tukafan21

If you're the #1 pick in the NFL draft as a QB, you're expected to be able to deal with the pressure of expectations Period. And if you can't, then you shouldn't have been the #1 pick Period. End of discussion.

Eh, I don't really agree with this, well at least depending on your definition of "playoff contender" If you mean it as "a QB away from being legitimate contenders once you get to the playoffs" then sure, you're right. But I think we were a QB away from contending for a playoff spot after last season. That's exactly when you make the move to go get your QB, as even if you don't make the playoffs in that first season with them, you're still supposed to be right on the edge and then moving forward you become legitimate SB contenders as the QB gains experience. I think our biggest problem (outside of how awful Bryce has been) has been the coaching staff, they took a team right on the edge of being solid and made them significantly worse. We were 7-10 last year and in theory, we brought back the same starter or upgraded the starter at all 22 starting positions outside of WR #1, and even then, we upgraded our WR as a whole compared to last season. Yes, injuries have hurt us, particularly on defense, but when you do all that to a 7-10 team, there is no reason to then be THIS bad, outside of the coaches doing something terribly wrong. Case and point... where in the flying fug has Chinn been? The guy is a legitimate player, he flies all over the field and makes plays, but we only put him out there for 1/3rd of the snaps because this staff can't figure out how to use him properly. I'm not saying the lack of Chinn's usage is the reason we're losing, but it's just one glaring example of how the coaches don't seem to know what they're doing. I hated the trade before the pick, I hated the trade after the pick, and I hate the trade now that we're seeing it play out. But none of that changes my feelings that we were a solid QB away from contending for the NFC South and we bet on the wrong staff and QB to get the job done.

Strongly disagree there He's a non guaranteed $1.4 million next year, I think that is actually very attractive to teams out there who would be interested in seeing if he's just been cursed by this terrible franchise not being able to develop any players the last few years. You get a guy who has shown flashes of ability, on a cheap contract, and out to prove he's better than he's shown to get a new deal. That's why I think he'd be someone the Bengals would be interested in with him having played at LSU with Burrow and Chase. They know they're losing Higgins after this year, trade us Higgins, a 1st, and a 3rd for Burns and TMJ. If anyone is going to unlock him, it's going to be putting him back with Burrow and Chase, then they also get him on the cheap for next year if it works out, if not, they can cut him at no cost. My only fear would be that Higgins would end up refusing to sign an extension here because of Bryce.

There's a couple really weird aspects about this whole thing. First is that if we don't make the trade, we're likely nowhere near the worst team in the league and thus wouldn't have even ended up with the #1 pick in the draft anyways. We'd have still had DJ, whoever we would have taken at 9, someone else in the 2nd, and ended up with like a Jacoby Brissett at QB, that's a better team than what we have right now. The other, is that the trade might end up being so bad that instead of setting us back 5-7 years, it actually might expedite the re-build and get it started sooner. If after year 2 or 3, we're in a position to draft a new QB, which we very well may be, then I think we do and the re-set starts sooner than the usually 4-5 year window that a high first round pick would usually get before the team tries to re-set. And honestly, I'm not seeing anything out of this team that says we won't be picking right back in the Top 5 in 2025 again. There really isn't much at all to be positive about with this team right now, at least not in terms of anything positive for the long term success of this franchise.

If Fields plays well enough the rest of the season to make them re-sign him as opposed to drafting Williams with out #1 pick, while I'm sure taking Harrison would be tempting, not sure they'd be able to turn down whatever is offered to them for #1 with a QB like Williams out there. What they could do is try to swap with whoever has #2 and get what they can out of them and still take Harrison, but not at #1, they'd be able to make what they got from us for Bryce look like peanuts.

They have played well the last couple weeks, it's going to get real interesting as the more we lose, the more Fields will be very much playing for his job and his future. He'll need to look REALLY good the rest of the season for the Bears to justify trading the top pick instead of taking Williams and then trading Fields to another QB needy team. Can't imagine what they'd get in trade for that pick though

Were back-to-back draft picks. Let that sink in........................

So we traded Caleb Williams, DJ Moore, 9th pick, 2024 2nd, and the best asset from the CMC trade for a QB who will need a special kind of OC to see any success in this league. #Winning

DJ is only the 3rd best WR in team history, don't you dare put him over Moose But when you put it like that, maybe he was just a Saints or Falcons plant to run our franchise into the ground.

I said it the other day, I'd try and trade Burns and TMJ to the Bengals for Higgins and a 1st, maybe a second pick in there as well. TMJ played at LSU with Burrow and Chase, and they looked pretty good today still without Higgins and Burrow still isn't even 100% yet. I think they might consider something like that

Just looked, Miami plays at Philly on SNF the following week. Outside chance they could look be looking ahead and instead of blowing us out by 40, only beat us by two touchdowns

Thanks for somehow making my night even more depressing, wow that would have been a hell of an offense

Burns will not play for the Panthers beyond 2023, I'd put it at a 5% chance, at best, and that's only because I don't want to say 0%. That we couldn't get a deal done with him before the season shows how far apart we had to have been with him and on the open market, someone absolutely will, because the entire league has seen the Panthers constantly mis-use stars and then watch them explode with their next team. Yes, we could franchise tag him, but he's not playing a down for us on the tag, not after how this has all gone. The time to trade for him is now because a pass rusher is what a lot of teams think will put them over the top, and the leverage is that multiple teams will want him. We'll get a 1st plus more for him, no doubt in my mind. So it just becomes who does Tepper want making the trade, Fitterer or Morgan, and that's what dictates how much longer Fitterer is around in my opinion

GM is different, I think a lot of qualified candidates would love the chance, even if they know Bryce is terrible as they'll expect a top pick soon to replace him. You also really never see GM's get fired quickly unless they really do something terrible, so you know you have more job security than a HC with a terrible team. Coaches sometimes only get 1 chance at a HC job and you can lose it in one year if you're THAT bad. So taking the risk on a terrible team can be shaky, as if you're so bad you get fired after 1 season, you generally don't get another shot at it. Which is why I think Reich gets 2 years minimum, the schedule does let up after the bye so I'm not expecting us to actually go 0-17, if we do, he might get fired, but that would really be the only way I think. But if there isn't significant improvement in year 2 under Reich, he might not last the full season and then a new coach can replace Bryce with the high draft pick in 2025.

It depends how much Tepper trusts Morgan to try and trade Burns. Because Burns has to go by the deadline at this point, just have to get the picks and can't risk him getting hurt to screw us in an offseason trade. So if he trusts Morgan, it likely will be either tomorrow or Sunday after the Miami game and then Morgan gets to do the trade. If he doesn't, he'll let Fitterer make his final move and then fire him after the trade deadline has passed in case there are other trades that need to be made by then. I'm hoping the former

That's crazy, we just got rolled by the Lions while they were missing some of their best players. How is Miami only a 10.5 point favorite at home and not even the biggest spread of the day? I'm surprised Bills/Giants is a bigger spread than our game and the KC/Denver. Broncos and Panthers are both worse than the Giants and the Bills are coming back from a long London trip

Anyone know what it might be? Have a feeling that we could break that record next week. @Miami, it ain’t gonna be pretty

2024 First Round Pi….. oh, poo

Burns has already shown us that he's not signing here on a reasonable or fair contract and we're not about to contend. You have to trade him for the best offer we can get at this point, he's just not part of our future.

So... only football team I care about right now is... And......

There's probably more action on this site right now than there has been since the 2015 season. The only thing people love more than celebrating a good football team is complaining about a poo one

As I've said a few times when people keep bringing up firing Reich and giving Evero the job.... We have an assistant HC, if Reich is fired at any point this season (which I still doubt would happen), then the coordinators stay in their jobs and Deuce takes over as HC, no point in having an Asst HC and then promoting a DC to Interim HC if you fire the HC.

No, you need a GM who is smart enough to look at the bigger picture at times. A 2nd round pick isn't going to make up for the demoralizing nature of actually giving up on the #1 pick that quickly, who you traded away so much to get. I'm not advocating for Bryce's long term potential, I think he's utter garbage. But there is no player you can get in the 2nd round who will make up for what that will do to the locker room and fan support, it would destroy all of it to a level that's never been seen in NFL history before.

In a vacuum I'm taking this in a second and laughing at the Patriots In the real world, you just can't do it, it would be so demoralizing to the team, city, fans, etc, that it would have wider ramifications that the 2nd round pick couldn't make up for.

This is why you don’t trade away the farm for a WB who doesn’t have a single elite physical trait. Hell, you could make the argument that he doesn’t even have a single above average physical trait. This is as bad as it gets folks