Quote (BardOfXiix @ Dec 24 2013 08:57pm)
I'll look it up, sec.
Assuming you meant these:
Quote (Benny21 @ Nov 19 2013 06:12pm)
Because McFadden is a FA and Rashad Jennings isn't exactly a franchise back. He's had a nice few games and he works really hard but I don't think he has the talent to be a consistent #1 back for like 5+ years
Quote (Hako @ Nov 19 2013 06:18pm)
Pretty much hit the nail on the head.
He's a solid change of pace back, but that's about it (talking about Jennings). He showed flashes during his time with the Jags, but injuries and inconsistent play eventually led to him moving on. He's the kind of guy you want on a team because he's smart, quiet and works hard. He'll never be anything more then just a solid #2 RB, at the very most though imo.
During the 2013 season, Jennings has held an average of 4.6 YPC. Adrian Peterson has 4.5. Jennings has 730 yards despite spending half the season as the second string to an on-again off-again injured McFadden. He's put up 100 yards twice, and even got 91 yards against that tough Kansas City defense. I don't think the argument that Jennings is just a change of pace back holds much water anymore, given how well he stacks up in terms of numbers. If he starts every week, is the primary back, and practices with the first team, he puts up 1000 yards, even with shitty playcalling and shitty offense, and that's nothing to sneeze at.
Benny is right though, Jennings doesn't have the talent to be a #1 back for 5+ years. He does, however, have what it takes to be the primary RB for the next 2-3 years. And in a year or two if we aren't hemorrhaging passing yards and have more than one offensive lineman who deserves to start at the NFL level, it might be a good time to look at an RB.
In terms of offensive weapons, we are FAR more desperate for a good WR. Our #1 is Denarius Moore, who wouldn't even be a #2 on most teams competing for a playoff spot. Jennings may not be destined to be a superstar, but he's a solid starter, which is more than what can be said for any WR on this team.
In terms of the QB talk, I don't see why everyone has given up on Pryor. He was really strong through the beginning of the season, then hit a rough patch. As a young, raw QB, these things are to be expected. He has, however, shown tremendous up-side and was literally the only thing keeping our team competitive through the first 8 games, when the Raiders weren't considered a push-over victory.
McGloin, too, has been fairly successful (by comparison to most recent Raiders QBs). His completion percentage has been awful, but take away the Kansas City game and he's thrown 6 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions. Not great numbers, but they're at least reasonable numbers. The problem with McGloin? He doesn't really have anyone to throw to. Moore, Streeter, Holmes...none of these guys are exactly top notch WRs, so it's to be expected that he's not putting up all-pro numbers.
And there's the rub. No matter who we bring in at QB, no matter who we draft, they won't succeed without a strong foundation. Maybe Pryor and McGloin aren't the answer. Maybe we need to get a new young QB. But they will never be anything if we can't protect them in the pocket. They'll never be anything if they don't have any reasonable WRs to throw to. And so before we start talking about finding a franchise quarterback, I think we need to get the tools in place to at least be able to identify a franchise quarterback when we draft them. Because with the personnel we've got currently, even the best of the best would struggle to put up numbers.
So that's my short case for not drafting a QB. I think a RB isn't a terrible decision but there are positions more in need of help on the team.