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The Random Thought Thread

Wouldn’t say they were elite against the Steelers, they had some opportune moments that swung the game but they were getting gashed pretty bad in the first half.

Shit like that against the chiefs will end our season. Gotta tighten that up.

i more meant that statistically they've been an elite unit
obviously they've had some turnover luck that's helped - but also they were almost historically unlucky with turnovers before the turnaround too so swings and roundabouts
 
Gerry Sandusky made an interesting note in the Steelers game, we are 6-0 in games where Bateman scores a td.

The forgotten man, they sell out to stop Lamar’s legs, Henry’s legs, zay, the TE game, but once the forgotten man makes the defense pay, they don’t know wtf to do anymore.
I love Bateman. But he's a heartbreaker.
 


So happy to see this. Lamar was thrilled for Miller, too. Hope he's able to stick around as a WR5 or perhaps even WR4.
 
It’s gonna be a Bateman drop in the end zone now
And stuff like this can determine a game.. we have been playing well but in playoffs we gotta play dam near mistake free.. cant go back to dropping passes and shit. I kinda wish we beat the shit outta steelers last game of season, that way we go into playoffs with even more confidence
 
Bias? What bias? I was one of very few early on saying the D would improve as the season progressed, and a huge supporter of Zach while most were calling for him to be fired. I'm proud of what they have accomplished so far. lol Ravens D is to be judged by the highest standards and they are still a work in progress.

Stats never tell the full story. I define elite as performing consistently against the stiffest competition, and excelling in the most difficult situations. You could have so so stats and be elite, as well as having top stats and remain unproven. In my mind that's where our D is right now.
By bias I dont mean you have some specific agenda, more so that our opinions are affected by biases if not relying on empirical data. Now if you want to argue the stats are questionable on the basis of their opposition, then fair enough. Certainly, plenty of room for improvement but its hard to argue there are many defences operating at a higher level over the past several weeks.
 
By bias I dont mean you have some specific agenda, more so that our opinions are affected by biases if not relying on empirical data. Now if you want to argue the stats are questionable on the basis of their opposition, then fair enough. Certainly, plenty of room for improvement but its hard to argue there are many defences operating at a higher level over the past several weeks.
OK, got it and agree. And IMO you can’t come to a conclusion on the quality of a squad, or player for that matter based on stats(data) alone without considering situational factors.

All that aside it’s great to see the improvement and really happy that Orr has silenced his detractors. He’s worked his ass off to get where he is and deserves the credit.
 
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Your post kind of contradicts itself from paragraph to paragraph and your first paragraph I do not think is true.

You argument is that Pitt is focusing on one position and drafting purely based on that but, given that your premise is to ignore any mocks, it doesn't seem like premise you have that they have "so many failures" is actually true. Going back starting 3 years ago (not really fair to judge a pick in years 1 or 2), we have Pickett who was a bad QB, Harris who has been solid for them, Devin Bush who is great, Terrell Edmunds who has been solidly above average, TJ Watt who has been amazing, Burns has been mediocre, Bud Dupree was bad, and then before that they had pro bowlers in 4 out of their last 5 first rounds. That is a pretty solid success rate overall especially when you factor that its never in the top 10. I would actually wager its above average for the rest of the league.

Meanwhile you argue that the mocks are subjectively ranking prospects and that there is no "40th best prospect or 15th best prospect" but then use that artificial ranking to argue that the Steelers are reaching for a position. It cant be both. Either the prospect rankings mean something and they show teams reaching for need or drafting value over need, or the rankings do not exist and for all we know they view every pick as a value pick.

Lastly I think you are forgetting the Eagles have 2 of the best rookie CBs in the NFL, and Dejean looking like one of the best in the NFL already. CB is FAR from a need for them and getting one next year is a luxury as they will almost certainly be the number 4 or number 5 corner, with 2 elite players, who will be in their second year, starting for them next year. However even knowing that they will sprint to the podium to take Travis Hunter if he were magically available at 25.
1. In terms of the Steelers draft success, there's not a singe person on the planet who thinks Devin Bush is "great". Given that he's no longer on PIT, and is playing on a vet-minimum deal for another team at 1/3 of the comp he made last year, he's exponentially closer to "out of the league entirely" than "great". That was a horrible first round pick, and they couldn't wait to get him out of PIT. Not to mention he missed a shit load of games in PIT.
Najee Harris is the textbook definition of a plodder. Will get 3-4 yards for you and nothing else. Every single NFL team has a RB on their roster as good as Harris, and they didn't use a top 25 pick on one. 2nd or 3rd rounder? Sure. He's, at best, an average first round pick. I think Terrell Edmunds being called "solidly above average" is a stretch too, but that's not the kind of thing you want to hear from a top 30 guy.
From '15-'22, they got Watt and a bunch of average to below-average or worse NFL starters out of the first round. That's not good.

2. At no point in time did I say the Steelers are reaching for a position. I said they're identifying the position they want to draft, and taking a player at that position. One of those things is not like the other. Devin Bush was drafted because they identified ILB as their primary need from Shazier's injury. Where Devin Bush was "ranked" by others doesn't matter, because those other people aren't picking players. Only thing that matters is what the Steelers thought of him.
I think your last sentence in paragraph 2 is largely correct. I would wager that every draft pick every GM has made has largely been considered a "value" pick. These guys all think they're smarter than everybody else, and compared to a lot of the "mock drafts" out there, they largely are. I've never once seen or heard from a GM saying "yeah I picked a guy but I don't really like him that much". Of course they like the player. It just means that some GMs value players differently than others for a variety of reasons.

3. I'm well aware of how stacked the Eagles corner room is. I'm also aware that the Eagles have routinely used the draft to take high quality players at a positions that they didn't have immediate needs for. Jordan Davis was that pick. He was taken 13th overall and played like 25% of defensive snaps his rookie year. A pure rotational player. They think a couple years ahead with most of their transactions, which is how (along with innovative cap management) they've built one of the best rosters in football.
 
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