I agree with you mostly here. We likely aren’t sitting on some hidden stud somewhere that the staff has missed on. The only place I slightly disagree is with respect to Ryan Bates. The distinction for me here is that I don’t think the staff thinks he isn’t good, but that they value him more as a backup who can play all 5 positions on the line, particularly with Feliciano being the hurt and the backup center. My issue with that is that you can’t value him so much as a backup that you are willing to forego quality on the starting line and play someone substandard over him (Ford). I dont think he’s some all-pro, but it’s frustrating they won’t just play the guy.
I won’t put words in your mouth, but if your contention is that maybe they have considered Bates, and that maybe they feel he isn’t as good as Ford, that’s a fair point and I can’t argue that. I don’t see him in practice every day. I’d just like to see the kid get a shot because he’s looked good in spot duty. Certainly better than Ford has looked. Free Ryan Bates.