BRYAN WALSHMOUNT AIRY, MD
Is it too early to say Gavin Escobar was a bad pick for this team? In two years he has 18 catches and 6 TDs. Wouldn't other players that were available at the time, such as Le'Veon Bell, Eddie Lacy, or Tyrann Mathieu, make this a better team?
David: I'm glad you said "bad pick," instead of "bad player." Escobar has shown some serious flashes of his ability, and I'm pretty confident he can be a viable receiving threat in this league. I'm just honestly not sure he fits what this team is trying to do unless he becomes a much better run blocker. Then there's the fact that Escobar has a Hall of Famer taking snaps in front of him. He certainly hasn't lived up to the billing of a top-50 pick, but I have a hard time putting the blame squarely on him.
Rob: Oh, hindsight, I've missed you. Yes, Escobar was a surprising pick at the time because they'd already invested second-round picks in Anthony Fasano (2006) and Martellus Bennett (2008) without either finding a consistent role in the offense. That's Jason Witten's job. Escobar's receiver skills for his size do give him value and he's a red zone threat. Can he develop more strength to become an on-the-line tight end, too? That's what we'll look for heading into this season.
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LEONARD GITTENSOXON HILL, MD
Why is it taking so long to get a decision on the Greg Hardy suspension? It's been over three weeks since his appeal hearing.*
David: It's pretty frustrating waiting for a ruling, but just for the record, it hasn't quite been three weeks since Hardy made his appeal. So this timetable isn't really out of the ordinary. The league tends to move at a slow pace on stuff like this, and it's not surprising given the ramifications of the decision.
Rob: It hasn't quite been three weeks. Ray Rice's appeal lasted just over three weeks. There's no set timetable here, but history suggests we could hear something this week.
