(08-31-2023, 07:37 PM)JagFan81 Wrote:

(08-31-2023, 06:47 PM)Caldrac Wrote: None. He had me concerned a little bit last year with the same mistakes coming up. Especially in the redzone with the INT's against the tinorns and Broncos. However, after it was all said and done, he finished the year with a whopping 8 INT's. That's nothing in my opinion. I think seeing single digit INT's in today's pass happy era of football is a major accomplishment for any QB really. 

Also, it's not how you start, it's how you finish. I think if you look at the how team responded and rallied around him as a leader when they lost that game big time in Detroit? We had our guy. I still enjoy the road win highlights of the tacks game from last year. The Baltimore and Dallas games are going to down as legendary games in franchise history for me. He topped it off with the ultimate tale of two halves with the L.A Chargers play-off game. 

I think this team is poised to be dominate and have long staying power in the AFC for the next decade+ provided we keep Lawrence and Pederson happy and on the same page together. Those are ultimately the two main keys to keep everything going. I think the redzone mistakes as a team last year that cost us some games in one score losses will be flipped completely this year and result in double digit wins potentially as a franchise. 

It's hard not to be excited and impressed with how they looked during preseason. They looked like they were already in midseason form and that's with a newcomer in Ridley, Strange, Bigsby and Harrison on offense. That's all with a bit of a patchwork job along the offensive line. This team is [BLEEP] scary man on offense. Again, I expect a top five unit in the NFL and I fully expect Lawrence to more than likely be in the MVP discussion and race this year.

There were definitely bad plays and mistakes early on last year and they hurt us. I felt he lost a lot of confidence that rookie year and didn't get a lot of help or coaching to get him NFL ready. That's what I felt the start of last year was, a hangover from that rookie year but this time we had a HC that fixed those errors. 

The way he improved through that mid-season stretch and against top teams in the league was seriously impressive. I watched the highlights of the game I Tennessee the other day and he was just fantastic and you just saw his confidence grow and the victories followed. That Chargers playoff game was almost a snapshot of his NFL career. A horrendous start but balling out and bringing it back. Was a real sight to see.

The AFC is going to be a crazy fight for the next few years. So many stong teams and so many great QB's but with Lawrence it feels like we are right in the pack with them. That's the key thing for me, we can challenge the Chiefs, Bengals, Bills etc and this is still a work in progress team, we are going to be in the mix for a good while. Doug and Lawrence are the key and it feels after searching for so long for a QB and a HC we've managed to find both at the same time.

I have high hopes for this season, I'm not saying SB but I'd consider Division round/AFCCG a successful season as it would be a sign of new expectations and standards for this team. Playoffs are always a lottery and I felt the big difference between us and the Chiefs (beside Mahomes being a freak) was that experience in big games and the playoffs so you never know.

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(08-31-2023, 07:06 PM)Cleatwood Wrote: I actually think there are but not sure they’ll speak up.

And no, I’m not just referring to CJB.

You know, I think you may be right. Theres a few ive noticed. I'm sure they'll suddenly appear after Lawrence's first pick saying what a terrible decision it was and last year was a fluke.

I think the key with the Chiefs, Bengals and Bills is just playing keep away. We struggled last year sometimes running the football at will when we really wanted to or needed to. I think the goal in the offseason was to fix this issue.

They added Johnson and Bigsby to compliment Hasty and Etienne. They added a downhill blocker in Strange at TE that can also create some mismatches in the short to medium passing game once the run game does get good and we can sell the fakes and screens better. 

Being able to chew up the clock, punch it in for six and put the pressure back on these QB's with less time on the clock gives our defense more opportunities to focus on getting after them. It's the defense that really needs to step it up in these matchups.

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