Mr. Scot

A big part of my interest in Howell is skill set. He's best suited for the kind of WCO style attack we use. I don't think the team would give him a shot to start barring injury, but you can never say what'll happen. (had Drew Bledsow stayed healthy, Tom Brady might be back in Michigan coaching high school football)

Eehhh, again not really. Canales said he doesn't like using Bryce in QB sneaks due to his size. It's a stretch to call that , "limiting the playbook". All that said, bring back Robert Hunt, get a better center next season, keep the rest of the line healthy... hell, I'd volunteer to trot my cane using / sub 200 pound / damn near 60 year old ass under center for a sneak (Canales probably wouldn't put me in though)

Metaphorical comparisons never seem to land successfully in this forum

Except he's not. He referenced Brees and Wilson in reference to the ages at which they started trending up. Oddly enough though, both Brees and Wilson share a similar playing style (i.e. "point guard" type WCO distributor).

Hell, Shough is 26 (I think) and had some injury issues during his college years. I know Saint fans are happy with him so far but it's still a small sample his age likely means a shorter pro career assuming he stays healthy (which you can't assume). The Saints would be wise to keep an insurance policy, and probably a better one than Spencer Rattler.

Yeah, never really expected Horn to be a Legion of Boom style DB. His coverage is still pretty highly thought of, which is what they drafted him for. Among the corners, I hear Mike Jackson being talked about as the hardest hitter.

Don't know if I'd go that far. It was still Reich in charge at the time (who I, like many, still believe would have preferred Stroud) and the phrase they kept using to describe Bryce was "point guard". In football terms that translates to a West Coast style quarterback, which is what Bryce was (and is).

I love the idea of signing Howell but I doubt it involves any chance to win the starting job.

This may surprise you, but there's no real evidence that David Tepper shares your feelings on either of them. On the flipside, his recent comments on "what they were building" actually did sound pretty positive. Granted, behind the scenes stuff and unexpected stuff happens (both guys could get caught hitting on m members of the Top Cats, etc) but there looks to be enough good will around both of them that it's likely take way more than just a down year from Bryce to get both of them sent to their rooms without any supper.

Side Note: Having once dated a gymnast who was approximately the size and build of Shawn Johnson, I'd just say don't underestimate their power just because they're petite

You're referring to the guy who not long ago got stung by the criticism of how many different coaches he'd been through in a short cycle? The same guy who also not much more than a week ago went on record saying he really loved what he saw Dan Morgan and Dave Canales building here? That David Tepper? Okay, sure Lemme guess: Is David Tepper sitting right next to you in the room again?

Not really. Frankly, there is no one "way it works" in the NFL... And for whatever I may think of Tepper, I don't believe he's quite dumb enough to put blame on two guys who at the moment are doing decent jobs (especially Morgan this year) for not succeeding with a guy that it was his insistence we take.

Think I'm gonna go buy a Mega Millions ticket... (or should I go with Powerball instead?)

Canales is currently under contract through 2029. If Bryce has a bad year next year I'd bet dollars to donuts that the following year sees Dan and Dave being allowed to pick the guy they want to replace him. Zero logic to cleaning house just over Bryce, especially when you consider that neither of them were in charge when he was taken.

Doubt he'll ever be elite, but as I've mentioned previously it is fair to point out that he's improved over the past two seasons and could further improve next year also. I'm still not confident in him at this point but none of us can guarantee that won't happen.

Even if Bryce doesn't have an elite year next season, I wouldn't hold my breath on that.

That's a philosophical take. Whether or not he deserves a huge amount of blame for a certain game (specifically, the last one) isn't really a philosophical question. But since you posit that as an NFL quarterback he deserves a lot of blame for losses, can I assume that you'll also affirm he deserves a lot of credit for wins? (that would be consistent logic)

I suspect there'll be a significant gap between what we need and what we'll get. Better backup? Yeah, probably. Any form of competition for Bryce outside of a team ping pong tournament? Wouldn't bet on it.

J Jonah Jameson Jansen weighs in... Alongside Luke McCown...

They're examples of denying reality. Here are some others: ,- Bryce is the worst QB in the NFL right now (no he isn't) - Bryce is the worst QB in NFL history (no he's not; that's stupid) - Well then Bryce is at least the the worst QB in the league over the last three years (nope, he's actually improved a lot since year one, which was a turbulent year anyway) - That's not true, he hasn't Improved one but since his rookie year (oh come on) - Well, even if he did, we can't win with him (obviously we can) - Yeah but not unless everyone else is damn near perfect (think the game film from our wins this year would back that up?) - Even so, we won those games in spite of him (officially the stupidest argument available) And no, those are made up. You can find those quotes and other equally moronic statements in various threads around the board. I know some folks always need to characterize whatever they're against as the worst thing in existence. It's hyperbole, and it's hypersilly. Likewise, you've got some who are so absolutely emotional about it that even if you think Bryce isn't good enough (which I do) they'll still call you a stan if you don't agree to label him the lousiest passer in existence It's just dumb, and it's not realistic. But on the flipside, here are some statements which are; - Bryce is indeed capable of both playing in, and winning, an NFL game. Not on a consistent level though, and consistency is huge. - He is also capable of completing mid-range and even some deep passes; hell, he threw a beauty this past Sunday - Yes, he has improved over his rookie season and over last year. Arguing against that is disingenuous. - Believe it or not, other players are the roster do make mistakes in games also. - And lastly, while I know it hurts some people's narrative and arguments, Bryce does indeed deserve credit for the winning games he's played in this season. ... Every single one of those statements is true. And since i acknowledge all that, I must be in favor of keeping him in place then Except I'm not ... Don't know of anyone who doesn't think he'll get the fifth year option. Not ready to guarantee anything beyond that, though. So bottom line: Yeah, Bryce is fully expected to be our quarterback through next year. If there were a logical, realistic path to acquire a more capable starter and transition Bryce to a backup I'd be elated, but that's a pipe dream. This where we're at I don't **** it, you don't like it, others don't either. But here We are so let's make the best of it that we can.

I do too, but I'm not denying reality in the process. If I wanted to make an argument to move on from Mitchell ,(I don't, but for argument's sake) and among my main debate points were that he was too short and hasn't caught a pass this season, would you accept those as valid points?

Actually, it'd have to be Canales. We've been going downfield on a pretty regular basis since after the first Saints game. If Bryce couldn't do it before, did he suddenly gain the ability just a few weeks back? Obviously not, so evidence shows it has to be a change of coaching strategy.. ... Evidence, plus I'm pretty sure Canales said so at some point over the past few weeks ..

Not really... He wasn't. Took a look back at the clip. Shough is still upright less than 3 yards from Ransom. He dropped to draw the penalty. A quarterback pulling a stunt to draw a penalty isn't a new thing. Hell, they're often coached to do so. Shough was asked about it afterward and came clean...

You sure about that?

No it shouldn't