08-09-2021, 02:30 AM
Don't mind me, I gotta toot my own horn here (insofar as that can be done in Week 2 of TC)...
I'm a massive draftnik and I was Team Penei from the start. Just took so much abuse and heard countless strange arguments for Chase that didn't make any sense to me then, and make even less sense to me now (e.g. he'll protect Burrow by... running go routes).
Mind you, I'm fully on board with Ja'Marr now. He's our guy and I'm behind him all the way. I just have to confess that I didn't want him then. In fact, I preferred TMJ. I thought Marshall had a skillset that was easily in the same category and more transferable to the pros (e.g. not as reliant on his hands to beat the press); his athleticism was absolutely comparable; he's bigger, runs like a deer, played the F and the X in Brady's offense; he was even on the field last year (for part of it anyway); and you wouldn't have to mortgage the Top 5 farm to get him. In the end we had a chance to land Sewell and Marshall- but we didn't. So be it.
Turns out Sewell is having a fantastic camp in Detroit. Beyond his skills, he's bringing the kind of charisma, energy and joy that I thought we sorely lacked up front with our team (and still do). He's having good days and bad days, of course, he's in an ongoing war with Okwara, but he's loving it. And he's cemented himself as the Lions' starting RT, on a line that is actually quite strong. I mean, their offense lacks weapons and they're in the midst of an extensive rebuild in Detroit. But with that kind of a foundation inside, I figure they're bound to surprise. Good for them.
More importantly, Marshall looks super in Carolina. Whatever injury plagued him pre-draft has clearly been worked out. He's already drawn favorable comps to Muhsin Muhammad, been pegged to start in the slot, and taken some WR2 reps over the past few days in place of Robby Anderson. In other words, in two weeks he's already shown the aptitude to transition seamlessly from inside to outside. It helps that he has Brady in Carolina with him, don't get me wrong, but what a force he could yet become.
Of course, we haven't played a game yet lol. That much is true. And we didn't know whether Marshall was going to be there at 38, forget about 46. That much is also true. But as of right now, it's clear that the Sewell/Marshall combo would be much preferred to our JC pennies (sorry, I had to lol). Chase looks great to me, he's obviously a major asset. The Chase/Sewell debate is done, and I lost. I can live with it. But Pollack's had to spend weeks playing games to motivate Carman... that is a much bigger issue. I'm not gonna mince words here: it is f cringeworthy. At a bare minimum it suggests that dude does not have the the right focus for this league, let alone for an R2. No coach should have to motivate their prized draft picks in camp. This is not Triple-A; this is a major league team.
I mean, we shouldn't be wasting our time bringing him up to speed because the Bengals (of all teams) were in no position to do that after last year's debacle. We were in no position to draft a 'project', neither in terms of skillset nor attitude. He was sold to the public as a diamond in the rough plug & play National Champ, despite the feelings of the draft community. And what do you know, to this point he's shown zilch. In fact, he's already been supplanted on the depth chart by the OT we drafted two rounds later. It's abominable, it's unacceptable. And the only solace I can take from this nightmare is the fact that my dudes have been lighting it up in Detroit and Charlotte, respectively lol. So that's what I'ma do.
Meanwhile, Carman needs to wake up and smell the coffee. And if he doesn't start in Week 1, somebody needs to pay the price. There needs to be accountability for that kind of error. Whoever was responsible for going off the board at 46- when it was both unnecessary and unwise for this team to do so- needs to face the consequences. I don't want to hear their voice in the war room again.
I'm a massive draftnik and I was Team Penei from the start. Just took so much abuse and heard countless strange arguments for Chase that didn't make any sense to me then, and make even less sense to me now (e.g. he'll protect Burrow by... running go routes).
Mind you, I'm fully on board with Ja'Marr now. He's our guy and I'm behind him all the way. I just have to confess that I didn't want him then. In fact, I preferred TMJ. I thought Marshall had a skillset that was easily in the same category and more transferable to the pros (e.g. not as reliant on his hands to beat the press); his athleticism was absolutely comparable; he's bigger, runs like a deer, played the F and the X in Brady's offense; he was even on the field last year (for part of it anyway); and you wouldn't have to mortgage the Top 5 farm to get him. In the end we had a chance to land Sewell and Marshall- but we didn't. So be it.
Turns out Sewell is having a fantastic camp in Detroit. Beyond his skills, he's bringing the kind of charisma, energy and joy that I thought we sorely lacked up front with our team (and still do). He's having good days and bad days, of course, he's in an ongoing war with Okwara, but he's loving it. And he's cemented himself as the Lions' starting RT, on a line that is actually quite strong. I mean, their offense lacks weapons and they're in the midst of an extensive rebuild in Detroit. But with that kind of a foundation inside, I figure they're bound to surprise. Good for them.
More importantly, Marshall looks super in Carolina. Whatever injury plagued him pre-draft has clearly been worked out. He's already drawn favorable comps to Muhsin Muhammad, been pegged to start in the slot, and taken some WR2 reps over the past few days in place of Robby Anderson. In other words, in two weeks he's already shown the aptitude to transition seamlessly from inside to outside. It helps that he has Brady in Carolina with him, don't get me wrong, but what a force he could yet become.
Of course, we haven't played a game yet lol. That much is true. And we didn't know whether Marshall was going to be there at 38, forget about 46. That much is also true. But as of right now, it's clear that the Sewell/Marshall combo would be much preferred to our JC pennies (sorry, I had to lol). Chase looks great to me, he's obviously a major asset. The Chase/Sewell debate is done, and I lost. I can live with it. But Pollack's had to spend weeks playing games to motivate Carman... that is a much bigger issue. I'm not gonna mince words here: it is f cringeworthy. At a bare minimum it suggests that dude does not have the the right focus for this league, let alone for an R2. No coach should have to motivate their prized draft picks in camp. This is not Triple-A; this is a major league team.
I mean, we shouldn't be wasting our time bringing him up to speed because the Bengals (of all teams) were in no position to do that after last year's debacle. We were in no position to draft a 'project', neither in terms of skillset nor attitude. He was sold to the public as a diamond in the rough plug & play National Champ, despite the feelings of the draft community. And what do you know, to this point he's shown zilch. In fact, he's already been supplanted on the depth chart by the OT we drafted two rounds later. It's abominable, it's unacceptable. And the only solace I can take from this nightmare is the fact that my dudes have been lighting it up in Detroit and Charlotte, respectively lol. So that's what I'ma do.
Meanwhile, Carman needs to wake up and smell the coffee. And if he doesn't start in Week 1, somebody needs to pay the price. There needs to be accountability for that kind of error. Whoever was responsible for going off the board at 46- when it was both unnecessary and unwise for this team to do so- needs to face the consequences. I don't want to hear their voice in the war room again.
