profusion

48 minutes ago, philibusters said:

 

The Patriots were 0-1 coming off a 5-11 season when Bledsoe got hurt.  I am not a Patriots fan, but as a NFL fan, I was like there goes any chance of NE making the playoffs.  The Patriots were going to be better regardless because Belichick was starting to get that defense really good, but I don't think without Brady playing well, they win 3 out of 4 Super Bowls between 2001 and 2004.  That said in those early years, the Patriots focused on the run game and defense so that Brady didn't have a lot of pressure on him.  So in that sense he was a game manager, but he was immediatley a very good good manager.

I think it's somewhere in the middle. Brady wasn't playing hero ball but he also wasn't just dumping it off to the RB for a four-yard gain. He started carving up defenses with the precision underneath stuff right away, as I recall. Pretty much like his idol Joe Montana. That's what changed--Bledsoe had the big arm but not the best skill set for what the team around him was built for.

I'm assuming Hartman is being looked at as a future coaching prospect, from the little I've read about him. This is a good way of getting him in the room for evaluation.

I've seen more Commanders merch around recently compared to when the rebranding first launched. However, it's still nothing compared to a decade ago when you still saw Redskins stuff everywhere.

That said, even the last years of the Redskins seemed like a steep decline in terms of people wearing the merch or having bumper stickers on their cars etc. Winning sells merch, of course.

Better uniforms would probably help sell a little more merch, but I'm guessing the Harris group knows that it's more of a last step than a first one. First, fix the team, then fix the stadium.

The window of accuracy is smaller in the NFL, and I keep thinking back to Belichick's draft-day analysis that Maye was missing on throws to narrow windows that are considered "open" in the NFL.

I'm not rooting against the guy (unless he's playing the Commanders). It's just that maybe we're starting to see why Peters wasn't interested in him.

27 minutes ago, mistertim said:

Why? We aren't exactly in danger of going to the Super Bowl this season and we're in year 1 of a rebuild with a new FO, HC, and owner. 

 

I'm not saying Daniels should sit, just that this sentiment seems to come with no actual reasoning or evidence.

Daniels should sit if his fundamentals (footwork) are as poorly developed as Maye's apparently are. However, what I was getting at is that the Pats have a viable short-term starter in Brissett, while the Commanders don't (in my opinion). You could say that the Commanders FO burned the lifeboats on this one by not resigning Brissett. 

I also think, based on my hazy memories of last year, that the Pats might have a worse offensive lineup than the Commanders, and that's saying something. Peters has put some key skill players in place to help out Daniels in the short term. I don't have the spare time to worry about what the Pats' FO is doing, but they weren't as active in FA, for sure.

20 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

Maybe.  I do think Maye can start.  If it were me I'd let him work through his inconsistencies.  But should be interesting to see what he does.

 

I think an underrated part of his game is his wheels.   I think he can rely on that some early on in the mix.

It'd be better for the Pats to aim for the next Aaron Rodgers rather than the next RG3. Sit Maye until his fundamentals are closer to being acceptable. You risk making him worse, not better by throwing him out there in Week 1 if he's not close to ready as a passer.

22 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

Agree and said so as for that clip. 

 

My point was lol we are going to get those comps for years I gather.  Especially in this case where the narraitves seem clear that Peters was smitten with Daniels and I gather not so much Maye considering he had McCarthy ahead of him.

 

Back to Maye, I think it simply might take time with him.  He's going to be 22 this season. 

 

It's starting to be clear that Maye needs to sit for at least a year. The Patriots have that luxury by having Brissett around, as well as a disaster of an offensive roster that might even take longer to fix than ours will. No "win now" going on in Foxboro. Their whiny, entitled fans might disagree, but that's what Jerrod Mayo got himself into...

The Commanders don't have that luxury and need a Week 1 starter.

33 minutes ago, Professor_Nutter_Butter said:

Dan Quinn wearing that shirt is a nightmare because all it's going to do is bring back everyone swearing the Redskins name is coming back. It's not. Although I'd definitely be up for a mix of the old uniform with the new helmet. 

That's a rather low threshold for nightmares.

I love the shirt and thank Quinn for wearing it. Of course the Redskins name isn't coming back, and literally everyone with an IQ above 70 knows that. Incorporating design elements from the past is a different matter, and I think it's awesome. Next step, get rid of the garbage uniforms and bring back the classics with a new helmet logo. Heck, even just the WFT numbers.

This being a "controversy" merely indicates that the national sports media is starved for stories during this part of the offseason.

2 hours ago, ixcuincle said:

The more I think about it the more that a DC return seems unlikely especially after DC just shelled out 500 mil to keep the Caps and Wiz in DC. Combine that with the Nats and I'm not sure they have the bank to have the Commanders move in.

 

It's possible that the Commanders could foot the bill but after spending 6 bil to buy the team I don't think the ownership is too interested in their own funds being used to build a stadium.

 

Again, I hope this isn't the case. Ideally all 4 teams play in DC, but this is not a fairy tale world and budgets exist.

If Harris can find a way to build a development around the new stadium that's a separate profit center, then the smart money goes there regardless of whether the local jurisdiction chips in for it.

Regardless, he might have the advantage that DC is in pretty desperate straits right now in terms of downtown being half empty or more, and that precious stream of tax revenue being in danger. The DC gov needs something shiny and positive to take attention away from the problems the city has right now. If that's the goal, they'll find the money and bulldoze the obstacles.

5 hours ago, Warhead36 said:

Well our orignal plan was Darnold so....

Darnold was nobody's plan.

The Vikings got to closing time, and he was the last girl in the bar...

Record: 7-10. This colossal mess ain't getting fixed in a single season.

Jayden: My gut feeling is that by year's end there will be some Bears fans angry that he's not in Chicago.

Defense: The other NFC East QBs are going to be seeing this bunch in their nightmares.

Offense: A work in progress, and the early part of the season may be rough. I predict it starts to gel by Week 10.

Special Teams: Too early to tell.

Coaching: Whitt will be on HC hiring lists, Kingsbury may be controversial.

2 minutes ago, 88Comrade2000 said:

Draft to long anyways.  I can see the NFL getting rid of round 7 and maybe even round 6; as a compromise to get to an 18 game season.

If the league wants the NFLPA to agree to an 18-game schedule, they might have to expand the rosters. That would theoretically lead back to expanded draft. It used to be 13 rounds, if I recall correctly. They don't have to televise all of it!

So, that's a wrap on the Commanders' draft.

My impressions are:

• Athletic ability and attitude were the main drivers for GMAP, more than polish or being ready for Week 1 (JD might be the exception).
• He has a lot of faith in the coaching staff to make these guys into NFL contributors.
• There is a LOT of talent in this year's crop, but some of it needs heavy nurturing.
• The defense is taking shape, but I find the offense still a mystery.
• Peters has a lot of work still to do just to field a full 11 starters on offense. UDFAs and the waiver wire are going to be critical.

I'm not envisioning a lot of guys standing around on defense this season.

I don't know about this pick, but then I don't know about any of them. That's why I sit on the couch on Sundays and eat snacks in front of the TV.

It feels like these late round picks are always a crapshoot, so I guess GMAP figures to draft primarily for athletic ability and then hopes the coaches can take it from there.

1 minute ago, CommanderInTheRye said:

 

 

Rivera, in the same situation, would have drafted a lesser tackle just to draft a tackle.

 

He'd be on the roster a few years as a backup and eventually end up cut.

 

This place was a talent deprived total mess. It's not a simple one off season and we're back type of situation-- that job was in San Diego.

 

Peters isn't in to the sugar rush, empty calorie, instant gratification type deals.

 

This is a long haul, from the foundation up rebuild.

 

 

It also explains the lack of takeaways for us. We didn't get those guys who are going to deliver fumbles and interceptions. My guess is that's a big part of why they chose Sainirstill over DeJean. A nasty ball-hawking slot CB would go a long way towards fixing the Commanders' problems on defense. How often did teams just work their way down the field on us with throws to the middle? That's got to stop.

I think the disconnect between some of us here and Peters is that we're focusing on roster holes, and he's focused on finding impact players.

There's obviously more to it, but that looks like his draft philosophy. The theory being that impact players deliver those handful of game-changing plays, which the roster fillers won't. He'll just make do at the open positions.

It's scary to come out of the draft with continuing questions, but it makes sense.

7 minutes ago, The Consigliere said:

Who cares, these guys aren't 4 year olds. Sonny and Billy, or maybe just Billy told Joey T to sit down, shut the ---- up and return punts, they need to grow a pair if they are threatened. 

The guys who are paying JD millions of dollars and banking their own futures on his success care very much. The Commanders are in "recalibration" mode, not win-now mode.

When JD is up and running as an established starter and the Commanders are contending, then definitely bring in the upscale backup QB.

6 minutes ago, Ghost of said:

Agreed. It would be one thing if Howell were a couple years out from starting but it was last year. And you want someone with a bit more experience to at least potentially contribute in the QB room, even if they don't think their role is outright mentorship. I do understand not wanting to give up on Howell entirely but his P2S ratio is up there and it showed last year. He may not be the one you want Daniels modeling or mimicking. 

Not just more experience, but more experience with different teams and different systems. Mariota's probably seen it all at this point. He also seems more comparable to JD in terms of his abilities and style, which could matter in terms of mentoring.

Howell's a great guy, and I wish him luck in Seattle. I just don't see him as the right backup or mentor in Washington.

2 minutes ago, tmandoug1 said:

Why is it sick to want the best backup we can get? I apologize for not having your perspective on the subject. I will look into that and make corrections.

The entire focus has to be on developing JD. Having last year's starter on the bench behind him only serves as a distraction.

Mariota's actually a very good choice for a backup. He'll be able to step in well enough if needed, but he is firmly in the backup category. Everyone's roles are clear.

Getting a third-round pick for a fifth-round guy seems like pretty good business, I'd say.

I spent approximately zero time before the draft looking into these guys, and I have to say that Jayden doesn't look skinny or fragile. He's tall and rangy but there's clearly some muscle and power there. The way some of you were talking, I was expecting him to be some wraith-like Emmanuel Forbes type!

My durability concern is more about him learning how to avoid hits and when "enough is enough." Even the stoutest QBs like Lamar get hurt when they try to be full-on RBs.

The thing that struck me about all the professional commentary on Jayden is how much he learned and evolved as a true passer over the last couple years. I don't sense at all that he's an RG3 ego who thinks he's going to take the NFL by storm doing things "his way" and then spend all his spare time in the weight room.

Sure, he's going to have to continue to evolve all of his game, but he seems like the kind who will do just that. I'm excited to see where this goes.

43 minutes ago, tmandoug1 said:

Still don't get why we traded Howell if JD was the pick. Pretty stupid IMHO.

It didn't matter whom we picked. You don't leave last year's Day 1 starter on the team as a benchwarmer. We don't need Sonny vs. Billy situation.

No one's going to be calling for Mariota if Jayden starts off with a few stumbles.

40 minutes ago, Always A Commander Never A Captain said:

 

I don't think he talked to many then. Sounds like he's just regurgitating hot takes.

 

You can watch games of Maye and not see a missed layup in them. It happens, but the issue is overblown.

Belichick savaged Maye, too, by the way. He's very specific, and it makes me feel a lot better about GMAP's decision. I think we got this one right.

https://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=40026232

Just now, Rufus T Firefly said:

If we're betting on 1st round QB flops, I'll take Nix, you all can take the field. 

Nix looked a lot better than Penix in the Oregon/Washington game last year.

All 10 Chargers fans flew out for the draft!