1. We don't have a solid option at running back. We've got a featherweight who's a slicer, that can't put his head down and churn out those much needed extra yards to make 2nd and 3rd down more manageable. He needs open space to run in and that means lots of outside runs, screen passes and dumps into the flat.....assuming, our Oline can handle their blocks. Poor blocking will mean the rb stays back in the backfield to chip and or help protect. We must improve here or it will be a looooooooong season.
2. Keep your eyes on our two QBs. You're likely to see a shuttle system at some point during the year. Gun to my head, I will swear on a stack of bibles that one or both of them will be injured and miss playing time at some point. This is determinate on three variable: 1- our first qb isn't that built. 2- our second qb is a big boy who still likes to tuck it and run upfield if option one or two isn't open downfield. He's still too young to get all the way through his progressions. 3- the health of our Oline. We are manageable at Oline with the current roster.... but very thin. Our young guys just aren't there yet. No kick steps caught my eye, very few of them can land a solid punch while in pass set... most are WAY too high.
3. Watch our WRs on their routes. I will say I noticed a lot more sharp cuts into routes than the "rounding" of routes I saw last year. They are maturing and thus running crisper routes. Also, pay attention to the downfield blocking. We've got a couple of guys that take pride in their blocking and a few guys that seem to get lazy or just don't like the contact.
4. Dline was the toughest for me to gauge. The jury is still waaaaaaaaay out on those guys.
5. We have a noticeable drop in speed at LB without Malik. I have him pegged as a 3rd round draft pick, and I don't see his level of speed, strength or pure talent on this roster. With the Dline being suspect right now, the LBs need to have a helluva summer in the weight room........... otherwise, the D that we leaned on last year in some tough games, won't be there for us.
6. We are going to be just fine in the secondary. It has gone from arguably our worst unit 4 years ago, to now our best. Take your pick who you want to start. Most of those guys look like they came off a cookie cutter assembly line. Same height, weight, speed, build.... you can tell who the older guys are based on the muscles and overall build, but we are completely stacked at this position. In fact, if every unit was as talented and stacked as our secondary, we'd be a title contender.
7. Kicking..... don't care. Aussie gone.
8. Attitude----- I will say this- the kids are having fun. There's some a$$ grabbing, but not the distraction type. There's some jawing, done 99% of time by the dbs. Them dudes can chatter. I had one kid point at one of our dbs and jokingly say "that dude can give aspirin a headache". Guys are upbeat. Their tempo is noticeably better than it was under charlie. Charlie's practices seemed like you were trudging to get through them. Like it was a fvcking Burson being there. I remember those same feelings under mackoprick. There were days when if given the choice, I would have rather been at the Hanoi Hilton than spent another second on the field with that guy. But these kids seem to be ejoying the practice.
I do not believe that we are more individually talented as a roster than we were last year--- far from it. You don't lose a first round left tackle, a LB that runs a 4.4 40, and call yourself more talented on a individual level.
However, as a UNIT, we seem more confident and more collectively talented than last year.
We need to have a hellacious summer--- it will be the difference between us winning 7-8 games and us winning 9-10 games.
2. Keep your eyes on our two QBs. You're likely to see a shuttle system at some point during the year. Gun to my head, I will swear on a stack of bibles that one or both of them will be injured and miss playing time at some point. This is determinate on three variable: 1- our first qb isn't that built. 2- our second qb is a big boy who still likes to tuck it and run upfield if option one or two isn't open downfield. He's still too young to get all the way through his progressions. 3- the health of our Oline. We are manageable at Oline with the current roster.... but very thin. Our young guys just aren't there yet. No kick steps caught my eye, very few of them can land a solid punch while in pass set... most are WAY too high.
3. Watch our WRs on their routes. I will say I noticed a lot more sharp cuts into routes than the "rounding" of routes I saw last year. They are maturing and thus running crisper routes. Also, pay attention to the downfield blocking. We've got a couple of guys that take pride in their blocking and a few guys that seem to get lazy or just don't like the contact.
4. Dline was the toughest for me to gauge. The jury is still waaaaaaaaay out on those guys.
5. We have a noticeable drop in speed at LB without Malik. I have him pegged as a 3rd round draft pick, and I don't see his level of speed, strength or pure talent on this roster. With the Dline being suspect right now, the LBs need to have a helluva summer in the weight room........... otherwise, the D that we leaned on last year in some tough games, won't be there for us.
6. We are going to be just fine in the secondary. It has gone from arguably our worst unit 4 years ago, to now our best. Take your pick who you want to start. Most of those guys look like they came off a cookie cutter assembly line. Same height, weight, speed, build.... you can tell who the older guys are based on the muscles and overall build, but we are completely stacked at this position. In fact, if every unit was as talented and stacked as our secondary, we'd be a title contender.
7. Kicking..... don't care. Aussie gone.
8. Attitude----- I will say this- the kids are having fun. There's some a$$ grabbing, but not the distraction type. There's some jawing, done 99% of time by the dbs. Them dudes can chatter. I had one kid point at one of our dbs and jokingly say "that dude can give aspirin a headache". Guys are upbeat. Their tempo is noticeably better than it was under charlie. Charlie's practices seemed like you were trudging to get through them. Like it was a fvcking Burson being there. I remember those same feelings under mackoprick. There were days when if given the choice, I would have rather been at the Hanoi Hilton than spent another second on the field with that guy. But these kids seem to be ejoying the practice.
I do not believe that we are more individually talented as a roster than we were last year--- far from it. You don't lose a first round left tackle, a LB that runs a 4.4 40, and call yourself more talented on a individual level.
However, as a UNIT, we seem more confident and more collectively talented than last year.
We need to have a hellacious summer--- it will be the difference between us winning 7-8 games and us winning 9-10 games.
