A&O is right. last year's 11-5 record was the result of smart play, yes, but also this team lucked out in many low scoring wins. we were an 11-5 team, however we were 11-5 against a weak, weak schedule. im not ready to jump ship, and likely never will. "I'm the guy who keeps the Capt. company" -Larry David

this team needs an upgrade in talent. to start, a star ILB to center the defense around. aside from taylor and porter, who seem ready to cash it in, we have nothing. I like Wake, but hes an OLB. Same with Crowder, although hes playing 'inside' now. Ayodel, Walden, Torbor (???) no one knows who these players are outside of this organization. MLB is a glaring need and with a pick in the top 10, possibly even top 5 (likely, because of the teams we play) we can address these areas.

I like what we did with the secondary, adding Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, and Chris Clemons to the group. Gabril Wilson's play has disappointed me thus far this season, and wouldn't mind seeing him get the boot in favor of Jason Allen (on a short leash) or Clemons. All in an effort to get younger and reduce payroll

Onto the Defensive Line. i love this group. Langford is a beast and Merling seems to be coming into his own after a somewhat disappointing rookie campaign. If we can steal Vince Wilfork away from NE to play the nose we will have one of the best defensive lines in the game, as well as great depth with Starks and Solia, and Fergie if we decide hold onto him for depth.

On to the offense: not sure if many knew, but Smiley was playing hurt yesterday. our entire line suffered as a result. also, vernon carey has failed to impress me at the RT position (all the while making the salary of a first rnd left tackle), getting beat by the DE. Too many times i would see Carey just standing there not engaged with a defender, or facing the qb. Worse yet are the holding calls from Carey because he isn't quick enough. Jake Grove i think did an ok job yesterday, as did Thomas, and Jake Long redeemed himself. I would try to move Carey if he has any trade value, find an upgrade in talent or for a draft pick.

Our rbs were solid yesterday, it was good to see the power from Ronnie and Ricky finding the holes. "Thunder and Lightening" in the backfield. Ricky is super quick, and we should try and hold onto him after this season, as he has age-defying skills.

next i'll call out our WRs. I have been a Ginn enthusiast for 3 yrs now, hoping that he'd break out and turn into our #1 guy. im sorry but im about ready to jump off that bandwagon. His learning dissability was well documented and made knowlegeable prior to the draft. im not holding this against him, but he does seem to find it hard concentrating and focusing in big situations. He has the "get up and try again" mentality, which lasts for only so long in the NFL. Players must seize each and every opportunity in the NFL, make the catch, find the crease (which he cant do either) and pick up the big gain. Our YAC stats are terrible this year. Who the hell is our receivers coach? Its not about quickness, speed, or size. its intangibles like smarts, just look at Wes Welker and all the success hes having with brady. Its because they're both on the same page football-wise, and i expect Welker will have 100+ receptions this season.

Finally, our issues at QB. One of my friends up in NY is a huge Jets fan, and he told me this will happen, not may, but will. i don't know for how long Penny will be out, but with an expiring contract and likely a seat on the bench for the foreseeable future, Penny's time under center may just be about over. Very sad, but true. Penny is a great qb, leading us to an 11 win season last year. You can dink and dunk your way past bad competition, but not against the Chargers and Colts of the league. Now there will be growing pains to come with Henne, but im not giving up on him like so many on here seem to have done. How pretty were those tight spirals he gunned to Camarillo/Ginn, it reminded me of Marino's days. He had a bad game, its expected. can he learn from those mistakes? maybe its best that Henne face the tough competition right off the bat. as opposed to having a weak schedule of competition. i think he will make strides, but i doubt we'll pull of any miraculous streak and win the division again this year.

we'll win some games, we'll lose some games. im not for resigning the aging vets including Taylor/Porter/Ferguson. this team, needs to continue what they started before letting 11-5 get to their heads. draft smart and spend wisely. NT WR LBs. We're closer than what many may think (and thats just the way i want it)

"I don't really care what happened in the past, I'm not afraid of challenges. I look forward to them." - T. Sparano



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/2009 07:15AM by Doug.

Nice assessment. Comments:

1. In analyzing the secondary, I think you meant to say Gibril Wilson is disappointing, not Will Allen, because you mentioned replacing him with Jason Allen or Clemons. Clemons is a safety, not a CB. Either way, I'm in favor of benching Wilson. I'd rather see Clemons, as he may be the future and JA has proven himself time-and-time-again to be a great special teamer...but not much else. If we can renegotiate JA's salary and keep him on special teams, he could be a beast there!

2. I was worried about Smiley and Thomas going into this year. So many people were sure Smiley was 100%, but when was the last time he was 100% for an entire season? Age is catching up with him. Thomas has played well while admiting he wasn't 100% in the final preseason game.

3. Ricky has said he has one year after this one, and then he's retiring. I'm not sure we'll be able to change his mind. He's a great competitor, but I think he'll be content with never winning a Superbowl. His priorities are different from most NFL players.

4. As for WR, I really think, at this point, our starters should be Bess and Hartline. Camarillo still hasn't fully recovered from his injury, and I feel Bess can be much more than just a slot WR. Based on his catches and runs yesterday, I think he could be an effective possession receiver in this league, ala Wayne Chrebet or Mark Clayton.

5. I'm optimistic about Henne. I like what I saw yesterday, and excuse him for the mistakes...for now. He was thrown in without much prep, and he needs time to get in-sync with the rest of the team. He's not a wiley vet like Don Strock. He needs some time to get his feet under him. I AM worried about his backup, though, and I'm hoping we pick up a vet to take the backup position while Penny is out.

6. BTW: I agree 100% on our ILB situation. I've been saying this ever since Zach left!