. Plus he’s injured. And it was just stupid to ignore getting a punter and/or a kicker.
All told, there is more in this draft that I love than I hate. We improved our future offensive and defensive lines immensely, and hopefully, solved one of our problems in the secondary with Burnett. And while I think the Pack are only a couple players away from really competing for the Super Bowl, those players are going to have to come from the guys already on our roster rather than the draft. TT, once again, is taking a risk, we’ll see if it pays off. C+.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Round 2, Pick 2 (34) Chris Cook, CB, Virginia
Round 2, Pick 19 (51) Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford
Round 4, Pick 2 (100) Everson Griffen, DE, Southern Cal
Round 5, Pick 30 (161) Chris Degeare, OT, Wake Forest
Round 5, Pick 36 (167) Nathan Triplett, LB, Minnesota
Round 6, Pick 30 (199) Joe Webb, QB, UAB
Round 7, Pick 7 (214) Mickey Shuler, TE, Penn State
Round 7, Pick 30 (237) Ryan D’Imperio, LB, Rutgers
UDFA
RJ Archer QB William and Mary
Matt Hanson OT Midwestern State
Tommy Hernandez C UC-Davis
Ryan Perriloux QB Jacksonville State
Aaron Rhea WR Stephen F. Austin
Terrell Skinner S Maryland
Ray Small WR Ohio State
Kelton Tindal WR Newberry
Angelo Williams CB Ferris State
Marlon Winn OT Texas Tech
I could hear the hearts breaking from here. When Kyle Wilson got selected right before their pick, the Viking brass shed a tear. Unfortunately, that miss led them to one of the longest series of reaches in the draft. It started with Chris Cook. I like Cook’s versatility, size, and speed, but he also has a high potential to be a bust. To make up for that reach, the Vikings then … reached again; this time for a backup running back. I like Toby too, he’s a gamer, and I would not want to have to tackle him. But he’ll be a backup on the Vikings and mid second round is a bit early to be drafting a backup running back. Finally, in the 4th round, the Vikings got it right by getting amazing value and a talented player in Everson Griffin. I really liked that pick. Then, it was back to reaching, grabbing a couple of guys I hadn’t heard of and had seen rated in the 6-7th rounds, in the 5th (Degeare, Tripplett). I think they’ll regret grabbing them and passing on Reshad Jones, Marshall Newhouse, Jonathon Crompton, and/or Sam Young. The rest are just filler (although it was nice to see a athletic college QB who is going to be turned into a WR in the pros go in the 6th round where they should instead of in the first (Matt Jones) or third (Armanti Edwards). So I like some of the players, but outside of Griffen, they got horrible value for their picks. C-.
More later.
And the Bengals are the crime syndicate of the NFL!!!
Btw, is Leon Washington not recovering well from his knee injury? It’s amazing that Lenwhale goes for a 4th and 6th, and Washington only goes for a 5th.
Like how you started with your own division, just don’t think I’ll let you weasel out of finishing. And I’ve already bookmarked this thread so we can all laugh at you 3-4 years down the road (or acknowledge the genius and insight that you provided - like that will happen).
San Francisco 49ers
Draft picks in 2010:
Round 1 (11) - Anthony Davis, OT, 6’5", 323, Rutgers
Round 1 (17) - Mike Iupati, OG, 6’5", 331, Idaho
Round 2 (40) - Taylor Mays, S, 6’3", 230, USC
Round 3 (91) - Navorro Bowman, ILB, 6’0", 242, Penn State
Round 6 (173) - Anthony Dixon, RB, 6’0", 233, Mississippi State
Round 6 (182) - Nate Byham, TE, 6’4", 268, Pittsburgh
Round 6 (182) - Kyle Williams, WR, 5’10", 187, Arizona State
Round 7 (244) - Philip Adams, CB, 5’10", 192, South Carolina State
UDFAs:
LeGarrette Blount, RB, Oregon
LeRoy Vann, KR, Florida A&M
Jarrett Brown, QB, West Virginia
Patrick Stoudamire, CB, Western Illinois
All of the first six picks are BIG, and only Bowman has questions about strength. The knock on all of these guys is mental, although I don’t find the direst warnings all that convincing. I really think the 49ers have improved their football team, and the new players will not only play better than the personnel they’re replacing, they’ll make the returning players better. The only unanswered question lies at the feet (and brain) of Taylor Mays. Regardless of his grade as a pick, he’s better than Michael Lewis. We’ll more or less have to live with the perimeter players returning from last year. Ted Ginn Jr. should be included in consideration for this draft, and he was well worth the 5th Round pick used to get him.
Most college football fans know of LeGarrette Blount and about the punch he threw. What they might not know is he’s a 3rd-5rd Round football talent who could make a splash as an H-back type, and saving roster spots as a multi-position backup.
It was a money thing, as was Faneca. Reports are that they’re not yet finished shedding costly veterans in favor of cheaper young guys.
Leon’s going into the last year of his contract, as are D’Brickashaw and Mangold. They’d much rather keep the OL intact, so instead of just letting Washington walk next year for nothing they figure get some value back this year. No doubt his injury drove the price down, but I don’t think it’s going to be a lingering issue or anything.
Beat me to the punch on this one. I’ll add some thoughts of my own.
I made most of my thoughts on the Bears picks clear during the draft but I’ll try to sum them up. The Bears had dire needs in the secondary and on the offensive line. Secondary needs were pass rushing help to replace Alex Brown and give Peppers a running mate and an offensive playmaker, either a bigger WR or a speed RB. For the most part they addressed those needs.
The two DBs they added are flawed but they fit the Tampa 2 system. I’m not a fan of Wright, I think he’s a massive underachiever, but he’s athletic and physical. If he can learn to track the ball better and adjust to playing a strong safety role he might fit in the system. His coverage issues shouldn’t be quite the liability in our system as in others, though I’m not excited about getting a guy with such limitations with a 3rd rounder that you need to hit a home run on. Moore is similar in that he’s a great fit for a zone system but could get exploited when forced to play tight man on blitzes and short yardage. He’s a good tackler and plays faster than his timed speed indicates, the Bears are hoping he’s the second coming of Peanut Tillman. We shall see. If there’s a new regime in town next year both these players could have problems in a new system though.
Wootton is a very important pick. They’ve got to get starting level performance from him. If he’s healthy and able to press Anderson for playing time as a rookie then this draft will be a success. The Bears have a long history of drafting guys who slide due to injury, it’s been a mixed bag at best. Wootton is a classic example, he’s got 2nd round skill but 6th round knees. Time will tell which shows up on Sundays. Hopefully some time with an NFL training staff and adding bulk will make him a star on the left side. I 'm cautiously optimistic about this pick.
I have no idea what to expect from Webb. We need to start finding young talented blockers without spending 1st round picks on them, I’m not sure small school transfers in the 7th round is the best way to go. Between him and Levi Horn I really hope they find a reliable swing tackle or even better a mobile OT that can transition to become a mauling OG. It’s certainly been done before, but this coaching staff has no track record of locating and developing blockers. I’m surprised there wasn’t a single Guard brought in. Neither in the draft or in FA, one would think this means they project these guys to try it out or else they are completely in love with Lance Louis.
I’ve said my piece on Lefevour. I don’t know if he can be an NFL QB or not but he’s an awesome value and it’s uncharacteristically smart of them to build depth with potential at the position.
The undrafted FAs feature a few exciting names. The highlight for me is Quentin Scott. I actually drafted him form the Dolphins in our mock draft in the 4th round ahead of Major Wright. The kid is freakishly athletic and projects as a perfect Tampa 2 FS who could be an electric play maker. I am almost certain he’ll make the squad and I bet he’s an elite Special Teamer right out of the gate. He’s a little raw still but he has the potential to be one of my favorite Bears if he translates at all. Barnes is interesting but I just don’t think his college numbers will translate at all. He’s a great route runner and has excellent hands which is a plus in addition to being a high character guy, based on those attributes you want to give him a shot, but I don’t think he has the speed and wiggle to get open in the pros. Good corners will make him disappear. That said, in Martz’s system route running, precision and hands are the critical assets. He’s worth watching.
Cornelius Brown looks like a good depth/special teams addition, his scouting report looks an awful lot like Josh Moore’s actually. Neither Michigan guy really interests me. Minor might be worthwhile but he’s just a worse version of the 3 guys we already have. None of the other small school guys look to have a chance at all and the big school guys are a who’s who’s of walking wounded with hardly anything on tape.
Shawnbrey McNeal appears to still be unsigned though…
I pretty much agree with everything you said here. I have nothing to add. Suh will be great, everyone else underwhelms and some qualify as egregious reaches. I really hate Best, the Lions would have been better served to sit tight in the 2nd round and just draft Benn and give Stafford another target opposite Megatron.
I was really liking what the Lions were doing in this offseason. They seemed to be moving in the right direction, that was sidetracked here in this draft. Good news for the Bears I suppose.
I’m loving the Packers draft. And I think you know what that means as a Bears fan.
Bulaga is a “great value” in that he was projected to go much higher, but I have thought all along that that projection was insanity. He just isn’t very good. Why do Iowa lineman always get so much love when the program never seems to be a dominant offensive team? I suppose the Packers did the right thing in taking him with the way the draft played out, but I’m really happy the league seemed to agree with my OL ratings. If the draft had played out the way the analysts thought the Packers would have had a shot at Davis, Iupati or Pouncey and that would have been very bad for the Bears.
Neal doesn’t make any sense really. He’s a 1-gap DT and isn’t really suited to play the Nose or as a 2-gap DE. Capers system might have a use for him but I’m not sure reaching for the guy in the second round is a good idea for a guy that you have to make change positions. I wonder if this pick was a reaction to the Alualu pick, it seems like DTs became pitfall for a lot of teams in the middle rounds.
Burnett must have been drafted to fill the Packers quota of obnoxious dreadlocked DBs. He scouts out very similar to Major Wright. He’s a flawed player that can be good in the right scheme, I think Wright’s ceiling is higher but Burnett’s floor is much higher. Burnett may be close to maxed out while Wright is an underachiever. I think I’d rather have had Burnett for the Bears, but I’m not sure I’d have traded up to get him. The Packers must have loved him and really thought the Bears were going to nab him. Based on all the reports the Bears have been publicly zeroed in on Wright forever so I think that was probably a misjudgment on the Packers’ part.
You seem to be projecting Newhouse as a LT eventually and I’m not seeing that, I actually liked him as a possible late round OG for the Bears. He’s undersized for a OT but is agile and aggressive making him a ideal OG. He’s a very nice pick for the Pack. Quarless however is a total headscratcher. Is he really gonna push Finley? He’s not much of a blocker, an inconsistent catcher and unless the Pack plan on using a lot of H-back sets he’s a man without a position. Wilson was a steal late. I’m not sure if they like him as a OLB or a 3-4 DE but he’s probably a little small to play on the line, as a OLB he could be excellent.
None of UDFAs really stand out for me at all.
The Vikings totally screwed the pooch. Cook is okay, athletic and fills a need, but that’s probably too early for him. Had they drafted him in that Gerhart spot I’d have liked the pick much better. Gerhart is going to be an absolute fumble machine in the pros, a funny pairing with AP. I want the kid to be good, he’s basically Tim Tebow with less publicity and he’s got the whole great white hope thing going for him, but he’s just not an NFL caliber RB. He’s maxed out where he’s at right now and he doesn’t really fill a need for the Vikings, he’s got next to no experience catching the ball and pass blocking, he’s the anti-Chester Taylor. Gerhart should have been a 3rd or 4th rounder, Ben Tate will destroy him in future comparisons.
Griffen is probably a hell of a value there but you have to wonder why he slipped from a 1st round projection to the 4th. I know the guy seemed to take plays off and his motivation is in question but that’s true of dozens of guys taken rounds earlier than him. He’s got tons of the upside and is a great athlete. I suspect that he’ll blossom alongside Jared Allen and the bright lights of the NFL will keep him motivated just fine.
After Griffen there isn’t another guy in the draft of in free agency that have any chance of playing in the NFL. Ugly.
I could argue that the last sentence is a perfect example of what the first sentence claims not to do. Then again, truisms don’t bother me.
But more to the point, yes I do think putting Peyton Manning on the Bills or Browns would probably get them to 8-8 each year with a decent chance of making the playoffs. However, my point is that if, instead of putting Peyton Manning on those teams, you gave them the ability to run and stop the run, or a Rex Ryan style defense (including the talent to run it), they’d also get to 8-8 each year with a decent chance of making the playoffs.
In other words, a great QB doesn’t give you more benefit than the cliched truisms do. A great QB is simply the modern day addition to that list of truisms.
Well - bringing the context back to what it was originally, about drafting a QB high - you can’t take “run and stop the run” or “a Rex Ryan defense” #1 overall, but you have something of a shot (maybe 30-40%?) of grabbing a very good QB there and maybe 20% of grabbing an elite one. It’s a big boom or bust spot, but the reward being so much higher than hitting on another elite prospect I can understand why teams continue to take the risks despite bust after bust.
I don’t think “a great QB can make a huge difference to a team” - or however you want to word my notion - is a simplifying truism in the way “defense wins championships” or “run and stop the run” is. I think the analogous statement would be something like “to succeed in the league you need an elite QB”, which wasn’t what I said. A variety of team compositions have been successful in the NFL and I think generally the well rounded teams tend to be the best rather than any team that subscribes to any particular extreme philosophy.
In recent years the league has been designed (through rule and enforcement changes) to be more heavily geared towards being a passing league - I’m not saying I like it, for the most part I don’t - but I don’t try to reduce the game to what I want it to be rather than what it is. Given that, the relative dominance of teams that manage to succeed despite not having a very good to elite QB (by being great everywhere else) is waning. Which isn’t to say they can’t be successful, but as the league changes, the ideal balance a team should try to achieve shifts with it. But, again, I’m not declaring any absolutes, just commenting on how hitting on an elite QB prospect has a bigger upside than any other position.
I agree. Hell, last year we saw both ends of the spectrum meet in the AFC Conference Championship. My only argument with you is that you seem to be saying that “run and stop the run” doesn’t work and that “defense wins championships” is false. They’re still as true as they’ve always been. The only difference now is that having an elite passer can also get you to the promised land. Also, not instead of.
People try to disprove “defense wins championships” with stats, but that’s missing the point. The Giants didn’t have a great statistical defense in the 2007 season, but in the playoffs they absolutely stepped up and played championship defense all through those playoffs, and that’s what triumphed over the greatest offense ever assembled. (Which is also what happened against the K-Gun in 1990. Go Big Blue!)
Defense won the championship in 2007 regardless of what the regular season stats say. Same with 2006, when the last-ranked defense against the run all season fluipped the switch (got Bob Sanders back) and shut down opposing running games through the playoffs, carrying the team to victory despite Peyton looking more like Eli. Again, defense won that championship, but people look at the stats and get confused.
The Colts/Bears example is actually the thing that made me finally go into full eye-roll mode over people who advocate “defense wins championships.”
We have the #1 defense and special teams unit going up against the #1 offense in the league. A pretty ideal test of the “defense wins championships” notions. So what happens? The team with the #1 offense wins. And the conclusion people made? “See, defense wins championships! The Colts defense played better in the playoffs!”… If the Bears had won, the same people would be saying “see! defense wins championships! The #1 D/ST unit beat the best offense in the league!”
If the team with the #1 offense beating the team with the #1 defense confirms your view that defense wins championships, I submit you’re willing to take any evidence and just twist it to fit your preconception. I mean - if that example doesn’t contradict your point, what would? I guess a team with the best offense and worst defense winning might - but teams almost never win championships when they’re bad in any aspect of the game. Yes, the Colts defense did play well in the playoffs - but it’s ridiculous to discount what their elite offense did alongside it. Their good (not stellar, probably not better than the Bears when you compare the offenses they were trying to stop) defensive play made them a well rounded team - great offense, pretty good defense.
I submit that looking at that superbowl cannot reasonably support the “defense wins championships” assertion. At best, it could support a “bad defenses can’t win championships” notion, which is much less ambitious a statement.
It’s not that complicated. The Colts defense played much better in the playoffs than they did in the regular season, while Peyton Manning played worse in the playoffs than he did in the regular season.
The Colts defense won that chsampionship not just regardless of the regular season stats, but because of them. The big change in their game highlights the fact that defense won that championship. Your post is the perfect example of people getting confused by the (regular season) stats.
EDIT: I’m ready to stand corrected if I’m misremembering how it went in 2006. I take it we’re agreed on 2007? Greatest offense ever gets beaten (and bruised) by defense?
So then, had the Bears won that superbowl, you would you have proclaimed it proof that defense wins championships?
It’s a dogmatic view where any outcome supports your predetermined belief. You see this with religious people - something good or fair in life happens to them, and they praise god for their blessing. Something bad happens to them, and they praise god for giving them the adversity they needed to build character to handle something else, because everything happens for a reason. No matter what happens, it confirms what they already wanted to believe.