Da Raaaaaaiders, are they back??

The Raiders have been a highly active team on every front the last couple years. With the team relocating from Oakland to Las Vegas, hiring Jon Gruden, and Mike Mayock to run the team, trading away Khalil Mack, and subsequently drafting several players in the first round since yet it seems to me the plan hasn't come together as hoped. However after some very under rated moves 2021 might be their year for a drastic improvement in record. 

Jon Gruden has come out on multiple occasions and said his defense is lacking an adequate pass rush and it has held them back. Despite signing Carl Nassib, drafting Clelin Ferrell, Maxx Crosby, and Pj Hall, Arden Key, Maurice Hurst, Quinton Bell, and Malcolm Koonce in four seasons the pass rush simply hasn't gotten off the ground. However they got an influx of veterans this offseason adding Yannick Ngakue, Darius Philon, Soloman Thomas, Quinton Jefferson, and Matt Dickerson. They moved on from Maurice Hurst, Arden Key, Takk McKinley, Vic Beasley, David Irving, Maliek Collins, Chris Smith and Jeremiah Valoaga. Leaving significant snaps available for the newcomers. The starting lineup is expected to be Maxx Crosby, Jonathan Hankins, Soloman Thomas, and Yannick Ngakue with Carl Nassib, and Clelin Ferrell serving as rotational rushers who can play inside or outside at end. In fact Ferrell notched both his sacks last season rushing from the interior leading me to believe they will use him there more often. Nassib also had a down year and likely just needs more playing time to make a larger impact. The Raiders are hoping Crosby who has managed 17 sacks the past 2 years total and Ngakue who has 16 total over the past 2 years can jump start this pass rush. The interior of the defensive line should prove to be pretty solid as well thanks to the move to bring back Hankins. 

Jonathan Hankins is essentially the nose tackle for the Raiders even though they primarily run a 4-3 front Hankins is a space eater at 6'3 340, and is returning to the Raiders for his 4th season with the team. Despite his size Hankins still provides some pressure and actually has a 7 sack season on his resume however that was way back in 2015 his second season and he has produced 7.5 sacks the rest of his career. There will be a lot of competition for the starting role next to him. The guy penciled in as a starter now is Quinton Jefferson. Jefferson is headed into his 6th season having spent 2020 in Buffalo. He has racked up 3 sacks each season for the last 3 years in a row showing some upside as a pass rusher. He will compete with Solomon Thomas who was signed away from the 49ers. Thomas was asked to play as a 3-4 end in San Francisco but will shift inside to tackle in a 4-3 front which I believe will benefit him. he should wind up being their 3rd down pass rusher, maybe he replaces Hankins on passing downs going forward but I do not see him starting in 2021. The wild card here is Gerald McCoy. McCoy is one of the most dominant defensive tackles in the league when healthy. However after signing with Dallas in 2020 he suffered a season ending injury which caused his release. He spent the 2020 season rehabbing on his own. If he is healthy he starts next to Hankins without a doubt this is a man who had an 8 year stretch with no less than 5 sacks a year as a tackle. He wreaks havoc on opposing offenses and should be able to do the same after a year to get his body right. The Raiders could quickly have a very deep and talented rotation if McCoy is healthy, and Thomas transitions to tackle well. 

At linebacker they overhauled all 3 positions just last offseason. They finally handed a starting job to Nicholas Morrow. Morrow had been a backup on the team for 3 years starting only due to injuries bit still playing often enough to rack up 161 tackles, 1 sack, 11 passes deflected, 1 interception, and 1 forced fumble. The former college safety has also now played and started at all three positions. Morrow will be joined by two coveted 2020 free agents in Cory Littleton, and Nick Kwiatkoski. Both of these guys began their careers as special teams players before earning time on the field due to solid and versatile play. Littleton had played his way into a starting role after 2 seasons as a backup for the Rams. He has experience in a 3-4 and a 4-3 front but played inside primarily, he moved to weakside with the Raiders. He quickly rewarded the Rams for starting him and racked up 259 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 4 recoveries, 5 interceptions, 96 return yards, 1 td, and 22 pass deflections. You can see why he was sought after as a free agent. However he had a rather quiet 2020. He missed 2 games starting 14, putting up 82 tackles. No sacks, ints, fumbles, or pass deflections the plays that made him so valuable. The Raiders are hoping he bounces back in year 2. Kwiatkoski is a guy whose career began very similarly to Morrow. He was always the 4th best linebacker on a team that started only 3. Despite this in 4 seasons with Chicago he earned 21 starts out of 57 games he was active for. He managed 184 tackles, 13 for a loss, 6 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 1 interception, 8 passes deflected. It was widely expected that when he got a chance to start his statistics would reflect that, and they did. He notched a career high 12 starts, 82 tackles, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, 1 sack, 3 tackles for a loss, and 4 deflected passes. Another full season as a starter will only benefit him going forward. This is a solid unit with depth as well. Tanner Muse is another former safety drafted in round 3 last year. Unfortunately he missed all of last season with injury. They spent a 3rd round pick on former safety Devine Deablo who stands 6'3 226 lbs and is moving to weakside linebacker with the Raiders however I still expect his role to mirror most safeties spending a lot of time covering backs, and tight ends. Darron Lee another former college safety and first round pick of the Jets is also on the roster to compete. He is on his 4th team in as many years and has failed to live up to expectations. However he is still athletic, and talented and has every chance to earn a roster spot. Javin White is a former undrafted free agent who you guessed it played safety in college! Ironically he moved there after playing wide receiver in high school. As you might imagine this translated into solid coverage ability that led to 9 interceptions in college. He bounced on and off the roster and practice squad in 2020 but hopes to stick this year. He will compete with career practice squad player Gerri Green who has never been on an active roster yet has had 5 stints with NFL teams. Asmar Bilal signed a futures deal after spending most of 2020 with the Chargers practice squad. He is one of the few true linebackers on this team and has played the position since high school. 

The Raiders have also invested heavily in the secondary in recent years. This has provided them with solid depth at safety. 2019 first round pick Jonathan Abram is the starter at strong safety. After an injury as a rookie, he came back in 2020 and wound up graded as the second worst safety in the league by PFF. He is known for being an in the box safety and a punishing hitter, but his coverage is what became a liability last year. This sounds like a scheme thing, and the team just needs to find ways to better use him. Also in 2019 the team spent a 2nd round pick on CB Trayvon Mullen, the former Clemson player has ideal size at 6'2 200 lbs, and speed 4.42 40 to be a number 1 corner on a team in the NFL, and his play so far has backed that up. He has 111 tackles, 24 deflected passes, and 3 interceptions in 32 starts. In round 4 they selected Isaiah Johnson.  They also signed undrafted corner Keisean Nixon in 2019 who has developed into a solid contributor on special teams. In 2020 they drafted Damon Arnette in the first round, and Amik Robertson in the 4th round. Arnette slid in as the starting CB opposite Mullen, and Robertson competed as the nickelback. Annette played in 9 games starting 7 games but didn't play up to expectations. He had 25 tackles, 2 passes deflected, 1 tackle for a loss. Robertson however played in 8 games but mostly as a depth piece. Nevin Lawson signed as a free agent in 2019 won the nickelback position again in 2020. In 2021 the Raiders added four more rookie DB's. In round 2 they selected free safety Trevon Moehrig who is expected to start next to Abram. In round 4 they selected Tyree Gilliespie a safety. Regarded by most as a good value in round 4 he adds depth behind Moehrig, Abram, and Joesph. In round 5 they decided to add another cornerback, Nate Hobbs from Illinois, he stands 6'0 195 lbs. He stated at his press conference that he was "the best underdog they've ever drafted." Word out of Raiders camp is he has backed up his tough talk. Also brought in was undrafted safety Shaun Crawford who played for Notre Dame for four years starting 21 of 38 games. He is undersized at 5'9 182 lbs and could play cornerback as well but is listed at and played free safety in college. In free agency they signed Casey Hayward away from the Chargers and he has been starting ahead of Arnette. Also signed was Rasul Douglas, Karl Joesph, Devaunte Bausby, Blidi Breh-Wilson, and Roderic Teamer. There is tremendous depth at cornerback right now and safety isn't lacking in depth either. I believe Gus Bradley is going to create a defense with the talent at hand that leads to a top ten ranking in 2021. 

If, and that's a big if, they back up my high expectations we are looking at a 10-11 win team. Their offense is simply too talented not to win games if the defense can create more of a pass rush which will inevitably lead to more 3 and outs, or turnovers. 

On offense their quarterback position is honestly pretty stacked. At QB1 we have Derek Carr. What can I say about Carr? Here I got it...if Mahomes is a brand new Bentley, Carr is like a 2010 Mercedes, still performs well but not to his elite standards. He is cheaper, less reliable, but easier to replace. Carr is in his 8th season all with the Raiders after being selected in the second round. Despite throwing the ball 513 times or more in every season he has dipped below 61% completion rate just once...as a rookie. He has missed just 2 games in 7 seasons, produced 5 seasons with 3,900 passing yards or more, has a 2.5:1 td to int ratio, and has shown some escapability as well. However he always seems one bad game away from being replaced by Marcus Mariota. Another qb that suffered a similar fate himself in Tennessee thanks to Ryan Tannehill. Mariota is still just 27 years old heading into his 7th season. He is extremely mobile as evidenced by his one appearance last season where he ran 9 times for 88 yards. He has 13,433 passing yards 77 tds, to just 45 ints, and has added 251 carries 1,487 yards 12 tds, 2 receptions for 62 yards and 1 td. For some reason the world may never know Nathan Peterman is their third string qb. He has held this role for three seasons now despite holding a career completion rate of barely over 50%, 3 td passes to 12 ints, and only mild upside as a runner. However these are the only three quarterbacks on roster so I expect all three to remain there. 

At running back a team that already had solid depth with Josh Jacobs, Theo Riddick and Jalen Richard on the roster went out and signed Kenyan Drake to serve as their running back 1b. Maybe they knew Riddick's injuries were getting to him because he wound up retiring shortly after camp began. After that news broke the Raiders also brought in Bo Scarborough, who will compete with undrafted rookies Trey Ragas, and Bj Emmons. However I do believe the Raiders keep 4 backs this season with Jacobs, Drake, Scarborough and Richard all making the roster. Each back will serve a different role for the team.

 

You have Jacobs your bellcow back who will get the majority of the snaps, and likely see snaps with Drake also in the backfield. 

Drake is more of a scat back and not really the bellcow type. I expect him to come in on passing downs and act as a 3rd down back and change of pace back. 

Bo Scarborough is a 6'1 235 lb banger who will give you that short yardage back assuming you don't want to turn to FB Alec Ingold. 

Jalen Richard is a 5'8 180 lb running back by trade who also returns kicks, and punts. His abilities as a receiver are what have kept him around for the Raiders year after year as he has caught as many as 61 passes in a season and honestly could easily move fulltime to receiver and not skip a beat, but when you average over 5 yards per carry, 8.5 yards per reception, over 20 yards per kick returns, and over 7 yards per punt return. you're likely going to continue to see touches. 

The pass catchers have seen some turnover this offseason with Jason Witten and Theo Riddick deciding to retire, and Nelson Agholor now a Patriot. Also coming in is John Brown from Buffalo, Willie Snead from Baltimore, and Trey Quinn. However the Raiders are hoping last year's slot receiver and reception leader as far as wideouts Hunter Remfrow can build on his 2020 season, and that they see a huge leap from Bryan Edwards, and Henry Ruggs in 2021. Besides these 5 guys there is Zay Jones, Marcell Altman, Keelan Doss, Caleb Scott, and two undrafted rookies in Dillon Stoner and Dj Turner. Not the most elite group but one with plenty of potential. 

At tight end Darren Waller is arguably a top 3 tight end in the NFL, and is more like a big wide receiver than he is a true tight end. His story still blows my mind, from being drafted in 2015 until the 2019 season Waller had 18 receptions for 178 yards and 2 tds, adding 1 carry for 21 yards, and 10 tackles. He signs with the Raiders plays in 4 games in 2018, then explodes in 2019 with 90 receptions, 1,145 yards and 3 tds, following it up with 107 receptions for 1,196 yards and 9 tds in 2020. Behind him is Foster Moreau a player Jon Gruden seems to love. After the retirement of Witten he is now the veteran backup to Waller with not much else behind him. Derek Carrier is the third tight end, and has hung around the Raiders for years now he primarily plays special teams with his best season coming in 2015 when he caught 17 passes in 12 games. He will compete with recently signed Alex Ellis a journeyman at best, who figures to be not much more than a camp body, Nick Bowers a former college backup who went undrafted in 2019 and was signed to the Raiders practice squad, as well as rookie free agent Matt Bushman who could be the dark horse of the group. The former BYU player had 3 straight years of 500+ yards in college prior to rupturing his Achilles early in his senior season. It's been nearly a calendar year since the injury occurred, can he regain his preinjury form? If so I would give him good odds of making this roster as the third tight end beating out Carrier. This guy managed stats that only Dennis Pitta, and Gordon Hudson had ever achieved for BYU before he arrived. 

On the offensive line there has been an enormous amount of turnover. The Raiders spent the offseason dismantling their offensive line. They traded away Trent Brown, Gabe Jackson, and Rodney Hudson all 3 of which were starters in 2020. In the process they acquired a 3rd, 2 5th, and 2 7th round picks. Also lost was Sam Young who was signed earlier this offseason but decided to retire instead. However they did resign Kolton Miller, and Andre James to contract extensions shoring up left tackle and center. After earlier releasing Richie Incognito he was resigned to again start at guard, Denzel Good is expected to start opposite of Incognito after being signed away from Indy. At right tackle the Raiders spent a first round pick on Alex Leatherwood. The back ups are decent with 2018 3rd round pick Brandon Parker the backup left tackle, 2020 rookies 4th round pick John Simpson, and undrafted free agent Jaryd Jones-Smith add depth at LG, and RT respectively while Lester Cotton a 2019 UDFA man's the backup RG spot with free agent signee Nick Martin competing to hold off rookie 7th round pick Jimmy Moriessy for the number 2 center spot. 

Could a True Two QB System Work in the NFL?

I owe some credit on this story to JaguarGator9 on YouTube. He recently put out a video that touched on the career of Eddie LeBaron and made we aware of the Cowboys using two quarterbacks for a full season. If not for that video I may never have thought to write this or taken the opinion I have. 

We have seen an influx of running quarterbacks with true pocket passers becoming more and more rare, which could eventually lead to many of these guys eventually not seeing the field as often as they would in years past, coaches have become less inclined to move athletic quarterbacks to other positions instead giving them more chances to play at QB, soon enough they will become more inclined to start dual threat qbs to keep defenses off guard and help compensate for the lack of true offensive line development in college. But I believe before they start moving entirely away from pocket passers we will see more Taysom Hill like situations where teams employ qbs that are athletic enough to contribute in other ways, and play them in packages as they develop as passers as well. We have heard some teams heading that direction already such as Baltimore that drafted Lamar Jackson, and Trace McSorley. A couple years ago when Jeff Driskel lost his backup job to Ryan Finley, the Bengals experimented with the 6'4 230 lb QB at wide receiver and special teams, It wasn't too long Terrelle Pryor the former QB threw the ball 3 times, ran it 3 times, and caught 3 passes all in one game. The athletic quarterbacks with the builds to do it exist so why not get creative? 

As I mentioned above Eddie LeBaron and Don Meridith actually played in a true two QB system in 1962 sometimes alternating as often as every play. LeBaron started 6 games going 3-3, completing 57% of his passes for 1,436 yards 16 tds 9 ints, while Meridith added 1,679 yards, 15 tds, 8 ints and a 50% passer rating. In 1963 they allowed Meridith to take hold of the position and had him start 12 of 14 games however he actually had worse statistics as a full time starter than he had alternating with LeBaron the year prior. Could this be a sign there is a logic to using two qbs this isn't the only example of some success coming from these experiments. 

Don Strock a 32 year old veteran passer, was paired with the younger David Woodley known for his running ability. The two quarterbacks would alternate often at the drop of a pass or the failure to score on a drive. Don Shula couldn't decide between the two quarterbacks but did ultimately use this system to such success that the Dolphins made the Super Bowl, took a lead before halftime only to choke it away to poor QB play. Which is what spurred the team to draft Marino the following season. 

In Baltimore after drafting Lamar Jackson everyone knew it was not a matter of if he would see the field it was when and how. The answer was week one in one of the most modern two qb systems. Jackson completed 1 of 4 passing attempts for 24 yards, and ran 7 times for 39 yards. It became apparent Harbaugh was a fan of Jackson's talents. He would use him in every game except week 3 in 2018 before handing him the starting duties. During this time he racked up 7 completions, 12 attempts, 87 yards, 1 td 0 ints, 28 carries for 139 yards and 1 td. 

It happened again more recently when Brian Flores alternated Tua and Fitzpatrick depending on the game, and situation. Despite starting just 20 games the past 2 seasons Fitzpatrick played in 24 games. The interesting part is Fitzpatrick set a career high in completion rate at 68.5%, he also had his 3rd highest yards per attempt with 7.8, and finished the season with an efficient 13 tds, 8 ints and a 4-3 record. Tua meanwhile is credited with 10 games played in, 9 starts. He produced a 6-3 record, 64.1% completion rate, 11 tds, 5 ints, leading two 4th quarter comebacks and 2 game winning drives in those games. I would say this is perhaps the most successful recent example producing a 10-6 record, 24 tds, 13 ints and cumulative 66.3% completion rate are solid stats for a starting qb. Add in the 151 rushing yards by Fitz, as well as the 109 yards and 3 tds by Tua and Brian Flores looks pretty smart all of a sudden. Perhaps that is the best system for Fitzmagic who is always good in spurts. 

In Philadelphia last season it seemed as though they were gearing up to run a lighter version of a two qb system having drafted Jalen Hurts known for his prowess as a runner as the backup to Carson Wentz a mobile but not running qb. Instead Hurts' status as a second round pick clouded what otherwise would have been a great setup and Wentz was ultimately benched. 

The earliest example I could find was that of Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin. The reason I saved this for last is that I believe this may wind up being the type of two QB system we see in the NFL. Both Waterfield, and Van Brocklin were solid athletes who contributed at other positions which led to both players being picked as Probowlers in 1950 and 1951. This exact example would be hard to duplicate as Waterfield threw the ball, ran the ball, kicked field goals and extra points, and punted that season. Van Brocklin also handled all those same duties without the kicking but also split punting duties. However if we look at today's NFL and you imagine if an offense employed two mobile quarterbacks in the same backfield at once it truly could revolutionize NFL offenses as we know them. For current examples, imagine if Tommy Stevens had latched on in New Orleans. Now you have Taysom Hill, and Stevens in the same backfield. Both players can throw, run, catch, or block so it doesn't tip off the defense where the snap is going at all or where it will end up which creates endless possibilities. The thing is Sean Payton isn't the only coach thinking about the possibilities of this. 

Coaches are quick to follow trends if they work which is why I have no doubt that Press Taylor as the passing game coordinator for the Eagles had a lot to do with the team selecting Jalen Hurts, a man who in college threw 80 tds, ran for 43 tds, and caught 5 passes and scored a td through the air too, in the second round because he believes that soon enough we will start seeing more packages with two passers on the field. He was likely watching closely as Taysom Hill contributed at nearly every offensive skill position and on special teams and looked at the value a truly versatile QB can provide, and he went to Roseman who then drafted arguably the most versatile QB available in the 2020 draft. 

Rumors started to come out shortly after that the Chargers had selected Easton Stick with similar things in mind. Stick was the man who took over after Carson Wentz, and left college as a 5th year senior despite getting a degree in 3 1/2 years. He headed to the NFL with a resume that included 427 rushing attempts and 41 tds on the ground. He also caught a pass in college but this has yet to come to fruition despite sporting a similar build to Hurts at 6'1 225 lbs. 

In Carolina the Joe Lombardi led offense has a recently signed running back named Darius Clark who is one of the most versatile players you'll find on just about any roster. In his junior and senior seasons at Newberry he took on a very diverse role. He threw 11 passes completing 4 for 83 yards and 1 td, returned 5 kicks for 97 yards, 25 receptions for 167 yards and 94 carries for 334 yards. He isn't the only player that can provide this ability in their offense either. Mikey Daniel a fellow rookie runner was used in a similar way but only logged 2 passing attempts both as a senior in college, Micah Simon was a high school quarterback before moving to wide receiver. Lombardi helped create the packages that made Hill the Swiss army knife he is today. 

Looking forward to next year's draft there are several players that could fill a role similar to Taysom Hill, starting with John Rys-Plumlee. He is listed as a QB/WR but has spent more time running the ball than anything. In 2019 despite playing just 9 games he showed out with 154 carries he managed 1,023 yards 6.6 avg. and 12 tds, throwing 150 passes completing just 79 passes or 52% for 910 yards, 4 tds and 3 ints. In 2020 he transitioned away from playing quarterback putting up 6 games, 25 attempts for 94 yards, 6 receptions for 79 yards, completed 5 of 7 passes for 65 yards 1 td 0 ints. 

D'Eriq King a recent transfer to Florida from Houston is 5'8 196 lbs and not highly enough regarded as a passer to be a full time QB at the next level however his 4.45 speed can't be ignored at the next level. He is listed as a 6th round pick based on his skills as a QB, but I believe a team will see value in other roles and draft him in the 4th round or higher. He has the build to play as a 3rd down running back, and slot receiver, he could be used on jet sweeps, screens, and as a passer at times depending on the team. I could see him being the next Julian Edelman, former QB turns successful slot receiver, and punt returner. More importantly he has already served in this role in Houston during his first two seasons he caught 58 passes for 492 yards and 3 tds, carried the ball 87 times for 435 yards and 8 tds, 92 completions on 142 passing attempts for 1,280 yards 8 tds, 1 int, 11 kick returns for 260 yards and 1 td, 6 punt returns for 29 yards. Having displayed this skill set already an NFL team will surely draft him as an athlete and find a role for him. 

Levi Lewis is a 5'8 187 lb qb from Louisiana Lafayette. He is expected to run in the 4.7 range, which is less than ideal speed for a dedicated positional player, but when that player adds value as a 3rd string quarterback does that increase his value to an NFL team? In 43 games over four seasons he put up 186 carries for 745 yards and 9 tds 4.0 avg, while completing just over 61% of his 788 passing attempts for a career 8.0 avg totalling 6,286 yards, 54 tds, 14 ints and returns as a 5th year senior in 2021. I see him as sort of a Trace McSorley type where teams will see him as a prospect that can play other positions such as DB, WR, RB, KR, PR. 

Long story short I think we are only a couple years away from seeing hybrid positions being created for players that can throw the ball and still contribute in other ways such as Hill. There are simply too many athletic college quarterbacks that don't pan out as such in the NFL, why not use them as depth guys at other positions while utilizing their skills as passers occasionally to keep the defenses guessing? 

Giant Signs of Dysfunction?

So I'm sure by now unless you live under a rock you've heard about the team brawl in Giants practice earlier this week. Everyone has talked about it and the opinions have ranged from Judge overreacted to, this team is a few losses from firing Judge. Well before that fight, and since that fight some facts have come to light that might actually prove that this fight is a sign of deeper problems. 

This fight likely wouldn't seem like anything to worry about if it was the first odd occurrence that leaked to media under the Judge regime. However this is actually at least the 3rd in less than a calendar year, and counting some news I'll get to later on at least the 4th piece of news in the last 7 days from Giants camp none of it positive. Most will remember when last year Joe Judge, and his o line coach former NFL player Marc Colombo actually wound up in a physical altercation resulting in Colombo being fired the following day. Then last week news came out that Kelvin Benjamin a former first round draft pick at wide receiver under current GM Dave Gettleman was trying to transition to tight end under Judge a one time wide receivers coach, was cut after another heated altercation with coaches. Just days later a team wide brawl took place with Daniel Jones somehow on the bottom of the scrum. That's what led to the latest news proving there is dysfunction in New York. 

Two relatively young players signed on Saturday, less than one week ago both eagerly putting pen to paper in an effort to continue their playing careers have hung it up rather than play for the Giants in 2021. The first player Todd Davis was signed to compete for a starting role as a MLB in the Giants defense. Davis turned 29 years old less than 3 months ago on May 17th. He had minor injury issues the previous two seasons but nothing he couldn't return from, and had played in 25 of a possible 32 games with 20 starts. The 4 year starter for Denver walks away with 96 games, and 69 starts under his belt. 

He wasn't the only player to say no thank you following the brawl as veteran lineman Joe Looney also called it quits after signing Saturday in an effort to compete for a starting spot. Looney had signed on after spending 2016-2020 with the Cowboys including 2 seasons as their starting center. The former 4th round pick made it 8 seasons with 103 games played and 41 starts at guard, or center in other words at worst a very quality depth piece. But he decided he would rather retire than play for big blue. So what's going on that has freshly signed players retiring or mouthing off, after coaches had previously done the same is Joe Judge that bad??