What's your Main Area of Concern re: Cards and '22 Season

[PJ1]

I voted pass rush but also can’t argue with DL being the choice. If Watt goes down again which he will we are a disaster.

 

[Russ Smith]

Need a younger punter, really wanted the Punt God very mad Buffalo got him. Interestingly he was the 3rd punter drafted NFL teams said he really only was a fulltime punter one year and SDSU just basically told him kick it as far as you can forget about hang time etc. So he had bombs and over 51 yards a punt but NFL teams said has to learn how to be a holder, how to place punts, hangtime etc. There's talk Buffalo will try and keep him on the roster even if he doesn't win the job because the know if they put him on the practice squad someone else will take him.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

Until Kliff learns how to make adjustments to teams and getting a stronger finish, he’ll be the biggest concern.

 

[BritCard]

Need a younger punter, really wanted the Punt God very mad Buffalo got him. Interestingly he was the 3rd punter drafted NFL teams said he really only was a fulltime punter one year and SDSU just basically told him kick it as far as you can forget about hang time etc. So he had bombs and over 51 yards a punt but NFL teams said has to learn how to be a holder, how to place punts, hangtime etc. There's talk Buffalo will try and keep him on the roster even if he doesn't win the job because the know if they put him on the practice squad someone else will take him.

Its ironic as the Bills punted the least last year

 

[Russ Smith]

Its ironic as the Bills punted the least last year

My guess is they probably figure it's less important for them so they can take a risk on a guy apparently seen as a project despite his amazing college numbers.

I do worry I'm ok with an older kicker but old punter any contact gets hurt and we lose the punter and holder that was a big issue in one of our games last year I don't want that again. Injuries happen but I want a younger punter at some point.

 

[Jetstream Green]

Its ironic as the Bills punted the least last year

That's why the whole additive 'quality over quantity' applies to them

 

[Krangodnzr]

With Hopkins out, I'm going with passing offense.

Maybe the Cardinals are better prepared, but that remains to be seen.

 

[Jetstream Green]

I voted coaching. In game adjustments will be key for Kliff and coordinators. The roster is what it is at this point so coaches need to do their jobs.

I disagree about game adjustments, because it's Kyler who needs to adhere to the adjustments the coach is making

 

[overseascardfan]

I disagree about game adjustments, because it's Kyler who needs to adhere to the adjustments the coach is making

There is a reason Kliff is a .500 coach going back to his college days. His lack of adjustments in second half of season. Once teams figure out how to stop his game plan he is cooked, he just gets caught unprepared. The only guy that could fix a busted HC is Peyton Manning but he ain't walking through that door folks.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Fair enough. I like Alford. For what it's worth I think Alford will be back.

I'd still call a 24 year old 1st round pick as at least a draw vs a 34 year old guy that's had injury issues.

Hopefully he’s better. But until he proves it he’s potential and Alford is proven. I hope we resign Alford as well.

 

[Red on White]

Hopefully he’s better. But until he proves it he’s potential and Alford is proven. I hope we resign Alford as well.

Hmmm

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[BritCard]

Hmmm

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I don't agree with this. It's not like Alford is a legacy player. I couldn't even tell you what his number was. Nor would I imagine Gladney is attached to a number he hasn't work yet.

They could easily swap numbers, or Alford just gets a new number.

 

[Red on White]

I don't agree with this. It's not like Alford is a legacy player. I couldn't even tell you what his number was. Nor would I imagine Gladney is attached to a number he hasn't work yet.

They could easily swap numbers, or Alford just gets a new number.

Yes certainly not smoking gun proof but we consider his number that he's had for three years to be vacant currently

 

[Jetstream Green]

There is a reason Kliff is a .500 coach going back to his college days. His lack of adjustments in second half of season. Once teams figure out how to stop his game plan he is cooked, he just gets caught unprepared. The only guy that could fix a busted HC is Peyton Manning but he ain't walking through that door folks.

You avoid the reason I gave with just another longer broad rehash of your initial response with no particulars on why, just stating 'lack of adjustments'. What lack of adjustments are you talking about, tell me what you saw as an example? What I saw was a QB not wanting to step up in the pocket sitting on its rim in the line of the arc where a OT moves their defender. I saw a frustrated Kingsbury on the sidelines with a QB who stopped going through his reads and was not throwing to open guys. I saw a young QB handling his weak interior OL, which made him reluctant to step up, by bailing on plays and simply go playground football and chuck deep balls when he had hot reads and open guys which the formations provided

Now I have stated before I do not like when Kingsbury reverts back to relying solely on these stacked WR sets, when the more TE sets with the QB under center worked better developing a running game, but later in the season these stacked WR sets would have worked if Kyler was more competent and adjusting his own game accordingly

What is a coach suppose to do with his QB? That is the question. You would then be correct that he did not adjust by not scraping these WR formations because his QB was failing to run them properly, but then again do you give into your young QB's sloppy behavior and deny formations with open guys? I like Kyler, I think he will learn and mature, but you do not learn by avoiding what is required of you. Kingsbury adjusted with a formation that presented open WRs and put his faith in this young QB, who has talent galore to figure it out, which is what a coach should do if that QB is suppose to grow into being your franchise QB

We did not need Peyton Manning to hit those open guys and if we did have Manning he would not have 'fixed' any of those calls, he would have executed like most pro QBs the opportunities those plays were giving him

 

[PACardsFan]

You avoid the reason I gave with just another longer broad rehash of your initial response with no particulars on why, just stating 'lack of adjustments'. What lack of adjustments are you talking about, tell me what you saw as an example? What I saw was a QB not wanting to step up in the pocket sitting on its rim in the line of the arc where a OT moves their defender. I saw a frustrated Kingsbury on the sidelines with a QB who stopped going through his reads and was not throwing to open guys. I saw a young QB handling his weak interior OL, which made him reluctant to step up, by bailing on plays and simply go playground football and chuck deep balls when he had hot reads and open guys which the formations provided

Now I have stated before I do not like when Kingsbury reverts back to relying solely on these stacked WR sets, when the more TE sets with the QB under center worked better developing a running game, but later in the season these stacked WR sets would have worked if Kyler was more competent and adjusting his own game accordingly

What is a coach suppose to do with his QB? That is the question. You would then be correct that he did not adjust by not scraping these WR formations because his QB was failing to run them properly, but then again do you give into your young QB's sloppy behavior and deny formations with open guys? I like Kyler, I think he will learn and mature, but you do not learn by avoiding what is required of you. Kingsbury adjusted with a formation that presented open WRs and put his faith in this young QB, who has talent galore to figure it out, which is what a coach should do if that QB is suppose to grow into being your franchise QB

We did not need Peyton Manning to hit those open guys and if we did have Manning he would not have 'fixed' any of those calls, he would have executed like most pro QBs the opportunities those plays were giving him

It's an exercise in futility to pinpoint what specifically led to our downfall last season. There were multiple reasons, and it included offense, defense & special teams. It wasn't just losing Hop, because we lost Moore too. Our offense was great when Hudson was healthy. Once he cracked multiple ribs, he missed games, and was never even at 70% when he returned. The IOL was abused the entire 2nd half of the season & teams came up the gut, took away Murray's angles, and their Ends played contain. I've watched every game 2-3 times front to back & back to front. I've watched plays in slow motion, etc. I'm not certain exactly what receivers you saw wide open, but once Hop & Moore went down, teams pressed our WR's at the LOS, and Kirk & AJ struggled getting off the ball. Until we improve the IOL, I don't care if we have a 6'6 QB or a 5'11 QB, stepping up in the pocket won't always be the answer. Does Murray need to improve in that area? Absolutely. And he already has. I won't bore everyone with details, but the DL has to improve, we need more bodies in the secondary, and the play calling has to improve also. When teams lose 5 of 6 games, the cause is never of a singular nature. We got our butts kicked in 2 of those games (Detroit & LAR playoff). Otherwise, we easily could have won 13-14 games. We beat the Colts if Prater doesn't miss 2 FG's & an extra point. Or if we don't fail on 3rd & 1's & 4th & 1's. Or if our DC doesn't rush 3 when the opponent is missing like 4 OL starters. We had 450 yards of offense in the 30-23 loss to the Rams in AZ, but outside of Murray, we only ran the ball for 40 yds at 2.4 ypc & couldn't get the short yardage 1st downs needed at critical junctures. We played well against the Cowboys, but let's face it, the Cowboys were an overrated team all year. And by the time we played Seattle in the finale & the Rams in the playoffs, both our DL & Secondary were an injured mess & we couldn't stop anyone, either on the ground or in the air. Multiple reasons why we finished the way we did. Impossible to blame any one group, whether it was a coach, the FO, or a player. Total team failure.

 

[slanidrac16]

The entire defense in general. If you look at the makeup and who we have to play defense right now, it's easy to see the DLine is probably the weakest we have seen on this team in ages. OLB is severely lacking and ILB is questionable. CB has no depth and S is about the only area where we can expect some solid play consistent play. Outside of Watt who will probably miss substantial time due to an injury causes a DC to worry about how to game plan for them, absolutely no one. Same for OLB. Even though our CBs are decent at best they can be beat by good WRs. Right now Gardeck is probably one of our starting OLBs. Collins is a big question mark inside and Simmons hasn't exactly lit the world on fire. If the expectation is for the Dline to keep these guys clean in order to make plays, the defense is in real trouble.

What is left in FA are not difference makers, they're all gone. What's left are aging bodies looking to hang on for another year or two. If they were still able to play at a high level they would have been signed already.

This. Defensive backs average or below. Lb’s do I have to really say it. D-line ugh.

 

[Snakester]

Kyler Murray. I hope this is the season that he grows up and acts like a man.

 

[BritCard]

The draft is still nagging at me.

I like McBride but we should have drafted a rusher.

I like Cam Thomas but really don't see an OLB. Sanders looks like he needs at least a year.

I guess we will see but I'm concerned about the rushers.

 

[WeBlitz]

The draft is still nagging at me.

I like McBride but we should have drafted a rusher.

I like Cam Thomas but really don't see an OLB. Sanders looks like he needs at least a year.

I guess we will see but I'm concerned about the rushers.

A typical Steve Keim draft, imo.

 

[Krangodnzr]

You avoid the reason I gave with just another longer broad rehash of your initial response with no particulars on why, just stating 'lack of adjustments'. What lack of adjustments are you talking about, tell me what you saw as an example? What I saw was a QB not wanting to step up in the pocket sitting on its rim in the line of the arc where a OT moves their defender. I saw a frustrated Kingsbury on the sidelines with a QB who stopped going through his reads and was not throwing to open guys. I saw a young QB handling his weak interior OL, which made him reluctant to step up, by bailing on plays and simply go playground football and chuck deep balls when he had hot reads and open guys which the formations provided

Now I have stated before I do not like when Kingsbury reverts back to relying solely on these stacked WR sets, when the more TE sets with the QB under center worked better developing a running game, but later in the season these stacked WR sets would have worked if Kyler was more competent and adjusting his own game accordingly

What is a coach suppose to do with his QB? That is the question. You would then be correct that he did not adjust by not scraping these WR formations because his QB was failing to run them properly, but then again do you give into your young QB's sloppy behavior and deny formations with open guys? I like Kyler, I think he will learn and mature, but you do not learn by avoiding what is required of you. Kingsbury adjusted with a formation that presented open WRs and put his faith in this young QB, who has talent galore to figure it out, which is what a coach should do if that QB is suppose to grow into being your franchise QB

We did not need Peyton Manning to hit those open guys and if we did have Manning he would not have 'fixed' any of those calls, he would have executed like most pro QBs the opportunities those plays were giving him

Agree. I'm a Murray fan, but I definitely think HE holds back Kliffs offense more than Kliff is incompetent.

 

[Krangodnzr]

The draft is still nagging at me.

I like McBride but we should have drafted a rusher.

I like Cam Thomas but really don't see an OLB. Sanders looks like he needs at least a year.

I guess we will see but I'm concerned about the rushers.

Rarely are smaller school edge guys ready to go in year one, but Cam Thomas' game does translate to the NFL. We watched slow Chandler Jones dominate for years. I see Cam Thomas as a bully rusher type who can move all over the front line...but please don't drop him in coverage lol

 

[BritCard]

Rarely are smaller school edge guys ready to go in year one, but Cam Thomas' game does translate to the NFL. We watched slow Chandler Jones dominate for years. I see Cam Thomas as a bully rusher type who can move all over the front line...but please don't drop him in coverage lol

I like the player. Just don't see the fit.

 

[Krangodnzr]

I like the player. Just don't see the fit.

My point is that he can play multiple positions. Outside/inside. Move him around.

 

[DaHilg]

It's an exercise in futility to pinpoint what specifically led to our downfall last season. There were multiple reasons, and it included offense, defense & special teams. It wasn't just losing Hop, because we lost Moore too. Our offense was great when Hudson was healthy. Once he cracked multiple ribs, he missed games, and was never even at 70% when he returned. The IOL was abused the entire 2nd half of the season & teams came up the gut, took away Murray's angles, and their Ends played contain. I've watched every game 2-3 times front to back & back to front. I've watched plays in slow motion, etc. I'm not certain exactly what receivers you saw wide open, but once Hop & Moore went down, teams pressed our WR's at the LOS, and Kirk & AJ struggled getting off the ball. Until we improve the IOL, I don't care if we have a 6'6 QB or a 5'11 QB, stepping up in the pocket won't always be the answer. Does Murray need to improve in that area? Absolutely. And he already has. I won't bore everyone with details, but the DL has to improve, we need more bodies in the secondary, and the play calling has to improve also. When teams lose 5 of 6 games, the cause is never of a singular nature. We got our butts kicked in 2 of those games (Detroit & LAR playoff). Otherwise, we easily could have won 13-14 games. We beat the Colts if Prater doesn't miss 2 FG's & an extra point. Or if we don't fail on 3rd & 1's & 4th & 1's. Or if our DC doesn't rush 3 when the opponent is missing like 4 OL starters. We had 450 yards of offense in the 30-23 loss to the Rams in AZ, but outside of Murray, we only ran the ball for 40 yds at 2.4 ypc & couldn't get the short yardage 1st downs needed at critical junctures. We played well against the Cowboys, but let's face it, the Cowboys were an overrated team all year. And by the time we played Seattle in the finale & the Rams in the playoffs, both our DL & Secondary were an injured mess & we couldn't stop anyone, either on the ground or in the air. Multiple reasons why we finished the way we did. Impossible to blame any one group, whether it was a coach, the FO, or a player. Total team failure.

Excellent post… yet sure to be deflected by the IHKC

 

[Dayman]

The whole defensive front 7 worries me.

Keim needs to sign another d-lineman or two. Fotu is pretty much the only DT on the roster, and I think it's fair to question if he even should be at this point. Plus, there is even less depth on the line than last year. If/When Watt goes down again, you are pretty much left with Zach Allen again.

The OLBs are an odd mix of too old and too young. And definitely too slow, aside from possibly the rookies. I actually like both of the rookie OLBs, but I'm not expecting a whole lot from them next year.

The ILBs need no extra analysis.

Overall, the whole front 7 seems incomplete at best. But at least we drafted a 2nd TE!