KDawg

Chase Young better come out with his hair on fire when he comes back. Yikes.

Daniel Jones scares me. Yes, I purposely typed all of those words together in the same sentence.

This is funny because it’s week 15. Up until recently there were only 17 weeks. God we’ve sucked.

Traditionally this has been a recipe for being on the bad side of a blowout. Hoping that doesn’t happen!

These night games are awful for my sleeping pattern.

Dallas loses on a pick six.

I’d (generally) take Heinicke over Cousins in a national game late in the fourth. But… that’s even in jeopardy. Cousins has improved in that scenario significantly. In every other category Cousins is better. So if I had to pick I’d take him 100/100 times because the overall is just so much better. But the moxie is real.

I don’t like the Vikings. I would have enjoyed this being 56-0. But given this comeback… I want to see the Vikings win this one.

No ****. That call was the worst call I’ve seen all season on the returned fumble.

Minnesota losing isn’t a bad thing for us. But… for all of those folks who whine every week about refs… the refs screwed the Vikings. That is an absolute screw job.

The Colts are really frustrating.

Jalen Raegor just made sure that didn’t happen.

I saw the headline, “The Commanders have entered…” And I thought for sure the next words were “the transfer portal.” I need to get out more.

Snyder is a very, “I’m going to prove you wrong” guy. Even when we all know he can’t and won’t. He doesn’t use logic in any of his approaches. So… he’s still a threat to back off of this sale thing until he isn’t.

Yup. This is why it's a tough conversation to have and damned if you do and damned if you don't. We really need a better QB situation to remedy that conversation. But for now people on both sides can make compelling points to bring to the table in defense of either guy as the starter.

Evidence has pointed to that being what should have happened for over a decade. Yet here we are. I absolutely feel the Lucy/Charlie Brown thing here. I've said it before: I will believe the sale is happening when it happens. I lean more towards it will than it won't. But until the paperwork is filed it's all a mirage orchestrated by Snyder to get short term reprieve, garner support and think people will flip on him because his team is finding some success. Am I irrational RE: Snyder? You betcha. But my defense mechanism is operating at 105% with him.

Absolutely. But Heinicke has come into the lineup in moments they've needed a spark and they generally play well for awhile and then start to fall off. This year, the difference is Brian Robinson. Having a work horse back can help slow the fade. But yes, if they were winning with Wentz this wouldn't be a conversation. But they weren't. Yup. There's a dual argument here, too. One side: If Turner was a good OC than they would have recognized the correct path in the beginning was a heavy focus on the run game and stuck with that. Rebuttal: "Brian Robinson was hurt, though... That effected the plan". Other side: Good coaches adjust and Turner did. Rebuttal: But situational playcalling is still lacking. People are going to be upset no matter what. Heinicke's skillset is perfect for this offense in the sense that it forces us to do what we are best built to do: Rack up TOP and play aggressive style defense. That's not to say we can't upgrade at QB. We can. Heinicke isn't great. But some of the ingredients in the soup absolutely create a soup that you can eat. His knowledge of the system, the moxie (likeability, clutch, cold blooded stuff) and his limitations and strengths fall directly in line with what we need them to for this team to find success. But at the same time, his weaknesses hurt us against the higher powered teams in the league. We can't get in shoot outs with Heinicke. If we do, he has to be using his legs to create extra opportunities for our playmakers to make plays by extending drives. More plays = more opportunities. This isn't me advocating for Howell, the truth is I have no idea what's going on with his development. But I am going to comment on Howell's style of play: It is exactly what this offense needs to take the next step. Strong arm, escapability, ability to read coverages. He can do what Heinicke can and what Wentz can (again, I am talking skillsets, so to explain...): Wentz: Strong arm Heinicke: Escapability Now, there are some things in the skillset that are lacking: Footwork on varying drops, experience. But that is the kind of QB that will take this offense to the next level. Lamar Jackson would work well here if it weren't for the massive contract. Anthony Richardson is a guy that would fit here stylistically (but he's lacking experience, mechanics, etc.). Bryce Young would be a literal perfect fit. I've been on the fence more often than I'd like on the Heinicke debate... Some people give him no credit. Some give him too much credit. Generally, I side with the group that says he's not a great quarterback. But the guy absolutely is part of the recipe that helped turn things around so the people who don't give him an iota of credit I can't really side with. His skillset fits what we need and its working advantageously for us at the moment. Doesn't mean it always will. When we need to challenge vertically and teams defend it we're in a load of trouble. So I can't defend Heinicke as our guy for the long term because it just isn't sustainable. But he absolutely helps with this specific recipe. But not to the tune of him being the savior that some seem to think of him as. He is NFL quarterback that can make it work in the league but is best suited to a backup role. But I'm glad we have him for now. Also can't wait to upgrade him.

I do kind of agree with the others that Heinicke is a big part of why we're winning. But that doesn't mean I think he is a necessary part of the soup moving forward, him coming in and starting absolutely helped turn us around. Why? The insertion of Heinicke into the lineup did two things. 1) It provided a spark to the players and the locker room. This team was DOA until a guy they loved was inserted into the lineup. 2) It forced Turner to find our offensive identity and manufacture gameplans that highlighted that. He no longer had the QB with the arm to push the field vertically. The quicker release passes, a QB with mobility and a heavy focus on the running game helped us dominate TOP and win with rushing and defense. I doubt we change our plan if Wentz is still the QB. But, now, on the flip side: Now that we know the formula for success, would Wentz have a similar amount of success as Heinicke? Not sure. He'd definitely stretch the field vertically and make defenses defend the whole field. But that also means our interior OL has to protect for longer because Wentz needs the time to throw. Spoiler alert: They won't. But if they did it's hard to argue that Wentz in a run focused gameplan wouldn't be better than Heinicke as it pertains to playaction passing and stretching the field. It's a tough conversation to have because there are so many variables and not as clear cut as many want it to be.

Is this a schtick? It has to be a schtick. Also, I hear Heinicke almost went to USC.

Gee, it's almost like a few of us here have been saying that for the last year or so and no one wanted to look logic in the face and believe it was even possible.

The sharpest of football minds speak, we all listen.

What did he represent? A potential replacement for Payne at worst and in the best case scenario cheap depth who proved he can play at Alabama? It’s tough to play the, “yeah but if we didn’t take him here we could have him here” game. Nothing says the stars align for that.

You grade draft classes entirely too early. You may wind up right on Dotson vs. the others. But Dotson being injured means his numbers are going to be worse than receivers who have been playing and prominent. It’s just so early to call it here.

I have absolutely no idea what any of this means.

Which is exactly why I advocate moving on from Sweat and trading him rather than letting him play one more year for us and walk away.