I am really looking forward to the off-season Battles. The battle for 53 will be exciting to watch.
Reese's off-season highlights the differences between McAdoo and Coughlin regarding consistency/loyalty vs talent/competition especially with LB,WR and defensive backfield. He is still not done. We all want a proven RT. I sense he will bring in more young veterans.
Any incumbent WR beside OBJ, most sense it, even Cruz. The WR better be ready to compete for a roster spot. I was concern about the #2 WR spot....Now, I would not be shock if 2-6 are all new players.
We might be able to pencil in Kennard at LB, maybe, but that is about it. We can guess but we really have no idea who our starting LBers are right now.
The backfield seems more set with Jenkins, Apple, DRC & Collins as our top 4....wonder if they would consider playing DRC as the centerfielder (FS)? It would certainly put less strain on his body and add a few more years. In any case, the 5th back has yet to be identified...if its one of the safeties or yet another corner.
Love the new RB and TE, should also add some interest in those battles. Their seems to be even a back-up QB battle.
Very curious about the OL. Maybe new coach needs time to see what he has. We are all clamoring for a RT. I was hoping last night announcement...a Trade for RT. Anyway.
But we all know....all that is window dressing unless the DL delivers. Snacks and Hankins should be one hell of a foundation but the real stars must be JPP and OV. I like JPP and hope it works out for him. I totally understand watching the Dolphins/Dallas game last year, why we broke the bank for him. But curious why the Dolphin decided to go Wake and Mario Williams and let him walk. I sure hope Reese is right, OV best games are ahead of him! THIS IS THE KEY.
As the NFL is all relative to the competition, my take on the NFC East.
I am impressed with the GM of Washington, which does not make me happy. I suspect they will field a competitive team for the near future. Battle between OBJ and Norm will be fun to watch. but we need Snyder to butt in!
Why I love Jerry Jones. I hope he remains GM for life with Dallas. I was very concern about them drafting 4th. There was no need for them to get cute...Don't get me wrong, Dallas remains a very tough team...with Romo, Dez and that OL. I am sure EE makes them even tougher. But what about the defense?
Philly seems a little dysfunctional right now. I sure hope the Giants figure out how to beat them this year. This reminds me the year Kurt Warner started with Eli breathing down his neck....lets hope they do not factor in the race.
This has to be the year of the Spags. I am hopeful that we will fix the right side of the OL by game time and we see the best offense since Kerry Collins vs the Vikings playoff.
The defense is improving on paper.....but nothing will be answer until the real bullets start flying.
Will he be better than starting Mr. Newhouse? I surely hope so.
With Bradford deciding to show up at Eagles camp...I think he is going to be very motivated to be successful. The Eagles may end up being decent.
DE-- Can OO provide some production and Depth?
RT---Anyone but Newhouse
WR-- Still need an add.... Veteran Possession Receiver?
I'm making a wild guess that Perkins Starts. Using a 5th Round on an RB is a Major statement, given their general philosophy on backs. I think they looked up at the board and said " Holy Crap"....there's a definite NFL Player sitting right there!"
4 staunch run defenders who can also get after the QB. That's a do everything DL.
Plus the 3-headed monster at CB.
Hopefully this can be an "07-lite" version w/front 4 controlling the action, and an opportunistic back 7
Maybe it's time for another new screen name, though.
You have other dupe handles that agree with you? Good forward thinking there...
I'm very happy they didn't take Ramsey.
DRC to FS is an interesting idea...he certainly has the wheels for it when healthy. But he strikes me as more of a gambler as a CB, not necessarily a good fit to be the guy who stays deep in the CF role.
I'm sure every one of our younger FS candidates will get the chance to prove themselves before we go the route of moving another CB
I also hope OO shows something this year. We are still perhaps thinnest at DE, we lack bodies there. I hope one of the UDFA DE's can knock off Wynn, or that Wynn shows something more. I like Rose, he's my dark horse to make the team as the 4th/5th DE.
QB - I think they keep 3, Nassib is gone next year. The 3rd QB will be given an opportunity to be the #2 next year.
RB - Jennings will start, hopefully get most of the carries. Vereen makes the team, so does Perkins. Who wins, Williams or Dharkwa? Should be a good battle over the summer. The new FB will help as well.
WR - OBJ is all-world. Shepard looked pretty good on Twitter, we'll see. Cruz says he's healthy. Should be an interesting camp, Shepard wants to start, Cruz wants to prove himself. Hunch tells me we need another guy other than Harris.
TE - I'm not sure we have a full-time NFL starter on the roster. Donnell and Tye will duke it out, I guess. I miss Bavaro.
OL - I don't love the right side of the line. Another OT would help. We'll see.
First Coughlin won 2 Super Bowls and is right there with Parcells as best ever! So pity is not exactly what he deserves.
Coughlin has several areas that he must take ownership.....
Preferred veterans over rookies.....never played rookies early unless forced into it. OBJ, Flowers, Collins. He tended to keep sentimental favorite players over raw talent
Took air out of football in several games in the hopes of running out clock......which lead to several losses.....today's NFL is full throttle and to be honest, was his undoing.
DE - Great potential, yes. The new guy needs to justify his contract (NY can be tough if you don't). Can JPP be JPP? Need Owa to step up.
DT - Looks really good, Bromley is the guy who needs to step up on passing downs. If he does, these guys can be scary.
LB - Wide open, even Kennard needs to earn a job. That's why they acquired some many free agents -- to push him.
CB - Do you put Janoris in the slot on passing downs and let Eli play wide? This assumes Eli is ready, he couldn't cover Shepard at the mini-camp. One video doesn't tell the whole story though.
S - I think Collins gets better, still don't love him. Could play LB on passing downs, he's big enough. May the best and most healthy guy win at FS. That is the best battle of the summer.
K/P - Pretty much set. Two good guys.
"Many others?" Name one.
No? Not even one? I thought so.
Gidie and Greg bring a lot to the table. You, on the other hand, can't even find the table, unless you conjure it up in your own unfathomable imagination.
But I also agree there was some stubbornness when it came to certain guys that fit his old school mold, vs. guys better suited for our new offense and the new NFL.
Continuing to try and force Andre Williams like a square peg into the round hole that is McAdoo's offense, while keeping Vereen on the bench, being exhibit A.
*LB corps is still one of the least talented in the NFL but appears to be incrementally improved.
*WR corps has a lot of talent. How it performs this season will be determined by Cruz' health and Shepard's rookie learning curve. Harris is reliable depth.
*DE is thin. One proven commodity. JPP still has to prove how effective he'll be with the new 'glove'. O2 is a question mark that we need to play well. Not surprised an upside athlete in Ishaq Williams is getting a look.
*RG and RT are concerns. Jerry's play vacillates between JAG level and worse. Newhouse is a backup level player. Hart could be an asset if he develops. Should be another move coming here at some point. If there isn't color me disturbed.
*TE is Tye and Donnell, a 6th round pick with good measurables and a bunch of JAGS until proven otherwise.
*RB position has depth. The question reamins where is the talent ceiling in this group? Perkins brings the 'upside' potential.
*We've got a lot of bodies competing at FS to pair with Collins. Including an intriguing 3rd round draft pick. Hopefully someone will standout and earn that job on merit rather than win it by default.
Now it's up to McAdoo and the braintrust to make the right decisions in paring down this group plus whatever additions come our way(ROL cough). There is potentially a playoff roster in there somewhere.
1) I was more concerned with RT/RG prior to the draft. All evidence seemed to point toward them wanting to upgrade the position but then nobody was drafted. This could simply mean they didn't want to take on a project. Also, there is a new HC, OC, and OL Coach. Someone correct me if wrong but I seem to remember talk of Giants switching to a zone blocking scheme. I know very little about the difference but can this cover up run blocking deficiencies or does it make it worse?
2) Miami was tight against the cap. Yes they can and did make some moves to get money back but they were still a little tight. That's why they let Vernon go.
3) To the minor Coughlin debate. I didn't think the OP took a shot at Coughlin. I love Coughlin and he will be missed but he did seem to have a loyalty factor to him. Yes Tom did not appear to be at all happy after seeing the team throw money at the defense in the off-season. However, that doesn't have anything to do with Coughlin's loyalty to veterans IMHO. We will never know if Coughlin would have kept; Beatty, Schwartz, Prince, etc. Didn't Coughlin say the a player won't lose his spot to injury? Maybe that's a myth.
4) Youth and Inexperience. I think fans (experienced BBIers excluded) are forgetting just how young and inexperienced the team is now as a whole. They have some work to do. I am expecting struggles at least early on unless the relatively new coaching staff can minimize this. They may have to simplify game plans and play books.