I think @LAOJoe nailed it on one of my favorite moments - seeing Jerry Jones and crew pretending they were happy with those forced handshakes for the camera, in stark contrast to nearly every other team's reaction.
Agreed... I'll add: loved = Eagles taking Carter and then somehow having Nolan Smith fall in their lap. hated = Atlanta didn't trade down first before taking Robinson.
Even before then they were caught on camera looking glum and I think VP Operations Todd Williams was leading a debate on what to do with the pick since they didn't seem to have a ready plan B.
With Atlanta, I just have to figure there's a plan that they haven't made clear to the rest of us. Up to now, the offseason plan has been obvious. So I just have to have faith that they have something in mind at LG, and they aren't counting on Matt Hennessy (who sucked at C in 2021 and lost the starting C job in 2022) suddenly becoming a legit starting guard.
I mean if the rest of your OL is good, you can mostly hide an issue at one G spot right? More or less?
Sure but I wasn't talking about the HC. There is a cap. They need him to be good and not worth a fortune while they are good.
The two best reactions were the Cowboys and Jets War Rooms. They looked like their Balloon got popped with a bazooka. I was laughing my ass off. The Bills and Steelers both jumped them and their plan B was to mope.
Nice segue. My favorite piece from the night: "Will the Ravens reverse their track record at wide receiver? Baltimore has failed to consistently stretch the field even though the team has invested first-round picks on wide receivers in 2019 (Marquise "Hollywood" Brown) and 2021 (Rashod Bateman). The Ravens have ranked last in the NFL in receiving yards by wide receivers in three of the past four seasons (2019, 2020 and 2022). Of the 31 wide receivers drafted by Baltimore -- including five previously in the first round -- two have recorded 1,000-yard seasons (Torrey Smith and Brown) and none have gone to the Pro Bowl, which is the longest current drought in the NFL. There are concerns about Flowers' size (5-foot-9, 182 pounds), but he is tenacious with the ball in his hands" The funny part of that is all the Pro-Lamar analysts who kept saying things like "they won't support him" or "put the talent around him". Like they haven't tried. You give this guy the most money per season ever. Has it crossed anyone else's mind that part of it might be, dare I say, him? Interesting debate though, when you're handing out depth chart altering money, and investing multiple high picks in making him an elite passer, before he's technically proven he is. Even the lazy "winner" tag argument. What has he won yet? The division twice? $52M per year?? Holy SHIT!!! Good luck with the rest of the roster.
I agree for a different reason. Going 7-10 with a no-budget roster the last two years was an accomplishment. Team owner Arthur Blank is well aware of this and is more than satisfied with the job that Arthur Smith has done. The coach isn't on the hot seat at all heading into this season. But this year they have gone all out to rebuild the roster, especially on defense. There are going to be expectations of success. Going 7-10 once again with this year's team would be treated as a disaster. Ridder now has Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier in the backfield with Kyle Pitts, Drake London, Cordarrelle Patterson, Jonnu Smith and more as receiving targets. The defensive line now has Grady Jarrett, David Onyemata and Calais Campbell, with a full group of edge rushers, a versatile group of interior linebackers, and a reloaded secondary behind them. If he can't succeed with THIS lineup, there's a problem.
