Are We Paper Lions?

I've used this term a couple of times now in different threads, so I thought I'd offer it up for discussion.

If you're not familiar with the term, Paper Lion means amazing LOOKING names and reputation on paper, but overrated due to injury/age/poor or inconsistent play.

I also want to list the core players and see if you agree with my assessment of where they're at in their careers.

Tier 1 (Currently in prime and playing at a high level)
- Wilson
- Baldwin
- Wagner
- Earl
- Richardson (Sheldon)
- Clark

Tier 2 (Currently past prime or not consistent enough to be tier 1 yet)
- Bennett
- Chancellor
- Sherman
- Reed
- Graham
- Freeney
- Richardson (Paul)
- Britt
- Duane Brown (not enough to go on yet, but he's 32 and I assume was better 4-5 years ago)
- Lockett
- Wright
- Griffin
- Ryan
- Walsh

Tier 3 (Flat out Busts or contributing less than expected)
- Rawls
- Lacy
- Ifedi
- Prosise
- Aboushi
- Joeckel

I think I got everyone. My point of this is to say if we're to be considered serious SB contenders, then we need at least 5-6 of the tier 2 players to play like tier 1 players, and many tier three players to play like tier 2 players. Too much inconsistent and downright mediocre play from some very highly paid players.

Just depends on who you ask really. They are still a very good team, just clearly not as dominant. Yet........

What is despressing is looking at that list and realizing just how badly the team is underperforming. That is a team that should be sniffing the SB not losing to the redskins

Call it what you want, but what we are is a team on the decline. The captain of the ship passing out lead life jackets is not helping either.

Whether you intended it or not, your categories are only likely to answer the question of how old we are, rather than how good we are. Otherwise, you'd eliminate age as a factor.

Bennett (6.5 sacks in 8 games), Brown, P-Rich, Britt (one of the league's top 5 centers), and Freeney are all playing at a consistently high level. One bad game shouldn't be enough to knock you out of that. I'd also bump Aboushi and Joeckel up to Tier 2.

For now, I'm really surprised how many people are assuming they are done.

I do not see how Pete can tolerate poor effort from several of the players on this team. I'd be pulling my hair out....if I had any.

Seymour":2dbecyn5 said:

The captain of the ship passing out lead life jackets is not helping either.

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Not sure what this means, but if Pete and John continue with this core group of players, I agree it's a slowly sinking ship.

Probably should have been some hard decisions made last year with cutting or trading some very popular key players. Graham, Sherman, Kam, Wright and Bennett to name a few.

IMO what's going on is Pete knows he only has a handful of years left, and doesn't want to go through another 4-5 year rebuild trying to get back to a SB. So he's hanging on the hope that this core group can somehow put it all together one more time...........and even doubling down on hamstringing our draft and cap space bringing in guys like Brown and Richardson trying to make it happen.

Still might work, but it also might set this team back years if it all blows up.

SoulfishHawk":2gdqon2z said:

For now, I'm really surprised how many people are assuming they are done.

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In my case I've not written them off yet. They are just making it harder and harder to reach the promise land, so to me that is on the decline. Not 1 game out of 8 have we put all three phases together in the same game. That is a MAJOR concern.

SoulfishHawk":3ge5mno3 said:

For now, I'm really surprised how many people are assuming they are done.

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Done? No, but SERIOUS SB contenders?

Not sure how you can watch this offense, terrible special teams and inconsistent defense and not think that we're not on shaky SB ground.

Sgt. Largent":18bhfedy said:

Still might work, but it also might set this team back years if it all blows up.

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I do not see this team...playing as it was last Sunday....beating Philly or Dallas. With five loses, we're not likely to make the Playoffs.

I think you're pretty spot on in your assessment.

If you wanted to break it down more, IMO, I think you could make a Tier 1.5 and move up Sherman and Freeney while dropping Clark and Richardson in there.
Tier 2.5 would have Walsh and maybe bring up Rawls in there if you count how he looked this last game when we did try and run it.

MontanaHawk05":3okemwgv said:

Whether you intended it or not, your categories are only likely to answer the question of how old we are, rather than how good we are. Otherwise, you'd eliminate age as a factor..

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Well that's football isn't it? 90% of the time age does equal prime.

Which is my point, we're paying a LOT of players that are past their prime like they're IN their prime.........and it's causing this wildly inconsistency that's driving us all crazy from week to week.

So yeah, maybe we need to lower our expectations as this core group only gets older and Pete/John refuse to cut the chord with many of them.

IMO this Hawk's teams is THE textbook definition of a paper lion.

Sgt. Largent":1ggyf160 said:

Seymour":1ggyf160 said:

The captain of the ship passing out lead life jackets is not helping either.

Click to expand...

Not sure what this means, but if Pete and John continue with this core group of players, I agree it's a slowly sinking ship.

Probably should have been some hard decisions made last year with cutting or trading some very popular key players. Graham, Sherman, Kam, Wright and Bennett to name a few.

IMO what's going on is Pete knows he only has a handful of years left, and doesn't want to go through another 4-5 year rebuild trying to get back to a SB. So he's hanging on the hope that this core group can somehow put it all together one more time...........and even doubling down on hamstringing our draft and cap space bringing in guys like Brown and Richardson trying to make it happen.

Still might work, but it also might set this team back years if it all blows up.

Click to expand...

To sum it up it means that our leader is not making helpful adjustments to fix the core problems. The personnel on the team does not match his ground a pound philosophy, so he tries to tweak, torque, bend, and mold them into doing it rather than just play and adjust to their strength. That and too much being spent on an aging core is the lead in our life preservers. The D I worry less about, but they are declining in performance too (mostly in the crunch time moments unfortunately).

Sgt. Largent":tvh5j2w9 said:

SoulfishHawk":tvh5j2w9 said:

For now, I'm really surprised how many people are assuming they are done.

Click to expand...

Done? No, but SERIOUS SB contenders?

Not sure how you can watch this offense, terrible special teams and inconsistent defense and not think that we're not on shaky SB ground.

Click to expand...

Giants.

MontanaHawk05":3j3ennop said:

Sgt. Largent":3j3ennop said:

SoulfishHawk":3j3ennop said:

For now, I'm really surprised how many people are assuming they are done.

Click to expand...

Done? No, but SERIOUS SB contenders?

Not sure how you can watch this offense, terrible special teams and inconsistent defense and not think that we're not on shaky SB ground.

Click to expand...

Giants.

Click to expand...

Someone always brings up the Giants every time we're trying to find a silver lining over not having a good shot at HFA.

That team is an outlier, an exception.

What we do know is our Hawks are a pretty bad road playoff team, especially after the wildcard round. Not sure what makes you think after losing to a terrible Skins team at home that this team can win on the road in the playoffs.

This isn't the 2012 Hawks with the youngest defense in the league healthy and hungry. This is an old Hawk's defense that's more than likely going to look even older and banged up in 7-8 weeks.

Bigpumpkin":fb4hqan7 said:

I do not see how Pete can tolerate poor effort from several of the players on this team. I'd be pulling my hair out....if I had any.

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The issue would be right before you go to pull your hair out you look in the mirror and realize you are responsible...

Isn't it paper tiger

Sgt. Largent":5ke08ysj said:

Seymour":5ke08ysj said:

The captain of the ship passing out lead life jackets is not helping either.

Click to expand...

Not sure what this means, but if Pete and John continue with this core group of players, I agree it's a slowly sinking ship.

Probably should have been some hard decisions made last year with cutting or trading some very popular key players. Graham, Sherman, Kam, Wright and Bennett to name a few.

IMO what's going on is Pete knows he only has a handful of years left, and doesn't want to go through another 4-5 year rebuild trying to get back to a SB. So he's hanging on the hope that this core group can somehow put it all together one more time...........and even doubling down on hamstringing our draft and cap space bringing in guys like Brown and Richardson trying to make it happen.

Still might work, but it also might set this team back years if it all blows up.

Click to expand...

I would say this nails it on the head. I mean you can't argue much with Pete, we are a contender any way you look at it, and quite frankly, just take a look at any other team outside of the Patriots in this league because I can't think of any other I would wish to parallel universe with and be a fan of. No one has the potential every single year consistently. Unfortunately, we are experiencing the fact that you can't have hell without hope. Browns fans at least have peace in knowing their fate. We see the light many times a season, only to have a cold hard reality check follow it every time since 48.

I'm with Pete personally. The time is now to double down and go all in, because not for long means not for freaking long around here. His only problem in my opinion is he is 0% fluid. He concocted a great plan and then when the league adjusted after a couple years, he's still standing there collecting dust. Granted I can't argue with divisional appearances year after year, but getting smoked at the end of Atlanta last year proved we didn't have the horsepower to compete with a Ferrari, Pete was (is) still in the mindset of building the sturdiest tank to duke it out with the 2013 9ers.

Sgt. Largent":2otd04dm said:

MontanaHawk05":2otd04dm said:

Sgt. Largent":2otd04dm said:

SoulfishHawk":2otd04dm said:

For now, I'm really surprised how many people are assuming they are done.

Click to expand...

Done? No, but SERIOUS SB contenders?

Not sure how you can watch this offense, terrible special teams and inconsistent defense and not think that we're not on shaky SB ground.

Click to expand...

Giants.

Click to expand...

Someone always brings up the Giants every time we're trying to find a silver lining over not having a good shot at HFA.

That team is an outlier, an exception.

Click to expand...

They were an outlier twice?

Then 2005 Steelers.

Look, get it through your head - some of us don't believe in a playoff ceiling or using midseason form as a predictor. The playoffs are a new season. Get in and anything is possible. HFA boosts your chances; not getting it doesn't prohibit them.

Every time we've been bounced from the playoffs, it's been because of things OTHER than practically everything that practically anyone spends practically the entire season practically losing their heads over. Mostly just lack of execution. And a lot of it, 2015 and 2016 and almost 2014 included, was Russell Wilson playing poorly.

So, no, I'm not on board with your line of reasoning. I also don't think the defense is inconsistent. They held a good QB/OC tandem to 17 points yesterday (10 if not for the rookie getting picked on) and got Wilson'd by DeShaun Watson the week before. It would happen to any defense. I am on board with eventually rotating these guys out, ONCE their production drops off, but I haven't seen enough evidence of that yet.

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