starrymessenger

I'm pretty confident that with McCoach and Frazier our D is in good hands. We will continue to outperform our talent on that side of the ball IMO. However we all know there are two Bortles. We got the bad Bortles. Steelers got the other one. We stacked the box to stop LF and made Bortles beat us. He almost didn't.

As a runner he is more explosive than Cam ever was. He increased his bulk this past year over 2016. He needs to pack on another 15lbs. At 6'3" 230 he will be fine. A lot of that will come from his frame naturally filling out as he ages, then he will also be on a S&C program.

Maybe he moves up a round or two in next year's draft. This year's class is very deep. I'm sorry he is not declaring. We need to draft one this year IMO and now there is one less premium RB.

Darnold may be the darling of the QB class for now but I would be wary. Very wary. He is not someone I would move up and blow lots of draft capital to land. He's very raw and though he looks the part it may well be that at the end of the day he's just a gunslinger with a pretty big (but not huge) arm who will make some jaw dropping throws but also turn the ball over. A lot. Think Jay Cutler. Moreover his footwork is bad. His throwing motion is nothing short of a disaster. There is absolutely no doubt that his mechanics are so poor that some scouts and GMs will push him down when setting their boards. By the time the dust settles he may well drop from one or two to top 15. It only takes one guy to love him but I think the general sentiment will cool towards him. The only guys I would burn big draft capital for are Jackson, Rosen and Mayfield. Some may think that Jackson will be there when we pick. But he won't. He will be a big draft riser and an early first rounder. Cleveland could do a lot worse than taking him #1 and following that up with Barkely with their next pick. Arguably the two generational talents in this draft. Or he could go to the Giants. With their young skill position players that could be very interesting. Just pray the Jets don't get to nab him.

IMO Jackson may very well be the player who tops Beane's list. Beane was part of the braintrust that picked Cam. And Beane has pretty much told us that he wants to draft the guy who is simply the most talented, not the guy who happens to fit a particular coordinators scheme. Adjust the offence, not the player. A very strong argument can be made for saying that Jackson is the most talented player in this class. I'm pretty sure that Beane would not have supported drafting Cam unless he felt confident that he could develop into a QB who.could execute from the pocket, whatever else he might be able to do. I don't think he would draft Jackson unless he felt the same way about him. But Jackson has shown continuing improvement as a passer in each of his years at Louisville, while lacking a strong supporting class. His footwork needs improvement but with improved footwork should come better accuracy. He otherwise has a ton of arm talent. Jackson also ran a very complicated pro style offence under coach Petrino, requiring him to read defences and go through his progressions. He was completely in control of that offence. He is arguably much better prepared for the next level than a guy like Rudolph. To suggest that he is not a QB is ridiculous. He is and will continue to be a QB, not a wide receiver lol. There is a good chance he's at the top of Beane's wish list.

I think Beane is pretty much on record as having said that the QB position is one area (which everyone knows is the most important) where he is looking to improve and he's given some indication of what his thinking is regarding what he looks for in a QB. It's pretty clear to me that they are going to try pretty hard to draft someone they like. I don't get the feeling Tyrod figures in their plans. I suspect he's gone.

I hear ya but bear in mind that when he first came out Vick had no one to throw the ball to except Algie Crumpler, a fat tight end. He actually had arm talent. Jackson runs a complicated pro-style offence under Petrino at Louisville and Jackson is fully in control of it. He reads defences, he goes through his progressions. Tyrod was always a college QB. Jackson is much better QB and pro prospect. Unlike Vick he has excellent intangibles and can be the face of a franchise. If I have understood OBD they are not interested in a QB who is scheme dependent and like Watson you would have to accommodate what he already does well while you worked on developing him. So maybe the Bills aren't interested, but I think they should be. Bills are reputed to love Darnold. I would worry about that. He looks the part but he has terrible flaws that translate not to the NFL but to turnovers instead. Hes also extremely raw. Buyer beware. He may drop by the time the dust settles.

I agree that building an offence around Tyrod would not be a good idea. But that's basically only because Tyrod isn't good enuf to get the amount of upside that would justify dedicating resources to such a project. Doesn't mean that it wouldn't make sense to do that for another QB who had special ability and a more diversified skillset ie one who processes information more quickly, sees the field better and who had better mechanics. Houston's offence was successfully retooled to accommodate Watson's skills. The Bill's have said however that they don't want a QB who is scheme dependant. This maybe is a clue to the type of QB they may be looking to draft. I do think its possible that there is racial animus in the way at least certain evaluators approach the draft. An example of that imo can be seen in the often encountered opinion that Lamar Jackson should consider transitioning from QB to WR.

I don't know whether the Bills will have the opportunity or the inclination to move up for a QB, but I do think there are a few who are worth burning draft capital to get. Foremost among them is Lamar Jackson. Athletically he is as much a generational talent as Barkely is. In that sense these two guys stand apart as unique in this draft. Jackson is Michael Vick. I know we have had our fill of "running QBs" but I think we would feel quite differently about it if Tyrod had arm talent. Jackson has that (though of course it needs some development and refinement i.e. he's not Josh Rosen in that regard). You think D. Watson looked good? Watch out for Lamar. Like Rosen he needs to fill out his frame, especially if he's going to make plays with his feet, but both Vick and Tyrod have shown that a "running QB" can actually be durable enuf. I expect Jackson to be a big draft riser over the next couple of months who will be coveted by GMs so I'm not expecting to get him. My risk/reward adjusted QB evaluation, which I admit is out of sync with where the thinking generally is at the moment is: #1 Lamar Jackson #2 Josh Rosen #3 Baker Mayfield #4 Mason Rudolph #5 Josh Allen #6 Sam Darnold I would be comfortable moving up for any of the top 3 in my list.

QB comparative value is something that all of us have thought about. I agree that Brees and a few others have to be considered in the same class as TB. It's not that in saying that I do not concede him to be the GOAT I think less of Brady as a player. It's just that I recognize the importance of system and coaching in contributing to his success. Pats are the best coached and disciplined team in the game and have been for some time. That's Belly and his coordinators. If I was building a team from scratch and got to pick my QB from among the greats Tom would certainly not be my pick.

I saw this referenced in an article I read a few weeks ago. I've had a quick look for the page but have not found it. So I can't vouch for its accuracy. Though it doesn't directly answer the question because their measurement is not specific to yards after contact and they are dealing to some extent with averages and base case comparisons as of Jan 1, 2018 Football Outsiders had him ranked first in DYAR, first in YAR and second in DVOA league wide.

Well y'know that's why he's so accurate. You cannot be consistently accurate in real time without the ability to process and anticipate. You also need to have very sound fundamental mechanics. Oh I have seen him throw balls right through a moving tire when in shorts. He can do that too.

I wouldn't say no to him. Most yards after contact of any back in the league. Would still prefer to draft my own. Penny for my thoughts.

The moral of the story is that the football gods can be fickle and cruel. They can humiliate a player merely for their own amusement by causing his brain fart to be heard around the world. Seriously I cannot even begin to imagine what was going through that safety's mind. Hes the most accurate passer I have ever seen.

I'd rather draft a guy, especially this year. Also thought he was not the same guy when he came back. Not remotely the same.

It's not Tomlin's fault that the heart of his defence was ripped out of its chest when Shazier went down.

Rosen projects as the best pure passer in this group right now and it's not even close IMO. He's an elitist tennis playing kind of guy. Not blue collar. I agree he's not a bad guy. I think the big apple is the perfect landing spot for him - I think he will be good and the Giants know it. I also agree that he needs to pack on another 15 lbs and a S&C program. If he's anything like me those needed pounds should not be a problem.

Browns and G-men are not trading out IMO. Darnold & Rosen in that order. Cleveland has screwed up before passing on real deal guys and trying to do things on the cheap (Johnny Football). They have learned their lesson the hard way and won't screw up again. Eli can still play but not for long. Just as we have been talking about a vet to bridge a rook, that's exactly where the Giants are. This is their chance to nab another franchise guy. Who knows when that chance would come along again (look at us). They are not stupid. They will take Rosen. Then you have Jets, Denver, Zona (who are likely to move up IMO) all in the market for a QB - Allen, Mayfield, Rudolph...I think one of Lamar or Rudolph might be there when we pick. If Allen has a bad senior bowl week and game he could drop a fair bit. He has a bad record against power 5 teams and the ability to step up will be important for his draft status. Unfortunately if we want a QB we may be eating the table scraps and leftovers rather than the 32 ounce Kansas City special. Mind you Rudolph or Jackson could very well pan out and one of the top guys fail. All depends how OBD feel about whose left on the board. They may opt for a second tier guy on day two or three in which case they will be bringing in a vet who can start.

But can he throw the deep out lol. Answer: no he can't. And neither can Brees.

I'm clueless about this guy (as well as other things no doubt) but if it's true that Belly wanted him I would take that as the highest recommendation.

No. He looks like a hog.

Shazier was a huge loss. I really think that our guys do have an eye for defensive talent, and, as you say, player development on that side of the ball. Good times comin.

No doubt player development is important but they clearly have a great eye for talent when it comes to that position group.

Steelers know wideouts. Wish we did.

Except that Pitt has a better chance of taking down the Pats IMO. Although if they are on their game I would be really interested to see how Jax's D would make out against Tom & Co.