07-24-2023, 01:20 PM
(07-23-2023, 10:01 AM)samhain Wrote: This team has learned twice, once at the end of both the Palmer and Dalton eras, that replacing number 2 receivers is much more difficult than it sounds. The loss of TJ hurt. If this team had someone better than Laveranues Coles in the 09 playoff game, the offense would have been far less one-dimensional. Marvin Jones was no Tee Higgins, but the wr corps still declined greatly after he and Sanu left in 16. This was at a time when Green still had a lot left and Eifert was on the roster as a 2nd option (theoretically, anyway).
We've seen the casts rotate. Coles, Antonio Bryant, end of career TO, Brandon LaFell, Denarius Moore, so on and so forth. It's receiver purgatory with a clear number one and some jobbers that never quite pan out like you think they should, or like the guys you raised up in house.
This team made some things really obvious this offseason. They spent a lot of high picks on young defenders. The first 2 picks of the last 2 drafts have been defenders. They also took no TE and waited a long time on a RB. Then, the first offensive guy they took was a WR.
This team's identity runs through the quarterback and the receivers. There's zero doubt at this point. They have done all they can to build a roster with a top dollar quarterback and at least 2 top receivers. That's just what the are and intend to be for a long time. I can't say I hate the results so far.
A lot of the "decline" in WR play you're citing had more to do with injuries and a corresponding decline in O-line performance at the same time. Neither Dalton nor Palmer are Joe Burrow and needed talent around them to be successful. Is Burrow a tier above them or not? This is what I was alluding to in an earlier post.
There are too many people here who say that he is but insist we'll fall off a cliff if he doesn't have top talent at outside of Jamar Chase. Can't have both.
