Browns Watch- Bentley Edition
Posted: August 29, 2007 @ 10:42 am
Cleveland Browns C LeCharles Bentley was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list late yesterday. This means Bentley will not be eligible to suit up for a minimum of 6 weeks into the regular season.
Bentley, a two-time Pro Bowler with New Orleans, signed a six-year, $36 million contract in March 2006 to join his hometown team, then tore his left patellar tendon on the first full-contact play of Cleveland’s training camp last summer.
Starting in Bentley’s place will be 29 year old Hank Fraley, the former Eagles starter. Fraley’s an average center, but certainly not in the same league as Bentley when both are healthy.
Comments
85 Responses to “Browns Watch- Bentley Edition”
Got something to say?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
-
"The Sports Doctors"
iTunes/
Winamp
Windows
Media
RealOne -
Cowboy Up
Dedicated to providing the best Cowboys analysis anywhere, our efforts are free of charge but not free of expense. Your kind donation today will keep our drive alive.
Thank you
Or mail payment to:
RV2 Enterprises
P.O. Box 150093
Austin TX 78715-0093
Advertisers
-
Fave it!
-
SiteMeter
Burst Media
he hasnt played a regular season down with the browns yet, has he?
test
Nope- money well spent- for Cowboys fans
I don’t know why people think the browns will suck that bad this year. They finally have Edwards, Winslow healthy and now they have a QB that looks OK in the preseason (Quinn….and NO I am not saying we should’ve taken him) and they also have Jamal Lewis….doesnt sound like 2 - 14 team. I have no idea about their D but who knows.
I also hope they stink the place but their offensive weapons don’t look too bad…
I hope for our sake BQuinn starts the season. I hope for his sake that Frye starts the season and BQuinn comes in when he is ready.
Yeah he looked great in preseason, but teams would light him up when they turned their defensive packages loose. I am not saying he won’t be good, but I don’t know of ANY, quarteback who missed that much camp time, that could come into the NFL straight from college and do well.
He has been coming in at the end of games to light it up on third teamers I hope for our sake he starts the season, that would be awesome and their d star is willie MCg way past his prime, getting close to that favre territory, on when is it time to hang it up.
ManTab,
Jamal Lewis just doesn’t scare me– his YPC average has been in steady decline, and last year it was under 4. He doesn’t have any explosion left– the year in prison and the 370+ carry season took it out of him.
Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow could be nice players, but I don’t see who’s going to provide the arm or the protection in the passing game.
Time to debunk some of this nonsense.
1 - GREG ELLIS IS D.O.N.E., at least as a starter. Greg may (and I stress may) have a future as a situational pass rusher. He will likely never regain the quickness, flexibility, and change of direction necessary to drop into coverage on a regular basis. He would have a much better chance of contributing as a 4-3 DE. As a 3-4 OLB this injury ends his career as a starter. I said that when he went down last year and now I believe it more than ever. There are no Pro Bowl OLBs that are 33 years old and coming off an Achilles tear. Never have been and never will be. Hell, Ellis wasn’t a dominant pass rusher before this injury, he was above average in his best years and just plain average in most years. He has had a solid and consistent career, if unspectacular. Still, say the words “Greg Ellis†to a non-Cowboys fan and note the puzzled look on their face. That look is them saying “who the hell is Greg Ellis?†He may contribute something in a couple of months, but he will not be a three down player at OLB ever again.
2 - No one will cut a corner who is better than Aaron Glenn. This is not to say that Glenn is awesome, only that no one cuts even decent corners, period, end of story. It never ever ever happens. There is not a single team in the league with two shut down corners and I can’t think of any team that goes 4 deep with above average corners. If your team has 3 corners that are above average then you are blessed. This is why CBs are getting crazy money and why the elite ones go in the top 10 picks of the draft. The answer to our CB problems will not come from another team unless there is a trade. Given the value of corners and that other teams sense our desperation it is highly unlikely that we can acquire an above average corner without getting seriously corn-holed in the deal.
3 - Joey Thomas is a FRAUD. If he were worth a sh*t then he wouldn’t have been cut from so many teams already. He keeps getting chances because of his draft position. The guy gives up way too many big plays. I’d much rather keep a developmental player than for us to continuously be burned by Thomas’ repeated lapses. None of our CBs outside of our top 3 are stellar, but Thomas makes critical mistakes every single game and during the practices with Denver. It seems to me that we hear his name the most, and not in a good way.
4 - I agree with you guys that we need to sit Newman until he is healed but I am concerned that I have not heard the team discuss this as if they are even considering it. IMO the worst thing we can do is to have him play through the season at 75%. That effectively gives us 2 Anthony Henrys manning our starting CB position.
5 – I think it is a terrible mistake to use Ratliff at NT. A five man rotation on the DL with 3 DEs and 2 NTs is fine…until anyone gets hurt. Once there is an injury to any of those five players then platooning Ratliff as a DT blows up. IMO we really need to be rotating 4 DEs and 2 NTs. I’d rather have Ratliff at DE than NT. IMO Spears, Canty, Hatcher, and Ratliff could make up the best DE rotation in the league.
Sorry for the long post. I’ve been reading your posts for some time but have been too busy to respond.
Spirited, but misguided Cormanman.
Ellis is far from done. You are correct that he may never be what he was (which was far better than average), but he can and will succeed as the 2-down LB that needs only play run and rush (ala Merriman).
You’re seriously wrong about Ratliff. Most teams do not have a DL rotation. Vast majority. You’re also forgetting about Bowen as a DE. Lastly, Remi most likely will make the 53, and if not, will be on the PS and available should any injury occur. You’re simply wrong. Ask Wade.
As far as the corners, I just don’t see why all the gnashing of teeth is going on. Personally, I like Thomas, Butler and Ball. Each needs work, but all are very athletic, aggressive (which is a positive, not negative), and have demonstrated potential. Are they ready for primetime? Probably not. But scheme can go a long way for a short time. Remember when Kevin Smith went down?
“It’s like too many negative waves, man?”
Fighter, the gnashing about corners is that in order for this defense to be truly dominant we NEED Newman at 100%. Our big goals are to pressure the QB AND keep Roy W out of coverage as much as possible. That is only possible if we are able to run man coverage schemes most of the time. I am not saying that the sky is falling, but losing Newman is the difference between our defense competing for a top tier performance (ie top 5) or us just being in the top half. I agree that we CAN win with a strong offense and an above average defense, but I’d feel alot better with a top 5 offense and a top 5 defense too.
As far as the DL rotation, I strongly disagree. It is widely held that one of the innovations that Jimmy Johnson brought to Pro Football was the advent of the DL rotation. While it is true that the best DL players get 60-75% of the snaps, on most teams there is a rotation where the starters get 75% and solid backups and situational rushers get 25%. IMO Ratliff is more effective at providing pressure from the DE position, AND Ratliff is superior to Bowen, so to me I want our 4 solid rushers at DE rather than 3 solid DEs, 1 solid NT, and one NT that is a converted DE who plays NT ok but not all that great. Does that make any sense.
For the record I don’t mean to come off all doom and gloom. We can overcome the injury to Newman, but he and Spears are our 2 best defensive players. I don’t want to play a single down without both of them on the field. I was merely trying to debunk the myth that we will finding a solid corner off another team’s cuts.
As far as Mr. Ellis goes, he has never had more than 9 sacks in a season. If you throw out last year’s shortened campaign he averages 6.5 sacks a season. That is a little above average…until you consider that Ellis was the 8th overall pick. I know I expected alot more from Greg Ellis than he has shown most years. I respect that he has been a good teammate and a good lockerroom influence, however his outbursts the last 2-3 years have really made me sour on the guy. He and Spears need to join a club that I want to start for Cowboy players called “The Shut the Hell Up and Prove It on the Field Club”.
In post #9 I meant to say that Newman and WARE are our two best Defensive players, not Newman and Spears.
Pls go back and check the thread where rafael named the guys on San Diego’s secondadry last year. Those guys were nothing special. We can get by w/o newman for 4 games or so if we can get to the QB quickly…we need Ware, Spears, Williams, carpenter and Spencer rushing the QB…blitz on every play….
Cormanman, Thomas bounced around because of his attitude not equaling his performance. I havent seen anything to show me he is better or worse than anyone else. I just think his game experience gives him edge. Im not like anyone else on this sight in that I know I dont know how to evaluate corner play. Just cause a guy scores on you doesnt mean you suck or even that its your fault. My TV doesnt show me alot of corner play. If Bowens play is less of a drop off than the drop off of anyone but him(Ratlif)playing nose then its a done deal, Ratlif is our second NT. Its not always the individual talent but the sum of the talent on the field.
Considering that only a handful of players get more than 10 sacks, that Ellis has consistently been in the top 10-15 players in sack totals, that he’s excellent against the run, and has been our best defender the past decade…he’s much more than average. 1st round dominant? No. But he’s better than most of that draft class and far better than many of the DL taken in the 1st round since then.
And Wade has consistently been praising this front 7 group. He says he feels good at all positions. I believe him.
Look, there were two positions that were considered weak going into camp…Backup NT, Backup Center. Both are covered.
If you consider that the nickel is played around 40% of all snaps and Ratliff and Spears are the DTs during that time, then Fergie is only playing 60% as it is. Further, if he needs a break, Ratliff can spell him for a series or so. That puts Ratliff in the game for 50% of defensive snaps. Nearly always as a rusher. Good enough. Really, much ado about nothing. An irrational fear.
CB and WR are indeed weak spots beyond our starters. But that can be said for EVERY team in the NFL.
Injuries occur and teams must deal with them. Worrying about that now, when we have far fewer issues than most is simply putting negative waves out there.
Have a drink, smoke some grass, take a valium, or whatever you need. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. This team is the team we’re going to battle with. I like our chances.
Fighter, Those last 3 lines says it all. This is who we are.
Cormanman,
Ellis was well on his way to double digit sacks last year and was ahead of Ware before the injury. Also, because in his entire career we never had anyone else, he was game planned every game.
Ratliff had a good game against Houston, although several on the last thread dispute that. If you take away the 49 and 21 yard runs (neither should have happened), we contained the run very well with our first team (which included Rat).
Newman will not play at 75%. He either plays well without the chance of furthering his injury, or he sits until he is well. Too much on the line financially for him to have a sub par year.
We are certainly a better team with Newman, just as we would have been last year with Ellis. But what team would you trade rosters with? Not too many, and that is the bottom line, IMO.
Every team has injuries. On balance, this is a talented one, and we can absorb some injuries and still succeed.
Corman,
I believe Philips has the ability to scheme our weaknesses. We seemed unwilling to do that last year.
If Hamlin shows up, he can cover a lot of corner mistakes. We played last year with one hand tied behind our back because of poor safety play.
As Fighter does, I believe our young corners and safety will surprise. Butler, Ball or Thomas and Brown are better prospects than Reeves, Jones and Watkins.
These guys just need someone behind them that can play when they screw up.
Hamlin is very, very important.
rha,
I agree that schemes to cover weakness can be used, and will be used. It would be easier with GEllis healthy, don’t know that Spencer is ready to be relied on for anything exceptional just yet.
Other teams will figure it out before to long (it took them all the way to the NO game to do it last year). Lets just hope the Tnew is as good as TNew by then.
We are also relying on an unproven (mostly) coaching staff at this point. I assume they will be much more flexible than BP was, but it will surely come with a few mistakes as well. Might be clock management, miscommunication, something along those lines that could easily cost us a game as well.
I’ve not done a good job of making my points.
I don’t disagree with any of you. I don’t think that the Newman situation ends our season. I am still very optimistic. Still, it is not reasonable to lose one of your two most important defensive players and act as if nothing is wrong. Losing Newman is a significant blow. We will overcome it, but it is significant and we are worse off because of it.
Second, I don’t doubt that Ratliff can man the NT position and do an adequate job. I just prefer a solution that is more than just adequate. NT is not his best position. I think a giant 350 pound NT would help this defense in so many ways. Obviously we won’t get that this year. I don’t think that the backup NT position will kill us, I would just prefer a better solution than sticking a DE there. I do think that we are dangerously weak at NT and if Fergie goes down we are in real trouble.
I don’t care what any of you say I think Ellis has underperformed for a #8 pick and I think Joey Thomas is too inconsistent for my liking. I could be wrong about Thomas but I stick to my opinion on Ellis. He is above average but not the dominant player I expected with that pick. He is a relative unknown in the league and I challenge anyone to find a non-Cowboys fan that ranks Greg Ellis in the top 10 or 15 at either the DE position or the OLB position.
Also, I think he had 4 sacks last season when he went down. He was not on his way to a 10 plus sack season. His first 5 years were average or below average and he didn’t even get to nine sacks until I believe his seventh or eighth seasons. Greg is solid but on this board he is overrated IMO. If Ellis were a 3rd or 4th round pick then I’d be thrilled with his production.
I love this team and still think we have a realistic chance at the Superbowl. I am just releasing 4 weeks of pent up football frustration.
I think if T-Newman missies much time then Nate Jones will start and Aaron Glen will continue to come off the bench. I also won’t be surprised to see Bobby Carpenter starting opposite Ware with Spencer coming in on passing downs. The offence will have to carry us to a few wins with Newman and I think they can. I think Fasano’s improvement will be big and will open up Whitten more. I won’t be surprised to see some 3 wide against a weak (in my opinion) Giants secondary.
5′8″ Nate Jones???? Are you crazy?!
You’re dead on about Carpenter replacing Ellis, though.
Ummm,
Tnew is a whopping 5-11. Not much of a height advantage over 6-5 plaxico, yet everyone thinks we’re screwed b/c of the sudden height differential.
Why? b/c short glenn struggled against a tall texans receiver on saturday?
Tnew didnt shadow plaxico last year. In the first game he caught two passed (1 for a TD after roy w bumped into the official on his way to the pass).
in the second game he was 6 for 42 yards and a TD (which i believe came against a zone).
All of a sudden plaxico is the 2nd coming of michael irvin? We contained him the last two times we’ve seen him, and we did it without Tnew shadowing him. Word is, his back is bothering him too.
Chew on that for awhile, Im off to my son’s practice.
Jarhead,
Two TDs by a WR in two games against us– yes, to me that signals a problem.
Anthony Henry has the size to match-up with Plax, while Terence made up for the size disadvantage with exceptional speed and skill. Aaron Glenn has neither size nor exceptional skill. I believe it could be a potential match-up problem for us.
Cormanman
Don’t sweat it because some guys kick your teeth in for your opinion. I have no problem with your comments. As Raf says, debate is healthy.
Squidlo and Fighter are solid posters in here, but when in doubt they always protect the Star. That’s fine with me, also.
Joey Thomas has proven nothing and the FRAUD title isn’t a reach. I want to see Butler play against the Vikings.
The question is can Glenn cover Toomer? Why did the Cowboys go get Henry? To play the big physical receivers.
Thursdays game is all about the corners and staying healthy. What about some opinions about the backup corners? I read from someones post that Butler was our best man corner, and they were quoting one of the receivers.
I dont know much about our backups, any opinions would be most helpful and give me somthing to watch for in the game.
Cormanman,
On Ellis? He has been a bit above average rushing the passer - but is one of the best DEs against the run.
On Ratliff to NT - I am with you there and so is the coach. Ratliff could end up as the emergency NT, but Wade is keeping 2 NTs. Ratliff will rotate in at DE.
On Newman? If Dallas’ front 7 gets the pressure we all hope they will, then they will survive Newman’s injury. Lets hope T-New gets the proper amount of rest, and he is 100% for the Dec. - Jan. run! I think he will be fine - might miss a game or two, but he’ll be fine.
Norm,
I heard on DC.com from one of radio shows that Butler was one of best cover CB’s. I have never seen him on the field.
Hopefully, the people who saw training camp can shed some light on Butler for the rest of us.
I know he was a character risk but as perhaps the best pure cover corner in the draft, I think Eric Wright would have been worth drafting.
Knowing that we’ll need to look at NT and WR next year, I would have drafted Wright when we had the chance.
Wright for James Marten….I’d take it. Free looks better then Marten anyway.
We would be in far better position to start the season and playt the entire year with a rookie corner of his caliber.
I have heard that Wright has a good chance at defensive rookie of the year.
I hate to look back but I was very surprised when he was on the board for us and we passed on him.
Taking Wright, we could have been in a better position next year to draft whomever we wanted. Now, I think CB will become a must.
If I recall, Tnew covers Shockey in the slot most downs when we have played them in the past… .
Tim Wilson,
when did this defense all of a sudden become a shut out for every game?
Yes, we will have more difficulty matching up against opposing receivers with Tnew out. Yes, burress might score a TD against us. He is a productive receiver, but I dont think he’ll give us “fits” especially if we can get some pressure on manning.
We may just have to outscore NY, but considering their defense and our offense, that is not asking for the world.
Wade phillips has had productive defenses everywhere he has gone, without a pair of “shutdown” corners; and he has two weeks to plan for the gints with no tnew.
Henry and Glenn are good corners. We can win the game with good corners, even if we dont shut burress down.
Donny,
We didnt draft wright. spilt milk, and he hasnt done anything yet.
Donny,
3rd round options; CB McCauley Fresno and CB Wade TENN and 4th round Tanard Jackson Syracuse.
McCauley has my vote over Wright, but now we must move on.
Everyone wants to talk about next years draft, but not this years’ draft.
“I have heard that Wright has a good chance at defensive rookie of the year.”
Rookie of the year - Paleeece. Let’s see what he does with Hines, Holmes, Housh, Johnson, Mason and Clayton. After that he’ll probably be hanging at the Clubs with Henry.
“when did this defense all of a sudden become a shut out for every game?”
If we paste 30 on the Gmen, Eli will get killed trying to match that.
birdness,
im curious to see how the offense gameplans it, go with the possession offense and keep the gints O off the field and score, score, score.
Either way, other teams are going to cross the 50 and score on occassion, even with a healthy Tnew, Burnette, and Ellis in the lineup.
some bloggers need to manage their expectations, it keeps the pain down when we lose a game.
that should be “or” score, score, score.
I’m with you,Birdness.
Let’s come out swinging! T.O., Glenn, Whitten, and Fasano when they aren’t looking.
Donny
McCauley is #31 for the Vikings. I’ll be watching him too.
aaron glenn was brilliant against plaxico last year. i dont remember if he had an interception but he used his experienced to contain him.
hard to say how spencer will be used. i thought wade would be using him like merriman, rush or defend the run. but seems like he’s been covering the TE.
Interesting opinions, some thoughts:
1. With some luck, Ratliff won’t play NT because Jason Ferguson will be the starter. This team will continue to play the 4 and 5 man fronts that they showed last season in close to 40% of the plays.
2. Aaron Glenn and Plaxico Burress is a good matchup for neither. In 2 years Burress has seen more of Glenn than from Newman, becuase TNew most of the time is busy with Shockey, and it’s a good matchup, Burress can brag about 17 catches, 239 yards and 2 TDs while Glenn brags about 4 passes defended and 2 ints. Burress hasn’t hurted us so much and Glenn has made some plays.
And 3. The past is the past but if you’re indeed willing to argue the likeness of the error of passing in the Draft on someone that was thought to be problematic, you should also take into acount the team success with such specimens in the past. I’m ok with the scouting mold the team has right now…
I don’t think Glenn is the same player he was last year.
I think Henry should cover Plaxico, that’s one of the reasons he was brought to Dallas.
It is frustrating Wade doesn’t say the same things his players do about the injuries.
Butler and Jones are probably our 4th and 5th corner backs. I must admit I really don’t know much about them. Neither has played much in the preseason.
Jarhead- I’m of the opinion the team can have injuries and still compete. Its not going to the super bowl without Newman at pro-bowl strength. That is just my opinion and Id like to reserve the right to change my mind.
Its great to see all the great posters back regular, you guys are the best.
Raf- can I request a corner back evaluation by you. Id like to know what to look for in the game.
Chandus
What scouting mold?
When Parecells was hired with Larry Lacewell in charge of personel? Or Parcells with Ireland after Bill forced Lacewell out? Or Ireland with Lacewell back at Valley Ranch?
terry Glen still hurting? I just saw where Terry is still having some pain and is not sure he will be able to play against the Giants. May be last years good luck with injuries is catching up to us.
Here is the story:
http://www.star-telegram.com/332/story/217665.html
CHARB:
Is Lacewell under contract? No, he isn’t. Is Ireland the same guy that he was while under BP? And by that I mean a kind of guy that would walk up to the Boss (yes, JJ is and “was” the boss, but in the Draft during BPs reign, BP was the boss) and argue -HARD- to make his opinion be heard.
What I know after one Draft without Bill is this:
is the team taking risks on talented but troubled players? No.
is work ethic still as valuable? Yes.
what about leadership habilities? Yes.
what about good character? Yes.
and what about taking calculated risks on raw but talented players? Yes.
It seems to me that the mold is still there and it didn’t mattered that Bill left…
With TO and TG being on the wrong side of 30 I would not be surprised to see both miss some games this year.
PC is going to have to step up.
The Cowboys have a good starting core of players, but they do not have much depth talent.
I am a bit amazed that after five straight drafts where the defense was strongly adressed that the Cowboys have no depth at NT, OSLB, CB and WS.
Brad
music:
Something tells me that your nickname wouldn’t be appreciated by our current coach….
And now, back to the topic on hand… Henry is a RCB and hasn’t, ever, played LCB as far as I know, that tells me: If Burress is right in front of him on a play, he’s going to take him.
Let’s just hope that Aaron Glenn is a 35 years old CB that just doesn’t needs Preseason anymore… Ummmm… 35 years and Preseason…
A few ramblings:
We don’t have adequate depth at some key positions. We are lucky, most teams don’t have adequate starters.
We have had some injuries that will affect the beginning of the season. There are a lot of teams that have already suffered injuries that will affect their entire season.
AGlenn is not Tnew. He is better still than many teams starters. He will probably not hold up playing full time however, and we need him healthy for our nickel D when TNew does get back.
BCarpenter will have some oppurtunities this year. I still think he will be good, although I don’t know if he has lived up to his draft position. He was brought in as insurance for GEllis’ transition. Now that GEllis may be off and on for a little bit and ASpencer isn’t up to the speed of the game yet; I’m glad we got him.
Gotta feel for Grammatica, what are the odds a veteran kicker with a good history has to go up against a draft pick (how often does a kicker get drafted) two years in a row? I think he may be gone if Folk is consistently solid tonight.
Every year, same thing, can’t wait for camp- can’t wait for camp to be over: can’t wait for preseason- can’t wait for preseason to be over- can’t wait for the regular season- hopefully, can’t wait for the playoffs to start—that would be a different feeling.
you know guys,
I like to be in high spirits too, but no one is talking about how worried i guess we should be. We played our starters for three quarters last week against the Texans. WE LOST, we never even looked like we could win. I keep hearing super bowl and i am believing it too, but we go wiped by the Texans, why? Am i missing something?
Surrounded,
First, we stuck with the run in the first half even when they brought 8 men up. No way that happens in the regular season.
Next, we did not play several starters that could have played but for it being a pre-season game.
The rushing total against us was 142 yards, 70 of which happened on 2 plays. Sloppy yes, overmatched, no.
The punt return actually had 2 potential blocks in the back, likely flagged in the regular season.
I think we were taking control of the game in the 3rd quarter even with the mistakes. I think we would have overcome them if both teams had played starters throughout.
I don’t think the football minds are overly concerned.
FYI, There was talk on here about needing a backup NT and a few of the posters here pointed out the depth of DT in Atlanta. That a trade or possibly getting a late cut. It seems kinda funny that I just read the Atlanta just signed Mount Stanley off of our first cuts. Doesnt look like we should worry ourselves about their cut Dline anymore.
rha:
Also, Wade specically said that they stayed in the run even with 8 in the box. He also said they came out in the 2nd half and decided to air it out a little. Result — an 11-play, 86-yard drive for a touchdown.
The Texans got a TD at the end of the game against scrubs. The starters played to 21-16. The special teams TD run by the Texans was the difference (even though K.Davis was blocked in the back and it wasn’t called).
Surrounded,
there were some things in WP’s presser after the game that is keeping me from freaking out about the Texans “loss”
1. It sounds like we went in there looking for info on very specific aspects of the game. We ran the Offensive (much more run than pass in the first half) and Defensive (CB’s left on an island without safety help as a test to get them to rise up) to learn as much as we could about what we had in the cupboard. Just because the starters played for three quarters doesn’t mean that it was an accuarate reflection of what we can expect ont he 9th.
2. WP got a little pissed and came out guns blazing in the 2nd half and we went 80+ yds to score. Had we run things like that in the first half I think we would have seen similiar results but would have learned less
3. WP now knows that he and Stewart are going to have to go towork on the schemes in preperation for the Giants because the backups at CB are not up to holding down the fort without help until TNew makes it back. I think this may also effect Red Ball’s playcalling as we will need to be more aggressive to run the score up to protect any leads we get.
Mistakes are how you get better if you can learn from them. It sounds like this coaching crew is looking to do just that.
Guess I was late to the party-
What they said.
ok ok….thanks for the heads up, see what a simple question does…haha
thanks guys
Surrounded,
Trust me I am getting it from my Redskins fan neighbors too- I feel your pain.
well the skin fans i know are confused on why they keep signing wide receivers for a week and then cutting them, haha
Just came in from my car and local sports talk radio- it is AMAZING how the skins fans are drinking the Kool Aid this year. Can you believe they were predicting 10-6,11-5, one idiot said 13-3. EVERY last one of them had them sweeping the Boys. Why? Because thye won 3 of the ladt 4. This is now Wade’s job- SHUT. Them. UP.
So amazed I forgot how to spell
“they” and “last”
Totally off topic add-in here, and I am sure that we have all had much more than our fill of Michael Vick commentary, but I wanted to post this quote from respected former Packers GM Ron Wolf when he was asked about Vick:
“Leonard Little killed someone [while drunk driving]. Jamal Lewis went to prison [in connection with] selling drugs. Are you telling me that killing eight dogs is worse than killing a human being?â€
Just thought that quote expressed pretty neatly what I’ve been thinking as I watch ESPN and the NFL spin this story.
ESPN just throw things together without looking into what they are doing, they are running this story about how emotional it will be for Virginia Tech this weekend, the picture in their article has the student section on orange, it makes the symbol of a gun. Does no one edit anything on their site
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=2996217
ESPN’s NFL rankings has the Cowboys ranked 9th and the Browns ranked 32nd.
If both are true starting playoffs then Dallas would be in while holding the number one pick. Knowing how ESPN hates the Cowboy’s I wounder if they picked the Brown’s so low just to jinx us. ;-)
I just had a couple of items to ask/discuss with you guys, thanks for the good reads in the past!
First, I do not disagree with anyone that the most alarming situation as of right now is Newman, because of his obvious contribution to our defense/special teams. However, with that being said, I was wondering why, if Ireland and WP thought that we got such value in our 7th rounders this year (ball and brown) is alan ball so behind the ball (haha) in regards to making the roster. Aaaand, with the diminishing depth at CB, why would they move courtney brown to safety which is a pretty solid group already (Roy, Hamlin, Watkins, and KD). I’m not saying Watkins is a stud yet, nor am i saying KD has a huge upside, but KD will contribute on special teams and there just seems to be no reason to move Courtney Brown to corner?? Now we are rooting through the 31 other NFL teams cut lists for our man at CB? Wouldn’t it be smarter to keep him at the position he played in at college?
Second, I don’t know if we’ve been watching the same preseason games, but I just don’t see a difference in play from our DE’s ie. Spears and Canty. I read about how they both have had great, intensity-driven offseasons and OTA workouts, but when I watch those two, they get lost in the pack, and the only thing I can honestly remember either of them doing so far was Spears hopping on a loose ball vs. Denver.
Maybe it’s the schemes in pre-season; not showing our hand to the NFL; or maybe I’ve just been seeing it differently, but I’m starting to get pretty worried about the production there. Hopefully I’m overanalyzing the situation, because we as fans should have nothing but high hopes for a solid season.
** I meant no reason to move Courtney Brown to Safety, sorry!**
Wade and one of the other coaches have said that Brown does not have the fluidity/flexibility quickness needed for a NFL CB. Wade also said that he was a STRIDER- long steps- which is also something that hurts a CB in the NFL. Wade pretty much sealed it by saying if he makes the roster it will be as a Safety.
Chris,
I am pretty sure Phillips thinks although Brown is fast, he is more of a long strider (giving him range) than sprint fast like Newman.
WP said something similar to this early in training camp.
Sorry Burm, you are too fast.
I actually think they like Brown, he looks like a 20lb heavier Watkins.
Now that you say that, I do remember them saying that Brown is more of a strider.. and 20lbs heavier with some speed can def work on safety. Any thoughts on those DE’s of ours, or have you heard anything suggesting i’m overreacting, or that i’m unfortunately dead on??
Quincy Butler did show some skills at camp last yeat.
Coming into this year, I thought he had a very good chance of getting a spot.
He was injured however and is only 85% coming into this game.
We may not know what Butler has until he is back to 100%.
Just a guess but I think he has missed too much time to make the roster and will probably be put back on the practice squad.
I think Butler and Ball would be better choices than Reeves and Jones.
We’ve seen Reeves’ ceiling. It’s not very good…average at best. Jones is a very good Special Teams player and has some nickel skill, but he’s 5′9″ and limited.
While Butler and Ball may not be better right now, we need to use the BP filter: “Who’ll be better in Week 10?”
Thomas possesses the best combination of talent, experience, and potential of the current group.
How many other teams are starting rookies? Quite a bit, if you include nickel guys.
Why not take a chance on the come?
Fighter,
I agree, we certainly know what Reeves and Jones can do by now and they have not impressed apparently.
So, as WP sez you can throw a blanket over them, that suggests the rookies should have a shot. If they are all virtually equal, why not spend less on someone doing just as well with 2 years less experience?
Where would Ball and Butler be with the same experience as Reeves and Jones? Seems to me that is an important question.
On the other hand it seems to me that it is much less likely that anyone would claim our 7th round picks off the practice squad, whereas veteran DBs are much more likely to be claimed. It may be that by moving the rookie CBs to the practice squad that we can count on the veterans while giving the rookies some time to develop. If the rookies do prove to have a higher ceiling we can cut the veteran (Reeves) and move the rookie to the roster.
We have several rookies that would never make the practice squad (Stanbeck, Anderson, Folk) while I honestly think that Ball and Brown can easily make the practice squad.
Just a thought.
FWIW, Reeves and Jones are no longer eligible for the practice squad. Its only for guys in their first 3 years in the league.
The cowboys game isnt nationally televised tonight, is it?
Game blog? where can we listen to the game?
corman- three years to show or move on.
I found Nate Newtons comments about Lenord Davis intresting yesterday on spags show.
Donny,
Thanks, for the update on Butler.
Norm,
I heard big Nate’s comments and I also found them interesting.
Well, Larry Lacewell told Jerry to fix the O-Line and Jerry signed Davis and spent 2 of the 4 top picks on O-Line.
Jerry told the media Lacewell gave him this advice after the media questioned the money he paid Davis.
For all the fans of Matt Moore and those of you who think he will not clear waivers; former Longhorn, Bucs QB Chris Simms is likely to be released this week.
boysfan: No, but NFL Net has it on Saturday at 1:00pm PDT.
(shoot)giants