Housh gets it

[Whatever]

(02-21-2021, 02:58 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote: Trent Williams - Sat out a year due to cancer. Did look good this season but wanted out of Washington due to losing and bad culture. So, scratch Cincinnati off the list.

Russell Okung - Was good... now. Injury prone.  Played just 13 games in the last two years.
 
Alejandro Villeneuva - Going to be 33, but should be a good fill in for a few seasons.

Ricky Wagner - Was a back-up in Green Bay not the starter. So... XSF type of signing?

Daryl Williams - This would be a legit Tackle upgrade. Also most likely to re-sign with Buffalo.

Taylor Moton - Being Tagged

So on the list, you have 1 real legit plug and play tackle that is most likely going to stay with Buffalo and if he hits the market has to choose Cincy over the other say 15 teams that would make an offer.

You act like suddenly Cincinnati is a hot destination to be for FA. 

Mike Brown and Zac Taylor are hated on this board and we all think they are in over their heads. So, short of out-bidding teams what is the draw for a top tier FA to come here??? 


And don't forget the Super Bowl when you talk about weapons matter....

Tyreek Hill is explosive. (More so then any player in the draft or on this team)
Kelce is a match-up nightmare 
And Mahomes is amazing.
Yet....

Their line was banged up and it showed that all the "open skill guys" meant exactly dick. A DB can cover tight for 4 or 5 seconds when they know their D-line can bull rush and be at the QB. 

You don't build a team backwards. Winning teams build quality O-lines and then draft new skill guys and let old ones walk. 
Look at Pitt... they churn through #1 WRs like it is nothing and still compete... why? O-line and D-line.
Green Bay... great QB, 1 real WR target... and bad ass O-line.
Cleveland lost OBJ, but the line was super stout... playoffs.
Baltimore... again.. bad ass O-line, and  a great running game. They have 1 WR that you can name.

Do you see a trend?

Want to win or want to be the 90 Bengals or the late year Al Davis Raiders, you know wasting pick after pick on skill guys when the team is broken.

Did you see the Lions... all the years of wasting 1st rounders on WR's, some great, some bust, but what did it win them? Nothing.

The O-line and D-line are all the matter once you have your QB.

If we take Pitts or Chase at 5 and haven't made major upgrades to the line, we will pick top 10 in 2022 again. 

So, your argument basically boils down to FA's don't want to come here so we can't sign a good FA T, but we can sign a good FA WR.  Of course, we signed some good FA's last off-season because the money was right and most of the league is screwed for cap space next year and there will be more guys cut in the coming months for cap space.  And seriously, you think any FA out there cares what anybody on this board thinks about Mike Brown or Zac Taylor?

What am I supposed to be taking away from the SB this year?  A team that had an OL riddled with injuries that was pretty mediocre to begin went 14-2, claimed the #1 seed in the AFC, won two playoff games and the AFC championship, but lost in the SB to a stacked team with the GOAT QB, 3 former All Pro WR's, a former All Pro TE, and a great pass rush.  If we're looking at SB rosters, you realize Tyler Boyd is a #3 at best for either team, right?  But we don't need WR help.  Care to hazard a guess as to how many former All Pro OL played in the SB this year?  Do you see how ridiculous that argument is?  A team stacked at the skill positions that was forced to start 3 backup OL lost the Super Bowl...the damn Super Bowl.

The Browns have a great OL, sure.  They also have a lot of good skill players.  Chubb is a monster.  Hunt is a beast.  They have 2 good TE's in Hooper and Njoku.  They have Landry and OBJ at WR.  They overcame not only because of their OL, but because they have plenty of other good weapons.

The Steelers can cycle through WR's because the Steelers literally draft a WR in the first three rounds almost every year, so they don't wind up in a situation where they have to FT a 30 something WR who hasn't played in a year and a half out of desperation.

Here's the % of throws to targets with a defender within 1 yard of them for the primary QB's for this year's playoff teams.


Trubisky 21.2%
Tannehill 18.7%
Haskins 17.4%
Roethlisberger 17.3%
Rivers 15.8%
Brady 14.8%
Jackson 14.4%
Mayfield 13.8%
Allen 13.1%
Goff 12.7%
Brees 12.3%
Mahomes 11.4%
Rodgers 11.2%
Wilson 11.1%

Burrow 21.5%

Only one team with a QB over 20% made the playoffs.  The highest % to actually win a playoff game was Brady at 14.8%.  You cannot win in this league trying to force throws to covered receivers over and over again.  


Again, nobody is saying we don't need to improve the OL.  However, this do next to nothing to address our skill positions philosophy is folly.