So as mentioned before and elsewhere, the idea of moving back to 12 and staying there was never on the table. The two trades were seen as one move and therefore should be viewed as such. And the Tua details seem to suggest, to me at least, that year one was about getting Tua some NFL playing experience, not necessarily seeing him as the best QB. That runs contrary to what Flores had said was the principle - the best player starts. However, I can understand the desire to want to get Tua some playing time. I wonder if leaving him on bench to train would have been the better move, but they did what they thought was best.
There's a few nuggets in there- they would have been happy with Chase/Pitts/Smith/Waddle, and felt like Waddle would be there at 6. They also felt like Waddle + a 1st + a 3rd was more valuable than Chase/Pitts if that's how the draft played out. Also, they didn't feel like they were "benching Tua"...they did whatever they had to in the moment in order to win.
Yep. This quote seemed significant: "If he had started the season, we wouldn’t have pulled him. We put him in. We’re in a playoff chase. At that point [second half in game 15, at Las Vegas, when Ryan Fitzpatrick entered in relief], it’s hey, we’ve got to do whatever we’ve got to do to try to win. But no, my confidence wasn’t shaken in him.”" It suggests to me that Fitz was the true starter, but Tua was advanced enough that they were putting him in to see how he was, and give him experience. Winning was still the goal, so when Tua didn't get it done they went back to Fitz. I think that indicates their perspective that they were seeing how Tua was at that point.
My hope for Tua last year was to leave him on the bench and let him come in at the end of games for mop up duty. There was no real need to rush him out on the field, Fitzpatrick was playing solid football.
Agreed. I'll only differ if Flores reckons that game time experience has/will make a big difference for him to learn in preparation for year two. Then maybe it was worth it.
Ah! Here's the story direct and with more details! https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...ns-draft-trades-nfl-schedule-fmia-peter-king/
I don't agree. Mop up duty just isn't the same. The experience he gained and even how to handle getting pulled are some intangibles that just can't be measured IMO.
You agreed with the statement from Tin which was in totally opposite but then softened it a little. It wasn't that clear to me but that's fairly easy to do. LoL.
It wasn't the clearest but I intended to say that if Flores thought the experience on the field was worth it, then fine. As opposed to just putting him because fans want to see him etc.
Tua needed the experience in year one. He had limited college experience broken up by several injuries. He showed enough this year to be given until 2023 to prove himself an NFL starter. OL and RBs were serviceable. The WR core was a mess due to injury and inconsistency. Onwards and upwards in 2021-22.
The coaching staff got to see him play under fire. It was invaluable to see what he was capable of doing with virtually no offseason training program and after being sidelined. Although I'm cool with sitting a rookie for a year, I think Flo and Co. expect him to make a significant jump in year 2. Last year was probably all about figuring out what the next step to aid his development should be.
Nothing new in the article. Now they have built the base in 2018/20 it’s the building to win consistently, not sell out today for tomorrow or tomorrow for today.
Flores literally says that had Tua started the season then he wouldn't have benched him. Since Fitz has been released and Tua is starting I'm not sure how you combine those things and come out with Tua being benched...