Comparing our new players to old, better/worse?

[SorthNarolina]

Chris Harris to Charles Godfrey - PUSH

in Godfrey's 2 years he hasn't really looked better than Harris in any respect. While having the tool's to be better in coverage he never really got his head on straight to use those tools. Godfrey's play started looking very Harris-like late in the season, but can he sustain it?

Charles Godfrey to Sherrod Martin - BETTER

Martin came in right away and started making plays. The turnover's didn't cover-up any shortcomings in his game either, he tackled and covered well. He showed great range from FS and if he had known the playbook better he probably would have remained in the lineup. Starting this year only having to concentrate on one position should help him too.

Nail Diggs to James Anderson - BETTER

Diggs played well for his age but he was starting to look pretty bad in coverage and overall we just needed some fresh legs. Anderson has looked better in most if not all aspects of his game.

Jon Beason to Dan Connor ????- WORSE

This is if we move Beason to the will. Connor should play much better inside but he still isn't the same player as Beason. There shouldn't be much dropoff but we are going to lose a little bit in coverage most likely.

Thomas Davis to Jon Beason - PUSH

Beason is a better linebacker than Davis but not a better athlete which counts more at WLB than it would at other positions. Right now it's a push. There shouldn't be much drop off like above, I just think Davis was better suited for WLB than Beason.

Damione Lewis to Tank Tyler - PUSH

In what little time Tyler played I think he showed he can be a solid player for us. Lewis isn't going to be that hard to replace.

Ma'ake Kemoeatu to Louis Leonard - PUSH

Kemo was a big space eater at NT and if all we need at NT is for Louis to just hold at the LOS he won't be missed one bit.

Julius Peppers to Charles Johnson - WORSE

I think Johnson is going to play well and he could be a 10 sack guy for us, but there is no replacing Peppers. Try and talk about all the games he "took off" but he also had games he "took on". Johnson can fill all the roles, even dropping back in coverage. But Peppers is on another level.

Keydrick Vincent to Mackenzie Bernadeau - BETTER

Bernadeau played his tail off when inserted in the line-up. I think he's going to fill in very well at RG. I think Robinson would also end up being better if he started but he would probably take longer to get settled.

Brad Hoover to Tony Fiametta - WORSE

Pretty much I didn't see a single thing Fiametta did better than Hoover. I just don't understand why they cut him unless they are changing their offensive philosophy a bit to more 1-RB sets.

Muhsin Muhammad to Dwayne Jarrett - WORSE

Jarrett has very good hands and that's the end of the list for his pros. His cons? Everything else. I really hope 4th time is the charm because that would be a huge lift for the offense.

Dwayne Jarrett to Brandon LaFell - BETTER

It won't be very hard for LaFell to look better than Jarrett if the last three years are any indication. His blocking ability alone makes him more valuable.

Kenny Moore to Armanti Edwards - BETTER

I'm trying not to jump on the bandwagon and I know a lot of guys turn heads in practices but I keep getting a gut feeling that he's going to special. Even if he isn't special we at least have somebody where I don't have to cross my fingers every time he returns a punt. That alone makes him better than Moore already.

Jake Delhome to Matt Moore - BETTER

Delhome played so horrible it wont be hard to upstage him. I don't know how good Moore can be but we don't need him to be Peyton Manning. I actually think his last 5 games were a good indication of how he will play this season. He played against some good teams who still had a lot to play for and did great. He made some stupid throws but also had a good number that I was shocked to see him make. He had 2 throws to Moose in the giants game and that TD to Jarrett were very good throws. Others as well.

Conclusion

So that is 6 BETTER, 4 WORSE, and 4 PUSH. Which means overall I think our roster has improved.

One thing I think my rankings don't show is how all of these new faces will gel as a unit. That will have a big bearing on how we do this season. I think we have gotten younger and better but this is a team sport so hopefully our coaches do their jobs!!!!

[Dpantherman]

I'll give you a definitive answer in September

[coxc63]

Dan Connor's instincts and pursuit to the ball can help us against the run greatly, his coverage skills do lack a bit...Some will argue that Jamar will be better suited for the position, but I haven't seen the man play...we have no other linebackers that could fill in for Davis better than Beason at WLB and the transition could favor Beasons stats this season. I believe Leonard could fill in for Kemo in the sense that you mentioned to just be a guy to plug up space against the run. Which makes me wonder on passing downs would we transition to a 3-4 defense and have Norwood and Anderson in the OLB spots and Jamar and Beason in the middle for coverage and pass rushing purposes. Or will we stick to the 4-3 scheme and possibly get burned up the middle by a TE (I'm sure Connor won't be in the middle on passing downs). I don't think there will be much if any drop off in the secondary or at the QB position. The players we have there are as good if not better than the players we've recently had at the postions.

(I know this is a lengthy post, but I'm not very good at breaking down my paragraphs yet so if someone can help break it down for my id greatly appreciate it)

[coxc63]

Dan Connor's instincts and pursuit to the ball can help us against the run greatly, his coverage skills do lack a bit...Some will argue that Jamar will be better suited for the position, but I haven't seen the man play...we have no other linebackers that could fill in for Davis better than Beason at WLB and the transition could favor Beasons stats this season. I believe Leonard could fill in for Kemo in the sense that you mentioned to just be a guy to plug up space against the run. Which makes me wonder on passing downs would we transition to a 3-4 defense and have Norwood and Anderson in the OLB spots and Jamar and Beason in the middle for coverage and pass rushing purposes. Or will we stick to the 4-3 scheme and possibly get burned up the middle by a TE (I'm sure Connor won't be in the middle on passing downs). I don't think there will be much if any drop off in the secondary or at the QB position. The players we have there are as good if not better than the players we've recently had at the postions.

(I know this is a lengthy post, but I'm not very good at breaking down me paragraphs yet so if someone can help break it down for my id greatly appreciate it)

[SorthNarolina]

What do you mean? Just put a break in even if you don't feel like it's a good transition.

[coxc63]

Thanks for the advice, will do from now on.

Ill keep the main concepts together (position battles, formations, etc.)

If it gets too long ill either paraphrase or just break up the paragraphs

[Mage]

Charles Godfrey isn't going to play strong safety, which Harris played. Godfrey will stick where he was at while Martin will replace Harris as our rover.

[necroplasm]

I think Johnson is going to play well and he could be a 10 sack guy for us, but there is no replacing Peppers. Try and talk about all the games he "took off" but he also had games he "took on". Johnson can fill all the roles, even dropping back in coverage. But Peppers is on another level.

No disagreeing about the comparison to Peppers lol. But I will say this, I'm expecting Charles Johnson to have a break out year. One thing I like about him.. is his skill of ball disruptions. He has answered the call really well.

I'm sure he will be very active in the D-line rotation.

[CanadianCat]

Which makes me wonder on passing downs would we transition to a 3-4 defense and have Norwood and Anderson in the OLB spots and Jamar and Beason in the middle for coverage and pass rushing purposes.

wait for it 3....2....1....

[Baschski]

Eh, this thread is a big reach. It's way too early to make a lot of these judgments. We don't even know if Armanti Edwards will be better than Kenny Moore yet. Same goes for Lafell over Jarrett. You're also making some pretty big assumptions about Martin after very limited playing time. Who knows how he'll perform as a full-time starter? Not saying he won't be good, I'm just saying it's not really logical to declare him, after only a few games, "BETTER" than a guy who has started for two seasons.

Also

Chris Harris to Charles Godfrey - PUSH

in Godfrey's 2 years he hasn't really looked better than Harris in any respect.

Last year Godfrey was better than Harris in *gasp* causing turnovers.

[nosuchthingasapanther]

Thomas Davis to Jon Beason - PUSH

Beason is a better linebacker than Davis but not a better athlete which counts more at WLB than it would at other positions. Right now it's a push. There shouldn't be much drop off like above, I just think Davis was better suited for WLB than Beason.

this is the only one i disagree with.

i don't think davis is a better athlete than beason. faster? yes, but overall beason's instincts and intelligence more than make up any shortfall in physical athleticism.

i think beason would actually do better than davis at the wlb position.

[CharlotteBeer.com]

Kenny Moore to Armanti Edwards - BETTER

I'm trying not to jump on the bandwagon and I know a lot of guys turn heads in practices but I keep getting a gut feeling that he's going to special. Even if he isn't special we at least have somebody where I don't have to cross my fingers every time he returns a punt. That alone makes him better than Moore already.

Why does everyone just assume Edwards is going to be a great punt or kick returner?

Last year, we had a lot of guys competing for that spot, and we just assumed one of them would step up to be the playmaker we needed. After all, Mark Jones looked pretty decent, right?

Goodson, Munnerlyn, and Moore couldn't do it well consistently. Sutton probably came the closest of all them to doing it at a respectable level.

[CharlotteBeer.com]

this is the only one i disagree with.

i don't think davis is a better athlete than beason. faster? yes, but overall beason's instincts and intelligence more than make up any shortfall in physical athleticism.

That's exactly why he said that Beason is a better linebacker, and Davis is a better athlete.

[Argus Plexus]

Beason will be good at ANY position he ever tries to do.