kungfoodude

Or how about Mike Davis? Maybe we could have kept Mike Davis, who had better running ability AND the pass catching ability of Abdullah? Normally I would be all-in on bringing in a draft pick to bolster depth but Hubbard wasn't the guy, quite obviously. So, we got rid of two productive veterans for a Matt Rhule's wife experiment. What more really needs to be said?

I don't even know if Rhule sticking around will help him. Rhule didn't seem to want to give him many opportunities, so I somewhat wonder how attached he is to him at all. Does make me wonder how much he really wanted a younger QB in the first place.

TBH, outside the first round it seems like we are making a very Hurney-esque effort. We seem to be using later round "swing for the fences" strategy of recruiting outlier athletes. I'm not anti-high caliber athlete but it does seem like we often prioritize measurables over playing ability.

It's something I have been very critical of the GM(Rhule). His talent evaluation is more miss than hit.

I feel like too many of our draft picks just wouldn't be taken by most other teams. Hubbard being one

Yeah, I was looking for his foot to snag in it but it didn't at all. Looks more like something just popped. Pure bad luck.

I disagree. Mike Davis was extremely productive in 2020. In 2021 the combo of Hubbard and Abdullah was fairly productive. Did most of those guys struggle running the ball compared to CMC? Absolutely. But, keep in mind CMC is an elite runner. He makes our awful OL blocking look halfway serviceable because of his greatness. Now that....you can't duplicate that with a draft pick, a free agent signing or a dumpster dive. The best you can do is improve the blocking situation so you don't NEED an elite runner to generate a capable rushing attack. THAT should be the focus of our building in the future. If we get a nasty, physical IOL, we won't even need a CMC to gash people in the run game.

For the DL/OL, the starting groups are relatively underwhelming, as well. I think we are in for more struggles in the trenches this coming season. It's a shame because our skill position groups look fantastic. OL/DL has to be a major focus for the 2023 offseason. Hopefully we get a coaching staff that realizes the value of investing in the trenches.

In fairness, they have found solid replacements for CMC in successive years so there hasn't been a moment where they were fuged because we didn't have a capable RB or the ability to find one. In a sense, RB production is quite easy to find. However it's basically impossible to replace what CMC creates as a player on offense. Hence why I always rail against heavy investment into RB's. Production isn't hard to come by. Elite players are but they rarely stay available for extended stretches.

I can't say our problems are solved yet. The potential is higher than we have seen in the post Luke/TD era. Let's see how the season plays out. It's definitely a lot more hopeful than heading into 2021.

If you completely ignore where he was drafted, this wouldn't even be a real discussion. He has been a massive disappointment. IMO, it may be hard to justify keeping him. Once you go down the list of WR's, you start to get into excellent special teams contributors that are also likely more productive than TMJ. It's really, really, REALLY hard to justify keeping him on the roster. The fact that Rhule basically indicated he was in trouble already, doesn't bode well for his future. Because if that was a ploy to get him amped for this last preseason game, it did not work at all.

I really can't believe that fuging happened.

I wouldn't be stunned to see Smith take over that role eventually. Depends on if we get Butterfinger Robbie this year again.

Corbett was getting beaten like a snare drum a few times. The entire interior was sketchy.

The concerning part is that Bozeman didn't look good either.

Yeah, talk about a fuging jinx. Jesus

So two QB's out for the year in three games. Well....that's bad.

I think depth is a big weakness, TBH. We are only really deep at DB and maybe WR.

Nah. High ankle is usually out immediately. Pretty painful from what I have heard.

Broken or torn. Could be the dreaded high ankle sprain. Those are usually longer recovery than an actual broken ankle.

That's one more than we had last season.

Easier said than done when you might be generally struggling on offense. Hard to keep it out of the hands of your best player.

D might be weak this season. Pass rush will probably be less potent, rush defense is a push, LB's TBD but the DB's should be vastly improved.

Just go watch some Darnold film. You will see what we had to deal with before Baker.