Ok I’m tired of arguing about Darnold. I think it is pretty obvious that Stroud’s issues last year were caused by a mix of a horrible o-line and a completely inept offensive coordinator. I also don’t think Bobby was that good the year before, but the line was better so CJ was able to make up for more of it. I think the pressure got to CJ, especially in the middle of the year, and he started to become a part of the problem, but I thought he played much better through most of the playoffs, mainly by adding a running threat to his game to counteract the horrible line. You probably agree with all of that, but seem to not be sold on CJ, and in my opinion are discounting the obvious issues that CJ dealt with this year that I mentioned above. That’s fine.
I like CJ, just saying he’s not above criticism. And I’m not into making excuses for what is supposed to be a franchise player. He was just as much part of the problem as anyone.
CJ made the best of a bad hand but he needs to reduce his turnover-worthy plays. Hopefully Nick upgrades the line and gets him receiving weapons. Otherwise, CJ might need to consider signing with a team that gives him protection and weapons.
Line absolutely needs to be improved. So much wasted money. To be fair, the receiving core was elite to start the season. Just unlucky and unhealthy
But that’s the thing, Darnold has shown that he’s trash. 5 trash seasons and 1 good one. Cj showed one awesome one, and 1 bad one where there were a lot of things going against him, but yes I admit he had a bad season.. No one is getting panties in a bunch, it’s just that you seem to find certain guys to love, defend them til the end while also looking for any way to be right about your initial thoughts on CJ.
In no way am I a Darnold fan. I’m just telling the truth. Some of yall are incapable of any objectivity. Darnold’s good season is better than CJ’s good season. It has nothing to do with being right, I want CJ to be successful. But facts are facts, whether you like them or not.
I am calling it the "Waltzing Rhinos" theory TM for now. But in essence, if you look at the mass of offensive lineman divided by their shuttle score, you start to see a correlation of "successful" offensive linemen based on a score over 10.5. I looked at All-Pro offensive lineman over the past 20 years (who I could ascertain height, weight, and shuttle score for) and the results were pretty telling. Sadly, not many current Texans' OL hit the mark. Laken does and Mason did, but ya know..... Obvi, the theory does not account for injuries suffered and ability prolly starts to decline as players get older, but it could help be a predictor of OL players to target in free agency (what's left) and the draft. Available Free Agents Brandon Scherff Joseph Noteboom Trent Brown Will Hernandez Jon Feliciano Dalton Risner I am still plugging numbers in, but this is about a 1/3 of the free agents I have plugged in so far for those curious, Teven Jenkins was 2 lbs away from hitting the threshold
Well done @jch1911! Using that technique can you ID top targets in the draft? I'd be especially interested in best choices via round. Only if you have time bro.
Wide Receiver: Stefon Diggs, Amari Cooper Tight end: Tyler Conklin Offensive tackle: Joe Noteboom Guard: Tevin Jenkins, Will Hernandez Cornerback: Rasul Douglas
Update David Quessenberry (obvi!) Lucas Patrick Aaron Stinnie Germain Ifedi Mark Glowinski Andre Dillard (move to G?) Max Scharping (got to re-think everything now) Doug Kramer Quinn Bailey
I'm getting the feeling Nick isn't down with these guards at even half the price. I like Hernandez from the ones left.
Do you guys think anything will come from the allegations of tampering by the Patriots, Commanders, and Chiefs in free agency? What do you think the stiffest penalties could be if proven guilty of tampering?
