NFC Season Projections

Ok, I wrote this on August 30th, 2007. Again, interesting to look back on some things I thought would happen this season.

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Well, after reading up extensively this summer about just about every team in multiple magazines, online and having watched old games, I've reached a conclusion with my picks. Some of these picks are out there, and I am prepared to get blasted. This is a bit different than my normal topics, in that it is much more opinionated than my usual work. I tried to stay unbiased, although Giants fans will disagree. So with no further ado: This is how the 2007 Season will play out in the NFC!

NFC East

1. Dallas Cowboys 11-5

Eagles Fans won't like this, but there really isn't much to dislike about this year's Cowboys. Wade Phillips will attack more which I believe will improve the front seven. I believe Marcus Spears is a breakout candidate, playing a new role for Phillips as opposed to his more conservative role under Parcells. The addition of Hamlin was possibly the most underrated move of the off-season, because it allows Roy Williams to be the force against the run that he is. He now won't have to help out in coverage as much with a legit Center Fielder next to him. The O-Line is strong, the receivers are top notch and the Barber/Jones duo in the backfield is very effective. The injury to Newman, if serious, could change the complexion of this defense; he is a borderline elite NFL corner, but I'm going to assumer he'll lay the majority of the season for now. The thing with Romo is that his struggles last year were in my opinion mostly due to inferior blocking. When he played well, he was sacked around 1 time per game. When he struggled, he was getting dropped about 3 times per game. Leonard Davis was added to help this area and I believe experience will help Romo. Really, Romo's biggest problem is facing pressure. If it becomes clear that he can't play in the face of pressure, this team will be mediocre. However, if he overcomes this, as I believe he will, Dallas will be a legit contender in the NFC.


2. Philadelphia Eagles 11-5*

This was a toss up between these two and I gave the edge to Dallas for because they WILL be decent, even if their problems aren't solved. My Birds are odd this year in that they might be the only team that I really can't say that I have a strong opinion of them. There are just so many question marks: McNabb's health, Young starters on defense being tested for the first time, the play of the DEs, in particular Jevon Kearse...Basically, this team could go anywhere from 6-10 to a Super Bowl title. I'm going to be realistic and say McNabb stays healthy, but the defense remains a bit suspect, better, but still suspect. Thus I think 11-5 is a reasonable record based on that.

3. Washington Redskins 7-9

I think Washington has a talented team, but they just can't stay healthy. People point at their DL, but really the same group of guys played on that line in '05 when the defense was great and actually had similar sack numbers as in '06. The key is Marcus Washington. He is a menace off the edge and could almost single handedly provide the pass rush needed. He was hurt last year and it really hurt the 'skins. I believe Jason Campbell will be a good NFL QB, and I'm basing that primarily on his play at the end of last year, in which he really made surprisingly few mistakes, considering it was his first NFL action. That knee injury looked awful but he is supposedly ready to play again. The Line is very good and the Betts/Portis combo could be lethal. The receivers have their issues, but I'm saying this offense will be great, but it will be okay. I think the defense will bounce back. It won't be at that elite level it once was, but it will be better. London Fletcher provides a stable force in the middle of the defense and Rocky McIntosh has looked good in preseason as far as I've heard. The secondary is a bit suspect, but I'm not saying this team will be great defensively. I just think Washington is a decent team, but if their injuries keep piling up or develop more seriously, we could be looking at a team with a top 5 pick. Let's just hope they stay healthy so I don't look like an idiot here.

4. New York Giants 5-11

Some of you might remember when I wrote a detailed season preview for the entire NFC East back in June. Well it was very well received by Cowboys, Eagles and Redskins fans but I received the worst internet bashing I've ever gotten on the Giants board. And basically I think it's because Giants fans don't realize that this team is not as good as they think. The Sporting News put it perfectly in my opinion: "the team has so many holes that any other organization would consider this a rebuilding year". Frankly, when a team struggles to an 8-8 record by basically one player on his own, and that player retires, you can't expect a good follow up season. Now the Strahan situation adds an extra problem to this team. Their line, outside of Diehl, who moves to LT (gulp), is solid and their receivers are solid - I think Steve Smith was an excellent pick. Eli loses a great checkdown option in Tiki and an insecure QB like Eli needs his checkdown guys; neither Droughns nor Jacobs are close to being as good as Tiki out of the backfield. I think the running game will be decent, not amazing, but pretty good. The offense really isn't the problem; it will be fine. The defense is a mess. Can Osi produce without Strahan? Who will replace Strahan at DE? Is Barry Cofield the answer at DT? What in the world are they going to do with Kiwanuka? I don't like Mitchell at WLB, and neither Wilkerson nor Torber appear to be anything more than holdovers...And finally, the secondary, which is abismal. Gibril Wilson is a pretty good player, but he is on his own. Madison is not anywhere where he once was. Webster never has been anywhere near where was supposed to be. Will Demps had an awful year. A lot is riding on rookie Aaron Ross, but how much can he really help this year? I just see a team that will be decent on offense, but just not enough defensively to be anything better than a 7-9 team.

NFC North

1. Green Bay Packers 10-6

MY SLEEPER! I am on this team's jock right now and I will tell you why. This team has done a great job of quietly just rebuilding the team to the point that it's looking quite formidable, especially on defense. There really isn't a glaring hole on this team. If they stay healthy, the defense will be stout, even dominant at times. I love KGB as a 3rd down rusher and Cullen Jenkins' move to full time starter. The DT spot is deeper and even more talented now with rookie Justin Harrell in the mix. The linebacker are young, talented and have more experience now playing with each other. Brady Poppinga will be to AJ Hawk as Hunter Hillenmeyer is to Brian Urlacher. The secondary has two top notch corners and in Nick Collins a young FS who I believe will bounce back after he hit the wall a bit as a sophomore and return to being the rising star he was as a rookie. On offense, stout bookends Clifton and Tauscher now have solid players between them. Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz were pretty good as rookies and will continue to improve an OL which I believe will be among the league's best this year. Now, a lot of the reason why I'm so high on Green Bay is also because I see a lot of breakout guys for them. Greg Jennings I think will play like he did at the start of his rookie year and really be a solid compliment to Driver, whose injury luckily appears to be less severe than originally thought. I also think Brandon Jackson will be the Rookie of the year. He enters a great situation: A team that plays in cold conditions, with a good line and few backs to take carries away from him. Really, oddly enough, the biggest retrain on this team is #4. Can Favre cut down on mistakes? In any case, this team went 8-8 last year and with added experience at every spot, two more wins seems completely reasonable. I reviewed their schedule, and if they turn out as good as think they will, the all important home game against Chicago early in the year could be the crossroads for them. I know will get blasted for this pick, but well, it's just my honest opinion and I think I made enough points to validate it.

2. Chicago Bears 8-8

This team just has the classic look of a Super Bowl loser, who FYI have not exactly bounced back too well in years past. You look at all the off-season distractions, you look at some of the pieces they lost and you look at absolutely nothing added really to improve this team and you just see a team that looks to go the same way as many SB losers past. This is Grossman's contract year, and I believe he will force the Bears to go another direction. Frankly, there isn't really THAT much to dislike about this team, but how much was there to dislike about the '05 Eagles? or the '04 Panthers, or even the '06 Steelers? (although they won the SB they still faced many of the same sort of issues that Chicago has this year). It's a shallow projection, I know, but at the end of the year this will have been a mediocre Bears team.

3. Minnesota Vikings 5-11

Awesome Defense. They are so good against the run that teams abandon the run and just throw so much that the secondary begins to look bad on paper, when it is in fact one of the better units in the league. The problem is offense, plain and simple. I am not a believer in Tavaris Jackson, and I can't imagine he's a believer in his receivers. Bobby Wade, Billy McMullen, Troy Williamson...ouch! Visanthe Shiancoe...hardly an improvement at the TE spot. Chester Taylor could very well lead the team in catches in a new role. The line is pretty good, as will be the running game, and maybe 5-11 is a bit low come to think of it, I just can't see them ever coming back in a game with those guys leading the passing attack.

4. Detroit Lions 5-11

Don't you just hate it how every year, the talking heads utter that infamous line: "what out for those Lions in the NFC North!". I'm sure the addition of a flashy wideout helped that little bandwagon this year. Don't buy into that crap. They will be bad again this year, and will be bad every year until the build an O-Line that resembles somewhat of a cohesive unit. They have no RG. Their best OL, Jeff Backus, was very average in '06. Added to that, the injuries to Kevin Jones and Tatum Bell hurt a running game that already wasn't going to be very good. Kevin Jones is a guy who works very well with a lead blocker; put him on the Steelers and he's going to light the league up. Their secondary is bad, their Linebackers, outside of Ernie Sims, are mediocre. Their defensive ends are DeWayne White, a Tampa Bay 3rd down rusher who's being thrown into a starting role, and Kalimba Edwards, who provides very little pressure and is much better versus the run. I question whether Corey Redding will be as hungry as he was in '06. On the bright side, the run defense will be pretty good and the passing game will be awesome in Martz's second year, although Calvin Johnson will have his problems adjusting to the nuances of the Martz offense and come on too late to win the ROY award. They're not terrible, but they're a long way from being good, since they're not really a very young team either. Now with Daniel Bullocks out, you lose another young player who's in an important developmental stage in his career. The offense will rack up yards, but they did last year as well. Basically, you can expect 2006 all over again, which makes me wonder why I'm picking them to win 2 more games this year...hmmm...

NFC South

1. Carolina Panthers 9-7

This team fluctuates, and I think this year they go up again. If the OL stays healthy it's a decent group and Delhomme has plenty of weapons to work with, and DeAngelo Williams will finally start getting the credit he deserves. Delhomme erratic play holds this offense back considerably, which is why they won't be a factor really in the playoffs. Still the defense appears to be pretty good. Mike Rucker seems to be healthy and the DT spot is deep, not to mention Julius Peppers is still around last time I heard. The team hopes Morgan stays healthy this year and I think he will. Thomas Davis will complete the move to LB and Beason will take over for the incumbent Diggs by midseason and be productive. The corners should bounce back from a mediocre '06 campaign. Really, there are a lot of question marks on this team as well, but there have been for several, and the mixed answers to those questions over the past few years explain their roller coaster record quite logically. I think the biggest problem is at Safety, where the retirement of Mike Minter really hurts a Safety position that was already dangerously thin. I can't say I even know who the starters are for the team. In any case, I think the defense will be solid, barring several big plays that this group will give up, and the offense will be decent as well. This is a .500 team that will sneak into the playoffs.

2. New Orleans Saints 9-7*

I have no reason to be picking the Saints to go 9-7 and only slip in as the wildcard. But for some reason I just feel they will feel the slump that a lot of younger teams feel after an initial high. They added some players on defense and lost virtually nobody, but this team, especially the defense, overachieved mightily last season. Sean Payton is a great offensive mind and Reggie Bush will be even better as a sophomore. The offense will stay very potent. They problem is I see many of the overachievers, especially on defense, not repeating what for many were career years. The LB corps is still patchwork and the interior line is suspect which makes me think this team's run defense could stunt it's success this year. I know the argument against this team is vague, but like teh Bears this just seems to be a team that won't repeat its '06 success. Still, you'll still see I pick the team to advance to the Divisional Playoff Round, so they're still a legit contender.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8-8

This team stumbled in '06 after making the playoffs the year before. People seem to forget that the playoffs were really not very long ago for this team. A lot of that was due to injuries, specifically to the QB position and I think there will be better play from the QBs this year as the team will bounce back to respectability. The LBs are great Cover 2 guys and the line should be pretty good, while the secondary remains relatively solid. Also, the additions of Petitgout and Arron Sears along with the maturity of Davin Joseph and Jeremy Trueblood on offense will allow the OL to be much better this year. Cadillac will bounce back, I see no reason why that wouldn't happen. This team made a lot of changes in the off-season, and I think they will pay off.

4. Atlanta Falcons 2-14

Oh boy. Where do I start? I thought this team would be terrible before they lost Michael Vick, now without him they should be pretty much the worst team in the league. The O-Line does not fit the new power running scheme Petrino is trying to implement, and neither do the RBs. I expect Warrick Dunn will finally hit the wall this year and we learn that Norwood is nothing more than a spark plug as opposed to a workhorse. The vertical passing scheme will feature Joe Horn and Micheal Jenkins, not exactly burners right there. The DT situation is a mess, with Coleman possibly missing considerable time. They lose leadership in Kerney and will be forced to replace him with with a guy in Jamaal Anderson who is not yet ready for the NFL physically. The Secondary, aside from DeAngelo Hall, is a joke. Chris Houston will likely start as a rookie because frankly there is nobody else who even has the potential to develop into even a decent starting NFL CB. Lawyer Milloy is no longer what he once was and neither Chris Crocker nor Jimmy Williams, who is trying to switch to Safety, is much help either. Oh, and Joey Harrington is the QB. On the bright side, Keith Brooking should head a relatively stout group of LBs, but that's about it for the positives on this team. The Falcons are a mess.

NFC West

1. Seattle Seahawks 10-6

There's really no reason why the Seahawks shouldn't be back to their usual selves this year. Shaun Alexander had a down '06, but he's healthy and spelling him more with Maurice Morris should help stay fresh. Hasselbeck should bounce back after struggling in '06, with a deep group of receivers, an above average O-Line and a healthy Alexander. The defense was pretty good in '06 and returns the same core of players, but now has Donovin Darius, Deon Grant and Brian Russell to limit big plays which hurt the team last year. This should look a lot more like the Seahawks we had gotten used to befor '06, unfortunately for them, the NFC West is not quite as lonely anymore, so a clean sweep of the division would be a pretty strong achievement.

2. St. Louis 9-7

Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Drew Bennett, Randy McMichael, Joe Klopfenstein, Stephen Jackson, Brian Leonard. That is a very nice group of receivers right there. A very good group indeed. Now you add a guy in Marc Bulger who has really quietly developed into one of the NFLs very best QBs and you have a very potent offense. The OL is nothing special, but as long as Orlando Pace is there, there isn't too much to worry about. The defense will remain a relatively poor unit. Leonard Little really flies under the radar despite being one of the NFL's premiere ends. James Hall on the other side is adequate and La'Roy Glover is a good mentor to Adam Carriker who is thrown in at DT full time for the first time in his career. Will Witherspoon played well last year, but unfortunately was on his own a lot last year and will find himself in that same situation a lot this year as well. The secondary lacks playmakers and should struggle again as always. But this team isn't about defense, and with all the new weapons, I believe St. Louis' offense will outscore opponents more often this year, and the team should contend in the NFC if all goes to plan.

3. San Fransisco 49ers 8-8

An overly popular pick. I read The Sporting News projecting them to win the West with a 10-6 record. Hold on there. This team is young and talented and if all continues, will be a good team in '08. But this team is still a ways away from making serious noise in the NFC. They added some receivers to help out Alex Smith, who improved last year beyond what most analysts had ever thought and RB Frank Gore broke out in a huge way. The problem is the defense still isn't quite where it needs to be. Are they finally going to commit to the 3-4? The addition of Aubreyo Franklin from Baltimore and Tully Banta-Cain would suggest it. Manny Lawson is a good young talent and if Patrick Willis wins considerable PT this year, he is my pick for defensive ROY. Still, the D-Line is suspect, with 14-year veteran Bryant Young being relied on to anchor it. Is another season like he had in '06 realistic to project for Walt Harris? Hardly, although the addition of Nate Clements will shore op the pass defense considerably, especially if Michael Lewis refinds his form and plays like the Pro Bowler he once was. There really isn't much negative about this team, but they are very young, and will fall short this year. But watch out '08, this team will be dangerous.

4. Arizona Cardinals 6-10

This seems to be the first time that I don't see the Cardinals being picked to be the sleeper of the NFC in a long time. And for some reason it makes me a bit mad. They're actually finally moving in the right division and people are hopping off the bandwagon? What's up with that? Having Lutui and Levi Brown on the OL pushes this franchise into the realm of competently managed teams. The offense should still be great, and Leinart is lucky as hell to have Fitzgerald, Boldin (who for some reason always gets second billing to Fitzgerald despite putting up better numbers EVERY year...weird) and unsung Bryant Johnson. Not to mention the breakout potential of Leonard Pope. The Line isn't quite built to play to Edge James' strengths, so he won't be putting up Indy numbers but he'll be better than he was in '06. The defense has a lot of talented individuals. The key is to fit them together and take advantage of that talent. I heard rumblings of a switch to a 3-4 on occasion. All I can say to that is: Chike Okeafor and Bertrand Berry dropping into coverage sounds uglier than Lindsay Lohan's latest mug shot. In any case, eventually they will figure out how they can get Adrian Wilson, Karlos Dansby, Chike Okeafor, Darnell Dockett and they hope to light a fire under guys like Gabe Watson, Alan Branch and Antrel Rolle. The defense will be a mess this year, but it seems like the coaching staff is aware of that, so they're going the way of trial and error to fit the puzzle together. The franchise is moving in the right direction, but the fundamentals of a winning team: OL play and a stout defense, aren't quite there yet, although they have been addressed, which is saying a lot for the Cardinals.


Playoffs:


Wild Card Round:

*Eagles over Panthers

This is just a case where the better team will come out on top

*Saints over Packers

Playoff experience in New Orleans will trump the young Packers, in what hopefully will finally be Favre's last hurrah.


Divisional Playoff Round:

*Eagles over Seahawks

This is just a terribly difficult game to pick but the idea is that if we went 11-5 and beat Carolina, we should be rolling on all cylinders and should win here

*Cowboys over Saints

This was really tough as well. I picked Dallas, for no other reason than, because if the season turns out as well as I project for them, they will be the better team in this game.


Conference Championship:

*Eagles @ Cowboys

I think we all know how this one would turn out . in any case this would be a simply awesome NFCCG right here.




Well there's a pretty long post for ya. Took a while to write.

I would do the AFC as well right now but it's really late and I'm tired so that'll come later.

Sorry for all the millions of errors I made in writing this.

Preseason: Eagles vs. Ravens Amateur Game Review

August 14th, so excited for the preseason opener I wrote a detailed game review. Thought it might be interesting to look back on some things I saw in that first game.

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Been away working all summer so I haven’t posted in a while but now that I’m back I’m excited to bring you my notes from tonight’s preseason opener!

First of all I didn’t tape the game or rewatch it so this won’t be GE99 quality, it’s just basically what I (and everyone else) noticed on TV. (Hence, the 'amateur' in the title)

Ok, so Donovan sat out, a decision I support 100%. I think he’s ready to play, but there have been a number of veterans elsewhere sitting out the early preseason games, so holding him out as well makes sense. LJ hurt himself again so he was out, as was Andrews (and they missed him).

On defense, Dawkins sat out with that Achilles injury, but ran sprints before the game and Lito was a no-show as well, despite having practiced with the team.

Feeley, Scott Young, Schobel, William James and Mikell started in place of the injured guys.

Also, Ike Reese was the color analyst and I thought he did a great job. He was one of my favorite Eagles in the AR era and hearing him call the cheap shot on Rocca "bush league” made me laugh out loud.

Offense:

The unit looked okay. Donovan didn’t play, but all three QBs did good jobs. The main receivers caught what was thrown to them and ran their routes. The running game was non-existant due mostly to the line that played terribly. Baltimore had 5 sacks and probably a similar amount of TFLs. Andrews’ absence seemed to really hurt the inside running game.

QB:

A.J. Feeley: 5/7 56 yards. Looked pretty good. Played two series. Went out and completed the first pass to Curtis. Seemed confident, didn’t really ever go deep but was accurate on short throws. Completed a nice 3rd down pass to Schobel on an out route. Checked down to Westbrook on one play that went for a spectacular 23 yard play. Had a nice scramble and avoided a Ray Lewis Sack but failed to get the first down.

Kelly Holcomb: 7/9 75 yards. Performance very similar to Feeley’s. It’s too bad one of these two will be cut. Had a good connection with Brent Celek and went 7 for 9 overall. Hit Greg Lewis as well with some clutch throws.

Kevin Kolb: 11/20 77 yards. I was impressed by his composure. Would never have guessed he was a rookie breaking in a completely new system. Never looked flustered when pressured, and he faced a lot of it. He had good zip on his short throws and was very accurate on crossing patterns. Was a bit off the few times he threw deep. Would have had better numbers had his receivers had more focus. Had a terrible miscommunication with Ilaoa and handed the ball off to Ilaoa as the latter set up in pass protection for the play action.

RB:

Brian Westbrook: 3 carries for 4 yards. 1 catch for 23 yards. Flashed why he’s considered one of the best on the 23 yard completion, eluding tackles and shifting around defenders. Was ineffective as a runner on 3 carries largely due to poor blocking.

Corell Buckhalter: 1 carry for -1 yard. Was really stuffed on his only carry and didn’t play much.

Tony Hunt: 5 carries for 0 yards. 2 catches for 11 yards. Had a very rough game. Was stuffed on virtually every run and was beaten badly several times as a blocker. Also was unable to break away from a big defender (who made a nice play) on a possibly big play screen play.

Ryan Moats: 2 carries for 2 yards. 1 catch for 0 yards. Nasty Ankle Injury. Glad his Achilles is fine but that ankle was crushed. He could be done for the year. It all resulted from him doing his usual mistake of going East-West rather than North-South. Returned a kick and tried to bounce it outside as usual and may have lost yards. The Ryan Moats story is looking more and more like a tragedy.

Nate Ilaoa: 3 carries for 3 yards. 2 catches for 6 yards. All the running backs had their problems running due to bad blocking and Nasti shared their problems. Had one nice 5 yard run and showed his power. Moats’ injury opens up a big opportunity for him.

FB:

Thomas Tapeh: Didn’t see much of him, not sure he even played. The Eagles used a lot of TE Celek in 2-TE sets.

Jason Davis: 1 carry for 3 yards. Had one hard run up the middle and played almost the whole game. Did a decent job but clearly isn’t as powerful as Tapeh.

Jeremy Cain: 1 catch for 13 yards. Had one decent catch late in the game and dropped another. Played both TE and FB.

WR:

Reggie Brown: 1 catch for 6 yards. Had a solid catch on his typical comeback route.

Kevin Curtis: 1 catch for 9 yards. The announcers talked a lot about getting him involved early and caught the first pass of the game. His value will be mostly as a field stretch and we didn’t really get to see that tonight.

Hank Baskett: 1 catch for 9 yards. Don’t remember his catch. He didn’t play much but was in the slot when he did.

Greg Lewis: 2 catches for 16 yards. GLew was GLew. Never the prime target but a reliable target both times when thrown to. Both catches were first downs if I remember right.

Jason Avant: 1 catch for 12 yards. Had a nice catch over the middle but didn’t get a lot of action. Didn’t look as antsy as he did last year.

Jeremy Bloom: 2 catches for 16 yards. Great game. Had two tough receptions, one despite an interference call on the defender. Was impressed by his toughness catching passes while covered. Returned well, notes later on.

J.J. Outlaw: Had a bad drop.

Michael Gasperson: Also dropped a pass. Would have had a good first down catch in the 3rd quarter on a crossing drag route if the pressure hadn’t forced Kolb to underthrow it. Stood up for Rocca on the cheap hit and got penalized for it but I was impressed by Gasperson standing up for his teammate.

Jermaine Jameson: 1 catch for 12 yards. Fumbled away his only catch trying to fight for extra yards.

Zac Collie: 1 catch for 1 yard. Had a bad drop that Ike commented on, needs to take better advantage of late game playing time.

Dereck Faulkner: 1 catch for 5 yards. Faulkner is a big guy and he settled in nicely in a hole in the zone on his one catch.

TE:

Matt Schobel: 1 catch for 10 yards. Had one big catch on an out route on third down. Ran well after the catch for the first down. Not the best blocking on his part.

Brent Celek: Very Very impressive. Stood strong in the zone on his one long 30 yard catch and shook Jaret Johnson’s tackle before running strong for a nice gain afterwards. Had one drop but found a way to get open all game and really helped out the QBs. Celek was probably the offensive player of the game for us.

Lee Vickers: Was looked for once over the middle but the pass was out of his reach.

Kyle Hunt: Did not remember anything from him.

OL:

Because these are just observations it was tough to evaluate every OL individually but I did my best. The line struggled badly, both starters and backups, and it worried me a little how bad they looked with Andrews out. Strangely, a number of passes were batted, which was largely due to O-Linemen not keeping their opponents’ hands down.

William Thomas: Bad game. Was beaten badly twice and gave up the first sack of the game. Ngata and Suggs seemed to dominate him for both series he played.

Todd Herremans: Seemed to have a decent game but was part of a line that just played terribly. Got zero push on several running plays.

Jamaal Jackson: Might have had the best game of any player on the line, but Baltimore’s NT was out with an injury. Did a very good job pulling to the next level and blocking for Westbrook, setting him loose.

Scott Young: Remember how much we missed Andrews when he went down against New Orleans? I felt some of that same feel tonight with Young stepping in again. Young had the best strength of any player at the combine when he was drafted but just doesn’t get the leverage he should. Really didn’t get the push expected from him.

Jon Runyan: Unimpressive, but he has nobody to impress at this point. Did okay in pass protection but it seemed like he didn’t want to be out there.

Winston Justice: Sadly had just as bad a game as his predecessor. Gave up sacks and was beaten all game. He still needs a lot of work if he plans to take over for Thomas in the future.

Max Jean-Gilles: Ditto for MJG. He played very badly and missed blocks all game. I want to see better play from him from this point forward.

Nick Cole: Had problems dealing with the 3-4 and was caught blocking nobody several times.

Pat McCoy: Was beaten really badly one time but was okay for most of the game.

Stefan Rodgers, Jonathan Palmer, Jacob Hobbs, Chris White, Jasper Harvey: All these guys were part of the third string unit that was actually the only unit that played decently, although Baltimore stopped applying as much pressure when they were inserted and we stopped running. None stood out to me really.

Defense:

The defense could have been better, and got torn apart on the first drive, but got better after that. The unit got 0 sacks, so pressure needs to be better. The team also got 0 takeaways, primarily because the Corners played off all game and because of the lack of pressure. The team actually tackled pretty well in the end, but the line was firmly dominated a bit too much for my liking.

DL:

Jevon Kearse: Was surprised he got the nod, but didn’t really do much. Was the only player to not bite on one misdirection play, displaying his veteran composure.

Trent Cole: Got the nod over Howard but, like Kearse, failed to get pressure. He got even less than Kearse and our lack of pressure up front was the main reason for McNair picking us apart on the TD drive.

Mike Patterson: 0.5 tackles. Tried a certain spin move a couple of times with mixed results. Was pretty quiet but did a good job occupying blockers.

Brodrick Bunkley: 1 tackle. His tackle was a TFL when he blew up a running play. Got good penetration all game and was solid when he played. He disappeared a bit after Patterson left the game, so the consistent play of Patterson could be big in helping Bunkley break out.

Ian Scott and Montae Reagor were out for the game as well, leaving a lot of snaps for Jeremy Clark, who had impressed in camp.

Jeremy Clark: Clark got a lot of playing time and had his moments. He had the chance to make a lot of big plays but always came up short. Missed a sack by failing to wrap up, although the QB just threw the ball away afterwards. Also failed to chase down Boller on a scramble although he had the angle on the play.

LaJuan Ramsey: I didn’t see much of Ramsey. Probably played a fare deal of plays but I don’t really remember any.

Maricio Lopez: 2 tackles. Interesting seeing the Mexican import play. Played surprisingly well and got penetration when he played.

Darren Howard: Howard got good pressure when he played and almost got a sack. Was used in the Trent Cole role and played very well. Could get the nod over Cole in the next game.

Juqua Thomas: 2 tackles. Dominated his blocker when he played and was our best DL. Was a hazard on the strong side all game and deserved a sack.

Victor Abiamiri: 4.5 tackles. I kept forgetting #78 wasn’t Bunkley, that’s how big Abiamiri looks out there. Very good bull rusher and had a TFL. Pushed his blocker back most of the game and played well. Hurt his forearm (wrist or elbow?) and was less effective from that point forward but should be fine.

Jerome McDougle: Invisible all game. There is pretty much no reason to still have him on the roster after preseason.

Marques Murrell: I liked what I saw from Murrell. He plays stronger than his 246 lb weight indicates. He had one pathetic missed tackle but I like his potential.

LB:

Chris Gocong: 1 tackle. Was very active on the opening drive and almost had a sack blitzing from the weakside. Had the tackle on the next play and played well. Runs well for a player his size, but was less active after his initial impact. One 16 yard McGahee run went right his way and he wasn’t to be found.

Jeremiah Trotter: 0.5 tackles. Helped out with Patterson on his only tackle and got to the ball well. He plugged the hole and made the play. Worked well with TKO but wasn’t tested much in the running game.

Takeo Spikes: 1 tackle. Had one badly missed tackle but looked good in coverage. Made one tackle in which he looked a little hesitant. I’m looking forward to seeing more to judge him on in the future.

Matt McCoy: 4 tackles. McCoy had a very nice game. Blew up a checkdown throw as he often does and got a good lick on Boller as he just barely missed the sack. I liked what I saw from McCoy and he looked confident. We definitely saw the pre-shoulder injury McCoy today who was active and very aggressive.

Omar Gaither. 2 tackles. I liked his COD skills in the middle and looked comfortable playing the MIKE position. Wasn’t overly active and was off the field by halftime.

Stewart Bradley: 6 tackles. The definition of up-and-down. Had a lot of tackles, had some penalties as well. Was around the ball a lot, but also looked so bad in coverage on one play he fooled the announcers into thinking he was a college end. Played at MIKE as well late in the game. Bradley showed promise, but he won’t be a starter this year.

Tank Daniels: 1 tackle. Tank showed off his great speed and athleticism when he caught up on a play despite biting on the misdirection, but then had a pathetic tackle attempt that he was obviously frustrated about afterwards. Smashed right into a fair catch on Special Teams but the refs saw it was inadvertent and didn’t throw the flag. It’s obvious to see why the coaching staff is intrigued by his potential but he still is a bit out of control right now.

Akeem Jordan: 4.5 tackles. 1 sack. 1 FF. Forced a fumble that Clark and Murrell failed to recover. Was very active and was disruptive especially as a blitzer. He really is undersized and that, along with him wearing #41, had me fooled into thinking he was a Safety until I checked my roster sheet. He showed promise and is a PS candidate.

Craig Kobel: Don’t remember much of Kobel except thinking that he looked a lot like Jason Short on one play where he looked lost and out of position.

Dedrick Roper did not play

DB:

Sheldon Brown: Didn’t get much his way as McNair picked on James on both possessions,

William James: 2 tackles. Did not back up his talk in his first chance as a starter in Lito’s absence. Was picked on by McNair and was beaten several times giving his opponent too big a cushion. Made an ugly tackle on Clayton but at least he made the play. James should maybe talk more about beating out Hanson for the Nickel job.

Joselio Hanson: 3 tackles. Played very well IMO. Broke up two passes and stayed with his opponents in man coverage. Had some good tackles and looked like a veteran leader when young guys were subbed in around him.

Sean Considine: 4 tackles. Had all 4 tackles on the first drive and was around the ball a lot. Was good in run support but none of his tackles were very close to the line of scrimmage, which sends signals to the Front Seven to step up. Considine looks a lot more confident tackling and impressed me.

Quintin Mikell: 0.5 tackles. He’s a backup and looked like one on one bootleg play where for some reason he was nowhere to be found despite the play going right to the FS spot. But I absolutely love Q and he reminded me why when he made a beautiful athletic play to bat down a McNair pass to force 4th down on the second Baltimore possession. Mikell is just one of those guys who will always keep reminding you that he’s there and you can’t neglect him.

Rashad Barksdale: 6 tackles. Was picked on a lot but was never really beaten. Had one beautiful open field tackle on a WR quick out that saved a big play. He gave his receivers a bit of a cushion, maybe a little lack of confidence, so his opponents got their catches, but he always got to the receiver immediately and made solid, fundamental tackles. He had one really good PD on a play where the receiver got away with pushing off. I really liked seeing what I saw from him tonight and on one running play had me actually saying: "Barksdale shouldn’t be making tackles on runs up the 3-gap.”

Nick Graham: 5 tackles. Looked very good in coverage and Ike was very high on him. He tackled pretty well, especially on one slant route where the receiver had a good step on him after the catch. It will be hard not to hold onto 10 DBs this year. I’ve had a feeling since we signed him and Paschal that the FO was looking to fill a roster spot with an UFA DB and Graham could be that guy. His impressive TC definitely carried over into the game.

C.J. Gaddis: 1 tackle. Gaddis played at Safety and showed good range. He showed why he could play CB. On two separate passes over towards Barksdale, Gaddis was very quick to react and help out in coverage. I want to see more of him, especially in run support.

Marcus Paschal: 1 tackle. Looked pretty good coming up in support and had a good tackle.

Erick Harris: 0.5 tackles. Don’t really remember much from him, played with the reserve units.

Special Teams:

K:

David Akers: 1 for 2. Had a chip shot and one miss, that was mostly due to a bad snap. The kick looked to be so far off it looked like it was blocked before it took a circus curve back to the post and barely missed. He has very good distance on his kickoffs.

E.J. Cochrane: The offense failed to give him any opportunities to really kick. I’m not sure he even played.

P:

Dirk Johnson: Dirk was impressive. He had one punt that landed on the 4 yard line and was downed at the 6 and several others that were high and deep and kept opponent return men out of the game.

Sav Rocca: Sav was inconsistent and outbooted coverage units a bit. But his two punts from his own end zone, especially the second one which traveled 65 yards, were extraordinarily impressive. He has an absolute boot. Was jacked up on a cheap hit by a Ravens ST LB but got up without a grimace and didn’t seem to realize how hard he got hit.

LS:

Jon Dorenbos: Terrible snap on the Akers’ miss. 3 points at his expense. God I miss Bartrum… Dorenbos is decent but we’ve been a bit spoiled by Bartum’s near perfection as a LS

Jeremy Cain may have snapped later in the game but I wasn’t able to tell. If he did there weren’t really any bad snaps, but then again no FG attempts in the second half either.

RS:

Jeremy Bloom: Bloom looked really good. He showed good patience and looked like a veteran out there before exploding through the seam. Was great as a PR as well and had a 19 yard return. Was out of the game for a short stretch but returned later; he played tough after he returned and was a constant threat.

Tony Hunt and Ryan Moats also returned punts but were unspectacular. Moats went E-W of course and Hunt just plainly pounded it into the opposing coverage unit.


Overall I wasn’t very impressed by our guys out there, as were none of you. I’m no expert and we can all see there’s a lot of work to be done. I believe Ryan Moats was the only injury and, although he’s probably done for a while, it’s a good thing no key player got hurt. I think our draft picks, especially Celek, Barksdale and Abiamiri, were encouraging but some of the veterans looked a bit lazy out there. The line needs to be a lot better, both in the run and the pass, but that shouldn’t be a problem area. The defense could have been better, but wasn’t sound-the-alarms terrible. I liked the ST units: Bloom was great as a returner, and both Rocca and Dirk made it tough to have to cut one of them. The coverage units also did fairly well. I’m going to wait for the next game to start forming opinions however on this team as a whole.