I figured I’d put together a season review grade for each unit on the team. We didn’t make the playoffs, so that will definitely be taken into account. Anyway….Here are the grades:
QB’s — C : The QB’s were really put in a tough position this year. The horrible offensive line definitely affected their performance this year. Tua had games where he played very well. He also had games (Tennessee) where he didn’t play well. However, when you consider the complete lack of talent surrounding him…He had a decent year. Is he the franchise QB we’ve been waiting for since Marino retired? I don’t know yet. There is definitely an argument for that…As there is an argument against it. It’s going to take a decent infusion of talent this off-season to really be able to judge Tua. As for Brissett….Well.…The best thing he did all year was survive playing behind our OL. Other than that, besides a few first down dives, nothing much to see there. Tua had a B - from me…..Brissett brings that down to a C.
RB’s — C - : Again….Performance of the OL held them back. Gaskin had a decent year. 612 yards on 173 attempts for a 3.5 yard average. However, I don’t feel he’s a true starter in the NFL. I think he’s a damn good 3rd down back and that’s where he’ll make his money next year. Ahmad and Lindsay were serviceable backups. The intriguing RB ended up being Duke Johnson. 71 Rushes for 330 yards ended up being a good total for a guy that only played in 5 games total. This is definitely a position that has to be upgraded in the off-season.
TE’s — D + : Gesicki and Smythe were the entire story in this group. Gesicki had 780 yards on 73 catches but only had 2 TD receptions. He’s also an unrestricted free agent this year. There are those that will argue that his production this year can be achieved by someone cheaper. I disagree. We need to re-sign him. Why open another hole that we’re going to have to spend draft picks or money to close? Smythe was steady with 34 catches for 357 yards and was our 4th best receiver by yards. Shaheen and Long were undistinguished this year. Besides signing Gesicki….No changes are needed here.
WR’s — F : The sad part here is we have Waddle and yet this unit still gets the F. Waddle put in a GREAT season this year. Hard to believe he was a rookie. I give Grier credit for the pick. However….After Waddle….There was nothing to speak of. Parker had 40 catches. He rarely separated at all. Preston Williams? 6 catches. Will fuller? 4 catches. See where I’m going with this? The really funny thing is this was a strength back in August. We couldn’t have been further from the truth. This unit needs an overhaul. You keep Waddle and maybe Parker….But you invest a LOT of resources into fixing this unit.
OL — F F and F : Pathetic doesn’t even cut it. Hunt ended up OK after a bad start. He was the only lineman you can say that about. Austin Jackson removed all doubt that’s he was a first round bust this year. It’s time to stop the bleeding and cut him. Jessie Davis better have played his last down in a Dolphins uniform. He was spectacularly awful this year including missing on the block that almost got Tua killed against Buffalo. Bye Jessie. Eichenberg was similarly terrible. A very inauspicious beginning to his NFL career. He’s young, so I hope he can improve. We need to definitely get help here. Draft choices…Free agency. All of it. The ineffectiveness of the entire offense was on the shoulders of this unit. The good news if you’re an optimist is that the Chiefs re-built their OL in one year….Hopefully we can too.
DL — C + : A slow start to the year for these guys gave way to a very good ending. Christian Wilkins played very well this year. He took, what I consider the next step in his career. I fully expect a pro-bowl year out of him next year. 89 total tackles and 4.5 sacks is pretty good from a DT. Ogbah had a good year as well. 9 sacks and 12 batted balls was good. We definitely should re-sign him if his demands are reasonable. Seiler was good again in spots. I love his effort. I wish this unit could get more pressure on the QB without blitzing…But they weren’t too bad this year. We could probably use another DE and a DT in the off-season.
LB’s — B : A good year this year by these guys. Baker had 92 tackles and 5.5 sacks. Not bad. The real find was Phillips. He started the year VERY SLOW. But as he picked up steam, he really showed how bright his future is. 8.5 sacks is just scratching the surface with him unless I’m missing my guess. Van Ginko was solid as was Eguavoen. I’d like to see a young thumper drafted and maybe another pass rusher. Overall, not too bad by these guys.
DB’s — B + : How good was Holland this year? He made everyone forget about Minkah for sure. A bright future for sure with him. X had another pro-bowl year. The man just makes clutch plays. Byron Jones was OK but I’m afraid we’re not really getting our money’s worth there. Needham was good this year as well. So, in general, a very good year by the best unit on the team. We could use another CB late in the draft maybe. Someone we can groom for the position. It also looks like Iggy is a disaster. He’ll be gone in the off-season.
ST’s — C - : Sanders regressed from his stellar ‘20 campaign. Still…He was mostly solid. Palardy spent most of the year in my dog house but put together a couple good games near the end there. The coverage guys were good. I would hope we bring in some competition for Palardy in the off-season. Other than that we’re good here.
Coaching and Front Office — F : Yes…We had a 7 game win streak and we swept the Jets and Patriots. But we also had a 7 game losing streak and lost to Jacksonville and Atlanta. Awful. Our Ol coach was a complete joke as we continued to play Jackson and Davis even though they time and again proved their incompetence. We didn’t switch to the zero blitz defense until it was too late. We didn’t practice with a wet ball going into the Tennessee game or prepare for that game in any way. Coaching, was to put it mildly, a disgrace this year. How about Grier? He hit big on 3 of his draft picks and missed EVERYWHERE else. Free Agency was a COMPLETE miss. It’s shocking Grier still has a job. As for my thoughts on a new HC…Is picking a coach based on his relationship with Tua a good idea? We’ll see. I want Harbaugh…But I doubt he’s leaving Michigan. I’m lukewarm on every other candidate.
There’s always next year guys….And let’s hope for better.
