It's officially over

[*bengalfan74*]

(10-01-2019, 09:53 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: No doubt, rookies are typically going to have a rough go of it when you throw them in against a defense that's more talented than they've ever seen in college. That's not to say it can't be done successfully. We've seen a few examples this season alone. 

The bottom line is, you know what Dalton can and can't do behind center. Mostly, he can't, and especially can't behind this line because he has minimal mobility and no pocket presence. He's not a guy that's--either been taught or just has the inate ability--to move in the pocket or simply start climbing the pocket once he reaches the top of his drop. He has done it but it's rare. Some QBs just automatically have that clock in their head where they start to move at a certain point. 

I don't know how Finley would do with this team for a full game against #1s across the board but i do know that Dalton mostly shits the bed these days. One thing that is certain is, when pressed during pre season games, Finley showed a clear ability to feel pressure and move around in the pocket, giving himself time to complete passes. 

This offense is as stagnant as it could possibly be and along with the QB, the play calling is to blame as well. ZT said they "needed to try and get some rhythm together, going forward" and it just wasn't working. It felt like it was well past time to get Dalton out of there simply because he was doing next to nothing, most of the time. 

Finley may not be the answer. No QB currently on the team may be the answer. But you will never know if he could be better unelss you put him in the damn game. He's not some bug-eyed 21 year old rookie that's only had a season or two of game experience in college. He was a 3 year, full time starter after transferring, in a power 5 conference and he's a 24 (25 in December) year old man that has plenty of experience playing QB on a football team. 

And that ability, whether against the 1st string or the 3rd string is the same. The ability to feel the rush, move up and/or side step to avoid it, stay focused downfield, and get reset and complete a pass IS NOT DETERMINED BY THE SKILL LEVEL OF THE RUSHER

Is it completely different facing the 1st string vs. guys that won't even make the team in preseason ? Absolutely

But the QB's ability to not shit his pants under the first sign of pressure is not determined by the skill level of the defense. Am I saying Finley is a sure fire pro bowler ? No 

Do I believe we're going to go on an 11-1 run with him in there ? No

We're 0-4, our chances of making the playoffs with this team are like -1%. We need a long look at Finley and I hope that starts sooner rather than later.