MHS831

Chandler drops his head--if you know OL play, that is a cardinal sin. Cut him.

When I read that he said "6 or 7" Byrd was the first person (and only person) who came to mind. Byrd is explosive. Instead of thinking, "Who is #1 WR, who is the #2, who is the slot..." start thinking "Who will be the most effective WR group vs. this particular group of DBs, who will be the best vs. the next team...etc." Byrd gives this team a group of smallish speedsters (Byrd, Ginn, Brown) and a group of taller targets (KB, Funchess, Bersin) and a veteran possession guy (Cotchery). Man, there are a lot of combinations possible. Byrd may be groomed to return kicks/punts too. Wonder how he would be as a gunner? Etc etc etc. Rivera's comment tells us everything about his mindset. Good stuff, Jeremy.

Gooby--if you want to be a dick, go troll the board of a team you do NOT like. Back to the topic--Oher may have a mental issue--it could be that he lacks intensity, which could explain the lazy feet. I doubt a T who has played football for most of his life on the highest levels is a quick fix if lazy feet are the issue. IF that is the case, and IF he responds well to Matsko, then give Matsko time to do his thing. Now I want to defend Oher by listing possibilities for a slow start (by no means am I suggesting these are the reasons--they are possible reasons) : 1. He is learning a new system. Oher is a bit slow. Sure, he was beaten in 1-on-1 drills, but some people are timid and reserved until they get comfortable. 2. Some people are not practice players, but they pick it up in games. 3. Maybe he is not in the best shape. hard for a 330 lb man to prepare for 95 degrees in Spartanburg 4. The drill he was burned in gives the advantage to the defensive player. Here is why: They have no run responsibility--they pin their ears back and go. Most DEs win a 1-on-1 situation when they can pin their ears back. 5. He is shy but is always under the microscope due to the movie. Everyone expects a Disney ending, and he is not that player. If you want to know what I suspect: I think Oher's problems are mostly mental.

Let's look at the landscape: Who is our blocking TE? (A: A hybrid TE/FB?) Who is our FB? (A: A hybrid FB/RB?) Who is our LT? (A: Below average in pass protection) I say Ward is a good fit because he can stonewall LBs in pass protection, lead block for runners, and help inferior OTs block DEs. He can catch passes and play special teams. He is the closest thing we have had to Brad Hoover since Fiametta. I say he wins a job, but here is the good news: If he is put on the PS, how many teams use a FB now? He should be fairly safe.

When I played college ball, that was the biggest "No-no" one could do at practice. You were to meet with that position coach after practice, which meant that you would do "belly busters" (sprints where you dive on your belly every 10 yards) until you have vomit spewing from your face mask. And that is NOT an exaggeration. But what was fun was the rivalry between the offense and defense. It was real. I was offense, and most all of my friends were too. The only time we seemed to like each other was game day. I imagine KB was joking because it does not seem to be that way in the pros, but he must have experienced it before to know it was taboo. I never realized other teams had that "rule" until now.

Now lets talk about the importance of a Norwell or Ward or a Tolbert or a Brockel. If Oher knows a G, FB or HBack has B gap should the End stunt inside, he can concentrate (lean) to the outside. If the DE spins inside, he jams him to stall his momentum and lets him go, looking for a LB, DB, or even DT to come up and rush around the end. We are all assuming that Oher will be given man blocking assignments, when drop back pass protection requires zone. Translation? OK if Alexander could have done a spin move inside. If Alexander was rushing C gap, he takes himself out of the play by spinning into B and gets yelled at--even if rushing--they have lanes. Have 2 guys rush cam through B gap and see how far he runs around the end. When it appears that a DE spins and changes gap in a game, it is because he set up the T to think he was going C and instead stunted to B. Oher is not going to be great, but he is going to be fine. It bothers me that we have Chandler behind him, when Chandler couldn't beat out Bell for LT last year, but I expect Remmers to be the backup once Williams is ready.

I like Oher, and here is why-- While he is giving ground, he makes contact earlier than Bell used to--Bell used to take a bout a 170 degree drop and engage the DE some 5-6 yards into the backfield. Oher seems more determined to play on the LOS, so giving ground is expected. If you watch this one play, he seems to be surrendering ground to get his angle at 100 degrees or so. That may sound like math, but I have never seen a T initiate contact in the QBs ear like Bell did. We did that because he sucked. Oher wants the battle at the line-- he could be too much LOS and needs to drop more before initiating contact. His feet look good here, and if you can ride the bull for 4 seconds, you win. It is hard to tell where the QB would be, or how much Alexander's movement would be limited with other players on the field. Alexander, on the other hand, tries a rip move after being engaged for a while. Too late. He seems frustrated. He jacks Oher's head, which gets a call in the NFL, but Oher stays with it. I am not impressed with Alexander at all on this play, but I see some promise for Oher.

A lot of lineman make the mistake of overextending. They forget the angle the DL needs to take to get to the QB and they chase the DL, losing most of the time. Norwell gets it. He does not waste motion. Been saying that since last season. I LOVE Norwell.

Didn't he have a toe injury during camp last year? They linger, and make it hard to develop chemistry with a new team.

No, I am certain Ginn makes the team, if only as a returner. I am not as high on Byrd as Igo is, but I think Byrd is a project to put on the PS. Ginn will not be in the rotation as much as he was last time he was here.

He reminds me of white. (peters) He has a shot. Fits the Panther CB profile. I think, for this defensive secondary to be good, we need to play Bene inside. Of course, expect some wrinkles with Thompson in the mix at LB.

Our LB corps is now the best in the NFL. I mentioned earlier, watch Blechen from Utah. Backup LBs had better be special teams studs, and the 3 late additions (Blechen, Glanton, and Mayo) look to be special teams terrors. I think Klein makes the roster, but I wonder where he will play. Funny, but the LBs selected in the draft probably drew the most criticism. Let's not forget how everyone sighed (I didn't--my claim to fame) when we drafted Luke. He was not a real need at the time, but there were signs Beason was beaten up. Then AJ Klein, then Thompson, then Mayo. We find Glanton in the dumpster. Aside from Davis, our entire LB corps has been overhauled since Ron arrived.

a player I really like is Brian Blechen from Utah. He has all the tools for a special teams ace. I see him as a backup to Thompson and the possible "heir apparent" to one of the OLB spots in 2-3 years. He is raw, developing, and learning the position, and the LB competition is fierce, but I see him finding a spot on the PS in the worst case scenario. I love Marlowe too, by the way. I would not be surprised to see him on the roster. Byrd has a decent chance due to his skill set and his last name begins with "B" something that seems to be a requirement, with the exception of Funchess. All your WRs can't be tall and lanky (Benjamin, Funchess, Bersin). Brown and Byrd could be awesome in the slot. Notice I did not mention Ginn. I am not sure he sees much time as a WR. Where/when do you play him? I think there are 3 right now better (Benji, Fuch, Brown). With Bersin and Brown coming on strong, do you block their development by giving snaps to a 30-year old poor man's Devin Hester?

The only downside to this is that the shoes were pumps in a Men's size 12.

TOPIC: Who is the biggest head case to every play QB? I am going with Jim McMahon (until now), but I have not thought it through.

I wish God told him to lick the sweat under the fat rolls on Honey boo boo's mother's back. Not that I have ever thought of that before now.

Quinn, to me, is the perfect example of a Coordinator that should have stayed a coordinator. Benefitted from a great wave of talent. Not saying he is bad, I am just saying that there is reason to suggest he was the benefactor of circumstances. We will see. I think the South will be competitive this year, and I expect the Atlanta is in the best shape to improve. I don't think Beasley will be that great in year one, and I am not a big fan of the CB they selected. Color me not impressed.

Me play football good.

I have not seen the numbers, but I will go out on a limb here and say that we are WAY better without increasing the salary cap hit much if at all.

About the cheap shot on Smitty--we can't hear a lot of what is said on the field. Smitty is a smart ass prick, if you must know the truth. Why does he get into skirmishes every game? Because he talks too much shtrash. If you put Harper beside Smitty without uniforms on, Harper is the better person, IMO. I have been around Smitty a few times, and I never liked him. By the way, doesn't Harper look like the old Dr J?

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/04/watch_roman_harper_shed_tears.html Not sure if anyone has posted this as I stumbled across it--I apologize if this has been run. I could not figure out where to search, so I decided to go with it, exposing myself to ridicule if my calculated gamble backfires and sends me into a shameful, guilt-ridden exile where I would be forced to reappear under a different pseudonym and iconic image.. Still, it gives an interesting glimpse into his personal life and might give some of you a cool idea about how to create a wedding video (of course here I am referring to the members of the Huddle who are capable of getting a woman to the church and even more exclusively, finding a woman photogenic enough to justify the expense.)

I listened to the radio all day, and they were saying it was a done deal. I dunno. I think Jordan is micro managing (they say Jordan loves him).

I think he will be better than you guys think. A smart passer, a solid outside shooter with good footwork inside. Not who I would have picked, but not a disaster either. He should be able to play right now, something that counts. I just think we have a terrible front office. Period.

My best friend taught him in high school where we both worked at the time. He went to South Stanly in Norwood. Have no idea what that means, but I do not trust his ability to interpret British Literature.

Greg Hardy had a better defense than this guy. It will be interesting to see what position the Saints take---I would be proactive. He will probably get the commissioner's list, where all violent offenders go to get paid without playing or practicing.