Brandon Staley plays his WR1 in a meaningless game and literally breaks his back. If the Bolts lose tomorrow, they gotta clean that whole building out.
Good Luck tonight SAS........Boltz are Fav by 1 1/2........if the defense can stop Jags run game I think you will get this win. I have the Eagles and Chiefs in the Super Bowl........BUT you never know what will happen ..."Any given Sunday"
And with that devastating loss Saturday night to the Jags, the off-season for Los Angeles can begin. Not really sure how to approach this -- because not only is the knee-jerk reaction to that type of loss to let "heads roll", there have been obvious signs during the season that some changes were needed. Here we are the Monday after with nothing yet announced and, as I continue to read and learn about the ownership, it seems like if anything happens it would be minor at best. Brandon Staley and DC Renaldo Hill certainly bear some responsibility for the second-half letdown (four first-half takeaways should be enough to win 99 games out of 100) but I'm not sure how anyone who watched that game, or most of the season, doesn't point the finger squarely at the offense where the GM and OC have put the team in horrible situations week-in and week-out. Joe Lombardi is living off his name only because he is atrocious as a play-caller -- especially one with a Top 5 quarterback. GM Tom Telesco deserves just as much blame for not surrounding his young quarterback with a better supporting cast. At a minimum, the team must move on from Lombardi and bring in an offensive coordinator who'll play to Herbert's strength but I cannot even be confident that would happen.
Turns out the Jags had a better coaching staff. #coachingmatters I find with the Jags.....it's like they play a College Game....Lawrence diving for the 2 point conversion and going for it on 4th and 2 from their half of the field.....I think Pederson is willing to Gamble....BUT it does not make him a better Coach. The Jags were so F-ing lucky to win that game.....LAC had the game won in 1st Q. Tough Loss SAS and it's always a Long Off Season when you lose a Playoff Game.
While I will be reluctantly rooting for the divisional-rival Chiefs this weekend, it's also time to start leaning into post-season mode, which means draft prep!! Lot of ground left to cover, including a coaching search for offensive coordinator, QB coach/passing game coordinator, as well as potentially others that Brandon Staley alluded to. There's also the Combine and free agency before any meaningful mock drafts can be produced, so I think the safer play is to find areas of focus on the roster where the team could improve and where it needs to. On the coaching side, the Staley has mentioned a few times now shaking the Shannahan tree for that style of offense. GM Telesco today said the team will always be a pass-heavy one, so a guy like Bobby Slowick (49ers Passing Game Coordinator) may make sense in that spot. They'll also need a new QB coach and this will mark Justin Herbert's third offensive system in four seasons, which of course isn't ideal. On the free agent side, they've got to decide if bringing back Trey Pipkins (RT) is worth it. Cap is going to be tight and they acknowledged they'll be spending less this offseason. It also means likely not breaking the bank for premier free agents out there. Some other noteables are: Kyle Van Noy (LB), Drue Tranquill (LB) -- who'd I'd really like to see back, Nasir Adderly (FS), Breiden Fehoko (IDL), Morgan Fox (DE), Bryce Callahan (CB), Will Clapp (C), DeAndre Carter (WR), and Chase Daniel (QB). With a projected deficit of almost $10 million, the team will need to get creative, or find a way to replace some serious production with lower-end free agents and rookies. On the roster improvement side... SPEED. Specifically, at wide receiver. Depending on who they let walk from their free agent class, I see needs at: WR, TE, RT, IDL, and S. RT and FS less-so if they can retain Pipkins and Adderly, though. Some nice-to-haves would be: RB, EDGE, and LB.
He's an ERFA, so didn't catch it the first time, by rookie kicker Cameron Dicker -- the highest completion percentage for a rookie in NFL history is a free agent and obvious re-sign need.
