CRA

Burns is tough. He is a great pass rusher. But he is also way too one dimensional to be worth being paid like a great DE. We probably will just have to do it though. Really need some good run stopping players around him.

We drafted a hopeful answer at LT. That's big picture though. Jordan Gross wasn't Jordan Gross right when we drafted him. Darnold is a huge issue. We also have a tougher schedule this year than last. At least outside of the division.

patient and rebuilding also doesn't = making a run at 12 year vet (now 13 year vet) in Matt Stafford. Tried that too. That's a move a team trying to win a Super Bowl now makes.

lol. When the schedule comes out, I'll be happy to let you know I see the first 5 working out. We aren't going to have a winning record this season with our schedule. Injury would have to change and alter who some of those teams are IMO for us to pull that off. Right now our starting QB is Sam Darnold. And improved OL or not.....we aren't beating the Rams, Bucs, Ravens, etc. They have legit QBs. It's a QB league. Not a give the ball to CMC 30 times league and ask Sam to check down vs legit QBs.

Yes, you are just making s blind statement. You guaranteed we wouldn’t start 1-4 despite not knowing who we would play. given our opponents, the schedule could easily present itself with very hard start where a 1-4 start could happen. Just depends what the schedule makers do. Lot of tough opponents this year

Need who they are playing. Bengals, Bucs, Ravens, Rams, 49ers Vs Falcons, Lions, Saints, Falcons, Giants I would have 2 different predictions for how we would fair vs those 5 game stretches. I wouldn’t have them winning 2 vs the first group. Not sure they could steal even 1. Second grouping is a different story.

hypothetical, assuming division games are stacked at the end like they have been and we start off with something like Bengals Bucs Rams Ravens 49ers what would our record be? Or swap a couple out and insert the Steelers, Broncos or Browns. How many you got us winning out of a 5 game start to schedule that looks like that?

I think the Mayfield thing was probably Tepper just learning that his impatience has caused him to make a several bad deals. Getting a rep for it. So he actually didn't get ripped off for once. But it still IMO is a sign of desperation that they were going for Baker. Never sounded like either sided really wanted to be together to begin with but Carolina was still largely trying to make it happen because we keep doing the same thing on repeat. Browns probably were trying to rip off a desperate team. Why wouldn't you based on what you have seen from this front office. Tepper finally didn't take the horrible deal. if the new narrative is that Tepper makes sure all things are well thought out....that's a tough sell based on Teppers actions as owner. From Sam to RH and everything inbetween IMO.

I still think Rhule will rig this thing up so Sam is pretty much defaulted the job. Rhule is thinking about his job and future. Best way to find a W IMO will drive his decisions. Not being overly concerned about developing a QB (which isn't about wins). I think Matt eventually see the field because the crowd at BOA will force his hand as they react to Sam inveitably being Sam. But I suspect Rhule's goal is to implement his plan from last season. Play D. Run the ball. Ask Sam to handoff and check down. That's it. See what he can squeak out doing that. And I doubt we see a ton of Sam prior to week 1 much like last time.

you got have the right people to pull off small ball. QB and recieving options. it worked with Teddy. Sam was the problem last year. Not teams figuring it out. They knew what it was the year prior with Teddy. Sam can't run a small ball O. It's too much diagnosis and timing. He just isnt' that. plus, we had a real slot option with Teddy. Not with Sam. If you want to play small ball you need someone quick and reliable in the slot working that area. That was Samuel. We didn't replace him.

I still want a slot WR/PR guy.

Really almost have to disconnect it from wins though. A rookie QB having a losing record doesn’t mean the QB shouldn’t be playing or is bad. Lot of times rookie QBs are playing for rebuilding teams or bad ones. And they are rookies, it’s about growth and progression. Not winning today but tomorrow Cam Newton started as a rookie and didn’t post a winning record. Think starting him was the right call. ROY, rookie record book, etc. even guys like a Davis Mills last year. He didn’t win. He showed some real promise. Playing him was the right call.

and Sam is a very good QB. I mean, Tepper said so. We probably should be raging about why we wasted assets on Corral given that. They have hidden Rhule all off-season. His power has been clearly downgraded based on appearances. He didn’t win a single game at BOA past the month of Sept and was loudly booed at home last year….and nationally Rhule was viewed as a dope. if Rhule isn’t on the hot seat then hot seats don’t exist

Matt will start when BOA tells Matt Rhule what to do. The boos were impactful last year. I suspect they will be this year too. All will come down to how long Sam can keep the crowd off him.

I don’t think it will be an open competition. And I’m okay with that. I don’t want them to throw Matt out there to start the year off. Sam is going to be defaulted into the starting job. And I suspect Rhule will handle him very similar to last offseason/preseason. Largely keep him out of sight and focus on him checking down. because If you make it a real competition it means exposing all your QBs to real completion and scenarios. And Matt likely won’t be ready right away and Sam will look bad because he always looks bad when you asked him to be a NFL QB whose hands aren’t tied down. And you don’t want to go into a season with Sam imploding and still have to start him

Well, we have a RB who has only played in 10 of the last 33 games. That might be setting the expectation high

Starting Sam. Bringning in Matt mid season and him being better than Sam. Matt making some plays and bringing some excitement. and he would need respectable D and ST so the illusion of Matt being the answer sells IMO

Yes, plenty of people could of done better than Sam. We’re they on our roster? Maybe not.

I mean, it’s my opinion lol. So yeah, my opinion is showing. I didn’t trash Sam’s physical tools. There isn’t a post of mine that has ever done that. And I only said by mid season I thought Matt could offer upside offensively vs Sam. Because Matt is a better pure QB coming out and a gamer. Yet still acknowledged Matt would probably bring a comparable number of negative plays because of the jump up. it’s a pretty tame statement IMO Sam’s always been an athlete that played QB. He stinks at QB though. The mental aspect and understanding. Lot of kids straight out of college have edges on aspects of Sam’s flawed QB game. And not just the Herbert’s of the world. Mills and QBs drafted further down do. Sam is just physical tools. Not much else. What’s my bias? That I believe Sam is and has been the worst QB in the NFL over the last 4 seasons? That he isn’t good? That he has been given more opportunity than comparable QBs and the experiment should be over? That rookies have even proven to grasp things better than him? Well, I guess I can handle that bias.

Straight up legit competition? I’m still not sure Sam can actually beat PJ. I don’t want the rookie to start week one and us ruin him. But QB wise I fully expect he can make more plays than Sam by mid season. Game speed will take awhile. And he will make mistakes. Probably on par with Sam in that department. But I think he has instant offensive upside compared to Sam.

If the “the brand” had a theme song…Kenny works

he is a sad story. When Clemson won the Natty with Trevor I was certain Ross would be a top 5 overall pick. The Trevor Natty vs Bama was just Ross single handedly taking over that game. Clemson had bad QB play last year BUT that wasn’t why Ross’ comeback fell flat. He just wasn’t good. Clemson tried to make him the focal point and give him opportunity but he just didn’t have it. wish he got better advice and stayed in school to keep working on his comeback.

This hasn’t been a complete rebuild. Or I guess a poorly done one is better phrasing. Which is one of the main problems with Matt Rhule and this failed era.

Tepper said he thinks Sam Darnold is a very good QB. Narrator: he does not believe that think that about sums up his Matt Rhule comments and very mild public support that he finally gave him. I think Tepper has been embarrassed by Rhule and realizes he made a mistake. Which was the reporting. I simply think weighing all the pros and cons of it that he is giving Rhule more time. And I think a lot of that is because of how Tepper wishes to be viewed….and not a sign of belief in Rhule. Rhule or new coach, we aren’t a playoff team. Think Tepper has weighed how he would look moving on, how it will impact his next hire, and so on.

Not in college. He also moved from WR to DB. Which is always the sign of bad hands