Reuben Foster on Track for Week 1

[naptownskinsfan]

10 minutes ago, candyman93 said:

Will Kerrigan play SAM LB?

They have him on the DL.  Some of the media were able to interview Sam Mills, the coach for the DL, and he's spoken highly of Kerrigan so it sounds like he is firmly in that group.  He also has some positional limitation based off being deaf in one ear. 

[naptownskinsfan]

1 hour ago, HTTRDynasty said:

Nap is right when you consider the players as they were last year.  We do have some guys with potential though. Kevin Pierre-Louis ("KPL") and Shaun Dion Hamilton ("SDH") were the 3rd and 4th highest graded coverage players in the league last year, respectively, per PFF - albeit on limited snaps.  And Holcomb was a rookie who flashed as a run-defender last year.

If JDR/Rivera start the old guys (Bostic, TD) over the guys with more potential (SDH, KPL, Holcomb), I would understand why they did it, but it would be annoying since we won't be winning anything this year anyway and we need to see what we have in the younger guys (or the guy with less starting experience in KPL's case).

 

Let's be real here, you get what you pay for.  

When your LB corps consist of the following guys: 

Kevin Pierre-Louis- 2014 fourth rounder who will be 29 in October and is widely regarded as a special teams ace 

Shaun Dion Hamilton- almost 25 year old 2018 sixth round pick 

Jon Bostic- 29 year old former second rounder on his sixth team 

Cole Holcomb- 24 year old 2019 fifth round pick 

Thomas Davis- nearly 40, brought in to fix the culture 

Reuben Foster- in his fourth season and has a shredded knee and a shoulder about ready to fall off 

Khaleke Hudson- 2020 fifth round pick 

You really shouldn't have a reasonable expectation of this group being any good.  You have guys who are platoon players- Holcomb who excels against the run, and SDH who replaced him on passing downs- as well as journeymen trying to continue their careers.  The best talent has two major injuries that, if they are hurt again, could end his career.  Really, aside from Foster getting back to form in 2018, there really aren't any long-term starting pieces for a competing team.  

Not investing in this group, especially considering how TE's and RB's are used in the passing game now, is inexcusable.  And that blame doesn't rest with Rivera yet, but goes back to Bruce Allen and Jay Gruden.  There's a lot of bad roster positions to clear up, so I'm withholding judgment on Rivera for the moment, especially knowing how he invested in his linebackers over the years in Carolina. 

[HTTRDynasty]

1 hour ago, naptownskinsfan said:

Let's be real here, you get what you pay for.  

You say that as if we didn't just draft the 1st or 2nd best WR in the entire 2019 draft class in the 3rd round, or a top 20 interior DL in the league in the 5th round, or a solid starting C in the 6th round.  Regardless, using the rounds these guys were drafted in as proof that they won't amount to much is strange as they all (sans Hudson) have at least one year of experience in the league by now, i.e., a body of work at the pro level that you can analyze.

1 hour ago, naptownskinsfan said:

When your LB corps consist of the following guys: 

...

You really shouldn't have a reasonable expectation of this group being any good. 

In my earlier post, I noted their potential.  I didn't say I expected them to be good.  The young guys have all shown flashes, but consistency is everything, and I won't become more optimistic until I see any of them consistently perform well.

Rivera and JDR are both former LBs.  They've expressed multiple times that they like the young guys we have in-house, which is a major reason you didn't see them chasing after Littleton or any of the other FA LBs this offseason (excepting TD, who was brought in primarily for culture reform).  That may just be coach speak, but I have faith these two know what they're looking for.  And if these players disappoint this year, at least they'll know what we have and adjust accordingly going into 2021.  I'd rather take this route rather than giving up on the guys in-house, before they have a chance to show how they'd perform in this new system, and going after high-priced FAs or day 1 or 2 draft picks in the first offseason.

 

Edited August 10, 2020 by HTTRDynasty

[naptownskinsfan]

9 minutes ago, HTTRDynasty said:

You say that as if we didn't just draft the 1st or 2nd best WR in the entire 2019 draft class in the 3rd round, or a top 20 interior DL in the league in the 5th round, or a solid starting C in the 6th round.  Regardless, using the rounds these guys were drafted in as proof that they won't amount to much is strange as they all (sans Hudson) have at least one year of experience in the league by now, i.e., a body of work at the pro level that you can analyze.

In my earlier post, I noted their potential.  I didn't say I expected them to be good.  The young guys have all shown flashes, but consistency is everything, and I won't become more optimistic until I see any of them consistently perform well.

Rivera and JDR are both former LBs.  They've expressed multiple times that they like the young guys we have in-house, which is a major reason you didn't see them chasing after Littleton or any of the other FA LBs this offseason (excepting TD, who was brought in primarily for culture reform).  That may just be coach speak, but I have faith these two know what they're looking for.  And if these players disappoint this year, at least they'll know what we have and adjust accordingly going into 2021.  I'd rather take this route rather than giving up on the guys in-house, before they have a chance to show how they'd perform in this new system, and going after high-priced FAs or day 1 or 2 draft picks in the first offseason.

 

I'm not just talking about the guys on the roster now.  You take a look back at the last decade and look at the lack of emphasis we've placed on the linebacker position, outside of edge rusher.  The highest we ever drafted a linebacker was in the fourth round.  We also never really signed anyone worthwhile in free agency, and got by on guys who are limited like Mason Foster and Jon Bostic.  Zach Brown was solid, but that was about it.  

So a decade of football in the 3-4, and we signed one above average free agent and we just drafted two guys in the fourth round.  Again, you get what you paid for.  

Also, while I like Kirk Olivadotti has a coach, let's also not pretend he is in the same caliber of coaches as Bill Callahan and Jim Tomsula.  Callahan and Tomsula are arguably top 3 positional coaches at their position, and have been for decades.  Olivadotti is not in their league.  Also, Callahan and Tomsula had their fair share of guys who came in that were also highly talented to work alongside Ioannidis and Roullier.  

Also, I never said let's go get a bunch of free agents.  I just want us to spend more than two fourth-round picks and some lottery picks and journeyman free agent signings in a decade of football.  There's also not a whole lot of potential to be gained by starting guys who are almost 30 like Pierre-Louis or Bostic.  At least with Davis, he knows the system and culture but if he is still starting after the midway point of the season, we have a big problem.  

That's been my issue with the front office for a long time.  There is a systemic system of ignoring certain positions and skillsets, and linebacker is chief amongst them.