Projected team strength and weaknesses

I'm no expert, but there's a pattern there

 

I'd add something, but I've said most of what I'd have to say a few hundred times already. Someone go bump one of those.

 

I just hate to increase his chances for injuries. We need him at receiver.

 

Geez, who peed in Brain's cornflakes? Seriously, that guy looks as mad as I used to be, sans the wit.


For what it's worth, you don't need to be strong at LT to run the ball well. Just look at Atlanta. It is a much bigger issue in pass protection, and while I and presumably everyone else understands that Wharton was better at pass blocking than run blocking in college, he had never previously been considered an NFL-caliber tackle, so some skepticism is in order.


And as for strengths & weaknesses, I think they're pretty obvious and therefore agree with what has been mentioned.

Shelton is a nice addition to the run game, and I think we'll be able to move the ball effectively this year. Honestly I'd rather just start him from day one instead of messing around with Foster always bouncing things to the outside. I hope Stephen Davis comes back, if only for depth and because he seems like such a great guy, but with Shelton I at least feel like we have someone who can carry the load. And here is actually where we might miss Moose the most, since his too frequently cited run blocking actually was pretty good.

As for pass blocking, Wharton is clearly going to need a lot of help, but that just means cheating the back to his side. We don't use screens or flares much anyway, or really have a back who is a threat in that respect. Smith and Colbert don't overly concern me, although Jake will have to get it through his head that our receivers aren't 6'2" anymore and not airmail his passes. Proehl is an ideal #3 man, and we never used more receivers than that anyway. I wouldn't count on Freddie Jones adding much, though. He's pretty much done.

Our pass defense should be ridiculous. Assuming Rucker transforms some of those quarterback pressures into sacks and Jenkins stays healthy, we should kill quarterbacks if our coverage is aggressive at all. I said quite a long time ago that Manning was much better suited to be a nickel back given his skill set and style of play, so he's going to excel there. And while Lucas is overpaid, he is rock solid. As someone else mentioned, the real question is going to be whether or not we can cover backs and tight ends since both Witherspoon and Morgan pretty much suck in that respect. As far as the safeties are concerned, Minter is more worrisome to me in pass coverage than Bashir or whoever we pick to start at free.

The run defense still looks like an issue. Hopefully we'll get enough production from our tackles to help, but Morgan is not a filler. He makes a ton of tackles downfield, but the only times I can ever recall him blowing up plays was the Indianapolis game two years ago. That's one reason I'd like to see Davis on the field, but I'm not sure if the gain there is worth playing Witherspoon out of position at SLB. With the corners we have now, and since Minter isn't much in coverage anyway, it might be nice to play him up more. That or sub Davis for him and play Draft or Short at SLB. Juggling personnel like that would be difficult, but it is one way we could adjust between pass and run downs.

As for special teams, Sauerbrun wasn't that great to begin with. I do wholeheartedly agree that we should have gotten an explosive return man, though. I don't want to use Smith there because of the injury risk and I just want him to focus on being a receiver, but our return game has been largely pathetic since early in the 2003 season. Hopefully some of the bodies we grabbed will help on special teams, but I'd like to see someone with a little more feel for returns, if not explosiveness.

 

FWIW, I was ready to rip into a few things before I relented, so I can understand to a point. Specifically, after a number of threads about hazing, a few people are ready to go Kevin Greene on Thelt.

I wouldn't say "never". Some did have him as a tackle (assumed as a RT), unless I misunderstood you, and certainly the Panthers did. But yeah, he's gotta earn it. Also, he should be a better run blocker at LT because he can better use the angles/his strength problems won't show up as much/ends are theoretically weaker than tackles, etc, but as you noted and as would be assumed inherent, the pass blocking is the critical part.

Over the long haul, probably, since we got out of the habit of using Moose that much in 2002/early 2003.

Or, naturally, using more 2 TE. But yeah, hopefully we can help him some, and hopefully we won't need to help Gross.

Agree. Give a bit more of that Barrow/Towns type feel on the field. Morgan really should be in a 2-gap, or at least an odd 4-3, because he's not going to knife through and disrupt a play the way an elite MLB would.
I think situationally having Davis at SLB, or at least starting him out as the nickel LB, would ease some of the void of Fields' explosiveness, and would give a role similar to what Cooper played in 03 @philly, only with talent and instinct.

And yeah, we should have a real returner. I like Smart, really dig his style, but he's not an above average return man, and he's a mediocre RB, which makes him a gunner who can be average at something else. Doesn't make for a ringing endorsement, and leaves us without back depth. It does worry me to think about what we went through last year, and then still carry only 3 true WR and 2 true backs. Sure, you get a bonus with Goings/Hoover, but I have to wonder how long that luck lasts, too.

 

Jamal Robertson is better overall than Smart, IMO.

Foster
Davis*
Shelton
Robertson

Of course, Goings and Hoover are still here. I'm assuming that Goings will move back to his role of pre-2004, but that could hinge of Davis' health. Either way, I think the RB's are fine. You would like to really feel as though they were 100% healthy, but it should work even if Shelton and/or Goings has to carry the load.

 

the comment by Fox that T Davis woud play safety but in some sets he would be more of a LB is interesting. I would think Fox is trying to devise ways of shoring up that middle aganst the run. That IMO is the weak link in our team. After looking at some of last year's film, I do not think Morgan can handle the middle as it was defended last year. Hopefully we have acquire some help in the draft at Buckner's position plus some new scheming by the coaches. I could see Davis being part of that especially aganst Alt.. GB and NO (second game) wore our ass slap out running up the middle.

 

'course, it depends on what we do with our ST players - we really do, unfortunately, need guys who can play there, as much as we also need RBs. Robertson's a better back...I wish either were able to end it by being able to return punts.

I dunno - I'd like to think that the Hoover/Goings thing can always bail us out. It took a good while to do it last time, and part of the natural order problem is that we wear backs out because we specialize (that, of course, and that we habitually run too much with our #1 back of that game). And I'd like to think that either Smart or Robertson could be good enough as a KR. I just think we can and should do better at KR/PR in one dynamite player, and that said player apparently isn't sought by the team.

That's why I was pissed when we brought back Smart/Robertson, and why I assumed they wouldn't bring in another returner...luckily, they at least did bring in another back that'll be meaningful (obviously, Shelton).

 

PLEASE, I repeat...PLEASE, do NOT post something like this without first stating that it is an archive story. About gave me a fucking heart attack.

 

I think we'll see more of the 4-6 sets with Davis on the field in a LB/SS role where he is on or near the LOS as an outside pass rusher or diguised in coverage.