Richard Noggin

He's giant, strong, and technically athletic as hell. But is he nimble and balanced and quick to react and flexible in the ways that make an OT consistently excellent? I wonder if there should be an athletic combine test for linemen that measures and quantifies athleticism when RETREATING? Sprinting forward and pivoting around cones and doing shuttle drills doesn't really capture how linemen earn their money and keep their QBs upright.

One (imperfect) solution to this, as we saw a bit last season, was keeping Dawson Knox inline instead. Cook has the kind of greasy speed and easy hands you don't want to keep bottled up in the backfield blocking, of course. But on an audible to max protect against pressure, or to occasionally keep a dedicated defender/spy occupied and inside the box while someone else gets behind them...you need him to be able to do the dirty work so his presence is NOT a tell or a handicap. Imagine if/when Kincaid could/can occasionally acquit himself as an inline pass blocker and allow Knox to get downfield instead... The ability to be multiple can be pretty helpful.

Not sure anyone who has started as many games as Shell could be technically worse than Brown. I don't say that with the kind of harsh judgment it might seem. Just the objective bottom line: Spencer Brown has NOT performed well in the NFL to date. He has traits, and potential, and personality, and works hard in the offseason (even going so far once or maybe twice to briefly MOVE IN WITH (if I remember correctly) a former 3X all-pro OT who was similarly athletic)...but due to injuries and unfortunately what looks like maybe a lack of footspeed and agility, the guy has struggled. Now, maybe like the underlying Gabe Davis narrative (that injuries have disrupted him more than we know and he's been a trooper to play through them), what happens this season will go a long way towards clarifying things one way or another. Was the back injury and reported lack of offseason training and practice reps THAT impactful last season? I can easily declare OT my least favorite position on the depth chart for 2023. I don't really care much about MLB in the full context of that defense. WR depth is a thing for many but there is some at least average depth behind Diggs now that Kincaid has entered the picture. And interior OL looks to be MUCH improved. DT? Adding Poona ford is a pretty big deal. DE? Definition of rotational depth (Floyd a sneaky good add). Et cetera. They've added some interesting talent everywhere but MLB and OT, in my eyes. Hopefully one of Shell or Doyle or that Gairage (sp?) person can add value in replacing or filling in for Brown and/or Dawkins. Feels thin out there.

This ain't about them.

That's not how being a Richard works.

Hey

General mobile google alerts and browser notifications/suggestions keep me from falling TOO far behind (with Meta/facebook/Twitter/X underperforming 2nd/3rd hand trolling/talking points) the affirmed scientific consensus in 2023. Haven't ever set up a super conscious and intentional information diet...but we should all be ready for any/all content to reach us individually at any time.

Even if you are correct more often than not, this kind of pettiness towards a 5th rounder is weird. Are people claiming that Shakir is some kind of hidden breakout talent? Or is he like just a valid WR depth and special teams R candidate with a lot of work to do? Shouldn't really be much talent assessment credibility on the line right about meow...

I know that you're referring to something even more "big" than moving up in the 1st round to draft a potential top-10 offensive weapon who happens to be the size of a tight end. But they did the thing I'm pointing out, which may, possibly, have the influence of a Hopkins-like move. Be interesting to compare the DHop and DKinc numbers at season's end.

This report is NOT empirically positive, despite how it's spun. It's a microcosm of the Gabe Davis experience, good and not as good.

Inject this into my veins. Seriously. I lack dopamine.

Hadn't been invented yet.

I'm SO sorry about the bolded! **I, too, used to rock the poor prof/creative practitioner combo pack. But I had to add high-end restaurant server to the mix. The serving gig got me pretty amazing access to the team for a lot of years, though. Then that whole pandemic thing happened and it all went away! Thanks for coming to my TEDtalk. Spector is an interesting speculation, indeed. Went back recently to look at his draft profile and RAS; was surprised I'd missed or forgotten what an athletic specimen he is:

It's worth mentioning, just for the sake of humanity and empathy and all that...this person who has made these now allegedly false claims was still quite possibly exploited in some way at that party. Aiming the legal/civil allegations at the most upwardly mobile person in the "orbit" of that team and that night in question might be some opportunistic grab by that person and her legal representation, as many now are thinking...OR, it could be a trauma-informed, but maybe inaccurate, attempt to find some semblance of justice. The full truth of so many troubling incidents can be damned near impossible to ever clearly know, even sometimes for the people most directly involved. To think any of us here definitely knows what happened in all its complexities and nuances is foolish and revealing. But then again, I don't know much about this actual "case." I just know how elusive objective truth is to unearth much of the time. Still wonder if something caused the organization to cut Araiza beyond the simple existence of the accusation. Something inconsistent from him or his team that was somehow called into question after more came to light? A report I recall at the time of this emerging suggested a more group-based encounter and Araiza's defense was that he had already left the party? Does anyone else recall that phase of this saga? I guess the point is we just don't get to know for real. And knowing that, I try not to vilify either participant.

For those debating offensive style/aggressiveness...we've already seen glimpses, full games, and consecutive strings of games of what QB17 looks like running a surgical, chain-moving, methodical attack. And to be honest, it's like watching a Fibonacci spiral unfurl its convergent song of mathematical precision and universal beauty. With Allen's talents, disciplined, rote execution eventually unlocks transcendent explosions.

First point is really interesting. I'd guess there are advanced metrics that do adjust or handicap something like drop/catch rate for depth of target (among other circumstantial factors). So many interrelated and interdependent variables on every NFL play that make the modern quantifiable assessment of individual player efficacy a fascinating and imperfect science. -tangential thought: one of the knocks on Davis coming out of UCF was that his route tree was basically just a tall pole. And despite his hard work, and intermittent (and occasionally bombastic) productivity, it seems like his usage has remained heavily weighted towards deeper sideline routes with an infamously predictable reliance on in-breaking patterns. Second point: further specifying, the "ideal" WR2 is a highly drafted eventual replacement (or trade asset) for your WR1. Your three examples fit that criteria (depending on which Smith you're referring to). Until Kincaid, the Bills have not gone that route with pipeline development.

He's not a "bad" reciever, but he is fighting the ball, and does have issues seeing routes and coversges and adjustments the same way his QB does as coverages have evolved over the years. Teams would see a guy capable of exploding in the right situation, who simply needs to make a minor adjustment to his catching fundamentals and some improvements to his route tree. I know the guys on the team love him, and his work ethic is apparently top notch. But I cannot abide watching an experienced NFL WR try to catch bullets like an RB taking a handoff (within his frame) or like someone holding an infant away from their body (outside his frame).

Love the topic, but don't love the OP suggesting even a SHRED of connection to the signing of Andy Isabella. I know it was a measured mention, but I hope that isn't the thing that pushed this to the forefront of your mind. I REALLY hope they don't re-sign Gabe unless it's to a VERY team friendly deal (like $10M/per). And if they aren't going to re-sign him, then it makes sense to recoup whatever assets they can (I'd think a 3rd is possible and presents some value). His chemistry with Allen, minus one incredible playoff game (which we lost), has been inconsistent and fraught with nagging injuries and DREADFUL catching fundamentals. Matt Parrino shared (on fb) a pic from this week where Gabe is still doing that awful outstretched hands, reaching thing. He's gotten flack for "clapping" at the ball, and I'm not sure if that's the same or not as what plagued him last year. He's like pointing his hands AT the ball. It's a mess.

I don't wish to be a jerk, but I'm having difficulty understanding this post? Both hamstrings AND calves are on the BACK of the leg. Hammies are problematic AF for speed guys, and can def linger. Calves are less prevalent for smaller, speedier athletes, but can definitely linger nonetheless. As some have pointed out, an ongoing calf issue CAN absolutely be a precursor to an achilles injury. For what it's worth, I'll vote on the side of achilles tears being MUCH less demonstrably painful than ACLs, for example. I recall Marino and Takeo Spikes as examples of guys who very calmly knew immediately what had happened and didn't writhe in pain much at all. People have pointed out other similar examples.

Destroying Hackett as a HC last season is entirely justified. He was COMPLETELY unprepared for the scope of the job. For the layers of details and logistics and planning and organization. As suggested by Payton, the Broncos struggled just to RUN a professional NFL offense play-to-play, making substitutions and getting play calls delivered down the chain in time for the players to diagnose and execute (or even snap the ball at all). Early in the season, especially, it seemed almost unprecedentedly dysfunctional. That being said, there are MANY quality NFL coordinators who failed as head coaches. So it's still possible Hackett can be successful letting Aaron Rodgers run his GB offense in New Jersey. Might even be the best hire the Jets could have made at OC, with Rodgers aboard. Out with the LaFleur system (that Rodgers excelled in but didn't always love) and in with the overt Aaron Rodgers system (not hugely different, schematically, to be honest).

Very reasonable interpretation of those macros. To be serially cut, of course, also involves being serially signed, though innit? I don't have stats to counter your position that he's a scrub. Except for the number of times teams have signed him, including very recently by an organization who has some first-hand insight on him and/or trusts those prior evaluators who've found some value in him at the very back end of the roster. There might be analytics and/or film breakdowns of his on-field play the past couple seasons. My own perception was that he made a solid 5th or 6th DT who has flashed enough in preseason and spot duty to be a relevant guy in the position room.

I think if it happens again, then we'd all hopefully realize Stefon Diggs has been right all along. Can't lose in the playoffs for a 5th straight season, with this team, without lighting ***** on fire.

Diggs was in midseason form for this press conference. Incredibly charismatic. Said a LOT without actually revealing much. Damn near perfect. Had some fun with the aforementioned JW in a way I found refreshing. Chef's kiss.

To think games started and snaps somehow tell a meaningful story about a player's potential is wild. This isn't 1993. He could be out of the league mid-season, for sure. He's not some star in waiting, most likely. But to present those two macro stats as meaningful analysis remains silly. That's my point.

Replacement-level guys get cut. But then re-signed. That happens. Doesn't mean your presented stats were at all meaningful paths to assessment.