Originally posted by Muck
I wouldn't say we have a "weakness" per say. The only place I see a true weakness would be depth on the OL and at LB. But we do have areas of concern.
Right now, QB could spell trouble for us. You can't ignore Ray Lucas' disaster 2 weeks ago. That was just ungoldy. And Jay isn't just gonna come back and blow up the world. He's gonna need time to adjust again. But if we can hang on and he finds his stride by the end of the season, that bodes extremely well for us (getting hot late).
A lack of a true #2 WR might be a problem. Now, I believe that Cris Carter can still do it. But he might take a while. Again, if he can find his stride down the stretch (like Fiedler), it bodes very well for us. But right now, McKnight and Ward are better suited for situational downs.
The offensive line's inconsistency could also hurt us. Jamie Nails is the only bonafied stud on that line right now (he'll be re-upped for sure). Ruddy is average at best. He gets pushed around too much in the run game. Todd Wade has regressed big time. He doesn't excel at anything anymore. And that's sad. Perry has trouble with the big boys. But IMO, that's what the center is for. And Ruddy doesn't hold up his end of the deal. I like Perry. Spriggs and Dixon are ok. A healthy Dixon could make a big difference.
Again, we could be one injury away from disaster up front. So cross your fingers.
On defense, I really don't see the DEs as a problem. My wish is that David Bowens could get/stay healthy. I believe he would be better than Wallay out there. He can really get to the QB. His presence makes the unit dangerous. Especially on critical 3rd downs. Like Jay and Cris, he's got an opportunity to come on strong down the stretch.
And finally, you know how I feel about Jim Bates.....although he has shown me more the last few weeks. But he still could ultimately lead us to our downfall.
Originally posted by Muck
I just don't see how Ruddy is that great. He's certainly a smart player. But we didn't draft McKinney and offer Kreutz the most money ever for a center for nothing. He simply lacks game strength and speed.
Denver certainly has one hell of a defense. But our OL shouldn't have gotten ripped apart by the Broncos like that if we were "that good". Heck, Priest Holmes got 113 yds and 3 TDs one week after we played the Broncos (Tony Richardson also had a 14-yard TD run). I'm sure they spread the field a bit. But still, Trevor Pryce and the DL had their way too often.
Many times we do get a decent push up front. And we certainly open up some big holes a lot of times. But you don't see that "wave" like you see in Denver, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay (oops, that wave goes backwards. lol). And Jay and Ray get hit WAY too often for our OL to be playing "great" ball. Hell, Ray got his hip busted on the first drive of the game. Our low sack rate is due to Jay's ability to avoid the rush.
One thing is for sure.....this OL is much better than last year's. But it still could be better.
Originally posted by Muck
I just don't see how Ruddy is that great. He's certainly a smart player. But we didn't draft McKinney and offer Kreutz the most money ever for a center for nothing. He simply lacks game strength and speed.
Denver certainly has one hell of a defense. But our OL shouldn't have gotten ripped apart by the Broncos like that if we were "that good". Heck, Priest Holmes got 113 yds and 3 TDs one week after we played the Broncos (Tony Richardson also had a 14-yard TD run). I'm sure they spread the field a bit. But still, Trevor Pryce and the DL had their way too often.
Many times we do get a decent push up front. And we certainly open up some big holes a lot of times. But you don't see that "wave" like you see in Denver, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay (oops, that wave goes backwards. lol). And Jay and Ray get hit WAY too often for our OL to be playing "great" ball. Hell, Ray got his hip busted on the first drive of the game. Our low sack rate is due to Jay's ability to avoid the rush.
One thing is for sure.....this OL is much better than last year's. But it still could be better.