SmokinwithWilly

I'd be happy making millions just to sit on the bench.

I agree with that. Moving 1 or 2 spots up, ok, depending on the cost. Moving to 1 from 9, nope. Moving to 1 from 20, I don't even want to know what that would cost. Cheap rookie contracts are the only way to really be competitive. You have to hit on your picks at impact positions to have a chance for a deep playoff run year after year. Bills and the WR group are a perfect example. Elite QB, no one to catch it.

Brissett's stats, 280.5 YPG, 1.96 TPG, and .67 IPG, averaged out to 16 games would have been 4488 yards, 31 TDs, 11 Ints. He also had a higher YPA and completion %. You can't just dismiss stats like that and say that they don't count, because they do. That's good QB play, regardless of what the team record is. A QB that did that during the season could have competed with Bryce in camp. You think if Bryce missed is game and Brissett comes in and does that, Bryce is getting his job back? Ain't happening. And if you think it is, you're the one who's dreaming, not me.

Dalton did have decent numbers that game but he was under immense pressure in Seattle in the rain. If I remember correctly, Zavala gave up 14 QB pressures that game alone. That's inexcusable and the position certainly needed to be addressed. But just think of what we could have done with a center like Frazier, JPJ, Linderbaum, or Humphrey. I realize Dan didn't have the opportunity to draft all these guys. But having a stud in the shortest route to the QB calling protections for the other guys, that's how you build for any QB to run an offense. I'm an offensive line guy. It's my favorite group on the field. I call it fat man ballet. It's a combination of quick feet, balance, bend, strength, reflexes and pure grit. Center is your core leadership on the field, tackles are a combination of finesse and strength, and guards, they're angry dudes that get to have way too much fun hitting people.

I'm ok with doing it if it's the final piece to going all in, as long as you're legitimately in a position to do so. Rams trading 2 1sts and a 2nd for Burns when they desperately needed an edge rusher to be a top contender for a Lombardi. Not a fan, but I get it. Rings are more important than picks, but they were missing one or 2 pieces to be dominant on both sides of the ball. Trading 2 1sts for Parsons when GB wasn't on the verge of greatness, an overpay in my estimation.

Brissett 3366 yards 23/8 41.2 QBR in 14 games, starting 12. Bryce 3011 23/11 47.6 QBR starting 16 games. Let's not pretend Bryce was a dominant force at the QB position. And I think you're misunderstanding what I'm saying about getting a QB2 with the potential to be a QB 1. None of those QBs were taken to be a QB1, but they became that anyway when given the opportunity. Develop a QB2 and develop him into a QB that could be a QB1. If he does and you end up trading him as a potential starter to another team for a 1st or 2nd, great. If you keep him, great. Either way, he's still an asset to the team. There's nothing wrong with developing assets.

We're in a unique position where our starting QB is at the bottom end of the league in performance. A backup like Brisset last year would have challenged Bryce for the starting role, hell, he might have taken it given how he performed last year. He wouldn't have challenged a Mahomes or a Burrow, but the need of a QB2 with the potential to be a long term QB1 if need be is now pretty apparent after significant injuries derailed their respective seasons. After we've established our long term starting QB, keep trying to develop a QB2 with potential to be a QB1. Don't want to end up in KC or Cinci situation.

I'm not speaking about this QB room alone. This needs to be a policy. I've said before as much as I despise Belichek, he always worked on developing a QB2 that was capable of being a QB1. Brady, Cassel, Jimmy G, all backups that became starters for NE or elsewhere. Personally, I'm not a fan of just having a "backup". Every player is one injury away from ending their career. I would much rather be proactive than reactive with the most important position on the field.

No matter what we still need a QB2 with potential to be a QB1. Keep throwing QBs at the wall until we find someone who sticks.

I'm one of the ones that won't let it go because it didn't solve the problem. We didn't address the center position which was a huge mistake. We were in position to easily take 2 or the top IOL. Instead of drafting JPJ over XL or Frazier over Brooks, we relied on an oft injured guard to center conversion and lo and behold, it failed as predicted. XL looks like a 1 year college wonder and an injured Brooks hasn't even surpassed Eric Shelton. Bryce was also benched for poor performance, so the issue that many claimed was solely bad oline play wasn't. It didn't fix him bailing out of tight pockets because of being unable to see the field or him refusing to work on his atrocious footwork. Then there's the $$$. Lewis got a good guard payday. Hunt got a tackle payday. Pay tackles, draft guards, if you can. I have no issues addressing problems through FA. It was not addressing C at all that's been the issue and still has been. Ryan Kalil was the anchor of our offensive line. We had years of solid center play and it showed. Now we're still piecemealing the center position with an expensive oline and it's still a shitshow. Why? Because the player responsible for what happens on the line presnap has little to no experience doing it. We did acquire a FA center this year finally. We'll see how much that impacts the line. Spending on a center, whether it be through draft or FA is not bad. It's not a position that can have anyone just thrown in with no drop off in performance. A great center lifts the play of the guards on each side. I don't like how we've built the line because we've ignored the hinge pin that everyone counts on every play. And the reality of the situation is, it didn't solve the actual problems with Bryce because those have nothing to do with the oline.

If we go all in and sell out with Bryce as our QB, it will even more entrench the idea that Tepper is at minimum running the QB room for me. Now i could be wrong and Dan really is that confident in Bryce all by himself, but nothing this team has done in the past 3 offseasons leads me to believe that there hasnt been some noise from big T. He's admitted that he walks through the office making his opinion known. To me, Bryce's output has just not generated that kind of confidence that we are playoff worthy other than against the Rams. Against the SB champs, just damn.

I hope we're not going all in this year. We couldn't outright win our own division with a losing record. We had 2 anomalous wins. Typically you aren't going to win scoring 13 and have your opponent have an absolute train wreck offense. Also, a team scoring 16 on 6 trips to the red zone is not normal either. I'm not trying to be a pessimist. We're not there. Bryce isn't there. Most of the year our offense legitimately struggled and the missing piece wasn't a TE. Keep building through the draft and reasonable FA. When we have a team that's on the edge of being able to make a legitimate SB run, then go all in. Otherwise, going all in right now feels like another Bryce situation. Sell out and pray. That's not how consistent winners are built.

I don't see it as drafting a premium player to sit and wait if Walker gets hurt. We need a legitimate swing T. Unless you have a Sewell or Slater type tackle that is pretty much a sure thing, these guys can need some time to develop year 1 just like a QB ideally should. They all haven't played the elite 5 star talent on the edge. If we think another franchise tackle has dropped to us at 19, you have to pull the trigger. The position is just too damn hard to find. If it's just a "we need a tackle and this guy has a T on the board", yeah, move on, take one in the later rounds. But if that guy is there, let him back up and learn a year, then slide him into LT on year 2 of his rookie deal. I don't see us being able to offer Walker a multi year contract after a prove it year, pay Moton his final almost fully guaranteed year, Hunt, Lewis a center and do a 50-60m extension for Bryce. The 3 most important positions on the field are QB, blindside tackle (usually LT), and edge rusher. Those are the premium positions that cost the most and are hardest to come by. If a starting caliber talent is there at 19 you have to pull the trigger. I understand the need for a DT and S. I've been on the C and FS train for years. If we weren't staring at a potential Bryce extension, it'd make the decision a lot easier I think. It's just with all these huge contracts I don't see how we can hedge our bets on being able or even wanting to re-sign Walker, especially if he has a bad year. Icky and BC's injuries really hurt our long term plans. If no blue chip talent at those 3 key positions are available at 19, by all means pass and draft another position. But I think it's pretty safe to say we don't have a guaranteed lock at any of them right now beyond Phillips, and they have to be somewhat of a priority.

If we could without breaking the bank in picks I would love to. He's been in Peyton's dog house for whatever reason. He's not a bad receiver from what I've seen in game, he just doesn't make the field a lot on game day.