unicar15

Bailey Zappe looks like the FBS version of Mac Jones….which is not a compliment.

Im old enough to remember Mike Shulas name getting throw around when Cam was lighting it up. If he hadn’t already lit a major college football team on fire as it’s HC he probably would have had a lot of offers. Great QB seasons often make mediocre coaches look really good…give me the QB and he’ll make the coach look good.

If he hired Colbert it would be the first sign that he’s preparing for post Rhule (and possibly post Fitt) life even tho I think he’d be more of a consultant for Fitt. Shad Khan fired Baalke and Meyer. He admitted defeat in an even shorter period of time than Tepper would. These guys want to win. Bringing in a trusted advisor at the cost of eating a contract and eating some crow would be a small price to pay for Tepper.

The reality is that Cam got hurt in 2018 and showed that he wasn’t Superman anymore. We sucked and went a mediocre 7-9. When he played…Cam played injured a significant portion of the year. The next year was the end of his career basically. The writing was on the wall tho. He got beat up more than any QB in history. If this team is the Packers, Patriots, Ravens…..They’re drafting a QB in 2018 ANTICIPATING Newton falling off. They’re storing them on the roster and then they’re rolling on when (not if) Cam gets knocked out. Basically we passed on Josh Allen and then Cam gets knocked out the next year. Hindsight is 20/20 for that one. But then….perfect opportunity to make amends with Herbert ONE PICK ahead of us. We stay out and take a DT already knowing that Teddy “noodle arm/busted knee” Bridgewater is the only answer we have? At the very most he’s a bridge to a starter. Which they basically decided after one year. But didn’t have a backup plan. Bc the freaking plan was playing in LA for the Chargers. Just so many screw ups and now we go into a draft with a bunch of dudes who aren’t as good as the QBs the last 2 years and who probably aren’t as good as the QBs next year (Young, Stroud) so literally the only move for Fitt is to take a tackle and sacrifice Rhule. Bc make no mistake we see gonna suck again and sucking again is really probably the only way to not suck continuously for a long long time. Because they blew it for another 3-4 years trying to be relevant and really haven’t been since 2017.

The teams that are always good across multiple generations of players (Packers, Steelers, Patriots, Seattle) have ALWAYS been one step ahead at important positions. This team basically was too afraid to draft a replacement for Cam and went bargain bin shopping for important OL positions….so now we are where we are. Don’t get attached to players and evaluate everyone in merit..not emotion. If you do that then your team will succeed. If you can’t do that then you’re gonna be drafting top 5 every year.

The more I think about this draft the more I think we are probably going to suck in 2022-2023 and be in position to take Stroud, Young, or Nix (who I think will blow up for Oregon). Just do the smart thing and take the best tackle. If you think you’re going to have trouble locking up Burns…..trade him for picks. CMC should have been traded yesterday. Build the line. Get assets. Set the team up for bringing in an elite rookie next year with good protection and good weapons. If they try too hard this year and reach for a QB before they build the line then there’s a really good chance the QB isn’t good and we’re in the top 3 again next year. Then everyone will be asking….is “Sam Howell, Matt Corral, Malik Willis” really better than the aforementioned other three. The answer is probably no. So you might as well set yourself up to get one of those guys next year and have a franchise left tackle protecting them. We don’t have enough to get a vet. And if we did have enough that teams wanted it would gut our team so they the vet wouldn’t actually want to be here. Rhule and Fitt made their 2022 bed with Darnold. Time for Fitt to prioritize the future…or he’s gonna get axed with Rhule. Idt there is any way Rhule can save himself from previous decisions. Best case scenario for this off-season and next is getting more picks, drafting a LT, creating cap, sucking in 2022…drafting Stroud, Young, or whoever else emerges as a top 3 QB.

I think if you take any of the QBs then they’re going to have to sit and there will have to be a legitimate veteran QB ahead of them. Not Darnold. Fitt is going to have to find a veteran free agent willing to come in and be a starter for a little while to break in the rookie. The only reason he may not is that he may remember what happened with Russell Wilson and Matt Flynn. They signed Flynn (mediocre starter) and drafted Wilson. Wilson came in and immediately took the job. If they get the feeling someone like Corral could learn quick they could just try to fix the line and roll with a rookie.

I think if he’s healthy corral will go top 10. I wouldn’t be mad about that pick if we’ve addressed OL in FA.

Someone would trade up. But that would be just the Panthers luck….the one year we need an OT with an OT heavy top 10 and we don’t get one.

People shouldn’t get sucked into then “Jimmy G is elite” just bc he may be going to another super bowl.

Ekwonu or Neal if they are there. Consider trading out if they aren’t and there is a market to move down for day 2 picks. We have no business using 6th pick on a QB. I wouldn’t be mad if we moved down and took Corral and beefed up the line through free agency.

Hah. Going for a hot take? Icky has literally been called the most athletic OL prospect in the draft. He was the best run blocker regardless of position in the country….as a left tackle. State would routinely use him to pull from his tackle position. But sure. He’s got athletic issues…..

LT should be addressed this year no matter what whether it is through the draft, trade, or FA. There are going to be a load of them available to us. Bottom line is if we see a QB worth making our franchise guy then you make that decision early and stay put. Sign a LT in FA and draft the QB at 6. If there isn’t a QB worth taking then move down and take a LT (I don’t see Neal, Ekwonu, and Cross all going before the 11th pick). Either way Fitt will know what he’s going to do before draft day. Neal, Ekwonu, Cross, Robinson, Armstead, Brown (move Moton to LT). Just get one of them….

That’s your argument to a veteran QB. #2 ranked D. Really good weapons on O. Come here and we’ll build you an OL and compete this year.

I’m not a huge Pickett fan but I bet by the end of the eval phase Corral and Willis will both be mocked to us at 6.

Yeah this is what I’d say too. Willis reminds me of Mike Vick Howell very similar to Mayfield My favorite QB (right now) is Corrall. He does look a lot like Wilson. I think he’s probably a better scrambler than Wilson. Maybe a little less pure arm talent but is really accurate like Wilson was coming out. He reminds me of a different Wilson coming out tho. He looks like a lighter version of Russell Wilson. Really accurate with intermediate routes and crossing routes. Good not great going to the sideline. Very very accurate deep ball. Which i always thought Wilson was the best at. I like Corrall.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2020-nfl-combine-joe-burrow-makes-fun-of-his-tiny-hands-in-hilarious-tweet-patrick-mahomes-also-weighs-in/ This article says Burrows hands are the smallest for anyone considered a #1 overall pick and historically QBs with hands less than 9in don’t fare well in the league. Picketts hands are almost a full inch smaller than the accepted smallest hand size. Willis is QB1a Corral will be QB1b Pickett will fall out of the first round…that’s my hunch.

Picketts hands are almost a full inch smaller than Burrow…

So what’s the plan if we don’t resign Reddick?

This is assuming we don’t resign Reddick. Draft JJ after moving down and acquiring pick 42. Get Ikem with the first pick. QB is glaringly absent but I think Rhule has made his bed with Darnold at this point and Fitt is gonna do what’s necessary to build the roster and not give away all of his assets. Not a flashy draft but I’d be happy with it. Parham could be a starter in the 4th round. Knight could take over a lot of CMC role if he’s done here after 2022.

CMC. But it’s hope it’s not for Howell. Dude is seriously limited.

Couldn’t we trade Darnold for Cousins. Tell the Vikings that the upside for them is they don’t absorb the cap hit. Upside for us is we get rid of Darnold and Cousins is on a prove it year with us. Then after 2022 we’re free of my if he isn’t the answer. In the meantime we get to keep our 1st rounder and find a way back into day 2 to potentially draft a QB of the future. The problem with the Vikings this year wasn’t Cousins. He threw 33TDs and only 7 Ints. The problem with the Vikings was they were a team built on winning conservatively with defense and a run game….Dalvin Cook was banged up and their defense sucked. Cousins would be a significant upgrade if it doesn’t cost us years or picks. If we can fit him into our cap situation and offload Darnold I would definitely count that as a win for 2022. Who knows about 2023…find the QB of the future after the team is stabilized and the OL is built.

Realistically the only teams that couldn’t afford those contracts are the teams that are over the cap. Everyone else could make a move here or there. Convert money to bonus yada yada and make it work. The Rams have been doing it for years.

Depends on what is given up. We’re a QB and an OL away imo. Trade 1st rounders. Sign Cam Robinson or Armstead when they inevitably become free agents. It’s a giant risk that could be problematic in the future but the reality is that QB covers up ALOT of roster problems. You have a good QB…you can have a mediocre RG and LG. The Panthers defense is in place. It’s solid and is the defense of a contender. We need a QB. We need an OL. The other option imo is to blow it up. Trade CMC, Burns, Brown and try to get as many day 1-2 draft picks as possible and let Fitt start building for the next coach.

I’m gonna make a prediction that if Rhule finds a way to get a top 15 QB and is able to fix the OL then we will make the playoffs. The problem lies in the method of addressing those issues.