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Originally Posted by tredadda
I see your point but the problem is that Mahomes has to manufacture miracles not because receivers can’t get open, but because we have two of the worst starting tackles in the league. Elite WRs are a luxury no doubt but players like Hopkins (just had to insert that) are more necessary on teams with young developing QBs or middling QBs. Elite WRs are expensive and even more so after this last offseason. They are a luxury teams with elite QBs can’t afford without sacrificing other areas. Plus if your elite WR goes down to injuries you are in an even worse spot as the others around him are JAGs at best. I would still rather have a bunch of #2 WRs than a dominant #1 and a bunch of #3 or #4 WRs. Also QBs tend to focus a lot more on their #1 WR and sometimes to their detriment. Mahomes is guilty of that as well. Having no true #1 WR has forced him to be a better QB and not just “F-it Tyreek down there somewhere” QB.
Rodgers also had Adams and still struggled in the playoffs. That’s as much on Rodgers as anything else. Having a true #1 WR did not change that. I am no fan of Brady and do not think he is the GOAT, but I will say that for most of his career he did not have true #1 WRs in NE (Moss being the only one that comes to mind) yet his teams were still dominating because they had elite defenses and his OLine kept him upright. Mahomes can and will thrive with lesser WRs if he is not under pressure all the time. I think a true elite #1 WR with a true franchise QB is not sustainable in this salary cap era.
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It's actually been a mixture of both. Guys weren't getting open early, and we have two of the worst OTs in football doing their best imitations of a turnstile. But if you have one top-tier (not necessarily elite) WR1, he probably gets open before our less-than-top-tier Ts pants themselves, and Mahomes can make a relatively easy throw, instead of running around trying to make something out of nothing while some guy is draped around his neck. just saying.
We'd still have Skyy and Toney, and one of these guys is going to show out next season, maybe both. Whatever; they're both far better than the troupe of JAGs we had last season. Add in maybe J. Watson, maaaybe Ross? Plus whichever WR we draft . . . still better backups than what we had in 2021.
Brady's 1 and 2 were actually Gronk and Edelman. Or Welker before Edelman. Though NE was really unstoppable for a hot minute when they had both Gronk and Aaron Hernandez shredding defenses in the middle. But that's just trivia. Ftr, I can see either Skyy or Toney taking up the Edelman/Welker role for the Chiefs next season and beyond.
And what is it going to cost to have both MVS and JJSS next season? JJSS is probably going to be more expensive than MVS, so say $15-$18M? Plus MVS' $10M? So $25M-$28M/yr? How is it we can't afford to trade/cut/whatever those guys and bring in a guy that costs $20M/yr that does both their jobs better than they can? Well, probably not the absolute speed part, but everything else.