Bear Hands

If I remember Hard Knocks correctly, outside of the Morgan chat, there was a moment where the Giants staff was chatting Burns and they mentioned it would probably take a first prior to negotiations even starting. It does feel we didn’t squeeze enough, but we had limited options in the market given Burns’ contract wishes. If these guys were good, I imagine we could’ve gotten a 2nd and future 3rd. I also found it rather silly we tried to add a 7th. I mean..Play some hardball, they’re eyeing your best defender, tell them to get a better damn offer and if they want to be serious. Seemed like we took a deal when we could’ve negotiated a bit more. Draft wise, yeah, concerning again although I like Brooks, Trevin and Sanders a lot…but the way we navigated the first two picks was frustrating. I was in the camp of XL needed way too much work to take that high and we needed a guy like Pearsall/Ladd/Polk that can step in with refined rr skills. I liked the Rams trade we made, but man, would’ve thought the minor trade up target could’ve been a DNA changer like Sainristil. It’s a mixed bag. Felt better than Fitt but still underwhelming.

Freaking love Tank Dell

I got a glimpse at the headline and thought it was a metaphor for how things started off. Woooosh

Hmm. So, the energy seems solid, but the 1st team offense just seems to lack any real "it" factor. Really looking forward to the preseason games.

Yeah that’s always the trick. Honestly, unless you win a conference with that type of QB, which will mean you would have built a great squad, the second contract becomes a huge deal. Do you take the risk of investing in him again at the risk the overall team’s quality may drop with the reallocation to the QB room? Or do you reserve that bag for a real top-10 QB? The Derek Carr/Cousins 10-15 ranked range is what I don’t want to find ourselves locked into unless Canales and Morgan really construct a winner here.

Seems people aren’t looking at the greater picture and getting bogged down that this is some anti-Bryce video. I highly encourage people to listen to the AFS. Easily the best football related podcast out there. Mays was one of the best Grantland guys back in the day and The Athletic is easily one the top publications that warrants reading and listening to.

I would love to see him work out. Heck, I would love to see at least one of these young WRs show something at least at a Keary Colbert rookie season level. Just give us something new and better than awful.

Legette is reported as advertised, so it isn't much to get aggravated about. He's a bit stiff, lacks short-area burst, unrefined route runner but it's nothing that hasn't been overcome before - he just doesn't work himself open/doesn't have the route running nuances down. Posts, crossers, vertical routes, and creative stuff on the run will be what we give him. Don't expect much. Temper expectations for our 1st rounder. Many of us thought we needed a fresh, route-running savvy Z/Slot combo type (I.E. Ladd, Pearsall, Polk) but they clearly wanted a downfield high-ceiling type that could be used in some creative slot capacity. Time will tell if this was a good move but I'm not placing much expectations for him to get even moderate volume until at least halfway through the season.

Come week 3, that man was daydreaming about retirement Pina Coladas on the sideline.

I haven't seen it either at this level but the patience in me tells me to give him the start of the season to check it out in a new environment. Gotta see what he looks like a bit longer given the investment, but my leash isn't long (although my leash doesn't matter lol)

Yeah, I will say, there's a lot of assumptions being made about what Canales can do for a QB. I think he's got the HC gene and can make this work, but there's a lot of brushstrokes being made over his career. And I'm curious to how much of it is overall team/environment vs. a specific coach. I.E. - In Seattle, it was an established Carrol system, strong running game, Russell Wilson in his prime, plus-starter WR talent (Baldwin, Lockett, DK), then Geno was there resurrected with an established passing game (and they had two rookies perform super well on the OL) In TB, I mean, Baker had Evans and Godwin. A terrible OL situation with injuries and poor performance. That offense didn't really have it going or an identity until midway through the season. And even then, it was at best above average. He was throwing a ton of concepts out there until he found the stuff that worked with both those receivers and Baker. So he did a solid job, but it took a minute. Our adds look good on paper: RB: Brooks* WR: Diontae, XL TE: Sanders OL: Hunt, Lewis, Yosh Those should all realistically be upgrades, but it all needs to mesh to work effectively. We definitely have more firepower, but it needs to translate. One thing is for sure: We're going to face 3 very good defenses early vs. the Saints, Raiders and the Bears. It will be telling, rather quickly, if this is a situation with potential or not. Sept 22, this fresh OL is facing Maxx Crosby, Christian Wilkins, Koonce, & Tyree Wilson. That's the early season matchup I'm quite interested in. The Raiders offense doesn't scare anyone so it's a game people could see as an early win, but it will honestly be a major test for this offense.

Nice post. McDuffie and Jones were major reasons for the SB too. That defense was excellent- Their defense never allowed them to let a game slip beyond their grasp. Even when behind, kept the win attainable. Then you have a guy like Mahomes that can make the 7-10 point comeback in a flash, you’ve got the recipe for success.

Yup. And in the modern NFL, there's an interesting trend of a higher depth of target but less overall deep balls. Modern QBs need to be versatile and have the ability to make every throw. Definitions aside, as MasterAwesome points out, Mahomes short and intermediate is on point. It's about making any spot of the field dangerous.

Good show this week. Nothing we don't know, but good content nonetheless because this perspective isn't typically coming from the wider-known publications: Bryce Young When you watch him, it feels like he gets it. Mentally, he's there He has good-enough, "better-than-Tua" arm strength But a big problem is you simply saw none of the traits that make a top-10 QB This is what I thought was an interesting point -> RE: HIS CEILING: People point to the GB game, yes, he made 3-4 REALLY good plays, but still made a lot of bad plays in that game. Bright spots and silver linings are there but the ceiling is apparent. If he's already good at the things you can change, but not there with what you can't change, then it's an issue. How can he realistically get better? Out of structure was his forte in school, overall pocket movement, his "feel" for the position. When you have those skills, you still need the stature to capitalize on them in the NFL..problem is the physical limitations cap the ability to weaponize his traits as a QB at this level. "This is why thresholds for size exist" He was sold as a "making magic" type, but he simply looks moderately useful. If you're going to be that small and skinny, you need to have that added component (I.E. Kyler with his legs and arm). At the end of the day, you can't properly see what's going on until you have a better supporting cast. They think we made the right moves to see what he's got this season. This is not a bad situation anymore. So what you see will be telling of who he is and can become. If we have a run game that fuels the offense, Bryce could thrive. Maybe it gives Bryce the room to excel. First 11-ish minutes of the clip:

Not to get too involved here but even in the context of the measured 20+ deep yard stats... Recent rankings (Deep Passing EPA) Bryce's Deep Ball EPA, adjusted clean pocket percentage was 34%, ranking 44th. The only QB with notable 2023 playing time behind him was Jeff Driskel, so only way to go is up folks. Interestingly enough, Purdy, Stroud, Tua, Stafford, & Goff were at the top. I imagine play design comes into play, but that 20+ placement is important and it's also telling, those were all 2023 playoff QBs.

I feel like Trevin is going to be set up for success here. He’s in a really good position

It's encouraging to see people are wanting to find the positives, but man, I'm tapped out trying to sift through anything from last year.

I’m by no means giving up on XL and we shouldn’t. But we seemed dead set on him no matter who was available. Ladd was surprisingly there, Mitchell too who were both consistently floated as 1st rounders. Xavier was around 60-80ish overall on many rumored team boards (per the athletic). Route running is a concern, short area quickness/ability to quickly separate was an issue. It was another instance where we had a bit of tunnelvision/wanted him no matter the case. I still feel McConkey, Pearsall, or even Polk were a bit better fits for what we needed, but can get on board with XL given the ceiling. Hope it works out.

Personally, 4-6 games will be telling to be able to contrast with last season and see how he generally looks. You’ll be able to get a sense of where he’s at/if this is a bust vs. recoverable situation.

what even is this crap?

Yosh is an underrated signing in my opinion. He and a guy like Christensen are both plus swing linemen for this line, which is critical in an eval year for a lot of offensive skill guys (QB included). If Icky is struggling or either him or Moton get banged up, Yosh has the starting experience to come in. He played respectable, not great, but respectable for GB last year and during the games where Love really got it going. Christensen we know is capable of playing decently. Heck, we thought he was a long term starter not long ago. Corbett at Center is the thing to watch. Many of us wanted a center in the draft (Frazier ) so we'll see if that works. It's hinging on him and then Icky's progression. If both move in the right direction, it should be at the least a top-15 unit. Maybe top-10. The other thing is that I'm fairly certain Bozeman called protections for Bryce. So will Corbett or are we going to let Bryce manage that? It would be prudent for one of our reporters to ask Canales what his system will allow and about presnap communication, because that's another area where Bryce seemed to have training wheels on last year.

How we doing today? Anyone wanna catch me up in 1-2 sentences? lol

He’s still going top-10 in most 1QB dynasty rookie drafts. I think how jaded the fanbase is may fuzz out his potential. The Texas boys have my interest.

lol. Not gonna lie, the idea of that playing on the home Jumbotron after turnovers would be the most phenomenal thing ever.

Diontae can hopefully get open quickly, we work to scheme Legette open, Tremble/Sanders is effective, Hubbard gets moving (with Brooks being phased as the centerpiece of our O by week 4-6ish). If those happen with a strong performing line, it's a good setup for Bryce. Lots of things needing to align. Every position group needs to make strides to get out of the cellar.