With our injuries it will be a struggle to even make the playoffs.Sure! I mean why worry about free agents & hitting on high draft picks and doing a good job identifying starters in the later rounds?The problem is we still have 8 games to play and who says we won't accumulate more injuries. Waiting on players to return is a pipe dream. Time to roll with what we have and forget about the injured players returning. Just assume no one is coming back. That needs to be the focus.Kinda what I said prior to the game against the Pats. We don’t (and increasingly looks like won’t) have our horses back in time for these tough games. Baker could get his Oblique/knee thing settled at some point, so there’s always the heroics thing that could surprise one of these next 3 teams, but I’m not counting on it.I’d say if we played Buffalo with the same active players as we started against the Pats, it’s a toss-up, but I’d feel confident the Bucs could win.
Add Bucky to the mix, I’d feel very confident and say the Bucs will win.
Pats are a good team, consistently better than Buffalo, and our score totals against the Pats are similar. Adding Bucky would be like adding water to Sea Monkeys.
i would assume Bucky is out the month of November at this point
same with Godwin and Evan’s
so operate under that premise until we are surprised with positive news
thought Bowles said no time table to return
We get some of our guys back in 3 weeks, maybe some back in the games after the Cards (which we should run through), and then maybe a few more back for a playoff run.
Let’s don’t pretend that you can have a great line that hasn’t yet been on the field, or a great receiving room that isn’t missing EVERY starter for most of the season, or last seasons rookie phenom RB that has missed the last 5 games - and there won’t be consequences.
injuries on this level don’t come without consequences. Those consequences are unexpected losses - because at some point you just have JAGS who aren’t able to step up.
Licht built a great offensive roster, even took some early flack from some fans for drafting a WR in the first round - who is now leading the team in receptions (after also missing 2 games himself).
The plan for 12 to 14 wins and the number 1 playoff seed - is no longer a reality.
The new plan is to get through the schedule with 10 to 11 wins (emphasis on the 10), make the playoffs and see what damage we can do with a new roster of our veteran players.
It’s a good & reasonable plan, lemons into lemonade brother (at least we still have some lemons)!
it ain’t how we drew it up, but it’s the only plan we have, now.
The sky can’t be falling if you know where you’re standing.
The sky is not falling.
Theres a reason why you don’t know the names of other teams replacements and 3rd string back ups - They’re role players, but aren’t starters that someone doesn’t like & decides to bury on the depth chart.
JAG’s are temporary/emergency starters. To be used sparingly, because relying on them for more than resting a player, or for a short term injury, exposes their weakness.
“Next man up” only works for a play, part of a game, or maybe one game. You may beat struggling teams with them, but not the playoff caliber teams (like Seattle, Detroit, and New England)
We have been forced to rely on JAG’s due to injuries.
You don’t have to like it but backups aren’t going to help us beat really good teams. We are getting some starters back, depending on which we get back, and when, will determine which games we win, and which we lose.
If you don’t get out starters back for 3 weeks, then I don’t expect us to win those 3 games, because overall, we don’t have the talent available at skill positions to match up.
Now, it’s possible that some of those teams may have a spat of injuries, or one key player of their own that will be injured - and that could give us an advantage, but that’s called hope, and it’s not a winning strategy.
you don’t have to like it, but that is the plan.
Trust the plan. The sky is not falling.
