2023 Offseason Mini Camp, OTA’s, Training Camp Discussion Thread: Hallelujah, Josh Harris & Co. Era Edition

[FootballZombie]

11 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

Armah seems to be more likely the 4th TE-FB.

 

Poor Hodges...

 

Does Armah play teams?

[Going Commando]

1 hour ago, Conn said:

Your posts about Rivera make so much more sense with this context, if this is what you expect a regime going into its fourth season to be aiming for and accomplishing. 

 

My definition of success is sustainable long term competitiveness and a strong, consistent culture.  For this season, my expectations are 10-11 wins and a playoff berth.  We'll see if we get that far, but if we do, I know that we can build on that.  If we hit that expectation, it means there is a foundation on offense in terms of skill players, quarterback, and linemen that we can build around.  It means the defense was good and we will have the cap space to maintain it.

 

I think those expectations are about a thousand percent more concrete and realistic than the pie in the sky dreaming of those who think Josh Harris can come in here, burn everything to the ground, and then we're in the Super Bowl hunt in '24.

[Skinsinparadise]

2 hours ago, HigSkin said:

 

 

 

 

 

I listened to Kilgore on 106.7, he liked what he saw from every unit except their O line.

 

He's watched the Packers practice, he thinks Love has looked good.

[Jumbo]

4 hours ago, MartinC said:

It was in Howells hands. He could certainly have played himself out of the job. He seems to have done much better than just not calling on his face, consistent reporting that he’s been consistently good and developing.

 

It could all still go wrong when the games matter - but I think we can be cautiously optimistic about Sam going into the season. 

 

Agreed, but then my view on Sam has been very positive since the pick. I loved the pick. I saw it as a very good value. I don't envision Sam's most likely, realistic, ceiling as elite level, but as very good.

 

And very good at qb would be a huge upgrade for us and can make a team very competitive in post season if they can excel in a few other categories.

 

Unfortunately I see the o line as a major issue, not a so-so or minor one that can be schemed around sufficiently. It's particularly vital with a rookie QB most of the time.

 

I see our unit as weak enough to cost us more than  a couple games. We face formidable d lines just in our division 

 

But i do have a decent amount of hope it can end up better than my current take.

[LetMeSeeYourWarFace21]

Anybody think we should kick the tires on LT Jason Peters?

[Skinsinparadise]

52 minutes ago, Going Commando said:

 

My definition of success is sustainable long term competitiveness and a strong, consistent culture.  For this season, my expectations are 10-11 wins and a playoff berth.  We'll see if we get that far, but if we do, I know that we can build on that.  If we hit that expectation, it means there is a foundation on offense in terms of skill players, quarterback, and linemen that we can build around.  It means the defense was good and we will have the cap space to maintain it.

 

 

What if your expectations aren't met?  What if lets say they go 8-9?  Bring the band back again and see what they have or would you be open to change then?

 

52 minutes ago, Going Commando said:

 

 

I think those expectations are about a thousand percent more concrete and realistic than the pie in the sky dreaming of those who think Josh Harris can come in here, burn everything to the ground, and then we're in the Super Bowl hunt in '24.

 

By burning everything in the ground, I assume that just means changing the coaches and FO.  Because no one I can think of is thinking of overhauling the roster.

 

The Giants new brass took over a roster, they didn't by the way dump Daniel Jones, Barkley and crew but kept them and took the team to the playoffs and actually won a playoff game -- something this team hasn't done in 17 years.  How did they do it, witchcraft? 

 

Eagles fired their headcoach, the new coach didn't dump Hurts and developed him, made the playoffs their first season and then made it to the SB the season after.

 

It's not pie in the sky weird stuff for a new regime to come in and win and for the matter KEEP their young QB.  I know we are used to the losing here but that's the Dan Synder era.  I know you aren't high on Josh Harris at least in theory but i'd put money then within a few years you'll like him. 

 

Edited August 18, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[Going Commando]

4 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

Josh Harris isn't a moron like Dan Snyder.  This team hasn't found and kept a franchise QB since arguably Joey T.  You really think if Howell shows he can be the guy, they'd just discard him?  It woukd be torches and pitchforks from the fans.

 

How exactly do you think Sam is going to prove he's our franchise QB moving forward?  How do you think this can happen while also getting Ron fired? 

 

We all know our defense is really good.  If we lose so many games that Harris has the pretext to fire Ron Rivera, that means that the offense wasn't good.  And that means Howell will not be safe.  Sam's job security depends on the same factors that Ron's does--they both have to win this year.  The situation with Mike Shanahan and Kirk Cousins and Jay Gruden wasn't at all similar.  Gruden was hired in part to come in and rehabilitate RGIII's career, and that wasn't a total regime change.  The FO guys who were a part of the 2012 draft were still here and still calling the shots on the roster.  If Josh Harris cleans out the front office and fires the coaching staff, you seriously don't think the first thing the new FO will do is draft a quarterback?

 

4 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

Agree.  That's the other part I don't like about the O line.  Some of the other O lines that haven't been hot yet have more young investment in them.  Lets take the Giants, Andrew Thomas was meh in year 1, then developed into one of the best LTs in the league.  Neal stunk last seaon.  But he might grow.  They drafted JMS in the 2nd.  It hasn't come together for them yet but it has more potential.  More young pedigreed talent.

 

I've said this a lot, but pedigree and investment doesn't equate to quality.  Look at the bad lines in Minnesota and New Orleans.  Look at that Falcons line that can't pass block.  And that Giants line is still nothing special and they've already burned through a couple of day 2 busts like Will Hernandez and Matt Peart.  My argument is simple: the absolute best way to spend your draft picks is to get good players with them.  The worst way to use them is to spend them on bad players.  I don't care what positions they play, if I get three or four good players per draft and you only get one or two, then my team will win.  If I get two good players in a draft and you also get two good players in the draft, but my two are much better than yours, then my team will win.  This draft, Forbes and Quan were high upside draft picks.  They're two of the best athletes on the entire team now, picking them was not play it safe for a high floor drafting in year four.  They were BPA picks where we swung for Pro-bowl upside talent.

 

4 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

But don't lose that mindset for off season 4 for other positions.   It doesn't have to be a trade.  But aggressively fix your holes. 

 

No, just make your team better.  And do it in a way where you mitigate risks when possible so that you can sustain your success long term.  The draft is for finding long term solutions via getting really good players with a lot of team-friendly contract control.  You can not approach the draft thinking this is the tool for putting out next year's fires with your roster.

 

No team is free from holes, we know everything about team building is zero sum and resources are limited.  We know that you can win Superbowls with a crappy offensive line via a great defense, good quarterbacking, and good offensive skill position play because a bunch of teams have done it.  That is what we're trying to do and it's a viable plan.  In order to do it, we have to get really good players with our draft picks and take our bargains where we can.  I think we've done that well the past two offseasons.

 

I don't think we need someone like prime Peyton Manning to compete for a championship.  FWIW the Broncos didn't need that, nor did they have anything close to that when they won.  You just need something to be elite about your team, and some other parts that are good.  I think our defense is right on the cusp of becoming elite, and I think the offense can be good enough to pull some weight too.  Some this year, and definitely more next year after another season and off-season of growth and building upon what is already here.

[Koolblue13]

[MartinC]

19 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

What if your expectations aren't met?  What if lets say they go 8-9?  Bring the band back again and see what they have or would you be open to change then?

 

 

This wasn't directed at me, but its an interesting question.

 

To me the answer depends how we get to that record. Lots of ways you can get to those numbers. One way is we get there playing good D and time of possession, managing around a QB who plays to the level of a marginal starter and doesn't show much development, winning close games against teams that have .500 or worse records with some key turnovers etc. But we get blown out by better teams who handle us comfortably and in those games when we have to go pass first we just dont have the chops to even stay in the games.

 

In that scenario I'm making big changes front office down. I'd keep Sam but see him as a backup who might develop into more and explore options for trade ups to get in a position to draft a QB high. Which if we win 8 games might be hard.

 

If we win 8 games playing good offense, with Sam showing development and an ability to carry the offense - even its just in certain periods or specific games, but limitations at O'Line hold us back a bit or we lose games against good teams in close games etc - then I might be more inclined to talk to Ron about how we build on what we have with perhaps a new GM coming in to work on roster development running the front office and Ron being more focused on the coaching side. I  dont think Ron would bite on that so change might be coming either way.

 

It would take a lot more than 8-9 however we get there for me to think we can ride the current structure and people into 2024 and beyond.

[Voice_of_Reason]

@MartinC the interesting thing is you have to extend or fire Ron after this season.  
 

If you extend him, you can rework the contract to take full control from him and work with a new GM bit of his choosing as part of the extension.

 

Obviously firing him cleans house entirely.

 

To me, even under your 8-9 scenario, it is probably best to move on, unless keeping Ron means keeping EB and there is significant belief keeping the pairing of EB and Howell together is essential for the success of the team.  However if that’s the case, would you promote EB to HC?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  
 

The fact Ron almost certainly has contractual football ops control and needs a new contract at the end of the year really adds another dimension to the conversation.  
 

Which is why I think unless there is a playoff season and both offense and defense look very good, it is time for a change.  
 

If they do win 10+ games and a playoff game, Ron’s extension discussion is going to be fascinating if Josh wants to bring in a different GM.

 

[LetMeSeeYourWarFace21]

 

[Going Commando]

36 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

What if your expectations aren't met?  What if lets say they go 8-9?  Bring the band back again and see what they have or would you be open to change then?

 

It depends.  If we go 8-9, or worse, and it's in spite of the defense being very good because the offense still sucks, Bieniemy and Howell were bad, the line is an unsalvageable disaster, our skill players still aren't very good, then I'm OK with starting over.  The offense will not be good enough to hold up their end of the bargain in the window in which the defense is ready to contend.

 

If we go 8-9 because of something like what happened to San Diego last season where all of our best players on D get hit with injuries and we lose our Ekeler/Allen/Slater, but Sam Howell and Eric Bieniemy still look good, then I say run it back in '24. 

 

I say look at what the Steelers have going.  Very good coaching staff, but no one is calling them geniuses, but a super strong culture that those guys have built maintained for such a long time.  A system of excellence that just works.  A couple of seasons ago they go 12-4 and are in honest to God contention.  That core on offense and that QB completely fall apart, but nobody gets fired.  They hover around .500 the next two seasons, they maintain their defense, and they take the time needed to rebuild their offense.  This year, they look like a 12-13 win team again.

 

This is the place I want us to get to.  I understand Rivera is going to have to give us some success to demonstrate his positive ceiling, but I think he can.  If Tomlin can do it, Rivera can do it.

[Skinsinparadise]

16 hours ago, Going Commando said:

 

How exactly do you think Sam is going to prove he's our franchise QB moving forward?  How do you think this can happen while also getting Ron fired? 

 

We all know our defense is really good.  If we lose so many games that Harris has the pretext to fire Ron Rivera, that means that the offense wasn't good.  And that means Howell will not be safe.  Sam's job security depends on the same factors that Ron's does--they both have to win this year.  The situation with Mike Shanahan and Kirk Cousins and Jay Gruden wasn't at all similar.  Gruden was hired in part to come in and rehabilitate RGIII's career, and that wasn't a total regime change.  The FO guys who were a part of the 2012 draft were still here and still calling the shots on the roster.  If Josh Harris cleans out the front office and fires the coaching staff, you seriously don't think the first thing the new FO will do is draft a quarterback?

 

 

Because plenty of young QBs have ups and downs.  They don't have to light it up every game.  Flash.  And if dummies like me can see for example the O line implode in some games -- I'd presume a professional GM could see the same.

 

What I envision is games where this O line faces pedestrian or less defensive lines like for example the Cardinals, Howell will likely look good.  In games where they face some really good D lines, Howell won't look as good.  But I don't expect it to be rocket science to dicipher this.  We've seen good and bad QB play enough.    If we can understand context so could a professional GM.

 

16 hours ago, Going Commando said:

 

I've said this a lot, but pedigree and investment doesn't equate to quality.  Look at the bad lines in Minnesota and New Orleans.  Look at that Falcons line that can't pass block.  And that Giants line is still nothing special and they've already burned through a couple of day 2 busts like Will Hernandez and Matt Peart. 

 

Logan Paulsen who works for this team fawns over the Falcons O line.  They are a great run blocking unit.  Agree, that's their thing not pass blocking.  Their O line is ranked 7th overall by PFF and 5th in run blocking by FO, I couldn't find an overall grade from them.   The Giants and Minny run blocking units are really good -- pass blocking meh.  But they are young and developing.  On one hand you support the idea that it takes young players time to develop but you also flip that point against these teams too when it serves your point.

 

I get your point if we killed it with S. Charles, K. Ismael, Daniels, Paul, etc it wouldn't matter.  But these guys haven't succeeded yet.  Maybe Daniels ends up better that Darrisaw.?  or whatever.  But its odd to count chickens on a theory that hasn't played out.  And in some of these cases if anything they aren't trending well.

 

If i thought Ron was great at picking O lineman in the mid rounds, you'd have me.  But there is no evidence that he's good at it.  Zero.  And considering his history of passing on O lineman and making mistakes at that position -- I'd hazard a strong guess that picking O lineman in general isn't Ron's wheelhouse. 

 

 

16 hours ago, Going Commando said:

 

 My argument is simple: the absolute best way to spend your draft picks is to get good players with them.  The worst way to use them is to spend them on bad players.  I don't care what positions they play, if I get three or four good players per draft and you only get one or two, then my team will win. 

 

It's a strawman argument that has zero to do with the discussion at hand and this point has been responded to -- to death.  So i am not going to waste my time and do it again.

 

16 hours ago, Going Commando said:

 

No team is free from holes, we know everything about team building is zero sum and resources are limited.  We know that you can win Superbowls with a crappy offensive line via a great defense, good quarterbacking, and good offensive skill position play because a bunch of teams have done it. 

 

It's more rare than common from what I've observed.  And the examples you used are veteran elite QBs.  Not young QBs finding their way.   I can show (and have) from many highly regarded offensive minds including Andy Reid how essential it is to have a good offensive line to be successful.

 

16 hours ago, Going Commando said:

 

I don't think we need someone like prime Peyton Manning to compete for a championship.  FWIW the Broncos didn't need that, nor did they have anything close to that when they won.  You just need something to be elite about your team, and some other parts that are good.  I think our defense is right on the cusp of becoming elite, and I think the offense can be good enough to pull some weight too.  Some this year, and definitely more next year after another season and off-season of growth and building upon what is already here.

 

 

you talk about its as simple as that.  I'll make it as simple as I can.

 

A.  The division foes IMO FO >>> Mayhew-Hurney-Rivera.  And everyone that ranks FOs including those in the personnel business agree with me, and don't think its even close.

 

B.  Ron doesn't IMO have the killer instinct to build a SB team

 

C.  Ron makes some good moves but he makes too many mistakes IMO to build a SB team.

 

You come off smitten by this regime all of a sudden.  For me, I've had their back until the end of this off season where I had an epiphany of sorts where he hit me Ron just rolls the same way every off season.  I thought he was building for the kill.  

 

I recall Larry Michael once explain the philosophy that the FO had under Bruce's regime and to paraphrase him it was focus on a high floor year in year out.  Keep that high floor and then hope that luck turns your way (he cited the Eagles SB season and the Giants SB seasons before that).  I get the idea.  But its not my thing.  It strikes me as Ron's kind of thing, too.  But IMO I like to shoot higher than keep the floor high.  I want the high ceiling.

Edited August 19, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[MartinC]

32 minutes ago, Voice_of_Reason said:

.  
 

Which is why I think unless there is a playoff season and both offense and defense look very good, it is time for a change.  
 

If they do win 10+ games and a playoff game, Ron’s extension discussion is going to be fascinating if Josh wants to bring in a different GM.

 

Practically unless we get to the playoffs as a minimum and maybe we have to win a game as well I don’t see a scenario in which Ron is back. 
 

Even in the positive 8 or 9 win scenario where Harris wants to extend Ron as the coach but bring in a GM above him I can’t see Ron agreeing to that and leaving. 

[Skinsinparadise]

39 minutes ago, Going Commando said:

 

 

This is the place I want us to get to.  I understand Rivera is going to have to give us some success to demonstrate his positive ceiling, but I think he can.  If Tomlin can do it, Rivera can do it.

 

Rivera with 3 winning seasons in 12.  Tomlin with 13 winning seasons in 16.

 

I get the point that Tomlin is a culture building defensive minded coach.  But I am guessing there are a few things that Tomlin does better than Ron. 

 

When Ron was golfing in California, Tomlin went to the Senior Bowl to scout players up close.  Tomlin is probably a Hall of Fame lock.

 

39 minutes ago, Going Commando said:

 

They hover around .500 the next two seasons, they maintain their defense, and they take the time needed to rebuild their offense.  This year, they look like a 12-13 win team again.

s the place I want us to get to.  I understand Rivera is going to have to give us some success to demonstrate his positive ceiling, but I think he can.  If Tomlin can do it, Rivera can do it.

 

The thing is hovering around 500 for the Steelers is their rock bottom, that's the worst Tomlin teams do.    For Ron that would be prosperity, the 4th best season he's ever had in his 12 year coaching career.  

Edited August 18, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[Skinsinparadise]

2 hours ago, FootballZombie said:

 

Poor Hodges...

 

Does Armah play teams?

Don’t know I’d guess so.

 

As for Hodges I’ve heard good and bad. The bad are his drops.

 

But Keim and Nicki seemed hyped on Armagh in their latest podcast 

[Voice_of_Reason]

22 minutes ago, MartinC said:

Practically unless we get to the playoffs as a minimum and maybe we have to win a game as well I don’t see a scenario in which Ron is back. 
 

Even in the positive 8 or 9 win scenario where Harris wants to extend Ron as the coach but bring in a GM above him I can’t see Ron agreeing to that and leaving. 

Well, TECHNICALLY he wouldn’t leave, he would have to be fired.  And collect every penny of the contracts he signed. 
 

But I’m not entirely sure he wouldn’t sign an extension and give up GM duties if he has a good relationship with Harris.  He’s worked with GMs in the past.  
 

The guy who I think has almost no chance of returning is Mayhew.  Even in a world Ron is retained and extended, I have to imagine Harris wants a GM who’s more in line with his thinking. 

[Voice_of_Reason]

50 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

get the point that Tomlin is a culture building defensive minded coach.  But I am guessing there are a few things that Tomlin does better than Ron. 

 

When Ron was golfing in California, Tomlin went to the Senior Bowl to scout players up close.  Tomlin is probably a Hall of Fame lock.

Don’t get me wrong, I seriously love Tomlin as a coach, and not only because we went to the same college at roughly the same time (Go Tribe!), but the other thing he had going for him is he had a franchise QB for the first 15  years coaching. And Ben was already there when Tomlin got there. And that really helps.  That said, yeah, Tomlin is a better coach than Ron.  And yeah he’s a sure fire HOF coach.  Especially if they get back to SB contention with a second QB.  

 

Ron drafted and developed Cam, but Cam broke down extremely quickly. He basically had a. 5 year starting career if. Note before basically his career was ended by injuries. 
 

Now, if Ron lucked into a true starter in Howell, his future teams will look much better.  

[Skinsinparadise]

 

For me as to Ron.

 

A.  Playoff season and they win a playoff game.  He keeps his FO and coaching job

 

B.  Playoff season and loses the first game -- new GM and that GM decides if he's back as HC

 

C.  Misses the playoffs.  He's fired.  Regardless of context.

 

 

10 minutes ago, Voice_of_Reason said:

Don’t get me wrong, I seriously love Tomlin as a coach, and not only because we went to the same college at roughly the same time (Go Tribe!), but the other thing he had going for him is he had a franchise QB for the first 15  years coaching. And Ben was already there when Tomlin got there. And that really helps.  That said, yeah, Tomlin is a better coach than Ron.  And yeah he’s a sure fire HOF coach.  Especially if they get back to SB contention with a second QB.  

 

Ron drafted and developed Cam, but Cam broke down extremely quickly. He basically had a. 5 year starting career if. Note before basically his career was ended by injuries. 
 

Now, if Ron lucked into a true starter in Howell, his future teams will look much better.  

 

If Ron didn't shop for his own groceries, I'd give him a pass on that.  

 

Heck even though Ron technically is in control of personnel and Tomlin isn't.  It's Tomlin not Ron going to the Senior Bowl to scout players.  If I recall Tomlin was at Pickett's pro day to scout him up close.  If I recall Ron didn't go to Howells. 

Edited August 18, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[Voice_of_Reason]

6 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

If Ron didn't shop for his own groceries, I'd give him a pass on that.  

 

Heck even though Ron technically is in control of personnel and Tomlin isn't.  It's Tomlin not Ron going to the Senior Bowl to scout players.  If I recall Tomlin was at Pickett's pro day to scout him up close.  If I recall Ron didn't go to Howells

Again, Tomlin is better at a lot of things.

 

But he also entered into the best possible scenario a coach can get hired into.  But he has been HUGELY responsible for keeping it going.  
 

The only one which was better to my recollection was when Walsh retired and Seifert inherited a dynasty.  
 

Oh, and when Jerrah moved on from Jimmy to hire that bonehead Barry Switzer. Switzer was gifted one of the most talented teams of all time, tried to destroy it, and the team still managed to win a SB in spite of the coaching. 

[Voice_of_Reason]

26 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

B.  Playoff season and loses the first game -- new GM and that GM decides if he's back as HC

I don’t think this can happen.  In order to hire a new GM, Josh had to either:

1. Get Ron to agree to waive the “full control of football ops” clause which surely exists in his contract. Which he won’t do unless he knows he’s safe.  
 

2. Fire Ron.  
 

I have posted this before: unless Ron is a true idiot and didn’t get the full control into his contract, Josh CAN’T hire a GM without Ron’s consent or firing him.  And I don’t think Ron is an idiot and I really don’t think his agent is.  
 

Now, Josh could work around this by not hiring the GM until the GM had made the decision.  Then fire Ron, and hire the GM.  In that case technically Josh is still making the call and there isn’t breach of contract.  
 

It’s complicated.  Residual complication from Dan. 
 

EDIT: I’m not saying I don’t share the same sentiment, but I just don’t think it’s possible with the contract Ron signed.  

Edited August 18, 2023 by Voice_of_Reason

[Skinsinparadise]

7 minutes ago, Voice_of_Reason said:

I don’t think this can happen.  In order to hire a new GM, Josh had to either:

1. Get Ron to agree to waive the “full control of football ops” clause which surely exists in his contract. Which he won’t do unless he knows he’s safe.  
 

2. Fire Ron.  
 

I have posted this before: unless Ron is a true idiot and didn’t get the full control into his contract, Josh CAN’T hire a GM without Ron’s consent or firing him.  And I don’t think Ron is an idiot and I really don’t think his agent is.  
 

Now, Josh could work around this by not hiring the GM until the GM had made the decision.  Then fire Ron, and hire the GM.  In that case technically Josh is still making the call and there isn’t breach of contract.  
 

It’s complicated.  Residual complication from Dan. 
 

EDIT: I’m not saying I don’t share the same sentiment, but I just don’t think it’s possible with the contract Ron signed.  

 

I think you can present it to Ron just the way it is.  They are hiring a new GM, that GM will choose the next HC, and whether he wants the job and the GM wants to retain him he'd have to redo that contract.

 

I doubt Ron says yes to it.  

Edited August 18, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[AlwaysBeRedskins2Me]

3 hours ago, LetMeSeeYourWarFace21 said:

Anybody think we should kick the tires on LT Jason Peters?

Most people seem to think that he can't stay healthy and that he's washed up. Yet he'd probably be our most talented offensive lineman, if we signed him. Even at 75 years old.

[88Comrade2000]

2 hours ago, Voice_of_Reason said:

@MartinC the interesting thing is you have to extend or fire Ron after this season.  
 

If you extend him, you can rework the contract to take full control from him and work with a new GM bit of his choosing as part of the extension.

 

Obviously firing him cleans house entirely.

 

To me, even under your 8-9 scenario, it is probably best to move on, unless keeping Ron means keeping EB and there is significant belief keeping the pairing of EB and Howell together is essential for the success of the team.  However if that’s the case, would you promote EB to HC?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  
 

The fact Ron almost certainly has contractual football ops control and needs a new contract at the end of the year really adds another dimension to the conversation.  
 

Which is why I think unless there is a playoff season and both offense and defense look very good, it is time for a change.  
 

If they do win 10+ games and a playoff game, Ron’s extension discussion is going to be fascinating if Josh wants to bring in a different GM.

 

Why does Ron need an extension? He’s under contract until 2024.

 

Yeah, coaches usually get extensions heading into the final year but not always.

 

Josh can just let him coach out his final year and then decide on an extension or not.

 

 

Of course, that probably won’t be the case because Josh will want his own Gm and the Gm and coach to be separate.

 

So, that will be the discussion come January. Maybe Ron sticks to his guns and says no. Maybe Ron says yes, he just wants to coach. How Ron answers and Josh responds, we’ll see in January unless Ron earns himself a Carolina exit again.

 

 

Bringing in his own Gm and having Gm separate from coach, is vital to any chance of success.

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

1. Washington makes the playoffs

Washington finished just a game back of the playoff-bound New York Giants a season ago. Though it felt like another mediocre season, the fundamental underpinnings of this roster are strong. Still, none of it matters if they can’t find solid quarterback play.

Sam Howell has been named the starter and, together with new offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy, has to show he can deliver that type of play right away. And if they can, this is a playoff team in the making. Howell has a great arm and is an unexpectedly potent rushing threat, and Washington has a lot of talented playmakers for him to get the ball to.

2. Sam Howell is the most-sacked quarterback in the NFL

The jury is still very much out on what Sam Howell can be in the NFL. There are good and bad aspects to his game that have flashed in very limited samples across the preseason and regular season, but one thing we can probably safely say at this point when you include his college career is that he takes a lot of sacks.

During his final college season, Howell took the most sacks of any quarterback in the Power Five and also ranked last in the ratio of pressures turned into sacks. He was sacked three times across 25 dropbacks in his regular season cameo last season, and he has a preseason sack rate of just over 10% in his career.

3. Washington has a bottom-five O-line

The biggest concern for Washington might not be Sam Howell at quarterback at all but, rather, the foundation that the entire offense is built on: the offensive line. Charles Leno Jr. at left tackle is the best player on paper, and Leno epitomizes “average starting tackle.” There is immense value in an average starter at a valuable position, but it also means that he averages more than five sacks allowed per season starting in the NFL. There is a world where each member of this group plays to an average level and the unit as a whole survives, but if multiple players hit their low range of outcomes, the line is in trouble.