MHS831

Ekwonu is a technical issue--he has the athleticism and upper body strength to play OT. I coached OL for a high school so I enough to be dangerous--I just know how high school OL develop when you are preaching technique. You have vertical technique (pass blocking) and horizontal technique (run blocking). It is almost like Ickey combines the two--when the edge gets a half step on him, he needs to alter his angle, keep his back straight, arms extended, and slide those feet. Ickey panics and lunges at times, and a good NFL edge will eat your lunch every time. I did not see growth under Campen, but I am already seeing huge development under the current OL staff (3 guys). I think he will be better--but Zavala's growth is mind blowing--telling me that the light is now on (I think he may have screwed up Ickey on one pass play--the defense stunted toward the center and Zavala followed the three technique who was picked up by Raym. Ickey's man scooped into C gap, and technically, Zavala should have stayed home and picked him up. Ickey rode the edge inside, but the edge got into Bryce's face and caused the play to break down--Bryce scrambled for about 3 yards. That looked bad on Ickey, but I have to believe, since Bryce did not roll to his right, that Zavala tried to reach the 3 technique when Raym had nobody else to block. It could be that Raym thought there would be a blitz that did not happen, so Zavala was correct. Without knowing the play and the rule blocking process, it is hard to say--regardless, that play would buried Young last year. )

He was open a lot, but that was Buffalo's second secondary. He seemed a bit slow off the start--wonder how he would survive press coverage. He has missed a lot of camp and we drafted him knowing that he was raw. He still is. This year, he has to serve as our #4 WR. Next season? We may need an X. To me, I am aiming for 2025 and hope that he gets experience and confidence this season.

Smart decision. Your early schedule is not that difficult and you have 4 RBs who can hold down the fort.

I watched this and I watched the OL. Here is my breakdown of each OL: Ekwonu: He did OK. Still has some balance issues--bending at the waist. Needs to keep feet under him. He should be farther along by now, but he is better than last year. Old habits--and the two times I saw this was late in the drive. There are drills to correct this, but to prevent waste bending you need to bend at the knees and waist--not back. With Ickey, I only saw it at the end of the 12 play drive--was he tired? Lower body strength training--especially squats--can help. Conditioning can help. It is fixable and I know they know what to do--so I expect a better Ickey in 2024 because in 90 degree heat at the end of camp, if fatigue is going to reveal itself, it would show itself at the end of a 12-play drive, we can hope. Zavala: He was confident that he knew his assignment and demonstrated some football intelligence wherein last season, he seemed lost. For example, he was doubling down to help Raym and a deep ILB came on a slight delay blitz. Not only did Zavala effectively double the 3 technique, he broke off and picked up the LB. On running plays he reached the second level. Most improved player on the team. Raym: He made all his blocks and was accurate with his pre snap reads, identifying the Mike correctly and calling out potential blitzes. His snaps were quick and fairly accurate--a few, however, were above eye level. Now, most QBs in the shotgun do not like looking down to catch the snap, so he is trying to put the snap just above the numbers. One snap was to Bryce's right and low, causing him to lose eye contact with the defense; another was above his head, causing the short qb to jump a hair. That may not seem like too much, but if you leave your feet, your timing is off. This may have been the reason Bryce missed some open targets early in the route--I need to rewatch this to make sure that is the case. Beyond that, Raym is good enough to be the back up center. Run blocking--he was excellent. He got in position quickly on an early reach block--the video host criticized him for not anchoring at the end of the reach block, but that is nearly impossible--a 320 lb DT moving with the flow of the play and you expect the Center to beat him to a point and then get leverage? Rare. I am very excited about Raym. Hunt is a beast. He really surprised me when he pulled across the formation. Excellent body control and agility. However, that is not his strong suit. You do not move Hunt with a bull rush. If he gets his hands on you, game over. RG was our biggest weakness last season on the OL (very arguable), and now we have a pro bowler there. Moton: Mr. Reliable. Smart, effective--not the most overwhelming physical presence, but he just wins most of the time. You all know Moton. Some other observations: Matthews took on an edge rusher and won. I was surprised. He will be the veteran leader on this team. Love him. I worry that Legette is still learning and it is causing him to play slow. Receivers were open early, but it was as if Bryce was still a bit -- a fraction-- late in delivering the pass. Not complaining--his reads were solid--but there were a few routes that would have been TDs had he seen them, and he threw underneath. 1. Johnson on a post---man that was wide open, but Young was not looking for it at that time in his progression--may not be his fault. The other was on the play (I think--going from memory) where he had to scramble. He should not have missed this one. A back (or slot) was flaring out of the backfield as if he was going to be a check down option and he sprinted up the sideline. A nickel or LB came up to cover the check down. While he was not open when Bryce looked there, he was going to be. It was obvious that the LB's momentum would make covering the sideline go route impossible. At that time, all Bryce had to do was loft a pass for the back to run under. I am sure Bryce is watching film, and I am sure this drive gave him some feedback. He needs to read more not be afraid. His feet need to be in position, but they are loads better than last season. It is as if he does not trust his eyes downfield. That will change. The pass to Thielen was a good read but he had options--like Johnson. The pass to Matthews was a no brainer--busted coverage. I give Bryce a B when he might have earned a B once last season. Overview: Ickey is now the weak link on the OL, but Canales seems to be offering more help for him (TEs). Last season, Ickey was the second best offensive lineman for much of the season. He has improved. I have not seen the starting C or LG, but even if considering their backups, Ickey had the most areas in which he needs to improve than Zavala and Raym as evidenced in these 12 plays. Small sample size.

And Marshall had a good game against the Bills following a good showing vs. rival Jets in practice the week before

I thought Jammie Robinson earned a spot.....Not sure about Wooten. The following will return and knock some out: RB Brooks OLB Wonnum OLB Barno DT Crumedy (practice squad?) CB D. Jackson S Franklin I am also going to predict that they claim at least 2 players off waivers---so this list of 53 is very temporary.

Remember how pissed off he got when he was drafted in the third round? Seems like a good kid and maybe he can learn from Love. GB has a successful formula for QBs.

I totally blanked on blackshear KR--I was probably thinking punt returner--but I appreciate the memory jolt.

Good question. In 2021 he had 5 sacks, but he has not really been that impactful (stats) I do not see him as an upgrade---I am not sure an Edge can be found in the scrap heap that will upgrade us--just my opinion. He will be 27 by the end of football season, fwiw,

with this line, that could happen and it could be a good thing--no sense rushing brooks in, so if Hubbard, Sanders, and Boone can tote the rock, that is probably good in the long run. Question: Does Blackshear (or Shirden) have return skills?

Makes me wonder--Dallas under Quinn used a 4-2 alignment and Zimmer is running a base 4-3--so maybe this 280 lb player was a tweener with no fit. I dunno.

Not to say I am always right--I am not--I see players getting cut today that I was banging the drum for--but I HATED the Sanders signing. It was stupid. Never sign a veteran from a team with a good OL. I did not know he'd suck as bad, but I thought the money could have been used somewhere other than RB. Fitterer was the worst GM---terrible.

Pats--he is 33 years old-- About Agim being a PS member for Evero--he may know you, but that means he also knows your limitations. The PS does not exactly scream "I am his favorite!"

McTelvin Agim was waived by Houston. nothing to see here, except he has ties to Evero as a PS player

this is what Rivera did not do..I think Barno, DJ johnson, and Leota are going to be decent rotational players, but if Evero can spark something in Chaisson---that would be all we need. At CB, without pressure, you get exposed

hope not--but the connection to the DC is interesting.

I see how each of you could think that way--when Lane gets back, we have Horn, Smith-Wade, Jackson, Jackson, Hill, and Jamison. Is that group better than WRs Johnson, Legette, Thielen, Mingo, Smith-Marsette/Moore/Coker/Marshall Jr? Since Clowney's career has been so inconsistent, I worry about OLB as well. We have not seen Wonnum or Clowney, and they are not scary to most NFL OLs. Then we have a bunch of developmental players we hope come of age.

This is going to sound cra--because it might be. How I view the D based on the glimpses we got of players in preseason. I think the ILB position and depth is a positive I did not expect. I thought we'd be wading through the waiver wire....Wallace is looking like a steal. Cherelus was decent. Our starters are 30 and 29, so it is good to see some youth behind them. At OLB, I am concerned--which Clowney are we getting--the 9.5 sack Clowney or the "did he play today?" Clowney. We have not seen him or Wonnum or Barno. Leota had more than one good game--he holds the edge better than any of the OLBs we had in preseason and he was pressuring the pocket a lot--vs. second team OL. i know nothing about Chaisson after 3 weeks but hope that he sees this as a chance to save himself, but Vilian or whatever had some moments (PS?). We REALLY need DJ Johnson to step up. Folks, remember that we have Barno and DJ who are developing players--Charles Johnson, Greg Hardy, Rucker, etc. all blossomed during their third seasons. I was worried about CB before the Jackson injury. Horn needs to stay healthy, fo sho. Michael Jackson (he he) fell into a good situation and will get reps. If he plays well we will be solid when D Jackson returns. Still--we need someone off waivers. At S, I wanted to cut Jammie before camp started. As a special team player, he is good. I now want to keep him because he played with fire. I would like to see him getting reps at Nickel so we could play Smith-Wade outside if needed. DE/DT==I was not happy with Shy Tuttle's preseason. However, cutting him is no benefit to the cap. Smith is the darling of camp, but he was rushing the passer more than maintaining gap responsibility, and he was able to get a sack or two vs. the twos. He might be a liability vs starters and I would not be surprised to see him cut. Been in the NFL for a few years, but never had a sack. I was happier with Palimore and Peevy, to be honest, but with limited observation, I am just going to trust the coaches.

Ha. I was like, "Exsqueeze me?"

I think IR is required for 4 weeks, so I expect Brooks and Barno maybe? Thanks for the clarification. I agree with you about AT. We are going to have to grab some WRs

Not sure what they are doing with Barno who was supposed to return at the beginning of training camp--best case scenario, and it is difficult when you are not including players who are out and could return at any time. Mays? Raym would be my choice, but they can hide Raym on the PS and protect him (along with Coker). Still, I think he is better than Mays, so...

I will say this: If AT gets 1000 this year, we win 2 games again. That means the show ponies are not getting their targets. Cutting him is a bold move, but as Frank and Basbear suggest, it could be the smart long play. Interesting. I do not see it because I have not given it enough thought. But keeping vets around at the end of their careers when you are building does prevent young player development. Still, I think he makes the team and rotates--he is under contract through 2025 and he does not rely on speed any longer (ran a 4.48 as a rookie, I believe).

AT getting cut is a bold prediction. I do not think he will, but keeping a 34-year old WR when you are rebuilding is questionable--I like the bold thinking though--gives me another possibility to explore. Johnson has a good year, he leaves for $$$. He has a bad year, the Panthers have a bad year and he leaves. What you describe is why you don't keep Moore, imo. Legette is a big question mark---fingers crossed. Mingo? Need to get it going. I am about 50% on him. So we are in a big hole if we have to go into 2025 with two potential busts and maybe Smith Marsette, who is about as good as he is going to ever get. We gotta grab a cut WR and make sure we hang on to Coker somehow--PS? Maybe. We can protect him each week.

The thing about WR is this: We really need to make decisions based on 2025. Johnson has a 1 year deal. Thielen is under contract through 2025, but he will be 35---can he do it? Legette has proven nothing; same for Mingo. So we must consider the possibility that we will have multiple needs at WR next year. I would like to suggest that we keep Smith Marsette along with Johnson, Thielen, Legette, and Mingo. I would not keep Moore or Marshall Jr. Coker should make the PS and we can protect 4 players all season, so he can develop with a real shot to be a factor in 2025. I would pick up a smaller, YAC slot WR on Tuesday night. It is tough, but if we do as I suggest, we would have 2 WRs to play the slot in 2025 (Thielen and the waiver wire WR), Coker, Legette, and MAYBE Johnson for 2025. Mingo is 50/50, imo. A lot has to happen for WR not to be a huge need in 2025, but we need to focus on the best OLB in the draft (assuming QB is set).

Boone looked good. Probably won't stick on the PS