PromisedLand
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Assuming that when the season started, and before all the injuries we were a Super Bowl team, let's look at the team now that we have lost 3 of 5 and don't look anything like we looked after started the season 10-0. Here is the complete injury status - Football Injury News and Analysis - Rotoworld.com
The key is the people we will have available for the Division playoff round. So let's start by looking at the players who definitely WON'T Be there - the sixteen (16!) players we have placed on IR:
LaGarrette Blount
Dominique Easley
Tres Flowers
Aaron Dobson
Ryan Wendell
Dion Lewis
Tarell Brown
Nate Solder
Darrell Roberts
James Develin
Brian Tyms
Brandon Gibson
Tyler Gaffney
A J Derby
Dane Fletcher
Chris Jones
Rufus Johnson
While this is a very long list and I don't remember ever seeing so many players on IR, the key players here are Blount, Easley, Wendell, Lewis, and Solder. All the rest are backups, special teamers and J.A.G.s.
O-Line - Solder is a very good LT but has been adequately replaced by Sebastian Vollmer, who in turn has been replaced at RT by Marcus Cannon. Cannon is a pretty big drop off in my opinion but has been serviceable. Wendell was part of the starting 5 for our Super Bowl team but we have depth at interior O-line. So if Vollmer is close to 100% for the playoffs I think we can win with that group.
RB - Blount, Lewis. Blount's replacement, Steven Jackson in his prime would have been a major upgrade over Blount but he is 3 or 4 years past the magic 30-year running back "cliff", so it is a big question mark how much he has left. Lewis was a special player when he was healthy but James White is an adequate (if not equal) replacement.
DL - Easley was starting to "flash" from time to time but we have adequate depth at DT with Branch, Brown and Siliga.
So, despite the lengthy list of players on IR, looking at the details I don't think we have suffered any mortal wounds with these losses; IF the walking wounded can get back and play well in the playoffs we still have a good chance.
The key walking wounded are Edelman, Amendola, Vollmer, Hightower, Freeney, Collins, McCourty, Harmon, and Chung. These injuries are clustered at WR, LB and safety. All of these guys are possibly back and reasonably healthy for the playoffs, so it seems to me that the keys to our chances are (a) how many of them actually can return, and play well, and (b) how well replacements like Jackson, Cannon and White play.
The key is the people we will have available for the Division playoff round. So let's start by looking at the players who definitely WON'T Be there - the sixteen (16!) players we have placed on IR:
LaGarrette Blount
Dominique Easley
Tres Flowers
Aaron Dobson
Ryan Wendell
Dion Lewis
Tarell Brown
Nate Solder
Darrell Roberts
James Develin
Brian Tyms
Brandon Gibson
Tyler Gaffney
A J Derby
Dane Fletcher
Chris Jones
Rufus Johnson
While this is a very long list and I don't remember ever seeing so many players on IR, the key players here are Blount, Easley, Wendell, Lewis, and Solder. All the rest are backups, special teamers and J.A.G.s.
O-Line - Solder is a very good LT but has been adequately replaced by Sebastian Vollmer, who in turn has been replaced at RT by Marcus Cannon. Cannon is a pretty big drop off in my opinion but has been serviceable. Wendell was part of the starting 5 for our Super Bowl team but we have depth at interior O-line. So if Vollmer is close to 100% for the playoffs I think we can win with that group.
RB - Blount, Lewis. Blount's replacement, Steven Jackson in his prime would have been a major upgrade over Blount but he is 3 or 4 years past the magic 30-year running back "cliff", so it is a big question mark how much he has left. Lewis was a special player when he was healthy but James White is an adequate (if not equal) replacement.
DL - Easley was starting to "flash" from time to time but we have adequate depth at DT with Branch, Brown and Siliga.
So, despite the lengthy list of players on IR, looking at the details I don't think we have suffered any mortal wounds with these losses; IF the walking wounded can get back and play well in the playoffs we still have a good chance.
The key walking wounded are Edelman, Amendola, Vollmer, Hightower, Freeney, Collins, McCourty, Harmon, and Chung. These injuries are clustered at WR, LB and safety. All of these guys are possibly back and reasonably healthy for the playoffs, so it seems to me that the keys to our chances are (a) how many of them actually can return, and play well, and (b) how well replacements like Jackson, Cannon and White play.