Here are some things I've been ruminating on for the past several weeks but hadn't posted till now...
QUESTIONS I HAVE
These are the things I feel haven't been answered, but I wish they would or could be...
- Was Frank Reich overruled or influenced?
Frank Reich has stated that he ultimately chose Bryce Young as the best of this year is draft, but even accepting that, we've heard rumors that Reich wanted CJ Stroud and/or Derek Carr. These are still just rumors, but they persist. It is indeed possible that even if Reich wasn't outright overruled, he may still have been nudged in a certain direction.
If this isea has any validity, then the question becomes who overruled or influence the decisions.
- If so, by whom?
The obvious choice is David Tepper. If you look back at previous draft day video, you'll see Tepper interjecting himself into the draft process, for example telling one staffer to advise a team not to call them with negative point deals. Though that might seem minor, it's still a decision that he shouldn't be part of.
- But what if it's not?
The other possibility of course is GM Scott Fitterer. Per his own statements, Fitterer was convinced on Young last year. Could he have overridden or influenced Reich to make that call? Yes, it's possible. And while it's his place to do so much more than it is the owners, It's still looking like the wrong call so far
- What are the dynamics?
Obvious leads back to a question of dynamics. Previous discussions have indicated that ultimate decision making is a collaborative atmosphere, and the character of both Fitterer and Reich would suggest such. But one or two statements made by Reich stating that personnel matters were not his call make me wonder.
Even in an environment where the head coach does not have final say, he should still have input, and bigger input on some decisions than others (more on that later)
THINGS IM CONVINCED OF
Leaving behind the areas where I still have questions, here are the ones where I feel like we've had sufficient time to get some answers.
- CJ Stroud looks like the better quarterback
It's pretty difficult to not come to that conclusion at this point, even given last week's results. Mind you,that doesn't mean Young is a bad quarterback or that he's a bust. It just means he wasn't the best choice. And mind you, this is still an early call. Both have longer careers ahead of them so the final story has yet to be told.
- Bryce should still be supported
That said, yes we can still proceed from here with him as a starter and do everything we can to make sure he's in the best position. Truthfully, there's not much choice other than that.
And yes, we should still have faith in him.
- Who's calling the plays doesn't make a difference
Said last week that the differences had more to do with personnel than playcalling, and yesterday didn't change that. Mind you, I didn't really have any issues with most of the playcalling though I think a little more balance would have been nice.
- The offensive line needs changes
Scheme fit, deficiencies on the left, lack of offseason work, whatever you want to blame it on it's pretty clear the offensive line is letting us down and more importantly, letting Young down. The most obvious change is moving Ekwonu to guard, but even that can't happen until we've got somebody who can man the left tackle spot. Right now, we don't.
- Reich needs to be listened to
Even in a traditional GM-Head Coach dynamic, a GM might have final say over personnel matters but is still beholden to the coach who builds the systems. Frank and his people need to get the kind of players they want at the very least, and in super important positions like quarterback should really be listened to as far as particular players.
Quarterback is a position where the coach needs to have a big say, especially in offensive coach.
SO WHAT DO WE DO FROM HERE?
With some answers and still some questions, the biggest issue is what to do next. What I've got there isn't all that new. In fact, it was already known.
- David Tepper has no business making any decisions whatsoever
First, most obvious, and unchanged is that David Tepper needs to completely remove himself from any and all decision making. Yes that includes who should be fired, especially if decisions have been made under his influence. I don't trust him to make a single decision without help. Which means...
- Nothing should be done without a consultant
The flipside of the first point, Tepper needs someone in here who has the knowledge to make the decisions that he clearly doesn't. As has been mentioned before the most obvious guy for the job would be Kevin Colbert, but as long as it's somebody who has knowledge that Tepper doesn't, it'll be a plus.
Will he accept that? History suggests he won't.
If he doesn't, we're likely just spinning our wheels.
