Techbert Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 Fan commentary on the 2017 Cut-Day LA Bull 53-Man Roster: OMG. I can't believe they are letting me, superfan Sollie Martinez of Westminister, introduce the 2017 LA Bull with my comments! Quarterback (3): Carson Wentz Phi Brett Hundley GB Bryce Petty NYJ They tried to trade away Ostweiler, after acquiring him when they bought a 2nd round pick from Houston. No takers, since he's Ostweiler. So they cut him. Wentz is the Man. He'll have an elite year this year. Hundley is the entrenched back-up, and a great guy. Petty is like getting gum on your shoe. You don't really like it there, but you can't seem to get rid of it. I'm sorry to see Fales go for the last time. If it was a choice between Ostweiler or Fales, I would have kept Fales. Running Back (5): Isaiah Crowell Cle Zach Zenner Det Daniel Lasco NO FB Jay Prosch Hou FB Roosevelt Nix-Jones Pit Crowell is their everyday back. Zenner is underrated, but all he does is get yards! Lasco is a special teams demon, and has some running skills when he doesn't fumble. Why do the Bull keep two fullbacks? One, they are committed to power running. Two, they use them both in blocking tight end roles in some sets. Three, they are great on special teams. Prosch just got a 3-year deal. Kenneth Dixon and Josh Ferguson are in IR. Wide Receiver (5): Allen Robinson Jax Terrelle Pryor Wash Travis Benjamin LAC Tre McBride Chi Andy Jones Hou ARob and Pryor are beasts! Benjamin is pure speed. Willie Snead is on a 3-game suspension, so room on the roster will have to be made for him. McBride had a good camp, and Andy Jones is still learning. Tight End (2): Julius Thomas Mia OJ Howard TB Julius Thomas has settled into the offense that the Bull has installed this year, and it makes good use of his abilities. OJ Howard is the prize rookie, and is as amazing as advertised. Jake Butt will come off injuries. Offensive Line (10): Greg Robinson Det La'el Collins Dal James Hurst Bal Chad Wheeler NYG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif KC Quinton Spain Ten Marcus Martin Cle Isaac Seumalo Phi Greg Mancz Hou Jake Brendel Mia The Bull kept too many offensive linemen. Changes will probably come there. Greg Robinson is trying to prove he is not a monumental bust by winning the job at left tackle yet again. The line playcalling has been greatly simplified, and he is responding well to that. La'el Collins has moved to right tackle and done well there. Hurst is the top tackle backup, if he is not in the game at guard. Chad Wheeler is a rookie UDFA who earned a place on the team. Spain and LDT are the guards, and Marcus Martin is reviving his career. Seumalo won the center position, but Mancz showed last year he is capable for a whole year. Jake Brendel did okay, and made the team as a spare center-guard. Overall, this line is good at run-blocking and looks better this season at pass protection. TJ Clemmings is the one that got away, and is with Washington now. Defensive End (4): Derrick Shelby Atl Jack Crawford Atl Jordan Willis Cin James Cowser Oak Still thin here. Shelby and Crawford are outstanding in a rotation, but do you want them as your primary starters? They also are valuable playing inside. Stopgaps as starters. Willis has had an outstanding rookie camp, getting a ton of sacks and pressure. He's the future. Cowser is Johnny-on-the-spot and a heady player vs run or pass. Rookie Derek Rivers was just as impressive as Willis but is stuck on IR for the year. Defensive Tackle (4): Leonard Williams NYJ Grady Jarrett Atl LT Walton Pit Carl Davis Bal Williams and Jarrett are flat out stars. Walton has played well in relief. Davis has fought injuries but has flashed. Good group. Outside Linebacker (3): De'Vondre Campbell Atl Kyle Emanuel LAC Anthony Chickillo Pit The players we have here are good, but we are terribly thin here. Since we go with 5 db's most of the time, I guess this is okay. Actually, I hope it is okay. Inside Linebacker (3): Mike Hull Mia Danny Trevathan Chi Terrance Smith KC Trevathan is still coming back from injuries, but he is an amazing healer and may play in the first game! Mike Hull will play until Trevathan is ready, and is a great special teams player. So is Terrance Smith. Linebacker has to be an area the team will draft next year. Cornerback (6): Sean Smith Oak Phillip Gaines KC Aaron Colvin Jax Mackensie Alexander Min Desmond King LAC Pierre Desir Ind Rookie Desmond King looks like a future star, and that's good because there are questions everywhere else. Smith is facing felony charges. Gaines may be our best option at right corner, but he is still Phillip Gaines. Colvin is coming back from injuries. Alexander has had trouble playing the slot. Desir looks okay but is going through changes. Safety (5): Barry Church Jax Adrian Amos Chi Tyvon Branch Az Derron Smith Cin Lorenzo Jerome SF Barry Church has locked down one safety spot, but the other is up for grabs with Amos, Branch, and rookie Jerome fighting for it. Branch can also play corner, and may have to. Derron Smith is a veteran backup and good on special teams. Special Teams (3): PK Chris Boswell Pit P Andy Lee Az DS Thomas Hennessy NYJ Yay! Hennessy has made it as a deep snapper! Finally, the team is set there. Boswell is a solid placekicker. The Bull signed former pro bowler Andy Lee after final cuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Techbert Posted November 10, 2017 Author Share Posted November 10, 2017 Coupla moves. One old. One new. Bull make a playoff push. They traded for Jay Ajayi rb Phi and give up a 4(18). They claim Martellus Bennett te NE off waivers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleMugen Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Just popping in to say I enjoy reading your work. I appreciate your dedication & commentary. Go Bull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrry32 Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 Looking at your squad, I think you might have made the playoffs this year. If not, you'd be just outside of it at like 9-7 or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Techbert Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 On 1/12/2018 at 9:48 PM, jrry32 said: Looking at your squad, I think you might have made the playoffs this year. If not, you'd be just outside of it at like 9-7 or so. I caved late in the year due to injuries, even with Ajayi. Analysis to follow. Thanks for the vote of confidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Techbert Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 Year-End Analysis Offense Games/Starts QB: A Would have been A+ if CW had not gotten injured. I don't blame him for the ACL as the play looked normal. I was worried when I drafted him that he would get beaten up due to his style of play, but I think this injury just happened. Wentz (R) 13/13, Hundley 11/9, Petty 4/3 For the simulation, I have to go with Wentz 13 starts, Hundley 3, and Petty not playing. Wentz's backup (Foles) has 101 attempts, so that is what Hundley does. He had 316 IRL, so those are pro-rated. The yards passing will be adjusted for receiver (downward) and offensive line (not much) play. QB's thus passed for 3883 yards on 541 attempts and 326 receptions, but all receivers caught 191 balls for 2259 yards. The truth is somewhere between the two numbers, and through an arcane method only known to me, I calculate 285 receptions, 473 attempts, and 3383 yards, which would be 20th in the league. So Wentz in the simulation did not have the MVP breakout year he had IRL, but he did well and I predict that breakout next year. WR: D A Robinson (R) 1/1, Pryor (R) 9/2, Snead 11/7, Benjamin 16/3, McBride 8/3, Jones 3/0. 16 starts (need 32 to 48), and the reality is worse than the numbers. ARob injured after his first catch. Pryor busted and then IR'ed. Snead played injured and/or not well enough to impact. At all. Benjamin was Benjamin, which means he was fast and made a few catches, but never really stepped up when opportunity knocked. McBride had a breakout game and was promptly cut by his team, cuz locker room. Jones has not developed. A "D" may be generous. 71 catches from this group, for barely over 1000 yards. TE: C Howard (R) 14/14, Thomas (R) 14/12, Bennett (R) 2/0, Butt (R) 0/0 26 starts picks up some slack from the WR. Still too thin. Devastated by injuries. By the end of the year I had Mo Alie-Cox off of developmental squad as my only TE. Howard made some big plays, but rookie tight ends need time. He will get there. Thomas had 42 catches, but could have given more. Bennett and Butt were essential losses for 2017. Still, I got over 800 yards from the position. RB: C Crowell 16/16, Ajayi 7/1, Zenner 8/0, Ferguson 10/0, Lasco (R) 3/0, Dixon (R) 0/0 Cro did okay with 1035 all-purpose yards but probably will not be asked back next year IRL. Ajayi did better than he did in Miami and did not tear the locker room apart, as was feared. Zenner was hardly used at all. Ferguson helped on special teams but had 1 carry. Lasco was hurt and was behind Ingram/Kamara/Peterson. Dixon was lost for the year. FB: A Prosch 16/5, Nix 16/4, Laskey (R) 0/0 Good play from the fullbacks. They blocked and played special teams. A few yards receiving, but they are not there for their direct production. Total running backs, plus WR's and QB's, had 414 carries and 2012 yards, which is a respectable 4.9 ypc. Due to Hundley and Petty playing less in the simulation, I give the team 389 carries and 1822 yards. This 114 ypg is 16th in the league, right in the middle. Bonus to that for ypc efficiency. Total offense is 1822 + 3383 yards, which would be 5205 yards or 325 ypg. This would finish 16th for the year, with a lot of peaks and valleys. OL: C+ GRobinson (R) 6/6, Wheeler 11/5, Collins 16/16, Hurst 16/16, Duvernay-Tardif 11/11, Spain 14/14, Seumalo 14/2, Mancz 10/7, Brendel 16/0, Martin 0/0, Allen (R) 0/0. This group outperformed my expectations. Total starts were 77, and 80 are needed, but I could have gotten acceptable starts out of my centers to balance things. Not super great pass pro, but good run blocking. 4 positions were acceptable, and LOT still outperformed my (low) expectations. Collins played in pain all year but held up at ROT. GRob played the best of his career (low bar) before sidelined with injuries. Wheeler was not good, but is ahead of schedule, and played better at LOT than ROT. Hurst turned out to be a plus guard after being a negative at tackle. LDT and Spain were mainstays in playoff teams at guard. Seumalo is a negative guard but started one game at C and did well. Mancz was a solid replacement. Brendel held up surprising well when replacing Pouncey. So I had average play at ROT which will be better next year with better health, plus play at both guards, average play IMO at center, and negative but not disastrous play at LOT. Feel free to challenge this opinion if you disagree. Overall offense: 16th. Potential top 10 offense with less injuries. (But injuries are part of the game.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Techbert Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 Defense Games/Starts DL: C (A+ for DT, D for DE) LWilliams 16/16, Jarrett 16/16, Davis 15/9, Walton 16/0, Johnson 4/0, Shelby 16/14, Willis 16/1, Cowser 16/0, Crawford (R) 4/0, Rivers (R) 0/0, Sh-ittu (R) 0/0 Leonard Williams and Grady Jarrett were great at tackle. They were what made the defense work. Carl Davis plugged the middle when needed. LT Walton is improving to the point of worth watching. Anthony Johnson is just a body. Shelby can play in or out, and I needed him outside. Willis is a rookie, and rookie DE's usually need a year. Cowser contributes. Crawford can play in or out, but got hurt. I missed Rivers. I'd like another DE in the draft, but I think I am close. LB: C Trevathan 12/12, Hull 16/3, Smith 15/1, Heeney (R) 5/0, Campbell 16/16, Emanuel 16/11, Chickillo 16/2, Calhoun 9/0, Gwacham 5/0, Ochi (R) 0/0. 45 starts, and you actually need less than 48 starts with so much nickel these days. I had enough linebackers. In the middle, Trevathan is a bionic marvel, and Hull can spot-start and make a lot of tackles. Terrance Smith is mainly special teams, and Heeney did not impact before he was injured. I am very, very happy with De'Vondre Campbell. Good cover linebacker. Emanuel is more of the same. Chickillo has some rush skills. Calhoun and Gwacham are physical marvels that need to develop. Ochi is an effort player. I would like a rush linebacker in the draft. DB: C- (C for S and D for CB) Church 16/16, Amos 13/10, TBranch 9/9, DSmith 10/0, Jerome (NWT) 4/0, IJohnson 1/0 SSmith 14/7, King 16/4, Colvin 16/5, Desir 9/6, Gaines 14/3, Alexander 14/0 Church played well. Amos lost his job and re-earned it. Tyvon Branch can play S and CB but is old. I will invite Jerome to camp as I think he has potential, but he was cut. Isaiah Johnson hangs around. Desmond King is the brightest spot at corner. Sean Smith can be lousy or plus, depending on how he is used and whether or not he is in prison. The other guys are just guys, and most may not be on teams next year. I think Alexander may be an asset finally next year. For defense, I look at sacks, interceptions, and forced fumbles, as well as tackles. The tackles is there to make sure I have enough players, and my tackles are where they should be. 26.5 sacks is 31st in the league. 14 interceptions is 13th. Forced fumbles is low, but our offense did not turn the ball over. I am slightly plus in turnovers. Call it 14th in the league. I think we were okay against the rush, due to our DT's and decent linebacking. We gave up yards in the air due to low sacks and limited skills at CB. Overall, I'd say about 19th in the league, but this is very subjective. Not top 15, but not bottom 5, either. Special teams were solid. Call it a "B". Boswell was plus. Lee was average. Hennessy was not a factor, which is good. I had plenty of gunners, and a return game that would not embarrass me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Techbert Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 Overall, I think I finished 8-8. Even with the losses at WR I think we had a real shot at the playoffs though 13 games, but the team had nothing in the tank for the last 3 matches. No way it would have won any. Too many injuries. A slim chance of winning the division but no chance of overtaking Atlanta for the wild card. I would like the opinion of all of you. Draft position: 7-9 - 13th in rounds 1,4,7, 14th in rounds 2/5, 12th in rounds 3,6 8-8 - 15th in all rounds 9-7 - Coin flip for 19th or 20th Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrry32 Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 I'll say 8-8 seems right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Techbert Posted January 29, 2018 Author Share Posted January 29, 2018 Congratulations to the Bull who made the 2018 Pro Bowl. Carson Wentz qb Phi Roosevelt Nix fb Pit Chris Boswell pk Pit All play in Pennsylvania, FWIW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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