Happy

Wishing MD the best going forward. I don't think he is a bad person, and hope the change of scenery agrees with him. Except when he plays the Bills.

A lot of players are from the southeast, Texas, and California so they are not acclimated to the colder conditions. Additionally, the guys who came from other teams such as Atlanta, Carolina, and other moderate climate teams are not going to favor crappy weather just because they're now Buffalo Bills. I would suspect the weather will work against both teams.

I'd take Andrew Luck for a second round pick and would throw in Ducasse to sweeten the deal.

Benjamin is a competitor and wants to win. Beane and McD knew exactly what they were getting. Once Tyrod builds trust with Benjamin, and we get Clay back, I suspect this will help Zay, Matthews, and others. I would like to see Tyrod spread the ball around and not just key in on one or two receivers, as well as start to trust the routes and receivers more. This should also help the running game and lead to a more balanced offensive attack, assuming the coaches let it with a more diverse plan (no more run, run, pass, punt).

Rooting for Zay. I think he'll be a good one...at least on the right track.

Completely agree. But he is Juan Castillo's pet project so Vlad (unfortunately) isn't going anywhere since he hasn't been benched yet based on his terrible performance. Just like IK got a lot of playing time because he was Wreck's pet project, but got cut once Wrecks got fired. I find it hard to believe that Miller is so bad that Ducasse starts at RG. I thought I saw somewhere that Dawkins didn't do well on the right side of the line (RT)?

Potentially a lot if we utilize the pass, especially quick passes, to open up the run. If we don't do this, and instead force the run like the Jets game, Benjamin probably won't help much.

A round one with a hole in the middle. You can put any topping you want on it.

Whaley drafted for Wreck's defensive philosophy. That said, I don't think Shaq is a bust, but a situational DE.

Rex has to make even the most hypocritical politicians blush with his crap. Unbelievable that Rex accuses anyone else of lining their pockets.

I created an account years ago, but did not use it for some reason; actually I forgot about it. I just always came here as a guest (since around 2005). With the new forum design, as well as seeing this thread, I ended up activating my already created account and logging in. Thanks to SDS and the mods for a great site.

I think we can, and should, sweep Miami this year. Cutler is their QB and is very mediocre. Account for Suh and Wake on their D, and we should be able to hang some points on them.

McAdoo. The Giants had high expectations this year. Defense is getting shredded and Eli is having a terrible year.

Which ever coach dictates the offensive philosophy, he apparently cannot (or will not) make an adjustment during the game. We really should have tried to open up the run with quick passes in the first quarter (not give up on running at this point), and should have gone quick pass first in the third quarter when the game started to get away from us. Hopefully the Jets debacle was a rookie HC learning experience, and adjustments/flexibility can be done at points other than halftime. Not advocating a gunslinging approach, but a very conservative approach tends not to win over the long haul without an '85 Bears or '00 Ravens defense; which we do not have at this point.

But we still kept trying to run it against a five man defensive front. Is trying to force the run McDermott's philosophy or Dennison's? I would guess the latter since he makes the offensive game plan and calls the plays. Tony Romo pointed out in the first quarter, I believe, that the way to counteract the stacked defensive front was quick passes. We did not do that; instead we kept trying to force the run which wasted a lot of time and effort. Really like these write-ups, Shaw. Thanks for doing these.

McD knows the Saints, Brees, and Sean Payton's tendencies well, so defensively I look for us to have a solid performance. I do worry about the offense. If the Saints put five on the line like the Jets did, and Rico insists on running the ball, we might be in trouble.

We have them right where we want them, +2.5 at home.

Why does the name Matt Cassel come to mind? Only Cassel had a larger body of work to evaluate when he was traded. Have a hard time buying into Pats** QB castoffs; too many expect NE backup QB's will have Tom Brady magic. Jimmy G played the first two games, and yeah was 2-0, but very lucky. Pats** should have lost the first game, but Arizona couldn't execute the field goal snap at the end of the 4th.

Good point. Wonder how SF fans feel about Harbaugh now.

Nah. If we lose to the Saints, it just means our playoff chances will improve. I thought I read on this board that losing to NFC teams helps in AFC playoff seedings; though the logic escaped me. But seriously, losing two in a row will test the meddle of this team. Also depends on how we lose...did the offense not improve, tackle poorly on defense, not learn any lessons from the painful Jets loss.

With the kind of year Alex Smith is having, Andy Reid would have to be confident that Mahomes could do better. Don't see that happening.