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.
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resnor likes this.
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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.resnor, DolphinGreg and Galant like this. -
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. -
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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.OwesOwn614 likes this. -
Ah! Here's the story direct and with more details!
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...ns-draft-trades-nfl-schedule-fmia-peter-king/
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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.
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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.
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I don't like what I heard as it suggests Flores will bench Tua for Brissett if he plays badly.