Jump to content
  • Welcome!

    Register and log in easily with Twitter or Google accounts!

    Or simply create a new Huddle account. 

    Members receive fewer ads , access our dark theme, and the ability to join the discussion!

     

Your biggest concern going into the season?


Ruff

Recommended Posts

My biggest concern is LT,  with RT right behind it.  You can say I am still suffering from post traumatic stress. I may never trust a Left Tackle again.  At the very least it's going to take more than a season to earn my trust. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Ruff said:

Now that the Draft is over and we've picked up our UDFAs, there are still some shaky areas on the team. What's your biggest concern heading into the season, assuming we head into this season with what we have now. 

For me, I'd say the biggest concern is Safety, followed closely by Punter. I'm still not convinced that Tre Boston is the best we can do in the defensive backfield. Often times last season he appeared to be out of place and trailing behind his guy (though, his athleticism was definitely an upgrade over Roman Harper). If we could sign Donte Whitner, that would be amazing. He would add that "4th LB", bringing a hard-hitting, run-stuffing Safety onto our team, and letting Coleman do what Coleman does. 

Punter is... Scary. The Punter is such an incredibly important position, especially when we need to flip the field. Is our defense awesome? Obviously. But, we still need to be able to pin other teams deep, not give up huge returns because of messed up hangtime, and be able to accurately punt into corners. Nortman was... Below average, I would say. He was never the best, and was always slightly behind middle of the road. I don't know if Roadhouse Swayze is an upgrade over him, but, I hope he is. Finding a Punter can't be that hard, right? ... Right?

Before reading what the others say, I will respond to you.  Nortman had a slow delivery; he was good at times, but he was not great--and inconsistent.  Am I worried about finding a punter?  Not really.  I think we have 2 in camp now, and may add a third--many teams have 2 on the roster now. 

Safety is not a concern of mine at all.  Not a bit.  It is a strengths.  We have Coleman, and Boston behind him.  We signed Trent Robinson from Washington, a short SS with starting experence.  We have Marlowe, a developing player---but we just signed Jeremy Cash, the ACC defensive player of the year.  He, right now, is better than Harper.   I feel S is pretty strong, actually.

CB has to be a concern because we have to play a rookie.  We have 3 rookies to compete.  They are smart, big athletic corners.   I am worried that we cannot shut down the opposition's #1 WR.  Still, we could be OK there.

DE?  Well, I think CJohnson is healthy and will pick it back up; he is only 30.  I think Ealy is entering that year when our DEs come of age--year 3.  Addison is decent, and I seriously think one of the 3 we have been developing will be a fine fourth DE.  Not great, but not that bad considering the pressure the DTs will be creating.

My biggest concern is OT.  Did the Super Bowl show everyone how to beat Carolina?  If we don't run effectively, our passing game is pretty deep-- outs, digs, go routes-  that takes time.  Our Tackles are not dominant run blockers (but Williams could change that) but if we can't keep the pocket clean, we are in trouble--Cam is the team--let's face it.

Here is the bright side---we have backs (Whittaker, Wegher, Tolbert) who can make our screen game effective. Cam needs to work on it--with his running ability, the screen is a great way to keep the Von Miller's honest.   I think we are getting a TE who is an offensive threat but is also able to block. 

Getting Benjamin back, Funchess getting better and specializing in hot route slants, and maybe even adding a WR like Garrett could improve the time Cam waits to throw. Better blocking TE (Sandland?) and better RB protection is a way to improve the pocket.  While we tend to blame the OTs all the time, sometimes, the scheme is to blame. 

Run the ball, get rid of the ball, protect the qb. 

To be honest, if all goes well, we will be better this year--maybe not a better record, but we will have a better football team.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

44 minutes ago, top dawg said:

Make sure that you're prepared to eat well-cooked crow by the holidays.  The way you're talking,  I'm sure you won't spoil your appetite. 

I'm not even sure what you're trying to say your opinion is but I'm sure it will change by the end of the hour.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, MHS831 said:

Before reading what the others say, I will respond to you.  Nortman had a slow delivery; he was good at times, but he was not great--and inconsistent.  Am I worried about finding a punter?  Not really.  I think we have 2 in camp now, and may add a third--many teams have 2 on the roster now. 

Safety is not a concern of mine at all.  Not a bit.  It is a strengths.  We have Coleman, and Boston behind him.  We signed Trent Robinson from Washington, a short SS with starting experence.  We have Marlowe, a developing player---but we just signed Jeremy Cash, the ACC defensive player of the year.  He, right now, is better than Harper.   I feel S is pretty strong, actually.

CB has to be a concern because we have to play a rookie.  We have 3 rookies to compete.  They are smart, big athletic corners.   I am worried that we cannot shut down the opposition's #1 WR.  Still, we could be OK there.

DE?  Well, I think CJohnson is healthy and will pick it back up; he is only 30.  I think Ealy is entering that year when our DEs come of age--year 3.  Addison is decent, and I seriously think one of the 3 we have been developing will be a fine fourth DE.  Not great, but not that bad considering the pressure the DTs will be creating.

My biggest concern is OT.  Did the Super Bowl show everyone how to beat Carolina?  If we don't run effectively, our passing game is pretty deep-- outs, digs, go routes-  that takes time.  Our Tackles are not dominant run blockers (but Williams could change that) but if we can't keep the pocket clean, we are in trouble--Cam is the team--let's face it.

Here is the bright side---we have backs (Whittaker, Wegher, Tolbert) who can make our screen game effective. Cam needs to work on it--with his running ability, the screen is a great way to keep the Von Miller's honest.   I think we are getting a TE who is an offensive threat but is also able to block. 

Getting Benjamin back, Funchess getting better and specializing in hot route slants, and maybe even adding a WR like Garrett could improve the time Cam waits to throw. Better blocking TE (Sandland?) and better RB protection is a way to improve the pocket.  While we tend to blame the OTs all the time, sometimes, the scheme is to blame. 

Run the ball, get rid of the ball, protect the qb. 

To be honest, if all goes well, we will be better this year--maybe not a better record, but we will have a better football team.

I don't think we were shown how to be beat at all, honestly. Von Miller played out of his mind and Mike Remmers, who had been solid up until that point, picked a bad game to have a bad game. It happens, especially against one of the best defensive players in the NFL. 

I don't trust Marlowe at all. His action was so limited last year, it wasn't even really worth noting. It's hard to say he's a 'developing player'. Trent might do something, but who knows? I mean, I definitely trust the system, but our defense is incredibly complex. It's not something that can just be picked up. I think Cash will be a fantastic player, but that will take time. It's very unlikely that he walks in day one and is a pro bowl level safety. 

Nortman was, honestly, below average. He was consistently in the bottom of Net Yards, because of how he outkicked the coverage or kicked it directly to the punt returners. That sucked. Punters are a huge swing, and they're part of the reason Fox always wanted a top Punter. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Ruff said:

I don't think we were shown how to be beat at all, honestly. Von Miller played out of his mind and Mike Remmers, who had been solid up until that point, picked a bad game to have a bad game. It happens, especially against one of the best defensive players in the NFL. 

I don't trust Marlowe at all. His action was so limited last year, it wasn't even really worth noting. It's hard to say he's a 'developing player'. Trent might do something, but who knows? I mean, I definitely trust the system, but our defense is incredibly complex. It's not something that can just be picked up. I think Cash will be a fantastic player, but that will take time. It's very unlikely that he walks in day one and is a pro bowl level safety. 

Nortman was, honestly, below average. He was consistently in the bottom of Net Yards, because of how he outkicked the coverage or kicked it directly to the punt returners. That sucked. Punters are a huge swing, and they're part of the reason Fox always wanted a top Punter. 

I think people saw that we did not adjust to what they were doing.  Remmers, to me, has been a weakness that Cam's athleticism and weak LDEs in the schedule masked....If Nortman was below average, why are worried about Punter?  I see what you are saying--who knows!?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Growl said:

I'm concerned that we are almost identical to what we were last year in almost every regard. If we had bolstered some of the areas we were weak, it'd be more palatable. But we regressed at CB and that's pretty much it.  

 

 

Better at WR, DT, and CB. Tillman wasn't that good...I think we were better without him so that was Bene, Josh and street meat. Now we have Bene, Boykin, Bradberry, Worley, and Sanchez. Now these last 3 are all unproven rookies, but ballhawking rookies that we chose to fit our system. I believe that Josh's only elite skill is high pointing the football, as seen in the Saints game sealer. He was simply good at everything else. I'm just anxious how the obvious 3-4 player Butler is going to help us ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SB not included, the offensive line played pretty well last year, at least in part because we managed to avoid any major injuries.  My concern this year is that we lose a guy or two for a big part of the season and that since we have a pretty sharp drop off after the first 6 guys it would really mess up our entire offense.  Other than that, it would be all the youth and new guys in our defensive backfield. Going to be a lot of young new faces this year and who knows how long it will take them to gel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Swaggasaurus said:

Better at WR, DT, and CB. Tillman wasn't that good...I think we were better without him so that was Bene, Josh and street meat. Now we have Bene, Boykin, Bradberry, Worley, and Sanchez. Now these last 3 are all unproven rookies, but ballhawking rookies that we chose to fit our system. I believe that Josh's only elite skill is high pointing the football, as seen in the Saints game sealer. He was simply good at everything else. I'm just anxious how the obvious 3-4 player Butler is going to help us ;)

Josh Norman was the best CB in football last season and it wasn't even close. To suggest he was anything close to "just good" or that three mid round picks will be better or even anywhere approaching the level of play he gave us last season is silly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Before each season my primary concern is that the coaching staff will lean on Cam to make up this teams deficiencies. Using him too much to bail out an offense that is lacking in talent. I worry that he'll be injured on some dive into the endzone, or whatever. Once the season starts I do a total 180 and start calling for Cam to run more and take over the game because I just want this team to win.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Growl said:

Josh Norman was the best CB in football last season and it wasn't even close. To suggest he was anything close to "just good" or that three mid round picks will be better or even anywhere approaching the level of play he gave us last season is silly.

He's just good, just like Butler is a 4-3 player, and just like you are wrong about pretty much everything. Boykin and the Rooks will be able to play close to the level of Josh, old man peanut, and some rejects

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • PMH4OWPW7JD2TDGWZKTOYL2T3E.jpg

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • The biggest problem we've had with this team since Rivera left is that we have become progressively more timid. Certainly on offense, but mostly on defense.  Football is not a finesse sport. It isn't gentlemanly. You don't want to kill or injure opposing players, but it is essential that you knock them hard enough to intimidate them or at least make them pensive about every move they make.  We used to be those guys. And we haven't been for a very long time.  So, I hope Dan and Dave can bring us back to this. We need it. And a tough, hard hitting team always gives you a shot, even when you might not have the finesse talent on the field.  Yes, it is a passing league, but scared or addled receivers and QBs change the whole game. We need our grit back. We've been a bunch of neutered Persian cats for too long.
    • A couple of notable insights I gained from this:  - Diontae Johnson seems eager to help Bryce progress in his career - Clowney is happy to be back home - Luke is essentially a FO spokesperson - Dan says he would've liked to have added more talent in the draft, and he seems eager to scour the waver wire for other team's cuts. It's easy to read into his statements that this roster rebuild is nowhere near complete in his eyes.
    • Keeping fit is something that many people overlook until they are out of shape and therefore must work harder to reach their physical goals. However, the work put into keeping your body healthy is worth it in both immediate results and long-term benefits. Here are some tips on fitness that can help keep you happy and healthy for years to come. Set up your weightlifting routine around your fitness goals. If you are trying to create large, bulky muscle you'll want to do more weight, but with longer rest periods between sets and between workouts. If you are trying to develop lean muscles with high endurance, you want to lift less weight, but do it more often and with shorter rest times. If you're a person who likes to walk for your daily dose of exercise, make sure you bend your elbows while you're walking. Doing this will make you swing your arms faster and in turn you'll move your legs faster. Not only will you either finish your work out sooner or go further, but you'll burn even more calories while you're doing it! Must Read:   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/f44bd9d4-20c6-4533-9af8-d43fc7b4bf69   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/144a2195-1911-442c-89b2-e27f63691cf5   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/d4e289c5-9e26-4821-baf0-81952d4e7292   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/566584fa-c321-4111-903e-4134e5e9be6a   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/c488dcb1-fc92-4691-b53b-03565fda2f60   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/761382bb-3f2a-478e-8495-9e971d3967c8   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/019ba212-a883-4148-ad89-309e98374b43   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/eb65b3fb-fd04-49d9-828c-8f1470aae23c   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/d8dd8aba-81f5-4da7-8eb2-c1a2945f5de7   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/ddd0cb7d-988b-4139-8231-bdad2e80d61b   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/61036578-8b2b-4b3d-95ef-0dfac659ecef   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/ddc36234-6d56-412b-aa4f-212d85b49a9f   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/b7a3eb22-8e12-4cf1-a365-2707042597be   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/47e01437-983a-4766-8c12-ae10f542923b   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/1c21a6d8-386f-478c-b9d9-c2e4889cb43f   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/a8d56631-0ca0-4457-803f-b88f3f352609   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/2d406da1-03e1-45cf-aae0-985e4a2cd8ae   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/7ab1f6c2-10da-4e01-b7c4-6d3d39fcfd11   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/1d5e6dcf-c841-4080-89cc-7021265f3cb3   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/de925c52-2eab-4196-85e1-6044fee1b943   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/1c6f60c3-43b7-4d7d-9596-0767d87b3fd8   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/ff8a7082-56b1-4fea-9671-27930fe94f74   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/b63663d6-32dc-468c-9edb-8c43c29af350   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/2a358ec4-2c33-46a0-9fa2-8dabd11ee409   https://manifold.ecds.emory.edu/groups/c48c3398-2532-488e-ae39-8d0490fd6877  
×
×
  • Create New...