Defense, Defense, and more Defense

BirdGangThing

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Let's face it, our offense is in the shop. Not only is the engine in for repair, we're selling our top of the line aftermarket turbo and our front grill was shot halfway through the season. We're talking complete overhaul. It's going to take a while. Full year at the least

I think it's why we're going to hire a defensive head coach. All the Cards are pointing in that direction. We have some badasses on that side of the ball, many of which are considered to be underutilized and/or will be in contract discussions soon

Our secondary is close to being scary. We've shown we can get to the QB. If we can keep our hybrids covering tight ends and not rocket ships we might could be very successful in shutting some offenses down in our immediate future

I also think it means we're not trading back. Could be wrong but I imagine 1 of the 2 likely options would be too much to resist. Aside from O-line I could see much of our draft possibly lean to defense

Fix what you can when you can. Don't pay for top 5 offensive weapons via free agency until Ertz and Murray are back to 110% and not until we have an offensive line we can compete with
 
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BirdGangThing

BirdGangThing

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Baker of course, Murphy Jr, Zach Allen, I'm still a Markus Golden guy. Don't know off the top of my head lol. I think under better circumstances we can better evaluate some of our younger players, particularly in the secondary and "LBs"
 

kerouac9

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Baker of course, Murphy Jr, Zach Allen, I'm still a Markus Golden guy. Don't know off the top of my head lol. I think under better circumstances we can better evaluate some of our younger players, particularly in the secondary and "LBs"
Murphy and Allen are not under contract currently.
 

Cheesebeef

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Hope is not a plan
Gotta figure one of those guys gets a tag, right? Would look pretty awful for the new GM to come in and immediately watch his two best young pieces on D walk out the door with zero compensation coming back.
 

Harry

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Gotta figure one of those guys gets a tag, right? Would look pretty awful for the new GM to come in and immediately watch his two best young pieces on D walk out the door with zero compensation coming back.
Not likely to tag them based on the cost of tags. They are both good but not premier.
 

pemory09

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Oh yeah, we’re definitely making a defensive-minded guy our next HC. NFL teams are always and forever chasing the opposite of what appears to have caused their most recent failures. Unfortunately, this means there’s rarely a sober look at the systemic issues of the franchise. In other words, the thinking is that it’s the HC hire that was poor, not the organization. That said, we’ll only get better if the new HC has extraordinary abilities and insights.
 
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Snakester

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If we don’t get Payton I would take Flores to build our defense over Demeco Ryans. Flores plays a man defense that is excellent. I would expect him to give us a top ten defense within his first two years and I think he would turn our young linebackers especially Isaiah Simmons into the potential pro bowlers that their talent suggests.

I can see him picking either Will Anderson or Jalen Carter with our first pick as well. We need a defense that can keep games close to give us a better chance of winning.

I see Demeco Ryans as up and coming but not ready to be a head coach.
 

PACardsFan

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Oh yeah, we’re definitely making a defensive-minded guy our next HC. NFL teams are always and forever chasing the opposite of what appears to have caused their most recent failures. Unfortunately, this means there’s rarely a sober look at the systemic issues of the franchise. In other words, the thinking is that it’s the HC hire that was poor, not the organization. That said, we’ll only get better if the new HC has extraordinary abilities and insights.
We shouldn't get hung up on the HC hire this time around. Don't lose sight that hiring a GM from outside the organization is something this franchise seldom does. It really is a big deal that we went outside this time around. If MB really wants to change our course as a franchise, he needs to let MO build this franchise with one thing in mind: Creating an identity & building based on that identity. The teams that win consistently have been successful in that regard. They KNOW who they are, and they never veer from who they are.
 

SissyBoyFloyd

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Will Anderson & Siaki Ika & I’m satisfied.
I would be happy with that, but there are so many combos I would love with trading back also. Such as with a lower R1 and an extra R2:
Skoronski, IOL
Witherspoon, CB
Carter II, DE/OLB
Benton, DT

Just so many good alternatives if we were made an offer we couldn't refuse.

Whatever we do, it is going to be a lot of fun all the way up to the moment the Commissioner reads the card. Then all the exclamations will begin from Cards fans: WHAT? OH GOD, NO! WHAT the HELL? THAT DID IT, I AM DONE WITH THIS TEAM.
 

DVontel

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You look at the Bills & realize trading back with a game changing pass-rusher in front of you is also dumb.

Buffalo has invested a lot into the DL the past couple years, but they all have been lower end picks which has turned into JAGs. They weren’t able to sniff Burrow at all yesterday despite Burrow’s OL missing 3 starters due to injuries.

No trade back scenario under any circumstance. None.
 

kerouac9

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We shouldn't get hung up on the HC hire this time around. Don't lose sight that hiring a GM from outside the organization is something this franchise seldom does. It really is a big deal that we went outside this time around. If MB really wants to change our course as a franchise, he needs to let MO build this franchise with one thing in mind: Creating an identity & building based on that identity. The teams that win consistently have been successful in that regard. They KNOW who they are, and they never veer from who they are.
Okay, but there’s little to indicate that MO has an identity in mind that he’d like to establish and no track record of doing so.

The head coach instills an identity daily though the staff he hires, the talent he requests, the game plans he installs, and the game he calls.

The GM communicates a lot about the identity they want by the head coach they select, but NE-sourced GMs generally don’t have a great idea of the team’s identity.
 

PACardsFan

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Okay, but there’s little to indicate that MO has an identity in mind that he’d like to establish and no track record of doing so.

The head coach instills an identity daily though the staff he hires, the talent he requests, the game plans he installs, and the game he calls.

The GM communicates a lot about the identity they want by the head coach they select, but NE-sourced GMs generally don’t have a great idea of the team’s identity.
I certainly didn’t make up my thoughts on my own. It’s basically what he’s said he’d do. Will he do it? Remains to be seen. And a bigger question is whether MB will allow him to do it? Otherwise, I agree with your post.
 

Proximo

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Baker of course, Murphy Jr, Zach Allen, I'm still a Markus Golden guy. Don't know off the top of my head lol. I think under better circumstances we can better evaluate some of our younger players, particularly in the secondary and "LBs"
Golden? Come on. In his best days I would not describe him as a bad ass, and this last season was pitiful.

Collins and Simmons deserve way way more love than he does.
 

Krangodnzr

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You look at the Bills & realize trading back with a game changing pass-rusher in front of you is also dumb.

Buffalo has invested a lot into the DL the past couple years, but they all have been lower end picks which has turned into JAGs. They weren’t able to sniff Burrow at all yesterday despite Burrow’s OL missing 3 starters due to injuries.

No trade back scenario under any circumstance. None.
And it's a lot cheaper to have Will Anderson on a rookie contract than to pay an older Von Miller...
 

QuebecCard

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You look at the Bills & realize trading back with a game changing pass-rusher in front of you is also dumb.

Buffalo has invested a lot into the DL the past couple years, but they all have been lower end picks which has turned into JAGs. They weren’t able to sniff Burrow at all yesterday despite Burrow’s OL missing 3 starters due to injuries.

No trade back scenario under any circumstance. None.

Ed Oliver was the 9th pick of the 2019 draft.
 

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