OVCChairman

And i dont think it's unfair for other fans to disagree with those expectations.. to evaluate a player upon their own opinion...

To be completely honest, no, I did not think I would see more 'explosive plays' because I was one of the posters that want us to harness the expectations pre-draft. I never wanted to compare him to the next LT or Von Miller. You do that and you find yourself in the situation we're in now.... people wanting a player taken in 2020 to put up statistics on the same plane as people who are no longer playing the game. Jonathan Allen was on the radio with the junkies this morning and he basically said that anyone who look at the stats doesn't have a clue what is actually going on. He said "what if Chase wins his matchup every play but there is no push up the middle? The QB can step up and Chase doesn't get a stat" My expectations of Chase Young was a potentially elite talent walking into one of the worst defenses into the league. Add to that the fact that it's a brand new system, zilch for an offseason, and a rookie who has never taken an NFL snap in his life. No preseason, no camps, none of the stuff that any other EDGE guy gets going into their first season. Add to that a player that sustained a core groin injury that it's now being reported will not be right until the offeseason.... at this point it's a pain threshold.. Have you ever tried to be explosive with a groin injury? He's still the highest rated rookie D-lineman in the NFL according to PFF.

IR - Hamstring, expected to return Week 12 which is this week, but the short week makes that basically impossible. Look to him to return to practice next week imho.

to be fair, I read it the exact same way as @PartyPosse does and I responded a few pages back with that sentiment.

yes... yes I do... i was incorrect.

the Burrow fumble. He was mid spin move and changed direction, sprinting to the ball.. he sensed Apke coming and hesitated because he knew Burrow was coming back inside. His instincts are scary.

but he didn't hit the qb or get a TFL...

I agree, I just wish we could scheme up that between the 20s...

I know, I didn't say I wanted it to continue, just that I can see the point. It's not easy to sustain a 12 - 15 play drive over and over and over. The more plays you run, the more chances of a mistake or a pressed stop on 3rd down. It's a rough system to run when you don't have the additional underneath coverage of the LBs, and concerns over the middle with your safeties. It leaves gaps and holes. The THEORY is that you get a pass rush home before the WR can get to the spot... well when the opposing offense can keep 7 guys in to block 4 guys... the QB has all day early in the game to pick you apart. The field then gets smaller in the Redzone, so the windows are tighter, and this 'could' be the justification in the locker room... that "but did they score though" argument. I worry the same way you do. To do that is asking your defense to just hold on tight... can't really get any pressure this way, and we just kind of let the game come to us... not the other way around.

That was my semi-sarcastic answer agreeing with KDawg that the conversation about Young being 'minimized' due to quick releases and the fact that his 'lack of impact' is not an indictment on him directly was extremely shallow and lacking nuance. I actually agree with you. I would love to see what our defense can do in press, even if you want to just press the line and drop into zone. Something to get the WR off their route. Watching our zone get carved up like it's nobodies business is enough to make you want to bang your head against the wall. That said, I can understand the thought process of forcing your opponent to put together long sustained drives... it's not that easy, and when they're able to do it, the defense is gassed. I actually like our Corners. Fuller and Darby are talented enough to stay with a lot of the WRs in the NFL. Cincy has some studs in Boyd and Higgins, and Dallas is stacked at WR so I don't know that I want to put them on islands on Thursday... especially if it opens up the run game forcing your DBs to turn and run in man coverage... not being able to keep their eyes down hill.

what? you mean adjusting a game plan?

lol don't torture yourself, look at it this way... in 2011 Jax took Blaine Gabbert and Tennessee took Jake Locker.... over J.J. Watt, Minnesota took Christian Ponder over Robert Quinn.... Cin got A.J. Green in the first round of that draft, and Dalton in the 2nd. 4 years later Jax took Bortles over Khalil Mack How much different would Jax be right now if they had taken J.J. Watt and Khalil Mack instead of Gabbert and Bortles. It's the most important position in sports, and probably the most difficult to truly assess....

Yeah but I need Mack, Watt, Donald, and Bosa to be happy 😎

This is where JDR needs to adjust imho. He knows a hell of a lot more about football than me, but we've recently been playing this odd zone quarters hybrid style defense on the back end which is forcing our 2nd and 3rd levels to be retreating in pass defense. Statistically we've given up the most plays over 50 yards (6), but were top 5 in total yards, while bottom half in run defense.... so I can't say it's not working... and if the offense would play 4 quarters of football, the record would be different... but it's a weird dynamic and a very stark contrast between the first half and the second half.

Thank you for not taking a hard stance and doubling down, or leaving the convo. That happens a lot nowadays. I always respect when someone appreciates the convo and is willing to adjust their stance based on that convo. The D line has struggled, but it's also flashed. JDR has driven me bonkers at times with the scheme, so I'm hoping it's just a continued feeling out process and they will continue to gel over the 2nd half of the season. I expected more, and if it the line doesnt show progress, it's going to pose questions in the offseason... something I had hoped we wouldnt have to think about.

Yes I did, but I don't fault Mclaurin for beating Diggs on a terrible schematic playcall. He still won the matchup and torched the guy responsible for covering him. Same for Young, it's not his fault they left the TE on him, he just has to win the matchup. It's a disruptive play forcing an INT with the other team in our redzone... The tackle in the Rams clip was in pass pro, that is always a first step back and Young engaged and pushed him into Goffs lap so he couldnt step up. The pocket was not there because Young beat his blocker

Jones is attempting to throw this away... Young wins and Jones cant step into the throw, allowing Fuller to make a play Watch the 2nd highlight vs the Rams. Young gets leverage against the LT and pushes him into Goff so he cant step into the throw... it's a duck and easily intercepted by Fuller...

Are we really talking about Young like he's a bust? He made a stupid play. It was a mistake. He also has single handedly forced multiple interceptions this season. Something that does not show up on the stat sheet. Last week we saw a clip where he was literally tripled teamed. He literally held AP by 1 arm yesterday as AP was pushing through a pile. He had a bad game yesterday. A play that stood out to me was he got caught trying to pass rush to the inside and it opened a hole on the outside. Not sure if the LB was supposed to be in the gap, but it happens. I don't think we're anywhere near a point we can say he wasn't worth the no. 2 overall pick.....

I could absolutely see us throwing it back to the current unis with the numbers on the helmet. With the name changing, I doubt any throwbacks will include the logo or anything associated with the name so most of them are likely out.. Maybe a variation of the 70th anniversary uniforms? More likely a replica of the 2020 unis...

How many times did we see Orakpo and Kerrigan pass rush their way out of run defense? The tackle walks them 9 yards up field opening a lane the size of a truck? There is nuance there.

My only response to this is to watch that clip again. Payne carries the guard 9 yards and ends up running him into Sweat, taking Sweat out of the play. There were 7 players and a chpping RB dedicated to blocking 4. 65 was looking for someone to block because Sweat, Payne, and Allen were already past him. Payne pushing his guy, and Allen engaging, then shucking his blocker. The problem is the 3 of them basically ran into each other.

In the NFL? Not really. The Giants did something with the old 'Thunder and Lightning' days with Tiki and Dayne. New Orleans did something similar with Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, and Deuce McAllister. Larry Johnson and Priest Holmes were a pretty damn potent 1 - 2 punch in KC. Most 'tandems' have been systems run where one RB supplements the other, instead of a 'true' dual RB system. I've wanted so bad to see more of Gibson and McKissic on the field together. The versatility there is insane and you can pretty much dictate your matchup by pre snap motions and audibles.

Why force feed him when McKissic has been very effective? 4.7 ypc avg and he's dynamic enough in the pass game (7.3 ypr / 5.5 ypt) to be effective. Gibson is clearly the focus in the backfield but why not use the weapons you have. At those numbers... McKissic has a definite use in this offense.