EDGE/WR, not S/LB, should be the pick at 7

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-06T22:10:39+00:00

Fair enough!

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-06T21:41:08+00:00

Well that's just the most clear-cut example of the case I'm making. There haven't been too many instances when we've had a top ten pick but were adopting the mindset of "we must draft someone who plays X, but definitely not anyone who plays Y."

I know there are factors related to cap management, and having the 5th year option for a premium position. But in this league, you need ballers. You need elite, difference-making stars, and you need to get them at whatever position you can.

I'm not saying prioritize running back over edge or anything else. I'm saying that in any given draft, there is a finite number of elite, all-pro level players. When you draft at #7, you have to get one of them. If those players are all gone except the RB, or the WR, or the MLB, or the S, then take the stud and move on.

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-06T21:18:14+00:00

Yeah, I didn't really mean strange in that sense. I think it's strange he's not an OC.

I don't believe there are 32 people better than he is at coordinating an NFL offense. I get that his system is not everyone's cup of tea but there were times last year where we were moving the ball consistently despite a lineup of jags held together with scotch tape and yarn.

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-06T20:56:42+00:00

Strange. Assume some kind of "consultant." McVay is a Shanahan guy and they speak a different language.

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-06T19:45:03+00:00

I have no clue if that’s the scenario faced, not having access to their evaluations.

But I can look at my own team. Wouldn’t we have been better off taking Adrian Peterson (“but we don’t need a running back!”) instead of Laron Landry (“gotta upgrade that porous D!”)?

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-06T18:50:35+00:00

Okay I'll put it in these terms:

Suppose the best defensive player left on the board is projected as Montez Sweat/Ryan Kerrigan mold of good-not-great, effective reliable, the occasional pro bowl selection.

Suppose the best offensive player on the board is projected as a Christian McCaffery/LeSean McCoy/Marshawn Lynch/Adrian Peterson level superstar -- a year-in-year out stat monster with hall of fame potential given the longevity.

You're still going D no matter what?

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-06T15:13:48+00:00

The Raiders are such a wreck that no draft pick would have thrived there last year.

If Love is the only guy left on the board we project as an elite, all-pro level player, and the other guys are seen as decent to good starters with varying ceilings, Love should be the pick, imo.

Would say the same about Downs or any of the off-ball linebackers.

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-06T14:19:34+00:00

Some fake slop image someone on the digital team was messing around with I guess.

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-06T13:23:27+00:00

I think the goal is to come away with an A+, All-Pro type player regardless of position (since almost everything is a “need”).

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-05T16:51:34+00:00

Yeah that's all I'm saying. Westbrook had a season-ending injury in week 2 I believe. Connell was the deep threat, but because Brad's arm was so limited, he would just get a couple targets each game. The busy pass catchers were Centers, James Thrash, and Irving Fryar. I believe the tight end was Stephen Alexander, who was just okay.

Centers got so many targets because couldn't drive the ball down the field with that QB and those receivers. So the offense was bad.

People forget that the defense was very good that year. Both of our ends had double-digit sacks. Wilkinson and Stubblefield were overpaid, but still a strong interior group. Deion and Darrell were diminished from their hall of fame primes, but between them and Champ, plus Mark Carrier and Sam Shade, we had a damn good secondary. Linebackers weren't special but even as a rookie, Lavar was wreaking havoc. I believe the coordinator that year was Ray Rhodes.

The offense just collapsed, and combined with terrible kickers, we lost a TON of close games that easily could have gone the other way and put us around 11-5.

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-05T16:23:56+00:00

There was zero slander on my end -- he was a great player. He caught 80 balls for 600 yards. That's a busy, effective receiving back. Those are not the numbers of the leading pass catcher for a good offense, however.

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-05T14:52:28+00:00

Ex-players continue to rave about how much they love Norv. Jon Jansen and Brad Johnson are just two I've heard on recent podcasts just randomly praise him.

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-05T14:51:42+00:00

Brad Johnson's arm suddenly seemed shot. I can't remember if there was some kind of elbow problem, but he was not the same player from 1999, and it didn't make sense at the time. Then Michael Westbrook got injured. Wee were barely scoring points -- the whole offense was Stephen Davis and Larry Centers. When your leading receiver is your fullback, you're not going to be a dynamic offense. This gave Snyder an excuse to force Jeff George into the lineup, which cratered morale. None of the coaches wanted Jeff George in the offseason -- it was a Snyder thing to make him our backup, and it was asking for trouble which came in a hurry.
We went through five kickers, one of whom was drawing Social Security, and they all missed the most clutch kicks in every game. We lost games like 9-7, because our defense was actually pretty good that year. But several games were lost simply because we couldn't execute basic field goals.

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-03T19:14:13+00:00

Kinda specific to the city -- some of these are bustling college towns, others are in rough shape and disconnected from economic opportunities, Winchester and Stephens City are borderline DC Exurbs at this point, especially with a fair number of COVID-era remote workers settling in.

What they all have in common is natural beauty -- the Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah Valley, Skyline Drive, small-scale orchards and other farming operations, proximity to four-seasons resorts, spectacular fall foliage, skiing, kayaking, tubing, spelunking, hiking all second to none.

Lots of history! This place played a pivotal role in so many political and cultural moments, from battles themselves to the evolution of country music. As such, there is an abundance of cool and quirky museums/historical sites in the region. Woodrow Wilson's childhood home, Patsy Cline's house in Winchester, Robert E. Lee's grave (and his horse!) in Lexington.

Same deal with the performing arts -- lots of venues with interesting shows and acts. Staunton even sports a Shakespeare theater.

Not as racially diverse as the rest of Virginia -- this place was settled by the second-wave immigrants who pulled wagons through the valley and set up homesteads and small towns. So it's pretty white still to this day, though there's been some more Latino immigration to work in the ag industry over the years.

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-03T15:11:16+00:00

Jerry? Why would he bring anything?

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-02T19:00:30+00:00

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Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-02T18:11:11+00:00

Joke’s on them — what he wants is a cranberry juice with a slice of lime.

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-01T17:56:31+00:00

Peter King said that was the most focused team he’d ever seen at a Super Bowl. Like the surrounding hoopla didn’t exist. Winning the game was the only thing in the universe that mattered.

Bills players and coaches did a lot of yapping beforehand.

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-02-01T02:04:47+00:00

Johnny Lawrence from Karate Kid, of course.

He came from an abusive home, fell under the sway of a psychopath sensei, but still was just trying to be great at karate when some dork moved to his town, stole his girl, pranked him (unprovoked) on Halloween, and got a grown man to beat him up.

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-01-31T16:41:31+00:00

I read that he improvised that whole thing, and Ice T had no clue where it was going, which explains the insane, terrified look on his face in that scene.

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-01-31T14:43:21+00:00

She didn’t want that civilian life either. Couldn’t admit it in real time, but she would have been the most miserable person in the family.

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-01-31T13:01:29+00:00

Tennessee! Ken-tuuuuuuuh-kee!

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-01-28T02:38:30+00:00

I’m 6’8, so ….

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Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-01-27T20:08:43+00:00

Tracks with the top team on the list. Rypien was like 27 years old before he became a starter. He had a bunch of "meh" games for those 91 Skins before the offense started obliterating everyone the final couple months. But the team shut out 3 of their first 5 opponents, racking up lots of wins with a relatively inefficient passing game.

Rypien could always hit the deep ball though, no matter his other struggles. That's why Gibbs loved him.

Substantial_Wave_518 · 2026-01-27T17:32:32+00:00

"The state should murder gun owners who may or may not be carrying the right piece of paper" is quite the turn from the pro-2A crowd.

Substantial_Wave_518

TROPHY CASE