MHS831

Yeah, Fitzgerald was smart to sign with the panthers--not sure how many NFL teams were in the Market....I was surprised to see Morgan re-sign Tuttle and Ray--even if Ray's contract is completely unguaranteed--but with Brown, Wharton, Brown III, Robinson, Cam Jackson--maybe Crumedy--Tuttle could be excellent depth--but at DE, not DT, imo. Once again, it appears that Morgan may have found UDFAs who have a shot making the team--last year, there were 2 who contributed in a meaningful way. This year, I see CBs Thornton and Reid with a legitimate shot to make the roster. I also think LB Nomura has a legit shot (Morgan has to love this guy) as well as LB Bam Martin Smith from USC. Finally, I think one of the safeties will stick. In all, I expect 1-2 CBs, 1 LB, 1 S, 1 OL, 1 K to make this team. Predictions: CBs Thornton and Reid make the 53-man roster. LB Tuasivi Nomura makes the 53-man roster as a ST ace and ILB depth OL Michael Tarquin may make the roster to groom as a potential RT replacement for Moton. Moton, BC, and Nijman are on expiring contracts. While I like what I am hearing about Kandra, the OG room is very crowded. Lewis, Hunt, Zavala, Kingston--but he could compete for the 4th G job. S: Trevian Thomas, Isaac Gifford are probably the front runners, but Jack Henderson from Minnesota might be able to win a S spot as well. I expect all three will not make the 53, but the darkhorse name to watch is Henderson. Henderson's Pro day: Minnesota DB Jack Henderson had arguably the BEST overall workout of any Safety in this entire draft: 40yd. 4.47 vertical. 40” Broad. 10’8” Shuttle. 4.15 3cone. 6.70 Bench. 12

He said he was looking for productive college players.

ILB is a concern of mine- but if the IDL does the job I think they will, our LBs should be better.

I have heard that before--when standing in front of a full body mirror at Old Navy. I said it, actually. Seriously, Let's go on what we know. There is reason for optimism that exceeds random opinions and negativity: 1. Last year, the offense was the priority and the interior offensive line was the focal point. Morgan addressed it in free agency and the draft. They improved. 2. Last year, Canales pulled Young after 2 games and replaced him with an established veteran. Instead of giving up on Young, he developed him, primarily focusing on his footwork and timing. Continued development in his fundamentals should result in improved play. (this is significant because some athletes rely on natural ability and do not adapt well. They resort to old habits. This means that Bryce is "teachable" and is willing to face adversity and fight through it. That is what you want in a QB.) 3. Morgan drafted a raw talent at WR; and we all knew he was raw. Huddlers are already calling it a bust, but his productivity numbers were in line with the other WRs drafted around where he was drafted. So, yes, he was a bit disappointing, but what part of "Raw" is not understood here? Evil Bryce, then inconsistent Dalton, then good Bryce--all while facing the top defensive backs--and let's not forget about his lingering injuries--and we should understand XL's productivity. Morgan was looking for a home run based on XL's 1-season productivity and his freakish athleticism, but I always thought we would not know what we have until year 2. TMac alone will make XL better--a solid #2. 4. If you blame Morgan for drafting XL, you must give him credit for making Coker a priority free agent. In my view, he addressed WR in 2024 pretty effectively in the long view. 5. Let's look at the rest of the draft. Brooks? The best RB in the draft in round 2? Morgan was attempting to build a solid run game behind Bryce. Wallace was a very solid third round pick at LB. Sanders is a strong TE for a fourth round pick. 6. Not much is being said about the development of Chau Smith-Wade. His improvement mirrors Bryce Young's, actually. In his first 8 games, his PFF rating was 36.5. In the final 9 games, his PFF rating was 66.7. 7. With so many needs, Morgan hit the UDFA market with success. In addition to Coker, Demani Richardson got 400+ snaps and had a 60.1 PFF grade, including an interception. 8. In free agency, Morgan spent big bucks on Guards, a move that made his QB better. He added David Moore, Nijman, He signed Clowney, Wonnum, Robinson, Jewel, Chaisson, Fuller, Scott, D. Jackson, Dionte Johnson, etc. A few years of Fitterer left him with more holes that players. Some did not work out, but he did all this on a budget (after he splurged on Lewis and Hunt). It is hard to get a free agent to come to a team that loses--so in some cases, Morgan had to overpay or accept questionable players. Morgan's first year as a GM demonstrated an understanding of the game like we have not seen since Polian, before his lost it. Canales, on the other hand, should be rated by the improvement of players. Zavala, Ekwonu, Mays, Young, Smith-Wade, Coker, Wallace--all improved. He had to overcome major losses such as D. Brown, Shaq, Dionte Johnson, Corbett--and we saw growth. Despite all this team went through, after 8 games of disarray, This team finished 4-5 with close losses to both Super Bowl teams. Frankly, I do not know how he did it. This year was better. The WR room is solid with depth. The OL room is solid with depth. The TE room is as good as it has been in a while. The RB room has the potential to be as good as it was when we had 28 and 34. DBs? Better. DL? Better. Edge? better. The bottom of the roster? Much better. We really don't know what we have yet, and that makes this offseason exciting.

I think we will see a rotation of all 3 TEs, each with his own particular set of skills.

Sorry missed this. I was not really wanting a WR in the first--yes, it makes me better knowing the Rams and Cowboys and (another team) wanted him. Those teams are pretty good judges of WR--except Mingo.

It is probably wise not to start guzzling the Bryce Kool-Aid. This is a great year, as you say, to see if he has what it takes. The signs are good, however--because he played average (at times, slightly above) for 8-9 games. On the other end of the spectrum, Darnold played great for 15 games and sucked for the last 2, and he is gone--funny how only a few games can change your mindset. In October, I was mocking QBs to us---and it was scary--at least this lets us enter the 2026 draft, one that has a chance to be one of the best drafts in history at QB, knowing what we have.

Wrong is what we do--no shame in it. You are right--it was a bold move.

Thanks. Morgan sorta reinforced this when he said he had McMillan targeted in January. Later he downplayed WR by saying something like, "We will get one at some point..." which made it seem as if it was not a priority. To me, that tells me this--Morgan is not showing his cards again. He will bluff. If everyone knew he was targeting TMac--and a few other teams were as well--they would have leapfrogged him, possibly.

Maybe a mod can lock this

I have heard nothing else about it--probably is fake. Apologies if it is--I trusted my friend who sent it to me. He may have been fooled too. I did not verify it like I normally do--and I am not on X. My bad.

It could be. A friend of mine from Ohio (an hour below Cleveland) forwarded it to me--it was apparently making the rounds up there---he believed it.

I really think they were ordered to draft him. They can say what they want, but there was no joy in Mudville when he was picked. Before this, the Browns were having a good draft. SS had to know the reason he dropped--his poor interviews, feeling of entitlement, etc. and when Gabriel trolls him, he acts as if the number was his--at least, that is the implication. It was an aggressive move by Gabriel, but Sanders, under these circumstances, should not have taken the bait.

You have to see it heading that way. Flacco should say "I want #2"

It does. Poop and his jersey is brown. Now we are rolling.

How is this Panther related, you ask? It is a bit like the Clausen Cam Newton issue over the same number. Clausen was in a tough situation, I get it, but to say, "No, I am wearing #2.." and Cam says, "OK, I will wear #1 then." Basically, I am the #1 QB and you are the backup--these QBs have huge egos. FWIW, Gabriel wore #8 at Oregon. At the moment, there is no #8 in Cleveland. This is a shot across the bow.

Not sure what Dillon is doing, but the chess game seems to be on. Does this suggest that Sanders has not foregone his sense of entitlement? That will make some of you mad. If I played for a team called the Browns and their jersey was brown, I sure as hell would not want to wear number two on it. That would confirm what my wife has been calling me since our honeymoon. And heeeeere we go!!

Same page--I think I am looking at the long term plan.

I am pretty excited about several of our undrafted free agents-- Mike Reid (CB from SDSU), Bam Martin-Scott (LB So Carolina), Jared Harrison-Hunt (DE SMU--6.5 sacks, 47 tackles, ran sub 4.9 40--that is an Evero pass rushing DE), Issac Gilford (FS Nebraska) 73 tackles at 6'1" 205; Ryan Fitzgerald (K FSU) who should win the job; Luke Kandra (G-Cincinnati) and Michael Tarquin, (OT, Oklahoma)--they (to me) have shots at making the roster and I would not be surprised to see several on the PS.

He sounds like a RG, LG, and then C--in that order. but neither of our current centers were centers in college (I don't think). I think of this way---"if he practices center for a year on the PS..."

Here is a question to ask if you are looking for ways to muddy the waters even further: Does the Homewrecker Law apply to common law wives? In NC, common law marriages were abolished in 1989, but in South Carolina, they are still recognized, but they have no alienation of affection laws. However, one state--Utah, recognizes common law wives and alienation of affection. That would be something--you are sued for having sex with a woman who has never been officially married. I imagine that infidelity would nullify the common law marriage, but if the party who was faithful was not aware of the infidelity.... OK, back to sports.

She was. When I read his post, I was picturing in my head Sally Fields in Forest Gump--not to make any other connections, I just pictured a wise woman with unconditional love for her son. I have been saying it for years--Smith is a POS as a human being. A turd. A self-absorbed, narcissitic, Napoleonic, punk. He has good qualities, but they are not what defines him.

If you think about it, we were not meeting the need for a #1 WR any other way with any other WR. We dabbled in free agency and watched #2 WRs like Higgins get monster deals. In this draft, only TMac had the skills and traits of a #1. Plenty of #2s and slots--but I am not sure there was a #1 ready to play in the draft--that explains why three NFL teams that we know of were trying to move up to get him--and why the Jalon Walker smokescreen (if intentional) is what you must do. Teams who wanted TMac were trying to move up. Morgan refused to trade back as he clearly advertised before the draft--He did not want the others to know he was after any single player, but he was.

And he says what he wants to say without coming off looking like a jerk. You can't really judge sincerity when there is a mic in your face. If he says it, we should respect it. Part of this is about forcing your culture on another's culture. For example, a kid being bullied may try to smile and laugh it off in public, but inside it bothers him.

I mean, people are starting to copy his running style. That is a compliment in my book.