(01-12-2024, 10:01 AM)Caldrac Wrote:

(01-12-2024, 09:34 AM)NYC4jags Wrote: The crazy thing is that the run game went from bad to practically non-existent at the same time. 

5 of our last six games (starting with the Cincinnati game)  had rushing team totals of:

71
58
75
37
82 

The panthers games was the only 100 yd rushing game in the final 6 weeks

Travis Etienne had 12 games this season wherein he did not eclipse 60 yards rushing. 
For a back of his talents - that is a heinous crime. 

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Circling back to thread topic :

My best guess is that after a lackluster season - Lawrence's agent may be inclined to wait a year on doing the mega deal so that it might be maximized.
It is also possible that they press forward with the current 3 year standard timeline for quarterbacks worth keeping. 
If so - it gets a bit tricky settling on numbers after ending the season so poorly. 

It will get done. Whether this year or the next has become the question.

Lawrence also had at least two games I believe where he lead the team in rushing yards. I know the Saints game was his for sure. There was one other game I want to say as well.

I think his deal gets done during the 2025 off season. It's to his advantage in my opinion. Baalke needs to get this offensive line addressed and addressed fast.

If they part ways with Robinson and Scherff, that's fine, BUT, you better make damn sure you have your free agency targets down and that you cannot be outbid.

I don't think, nor, should we trust Baalke to solve all of our offensive line and defensive line woes via the draft. He has to get it done in March in my opinion.

The team absolutely must get at least one piece in free agency for that line so they are not drafting multiple linemen and expecting them to start right away. That rarely works out. 

If they sign the best possible FA center and work a deal to bring in Cleveland again (or a similar/better FA guard)  - then they have some latitude on draft week. 

This is the big X factor in the OL fix for me:
ZBS vs Power traits 

In the same way that this OL handcuffed Press Taylor and the offense as a whole, the OL was in turn handcuffed by the traits Pederson and Baalke agreed to target for their OL acquisitions. 

We heard Pederson, Baalke, and Rauscher all talk about athletic guys that can get second level over and over again in the offseason -- only to see those athletic guys get beat down with a fresh batch of whoop [BLEEP] every single week when the games began. 

I'm over it with the athletic traits, and I'm over it with running ZBS 85% of the time. 

Get some damn maulers in there who are just athletic enough to still run ZBS - but strong enough to block power gap runs. 

It is tragic to watch a franchise steeped in a rich history of potent rushing attacks fall into this current mamby-pamby bull [BLEEP] with guys up front getting rag dolled around on every snap. 

And this Rauscher guy better get it together too. If I ever have to see our LG and C literally playing a game of [BLEEP] patty-cakes while someone like Chris Jones is blowing by them unabated to the QB I might quit going to games. 
Whomever they sign or draft - that [BLEEP] needs to get coached the hell out of them.

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EDIT: I reposted this in the OL 2023 thread to keep the thread here on track

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