The Effort, The Steelers and The What Even Was That Game?

[cdp]

• Loved the effort last night even though we came up short
• RG3 is absolutely terrible and should not be the backup any longer. We were able to get away with it last year because of dominant running game, but that is no longer the case with our OL decimated. Trace looked pretty solid last night in limited work (would have loved to see enter the game before the first half even ended) and should really be made the backup. I know it's not going to happen, but it SHOULD.
• Hope Hollywood's TD sparks a breakout for the remainder of the season. If we can get him going for a playoff run then I think most of us will forgive his recent struggles.
• Justice Hill had a solid game. We have a crowded backfield obviously, but if Roman can actually design a few plays to get Hill the ball in space on screens then Hill can make some people miss.
• The Steelers are complete frauds and I'm gonna laugh so goddamn hard when they finally lose

I understand why they started Rg3 - McSorley was on covid IR and hasn't been practicing for weeks. But as you said they could've made the change earlier.

I am really sad Boykin is not panning out. Thought he would be good for us. Elite mesurables, good hands, willing and efficient blocker, not a diva complaining about lack of targets so willing to embrace our scheme. Sure Lamar not being good on outside throws does not help is development but he was good on in breaking routes and slants in college so I though this would be is main rapport with Lamar. However, it appears that they never developped any chemistry and here we are with yet probably an other failed experiment at wr.

I also thought Boykin would be good for us. But I also thought Za'Darius was a below to average rusher who only succeeds when he rushed from the inside. Some players take time, but for this season it's probably best to bench him. Next offseason is going to be crucial for him. He's got to live right next to Lamar and catch passes on daily basis. Otherwise I don't know how he'll make the roster.

 

[rossihunter2]

The most encouraging thing from last night for me was the Hollywood adjustment to the ball on that 70 yd td

the ball was in the wrong spot with poor timing but he adjusted to the ball and didn’t look afraid to get popped for it and then went and attacked the ball

first time I’ve seen that this year

 

[Francois Boulianne]

I also thought Boykin would be good for us. But I also thought Za'Darius was a below to average rusher who only succeeds when he rushed from the inside. Some players take time, but for this season it's probably best to bench him. Next offseason is going to be crucial for him. He's got to live right next to Lamar and catch passes on daily basis. Otherwise I don't know how he'll make the roster.

Interesting parallel you make with ZDS. I think we created a trend of developping pass rushers over a 4 years arc that dates back to Paul Kruger (McPhee, ZDS, Judon, Bowser) with them becoming really good on there way out. Maybe we should show that same patience with our wr. We always compare with other teams that seem to pick up wr that are impactfull from year one (I wanted JuJu and Claypool!) and we have the same expectation for ours. Maybe wr is more of a boom or bust position with a "either you have that 'it" factor or you don't", while pass rush would be more predicated on physical development... I don't know.

If that parallel can be made between Boykin and ZDS then sure we need to stick with him (anyway we seldom cut high draft pick prospects before expiry).

 

[organizedchaos21]

I love how THIS game is one of what ifs and TENN wasn't because any myriad of things could have happened after this or that play...

The Turning Point was the play and the series you highlight. A TD there and John Harbaugh not expending the last TO prematurely! Down and distance.

There was a similar situation where Tomlin sat on the challenge flag later in the game and let the situation play out. Challenge... TO... JH doesn't have a handle on time management and gets his panties in a bunch and wastes clock stoppage when he "feels" that we've been short changed. His TO, not the Steeler's player lame ducking, is what cost us points or a TD in that series that ended the half.

I'm reasonably sure RG3 took that timeout. I guess you can blame JH and say that coach told RG3 to do so. Whatever fits your silly narrative ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The Ravens also wasted their first two timeouts because their new TEs had no idea where they were supposed to be (Q1, 02:12 at the goal-line, Q2, 01:53 after the incompletion to Brown covered by Watt). Incredibly unfortunate.

do we get Lamar back for Dallas?

I believe enough time will have passed that he could return, but as we saw yesterday with Dobbins/Ingram, the requisite amount of time passing doesn't automatically mean the player will return. It will depend on his condition, both with respect to the virus (symptoms, test results) and physically (won't have practiced in X days).

 

[Grim]

Interesting parallel you make with ZDS. I think we created a trend of developping pass rushers over a 4 years arc that dates back to Paul Kruger (McPhee, ZDS, Judon, Bowser) with them becoming really good on there way out. Maybe we should show that same patience with our wr. We always compare with other teams that seem to pick up wr that are impactfull from year one (I wanted JuJu and Claypool!) and we have the same expectation for ours. Maybe wr is more of a boom or bust position with a "either you have that 'it" factor or you don't", while pass rush would be more predicated on physical development... I don't know.

If that parallel can be made between Boykin and ZDS then sure we need to stick with him (anyway we seldom cut high draft pick prospects before expiry).

Bowser is also looking very good lately. Going to be hard to decide between him and Judon but in some ways he's making a case to stay over Judon. Not sure we can keep either of them to be honest but we will see whether we can.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

The most encouraging thing from last night for me was the Hollywood adjustment to the ball on that 70 yd td

the ball was in the wrong spot with poor timing but he adjusted to the ball and didn’t look afraid to get popped for it and then went and attacked the ball

first time I’ve seen that this year

Absolutely, on the rollout pass trace threw that almost got picked, I placed a portion of the blame on Hollywood too, because in a scramble drill he waited for the ball and tried to body catch and minkah just jumped him easy, I was really happy to see him show some nuts for the first time this year

 

[JoeyFlex5]

Bowser is also looking very good lately. Going to be hard to decide between him and Judon but in some ways he's making a case to stay over Judon. Not sure we can keep either of them to be honest but we will see whether we can.

Bowser has been quite possibly the best defender in the front seven of the past month. He’s been a monster in coverage, I see him taking away the safety valve passes so consistently, like you know when you watch our blitz go downhill and you see that one guy leak out and you get scared because he’s got all grass in front of him, bowser seems to always be that guy cutting off that throwing lane.

I’m really pleased with bowsers development and I’m glad we stuck it out with him, he is the one edge defender in year 4 that I hope we pay, I didn’t wanna pay Judon, Z, McPhee, or Kruger, I absolutely wanna pay bowser because he’s an absolute weapon on passing downs yet he probably won’t get any ridiculous contract offers.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

I think either Mekari or Castillo will be starting moving forward. Just have to figure out the right combination.

I've generally been fine with Bozeman and Powers at Guard recently, so I think they stick.

The question is at RT. You've got Fluker, you've got Phillips and maybe now Mekari there.

I’m thinking Phillips should be the guy, there will be growing pains but he played T his whole life, so the learning curve is much less than the curve of playing G

 

[rossihunter2]

Bowser has been quite possibly the best defender in the front seven of the past month. He’s been a monster in coverage, I see him taking away the safety valve passes so consistently, like you know when you watch our blitz go downhill and you see that one guy leak out and you get scared because he’s got all grass in front of him, bowser seems to always be that guy cutting off that throwing lane.

I’m really pleased with bowsers development and I’m glad we stuck it out with him, he is the one edge defender in year 4 that I hope we pay, I didn’t wanna pay Judon, Z, McPhee, or Kruger, I absolutely wanna pay bowser because he’s an absolute weapon on passing downs yet he probably won’t get any ridiculous contract offers.

he's finally starting to make big plays in the passing game too - he's always been good finding the throwing lane and creating good plays for the D but now he's finally bearing the fruits of his own labour with these picks

i said before the season i'd be shocked if he didnt get at least 1 pick this year and now he's got 2 in as many weeks

he should be fairly cheap too as it stands right now because of those low sack numbers and because of the uniqueness of his skillset and how we use him

 

[rossihunter2]

I’m thinking Phillips should be the guy, there will be growing pains but he played T his whole life, so the learning curve is much less than the curve of playing G

literally anyone but fluker please...

my guess is the starting OL for Dallas is:

Orlando
Bozeman
Mekari
Powers
Phillips

as well as TCC seems to have done, im not sure there's anyway he holds onto a starting job...

only other option for me would be skura coming back in at C (hopefully the yips have gone) and mekari going to RT

 

[Francois Boulianne]

he's finally starting to make big plays in the passing game too - he's always been good finding the throwing lane and creating good plays for the D but now he's finally bearing the fruits of his own labour with these picks

i said before the season i'd be shocked if he didnt get at least 1 pick this year and now he's got 2 in as many weeks

he should be fairly cheap too as it stands right now because of those low sack numbers and because of the uniqueness of his skillset and how we use him

And I can't trust Judon against the run anymore so if you see that Bowser is an upgrade over Judon in that phase of the game, then its a no brainer we should keep him and pair him with Ngakoue for the next couple of years,

 

[rmcjacket23]

literally anyone but fluker please...

my guess is the starting OL for Dallas is:

Orlando
Bozeman
Mekari
Powers
Phillips

as well as TCC seems to have done, im not sure there's anyway he holds onto a starting job...

only other option for me would be skura coming back in at C (hopefully the yips have gone) and mekari going to RT

Agree.

What will be interesting is to see if they carry TCC on the roster. If Skura is off COVID and ready to go, which one is the backup? One game sample size isn't very big, and I doubt they're going to throw in the towel on Skura yet, but seemingly, I wouldn't think TCC and Skura would both dress. I suppose its possible, but I guess I'd just be surprised by it, especially since neither can seemingly play other positions on the line.

 

[rossihunter2]

Agree.

What will be interesting is to see if they carry TCC on the roster. If Skura is off COVID and ready to go, which one is the backup? One game sample size isn't very big, and I doubt they're going to throw in the towel on Skura yet, but seemingly, I wouldn't think TCC and Skura would both dress. I suppose its possible, but I guess I'd just be surprised by it, especially since neither can seemingly play other positions on the line.

i mean we know that Skura can play guard - he has done so multiple times in his career as a raven
in Mekari's start, Skura was the 6th OL in most cases which would suggest to me that he would very much still be active

given the rotation between fluker and holden and the way fluker's been handed the start twice and managed to lose it twice i have a feeling if Phillips isnt the starter at RT that Holden might be

there'll be 8 active OL on gamedays
Orlando, Bozeman, Mekari, Powers, Phillips, Skura seem like locks for 6 of them, I imagine they'll elevate Holden (whether he starts or not) which will be 7 and then it's between TCC, Bredeson and Fluker for the 8th slot - my guess is it would be Fluker for his versatility because we don't need an emergency Center when Mekari, Bozeman and Skura can all play there but it could be Bredeson too

who knows but i think it's unlikely TCC is active but we've carried him this long, i find it hard to believe after 1 start where he did fairly well that we wouldnt keep hold of him (especially with skura being a free agent this offseason)

 

[rmcjacket23]

i mean we know that Skura can play guard - he has done so multiple times in his career as a raven
in Mekari's start, Skura was the 6th OL in most cases which would suggest to me that he would very much still be active

given the rotation between fluker and holden and the way fluker's been handed the start twice and managed to lose it twice i have a feeling if Phillips isnt the starter at RT that Holden might be

there'll be 8 active OL on gamedays
Orlando, Bozeman, Mekari, Powers, Phillips, Skura seem like locks for 6 of them, I imagine they'll elevate Holden (whether he starts or not) which will be 7 and then it's between TCC, Bredeson and Fluker for the 8th slot - my guess is it would be Fluker for his versatility because we don't need an emergency Center when Mekari, Bozeman and Skura can all play there but it could be Bredeson too

who knows but i think it's unlikely TCC is active but we've carried him this long, i find it hard to believe after 1 start where he did fairly well that we wouldnt keep hold of him (especially with skura being a free agent this offseason)

I think that's my point. If TCC is active, who's not? It would mean either Holden isn't active, or one of the others isn't.

So for me, its Brown, Bozeman, Mekari, Powers, Phillips as your starters. If TCC is active, that's 6. You need two more.

One would think its an either or between Holden and Fluker, because you'll essentially have four tackles already (Holden/Fluker, Brown, Phillips, plus knowing Mekari can play out there if needed).

So then its between Bredeson and Skura. I guess I agree Skura wins out.

So its probably Bredeson and either Holden or Fluker as inactive. Again, assuming TCC is on active roster.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

Was madubuike on the COVID list?

 

[rmcjacket23]

Was madubuike on the COVID list?

Yes

 

[rossihunter2]

I think that's my point. If TCC is active, who's not? It would mean either Holden isn't active, or one of the others isn't.

So for me, its Brown, Bozeman, Mekari, Powers, Phillips as your starters. If TCC is active, that's 6. You need two more.

One would think its an either or between Holden and Fluker, because you'll essentially have four tackles already (Holden/Fluker, Brown, Phillips, plus knowing Mekari can play out there if needed).

So then its between Bredeson and Skura. I guess I agree Skura wins out.

So its probably Bredeson and either Holden or Fluker as inactive. Again, assuming TCC is on active roster.

right but im assuming TCC is an inactive on gamedays and he just gets carried on the 53 right now

 

[Dom McRaven]

8 catches, 37 yds. This dude is just corny.

 

[cdp]

8 catches, 37 yds. This dude is just corny.

I used to follow that mf. Now I can't stand him anymore.

 

[Simba]

literally anyone but fluker please...

my guess is the starting OL for Dallas is:

Orlando
Bozeman
Mekari
Powers
Phillips

as well as TCC seems to have done, im not sure there's anyway he holds onto a starting job...

only other option for me would be skura coming back in at C (hopefully the yips have gone) and mekari going to RT

I am curious to see what they do with the OL going forward, both from a starting perspective and from a roster perspective. Of course we have some room to wiggle right now with how many guys are on the COVID list, but once everyone is back, it'll be crowded (even if the options aren't very good).

Orlando Brown, Bradley Bozeman, Patrick Mekari, Ben Powers, Tyre Phillips, Matt Skura, Trystan Colon-Castillo, Ben Bredeson, DJ Fluker, Jake Rodgers, Will Holden... that's 11 guys. Of course, Holden is currently on the PS and Rodgers might make him obsolete, but still things to consider.

Can't imagine we carry that many on the active roster, especially with only 1 TE currently on the 53, Averett nearing a return, etc. Roster will start to get crowded here soon. Not saying we don't have dead weight elsewhere but OL is the obvious spot that needs to be handled soon. Fingers crossed they just end the Fluker experiment. Would rather see a young guy learn while struggling than an older guy that just isn't good.