MrEpsYtown

I don't feel good about the idea that they would have taken a third round quarterback at the end of the first. The makes me seriously question their scouting skills and common sense. I do feel good about the fact that Allen seems to be their guy.

Interesting take from Big Ben. I always find it so comical when the media talks about guys learning from vets and getting taken under a guy's wing and all that crap. It is such BS. Why would Big Ben go out of his way to help his eventual replacement? It just doesn't make any sense. It is so overused and overstated. Contrary to popular belief, Mason Rudolph is in a terrible spot. He's Todd Collins. He is going to be expected to replace a legend, won't be able to do it, the fans will hate him, and he will never live up to the unfair expectations because he simply does not have the talent to do so. I think he can be a serviceable player, but he will never be good enough. Mayfield is in a good spot. Even if he is just ok, Cleveland will love him. Sam Darnold and Josh Allen are in good spots for the same reasons. Rosen is in a great spot because he'd essentially replace Sam Bradford, whom Cardinals fans have no connection to. Jackson is in a great spot, because, despite the fact that he won a Super Bowl, most Ravens fans think Flacco sucks.

Ehhhh nobody else has signed Johnson, and a million corners were drafted. I think that tells us all we need to know.

It's so sad that he couldn't mention him in the article because he only compared Allen to the other first round quarterbacks?

Gotcha. I think NFL teams will find ways to force the quarterback to run the ball and cover the pass. As a high school coach, we find ways to force the quarterback to do what we want him to do. It is t hard to figure out who the key is is. The defense can dictate the action and even bait the quarterback into making bad throws. Our strategy though is to smash the quarterbacks face in every chance we get. As we saw with the zone read, it takes the NFL a year or two, but I don't think is going to be an effective scheme in the NFL going forward. I do think it is a nice wrinkle to have.

All the RPOs I have seen are triple options (QB has the option to give it, run it, or throw it), there is a mesh to a back and the quarterback reads the unblocked defender. If the defender plays the running back the quarterback pulls it and looks at the outside backer, usually there is a receiver running a route behind the OLB...if he plays run, the quarterback throws it to the reciever, who is pretty much wide open. (see Baker Mayfield/Mason Rudolph highlights). It happens quick, but what high school teams have done is tell the unblocked defender to force the quarterback to give the ball by smashing the quarterback, stopping the run with the other 10 defenders. You are taking away the "pass" option. Teams do run it without the first option, the quarterback simply reads the OLB and either throws it, or runs it. If the linebacker sits, the quarterback pulls it and is going to get hit. The bottom line is that defenses can dictate what decision the quarterback makes with stunts and such. You also get many opportunities to light up the quarterback. I don't love the scheme in the NFL. I think it is a flash in the pan thing...like Kaepernick and RG3 and that is why I am not sold on Watson.

That's a good point. I just think that there needs to be someone on Allen all practice...as long as everyone is speaking the same language and are on the same page, I don't think it would be a problem.

McBean have talked a lot about Daboll working with Allen and they have said very little about Culley. So I think they expect Daboll to have a lot to do with his development. I still think they should Rob Chudzinski as an offensive assistant, and put him in charge of working with Allen exclusively. He's doing nothing right now and has a relationship with Beane and McDermott.

I see RPOs and play action as quite different. You can stunt the run against RPOs and they don't offer the variety of a traditional play action passes. RPOs generally leave unblocked players and the way many high school teams are stopping it is they are running the unblocked guys right at the quarterback and smashing his face. In essence, you get a free shot at the quarterback if you don't hesitate. Rather than waiting, they sit the outside backer on the pass and run the unblocked player directly to mesh point with the goal of hitting the quarterback. This speeds up the quarterback's reads and makes him vulnerable to getting hit. The offense may score on the play, but might lose their quarterback as well. Teams have learned not to hesitate and to force the QB into the decision that they want him to make with stunts and blitzes. When NFL teams start doing that, offenses won't be able to run RPOs anymore. IMO, RPOs don't protect the quarterback enough. It's what happened to RG3, it is what happened to Colin Kaepernick, it is what will happen to Watson and Baker Mayfield as well.

Awesome thanks!

okay so how do I change my Dareus Jersey into a phillips? I gotta get a nameplate done somewhere?

I think the idea is that McCloud could be more of a slash type player. returner, slot reciever, running back. He was a highly recruited running back out of high school. I still think the Bills will keep a guy like Cadet and McCloud. I would actually replace Cadet with Shane Vereen, who is sitting out there and knows this system well.

The Texans utilized it a lot last year and Watson looked really good. There are ways to defend it, and the NFL will figure it out.

I've got a Bledsoe, McGahee, Poz, Dareus...I finally gave up and got a Kelly and a Reed.

Oh yeah they definitely can. I just think teams would rather keep a specialized guy to do it. There is always a backup long snapper who is a position player just in case the LS gets injured. But teams have a long snapper for the same reason they have punters hold for kickers. It's such an important thing but having your quarterback do it is a huge waste of practice time. It easier to just have the punter do it.

Ok yeah I was thinking I was crazy for a second. To me Josh Allen is the analytics pick. The old school stats don't like him. Statistics like RBIs, homers, TD passes, completion percentage are not analytics in my mind. Those are old school.

Yeah this is where I am at. Things like spin rate etc. Those are all based on athletic ability and talent.

Oops I saw he tweeted and didn't write it. Sorry Bill I disagree and maybe I'm wrong but I feel like analytics is centered around projection. Like in baseball the Mariners took a fast second baseman and looked at the ground he can cover and arm strength and such and they moved him to center field and he is killing it. It was all based on speed and projection. That's what WAR and stuff is all about. To me old school is crap like he's gritty, he's a winner, people follow him, completion percentage etc. Mayfield is the old school pick. He wins, he's a senior, his girlfriend is hot or whatever. To me analytics is projecting the throws Allen can make in the NFL, ball velocity, release time, release point, speed, etc. Playing on a crappy team hurts his old school stats, but what he can do in an NFL offense is about analyzing the throws he can make and such. That is how I see it.

I completely disagree with this article. Old school stats like yards and completion percentage are the one that look bad for Allen. Saying Mayfield is gritty, a winner, has the it factor...that's old school crap. Mayfiled's amazing completion percentage also involved throwing a million force and bubble screens. That is an old school stat that says very little. Parcells' rules about being a senior blah blah is old school. To me, Allen is the analytics pick with a little bit of old school. He is the prototype. Despite the fact that he struggled a bit at school, the analytics numbers project him to the guy who can be really special (released time, velocity, touch...all those sports science numbers). I think Siimmons' message here is all wrong.

Seth Roberts. Here's the deal, they basically have to eat 4.5 million of dead money if they cut him, but that contract comes off the book completely if they can trade him. I think he is a good player who would slot in as a 2/3 here, but his cap hit is a bit high. I actually think the Raiders may have to pull an Osweiler and trade Roberts and a 4th round pick, for like a 6th round pick. I always liked him...like Jones, he's had issues with drops, but is a solid player.

Long snapping is a very specialized skill. These guys practice it basically for the entire practice. Overlooking this to keep some garbage bottom 53 player is not wise. Just ask Trey Junkin who cost the Giants a playoff game...they got cheap and took him off the scrap heap. People don't realize that a split half second of snap time is the difference between every kick getting blocked and none of them getting blocked. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlUnW7yL8Pc

There is no way the Steelers wanted Rudolph over Allen. They may have had a late first round grade on Rudolph, but there is no way they had him as a the first quarterback. Hogwash.

Agreed! There is totally a training camp skirmish in there waiting to happen.

I like him. I think he definitely competes for time and I do hope he is good enough to start in the slot.

? So I'm probably in the minority here, but I think Rudolph is not in an ideal spot. He might eventually replace Big Ben and the fans will hate him because they will expect him to be Big Ben and not matter what he does, he will not live up to expectations because he simply does not have enough talent. They will draft someone else, and that guy will be in an ideal spot because he is simply replacing Rudolph. Rudolph would be in an ideal spot in a place like Baltimore, Cincinnati, or Jacksonville where teams kind of know their quarterback sucks and Rudolph would not have to do too much to look better than them. Even here where he would have only had to compete with AJ. Anyway I was very much against this guy on my team, but I wish him luck.