some folks just dont understand oline.
any of y'all know how long they are supposed to give the qb to throw? 3 seconds... thats the job, and on most teams the qb works with about 2.5 seconds. yesterday, kyler actually had about 3.3 seconds on average which is pretty damned good.....quite a bit better than our season average.
Hump,...is a starting LT in the NFL... the guy would start for at least half the teams in the league.... I bet he would love it if he got cut,...because he would get way more from a new team...and a big fat signing bonus..... whereas we,...well,...we would have to pay 20mil a year to replace him and give the new guy a 35-45mil signing bonus....and the replacement likely wouldnt be much if any better... because franchise level LT's DO NOT become free agents in the nfl..... so,...who is gonna be the real smart one and suggest we can draft a starting LT at 25?? or wherever we draft... no.
Pugh has played pretty well for us overall,... but he has declined a little this year. I would suggest to him an extension at a lower rate.... but if he refuses I cant say that I would jump in and cut him.... our left side has been our strength on the oline... garcia and jones have been the biggest issues.... now about that draft pick...you cant get a starting LT at 25.... but you can get a starting interior lineman. I would draft a center. why?? Great centers are hard to get and aside from the quick feet required to play LT center is the hardest position to play on the line....but guard is the easiest...so draft a big strong smart center, then put him at RG...and for the enxt season or two...he gets NFL playing experience,...he gets nfl coaching,...he gets nfl level strength and conditioning...and he gets to see exactly what hudson sees on every play and hear what line call he makes. This should help him develop quicker while at the same time giving us a starting guard....and hudsons career is winding down,...we are well advised to not wait until he is done to draft his replacement....two birds, one stone
WR.... keep HOP, Moore, and wesley... offer kirk 5/40 and if he says no wish him the best of luck....5/60 is probably closer to his market value, however...while I generally like kirk....dude is not clutch.... while green, always been a fan,...green is disinterested and looks like an automaton on the field....and his concentration at key points in the game is terrible. I was happy with his season production but we need that position to be filled by a more dynamic player, and one who can grow with the team.
this is supposed to be a good draft for corners..sweet...we should draft a guy. but since the league has been starving for corners the past couple seasons my guess is we will see a run on them early as teams try and get their share. So we should take advantage of that and draft other positions...much more likely good players will slide... but I would still get one in the fourth or fifth round.
Dline...damn,...so hard to judge these guys..... but in obvious short yardage situations they rarely got pushed back and made quite a few good stops...so right now my guess is they were hampered more by scheme than lack of ability. But Peters is old...watt is coming to an end... I would draft a true NT at this point... 6 foot 3 and 340 lbs kinda guy...a guy who may not crash the pocket,... but two guys cant push him back....if he happens to be twitchy thats a huge bonus.
there is a lot to look at for the coming off season. the biggest issues are getting quality starters. Its hard to draft those guys where we need them. especially in the strength positions. its biology/physiology... the human male is not full grown until about 25 years old. most guys getting drafted are 21-22... its not as big an issue for speed but it is for strength. you obviously have the occasional genetic freak, the outliers... but all things being equal, a 25 year old is just stronger than a 21 year old. Thats why its common to see rookies who were dominant in college get manhandled in the nfl.... then when you throw in technique some of those guys get embarrassed..... then after a few years they get better...some of it is coaching but a huge part of it is just getting stronger through maturation...its also why you see guys who had a mediocre college career suddenly blossom and have a fantastic senior year... they are more physically developed than their competition.
Trades... steve keim is great at trades, his strongest department by far.
but what team is going to trade away an all pro olineman in his prime? what would a team have to pay to get Aaron Donald from the rams?
the simple fact is, most players worth trading for arent the players a team is willing to give up. which team has the depth, that they can trade us a starting calibre LT and not suffer for it? we might find a WR thats sitting at third wr on a team,...who can come in and play wr2 for us. but you cant really look at the upcoming off season with the mentality that your gonna go out and make a few trades to upgrade your team.
and honestly,...you could make some trades, give up your future,..to build an all pro offensive line.... but it would be easier and smarter, to make a trade for a quarterback that doesnt need an all pro line in order to be successful.
