Bear Hands

The fact that tomorrow is Thomas Brown's interview, it seems likely he is ahead of the Cooter on our list. Hopefully we get the news of the hire tomorrow and the staff is mostly locked up.

I would just trade up with the Bears for our guy. Don’t want the leftover of the top 3, I want the one you think will be a top QB. It would be pricey but it’s time to take a shot. We’ve got the right QB mentors in place.

Base package & scheme aside-- Burns is already used in an EDGE-ish role standing on the strong side a lot, from my more casual eye it seems like he's up more than hands are in the dirt. Chinn can float up to the box in a hybrid role. And then, we have Horn, Jackson, & Woods in place. Same goes for Brown on the line. So..I see three big defensive needs that could be scheme fluid/great versatile adds: An outfielder type S next to Woods (this would be FA) LB - next to Luvu (unless this can become Chinn) DL - 3 Down lineman that plays multi-tech. (285+lbs & large frame type). Can be a 3-4 end, 4-3 end, or 4-3 DT I actually quite like the draft for DL in the mid rounds, so could see the LB & S as the FA adds on defense. Maybe another CB. Okereke at LB is my bet given he's been under both Reich and our LB coach in separate spots. Offensively, we don't have a lot to spend, but there is a vet who I think could come back to his home state and flourish with Reich again: Keenan Allen.

Sneaky team to watch would be Atlanta. Ridder was okay but this would be a notch up and he aligns with a lot of what Arthur Smith likes to do and is similar to what he brought out in Tannehill. They can also offer him a pretty fat contract up front/little finagling needed. I wouldn't mind if the Texans or Colts got him, then it opens the draft up a bit.

I've seen on more than a few spots that Quentin's stock is not as high as people think. Addison is the runaway fave but there may not be a WR taken top-15.

Bucs may be getting Caleb Williams at their current trajectory.

So the Colts officially replace their former HC with his own mentee, from the same team, and same exact coaching tree lol.

I'll own that I really wanted Ben Johnson, but gotta admit-- I HIGHLY doubt we would have been able to pull such a diverse staff from an experience standpoint with some of the other candidates. Reich's staff has such a good blend of up and comer (Staley, Evero, McCown, Hansen) and experience+success (Caldwell, Campen, Capers, Tabor) Add on a promising OC and we've got ourselves one hell of a coaching staff.

So... HC: Frank Reich AHC/RB: Duce Staley OC: TBD O Assistant: Jim Caldwell (Former HC) QBC: Josh McNown OL: James Campen DC: Ejiro Evero D Assistant: Dom Capers (Former HC) LB Coach: Peter Hansen ST: Chris Tabor (Top-5 ST Coach in football) This is beyond promising.

Jim Bob was with Caldwell in DET but I'm really excited about this Thomas Brown cat.

This really lends to the idea of bringing in a less experienced OC on board..Thomas Brown?? Frank could call plays and Caldwell could help mentor a guy like him.

The Rams did in fact pin their hopes on a rookie they traded the BARN for, failed, retooled, and still won a SB. And if the staff doesn't want a guy, then they don't get them. I don't see what projecting that scenario on others emotions brings to the argument. I guess congrats to you if we don't end up with Stroud and Young? And now suddenly Howie Roseman is a front office genius...okay lol. It's 2 picks. 2 players, unknowns, that are in their self, just as a risk without even knowing who they are. Heck, for the sake of it, let's just see who some pick 9s were, oh wait, yeah we have one on our roster, from 2020 and got him for a 3rd rounder and some guy named Dan Arnold in 2021.

You've truly convinced me!

Well the Rams got a ring so, no. And it's what many people simply want. They for (1) like the prospect and (2) want a QB. And it's what the staff may very well want. Let's not try to complicate this. Everything you're telling me is that it's coming down to your view of the specific players and not the general scenario. If you had a QB you thought was a potential top-5 in the league type, you're telling me you're just going to stay put and bank on next year? It's an agree-to-disagree point with the specific player, but what we're saying is if you ID the guy, go get him or get lost. And I just don't buy this "set us back" stuff, just look at Philly and LAR. They miffed with HUGE trades for their future in Goff and Wentz yet both have found a way to success within a short span of time. It doesn't "mortgage the future" or "set us back" quite nearly as much as is let on. So what if we don't keep #20 overall, 3rd-4th DT/CB in the 2024 draft. I mean, that's really what we're talking about. And there's also this built in assumption that the future pick is some certified hit, well that pick in itself is a risk just like every one in the draft. You have the FA, other draft picks, it's one or two picks and you're getting the QB you want in return.

I cannot for the life of me believe there needs to be this much convincing within the fandom of a franchise that experienced Cam Newton first hand. I guess that's the Dareus/Dalton crowd? Might as well hype the Bama/TCU combo this time around, Anderson/Duggan it is!

Thank you for saying that. Not to mention, with the evolving NIL reality, it's not even a sure thing Drake declares next year. Same for Ewers. So this supposed "amazing" 2024 board could easily become: Round 1: Caleb Williams...then a HUGE drop to guys that were considered mid-rounders that didn't declare this year: Ward, Penix, Nix, Daniels, Pratt & McCall. Won't lie, I actually like some of these dudes (especially Daniels), but that is a gamble and we just don't know. I imagine they'll want to draft a guy and it's likely to happen this year.

Seems like many just don't want to remember Matt Moore/Clausen or Kyle Allen/Grier. 3rd time's a charm I guess?

Yeah the rollover situation is helping a lot. We'll make some likely cuts, work on some restructures. Cap shmap. Teams seem to just figure it out for what they want these days. It's all very fungible

Brown was arguably the most improved player on the team and became the true anchor of the defense. Horn & Jackson are both here long term. Chinn is in tact. Luvu is in place. Woods is still here. Burns likely to be re-signed. We spent the entire 2020 draft on defense and min 3 guys in the last 2. Seems like the type of picks we'd be mortgaging for a QB that could be spent on defense aren't historically amounting to much by the standards of those wanting to keep picking defense. Ah, there it is. But, yes, that's the whole point. People think they could be the guy. And if the staff does, you're the one needing to do some reconciling here with that predisposition (OSU omen and the Young-size concern). No one knows for sure, you either take the risk or just risk being stuck in an even worse spot next year with even less impactful pick placement. Both risks, one has clear, tangental reward with a QB and future. The other is just putting it off yet again, with the hope of a shinier one the following year. So if we don't, I agree, I'm actually confident this growing staff can win some with another guy--who is not at all our future. It's not Heinicke, Jimmy G, Darnold, none of them are our realistically our future. So we're settling (again) with a stopgap, but better defense, you're potentially in an even worse spot, picking 16-22ish next year stuck in a Tannehill-hellscape scenario, we're stepping into even worse sh*t than this year, the year before, and the year before that. Not to mention, Maye and/or Ewers aren't even sure things to declare. And I don't even want to start on the potential 24' class yet. That's a whole other thing to unravel in itself with the assumptions being made about it.

Yep. TE & RB have two of the deepest class at their positions I've seen in a very long time. WR might be a bit of a mixed bag, but good overall year to want some weapons.

It's a really awesome TE class and there's some quality receiving FAs like Shultz and Geisicke. Post Maher in the draft: Kincaid & Musgrave look really interesting. Huge upside. Washington has a ton of potential. Whyle & Craft have NFL careers ahead, both have a lot to like. Schoonmaker is reportedly liked by many scouts. Huge mountain of a man, a bit like prime Cam Brate. And I'm keeping my eye on the Minny and Clemson kids as well. Some really good TE prospects.

I would just defer people to what our GM and ownership has said and what their perspective seems to be. We may not feel the defense is there yet, sure, plenty to still build up, but the people in charge think the big pieces are there. Fitt has reiterated his approach more than a few times. They did defense first, then shored up the offense line, and now they think we can take the next step and get "explosive". You cannot bank on filling virtually every hole with a plus-starter before getting playmakers, most importantly QB. You have to just do what you need to get the guy you want at some point. I think many are simply at that phase as fans. They're entirely cool if that scenario happens. I mean, if the QB ends up looking the part, those picks are realistically what? The 3rd-4th best guys at their position group in the 24 & 25 classes? And maybe it's just next year's first. Somewhere around pick 15 to late 20s? If the QB works out, it's not the same as missing out some on future top-10 studs.

I don't like his decision making on or off the field honestly. Choosing to not have professional representation for negotiating what will be a $220+ million contract is absolutely stupid. Not smart in any way you spin it. In a league with over 2,000 players, he's one of like 15 who don't have an agent. No legal representation, no one verifying contractural language, potential amendments, no help. He's also 4 years removed from his MVP year already, playing in just 12 games each of the last 2 years. Going after him poses a bigger risk than trading up for a rookie. You're giving up similar assets (maybe even more) and don't have the liberty of it being a rookie deal, it's a mega-contract.

We heard it from the horses mouth, multiple times, about where Tepper and Fitterer view this team. I'll caution that if you're joining hype trains about the 2nd to 4th best DL prospects or an overrated body-catching TCU WR, you're wasting your time. Scott himself said: they built up the defensive first, then the offensive, now is time for the QB. Now, there will now be plentiful diversion between now and the draft, but that, I take at his word. They think the team is there. If you wait until you have a plus-starter at nearly every position before landing a QB, you're never going to be in position. There's too many spots on a given team; the second you patch it up, another pothole emerges. If you have the key foundational pieces you think support a top defense and OL, then you have the squad necessary to add a QB. At this point, the longer you sit on your dick, the quicker this kind of just deflates into the next lame regime. Does this mean we're done building the defense? No. Same goes for adding playmakers. He also said he wants to get "sexy" or whatever. They are now in a position where they feel the foundation is set and they want the playmakers in house. I would fully anticipate a big move coming for a QB. Likely via the draft. They obviously want to and seems pretty evident they will land a guy somehow.