thebandit27

he did...I accidentally cross-referenced with Vernon Davis

Nope. He does his own work-ups and provides his own grades. Think about it--why would he have a guy like Dalvin Cook as his RB1 when it was obvious he was going to slip due to character concerns?

Wait, you see experience advantages in Etling and Ferguson--who have started 37 and 26 games, respectively--over Lamar Jackson, who has started 38 games? That makes no sense at all. As for leadership, I'd like to know what differences in leadership you see; I currently find that conclusion very difficult to support.

He's played well in press man at times, but the rap on him coming out of Maryland was that he was at his best in off-coverage and zone schemes because he's such a solid tackler and plays so well moving forward.

I'm fairly certain that he was referring to Davis

It was 2 picks IIRC... 9. Jax - Reggie Williams - WR/Washington 10. Hou - Dunta Robinson - CB/South Carolina 11. Pittsburgh - Ben Roethlisberger - QB/Miami (OH) 12. NYJ - Jonathan Vilma - LB/Miami 13. Buffalo - Lee Evans - WR/Wisconsin ... 22. Buffalo (f/ Dal) - JP Losman - QB/Tulane ^ all from memory so please correct me if I'm wrong.

That's a lot of effort to refute a point that I didn't make. I'll say it again: "The point isn't that Jackson or Allen will be great passers in the NFL; the point is that guys can absolutely improve accuracy from college to the NFL, and it's not exactly rare for them to do so."

I'm not sure he'd be able to convince me to tell you the truth. I mean, if I'm an NFL GM, I'm working behind the scenes to talk to everyone I can that knows the kid. I'm wanting to find out how he talks when nobody's around. Does he talk about his career aspirations outside of football? Does he seem more excited about them than about going to the NFL? It's that type of stuff that teams are going to need to be comfortable with IMO. And by the way, I don't say that to knock the kid's character; my point is, rather, that trading up for the kid is a big investment, and I want to know he's in it for the long haul.

That's not what you said, and that's not the point. You said that if a guy cannot complete 60% of his passes consistently, then he's not going to develop the ability to do so at the next level. That's simply not true, as evidenced by above. Wilson hitting 72% as a senior does not mean he hit 60 consistently. There are actually many more examples of guys that didn't hit 60% consistently in college that have done so in the pros. The point isn't that Jackson or Allen will be great passers in the NFL; the point is that guys can absolutely improve accuracy from college to the NFL, and it's not exactly rare for them to do so. Case-in-point: Lamar Jackson is leaving for the NFL after his JR year (I believe he should've stayed). Let's compare his numbers through 3 college seasons to those of Russell Wilson through 3 college seasons... Wilson: 36 games played, 682 completions in 1180 att (57.8%), 8545 yards (7.24 YPA), 76 passing TDs and 26 INTs Jackson: 38 games played, 619 completions in 1086 att (57.0%), 9043 yards (8.33 YPA), 69 passing TDs and 27 INTs Dramatically different? Nope. Possible that Jackson simply needs another year (or two) of seasoning? Totally.

It's tough to sort through the trash. When it comes to Rosen, there's so much to like. At the same time, he's got enough of a future in sports, politics, social activism, and other areas that it's appropriate to wonder whether or not football will come first to him.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/matt-ryan-1.html http://www.nfl.com/player/mattryan/310/careerstats https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/drew-brees-1.html http://www.nfl.com/player/drewbrees/2504775/careerstats https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/russell-wilson-1.html http://www.nfl.com/player/russellwilson/2532975/careerstats https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/carson-palmer-1.html http://www.nfl.com/player/carsonpalmer/2505245/careerstats There's more, but here are just a few examples using current NFL starters that run counter to that argument.

Biggest question I have on Rosen's character is whether or not he loves football

No-brainer. He's an ERFA and his salary is on the borderline of being top-51. Same goes for O'Leary and Logan Thomas; absolutely zero downside to tendering ERFAs. No offense meant to you 26 (more directed at the "report"), but IMO this ain't even news.

Bucky was a scout for the Seahawks and Panthers prior to becoming a media analyst. It's no more ironic than Sean Payton--a QB that only played NFL snaps as a "scab" during the strike--becoming a Super Bowl-winning HC IMO.

Oh really? http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamst

Good He's a good coach, and he's got experience as a play-caller. I always like having former HCs and coordinators on staff--they have an advantage in being able to communicate the current HC and coordinator's message to their position groups effectively IMO.

Indeed...must add speed on offense and a replacement for Gaines on D (assuming he leaves) Perhaps someone will pay him a lot of money; I look at him and see a guy that's 28 and been on 4 different teams and only emerged as a starter after 4 years in the league, and he didn't really make any eye-popping plays. I don't think you're going to get him at Poyer-type value-below-market, but I don't think it's crazy that he could be had in the $8M AAV range, which would be great value IMO.

I'd be fine with it--Rosen is the best pure passer in the draft. It'll be quite the hefty price to pay though, and I have my doubts as to whether or not the Giants would want to move down from 2.

I've been vocal since November about guys that could make a lot of sense as value-adds (and now many other folks have agreed that guys like Paul Richardson and David Amerson should be on the team's radar). Here are a few others: Justin Ellis - DT/Oakland DaQuan Jones - DT/Tennessee Rashaan Melvin - CB/Indianapolis Korey Toomer - LB/LAC All fit the mold as versatile, athletic, low-mileage scheme fits at positions of dire need. I'm of the opinion that Richardson will end up getting paid by someone that needs speed, so there may be better value to be had with a guy like Albert Wilson or Taylor Gabriel...I'd love to go after John Brown, but his non-stop health problems make it unlikely.

Indeed! Happy birthday Jim ...and Hunter ...and Drew Bledsoe ...and the Bandit Twins!

I think if they go the UFA route, Rashaan Melvin from Indy would be a guy that makes a lot of sense. He's one of those under-the-radar types (at least as far as media outlets go), but he's got the size they like (6'2"), he's very good in zone, and he's an excellent tackler.

I wouldn't expect an answer; we still don't even know if the Pegulas can own two teams in the same city.

Well, he's never completed a 16-game season. He missed only 1 game as a rookie, then missed his entire 2nd season, missed 5 games and parts of 2 others in his 3rd year, and then missed 5 games and parts of 3 others with Buffalo. To me, that's a major concern. Kirby is right that the secondary was downright excellent with him in the lineup, and if all things were equal, I'd like him back. I just worry about the value for a guy that will probably want $10M AAV.

I could see tying some bonus money to games-played, but you're never going to get that on a long-term deal. That generally only happens in one-year prove-it style deals like the one signed by Alshon Jeffery last offseason.

His agent would never let him sign that deal