From a playing time standpoint, my belief is that McDermott has a philosophy of milking the vets as long as he can, in order to give the younger guys more time to develop their fundamentals and earn the playing time. Examples in my mind have included Peterman over Josh, Gore over Singletary, Sanders over Gabe, the Bates situation, etc. Only when things like injury or the stakes force his hand, does he put his best hand on the table. Could be wrong, although that’s my best guess.