MasterStrategist

I don't tend to think of position groups, rather overall offense and defense- which some groups are of higher importance due to scheme. Offense: 1. Overall: this will always be QB dependent, and everything from training camp play to leadership, points to an improved Josh. On top of that, offensive coordinator has a strong likelihood of being better than LY (Dorsey scheme). 2. Improvement: Qb play, coaching, short to intermediate passing game, RB play, TE usage/play 3. Same/not sure yet: a. OL play. I lean toward improvement, mainly if Torrence and Brown continue to ascend. I like more physical Edwards vs Morse. Doubt is if Edwards stays healthy, and if McGovern is better suited for LG vs C. b. Deep passing game: Gabe was not great LY, Diggs became a #2/slot guy mostly too. Keon and MVS, rook and an inconsistent player are pur best bets. I'd lean toward early growing pains, and possible trade later in year Defense: 1. Overall: this is so dependent on Milano and Von getting back to or very close to prior form. This defense is predicated on strong LB play, and front 4 being able to control the line. If someone said we'd have Milano/Bernard/Jones for 90% of games...that's enough to say they improved IMO - then a healthy Von would put us Top 5 IMO. Safety play concerns me in pass defense, but haven't seen Edwards or Bishop yet. Hamlin/Rapp combo, good against rub but not trusting in pass def. 2. Improvement: DT depth, I'm more hopeful about this group. CB play looks very solid, Elam is more consistent and Ingram rounds out as a solid #4. 3. Same: LB depth, still a concern. Unless Dorian steps up. 4. Worse: Safety play. Athleticism improved, but getting in the right position/reading plays/etc was the Hyde and Poyer strength (instincts). Safety can be hidden to some extent, but I'm concerned with lack of turnovers from this group-also think Rapp/Edwards/Hamlin are all stop gap types. Bishop needs to get healthy and get into a more signicant role by early-mid season to have a chance to be the same as LY.

It's preseason, simple as that. Scheming/gameplanning each week is obviously super important, and not happening right now. All teams are keeping things very simple in preseason. But some might be mixing in more "looks"/etc. For example, Bears mixed in quite a few stunts with their DL, also some "A gap" pressure looks. Josh seemed to stick with the playcall, rather than audible, highly likely due to Brady wanting to see specific run game execution. Not an excuse, we were outplayed and way too many penalties. I'd like to see more energy and far less penalties next week. Win or lose doesn't matter, but we got very little evaluation of our depth WRs. We know our likely top 4. Be good to see more consistency with Trubisky. And getting a look at key depth roles.

Agree. @Brianmoorman4jesus needs to chill. It's 1 preseason game. Bears already had 1 preseason game under their belt coming in. Bears also looked more versatile on offense,we were super vanilla/not showing anything. By all accounts, we've been running a lot of pre snap motion, various looks in the backfield and playcalls in training camp. This was a "let's just go 1-1" and see what happens. No scheming, no exotic blitz looks (a gap pressure shown in camp, etc) No injuries, is the biggest bonus IMO. 6-3 halftime score, the route began when we were well into our 3rd/4th string guys (80% plus will be cut). Preseason never matters. Go look at Steeler preseason LY, Pickett ate us up as did their defense. But Pickett and the offense was trash, and Dorsey said post-game we were trying more 7 step drops. I'm sure McD wasn't pleased with execution, but who cares right now. Cardinal game is when it matters

He looked fine on the sidelines, after a very brief stint in the medical tent

Very windy conditions, it was a solid kick for conditions considered. Santos missed an XP in 4th going the same direction

You don't know me. I lean GOP on alot of topics: energy, school/education, abortion I have mixed views, Healthcare, Border policies. I also have many Democratic policies that I support, but most are Biden-esque levels/even more conservative. I'm from PA, in a GOP county, and really like our Governor Shapiro. Glad he wasnt chosen to be on the ticket/VP. He is a moderate IMO, being pushed by the more extreme left wing on certain policies. I just know he loves his State/people, and has accomplished alot already. There's a reason his rating are high here. You can call me what you want, but I'm a centrist at heart and support my community regardless of party affiliation/beliefs, and wont judge them for valuing their stance. I have opinions like all others, but have little respect for those who feel the need to throw insults/judgment at a whim. I wasn't raised to support a man of such low character/selfishness, like Trump. Regardless of my opinion on issues/policies, I can't fathom my son thinking that's what a leader should represent in our country. So yeah, that must mean I'm a "useful idiot", "not a centrist"- by your words. 🤦‍♂️

Wow. That's a typical response. I'm not defending at every turn, what topic did I defend? I mentioned my views, and I am centrist. You're literally interpreting 3-4 posts, without meeting me, and acting like you have me figured out. The other poster called me a "useful idiot", which I take offense to. I'm not an idiot in any means, just because I disagree with someone's point of view, they result to insults. Again, typical. And like you said, someone who has never met me, just like you trying to be judgmental. Should I say you both have low emotional intelligence, based on your snap/insulting reaction? Since when can I not laugh at someone's post. Your comments were off base/humorous to me, which probably prompted you to laugh at mine. Again, you seem like the sensitive/emotional one here. Carry on, I'm not here to ruin your day. You seem way more emotionally invested in this conversation, I'd rather wait to see the upcoming debates (if Trump actually agrees to it). And btw, I'm 40 happily married with a son and quite successful so far in life..thanks for asking/caring

He wasn't forced out. He finally made a difficult decision, and Jill has been selfishly pushing him to continue. He's finally realizing he can't last 4 years as the President again. He's old, acts like every other old person I've ever met. At least he stepped down before it was too late. Should have he stepped down sooner, yes. Life throws curveballs and can change in an instant. Harris has been vocal about her policy stances, doesn't take more than 1 min of googling or visiting her website for that information. Wow. Denying Jan 6th happened, and videos of Trumps comments? His own daughter coming out publicly/testifying that he was advised to call on protesters to stop sooner. Sounds like you're in denial. I can promise that I'm no idiot. If you want to compare any mental aptitude test, job, salary, etc...just let me know. Not being arrogant, just answering your ridiculous callout

I don't support either... but I dislike the Trump/Vance ticket more. So it's a pick your poison to me. And yes, believe what you want. I must be a Commie supporter, because I don't support Trump....makes alot of sense, in this line of extremist thinking

I don't have a side. Again, this is the "either you're with me or against me", divisive/extreme attitude. I can promise I agree with most GOP policies, some Dem policies (call me Independent). But Trump is a horrible leader and divided this country, almost brought civil war to the Capitol, invoking a riot and convicted on several felonies (facts). On top of that is the complete opposite of the type of moral character I look for in a decent human being, let alone a president nominee. I work hard, value my family/friends, and don't blame the government or outside factors in life. Vote how you want, then however the chips fall, do the best you can. Again, I value leadership just as much as policies, so if I have to pick a poison, I choose the better leader. And hope that opposing party wins the Senate / House, to keep dramatic changes from occurring (for either party)

You need educated...this has been in the works/discussed for years. It tracks with being an "extremist", I don't care which party. Blowing things out of proportion on the most minor concerns....drama queen is another term that comes to mind. You and your extremist buddies need to relax...coming across as passively worried about Kamala's choice for a running mate. Attacking is the extremist MO, only worsened under DT.

Kinda like some ex-president...(gas lighting). Getting a dose of their own medicine doesn't sit well now. Snitch hotline, for people violating a State Order? I'd say that should align with law abiding citizens' views and wanting all to follow state mandate. "Snitch line" was originally established with 2 goals in mind: 1. Target population that was following misinformation/inform them and 2. free up 911 call center volume, as too many were already being Karen's. Nobody was actually put in jail, threat of fine/jail was dangling the "stick" to get community aligned and all to follow the mandate. Why should some pick and choose which mandates/laws to follow

Great. Now find 1 of the million clips about Jan 6th, that represent the Trump legacy. Funny how those "constitutional patriots" who stand for the far right GOP, can break the law yet act like they support law enforcement. It's like me burning a farm field and say that I support farmers 🤷‍♂️ Trump delayed telling his comrades to stand down, they were specifically attacking the Capitol in support of him. Sounds like a strawman, and hypocritical as usual. If you're not one of us, you're a Comie. That's the definition of being extreme. I'm a moderate, but the GOP has turned into a sh*t show after pushing a "celebrity"/non Christian candidate. Now Vance, who flip flops on so many of his views, and has literally zero experience running a single thing in his life (except his mouth)

For anyone who is a season ticketholder with club/suite seats.... I'm looking for pregame on field passes, 5 ideally but 2 would be awesome as well. Taking my 6 yr old to his 1st game, travelling up from Pittsburgh. I'm a 20 yr STH, just not in club/suites to ask for passes. Lmk, I'm willing to pay (venmo/paypal/etc)

If training camp carries into preseason, it looks like: Shakir, Samuel, Coleman, Hollins, Shavers for Top 5 (no order). Then WR6 between Hamler, Claypool, and MVS. I see us keeping 6. Shorter, Isabella, etc other good options for P/S My guess is MVS, unless Hamler stands out as the primary returner. Claypool needs to get healthy first off, I could see him having a dominant preseason game and being difficult to cut as well. Our WR 4-6 appear to be much better than LY, even if our WR 1-3 down a notch. Much more diverse and deeper than LY, IMO. Harty/Sherfield were basically busts and set a low bar. Other general thoughts: TB looks like he hit the weight room hard/another offseason did him well. Sounds like a leg laceration for Isabella. Shorter, Claypool, Isabella all seem iffy for Saturday. Just a preseason game, but injuries really stacking up at a couple position groups

Basically a compression sleeve. Super common, helps with swelling/inflammation, circulation, a little extra stability. Encouraging he is full-go for 2 straight days.

I think we keep 6 WRs, especially if Claypool shows he's a capable S/T player. But agree on Hollins, he'll be a core S/T and likely used in the old Kumerow role.

Again, not fair to say he's "washed" yet. If it happens early this year, then bring on the comments. It takes 12-18 months for most NFL players to get over the mental hurdle, knee strength/surrounding muscles close to 100%, and start re gaining the agility. We saw Tre go from a superstar to dud (year after acl) to good player (2 years out). I think we will see Von get back to being good/very good, not great.

Exactly what I said at the start, you are now changing the discussion. I said people needed to let go of what he said. And also said his play was bad, as was Tres at the same point in his recovery. You continued on to say that you had a problem with what Von said to media/etc... so for you now to change the discussion to play on field is just showing you are grasping at straws now. We already agreed his play=Tres play=poor/very bad, but what could be reasonably expected. Just to be clear, you're only OK with the "Von hate", because he decided to speak with media LY and was overly optimistic about his return? Or is there some other underlying issue you have with how the situation was handled LY? I'm losing track of your train of thought, because youre jumping around/changing the focus of the discussion.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38858807/buffalo-bills-von-miller-denver-broncos-future This is one example of an article/quotes in season. Dr Anderson also quoted here. I know he made a ton more media comments, but he's getting interviewed weekly and has to say something. Would you rather he just tell all the fans his knee still doesn't feel right? Again common sense is something that can be used, that's my point. Again, why do we hold it against Von for being optimistic LY? He also made plenty of comments that were "realistic" too, ie: see above link. Fans just couldn't get past the fact of his contract in combination with some other comments he made.

"The talkin" as you say, is just each players confidence/bravado...you have to be able to let that go. What matters is the output on the field. Both Von and Tre needed more time than 1 year to get back on track. Just because Von was confident, and Tre by all accounts didn't talk because he really took the injury hard mentally/almost depression at first, doesn't matter either way. Everyone handles adversity differently, from a mental and physical stand point. Von chose to be optimistic and his "talkin" is part of that inner drive/confidence. It's real, not fake attitude, and just his way of going about his business and what he believed he could do to help his team LY. Von is guilty of getting certain fans' hopes up for LY. You can choose to believe every word Von, Beane, Coach, Josh, anyone on this team says, but the reality is these guys have certain ways of dealing with media based on their personalities, and everyone should use some common sense as well. Josh saying he was fine after his elbow injury in 2022 was an example of his true 'tough' attitude/grit, he isn't going to admit he's severely injured. And that's just another thing that makes Josh a great teammate and player in my eyes...in this day and age where some would rather spew excuses. All that matters is what version of Von shows up this year. 2022/close to 2022 Von OR a washed up player who got their end of career derailed by a bad injury. My money is on the former, and we will get a solid preview in about a month.

In all fairness, all the "hate" he got for LY was unwarranted. I mean Tre didn't even get this heat 2 years ago, when he actually took much longer to return and also looked 'washed'. If anyone on this board has actually played high level football and dealt with an ACL, it takes most 1 year to feel even comfortable (mentally) to cut/etc off that leg with the same force as prior to injury. It takes another 3-6 months to get the muscle/twitch back to normal and work through residual scar tissue/mental aspects as well. That's why most say it takes almost 2 years to regain prior form. Except for rare occurrences/very young players to get back to form sooner. Von does talk alot, but it's not like we had a better replacement LY. Who Kingsley? Von might not be the same as 2022, but he'll be very close this year IMO. 8+ sacks minimum, I'd put him in the 10-12 range

Biggest ? has to be Joe Brady and how his offense scheme will look come September, use of our various weapons. Make no mistake, he inherited Dorseys scheme and you don't make any big changes in season. Those last 7+ games just showed us how well he plans, adjusts in-game, etc. But ultimately we still need to see. Player/position wise. It's LB to me. That's the most important group in a McD defense. Is Milano going to be his old self? Can Bernard take another step, or has he reached his ceiling? Our secondary, we need a 4th corner to step up OR wait on final cuts. Safety play went into full decline mode LY, I don't see us being much worse and could be better if Bishop contributes immediately.

This is our best collective/deep group at DT. That's going to make a big difference in not allowing QBs to step up in thr pocket. Groot: this is his year to really breakout. 10-12 sacks. Safe floor is 8 IMO. AJE: he'll get more pass rush opportunities, has been improving each year. He's safe for 6 sacks, but I'd say he could easily get 8 if healthy. 10 tops if he takes another decent leap Von: biggest wildcard of group. Said earlier this offseason, that IMO Von has 1-2 good years left. He came back way too soon LY, age/injury he won't be the same as 2022. But he is still an 8-10 sack guy. Safe floor is 6. They get to 20 easily IMO. I'd certainly hit the over. DT improvement, hopefully 2 healthy LBs, and what could likely be a more athletic secondary.

I saw Cook take a huge step forward in training camp LY, which anyone who watched Cook in college saw his natural skills. I think he's still got some room to reach his ceiling. By some accounts, he's looking like he put the work in this offseason to make another leap. His ceiling is much higher than Davis IMO. Davis is a good back as well, and adds a different skill set, also another good pass catcher. Cook has much more elusiveness/burst, and a better natural route runner. Davis caught a decent amount of screens, is at least on equal footing, if not better, than Cook at pass pro (from a physical stand point). I don't think Davis has the feet of Cook, or the ability to run outside as much in pros. We shall see, I'm rooting for them both and probably our best 1-2 in quite a while. Cooks problem has been confidence/over thinking. He's going into year 3, has gained the confidence and I'd be willing to predict he outperforms last years total yards from scrimmage (on fewer touches).