JaxJoe

The new turf installed before last season in Buffalo is artificial and there didn't appear to be many fans at their home game this season. These are two factors of ‘home-field advantage’ that are lessened. Maybe that’ll help us this game when comparing our performances of yesteryear.

Falcons and Saints look beatable. Buffalo and Chiefs? Doubtful. So, 3-3 sounds possible before we travel to Green Bay then Denver. If we can get our D to play tighter and the O stays about the same, both Packers and Broncos look beatable as well. 5-3 at the bye is what I’m praying for… hey, I can dream, can’t I?

I wondered what happened to the decline of Fromm. “The reason for his stock to drop is the pre-draft process did not go well for Jake. At the combine, he ran a horrible 40-yard dash (5.01). In the passing drills, he showed a lack of arm strength. His physical measurements were also in the low decile. Due to Covid-19, Fromm was not able to have a pro day and was unable to meet face to face with teams. Jake Fromm’s fall in the draft highlights a flaw in Kirby Smart’s four seasons at Georgia. Smart’s offense is on its third offensive coordinator in three years. That does decline a player’s stock, no matter how many people say it doesn’t.” https://thesouthernsportsedition.com/tag/why-georgia-bulldog-qb-jake-fromm-fell-so-far-in-the-nfl-draft/

After losing QB Sweat to the Lions, I agree. But Fromm may not want to come here. As the GA QB for years, going against our SEC studs: Payne, Allen, Sweat, and Collins - mike trigger his PTSD.

No, just your 4-2-5 set. Collins is not a Mike but will need to assume that responsibility if a QB takes off or it’s a draw. The assumption is if you’re in Nickel it’s a passing down. But your 5-1-5 comment reminded me of a tweet someone made during the Bengals pre-season game (I think), that Ioniddis, Payne, Allen, Young, and Sweat were the 5-man front. I don’t recall who was behind them, though. Was it 1 LB and 5 DBs? 6 DBs? IDK. But it wasn’t a goal line situation neither. Just mid-field. Curious.

I floated a similar idea. Hold on to Patterson for a week when other teams’ rosters become 99.99% set; release Patrerson and sign a proven vet, but better than Barber which shouldn't be too hard. Then sign Patterson to the PS. i doubt that happens, though. A couple things I like about Patterson is his height. There’s been some camera angles from the backfield that show him literally running below the feeble arm tackles of defenders who are occupied with a lineman. It’s pretty cool how Patterson just ducks under and gets 4 yards when a back who’s 5’11 or more would have that defenders reach grab his chest. i also love how Patterson cuts on grass like it’s artificial turf. Defenders just barely get an arm on him at the line. But when the blocking isn't good and he gets tackled, I cringe sometimes as he gets pile driven. Frightening.

The TE that has impressed me most is Bates’ development. I did not like the pick at all but he must’ve taken well to coaching as he is making fine blocks - both from an assignment AND technique point of view. He looks like a vet. He has handled Defensive Ends surprisingly well when cross blocking or in-line. Seems to eat up Linebackers. I don’t think he’ll ever be an elite pass catcher but looks like a very reliable #2 TE.

I think when we’re in nickel that Collins assume the Mike responsibility but 10 yds off the line. If it’s a draw on 3rd & long or a keeper, he’s got to be the one getting to the runner. That’s my only reasoning why they don’t have a thumper Mike in the London Fletcher mold. So on run downs, Jamin stays in tight with Collins as the guy who picks up the shallow middle. Obviously depends on the offensive set and personnel, too.

I think I understand what you’re saying: If there’s a vet they like that’s a significant upgrade, they’ll sign him as a 5th LB before week 1; otherwise they’ll sign a LB from TC. Right? I would think they’d better look real soon though if they want a vet to absorb the playbook before game 1.

A couple days ago another poster commented that if Reyes makes the roster then it’s likely Seals-Jones gets cut. I thought the opposite. I thought that it just about guarantees Seals-Jones makes it because right now Reyes’ value is Teams and blocking - meaning he’s not a complete TE; Seals-Jones is. But I agree, I don’t think this group of TEs will stay this way for long. Anyways, it’s remarkable a guy who’s never played football can make the roster of an NFL team. There has to be more to Reyes I’m not seeing or reading about.

On paper it might look better for the Gnats but they also shipped a 4th for the Raven’s 5th and 7th for a back-up player Baltimore may have ended up cutting anyways. Baltimore gets their 4th back for where they drafted Bredeson a couple years ago. This move coupled with the earlier trade with the Bengals for their back-up center, Billy Price smacks of desperation at the 11th hour - not shrewdness. I think the real story might be the poor condition the Giants O-Line must be in at the moment. I mean, can you imagine the meltdown here if we traded a 4th for a back-up? Giants must be desperate.

I can definitely see the pessimism and hope all these new additions click and we can hands-down outright win the division by a couple games while posting a winning record. I can agree that our roster didn't improve that much. QB, for sure, but RB?? WR?? OL?? TE?? When we lost Gibson last year, our running game plummeted and didn't finish much stronger when he returned. We should've signed a Gibson clone as a competent back-up. I know there’s a lot of love for Patterson but frankly, his good performance has been a result of good blocking. The times where he gets no gain is usually when the blocking has been poor. He isn't that good now but I like him more and I do like his ability to cut in natural grass. My point though is I don’t see much of an improvement in our RB. OL on paper is a little improvement but to me, Leno at LT is work in progress. And if Curtis Samuels can finally get on the field, that’ll be a huge improvement but right now it’s the same as last season sans Simms (addition by subtraction). TE depth is also a question. I hate to go through another year of scoring in the teens and completely relying on our D. And pray Gibson or Thomas or McLaurin doesn't get injured. Holy crap if that happens.

What’s impressive is our Sam Cosmi is the only starter of that group of four and has consistently faced off with other teams’ starters. Patriots and Packers depth charts have Newman and Stevenson listed as 3rd stringers and Carolina has Marshal as a 2nd stringer.

Looks like Chris Sims is a lock since he’s one of the four receivers not dressed. I guess it’s Milne, AGG, and Carter battling for one, more likely two spots.

We know about ‘nickel’ and ‘dime’ defenses but a 6-man DB field? Do we call that six-pence? 😀

I don’t think the coaches are looking to see if AGG would develop into a starter down the road. I think receivers like AGG and Cam Sims are on the team for situational purposes. Football is a game of matchups and situations and a big body receiver can certainly create such mismatches especially near the goal line. Do you cover him with your regular nickel back who’s probably 5-6 inches shorter? Your safety? Do you need to shade the Will to the slot? i think it’s not an argument whether AGG and Milne are battling for the 6th WR position but more likely Cam Sims vs. AGG. I agree we need to see more from AGG. But, because I believe he and Sims are looked upon as situational players, knowing the playbook and having the better hands of the two are probably more important as opposed to having a larger catch radius, more route tree, and better separation like we would want our wide-outs to possess. If I’m not mistaken, AGG caught all three passes during the Browns game - that certainly helps his cause. I think the coaches like that WR size both AGG and Sims have and will likely keep the one who has better hands.

Harmon was drafted when we had Alex Smith so a big bodied possession receiver running 7-10 yard curls is a plus. With Fitzpatrick, we need receivers with wheels.

Wasn’t it Matt Bowen who said that 3-4 years ago? He did a lot of analytics, too and talked about how hard it is to assess a DB if you don’t know their assignment.

New starting QB. New Tackles at both ends. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if coach told Young and Sweat to stay away for a couple weeks until the offense gets some cohesion going.

A little tid bit from PFF on ranking last years’ edge rushers. 8. CHASE YOUNG, WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM The scary part when analyzing Young’s first season in the NFL is that there is still clear room for improvement from a pass-rushing perspective. And Young still got out to an 87.1 overall grade as a rookie, fifth in the NFL among qualifying edge defenders. He was at his best in the red zone. Young’s 93.3 overall grade last season in that portion of the field led all players at the position.

The last two clips, Bullock selected to criticize Bates’ run blocking and in both, against a quality team like Washington. It’s not just Bates’ lunging but that he keeps his head too low to even recover. The first video, second to last, Bates makes good contact with the DE to the inside, the H-back fans wide and makes good contact with the OLB but my thoughts are the play was never intended to run left. If so the RB should've made a more direct route to the gap between the TE and H-back. But Bates takes the inside block where one would think he needed to go outside and seal the DE to the inside. Looking at what the right side of the line is doing is what causes me to think the RB wasn’t patient enough to cut back because the clear lane is over there. The LG blocks the DT but not very well. The center chips the left DE pretty well and heads up to the WLB but he’s not there because the RB incorrectly burst to the left and the WLB is sprinting that way. The RB initially sees the LG got pinched and bursts left thinking he needs to try and make something but the hole does eventually open to the right. So, it’s not Bates’ fault that the defender is able to shed him because his posture was to stay inside of him. I could be wrong though. The last video has the offense in the same set, strong side left with an H-back but the RB is on the QB’s right. Similarly, Bates makes good initial contact inside of the DE and similarly Bates lunges and gets pushed aside. Fortunately it’s a blick good enough that the defender is never involved in the tackle as the runner goes up the right side gap for what looks like a decent 3-yard gain from the goal line. My biggest criticism in both clips is not the lunging but that both times Bates essentially quits on the play. Watch the H-back sustain his block in the first clip but after Bates recovers his balance he just stays there yet the play is still live and away from him. What if the RB fumbles the ball? Where’s Bates? Only the H-back is out there and a swarm if Husky defenders. Similarly, and more egregious, in the second clip, Bates just stands there and checks his wristband while the scrum is still pushing forward! I get that Bullock selected only two clips to make a point and there’s probably dozens of clips that show adequate run blocking but now I have a prejudice and will be looking at other games to see if Bates flat out gives up on the play. I am also leaning towards the belief that Bates was drafted not because of his inline blocking as it looks rather pedestrian but for his catching ability, although there’s not a lot of that either.

If he’s healthy and looks like he’s ready for mini-camp, could he be a trade candidate before training camp? Or, is he a bit over-priced under performing kind of guy?

I like how he got his head around, too. I think he weighed in at only 238lb at the Senior Bowl significantly lighter than at PSU. Makes me think he knows his future is at LB in the pros. Here’s a nice summary article on his Senior Bowl performance: https://www.si.com/college/pennstate/football/penn-state-shaka-toney-at-the-senior-bowl

Looks we signed a TE today, Deon Yelder. A 2018 UDFA who has amassed 10 catches in three years. Probably camp fodder. https://www.washingtonfootball.com/news/washington-signs-deon-yelder-linden-stephens