Big Blue Huddle

I thought this one was pretty good

Like the offense as a whole, I'm willing to give him a mulligan for last year.

The entire year, from the start of camp, was a calamity.

Sometimes a team just has a "bad year". What can you say when, in less than 20 days, you lose Darren Waller, Andrew Thomas and Saquon Barkley? I realize there's not a lot of patiences for that given the larger picture/10+ years of futility.

As for Neal - he got a concussion that lasted a while (I was disappointed with missed practices vs. Hutchinson), then more injuries. If you watch some of the film breakdowns by knowledgable OL people (like Skinner on Talkin Giants) - it appears he started settling down and was showing improvement over year 1. (Trending in the right direction.)

I think there's reasons to be optimistic and pessimistic, and I agree with the above comment if he struggles early again, you've got to pull the plug. The goal isn't Evan Neal at RT, the goal is to win football games.

The other performance driver is Schmitz. Quite frankly, it's tough not to be underwhelmed by his play last year considering the hype. He does things well, but looked like a liability in other areas and his play declined as the year went. For me, it was shades of Weston Richburg just never quite making it. Big year for him, to prove he can get this thing turned around.

Quote from: BluesCruz on Today at 11:54:42 AMOk so Machiavellian thinking does not come into play with the Mara's
They are totally transparent.  NOT!

No, Schoen may have conversations with Mara about what he wants to do, but he and Daboll have final say.

Quote from: MightyGiants on Today at 11:24:44 AMI agree, although some will point to the Bengals SB run as proof you don't need a line.  I would counter by saying they haven't sniffed the SB since, and their QB is frequently injured.

And to add to what you're saying Mighty, the Bengals didn't win the Super Bowl either.

Quote from: AZGiantFan on Today at 11:21:09 AMAnd both times the Giants beat Brady-led teams in the SB they did it by breaking down his OL.

Exactly, and Bradys Bucs returned the favor on Mahomes in the Super Bowl a few years ago, when their D line broke down the Chiefs O line.

Quote from: katkavage on Today at 12:06:07 PMThere's no conspiracy. Mara hires the GMs and has a voice in the hiring of the coach and also the major money moves, including top draft picks. So in hiring the GMs he is finding someone who aligns with his sensibilities. That's not bad or uncommon. The problem is, Mara's sensibilities when it comes to football and team development, and player personnel are usually very conservative, predictable, and behind the times. His father was the same way. As a result, the GM, because he has similar ideas and thoughts on team building as the owner, won't waver too much from that conservative, safe, sensibility. The result is mediocrity...at best. Could you ever see a maverick or radical (in terms of how he looks at the game) working for Mara? So that is where his influence comes into play.

How did John and his father manage to go to 5 Super Bowls and bring home four trophies? 

There's no conspiracy. Mara hires the GMs and has a voice in the hiring of the coach and also the major money moves, including top draft picks. So in hiring the GMs he is finding someone who aligns with his sensibilities. That's not bad or uncommon. The problem is, Mara's sensibilities when it comes to football and team development, and player personnel are usually very conservative, predictable, and behind the times. His father was the same way. As a result, the GM, because he has similar ideas and thoughts on team building as the owner, won't waver too much from that conservative, safe, sensibility. The result is mediocrity...at best. Could you ever see a maverick or radical (in terms of how he looks at the game) working for Mara? So that is where his influence comes into play.

Quote from: EDjohnst1981 on Today at 11:48:21 AMBe interesting to see how the ball is spread about. There's only one of them and a lot of egos to feed.

The Dolphins lost quite a few players in free agency.  Seems a bit odd that they opted to spend money to add another WR to an already impressive WR corps.

Quote from: sxdxca38 on Today at 10:18:37 AMI respectfully disagree with your statement and here is why.

Schoen has repeatedly said in interviews that in the past someone talked him out of picking the player that he wanted in the draft, and that player went on to have an excellent career.

He has been adamant that he will never allow someone to do that to him again, he will always go with his gut, and that includes Mara.

Ok so Machiavellian thinking does not come into play with the Mara's
They are totally transparent.  NOT!