dave mcbride

@GunnerBill, did you see this bit in Peter King's column today regarding Stroud? 'I can never tell anymore if the cacophony of voices around a dominant story is real, or if the cacophony constitutes an echo chamber. So many people “cover” the draft, and there is so much information boomeranging around the internet and in NFL offices where info is king. Twice over the weekend, I asked coaches who said they “heard” Stroud was dropping: Without naming names, could you be specific? Because sometimes they might be hearing from coaches or personnel people employed by the teams involved in scouting the quarterbacks, which is valuable. Sometimes they might be hearing from people who are not involved in the decision-making. Or from people who saw Bob McGinn of Tyler Dunne’s “Go Long” Substack report that Stroud bombed the S2 cognitive test increasingly trusted by teams as a key part of their scouting regimen. The S2 test measures how fast a player can process information and make decisions; Bryce Young, McGinn reported, got the best score of quarterbacks at 98 on a 100-point scale. Stroud, per McGinn, got an 18. I don’t think anything should be ignored. The S2 test is a key piece of a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle. But what about the corner pieces of the puzzle for Stroud, the ones that really matter? Nov. 20, 2021, Columbus: 32-of-35 passing, 432 yards, six TDs in a win over Michigan State. Oct. 29, 2022, State College: 26-of-33 passing for 354 yards in a win over Penn State. And his last, and biggest, game as a collegian, the college football playoff semifinal four months ago against mighty Georgia: 23-of-34, 348 yards, four TDs, zero picks, 41 points engineered. ... One thing re: the sudden knocks about Stroud, which absolutely should not be ignored but absolutely should be put into perspective – This from one exec of a team, a winning team, that respects the S2 athlete-processing test that, per McGinn, had Stroud grade very low: “All of a sudden the S2 test is the Bible. Why? It’s a smart test. But how did the guy play? How was his tape?”' https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2023/04/24/fmia-peter-king-mock-draft-bryce-young-panthers/ My own take: I have no dog in this fight, but I will say college football ain't the pros. College football defenses run far, far less complex schemes than pro defenses.

Don’t discount the field conditions in the SB. They were ridiculous. 100 percent. Excellent post.

And he wasn't really that bad either -- which is OK for a second-year sixth rounder. I'd continue to develop him. He knows the scheme and is at least average. You could do a lot worse.

His 15-year old sister died from brain cancer last year. Yikes - that is absolutely horrible. https://www.nfl.com/prospects/bryan-bresee/32004252-4551-0679-d769-a1a0d80e7931

You definitely could be right, but unlike you he's 64 years old and the epitome of an NFL lifer. He is giving up a salary of approximately $1 million-plus per year with no assurance that he'll get rehired at 65. It's not like he's going to become an artisanal carpenter or farm-to-table chef. It continues to look strange to me, and I don't think anyone knows the full story. I have to think the showing vs Cincy didn't sit well with people. They were terrible on D that day (and yes, I know there were injuries).

Sirvocea Dennis, MLB from Pitt (4.63 40 time and 41.5 vertical) Israel Abanikanda, RB from Pitt The Bills coaches are tight with Pitt. That's my logic here.

Regarding all of those comp picks the Niners have (some from minority head coaching hires), that got me thinking. The Bills were REALLY pissed when Frazier didn't get the Houston job last year. On one level, that's understandable given that they presumably want their guy to succeed in life. But on another, why would you be pissed if the DC you really want coaching your D ends up staying with you? You'd be happy, right? Turns out that they lost a chance at a 3rd round comp pick, and we now know how much Beane values those. After this season, they didn't let Frazier go right away, and it was the case that a number of coaching hire decisions played out over the next few weeks following the Bills loss to the Bengals. The final hire was Gannon in mid-February and Frazier stepped down in late February. He didn't get an AZ interview, but you never know how things can go on that front. Anyway, once all of the coaching decisions were made, he suddenly takes the season off at age 64 (and I'm not ruling out the possibility that a head coaching candidate other than Gannon might have hired him as DC/assistant head coach). I have no evidence to say he was basically forced out, but I can't help but think that the reason he didn't leave right away was the prospect of a comp pick. Just as importantly, McDermott taking over the defensive play-calling and not hiring a DC is just weird. And the timing and trajectory of the Frazier departure was always weird to me too. Just thinking out loud here.

Agreed. And given all of their middle-of the draft picks (7 comp picks!), they would have ammo with an extra early third to target a good talent that fits their schemes.

The Tyrod trade to Cleveland, basically. Seems like a fair comp, and the Niners could then parlay that third with another couple of picks into a mid second rounder if they're targeting someone. They don't draft until 99, but they have a TON of picks. They have 11 picks yet don't draft until basically the 100th slot! Has that ever happened? Round 3, Pick 99 (compensatory) Round 3, Pick 101 (compensatory) Round 3, Pick 102 (compensatory) Round 5, Pick 155 (via Miami Dolphins) Round 5, Pick 164 Round 5, Pick 173 (compensatory) Round 6, Pick 216 (compensatory) Round 7, Pick 222 (via Denver Broncos) Round 7, Pick 247 Round 7, Pick 253 (compensatory) Round 7, Pick 255 (compensatory)

A lot of QBs bust. Better to roll the dice than not if you truly believe, I think. They've certainly weathered the storm, though - their roster is terrific overall. I believe they would have beaten the Eagles if Purdy hadn't gotten hurt.

Fascinating. Maybe Houston, which could then focus on adding pieces with its two first-round picks? Lance is not going to beat out Purdy, and Darnold is a better #2 than Lance as well. That's not to say that Lance doesn't have upside. I just don't see a place for him there given how good Purdy was (and Purdy's elbow is going to be fine, btw -- that's a surgery that medicine has fully mastered) and the fact that Darnold is one of the league's higher-level #2s (Darnold played fairly well last season). A #3 overall pick as a third stringer? I don't see that happening.

I will say this about the latter part of the games he was in — he had what seemed like 62 pressures on Jacoby brisset but never got to him. He just missed about 5 times and I am not exaggerating. Regardless, he was ragdollling his opponent on play after play in that game.

White had a different injury. I know they both had "acl tears," but from what I read White sustained more damage than a simple tear - he had significant meniscus damage. Miller and the doctors didn't even know his injury was a tear until a couple of weeks later. Anyway, he's older, but he's still obviously elite. He was one of the best DEs in the league last before getting hurt. Call me crazy, but I fully expect him to be playing at a high level very early on next season. I don't think the injuries are as comparable as one might think, and anyway for Miller it's clearly not presenting mental hurdles (as it did for White).

I dunno - the AFC east is going to be tougher and they need to win the division first. And that means piling up wins throughout the season.

As I said elsewhere, he tore his ACL at the same point of the 2013 season (game 10) and was an all pro the next season. Didn't miss a game. And it's not like he had a catastrophic tear this time around. It was the opposite.

3:55 mark:

Outside of one example I can think of -- Rosen followed by Kyler Murray -- no one ever takes a QB the next year if the number two overall pick struggles (and Rosen was #10, a meaningful difference). Teams don't give up that easily--even though they often should. If they think the QBs outside of Young are weak, they shouldn't take one because then you're tied to that guy for longer than you think. It can simply prolong the agony. Basically, if you draft a guy at 2 and then give up on him right away, you're basically telling everyone that you're a moron and a bad judge of talent. That might actually be true, but it's human nature to not be willing to admit that. If Houston takes Stroud at 2, they aren't taking a QB early next season no matter how poorly he plays. Anyway, isn't the QB class for next year supposed to be a lot better than this one? If I'm Houston and am not sold on Stroud or the other QBs, I try to trade down and get another first for next year so that they have the ammo to maneuver for a QB in 2024.

I think his injury was a lot “cleaner” than White’s, which involved more than just the acl. Christ, they didn’t even know it was an acl tear until a while later. I expect him to be fine by the start of the season. He bounced back quickly after his earlier acl tear. He tore it 9 games into the 2013 season and was an all pro with 14 sacks in 2014.

Addison is the perfect for the Daboll system, and WR is a real need for them. The Bills would have to get ahead of them, I think.

The thing about JSN is that he missed almost an entire season due to a hamstring injury. Here's the thing about hamstring injuries -- for many but certainly not all athletes, they're not one-time only ailments but injuries that recur and recur. I'm looking at you, Sammy Watkins and Giancarlo Stanton. I have no idea whether JSN is going to have chronic hamstring issues, but it's a factor to consider.

Addison all the way for me. He's the best scheme fit by far and will likely be productive early on.

All true. My concern is that GMs think a lot like Daniel Jeremiah, who has him as the top WR and 13th overall: https://www.nfl.com/news/daniel-jeremiah-s-top-50-2023-nfl-draft-prospect-rankings-4-0. Given the positional value, I have a hard time seeing him last beyond 15, and the Bills simply don't have the ammo to trade up that far. But one can dream ...

If Addison makes it 20, I'm doing what I can to trade up if I'm Beane. I have a feeling he won't last, however ...

Watkins had so much talent -- far more than Johnson. When he first started, he looked absolutely amazing. He also completely abused Revis in 2015 in that game where the Bills knocked the Jets out of the playoffs. Of course, Revis was a worse player by then. Watkins was a head case, of course, but the real issue with him was the injuries. He has been missing time every season it seems due to hamstring issues.

At the risk of beating a dead horse, what really strikes me about this Addison highlight reel is the short-area footwork, which is very impressive. He soooo reminds me of Diggs, and I truly believe the Bills value players like him in their scheme over guys like Jaylin Hyatt and Quenton Johnston: