MHS831

Not worth a big contract

the good news? Christensen just turned 28. He has about 1.5 games under his belt at C. His PFF grade (97 snaps--small sample size) is 69..5. He has no penalties and has surrendered no sacks. If he can take the C job (we will see how he does over the next 10 games or so) that would be huge.

Nijman seemed to me like he was giving up a lot of QB pressures. I was shocked that his score was that high

Before I look at the results, I will say that BC did a good job at C--Coker at WR, Sanders at TE, and Hunt at G. Chuba at RB was good. Nijman was terrible. Thomas was terrible. I did not see a lot of good on Defense--Woods sucked, in my view. Wallace had some moments where he was good, but both LBs were MIA a lot. Inside, the DTs were terrible. Not much pressure from any OLB. Seeing the defense is going to be interesting--Horn was a bit off but good at times, Jackson was solid again. I am going from memory and was not grading them.

Very good points.

Which is why I would sign MJ (Hee Hee) him to an extension now. Considering the cap room, Johnson might get an offer, but any free agent WR is going to want to go where there is an established QB. Johnson had Pickett and Bryce---imagine if he were with Buffalo, KC, or Washington, for example. Too many other greener pastures for him.

He would be #1 on my re-sign list. Johnson is likely to seek a big deal and leave, and most second contracts for RBs do not pan out. Think about it--they are in their primes at 25-26 when the second contract comes around. They start dropping off at 27 on the average, but you will be paying them on numbers that were accomplished in their primes. It is hard to let go, but sometimes, considering the availability of RBs in college who would give you four years on a first contract, you would get better production vs. the cap than most RBs on a second contract vs. the cap. Chuba would be hard because I like his toughness and leadership--but I would use the money elsewhere. We have Brooks, by the way. Tough call. Jackson has been a beast and probably would be fairly affordable. I've seen enough--I would extend him now.

Pull against the Rams! I think we should trade away players that are going to be difficult to re-sign. This is going to make people mad--you have to look at the BIG PICTURE and not the position. Yes, we'd like to keep AAAAAA but if we pay AAAAAA we cannot fill a need at position z. Chuba Hubbard RB: He is in his prime and running hard. I would LOVE to keep him, but he could bring us a second rounder. His contract expires this season, and it would take $$$$ to keep him--we have Brooks and maybe could draft a RB--I just do not like signing RBs to second contracts, so why not get something for him and use the savings at a rare position like DE. Dionte Johnson WR: I get the feeling he is leaving, and without Thielen, Johnson will probably have a 1000 yard season if he were to stay. I think he can really help a team in a playoff race--I would expect a second rounder for him as well (but I am speculating--don't really know the market--but if a team needs a WR, Hmmmm). Jadaveon Clowney OLB: At 32 making $14m, hardly worth it. If a team wants him and would assume his contract, I would probably let him go for a seventh rounder. Why? We need to develop Barno and Johnson to go with Wonnum, understanding that Edge is our priority in the draft. Clowney gets in the way and has not been productive. Miles Sanders RB: At 27, he is in his prime, but not playing like it. He could be traded for a conditional pick, just to get his salary off the books. This is why I say never pay a RB a second contract---in most cases. Bryce Young QB: Here is the tricky part--some of you say Bryce is done. If we cut him or trade him now, we get nothing. If there is an injury and a playoff team wants Young, trade. His value should be to remain on the roster and compete next year with the new QB and (possibly) Dalton, if we bring him back for another year. I want to cut or trade Bryce now, but he is not a distraction and his contract is fully guaranteed. Wait for an opportunity. Bryce is going to make $38m here--if you trade up for the first overall pick, you better get it right. We didn't. Anyone who would take on part of his salary would get my interest.

My opinion? Draft a qb and let bryce compete.

Coker seemed to take reps from Mingo....Sunday, Coker was targeted 3 times with 3 catches, 30 yards. That makes 7 targets, 7 catches, 98 yards since being called up from the PS. For those not good in math, that means he has caught every pass thrown to him. I am looking toward next season, frankly, and WR will probably be our second biggest need. We will have Legette and Coker--and maybe Thielen. I think we trade or cut everyone else before then. The OL reverted back to old stupid presnap penalties--at home---but when they played, they were good most of the time. Christensen and Zavala seem to be good depth; I thought we'd see more from Njigba (77). Chuba is heading toward elite RB--pro bowl status. Sanders? We could do better on the PS. I have to think they will shop him and if they get no takers, he will be cut when Brooks is ready. Dalton is showing signs--not of his age, but of his meltdown periods that he made famous in Cincinnati. I think he tried to do too much. The Interception to Thomas was on thomas....As a high school tight end, you learn to break your route at 10 yards and work back to 7 on a drag route. He is terrible. That DB does not undercut him if he does that. Just stupid football. Sanders (TE) played better. I would guess that Tremble's return could cause Thomas to be let go and Jordan Matthews to be brought up.

We are going to see a half-full stadium lotsa red jerseys.

WE are missing 2 starting OL---I am not confident. I noticed that backup C Raym or whatever is out with a concussion. What are we doing at practice?

Hello sports fans, I realize that we are less than bedazzled by the options at QB for the 2025 draft. Ewers is hurt a lot. Beck has shown signs of that great college Georgia QB who never makes it in the NFL, Sanders has good games but when pressured, he is suspect--and then there is the entitlement and entitlement's "agent" that makes him less appealing--so for a moment, let's take them off the board temporarily, and let me take 2 QBs off my board permanantly: Milroe and Dart. (This is October 12, 2024--it could change, obviously) Here is how I ranked them going into the weekend, before I did a bunch of highly-scientific research that involved technology. 1. Cam Ward: I think his stock will keep rising, but he has played well in some close games. Ward is not in a lot of top 3 QB boards, but if I had to draft one right now, Ward might be my guy. 2. Quinn Ewers: My biggest concern is the injury history, and my second biggest concern is that he has played well with stud WRs, a stud RB, and a good TE (last year) and he has a good LT. How good is he beyond that? I dunno. 3. Shedur Sanders: Tremendous upside. I am not sure playing for his dad was the best for him, and I am not sure that he is smart in the pocket, although he is listed as a pocket qb. 4. Carson Beck: Nice size and he has shown some weakness and some upside in Georgia's rocky season. The game with Texas will tell us a lot about both QBs. So who are these new guys that rattled my top 4? 1. Will Howard, Ohio State: After four sub 60% completion percentage years at KSU, Howard has been sharp. And despite his poor decision on the last play of the Oregon game, he was sharp and made good decisions. He lost his cool after the game, which I interpret as fire and not a problem. At 6'4" 235, he is a big qb and he has some solid movement skills in the pocket--not a running qb, but a QB that can run when he has to and he is smart about it. Throws a good ball, makes good decisions. 2. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana: Another big QB at 6'5" and 230, Rourke has Indiana at 6-0 and has surpassed his stats during his four years at Ohio University. A pure pocket passer, he could be really good behind a really good OL and in front of a really good RB or two. The thing that impresses me about Rourke? He is doing this at INDIANA--not Texas, not Georgia, not Ohio State. WARNING: He is Canadian, so he knows nothing about bacon. 3. Drew Allar, Penn State: Another biggun at 6'5" 240, Allar is a Junior and has not been that effective until this season, where it seems the light has come on. He seems to be accurate and makes good decisions. He has been sacked once per game on average, and he had his worst game (3 picks--one was a hail mary) vs USC, a game PSU won in overtime in LA. POINT? We could have six qbs from which to choose. Here is how I would rank them RIGHT NOW in terms of who might be best for the Panthers, and yes, if we have #1 overall, I would trade back and take one of these: 1. Ward (his passing yardage has been really impressive, and Miami is 6-0. However, I am still not sold on him and do not have him ranked much above Sanders. I'd give him a top 10 grade right now, not that he is a top 10 player, but there will be qbs going early) 2. Sanders (As much as I do not want to see him here, he has the most upside and is probably developed enough to start day 1. I think he will go in the top 5, based on the hype and genetics) 3. Rourke (anybody who can take Indiana and win 6 games is able to perform with lesser surrounding talent. It is like winning a race against Corvettes with a Malibu--perhaps my dark horse favorite--he may drop into round 1--if Indy continues to play well, he could be as high as a top 15 player--mark my words!!) 4. Allar (he just seems to get it--and he is a year or two younger than the others. He is having a nice start--if it continues, he will be a first round draft pick--top 25 or so) 5. Ewers (The injuries just don't warrant a higher ranking--he' be #1 or #2 without his injury history-Ewers will probably be overdrafted--he could fall anywhere from top 15 pick to an early second rounder--if he gets injured again, he might become a third rounder) 5. (tie) Will Howard (The jury is still out a bit, but I was impressed with his leadership and accuracy. Running a Chip Kelly offense could be a problem for some QBs--need to do more research--I think Howard does not go in round 1, which makes him a great developmental pick for day 2) 7. Carson Beck (I want to like him, but if you struggle at Georgia as he has at times, it makes you wonder if the makeup is sliding off the face of the homecoming queen and you realize that she is not hot, just another face. He will be overdrafted because he is on a good team. I think he is drafted top 20. )

Yep. When you have dead cap $$ and have overpaid others, good people walk.

Key Losses from Last season: Edge Burns, LB Luvu, CB Jackson, Edge Gross Matos Off season free agent Additions who have been key contributors CB M Jackson, Edge Clowney (?) Draft Additions: No Starters (3rd rounder LB, 5th round CB, 6th round DL) Losses to injury this season: LB Thompson, DT Brown, LB Jewell So from last season, you lost 4 starters, added 2 in free agency, did not draft a starter (focus on Offense), and then you lose your 3 inside starters to injury. That is a difference of 5 starters (net) with the 2 replacements as Clowney for Burns and M Jackson for D Jackson. So we now have subs at 5 positions and got weaker at 2....(did this from memory--not focused on S and did not mention Chinn...)

I think he would be a better G, FWIW. But we are locked in to his development. And my point was he did look bad and confused at times when there was a swinging gate at LG...same page

I agree--never said move over Greg Olsen--not the #1 TE, You know that part of the process is depth. You and I have talked about the need for a stud TE--the best teams have them--KC, SF, for example. A stud TE causes so much trouble for the Defense--but I am not going to state the reasons again. Sanders has potential and was the second rated TE in a weak TE class, so considering how many needs we had, a WR was our only option at the end of the first--the TE was long gone. I am not sure where you get one if not the draft--

Not equally--a vet LT relies less on a vet G-What is the point of your comment--trying to be clever?

I saw something in him during preseason, but that was preseason--I think he has the tools and I assume they will be fine until they prove they aren't. I get your point, but right now, if we were Chief fans, we'd be saying that about players. Instead, we are waiting for the next bust and injury.

6 wins. Thought bryce would play within the 2.47 seconds rule ---did not expect the defense to maintain, but I thought Wonnum, Barno, and Clowney would equal what we got from from Burns and Gross matos. Brown being out is killer. With no pressure on the QB, nothing consistent to create middle pressure / stuff the run, gonna be picking first again this year.

I am seeing decent feet and less waist bending than last year. Gone from weak to about average.

Better when playing beside a veteran LG. He is settling in--not a liability at this time--mental mistakes down, technique better. I would not move him.

A 4th rounder in his 4th game. He is going to be fine.

These are my thoughts as well. a possession slot WR--Coker, as whtih Thielen and Proehl, has a brain. That is so important for a WR--you know where the DBs are going to be, what the QB wants you to do, etc.

Or coaches--but some people are not coachable. By that I mean that there are players who accept coaching during the week, but put them in a game, and they fall back on old habits.