[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

Super Bowl window is open for about the next twelve years.

Last year, we went into the season with nothing but rookies at corner (and of course, Sneed) and didn't blink. Mid-season, we even traded the only other veteran corner on the roster for a ham sandwich. By late in the year, it was paying off. That's what you have to do to ALWAYS keep your window open. Now the secondary is a strength.

Maybe Toney does struggle to stay healthy. That's why they brought in Ritchie. Maybe MVS gets hurt; that's why they brought back Watson. They brought in insurance policies that can give you professional snaps, if not stars.

And I'm sure they'll draft a guy, but he's going to have to earn his way to the field and beat out four veterans for it, and it'll probably go a lot like Skyy Moore's season did, barring injury. But that doesn't mean he can't do it, as it didn't mean Moore couldn't. Now it's Moore's turn, and I think we're all going to be pleasantly surprised. I know Veach and Andy are expecting big things.

You pay a Hopkins, (who hasn't played a full season in two years, by the way) and that's almost two guys like Bolton, or Gay, or Sneed that you can't extend. It's having to make a choice between Creed or Smith, while having no choice but to let Thuney go. It doesn't 'open' a Super Bowl window, it shortens it. The bill comes due.

How many rings did Brady get without star WR free agents? You really think Mahomes and Reid can't do as well? And don't say Edelman or Welker-they weren't gamebreakers , they were each a slot possession guy. Moss was a headcase reclamation project, not a sought after star, and they didn't win one with him.

Just keep stacking good football players, maximizing cap and draft value, and put Mahomes + Best 52 out there and you've got as good of a shot as anyone every single year.

It's going to be okay.



You're paying Mahomes; you have to grow your own stars at the expensive positions like DE and WR.

You guys are going to have to get comfortable with having young question marks at a different group every off-season. Trust the braintrust at Arrowhead. They know what they're doing. I'm growing comfortable with being a little uncomfortable in the off-season.

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath15

It's frustrating - because I trust Veach 100%

Yet I can help but get some serious Michael Cherrito vibes from Heat

To Veach, the action IS the juice.

Judging seasons like Olympic sports. It's all about the difficulty level.

Hey Patrick - Win a SB with Kelce, Hill and a questionable defense.

Check.

Hey Patrick - Now win a SB with Kelce and Juju and a REALLY young defense.

Check.

Now? Hey Patrick, win a SB with Kelce and...

I'm going to be furious if we miss out on another SB because we're asking Mahomes to be even more of a miracle worker than he's already shown to be.

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

At some point, you have to grow your own, not pay market price for other teams ' stars. It's not comfortable, but it's necessary, and is where KC is at right now.

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath15

Growing your own is fine - but the entire WR room at once while a SB window is open?

Right now you're looking at Toney - assuming he can stay healthy - and a WHOLE LOT of question marks.

Or, if you want to be a pessimist, you can assume Toney won't be able to stay healthy (he hasn't once in his career) and you have NOTHING but question marks.

They need some sort of a presence besides Kelce - MVS ain't it.

Originally Posted by The Franchise

Seth said it best.

The ceiling is crazy high...but that floor. Woof. That floor is pretty ****ing low.

Originally Posted by Megatron96

Exactly. Toney is the only legit true WR talent in the building, everyone else is an unknown, several with serious issues, whether it's staying healthy, or not having any experience at all at the NFL level, or whatever. Toney goes down, we really don't have a plan B.

Personally, I think it's extremely doubtful we have both Ross guys suited up for 17 games this season. And I mean combined, not each. So, then what? Skyy becomes the WR1, one of the Ross boys becomes the 2?, and then maybe Richie? Justin Watson is more of a ST guy than a WR so far, but a decent backup for MVS in terms of role. But that's about it for him. He's not going to be the go-to WR in any scenario.

Then some are saying "that's why Gray and Fortson are on the roster!" Great. Except that when JuJu faded mid-season, those two didn't do anything. They finished the season with a combined 400 yards receiving and 3 TDs. Not impressive. And not dependable.

It's one thing to go into a season with no dependable WRs in Madden. It's another to do it in reality.

And Veach ain't that dumb. He's got a plan, and it's not "let's go into 2023 with this WR room and a rookie WR and just hope a couple of them just surprise the hell out of us with a top-15 season." That shouldn't be remotely a thing if Veach is as smart as we all think he is.

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

I'm just going to say this, and then I'll bow out of this thread, because I'm not going to convince anyone on the Hopkins train that they're wrong, and you're not going to convince me that this is the way we should go.

The questions in the WR room are only questions to the fans. Veach and Reid (and Mahomes) know exactly where Toney and Moore are at. They're saying they expect them to step up and produce. Maybe their bluffing, but that's not really their style. Just because they haven't put up numbers YET doesn't mean it's the gaping hole you guys are afraid of.

Either way, I trust Veach and Reid to put a championship caliber roster on the field.

See y'all on other topics in other threads!

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath15

No reason to split, Chris - I appreciate the convo.

I trust Veach as well - but expecting a guy that's never stayed healthy to stay healthy, and expecting a guy that did next to nothing in his rookie year have a massive breakout - it's a risk I'd rather they not take and potentially waste a prime Mahomes season.

This isn't even as much about Hopkins as it is the position in general - they need *someone* they can not only count on, but that will take some attention away from Kelce in that room - and I'm sorry - but we're going to have to be insanely lucky for it to be someone currently on the roster.

Just gotta say this is some quality CP right here. I'm legit torn between all camps... my default is just trust the process