strato

Things are kind of weird with beat writers these days. Dave O’Brien who was the Braves guy at The Athletic retired months ago, like Jan or Feb, and they finally replaced him. The first content dropped yesterday. Months without any kind of focused coverage. Could be something similar in play here. They have two months before camps start where really there isn’t a ton to cover. Newton doesn’t bother me much though, I generally ignore ESPN. The stuff they were saying in reaction to Bryce’s benching in early 2024 was pretty sad. Last nerve material from people like Rex Ryan and several other highly placed voices over there back then.

I really don’t understand the urgency at TE. Or to cut bait with XL. Are people thinking that because Cam did so well with Olsen that Bryce would do the same? I don’t, at all (and Kmet is no Olsen). We are not Air Coryell or Air Chud, hell we aren’t even Air Shula. We are a lot closer to Air Check it Down. Re XL, you need depth at WR. We should at least see what camp looks like before cutting bait on him. Make sure everyone is healthy and see what he looks like. What his attitude is, if he is working hard, all that stuff.

It seemed obvious from the start. Reich was fired because he pushed back on the QB. Wanted Bryce to sit behind Andy. Pretty sure. Where I differ from a lot of people is that I never felt like Canales’ situation was dependent on successfully developing Bryce. I thought that was unreasonable and if he failed with Bryce it should be on Bryce and not on Canales, and he should get a chance with another QB. But that is not as good a bet as thinking the both of them were hired with the condition that Bryce had to be given every opportunity. That seems a given. I tell you, if Canales can make Bryce into even an average starter he is a miracle worker and should be in the QB coaching HOF.

I think Moore is a good coach and they could have a very nice offense. I think Shough is in a good place to develop. I don’t like Atlanta’s QB situation but they have a lot of pieces especially if Pearce is allowed to play. Not sure about TB. I probably fear NO rising most out of the three.

I think Morgan has done a real good job on what he has been allowed to oversee. I say that thinking he is not allowed to change QBs. I think he should stay. If Phillips has another season ending injury that could hurt him. Canales I am not certain about. Usually a HC that cedes playcalling is under fire but I don’t feel like he is. To my mind I just cannot blame anyone that is shackled to Bryce Young for not succeeding. That is being set up to fail right there.

Btw there are some shorts on YouTube of the cowboys on draft day trying to trade to 9 with Cleveland (offer rejected) and another of the successful trade with Miami I think it was to get to 11. Audio of the phone call,tapped on so you get both parties. I would love to get that from our draft room.

Yeah some of us said last year that he had so much room to improve he could be a lot better and still not be good enough. He was a lot better in a handful of games and mediocre to impotent in the rest, and that isn’t good enough. So there you go.

Blind squirrels and all… he occasionally gets a lane and can operate. I don’t think he can make his living there and it is why I didn’t think we should invest a whole lot into trying to develop that part of the offense. Like with a highly drafted TE. I feel like with him, it is super simple; you need to make running the ball your strong suit. TEs that can block. A big OL. I am concerned about the RB room there is a lot riding on Brooks. But a great RB room. If those things aren’t strengths it will not have a chance of working. Then you need to take the downfield shots which have been missing for most of three years, maybe every down isn’t defended like we are in red zone. Because that is what teams do to us.

He sure did. I’m probably glad the play calling has been reassigned. We will have a comparison. Not that I am jumping for joy at Idzik being the guy but I’ll wait and see. I mean I could look up my reactions after Bryce’s first game and not change that much for 80% of the ones over the whole years.

It is simple. If he is in the pocket he can’t see the middle. When I see him throw to the middle successfully, it is when he squirts through a gap and has the linemen behind him and he is between them and the LOS with a clear view. That is how he works it. He is not going to be good throwing to the middle just doing 1,2,3 plant, throw.

It is not a Bryce referendum. It is a make the best of your situation situation. This concept shouldn’t be hard to understand.

Multiple issues with the same foot if I have it right. Wishing the best for the player but it doesn’t project to a good outcome.

If there is an after the Panthers. SOB has 9 lives. And I don’t think Pickett is tiny, his arm is the comp not his size. Your point on Bryce and his future viability as a backup is valid though. He can’t do Murray because the arm is not there. Nor the plus athleticism. WHo the f can he do? Maybe if Pickett gets a job somewhere.

Bryce is illogical no doubt. The idea of simulating your starter with your number two is very logical. Look… if we had Cam would the concept be stupid? Illogical? Or a left handed QB like I referenced at the jump? Illogical that you try to cc your starter to get consistency across your first and second team? No, that is not illogical. You just want to make this about Morgan or Canales and rage against Bryce. Seems like. I get that they haven’t challenged him. Obviously, they don’t want to. And to deflate the scope of this catastrophe further, Pickett is only on a one year deal. And… we were getting a place holder this year regardless. Dalton is gone. I am not unhappy about it. I think KP could probably mimic Bryce in a game pretty closely for that matter. How much different would it be….

I don’t know what to believe when they make a statement on Bryce but some months back Morgan said they were never out. It was a time out to try and get him reset (not a direct quote, my summary of it). I could not link to it and there are a number of Morgan videos out there, I can’t even remember if it was a presser, an interview or a guest spot on the podcast/radio circuit. But as a non Bryce fan my ears perked up when I heard that. FWIW.

Hurting his feelings or not is not the point of the comment. It is simply noting the logic of matching your backup to your starter.

No I wouldn’t and you know damned well I wanted no part of Bryce Young going back pre 2023 draft. That is a strawman as applies to this specific circumstance. I do not suggest stacking midget QBs nor 4.7 running defenders. But we have what we have at QB. I am sure you noticed that some guys who flop with Bryce did better with Andy throwing to them. May as well get all your targets dealing with the same drill. Mostly balls with lots of air under them.

Agree.

That’s all we really need. At least to start with.

I am devil’s advocate here on that. There is a special kind of logic that says emulate your starter when you pick your backup, that could be in play. Next level poo. Atlanta got a LH backup for their LH starter. We got a weak armed low velocity high arc thrower for ours. It means the timing of the guys playing on the second team is more tuned to what they will have to sync with if they have to step up to the ones. Tell me it doesn’t make a lot of sense on some level.

The blueprints are popular I expect to see them

Well the season is very long and a huge grind. Most every team other than the cellar dwellers have ups and downs, mostly as a result of injury. Some as a result of gelling the new players and schemes or coaches. It largely depends on when you play them in those conditions. The teams that are doing it right get better as they get their reps progressing through the schedule. How many new players they added makes a difference. I expect to see that with us some on defense and at OL to start out with.

The media team at Mint has upped their game. At least the video production has. The fluff pieces haven’t died but probably never will.

Yeah I am looking forward to that too. Said so in the 1st round where Morgan stood his ground. I don’t really think it was us that tried to trade up to 12 or 13 or whatever it was. Maybe some light will be shed on that.

And pretty bad most of the time all season. If they don’t get that running game up to beast level this year we will see the truth.