Big Blue Huddle

Strands #37
"Can I have my quarter back?"
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Duh!🙄

"Schoen still has the Buffalo News from the next day, in which venerable columnist Jerry Sullivan declared that Beane, Sean McDermott and Co. had picked "The Wrong Josh".

Schoen keeps that newspaper as a reminder, and not because he, Beane or McDermott, or the coach he took with him to New York, Brian Daboll, have it all figured out. For him, it's more of a reminder to trust your eyes, your ears, your research, your experience, and your gut. It was those things that led that Bills group to a franchise-changing player who, at the time, was ridiculed by scores of would-be personnel gurus on TV, radio and social media."

"We don't wanna be up here again—we don't want to be picking in the top 10," he says. "We have multiple needs. We are going into Year 3. People assume we're going quarterback, but we have other needs. If the quarterbacks go 1–4, then we're getting the second-best position player, not quarterback, at six, which is O.K., too. That player will really help us. Even last year, our quarterback coach was at the C.J. Stroud workout. We spent a lot of time with Will Levis, Anthony Richardson."

https://www.si.com/nfl/2024/04/08/giants-trusting-nfl-draft-process-daniel-jones

Connections
Puzzle #303
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I have issue when someone comes out with a provocative and damaging statement about a kid who's worked hard to get to where he's gotten to today, on the weeks prior to the NFL draft. It's not play by play analysis or a discussion about pros and cons. It's basically calling the kid garbage, saying he's going to get some GM fired if he's drafted in the first round. Sensationalism to get a following.

It's not coming from some knuckleheads on a Bulletin Board fan site or some wanna be podcaster in his parent's basement. A former player who has some whiff of credibility.

I respect a balanced review from a former QB like Warner or Simms. They also understand the road that kid traveled and what lies ahead for him.

We all know the attributes and shortcomings of Drake Maye and Calib Williams, ad nauseam. We know it about all these QB's. What nobody knows is when they will be drafted and where they will go, what type of support and development they will receive and the effort and intestinal fortitude they will put forth. Their resiliency, leadership and face of the franchise they show to the fans, their teammates and coaches in good times and tough times.

Give these young men the respect they deserve. If you can't do that, then you don't deserve any respect as an analyst or journalist.

https://www.nbcsportschicago.com/nfl/chicago-bears/bears-news/merril-hoge-dives-deeper-into-his-comments-about-caleb-williams-not-being-special/543309/?

Quote from: madbadger on April 08, 2024, 02:55:20 PMCome on Ed you should be better than that. He was a long time player in the NFL, which puts him in the top half of less than one percent of all people to ever play the game. Only in the American sports scene can someone look at someone that accomplished in his field and imply that he's a bum.

Call him what you want but he evaluated Maye based on one game. I know what I call that.

Thank you Mr. 3.8 YPC and one TD every 3 games. It's too bad this provocative analysis didn't come out weeks ago. It would have saved everyone a lot of time and trouble. If anyone he should know best how to evaluate a JAG...

Quote from: files58 on April 08, 2024, 10:30:48 AMShould he be available to the Giants when they pick 3rd-4th round then let's see if they learned anything from the La'el Collins fiasco, and take a shot with this guy. We're here to win football games, not run a Finishing School. He got caught, how many 21-23 year olds don't. I'm not condoning his behavior.

I would draft him in the 4th + round. That round is a crap shoot anyway.

Strands #36
"It goes by fast"
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This should have been a lot easier

Connections
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Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on April 07, 2024, 12:11:33 PMI haven't a clue. The more I study, the more I realize how much I don't know. Personally, I don't think the Giants are QB shopping and will be more surprised than anyone on this board if we go QB in the first. I think they have more faith in Jones than much of the fan base and are interested primarily in getting a receiving target for DJ who will be a long term solution for the air game. Whatever the case, I'm pretty sure they want a day 1 starter who will be a starter for the next half decade. But again, I simply do not know what's going through their minds, which is comforting in its own way...to me anyway 

You just said something interesting. A QB has a shelf life of 10-15 years (To Phil Simm's point), an OT about 8-12 years, and a WR about 5-6 years. There are exceptions of course. The Giants rarely pick this high although more so of late. The last three first-round WR's picked by the Giants were Toney-20, Odell-12 and Hilliard-8 in '97. Interestingly enough, that '97 Draft had one of the worst QB classes of all time. Jake Plummer was the 42nd pick as the first QB taken. They picked Mike Cherry in the 6th Round. Danny Kanell did ok for them in '97. My point is that '97 was the only year they didn't have a Franchise QB when they drafted a WR in the first round. fwiw

Edit_ Hakeem Nicks at 29.

The Giants don't have enough cap space to sign their draft class. They save six million + by cutting Waller. After the draft, it may not be Waller's decision.

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on April 07, 2024, 11:12:18 AMHard to know what is going through the minds of Schoen and his insiders, but I suspect they are deep diving into character traits on all of them. They might pass on one of the top guys because they know he smokes weed and tends to party too much...or simply doesn't have the right type of personality that fits neatly with the team they are trying to build. They've all got tremendous athletic skills, but what kind of person are they going to be once they're millionaires and having cameras and mikes shoved in their face wherever they go? Are they "football first and foremost", or will they be "soaking up the glamour and non-football activities that have become available"?

Interestingly, the Giants have shown zero interest in Bowers...according to media reports and player visits. That could be telling in itself as the clandestine nature of Schoen is highly secretive, and he doesn't give away any clues as to what he's thinking

Ric, if Calib Williams somehow fell to the Cards at four, do you think Schoen moves up to take him if Daniels, Maye and JJ are gone?

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on April 07, 2024, 11:05:28 AMAnd I'm not denying that he has those traits. I have already acknowledged that he has arm talent and athletic ability, and that he's an interesting prospect. I think how these players play against strong competition in big games is relevant though. Imagine the difference in the narrative if he had been amazing in that game.

Jeff, I think it's the magnitude of the game that's the main focus here. All good QB's have bad games and this draft class had their share of them. It has more to do with how they performed and not the stats. That game you referenced was for the College Championship. I look back at how Trevor Lawrence was putting up incredible numbers against suboptimal teams and then when he didn't have as much support around him he came up short in big games. I completely changed my opinion of him as an elite QB. It reminds me of Jones win against a poor Minnesota team in the playoffs and then facing a good team he folds against the Eagles. It was the playoffs. Big games.

I think Lawrence is a good QB but it remains to be seen if he will ever be a difference maker in a huge game. I don't believe Jones ever will. McCarthy on the other hand won all his big games. Penix and Nix both lost big games. Will it mean anything in the big picture? Who really knows, but for sure they are not elite material until they show more. Neither are worthy of the six pick. We have seen their ceiling.

Quote from: uconnjack8 on April 07, 2024, 09:43:41 AMWhich of the QB prospects didn't look awful against a great team this past year?

And not necessarily a great team either.