It's only preseason....But

[minny65]

I know it is only preseason but I have some observations/thoughts about the upcoming season:

Viking related:

I have been impressed with O'Neill.  We were all told that he was a couple year project but I think he will be starting at RT before this season ends and not because of injuries.

I am not as down as most on here with our OL and depth.  I have been impressed with Collins, O'Neill and Isidora.  Provide good depth and potential starters.


Division related:

Lions - They have looked horrible on defense all preseason with no intensity.  Patricia's forte in Defense but he has a ton of work to do.

Bears - Trubisky had 18 pass attempts all preseason.  I guess the bears think he is a grizzled vet?  I think he has a ton of work to do and will not have a very good Sophomore year after a subpar rookie year statistically.  I don't see all the hype on him.

Packers - Rodgers contract looks pretty darn good for both sides to my dismay.  Rodgers Cap hit this year is 21 million and about 11.5% of the teams total cap.  His contract does not go over 33 million per year Cap until 4 seasons and then they have a buyout.  Cousin's Cap hit is about 24 million this year which is about 12.5%.


Rest of NFL comments:

QB's

This year's rookie QB's - I had them ranked:  1 - Rosen  2-Mayfield  3- Darnold  4-L. Jackson  5- and a very distant 5 Josh Allen
Rosen looked really good in very limited play (injury but not serious) 
I thought Mayfield looked even better then I thought.  He has a great pocket presence and awareness.  Reminds me a little of Russel Wilson.
Darnold I didn't watch any but I guess he is going to start
L. Jackson - I also didn't watch much of him but the highlights always showed him running.  Not something that lasts very long for a QB in the NFL.
J. Allen - I did not see the hype for him coming out never mind the fact the Bills moved up and drafted him ahead of Rosen my Top QB.  He looks slow across the board but with a horrible OL all preseason.  I think he might start for the Bills and I don't expect a very successful season for them. I think we play them, right?

Then again this was ranking of the QB's when we drafted Teddy:
1 - Bortles
2 - Teddy
3 - Manzeil
4 - and a very distant 4 was Carr who had a subpar year but is the best statistically of the bunch.

Lastly on QB's - I really wanted us to take a late round flyer on Chad Kelly last year.  He has looked very good this preseason but again preseason.

Coaches

As mentioned above, I think Patricia might be in over his head with the Lions and might take a couple seasons.
Don't get Gruden and the Raiders and don't buy a turnaround season from them.  Plus the organization paid Gruden 100 million but won't pay their best player in Mack?
I like what little I have seen from DeFilippo.  Pfieffer and the ST's have not looked good at all.

[Guest]

I agree on ONeil.  I dont think he will be kept off the field for very long as he is showing much more strength and leverage than I thought he would when drafted.  I never really thought the foot work should be much of an issue,  but getting his hands right and getting low enough early to move bigger men was where I thought he would struggle.  pleasant surprise for sure.

[Guest]

The OL is a work in progress, but that is mostly because 40% of our starters are injured.  Any team would struggle with that. Otherwise, the OL has looked mostly OK. I am not sold on Hill as a starter at RT and agree that O'Neill will (or at least should) be there before long.
We should be really good again on D. The Offense may take a bit to get going but there is reason for optimism.  Whether Flip is an upgrade over Sherman is doubtful; I would take an even split there.  Cousins should be an upgrade over Case (fingers crossed). And hopefully we will have Cook for an entire season this year. Still, we are unlikely to repeat last year's 13-3 record.

[Guest]

@minny65 said:


Coaches

As mentioned above, I think Patricia might be in over his head with the Lions and might take a couple seasons.
Don't get Gruden and the Raiders and don't buy a turnaround season from them.  Plus the organization paid Gruden 100 million but won't pay their best player in Mack?
I like what little I have seen from DeFilippo.  Pfieffer and the ST's have not looked good at all.

The Jon Gruden experience: It's easy to come out of this deal slamming Gruden for shipping another big name out of the building. It's the latest decision in a laundry list of somewhat baffling moves, capping an offseason that looks downright quizzical. This isn't what Raiders fans were expecting when Gruden signed on for $100 million over 10 years, but that contract plays into this: Chuckie is playing the long game. He inherited a sub-par roster filled with players that didn't fit his outlook on pro football -- and one superstar who showed no interest in signing a long-term pact.
The Raiders handled this poorly, operating in contrast to a Rams front office that openly pushed and courted to give Donald what he deserved. It's concerning that Gruden never made a personal push for Mack, but the optimist can point to the draft-day firepower netted in return. You can't label Gruden a winner for hitting the ejector seat on Oakland's top player, but if the Raiders plan to ride with their new coach for the next decade, more time is needed to judge this stunning decision.

[Guest]

@minny65 said:

@minny65 said:


Coaches

As mentioned above, I think Patricia might be in over his head with the Lions and might take a couple seasons.
Don't get Gruden and the Raiders and don't buy a turnaround season from them.  Plus the organization paid Gruden 100 million but won't pay their best player in Mack?
I like what little I have seen from DeFilippo.  Pfieffer and the ST's have not looked good at all.

The Jon Gruden experience: It's easy to come out of this deal slamming Gruden for shipping another big name out of the building. It's the latest decision in a laundry list of somewhat baffling moves, capping an offseason that looks downright quizzical. This isn't what Raiders fans were expecting when Gruden signed on for $100 million over 10 years, but that contract plays into this: Chuckie is playing the long game. He inherited a sub-par roster filled with players that didn't fit his outlook on pro football -- and one superstar who showed no interest in signing a long-term pact.
The Raiders handled this poorly, operating in contrast to a Rams front office that openly pushed and courted to give Donald what he deserved. It's concerning that Gruden never made a personal push for Mack, but the optimist can point to the draft-day firepower netted in return. You can't label Gruden a winner for hitting the ejector seat on Oakland's top player, but if the Raiders plan to ride with their new coach for the next decade, more time is needed to judge this stunning decision.

Looks like for one week I am right on 1- Patricia and 2-Gruden and the Raiders. Maybe I should gamble more, HA!