I respect the overall viewpoint but the reasoning doesn’t make sense to me. If you’re running that much wild cat or reliant on it as anything more than a short yardage package, your offense probably sucks and the player isn’t helping. Warren has been very good though and is very aggressive at initiating contact in the open field. He brings an attitude to the Colts and has very much proven me wrong.
The offense should be better even now, even with Tyrod. It feels like AD is open on every play. Yes, he dropped a few balls to be sure in game 1, but the guy is open all the time. Tyrod needs to get him the ball. We also have Metchie who looks like a solid starting slot. Mason Taylor catches every ball thrown his way and is a very good blocker now. Breece has been team MVP. Smith led the NFL in separation. I think we will see a much better performance vs Atlanta offensively. Hopefully Tyrod will gel more with the new guys and Tanner calls a couple of screen passes to Breece and maybe will even keep him in on a key 4th down. Tanner to me had some good moments, but also head scratchers as well. He was also limited by the QB play, but it is not all on them. Maybe a B/B- so far with a lot more to evaluate now that Tyrod is a full time starter? Hopefully, like other rookies he will get better. But for next year, depending on how AD does, with GW back we might already pretty much have the framework for the rookie QB to come and succeed. But we desperately need that QB upgrade more than anything else. Then a really good starting C and WR2 would make this offense very high potential.
No, we're not close, because it all boils down to the QB, and this franchise is utterly incapable of getting that one part of the equation right. We were fed the same thing a couple of years ago. The offense (and team) were ready to make the leap to Super Bowl contender if it weren't for the QB. Enter a future first ballot Hall of Famer. He got hurt, and that same offense that everyone was touting as a potential Super Bowl contender with him became aggressively allergic to the endzone. Until we get at the bare minimum average QB play, we're going to have a bottom five offense.
I am generally in agreement with your sentiment. However, for the first time I can remember, I feel like this team has created the circumstances where a young QB can come in and grow. The Jets brought Darnold and Wilson onto teams that had near-zero talent around them. They brought Sanchez (and Geno) onto rosters that were bloated with huge veteran contracts and had zero depth, so the teams were destined to get worse as the QB got better (and throughout the season as injuries piled up). Pennington was the last time we had a young QB coming into a real, talented, balanced, sustainable situation. I do find it interesting that a lot of folks are very much down on the team's moves recently. I moved to the "Casual Fan" category the day Adam Gase was hired, and I stayed there until the day Williams and Gardner were traded. This season is the first time I've seen anything hopeful from this organization in a long long time. Glenn still has a lot to learn, but I see these players fighting an playing hard, despite the record. I very clearly saw the opposite under Gase, Saleh, and Ulbrich. I see a young, talented Offensive Line. I see young guys competing hard for a role instead of guys sitting on the bench watching vets collect a paycheck to jog around. I see decent offensive playcalls for the first time in decades. I see young, fast players playing their hearts out. The defense isn't going to be what we have had in the past, but I am pretty sure we can loose without a top 5 D just like we lost for years with at top 5 D. Besides, for the next couple of years, I'd just as soon the opposing team score quickly so our new young QB can spend as much time on the field as possible. This roster is finally built to be a place where a young QB can come in and have a chance. Things are pretty sucky at the moment, but I haven't felt this good about the direction of the team since Parcells took over.
I was just saying that in terms of rebutting the idea that Warren would also not be thriving as much here. I was saying that I believe he would have been used in the Wildcat here and had alot of success. Engstrand is using Taylor in a traditional TE role, Warren would have had more plays designed for him. Overall as a receiver I think Warren is already much better than Taylor, but he adds the element of being able to rush with the ball so he is still a weapon even when the QB sucks whereas Taylor requires a good QB to be a useful weapon.
Difference here is the general concensus on all the QB prospects is they need to sit. We’re in a perfect scenario where we can sign a guy like Mac Jones and let the kid sit. This is just my personal feeling on prospects, and there’s no guarantee he’ll declare but man if you grab LaNorris Sellers and spend a season really developing him behind the scenes while Mac Jones plays at that “well enough” line. If Mac plays really well and we make the playoffs, he can start the next season too and keep developing the kid, Sellers is intelligent and can pick this up I really believe that. Coupled with his athleticism he reminds me of McNair. Just my own personal opinion.
I do feel good about our OL…it’s at least average, which is better than its been in years, and agree we can upgrade at C and have an above average OL. I like our RB room assuming we can keep Hall, and I like Mason Taylor at TE. I like what I’ve seen of Metchie so far and if he can fill the WR3/slot role that’s a great pickup. I still think the jury’s out on Mitchell and more so on Smith, but both are fast guys with potential. I still think though that we need a real WR2 opposite GW If we can find a WR2 and an upgrade on OL then yes I think this would be a pretty good situation for a young QB to step into. however, until we actually prove that we can identify and develop the right QB, I’ll keep doubting it and staying in Show Me mode. This team has not earned any benefit of the doubt from me.
Need to get the massive QB decision right, this is what it is going to all boil down to. Be that via the draft or picking up a vet or a current star via trade ie Burrows or a serviceable one like Jones. Hell, what would Flacco have looked like this season for us?
Engstrand is very much learning on the job. Some good moments and some poor moments IMO but mostly incomplete cause freakin Fields was so bad
But crucially, they must know what he can and can't do by now, why hasn't he gone home and worked out a scheme that their #1 QB can implement on the field? They are literally doing the opposite of what Fields can actually excel at most of the time.
