BearFan PHX

I agree with you about Minnesota, but the reason Fields' rushing yards were down was that the coaches were telling him to slide rather than try to get around defenders. You all know how I feel about Fields as a QB, but he is about as good an open field runner as Hester was. And like Hester, he didnt actually play a real position on offense or defense. You cant pay a starting QB starters money, or even rely on him as a starter and let him run free, so Fields is left without a place on the roster where he can showcase his skills. Great athlete, not really a football player.

oh yeah, on paper we are looking good! no dobut. on paper Trapilo is a giant stud wh moves people in the run game, and swallows up speed rushers with width. he's got 33" arms, but he has a wide stance and moves laterally really well. One thing that poles said about his film, which I've also found watching him since we drafted him, is that his film is boring. And it really is. Every snap looks the same. It looks easy and theres no real choas to it. He looks less like he's fighting defenders and more like he's couples ice skating. He just moves and absorbs them calmly. If he can make it still look like that in the NFL, hes gonna be a monster. I expect it wont be so easy though, so I'm interested to see how he stacks up.

fair on Von, I just mentioned it because Dayo is working with him. I think Braxton got unmasked last year,a nd the league has a bull rush book on him now. especially coming back from an ankle. I think we need Trapilo or Amagadje to be clearly superior to Braxton, and then we will be in good shape!

I am still concerned about LT, but Trapilo is a physical specimen, he seems to be more ready for LT than his college experience would indicate, hes very steady, i wanna see him against NFL rushers. I think he has the potential to be a real stud, but I need to see it. Maybe on grass, Amagadje will show us hes the man instead? My bet is in Trapilo, but it's all talk right now. I worry about pass rush too. Im feeling pretty good about how the DT rotation looks right now, but i worry about the production from the DEs. One of the things Ive learned here was that DA likes bigger DEs, so maybe he doesnt expect the same % of pressure to come from the DEs as we do in most schemes. I also see Dayo is going to Von Miller's pass rush camp. Miller is still available as a free agent too for limited snaps at critical moments...

if I had to bet, Id say the same. I am very optimistic about this season, and this team going forward. But logically, I'm just waiting to see it on grass under live fire, and then ill start talking about whats working and what needs help. I'm really looking forward to that.

yes 8-11 wins is the reasonable expectation, and no one can say they wont win more, or collapse. i dont expect them to collapse, but a lot of teams that looked good on paper didnt actually perform on the field. Like Redskin and Raiders teams of the 80s and 90s or a lot of Yankee trams over the years. That doesnt mean there is any reason to predict failure either. Just that we dont know the chemistry of this team yet at all. Lots of reasons for optimism tho! And who can say who this team will be in December if it all comes together too.

Yeah, I dont know what we will be exactly, but last years win total makes a poor predictor or even starting point, i agree. First of all, we should have had 8 wins if Eberflus hadnt given them away. secondly the roster is very different and so is the coaching staff. So I agree that there is no reason to be anchored to last years number in any way. But this is a NEW team, and we have to gel and see what we are. Gotta do it on the grass So I totally agree with you. we are 0-0 with no reason to think anything concrete yet for better or worse!

ah OK! That makes more sense!

You dont know who Colin Cowherd is? Not saying his takes are right, but hes pretty well known?

Well I guess the argument would be that BJ knows what he's doing and it's a whole new coaching staff. And I also buy into that, but Im gonna agree with you, we need to see it in pads first for SURE.

Yeah, whenever you run a system that's different than the norm, you get players at a discount

no thats 100% - I did know he likes larger DEs becasue he asks them to set the edge, and that leaves LBers free

cool! I feel very good about our DT rotation. A killer DE cant hurt, but if its good enough for DA, its good enough for me.

Maybe youre right re: Kaleb and the draft.

could be. I still think he had his eye on Kaleb Johnson and Cam Skatebo and got played in the draft, but either way, we will definitely be looking for HB and DE next year, and it's good to hear that next year is stocked with talent at HB!

I wouidnt trade him today, but after camp in pads, when the next trade window opens, at the end of camp, I think he will be trade bait, and if we cant find a partner, he might even get cut. They arent gonna keep all three, and if you know Braxton isnt your future, hes the odd man out.

I have no doubt that Bieniemy is a great RB coach. Still, vision is kind of an inherent talent. Of course people can learn and be coached, but I'll be Swift has been coached before, and yet he still has mediocre vision at best. Im hoping RJ does well, and I look forward to seeing Monangai in pads, but as a 7th round pick, he's gonna have to show me before i start considering him an answer. i would LOVE it is he is dominant, but I need to see it first. I still think we need a real HB1.

If you know youre not gonna keep him, wouldnt you want a trade if one was possible?

The running game has changed in the past 5 years as defenses play more 2 deep safeties and shell defenses to counter the modern passing offenses. I dont think you can use KC as a model for that now. We need a HB that can grind out first downs consistently. They dont need to be speedy, but HBs that break off a single 70 yard run in a game are less valuable than one that consistently rips off 7 and 12 yard runs. So you need a back with consistent vision, and I dont think Swift is that guy.

PFF is random. Braxton cant handle a bull rush and will give up sacks and pressures at key moments, because the DE will save the power moves for those moments. If you think he's so great, then someone will trade for him. Can't have it both ways.

if we could get a 4th for him that would be amazing, especially considering he was drafted in the 5th I also believe in Tremaine Edmund's athleticism, but he would save $15M on the cap if you cut or trade him next year. And Kmet is another $10M so you get $25M right there if you need it.

right. he was already susceptible to bull rushes, and without an offseason to train, hes not gonna come back stronger than he was last year before the injury. You kinda have to proceed on the idea that his time as a starter is over for us.

I've been thinking similar things. I know Roschon doesn't really have explosiveness as a home run hitter, but hes a tough runner in the mold of David Montgomery, Raymont Harris and similar backs. I've always loved those kind of players. So far, RJ hasnt shown the vision that the other two have/had but with a proper blocking scheme, that could all change. I still wish we had Kaleb Johnson or Cam Skatebo.

yes, and this is all gonna be predicated on being able to run the football too. The OL seems like it's gonna be OK, now who is gonna get those tough yards?

Interesting. I cant really say i know anything about DA's defense other than that it is aggressive and he has presided over several highly ranked defenses. Oh and I know he likes his DEs a little heavier to set the edge so LBers flow. ANd i suppose that if you like bigger DEs, then youre not expecting as much speed rush from those DEs. Interesting, thank you for that.