04-03-2021, 04:45 PM
(04-03-2021, 04:14 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: This reminds me of all those years where people blamed the playoff losses on an injury to this guy, or that guy throwing 2 picks, or this guy fumbling the ball. At some point you just have to recognize the common issue: We had one Head Coach who was 0-forever in the playoffs.
Here, we've lacked talent on the line for 5 years. We never replaced guys like Whit and Zeitler with equal talent. We kept fumbling around with backup level players like XSF and BJ Finney in free agency. We plugged in players who fell in the draft like Ogbuehi, Fisher and Bodine. We tried UDFA's like Alex Redmond.
It's time to stop taking the Dollar General approach to finding o-linemen.
They can have a good draft even if the skip Sewell. I agree you there. That said...it'll be risky to do so. We don't know who will be available in the 2nd. The guy we want to target there could be plucked before we pick. There could be run on linemen. We just don't know. Hence why I say you address (by far) our biggest need with who is also (arguably) the BPA at #5.
Also, taking linemen in rounds 2-4 is something we've been doing, and it hasn't worked out.
We need speed on the outside, but we don't need another 1000 yard guy. Higgins and Boyd can produce that, and Boyd is paid to produce that. We need a speed guy who can get around 700 yards and take the top off the defense. A lot of guys can do that, not just Chase. Using the 5th pick on Chase for that is kinda like saying you need a car to commute to work and buying a Maserati....when you have a hole in your roof that you patch with duct tape again.
We're not going to agree here, and that's fine. Hopefully if we do take Chase, they finally hit on some linemen in rounds 2-5. It's possible. Eventually we'll get a winning lottery ticket. I hope.
When it comes to protecting Burrow, there's no doubt that the line is big priority. I would argue that finding a legit option to play opposite Higgins (and provide a downfield threat / be able tp step up in case of an injury) is extremely important as well... or in the case of Pitts, someone who can line up all over. Going back and watching all the sacks that Burrow took last year, the o-line was responsible for their share, no doubt...but coverage sacks were also a big problem. There were too many times where the receivers simply couldn't shake their guy or find a spot in the coverage, leading to Burrow getting sacked.
That's why I think both OL and WR are very important. They have to address both areas with capable players that can provide Burrow with more time, a cleaner pocket, better separation and a more explosive 3rd option than simply a dump off to Gio or a 6 yard pass to Sample. If they can manage to do both, and this draft definitely provides a great shot at that...then Burrow's going to reap the benefits and have a lot more opportunities to work his magic.
I know some are dead set on o-line first, and I'm cool with that if that's the direction they choose...but they need to come away with a couple of decent weapons after that pick...like maybe a Dyami Brown and Jaelon Darden.
