Quote:Common theme all off season. Everyone knows this year is on Blake's progression and the offensive line to create some push up front to open up the run game. If both come together this team can win a lot of games. That is a big IF for Bortles, and also a questionable IF for an O line that will likely see Albert gone(retired/cut/etc) and Cam stepping in at LT as a rookie. I don't think we did enough this off season up front, just my .02.
Have you seen that schedule?
Quote:This is a very intelligent post even if I don't agree with every particular point. Well done sir.
Thank you, not sure if I agree with all of it either.
One thing I do know, that was said by Herm Edwards on NFL Live today, is that Pete Carroll has made the Seahawks into a modern version of the Raiders of the 1970's. It takes a special kind of coach to manage all the egos of people like Marshawn Lynch and Richard Sherman. Madden was that kind of coach. Gus Bradley was not.
Quote:Hmm don't know where you're getting here. The Texans have gone to the playoffs in past 4 of 5 years, they have 2 AFC championships in the last three, and I hope we can both agree that there QB situation has always been trash. I'm not sure that adding in a rookie (if he eventually beats out Tom Savage in the first year) can downgrade the offense. On the defensive side the #1 defense from last year, is adding the DPOY when JJ Watt comes back. Short of massive injuries 5-11 seems pretty crazy.
Well, you did go 2-14, following a 12-4 season 4 years ago. I know, many factors came into play, but it happened.
Within the divisional context, the Jags played them well last year and had a chance to snatch Ws in both games if they weren't #becauseJags
You know the QB drives the team, so it's a monumental feat if you hand over the reigns of the team to the rookie, and he struggles. Poor QB play directly affects defensive output. As great as the tinhorns D has been the past 3 years, the team hasn't won more than 9 games in the regular season, precisely due to spotty O. A rookie can make that O even spottier, with the D in even more compromising situations. I think 02 was going along those lines, for the 2017 season anyway. If he starts and suffers growing pains that is.
Quote:The best way to turn a losing team into a winning team quickly in the NFL is to be a trend setter instead of a trend follower. I remember when the Vikings fielded Nate Burleson, Cris Carter and Randy Moss at wide receiver and nobody could cover them. I remember the "Greatest Show on Turf" in St. Louis with Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk. And we all know about the Legion of Boom.
The lesson is this: The NFL is a league that is predicated on innovation.
What Gus Bradley was trying to do was copy what Pete Carroll did. He failed for the same reason Pete did in New York and Boston. Pete was trying to be Bill Walsh back then. Bill Belichick was trying to be Bill Parcells in Cleveland, (although he did come up with the UFO defense.) That didn't work out either.
Being a trend follower instead of a trend setter is one reason that teams fail in the draft. It has to be done with a five year plan and you have to do it with next years draft in mind. If you don't have a tenured scouting department, this is a liability.
What I think is interesting from the Jaguars point of view is that this was the deepest draft for defensive backs in the last ten years and they only took one very late. Last year was the year to go get offensive and defensive lineman in the draft. Jags drafted four defensive linemen, a shutdown corner and a swiss army knife linebacker with injury concerns. Clearly, they expect to have a big year defensively.
What may be their Achilles heel again this year, is the offensive line. I'm not sure how much could have been done about that. Contrast this to what Seattle did in 2016 taking a tackle in Germain Ifedi, a guard in Rees Odhiambo, and a center in Joey Hunt and feeding Russel Wilson to the wolves behind the worst offensive line in football according to Pro Football Focus. They played a rookie undrafted free agent, George Fant, at LEFT TACKLE for most of the year who had never played the position before at any level. Will the big jump be from year one to year two? I dunno.
If it is, I expect the Jags defense to be stellar, finally, this year.
As they say in Brooklyn, spit that fact son!
Well said BritJag.
I still believe the Texans have the best defense in the division, but I can't get over their qb situation and how erratic Deshaun can be throwing the ball. Their defense might win them a few games, but I just don't agree with the likes of some nfl media sites that currently have the Texans ranked as high as #9. If Watson struggles as a rookie as a bad as I think he will, even the league's best defense (not saying there's is the best) won't be able to bail them out.
Quote:Well said BritJag.
I still believe the Texans have the best defense in the division, but I can't get over their qb situation and how erratic Deshaun can be throwing the ball. Their defense might win them a few games, but I just don't agree with the likes of some nfl media sites that currently have the Texans ranked as high as #9. If Watson struggles as a rookie as a bad as I think he will, even the league's best defense (not saying there's is the best) won't be able to bail them out.
A division rival qb struggled his first year. And A lil birdy said Manning was pretty dang good.
Quote:A division rival qb struggled his first year. And A lil birdy said Manning was pretty dang good.
Watson is no Manning.
I didn't need a little "birdy" to figure that out.
Quote:Well, you did go 2-14, following a 12-4 season 4 years ago. I know, many factors came into play, but it happened.
Within the divisional context, the Jags played them well last year and had a chance to snatch Ws in both games if they weren't #becauseJags
You know the QB drives the team, so it's a monumental feat if you hand over the reigns of the team to the rookie, and he struggles. Poor QB play directly affects defensive output. As great as the tinhorns D has been the past 3 years, the team hasn't won more than 9 games in the regular season, precisely due to spotty O. A rookie can make that O even spottier, with the D in even more compromising situations. I think 02 was going along those lines, for the 2017 season anyway. If he starts and suffers growing pains that is.
The question is IF Tom Savage or Deandre Watson are worse than Brock Osweiler. I guess my answer is no, particularly when the Texans traded a 2nd round pick to get Brock out of the darned locker room (plus cap.) This actually applies to the 2-14 season, as Matt Schaub set an NFL record for consecutive pick-6 games.
Quote:The question is IF Tom Savage or Deandre Watson are worse than Brock Osweiler. I guess my answer is no, particularly when the Texans traded a 2nd round pick to get Brock out of the darned locker room (plus cap.) This actually applies to the 2-14 season, as Matt Schaub set an NFL record for consecutive pick-6 games.
Is Deandre Watson a WR/QB genetically engineered hybrid? I like Savage. Perhaps a better chance for the formidable horns to get to their usual 9 with him.
Quote:Is Deandre Watson a WR/QB genetically engineered hybrid?
He can throw to himself. Revolutionizing the game.
Quote:He can throw to himself. Revolutionizing the game.
1B - Bugs Bunny
2B - Bugs Bunny
SS - Bugs Bunny
3B - Bugs Bunny
.....
Quote:1B - Bugs Bunny
2B - Bugs Bunny
SS - Bugs Bunny
3B - Bugs Bunny
.....
![[Image: giphy.gif]](https://media.giphy.com/media/3og0ICvplAV36TDhNC/giphy.gif)
Quote:
they don't make cartoons like that anymore to bad
Three wins is too low. This is a weak schedule on paper. I broke that down in a different thread but outside of Pittsburgh, Seattle, Cincinnati and Arizona (If, and only if Palmer is healthy) I see the rest of the schedule as winnable. We split the series last year with the tacks and clots. The tinhorns have a questionable QB situation so it's not out of question we go at least 3 - 3 in the division this year.
We play the 49ers, Jets, Browns & Rams as well. If this team can't beat them then they suck. It's that simple. All four of those teams are in far worse situations than we are right now roster wise. They virtually have no talent or no answer at the QB position. And as bad we think ours is with Bortles. It's nowhere near as bad or questionable as those three teams have in 2017. That's 7 - 3 right there for me at the minimum.
After that. We have Baltimore in London. That could go either way. We play the Chargers who historically own us. And then as cited above between Pittsburgh, Seattle, Cincinnati and Arizona I expect those games to be measuring sticks for 2018 since those teams are typically in the play-off hunt. We'll either keep the games close and lose by a few points or we'll get obliterated by them.
7 - 9 is what I'd go with this year with the additions to the defense and a commitment to the ground game. I just don't see this coaching staff or front office putting up with a lousy football team and lousy effort this year. Just can't see it. Just can't happen.
Quote:Three wins is too low. This is a weak schedule on paper. I broke that down in a different thread but outside of Pittsburgh, Seattle, Cincinnati and Arizona (If, and only if Palmer is healthy) I see the rest of the schedule as winnable. We split the series last year with the tacks and clots. The tinhorns have a questionable QB situation so it's not out of question we go at least 3 - 3 in the division this year.
We play the 49ers, Jets, Browns & Rams as well. If this team can't beat them then they suck. It's that simple. All four of those teams are in far worse situations than we are right now roster wise. They virtually have no talent or no answer at the QB position. And as bad we think ours is with Bortles. It's nowhere near as bad or questionable as those three teams have in 2017. That's 7 - 3 right there for me at the minimum.
After that. We have Baltimore in London. That could go either way. We play the Chargers who historically own us. And then as cited above between Pittsburgh, Seattle, Cincinnati and Arizona I expect those games to be measuring sticks for 2018 since those teams are typically in the play-off hunt. We'll either keep the games close and lose by a few points or we'll get obliterated by them.
7 - 9 is what I'd go with this year with the additions to the defense and a commitment to the ground game. I just don't see this coaching staff or front office putting up with a lousy football team and lousy effort this year. Just can't see it. Just can't happen.
Seattle is a 10 AM start for them. The Seahawks play horrendously bad on the East Coast at 10 AM. It has been well documented since 1976.
I'm afraid some of you guys may be underestimating Watson. I watched him play for three years. He knows how to win, how to pull out close games. In Houston, he'll have weapons - more weapons than he did at Clemson- to help him do just that. I really hope I'm wrong.
Quote: He knows how to win,
I keep seeing this said about Watson. What the hell does that mean? (no offense intended - I'm just curious)
We could rattle off dozens of college QBs that were integral to winning records in the NCAA that have gone on to fail in the NFL.
Quote:I keep seeing this said about Watson. What the hell does that mean? (no offense intended - I'm just curious)
We could rattle off dozens of college QBs that were integral to winning records in the NCAA that have gone on to fail in the NFL.
Couldn't have said it better.
Quote:I keep seeing this said about Watson. What the hell does that mean? (no offense intended - I'm just curious)
We could rattle off dozens of college QBs that were integral to winning records in the NCAA that have gone on to fail in the NFL.
gabbert was pretty good at winning in college (21-29) at mizzu...we all know how that worked out.
Quote:gabbert was pretty good at winning in college (21-29) at mizzu...we all know how that worked out.
Drew Henson
Byron Leftwich
Brady Quinn
Steve Spurrier
Tim Tebow
Todd Blackledge
Akili Smith
Pat Sullivan
Shane Matthews
Tim Couch
Heath Shuler
Gino Toretta
Rick Mirer
Chris Weinke
Danny Wuerffel
Ryan Leaf
Vince Young
Matt Leinart
JaMarcus Russell
Andre Ware
Joey Harrington
Cade McNown
All ^ did great things in college -- failed to become franchise QBs in the NFL.