Alphadawg7

Is this where I get to say a collective "I told you so" to all those who were just focused on cutting him? I was never the guy claiming Murphy was a world beater, but I did keep telling people he's better than he's getting credit for here and was never in danger of being cut. I did think with the log jam at DE his future he was questionable as he did seem like a guy Beane thrives on flipping for good draft capital. But once Star opted out and Jefferson was moving more towards DT, it was no longer definitive we needed to move one of our DE's. And its also why I kept telling people the AJE no dress week 1 was a non story in terms of AJE career projection. Murphy and Hughes were no brainer starters given they are the only 2 DE's who knew the system here. And as GunnerBill and some others also pointed out, Murphy was getting a lot of buzz about having a very strong camp. Which meant AJE was going to need to leap frog Addison (that was never gonna happen before week 1 who is a better all around DE than Murphy too) or Darryl, which was also never going to happen given Darryl's immense ST value. Cant wait to watch this team unleash hell on both sides of the ball again this week and squish the fish.

If I could emphasize this post here 1000 times I would. Its not just about the stat sheet, its all about where Diggs is at as a player vs a rookie. Diggs is a beast, making tough grabs, taking big hits, and easily a top 3 route runner in the NFL. There is nothing any rookie can do this year that will make me wish we had not traded for Diggs.

I think it’s going to be this Sunday. Allen always feasts on the Fins. I bet it’s another 300 yard game and 4 to 5 total TDs

Ah, was not that familiar with their cap situation. Was just commenting on team needs and stuff. Thanks

Wrong. We didn’t have 4 rushing TDs. We had 22 rushing TDs, you just chose to remove Allen’s 18 rushing TDs because it doesn’t fit your narrative. It was already pointed out to you that Devin in limited snaps last year was among the league leaders in runs over 20 yards. You also see the league leader only had 5 more runs than Devin over 20 yards and that it’s NOT a very common play and doesn’t even happen on average of even once a game by the league leader. You keep ignoring Allen’s rushing TDs to say the RBs dont score enough...how are they supposed to score the TD if Allen already ran it in? All that matters is that the 6 points get on the board, doesn’t matter if the jersey number is from a RB, QB, TE, or WR. The fact is the issue is not our RBs, it’s been Allen vulturing the TDs from the RBs because teams have had no answer to stop Allen when he’s running for the score.

This again 🤦🏼‍♂️ This obsession for the one or two times an entire season a RB scores a 60+ yard TD is silly. Last year, Devin tied Henry for the league lead for yards per carry. Who cares about 1 to 3 plays a year that are long TD runs. Those don’t win you games...first downs where you keep the ball and keep moving towards the end zone win games. And once you there scoring TDs medium and short distances win games. And the reason the TD total looks low for the RBs is because we have a tank of a QB who vultured 18 rushing TDs the last two years. Our RBs are going to be just fine.

Personally, I think the Eagles make a lot of sense here. They have the cap room and an established QB which they badly need to get him more help at WR. Speaking of Philly, I would flip Ertz if I were them for some OL help too. Goedert is damn good and their OL is gonna just get Wentz hurt yet again. If I am the Browns, I am looking to trade both OBJ and Nick Chubb and hopefully get back two more 2nd round picks out of the trades. OBJ is not working there, and they still have guys who can play at WR. Chubb is a great talent, but they have a cheaper option in Hunt who is just as good, if not all around better. I mean literally they are both stud every down RB's, so trade Chubb and keep the cheaper Hunt. Plus given Hunts past, Chubb will have more trade value. I could see teams like Jags, Redskins, and Dolphins being very interested in Chubb. Then when the draft rolls around, if Baker has not had a light bulb come on by end of the year, they have extra assets to go make a move for a top QB, maybe even Trevor, depending on their final record. If Baker does turn a corner over the season, they have extra assets to keep building around the team and more cap flexibility too moving forward getting OBJ eventually off the books.

I respectfully disagree. Not about the QB talent, it was obviously not a great QB situation. I am talking about Woods feet. I complained about it regularly, he would hit the ground so many times when it was unnecessary. He would trip and fall on his routes, etc. It was uncanny how often he lost his feet when it was not because he had to.

Thank You! Its like people forget this...I can not remember a receiver in my lifetime who had worse feet here than him. Seemed like he was always on the ground. Kudos to him in LA, he is a very good WR, but when he was a FA here there was not a lot to be excited about with him. He had many chances to step up when Sammy was out, but rarely made an impact. But it was his tendency to hit the ground that drove me the most nuts. I would have been fine keeping him then, but not at the price he was gonna get from Rams. Today, he's developed into a good WR for the Rams. I like the Rams too as my second team, so like seeing him do well. But, for this team, I much prefer the combo of Diggs and Brown. Diggs is elite, and Brown is pretty damn good himself, but most importantly, Brown and Allen have great chemistry.

That was exactly my point.

I have some Browns fans saying the same thing. They want to trade OBJ and Chubb since they think they can get the most for them and still have good WR group and a top tier RB in Hunt. This way they get the extra assets needed to be in position to go get Trevor possibly as they don't expect to lose enough games to be able to outright draft him. Of course, this is still risky as it would still depend on whose at the top of the draft order anyway, as a QB needy team likely wont trade out of that spot and would just take Trevor outright. But for me, I would not want to give up on Baker and this roster after one loss against the 2nd best team in the NFL following an offseason with no preseason either and a brand new coaching staff. This staff will need time to put their stamp on that team, get their systems installed, and so forth before they really know what they can or cant do with the roster as its currently made up, especially Baker.

Im starting to wonder if OBJ can ever get his career back on track. 10 targets, only catches 2. With all those weapons there, why is it so hard to get him involved in the game? Its insane the talent on that offense and how inept it seems to always be. If Baker doesn't show them something to build on the rest of this season, they will be yet again drafting another QB next year. I was quite high on Baker coming out, even before everyone else was. His rookie year he looked the part. Terrible coaching last year seems to have really derailed his potential. A QB's psyche and confidence are critical to their success too. Wondering if he has the mental makeup to rise above the struggles and get back on track or not. Its also the first game of the season against a team expected to make the AFCC game and push for a SB title, so not ready to write them off, write off OBJ, or write off Baker. But if you are a Browns fan, you gotta be quite concerned that this treasure trove of weapons still isn't producing. I didn't watch the game, so wondering what the state of the OL is in and how they played yesterday against the Ravens.

Yeah, I am always puzzled by how he is so bad with it given his size and strength. But, I do think its very much about him not be a natural RB and his muscle memory isn't there yet on having a feel on keeping that ball high and tight. He is so competitive and I think his focus tends to lean on getting more yards and running away from people and that is when his ball security is sloppy. Josh is good at covering it up when he sees the contact coming, but he just doesn't seem to wrap it up fast enough when in traffic before he realizes he is about to get hit. Couple that with his reputation for fumbling, and defenders are focusing on punching that ball out every time too.

Yeah I wondered that too actually

370+ yards of total offense, 3 TD's, 72% comp, and 8 different receivers is a B? I get the fumbles are a concern given his history, but end of the day, for what was essentially the first preseason game in terms of reps, that was a pretty impressive performance. He had command the whole day of the offense. My grade was an A- and the lowest yet still acceptable grade would have to be a B+ minimum. If not for the 2 fumbles, it would be an A+. Agreed on grade, but disagree they "won" the game for us. Our offense and defense dominated Sunday, wasn't the result of just one unit. I would give this a B or a B-, as you still have to factor in Allen in the run game, especially given he led the team in rushing. But ultimately, this was more about Daboll not really pushing to get the run game into any kind of a groove given Allen was picking apart the defense almost single handedly on the ground and the air. But both backs contributed in the passing game too and in protection. Im not in the least worried about the RB's moving forward, although I would like to see the OL open more holes. While I was not thrilled with their run blocking as they didn't open enough holes, I think D+ is way too heavy handed of a grade. I mean our offense was in command a lot and the OL, while not perfect, still was a part of that. C is the grade I would give them, mostly due to the lack of holes in the run game. Im good with a B here. Man this is by far your worst assessment. This is an A+ and not worth the time to explain to you why given me and many others already have in your Oliver thread. I would give them an A-, especially given we lost our top 2 guys during the game. White had a beauty of a 3rd down pass breakup, and the group as a whole played well IMO. I give this unit an A Agreed, this group gets an A C- for me...he was really 2 for 3, not 1 for 3. I don't think his grade should be reduced for a mistake by the refs. Bit I still give him a C- as his kicks all mostly hugged the right goal post. Needs to demonstrate more control on his accuracy. But also not too worried about a rookie essentially playing in what would be his first preseason game except it was week 1 opener against a divisional rival in a windy stadium. B for me...not sure what you base knocking him down to a C for. I have no issue with passing this much when Josh is completing over 70% of his passes with no INTs and constantly moving the chains. I expect the game plan will change based on the opponent. Strength of Jets D is run D, weakness is pass D. Not a shock we kept throwing when it was so effective. I mean Josh should have had 4 passing TDs yesterday to go with his one rushing TD. It was obvious why we kept throwing. And in a similar game, I would want to and expect to keep throwing as well. We are stacked with weapons.

Insert every WR ever.

I think it was very telling how the Niners see it too when they were so heavily interested in Brady this offseason. Jimmy G needs to stop focusing on banging porn stars so much and needs to spend time doing the work to take the next step as a QB. Personally, I think the Niners will either bring someone in via FA/Trade next year (not sure whose available) or draft a QB to push Jimmy G. Either way, I expect someone else there challenging for the job next season. He is quite underwhelming.

Reality is Bass was 2 for 3 IMO, so not freaking out personally. In my eyes, the first FG was good and was a mistake by the refs and not challengeable. Stat sheet says 1-3 though, so I get the concern. Rookie. No Preseason. First ever kicking in the NFL. Important divisional game. Conclusion, I am not yet worried. This was essentially like his first preseason game. At the end of the day, as long as the kid doesn't lose us games in the next few games, I am willing to let him kick through any early initial struggles. If he hasn't worked it out over the next 3 or 4 games to be reliable, then I start looking at a free agent kicker to hold the job down while the kid develops more. However, if we lose a game because he isn't reliable and his misses cost us a win, I start looking for that vet immediately. We can't afford close losses this year, we got a tough overall schedule, especially down the stretch. And we can not over look NE as still a threat to push for the division title right now. So we need to make sure we win the games we are supposed to win and those close games where we have the opportunity to win.

Mahomes made some egregious misses on Thursday, and I literally looked at my friend and said had that been Josh Allen it would be talked about non stop regardless what he did rest of game. With Mahomes and other QB's, you never hear about it again after the game. Allen had a very good day throwing the ball. I bet you 99 times out of 100 he makes that throw to Brown for the easy TD. He just let that one get away from him. He made so many key throws all day with precision, it was more a fluke than anything. The Knox throw was clearly more about he had no idea how much space he created escaping the pocket. He threw the ball as if someone was still on him and simply didn't set his feet. It was an awkward throw, and he just escaped major pressure. That one wasn't that big of a deal IMO, just more that he had no idea he left everyone in their dust actually and had the time to set and not make the awkward throwing angle. Now the fumbles are to be concerned about. This was an issue for him last year, and I cant for the life of me figure out why a man this big and strong with big hands cant hold onto the ball better. But if they are going to keep utilizing his threat to run, and they should, they need to drill down on him and figure this ball control out. It can be done, Tiki Barber was terrible about fumbling until they finally fixed it. Call him or something, figure it out, but it needs to be fixed. You cant take away his designed runs, its a big part of what makes him so hard to defend. But you also need to not over use it and also be smart about it and help the kid figure out ball security better.

You just further show how little you seem to understand the fundamentals of football with this crusade to prove AJE is a bust and your inability to understand any of the reality of the situation.

Sorry you are just showing how little you know about the situation with this post. First of all, who the heck cares where a player was drafted. Once you get to the NFL, you are in the NFL and its what you do on the field. Darryl is a ST ace, and one of our most important guys on ST. When you are talking about the 4th depth spot, ST is a major factor. The sheer fact you are disparaging Darrlys value based on his draft slot just shows how off base you are.

Man...you had me with the first sentence. Then wow, you just lost me with the 2nd. Its utterly crazy how many people can not seem to grasp the logic in why AJE didnt dress week 1. Hughes and Murphy, ONLY DE's on the team with experience in our system. Murphy reportedly had a very strong camp, and combined with having 2 years in our system gave him the lead on starting. Addison, a perennial double sack player, was literally our 3rd DE. So that means AJE would have had to beat out Addison, which was never going to happen going into week 1. Daryl is a ST ace, and him as the 4th spot was never up for grabs because of his significant importance to ST. Jefferson is really a DE helping at DT with Star opting out and Butler out week 1. So he is someone can easily swing over to DE if injuries happened to our top 3 guys. COVID had no preseason nor very little contact reps in camp for rookies to get up to speed and earn a bigger role. And DE has a log jam, so AJE is a luxury, not a player at a position of need. McD loves bringing rookies around slow when possible. We open the first 2 weeks with important divisional games, in a season where we have a real shot to contend and our schedule gets toughest down the stretch. Meaning these are important for us to win, so those most ready to play will get priority, which lends itself to vets and returning players over rookies. Same reason Murphy started over Addison even though Addison is the more accomplished and better all around player. AJE was a luxury pick at our deepest position that was chosen for the future, not to be an immediate contributor. Why are so many people completely deaf to these facts. They are not excuses, this is reality. Is it common for a 2nd round pick to not dress week 1 when injuries were not a factor? No...but its also not common to have no preseason, very little contact, etc in camp. Its also not common that 2nd round picks come into a team positioning for a SB run while playing a position on a team that is as deep as the Bills DE rotation. The AJE not dressing week one is literally a non story in terms of the arc of his career. It was actually not surprising at all to me.

I think the bigger issue is how many times people read stat sheets and draw (incomplete) definitive conclusions on this board. I mean Oliver was getting all kinds of penetration yesterday, especially in the first half. I thought it was one of his better games in terms of disruption. People make big deals out of sack numbers...but if Oliver has 8 - 10 sacks on the season, that will be seen as a big season. But that is literally just 8 to 10 total plays all year...the vast majority of what DT do in the middle don't always burst on the stat sheet. Some insane freaks like Donald pile up the stat sheet, but that is not the only way a DT makes a big impact, or even the most common. So I think people just get frustrated by the hyper focus at times by posters on certain stats vs the context of the game and how they actually played on film. And yesterday, our DL dominated the Jets across the line. Run stuffed, 3 sacks, disrupted Darnold all day, etc. It was quite the team performance, especially with multiple new pieces and no preseason. And Olive played a big role in all of that.

You just knew there were going to be silly threads today...it would not be TSW if not.

Agreed, and with him and Hughes being the only ones with experience in our system, it was pretty easy to see he was likely opening the season as the starter. I do think Addison will eventually take over the duties as a "starter" being a more complete DE and once he shows he is up to speed with our scheme. But at the end of the day, starter designation isnt a big deal as McD loves rotating guys and keeping them fresh. So all 3 will see a lot of reps regardless who is listed as the starter. And this is why AJE was no surprise to not dress week 1...like you pointed out too, the 4th DE spot was never his to grab because Daryl is such a ST ace. So it was up to AJE to overtake Addison essentially, which is pretty silly thing for anyone to think was a legit option for week 1. Bonus point: Jefferson is more of a DE anyway even though they have rotating into the DT area more due to Star opting out, Butler hurt, and Harrison being brought along slowly after his injury (as they should). So they really had him available too to play DE in the event of injuries in game. AJE will get his time...right now, opening the season with 2 divisional games and having quality players ahead of him, I just think the focus and priority is on winning those important games and not developing a 2nd round pick at a position we are so deep at. And its pretty clear, they feel the same.