Soul Rebel

I really need to know from people that are anti-Pickett..... why? I know stats and certain achievements do not guarantee success in the NFL. I also acknowledge that the ACC and opponents they've faced are not the SEC/Big 10/etc. Beyond that, the guy has achieved a lot and will probably continue to climb draft boards with two more chances to showcase his skills pre-combine. The Senior Bowl and a Peach Bowl game vs. Michigan St. Measures out at 6'3" 220 and has a Burrow-esque style of play. Great mechanics, smart reads and sneaky athletic. Broke Marino's TD record at Pitt and Watson's ACC record for TDs. I would prefer a Fields/Lance/Mahomes kind of mobile QB, but Pickett should still translate well to the NFL. I'd personally put him below Fields/Lance but ahead of Jones in last year's draft. OL is the right pick in round 1, but I'd much rather have Pickett than the third or fourth best OL. TBH, Pickett probably ends up top-7 by the time the draft rolls around, so not even sure if he's there when we pick.

I was all for it earlier, but have lost faith with every passing week. His inability to take ownership and genuinely show that he is a major reason for our failures is concerning. This isn't Temple or Waco.... the press and fans see through the BS. Promoting Nixon to OC is the last straw for me. His nepotism is Busch League and is showing that he's in over his head.

Def the fall guy for a HC who's seat is getting hotter by the week. To be fair, Brady's OL and QBs have been downright awful since he got here and CMC has missed 18 games during this regime's rein. OL has been passed over in both drafts and they went dumpster diving with Erving and Elflein in FA. However, Brady has rarely shown an ability to adjust and his schemes don't look like they've translated well to the NFL. Much the way McDaniels' success was hung on the GOAT and Belichick, I wonder how much of Joe Brady's "brilliance" was a byproduct of the LSU program.

4 is definitely the ceiling....1-3 is pretty much locked in. If we can get to 4 or 5 though....we are in Evan Neal territory and he should be a franchise anchor at LT for the next decade.

For a college coaching gig......absolutely uncharted territory. I would be intrigued to see the optics/perception of our franchise if this happens. Truthfully, I think it would reflect poorly on Rhule, but can't look good for an NFL franchise with a LOADED owner that backed up the Brinks truck for you loses their HC 1.5 years into his gig.

I am a fan of Fitts, but he did make several crucial mistakes in year 1. Passing on Fields/Slater for Horn….and then trading for two CBs. Going “trade-back crazy” in the draft while OL are flying off the boards, then settling on Christensen. Taking a LS, while Jensen is here and bypassing a starting caliber G is awful Signing Elfelin/Erving on day 1 of FA Trading Perryman Trading a 2nd and 4th rounder for a garbage QB….and then picking up his $18M option. Again, I like Fitterer’s style and trust he will right the ship. Mistakes are made by all GMs and the “what if” game is always played after a draft…hindsight is 20-20.

I was pissed when he had the balls to misdirect the offense's trash play, by putting blame on the defense earlier this year....when the D was constantly keeping the team in the game. His inability to own his mistakes is insulting. We are watching the game, and though we aren't all NFL Scouts/Execs, most fans can see that Rhule's comments don't align with the play. Though I still think Rhule should get one more year to get it right, this commentary is pretty damn ridiculous.

Lock it in....Rhule doesn't turn down an opportunity to get his guy. I do also see Pickett climbing draft boards. I would put him in the same tier as Mac Jones, but below last year's top 4. I still hope we go OL, but I can't see Rhule not tapping back into his NJ/Temple roots.

I'm "whatever" when it comes to PFF. I like it as a measuring stick, but not as the gospel...I prefer the eye test. IMO, Elflein at C might be a decent move, moving forward. Still lots of time to figure it out, but if Moton does his thing and Elflein does his at C, I'd trust Christensen/Jordan at guard and adding a LT in the first round this year. It won't be confused with the Cowboys Oline, but pretty solid, IMO.

I do wonder just how different our offense would have looked this year if we had gone Slater/Smith. DJ had Slater over Sewell and many thought he would be just fine at tackle. Can't cry over spilled milk, but seeing how we ended up with Gilmore and Henderson via trade, and Taylor looks like a long-term piece, it is frustrating. Not to mention taking a long-snapper instead of a need at guard while Jansen is still doing his thing.....pretty pathetic. I say this as a huge fan of Horn too.

This is the correct answer. I do like Cross as well. It will be interesting which QBs are there too and should come down to an OL vs. QB conversation. I do also think we will be in the 9-14 range....those last five games are BRUTAL!

You've got the correct team, just the wrong player.....and also the wrong assets going back to the Lions. Dekker is the more available option, IMO. Not sure what it would take, but I don't see Detroit giving up Sewell.

Shaq truly changed the feel of this defense today. Not that Jackson, Gilmore and Reddick don't deserve the love....but man, Shaq really has stepped into his own this year.

I just don't get how the initial forecast for Rhule's success was 3 years, and after 7 games into year two, so many are ready to dump him. He needs another offseason to hit the OL and figure out QB .....and OC. I don't know if Rhule will be successful, but to think that this franchise could've been turned around completely in less than two years is not reasonable. He/Brady/Snow are for the most part, rookie coaches. If we give players this kind of latitude, I think that coaches making the jump to the highest level of football should be viewed with a similar lens.

This is the lowest I've felt about Rhule, but still not abandoning yet. He just passed the 20 game mark as an NFL HC and in two years (along with Snow) turned this defense into something marvelous. The offense has been pieced together slowly since it all can't be fixed in two seasons. I do think our success arrived earlier than anticipated, so his shortcomings are really showing. He needs one more year to build out the OL in the draft and with the cap space incoming. His time management, too-many-men-on-the-field penalties and close calls along with his inability to communicate like an NFL Coach needs to be fixed....fast. Rivera was pretty rough his first two years, give the guy one more year (or at least a portion of 2022) before kicking him out.

All for it..... Who's next man up at OC?

I haven't dove too deep into our cap in a hot minute, but are we able to sign all four - Gilmore Jackson Moore Reddick With Taylor coming along the way he has, I think one of Henderson/Jackson/Gilmore gets moved or straight away isn't here next year. Boyue looks like the guy I would earmark for moving to S longterm. He has the mindset and vet knowledge to diagnose plays, while not being out of position. Not saying it's a perfect fit, but at 30 years old, he would make the most sense for me. DJax is too small and Henderson is too young with untapped upside to waste a couple of years trying to convert him.

Gotta think we've contacted Detroit about Decker. At 0-4 and with the NFC being pretty stacked (especially in the NFCW), I wonder if they cut bait on the vet, pick up a nice return and roll Sewell out as their future LT.

If the money isn't spent on the OL and/or earmarked for re-signing DJ2 and Jackson, I don't want it. Gilmore is past his prime for a CB1 and we have a trio of youngsters under the age of 26. IMO, Gilmore does not fit our plans.

Bradberry was pretty soft spoken too, and many here would LOVE to have him back. This kid is 6 years younger and more athletic.

I would prefer to look in Detroit and see what they want for Decker. The Lions are 0-3 and Sewell is a natural LT. At 28 years old, he's not young, but for an OT, is in his prime with a solid 6-8 years left in the tank. I think he's available to come of the IR this coming week.

Happy to hear that it's not as bad as once thought. However, I do have concern that it will linger all year long and we won't see a 100% CMC in 2021....potentially leading to a quicker degrading of the tread on his tires long-term.

Agreed. I would prefer we bring in a FA and let Horn heal. Boyue-Jackson, though not great, would be fine with a vet that fits our system. There's some interesting names out there like Conley, Sherman, Dunbar and Josh Norman.