It will be good to see the big cat back on the prowl! :beer: This defense could really be something to be excited about. The offense has the potential to go back to stable conservative ball control offense, but the defense might be our spotlight.
That seems to be the direction we're headed. The defense has definitely been trending toward being our dominant side of the ball. Coupled with the new additions, we are only a few pieces away from the shut down 3-4 defense EM envisioned when he got here. The key is really gonna be Jenkins' ability to adjust to his new role and stay healthy. If he falls into place, I think the rest of the D falls into line behind him. I can't wait for the season:up:
TJ will have another 1,000 yd season, quietly. LW will lead the league in all-purpose yardage, quietly. D'Brick will be more a dominant LT, quietly. Moore will continue to be the quiet and effective cog in the OL, quietly. Mangold will be All-Pro, quietly. Ellis will have more sacks than last year, quietly. Pouha will justify the patience and the new contract given by the FO, quietly. Barton will play effectively in the most improved linebacking corp in the league, quietly. Coles and Cotcherry will become one of the deadliest WR tandem in the league, quietly. Penny will have his best year.............quietly. This team is definitely primed to quietly make some play-off noise.
Defensive end position and its lack of depth. Staters are Coleman and Ellis and backup Devito. Ugghhh. Hopefully, both the starters benefit from Jenkins and OLB pass rush, but on paper, this could be our weakest position. Gotta step it up Mr. Ellis!!!!!!!!
I agree we lack depth at the position, but I don't think the situation with our starters is necessarily dire. Coleman had a pretty good season, particularly against the rush. We were 7th in the AFC in yards per carry defensively, which is middle of the road, with a horrible NT in DRob. We know their primary responsibility isn't going to be rushing the passer, since we have Pace and Gholston on the outside now. I fully expect our starting DEs to hold their own this season. To be honest, I view the position as comparable to our situation at CB and S: one good starter and one big question mark. The difference is, I think DE has the best potential for improvement without changing one of the starters. There's reason to be optimistic about all three given some potential players at each position.
Our DL depth isn't disgusting... Ellis Coleman Jenkins Pouha Mosley Devito Brown I mean it could be better...both of our starters could be upgraded if someone better came along (hopefully next years draft)...but it's not disgustingly bad. Pouha and Mosley definitely impressed last year, and personally I like both Devito and Brown as guys with potential. I really liked Brown before the '07 draft. I mean who the hell is Mike Wright or LeKevin Smith? Those are the guys backing up Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork.
Bryan Thomas... I know with Gholston, his time will be cut, but i can see him having 9 sacks again like he had in '06 Another name... Leon Washington... 60 receptions, 1500 all-purpose yds, 8-10 tds...just nasty last guy... D-brick... All-Pro
Chansi Stuckey. This guy is gonna be a great No.3 for us, trust me. He had a 4th or 5th round grade in last year's draft and the lone reason he dropped to the 7th was because of his constant foot injury(Which cost him last season). This guy is VERY good though, explosive as heck and I can defintely see him as the guy Clemens likes to throw to alot. If he can stay healthy(Which is the BIG question), this kid will be a big time steal in the 7th round. I still cannot believe he fell to the 7th round, injury or not. I am also hoping Mike Nugent gets a bit better this year, he was absolute money with the kicks at home but still has to work on the kicks away from Giants Stadium. And I PRAY the new Special Teams coach gets this man to work on his kickoff distance, instead of hanging it and constantly putting the opposing team on the 35 yard line every game. Thats absolutely underrated in the game.
I'm going to pixk Brad Smith, only because I would really like him to shape up as the Jack of all Trades guy he was in his rookie year. I'd love to see him actually throw the ball like Randel El did with the Steelers. I know that there was one play they tried to run with him doing that but it failed due to the O-line and he usually shits his pants when dropping back to pass. He is now in his 3rd year, which is the judgment year. Maybe this is the year he works out. He is already a great ST guy, getting down the field and stopping returners from gaining more yards. But as a WR, perhaps those hands will improve and he can be a viable #3/#4 with Stuckey as well.
After reading this thread, there really are a lot of players on this team that could genuinely have breakout seasons, if the chemistry is right. I have to go with C J Mosley. I think he is going to back up Ellis, and do an excellent job, and be used some at NT in passing situations and come down with 5-6 sacks. Not a star, but one of those guys that strongly contribute to a winning team
That's an interesting one. I had assumed that Ellis would produce more with Jenkins over there but if teams are crapping their pants over Gholston on the outside, Coleman might produce some stats this year.
