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I suspect these remarks will be controversial... so put on your special helmets and climb into my bus-- it starts and stops at random, and has been known to plunge from high places.
There is no greater need in a modern Defense than to kick a QB's ass. If you can put the fear of God into the other team's QB; you've won that game...
Last year, we had 2 massive injuries to our two best Edges. When Chubb went down, I turned to my wife and said, "the season is over." ...and it was.
Chubb's caddy was gone, then Chubb, and all that was left was AVG... who promptly disappeared entirely. (My brothers, Andrew was fun to watch, but he greatly benefited by playing with 2 better players).
"So," you say, "Why are you telling us this? We came to hear about this year's camp battles?"
Because Chop Robinson WAS the target. Mr Grier and Mr. McDaniel did not lie. If Chop had played one more year of college ball, he would have been a top 5 pick. Both of our Edges are coming back from career threatening injuries, (and we just stole Chop Robinson). If both players return to form, we've got one of the best rotations in the NFL. If not... well, it'll be fun to watch Chop's growth.
Let's go down the list
1) Bradley Chubb: 13 sacks, a league-leading 6 forced fumbles, and a PFF score of 88.8. ...and as a bonus, his new money is only 20m/year. If he returns to form, he's underpaid in this market.
2) Jaelen Phillips: 7 sacks and a 79.8 PFF score. His injury is a major worry however. When your Achilles blows up in a non-contact situation. It usually means two things. 1, it is a career threatening injury and 2, that your particular body is probably wound too tight.
Phillips is an amazing athlete, but now he has to be viewed as an even bigger injury risk than he was before... and sadly, if he works himself back into peak shape, he'll ask for 30m/year. Yes, Jaelen might be great some day, but he isn't now, and paying him on projection... Grier doesn't usually do that.
So... hope for the best, but don't get attached.
3) Shaquill Barrett: He'll be 32 this year and has slipped a bit since he was putting up double digit sack totals. Still, he's a solid player here on a one year contract. As a bridge player, we really couldn't have done better (6.75m). He'll start for a few weeks, then hopefully become a rotational pass rusher.
4) Chop: Chop just dominated some of the games he played in. No, he didnt put up huge sack numbers, but he disrupted play after play, usually while being doubled. He is a special talent at 21 years old. Again, we stole this guy, stole him.
If Chop has a hole in his game, it'll be setting the Edge on a running play. For now, he should be a rotational pass rusher, but due to the injuries, he'll probably start... and yes, I expect other teams to run right at him for awhile.
5) Mo Kamara: The polar opposite of Chop statistically. He's not a plus athlete, but he did put up a lot of sacks in college. Sadly, he's a little small, overaged, and played much weaker competition than Chop did... and that's why he slid in the draft. Don't get caught up in his college sack totals, he is three and a half years older than Robinson, and if Chubb and Phillips surprise and are actually ready for the season, Mo may not make the team.
Last year, we cut to three Edges on cut-down day, releasing Goode and describing Ogbah as a lineman... so, this year we'll carry... maybe 4?
Goode is also rehabbing an injury, and in reality, Goode is not. He's a better bet for the PUP list than he is for the 53.
Zeke Vandenburgh is still around and I hear you saying, "who?". Well, he was an UDFA last year and when he was injured, we didn't release him with an injury settlement like we normally do when an undrafted guy is injured. He must have impressed someone... I don't know who or when, but the team kept him via Injured Reserve. I think he's a playable longshot based upon that.
Quinton Bell is 28 and has only a couple of games played in his career. He'll be cut early.
Grayson Murphy is a 5 year college player who lacks the size, athleticism, and arm length of a NFL player. He was pretty good in college, but he's probably maxed out now. He's fighting for a PS gig.
So it comes down to this; are either of our top two anywhere near ready to play? I have no idea, dear brothers... and no one else does either... so my pessimistic prognosis for week 1 is this. Both players on the PUP list and we won't see them til week #5.
We only keep Barrett, Robinson, and Kamara on day one and then we make further moves from the PS as the year goes forward. Because of this, we may carry an extra ILB or DT... perhaps Tindall as a designated pass rusher job... maybe we hit the waiver wire? Either way, if Phillips and Chubb are not ready, we don't have enough here.
So... fire away. I know that a few brothers are going to hate this one.
There is no greater need in a modern Defense than to kick a QB's ass. If you can put the fear of God into the other team's QB; you've won that game...
Last year, we had 2 massive injuries to our two best Edges. When Chubb went down, I turned to my wife and said, "the season is over." ...and it was.
Chubb's caddy was gone, then Chubb, and all that was left was AVG... who promptly disappeared entirely. (My brothers, Andrew was fun to watch, but he greatly benefited by playing with 2 better players).
"So," you say, "Why are you telling us this? We came to hear about this year's camp battles?"
Because Chop Robinson WAS the target. Mr Grier and Mr. McDaniel did not lie. If Chop had played one more year of college ball, he would have been a top 5 pick. Both of our Edges are coming back from career threatening injuries, (and we just stole Chop Robinson). If both players return to form, we've got one of the best rotations in the NFL. If not... well, it'll be fun to watch Chop's growth.
Let's go down the list
1) Bradley Chubb: 13 sacks, a league-leading 6 forced fumbles, and a PFF score of 88.8. ...and as a bonus, his new money is only 20m/year. If he returns to form, he's underpaid in this market.
2) Jaelen Phillips: 7 sacks and a 79.8 PFF score. His injury is a major worry however. When your Achilles blows up in a non-contact situation. It usually means two things. 1, it is a career threatening injury and 2, that your particular body is probably wound too tight.
Phillips is an amazing athlete, but now he has to be viewed as an even bigger injury risk than he was before... and sadly, if he works himself back into peak shape, he'll ask for 30m/year. Yes, Jaelen might be great some day, but he isn't now, and paying him on projection... Grier doesn't usually do that.
So... hope for the best, but don't get attached.
3) Shaquill Barrett: He'll be 32 this year and has slipped a bit since he was putting up double digit sack totals. Still, he's a solid player here on a one year contract. As a bridge player, we really couldn't have done better (6.75m). He'll start for a few weeks, then hopefully become a rotational pass rusher.
4) Chop: Chop just dominated some of the games he played in. No, he didnt put up huge sack numbers, but he disrupted play after play, usually while being doubled. He is a special talent at 21 years old. Again, we stole this guy, stole him.
If Chop has a hole in his game, it'll be setting the Edge on a running play. For now, he should be a rotational pass rusher, but due to the injuries, he'll probably start... and yes, I expect other teams to run right at him for awhile.
5) Mo Kamara: The polar opposite of Chop statistically. He's not a plus athlete, but he did put up a lot of sacks in college. Sadly, he's a little small, overaged, and played much weaker competition than Chop did... and that's why he slid in the draft. Don't get caught up in his college sack totals, he is three and a half years older than Robinson, and if Chubb and Phillips surprise and are actually ready for the season, Mo may not make the team.
Last year, we cut to three Edges on cut-down day, releasing Goode and describing Ogbah as a lineman... so, this year we'll carry... maybe 4?
Goode is also rehabbing an injury, and in reality, Goode is not. He's a better bet for the PUP list than he is for the 53.
Zeke Vandenburgh is still around and I hear you saying, "who?". Well, he was an UDFA last year and when he was injured, we didn't release him with an injury settlement like we normally do when an undrafted guy is injured. He must have impressed someone... I don't know who or when, but the team kept him via Injured Reserve. I think he's a playable longshot based upon that.
Quinton Bell is 28 and has only a couple of games played in his career. He'll be cut early.
Grayson Murphy is a 5 year college player who lacks the size, athleticism, and arm length of a NFL player. He was pretty good in college, but he's probably maxed out now. He's fighting for a PS gig.
So it comes down to this; are either of our top two anywhere near ready to play? I have no idea, dear brothers... and no one else does either... so my pessimistic prognosis for week 1 is this. Both players on the PUP list and we won't see them til week #5.
We only keep Barrett, Robinson, and Kamara on day one and then we make further moves from the PS as the year goes forward. Because of this, we may carry an extra ILB or DT... perhaps Tindall as a designated pass rusher job... maybe we hit the waiver wire? Either way, if Phillips and Chubb are not ready, we don't have enough here.
So... fire away. I know that a few brothers are going to hate this one.
