Miscellaneous

First, in previous posts I overlooked Josh Cooper at WR.  Really, some people are comparing him to Wes Welker?

Jordan Norwood and Travis Benjamin are both much faster, and it's too early to speculate with much accuracy.

I remember Brian Brennan.  One particularly bad analyst called him "overrated".

Brennan was small and not very fast.  For these reasons, he was a third reciever,  who rarely started.  He was used in the slot!  He played with Ozzie Newsome, and mostly in a two-back base offense.

They brought him in on obvious passing downs-especially third down, because he was so reliable and made the clutch catch.  Brennan was a sort of specialist, just as slot recievers are today--only in run-oriented offenses that broke his glass only in emergencies.

These factors all eluded the alleged analyst, who said he was inconsistant, and never made a ton of catches.  I think the alleged analyst is overrated.

I also missed something: Greg Little's clock-times were faster than Braylon Edwards', and he can do everything Edwards' did-meaning that he can take the top off a defense...and, I know, drop passes too.  But Little is a real football player making a real effort to improve.

Phil Taylor was rated pretty high in his draft class, but he, too, was called a "reach" by Tom Heckert.  He also drafted Sheard higher than he "should have gone".  Before you start bashing his selection of John Hughes, you need to remember--he's already outsmarted you twice drafting defensive linemen.

Even analysts I respect have said of Hughes "He's nothing special except against the run".  I blink and read it again.  I wonder when it was that defensive tackles had to get sacks.

In a 4-3 defense, the defensive tackle stops the run first and foremost.  He uses leverage and power more than anything else.  Warren Sapp, Micheal Dean Perry--these were mutants and exceptions to the rule.  If a defensive tackle gets 50 tackles and two sacks in a whole season, he's pretty damn good.

I also have to tentatively admit a mistake I made.  Too many insiders, including coaches, are saying that Frostee Rucker is a good passrusher.  Considering his lackluster history with Cincinnati, and his numbers, I sure wasn't expecting that.

But it's good, isn't it?

Billy Winn is a different sort of defensive tackle.  He's faster, and has more range. Nice rotational player, at least.  IF Hughes merely does his job as a run-stuffer, here's the totals for the d-line offseason:

Minus Phil Taylor for awhile, plus Winn, Hughes, Parker, and Rucker, and the defensive line should improve against both the pass and the run.  There is more depth and a deeper rotation.  When Taylor comes back, it could be very special.

...okbye.