03-22-2024, 10:04 AM
(03-22-2024, 09:36 AM)Sled21 Wrote: I am very disappointed he did not stay; he was one of my favorites. That said, now that he's gone, many on the board are pretending the last couple of months about how "DJ had TWO quad injuries and would not be able to play until mid-season so we should not re-sign him" never happened.....
Yeah, agree with your take.
It's sucks right now, but nobody's going to be upset about the decision in the fall if he misses the first month. Or he's not the same player he was here when he does play. Or he suffers yet another major injury that causes him to miss even more time. He missed time in 3/4 seasons he was here.
They stuck to their guns philosophically. He's 30 and gets hurt a lot. Great player, exemplary human by most accounts, but still a major risk. If we signed a player from another team with the same risk profile, people would ***** about it.
At some point, the team has to cultivate talent. There's not always a ready made replacement in the wings. Sometimes the next guy isn't quite the player as the one he replaced was.
To me it's a wash. We lost Reader, but even if he were still a Bengal, there was no guarantee that he'd be the same guy we're used to. We have no idea when he'd even get back to the field or if he'd stay when he does.
