MHS831

And many punts are finesse placements--who is better at dropping one inside the 10, for example?

Good post. And with that, I am going to change the topic. Sullivan was a WR to TE project at LSU and he was developing as a TE in Seattle. He could become the third or fourth TE--assuming that Tremble is a FB/TE (like he was in college). I think he has as good a chance to make the roster, based on the competition. Is he better than Ian Thomas?

The disease is terminal.

About Paddy Fisher: He is not here by accident. What you all say is true--Fisher is a "C gap" to "C gap" ILB and will never be more. They said the same thing about former Penn State Linebacker Paul Posluszny who had a 10-year career. In our 3-3-5 he is a run stuffer, but not a sideline to sideline or coverage guy. I am not sure that is enough, but he is a quick-reading tacking machine, so with 5 DBs on the field, there may not be a need to cover the deep seem route. He isnt a Tampa 2 MLB, that is for sure. He can drop back and cover the middle, to maybe stop crossing, drag, and perhaps dig routes, but he would have to be in the right place at the right time--and that is more important for a LB than 4.5 speed. In other words, he has to be smart. No false steps. Quick reads. It got him this far, but the big 10 is not the SEC, so we really have to PS him for a season or two to see how he fits. Once he learns the system, he could offset his weaknesses by being the smartest guy in the film room and the first on the field to read the play.

In the limited time I saw him play LT, he was lost---it could be that he did not practice there, and the defensive coordinator went after him, but that is all I can say.

I was thinking groups of players, but Cam is def #1 at QB. OL, LBs, CBs, S, WRs, RBs, etc.

I get it. However, you overpay, it bites you in the rear. Moton is very good, but he is not Jordan Gross good. A RT is a LOT easier to replace than a DE, LT, or QB. We may go near $20m, and our cap is under control moving forward, but in the end. We all want Moton, but not if it costs us a Burns, for example.

People are going to watch his career very carefully around here. If I am Fitterer, I would be praying for Darnold to become a Tanneyhill and Fields to become a Haskins.

Right. It was a train wreck.

Just a simple question, and at this point, we must say, "on paper" at the end of every sentence after this one, which was not written on paper. (dammit). Have we ever, in 1 offseason, ever upgraded one position more than we seem to have upgraded CB, on paper? Here is my thinking, on paper inferred throughout. 1. Donte Jackson is more productive than we thought. In fact, with better S play, we can do more with him. I see the competition and the improvement up front as a big plus for him. 2. Jaycee Horn is the real deal. I see why we took him, although I did not want him over Surtain. 3. AJ Bouye is going to be solid here, and he will be on the field a lot--after the suspension. 4. Keith Taylor has Snow feeling as if we stole him in the draft. He should be solid depth--he might have been a starter at times last year. 5. Rashaan Melvin is a veteran who can play the slot and might not make the team. He would have started here last year, at least at times. 6. Troy Pride is a really good athlete. I think we should move him to S, but it is possible that he is the 6th best CB on the team this season. 7. Stanly Thomas-Oliver III is hoping to make the PS. On paper. By game 2, we will have 6 CBs with starting experience.

This is where teams fall into cap hell. You have to have a budget for each position. Sure, if you look ONLY at RT and say, "We gotta pay him!!" then later, when you have no money to pay your QB, or a DE, or a CB---you lose that player. Keep him for a year if he still wants elite LT money. Groom Christensen. Understand, I love Moton--and I get the points the opposite side of the argument is making---I just think when you overpay at any position, you lose in the long run.

I think the gal is Richard Sherman's wife.

Bengals are toying with some white helmet ideas---

Did you know that this kid could not play banjo, they had a person behind him reaching around him playing it. He also appears on a porch in the movie "Big Fish" as an older man (31 years later)

I would love the draft. I would spend 3 days there, and I would act stupid.

The combine is in February. Are we talking inside our practice bubble?

YGM might be the most forgotten player on this roster. DEs take time--Johnson and Rucker and Hardy-all except for Peppers were invisible in the first year or two.

I think we "found" him when Norv Turner was at the MD pro day to watch DJ Moore. He was good at MD, and some thought he was their best Defensive player. He is entering his prime, so if you are going to make a move in the NFL, it should happen by year 3 (and he made a move) or a great year 4 is unlikely, and they all know year 4 means second contract

There is a difference between this and Eric Reid. Reid, even though I believed in his cause, could not get me to believe in him because he attacked others for not standing with him--even when it was on the field. A locker room cancer. I support your right to disagree with me, even if you are wrong. I am not entitled to forcibly use physical aggression to make you conform, which is, essentially, what Reid tried to do here. (Fighting before a game, cheap shots on field). That is exactly the kind of behavior he is opposing, but on a smaller scale. Chuba does not seem to fit that profile.

we need to go with pinstripes like the Irish did. Heard it here first. On second thought, I got this from someone else.

best throwback helmet: What were the Pats thinking?

couldn't find an open blocking dummy

Most people undervalued the significance of having Jordan Gross and Ryan Kalil at the two most important OL positions.

Brown is not a great fit here. We shall see, but his brand of RG is starting to become a bit obsolete, with the zone blocking schemes. Maybe a goalline and special teams G, but I am not seeing the fit in the offense. Of course, I hope that I am wrong. It reminds me of the Duke Robinson pick, and that is not fair to Brown.

About OT--Daley was not bad when he played. I know, injury history, but sometimes, it is just bad luck. I think he will win the LT job, but we have 3 who could reach the average level (Daley, Scott, Erving). I am not giving up on Christensen either, but I found Rhule's comments about him at RT to be disturbing. Was that for Moton negotiations or was he a depth pick? At 25, he needs to start now-can he beat out what we have at G now? Not seeing the spot for him at this time.