Silverphin
Chairman of the 'Owned! Awards' Commitee
Preseason is over. The season is now starting next week. We all wanted to the preseason to end just so we can go under the spotlight. But as much as we wanted to see the season start. We all have to admit one thing.
Hell of a way to see the preseason end!
While most of the starters were out of the game on both teams, our players took the oppurtunity they were given and put on quite a show.
Log jam, indeed
Derek Hagan, Fred Gibson, Marcus Vick, Cliff Russel and Devon Aromashodu put on a show. While the E.R.'s (Chambers, Booker, and to a lesser extent, Welker) were out, this gave room for some big time performances.
Let's start with Derek Hagan. Last game, he it looked like the senior bowl all over again. However, this time, he showed why he was arguably the best receiver in Pac-10 history. He became a favorite of Lemon's, catching the ball five times for 64 yards. There is no doubt that if Lemon and Hagan played the whole game, Derek Hagan would of had a 100 yard game, barring a huge drop off in performance. His only knock was his one fumble.
Then there was Fred Gibson. There was a quite a few people who wanted him gone due to his subpar performance against Carolina, despite his prior solid-to-great performances in pre-season games prior. This year, he got fired up, getting three catches for 38 yards while acting like, for a bit, as the number two receiver next to Derek Hagan. People said he didn't really concentration, but just like his other two solid-to-great pre-season games, he really took a hit and still managed to hold on. He even gave off a smile of enjoyment. I don't see any reason why anyone would doubt his heart or passion now.
But his main rival, Cliff Russell, also pushed the envelope, getting the same amount of catches for three less yards. It seems as if when one of them does something great, the other responds.
Marcus Vick finally saw the lights come on as a receiver, getting three grabs for 41 yards and one touchdown. He even made a spectacular catch in very tight coverage.
Then there is Devin Aromashodu. And he only had two catches for 19 yards, I never saw a more beautiful stiff arm from a receiver.
When life gives you lemons...
Cleo Lemon set the world on fire last night, throwing for 271 yards and 12.9 yards per throw. Choosing Derek Hagan, Fred Gibson, and Marcus Vick as his main trio, Lemon showed great pocket awareness, outstanding mobility, and, most importantly, a strong and accurate arm. I never thought I'd say this, but we may have the best number three quarterback in the league. It's obvious why Saban sees him as a future stellar back-up.
The other Eyeshields...
Okay, on a side note, did anybody else notice that all the tailbacks were wearing eyeshields? Is it supposed to be something exclusive to the tailbacks, like a trademark or something? I actually think it's kind of cool.
Anyway, Kay-Jay Harris and Gerald Riggs Jr. was running pretty hard tonight. While Harris and Riggs didn't have the highest rush average (3.5 and 2.9 respectively), they did enough for one to notice something different about their running styles.
Kay-Jay Harris, while a power runner, has shown that he can run between or outside of the tackles, showing sucess in categories.
Gerald Riggs Jr., however, has more sucess running between the tackles. His runs were up the middle.
With Sammy Morris suspend (more on that later), Kay-Jay Harris and Gerald Riggs Jr. actually has a better chance of staying on the roster, barring a late waiver wire or veteran acquisition.
Jeff Zgonina vs. Kevin Vickerson
These guys really fought it out. I must say, I'd hate to see any of the two go. Both showed that they can play. I wouldn't be too surprised if both of them somehow stayed on the roster.
My opinion on the Sammy Morris suspension
As we all know, number two tailback Sammy Morris was suspend for the first four weeks of the season for substance abuse. His lawyer said Morris took some medicine for an illness. Now usually, I wouldn't believe that. But this time, I totally believe that is the case. Don't get me wrong, like Kevin Carter said, he is responsible for what he puts in his body.
But I think Sammy just slipped up. I just think he forgot all about the substance list and just wanted to get an illness treated. Why do I believe so?
Simple. Sammy Morris has absolutely NO history of substance abuse in the league prior to this case. For the most part, Sammy Morris was, and in my opinion, still is, a model player. He slipped up by buying over the counter medicine. It wasn't as if he was pulled over with cocaine or pulled a gun on somebody (Note: the last part of the statement wasn't aimed at any player).
Some secondary impact
Jack Hunt and Shirdonya Mitchell has shown some tackling ability. Mitchell tatooed a receiver after he took five steps while Jack Hunt destroyed a quarterback with a sack (I don't know if it was Fitzpatrick or Ragone).
However, Deke Cooper stole the show with an interception followed by a defensive touchdown. Yesterday I said it was going to be between Mitchell, Lehan, and Hunt for the ninth defensive back spot. I must ammend that statement: It's between Mitchell, Cooper, and Hunt.
My predicted 53-Man roster
(Note: It is in depth chart form. "/" means either or.... I hadn't decided yet. However, the slash is between a number, then I believe the spot will be shared.)
1. Daunte Culpepper
2. Joey Harrington
3. Cleo Lemon
4. Ronnie Brown
5. Travis Minor
6. Kay-Jat Harris
7. Fred Beasley
8. Darian Barnes
9. Chris Chambers
10. Marty Booker
11/12. Wes Welker and Derek Hagan
13. Fred Gibson
14. Cliff Russell/Marcus Vick/Devin Aromashodu
15. Randy McMichael
16. Justin Peelle
17. Jason Rader
18. L.J. Shelton
19. Damion McIntosh
20. Jeno James
21. Joe Toledo
22. Rex Hadnot
23. Joe Berger/Bennie Anderson (depending on Berger's Injury)
24. Tony Pape
25. Vernon Carey
26. Anthony Alabi
27. Kevin Carter
28. Matt Roth
29. Keith Traylor
30. Danny Wilkinson
31. Fred Evans
32. Vonnie Holliday
33. Jeff Zgonina/Kevin Vickerson
34. Jason Taylor
35. David Bowens
36. Channing Crowder
37. Derrick Pope
38. Zach Thomas
39. Mike Labinjo
40. Donnie Spragan
41. Keith Newman
42. Renaldo Hill
43. Jason Allen
44. Travares Tillman
45. Yeremiah Bell
46. Travis Daniels
47. Will Allen
48. Andre' Goodman
49. Eddie Jackson
50. Shirdonya Mitchell/Jack Hunt/Deke Cooper
51. Olindo Mare
52. Donnie Jones
53. John Denney
Hell of a way to see the preseason end!
While most of the starters were out of the game on both teams, our players took the oppurtunity they were given and put on quite a show.
Log jam, indeed
Derek Hagan, Fred Gibson, Marcus Vick, Cliff Russel and Devon Aromashodu put on a show. While the E.R.'s (Chambers, Booker, and to a lesser extent, Welker) were out, this gave room for some big time performances.
Let's start with Derek Hagan. Last game, he it looked like the senior bowl all over again. However, this time, he showed why he was arguably the best receiver in Pac-10 history. He became a favorite of Lemon's, catching the ball five times for 64 yards. There is no doubt that if Lemon and Hagan played the whole game, Derek Hagan would of had a 100 yard game, barring a huge drop off in performance. His only knock was his one fumble.
Then there was Fred Gibson. There was a quite a few people who wanted him gone due to his subpar performance against Carolina, despite his prior solid-to-great performances in pre-season games prior. This year, he got fired up, getting three catches for 38 yards while acting like, for a bit, as the number two receiver next to Derek Hagan. People said he didn't really concentration, but just like his other two solid-to-great pre-season games, he really took a hit and still managed to hold on. He even gave off a smile of enjoyment. I don't see any reason why anyone would doubt his heart or passion now.
But his main rival, Cliff Russell, also pushed the envelope, getting the same amount of catches for three less yards. It seems as if when one of them does something great, the other responds.
Marcus Vick finally saw the lights come on as a receiver, getting three grabs for 41 yards and one touchdown. He even made a spectacular catch in very tight coverage.
Then there is Devin Aromashodu. And he only had two catches for 19 yards, I never saw a more beautiful stiff arm from a receiver.
When life gives you lemons...
Cleo Lemon set the world on fire last night, throwing for 271 yards and 12.9 yards per throw. Choosing Derek Hagan, Fred Gibson, and Marcus Vick as his main trio, Lemon showed great pocket awareness, outstanding mobility, and, most importantly, a strong and accurate arm. I never thought I'd say this, but we may have the best number three quarterback in the league. It's obvious why Saban sees him as a future stellar back-up.
The other Eyeshields...
Okay, on a side note, did anybody else notice that all the tailbacks were wearing eyeshields? Is it supposed to be something exclusive to the tailbacks, like a trademark or something? I actually think it's kind of cool.
Anyway, Kay-Jay Harris and Gerald Riggs Jr. was running pretty hard tonight. While Harris and Riggs didn't have the highest rush average (3.5 and 2.9 respectively), they did enough for one to notice something different about their running styles.
Kay-Jay Harris, while a power runner, has shown that he can run between or outside of the tackles, showing sucess in categories.
Gerald Riggs Jr., however, has more sucess running between the tackles. His runs were up the middle.
With Sammy Morris suspend (more on that later), Kay-Jay Harris and Gerald Riggs Jr. actually has a better chance of staying on the roster, barring a late waiver wire or veteran acquisition.
Jeff Zgonina vs. Kevin Vickerson
These guys really fought it out. I must say, I'd hate to see any of the two go. Both showed that they can play. I wouldn't be too surprised if both of them somehow stayed on the roster.
My opinion on the Sammy Morris suspension
As we all know, number two tailback Sammy Morris was suspend for the first four weeks of the season for substance abuse. His lawyer said Morris took some medicine for an illness. Now usually, I wouldn't believe that. But this time, I totally believe that is the case. Don't get me wrong, like Kevin Carter said, he is responsible for what he puts in his body.
But I think Sammy just slipped up. I just think he forgot all about the substance list and just wanted to get an illness treated. Why do I believe so?
Simple. Sammy Morris has absolutely NO history of substance abuse in the league prior to this case. For the most part, Sammy Morris was, and in my opinion, still is, a model player. He slipped up by buying over the counter medicine. It wasn't as if he was pulled over with cocaine or pulled a gun on somebody (Note: the last part of the statement wasn't aimed at any player).
Some secondary impact
Jack Hunt and Shirdonya Mitchell has shown some tackling ability. Mitchell tatooed a receiver after he took five steps while Jack Hunt destroyed a quarterback with a sack (I don't know if it was Fitzpatrick or Ragone).
However, Deke Cooper stole the show with an interception followed by a defensive touchdown. Yesterday I said it was going to be between Mitchell, Lehan, and Hunt for the ninth defensive back spot. I must ammend that statement: It's between Mitchell, Cooper, and Hunt.
My predicted 53-Man roster
(Note: It is in depth chart form. "/" means either or.... I hadn't decided yet. However, the slash is between a number, then I believe the spot will be shared.)
1. Daunte Culpepper
2. Joey Harrington
3. Cleo Lemon
4. Ronnie Brown
5. Travis Minor
6. Kay-Jat Harris
7. Fred Beasley
8. Darian Barnes
9. Chris Chambers
10. Marty Booker
11/12. Wes Welker and Derek Hagan
13. Fred Gibson
14. Cliff Russell/Marcus Vick/Devin Aromashodu
15. Randy McMichael
16. Justin Peelle
17. Jason Rader
18. L.J. Shelton
19. Damion McIntosh
20. Jeno James
21. Joe Toledo
22. Rex Hadnot
23. Joe Berger/Bennie Anderson (depending on Berger's Injury)
24. Tony Pape
25. Vernon Carey
26. Anthony Alabi
27. Kevin Carter
28. Matt Roth
29. Keith Traylor
30. Danny Wilkinson
31. Fred Evans
32. Vonnie Holliday
33. Jeff Zgonina/Kevin Vickerson
34. Jason Taylor
35. David Bowens
36. Channing Crowder
37. Derrick Pope
38. Zach Thomas
39. Mike Labinjo
40. Donnie Spragan
41. Keith Newman
42. Renaldo Hill
43. Jason Allen
44. Travares Tillman
45. Yeremiah Bell
46. Travis Daniels
47. Will Allen
48. Andre' Goodman
49. Eddie Jackson
50. Shirdonya Mitchell/Jack Hunt/Deke Cooper
51. Olindo Mare
52. Donnie Jones
53. John Denney
