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Rodgers needs to retire & go hang out with the McAfee gang full time. Lol He plays a full season & miraculously doesn't get injured again but they go only 5-12? They were winning more games with Wilson. Lol
Cousins is another big stiff that's getting old & can't play anymore. And one look at his performance this year & it becomes abundantly clear why Atlanta drafted MPJ. Lol
Fields is a coin toss. Will he find a second life & be able to resurrect his career like Mayfield? Or will he end as another high 1st round colossal bust following the career path as a journeyman backup like Trubisky?
Minshew has exceeded expectations because as a 6th rounder, he was never drafted as starter/franchise QB. In fact, his draft scouting rating had him only at "5.60" = "Candidate For Bottom Of Roster Or Practice Squad." Give that man a hand - and if he could develop into a franchise QB for some team, then more power to him for really exceeding expectations!
Same circumstances for Dorian Thompson-Robinson:
Cousins is another big stiff that's getting old & can't play anymore. And one look at his performance this year & it becomes abundantly clear why Atlanta drafted MPJ. Lol
Fields is a coin toss. Will he find a second life & be able to resurrect his career like Mayfield? Or will he end as another high 1st round colossal bust following the career path as a journeyman backup like Trubisky?
Minshew has exceeded expectations because as a 6th rounder, he was never drafted as starter/franchise QB. In fact, his draft scouting rating had him only at "5.60" = "Candidate For Bottom Of Roster Or Practice Squad." Give that man a hand - and if he could develop into a franchise QB for some team, then more power to him for really exceeding expectations!
Same circumstances for Dorian Thompson-Robinson:
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Who on earth would sign Aaron Rodgers? Seriously? The guy is washed. There's another big problem: His ego is the size of New York, and when he went to the Jets, he got everything he wanted, plus more once he got there (Adams in an expensive trade, perhaps getting Saleh fired), and he still wasn't any good. In fact, Zach Wilson played better for the Jets, and he was denounced as a bust (even I suspected it, but have since admittedly flip flopped and want to see what Zach has on a legit team). But what team is going to put up with Rodgers ego and antics? And no team is going to give him what he wants, so does anyone see him being a modest older teammate to younger guys, accepting whatever opportunities he gets to play? The way Joe Flacco is wherever he goes?
Regarding DTR, I recall when he was drafted Chris Simms was big on him. His reasoning was when DTR got his full body motion into a pass he had a lot of velocity on the ball, plus threw pretty accurate in college. But in the NFL he's just not shown anything more than what he was scouted on. Poor decision making, can't make reads, doesn't get rid of the ball quick enough. I mean, this past season he was benched for Bailey Zappe of all people! Who didn't even start the season on the Browns roster!
Agree Kirk Cousins is done. He's like Aaron Rodgers lite at this point. But his arm started to look weak mid-season. Cousins is now an "old maid" for the Falcons. Not as bad as the Wilson/Denver contract, but almost. They are going to be paying him millions no matter what, and will have to eat huge cap hits of $40m in 2025, and $25m in 2026. Unreal. What a huge blunder signing him.
Regarding DTR, I recall when he was drafted Chris Simms was big on him. His reasoning was when DTR got his full body motion into a pass he had a lot of velocity on the ball, plus threw pretty accurate in college. But in the NFL he's just not shown anything more than what he was scouted on. Poor decision making, can't make reads, doesn't get rid of the ball quick enough. I mean, this past season he was benched for Bailey Zappe of all people! Who didn't even start the season on the Browns roster!
Agree Kirk Cousins is done. He's like Aaron Rodgers lite at this point. But his arm started to look weak mid-season. Cousins is now an "old maid" for the Falcons. Not as bad as the Wilson/Denver contract, but almost. They are going to be paying him millions no matter what, and will have to eat huge cap hits of $40m in 2025, and $25m in 2026. Unreal. What a huge blunder signing him.
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Breaking (or tying?) the record for "baby hands", Jalen Milroe's were measured at the Shrine game at a tiny 8 3/4". From what I can read they measured him twice, the first time just 8 1/2". In an attempt I'm guessing to not make it seem as bad as it was, they called the final 8 6/8".
These would be the smallest hands I can recall measured for a QB. I think Pickett was 8 3/4". I measured mine and I'm at 9 1/8", I might be able to stretch the hell out of it to get to 9 1/4" like these guys are likely doing. I don't have a football around the house, but have of course thrown one around. I can see how scouts would have concern here.
The fear is you can't get a solid enough grip on the ball to throw darts and tight spirals into small windows. The other concern is fumbles. But I seem to recall Warren Moon had huge hands, and he fumbled a hell of a lot. He also had maybe the most beautiful spiral in QB history.
These would be the smallest hands I can recall measured for a QB. I think Pickett was 8 3/4". I measured mine and I'm at 9 1/8", I might be able to stretch the hell out of it to get to 9 1/4" like these guys are likely doing. I don't have a football around the house, but have of course thrown one around. I can see how scouts would have concern here.
The fear is you can't get a solid enough grip on the ball to throw darts and tight spirals into small windows. The other concern is fumbles. But I seem to recall Warren Moon had huge hands, and he fumbled a hell of a lot. He also had maybe the most beautiful spiral in QB history.
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Waiting two weeks for the Superbowl is always the worst.
Like I said before, for some reason Milroe has become a big shot with many draft experts rating him as the 3rd best behind Sanders & Ward. In fact, I saw one mock draft that had your Raiders taking Milroe in the 2nd rd (I bet you're excited at that prospect, no?). Simply put he's a dual-threat RPO guy that's very athletic & throws fairly well (though he doesn't have the arm that Richardson or Jackson has).
Did you see Notre Dame's Riley Leonard at the Senior bowl? They say he's a smaller version of Tim Tebow. One of those guys that ran the ball 15-20 times a game with many being designed runs. His throwing mechanics aren't the best, but better than Tebow's. We'll have to see how he throws at the Combine - could be one of those middle-round guys with a good showing.
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I'm waiting 54 weeks.
NFL Participation Bowl this weekend.
Every single year scouts, coaches and especially owners get giddy about seeing college guys who are athletic. They also see quarterbacks who have never failed in the NFL. Couple this with the risk/reward and how important the position is, and the result is a lot of overhyped, over-drafted QBs.
My gut says the Raiders are not expecting to get a "franchise" QB this off-season. Despite Pete Carroll's optimism, the Raiders need help at many positions and a realistic expectation would be to simply be competitive and improve over the last couple years. A franchise QB can be perhaps gotten in 2026, especially when the team needs help at several other positions. If I were to guess, the Raiders will take the best player available at 6 (hopefully Graham falls to them, if not, McMillen would be a solid pick), and then see if there is a QB in the 2nd or 3rd round (Raiders have 2 third round picks) there they like. Then let that guy sit probably behind O'Connell, see if he develops, if he has it. I also expect the Raiders offense to be very run-heavy, which they failed to do this year, but Pete has always had a dynamic running offense.
I don't see the Raiders wasting time with Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins. None of those guys are better bridge QBs than O'Connell. I also don't see them spending all their FA money on Darnold. In fact, in FA, I think they are going to try to steal Trey Smith from KC. The Raiders can easily afford him, and the Chiefs may struggle to do so.
As much as I'd like to see the Raiders sign Zach Wilson, or trade for Hendon Hooker, or even trade for Tyson Bagent who I think could be the next Brock Purdy (Bagent threw for 5,000 more yards in college than Purdy!) on a team that runs a lot, I'm not sure they will. They may view all of them equal to O'Connell.
However, if for some reason Sanders or Ward fall to them at 6, I'm sure they will take either of them. I just think both guys will be gone by the Giants, at #3, and I don't see the Raiders trading the farm for either of them. If Mark Davis said no last year to trading the farm to get Daniels, he won't do it for these guys, no matter what Tom Brady might say.
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Patricia might have been a terrible head coach but this was a really good interview with Edelman.
View: https://youtu.be/eC6ZIrs_X7I?si=2m2M_yftTVFKRFvd
Well, there is the Super Bowl of cross for this weekend
I agree there's always a lot of overhyped, over-drafted QBs - but that's been going on for decades (nothing new there). But there's also a lot of high-drafted guys that were hyped & did deliver the goods. And I think we agree that it's a "win now" league for franchise QBs drafted - no time for 2 or 3 seasons of development learning under a veteran then becoming the starter. Most of these high drafted 1st rounders are given the car keys day 1 or they end up starting sometime during their rookie season. Either way they're expected to start winning or owners start throwing temper tantrums. Lol
O'Connell might be better than Fields but no way is he better than Rodgers, Wilson or even Cousins in their prime. C'mon now, these guys are getting old & way past their prime not performing anywhere near their prime years (all three should retire & call it a career). You're going to try to convince me that O'Connell is better than Rodgers when he was winning division titles, a SB & league MVP?
Keep in mind O'Connell was not drafted as a starting/ franchise QB. He was drafted as a backup & got thrown into the starting lineup his rookie year for the injured Jimmy G. If you don't believe me read his scouting report which rated him a "5.68" = "Average Backup Or Special Teamer."
O'Connell went 5-5 in the 10 games that he did start his rookie year but then regressed big time in the next season going 2-5 in the 7 games he started. Then the poor dude hurt his thumb & went on IR. And remember that one game he was chased out of the pocket & tripped or something goofy like that bruising his knee & had to be carted off the field...what's up with that? Lol.
Bagent is not better than Purdy. He threw for 5000 more yards at "Sheppard College" - a D-2 program. Purdy played at Iowa St in FBS Power-5 --- a colossal difference in college programs. Purdy threw for 12,000 yds 81 TDs & was 2 x First-Team All-Big 12. Bagent was undrafted & was rated by the scouting report as a "5.96" = "Candidate For Bottom Of Roster Or Practice Squad "
Now since Bagent has earned the backup job at Chicago, he's definitely exceeded expectations showing some talent as a capable backup (give that man a hand for an undrafted D-2 guy making it in the NFL as a backup - very impressive!). However, I don't think he's on anybody's radar as a starter/franchise guy.
Let's face it - Carroll is going to need a top notched QB to turn the Raiders around. That rag tag bunch he has on the current roster isn't the answer. Lol. Look at the amazing turn around at Wash & Denver. How? Answer: QB! Daniels & Nix made Quinn & Payton look real good. You can even argue that the turn around with the Chargers wasn't that much to do with Harbaugh but Herbert playing a full 17 game season uninjured throwing up some good numbers & winning games.
There's some reports that Carroll has his sights set on Sanders & will try to pull off a deal to get him. Carroll isn't stupid - he knows he needs a franchise QB to pull off a turnaround. Sanders could be the guy to turn that team around. Imagine him throwing to Bowers...
Raiders predicted to draft 6'2, 151-touchdown quarterback after huge trade up | Sporting News
The Las Vegas Raiders desperately need to find their next franchise quarterback after striking out with multiple veteran free-agent signings in recent years. One NFL analyst has the team doing just that in the 2025 NFL Draft after making a massive trade up to No. 1 overall.
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Agree completely. But let's not forget Tebow had a tremendous amount of both hype, and legitimate criticism/concern about him when he got to the NFL. Coaches just never could drill Tim's bad habits out of him.
Unlike Tim, I think Riley will get drafted in the middle rounds.
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I was specifically talking about the upcoming 2025 season. That's what we were talking about, no? What Pete Carroll would do? Unless Pete really does have a fountain of youth he'll allow these guys to gulp from.
Bagent is at the bottom of my "roll the dice" and get someone cheap list. But he has impressed me. Maybe his ceiling really is just Jake Browning level though.
You probably saw my earlier post about all of the asinine predictions for the Raiders in the last month that turned out to be mostly wrong, or just outright ridiculous? Well, there's about 20 more links I can share about every "experts" prediction what the Raiders will do in FA and the draft, especially at QB. I've heard it all at this point. Trading the farm to get Shedeur. Trading up for Ward. Taking Milroe at 6. Taking Dart at 6. Taking Howard at 6. How they are certain in the 2nd round Dart will be there, more. There's also "expert" predictions of them blowing the cap to sign Darnold to a multi-year deal, to "get their guy". Then reports on them signing Wilson, Rodgers, Cousins, Fields, Winston, Flacco. I've even heard them grabbing Tre Lance or Kyle Trask. That Pete will make them the guy. I've heard just about everything at this point, and any idiot can post their expert opinion what any team will do.
Wait until the "expert" mock drafts really start going.
The problem with trading the farm to get Sanders is the Raiders badly need help in the OL, their run and pass blocking was one of the worst in the league. They have one true WR in Myers. They have no #1 running back, just a platoon of backups who did little last year. Then there are all the holes on defense. So passing up the opportunity this year in a weak QB draft on getting someone like Graham, McMillen, or Carter (if he falls to 6), plus more future high draft picks - which is a real key to me, just because Sanders would have Bowers to throw to, is an enormous risk to me. A huge gamble on a guy who wouldn't have been one of the first 6 QBs drafted last year.
Rather damning article on why you should almost never move up to draft a QB. They show numbers we have talked about in the past, how it's a roll of the dice. And since we live in an age of impatience, rookies are expected to win almost immediately. Making it even more of crap shoot.
Here's the key: If you're rolling dice regardless, why pay extra to roll? Precedents indicate that doing so is no more likely to pay off, and if everyone loses, you're out more than everyone else at the craps table.
Why do teams keep making this mistake? For starters, it reeks of hubris. They're convinced they see something others don't in a particular quarterback, or they become so obsessed with a passing prospect that they develop tunnel vision.
But there's plenty of evidence that the best way to build a winner through the draft crapshoot is to acquire as many dice as possible. With all due respect to scouting departments and team executives, it's a numbers game more so than an evaluation game.
Sure, that's what we're talking about. But I don't know if O'Connell is actually better or no worse than the current version of Rodgers & Cousins. He's definitely not better than Wilson who lead the Steelers to the playoffs. On Fields, we just don't yet. Fields could get a second life & resurrect his career with another team like Mayfield or he could end up as a journeyman backup & become another "overhyped, over-drafted" 1st rounder.
I don't think you see the elephant in the room with O'Connell - that terrible 2nd season where he regressed significantly going 2-5 in 7 starts, going on IR with the thumb injury then missing another game when he tripped & fell bruising his knee. Lol. With that kind of a year - where do you see any potential with him as the answer to the Raider's QB woes?
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Wilson didn't lead the Steelers to the playoffs. This is not a Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow type of QB. He was a decade ago, but isn't anymore. He was about 20-25th in the league in most every category. The Steelers were also a significantly better team across the board than the Raiders. Sans Crosby and Bowers, the Steelers were probably superior at every other position. They were also significantly better coached. HC, and the entire coaching staff. Massive difference here.
I'm quite sure I've watched more of O'Connell more than you have. He has looked pretty good in stretches, thrown several good passes, shown leadership, poise, and good decision making. He was frequently thrown into games with little prep as QB1. He's had two HC's, and three OC's and 3 QBC's in just two seasons, and he's made the best of it. Nearly all of those coaches were incompetent, and fired because of it. Had the referees not changed the call in the KC game, he would have beat them. His QBR and passer rating were slightly lower than Wilson, but again on a significantly worse team.
This is really all about perspective. If the Raiders are hoping to build for a future, then Wilson won't be part of that future. Will O'Connell? Maybe. But if the Raiders think they have a real shot at a deep playoff run in 2025, if only they had a better QB now, then maybe they should go with Wilson, roll the dice. Or if Pete Carroll fears that if the team doesn't make the playoffs in his first season they'll fire him (Raiders have a long, pathetic history of doing this, more coaches than any other team in the last 20 years), then maybe he just signs Wilson, or Rodgers, or Cousins. Plus he could blame them when (not if, when is the truth) they don't make the playoffs next year.
O'Connell may not be the solution. There is no short term "solution" to get them quickly to the playoffs. Period. And Wilson, Rodgers and Cousins are short-term only. Maybe 1 year. Maybe less. So those guys are definitely not the mid or long-term solution, at all. Is O'Connell? Unknown, but he is more than those guys looking at 2026 or really 2027 for example, when the Raiders could be competitive if they make some smart decisions between now and then.
I'm quite sure I've watched more of O'Connell more than you have. He has looked pretty good in stretches, thrown several good passes, shown leadership, poise, and good decision making. He was frequently thrown into games with little prep as QB1. He's had two HC's, and three OC's and 3 QBC's in just two seasons, and he's made the best of it. Nearly all of those coaches were incompetent, and fired because of it. Had the referees not changed the call in the KC game, he would have beat them. His QBR and passer rating were slightly lower than Wilson, but again on a significantly worse team.
This is really all about perspective. If the Raiders are hoping to build for a future, then Wilson won't be part of that future. Will O'Connell? Maybe. But if the Raiders think they have a real shot at a deep playoff run in 2025, if only they had a better QB now, then maybe they should go with Wilson, roll the dice. Or if Pete Carroll fears that if the team doesn't make the playoffs in his first season they'll fire him (Raiders have a long, pathetic history of doing this, more coaches than any other team in the last 20 years), then maybe he just signs Wilson, or Rodgers, or Cousins. Plus he could blame them when (not if, when is the truth) they don't make the playoffs next year.
O'Connell may not be the solution. There is no short term "solution" to get them quickly to the playoffs. Period. And Wilson, Rodgers and Cousins are short-term only. Maybe 1 year. Maybe less. So those guys are definitely not the mid or long-term solution, at all. Is O'Connell? Unknown, but he is more than those guys looking at 2026 or really 2027 for example, when the Raiders could be competitive if they make some smart decisions between now and then.
This is getting ridiculous - how many times do I have to explain that he was NOT drafted as a starter/franchise QB. He doesn't have the talent to be a starter/franchise QB. He's also injury-prone.
"5.96" = "Average Backup Or Special-Teamer"
Do you know more than the scouting experts? If you do, then why don't you go be one of them?
"5.96" = "Average Backup Or Special-Teamer"
Do you know more than the scouting experts? If you do, then why don't you go be one of them?
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Aaron Rodgers could fit in any locker room and bench if the price was right, yes old, yes in playing condition, yes to off the bench experience that is second to none in the NFL if Rodgers were a backup.
He appears not to be playing for the money.
Don't know if his brand is so badly tarnished that he couldn't be an asset to commentary team. Throughout his career, and repeated during a recent mini series I watched about AR, his ability to study and understand football are admired at the highest levels of the NFL. So he may have done some whack things, but everyone who has worked and played with him are rich and plentiful with compliments about his knowledge of the game.
Does it have a place on a team or TV network? I don't know. He certainly has hero status to millions.
He appears not to be playing for the money.
Don't know if his brand is so badly tarnished that he couldn't be an asset to commentary team. Throughout his career, and repeated during a recent mini series I watched about AR, his ability to study and understand football are admired at the highest levels of the NFL. So he may have done some whack things, but everyone who has worked and played with him are rich and plentiful with compliments about his knowledge of the game.
Does it have a place on a team or TV network? I don't know. He certainly has hero status to millions.
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Rodgers will only fit in if everything is going well. The minute anything goes wrong that’s when he becomes unbearable. There’s no way Rodgers is going to backup anyone.
On the commentary I think he could do well from a knowledge standpoint but he also doesn’t seem to have the personality for it.
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So the Raiders should go with Russell Wilson to build around and lead them into the future?
At least you do agree with me the Raiders should pursue Zach Wilson (who we both just about wrote off for dead a year ago)?
I don't see him fitting into any team, unless something happened like Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in camp next year, and the Chiefs bring him in for 2025 season only. Strong HC, team of established vets, established coaching staff, winning franchise.
No struggling team, no team trying to plan for the future, no young coach or GM is going to touch him at this point. He honestly just needs to retire.
Aaron's best future is as a weekly guest on Pat McAfee.
Repeatedly considered for a HC a couple years back, this is the only job in the NFL he can get?
The last thing I heard was for the Commanders he was very strict, and some felt prone to argue. But he was a superb OC in KC. While he wasn't calling plays, he helped build their offense, and Mahomes career, and their offense was explosive under him, and rather stale since (though enough to repeatedly win, yes). So I don't get it. I wish I knew more about why his career in the NFL hasn't grown more than it has.
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Sometimes people just aren’t cut out to be the head leader. It’s a lot of work, and requires sacrifices. It’s also hard coming in as a new head coach and being hard but not having the respect of the locker room because then no one will listen to you. Just because someone is successful at middle leadership doesn’t mean they can perform upper duties successfully. Even someone as established as Belichick was struggling until everything lined up. I’m sure if EB had Mahomes or a similar caliber player in Washington it would have went good for him.
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Yeah it's strange with Bieniemy. His last two jobs were short term and unsuccessful even in college. With his college job though, that was a team in transition, didn't have the greatest squad to work with. And the Washington job, they still had the old regime before the new owners took over and upgraded at the top.
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Some people also queried how much of it was Reid and how much Bieniemy ?
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I mean they were just silly considering it was known Reid calls up and thinks of the plays and Bieniemy was the hard coach while Reid the nicer one. Especially with his previous history, it wasn’t like Reid was a nobody offensively minded.
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