The original article on ESPN also mentioned the possibility that Mike Huff, Ronald Curry, and Kwame Harris could be cut. I thought it would be interesting to look at the scouting reports(ESPN) for these players. For comparison purposes, I included a scouting report on a Pats player at the same position.
Based solely on these reports, Hall & Huff would be upgrades over Hobbs/ONeal and Sanders/Merriweather and would further increase the team spead. Hall has some personality issues but I haven't heard any complaints about Huff. They were both very high draft picks that have shown ability. Obviously they would not be cut if there weren't issues with them but BB has a histroy of converting other teams unwanted/underperforming players. While I would welcome either pickup, I think it would be nice to have the spead/athleticism of Huff & Merriweather in our secondary- both can cover slot WRs so it would bring flexibility to BB/Peas.
Wouldn't it be great to win the super bowl with Randy Moss, Lamont Jordan, Mike Huff & DeAngello Hall- Al Davis would sh!t himself.
Now let's get the the scouting reports I promissed.
DeAngello Hall (5-10 195; Pos=CB; Age=24; Exp=5yrs)
Grade=83
Comment: Hall started 15-of-16 games last year. He's a very good athlete with adequate size. He's a quick-twitch athlete who can flip his hips and accelerate extremely well. He has a rare burst in his movements with very good confidence in his recovery skills. If he misses a jam, he does not stay in a trail position very long. He does an excellent job of mirroring all types of routes. He has the ability to maintain leverage on receivers downfield with some suddenness to undercut routes at the break points. He's very smooth with his speed turns and flips. He also has good solid route recognition and ball skills. He has very good ball awareness with good timing on his reach to break up or intercept passes. He has a knack for reading a receivers' body reaction with his back to the quarterback. Hall has long arms for his size and good vertical leaping ability to go up and adjust. When he's playing off he will often open his hips early. He doesn't stay in his pedal very long and he has had some trouble versus quick outs and hitches. He also has a tendency to bite on double moves because he is so aggressive. However, he has excellent reactions to screens and check downs. He closes hard and fast off his plant and drive. As a tackler, he doesn't always wrap up, but is an effective block tackler who can take out a runners' legs quickly with surprising closing quickness.
Ellis Hobbs (5-9 195; Pos=CB; Age=25; Exp=4yrs)
Grade=69
Comment: Hobbs is a short, well-built player with good athletic skills and excellent toughness. He is a fierce competitor who plays bigger than his listed size. Despite his size, he has been a durable defender and consistent performer. Ellis is an aggressive run defender who will throw his body around and insert in piles. He has deceptive pop and power when tackling as well as a strong upper body to ward off blockers. Larger backs and receivers can exploit his size, but for the most part Ellis is physical enough to be an effective perimeter defender. He is an active defending the pass and gets his hands on lots of balls. He has great vision and anticipation jump break points in zone coverage. He does a nice job leveraging the ball and takes proper angles when closing to the play. He has good foot agility, quickness and balance to transition well out of his pedal. He maintains excellent body position while in his pedal as well as redirecting to plant. Hobbs doesn't have outstanding pure speed to match up well in pure man coverage, but can be effective in combination man and zone schemes. He has been a solid kick returner for the Patriots' special teams and has marked up two long touchdowns in his first three seasons in the league.
Mike Huff (6-1 205; Pos=FS; Age=25; Exp=3yrs)
Grade=71
Comment: Huff is a good combination of size, strength and athleticism. He has been an impressive run-support player filling the alley. He has good pop and power on contact. He wraps effectively when tackling. He runs well and shows excellent range for the safety position. Huff plays with a great motor and is consistent with his effort and toughness in every contest. He reacts quickly and is a very instinctive player for such a young player. He uses his hands well to stay clean to get to the pile. He understands angles and leverage in pursuit. He is quick to jump routes and gets his hands on a bunch of balls. He has great foot agility, lateral quickness and speed, which enable him to match up well in man-coverage schemes. Huff brings attitude, toughness and athleticism to the Raiders' defense and should continue to develop in the coming seasons.
Brandon Merriweather (5-11 200; Pos=FS; Age=24; Exp=2yrs)
Grade=69
Comment: On a very talented football team, this former first-round selection has done little to distinguish himself to this point. However, Merriweather is a talented and versatile young player who is primed for a breakout performance. He has lined up all over the secondary, but free safety is his best position and he should settle in at that role in the near future. Merriweather has sufficient height, but doesn't have a particularly thick or powerful body. He is a supple athlete with explosive traits, excellent change of directional skills and great quickness to go along with good speed to cover the deep middle. He is capable of walking up to the line of scrimmage and covering the slot receiver and is also capable of acting as more of an in the box type for limited snaps. He is tough and unafraid to insert himself against bigger players in the run game. He has very good range and improving field awareness at this level. That awareness should only improve. He is a hard worker who competes and plays with a good motor. He also has soft hands and decent ball skills to secure the interception. While unproven, there is a lot to like about Merriweather's upside in this league. There were some character concerns with him coming out of college, but hasn't done anything off the field since to enhance those questions.
James Sanders (5-10 210; Pos=FS; Age=24; Exp=4yrs)
Grade=66
Comment: Sanders is a three-year veteran who is coming off his best season of his career. He grabbed the starting role in 2007 and performed well in the Patriots' secondary. He is a short, well-built player with above-average athletic ability. He has improved his overall reads and reactions from the safety position. He leverages the ball well as a run-support player and shows good range when filling the alley. He has good vision and instincts to react quickly off the hash or when he drops down in the box. He has become more physical as a tackler and has shown strength and power in block protection. He doesn't have outstanding speed and burst as a coverage defender, but shows enough agility and short-area quickness to be effective in combination-zone coverages. He can be exploited in pure man schemes and rarely has to execute those responsibilities. His intelligence and instincts enable him to be effective in a variety of schemes. Sanders is also a solid special teams contributor.
Ronald Curry (6-2 210; Pos=WR; Age=29; Exp=7yrs)
Grade=69
Comment: Curry appears to have made the transition from quarterback to wide receiver after six years in the NFL. He has a lot of natural skills, but is just now learning how to use them as a wide receiver as opposed to as a quarterback. He is explosive off the line of scrimmage and has enough deep speed to stretch the secondary down the seam. He is starting to show the ability to alter his speed to throw off the timing of defenders as they try to match his speed. But, he still needs work on developing a top-end gear to pull away from pursuit. He is a natural when it comes to catching the ball with his soft hands and can reach out to pluck the ball away from his body. He still needs some work on reaching down to catch low passes as opposed to sliding to the ground to make the catch. He has a tendency to stay with his route rather than break it off when the quarterback gets pressured. He can be inconsistent when it comes to adjusting his route to match the coverage. He looks more comfortable running his routes versus man coverage than he does versus zone coverage. He would probably look more comfortable in a situation where he is the No. 2 than the No. 1.
Jabar Gaffney (6-1 200; Pos=WR; Age=27; Exp=7yrs)
Grade=63
Comment: Gaffney is a six-year veteran who was acquired in 2006 to give depth to an unimpressive receiving corps. He has good size and athleticism, but is not an explosive target in the Patriots' air attack. He bounced back in 2007 with a solid year in the shadows of Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte' Stallworth. He has been a consistent receiver most of his career and could possibly start for several other franchises. Gaffney is a good route runner with good quickness and agility in and out of his stems. He has decent strength to work away from press coverage or separate from defenders at break points. He has good instincts, knows how to outmaneuver defenders and understands the little nuances of the receiver position. He has great hands to extend and make the tough catch as well as good leaping ability to come down with jump balls. He has courage and concentration in traffic, but is best on the perimeter. Gaffney has value as a fourth receiver, but may find more playing time with another club. He has returned kicks in the past, but hasn't been asked to do that lately. The Patriots would like to have Gaffney back in 2008, but won't extend themselves to do so.
