Starry Plough

Seems things are a little flat in general after what looks to be a pretty non-flashy 1st round, with no real out-and-out shockers that I’m aware of. As for the JD pick, I was more a Maye fan admittedly but I’m glad it’s done now as it was exhausting seeing an absence of middle-ground amongst posters at times leading up to things and hopefully for those who are really down on Daniels, and by extension the FO, come close of play Sunday there’s greater optimism on the back of the rest of the selections.

Dave Tepper knows exactly what he’s doing - was watching Dans draft day strategy from the last few years in a bar with the volume down, but got the gist of it.

Damn - didn’t realise he was *that* bad. 😅

Pretty sure he could barely stay healthy in Philly and only lasted 1 season in TEN before being cut, which is curious. Shame as he was touted as a good pick when drafted, but I’d pass.

It’s interesting you say this as having seen pictures of Bowers previously I’ve actually wondered if he potentially has autistic spectrum disorder - as the father of an autistic child the eyes can be a tell. Don’t believe I’ve seen much chatter about him as a player, though, which is surprising given how highly he was touted but then again there’s more “high profile” guys seemingly dominating the draft landscape so he’s perhaps flying below the radar, which could suit him who knows. As an aside DJ and BB had Trevor Sikkema on the Move the Sticks podcast and he really doesn’t seem particularly high on Jayden Daniels. Not to say he was trashing him, but rather frequently mentioned others instead of him - clearly is a big fan of Maye, but McCarthy and even Nix were talked up (again well ahead of Daniels). Just found it notable given there was a lot of emphasis on guys being able to attack all areas of the field and especially across the middle and was actually hoping to hear some comments on JD on that front as I know it’s been discussed/debated here. To clarify, I meant through the draft-process and post-combine rather than him not being discussed as a 1st round talent etc leading up to and through the season.

Being from this side of the pond I had to Google what that is, so cheers for bringing it to my attention and we’ll hopefully give it a try. 😁

Is right and just one of the variables in such a scenario. Get the QB right (or at least aim to) whilst we’re in a rare position this year and it (theoretically) gives us the freedom to be flexible in future drafts.

Squad of us are making the trip to Vegas (staying at the Luxor) in September so I’m looking forward to taking in the Allegiant. Looks quite the stadium and I agree is perhaps the model/template going forward,

That with Andy Wylie doing his best Penei Sewell impersonation? 😆

Ahhh gotcha. Also didn’t realise that about Frank Smith. 😄

Pretty sure he is OC in GB, no? I agree though his journey is intriguing with a year long stint in San Fran the year Kyle was hired there. You could be right then it’s possibly a year too soon for him, but maybe one to keep an eye on for some team a year from now.

Is Adam Stenavich amongst the initial candidate interviews and if so are there any opinions on him - not just on the back of GB’s beat down of Dallas last night?

To the point that money & power/control has huge sway I completely agree. Not to mention Johnson could be someone who sees Carolina being a huge challenge and one to be embraced. But I’d hope 2 decades of Dans personality playing out in front of the entire NFL world would make anyone with an ounce of concern for their own reputation draw even some comparisons to Tepper, even if it’s not a complete apples-and-apples scenario. Again then, one has just allowed a HC to see out a full season despite it being an embarrassment, whilst the other cut his 3rd HC in 6 years loose with 6 games left after saddling him with a QB who he may not have wanted, not to mention any subsequent HC has the task of rebuilding (in contrast to anyone coming here having the choice of hand picked QB to mould from the get-go) and with limited resources to do so. In short, Tepper may well go all out to get his guy whether that’s Johnson or someone else, but as mentioned Dans legacy should be a cautionary tale that guys who do indeed get what they want through promises of money & power/control are often also incredibly impatient and fickle who can drastically set a HC’s career back if things don’t go the way an owner wants or and become enamoured with another shiny new toy - think when Mr Burns hired Frank Grimes only to replace him a short time later with a heroic dog he took a liking too. 😏 Just seen not only did you get in front of me BB, mate, but also articulated it much better. 🤣

If you mean Ben Johnson coming here to work with Adam Peters then I absolutely agree and believe it’ll be sold as such. If you mean Tepper selling it to him I just have a hard time thinking the dysfunction already emerging there won’t give any credible candidate real concern. Course just watch Johnson going there now after me saying that. 🤣

Is why I’d be amazed if Johnson chooses to go there as a first time HC. Pretty sure since becoming owner there Tepper has averaged firing a coach every 2 years. The recent incident with the fan then, not to mention the belief he involved himself in picking Bryce Young suggests a Snyder-esque impulsivity and meddling, which again I can’t imagine to be reassuring to any potential candidate regardless of financial incentives.

Anyone seen much of Ainias Smith out of Texas A&M? Plays primarily at receiver by the looks of it but takes a few handoffs and looks pretty shifty - possibly a Curtis Samuel-lite and late rounder.

Right now if we can draft any RT who can be a mainstay on the line for years to come ah-la Lane Johnson that’s a win. I saw some chatter in the thread about Troy Fautanu at Washington, btw, who I’ve consistently noted as kicking inside in the pros. Anyone got a good read on him? Only he looks to be the same size as Rashawn Slater (who from recollection was also touted as a guard but has successfully stayed at tackle) albeit apparently his arms measure longer at 34 inches. His feet and hands are said to be impressive. Thoughts on him as a potential LT in the 2nd having drafted say Taliese Fuaga in the 1st (preferably after a trade down 😁)?

He’s probably spending more time wondering how the sign he worked hard on finding just the right font for isn’t, yanno, doing its job.

Agreed, we won’t be in a position to draft Williams (who is nailed on for #1 overall, IMO) or Maye. That’s when it gets interesting then as to where we’re sitting and how much draft capital it would cost to move up. Only Howell will likely be traded should the ownership opt to go in a different direction at QB, so a lot depends on his development for a number of reasons from his own value to whether he does indeed develop enough to eliminate the consideration of CW or DM) - Josh Rosen if I recall netted Arizona a 2nd from Miami, so whilst you’re likely talking a handful of 1st rounders moving up, it’s mitigated even some if one or two 2nd round picks are acquired (potentially from someone who needs a QB themselves but is just out of reach and doesn’t have such tradeable assets). Course there are other prospects beyond the big 2, although for the record I like Howell and thus hope for him *and* the team that he continues to grow into even a top 10-12 QB. We’ll see.

Back to back “assessment games” for the new ownership, IMO. Philly showed us at our present best, as a scrappy, talented team who are perhaps just a few players (and arguably better coaching) away from making some noise. Last night however was us at our unprepared, lack-of-intensity and coaching-deficient worst. I’m not sure what to make of it then, as the focus in the immediate aftermath appears to be on coaching, and rightly so. But the mentality/attitude of players openly admitting to coming out “flat” is damning, IMO - was there an arrogance that we’d simply roll a poor team in turmoil? Perhaps. But again, on the back of the Philly game the score should have been a reversal IMO and a step towards progress or at the very least, stability. Seeing leaders like Jon Allen and Terry appear almost embarrassed however is not a good look. It remains messy as to where we go from here if it’s true JDR is so involved in HC’ing responsibilities, unless EB steps into that role should the former be fired. But then that takes the latter away from what he was hired to do and asks further questions as to just what Ron does. As an aside, I didn’t like the Magic tweet, personally. He’s absolutely right of course, but whilst it’s not even remotely dysfunctional in the way we’re used to, it brings unnecessary drama to things when internal criticism at that level should remain in-house, IMO.

Ben Johnson will likely be on any short list. Frank Smith intrigues me too, admittedly, and will be another popular candidate as long as Miami keep putting up points. His diverse experience having worked with offensive lines (and TE’s), which given our current circumstances on that front in particular, is also noteworthy.

It’ll be interesting to see how this thread develops as the year goes on given our need for fresh blood on the offensive line, which doesn’t make for flashy highlight reels (unless you’re into that 🤣). Anyone know how Fashanu (in particular) and Alt are doing thus far - I’m pretty sure Penn State and ND win their opening games pretty convincingly, but again with them playing their respective position they likely don’t show up on the stat sheet in the same way. As an aside, anyone been watching Georgia? Only I noted Brock Bowers only has 6 receptions for 81 yards and 0 TD’s, which is surprising given I expected him to be a focal point of their offense this year. It’s only a small sample size though I guess, so could well increase.

It’s a by-product of consistent losing, sadly, and happens across all sports - seen it in the EPL often. What makes sport great as we all know is that emotional reward reaching euphoria at times in the right circumstances. As we also know, however, the flip side can get particular ugly when things are going bad and whilst criticism is understandable when rational / reasonable I’ve always found any dismissiveness by fans towards players who unfortunately find themselves unable to stay healthy, and especially early into their careers, particularly disappointing. For me, knowing we have a legit defensive front without Chase is more than enough and if he contributes to that further upon his return then even better. If not? The respective parties move on and we haven’t lost anything - anyone who says “except a high first rounder”, btw, that’s just football and there’s very few if any teams who don’t have to bite that bullet.

It’s so easy to say this now, but at the time Chase was seen as a “can’t miss” prospect who the draft community and the majority of fans were unanimous in stating he should be the #2 overall pick. Heck, I recall hearing McShay on the Rich Eisen show (I believe 🤔) even saying Cincinnati has a decision to make as he was so good that he’s one of those rare talents that you take #1 overall, *ahead* of a QB. I watched as much Chase propaganda as possible going into that draft and some of the tape reviews like Brett Kollman (who provides good analysis to someone like me 😆) were practically gushing about him as a complete game-wrecker. I get that he hasn’t become the transcendent player we hoped for going into things, but some players work out, some don’t. There are multiple variables for that which applies to every team, with no guarantees and that draft is a perfect example of what I mean with “safe” but Uber talented guys like Okudah getting injured, just like Chase (albeit immediately) and never getting momentum before being traded for very little. Simmons was seen as a “unicorn” who never worked out due to seemingly not finding a position and again, traded for peanuts (and I hope doesn’t flourish in NY this season). Just outside the top 10 Mekhi Becton is seen to be in a make-or-break year not just to stay in NY but the league itself such are his self-discipline and work ethic issues apparently whilst Henry Ruggs killed a person and threw his life away. Look, the reports about Chase are disappointing, I’ll agree. And if he fails to live up to his potential that’s unfortunate. But Andrew Thomas, who was another from that draft mentioned above labelled a bust after his rookie year but who has since become one of the better tackles in the league - the circumstances are different, of course (with durability being a big factor) - is an example that it does happen. Let’s just see how it plays out though with Chase and not rewrite history about what we should or shouldn’t have done, because it’s easy to do that when you have the kind of evidence that only becomes available as time passes and events unfold.

Don’t forget Jay getting his nipple tweaked by (name that player).