TD alt

Putting McCarthy and Ward in there is a little disingenuous, but I guess we'll have to accept it considering the conversation (but not without context). You better start looking at stats that speak to efficiency (e.g. passer rating, yards, TD-INT ratio). Don't confuse making it to the playoffs or going from the bottom to staying in the bottom third of the league as something to praise without some context. Both Tagovailoa and Jacoby Brissett were arguably better than Bryce. They were more efficient QBs by most metrics that matter. The fact that we're discussing a third-year QB with the likes of busts, backups and virtual rookies should make you pipe down a bit in my estimation. I mean, I can accept the reality of the situation--the option is pretty much a no-brainer--but Bryce needs to improve greatly before I consider him a franchise-level starter.

I don't know what Howell is. If I do, it's only by assumption based upon his lack of opportunities.

Exactly!

I get your point, I just don't agree with it on its face. This wasn't the 2024 season. The defense was not on the field an inordinate amount of time. The fact is, is that though we drafted two pass rushers, we actually regressed a little bit in regards to total sacks and dropped significantly in pass rush win rate. We were 24th in 2025 (down from 10th in '24). We were ranked 28th in sacks in 2025 and 27th in '24. I bet you Jeff Ulbrich would've gotten more out of our guys in the pass rushing department, as I would bet that many DCs would have. Our pass rushing efficiency, or lack thereof, didn't really have anything to do with the offense in my mind--not in 2025. And let's not even talk about third-down efficiency. It was just as bad if not a little worse. But, this offseason, I would take away even more excuses by investing even more in the defense. If we can't get a pass rush going, then it's squarely an Evero issue. He has one of the best DTs in the league, as well as a pretty good pair of CBs, and one above average safety. Assuming that we upgrade safety and get a legit MLB, we should see a substantial improvement.

Evero's scheme is an impediment to excellence from where I'm sitting. It waters everything down from pass rushing to stopping the run.

I don't know that there is a huge difference, but that Scourton got way more opportunities. If you want to say that Umanmielen is more outspoken and brash, then fine. Perhaps a little humbling is in order, but they both need to improve their craft. Hopefully experience will help them to do it, but Evero's scheme doesn't look to be doing either one of them any favors.

Well he's not happy, and he doesn't want to piss off the boss. I hate Evero's scheme with a passion. To me, it's just too spread out, far and in between.

Not sure that age has anything to do with it, as much as the specific injury and situation. No, we shouldn't give up on Ickey, but due to the nature of the injury and statistics regarding the ability to return to football and be as effective, we can't count on him either. What we can do is hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

No to fill-ins. It doesn't work, and Bryce will struggle with turnstiles in front of him. We need to address this in the draft (unless we have some unforseen trade). Days one and two have to be on the table. It's life. It's business. It is what it is.

I said yesterday that I suspect that our pass rush would look a helluva lot better if we went back to a 4-3. The reason why I don't think Evero is some amazing defensive coordinator is because he doesn't put his players in the best position to succeed. He is slow to adapt, if he adapts at all (the same issue that I think Canales has on the offensive side of the ball). We just have to legitimately invest in the defense with some draft capital (like we did last year) and let this play out. Tepper will get tired of it eventually. I hate that we didn't just try to snatch Saleh when we had the chance. Some things are just too obvious.

Four years and 30 mil. No way! Maybe after another couple of seasons.

Hard to believe a Harbaugh-coached team could look so bad.

I mean, Herbert is either getting sacked, pressured, and/or running and over-throwing. This is easily the least satisfying game of the weekend. The Chargers' offense is a dead horse.

I don't know how the Chargers even made it to the dance.

The Chargers O-line is horrible.