chad72

It makes far more sense when you bring in other GMs into it because unless you do it, knowing that you’re a Grigson fan, it felt you were trying everything to discredit Ballard.

Tony Brown, whose name will live in infamy, giving up 3 big chunk plays including a TD to Mr. Shaheed during our 3 game stretch of 35+ points avg. given up to Jaguars, Browns and Saints, yikes!!!

I thought it was Brown, more of a special teamer being torched by Shaheed, playing because of injuries that was the primary reason we gave up big plays. I am pretty sure it was Brown.

He wears his emotions on his sleeves, so the media catching him at a raw moment, I can deal with that. Like his Texas coach said, if he keeps that chip on his shoulder and uses it to do great things, no one will care. Ask Cowboys fans about Dez Bryant, ask Vikings fans about Randy Moss, ask 49ers and Eagles fans about TO, ask Bills fans about Stefon Diggs, these alphas may not be the most polished in hiding their emotions and frustrations but come game time, they come ready to ball. I hope AD is the same way, and that Reggie and the coaches get the most out of him.

This is mainly in reference to DD's "past points of view" countering other fans' point of view that Ballard may not have thought Bernard Raimann would have been where he was picked but he should still get credit for taking the opportunity at BPA when it presented itself. By virtue of that, when the pick turns out to be better than expected, he should get credit because he could have still passed on him, just like with Adonai Mitchell (assuming he turns good). But in DD's book, he just "lucked into it" when all he did was recognize the value like GMs are supposed to do. However, that is something that other GMs before that pick didn't see the same way with AD. So, if AD turns out good, it is again Ballard lucking himself into it, just preparing myself for that future argument 😉

At least he pounced on the opportunity instead of letting it go to waste, like he did with Bernard Raimann.

Xavien Howard, Justin Simmons, all talking too much related to Texans....??? Texans are favorites to sign every freaking FA this off season, it seems like. The new Jaguars of the off season.

If anything, the 2024 draft is the perfect draft addition that we fans (and possibly coaches) could have asked for to build upon the strengths of the 2023 draft, IMO, with most boxes checked even if not every single one. It amplifies the 2023 draft to its maximum potential with the GM preserving the core pieces from the 2018 and 2020 drafts.

For better efficiency in the long run and going the distance in the playoffs, finishing them off tomorrow is a MUST.

Congratulations to @Archer, again for 1st place, and to @jvan1973 for 2nd place. Looking forward to running this contest next year. Now, we get to enjoy the season.

Yeah, go ahead and unlock it, please!!! We were in the midst of management change here, between @Dr. T and myself, LOL

Yeah, the mods control when threads are locked, so it is only fair game till the draft starts, just like fantasy football lineups lock at game time. It could have just been a copy and paste faux paus from the past too. We all do that. Ultimately the right thing was done.

Simmons' record as the safety who has picked off Mahomes the most is enough for me to invest in a 2 year deal on his length at free safety. He doesn't need to lay the wood as much as get us INTs, that part he is good at.

...and the division winner Texans lost both games vs Lamar Jackson scoring TDs and AR in game 1 scoring TDs vs them, see a pattern?? That is why I think him being healthy gives us the edge vs the Texans in particular, and to an extent the Jaguars. Against the Titans, he just needs to pass like Minshew did because those dudes play the run very well and like to spear QBs and their shoulders (Luck, AR...) to the ground like a bad habit. ☹️

That is why we got Anthony Gould for. Like the Josh Allen play in shot gun, motion Gould across with 1 WR lined to that side where he motions to, and call it when teams are crowding the line of scrimmage playing the run for a sideline pass for short yardage.

Raiders got the Mayer TE guy from Notre Dame last year and went BPA with Bowers to double down on the TE position, so it is not a question we have to deal with but if we had Bowers available and had gone with him, you probably would hear few complaints here.

Doing away with round selected won't happen, so prepare yourself. However getting the full round credit is definitely in the cards. For example, this year, Ballard gained 2 fifth rounders and if someone had slotted an early 5th rounder and late 5th rounder in one of their 3 choices for the 5th round and hits, they get the full credit for the 5th round. Thus, there is still strategy involved but getting the round right has to be the extra incentive always, it puts you as armchair GM, if you can do a good job of where the board will fall for certain players and positional runs. @PureLuck and @BlueStallion will get the full round credit for their Adonai Mitchell pick under my rules (which is remarkable on their part to predict Mitchell will drop to Round 2, IMO) and not penalized because Ballard chose to move from No.46 to No.52 in the same round. Anyways, we will resume discussion next year. As far as closing the contest, I don't think it was closed till 8 pm ET (5 pm West Coast time) on draft day by the moderators upon my request. So I am not sure where you are getting the 11 am CST time from.

Travis Hunter is going Top 10, when it is all said and done. I am curious to see how Benjamin Morrison of Notre Dame and Tacario Davis of Arizona both perform this year because they could be good Colts with their instincts and Davis has more length than Morrison but Morrison has great instincts.

That is where Steichen and his leadership comes in. Does he give free rein to AR to go off script if his reads aren't open? If he does, and the OL protects, lot of mouths will be fed, IMO. I still think Steichen is the type that softens a team with the passing game and runs it when safeties stop cheating. Ultimately, teams will continue to play our wideouts 1-on-1 to test AR's accuracy and to account for the AR/JT combo, and the more our pass catchers separate and more that AR improves from the pocket, it will put teams in a serious dilemma.

You’re forgetting Braden Smith in 2018, and DeForest Buckner we got with our 1st in 2020, two cornerstones for us as starters. Value wise, 2024 might have been my favorite without reaching for traits based guys like in past years but we have to revisit everything in a couple of years to see where we are.

I’m glad he’s OK too.

Isn’t Bo Nix as old as Zach Wilson is? Both are 24 years old with Wilson about 6 months older. Should make for an interesting camp.

Our OL backups might end up being starter level for most teams in a year, definitely the strongest suit of our team. Better not let anyone we drafted the last 2 years go after pre-season, they will be snatched by other teams with no chance of them being stashed on the PS, I believe that. Our DL, inside and outside has depth now with edge setting DEs and pass rushing DEs, just not sure the project picks of Adetomiwa Adebawore and Jonah Laulu will both be able to make the squad, and Eric Johnson/Taven Bryan are on shaky ground too if they don't produce, IMO. We could actually run a NASCAR package against pass heavy teams with the DEs on the roster, I am serious. CB starter depth is shaky, so if one of JuJu or Jones or Moore gets banged up, the DL/DE pass rush is going to have to save the day or the scheme. A lot is riding on 7th rounder Jaylon Jones repeating his performance again this year. At some point, the scheme with a blitz from an LB or DB has to help out the secondary more.

This seems more along the lines of Adetomiwa Adebawore, another RAS darling. Project pick. Might work out in a couple of years, might not, not expecting much in 2024.

Appropriate Response, I felt, well done!!!