Harbinger?

Yes, morningwood, you're being naive. And what makes you annoying as shit isn't even your obvious cluelessness about professional football, but that when people explain things to you over and fucking over again, you keep dismissing those explanations while repeating your original contention as if you're a retarded parrot furiously beaking away at the keyboard.

 

oh, ok. Have good one, **********.

 

I'm really happy about this pick. It's not an ideal fit, but there's enough crossover between Stanford and what we do. I'm not really worried about that. McCoy was not a good fit when he wad traded to Buffalo and they've made that work.

 

I think the "fit" is fine. Similar running attacks. I think our OC is a fucking idiot, and Cam doesn't like passing to the backs. CMC will have to flex into the slot to get looks. I do love the idea of having Cam, Stew and McC on the same field though...only Shula is pure trash.

 

That was unduly harsh, morningwood, and I apologize. I was really frustrated about the Saints getting two players I liked better than the one we got at #8. To better explain my concerns, let me point out that DeAngelo Williams set career highs in receptions and receiving yards in his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He didn't suddenly become a better pass catcher at age 32, he went from a team that is incompetent at using running backs in the passing game to one that utilizes them very well. The same thing shows up with Jonathan Stewart, who caught 20+ passes each of his last two seasons with Oregon but has done so only twice in his nine seasons with the Panthers. The scheme elements can theoretically be fixed, although I have no confidence in Shula's ability to adjust, but nothing is fixing Cam's lack of accuracy and touch on short passes. McCaffery will run great routes and create separation, but Cam will need to decide to get him the ball and then deliver it accurately.

Then as a rusher, not only is McCaffrey 202 pounds and not only did he take a beating over the last two years at Stanford, but he's not a tackle breaker. As was mentioned in earlier debates, Dalvin Cook is surprisingly strong for someone his size whereas McCaffrey just isn't. He will not drive defenders. He is superior to Cook in his agility and vision, having a natural feel for finding holes and making defenders miss, but that style isn't a great fit for this offensive line that doesn't consistently open holes and allows penetration too often. Jonathan Stewart actually played well last season but he averaged 3.8 yards per carry because the line was atrocious. McCaffrey will need to make those guys miss because if they get their hands on him then he's going down.

So McCaffrey doesn't fit the scheme, McCaffrey doesn't fit the quarterback, and McCaffrey doesn't fit the offensive line. None of that means he is doomed to fail, because he could end up being another LeSean McCoy, but those are legitimate concerns and prevent me from feeling good about the pick.

 

I wouldn't say that Stanford and Carolina had similar running attacks. They both relied on the rushing game, but Stanford had far fewer wide sets, which meant McCaffrey had more blocking than he'll have here. Stanford also featured a large amount of counter action, which the Panthers used to do more often but not so much lately. Carolina's blocking scheme is more power oriented and pretty basic, leaving McCaffrey to do more on his own.

 

I appreciate that. I learn from many here, and don't claim to know all the intricasies in the game. My point was exactly what you said in the last paragraph above. I posted back in March (I think) how much I liked what McCaffrey could potentially bring for the offense and special teams. That was all. I also know blogs can be brutal. As such, I appreciate your message.

 

Can we please not use last year's injury ruined OL as the baseline? I'm not trying to defend Shula,
but really, come on. Four different players played center last year.

 

That's fair. I have been disappointed for some time with the lack of utilization of passes to or backs. And as was mentioned earlier, Cam must be able to complete short passes.

 

Wasn't only one OL taken last night?