harmonkillebrew

Nice values, but didn't Whaley do the WR dumpster dive last year with horrible results? Don't see why it will work now. Hopefully we add some real talent in the draft

Agree entirely. Put your 5 best linemen out there. the RT/LT divide is not so important anymore. There are lots of good pass rushers from the right side. The only thing I wouldn't want to mess up is the Richie/Glenn run game combo, but that might not be such an issue either

This country has a deep history of racism against blacks. Slavery, Jim Crow, segregation - how can you argue otherwise??? Unfortunately, police treatment of blacks has long been an instrument of that oppression. While there are complications related to crime incidences and gangs, there has still been enough high profile evidence to call for more analysis and discussion, which is all Kapernick was doing. Honest, open discussions about race, including silent protests, are an important part of our continued national healing from our dark past. fwiw, Kaep is a pretty bad QB and that's why he's not signed (like Fitz, Geno, etc...)

As usual, we'll be looking to the draft to find multiple, immediate starters (WR, CB, OLB?), rather than building depth

It's nice to not have some offseason hype for once. Maybe means OBD is actually focusing on the things that count to build a winning team

Sophomore sitting behind a two-year Senior starter. Still almost took his starting job. Makes sense to me. Plus some guys bloom later. Apparently he was a shy guy when he first came to UNC. Took some time to grow into a leader.

would rather trade down and get him. Still haven't seen an example where a top 10 TE works out well. Also worried about Tyrod's ability to get him the ball. TT does best with fast WRs that can work outside the numbers

I'm sure you can find a few exceptions of guys that had to bide their time behind a less than NFL college QB. Cam Newton comes to mind. Let alone Tom Brady. Russell Wilson basically got benched at NC State for a nobody so had to transfer to Wisconsin. It's a pretty shallow argument when you consider everyone at UNC was waiting for Trubisky to start. Williams, the Senior, just rose to the occasion. Trubisky probably should have waited a year to come out and it might cost him top 10 status. I'm not saying we should take him at 10. I think we have more immediate needs with Tyrod back under center. But if we can trade down or take him in the 2nd I"m all for it

Marquise Williams was a really good college QB. He had that skill set, like V. Young, that translates well to college, but not so to the NFL (he's only a rookie anyways, and is with GB). Still, Trubisky beat him in spring practice and many UNC fans wanted him to start over Williams. But Williams got the start due to seniority and then lead the team to some big wins. All season the coaching staff kept looking for an opportunity to start Trubisky over him, but couldn't justify it with the winning streak they were on in 2015. You're right to be skeptical of one year of experience, but there are other ways to analyze a QB. Just ask Brady.

Might as well say we should also ignore S based on Poyer/Hyde signings Still, I'm leaning towards Lattimore based on BPA and need intersection

I'm only responding to your assertion that he's no better than EJ based on college stats. His stats are a good deal better than EJ and Tannehill. But yeah, not much analysis use on its own. My argument that he will be a good QB is based on intangibles and skills, buoyed by good stats. He'll need grooming, but we're in the QB market and can let him sit for a year or so. Right situation for him.

Agree. It was a solid move on both Whaley and Tyrod's part. I think TT probably could have gotten a better contract, but he's committed to us and seeing things through. We still need to add a QB in the draft. Cardale is not the backup and neither TT or Cardale are the long-term franchise. Hopefully not. QB requires a different valuation and strategy, imo

QB is hard to evaluate, but if you see a guy you like you get him. You don't wait till your pick and hope he's there. Franchise QBs are rare and can stabilize your roster and make you a perennial winning team. I'm not a QB scout, but I think Trubisky has the mental make-up and skills to be a top QB. I don't know if I'd take him at 10, but a smarter play would be to either trade back or trade up from the 2nd. If I were the Bills I'd be seriously working the phones to find his landing spot and our own. You don't mortgage the house, but you make an effort. And maybe in the end no trades work out and he falls to you in the 2nd anyways. I'd definitely pull the trigger in that scenario. Then let him sit behind Tyrod a few years and learn.

man, i remember that guy. I was convinced he was going to be a stud and the Bills needed to draft him. We took James Hardy instead. A bunch of teams missed on DeSean Jackson, including us, who was like the 7th WR off the board. The draft is such a crap shoot.

also, I'd say Trubisky, while he was in the shotgun most of the time, ran a more multiple read, pro-style offense with 3-4 WRs running varied route trees. It wasn't a dumbed down offense from a QB standpoint.

23:10 TD:INT ratio for EJ. Not bad, but 30:6 for Trubisky is ridiculous

Tannehill stats: 327 531 61.6 3744 7.1 6.9 29 15 133.2 Trubisky stats: 304 447 68.0 3748 8.4 9.1 30 6 157.9 I think he's a good deal better than Tannehill. Better accuracy, more than half of the INTs

I don't have faith in DW based on his "hits" last year. Lo and Zach were signed as backups and pleasantly surprised. If DW believed in Zach he wouldn't have blown 3 picks on Ragland. Same with Shaq to some degree (even when healthy and as the year went on Shaq couldn't keep Lo off the field). Who else has Whaley "unearthed" in FA? I don't like the Poyer signing b/c he got starter money despite not showing he's worth it. Sounds like Whaley trying to outsmart everyone. I was hoping for a dynamic S from a deep pool in the draft, but with Poyer's K it seems unlikely.

interesting. good to know. love these boards for tidbits like this.

Trubisky is a guy you move back into the 1st for, if he somehow slides. This guy will be an NFL starter for a long time. Great kid, level-headed leader, hard worker, insanely accurate, good arm strength, and great mobility. He's got all the tools and intangible, he just needs a little more experience. I'm not saying he's the second coming of Joe Montana, but his floor is Chad Pennington. Right situation and coaching and he could end up alot like Aaron Rodgers. Similar traits (maybe not quite the same gun)

I don't know if McD is releasing guy b/c of his scheme, more like they are old/ineffective and we have salary cap issues. Robey-Coleman was a bit of a question mark, but I think his cap # and maybe scheme had the most to do with it. With Rex, it was so obvious he was going to bring in his guys, and most enfuriating, we spent the entire draft (5 picks) to add his kind of players, when it was obvious he was on the hot seat. Now we're stuck with some ill fits - Ragland, Shaq - and less draft picks b/c we went all in on Rex. Hopefully those guys can play multiple schemes but it just wasn't very smart. Biggest issue with draft over FA, as you said, is those FAs stick around for like 1 or two years. Draft picks can be here for 4-5, and then you get benefits for re-signing your own.

Has he or Mike Williams even run yet? I'm not going all-in on a guy until I see his 40. Lots of mediocre NFL WRs that looked like stars against college talent (and slow speeds)

You think we still add a S? Probably need 2 CBs or more

Causation v. correlation is tricky. So if you're going to demand causation you should be ready to show it for your counter argument. Easy to poke holes. Give me some regression analysis! We'll see about Oak and Atl, in terms of staying power. But when most people talk about their success it really centers on good drafting (Mack, Cooper, Carr) and coaching (Quinn), not their success in FA. I think one of the biggest pitfalls of FA is that guys you sign are either big money for 2-4 years, or small money for 1 or 2. There's no continuity. Drafted guys are bargains (esp with the new rookie salary structure) and around for 4-6 years. Actually, now that I say it, I think the relatively new rookie salary structure is probably one reason smart teams have prioritized the draft over the past 5 years, since it went into effect. we're in agreement then. Here's to trading down!

So, given the particular strengths of our management team, FA is a better strategy than draft? ok. But I think a few of us are implying that this is itself the problem and that what we really need is a new management team. We'll see how it goes this year. I'm critical of Whaley, but hopefully with a better HC he'll make wiser decisions.