BearFan PHX

for sure they do, yes, but that's not a high bar LOL

well no, you still have your safeties playing their shell, whatever it is. Im not talking about an 11 man blitz, but i am talking about flowing to one side or another, and shooting linebackers into gaps as a guess at the play. The downside of being wrong is a 10 yard play, and then it's just 1st and 10 on the 30 or whatever. The defensive playcalling is different when you have 65+ yards at your back to defend, just like it changes across mid field and again in the red zone when the field gets short. We just havent seen it much because our opponents usually start with better field position than that. Not anymore though, for several reasons. One is our offense, and another is out new punter

I think we have two options at center now in Bates and Shelton. The loser of that competition can compete at guard as well.

I agree we arent an attacking defense per se, although as the roster gets better, we may do that more. I dunno. But being able to guess on first down that its a run to the right for example, rather than playing it all honestly, gives you the chance to guess right, and put the opponent into a passing situation. You cant play those first down guesses as the opponent gets near to midfield where you have to defend everything. Basically, with 65+ yards at your back, you can afford to guess wrong on first down, and you can possibly guess right and get the ball back. That's what a good punter can do for you, even if youre not a blitz heavy team.

One thing about field position that I rarely if ever see discussed is that when the opposing team takes the ball on their own 20 (lets say) the defensive coordinator can afford to gamble on first down. If he guesses right, it puts them into a passing situation where the defense dictates tempo. And if they guess wrong, it's just first and 10 on the 30. By the time you get to midfield, the defense has to play more honestly, defending everything. So if a Punter gives you the field position to gamble on one or two more first downs, it dramatically increases the likelihood that youll get the ball back with good field position. In turn, you want to see Caleb getting the ball at the 40, and not backed up on his own 10. And of course if we can pin other teams inside their own 10 yard line, that gives the defense a real shot at quick stops, safeties, and turnovers. So a great punter can do more than just get you a few more yards in field position, it can allow your defense to get the ball back quickly, and give our offense good field position to start drives, where the opposing defense cant have the same advantage I just described.

and if Fields is not your starter, you can actually let him run with less fear of injury, and as an open field runner, Fields is GREAT, he just cant be allowed to do that AND be the starting QB. I might even experiment with Fields as a kick returner if Im Pittsburgh.

he has off the chart leadership qualities for sure. I think he will bring the leadership fire I wanted from Harbaugh to offset Eberflus' steadier demeanor. And that works well too. On some teams the QB is the "bad cop" leader with the insatiable desire to win. Surely Brady yelled at players and coaches in his single minded efforts to win at all costs.

right, and to continue the mental exercise, it's as if we traded a 5th for Bates that became a conditional 4th if a Booker was available in the 5th LOL

thanks for that. I swear I learn more on this board than I do in the media.

yes, after making a sacrifice offering by burning the 2021 season to the ground.

Well it wasn't a highlight reel, but I saw him shedding blocks, using his hands well, has a non stop motor and a heavy hitter. He has good size, length and bend, and he's athletic. A good prospect, but not like a first or second round pick or ready to be an NFL 3 down starter.

right - the days of finding starters in the later rounds are over for us, because our roster is so much stronger.

So our 2024 draft is: 1a) QB Caleb Wiliams 1b) WR Rome Odunze 2) DE Montez Sweat 3) OT Kiran Amagadjie 4a) WR Keenan Allen 4b) P Tory Taylor 5a) C Ryan Bates 5b) DE Austin Booker not bad at ALL We got major impact blue chippers at important positions QB, WR (x2), DE And depth at important positions OT, DE And added a very good center and punter.

I'll join ya! Smiles across Phoenix LOL

I agree, that would be incredibly frustrating and a threat to everything Poles has built so far.

for sure. If Poles had a great pass rushing prospect or 3T still on the board, he'd have taken him. Remember with the NIL money keeping underclassmen in college, this draft was a very shallow one. You can think of a 4th round pick in this year as being like a 6th or 7th in another year. That's part of why we traded our lower picks away too. Also, our roster is getting full, so it's going to be harder for any young lower round pick to make the team anyway.

No offense scores every time they have the ball, and since we have a great defense, a good punter just gives Caleb better field position when we get the ball back. Having a great defense and a great punter is like having Dennis Rodman on the rebounds. Sure Jordan scores a lot, but when he misses, Rodman gets the board and gives him another better shot. It's a multiplier.

Velus absolutely has speed, but i think we've seen from Poles that hes looking for football players and not just attributes. I dont see Velus doing much for us, but id be glad to be wrong cuz he sure is fast.

thats how it feels to me too, but maybe we'll get lucky and someone will get cut, or they'll really need Larry Borom lol

oh for sure, we should see lots of evidence of it. I dunno if it will all be put together into a full NFL QB right away, but we should see lots of it immediately.

I agree, for his pocket manipulation skills and his big play hunting and gunslinger mentality. He has some Mahomes in him too when plays break down. I cant wait to see it all happen. I really hope luck is with him, and it all works out like it should.

I expect this too, but doubtful it will be a blue chip player, at least until the trade deadline in the middle of the season

exactly right - this draft and next years draft are both aiming at the 2025 season, one where our stud QB isnt a rookie, and where we can fill the final missing pieces including another pass rusher. The window for us to seriously contend for a superbowl opens in 2025, although I wouldnt put a ceiling on what this team is capable of this year either. But its a PLAN for 2025.

and the DE from Utah went in the next pick too. The intel was pretty good this year.

yeah, I was just screwing around, he is definitely a LT