Koufax

If he is your guy, you move up and don't hope at #10. Teams at 1, 2, 3, 6 all need franchise QBs, and a couple other teams could trade up ahead of #10. It only takes one of those teams to agree with you that he is a franchise QB for him not to be available. I don't think he is a sure enough bet to move to the top, but I would be looking hard at what it would take to get 3,4, or 5 rather than see him taken by the Jets or have the Texans or Broncos or whoever trade into the top 10. All the other pieces are there, that if you think the two biggest franchise QB qualities (accuracy and decision making) can evolve and become strengths, you definitely want him on your team. If you have reservations about him developing those qualities you worry he is the next Vince Young and won't be able to succeed in the NFL as he did in college. But I have greater doubts about Tyrod developing those two missing qualities, so in my perfect world we keep Tyrod, and trade up to the top five to get Watson, and let Watson learn over his first season, and then figure out where we are and the best course of action after next season, likely trading or cutting Tyrod and playing Watson in year two if he has progressed how we hope.

Drafting a QB is always a gamble, but we should be looking for a franchise QB in every draft until we have one. For this year your options are really: 1) Keep Tyrod and start him (whether you draft a development franchise QB to sit or not depends on who is there). 2) Draft and throw to the wolves a not-ready starter for development and/or tanking. 3) Draft and play a ready to compete starter 4) Trade/sign for Romo or some other non-rookie to start I think #2 is pretty dumb, as I think playing when you aren't ready can stunt growth more than help it, and I think tanking is super dumb, especially when we have been a few plays from the playoffs the last couple years. I expect 2017 Romo will be better than 2017 Taylor, but we have no guarantee of landing him when he is released, so unfortunately is a bad idea to bank on, so #4 can be an afterthought, but the two contract situations and timing probably makes it impossible without significant risk of having neither. So that leaves you with either playing Tyrod, or drafting one of the three potentially day 1 QBs (Watson, Kizer, Trub.). However exciting these three might be, there is no guarantee any is available at #10, and the more "ready" they show to be through workouts and interviews, the more likely they are gone at #10. I'm open to taking them at #10, and I'm open to trading up if it makes sense. But that information doesn't happen until after the Tyrod decision is made. Paying just dollars (opportunity cost, cap, etc...I know it is still important) to potentially have one too many QBs on the roster is much better than having one too few. Keep Tyrod because the day you have to decide that, it isn't clear you can do better anywhere. Try at every possible point to upgrade the QB position until you have found a clear franchise QB, whether a complete surprise from Tyrod, a first round success, or a later round hidden gem. But keeping Tyrod shouldn't in any way keep them from drafting a QB at #10, trading up to get one they really like, etc. Tyrod can certainly get a paycheck and a uniform and start the off season at the top of the depth chart, but he is not a franchise QB at the moment and so until he proves otherwise, we should be as aggressive as possible with the position regardless of whether Tyrod is on the roster.

We need to get a QB better than Tyrod. In the meantime, the only reason to not have Tyrod is if it financially allows you to be better. I'm not sure who the QB better than Tyrod in 2017 is. Watson? I like the idea, and could take some lumps if he is a possibility for a bright future. Romo? Clearly better than Tyrod when healthy, a great buy low opportunity. But I don't see another option right now, and I don't think the idea of intentionally getting worse is how this NFL works with many Brees, Brady, Rodgers not at the top of the draft and plenty of Jamarcus Russells and Akili Smiths at the top. Play to win and draft smart. Play to win means Tyrod right now, and only a new addition or a big plan to get better with the money saved would push me away, even though I agree that he does not have the vision or accuracy to be an elite QB, and needs to be a stopgap. I don't mind pursuing 10-6 with Tyrod, even if we know the 13-3 will have to come from someone else not yet drafted.

If you only view him as worth a conditional 5th, you shouldn't trade for him. You trade for him if you think he is going to be someone who can get you to the playoffs and be better than Tyrod, and better in the short term than anybody at #10. Prior to 2015 he had one injury shortened season, and otherwise almost always started 15 or 16 games and performed well. If you think his 2015 and 2016 seasons are somehow predictive of his 2017 injury chances, or you think he is too old, and can't do 37-38 like Brees/Manning/Brady, then you can pass. But if you think he is at all likely to be what he was a couple years ago based on his injury history and physical, you pull the trigger and make him your QB for the next couple seasons. Dak forced the issue, and leaves the Cowboys in a sell low situation that could be more valuable to our football team than keeping Tyrod or starting a rookie.

And maybe you hire an OC and involve him in that decision since it isn't a rush, and in the meantime keep that door open by building the relationship back after the hurt feelings of the benching.

But it is relatively uncommon for a team to choose to block a "promotion" lateral move, and instead let their assistants who are not coordinators interview for coordinator position. Not sure on the full range and history of these, but blocking a promotion even when the NFL considers it officially lateral is bad interpersonal mojo. That said, with a rookie defensive HC, and an uncertain situation at QB, I think our OC hire is among our more important, and really hope for the certainty that comes with someone with experience with the role, or as a really top notch QB coach right on the cusp. Roman/Lynn both failed to develop Tyrod as a pocket passer, and while they utilized our run game and Tyrod's elusiveness, I think the failure to include accurate mid range between the numbers passes in our attack made us vulnerable to many situations and defensive alignments. I'm looking for a little genius and chess player savvy in our OC, even when the final play calling can be simple and predictable 80% of the time. I'm not sure who that could be right now.

Four years of HC experience is very valuable in a coordinator who is helping a rookie coach. I'm less worried about scheme and stuff on this side of the ball because McD will be much more involved on that side of the ball. Pleased with this hire, but I was also fine with a lower level coach with communication established like the Carolina LB coach if they went in that direction. Now we need an OC, and then possibly a QB of some sort.

Very optimistic about the McCoaching if true. I like it better than Lynn-Bradley. Here in San Diego I keep up with McCoy pretty well, and have liked what I have seen in terms of offense, and I think he was a big part of Rivers rebirth, even though the team didn't have enough talent to win. He hasn't had running talent here, and has passed a ton, so interesting to see if he can break that habit and adjust to our different talent, but he is a great mind so I would expect him to adapt quickly.

He won't be there at 10, but moving up is fine if he is the answer. The big game and championship drive attention, but accuracy and decision making is what will make him as an NFL QB. I think the Conversation Young pessimistic comparisons are a little unfair, because I see a more intelligent player, but he still has to evolve and improve, and unless you project him to do so more than Young, then he isn't your guy. Moving #10 to #1 for him is probably a little steep unless scouting is more bullish on the certainty he will improve accuracy than I am, as I would only move that far for a certainty. And if he gets to draft day as a realistic #1, the browns need a QB more than they need a DE. Definitely worth some strong consideration if he made it to #10, but also if he falls to a non QB slot in between, especially 3, 4, 5 if the DEs go top two. But again only if you project him to improve and evolve quickly from what he is now. I am cautiously bullish on him, but have seen a few too many throws slightly off target for the NFL, and know that is the hardest quality to evaluate and project, yet is vital to becoming an elite QB and NFL secondaries are less forgiving on inaccurate throws.

McDaniels is the best choice, but will get personnel control and a few years to rebuild. Working with Whaley, a short leash to win, and in the Pats division isn't going to get him. He will end up with the 49ers. Elway will get a specific type of coach that fits his mold, and not Lynn. I'm not interested in a college coach, as there have been lots of amazing college coaches having trouble adjusting to the NFL, and prefer the coordinator route. Schwartz is a choice I would love, Patricia is really appealing, but there are several others.

Broncos I get, as the defending Super Bowl Champs and 9-7 with a top notch president. Jags? 3-13, good Fantasy QB, but not a lot of talent on the roster. No history, weak fan base. Rams? 4-12, questionable QB you have no choice but to utilize, bad roster, no offense, missing draft picks 49ers? 2-14, owner who fired a coach after a single year, and purged of talent from a few years ago Chargers? 5-11, good QB, questionable ownership, uncertain future city/stadium, indifferent fan base, weak roster So if you aren't Elway's first choice, explain to me why Pegula pulling the trigger in the middle of a conversation one week early when challenged by a dead man walking with a big mouth is a big deal? Explain why management avoiding having an injury in a meaningless game causing them to pay huge bucks to a player they aren't sure about healthy is some huge deal (while other teams rest players week 17 for more admirable reasons). Explain why having a GM who focuses on adding talent to the roster and keeps his mouth shut all season long is some incredible impasse? This team is Tyrod or better at QB, the top rushing attack in the NFL, and hopes to add full seasons of healthy play by Watkins, Dareus, Ragland, and Shaq, plus drafts higher than any team that was even sniffing the playoffs and has salary cap flexibility. And has one of the crazy loyal fan bases around, a big home field advantage, and was likely one Reggie Bush end around away from making the playoffs (okay a stretch, but if we hit that field goal to beat the Fish, and then take out the Jets, all of our help ended up happening). And if you can somehow turn a 7-9 team into a lucky 9-7 team or a 10-6 team you are suddenly a multi-decade hero? Nah. I buy some of the disfunction, I wouldn't have minded if Whaley would have been fired, although it would have left a knowledge vacuum for the hiring process, and wouldn't have minded some better PR over the last couple weeks, but this is a great opportunity for a HC to step in to, and if he can't stand Whaley and needs complete control, just ask to speak to Terry privately after the interview process, because you know he has the guts to pull the trigger on that move if he feels it will be best for the team. Now we just have to ignore the talking heads, interview the strongest candidates, make a great offer, and add in a couple great coordinators as well.

I have some big doubts on Coughlin. I think the league is changing enough that a good coach of yesterday (if you want to throw Rex in that group) isn't going to be the same moving forward. If you can get one who is hands off enough to let talented coordinators do their thing on both sides of the ball, maybe leadership and discipline are enough. I also still don't get how the only HC concept and model is a full roster control one, and why there aren't HCs who would be happy to be an awesome HC and let the GM be a GM. And I'm also still not clear what the Pegulas have shown that makes them not a destination. Was it being involved with the Rex hiring? Being involved with the Rex firing (and specifically the timing when pushed on that). Not firing Whaley? Owner and GM realize the head coach is not living up to his billing and likely going to miss the playoffs. Owner and GM internally and in their weekly conversations probably get pretty sure that they are not going to keep him after the year. HC pushes the Owner in a private conversation without the GM, and Owner has authority and confidence to fire someone and release a statement. GM at subsequent press conference accurately indicates it was the ownership decision and he wasn't involved, but that doesn't mean he has to have a problem, wasn't part of the communication chain, hadn't already expressed an interest in firing him after the season if they missed the playoffs. I don't see the dumpster fire everybody else does. If Lynn doesn't want a HC opportunity, or is confident enough he will have it elsewhere to walk away, no problem. If some coaches are only interested if they are not under Whaley and have full control, interview and make that clear to ownership, and then not be offered the job if it isn't a fit. Our biggest issue is not the Ownership or GM right now. It is lack of a competent HC which we are remedying, and it is lack of an excellent QB which we will work on and have Tyrod or better when addressed.

I'm so confused at why this is a bad job. A place where if you go 9-7 or 10-6 and make the playoffs you are a hero, a place where you have enough talent to average 8 wins the last three years. Suddenly if you don't have Bellichick complete control and Whaley does had a big hand in building the roster it isn't worth doing? And the Pegulas are so impossible to work for because after throwing away a promising season with incompetent coaching and poor defense a disappointing coach was fired? I get the org chart is a little unclear but I don't see any reason why Pegula and Whaley aren't expected to give the new HC the support and freedom he needs, and don't see where that didn't happen with Rex and Marrone. I know Chip Kelly isn't coming (joking), but this seems like a great situation for a good coach to step in and succeed.

I listened to the entire press conference, and came out of it thinking more highly of Whaley than I did going in. The media clearly has a drama, disaster role to push. There isn't much attention and eyeballs to 7-9 on our way to 9-7, and now Rex is gone for the good sound bite. Whaley sometimes avoided the questions, sometimes repeated a prepared one liner, and sometimes answered cryptically, but I don't fault him for this. He gains nothing by throwing Rex under the bus and being viewed as a bad GM to work for. Saying "Yes, all year long when I talked to Terry I indicated and hinted that Rex was a disaster and would not get my vote of confidence after the season if he misses the playoffs, so go ahead and fire him whenever you want", doesn't gain anything. I am sure since they talk every week, Terry and Doug continued to be on the same page about what was going wrong during this season and if it was correctable or if Rex wasn't likely to be the right direction. Whaley gets to stay out of the middle the way it unfolded, and defer to his owner who made the call, but he doesn't have to come out and say exactly how he was involved and where he was involved in the thought process and the development that led to the decision, and specifically the timing of the decision (especially if Rex forced that issue). But I also think he did a pretty good job of not slumming with the press corps as they went a little overboard in pressing for tidbits and gotcha games that he wasn't interested in playing. So now it is on him to hire a HC, and help bring in an OC and DC who can get the job done, and figure out how to make that work with Tyrod, Romo, or plan C.

Seems like good value in the 2nd. Not interested at #10 where I don't think he will be the best player available. The only position I would even remotely consider going anything other than best player available is QB. Other than that, keep stacking this team with as much talent as possible in all rounds and only consider position when you have multiple players ranked similarly. If you draft lesser players because you think you need them and their position, you will continue to develop a lesser roster as the years pass by. Need in free agency when the draft leaves some holes.

You pick up Tyrod's option if you don't have someone better ready. Right now there isn't anybody better ready. Romo and draft pick or some other combinations is fine, but if it doesn't come together Tyrod plays. You don't make an entire season like this week on purpose and you don't tank when you are close to the playoffs. Beating Fish and Jets and we were in the playoffs...We are not far off, and while we need to get a franchise QB we don't need to try to do it with the 2018 first pick in the whole draft.

Bengals beating the Ravens, Dolphins losing. I forget if missed anything, but are we getting all the help so far we needed and 9 and 7 would have gotten us in to the playoffs?

Like when a cast-off HC from the Lions became our DC? I'm not for or against Lynn-Bradley yet, but his hc experience is a plus for me not a minus.

Pros to keeping Whaley: Seems pretty competent at his primary personnel job. Ensuring positive relationship with new HC. Also, he has more football smarts in the hiring process than those charged with it if he werent around. Cons to keeping Whaley: Eliminates any coach who would only accept if given personnel control. Unless that person is interviewed, makes that clear, and the Pegulas intervene and promote or fire Whaley to make room. Also, Whaley might not be as awesome as he thinks, passed on some possible franchise QBs, Two firsts for Watkins instead of one for Odell or Mack.

And teams still keep thinking that prototypical size and arm strength matter more than decision making and accuracy. Great to get all of the above, but start with the last two, not the first two.

I will take the best player available. Add the most talent you can to the roster over the next four to five years with each pick, not a lesser player with more perceived right now need. Don't you guys remember Troup? Hardy? Drafting to need ensures you will get less total talent on your roster year after year, and that over the run of a handful of drafts will be a worse football team as a result. Everybody thinks about what feels like a weakness this second, and the false perception that a rookie can solve that right away. Just get good players and coach em up. Franchise QB remains our place of need I would reach for, but I am not sure any of our picks or any pick in this draft necessarily has that. In which draft in recent years is the difference between 7-9 and 8-8 made a bigger difference than drafting smart and good luck? I want to crush the Jets and then draft well.

If he hasn't beaten out EJ as #2 then there is no reason he should get more than garbage time. I'm would be fine starting him if he were already #2 and taking all the #2 reps, but if he is still rough enough that he is #3, then there is no good reason to vault him other than our amusement as fans. Since there is some uncertainty about Tyrod still and his good game might have increased that, pushing him in a pass heavy attack with many mid range throws against the Jets would be the one place where we can get some additional live information to help construct our 2017 team and get to the big decision of whether to pick up his option to have him as our 2017 QB. I'm not sold on him as the QB of the future for his mid range accuracy and his decision making to read and see the open receiver, but since there isn't a better 2017 candidate at the moment (and EJ and Cardale are not), I still see the default situation being to pick up his option if a better one isn't found before then.

Kicking isn't a place where you can fail a lot and stick around. Seems like a nice dude, and I wish him success elsewhere, but he has missed too many kicks, and his job is just to make lots of kicks. Bye Dan.

Deion wasn't good at tackling either. I evaluate him based on how he covers, and consider tackling a secondary part I would love him to be good at, but not something I would make a major consideration in whether I want him back or not. I definitely want him on this team, but am not sure what price gets too high and costs us elsewhere and makes it not worth it.

Actually, I loved what he almost did right there, and wouldn't have cared if he got stopped at the 10. Offenses are so ill-prepared to defend that runback, and everything was lining up to give it a shot that was a lot higher of an advantage than the disadvantage of not getting the ball to the 25 for Tyrod to not get points out of...