If they leaned hard into a rebuild, this would be much easier to swallow

[Knaakedup]

This staff came into this season all wrong. Instead of leading everyone on with making us think and believe we were "just a QB away" from contending, they should have leaned hard into a rebuild and all of this would be much easier to swallow. 

Not only that, we literally have nobody on this roster that is a "cornerstone player" like Luke, TD, Olsen, or Cam. This team is just so sad and unrecognizable compared to previous iterations. We've had 2 strong eras of different players that gave this team an identity, first being the Delhomme, Smitty, and Peppers time. Both of these eras led to a Super Bowl. I look at this mish mash of random players and theres just no fuging way we're going anywhere close to the promised land any time soon. There isn't a single player on this team that I am attached to like I have been during each one of those eras. 

Fit is a complete dumbass for not taking those picks for Burns last year, which would have set us up nicely to retain capital we needed to find those future cornerstone players and not come into the season with a wide receiver group that share lead soles in their cleats. That whiff alone is an offense that should have him sailing away into the sunset. What are we going to do now? Pay top 5 DE money for a middle of the pack player that shows up every other game? Trade him when everyone knows that we would only be trading him to get away from that contract so we will end up with half of what was offered last year? fuging disaster.

Since game 1 of preseason we have looked like a complete dumpster fire with offensive ideas from Madden on easy mode. I cannot wrap my head around how we are so damn cursed with offense here. I know people are saying to give Frank time, blah, blah, blah, but c'mon guys, his poo does not pass the eye test. Our offense looks the exact same as it did in preseason when we "weren't showing our hand". 

My desire to watch Andy Dalton be our QB this weekend puts me as a fan at an all time low. Like, somehow worse than an imaginary game with Pickles as our QB and Rhule being the coach. 

No opinion yet on Bryce, he's a complete "whatever, man" in my world right now until he has something that resembles a competent coaching staff that properly builds around his strengths and for the love of god, get some real weapons. 

Other than that we should be offloading everyone else. Burn this ship to the ground and try again before we waste more years. Frank is not the guy, I've seen enough. Amass as much draft capital as possible, trade back every round, i don't give a fug, but own the fact that we've done nothing but make bad move after bad move for the last 4 years and commit to fixing it, not slapping bandaids on it to keep butts in the seats. I'm sure someone will chime in here "who do you suggest as a coach, genius" and to that I say - no fuging clue, I'm not that guy, but lord knows I have seen enough bad coaching staffs being a fan of this team to already know this one isn't taking us where we want to go. 

 

[mrcompletely11]

You took the words right out of my mouth.   Good post

[Jackie Lee]

Also if we go rebuild at this point, by the time we're ready to compete if Bryce is actually playing well he'll be wanting a new contract. Completely wasting the "drop the rookie qb in" window that Fitt said we were in. 

 

[Cpt slay a ho]

We made moves like we had a stable HC and Gm in place….that is and was not the case, qb is useless if we can’t put him in position to win nor surround him with talent to succeed

its a mess 

[therealmjl]

This should be pinned. Spot on.

[Jackie Lee]

5 minutes ago, Cpt slay a ho said:

We made moves like we had a stable HC and Gm in place….that is and was not the case, qb is useless if we can’t put him in position to win nor surround him with talent to succeed

its a mess 

Good point. You aren't a qb away if you fired your head coach just to hire another coach who also just got fired. Now there are too many new things going on to pinpoint one thing as the main factor. Obviously Tepper is a big problem with decision making but he's not going anywhere

[USDepartmentOfSavagery]

17 minutes ago, Jackie Lee said:

Also if we go rebuild at this point, by the time we're ready to compete if Bryce is actually playing well he'll be wanting a new contract. Completely wasting the "drop the rookie qb in" window that Fitt said we were in. 

 

This is a great point 

[MGH1989]

I think the expectations of winning came more from the fanbase and the state of the division more than anything else. 
 

There are some glaring issues on this team that is making it hard to compete. Namely the offensive line, receivers, and overall depth. The former I think has more to do with injures than anything, but I still think you need some young guys to develop and get better depth on the line. As to the receiving core, I think we grossly overestimated the additions as being at least average enough to get by when it’s been probably the worst group in the league.

Bad receivers and little protection had really hurt Bruce, who I think had been good given everything. Yet, I think we also overestimated someone as prepared as Bryce being able to overcome the stayed issues. At the end of the day he is still a rookie.

With all that said, I think you’re going overboard on how much of a rebuild is needed. You have playmakers at every level of the defense, which has balled out despite injuries. You need depth, but it’s basically there. Offense is more a work in progress, but you know what you need to improve. I don’t think this team is more than an off season away from being where they want to if the FO can hit on the moves they need to.

[BIGH2001]

This franchise desperately needed energy after the Rhule failure. Instead we hired a 60 year old retread coach who runs a boring recycled offense and got fired from his last job for terrible offenses. 

[BIGH2001]

8 minutes ago, MGH1989 said:

I think the expectations of winning came more from the fanbase and the state of the division more than anything else. 
 

There are some glaring issues on this team that is making it hard to compete. Namely the offensive line, receivers, and overall depth. The former I think has more to do with injures than anything, but I still think you need some young guys to develop and get better depth on the line. As to the receiving core, I think we grossly overestimated the additions as being at least average enough to get by when it’s been probably the worst group in the league.

Bad receivers and little protection had really hurt Bruce, who I think had been good given everything. Yet, I think we also overestimated someone as prepared as Bryce being able to overcome the stayed issues. At the end of the day he is still a rookie.

With all that said, I think you’re going overboard on how much of a rebuild is needed. You have playmakers at every level of the defense, which has balled out despite injuries. You need depth, but it’s basically there. Offense is more a work in progress, but you know what you need to improve. I don’t think this team is more than an off season away from being where they want to if the FO can hit on the moves they need to.

We have 1/3rd of a football team and pretty good kicker. What gives you any confidence at all that our dumbass GM can make the moves needed to right the ship?

[Carolina Cajun]

it sucks because it feels like theres no one on this team thats holding themselves accountable.  Burns is good, but hes happy getting stats because hes gonna get paid.  Mayyybe Luvu? Shaq cared, but hes injured.  On offense, theres not a single leader.  On QB school where JT pointed out Theilen flailing his arms makes me think they dont respect Bryce, they're fine showing him up.  Its just a rudderless team with no leadership.  

[mrcompletely11]

23 minutes ago, MGH1989 said:

I think the expectations of winning came more from the fanbase and the state of the division more than anything else. 
 

 

bull fuging poo

[USDepartmentOfSavagery]

21 minutes ago, Carolina Cajun said:

it sucks because it feels like theres no one on this team thats holding themselves accountable.  Burns is good, but hes happy getting stats because hes gonna get paid.  Mayyybe Luvu? Shaq cared, but hes injured.  On offense, theres not a single leader.  On QB school where JT pointed out Theilen flailing his arms makes me think they dont respect Bryce, they're fine showing him up.  Its just a rudderless team with no leadership.  

The team voted him a captain. As a rookie. I think they all respect Bryce and demonstrated that throughout the off-season. I have my concerns about him at this point but my angst is more with this “all-star” coaching staff b/c they are doing our qb no favors. 

Edited September 21, 2023 by USDepartmentOfSavagery

[Sgt Schultz]

We are not in a complete rebuild, and probably don't need to be. 

We have a decent OL, but little depth.  We knew coming in that if any of our starters there missed time it was going to be trouble.  But I am of the thinking that OL need to be added every year, if nothing else to shore up depth.  300+ pound guys grinding on other 300+ pound guys are going to get hurt.

We have some defensive pieces in place.  Secondary is a problem, especially since Horn can't stay on the field.

The skill positions on offense are in a total rebuild.  That, combined with the injuries and lack of OL depth to deal with them is a huge problem. Thus far we look like a team with dysfunctional skill players on offense and injuries on the OL and no depth to deal with them.