Then our WRs could be projected to produce 5 TDs this year. Good thing the rushing attack in this new scheme seems to be dominating, or we'd be in trouble.
Maybe not as much as you think, could easily see lots of 2 Wr sets with Clay and Fasano flanking in the slot.
Yep, meaning Bess and Legs will play Wr the most, with lots of mismatch type formations with Rb's and Te's This is one of the reasons why I suspect Thigpen makes the 54 man over Slaton Think of him as a Slot Wr who can play Rb, something Miller or Slaton probably cannot do.
Amen. Ireland shouldn't be thrown off a cliff for the signing. But when you look at it in the totality of things it's just another questionable decision and they're starting to add up. We can argue up and down about how good Braylon Edwards is, but judging from what he's already done in Seattle, I think it's a pretty fair assumption that he would have contributed more than Steinbach at a position we have a greater need in. It's a mistake. Nobody is perfect, least of all Ireland but it's worthy of at least some criticism. The guy tends to make a lot of mistakes when it comes to these veteran free agent signings. Colombo vs. Mckinnie (sp?) is a recent one. When Ireland was immediately criticised for that maneuver fans here defended him up and down saying McKinnie couldn't play, was overweight, wouldn't be ready. A season later, we see that wasn't the case at all. We'll have to see how Braylon Edwards does now to judge how big a miststep passing on him, presumably in favor of Steinbach was. We can't just look at the player who failed, we have to look at the opportunity cost of other available players not signed.
He deserves criticism imo for the past two years for some players, and I know your thoughts on where his evaluation period should start, to me, I have to give him this time, because of my theories on Parcells, that being said, he didn't take any of the players I would of in the draft, so, I got him til the end of the year to see what last years draft and free agency and this years, produce, and who elevates their games. Then there's the RT thing, if he hits there and Tannehill plays well for a rook, do you give him another? Also want to see how this dynamic between him and Philbin evolve, how he handles the partnership.
Funny thing is those numbers look pretty stellar compared to the stats Miami pass catchers are putting up. Again, nobody's saying he's Julio Jones, just that he would have made more of an impact than Steinbach.
That's fair. I'm not one that constantly harps on the Braylon Edwards thing. I don't think free agency mistakes are made in July.
Not really. Rishard Matthews has 4 catches for 39 yards and 1 TD. Roberto Wallace has 5 catches for 82 yards.
Lets not pretend any of our WRs are Edwards either. Our WR are comprised of 4s, 5s, and 6s according to Ireland on Hard Knocks. Hyperbole maybe, but that's what he chose to say on national TV.
That is what pisses me off most about this. We bring a chain smoking old fart in who ends up retiring before he even steps on the field. To make room for him we cut a rookie who is chomping at the bit to show what he can do, and as usual NE picks up our scraps.
Where do you think Edwards is on the depth chart for Seattle? http://www.seahawks.com/team/depth-chart.html Can't say that he's new either because TO is higher than him.
Wow, people here wanted a team with Edwards and Johnson on it? One would of thought Chad was the safer bet considering Edwards history. I won't fault the FO for that.
I generally liked the players he took in this Draft. I thought Jon Martin was good value where he got him although the inspired pick would have been Stephen Hill IMO. This class was such a crap shoot at DE anyway, I thought Vernon would be at least a solid run stopper and that's what he's been. Michael Egnew is being pretty unfairly shat upon right now but I think he'll come out strong. Lamar Miller was a pretty inspirational pick and we haven't scratched the surface yet of how good that pick could eventually be, IMO. Kaddu I coulddu without (see what I did there?). Kheeston Randall will make the team, about the best you can ask of a 7th rounder. Rishard Matthews will make the roster eventually. Yet aside from Ryan Tannehill this class is going to look like CRAP in 2012...or at least that's how it's shaping up. One or both of the drafted receivers won't make the team. An undrafted rookie DE is looking better than our 3rd round rookie DE and nobody wants to talk about that. Jon Martin is getting beat left and right and making people fondly remember the halcyon days of James Brown. Michael Egnew is practically going to get murdered in the street because evidently dropping two balls in half a preseason is akin to baby killing. Lamar Miller is stuck behind Daniel Thomas AND Steve Slaton for the moment, and will only get a chance to impact on kick returns which isn't the most inspiring aspect of his game. Then you go back to a year ago, and that draft essentially boils down to a starting (but not special, yet) Center you took in the top 15 which is almost unheard of, a #2 tight end, and a really disappointing 2nd round tailback whose replacement you may have already drafted. And in free agency you acquired a quarterback who has already been beaten in camp (by two guys, one of whom got hurt), and a linebacker who got $10 million up front guaranteed money and played decent for about half the year. Essentially the crown jewel of the 2011 personnel efforts was Reggie Bush, and for that I give plenty of credit. But was it enough?
More UDFAs. Even when you win on a UDFA it's not a big win. Wouldn't you rather win on a 2nd round pick than a UDFA?
I don't care where the pick comes from as long as it is a win. The whole body of work is what I look at.
First off, we're talking in circles. I just got done saying a win on a UDFA isn't a big win because even when you win on a UDFA it's only because a guy is solid enough to make the roster. You say a win is a win, but that's exactly my point, a win is not just a win. When you win on a 2nd or 1st round pick it's because the guy is an impact player that changes the game. And what's he done with the whole body of work that is so impressive right now?
We both know that's not true. The odds are high that you find a big play maker as an UDFA but it happens. Still, finding solid team players from UDFA is nothing to scoff at. The jury still out on some of our players, so I guess I'll never get the ax you continue to grind against him. As for his body of work, it's made up of big/small wins and losses. Like any other GM I might add.
I got the impression he isn't into it mentally anymore. Old infirm guards like him who get by on guile more than physical domination, are often able to be functional as long as they still have the mental desire. When it became apparent to Eric he was further behind from a conditioning standpoint, (rather than health standpoint which a physical exam addresses), he seemed to decide it wasn't something he wanted to continue to make the sacrifice for. My question now is where in the world is Jake Scott? (The guard not old #13)
As well as to serve as a wake up call 4 Jerry to get it into gear or lose his spot. Unemployment can be a powerful motivational tool sometimes.
Nice analysis, as usual. But mine will be a lot simpler. Take the starting 22 come 9/9(which excludes specialists). Compare them to the 4 teams' starters from last year's Conference Championship games. Try to find 4 guys who would have started for more than one of those teams. I will be shocked if I am able to do so. And that is a pretty low threshold for evaluating the amount of playoff quality talent you have starting...
In terms of UDFAs.... Bess is a win. Not a big win, but a win. In terms of FAs.... Reggie Bush. Overall, I don't think Ireland's track record is very good.
Wasn't Cameron Wake a Free Agent signing? And Randy Starks? And Chad Pennington? And Karlos Dansby? Those are some pretty good players, IMO.
You'd have better luck performing brain surgery on them with a butter knife than trying to talk sense to the anti-Ireland faction.
