well, since we\'re into predictions around here...
Will Tbuck be the guy we pay him to be or just a tackle-missing highlight reel again?
I think our safety play will be much improved this year. Tebucky tried to do too much last year and misjudged way too many plays on the Dome turf. He\'ll settle in with Mitchell or Bellamy and be more effective this year. I also expect Haslett to use him in some CB situations against some of our more freakishly-sized WR opponents, e.g. T.O., Moss and use Bellamy as FS with Mel at SS
Yes. He\'ll be fine. If he gets injured this year, it won\'t be because of his knee. His knee should be 100% going into Summer.
Can Bellamy play that well again or was last year a fluke?
Fluke I think. I\'d love to say it was real, but he stunk it up for so long at his \"natural\" FS position. I think his numbers looked better because more tackle opportunities were coming his way - see last year\'s Run D numbers for evidence.
Do we have enough depth at safety?
With zero or one major injuries, yes. Two plus and we\'re hosed. Gleason is a special teams animal, but a downfield landmine.
Does Fred Thomas have enough left - especially against the ever-larger and faster WRs?
He\'s got gas in the tank and the heart of a lion, but he can\'t give up 6-8 inches of height and still make the plays we need. See my above Tebucky comments for what I think Haslett may try in these situations.
Is Craft worthy of starting or just another might be?
Well, he\'s faster than Ambrose, but it remains to see what his instincts will be. Plus he\'s only an inch taller than Freddie T. I think \"might be\" will be his eventual category.
What happens if one of them gets hurt? Is Ambrose up to the task?
As a nickle back, yes. As a starting corner, nope. If Craft or Fred go down and we don\'t make a major personnel move, start counting on dem Tigers for post-season fun.
Will Grant or Watson emerge as a capable starting NFL MLB?
This may be the big question for our D. If one of them does (and I think both of them
eventually will) we will see major improvement. If not, prepare to watch lots of footage of Ruff and D. Smith jogging up to help Tebucky/Fred/Mel out of tackle piles.
Who is going to play outside?
Sedrick Hodge at SLB. I don\'t think he\'s big enough, and he\'s probably better suited at WLB, but Haz seems hell-bent on putting him on the strong side. I think Cie Grant and Watson stand a real chance of snookering the WLB spot away from Rodgers (whoever doesn\'t win the MLB that is).
Does Rodgers have enough left to keep playing at even an average level?
No. Too old, too slow.
Will Allen or Hodge ever play up to expectations?
I think so with Hodge. I think he\'d do better at WLB where he can run guys down from behind and blind-side rush, a-la LT, but I think if he continues to bulk up and adds the strength to throw off the OL in the second-tier, he\'ll give us what we drafted him for. Allen, on the other hand, is a bust. Pure and simple.
Yes. Last year\'s injury was a total fluke deal.
Can Sully slim down and buck up or was he a 2 first rounder bust?
He\'d better slim down, or he\'ll watch Leslie, Kenny Smith, Young and the 2 LSU boys take his snaps. I often question our personnel logic, but I like the willingness to jettison dead weight (no pun intended).
Is Young disruptive or just undersized?
I think he can be disruptive enough. He\'ll do o.k. for a year or two, but in the larger plan, he\'s a stop gap and not the eventual answer.
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Well, that\'s it for now. So sayeth SaintShreve...
06-03-2004, 04:54 PM
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