2020 Our Year For Sure

When did I say Hardy would catch anywhere near 60 passes? I merely suggested there's plenty reason to expect him to be 1) a HUGE asset in the red zone, and 2) enough of a threat down the field that between he and Roscoe, teams can't say to themselves, "If we take away #83, we take away their passing game." If he's not a bust, I feel confident he can provide both of those things this season. He's much faster than Jarrett, so he should have an easier time getting seperation downfield. The point is he doesn't need to have a huge statistical season to take the pressure off Evans. He can catch 35-40 passes, but if those come in a way that scares teams, they're going to pay attention to him. And thats all it takes to give Evans the space he needs.

"Hey James, we're gonna need you to outleap cornerbacks in the endzone all season long, which is a major strength of your game and something you're naturally suited for, and we're also going to need you to catch a deep ball about once every 2-3 games, just enough for teams to respect you as a downfield threat." Is that really putting SO MUCH pressure on the kid? Why is that "hardly a scenario an offensive coordinator wants?"

I think the problem is that some of you insist that the offensive line be addressed through the draft, regardless of whats happening with the rest of the team. Some of us are happy with the decent line they've built, not worrying about where it came from. Why is the draft so much better than free agency? Why is Brandon Albert, a completely unknown commodity, so much better than Derrick Dockery?

How does giving Johnson a 1-year contract solve any issues at WR? Are we not still forced to draft a reciever in the first 2 rounds, or will he continue to help the team after he's cashed in somewhere else?

What does that say about the NFL?

Leave Deep Voice alone. Watch his sig!

He's King. He could take the money from our taxes to pay for the games if he wants.

Figure out a salary cap that works, and make it a fixed hard cap, the same every year. No more of this endless escalation of salaries, to the point that its almost like baseball, where smaller market teams may have trouble competing. Football should be about parity first and foremost. The players might hate it, but so what? I'm King!

And it was SO necessary for us to draft a pivotal #5 CB in the 4th round. Even if Corner winds up being a fairly good player, that one is still a head-scratcher to me.

On the Bills, he does, and we haven't yet seen whether thats a good thing or a bad thing. Chicago had an actual general manager, did they not?

This act is already old as my nutsack. Nobody said he has no input, of course, merely that he isn't all alone in the war room making picks to his desire. I would tell you how bad the team was when this regime started, and how far they've come since then, but I'm sure its been explained to you before. Some people are only comfortable wallowing in pessimism.

I hear ya. Just throwing it out there. In terms of depth, I think offensive line comes first, though. We may need a new linebacker, as Crowell may walk. We may need a safety, depending on whether Ko sinks or swims. A new backup quarterback, most likely. Maybe an upgrade at tight end...perhaps one or two positions unexpectedly need attention. After that, offensive line should be back in the limelight. We'll probably need three new reliable linemen: a quality center who can push Fowler, a quality guard who can push Butler, and a quality tackle who can backup both positions. I don't see ANY of those on this team now. I can't think of a unit thats even close to being as starved for reliable backups as this one. The guys brought in need to have game experience if they're free agents, and they need to be 4th-5th round or higher if they're draft picks. I can completely understand why it didn't happen this year, but next year they'll begin the offseason with a pretty solid roster, and they'll have some flexibility for the first time since the new regime took over. Linemen get hurt in this league, and unfortunately, we're not at all prepared for it. This is something that screams for attention.

I must have missed it when we fired Modrak...

Was Cleveland screwed last year with a rookie protecting Anderson's blind side? Just playing :devil:s advocate. Your post is spot-on. There were other positions that needed to be addressed this year, but next year's offseason will be devoid of excuses...whether its free agency or the draft, we MUST bring in some depth/competition on the O-line.

Right...but the talent level of a Brad Butler or a Melvin Fowler or a Langston Walker can nearly be matched by a backup, so that there isn't much drop in performance in the case of an injury. Unfortunately, on this team, that isn't the case. Its definitely a concern.

I've always found Denney to be a better pass rusher.

Yes. He's getting more than 80 million a year. I don't know why I read through your drivel, sometimes.

I'm a huge Whitner fan (considering dropping some cash for a jersey, actually), but I can't begin to understand the argument that he's an elite NFL safety. You can't just be solid, you need to be seen making an IMPACT on a game to be classed up there. He doesn't really need to be an "elite" safety to be a good pick and a great player, though, so who cares. Oh well, he's not Ed Reed...

Guys like Ross Tucker, Mike Gandy, Marcus Price, Terrence Pennington, etc. Need that o-line depth. Is Dusty Zeigler still around?

God I hope not.

Really good points from both of you. I'm on the Freddy Jackson bandwagon. The split in carries should be about 65-35, keeping Lynch fresh and letting him do what he does best, keeping his legs churning, and pounding away on the defense. Freddy has alot to offer this offense if we're willing to give him a shot. He's quick, and he runs with a chip on his shoulder. We shouldn't be afraid to acknowledge there might be two good backs on this team. Whoever said Spencer Johnson, thats another good one. Getting 3.5 sacks playing behind two of the best in the league at his position is impressive, and he should see more snaps here. It would be great to have a good penetrating DT, as something tells me Stroud will be great against the run, but may not be the pass rusher he once was. There's room for an explosive pass rushing tackle.

Seriously, I'm a big fan of the WR screen, and Roscoe is PERFECT for it. I hope Turk finds a way to make it work. Roscoe can do some damage on that play if you set it up right.

One hundred and twenty-six days, 12 hours.