So... I know I said I would come back and give a breakdown on the second stringers. Unfortunately because of the rain delay my Tivo only recorded up to early in the third quarter. So.. I only had a handful of series to check out, and breakdown. I'm only going to breakdown certain 2nd unit players based on what is happening with the starting line-up. Also, certain players that might be an upgrade over specific starters. IMHO I don't have enough film on the second guys for this game in order to make a good overall breakdown. What I did see was pretty encouraging and there weren't alot of negatives. The series that I'm talking about is from about 5 or so minutes left in the 1st half. Enjoy...
Alonzo Ephraim: Showed good run blocking and nice amount of push. Seemed to block the right people and handled his blocks. Seemed to do well pass blocking and held his ground good. I'm not saying this guy would be an upgrade over our current center, but it was nice to see he held his own. I would love to see if he would do well playing with the starters. He doesn't seem quite as quick as Seth, but seemed to hold his balance well.
Frank Middleton: Was a tad slow pulling and didn't block a LB that made the stop in the backfield one time. Does not get over powered at all and did well in Pass blocking. Seems to adjust well to the rush, but can get caught off guard with a speed rush. Although he rebounded quick enough to handle his block. I like his size and power, and he seems to have pretty good feet for a big man. I think Rex is our guy because of his quickness, especially when pulling. Also Rex shows good power and seems to handle his blocks well.
Damion McIntosh: Seemed to handle the outside speed rush better than last year. Showed good quickness off the snap and did well run blocking, getting good push. Didn't get overpowered while pass protecting. I don't think D. Mac will do any better starting at LT instead of Carey, but I do think Carey will do much better than Stockar McDougle at RT. I think D. Mac is our next best option at LT. In the parts that I saw A. Alabi was playing RT and didn't look ready to challenge for a starting job yet. I do like his drive though. John St. Claire was playing LG, so I don't know if they are even looking at him as a RT anymore.
Donald Lee: I only saw Lee in on a few downs where he was blocking. Seemed to get off the snap quick and handled his block well. Didn't get overpowered while blocking. He definitely isn't as fast as Lorenzo Diamond, but has more power and can get some push.
Lorenzo Diamond: Seemed to do better these series pass and run blocking as opposed to with the 1st stringers. Was quick off the snap and seemed to block the right people. I'm really starting to like him, with his quickness and ball catching ability. If he can improve on his blocking skill he can be a great player for us, I like what I see out of him so far. Is a bit rough around the edges though and I think he could use more power.
