Originally posted by captveg:
I don't see the big lie you attribute to their statements. They clearly liked what Brock was showing in training camp 2022, but had no evidence to suggest it would translate to performance in games, as it was so limited in terms of snaps/opportunities. The media members have essentially confirmed this, too. That's the main reason why Brock was 3rd on the depth chart, along with having the investment in Lance that they needed to see play out, and having Garoppolo - a known commodity - surprisingly still available. It's also why they were ready to move on so quicky from both Jimmy (no interest in re-signing in 2023) and Trey (traded) once Brock had his 2022 game film and proved he was recovered from the elbow surgery by pre-season 2023. Brock was even named the starter before he returned from his rehab, so at least by the 2023 offseason they had made up their minds, but the injury recovery was the hold up, so they had to have a contingency, hence bringing in Darnold to compete with Lance.
I think you're half there, but you aren't connecting the logic you are using to correctly explain '23 to what they did in '22. If they believed Brock was the best QB on the roster in training camp, they aren't bringing back Jimmy G as a highly paid backup with large incentives for playtime, giving him control of a potential future trade, and then sliding him ahead of Brock on the depth chart. This is what team's do when they aren't confident in their starter or backup.
It's similar to moves they made in the '23 offseason but for a different reason: health of the starter. Brock wasn't healthy, his outlook for the start of the season wasn't clear, and they didn't trust Trey Lance as a number 2 option. So they brought in another highly paid backup with incentives for playing time. Again, this is what team's do when the position isn't solidified.
Look at this year. Brock is healthy. He's still dirt cheap. And we signed low dollar backups behind him. We are operating now like every other team that has a confidence in their guy… not wasting money insuring for poor play at the position.
I don't think this is a 'big lie' either. It's just an obvious one, and this type of pointless public statement from a happy Jed York is nothing new in his history.
* I should add I could completely see Kyle saying he thinks Brock might be the best QB between the QBs who actually participated in camp: Sudfeld, Lance. That's obviously believable as those two guys aren't good quarterbacks… but again the context would be missing because the idea was to develop Lance, not look at him as a ready made player and Jimmy was possibly going to be gone if someone blew them away with an offer.
[ Edited by SmokeyJoe on Jun 6, 2024 at 11:18 PM ]