The Random Thought Thread

[RL52TheGreatest]

They refused to show the replay at the stadium. They just put an “under the hood” graphic on the screen for minutes on end. They honestly sucked at showing any replays in that place.

Not surprised because even they knew it was a catch lol

 

[Nurps]

And defense because my meeting got cancelled lol...

DL:
Calais Campbell - inconsistent compared to what he was in his prime but that still shows on occasion. Not as big of a pass rush threat as he used to be but a massive part of the run defense and can really move when he's fresh

Brandon Williams - still a good piece in the run game but health has been trending downward and age is starting to catch up. Likely moving on after this year.

Justin Madubuike - inconsistent with high highs and low lows. Needs to make an impact more often. We know he can. Now he just needs to do it with more consistency.

Justin Ellis - solid enough rotational piece.

Broderick Washington - solid enough rotational piece.


OLB:
Odafe Oweh - looks like a good piece going forward. Has a tendency to disappear but does well when he can just pin his ears back and go. Looking forward to seeing how he develops.

Justin Houston - if almost sacks were a thing, he'd have like 15 already. Doing his job well. Not as dynamic as his prime but has been a good piece for us.

Pernell McPhee - hasn't done much this year and is clearly being phased out. We'll get younger here.

Jaylon Ferguson - N/A for the most part but seems to be playing the McPhee role when he does get on the field. Not a pure pass rusher but more of an edge holder.

Tyus Bowser - quietly very solid once again. His value is in his versatility, not his pass rushing as much.


ILB:
Patrick Queen - started out really rough but has turned it around with Bynes next to him. Playing with a lot more aggression and confidence. Hoping this continues because he has all of the physical talent in the world.

Malik Harrison - been a massive disappointment but still flashes on occasion. He'll get another opportunity when he gets healthy. Also have noticed him playing the Bowser role on occasion so might be a versatile piece.

Josh Bynes - the savior. Settled that putrid ILB core and has played extremely well. If you can keep getting him at the minimum, keep bringing him back until these young guys hopefully ascend.

Chris Board - solid rotational piece and core STer

Kristian Welch - N/A as a LB but a core STer


CB:
Marlon Humphrey - it's been a down year so far. He's always been a little handsy and he's been called for it a lot more this year. I think he'll rebound but definitely needs to start pulling things together on a more consistent basis.

Anthony Averett - more bad than good. Not sure he's a superstar CB but he's a more than capable starter and has been a real blessing.

Tavon Young - started out rough but has quietly put together a really good year. Unfortunately, another injury although we don't know the severity just yet. Best when you limit the snaps but he's a dog when he's out there.

Chris Westry - N/A for the most part but looks like a solid depth piece who could eventually ascend to being a starter if needed

Jimmy Smith - hasn't played much but looks like age has caught up. They've been phasing him out and it looks like retirement is next

Ar'Darius Washington - N/A but looks like solely a backup slot CB going forward. I would imagine his hold is tenuous but Young going down could pave the way for an opportunity depending on severity.


S:
DeShon Elliott - a real shame he got hurt again. He's such a tone setter and a consistent tackler. Curious what happens to his market with another injury but would be open to retaining him at the right price.

Chuck Clark - a down year but it's not been terrible. Has been caught out of position too often. Should still be a key piece going forward and hopefully he rebounds with a full stack at CB next year.

Brandon Stephens - not perfect but a lot to like from him so far. IQ and movement show up. Needs to play with more confidence going downhill and might have had some communication woes, but hopefully that goes away with more playing time.

Geno Stone - solid enough player. STer and a decent backup S.

Anthony Levine - STer only


ST:
Justin Tucker - no comment needed

Sam Koch - his time is about up in my eyes. Distance isn't there anymore and he hasn't been consistent at all this season.

Nick Moore - haven't focused on him majorly but no glaring issues. Noticed one low snap but nothing egregious.

We were shocked watching Koch punt. It just felt like EVERY SINGLE ASPECT OF THE GAME was off. It was really weird and depressing.

 

[Simba]

We were shocked watching Koch punt. It just felt like EVERY SINGLE ASPECT OF THE GAME was off. It was really weird and depressing.

We've seen him have rough games before but last night felt like the icing on the cake. He's been quietly ineffective this year and then was off all night last night.

 

[Nurps]

We've seen him have rough games before but last night felt like the icing on the cake. He's been quietly ineffective this year and then was off all night last night.

Seriously. It was like “ok, punt. Koch gonna pin them deep” and then………

 

[rossihunter2]

Calais Campbell - inconsistent compared to what he was in his prime but that still shows on occasion. Not as big of a pass rush threat as he used to be but a massive part of the run defense and can really move when he's fresh

Brandon Williams - still a good piece in the run game but health has been trending downward and age is starting to catch up. Likely moving on after this year.

Campbell's been great i think - but im worried about how many snaps he's playing - and that's partly because Wolfe and Williams havent been playing - Williams's cap hit is killing us this year

campbell and williams have the 2 largest cap hits on the team and we're not getting much value out of williams right now

Tyus Bowser - quietly very solid once again. His value is in his versatility, not his pass rushing as much.

the big thing with Tyus the last couple of years is he's become a much better edge setter which just adds even more opportunities for him to make impacts - was a shame that he couldnt make the most of being lined up on eichenberg at LT when he was there because eichenberg really struggled with speed rushers in college and that's Tyus's best move (and the move houston got the strip sack vs him with)

Patrick Queen - started out really rough but has turned it around with Bynes next to him. Playing with a lot more aggression and confidence. Hoping this continues because he has all of the physical talent in the world.

the other thing with Queen is he has additional value at this point because he's one of the few defensive players capable of creating big plays either by forcing turnovers or getting significant losses on sacks/TFLs - this defence lacks playmakers and he's one of the few who's shown any ability to create those plays this year - even against the vikings he had that play that was blown dead for forward progress where he ripped the ball out on the gang tackle too

Josh Bynes - the savior. Settled that putrid ILB core and has played extremely well. If you can keep getting him at the minimum, keep bringing him back until these young guys hopefully ascend.

it's a shame we didnt keep him around in 2020 - and a shame he's probably close to losing his athleticism because he's playing that daryl smith-like role for us

Marlon Humphrey - it's been a down year so far. He's always been a little handsy and he's been called for it a lot more this year. I think he'll rebound but definitely needs to start pulling things together on a more consistent basis.

i think talk about marlon's "down year" has been massively overblown - he's been involved on a few busts and had the awful game vs the bengals but
"He's allowed 25 or fewer yards in coverage 5 games this year. He's top-10 in lowest receiving % allowed on targets. He's not even playing particularly badly"... - like yes he's not all-pro marlo this year but he's also actually playing fairly well and is often being used to erase the opponent's biggest receiving threat on money downs - gesicki had 0 catches yesterday

Chuck Clark - a down year but it's not been terrible. Has been caught out of position too often. Should still be a key piece going forward and hopefully he rebounds with a full stack at CB next year.

he started off the year in the conversation with the best safeties in the league and has been massively disappointing the last 3 or so outings - think partly that's gonna be down to the communication in the secondary which has clearly been the biggest issue on the coverage busts

 

[rossihunter2]

We've seen him have rough games before but last night felt like the icing on the cake. He's been quietly ineffective this year and then was off all night last night.

think his best play this year so far was a hold on moore's only noticeably slightly errant snap

 

[Simba]

Campbell's been great i think - but im worried about how many snaps he's playing - and that's partly because Wolfe and Williams havent been playing - Williams's cap hit is killing us this year

campbell and williams have the 2 largest cap hits on the team and we're not getting much value out of williams right now



the big thing with Tyus the last couple of years is he's become a much better edge setter which just adds even more opportunities for him to make impacts - was a shame that he couldnt make the most of being lined up on eichenberg at LT when he was there because eichenberg really struggled with speed rushers in college and that's Tyus's best move (and the move houston got the strip sack vs him with)



the other thing with Queen is he has additional value at this point because he's one of the few defensive players capable of creating big plays either by forcing turnovers or getting significant losses on sacks/TFLs - this defence lacks playmakers and he's one of the few who's shown any ability to create those plays this year - even against the vikings he had that play that was blown dead for forward progress where he ripped the ball out on the gang tackle too



it's a shame we didnt keep him around in 2020 - and a shame he's probably close to losing his athleticism because he's playing that daryl smith-like role for us



i think talk about marlon's "down year" has been massively overblown - he's been involved on a few busts and had the awful game vs the bengals but
"He's allowed 25 or fewer yards in coverage 5 games this year. He's top-10 in lowest receiving % allowed on targets. He's not even playing particularly badly"... - like yes he's not all-pro marlo this year but he's also actually playing fairly well and is often being used to erase the opponent's biggest receiving threat on money downs - gesicki had 0 catches yesterday



he started off the year in the conversation with the best safeties in the league and has been massively disappointing the last 3 or so outings - think partly that's gonna be down to the communication in the secondary which has clearly been the biggest issue on the coverage busts

In reference to Marlon, I should say down year compared to what we're used to from him. He hasn't been bad by any means but he hasn't looked like that top 5 CB so far this year. Not as impactful and not making as many plays. Still a star. Just not the same guy we had the past 2 years.

 

[QuothTheRaven]

In reference to Marlon, I should say down year compared to what we're used to from him. He hasn't been bad by any means but he hasn't looked like that top 5 CB so far this year. Not as impactful and not making as many plays. Still a star. Just not the same guy we had the past 2 years.

Is it the lack of forced fumbles or something more fundamental do you think?

 

[Simba]

Is it the lack of forced fumbles or something more fundamental do you think?

He just doesn't seem to be playing with the same aggression and passion that he usually does. Doesn't seem to be utilizing the boundary as well as he has in the past. Doesn't seem to be as sticky in coverage. Isn't as aggressive in the run game. I say this knowing full well he's not, but I guess he just looks more complacent than he has in the past.

But I'm not even sure it's all his fault to be honest. There's some disconnect on the defense and it seems to be extending to nearly everyone not on the LOS. I really think that might be the biggest issue.

 

[rossihunter2]

In reference to Marlon, I should say down year compared to what we're used to from him. He hasn't been bad by any means but he hasn't looked like that top 5 CB so far this year. Not as impactful and not making as many plays. Still a star. Just not the same guy we had the past 2 years.

i honestly dont think he's really that far off his usual level - just not making as many plays as he has done previously - but on a pure cover basis i really think he's been pretty great outside of that one awful game

 

[Simba]

i honestly dont think he's really that far off his usual level - just not making as many plays as he has done previously - but on a pure cover basis i really think he's been pretty great outside of that one awful game

It could just be optics and the communication issues (again, totally not his fault) but I feel like he's been chasing a lot more plays this year than he ever has.

 

[rossihunter2]

It could just be optics and the communication issues (again, totally not his fault) but I feel like he's been chasing a lot more plays this year than he ever has.

i think that might be partly related to playing in the slot a lot again - naturally end up in trail coverage a lot - the only play i can think of as an egregious example of him chasing was the cj uzomah bomb against the bengals where he got destroyed at the top of the route

 

[Davesta]

Things are about to get juicy!

this is going to be fun to follow

 

[Deebo813]

In reference to Marlon, I should say down year compared to what we're used to from him. He hasn't been bad by any means but he hasn't looked like that top 5 CB so far this year. Not as impactful and not making as many plays. Still a star. Just not the same guy we had the past 2 years.

Other than that year he where he played slot majority of time he been the same imo. Still gets beat deep. Wrs catches ball on him alot.. the fact that qbs will target him regardless of who he is covering is a problem

 

[purplepittabread88]

Our goaline defense this year has been absurdly incredible. I feel we have held so many teams from scoring inside the 1. We did it last night, vs the raiders, and against the vikings until they got a bs PI on board. even short yardage we have been beasts defensively.

 

[Dom McRaven]

Speaking of defensive players in the trenches, does Khalil Mack return for our game? If so, I think he's going to [purposefully redacted] our o-line.

 

[D1City55]

How many times will players call a game a wake-up call? Bengals game was supposed to be one, so was the Raiders game...it's becoming a constant.

 

[JO_75]

This season is just so weird, top teams losing to lesser teams and what not. Parity is strong in 2021 and who knows what tomorrow will bring. Perhaps the Lions beat the Steelers or something lol.

 

[marklar]

I found my secret de-redaction machine to read your message. Seems about right.

Speaking of defensive players in the trenches, does Khalil Mack return for our game? If so, I think he's going to make sweet, sweet love our o-line.

 

[Deebo813]

Judon really gonna be all pro