skinny21

Indeed. And I have some confidence in this group - Kliff running a qb friendly scheme, we’ll run the ball a bunch, Daniels will go through progressions well/quickly and run, and they’ll (almost certainly) employ the screens, quick game, 6/7 man protections, etc to protect Jayden. It’s still a little scary though (nervous lol) Yeah, exactly this. And it’s going to be interesting to see how much we blitz.

One relatively minor concern I have is the competition between our edge rushers and tackles. Both groups are sort of meh on paper, so I worry a bit that it throws off evaluation - offensively and/or defensively. Kliff maybe not realizing his tackles need quite so much help, and Daniels thinking he has a bit more time to throw, could be especially problematic from the context of getting a young qb comfortable. The joint practices and of course preseason games should help on that front of course, so I’m not overly worried that they’ll be going into the season with blinders on. Obviously the more macro view of a young qb playing behind questionable tackles is still highly problematic. I do have some faith they’ll have answers for that, at least to some extent, but I think most would agree that it is (and will remain) the #1 concern regarding the team/season. Well, that and Daniels staying healthy, though they’re not entirely separate issues of course.

Up until Aiyuk going off last year anyway. Prior to that they were pretty close (might even give the edge to Terry). Of course Aiyuk has had the benefit of Kittle, Samuel, good qb play, and the Shanahan offense. Agree with you alluding to Terry’s impact as a leader/example. I’ll add that I’m not a fan of buying high, and frankly, considering Terry has yet to play with a good qb, a good supporting cast (and mostly not even in a good scheme)… we’d be selling low if we moved him, IMO.

Bienemy was atrocious. As you allude to, I’m glad it worked out that way because of the draft, but we’d have been far better (in the short term) sticking with Turner’s (enforced) ground and pound. Bienemy did try to overcome some of the deficiencies - poor oline play, run game inefficiency (IIRC) and an inexperienced qb - via screens and quick game stuff at times, but overall he hurt the culture, threw the ball way too much, left the D out to dry, etc. We still have some talent issues, but I expect a pretty major improvement. I don’t disagree with you, but I can’t quite match your optimism - too many uncertainties for me. I do lean towards optimism though, particularly because I think we’ll see vast improvement in coaching and I think this team is really bonding and setting high standards. I also agree in that I expect us to be very competitive, even if it doesn’t necessarily manifest in a high win total. Well said and pretty much right where I am as well.

I think last year’s defense basically has zero influence or impact on this year’s defense. All of pieces of the puzzle we’ve been privy to have been wildly positive. Quinn and Whitt’s prior success, bringing in proven and highly experienced players and coaches like Wagner/Ken Norton Jr, the clear organizational direction, the energy and communication at practice, the focus on building connections between coaches and players, and so on. Jon Allen shifting from sounding like he didn’t want to come back to enjoying coming to work is a pretty stark indicator of how things have changed. You’re right (IMO) to want to throw a bit of cold water on expectations though - there are some major talent question marks for example.

Lot (like, a whole lot) of question marks - mostly involving personnel, though there are some coaching questions as well, but also a lot of reasons for optimism. My guess/hope is that a lot of the broader points of optimism - mostly high quality coaching (including having a shared direction), the culture shift (expectation, competition and accountability), synergy between Peters and Quinn (including the former finding guys that fit what Quinn is trying to do) - mitigate many of the question marks. IMO, the two biggest question marks are 1. The relationship between the pass rush and coverage (particularly corners). Both appear relatively weak on paper, and they can both negatively impact each other. On the bright side, both can be aided by supporting units (DTs, LBs and safeties) and scheme/play calling. The corners can also benefit from improved communication. And of course, either unit out-performing expectations likely aids the other unit. 2. The pairing of questionable tackles with a rookie qb. Problems in pass pro leading to mistakes by Daniels, disguised and complex coverages leading to Daniels holding the ball longer - ie putting more stress on the tackles. I also have my concerns with the offense in general, implementing a new system takes time, Kingsbury has to prove himself, and there are a lot of chefs in the proverbial kitchen. With that said, signs point to the offense being qb friendly, and I think Kingsbury probably has adapted/grown. The presumably high level input from various coaches likely helps KK find some balance and my guess is Anthony Lynn helps marry the pass/run game. It’s going to be a fascinating year IMO.

For me, over the past few months I’ve come to see/realize that Jayden has a somewhat rare blend of character traits that lend themself to success: confidence + humility, a drive to be great, he’s down to earth, coachable, and consistent in his personality. I can’t say whether Caleb, Maye or any of the other qbs have those traits, but my guess is maybe/probably not… or at least not at the level we’re seeing from Daniels. To be fair, it’s not like you need all of those exact traits to be a good qb, but it gives me a lot of hope for Jayden anyway.

I’m intrigued by the idea of essentially a 3-4 package with either 3 DTs, or 2 DTs plus Armstrong, and then Luvu and Davis on the edges (reading the back), and Wagner in the middle. Still gives you a nickel look on the backend. Here’s hoping one of the young guys - Henry/Jones/Jean-Baptiste - or Jamin is able to step up, at least as a situational rusher, because to your point, it’s an underwhelming group. On the bright side, while Armstrong doesn’t have a Parsons on the other side, he’s got a good group of DTs next to him and some very capable blitzers, so hopefully he can maintain his respectable production. I’ll add that Ferrell is a stud against the run, so he’ll have a solid role carved out for him that can/should open up others. If we can force more longer passing downs, that could/should help our rushers a bit. Obviously Wagner’s experience can serve as a bit of a force multiplier as well. Overall though, I do have concerns that the combo of a somewhat questionable pass rush and corner group winds up magnifying each unit’s deficiencies. With that said, I think the corners may benefit greatly by having a better understanding of their role, a better scheme, a better support system in terms of safety/linebacker play, and better overall communication.

Tinsley and Tremayne in the mix too. I still find it a little odd Tinsley stood out last offseason yet basically never saw the field - 3 snaps in wk 2, inactive the rest of the time.

Harsh, but fair enough. It was a minor thought I had behind more serious considerations. In my defense, I said it’s not about money and you came back with we can afford both. I said it’s not about resources and you came back with the idea we could trade picks for Aiyuk and an OT… so it sure felt like you weren’t following me. And to be clear - you’ve definitely highlighted some of the reasons I like the idea of going after Aiyuk. I’d add making Daniels’ life easier and giving us insurance in case Terry misses time.

Logan Paulsen had an interesting few points regarding the backs. 1. Robinson is very similar to Conner from Kliff’s time in AZ. 2. the 4 backs they brought in - Ekeler, McNichols, Austin and Wiley - are all more hands backs. 3. Rodriguez is better in pass pro than Robinson. I think the baseline is probably what (I assume) most of us expect - Robinson handles the bulk of carries, Ekeler is in for the majority of passing downs, Rodriguez gets some snaps here and there. I have to wonder if the pass pro issue has an impact though. Here’s hoping Robinson makes strides on that front this offseason. Don’t believe we’ll see much on this front, but I find the versatility interesting when looking at some of our other guys - McCaffrey’s experience at qb, Yankoff at qb and rb, and Sinnot at FB.

The first paragraph is one of the reasons why I’d consider Aiyuk. The second misses my point again actually (probably my bad). I’m not talking about the resources, it’s the timing that I’m not sure I agree with. And it’s not something I’m set on or anything, just feel like it might make more sense to get an OL in place we can compete with first, otherwise we’re wasting part of the receiver contract. Or do both in the same offseason 🤷‍♂️

Yeah, like I said, not in terms of money, but I’m just not sure we should start the “all in” process before figuring out how/when we’re going to bolster the oline.

Operating under the premise Daniels gets signed to a big second contract, there’s two time periods to consider IMO - the window before Daniels’ big pay day, and the time period after. I think the picks will become more important as time goes on as we have to use them to replace signing and re-signing expensive players. So, in a way, I feel like our picks this next year are our least important. I’m hesitant about the idea of spending big and giving up picks for Aiyuk, but due to my point above, plus factoring in that his contract would be up before paying Daniels big… well, it’s not necessarily a “no” for me. Another hang up for me is OT. Not in terms of saving money to pay for one, but until make substantial strides on the OL, I feel like adding quality pass catchers only gets you so far. I wouldn’t worry about Jahan as we control him for 3 more years, and Davis probably won’t be a factor, but who knows. St Juste and Forrest though, along with Cosmi (our single must re-sign at the moment), could add up. I could also see Chinn earning a fairly hefty contract, and we’ll have to figure out DE, along w/ other miscellaneous signings. Maybe we land a pricey OT. Really though, I believe we’re projected at 87mil in space for next year, so not sure money is too much of a concern for a bit.

I’m intrigued by Colson Yankoff. Qb turned Wr turned Rb and kick returner for the Bruins, now a TE. Have to think he’s got the inside track over Turner and Rogers for that 4th TE spot… assuming Bates is #2 or 3. Most likely comes down to ST of course, but that versatility and ability to serve as insurance for Sinnot’s versatility is probably appealing for the staff. Of course we (or I at least) have no idea about his blocking ability, so who knows. Feel like he drew some praise in OTAs, but that portion of the offseason probably fit his strengths better than TC will.