VW82

Ok so to summarize the events of the day: -Tre gets "carted off" except he walked part way and it doesn't sound serious. -stark reminder that even if White heals up and starts week one, CB2 is shaky until one of the young guys steps up and solidifies it. -something, something Asante Samuel and Rasual Douglas. whatever.

That’s a different issue though I’d argue Hancock has outperformed Hamlin. Bishop was outperforming too before sustaining yet another injury. It looked to me like he rushed coming back due to McD’s comments.

We are apparently now “ruthless” fans for wanting the team to move on from Hamlin per all the mainstream media.

I agree. It's still early, but one season plus most of a second off season and preseason is enough to form an opinion. Keon looks improved but he's going to take time to learn all the nuances one needs to win without speed. Bishop and Carter are behind the eight ball. Ray Davis is ok. SVPG is TBD. Ulofoshio looks like a bust. Solomon struggles vs. the run and isn't getting as much pressure as one would hope for a one trick pony. Grable is super interesting but hurt. I like our 2025 class much better, or at least have more hope.

Right he hurt it trying to be a physical football player and was never the same. If memory serves, he was tackling someone after throwing a pick. And Josh doesn't just run into DBs. We do designed sneaks and runs right into the teeth of the defense all the time. It exposes him to getting hit. There are few examples throughout NFL history of teams using their QB like we use Josh, so you can say the data says x but it's mostly meaningless. Josh is a unicorn. I'll make you a friendly bet that at some point in the next 2-3 years we stop doing as many designed QB runs/sneaks and reference Josh's continued health as the reason. Even if you believe Josh to be indestructable, the threat of coaching intervention is still there, and that will force the kind of changes I'm talking about.

This isn't really addressing Septide's point which is that Josh's physical style of play likely has a shelf life. Elway and Young weren't exactly bowling guys over. The better comparison is Cam Newton who hit a wall in his 30s and couldn't dominate the same way anymore. Josh is more talented than Newton as a passer and overall player so there should be lots of confidence he can change his game over time with considerable effectiveness, but he likely does have to change. Septide's related point about our receiving talent is on point as presumably one part of Josh running less is him needing to make more plays in the pocket; we could also lean more into our RBs. Anyway, I share the same concern about the Superman timeline. We maybe only have a year or two left of this version of Josh.

Seems really high to me but glad we at least removed the distraction. Edit: looks like a two year deal with some guaranteed $$ falling in year three is most likely outcome. Will we be able to fit in future deals for guys like OCT or Kincaid if he breaks out? Cap sheet is getting pretty filled up.

We don’t have the pass rushing talent to dominate anyone but it feels like we probably have the depth to actually pull off McD’s philosophy of rushing in waves, especially if we can get something out of guys like Sanders this year.

Well at least Samuel can run in straight lines now 🙄 We can’t cut or trade him but we sure as hell can leave his ass off the active roster on game days (assuming we can’t justify IR). Only seven months until we can cut bait. What a waste!

Hate to say it but this escalation was always a greater risk to the season than people were admitting. Cook is a huge part of this team. Like, we probably need to change some of our offensive philosophy if he’s traded. I don’t think he’s worth what he wants and that will become apparent to him when he starts negotiating with other teams, but this still sucks. Perhaps it’s still premature to start freaking out but it doesn’t look great. He has so much to potentially lose entering this year without a deal done, hence why a holdout during the season and /or trade could happen.

These injuries are getting out of hand

The big remaining question for Benford (and all our DBs really) is can he improve in man press alignments. We haven’t really had anyone who could do that since prime Taron (who got smoked last year the few times we tried like vs. Rams). I think McBeane understand this has been a weakness which is why we targeted guys like Hairston, a zone CB but someone with the wheels to in theory play without a cushion, and Dorian Strong who seemed to show man press ability in college.

I could see a repeat scenario of Benford’s rookie season where someone like Ingram or Dorian Strong comes out of nowhere and wins the job out of camp. Hairston is a prospect stud. He’ll be fine. He just needs time to learn the league. Might be one of those cases where he needs to get through camp and then watch for a bit. We’ve certainly seen that before. Also, happy for Keon. He needed that. Now let’s start to see some consistency.

I was diagnosed three years ago after having heart issues in the year following covid shots and immediately bought a cpap. It didn't work then and still doesn't work. I also have insomnia, so can't get to sleep and can't stay asleep unless I'm extremely careful. Even though I don't snore much and have never been overweight, I don't doubt the diagnosis but have always found the one-size-fits-all cpap solution to be somewhat lacking. In my case, lifestyle decisions make all the difference. Mediterranean diet. Portion control. I repeat: diet and portion control! Limit caffeine and alcohol. Exercise every day even if it's just 30 min walk on the treadmill. Lots of time outside in the sun and green areas, preferrably in the morning or afternoon. I even bought a UV-B lamp for psoriasis to use on days/weeks where it's too cold or rainy to be outside. Those things can help with vitamin d production and mitochondrial repair, or so I've read - I think it works. Magnesium biglycinate also helps. I think a lot of us are deficient in those two areas. Basically, if cpap isn't working for you, live like a nun and supplement and the symptoms will be greatly reduced.

I'd like to see the snaps vs. target numbers for Davidson and Kincaid (from Josh) over several practices.

Main takeaway from Beane's presser today is Cook is gone next year.

NFLPA F’d the negotiations in the last CBA. How is it possible that 2nd rd picks are expected to sign non-guaranteed contracts in 2025.

Yes and No. Anyone expecting Keon to be a #1 option just because he's our X or develop into that type of reliable option who always gets open is probably in for a disappointment. But for those who aren't planning on holding him to his draft position, and have expectation of someone who will play hard, bring it in the blocking game for a running offense, and fight for tough catches when plays break down, then I see no reason why he can't meet those expectations.

Exactly. we're 3rd because we play six OL so much. Bet the league gets wise to that this year and we throw more.

This thread is annoying. Kincaid is one of the few elite talents on offense not named Allen or Cook. He had a bad year due to injury. I expect him to come back healthy and dominate in year 3. Pairing elite TE route running ability with elite QB passing is almost always a recipe for success. I don't understand the knee jerk to crap all over DK, especially when he's the most likely candidate to make our offense basically unstoppable.

Probably. He'd look better if we moved him around but we won't because we need an x and have lots of guys who should be featured in the slot. Keon needs to become a master of his craft to reach full potential which might take years. Until then, he's just a guy who struggles to gain separation from the other guy.

Assuming he can stay healthy, is the plan that Bosa will play mostly from the right side this year? I ask because Greg is clearly better rushing from the left side. Jackson looks more like a left end to me, and I believe Bosa was playing more from the left side in recent years. Epenesa obv plays from the right side but I can’t be the only one hoping he sees the field a lot less this year. Maybe Solomon will make a leap? Bills certainly like their LEs and 3Ts!

Move Keon to the slot and he'll have success. Many of us said prior to the draft that he looked more like a big slot.

All the hard games are home games. Nice.

You forgot Taron who was absolutely elite for several years and maybe the best draft pick Beane has made (unless you want to give all the credit to McD which I get). Also, although he didn't make it with us, Wyatt Teller was an elite guard for the Browns. Beane deserves some credi (and criticism) for that.