Is it time to sit JD?

[MassSkinsFan]

Here's my likely unpopular opinion, with rationales.

Play him.

I played D1-AA (at the time, now D1 FCS) at C. That was 40 years or so ago, and the game has changed, but I think the following viewpoint is still valid.

First, let's talk about hyperextensions. I've hyperextended my knees more than a few times. It hurts a lot. But it never sidelined me for long. I was horrified to watch JD5's hyperextension since it was gruesome. But, knowing that it was a hyperextension, I figured he wouldn't miss many games. Boy, was I wrong. Clearly it was a nasty hyperextension. There is a chance this type of injury results in ligament or bone damage, which might require surgery. If that had been necessary, I think we'd know about it. What I saw on Sunday wasn't totally unexpected - he fell heavily on that elbow. That's gonna hurt. He took a pause, then got back up. That's not inconsistent with how you feel playing when you've had a recent hyperextension and take a hit to that joint. So, I don't think it's nearly as alarming as some people believe.

Assuming that is true, I think he should continue to play.

He needs actual game time, where things move a little faster and you count on reactions/muscle memory to guide you rather than actually THINKING about things too much (LOL my HS coach would ask me why I screwed up a play and I'd sometimes say "I thought..." at which point he'd slap my helmet and tell me not to think). Whatever the field - sports, music, work, bicycling, driving - you train to ingrain that muscle memory so you can use it on the fly without thinking about it. You know what needs doing, so you do it almost on autopilot. Any of you who play music, especially those who play and sing at the same time (or play drums), know what I mean. Anyway, he needs to test that training in real situations, not just in practice.

Regardless of the quality of the team he will learn and grow by playing games. He'll make mistakes but also have successes. And that will give him fodder to work on avoiding the mistakes and replicating the actions he took to have success. And as others have said, if we sit him because we don't think he is durable enough, that's not an issue solved by sitting him.

Let's see what the coaches do. Either way I accept it. Use the rest of the season to get more reps for our youngsters. Hail.

 

[Discobob]

When JD has played, he's demonstrated ample room for improvement. We would be silly to mothball him at this point, if healthy. If he is so injury prone that he can't be played in these next few games, what do we think is gonna change next year? Everytime we have a bad outing, are we gonna give him the yank?

When has that attitude worked with any elite QB? He needs to play and learn how to NOT get injured, or we are gonna have to find a new QB. I'm not out on him at all, but we can't be so gun shy.

 

[36ST21]

Not playing him is the easiest decision of the year. Of course you don't play him.

The really smart move would be to call Indy right now, and see if they want to come off of 3 first rounders for him. And nothing less.

This team needs a ton more than just a 2nd and 4th next year if we don't want to be a joke again.

That is a ridiculous take. 3 FRPs are nowhere near enough. They'd have to throw in Rivers as well.

 

[Faithful Fan]

The really smart move would be to call Indy right now, and see if they want to come off of 3 first rounders for him. And nothing less.

This team needs a ton more than just a 2nd and 4th next year if we don't want to be a joke again.

Maybe you’re joking, and people will probably give you a hard time, but this isn’t the worst idea. We will pick high enough to draft Mendoza this year, and we could stack talent with the other three first rounders. Plus JD is looking a lot less like a franchise QB this year due to durability concerns.

However there are two big problems with this plan: One, we are a month past the trade deadline, and two, nobody is giving three first rounders for JD at this point.

Here’s hoping he makes us eat these words. I will cheer as loud as anybody if he does.

 

[CuredFromBatteredFanSyndrome]

Okay, ya’ll are getting carried away with your emotions again. I promise you a team would give up 3 firsts for Jayden Daniels.

 

[Faithful Fan]

Okay, ya’ll are getting carried away with your emotions again. I promise you a team would give up 3 firsts for Jayden Daniels.

Maybe. We did it for RG3 and Carolina did it for Bryce Young. So it could happen, but I doubt many think those were the wisest moves. Are there other examples?

If we were offered that trade in the offseason, I would definitely consider it, especially if we like Mendoza. It’s a pipe dream though. Our best and only hope is for JD to return to form in year 3 and stay healthy for the long haul.

 

[McD5]

That is a ridiculous take. 3 FRPs are nowhere near enough. They'd have to throw in Rivers as well.

The fact that we're past the trade deadline kills this idea for now.

But that would likely be one of the smartest decisions of the last 25 years here.

 

[McD5]

Maybe you’re joking, and people will probably give you a hard time, but this isn’t the worst idea. We will pick high enough to draft Mendoza this year, and we could stack talent with the other three first rounders. Plus JD is looking a lot less like a franchise QB this year due to durability concerns.

However there are two big problems with this plan: One, we are a month past the trade deadline, and two, nobody is giving three first rounders for JD at this point.

Here’s hoping he makes us eat these words. I will cheer as loud as anybody if he does.

Not joking at all, it would be incredible for us.

Imagine having 3 extra first rounders. That's what we really need to overcome the bad drafts of the last five years.

We could actually field a respectable team for years to come.

 

[Riggo44]

 

[RedWolf]

Not joking at all, it would be incredible for us.

Imagine having 3 extra first rounders. That's what we really need to overcome the bad drafts of the last five years.

We could actually field a respectable team for years to come.

Put down that pipe

 

[Discobob]

The fact that we're past the trade deadline kills this idea for now.

But that would likely be one of the smartest decisions of the last 25 years here.

Bro.... I hope you are drinking

 

[Riggo44]

It's time to just start putting a lot of these people on ignore

 

[Conn]

I was all about starting Daniels if healthy being the right decision, he needs the work and he needs to improve as a player.

One landing on his left arm made it clear he was not “healthy” and he played the rest of the game essentially scared in the pocket, and reckless outside of it. He’s a danger to himself in this condition, and Kliff exacerbates it. I wish a college program would offer Kliff $20M/year and all the Thai Ladyboys he can handle, and that he’d take all his potential protégés (Brian Johnson, Anthony Lynn) with him to avoid the temptation of keeping an even more half-cooked version of this scheme around in future years for “continuity”.

The other concern is that our final FOUR STRAIGHT GAMES are divisional NFCE games against teams that thirst after our blood and see us as their little brothers who got uppity last year. We really don’t want to put them in position to take shot after pointless shot on our franchise QB for an entire month when it benefits them for him to be hurt going into next year. I’m not saying they’ll play dirty exactly but they’ll relish the opportunity to hunt him down after down in this lost season.

 

[McD5]

Bro.... I hope you are drinking

Definitely not. We aren't going to improve enough next year with a 2nd and 4th in the draft.

For a drastic change, we need drastic action.

 

[burgold]

A bunch of people are saying that JD needs to play to improve and that may be true, but it also might be the definition of insanity. Reps can teach a player, but doing the same thing over and over again can also cause harm. The question is whether he will be learning bad habits or bad practices by being out there or whether he'll grow as a player by seeing more and working through more problems. This is also a coaching problem. I think Kliff probably has the "Daniels gameplan" stuck in his head which may be why we saw a different approach to Vikings than we did against the Broncos. I was hoping to see much more quick game especially against a very aggressive front. Mariota getting the ball out of his hands in under 2 seconds basically neutralized Denver. That's the lesson and those are the reps, I was hoping Daniels would get. Now, I don't get the game tape so I don't know if JD5 kept skipping those quick game shots in the hopes of a bigger play, but the longer plays weren't working.

I think the other thing Daniels needs more reps at is being under center. I think he needs lots of non-RPO snaps in part to see that his running backs can get it done and he doesn't have to wear the cape, but also because it adds diversity and a little more confusion if the defense. As for Kliff, he needs to call some passes out of snaps taken under center. Not sure if he did that on Sunday, but it felt like every UCS was a run. He needs to implement some straight drop back and play action, too and those might be reps that would be advantageous for Daniels to take.

But back to the original point, if the idea is that Daniels needs more reps and they basically trot out the 2024 game plan, I don't think that helps Daniels improve. He can do that. He doesn't need to learn how to do that better. So I'm opposed to playing him just because players play. He's not healthy and it's impacting his game, accuracy, and ability to escape. Now, maybe an argument can be made that he needs to learn how to play hurt, but I'm not a fan of putting him out there just so he can limp around. Let him heal, let him practice the under center stuff in practice, and put him out there when you have a plan that will teach him something other than bad habits.

 

[Ashburn Dave]

I never really appreciated Ben Roethlisberger until this year. He was never really special in any one skill but he was big bodied and he could take a big hit.

I wanted nothing to do with another toothpick QB and my choice was Maye all the way. Oh well, when do I ever get what I want when it comes to this team?

I thought we had our GM in AP but I'm not so sure now. Not only has he made some questionable moves but he screwed up our QB pick IMO.

I don't care how talented a QB is if the can't stay healthy.

Bubble wrap or not, play or not? It doesn't matter because JD will get blown up the next time he does play.

Sorry for this take, but the sky has fallen and taken me out with it.

 

[Discobob]

Definitely not. We aren't going to improve enough next year with a 2nd and 4th in the draft.

For a drastic change, we need drastic action.

Weren't the Snyder years enough to convince you that repeated "Drastic Changes" usually do more harm than good? We haven't had an elite QB in my entire adulthood (unless you count 1 year of RGIII). We now have one that has shown elite traits, albeit with injury risks.... and you want to jettison him after one bad year?

We have a potential unicorn... three firsts isn't nearly worth the risk of giving up a 50% chance that we have an Allen, Mahomes, Lamar in house....

 

[Kel Varnsen]

Weren't Snyder years enough to convince you that repeated "Drastic Changes" usually do more harm than good? We haven't had an elite QB in my entire adulthood (unless you count 1 year of RGIII). We now have one that has shown elite traits, albeit with injury risks.... and you want to jettison him after one bad year?

We have a potential unicorn... three firsts isn't nearly worth the risk of giving up a 50% chance that we have an Allen, Mahomes, Lamar in house....

If there is one thing I have learned the past few years, it’s that some of the people that hated Snyder the most, are the ones calling for the reactions and changes he always made. I’m not a psychologist, but it sure makes you wonder.

 

[Faithful Fan]

Everybody is clowning McD5 for saying to trade JD5 for three first round picks, but suppose we had the opportunity to trade RG3 for that haul in 2013, wouldn’t that have been smart?

But as Discobob said, this will look awfully silly if JD becomes the next Mahomes or Lamar.

So this is really just a question of which is more likely, is JD the next RG3 or the next Mahomes? It could yet go either way, but I can tell you which direction he is trending.

Really though it’s just a thought experiment, I would be shocked if anybody was willing to give that much for him after this season. Putting aside his poor play in the last two outings and statistical regression from last year, he has only played 6 games and got hurt in 4 of them. Who would risk three first round picks on a guy who can’t stay healthy? I don’t look forward to having this bubble wrap conversation every year, but hopefully he proves to be much more durable in the future, because our fate is tied to his.

 

[AngryChuckT]

Everybody is clowning McD5 for saying to trade JD5 for three first round picks, but suppose we had the opportunity to trade RG3 for that haul in 2013, wouldn’t that have been smart?

But as Discobob said, this will look awfully silly if JD becomes the next Mahomes or Lamar.

So this is really just a question of which is more likely, is JD the next RG3 or the next Mahomes? It could yet go either way, but I can tell you which direction he is trending.

Really though it’s just a thought experiment, I would be shocked if anybody was willing to give that much for him after this season. Putting aside his poor play in the last two outings and statistical regression from last year, he has only played 6 games and got hurt in 4 of them. Who would risk three first round picks on a guy who can’t stay healthy? I don’t look forward to having this bubble wrap conversation every year, but hopefully he proves to be much more durable in the future, because our fate is tied to his.

I still thing the kid "is him." However, after almost 51 years on this earth, I never say never. If a team offered 3 first rounders for him - at this point I would at least take a listen.

Ultimately, a fun academic discussion but moot because I can't see a franchise - even Cleveland - giving up three 1sts for him at this point.