OldhamA

I don't understand this mindset. We're into Year 2 of a major rebuild. I just want to see progression this season. The team massively outperformed all projections in 2020 and that was down to the coaching staff. If we finish 'middle-of-the-pack' this year that's not the disaster some are making it out out to be. We're not on a boom or bust journey. IF the rest of the team looks great and Darnold is the one holding us back (unlikely, but I'll play this game) AND they fall in love with Howell et al, they'll make the move to go get him. They've shown that.

They're trying it again this year with Smith and Henry, but yeah those two were exceptional.

They're (rightly) placing a huge emphasis on STs - we currently offer zero threat to house a return. I'm more than happy for that Zylstra spot to go to a killer K/PR who you can throw out there on passing downs as a YAC threat. This is a fun video that highlights the importance of STs, if you've got the time:

Mike Davis is making $5m over 2 years in Atlanta. Freeman is making $970k this year for us. We made out like bandits here.

Based on the fact that Schofield is currently unemployed and Chris Reed is a backup in Indy.

I don't think he's as bad at LG as some fear, but yeah he wouldn't be my first choice to play OG.

Ugh.

You're right it does sound crazy. I don't know how many times I have to repeat that Rhule isn't here to lose football games. He wants to win early and often - it's just not possible with this roster. He (and Fitterer) did exactly what you're meant to do this offseason - plug holes in FA and pick the BPA in the Draft. That's why we've crushed it in back-to-back years. RIGHT NOW Brown and Christensen aren't better than Elflein / Miller / Erving et al. They have to beat out the players in-front of them - you can't just hand them the job. However, they will get their opportunities during the season - I suspect if Brown can keep his weight down he's first man up at OG (unless Michael Jordan comes in and is sensational). He provides a stoutness that we currently lack - albeit he doesn't fit the athletic profile they're currently acquiring. Christensen they've started at RT, LG and LT in the pre-season - they LOVE his athletic profile and are trying to find the best fit for him on the Oline. Oline is about communication and chemistry more than anything (once you have the baseline talent / physical ability to play at this level). This group haven't had time to develop that yet - I'm going to give them 4 games before I start judging. Oh and he's not paying Darnold $19m next year to watch him get pummeled into oblivion this. They're doing everything they can to turn him into a franchise QB that they acquired on the cheap - whether it works out is another matter.

Word from where? Who's your inside source?

It's like CB, if you're asking your Oline to hold up for more than 3 seconds (or your CB to cover for longer than 3 seconds) then you're Tom Brady.

Hi, welcome aboard. He SCREAMS C. Screams it. Just look at his attributes: Pros - athletic, mobile, good technique, good combo blocker. Cons - small (gets overpowered on occasion). Just bench Paradis. Rip the band-aid off.

poo, he went to Temple. How the hell did you miss this, Rhule?!?!

I'd love to see them in action before criticising. We're clearly going for a highly mobile / athletic Oline, so it's never going to look good in short yardage, 'road grader' situations. They're just not built for that. At the end of the day, if you're being pedantic, we added two first round talents to the Oline in the offseason. Now they haven't panned out yet in the NFL, but obviously our HC / GM / OC / OL coach have seen something in them where they think "Yeah, I can work with that". They're still knocking around after 4+ years so they obviously have NFL talent. High Draft picks are never guarantees - just look at how bad Sewell looks at the moment (I'm sure he'll turn it around at some point, albeit I suspect it might be at OG) and he was a 'generational' talent. Give them 4 games to gel / potentially tweak the lineup. If the Oline is bad after that then we can grab the pitchforks. Also a 2TE look is a matchup nightmare if you have... y'know, 2 good TEs. Nobody knew what to do when we rolled Shockey and Olsen out there.

I've no idea why they cut Yeboah, he's a monster athlete.

Dismissed as 'coach speak' by the OP, this paragraph by our QB Coach literally answers your question. Fix his footwork and you fix his errant throws. He's not a bad decision maker, far from it, but his footwork put (hopefully past tense) him into bad situations. It's why I'm bullish on Darnold - the Jets coaching staff didn't even address it when it was (again hopefully past tense) his glaring flaw. Everything else about his game is what you want in an NFL QB : “Footwork relates to it in a progression-style passing game. When your feet are on time and you’re in rhythm, you can make quick decisions and you’re comfortable with doing it. Versus ‘Hey, my feet are moving. I’m not ready to throw when I should be ready to throw. Now, my timing is off and I’m doing things with the football that I shouldn’t be doing in normal progressions.'”

If argue Josh Allen changed a lot at this level...

Nah his footwork got him in trouble in NY. That and having a terrible OC.

Part of the reason I never fell in love with Newton (pre or post Draft) was because his mechanics sucked. He got by on sheer talent. He improved as a player, but he never made that quantum leap that Rodgers expected him to (after he played against us when Newton was a rookie, Rodgers said he was glad that the Packers were playing us now rather than when Newton made the leap). It seems like Darnold is more coachable so far, but I agree the test will be when the pocket starts collapsing during the season.

No team plays less talented players to improve their Draft position. Bridgewater is a steadier, more experienced, hand than Lock. Physically he has less upside, but he's also started at 4 franchises now. He's a safer bet than Lock (who half the fan base hates anyway). They're going to lean heavily on their defence to win games and just ask the offence not to turn the ball over.

I almost certainly watch more College football than you. The question is about how open a player is. He ignored Marshall for Moore on the preseason play Smith highlighted because the DB was playing 8 yards off Marshall. He did end up beating the him deep, but pre-snap that was the right read. Brady's offence is about challenging teams vertically and horizontally. The emphasis is on moving the chains rather than trying to move the ball down the field on chunk plays.

They're not going to fix his footwork in one off-season. It's a long term commitment. From what we saw last week his footwork has improved - that's all we can ask in three months. He's coachable and has a good QB coach for the first time.

Thats literally the offence. I'd take Bridgewater's season last year with the ability / mentality to hit the shot plays when they're called.

Corey is a bitter, bitter man.

What, he can't share their playbook from the Practice Squad?