In the wake of Curtis Samuel...

[BrianS]

Just now, SCO96 said:

I think the NFL know exactly what they've done. Their intent was to drive up scoring and that is exactly what has happened.  The prolific statistics we see every year are a result tilting the game in favor of the offense. During the 1977 season Drew Pearson led the league in receiving with 870. He's the last guy to win the crown with less than 1,000.

Some of us old school guys like a good defensive slug fest. The general public...not so much. Most casual fans I spoke with after the last Rams/Pats Super Bowl absolutely HATED that game. They thought it was boring. The Eagles/Pats 41-33 game more to their (and the NFL's liking). With even female fans hooked on fantasy football things will never go back to the old days. If defenses EVER get an advantage, the rules committee will find a way to negate it.

I am surprised that QB is so bad at times. The league has made it so much easier to throw the ball these days.

No, they haven't.  That's what folks don't get.  It's not any easier now than it was before.  It's easier for receivers to get open, yes.

The difference here is that with receivers more able to get open, a premium was placed on QB's who have great ball placement and anticipation.  There are plenty of "good" QB's out there, but because receivers are more open now, ball placement and anticipation are incredibly important.

In the past, it was ok for a QB to "just miss".  Now it's not.  That's new.  Good QB's now have certain traits.  Big arm isn't nearly as important.  Sure, you need to be able to get the ball downfield - you can't be a Teddy Bridgewater - but hitting your receiver consistently in a place where he can catch and run is far more critical than being able to put it 70 yards down the field.

[jfra78]

We really need a 3rd down possession/red zone threat type of guy to replace Samuel.

[SCO96]

4 minutes ago, BrianS said:

No, they haven't.  That's what folks don't get.  It's not any easier now than it was before.  It's easier for receivers to get open, yes.

The difference here is that with receivers more able to get open, a premium was placed on QB's who have great ball placement and anticipation.  There are plenty of "good" QB's out there, but because receivers are more open now, ball placement and anticipation are incredibly important.

In the past, it was ok for a QB to "just miss".  Now it's not.  That's new.  Good QB's now have certain traits.  Big arm isn't nearly as important.  Sure, you need to be able to get the ball downfield - you can't be a Teddy Bridgewater - but hitting your receiver consistently in a place where he can catch and run is far more critical than being able to put it 70 yards down the field.

While I agree with most of what you said, it is easier to throw the ball more efficiently.

1) Terry Bradshaw literally said "1978 was the year the NFL legalized holding" Prior to that lineman couldn't extend their arms to pass block.

2) Tackles are allowed to be partially in an upright stance now to get a jump on speed rushers and slow down the pass rush. They had to be in 3 point stance when I was growing up. 

3) Receivers can only be hit only in the initial 5 yards of their routes now. Back in the day you could literally knock the guy down during the route as long as the ball wasn't in the air when you did it. I think that's a bit barbaric myself, but I think extending that contact zone to 7-10 yards would make things a bit harder.

4) QB's get much more roughing calls today & are better protected by officials. I read an interview with Roger Staubach years ago. He said he saw P. Manning get a flag for a hit during a MNF game. He jumped out of the chair when he saw it. He said "I got hit like that every game!"  Pass rushers have to literally slow up and watch they way they hit a guy to avoid a flag. Careers are lasting longer b/c QB's don't get hit as much.

5) I think PI is called pretty well in terms of defensive contact. But, WR's are routinely allowed to push off with little consequence...especially down field. A receiver has to blatantly push off to get a flag now.

If a guy can't throw the ball it doesn't matter if he has the new rules or not. But, an accurate guy can thrive in today's game if he has a good supporting cast.

 

[TheCasillas]

How did I miss this kind of tlaent this past year?
 

 

[glitchh8]

2 hours ago, jfra78 said:

We really need a 3rd down possession/red zone threat type of guy to replace Samuel.

Chris Godwin of the Bucs likely to become a FA, would he fill the bill? And don't forget we still have the kid from Ark. coming back who was so impressive early in training camp last year.

[ericr0319]

15 minutes ago, glitchh8 said:

Chris Godwin of the Bucs likely to become a FA, would he fill the bill? And don't forget we still have the kid from Ark. coming back who was so impressive early in training camp last year.

you want to pay him 17 mil a year?

[ericr0319]

Ronalde Moore or Elijah Moore if we are looking to replace Samuel's skill sets. But it will likely cost us a 2nd round pick. A guy later in the draft I like is Whop Philyor, Indiana. 

[Khyber53]

4 hours ago, MHS831 said:

This does not get enough run on this board.  Our TEs were abysmal.  Now everyone wants to talk about TB checking down, and I got frustrated too, but between the WR and the checkdown should be a TE--and we were without.  A dual threat TE would solve a lot of problems.

That's exactly what I was seeing out there on the field. Samuel, before CMC was hurt, was running a lot of the stuff you'd see from a TE in the receiving patterns. It's probably why he wasn't making a big impact early on -- he's just not built for it or really trained to do that right. It disappeared completely after CMC went down, though, as you could see Samuel moving to pick up spots on the field CMC would be in.

Not having a TE didn't just remove receiving opportunities, but it crushed our blocking, too. The guys we have couldn't even throw a decent block. 

Teddy didn't overcome the problems, and to a degree that's on him, but there's no way a QB can cover for ALL the problems our situations created last season.

[TheRumGone]

1 hour ago, TheCasillas said:

How did I miss this kind of tlaent this past year?
 

 

Because he played at north Texas. This dude is a freak and will probably go 3rd-5th round just because of his size.  Has elite speed, twitch and solid hands. Reminds me of tyreek hill. Apparently has an incredible work ethic and is captain material.
 

he can be the starting punt returner day 1 and work in the slot. He’s electric. 

[Rodneycatz]

Sorry but a second round pick is too much to replace a slot receiver when this year's draft is full of them. Jaelon Darden with the 159th pick is for the Panthers will probably take they loved them he is an amazing slide receiver not return the greatest twitch artist in college football he is an amazing dude he had 2555 yards