Alphadawg7

Yeah I agree, but I do think that both Lamar and the Ravens offense is better this year than before. Its in Baltimore too, but that D will definitely get carved up by Allen and this offense. Just a lot of speed back to back weeks while being down a lot of defensive players. Like you, I am still confident we win both games, but still, we have the tougher opponent in week 4, so I think this Miami game is just of higher importance than a typical week 4 game.

Yeah, I was never interested in CMC this offseason, but was very interested in Barkley. I thought if we could say flip Devin or Moss and like a 4th round pick for him, it was something I would have pulled the trigger on. At the same time, I am definitely a believer in Devin, so I am not worried about the run game too much. I mean our lack of run game is strictly by choice, not from the lack of ability too. Devin has shown he is quite good when given the opportunities, but the pass game has just been decimating defenses and unstoppable, so they really haven't needed to run much yet. But when we do, I really like our new blocking scheme and think Devin can be even better when given sufficient rush attempts like he was the last part of the season last year and playoffs. I just wish they would stop rotating Moss in, let Devin take those rush attempts, it's not like he has a heavy workload. I also can't wait to see Cook get more involved too, still think he will be a nice weapon for us as the season wears on.

Sorry I meant the Ravens, but I was just talking about going to the Chiefs game with a friend on the phone and had Chiefs on my mind. Brain fart, I will edit, good catch.

My bad, you are correct, I was mistakenly thinking about Saquan when both were being talked about during the offseason. Thanks for catching that. Ok, so yeah...0% chance IMHO we would trade for CMC then. If the one year rental is off the table, there is just no way we will absorb any contract at RB given we have other important players contracts looming as it is.

I still think we win this game too...but for obvious reasons, the pile up of injuries certainly makes this a more dangerous game. BUT...there is a reality here about this week, and that is the Fins game is going to be more important than I think some people realize for a week 3 game. If Miami wins, they go to 3-0 and travel to struggling Cincy next week, a game the Fins would be favored in given how poorly Cincy has played thus far. We would then be 2-1 and headed to Balt for what seems like one of our toughest road games of our whole schedule, and potentially still not a full strength still on defense. That would put us in the position of facing a potential 2 game deficit after 4 weeks to the Fins in our division. I still think we beat Miami with the injuries, because like you I like our depth and our ability to disrupt Tua while Allen and the offense should still put up 40+ points. While all divisional games are important, given the nature of our records and who we play next, this game against Miami is more important than a typical week 3 game. So going in short handed definitely makes things a little more dicey.

Damn, yeah I agree that this suggests the probability he out this week is pretty high. We are looking at possibly playing the Fins in Miami without our entire starting secondary playing. I still think we will win this game even if they all miss the game. Just going to take those guys up front disrupting Tua enough that allows our offense to outpace the Fins. And in the worst case scenario happens and we have to win this game in an old fashion shootout, best believe my money is on Allen to out duel Tua.

No chance on any RB not in the final year of their deal, and even then, we still wouldn't likely give up a trade asset for a RB when we barely run the ball, and when we do, Devin does quite well. OBJ is a possibility, although not a certainty.

I should clarify, it wasn't that I thought Frazier was the problem, I know he is a top DC in the NFL. But there were times his defensive play call style was frustratingly soft and it cost us. But I am loving what I am seeing from the defense as a whole, as I am sure we all are. But its more than just the scoreboard, its how this defense is playing on the field with a more aggressive style. And like we just agreed on, the performance and the new confidence they have in the DL is surely a big part of that turned up aggression. And yeah, I also agree we are likely going to see a different look and some adjustments Sunday though with the threat of all that speed and YAC ability lining up on the other side of the field coupled with the potential to be missing at least half, if not all, of our starting secondary for this game. I am just really hoping both Oliver and Phillips suit up, we are going to need to disrupt Tua and help our young secondary out.

When we lead the NFL in point differential and are scoring at will throwing the ball, I will never complain that we need to run the ball more. However, the weather is inevitably going to change. The playoffs are inevitably going to arrive. And the one constant is that being able to win in the trenches becomes crucial. And the reason for that is your team needs to both be able to stop the run and on the other side be able to effectively run the ball. Doesn't mean you have to be a run first team, just means history has shown us that being able to run the ball makes things easier come winter and the playoffs. Now...why I am not concerned. We are dominating in the trenches already. We have been able to run fairly easy when calling in rhythm running plays (not those funky tricky plays like he tried on 4th and 1 that was god awful play call choice). The new OL run blocking scheme looks much improved. Devin has shown he can be very good when given sufficient carries already last year, and that was before the better run blocking scheme. So I think when the time comes and we need to run the ball more (and that could even be this weekend with all the defensive injuries we have to try and hold the ball longer and limit Miami's time of possession), this team is well equipped to be able to get the job done. In the meantime, if we keep scoring at ease through the air I am just fine with that.

Yeah, also another good point. And honestly, I think ironically the more Edmunds thrives, the lower his chances to get another contract here are. With him and Oliver, something is going to have to give. And Oliver looked dominant against the Rams and fully expect him to have a big year. Not to mention, if Jordan Phillips keeps playing like this, I don't see how they don't do what they can to bring him back too given he is on a 1 year deal. Might even be something we see happen in season to be honest. Personally, if Phillips keeps playing like this, I would prioritize BOTH Oliver and Phillips over Edmunds. The game changes when you can dominate in the trenches, that will always be more valuable IMHO than any LB (exception for those rare LB's like LT, Lewis, etc). Dominating up front makes everyone's job easier on that field. So be interesting to see how this all unfolds, but I will never count Beane out, he has been a wizard at the cap and player retention. If he wants everyone back, he is the guy best suited to try and figure out a way to get it done.

This is a good post, and I think there is also one more layer to it, and IMHO its been evident on the field this year compared to years past. Frazier frustratingly used Edmunds more like a safety net or last line of defense out there than an aggressive MLB in the past. It was like Frazier didn't trust the front 4 to win in the trenches, so he played Edmunds deeper off the ball and relied on his range and athleticism to try and minimize the damage of losing up front. This is why I have been saying the last couple years, I think the things people hate most about Edmunds is more tied to how Frazier has used him. This year, its like they turned Edmunds loose and let him play more aggressive. He feels closer to the ball and all over the field. And I think that has everything to do with the revamped DL. The fact they are playing at a much higher level already helps the LB's do their job better, then you add in Frazier seems to trust the front 4 more and allowing Edmunds to play more closer to the action and be more of an aggressor or enforcer out of the MLB spot. One of the reasons I wanted Frazier to get a HC gig is because I was hoping to see what another DC would do with Edmunds and how he would use him. But so far, it seems we didn't need a new DC, we just needed a new DL for Frazier to seemingly turn Edmunds loose more. Its only been 2 weeks though, so we will see if that continues or not. I just hope Frazier doesn't start to fall back into the soft bend but don't break mentality. I love seeing this D be aggressive.

Dont get it twisted, I have been critical of him too. I just think its grossly exaggerated. And I def not taking it too seriously, simply responding to posters who commented at me with nonsense. Im not losing any sleep over it lol.

Criticism is fair of any player when its warranted, and Edmunds has had his share of fair criticism. But, the Edmunds hate has surpassed Whitner levels around here at times to where he would have a good game and the same people would yet again start another thread bashing him. Edmunds has made 2 pro bowls, 5th in the NFL in tackles since entering the league, the captain of a top ranked defense, constant praise from his teammates, staff, and peers...his play hasn't been so bad that 200 threads need to be started a season committed to trashing him. He has had things he needed to improve...no doubt. He hasn't been perfect...no doubt. But he also has not been a total train wreck like so many people here like to portray. And now Edmunds contract is a looming decision for this team, so how he plays this year is what it is really going to come down to. And even though I started this thread, I do NOT think he has automatically earned his next deal. Based on what the expected market is going to be for him, I think like most people, we need to see more from him and more consistent impact plays before he even becomes a consideration to resign (unless he was to take a team friendly deal that is more affordable than we expect). And even if he has a great season, still doesn't even mean we can afford to resign him with other deals also looming and a tight cap. But the only point of this thread was to point out his improved play so far this season, and something to keep an eye on. As a TSW whipping boy, he earned at least one thread that recognized that his good play on the field has been noticed.

Yeah, hard to say when he will be back, but it certainly sounds like he won't be out too long, assuming he misses any time. Its unfortunate timing with both the Fins and Chiefs up next, but all that matters is that he avoided serious injury. While it seems unlikely, I won't rule him out to playing this week yet.

I wasn’t shocked to be honest. I’ve been telling people Lions could be explosive this year all off season. I drafted St. Brown in all my leagues. I wanted Swift, but draft never fell for me in 3 leagues that made that happen, but got St. Brown in all 3. Side note…in one league I have Kupp, Diggs, and St. Brown who the trio through 3 games has outscored one whole fantasy team and is like within 20 points of 2 other whole fantasy teams hahaha. Let’s just say I’m comfortably in first place haha.

Neither are the people bashing Edmunds in this same thread…so… My comment was directed here at the people hijacking a thread to update on the Dane injury to use this as another excuse to bash Edmunds. Especially those who had been trying to bash Edmunds in the other thread about his strong play the first 2 games but found no one was hearing that nonsense. So they came here to hijack a thread on Dane's recovery to get their crack like fix on bashing Edmunds after 2 stellar games.

Bahahahaha that legit made me laugh out loud. Kudos, you win the internet today sir.

I agree...but I would amend it to say, "Not all stats tell the whole story, but people lie." Stats don't always lie, but can often mislead if full context is not known or understood. And people will take cherry picked stats without the context to form a false narrative that supports their viewpoint.

Who had "13 page thread missing being a loser" on your 2022 Bingo card?

Lol, you do realize PFF doesn't even have his stats added in from the second game right? It shows him with 10 tackles, he had 10 tackles in just the Rams game. So yeah, your list is wrong. Not to mention, its not really a 1-32 ranking, its some ranking (again off incomplete data) and then some smaller group rankings with tiers where they list the first few only in that alleged tier. But again, all off incorrect data. Poster asked you to list 35 guys better than him...you couldn't, found an inaccurate data list, didn't check it...then posted it. If you are going to claim X number are better than him, then you better be able cite every single person YOU are ranking ahead of him. Otherwise you're just BS'ing a bunch of nonsense.

LMAO...so starting one thread...literally one thread...pointing out the improved play by one of our main players is now somehow a crusade? The same thread where I literally said repeatedly its just 2 games, and he still has a lot to prove this season in showing consistency... Meanwhile, you are running around in multiple threads now taking exception to the fact someone acknowledge the improved play of someone you dislike. So maybe check your own agenda before you start throwing around the crusade accusations. I mean heaven forbid we discuss some positive things after 2 big wins on the message board of our favorite team. What was I thinking not just starting another bashing thread instead? Blasphemy and shame on me...

Well considering Bills are not going to be playing from behind often, and there will be more games where Josh likely leaves early with big leagues, I don't think Josh will lead the league in passing yards. So that's good news for us then I think the correlation is that guys who throw for that many yards are often not on the best overall teams and find themselves often throwing a lot playing from behind or masking poor defense. Look at Brees, he threw for 5000+ yards all those times and a lot of times they were a fringe playoff team or not even in the playoffs.

Here is what is funny about all of those... Tua - Only has that many yards because he threw 2 pic in the first half and was down 21 points and had to throw practically every play and got a couple long broken coverage freebies. Wentz - Same scenario, was down and had to keep throwing non stop Flacco - Same scenario, was down big and had to throw constantly and got over 100 yards extra because Nick Chubb didnt take a knee. Herbert - Legit passing yards, but took an extra quarter to get to one yard less than Josh Allen with less TD's. Allen got all his yards dominating teams, not playing from behind, and did it 7 quarters instead of 8. Plus Allen has even more rushing yards to go with that, and did this while missing one of his top weapons one of those games (so did Hebert too). If I was to make a top 5 list of people in MVP consideration after week 2, its Allen out in front, followed by Mahomes, Hebert, Lamar, and Diggs as the top 5 guys.

Not gonna lie, I legit forgot that was his real name. When I saw posters type that Van Roten is in the game, I literally thought they were mocking someone with a name that sounded similar. Then saw his jersey as he lined up at center, and was like, oh yeah, forgot that is his actual name

I don’t disagree with Oliver being higher priority at the moment and closer to getting that deal. Like I said, Oliver started turning the corner last year of improved play. But…he is not a lock for an extension based on what the expectation of what his price tag will be. He still will need to keep playing well and impacting the game this season if they are going to hang him a big bag this off-season. And I said I do expect that to happen, but he doesn’t have enough time established at that level to play to just default they will pay him big money. And another factor to not over look is how well Phillips and the other DTs are playing. So I think maybe you misunderstood or misread my point. Was never doubting Oliver, I fully believe he will keep this up. But if you think he has already 100% earned that contract regardless of how he plays this year, then I think that is jumping the gun. If he has meh season, then he will likely enter the last year of his deal just like Edmunds without an extension yet and see what he does the year after. But again, I have full confidence Oliver will have a great season personally and fully expect to extend Oliver this offseason.