State Of The Team

[juza76]

@Solar7 being worry about users questioning his fandom
Don't worry man, it's good for u to start with a glass half empthy, u can't go against your nature
Then would be more sweet if we will have a good season and a playoff team

 

[Krangodnzr]

Look at the deficiencies on this team. First defense.
Cb. Alford. We are counting on friggin Alford as our #1 cb.

Not Alford...Malcolm Butler who by nearly every metric was better than Peterson last year.

Suddenly a rookie mlb is going to be all pro without even putting on a jersey?

Hyperbole undermines your point. All Collins has to do is be better than the corpse of Jordan Hicks. Hicks and Campbell were spectacularly bad last year.

Suddenly Watts is going to be healthy for an entire year?

He was healthy last year and over 1000 snaps. He was the most double teamed edge defender and was still more productive than any Cardinal DL.

CJ will absolutely bounce back to his all pro form? Remember until his injury he was a ghost.

A questionmark for sure, but the Cardinals weren't terrible rushing the passer last year without him.

VJ. Suddenly he will become a
Premier DC?

DCs don't have to be "premier" to be effective if they have the right players. Having more depth and two ILBs who don't embarrass themselves every time a ball is thrown will help Joseph a lot.

Offense.
RB. Two running backs that are NOT capable of playing 17 games. Of course we have Ward who obviously is headed to Canton based on his ONE play last year. Guess we were keeping him as our secret weapon for the 2021 season.

More hyperbole. Drake missed games as well.

QB. I think Murray will improve again this year but god forbid he misses ANY games. Colt McCoy???? I believe any team that loses their starting QB will struggle, but Colt McCoy???

Did you watch Streveler last year? Most teams have McCoy-level back ups.

WR. We are counting on Green to be rejuvenated after coming off perhaps his worse season?Not to mention missing the prior year and a terrible season before that. He hasn’t been a threat since 2017. If Hopkins gets hurt we become a Ford Pinto offense.

As does almost every offense in the NFL. It's like worrying about rain. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. Green doesn't have to be "rejuvenated"....he just has to be better than Fitzgerald was last year. I would bet on that.

Rondale Moore. Here’s hoping he turns into the guy from 2018. Cause if he doesn’t this wr room is no better than last year.

Disagree based on Green being better, moving Kirk to the inside should alone make the WRs more effective.

Coaching. Believe it or not I think Kliff is “ ok”. Perhaps because the nightmares that still linger from Wilks. A different FG kicker would have gotten us into the playoffs. I don’t think Kingsbury will be the reason we fail.
The West. It’s no accident the Rams, Seahawks and 49ers are ranked 7,8,9 in power rankings and we are 16. I know power rankings doesn’t mean crap but it does show perception.

poo happens though, and the Cardinals look like they are specifically building a team that can compete in the NFC West first and foremost. I think Kingsbury is more positive than negative, but for this team to take a jump he has to get better at late game and end of half management. The NFL isn't horseshoes and hand grenades.

On paper this club appears to have improved but its built on a foundation of toothpicks.

The Cardinals were significantly hurt by the lower than expected cap and they don't appear to want to mortgage future cap years for this season. What I fear isn't that all these guys are going to get hurt. What I fear is that most of these guys are on short deals and this type of offseason isn't always replicable.

I’ve been a perennial kool -aid drinker for a long time. I am not hoping for doom. I hope I’m not here in December saying I told you so. I will gladly eat a huge serving of crow. But history has shown. When predicting the plight of this team when you see rainbows you will be wrong 95% of the time.

Sorry. I see 6 wins and last place.

Most of those teams were significantly worse. I remember the era when we were excited about UDFA guys, expecting them to start and contribute. Last years team was statistically pretty good. More points scored than given up, and was a top ten rushing team. I think the stats don't tell the full story, because obviously the team was 8-8, but the gains this offseason are way bigger than the losses. I expect 10 wins, but next year will have quite a few holes that have to be filled and that's a crappy way to build a team.

 

[QuebecCard]

Well, we all know I'm a glass-half empty fan at this point my Cardinals fandom, but I swear that normally hasn't been the case. I just have a very bad taste in my mouth about Kliff, and think Keim's gotta have something going on behind the scenes that has initiated this fall from grace. But I absolutely hope we win and will watch every game cheering them on, so please don't take my darksider take as a reason to question my fandom or throw hate.

I think this is probably a 6-7 win team.

Unless you can absolutely score at will like the Chiefs, I still think the most likely pathway to victory in the NFL is still stopping the other guy and being able to control the clock. Unfortunately, the two biggest weaknesses on this team are the running game and the secondary. Sure, I'm amped about the addition of Rodney Hudson, but the right side of the line is still a complete question mark. Our RBs are close to the worst in the league, bested only by the Dolphins and Falcons. Neither guy has shown he can stay healthy, and Conner looked to have lost a step or three in the past two years. Edmonds has fallen flat with every opportunity he's had to start. The rushing will look fine on paper because of Kyler, but it won't be enough to close out games or take over in the in the scary likelihood he takes another bump like last year and can't run.

Our CBs are the worst in the league. Malcolm Butler gave up more receptions and yards than anyone in the league last year, and was slow when he was 22, much less 32. Even if Chandler Jones were allowed to run unabated to the QB every play, a DK Metcalf would be 7 yards past Butler on a fly pattern before CJ could make the sack. (Okay, hyperbole, but Butler is no answer, IMO.) Alford is such a non-factor, it's scary. Our safeties' strength isn't coverage, either. I'm anticipating a lot of games where we need to score in the mid-high 30s to even compete. The front 7 is improved, but not enough to mask how putrid the secondary is.

This is already longer than I want it to be, but I don't think our offense made any significant enough moves to do anything but functionally tread water. Our coaching is poor. We're still likely the 3rd or 4th team in the division after the whole offseason, and this team has to be rebuilt from the ground up next year. We're relying on too many old guys to have resurgent years.

So, my outlook is poor, but does that surprise anyone?

Do bears dump in the forest?

 

[slanidrac16]

Not Alford...Malcolm Butler who by nearly every metric was better than Peterson last year.



Hyperbole undermines your point. All Collins has to do is be better than the corpse of Jordan Hicks. Hicks and Campbell were spectacularly bad last year.


He was healthy last year and over 1000 snaps. He was the most double teamed edge defender and was still more productive than any Cardinal DL.


A questionmark for sure, but the Cardinals weren't terrible rushing the passer last year without him.



DCs don't have to be "premier" to be effective if they have the right players. Having more depth and two ILBs who don't embarrass themselves every time a ball is thrown will help Joseph a lot.


More hyperbole. Drake missed games as well.


Did you watch Streveler last year? Most teams have McCoy-level back ups.


As does almost every offense in the NFL. It's like worrying about rain. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. Green doesn't have to be "rejuvenated"....he just has to be better than Fitzgerald was last year. I would bet on that.


Disagree based on Green being better, moving Kirk to the inside should alone make the WRs more effective.



**** happens though, and the Cardinals look like they are specifically building a team that can compete in the NFC West first and foremost. I think Kingsbury is more positive than negative, but for this team to take a jump he has to get better at late game and end of half management. The NFL isn't horseshoes and hand grenades.


The Cardinals were significantly hurt by the lower than expected cap and they don't appear to want to mortgage future cap years for this season. What I fear isn't that all these guys are going to get hurt. What I fear is that most of these guys are on short deals and this type of offseason isn't always replicable.



Most of those teams were significantly worse. I remember the era when we were excited about UDFA guys, expecting them to start and contribute. Last years team was statistically pretty good. More points scored than given up, and was a top ten rushing team. I think the stats don't tell the full story, because obviously the team was 8-8, but the gains this offseason are way bigger than the losses. I expect 10 wins, but next year will have quite a few holes that have to be filled and that's a crappy way to build a team.

Respect your outlook and opinion.

 

[BigRedRage]

I think this team is improved and should win between 10-12 games...my concern is that this team is looks like a one year winner and what happens when next season hits and Keim points at his 12 win season and Bidwill keeps him?

I think the offense should be better with improved offensive line play (addition of Hudson, further maturation of young players, AND subtraction of awful Sweezy), better receivers (I think Green WILL be better than Fitz was and Moore will produce at least a half dozen, big chunk plays), and a better RB (yes I think Conner will be an improvement on third and short and overall will get the yards that are there more often). Tight end is the only position that is weaker and Dan Arnold was pretty damn inconsistently used, so I don't think it matters much.

The season can be derailed by IFs, but that can be said for most teams.

Good news is, if we are a playoff team, more FA will want to come after this year as well.

 

[Russ Smith]

I have to say the Chase as a starter stuff is debatable. Do people not realize the best game of his NFL career he had 126 yards 3 TD's on 27 carries and yet it doesn't count as a starter because David Johnson was on the field for the first two snaps of the game, with 1 carry for 2 yards, and then Chase was the man the rest of teh game? 2 catches for 24 yards so he had 150 yards from scrimmage in that game but if you look at his stats as a starter you see 3 YPC each of the last 2 years because he wasn't on the field the first 2 plays.

He's had some injuries yes but he's missed 3 games in 3 years and has played 16 in 2 of those 3. Do I think he's among the best RB's in the NFL no, do I think he fits this offense well yes. Conner does better in short yardage than Drake did, that was a big issue last year several key short yardage plays Drake couldn't get it combo of blocking and him, and the refs not giving him that one td where it was obvious via human anatomy that the ball was over the line based on where his legs were. Conner has been better at those than Drake. Drake was a pretty good TD runner in the redzone but so is Conner. Drake has more top end speed but that was a negative last year he kept trying to bounce runs outside.

 

[football karma]

before and after, all grades PFF:

Golden for Reddick 59.9 -> 72.8
Watt for Blackson 85.4 -> 44.1
AJ Green for Fitzgerald 66.3-> 59.6
Hudson for Cole 73.6 -> 54.4
Butler for Peterson 74.5 -> 55.2
Conner for Drake 69.4 -> 60.9
Prater for Gonzales 64.2-> 59.3

if you want to throw draftees and the vets they are competing with:

Simmons for Campbell 59.9-> 49.0
Collins for Hicks ? -> 50.4
Moore for Isabella ? -> 56.8
Wilson/Gowan for Kirkpatrick ? -> 49


again, PFF has its limitations. But by an objective measure, 6 of the 7 positions were upgraded. Corner, center, and d line were upgraded dramatically. Draftees are vying to replace low rated players.

note on grades: they roughly correspond with (pre grade inflation) school letter grades in that 90s are As, 80s are Bs, etc.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Not Alford...Malcolm Butler who by nearly every metric was better than Peterson last year.



Hyperbole undermines your point. All Collins has to do is be better than the corpse of Jordan Hicks. Hicks and Campbell were spectacularly bad last year.


He was healthy last year and over 1000 snaps. He was the most double teamed edge defender and was still more productive than any Cardinal DL.


A questionmark for sure, but the Cardinals weren't terrible rushing the passer last year without him.



DCs don't have to be "premier" to be effective if they have the right players. Having more depth and two ILBs who don't embarrass themselves every time a ball is thrown will help Joseph a lot.


More hyperbole. Drake missed games as well.


Did you watch Streveler last year? Most teams have McCoy-level back ups.


As does almost every offense in the NFL. It's like worrying about rain. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. Green doesn't have to be "rejuvenated"....he just has to be better than Fitzgerald was last year. I would bet on that.


Disagree based on Green being better, moving Kirk to the inside should alone make the WRs more effective.



**** happens though, and the Cardinals look like they are specifically building a team that can compete in the NFC West first and foremost. I think Kingsbury is more positive than negative, but for this team to take a jump he has to get better at late game and end of half management. The NFL isn't horseshoes and hand grenades.


The Cardinals were significantly hurt by the lower than expected cap and they don't appear to want to mortgage future cap years for this season. What I fear isn't that all these guys are going to get hurt. What I fear is that most of these guys are on short deals and this type of offseason isn't always replicable.



Most of those teams were significantly worse. I remember the era when we were excited about UDFA guys, expecting them to start and contribute. Last years team was statistically pretty good. More points scored than given up, and was a top ten rushing team. I think the stats don't tell the full story, because obviously the team was 8-8, but the gains this offseason are way bigger than the losses. I expect 10 wins, but next year will have quite a few holes that have to be filled and that's a crappy way to build a team.

It’s going to take me a while to recalibrate to the new season length and what number of wins means to me. 10 wins was always a strong mark to me. But in a 16 game season that represented a 62.5 winning percentage. Now 10 wins means 10-7. Three games above .500. 10-7 is a 58.8 winning percentage. Closer to 9-7’s 56.3 winning percentage. So “10 wins” is the new 9-7 to me (even though it’s one win better, obviously).

 

[BritCard]

It’s going to take me a while to recalibrate to the new season length and what number of wins means to me. 10 wins was always a strong mark to me. But in a 16 game season that represented a 62.5 winning percentage. Now 10 wins means 10-7. Three games above .500. 10-7 is a 58.8 winning percentage. Closer to 9-7’s 56.3 winning percentage. So “10 wins” is the new 9-7 to me (even though it’s one win better, obviously).

Yup. I hate 17 games.

 

[Solar7]

I have to say the Chase as a starter stuff is debatable. Do people not realize the best game of his NFL career he had 126 yards 3 TD's on 27 carries and yet it doesn't count as a starter because David Johnson was on the field for the first two snaps of the game, with 1 carry for 2 yards, and then Chase was the man the rest of teh game? 2 catches for 24 yards so he had 150 yards from scrimmage in that game but if you look at his stats as a starter you see 3 YPC each of the last 2 years because he wasn't on the field the first 2 plays.

He's had some injuries yes but he's missed 3 games in 3 years and has played 16 in 2 of those 3. Do I think he's among the best RB's in the NFL no, do I think he fits this offense well yes. Conner does better in short yardage than Drake did, that was a big issue last year several key short yardage plays Drake couldn't get it combo of blocking and him, and the refs not giving him that one td where it was obvious via human anatomy that the ball was over the line based on where his legs were. Conner has been better at those than Drake. Drake was a pretty good TD runner in the redzone but so is Conner. Drake has more top end speed but that was a negative last year he kept trying to bounce runs outside.

My biggest fear about Chase is that the reason he's faded as a starter is because he can't handle teams game planning for him, or that his body just can't handle the workload. He's looked good in flashes but I just don't know if he's capable of being consistent.

As far as the game against the Giants goes, until you can do it multiple times, it's an aberration. Jonas Grey once ran for 200 yards and 4 TDs in a game only to proceed to get no more than 12 carries in a game ever again before his career ended the following year.

 

[Jetstream Green]

Not Alford...Malcolm Butler who by nearly every metric was better than Peterson last year.



Hyperbole undermines your point. All Collins has to do is be better than the corpse of Jordan Hicks. Hicks and Campbell were spectacularly bad last year.


He was healthy last year and over 1000 snaps. He was the most double teamed edge defender and was still more productive than any Cardinal DL.


A questionmark for sure, but the Cardinals weren't terrible rushing the passer last year without him.



DCs don't have to be "premier" to be effective if they have the right players. Having more depth and two ILBs who don't embarrass themselves every time a ball is thrown will help Joseph a lot.


More hyperbole. Drake missed games as well.


Did you watch Streveler last year? Most teams have McCoy-level back ups.


As does almost every offense in the NFL. It's like worrying about rain. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. Green doesn't have to be "rejuvenated"....he just has to be better than Fitzgerald was last year. I would bet on that.


Disagree based on Green being better, moving Kirk to the inside should alone make the WRs more effective.



**** happens though, and the Cardinals look like they are specifically building a team that can compete in the NFC West first and foremost. I think Kingsbury is more positive than negative, but for this team to take a jump he has to get better at late game and end of half management. The NFL isn't horseshoes and hand grenades.


The Cardinals were significantly hurt by the lower than expected cap and they don't appear to want to mortgage future cap years for this season. What I fear isn't that all these guys are going to get hurt. What I fear is that most of these guys are on short deals and this type of offseason isn't always replicable.



Most of those teams were significantly worse. I remember the era when we were excited about UDFA guys, expecting them to start and contribute. Last years team was statistically pretty good. More points scored than given up, and was a top ten rushing team. I think the stats don't tell the full story, because obviously the team was 8-8, but the gains this offseason are way bigger than the losses. I expect 10 wins, but next year will have quite a few holes that have to be filled and that's a crappy way to build a team.

 

[Russ Smith]

My biggest fear about Chase is that the reason he's faded as a starter is because he can't handle teams game planning for him, or that his body just can't handle the workload. He's looked good in flashes but I just don't know if he's capable of being consistent.

As far as the game against the Giants goes, until you can do it multiple times, it's an aberration. Jonas Grey once ran for 200 yards and 4 TDs in a game only to proceed to get no more than 12 carries in a game ever again before his career ended the following year.

Sure and LeShon Johnson with the 200 yard games.

My point is the idea that his stats as a starter prove he can't be a starter is very dubious. That game doesn't count as a start he had 27 carries, DJ had one but David was the starter.

If he's getting 27 carries a game yes he'll wear down, but he and Conner won't get that many carries IMO. And I'm hoping a 3rd RB will reveal himself. Decent RB's are always findable, you just have to find them, and with Kyler at QB the RB here has a built in advantage there's often 1 less defender because someone is watching Kyler.

The big worry last year was short yardage and I feel like Conner is better at that than Drake was.

 

[phillycard]

I would say we are in better shape than a lot of teams. Then someone would challenge me to name them. Then I’d say, yeah no. So that’s where I’m at.

 

[Chopper0080]

Well, we all know I'm a glass-half empty fan at this point my Cardinals fandom, but I swear that normally hasn't been the case. I just have a very bad taste in my mouth about Kliff, and think Keim's gotta have something going on behind the scenes that has initiated this fall from grace. But I absolutely hope we win and will watch every game cheering them on, so please don't take my darksider take as a reason to question my fandom or throw hate.

I think this is probably a 6-7 win team.

Unless you can absolutely score at will like the Chiefs, I still think the most likely pathway to victory in the NFL is still stopping the other guy and being able to control the clock. Unfortunately, the two biggest weaknesses on this team are the running game and the secondary. Sure, I'm amped about the addition of Rodney Hudson, but the right side of the line is still a complete question mark. Our RBs are close to the worst in the league, bested only by the Dolphins and Falcons. Neither guy has shown he can stay healthy, and Conner looked to have lost a step or three in the past two years. Edmonds has fallen flat with every opportunity he's had to start. The rushing will look fine on paper because of Kyler, but it won't be enough to close out games or take over in the in the scary likelihood he takes another bump like last year and can't run.

Our CBs are the worst in the league. Malcolm Butler gave up more receptions and yards than anyone in the league last year, and was slow when he was 22, much less 32. Even if Chandler Jones were allowed to run unabated to the QB every play, a DK Metcalf would be 7 yards past Butler on a fly pattern before CJ could make the sack. (Okay, hyperbole, but Butler is no answer, IMO.) Alford is such a non-factor, it's scary. Our safeties' strength isn't coverage, either. I'm anticipating a lot of games where we need to score in the mid-high 30s to even compete. The front 7 is improved, but not enough to mask how putrid the secondary is.

This is already longer than I want it to be, but I don't think our offense made any significant enough moves to do anything but functionally tread water. Our coaching is poor. We're still likely the 3rd or 4th team in the division after the whole offseason, and this team has to be rebuilt from the ground up next year. We're relying on too many old guys to have resurgent years.

So, my outlook is poor, but does that surprise anyone?

Starting CBs in the NFC West...

Jalen Ramsey
Darious Williams

Tre Flowers
Ahkello Witherspoon

Jason Verrett
Dontae Johnson

Malcolm Butler
Byron Murphy

Our CBs aren't even the worst in our division much less the league.

This is where I get frustrated with negativity from people, when it is unfounded. I get that most people don't love our CB depth chart, but that doesn't mean it is the worst in the league.

People want to talk about Chandler Jones coming back but then factor in Bosa to pick up right where he left off.

People want to talk about how we are gonna cover DK Metcalf but not who the hell is gonna cover DHop outside of Ramsey?

I may think AJ Green is washed, but I also think washed AJ Green can beat Darious Wiliiams, Ahkello Witherspoon, and Dontae Johnson pretty easily.

Name a defensive lineman in our division outside of Aaron Donald and Chandler Jones who is better than JJ Watt. Nick Bosa has 9 career sacks so get that noise out of here.

Just saying.

 

[Chopper0080]

Valid concerns can be made regarding...

Age of our roster and the relation to injuries and older players.

If our dip in offense was due to Kyler's injury or the league figuring out Kliff's offense.

Vance in general.

Offensive weapons after Hopkins.

Our secondary being thin.

That being said, many other teams in our division have equal if not more areas of concern so...

 

[phillycard]

Look at the deficiencies on this team. First defense.
Cb. Alford. We are counting on friggin Alford as our #1 cb.
Suddenly a rookie mlb is going to be all pro without even putting on a jersey?
Suddenly Watts is going to be healthy for an entire year?
CJ will absolutely bounce back to his all pro form? Remember until his injury he was a ghost.
VJ. Suddenly he will become a
Premier DC?

Offense.
RB. Two running backs that are NOT capable of playing 17 games. Of course we have Ward who obviously is headed to Canton based on his ONE play last year. Guess we were keeping him as our secret weapon for the 2021 season.
QB. I think Murray will improve again this year but god forbid he misses ANY games. Colt McCoy???? I believe any team that loses their starting QB will struggle, but Colt McCoy???
WR. We are counting on Green to be rejuvenated after coming off perhaps his worse season?Not to mention missing the prior year and a terrible season before that. He hasn’t been a threat since 2017. If Hopkins gets hurt we become a Ford Pinto offense.
Rondale Moore. Here’s hoping he turns into the guy from 2018. Cause if he doesn’t this wr room is no better than last year.
Coaching. Believe it or not I think Kliff is “ ok”. Perhaps because the nightmares that still linger from Wilks. A different FG kicker would have gotten us into the playoffs. I don’t think Kingsbury will be the reason we fail.
The West. It’s no accident the Rams, Seahawks and 49ers are ranked 7,8,9 in power rankings and we are 16. I know power rankings doesn’t mean crap but it does show perception.

On paper this club appears to have improved but its built on a foundation of toothpicks.

I’ve been a perennial kool -aid drinker for a long time. I am not hoping for doom. I hope I’m not here in December saying I told you so. I will gladly eat a huge serving of crow. But history has shown. When predicting the plight of this team when you see rainbows you will be wrong 95% of the time.

Sorry. I see 6 wins and last place.

Jeez Slan, I'm ready to have a couple of Pine Sol Daiquiris with some cyanide buffalo wings and just end it all. Could you have outlined a worse overview of the team? This is heavy even by Darksider standards. LOL!!

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Valid concerns can be made regarding...

Age of our roster and the relation to injuries and older players.

If our dip in offense was due to Kyler's injury or the league figuring out Kliff's offense.

Vance in general.

Offensive weapons after Hopkins.

Our secondary being thin.

That being said, many other teams in our division have equal if not more areas of concern so...

True, except in the last five years they’ve all either made the playoffs multiple times or the super bowl with many of their core pieces and we have . . . not.

 

[BullheadCardFan]

Valid concerns can be made regarding...

Age of our roster and the relation to injuries and older players.

If our dip in offense was due to Kyler's injury or the league figuring out Kliff's offense.

Vance in general.

Offensive weapons after Hopkins.

Our secondary being thin.

That being said, many other teams in our division have equal if not more areas of concern so...

I bolded what I feel are the main concerns

Along with KM not having the proper footwork and missing wide open receivers

 

[Waysouth]

I heard that Michell and Hurst might be available because of NE and Atlanta’s draft. Might be a good idea to use the extra comp picks to get them.

 

[Dayman]

It seems like we have a lot of older players and a lot of young players but not a lot of players in their prime. This is what happens when you draft poorly and constantly need to fill holes with free agents.

I am also confused about why Keim refuses to get a real returner on this team. People keep saying Moore can do it, but his experience in college showed otherwise.

Luckily we have a unicorn at QB and the best receiver in football, so I know the team will be competitive. I just can't help seeing myself screaming at the screen next year as Byron Murphy gets abused by any above average receiver and AJ Green struggles to separate from any CB at all.

 

[Cardsfaninlouky]

With the Draft and FA (for the most part) in the rear view mirror, I think it might be fun to see where the team stands. And keep in mind that I post as a "Glass is half full" type of fan. Many on this board hope that this will be the last for our GM and HC. But in order for that to happen we'll have to finish below .500, and I don't see that happening. However, if we finish at .500 (8-8-1) or even at 9-8, I can envision KK being let go. But with what we've done in FA and trades and the Draft, at least 10 wins seems very doable. But many of the experts don't see us improving very much, so nothing is for certain.
What do I know that the experts don't, or simply overlook. I'll generalize:

Offense-I'm very high on our OL, primarily because of the Hudson addition, and think that it will help us improve both running and passing. When the experts evaluate our running game all they seem to talk about are the guys running the ball and not the guys blocking. And, this will naturally help the passing game, but here I'm most excited by the two additions (Green/Moore). Sort of giddy by the thought of Rondale on jet sweeps, or on a fake, with him going one way and Kyler keeping it and going the other. Drake might be a better runner than Conner, but I have a feeling that Conner is better at 3rd and short.

Defense-Can't believe when the experts talk about any improvement in our defense they focus on JJ Watt and to a lesser extent the two ILB's Collins and Simmons. Chandler Jones must be asking, what am I, chopped liver? And don't forget our hidden gem pass rusher, Dennis Gardeck. If you're being objective expect a significant improvement in the pass rush. Again, the experts say, maybe so but your DB's are not good. To which I say, and will admit that's a group that still has to be addressed. But we do have the $$ to do so, and I expect SK to do that.

Special Teams-This group has gotten little to no recognition and we do have an aging kicker and punter. But I expect our kicking game to make maybe a two game difference. And if Matt Prater was our kicker last year, we would have made the playoffs.

Bottom Line-The team is improved, but once again it will depend upon on how much KM is improved. And a normal TC and PS will be a big help.

See you on Hard Knocks.

I'm right there with you on 3rd & short with Conner.


Better OL play=more holes for Conner & Edmonds.


Get rid of Kennard & that will free up a little more cap space to sign another veteran CB.


We drafted the OLB/edge rusher from Duke. The staff is pretty high on him. He can give us as much if not more than Kennard did in 2020.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I'm right there with you on 3rd & short with Conner.


Better OL play=more holes for Conner & Edmonds.


Get rid of Kennard & that will free up a little more cap space to sign another veteran CB.


We drafted the OLB/edge rusher from Duke. The staff is pretty high on him. He can give us as much if not more than Kennard did in 2020.

we already have cap space to do that have for weeks.

 

[slanidrac16]

My biggest fear about Chase is that the reason he's faded as a starter is because he can't handle teams game planning for him, or that his body just can't handle the workload. He's looked good in flashes but I just don't know if he's capable of being consistent.

As far as the game against the Giants goes, until you can do it multiple times, it's an aberration. Jonas Grey once ran for 200 yards and 4 TDs in a game only to proceed to get no more than 12 carries in a game ever again before his career ended the following year.

This. I love Edmonds. But it’s like a boxer moving up from 6 rounds to 10 rounds. What I want is somebody that can mirror what Edmonds brings. Bring in a Duke Johnson to spell him a bit or step up for a game or two if Edmonds breaks down.
I lol when I read “ Hey that Ward kid looked good on that 1 play”. THAT is our safety net?

 

[slanidrac16]

Jeez Slan, I'm ready to have a couple of Pine Sol Daiquiris with some cyanide buffalo wings and just end it all. Could you have outlined a worse overview of the team? This is heavy even by Darksider standards. LOL!!

Lol. ThAnks. I’ve turned the corner! Lol again.

 

[Solar7]

Starting CBs in the NFC West...

Jalen Ramsey
Darious Williams

Tre Flowers
Ahkello Witherspoon

Jason Verrett
Dontae Johnson

Malcolm Butler
Byron Murphy

Our CBs aren't even the worst in our division much less the league.

This is where I get frustrated with negativity from people, when it is unfounded. I get that most people don't love our CB depth chart, but that doesn't mean it is the worst in the league.

People want to talk about Chandler Jones coming back but then factor in Bosa to pick up right where he left off.

People want to talk about how we are gonna cover DK Metcalf but not who the hell is gonna cover DHop outside of Ramsey?

I may think AJ Green is washed, but I also think washed AJ Green can beat Darious Wiliiams, Ahkello Witherspoon, and Dontae Johnson pretty easily.

Name a defensive lineman in our division outside of Aaron Donald and Chandler Jones who is better than JJ Watt. Nick Bosa has 9 career sacks so get that noise out of here.

Just saying.

You're undoubtedly right about the Seahawks corners. They also have enough general calamity that I think we're worth considering as the better team. However, their offense and coaching is enough to give them a bit of an edge. The Rams and 49ers have better situations though, and Murphy isn't a starter. A team can neutralize him by not playing a 3rd WR.

I haven't discounted CJ personally, but if we want to compare him and Bosa, there's nearly 10 years in age to consider.

DHop's my guy, but Kliff has been scheming him into weird decoy routes, so it doesn't matter who is covering him sometimes. The issue is, DK Metcalf has Tyler Lockett on the other side/slot. The 49ers have tons of speed and talent in Aiyuk and Samuel. We've got Hop and a kid who has barely played in two years that needs my help to reach the top shelf at the grocery store. Woods and Kupp are slower, so I think we can match up, but I hate the rest of it.

I like Green, but don't expect he'll replace both Fitz and Dan Arnold's level of productivity.

Watt's great... and also chronically unhealthy. The instant he spends a prolonged amount of time on the bench hurt, literally any football player is better. It would be a surprise if he played every game, and that's why it's hard to count on him.