SmokinwithWilly

I think for Dan to have gotten the GM job, he had to be involved pretty heavily as Fitt's assistant. I've been an assistant and I've had them. If all Dan did was agree to whatever Scott said, then he was nothing more than a coffee guy. I'm sure he was doing evaluations, draft boards, going after FAs, all that stuff. Fitts couldn't do it all. How much Fitts listened to him we'll never really know, but I'm sure he was giving his input. I condemn him for being part of that group and part of the results of the results of that team. His first year drafting was horrible, very reminiscent of Fitts drafts. Reaches and projects. His 2nd year was better. We'll see what happens this year and how his team building overall comes together. Right now I think we're a 7-10 team, very limited by our QB play. Hopefully Bryce either turns a corner into a franchise QB or tanks so spectacularly we have no choice but to move on. If he rides that roller coaster again, I hope Dan can admit it's time to look elsewhere.

We need a true FS and have for a long time. A good FS makes everyone's life easier on the back side. Some positions you can't just throw anyone in and have success. FS is one of those.

I was surprised there weren't a few more with jammed or broken fingers. I know they say catch it with your hands, but with Cam, a body catch might have been the safer bet, at least for the fingers.

Cam had trouble with touch, especially on the shorter throws. I remember watching him, especially on screens, thinking damn that had to hurt when it hit receivers in the fingers.

We've needed a true returner for a long time. We seem content to throw whoever back there. Returning kicks is a craft that is heavily undervalued here even though it can greatly impact a game. Devin Hester was feared for a reason. It's a lot easier to drive 40 yards than 75.

We need that twitchy slot guy that can just go.

I'm not saying he doesn't, just that he's gotten a lot of flack on this board for not devoting himself to his craft and focusing on his social media presence. It was more just an observation of how he gets ripped on, and Bryce, who's openly said he isn't going to address footwork problems, gets crickets. Greatness is never satisfied. I'd like to see some Luke level of devotion again.

He's mentioned knee pain but dismissed it as no big deal. Knee pain is always a deal of some sort and it doesn't get better when you're heavy. It's just one of those things that you have to be concerned about. If we have a decent backup plan, a drafted tackle in development, that's a good plan. Keep any future contracts short and priced accordingly.

I don't get why everyone is busting balls on XL for not working on his craft but no one is busting balls on Bryce for refusing to work on his atrocious footwork. It could easily be said that XL is following the example set by his quarterback/captain.

We need a tackle but we need to take one that we think can be what we need after a year of development. If that player isn't available at a particular early draft spot, don't reach. Take the stronger positional value instead. We have multiple needs across this team. I think we could address the position in the draft but only if we address it wisely. Don't take one just to take one. If we don't take a tackle, at least take a center. We don't need to leave the draft with at least 1 offensive lineman. I'd prefer 2. Starting caliber center and a tackle that can at least be a RT, and possibly a left. We need to get this offensive line back to a more even place of rookie contracts with veteran contracts to get the cap spending under control.

I'm not saying adding playmakers is a bad thing and it does make sense in many respects. However, to say we need improvement from our playmakers and completely ignore the central playmaker is crazy. We don't know the level of playmakers we have because we don't have a QB capable of those types of play on a regular basis. A lot of people love to bash on XL for needing to work on his game because he's not putting in the effort to get better. He's following the example set by his QB that refuses to work on his atrocious footwork. We crucify one and ignore the other. It doesn't make sense. If we're going to be serious about adding weapons then let's be serious. Signing Kenny Pickett to back up Bryce doesn't signify we are committed to improving the offense. That move, and this idea Bryce needs more weapons, shows we aren't actually serious. You can't committ to a QB that has been one of the worst in the NFL the past 3 years and then claim you're serious about improving the offense.

I'd take that and run. We could still get an immediate contributor, and position ourselves for one of many blue chips for next year's draft. Being positioned for our next QB (if we move on from Bryce) edge, tackle or WR would just be icing on the cake.

So to suggest that our offensive weapons might not be as horrible as being claimed if we were to have Josh Allen throwing to them instead of Bryce is a stretch? Maybe they would be better, maybe not. But I'm not going to keep saying we need more weapons and more this and more that with a QB that struggles to get 200 yards passing in a game. You're right, our receiving corp was ranked in the bottom 3rd of the league. Who was throwing to them? A bottom 3rd QB. If the team wants to get better it has to be serious about the QB position. We aren't and no amount of adding weapons is going to solve the fact Bryce is a bottom tier QB or that the most serious camp competition he has ever faced was Andy Dalton. If Carolina fans were watching any other franchise entrench themselves so vehemently around this level of QB production, we'd be laughing like he'll and waiting for our chance to play them twice a year.

You're missing the point. Great players elevate those around them. Bryce needs all of this elevation just to not be one of the worst QBs in the league. We may actually have legit WRs and pieces to go around Bryce and he's not able to get the job done week in and week out. You're so quick to blame all the other offensive pieces but are willing to defend a QB that has never played back to back franchise QB football games in 3 seasons. There's a reason we have had Dalton and now KP as backups. Neither one are capable of challenging a QB that struggled to reach 3k yards passing in his best season. This offense might look very different with a mid tier QB. Unfortunately our owner and FO are to scared to even allow that possibility.

Cam elevated the players around him. He showed more in his 1st 2 games as a rookie than Bryce has his entire career. At some point, Bryce has to be that guy. Bryce can't have a top 5 oline, 3 top WRs, a Greg Olson TE, top 10 RB and get a 60m AAV salary. Bryce seems like a likeable enough guy outside of football. On the field though, he hasn’t put together 2 games of football that show he's anything more than a bottom tier QB. Maybe our receivers are an issue. Or maybe our QBs inability to get them the ball with consistent timing, accuracy and velocity from terrible footwork is part of the problem. One that Bryce refuses to acknowledge or work on.