Martin

Well, looking at the math one can say there is 64 starting ends or 3/4 olbs in the league. If you are 6th in tackles for loss and 13 in sacks, that would say you are way better than average. But I’m open to hear how you are interpreting the numbers I posted.

I think this is where we differ. I see him as a young player and team leader still getting better. Looking at purely stats (I know, I know, you have to look beyond stats), he is far from “average at best”:

I get the salary Burns will demand, and the wide range of opinions on him. But what surprises me is how easy everyone think it is to replace him and DJ in the draft. There are a huge number of disappointments and underachievers/busts in the first round every year. It is not just a case of just picking an equally good player.

would love this guy somewhere in the second (?) round next to Brown.

If I remember correctly he wanted Josh Allen. The Rosen pick was done by the GM and Wilks had little say in it. There has been a couple of articles about it in the past. His Arizona experience was a poo show due to the GM, and it continues to be.

I really like Wilks and think he can be very successful. I see a lot that he is very conservative etc. We are three games in to his tenure, he has a mediocre OC and a fourth string QB. Of course he will be conservative until he knows what he has in either of them. I’ve seen a huge difference between his first game in charge and the last one. PJ is allowed to do a lot more. Time will tell, but it is a bit early to draw any conclusions about his style just yet.

I would have been fine with the picks, but resigning him for next year is the issue. We have a bunch of extensions coming up that we need to get done first.

What do you think we should talk about in a thread called Stroud and Penn St?

Have you watched him play at all?

I watched part of the game (and yes I’m a Tar Heel homer), and what impresses the most about him is how he handles pressure. He is extremely calm under duress, very similar to Bryce Young. And that is what makes him a great QB.

I didn’t watch the game, so I don’t know the answer to this. Was he the reason they won the game or was it the defense and running game?

For sure, it was all in jest.

And here I am thinking it is lazy to just look at the numbers

Would two late first rounders give you anything close to what Burns offer? I don’t think so, but I know a lot of people do.

I think Brugler is the best one out there, so this is interesting:

I think having some skepticism of Ohio State QBs in general is a fair assessment. Automatically dismissing a QB because they go there is not. That is what I was trying to convey. I don’t watch much college football as I do family stuff most weekends, so I rely on what I read only, I have no problem admitting that. However, I have yet to hear any Ohio State fans saying he can put a team on his back and lead them to a win. And that is what I expect from a potential number 1 pick. But if you’ve seen otherwise, I would love to hear more.

I would like an offensive coach as well, but what if Wilks can do what other perennial winner non-offensive coaches such as Tomlin, Harbaugh, McDermott etc. can do? But we’ll wait and see how it all turns out.

I’m not saying playing at Ohio State negates what he can do. But 3/4 of the time he doesn’t go passed his first read, Harrison Jr would be the #1 WR in this years draft if he could enter (according to Brugler) etc. so you have to go way beyond the numbers to evaluate him and it takes a lot of projecting of what he potentially could become. Just saying he completes 75% of his passes and throws 45 TDs isn’t worth as much in that offense. And I’m not saying you say that, but that is what I see a lot of people cling on to. That is what I think is lazy.

I wouldn’t say it is lazy. Any Mike Leech offense will have great numbers. Any Ohio State offense will have great numbers. You should always look at those two offenses with some skepticism in terms of the numbers produced by the QB. It also doesn’t mean the QB automatically isn’t great. It just takes more analysis than some other teams.

They have built a roster over the last couple of years, no doubt. Not sure if they were tanking or just incompetent to be honest. But they have not solved their QB situation. They are winning despite their QB.

I also think it is one this year and one next year from a very good team, so it is two late first rounders spread over two years. I wouldn’t take that either if I was Fitt.

I don’t think it will be as the O-line and WRs are not the usual dominant ones we are used to see. He does a lot with less this year, no doubt. I think it will 100% come down to his size and ability to hold up in the NFL.

Some of the concerns about Fields when he entered the draft was his long wind up and his ability to go past his first read, something rarely required as a QB for Ohio State. How is Stroud going through his progression? How is he moving past his first read? Young seem to get to his second and third read frequently, because he has to. This is a tough one with Stroud because why would he if his first read is open? But how do we know he can if he has to? Some of you watch all his games, what say you?

Absolutely agree, I don’t think either of them can be used as an example of a top defense.