KSpan

The fluff pieces the last third of the season or so were just abrasive. The bot would be welcome for actual news, but we didn't need another article about how Cameron Erving and John Miller were committed to getting better or whatever nonsense they were putting out.

He finally played in the last game and looked pretty decent, though I believe he may not have always been going against first-stringers.

https://sports.yahoo.com/patrick-mahomes-had-no-answers-for-this-bengals-second-half-adjustment-022623952.html#:~:text=The Bengals adjusted.,defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo worked.

This is what an actual rebuild/restart with competent leadership looks like.

Throw from a pure winner right there.

It can be, and IMO was, both. The issue with this scenario was that Teddy folded like a card table as 2020 went on (and looked exactly the same in Denver this year), so how do you keep a player like that at the QB position? The core problem was signing him in the first place expecting something that years of film showed clearly wasn't there, similar to Darnold. It's appears a major flaw in this regime thus far.

These 'prove it deal' comments are silly - Cousins has nothing to prove. He's a competent above-average starter with a TD to INT ratio approaching 4:1 who has thrown for more then 30 TDs 3 of his 4 years in Minnesota and only less than 4,000 yds 1 of the last 7. He can make a few plays when needed and will be paid as such with more than one year on a contract. Stats don't tell the whole story but the guy is a clear 2 or 3 levels above prove-it players like Teddy, Dalton, Jameis, Mariota, etc.

5-12 or worse won't cut it.

Who knows what his reasons truly are, but on the surface Pep's rebuke sure seems somewhat damning.

Same with Deonte. So many opportunities, particularly with all the garbage time toward the end of the season, and yet here we are

Yup. 2020 was the time to grab Jameis, not this year. I still think Jameis has a sliver of a chance to turn into a consistent QB, but the staff here aren't going to be the ones to make that happen.

The fix was in. ...

Might have something to do with the glut of jobs available - a guy that hit the jackpot once might be able to do it again. Agreed though that retreads like Quinn seem to rarely yield better results the second time around.

Sounds like a prison sentence.

Him loafing his way downfield and letting Darnold get crushed vs Atlanta through his complete lack of awareness is burned into my brain.

Sorry, but giving up 30 or more is a defensive failure. Offensive woes don't help, for sure, but it doesn't matter if games were 'blowouts' or not.

New England rolled Carolina, Atlanta put up 29, Minnesota 34, and Washington marched up and down all day. They were not great.

With respect to fostering on-field results, which is all I'm speaking to, Richardson was what he was. There was 20+ years of data showing that his vision couldn't even net consecutive winning seasons. Getting new ownership was an opportunity to change that, for the better or worse. Tepper's on-field outcome has sucked worse, but at least perhaps still has a chance to grow and evolve. Since owners rarely change, that's a sliver more hope than with Jerry. The short of it is that, of only the two, I guess Tepper. Kind of like asking if someone would prefer to lose a finger or a toe at this point though. And you?

I have no firsthand knowledge and therefore no opinion in this area, but please feel free to share yours.

I'm not the one asking stupid questions when it's abundantly clear what was meant by the first comment. And pointing out that, to date, Tepper objectively sucks at fostering on-field success does not equate to preferring Richardson.

It's not hindsight though. Ignoring them not squibbing, Hill and Kelce are the go-tos and KC could use the middle of the field. Rush 3, jam those 2, and play inside-leverage zones from there. Buffalo's decisions after the TD were just head-scratching.

Can you, and contrast that to what Richardson did/didn't do before him?

I was shocked they didn't jam/man up Kelce and Hill on at least that last pass play and leave the rest in zone. Like where the hell else did they think the ball was going to go?

I think that's understating the playmaking ability of guys like Hill but yes, no question that an elite QB makes a world of difference. This game doesn't happen without both of those guys. Reid may have unlocked Mahomes but I don't know how you say that given all of the plays that Mahomes has singlehandedly create over the years. If anything he's an example of what elite talent in an undeveloped package can accomplish with proper coaching, much like Allen in Buffalo.