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davos

By davos,
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davos Grand Master

davos

Posted
Posted (edited)

My quick takes...(feel free to add yours, doesn't have to be player specific)

Trending Up

  • My faith in the LB group being respectable -- Luvu & Brandon Smith in particular are 2 guys that likely have futures beyond this regime.
  • Our Entire Secondary -- looks to be pretty well rounded with guys here for the long haul (Chinn, Horn, Jackson, Taylor, Woods, maybe Hendo) More guys to last beyond this staff.
  • Left Side OL & Big Tay -- For the first time in forever, we at least have great upside on the left with two talented, super young guys on rookie deals in Ekwonu and Christensen.  Again, guys that are longer term tickets.

Trending Down

  • Coaching -- Awkward, inexperienced, ineffective and inefficient.  No QB decision even though we know what it is.  We have a situation where Baker, CMC, Burns & the 2ndary could propel this team to a wildcard spot, in spite of the worst coach in the NFL.  So it's lose-lose for fans.  We win games, look good, yay, we're stuck with a guy who doesn't appear to be learning from mistakes.  Flipside, we stay in the cellat.
  • Terrace Marshall -- Sorry bud, I loved LOVED what I saw coming out of school but we are heavily teetering on bust territory
  • Backup OL minus Mays -- No explanation needed  
Edited by davos
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davos Grand Master

davos

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3 minutes ago, Soul Rebel said:

Brandon Smith for sure looks the part in preseason....hope it continues over to productivity on Sundays. If he an Luvu can continue to shine, our LB corps will be nasty. 

He was one that draft nerds deemed more inconsistent but had all the talent in the world if he figured it out.  It looks like he's got the big-league quickness which is reassuring.  If he works out, that would be a tremendous draft find.  He honestly has an all-pro ceiling; but needs to keep at it with his development and tackling.

Brandon Smith and Cade Mays look solid from this draft.

And elsewhere, I intentionally left off QB to deter the focus but oh man...we pretty much are in a Baker or bust situation with our eyes on Stroud/Young/McCall/Van Dyke if it blows up.  I'd say the QB situation is trending down, with a tad bit of hope in Baker being here to erase the rest of the mess.

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jayflip Proficient

jayflip

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Posted (edited)

Our depth on D looked pretty good vs Pats 1s last night. Not too worried. 
 

y’all poo on D Brown but he’ll be a big difference maker vs what we saw vs the run in preseason vs the regular season. 
 

baker will be fine. DJ and Baker gonna feast. We’ll be fine dudes. Maybe not world eaters this season but we’ll be fine. 
 

ftr, Rhule can eat a bag of dicks, but we’ll be fine in spite of his meatball guzzlin’ ass. Bank it. 

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TylerDurden Grand Master

TylerDurden

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I think I said it at the draft, but I think Brandon Smith could be Micah Parsons-lite.  Almost same size, same athleticism, similar versatility.  He is going to be fun to watch.  And all of the late draft guys are equally as exciting and intriguing to me.  And i loved the Barno pick, as he could potentially and completely replace Reddick while growing into a much more well-rounded player, and Mays very well could end up a starter this year.

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MHS831 Grand Master

MHS831

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I have been impressed with Wright, WR from Utah St.  I think Zylstra has had a good preseason, Shi Smith, CJ Sanders, and Higgins have been solid.  Throw in Anderson, Moore, and Marshall (i know), and we have 8 guys who can get the job done.

Wright and Sanders to the PS, and we have 6 good ones, IMO

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davos Grand Master

davos

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41 minutes ago, ECHornet said:

You don’t make the playoffs with the ‘worst coach in the NFL.’ If we do, many will come around to thinking maybe the 7 year plan is a thing. 

There’s an entire spectrum between the two sides you’re framing. Rhule is a dumbass

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On the other side:  What the hell?  Tershawn Wharton earned a 40.8 overall PFF defensive grade in the 2025 season, 127th among 134 qualified interior defensive linemans. His PFF pass-rush grade of 57.0 ranked 95th among 134 qualified interior defensive linemen. His run-defense grade of 34.8 ranked 125th at the position. However, Wharton needs to be situational and we really need a few DEs who can plug and pressure.  LaBryan Ray is an interior defensive lineman for the Carolina Panthers who earned a 45.7 overall PFF defensive grade in the 2025 season.  You cannot tell me that we are not going to add a DE.  In my view, this is a HUGE need that we have not adequately addressed.  There were only 3 DEs in the NFL who played more snaps that Derrick Brown.  We have to give him more blows during the game.  So After Brown, we have 2 other players who need to improve a lot to reach mediocre. 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