mav1234

Every QB has INTs dropped in a game. His bad throw % this year is half (~10%) of what it was last year (~20%) and is the same or lower than Burrow, Herbert, Mahomes, etc. He's processing faster and making better throws. Not saying he's some kind of answer by any means, and you are right about a steep learning curve, but this stretch hasn't just been about limiting him. He had fewer bad throws vs Tampa than he's had all year, despite being pressured more both physically and mentally in terms of not having a run game.

I bet it has been ongoing honestly. I think this is just the first to leak, and I think it's in response to the previous fake rumors this weekend about it.

This is always happening, though, and any coach or player that thinks its too early to start getting together potential interview candidates is fooling themselves. Teams have been having these conversations since mid-season. Just most teams aren't filled with OOU idiots, and no doubt our org has a bunch of dipshits from Rhule's days still.

Thing is, the pick was the right read. The throw was bad. That may seem trivial, but last year he'd throw into trouble coverage on short routes and crap. The TE had the coverage beat and if he just throws it into the endzone it's either an incomplete or a TD. The fumbles gave me flashbacks to last year too, though. Ugh.

The NFL made the right call because none of us need to worry about how this game will impact seeding... it's possible it won't even matter, too. There's time before the playoffs and what is important right now is that the focus be on player health (and frankly coach health) right now. Hopefully, we receive good news soon on Hamlin. And while they aren't by any means more important than him, we also need to consider the health of the players involved. That was a traumatic event.

This is the reality of the NFL, we just have a poo ton of leaks in our organization.

Hey maybe Rhule will get another offer he can't refuse, you never know.

Sam is a better backup option than Gabbert was at that point, I think. If Harbaugh wants a young QB in the draft, and if you're right on Sam's value, he may be the cheapest option to just fill the position with a known good teammate until the rookie is ready.

Tampering is only with NFL coaches, right? I guess I don't know any rules. We also have no idea what was said. For all we know, Tepper said "naw man thanks anyway, Wilks is my dude, I love a coach with a sub .500 record afraid to take a chance on 4th and 1."

Very very true. I think that Harbaugh coming in makes a Sam bridge the most likely, tbqh. But I really think Sam is just a bridge for a new coach at most. I'm not so sure RE: Sam being a hot commodity. If he plays at a high level on Sunday, he will have completed 6 games where he is at or near the top of the NFL over that course of play. For us, that might not mean much since at best he's just fuged our draft position, but it's a big change for him. Still, given Sam's history, a high level of play Sunday is a question mark, lol.

yup, Person is why I believe this rumor.

I think even in his limited action, he was showing signs of what we saw in his last 2 games (Although he had no pressure on him really vs DET, he still was playing well). I was looking into some of his stats, ball placement, etc, and he has been SO MUCH different from last year. His decision making is through the roof, he's stretching the field on routes all over, processing reads at speeds we only saw during 2 minute drills, and while he still has to work on his deep ball timing to deliver it to the right place, he looks like a whole new QB.

This is absolutely the right move by the NFL. There's still time to get this game in at a later date, they don't need to make a huge shift yet, they just need to consider contingencies but not take the focus away from the players & coaches that need time to process what happened. That was extremely traumatic and trying to force them to play tonight/tomorrow would have been a huge mistake.

I'm honestly not so sure. It depends on the cost and what the plan is for him. Wilks might be willing to bet his future on him, lol. Hard to assess what he thinks of QBs tbh. A new coach, esp. one that believes they can work with any QB, might be as fine with him as any other mid-tier backup. If it's clear we are going with young blood in the QB room for the future, a low-cost 2 year contract would probably fit a lot of coach's interests. Sam isn't the kind of figure where a coach needs to clean house to leave his imprint either.

Yeah. This is why fumbles aren't always on a QB's exact stat sheet. Its true some INTs aren't on the QB, but that blindside sack-fumble was completely out of Sam's hands given how quick it was. Sam's INT was definitely on him. I am with you on going for a QB this offseason, but Sam has played quite well the last month+. Certainly good enough to be our bridge or backup depending on what he wants, compensation wise.

I agree with all this - as long as he's relatively cheap. However, I think a new coach is likely to want to go in their own direction. We'll see.

That's fair and I'm sure some front offices do this differently. But, this logic comes from reports associated with Belichick and others years ago about the draft value chart (and is originally from a poster here named Cyberjag YEARS ago), and how the value of the pick is cut in half per year in the future, combined with the belief that draft values are based at approximately the middle point of the draft when the pick is unknown, plus or minus a few positions depending on how teams think they other will do (and as part of the negotiations this is apparently typical - Panthers probably argued "oh but you're going to be back to 10 wins next year" etc). I also think, we only have one side of that trade, and I think it is very possible we don't know the full details. Regardless I agree... We'll see how things go... I hope Burns makes it worth keeping him for our team.

6-9 is honestly a good position to be in, in terms of having a good selection of quality players. There's going to be the usual "QB rush" at the top and that might either mean a QB we like more will drop (as Fields did, but .... ) or it might mean that someone(s) reach on a raw but talented prospect (like AR), causing other prospects to fall. Obviously we'd like to be higher, but our draft is far from ruined IMO.

I basically think any team secure in their beliefs on the playoffs this year and in the future would decline it, frankly. He's arguably in the second most important position on the field (and I really do hope he starts to play like that lol). I really don't think it is quite the haul a lot of people here do, because again, it was so far in the future - basically the total value was barely over a first round pick this year in the middle of the round (~1170 for the trade vs 1000 for pick 16). Obviously those draft value charges are highly dependent on how the Panthers viewed the Rams future stock. Then again, I probably would still have personally done it because I think we need to really hit reset. Of course, that also means one or both of those first rounders have to hit on an edge rusher, which isn't a guarantee. Ugh.

Can move schedule discussion here to keep this clear for updates on the players health.

Thanks for starting this. Lots of considerations. This impacts seeding directly and who wins the AFC North. But playing the game Wednesday would mean that both teams have a very short turnaround to other important games on Sunday, potentially resulting in significant swings in W/L.

I personally think quite a few would, but I also understand why others would want the trade as it would have provided a lot of assets to get our QB. I still do think if either had been a first rounder this year, he'd be in LA. Ultimately I think he can still improve as his first half of the year was much better actually against the run. I think that the changes to our D coaching staff actually were a very large net negative mid season. Not sure if Snow was better or just how many fewer coaches there were overall...

Just hard because a tie also influences who can get the first seed and who can win the AFC North. The Bengals can't lose the division with a tie.

Harbaugh would be a great choice for a quick turnaround. I think he could have us in contention next year to push deep in the playoffs. He'd be a very exciting hire that would tick both significant NFL experience and strong understanding of good offense. Also reminding me of JR and his stupid pie chart. Which is always a great thing in the new year lol

The problem with playing Wednesday is both teams have an extremely short turnaround to more (additional not greater) meaningful games the next weekend really. Not sure the solution here.