Re: Dabo doesn't want to use the transfer portal.

Commissioner [1277]

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Posts: 1811

Joined: 2022

Re: Wrong. QB was the issue since being elite.

Dec 17, 2024, 12:20 PM

Terrible post.

I don't agree at all about Cade. He does have flaws as a QB. I think he sometimes doesn't have the best field awareness/vision. He doesn't always see open receivers and isn't always aware of where the first down marker is, so dumps it off too short on third and longs. I also think he does hold onto the ball too long on some plays. That said, he has a lot of strengths as well. He has a fast release. He's accurate. He is extremely good at making things happen with his feet when the play breaks down. And he has the necessary arm strength to make the necessary throws. Cade's #11 in the country in passing yards, #3 in passing touchdowns, #12 in passing touchdown percentage, and #7 in interception percentage. He's not Deshaun or Trevor, but he's pretty darn elite.

As for who I'd replace with portal players, there aren't many on offense. I would have tried to bring in a couple offensive linemen, as ours, while significantly improved under Luke, just isn't there compared to most of the other playoff teams. I might have also looked for a ~6'4" possession style receiver to help our boundary play, since we now have a bunch of speedsters. I'd have tried to bring in a top running back. I don't know if they'd beat out Mafah or not, as I do think he's very good when healthy, but I would like a player who complements him since he has such a specific style, and it would at least bring in much-needed depth. So I would actively hunt for a couple new offensive line starters (and I think there were portal players better than some of our current guys), and would take a specific kind of back or receiver if I found them (but wouldn't hunt for them).

On defense, I think there are a bit more. I would go hard after an elite defensive end. While Parker is great, Lawson is not at the level we should expect for a DE. I would target a new strong safety type player. A good strong safety can be huge for a defense. Think about the value add K'Von or Tanner were for us during our peak. Obviously, Kylon and Venables just aren't as talented, and I think a lot of the big plays teams have from runs are because of them. I also think a new elite corner could beat out Lukus. Finally, I would look for a new defensive tackle, but this isn't one I'd be killing for, and would be more a guy we could take a shot at who is under the radar.

So I guess there are about 5 positions where I think we have holes (2 offensive linemen, DE, SS, and corner). I think it's pretty obvious how that would help us dramatically: the linemen to improve our run blocking and defensive players to improve our ability to get to the QB and stop the run. There are a couple other positions where I like our current starters, but could see us adding someone to add in a new look or provide necessary depth. But that's what I mean when I say the best approach is to mostly use home-grown players, but fill in talent gaps with the portal. You don't need 18 starters to be from the portal if you're us. But our team does have a pretty large disparity in talent in certain positions.

And I will flag that I think most of our defensive woes come from Goodwin, not from the personnel. If we stuck with the 4-3 and actually used blitzes, our run defense would be dramatically better and we'd get to the QB more.

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of improving our roster in short order to address holes in the roster that occur as a result of injury or attrition.

Not using the portal makes it appear that Dabo views our roster as being as good as it can be, which is laughable.

I would love for us to be able to have an elite roster filled exclusively with players who were recruited by us out of high school, but I just don't think that's realistic. The last few years of disappointing returns and always being a "young" team suggest that Dabo has been too idealistic about this.

I'd love to see us go on a deep playoff run, although my concern would be that Dabo would use it as "evidence" that what he's doing is working perfectly. If we have one really good year out of several (i.e., temporary success), how does that make us any better than teams that do the same thing using the transfer portal?

Dabo doesn't want to use the transfer portal.