Khyber53

Oh, I get it. I called him Peewee for the first couple of years. He is too small to be an NFL QB. It wasn't as much of a problem in college, even in the SEC, because every player in the NFL is the size and speed of the biggest 22 on your entire college team. I was left scratching my head over the pick and what we traded to get him (and yes, that cost analysis is unavoidable). Now we're sunk into the third season and the kid just popped a frikkin' amazing game out there where he showed every mark of what you need in a top end QB. Great passing, mobility, guts, toughness (that ankle must have been killing him) and the ability to put a team on his back to claw back a win. He didn't win it with his arm so much as by getting the ball to the right people at the right time, but that is what the best do. Do I believe he's going to be our QB of the future here? I'm still out on that. Way out on that. But I'm at least intrigued. Can he replicate what he did or even get close? Can he perform well against the power opponents we have left on the schedule? Heck, can he even beat New Orleans this season? Right now, my personal feeling is that he'd make a heck of a back-up QB. He could prove me wrong and excel, though. Maddening as it is, that'd be the best outcome ever. Or he could have just hit his peak. And that would be bittersweet because then we start the whole thing over again. I don't see a reclaimation project QB out there right now that Canales can work his magic on.

I pounded the drum for us to take Warren. Tet has been quite a good pick, though. Can't wait to see what he develops into. We haven't seen it all from him yet.

This forum will fight over whoever the QB is. Jake and Cam in their good days had their fans and detractors. Everyone takes this so effing seriously sometimes that we forget we don't live and die by this but watch instead to take us away from the strife of the world for just a little while. Yeah, it's bread and circuses, but when the poo is deep, at least you've got that, yanno?

Sorry, I'm just tired of this constant gnashing of teeth and cutting of our flesh because of something we can't control, even in the face of what was a helluva game with an amazing, gutsy comeback by the whole team. Geez, can't we just enjoy that moment and maybe hope that we might deserve some more ahead of us? Why do we have to just sit around and punch ourselves in the nuts even when it is far from deserved.

Okay, whatever. Some people can't resist taking a crap in another man's cleats. Even after the guy set the new franchise record for passing yards in a game, won that game and won it against our division rivals. Yeah, he's still a frog, warts and all. A lot of you are tired of kissing him. A lot of you just keep seeing the frog and want it gone, for your own good reasons. Truth is, though, the franchise is going to keep kissing this frog in hopes of finding a prince through the rest of this season, no matter what happens. We've got Andy Dalton on the bench, just keeping it from flying up in the air and basically no one on the active roster behind him. We have the veritable murderer's row of opponents coming up, including half of the game vs division opponents, including two versus the division leading Bucs. There's really not an easy game ahead of us unless New Orleans decides to pack it in early and just phone in a contractual obligated effort. The only way, the EFFING ONLY WAY, Bryce comes out of this turning into the prince is if he wins four or more of these games and somehow gets the team into the playoffs. And you can read it here, there are a lot of people here who are actually afraid of that because they could be proven wrong about him, that we could be saddled with a QB they don't like because of it. They'd fuging rather lose games and shorten the season to see Bryce fail, even if it means their team fails. Man, that's fuged up. Root for the team or go the fug on. If that means you've got to pull for the little guy in the fight, then you do. Hell, the odds are certainly stacked against him. But it sure would be nice if we hit a patch of magic after years of futility. But you guys would crap on that, too. Miserable old fugs.

All I know is that it won't be boring. A win or two along the way and this team is suddenly in the mix throughout the season. It has been a long, long time we could say that at Thanksgiving. And that late bye of ours could give us a mighty leg up. If we can make it to it.

I think we need to draft offensive and defensive leaders in 2026. Picking around the middle of the pack, we should go with the best MLB in the draft. Get someone who can run the defense and hold his teammates accountable. Someone who can learn the defensive playbook quickly and have it built around them (and who knows if we will have the same DC next season). Then, grab a developmental QB in the second round. There are going to be good ones there and I agree that they need time to learn the NFL game, especially considering the whirlwind of coaching changes many of them see (or pursue) with the transfer portal. Maybe even specifically look for a QB that has spent their entire college career at one school (which might show how valuable they were to their own coach). But if those two are in doubt, just grab O-line or Edge. That's the classic easy choice.

I kinda cracked up about it.

Perfect! or Cioppino! Sour dough bread. Take-out Chinese would also be really appropriate considering that Chinatown is such a big part of the whole San Fran vibe.

Rico deserved his garlands, the guy flat out played lights out when we had to rely on him. Chuba, we seemed to forget was also a steady, sturdy running back himself, and when he didn't come back and set the world on fire, a lot of folks were basically calling him a bum for it. Let's be honest, though, we've got two excellent running backs and 11 weeks into the season they have had their bumps and bruises. Goes with the game. We've got the latest bye game possible and we're rotating them, so maybe down the stretch when the cold wind blows those two guys can just keep pounding the opposing teams into submission.

Understood, but sometimes that's how things grow. Up through the dirt and the manure to burst into the light. Heck, not sure what I'd do with myself if there was an unexpected playoff appearance.

I have no idea how this one will turn out. I sure will be tuning in to see it.

There's a fair argument here. And often, it isn't the QB that's at fault for the team being behind in the fourth quarter. Defenses play into it heavily. Heck, the opposing team plays into it very heavily, both in their offensive output and possibly their defense just petering out. It's an odd stat. Much like Atlanta having the #1 passing defense going into this past week's game. They had it greatly because teams were running so consistently against their defense that you didn't have to pass to beat them... at all. They knew going into Sunday that the Panthers would lean heavily on Rico and Chuba again, so they overplayed that aspect, again and again. And Bryce burned them badly. Epically. And by the time they and we had adjusted, momentum was turning against them. Stats are just stats, they rarely tell the whole story truthfully. Nuance is the story, every time.

The thing about fool's gold is that it's at least entertaining. For a while. It's been a while since we've had it like this. We aren't anywhere yet. Still a lot of games left to play, Sunday meals to cook and outcomes yet to be determined. But for once, we're still truly in the hunt at this point and we're playing for a reason. If we can't do something in those circumstances it says a lot about us. If we can do something, especially with this murderer's row ahead of us.. then we may be onto something. Always remember that fool's gold (iron pirate) is often found in areas where real gold will be. The two minerals emerge to the surface is near identical conditions and one can be a precursor to the other. So keep digging and panning. It's not like we had anything better to do!

The kid frikkin' deserves it.