kungfoodude

My point was that your assertion that his not mentioning talking to Teddy was an intentional direct shot. That's a big stretch. I don't think most of what he said up there was lobbing grenades at Teddy. That is projecting your feelings and inserting context that doesn't exist. I can buy that the overwhelming preponderance of the organizations comments in the past couple of weeks are very clearly indicating that we are looking at QB options. That doesn't take much reading into, IMO. The fact that he just didn't mention him in a sentence where he was referencing players to talk to? That's a stretch. I don't know why you got off into the weeds with the other stuff. I just don't agree that was about Teddy, at all.

I think it would be a different story had he been here on a deal like Cam signed with New England or Winston had with New Orleans. I don't think the level of hatred would be nearly as high if he wasn't getting paid so much money(15th highest paid QB in the NFL in 2021, 11th highest paid QB in the NFL in 2022). It isn't necessarily his fault that he got offered a goofily huge deal but he basically proved he is a backup caliber QB and that wasn't what was supposed to happen. It makes it all the worse when we have arguably the best WR corps that we have had since Smitty and Moose.

So.....any of the "Opening Day Starter" guys want to change their mind after the Tepper, Fitterer and Rhule press conferences?

That was actually the point of my screenshot, to highlight how few 4QC and GWD's. Should have taken it the way you did.

He's also the guy that talked about how important those second and third day picks are, as well. So be sure to counter that with his statement today. I am just glad we finally have a new GM. That we can all agree on.

I agree. We have the chance to get an elite QB prospect and this draft may have many more options than the typical NFL Draft. You don't squander that opportunity in a QB needy league. Look around the league, as well. The need for elite QB's is about to get really dire and that is only going to raise their value further.

You are making this about Teddy, which is because you don't like the guy. That's projecting. Fitterer is also saying what every single GM in the NFL would likely say. It's about the QB. If you want to read my volumes of posts talking about how this is a QB driven league, feel free to search. You are taking one just simply factual statement and making it an attack on Teddy Bridgewater when that is very likely not the case. If Teddy wasn't on our roster and it was PJ Walker, he'd still probably say that because it is a true statement no matter who is at QB. Interpreting this as an assault on Teddy or some public spat is some ESPN bobblehead poo. Tepper also mentioned the QB yesterday in an interview. Rhule talked about the QB and Teddy in his final season interview. All this stuff is a pretty good indicator they all know we need a QB. I gotta be honest....I think at least some of them probably also knew that before the season even started.

I think that the extra edge is taking guys that don't necessarily have that "fire in their gut" and making them believe they can be that. Some of them need a nudge to light it. So I agree that coaching is a big factor. You have to manage all these personalities on the players that aren't necessarily elite or haven't become elite or will never be elite. I think with a good QB we could be a playoff team. It's a challenging division at the moment because we have the least talented roster but a couple of more good drafts and we might be able to turn that around. I don't agree that Stafford would be a disaster, although I don't know that he has enough left in the tank for when this team is built enough to be a Super Bowl caliber team. The bottom line is, Teddy ain't it. The people thinking otherwise are just being delusional. I get the mentality of "build the line/team before you get the QB" but you can do both at the same time. It's also ignoring the fundamental fact that elite QB's don't grow on trees. If you have a chance to get one(Watson) or one you believe may be elite(Lawrence/Wilson/etc) you go and fuging get that guy. Otherwise you are going to be wasting a lot of well built teams with an average QB who can't get over the hump(LA Rams, San Francisco 49ers, etc).

Yeah but he didn't mention Brian Burns. Does that mean he is going to get traded? How about Shaq Thompson? DJ Moore? Like I said, don't read into it too much. It could be something but it could just as easily be nothing. The things that made me think we are moving on is precisely what you are talking about with the elite QB attributes. I don't know if those were directed at Teddy intentionally but I do know that he doesn't have those qualities.

He is ultimately largely right about their being an elite tier as far as each draft. That does exist in most drafts, hence the dramatic statistical differences in career success for the first round guys versus other rounds. The numbers do actually back that up. And, yeah, everything in the NFL is close once you get past the most elite talent on the field. That is where you have to make sure you are doing what is necessary to identify elite attributes in some of those lower tier guys that might have more warts than a shiny, surefire top 10 talent. I will give him the benefit of the doubt, at the moment. I want to see what moves he makes this offseason and in the draft before I get too concerned.

They are but the most successful NFL players are all pretty self-driven. I am not saying that some don't need people or events to help them find that place in themselves where they want to be great but truly great players would be great, regardless of where they went. It's what is inside those individuals that makes them watch tape like an insane person(Luke Kuechly) or practice for hours after a game is over or just be better than the people you compete with and against. If you don't have that in you, it's hard to make you successful, no matter where you are in the NFL. That's why you hear Rhule talk about wanting guys that love football and can play through injuries. Not as if playing injured is an expectation, but he wants people who love the game so much that the staff is stopping them from playing injured, not vice versa. That's why Fitterer was talking about getting to personally know the players and finding out who they are. Elite athletes litter every single draft class. But the guys that also have elite ambition and elite mindsets, those are the guys that will make your team successful.

Looks like they have only drafted 6 since the 2001 draft.

Yep, hence why we got rocked so badly when injuries set in. Smart teams try to build depth because it is assumed that injuries will happen.

Yeah, I didn't agree with that either. You only have 6-8 picks in each draft. I don't think you take a QB every year for the sake of taking a QB. I don't like that philosophy at all.

That is something we have consistently struggled with. Keeping mediocre JAGs around forever.

Wilson is a better QB than Cam was(outside perhaps 2015 version Cam) but I think the biggest differences are that Carroll is a far superior coach to Rivera and the Seahawks are a far, far superior organization to ours. Staying at that level goes way beyond just having an elite QB. Deshaun Watson wasn't able to make that dumpster fire in Houston work. Cam wasn't able to make the dumpster fire here work.

Yeah, I noticed that too. He wants a very analytical approach to all the processes and not a bunch of firing from the hip kind of mentality. I appreciate that.

Technically he mentioned them as the #2 priority, so that should mean a lot.

Correct. You take the good from each spot that you have been and place that you have learned(keep in mind he was also employed by the Giants) and make it your own thing. And for those worried he just wants to make us a carbon copy of Seattle, the question was asked if he was going to start bringing over scouts from Seattle and he basically said, "I am going to work with the talent in this organization."

I mean, I will take their version of mediocre over ours. In fairness to them, there are no perfect rosters in the NFL. Even the Packers and Chiefs have some obvious warts on the roster. I don't disagree that having an elite QB definitely propels them into contending status but they are far from a talentless roster. I don't know that what they have planned is Seattle 2.0. I think the biggest things we will do that they do is have the same kind of organizational feel, it sounds like. Collaborative and a little more free thinking that perhaps the average NFL front office. I don't think that is a bad thing.

Sounds suspiciously familiar.....

No offense but if they are the standard bearer of mediocrity....what the fug are we? There have only been 3-4 franchises as successful as they have been over the past decade.