ECHornet

Did you have someone else in mind attainable with 6th and 7th round picks as compensation?

I’d take him over Hoskins and Roy

is a player. I’m not nearly as worried about the LB crew now versus in the off-season. Shaq, Luvu, Littleton, and Smith are very capable. Smith is always around the ball similar to Luvu. Looking like a great pickup in the 4th round.

Sign Baker to a 3 year deal if he and the team find success this year, then draft Drake Maye in two years to be the future franchise QB.

If Baker plays well but we don’t win 8+, it would seem a tag & trade might come into play. See what other teams may give up especially with the weak 2023 free agent QB group.

Y’all are being nice right now. Remember this feeling if he has another drive where he gives up two sacks. Hopefully it will remind you of how patience is recommended for Ekwonu’s development.

Are you referring to this tweet… If so, I think #4 covers the competitive spirit angle I was going for. Thanks for pointing me towards his take and I agree with him.

Part of coaching is finding ways to motivate your players. You assumed earlier everyone believe Icky at starting LT was a foregone conclusion, but I disagree. He’s a rookie and that’s a tough position to be one. Many wondered if BC might be better at LT with Icky at LG for this year. I’m still not convinced that might not work out better. Either way, the staff had to assess the rookie first.

Baker typically finds motivation in perceived slights. I’m not upset if the staff tried to stoke the fire there, even if Baker and staff knew the eventual result.

I also don’t expect everything to be harmonious in the first few games. It just frustrates me that all this whining in the preseason about reps may all go unchecked if we come out and look cohesive. Very few posters would come back and say that maybe Rhule and staff were right. My opinion is Baker likely has received a similar amount of work with his receiving corp as most QBs this off-season.

Agreed. From what I’ve read, Boseman wasn’t playing well at first and then went out with an injury. That makes me wonder if the injury was causing the poor play early. Either way, I chalk Elflein getting most reps at 1st team center to Boseman being injured.

As a benchmark for splitting repetitions in the preseason and how well that was handled. Not as a benchmark for the entire season.

I think you touched on some things that you can watch for to determine preparation. Will BC work well with Ekwonu from LG? Will they handle stunts and handoffs well? If they give up sacks/TFL due to poor chemistry & communication, then I’d support those who say BC didn’t get enough reps with the first team at LG. Will Baker have a good September being on the same page with the receivers? Will he throw a back shoulder when RA keeps running? Will their timing be in sync? The stats will show it, if so. If not, I’d support those who say Baker should have had more 1st team reps. Until I see that, I’m believing we’ll be ready while others are not. I’ll admit if I was wrong. But if we start strong and look cohesive, those whining now will likely move on and find something else to whine about.

Setting the benchmark based on the national media. lol and yikes

I see your point, but when discussing (whining about) the split of reps in preseason, there is some thought of “this player will not be prepared.” Well, what would show that they were prepared and the repetitions in camp were appropriate? I don’t think you can use performance in November as proof that reps in preseason weren’t divided up well.

I like it. I think it’s one DB too many and Roberts could be expendable if Smith and Zylstra can handle returns. Other team’s cuts would factor into how we feel those two openings.

There will always be debate if you don’t detail how your questions can be answered. So - what parameters for our offense would make you accept that Rhule’s rep distribution was fine?

So you’re going into the season with a mindset that every loss is on Rhule and every win is in spite of him. Seems fair. It makes sense, at least to me, that Rhule’s splitting of reps in preseason will be vindicated if we win Game 1. What do you think the repetitions are preparation for? Gameday, right?

If we beat the Browns, I hope some of you who have been upset about how reps have been distributed will quit whining.

Link is broken for me. Did they take it down/delete?

Not sure why some are downing last year’s draft because our second rounder has been injured. All reports suggest Horn is exactly who we hoped. BC has been said to be the most improved player on the roster and is projected to start. Hubbard is a serviceable back and will play. Keith Taylor and Shi Smith have shown promise. That looks like at least an average draft, and TMJ could show out if healthy.

Why are you so mad? I think your new logo looks nice.

I can follow it, except the Gamecocks are now UofSC and were never ‘Carolina’

You don’t make the playoffs with the ‘worst coach in the NFL.’ If we do, many will come around to thinking maybe the 7 year plan is a thing.