mgteich

It is early, but we've had months since the draft, a couple of minor camps, some roster moves and a couple of days of training camp.

RECEIVERS
Caldwell is a major pickup. Thomas is an excellent receiver. Maroney is fine coming out of the backfield. Brown is on the veteran practice schedule, and should contribute. Jackson looked great in minicamp, pulled a hammy, and will be back in a few days.

We need Branch to sign, and still have room to continue the competition for the #5 receiver, although having a couple of youngsters on the PS could work as well. I'd rather bring in another returner like Dwight and Davis last year to be the #5 receiver.

QB, OL, TE, RB, FB
There are no real issues other than who will win the various competitions for playing time. There are also some roster spots, but the competition is there.

DEFENSIVE LINE
The top four are ready, the backups are not. We need three to share some reps. Wright is stepping up, and has a great attitude, and should stick at a backup NT and as a special teamer. Hill is hurt. Sullivan is Sullivan and Smith and Thomas are the youngsters with a roster shot.

LINEBACKER
We have our four starters. The backups seem to be Banta-Cain, Brown and Gardner. We have youngsters competing for a spot or two in Alexander, Mincey and Roach. And we have top special team leaders in Davis and Izzo. Somehow this looks much better than a couple of month's ago, or even two weeks ago.

CORNER
Who will win the competition to start? We have lots of nickel backs. We have five corners plus Wilson; hopefully we'll find our starter, now that Law is not an option.

SAFETY
We have serveral who can start, or share starting depending on the opposition. We have seven competing for six spots, but Wilson could win a corner spot, and all could make the roster.

KICKER
Both seems fine.

RETURNERS
The search continues. Will we need to use a roster spot on a returner?

SPECIAL TEAMS COVERAGE
We brought in Mitchell and Jones to replace Chatham, and perhaps the decreased effectiveness of Davis. Wright will be more active. We should see some improvemnt.

BOTTOM LINE - WHAT ME WORRY?
For me, the open questions and potential weaknesses are at corner, returner and at wide receiver (until Branch is back).

Box_O_Rocks

Premature at best on Caldwell and Maroney, at least see how they do as receivers in the Atlanta scrimmage before giving them a thumbs up.

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scout

Ditto for the kicking game. I'm wondering if Automatica edges out the rook for the kicking spot, would we keep two kickers. Gramatica is long on kickoffs, so it might not even be a consideration.

5 Rings for Brady!!

I am encouraged that Troy Brown looks good so far. We really may need him to step up yet again this year and be our miracle man like so many times before! If Caldwell and Branch start, it is likely that Brown will have to play a lot while Jackson learns the ropes and/or if anyone gets injuried. I bet Brown has a solid year this year, with 40 catches. I also think Caldwell may be a pleasant surprise, and make us forget Givens.

If Light is hurt again, and Kaszur is out, or O-Line is taking yet another step backwards. This could end up being an area of concern yet again!

I believe that Mike Wright makes the team ahead of Hill, who is either fragile or injury prone or has bad luck or is a slow learner, or........
I never thought Sullivan had a great chance to make the team, it's his crappy character that keeps him out of shape.

I like the theory that Vrabel will be used more inside to sub for Beisel if Beisel can't cut it, and that Chad Brown will look better at outside linebacker than inside, to sub for Vrabel and Colvin. I still think Chad may make the team and redeem himself.

I like our depth at safety but not at cornerback. I see Wilson as maybe being one of our starting corners, and I will judge how 'supernatural' Hobbs is after seeing him go thru a whole camp and play a whole year as a sophmore. Lots of players look good for a brief period of time, but a 5'8" C.B. will have to be special to look good for a whole season after the league has gameplanned against him for a while. Maybe Hobbs is special, that would be fine with me. Asante, Asante........(sigh)

Returners: Willie Andrews on kicks/Faulk on Punts, with emergency man Troy Brown.

Worried about Corner, health of O-Line. Not Returners. I think we have enough TE/FB/RB's to cover WR depth, and Brady says Branch will be back.

LB has some depth at this point, like Tully, Alexander, Izzo, Gardner, Chad Brown, Mincey. D-Line does not have much depth, IMO, unless Thomas and Smith pick up the two gap system well.

pats1

I'm not seeing where you're getting that.

The DL has and will remain the deepest position on the team.

5 Rings for Brady!!

That's what a lot of people think Pats1, which is why I included 'IMO'.

With Seymour on the sidelines, as he is prone to be from time to time, we need Wright to make a four man line. And behind Wright is, ummmmm, Hill is injuried every single time he takes the field, Sullivan is recovering from a donut overdose, so I guess that would make Thomas and Smith, who have never taken the field in a two gap system.

It would limit our ability to run any 4-3 fronts if we lose any of our starters or Green. If we lose one more guy, we are counting on Wright for an extended period of time in the 3-4.

IMHO.

pats1

Jarvis Green says hello.

Any position on any team is going to be prone to injuries to any of their players. No team is realistically going to have a full second string worth of starting-quality players. What the Pats have though in Green, Hill, and Smith/Sullivan is pretty damn close.

5 Rings for Brady!!

Jarvis Green makes for a 3-4 front, Wright would be our only option to run a 4-3 front as I see it.

If anyone else goes down for any period of time as well, then Wright is in the 3 man front.

Hello.

5 Rings for Brady!!

You think much more highly of Hill/Sullivan/Smith than I do, apparently.

As far as having a 'full second string', we have Green and then a drop off to Wright. Two guys, IMO. Only Wright as a back-up if we go to 4-3.

I'm Ron Borges?

Putting Alexander and Roach in the same category is crazy. Alexander is in his third year in the system and has lined up with the second-team defense so far. Roach is an undrafted free agent who has barely stepped on the field yet in training camp. I've been to three practices and haven't seen him out there once. Just because you know the name "Freddie Roach" doesn't mean he has a chance to make the team. From what I've seen so far, he's even behind Corey Mays, who you didn't even mention. Alexander is way ahead of Roach at this point.

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