Soul Rebel

I am a fan of Fitts, but he did make several crucial mistakes in year 1. Passing on Fields/Slater for Horn….and then trading for two CBs. Going “trade-back crazy” in the draft while OL are flying off the boards, then settling on Christensen. Taking a LS, while Jensen is here and bypassing a starting caliber G is awful Signing Elfelin/Erving on day 1 of FA Trading Perryman Trading a 2nd and 4th rounder for a garbage QB….and then picking up his $18M option. Again, I like Fitterer’s style and trust he will right the ship. Mistakes are made by all GMs and the “what if” game is always played after a draft…hindsight is 20-20.

I was pissed when he had the balls to misdirect the offense's trash play, by putting blame on the defense earlier this year....when the D was constantly keeping the team in the game. His inability to own his mistakes is insulting. We are watching the game, and though we aren't all NFL Scouts/Execs, most fans can see that Rhule's comments don't align with the play. Though I still think Rhule should get one more year to get it right, this commentary is pretty damn ridiculous.

Lock it in....Rhule doesn't turn down an opportunity to get his guy. I do also see Pickett climbing draft boards. I would put him in the same tier as Mac Jones, but below last year's top 4. I still hope we go OL, but I can't see Rhule not tapping back into his NJ/Temple roots.

I'm "whatever" when it comes to PFF. I like it as a measuring stick, but not as the gospel...I prefer the eye test. IMO, Elflein at C might be a decent move, moving forward. Still lots of time to figure it out, but if Moton does his thing and Elflein does his at C, I'd trust Christensen/Jordan at guard and adding a LT in the first round this year. It won't be confused with the Cowboys Oline, but pretty solid, IMO.

I do wonder just how different our offense would have looked this year if we had gone Slater/Smith. DJ had Slater over Sewell and many thought he would be just fine at tackle. Can't cry over spilled milk, but seeing how we ended up with Gilmore and Henderson via trade, and Taylor looks like a long-term piece, it is frustrating. Not to mention taking a long-snapper instead of a need at guard while Jansen is still doing his thing.....pretty pathetic. I say this as a huge fan of Horn too.

This is the correct answer. I do like Cross as well. It will be interesting which QBs are there too and should come down to an OL vs. QB conversation. I do also think we will be in the 9-14 range....those last five games are BRUTAL!

You've got the correct team, just the wrong player.....and also the wrong assets going back to the Lions. Dekker is the more available option, IMO. Not sure what it would take, but I don't see Detroit giving up Sewell.

Shaq truly changed the feel of this defense today. Not that Jackson, Gilmore and Reddick don't deserve the love....but man, Shaq really has stepped into his own this year.

I just don't get how the initial forecast for Rhule's success was 3 years, and after 7 games into year two, so many are ready to dump him. He needs another offseason to hit the OL and figure out QB .....and OC. I don't know if Rhule will be successful, but to think that this franchise could've been turned around completely in less than two years is not reasonable. He/Brady/Snow are for the most part, rookie coaches. If we give players this kind of latitude, I think that coaches making the jump to the highest level of football should be viewed with a similar lens.

This is the lowest I've felt about Rhule, but still not abandoning yet. He just passed the 20 game mark as an NFL HC and in two years (along with Snow) turned this defense into something marvelous. The offense has been pieced together slowly since it all can't be fixed in two seasons. I do think our success arrived earlier than anticipated, so his shortcomings are really showing. He needs one more year to build out the OL in the draft and with the cap space incoming. His time management, too-many-men-on-the-field penalties and close calls along with his inability to communicate like an NFL Coach needs to be fixed....fast. Rivera was pretty rough his first two years, give the guy one more year (or at least a portion of 2022) before kicking him out.

All for it..... Who's next man up at OC?

I haven't dove too deep into our cap in a hot minute, but are we able to sign all four - Gilmore Jackson Moore Reddick With Taylor coming along the way he has, I think one of Henderson/Jackson/Gilmore gets moved or straight away isn't here next year. Boyue looks like the guy I would earmark for moving to S longterm. He has the mindset and vet knowledge to diagnose plays, while not being out of position. Not saying it's a perfect fit, but at 30 years old, he would make the most sense for me. DJax is too small and Henderson is too young with untapped upside to waste a couple of years trying to convert him.

Gotta think we've contacted Detroit about Decker. At 0-4 and with the NFC being pretty stacked (especially in the NFCW), I wonder if they cut bait on the vet, pick up a nice return and roll Sewell out as their future LT.

If the money isn't spent on the OL and/or earmarked for re-signing DJ2 and Jackson, I don't want it. Gilmore is past his prime for a CB1 and we have a trio of youngsters under the age of 26. IMO, Gilmore does not fit our plans.

Bradberry was pretty soft spoken too, and many here would LOVE to have him back. This kid is 6 years younger and more athletic.

I would prefer to look in Detroit and see what they want for Decker. The Lions are 0-3 and Sewell is a natural LT. At 28 years old, he's not young, but for an OT, is in his prime with a solid 6-8 years left in the tank. I think he's available to come of the IR this coming week.

Happy to hear that it's not as bad as once thought. However, I do have concern that it will linger all year long and we won't see a 100% CMC in 2021....potentially leading to a quicker degrading of the tread on his tires long-term.

Agreed. I would prefer we bring in a FA and let Horn heal. Boyue-Jackson, though not great, would be fine with a vet that fits our system. There's some interesting names out there like Conley, Sherman, Dunbar and Josh Norman.

Sucks too because had that BS PI call not been called, our defense would have been off the field.

What they've done in two short years should be applauded. With Boyue back, there really isn't a huge weakness on the defensive side of the ball. We are fast, strong, young and athletic, while also deep enough that we can rotate folks in and out. If we re-sign DJ, we will be deep 1-3 (as well as Shi) at WR, set at HB and TE, and looks like QB is trending upward on a 23-year old top-3 drafted signal caller. I think this FA and draft we go full OL and K and walk into 2022 set up for long-term success. Like, if we snag a top OL in FA and grab another in Rounds 1 and 2, I wouldn't be against a K in the fourth or fifth round if there's a Janikowski-esque guy that comes along.

Maybe should have drafted a kicker instead of a backup LS in the 6th.

I really liked Forrest Lamp coming out in that draft year. If healthy, would be a nice upgrade at LG. The kicker that Baltimore just released would be great to have competition for camp heading into the season. A LB edition wouldn't be the worst idea, but I also think rolling Shaq-Carter-Reddick will be fine with how often we run a 2 backer scheme. I could see packages where Chinn or Franklin step down to be that third guy in a 3 safety set.

Lots of former Panthers in there.....also noticed Cole Luke was tried at S. Classic Ron/Hurney magic still going on.

I hope he found his daughter.