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Week 5 awards & AAR

DanielTx

DanielTx

Chosen one
Thought this would be a cool idea. Drop your picks and thoughts if you want.


(Player of the game)
Underrated POTG: Dare Ogunbowale
Inadequate POTG: Tommy Townsend
DPOTG: Azeez Al-Shaair
Game Ball: K. Fairbairn
Overall Grades
Offense: B- mental mistakes, poor plays, etc
Defense: A- Josh looked like a rookie qb
Team: B

Texans havent played a complete game yet. Defense has looked more impressive so far.
This unit can make some serious noise. The league should be worried a bit that were 4-1 and haven’t played our best football yet
 
No grades but some thoughts:
O as with Petrie, made some really good plays and some really not good plays.
I can put Schultz in there also.

Will Texans ever have a TE who can block?

Will Badboy continue to get hoarse screaming at players every play " do not just stand there, block someone! "
At the beginning of the game, was I the only one that pump my fist in the air positively when it was announced that Titus Howard would not play?

Did Kenyon Green actually play better or was I just focused on other players?

Did the halftime speech in the locker room hurt the Texans?

Have we ever had a middle linebacker as good in coverage as Al-Shaair?
 
DanielTx said:
Underrated POTG: Dare Ogunbowale
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Agreed. He got the start like I wanted and played well. His YPC doesn’t look great running the ball but everything else does. 87 total yards from scrimmage. Bottom line the kid just makes plays.

DanielTx said:
Inadequate POTG: Tommy Townsend
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Also agree. Some shaky punts all throughout the game. Honorable mention: Robert Woods. He field the ball off a punt inside the 5 yd line twice. He gets a pass tho b/c of what he did on the last punt. Just got north and south to set us up for the GW FG.

DanielTx said:
DPOTG: Azeez Al-Shaair
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Good choice, but I’m nominating Stingley. Had some big time passes defended again this week when the defense was reeling in the 2nd half. He’s been lights out. If he keeps this up and stays healthy, he should be an all pro this year.

Gameball is easy: John Christian Ka'iminoeauloameka'ikeokekumupa'a….Fairbarn.

Offense grade: C+. Still not quite there yet. Protection has been an issue. Can’t really run the ball and Slowik…yuck.

Defense grade: B-. Came up big in the 2nd to pick up the offense. Still have some miscues with the rookies but overall, we’re getting there. I think part of the issue is we’re a little soft up the middle. I don’t put that on the LB core tho..more on the d-line. Should help when Autry gets back.
 
badboy said:
No grades but some thoughts:
O as with Petrie, made some really good plays and some really not good plays.
I can put Schultz in there also.

Will Texans ever have a TE who can block?

Will Badboy continue to get hoarse screaming at players every play " do not just stand there, block someone! "
At the beginning of the game, was I the only one that pump my fist in the air positively when it was announced that Titus Howard would not play?

Did Kenyon Green actually play better or was I just focused on other players?

Did the halftime speech in the locker room hurt the Texans?

Have we ever had a middle linebacker as good in coverage as Al-Shaair?
Click to expand...

I was glad Tytus was out lol. Didn’t really key in on Blake Fisher but it seems he played a solid game. Never was big on drafting Kenyon Green. I must say he’s been ok besides a couple of penalties. I noticed some missed tackles. It does put a lot of stress on our linebackers when it’s only 2 of them. I like the fact Demeco benched Pitre right after the unnecessary targeting play. Idk what’s up with schultz, bros been disappointing
 
thunderkyss said:
POTG: Diggs. Best game as a Texans so far.
DPOG: the secondary. Best game by that group by far

Game ball: Cap. We got a half of clean football. I know he's putting in the work. The boys came out looking like they thought they could win.
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Great post man. Diggs definitely showed up. Secondary played well but once again, opposing team qb missed a deep ball that could have been a td. Do you think Diggs lost a step? He looks pretty good to me so far
 
Mr teX said:
Agreed. He got the start like I wanted and played well. His YPC doesn’t look great running the ball but everything else does. 87 total yards from scrimmage. Bottom line the kid just makes plays.


Also agree. Some shaky punts all throughout the game. Honorable mention: Robert Woods. He field the ball off a punt inside the 5 yd line twice. He gets a pass tho b/c of what he did on the last punt. Just got north and south to set us up for the GW FG.


Good choice, but I’m nominating Stingley. Had some big time passes defended again this week when the defense was reeling in the 2nd half. He’s been lights out. If he keeps this up and stays healthy, he should be an all pro this year.

Gameball is easy: John Christian Ka'iminoeauloameka'ikeokekumupa'a….Fairbarn.

Offense grade: C+. Still not quite there yet. Protection has been an issue. Can’t really run the ball and Slowik…yuck.

Defense grade: B-. Came up big in the 2nd to pick up the offense. Still have some miscues with the rookies but overall, we’re getting there. I think part of the issue is we’re a little soft up the middle. I don’t put that on the LB core tho..more on the d-line. Should help when Autry gets back.
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Stingleys the perfect corner for this defense. You gave the defense a B- grade. Would you consider Josh Allen as a top 5 qb? I think Josh was the potential mvp front runner before this game.
 
DanielTx said:
Stingleys the perfect corner for this defense. You gave the defense a B- grade. Would you consider Josh Allen as a top 5 qb? I think Josh was the potential mvp front runner before this game.
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Has nothing to do with Allen really whom I think is overrated. Their schedule was soft in the beginning of the season too. I gave them a B-minus b/c of the busted coverage by Bullock early in the game where Allen missed the TD throw on……and Lassiter missing on that tackle that Coleman scored on. Can’t have those miscues. They would’ve gotten a C- from me if they didn’t show up and carry us home in the 2bd half. I mean CJ had a fumble in the shadow of our own end zone and the sudden change defense held them to 3; that was HUGE for us in winning the game.
 
DanielTx said:
Great post man. Diggs definitely showed up. Secondary played well but once again, opposing team qb missed a deep ball that could have been a td. Do you think Diggs lost a step? He looks pretty good to me so far
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He's not the player he used to be. He's still able to get open but he doesn't get separation like a guy getting $25M a year.

As far as QBs missing wide open receivers... if we're talking about Will Levis that's one thing, but when we're talking about Josh Allen we're talking about something else. It didn't "just happen" he's not sailing it because he doesn't know any better. Some of that is because of our defense putting pressure on him, knocking receivers off their spot, messing up their timing... their #1 receiver not being there, etc...
 
The defense gets the ball from me. That last defensive stance after CJ fumble, won us the game.

Fairbairn gets the player of the game. Clutch FG to win it.

It’s amazing how some people dislike for certain players clouds their judgement/take. Akers was huge in his limited action. 9 carries for 42 yards, 4.7 yards a pop and beautiful run for a touchdown.

Great hard fought win. Love it
 
Initial thought is that if, before the season began, you told me we'd be 4-1 after week five with two divisional wins and a win against the Bills, I'd be thrilled. It's a good start in spite of still not having it together yet.

Offense: B
They cleaned up the penalties and put together several good drives. They were clutch when it mattered.

Defense: A-
They made Allen look ordinary, which is a tall order. They also held when the offense started to sputter. Again, they were clutch when it mattered. Run defense was a weakness.

Coaching: B-
The penalties got cleaned up and the first half game plan was pretty good. Not impressed with the halftime adjustments and there were some bizarre offensive play calls again.

Not Ready for Primetime: Blake Fisher - He'll grow and get better, but he often looked like he was getting overwhelmed.

We Don't Win This Without...:

Dare - he came up with timely, big plays. Guy's a baller.

Al-Shaair - he was all around the ball and blew up several plays.

Fairbairn - he's just automatic this year. Get him within a 60-yard attempt and he'll put it through.

Most Improved: Eric Murray - I've been highly critical of Murray, but he played solid coverage this game.
 
DanielTx said:
I was glad Tytus was out lol. Didn’t really key in on Blake Fisher but it seems he played a solid game. Never was big on drafting Kenyon Green. I must say he’s been ok besides a couple of penalties. I noticed some missed tackles. It does put a lot of stress on our linebackers when it’s only 2 of them. I like the fact Demeco benched Pitre right after the unnecessary targeting play. Idk what’s up with schultz, bros been disappointing
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He looked like he straight up gave up on two catchable balls. Good blocking this game though
 
DanielTx said:
Thought this would be a cool idea. Drop your picks and thoughts if you want.


(Player of the game)
Underrated POTG: Dare Ogunbowale
Inadequate POTG: Tommy Townsend
DPOTG: Azeez Al-Shaair
Game Ball: K. Fairbairn
Overall Grades
Offense: B- mental mistakes, poor plays, etc
Defense: A- Josh looked like a rookie qb
Team: B

Texans havent played a complete game yet. Defense has looked more impressive so far.
This unit can make some serious noise. The league should be worried a bit that were 4-1 and haven’t played our best football yet
Click to expand...

I feel like we should grade on a minor curve with Nico being out in the middle of the game. I believe the gameplan was to feature him a lot, and when he went out they had to change gears.
 
Al-Shaair - I can't remember the last time the Texans were playing Cover-2 and the LB actually followed the TE 20 yards downfield. Al-Shaair made that play in the seam and was all over the field.
Blake Fisher - When pass blocking. Too often he gave up ground too quickly and was allowing the DE to collapse the pocket. Seems like he needs an offseason in an NFL weight room.

Offense: B-
No penalties the entire first half. I don't even recall hearing Tunsil name mentioned once. Solid first half that was followed by a mediocre 2nd half and clutch game winning FG

Defense: B+
Although they held the Bills to 3 points in the first half. There were too many plays were Allen flat out missed open receivers. Otherwise, a solid effort with big stops along the way. I'm still worried about the safeties.

Special Teams: A+
Woods: drove me crazy with the catches at the 5-yard line. However, he didn't turn the ball over, had a couple of big returns. I hate PRs who can't see the seam or are too slow to accelerate to the seam. On that last PR, that was a text book return. He quickly found and aggressively hit the seam to get into FG range.

Fairbairn: Enough said. If there is one thing the BOB/Rick Smith era got right. It was signing Fairbairn.
 
Earl34 said:
Al-Shaair - I can't remember the last time the Texans were playing Cover-2 and the LB actually followed the TE 20 yards downfield. Al-Shaair made that play in the seam and was all over the field.
Blake Fisher - When pass blocking. Too often he gave up ground too quickly and was allowing the DE to collapse the pocket. Seems like he needs an offseason in an NFL weight room.

Offense: B-
No penalties the entire first half. I don't even recall hearing Tunsil name mentioned once. Solid first half that was followed by a mediocre 2nd half and clutch game winning FG

Defense: B+
Although they held the Bills to 3 points in the first half. There were too many plays were Allen flat out missed open receivers. Otherwise, a solid effort with big stops along the way. I'm still worried about the safeties.

Special Teams: A+
Woods: drove me crazy with the catches at the 5-yard line. However, he didn't turn the ball over, had a couple of big returns. I hate PRs who can't see the seam or are too slow to accelerate to the seam. On that last PR, that was a text book return. He quickly found and aggressively hit the seam to get into FG range.

Fairbairn: Enough said. If there is one thing the BOB/Rick Smith era got right. It was signing Fairbairn.
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It's almost like their star WR who was to be featured in the gameplan went down before the second half ensued...
 
Mr teX said:
Has nothing to do with Allen really whom I think is overrated. Their schedule was soft in the beginning of the season too. I gave them a B-minus b/c of the busted coverage by Bullock early in the game where Allen missed the TD throw on……and Lassiter missing on that tackle that Coleman scored on. Can’t have those miscues. They would’ve gotten a C- from me if they didn’t show up and carry us home in the 2bd half. I mean CJ had a fumble in the shadow of our own end zone and the sudden change defense held them to 3; that was HUGE for us in winning the game.
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Man you're a tough grader.

Allen's a top 5 QB IMHO.
 
thunderkyss said:
He's not the player he used to be. He's still able to get open but he doesn't get separation like a guy getting $25M a year.

As far as QBs missing wide open receivers... if we're talking about Will Levis that's one thing, but when we're talking about Josh Allen we're talking about something else. It didn't "just happen" he's not sailing it because he doesn't know any better. Some of that is because of our defense putting pressure on him, knocking receivers off their spot, messing up their timing... their #1 receiver not being there, etc...
Click to expand...
His deep ball accuracy also isn't that great either...He looked damn near like he looked as a 2nd year guy the yea we played the Bills in the playoffs a few years ago..He just gets that deer in the headlights look and you just don't know what he's gonna do..all you know is that he's gonna give you a chance to beat him.
 
steelbtexan said:
Man you're a tough grader.

Allen's a top 5 QB IMHO.
Click to expand...
Mahomes
LJ8
Burrow
Purdy

All but 1 of those guys have led their teams to the SB. The one who hasn't has 2 league MVPs. Those to me are the undisputed 4 at this point in whatever order you want to put them in.

That 5th spot...you can make an argument for any number of guys. Josh Allen, Jordan Love. Hell just 2 years ago you could've included Jalen Hurts in that group whose also led his team to a SB. ......I personally would take CJ over all of them who is also in that convo now.
 
Texansballer74 said:
The defense gets the ball from me. That last defensive stance after CJ fumble, won us the game.

Fairbairn gets the player of the game. Clutch FG to win it.

It’s amazing how some people dislike for certain players clouds their judgement/take. Akers was huge in his limited action. 9 carries for 42 yards, 4.7 yards a pop and beautiful run for a touchdown.

Great hard fought win. Love it
Click to expand...

Dare got the start & over these last 2 games, Akers has not been a factor whatsoever late in games, its been Dare coming up with the big plays. The Touchdown run was beautiful, but my dead grandpa could've hit that wide open hole and scored. & for all the griping I've done about Slowik's playcalling recently, That TD play Akers scored on, Slowik deserves as much credit if not more than Akers b/c It was 1 of the few creative plays Slowik came up with personnel wise where he used both the TE's to set the blocks up..Stover in motion and ultimately as the kick out guy & Schultz as the FB/ lead blocker. I'm sure the Bills had no idea what was coming with that personnel grouping/set up. It should be noted that Green and Tunsil washed down the d-line guys beautifully. Just an all around good executiion from everyone.

Anyway, you take that 15 yard TD run away from Akers..he's sitting at 3.3 ypg on 8 carries

https://twitter.com/x/status/1842980861773492284
 
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Mr teX said:
Mahomes
LJ8
Burrow
Purdy

All but 1 of those guys have led their teams to the SB. The one who hasn't has 2 league MVPs. Those to me are the undisputed 4 at this point in whatever order you want to put them in.

That 5th spot...you can make an argument for any number of guys. Josh Allen, Jordan Love. Hell just 2 years ago you could've included Jalen Hurts in that group whose also led his team to a SB. ......I personally would take CJ over all of them who is also in that convo now.
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I love Jordan Love as much as the next guy, but considering him at number 5???
 
Defense played the pass well, lots of pressure and decent coverage, still letting guys run loose long, luckily they dropped those.

Something was wrong with Josh Allen from the beginning of the game.

Run defense has fallen off from last year, sure don’t want to play the Ravens like this!

2 uncharacteristic back to back turnovers from Stroud kept Buffalo in this.

Love me some Carebear!
 
steelbtexan said:
Man you're a tough grader.

Allen's a top 5 QB IMHO.
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Allen is a top QB, for certain. But as @djohn2oo8 pointed out, and @CloakNNNdagger noticed during the Bills/Ravens game, Allen may have been playing vs the Texans through the aftereffects of an unreported concussion. I think the evidence of the hit Allen took in that game, his play vs the Texans, and how quickly he went out cold after his helmet slammed into the turf support these suspicions.
 
My take:

1) Allen hit his head....hard. He showed typical signs of being concussed while he lay on the turf. For them to pretend it was a chest issue and rush him back on the field was both dangerous, and dumb.

2) Towards the end of the game, Bills where driving for a score (roughly 3 minutes in the game). Allen snaps the ball well after the clock hit all 0's, but no delay of game called.

3) Defense, although the best aspect of our game yesterday, still had too many missed tackles and wide open receivers for my liking.

4) Last season I was scared to lose Slowick. This season, I think we can do without him. Sometimes he looks brilliant, but sometimes, he looks in over his head.

5) Nico is a weapon but losing him for 3 quarters should NOT have hurt our offense the way it did. When you feature receivers like Tank Dell & Stephon Diggs, the offensive production should NOT see that kind of drop off. Do we blame Slowick? Do we blame Stroud?

6) Game ball goes to Fairbairn. Clutch every single time.

7) Uniforms are perfect. They are unlike anything else in the NFL. Glad to see the team get a win the first game those uni's where worn. Can't wait to see the Battle Red set next.

In closing, the 1st half showed us what this team SHOULD and COULD look like. Zero penalties. Offense prowess. Defensive domination. Once they put that together for 4 quarters. we will become a heavy hitter in the AFC.
 
Texansballer74 said:
The defense gets the ball from me. That last defensive stance after CJ fumble, won us the game.

Fairbairn gets the player of the game. Clutch FG to win it.

It’s amazing how some people dislike for certain players clouds their judgement/take. Akers was huge in his limited action. 9 carries for 42 yards, 4.7 yards a pop and beautiful run for a touchdown.

Great hard fought win. Love it
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Your thoughts on why Coach went with Ogu over Akers as often as he did?
 
BattleRedBlud said:
4) Last season I was scared to lose Slowick. This season, I think we can do without him. Sometimes he looks brilliant, but sometimes, he looks in over his head.
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SLowik still doesn't have a run game to rely on. The Shanahan offense requires a running game. The last 4 weeks, that hasn't been there. Slowik is calling the game with one arm tied behind his back. I'm not thrilled with everything Bobby has done. But I want to see how this offense looks at closer to full strenghth.
BattleRedBlud said:
5) Nico is a weapon but losing him for 3 quarters should NOT have hurt our offense the way it did. When you feature receivers like Tank Dell & Stephon Diggs, the offensive production should NOT see that kind of drop off. Do we blame Slowick? Do we blame Stroud?
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Diggs hasn't completly assimilated into the offense. That trade came with the risk that the Texans weren't getting the Pro Bowl version of Diggs. The jury is out on what Diggs can be here.

I love Tank. But I haven't seen the full on, uncoverable 2023 Tank in 2024, yet. He still may need time to fully recover his super skills.
BattleRedBlud said:
7) Uniforms are perfect.
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Perfect? I think I would be able to see them a little clearer if that were the case.
 
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badboy said:
Your thoughts on why Coach went with Ogu over Akers as often as he did?
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I think Dare is the 3rd down back. And the Texans were in a lot of 3rd down or long yardage situations in the 2nd half.
 
Deadpool said:
I feel like we should grade on a minor curve with Nico being out in the middle of the game. I believe the gameplan was to feature him a lot, and when he went out they had to change gears.
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I thought the entire purpose of our deep wide receiver corps is we don't have to change gears? Buffalo's defensive backs did a great job against our receivers and I expected that. With Collins out, I am pleased with the efforts and even more please with Xavier Hutchinson. I would like to see some of Metchie based on his preseason.
 
Lucky said:
Allen is a top QB, for certain. But as @djohn2oo8 pointed out, and @CloakNNNdagger noticed during the Bills/Ravens game, Allen may have been playing vs the Texans through the aftereffects of an unreported concussion. I think the evidence of the hit Allen took in that game, his play vs the Texans, and how quickly he went out cold after his helmet slammed into the turf support these suspicions.
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Agreed, but he suffered a concussion late in the game.
 
Mr teX said:
Mahomes
LJ8
Burrow
Purdy

All but 1 of those guys have led their teams to the SB. The one who hasn't has 2 league MVPs. Those to me are the undisputed 4 at this point in whatever order you want to put them in.

That 5th spot...you can make an argument for any number of guys. Josh Allen, Jordan Love. Hell just 2 years ago you could've included Jalen Hurts in that group whose also led his team to a SB. ......I personally would take CJ over all of them who is also in that convo now.
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I would put Allen above LJ8 and Purdy.
 
badboy said:
I thought the entire purpose of our deep wide receiver corps is we don't have to change gears? Buffalo's defensive backs did a great job against our receivers and I expected that. With Collins out, I am pleased with the efforts and even more please with Xavier Hutchinson. I would like to see some of Metchie based on his preseason.
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Right, but not everyone can do what Nico does. The gameplan revolved around his abilities. He's an all pro caliber wr. A solid WR does not do exactly what he does, and even if it was another all pro wr stepping in, they wouldn't necessarily have the exact same roles/traits.
 
1-3 is Josh Allen's record against the Ravens/Lamar. 0-2 is Allen's MVP count versus Lamar's MVP count. And before anyone brings up playoffs. Both Lamar and Allen have been to the same number of Superbowls ;)
 
Deadpool said:
Diggs is big? Diggs is strong? Diggs is physical? Diggs is still in his prime?
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Don't go moving the go post as that's not what you said. Collins does not do big nor strong that is what he is. Diggs has been a thousand yard receiver plus touchdown maker plus number one wide receiver for much longer than nico. I am not denigrating Collins but let's stick to the facts.
 
badboy said:
Don't go moving the go post as that's not what you said. Collins does not do big nor strong that is what he is. Diggs has been a thousand yard receiver plus touchdown maker plus number one wide receiver for much longer than nico. I am not denigrating Collins but let's stick to the facts.
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Not moving the goalposts at all. Read what I said. Hint: part of what I talked about was Nico being different than other WRs in traits
 
Mr teX said:
Lol based on what exactly? Physical tools? That's the only thing he has over them. Certainly not accomplishments & success. The numbers are mostly a wash.
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He came really close to beating Mahomes and the Chiefs a couple of years ago. Up a FG with 15 seconds remaining and the defense gave up the tying FG. LJ8 hasn't come that close.
 
Deadpool said:
Not moving the goalposts at all. Read what I said. Hint: part of what I talked about was Nico being different than other WRs in traits
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You focus now on your last word while all else in that post can be said about Diggs. No, they are not the same size or strength or age but that is not what your post was referring to. I am moving on now.
 
steelbtexan said:
You focus now on your last word while all else in that post can be said about Diggs. No, they are not the same size or strength or age but that is not what your post was referring to. I am moving on now.
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Yes move on because you are literally wrong about my post lmao. How was I moving the post when I said he has different roles because he has different traits? Hell I don't blame you a bit. I'd move on from your garbage takes too.
 
Deadpool said:
Yes move on because you are literally wrong about my post lmao. How was I moving the post when I said he has different roles because he has different traits? Hell I don't blame you a bit. I'd move on from your garbage takes too.
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Badboy made this post. I don't know how my name got attached to the post

Look up thread and you will see what I'm talking about.
 
Deadpool said:
1-3 is Josh Allen's record against the Ravens/Lamar. 0-2 is Allen's MVP count versus Lamar's MVP count. And before anyone brings up playoffs. Both Lamar and Allen have been to the same number of Superbowls ;)
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These are not great ways of judging QBs or any position player really.
 
Deadpool said:
I believe the gameplan was to feature him a lot, and when he went out they had to change gears.
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I hope we don't have an offense that features any one player. That would be a fail for me as long as we have so many viable options... though I do agree the game looked totally different when he wasn't there.

Shout out to Hutchinson. He didn't fill those shoes, but he had a good game.
 
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