QB or not QB

Bulldog said:
Personally, I think Williams goes to the Bears at #1, so a lot of this is going to be 'above' our pay grade :)

To me realistically we are looking at Maye vs. Daniels OR a trade down to later in Round 1.
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I wish I bookmarked this, but it's already mock draft season and one mocker had the Bears taking Williams at #1, and also trading Fields + a later pick to Washington for our lower 2nd and 3rd rounders. Then Washington taking the LT from PSU at #2.

That would be something. If that happened, I'd call AZ and say if they want MJH, they need to move up for him or either we'd take him/somebody else is looking to jump them.

Yeah, now it's beyond realistic for all that to happen. If they want Williams and the price to move up 1 spot is more than GMAP is willing to spend, then I'd rather move down a little for more picks/assets. That's just me.
 
I just looked up the LT from PSU, pretty impressive resume plus he gets bonus points for being from the Dorf, but I know nothing about whether or not he's a legit #2 pick at LT - those guys have to be absolute home runs to be taken that high
 
MikefromOH said:
Demanding that someone on a team care about more than himself isnt normal for people?

The NCAA has never cared about players. That has nothing to do with this. The leader of that team deciding he cares more about himself than the overall team is alarming.

What happens when he has a 4th and 22 to go and he decides the pressure is too much and just takes the sack?
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No, in that simplistic of terms that is a pretty normal thing. Unfortunately the situation is way more complex than that.

Judging how people behave within a system, requires understanding how the system as a whole works. Doing otherwise and putting it all in one individual is grossly unfair. Tons of players skip bowl games. Williams is but one cog in the wheel, and his decision making is similar to many other cogs - none of which had anything to do with creating the issue, and are not responsible for it.

I think a high round pick risking anything in a totally worthless game, designed to funnel money to sponsors and the university, would be dumb. Therefore I don’t consider skipping the game to be “alarming”, but good value judgement on the situation at the time.

The sack analogy is silly. For a variety of reasons.

None of which to day there are not potentially issues with his character. I don’t know if there are or not and wouldn’t be surprised either way.

But the weight you’re putting in this seems grossly misplaced, to me. If Williams was an odd ball on this, the only one skipping it, and if the system isn’t and hadnt been historically corrupt, there’d be some validity to this.

But the system is overly corrupt. And Williams isn’t an odd ball on this - he’s actually the norm, tons of players skip bowl games. For exactly the reasons I outlined. Hell, most of FSU skipped theirs 😂
 
Ultimately I try to live by a mantra of “meet people where they are”

If someone is a jerk to me, I can be a jerk to them. It’s been incredibly effective in my professional life ( IT - where many people treat you poorly when you’re a Helpdesk person.). I’ve personally found that when someone is a jerk, and you give it right back to them, many times they change their attitude because they realize being treated that way sucks; and that you’re not gonna take their crap. Being a jerk is easy - anyone can do it, and I’m happy to show anyone curious. There’s nothing to respect about being a jerk. Being nice is hard - being nice is worthy of respect.

So if the system is going to be a jerk and treat the players as if they don’t matter, and base itself on sucking money out of the system at the sake of the players, and not even try to give these guys an education anymore - then the players should absolutely be a jerk back to the system and not give a flying shit about their bowl games they make a bunch of money on.

And if the system doesn’t like it, then the system should stop being a jerk.

In the meantime I’m not going to negative view any player that sticks up their middle finger to the system as is currently constructed. To the contrary, I respect a young man making a quality business decision when millions of dollars and potentially generational wealth is on the line. Especially considering how many of them come from a background the opposite of privilege
 
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Your draft pick placement is not the final decision maker for a pick. If you deem it necessary to draft an OL, in this case, and you work every avenue you have to make it a more credible pick and nothing comes of it. Well, do you then draft a player who is say 3 or 4 on your list and isn't a posiiton your team deems necssary with a high pick? Do you change your direction of roster building because you say the player you do want isn't worth a top 5 pick but he isn't going to last til pick 8 or something?

These teams have all these scenarios down. As things happen, they grab the corresponding 'gameplan' and go to work from there. This front office, for the first time in a quite a while, I think will have great handle on what they want to do. Once we start signing our players and make bids into FA, we will have a good idea of the murky waters we're getting into.

Again, I focus on the Line first. Build the HOGS. If the plan in place is set up to draft a QB at 2, then have at it. No trades wanted. Too much new blood needed. IF they deem one of these young T coming out is the dawg they want, then great. Make it happen. I won't care where we pick em. IF your a top 5 pick, batters up, make it happen. Welcome to the big leagues.
 
As a coach, I would tell you, the worst thing for a player was girls. They absolutely cause nightmares for coaches as the kid's head is literally in the clouds. The negative result is bad play, injuries, bad attitude because emotions take over and the necessary mix of logic and emotion for a player becomes unbalanced. Especially for young men who are still learning how life works.

The money aspect that has come into play is worse. Now pressures are added to a young man that incorporate famil and friends and an exceptional amout of advice from people who have no idea what the hell their talking about.

Each kid has unique factors to deal with. He has to make the best choice possible for him. The fact that this whole mess has made its way into high school sports makes it even worse for a young man. Adding that pressure onto a kid who can't even figure out what hair style he wants.....yeesh.

For me, I teach my players that you made a commitment to the program, your coaches and your teamates that whenever your team is asked to do something, you do it with your team. I don't care if its a cook out, a car wash or play another game. If you take a scholarship to play for a school, then you hold up your end of the bargin. To the end. That is what you signed up for.

If they make a choice I don't agree with, then so be it. I will always back someone who thinks they make the right decision for them and their family.
 
Players skipping bowl games is the norm now. It has zero barring on what a player will do in the NFL. It’s just the way it is now. It doesn’t mean they are selfish or have no desire for the game. It means they believe they are ready for the pros. Are all players that skip going to the pros, no. Are some doing it to be selfish, yes. But just assuming someone is selfish for skipping is foolish. And to say it shows how they will be in the NFL is even more foolish.

Christian McCaffrey skipped his bowl game before turning pro. He took a lot of criticism for it, but it was the right move. And he is certainly not a diva or selfish, and I don’t know if anyone who questions his desire to play football.

Edit: Drake Maye also skipped his bowl game this year. But apparently it’s only a big deal that Williams skipped.
 
For reference- draw from it what you will

College bowl game status for the top QB draft prospects from 2020 til now-

2020
Joe Burrow- played (P) *National Championship Game (NCG)
Tua Tagovailoa- did not play (DNP) * injured
Justin Herbert- (P)

2021
Trevor Lawrence- (P) *(NCG)
Zach Wilson- (P)
Trey Lance- no game

2022
Zero top prospects
Kenny Pickett- (DNP)

2023
Bryce Young- (P) *(NCG)
C.J. Stroud- (P) * (NCSFG)
Anthony Richardson- (DNP)

2024
Caleb Williams- (DNP)
Drake Maye- (DNP)
Jayden Daniels- (DNP)
 
I gotta say, although it may be obvious we are highly likely to pick a QB with that #2 pick, all but acknowledging it is about as stupid as it gets. I respect Doug Williams for his football achievements, but he has no more business making football comments to media people than does Jason Wright. If you wanna keep Doug around to gladhand VIPs and for photo ops, fine - but he doesn’t need to running his yap about team plans. Ever.
 
Sean Payton just gave a great answer on Up & Adams about picking a QB and all of the smoke that comes from it. Not a place I can link the response but its worth a quick listen. From a coach's POV that is.
 
I view that the same way I view Jason Wrights antics

They’re are still-festering sores of the previous owner. Leaks, publicly creating controversy, and generally not being on the same page publicly.

On the one hand it’s surprising to me Harris hasn’t realized this and gotten rid of the problem.

On the other I recognize he has a long list of problems to solve, and obviously has prioritized them. As such I’m hoping this is on the list but just been deprioritized for other things.

What I want is an org that says the minimum public and let’s the product on the field drive the narrative with respect to praise and criticism.

Constantly botched public appearance is a bad look and it’s not helping

Magic Johnson says things publicly too. Harris needs to establish a face for this (Dan Quinn during the season, Adam Peters during the offseason, would be the obvious choice to me)

And then make it clear that if you can’t stay in line, then you won’t be here anymore.
 


Frustrated Clint Eastwood GIF
 
Football is clearly not dead
But if you pay attention to youth sports, it sure does appear to be dying.

I suppose at the end of the day it’s possible high school football stays such that there is a healthy pipeline for colleges. Money can overcome a lot and there’s a lot of money in football

But at the youth level, flag football is replacing tackle football and while they say it’s about safety and such, it seems to me it’s a reaction to lower turnout in tackle football (because of safety concerns)

Ie: it’s not a proactive move because of safety, it’s a reactive move due to shrinking participation

While the public narrative always focused on big hits - what I see at the local level is the (accurate) recognition that CTE and other issues are really caused by repetitive collisions that don’t always look bad (linemen banging heads every play is the best example)

Parents seem to recognize this. Other sports seem to be growing because of it, and the growth of flag football seems to be a reaction to that.

there’s definitely something going on.
 
Caleb and his Dad may demand they make alterations to the uniform where he’s drafted…
 
Utah said:
Sean Payton just gave a great answer on Up & Adams about picking a QB and all of the smoke that comes from it. Not a place I can link the response but its worth a quick listen. From a coach's POV that is.
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This it?

 
Youth football is thriving out here in the Midwest
 
Justin Fields isn't coming to Washington. If there is a trade it will be for picks and Chicago will deal Fields elsewhere.

Don't see Kingsbury, Quinn or Peters putting it on the line for a quarterback going into Year 3 of his rookie deal who is still more than a little bit of a work in progress.

Still depends too much upon is legs.
 
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