Next season bring in new WR coach (and OC hopefully)

[THE PISTONS]

(12-16-2019, 10:41 AM)Au165 Wrote: I actually think we can look to Taylor's comments post game and know their internal thoughts. He made a comment earlier in the season about the Linebacker play and they cut Preston Brown the next week and changed up what they were doing there. Reports then came out the whole room is getting cleared out this off season. I think this comment about the WR's should actually be watched as I think it will signal some moves at WR this off season. 

It's blatantly obvious that we need moves at WR. Outside of Boyd and Tate...the rest can't be relied on.

Honestly, I'm not sure Taylor even likes Boyd.

[THE PISTONS]

(12-16-2019, 11:45 AM)Au165 Wrote: Obviously better play out of TE would help, but I think you have to have some size on the outside to be consistently effective. If we are going to take a Joe Burrow, as all signs point to, I am going to give him bigger targets who can help him out if he struggles at times with accuracy during his transition. I look at Buffalo and I honestly feel like if they had gotten Allen a bigger elite WR threat they could be real contenders in the AFC this year versus settling for smaller guys that get open but struggle to help his accuracy issues. 

It's quite hard to add elite WR's in free agency. Through the draft you can usually get decent WR's, but it's still not easy. But, yes - that offense absolutely needs that.

[Au165]

(12-16-2019, 11:54 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: It's blatantly obvious that we need moves at WR. Outside of Boyd and Tate...the rest can't be relied on.

Honestly, I'm not sure Taylor even likes Boyd.

Boyd has his moments but other times he seems uninterested. I think people in general want to believe their best players are leaders but I know through my experiences that this is not often the case. I think Boyd needs someone to push him and with Andy kind of on the outs and AJ not playing he lacks urgency and focus at times. No matter what Taylor thinks at this point, I don't know either way, they are a marriage that won't be ending anytime soon so they need to figure it out. 

Boyd would really benefit again from getting a vertical downfield threat lined up next to him when he is in the slot. Right now he is getting teams best Corner or safety help and if he could get isolated on #2 and #3 corners he'd be having a ton more success. I think Tate could actually be that guy, not based on speed but being the 50/50 vertical type guy, but if not they need to find one because Ross is not reliable enough to build the offense around. Honestly, I'd look to a guy like Robby Anderson in FA to be a perfect filler for that role, maybe even a Breshad Perriman if you are looking for something a little cheaper.

[THE PISTONS]

(12-16-2019, 12:00 PM)Au165 Wrote: Boyd has his moments but other times he seems uninterested. I think people in general want to believe their best players are leaders but I know through my experiences that this is not often the case. I think Boyd needs someone to push him and with Andy kind of on the outs and AJ not playing he lacks urgency and focus at times. No matter what Taylor thinks at this point, I don't know either way, they are a marriage that won't be ending anytime soon so they need to figure it out. 

Boyd would really benefit again from getting a vertical downfield threat lined up next to him when he is in the slot. Right now he is getting teams best Corner or safety help and if he could get isolated on #2 and #3 corners he'd be having a ton more success. I think Tate could actually be that guy, not based on speed but being the 50/50 vertical type guy, but if not they need to find one because Ross is not reliable enough to build the offense around. 

100% agree. I do think Burrow could be a leader here. We've needed a leader for a long time.

*Dalton was a decent leader, but he is more of a lead by example type of guy.

[Au165]

(12-16-2019, 11:57 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: It's quite hard to add elite WR's in free agency. Through the draft you can usually get decent WR's, but it's still not easy. But, yes - that offense absolutely needs that.

They could have gotten Allen a WR in the draft, or even a guy like Williams who ended up in Oakland would have got the job done. They had the cap but settled on C level options and it's hurting them.

[Nicomo Cosca]

(12-16-2019, 09:54 AM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: We were talking about offense, but the entire defense needs an exorcism.  It HAS been ignored since Mike Zimmer left.

No it hasn’t. I’ve already proven it hasn’t.

Dennard
WJ3
Bates
Hubbard
Lawson
Billings
Glasgow
Vigil
Phillips
Brown
Pratt
Wren
Fej


And those are just the guys that are still on the team.

[THE PISTONS]

(12-16-2019, 12:04 PM)Au165 Wrote: They could have gotten Allen a WR in the draft, or even a guy like Williams who ended up in Oakland would have got the job done. They had the cap but settled on C level options and it's hurting them.

Yeah, I don't get it. They signed some 22 new free agents though and have 10 wins now.

Hard to criticize them too much.

[Au165]

(12-16-2019, 12:19 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Yeah, I don't get it. They signed some 22 new free agents though and have 10 wins now.

Hard to criticize them too much.

Not always that easy. They have the 2nd worst strength of schedule in the NFL, now does that make them not good? Of course not. With a harder strength of schedule do they lose a couple more games? Probably. They were also a 9-7 team just two years ago, so a slight regression back with Allen as a rookie last year with a return to pre rookie Allen plus some to 10-6 wan't crazy. All that said sure they made efforts in FA but I don't directly attribute a ton of their success there outside of saying any improvement over their WR's last year was going to be better than what they had.

It's not "hard to criticize them" though as you say and here is why, the NFL is a league that changes in an instance. For example, next year their path with get exponentially harder on paper as they will play the NFC and AFC West. Add in the fact they will also get the Steelers, with Ben back, and the Titans and that is a MUCH harder schedule. It's important to make runs when the stars align, so that is why I point out that they should have made a bigger push to help Allen now, or even mortgage the future at the deadline, because next year they could easily be back under .500. This is kind of the whole issue of fans here a couple years ago when we had a shot and needed to sell out to make a run, your window can close fast so it's important to make a push when the timing is right.