Raiders sign WR Willie Snead

[ronjon1990]

4 hours ago, Humble_Beast said:

I don't agree at all. Defense will be better and we still have the draft. people complain to complain

Yep, the defense will just be better. Silly me, I totally forgot that's how that works.

[drfrey13]

5 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

How would you have fixed the defense then? There weren't any top tier DT's or safeties on the market this offseason. 

I just said how you change the DT position.  Do not sign 4 hopeful players and combine the money to sign 1 solid starter.  Then sign so upside minimum players.  Reed, Irving, and Hurst is plenty and you have a high floor and high ceiling while improving the team.  Reed is better than Jefferson and Thomas combined and would cost close to the same and maybe a couple million more but you would have the DT spot locked up.

[NYRaider]

1 minute ago, drfrey13 said:

I just said how you change the DT position.  Do not sign 4 hopeful players and combine the money to sign 1 solid starter.  Then sign so upside minimum players.  Reed, Irving, and Hurst is plenty and you have a high floor and high ceiling while improving the team.  Reed is better than Jefferson and Thomas combined and would cost close to the same and maybe a couple million more but you would have the DT spot locked up.

Reed wasn't a free agent until yesterday and will likely be seeking $10M APY. What quality DT's were on the free agent market?

Edited March 27, 2021 by NYRaider

[ronjon1990]

5 hours ago, Jeremy408 said:

I’m not even gonna argue with that. I’m just gonna keep it as a receipt for next year when they obviously improve. Lol

You don't know how receipts work, obviously.

If someone improves, great. 

But to presume they will by default and in spite of evidence isn't calling jack, it's luck. 

If you want to know how that works, go check out VanS's draft prospect threads.

[drfrey13]

3 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

So a WR would've fixed our defense?

No but wasting money helps nothing.  They are trying to get lucky again so Gruden can look like the smartest guy in the league.  It is like this team is on meth.  They have 10 holes they are working on at the same time but they never finish filling any of them.  We have more issues or lesser talent at more positions right now than we did at the beginning of FA.

[big_palooka]

4 hours ago, Humble_Beast said:

I don't agree at all. Defense will be better and we still have the draft. people complain to complain

This time last year, you said the same thing. Littleton, Collins, Kwaitkoski, etc. were signed and everyone said the defense was going to be vastly improved. Last year.... all this team needed was Linebackers!!! Crosby had 10 sacks, Mullen is a breakout candidate, Ferrell will develop, we get Abram back, he can be a star!! 

Result - worst defense in franchise history.

This offseason.... It was Guenther's fault, all we need FS and DT!!! This guys is the Darren Waller of defense!! Competition is going to be fierce. These players will develop...... blah blah blah.

It's been the same BS argument every year for 18 years. Homer Raider fans convinced THIS is the year all this talent develops despite no evidence of improved play. Despite the team having no track record of developing talent. And despite the team horribly overvaluing players in the draft who are marginal talents they are now stuck with.

I know I'm know as cynical... but it's really easy to see the lack of a plan from Gruden and how poorly he's built this team. 

How many here think this team makes the playoffs in 2021? 

[ronjon1990]

4 hours ago, NYRaider said:

I do think our young players will improve. Again, Kolton Miller had arguably the worst season for a starting LT in NFL history as a rookie and has developed into one of the better starting LT in the NFL. 

I know that everyone loves to hate on Arnette and I agree that he didn't play well. But corner is also one of the toughest positions for a rookie to come in and play well at. Jeff Okudah was viewed as a can't miss prospect at CB and his coverage grade last season was worse than Arnette's. Isaiah Simmons was viewed as a once in a generation type of talent and had a terrible rookie season. Derrick Brown was viewed as the best DT prospect in the class and he only had 2 sacks as a rookie. 

Our 2019 rookie class was the most productive in NFL history despite Ferrell not playing that well and Abram missing the entire season. Our 2020 class didn't play great but Ruggs, Edwards, and Arnette were dealing with injuries throughout the season after having very little offseason time or practice to learn the scheme before the season started. 

Yannick will make a big impact in improving our pass rush this season, imo. He has been one of the best edge rushers in the league since he entered the league. Rod Marinelli is supposed to be one of the best defensive line coaches in the league But really didn't get any time to work with our guys due to a lack of OTA, etc. So I'm excited to see how guys like Ferrell, Crosby, Irving, and Thomas look this season after more time to work with him. 

Once I realized I was arguing with a guy who wrote that a secondary and LBs have little to no bearing on the ability for guys to get to the QB and tried to pretend Yannick had no talent around him as a rookie, I knew I had to give up. It's like amateur hour. 

@NYRaiderwe may not always agree, but I truly appreciate your ability to differentiate between opinion and fact. Thank you for stating why you think guys will improve. It's a breath of fresh air after debating someone with a very tedious relationship with fact. 

[NYRaider]

1 minute ago, drfrey13 said:

No but wasting money helps nothing.  They are trying to get lucky again so Gruden can look like the smartest guy in the league.  It is like this team is on meth.  They have 10 holes they are working on at the same time but they never finish filling any of them.  We have more issues or lesser talent at more positions right now than we did at the beginning of FA.

The biggest holes we had to address in free agency were DT and FS. There were no top tier DT's on the free agent market. The top safeties in Maye, Williams, and Simmons all got franchise tagged. 

 

[big_palooka]

21 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

Other than Hudson what key players did we lose from last years team? Trent Brown hardly played, Jackson wasn't great and you can make a case that Good was better, and we replaced Agholor with a better player for a fraction of the cost in John Brown. 

The team didn't have any KEY players to loose. Hudson was arguably the key player. Stallwart to the offense. 

The point is, they didn't make any KEY additions. Yannik is an A player, he'll have 8-10 sacks on a bad defense. The offense will be worse for shuffling their vet Oline. 

[drfrey13]

4 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

Reed wasn't a free agent until yesterday and will likely be seeking $10M APY. What quality DT's were on the free agent market?

I already said RRH, Tomlinson, and Reed would be my starting level caliber DTs.  Jus because you do not sign one does not mean you start handing out guaranteed money, locking you in, to players that are not guaranteed starters.  Work a trade , look to the draft, or be patient for June 1st cuts.  You do not chase.  I would feel better about the position if we had Hurst, Irving at minimum, and Philon at minimum only right now because we would still be flexible.  Instead we need to get lucky and have one of them prove they are the starter.  The panicked and chased lesser talent.  They did not break the bank for them but the guaranteed money locks you up.

[NYRaider]

1 minute ago, ronjon1990 said:

@NYRaiderwe may not always agree, but I truly appreciate your ability to differentiate between opinion and fact. Thank you for stating why you think guys will improve. It's a breath of fresh air after debating someone with a very tedious relationship with fact. 

And to be honest, guys might not improve, and we could suck. But good teams are built through the draft so we just have to hope that our young guys improve. I saw something recently that highlighted that teams who spend big in free agency rarely ever build a winning team. 

Because most good players, especially at premier positions such as defensive linemen, corners, and safeties never hit free agency. They're either tagged/resigned by their current team or traded for massive hauls of picks. 

[NYRaider]

2 minutes ago, big_palooka said:

The team didn't have any KEY players to loose. Hudson was arguably the key player. Stallwart to the offense. 

The point is, they didn't make any KEY additions. Yannik is an A player, he'll have 8-10 sacks on a bad defense. The offense will be worse for shuffling their vet Oline. 

I agree that losing Hudson was a big loss and extending James was meh. But our OL was hurt throughout the season and we probably had more starting lineups across the OL than any team in the league last season. There's still time to address the OL in free agency and the draft. 

[ronjon1990]

2 hours ago, NYRaider said:

Jeff Okudah was the #3 pick and viewed as a can't miss, generational CB prospect and his coverage grade was worse than Arnette's last season. 

Happens literally every year, more often than not, ans most wind up being busts or lackluster. Nothing special about that lol. 

I'll really never understand that level of hyperbole when talking about football prospects. Tell me about a can't miss, generational talent when a guy runs a 3.9 40 at 6'8 230 with a 50 inch wingspan and 17 inch hands lol. 

Those words always just evoke Create-a-Player levels of absurdity to me.

[Frankie2Gunz]

7 minutes ago, drfrey13 said:

You just confirmed my issue although I think you do not think it is an issue.  We are just signing as many as possible and hoping one separates themselves from the pack.  If they gave all of them minimum deals or at least close with very little guaranteed then sign as many as you want.  When you lock up $5 million in 2 guys you are not even sure are going to be your best players or competent starters it is just stupid.  You will slowly erode your ability to improve the team.  

The money guaranteed combine with what we paid John Brown could have been combined and we could have signed Fuller ($2 million extra), JuJu, TY, or Marvin Jones.  

While I totally agree there is something that is being neglected here and that is that that proven talents do not want to sign here to play under a demanding, ego maniac HC only to get their teeth kicked in every Sunday.  

The word has been out about this franchise for 20 years that and that word is that we are a graveyard for players and coaches careers.  It's sad but it's a fact.  

Gruden has done nothing to turn winning or the culture around despite being paid like an elite coach, that is unless you consider 8 and 8 progress, which once is best case scenario with our current roster.  We are a rudderless ship, captained by a HC who is drunk off of power and ego.  I've seen this before and it never ends well.  

There is a reason that Feliciano was cheering for Jackson when he was moving on from this franchise and fans can spin that anyway they want but players talk and trust me those comments were not coming out of left field.  NA who's career was in the dumps before he came here, had a heck of a season and we could not retain him.  He was vocal about culture, or lack thereof, players quitting and not caring.  Once again, things like this just do not come out of nowhere.  Hudson, a consummate professional and best player YOY on this roster couldn't take it (by it I mean Gruden, losing, quitting, lack of talent, overall direction or plan) anymore and wanted out.   He is in the twilight of his career and wants to have fun again and winning is fun, something this franchise hasn't done in two decades.  We just signed a bum in Bill Sneed and he states that he is brought in to change the culture, which is pretty sad.  Witten was brought in to do the same thing and that didn't work.  Good luck Bill Sneed, you'll soon see that the culture change starts from the top down and we have an ego maniac leader who wouldn't know how to win in today's NFL if it slapped him in the face.

[big_palooka]

2 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

And to be honest, guys might not improve, and we could suck. But good teams are built through the draft so we just have to hope that our young guys improve. I saw something recently that highlighted that teams who spend big in free agency rarely ever build a winning team. 

Because most good players, especially at premier positions such as defensive linemen, corners, and safeties never hit free agency. They're either tagged/resigned by their current team or traded for massive hauls of picks. 

There it is.... Just hope baby! It always comes back to that. 

And you're right. Great teams are not built in FA. They are built in the draft. Which is why I am bearish on this team. They have failed miserably to add A level talent to their defense in the draft. 

All the reaching and high floor players have resulted in what you'd expect. Average to below average talents forced to start because of where they were drafted.