AzPatsFan
Veteran Starter w/Big Long Term Deal
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2004
- Messages
- 7,613
- Reaction score
- 853
WTF?
Cunningham flashed tremendous upside. He was in position to make a lot of plays but just couldn't finish them off. If he can develop upper body strength in this offseason and stay healthy, I'm more excited about him than rolling the dice on any of the collegiate pass rushers available to us where we were drafting this year.
Fletcher also was improving tremendously as he got playing time, nicely addressing the concern about how his small college pass-rush dominance would translate into the NFL. He's also has a ton of upside as an edge rusher (although he might end up being too valuable at ILB).
So for me Upside(Cunningham, Fletcher) > Expectation(Uncertainty(pick your 1st-- round collegian)).
Ninkovich is still improving but his ceiling is in sight and it's low. TBC should never be anything but a rotational option.
Also, the ILB group all have pass rushing skills, both from inside and on the edge. We have a lot of schematic pass rush opportunities with the LB group overall.
I see lots of reasons to hope for much improved pass defense overall next year, both from a potentially dramatically upgraded CB crew (McCourty year2, Bodden's return, and Dowling) and development of our very young LB crew.
A stouter DLINE by adding Warren and Stroud, and further development of Brace, Pryor, and Deaderick will also help indirectly by reducing play action opportunities and increasing the number of 2nd and 3rd and longs.
I'm not optimistic about Mike Wright's ability to stay healthy, so I'm discounting him as pass rusher, but if he comes back, we have two pretty interior line good penetrators in Wilfork and Wright.
This defense was coming together towards the end of last year and is getting back and adding some key people. It's very young aside from Warren, Stroud, and Bodden, all three of whom were entirely missing last year.
This defense could be a lot better than many here can apparently conceive. It'll come down to how much the young guys continue to improve, and how much luck we have with injuries.
I agree wholeheartedly. There are none so blind, as those who will not see.