How important is winning right now ?
On one hand we know that this is a young, inexperienced team, in the middle of a rebuilding process and handicapped by injuries. And we knew that the Eagles are a very good team. We all know that Bortles is our best quarterback, but he is being kept out of the team, to make him a better player. So maybe we should accept that this is going to be a season of struggle and that we shouldn't expect a massive improvement straight away. Maybe this season doesn't matter, because we're not going to be good enough to make the playoffs.
Or maybe we've waited long enough for success, we've had to put up with a lot of bad football and disastrous seasons, so now it's time to start winning. It's about pride. We've got some stars now - time they proved it. And it's important to build a winning mentality. We want a team playing with confidence, which knows how to get results because it's used to winning. If we can't achieve that, then we'll continue to fail.
I fall, reluctantly, in the first camp, but what about you ?
Apparently, it isn't very important at all. We get mad at Houston for tanking, but we are blind to the fact we are doing it ourselves.
Actually very well put. I fall into camp #2. All teams suffer the adversity of youth at positions and injuries. The talent is better this year than last, and some winning should be expected, as a sign of gain.
Progress is more important than a win right now.
Quote:How important is winning right now ?
On one hand we know that this is a young, inexperienced team, in the middle of a rebuilding process and handicapped by injuries. And we knew that the Eagles are a very good team. We all know that Bortles is our best quarterback, but he is being kept out of the team, to make him a better player. So maybe we should accept that this is going to be a season of struggle and that we shouldn't expect a massive improvement straight away. Maybe this season doesn't matter, because we're not going to be good enough to make the playoffs.
Or maybe we've waited long enough for success, we've had to put up with a lot of bad football and disastrous seasons, so now it's time to start winning. It's about pride. We've got some stars now - time they proved it. And it's important to build a winning mentality. We want a team playing with confidence, which knows how to get results because it's used to winning. If we can't achieve that, then we'll continue to fail.
I fall, reluctantly, in the first camp, but what about you ?
First camp as well - although I do believe the season matters. I think the Eagles game is a pretty good microcosm for the season, at times we will look like Half 1 and others like Half 2. I'd like to see us start looking like the former for whole games against some of the weaker teams and hang around some of the harder teams.
Winning is always important, how can you measure improvement if the end result is always the same?
Winning is always important. More important than developing your future quarterback to achieve a multitude of wins in the future? Probably not.
Quote:Winning is always important, how can you measure improvement if the end result is always the same?
Clearly, based on Bradley's philosophy this isn't the case. They evaluate the players internally and separately from what the box score and the scoreboard shows. Self-improvement is the goal, winning the result.
It's the most important thing in the world.
Quote:Clearly, based on Bradley's philosophy this isn't the case. They evaluate the players internally and separately from what the box score and the scoreboard shows. Self-improvement is the goal, winning the result.
sure in the preseason but you're kidding yourself if you don't think winning is important in the regular season.
Who says B5 can't be a better player if he plays now.
At this point, we would be starting Bortles if we actually wanted to win. Gus Bradley saw it first hand in Seattle with Russel Wilson outplaying the starting QB, and they named him the starter right away. They always talk about wanting the young guys to step up and make plays, but I guess Bortles is exempt from that? I really don't understand their point of view on it at all... Starting him later will only slow down the process and they'll just have another excuse as to why the offense played bad (assuming he has his ups and downs), and say " He's developing " when he should've started developing week 1. Chad Henne is not the future and Blake already out performed him in all FOUR pre-season games.
You play to win the game... if winning isn't everything...then why do we keep a score?
Winning is THE most important thing, despite what the coaching staff consistently suggests. It is the only tangible measuring stick there is.
The coaching staff can't avoid that anymore. The minute they decided Henne gave us the best chance to win, winning became the goal. Otherwise bortles would be playing. They can't have it both ways. The evaluation clock starts now boys and girls. All aboard the "Gus Bus"
I'm with the latter. Winning every year is the most important thing. Football cost too much for anything less and a lot of fans has paid for many pathetic losing seasons already.
If we get the number one pick I'd hope we'd get Robert Griffin compensation in return or there'd really be no reason in tanking the season by not starting Bortles.
At his point, I would love to see wins, especially against a team as good as the Eagles. However, at this point for me it's not THE most important thing. I want to see improvement. I saw that in week one.
The theme this season is "to get better" and I see it happening. Even though the first game was a loss (no surprise), it was a learning experience for the young team, and I would hope that they get better from the experience.
Go back and look at some of the older threads predicting the record. I don't think that anyone really believed that we would win every game or even make the playoffs. All of the sudden, when we lose a heart-breaker, the board goes into "meltdown" mode because we didn't get the win. Nobody expected us to win against the Eagles and rightly so. However, I'll bet that nobody ever thought that we would even be "in the game" at any point. Had this been last year's team, the game would have essentially been over by halftime with the same outcome.
For this team this season, I just want to see progress/improvement. Winning would be nice, but if they lose, at least lose by making the other team really "work" for the win.
If we have our rookies out there getting experience (including Bortles) then wins aren't as important.
I want to win. Always.
If the line starts to look marginally consistent and the receivers continue to learn the playbook successfully -- I believe we'll find out if Caldwell/Bradley feel the same way. I think they'll start the kid at that point, and if they don't I'll begin questioning their decisions on the matter. I'm holding steady at "patient" on the matter for now.
It's also OK to be realistic on the matter of not being a playoff team this year.
-This O-line is currently a joke.
-Either the worst in the league or somewhere very near that mark.
-We don't really know what we have at RB as a result of said line. Might be fine there - might not.
-The receivers are inexperienced and they will undoubtedly look like it at times.
-We have one good safety and zero depth at either safety position.
-The LB corps is still a question mark. Watson is still earning time after injury, Smith has potential but is raw, Poz is great but not an ideal fit in some of Babich/Bradley's scheme. Hayes is hot and cold. They looked lost when Poz wasn't out there in Philly.
Given all of that -- I just don't have a problem with the kid being groomed. I don't see this team overcoming all of those things (especially early in the season) and scraping into the playoffs regardless of who's behind center. That's my version of "realistic."
Also realistic to me is that Henne will make the decision for the coaches. And he'll probably do it before the bye. I believe he's on a shorter leash than many think. I'll be stunned if he plays 9 games and I think 5 is a more likely number.
I already want to fast forward to when Bortles has already started and has 2-3 wins under his belt