Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down

[AwakenTheDemon]

*Warning - A Lot of Reading is Ahead of You*

After seeing how the team looked after playing one game together, I've decided it'd be interesting to see who people though did well and who struggled.

[u]Thumbs Up:[/u]
[i]Joe Flacco[/i] - Joe Cool looked composed and confident in the pocket, even under pressure. Aside from a few dropped and off target passes, Flacco's accuracy was spot on, especially on that deep ball to Clayton. If he continues to play as he did tonight, he'll finally take that step towards the top-tier of quarterbacks everyone's expecting of him.

[i]Willis McGahee[/i] - Yes, we didn't really see much of him rushing the ball (just like Rice), however we got to see him catch some screen passes and gallop for first downs. This leads me to believe that Willis can be used in the passing game as well on short routes and screens more so than he used to be in the past. He may not be as effective in the passing game as Rice, but it would allow us to not lose an option for Flacco when Rice is taking a breather. Seems to be carrying the extra weight he packed on extremely well without any real effect on his speed.

[i]Marshal Yanda[/i] - Yanda did a good job blocking for the most part, especially on some downfield blocks. As someone I've always undersold and overlooked on the offensive line, I've started to come to appreciate and take notice of him.

[i]Ed Dickson[/i] - While only notching two catches, they were two [u]nice[/u] catches. Good hands, and a good nose to get as many yards after the catch as possible. Should be a good competition between him and Pitta.

[i]Terrence Cody[/i] - Despite my personal feelings towards Cody, I was actually quite impressed with his play. He did what he did best and stuff the run every chance he got and played much more than I had expected from a man of his size and stamina. If the pressure he got on Cantwell (or was it Pike? I don't remember) had came when he was going up against the starting Carolina offensive line, I would have to have given him some props for that. Still, he played well up the middle, and moved around much more than I had expected. He may still need work on playing fullback, but that's to be expected and not a huge knock on him.

[i]Tom Zbikowski[/i] - He's no Reed, but he played very well in his place. Zibby showed good awareness of what was going on around him, good ability to wrap up the tackle, and get pressure on the quarterback (loved that sack of his). Add that with what we saw from him last year filling in for Reed, and I'd feel more comfortable with him prowling around while Ed's out. Not to mention, he did a good job returning his one punt.

[i]Antawn Barnes[/i] - Barnes played extremely well, coming away with very consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback. Add to that good awareness to get to the ball and fight for the fumble. Made a good showing as the bright star on the back-up linebacker corp.

[i]Cary Wiliams[/i] - Despite not having much major playtime in his prior seasons, he played well (even if it was against second stringers). Was able to see what was going on and get to the ball, as well as the ability to step forward and capitalize on the receivers misgivings to come away with an interception instead of just letting the ball hit the ground. Most likely won't play as well as he did against number one (and maybe even number two) receivers, but showed good progression in his skills.

[i]Paul Kruger[/i] - Again, even though he was playing against the second string offense, Kruger got good pressure on the quarterback, slipping around and shedding blocks to come away with his sack and a half.

[i]Prince Miller[/i] - Fantastic job on returns, namely punt returns. Even though he was going up against players vying just to make Carolina's team, Miller was able to slip, spin, and dodge tackles. Took an early lead in the return job.

[u]Thumbs Down:[/u]
[i]Troy Smith[/i] - I know he had to work with the back-up offensive line, so it isn't all his fault. However, he didn't handle pressure very well, looking confused and indecisive when confronted. The balls he did get off, more often than not, were either off target or poor throws in general. Whether it was scrambling himself into an even worse situation, or just taking too long with the ball, Smith didn't make a good case for himself to be a true challenge for the number two quarterback position.

[i]Jalen Parmele[/i] - Again, another victim of working with a back-up offensive line (however, he was going up against back-up defenders). When he attempted to run the ball, he hurt more than he helped. Seven attempts for negative seven yards, as well as putting the ball on the ground. With Le'Ron McClain having a good day running the ball, and Steele having a good game rushing, he cannot have games like this with that competitive. In my opinion, he lost some ground to Curtis Steele, he had more success running with essentially the same talent at the offensive line.

[i]Edgar Jones[/i] - Now, even though he's running with the back-ups (and being a converted tight end, fullback, and whatever other position he played), he wasn't very effective on defensive, along with bad decision making that lead to penalties, namely the roughing the passer call. Has much work to do.

[u]On the Fence:[/u]
[i]Marc Bulger[/i] - Bulger struggled at first when taking the field, making some off-target passes and taking some sacks. Once he got into a rhythm and started handling the pressure better, he improved immensely with his passes. While showing no threat to Flacco, he solidified himself as the back-up after Smith's woeful night.

[i]Mark Clayton[/i] - If it weren't for his track record of inconsistency, I would have placed him in the thumbs up category. Despite that, he made a pair of very nice catches, namely the 30 yard touchdown lob.

[i]Tavares Gooden[/i] - He may not have had an overall "great" night, but he did show he's able to get pressure on the quarterback when he sliced through the offensive line for a sack. Now he just has to prove he can do that against a starting offensive line.

[i]Dannell Ellerbe & Jameel McClain[/i] - Aside from Barnes and Gooden, the other two "big name" (to Raven fans) linebackers didn't make a big impact for either man's case. Neither showed to be a liability, yet neither made any separation from the other in the ILB starter battle.

[i]Travis Fisher, Doug Dutch & Chris Hawkins[/i] - All three played well enough to avoid landing in the Thumbs Down category, but none played well enough to get a thumbs up. Carolina was able to pass the ball easily at times when there wasn't enough pressure on the quarterback. Luckily, the three were usually able to avoid giving up any big passes. Dutch does get a nod for playing a pass well and very tough at the end of the game without earning a flag.

[i]The Kicking Battle[/i] - Cundiff can kick extra points, which is something we all knew before training camp even started. Graham got all of the (two) field goal attempts. Even though he barely missed a 50 yard attempt, I wouldn't call that a big strike against him. When it comes down to it, we just didn't see enough to influence the opinion for or against either man.

At the end of the night, the pros outweighed the cons, in my opinion. I saw much more improvement and upside in our team, than I did regression and liabilities. It may only be one preseason game, but it bodes well for the team.

Those are only my observations and opinions. Feedback is always welcome, as is everyone else's opinions of what we saw tonight.

[Shammy]

you pretty much summed it all up

[Shawn`]

Good analysis.

However I would bump Clayton to a thumbs up if you're only looking at this game, he's been Houdini in some games but he certainly made his presence felt tonight and that's all he could do. I have a feeling he's going to have a good year because there's no more starting WR pressure on him anymore.

[MagicianCamille]

Mark Clayton was great tonight, is this a joke? You can't talk about track record when we've never actually had a full WR corps. Now we do, and its going to benefit Clayton greatly, which will in turn benefit us.

[gilgamesh]

I agree with pretty much everything you said. I would personally add Nakamura, he had a very good game. A goal line FF, a sack, some pass break-ups and 5 tackles. I think he deserved a thumbs up.

[Shadowalker]

Great analysis, basically summed it all up. Like my fellow fans I'd have to disagree with you on Mark Clayton analysis. I thought he busted his butt and made a terrific touchdown catch.

[AwakenTheDemon]

Clayton's had great games in the past, and I won't deny he did fantastic tonight. I would have loved to move him into the Thumbs Up section, but his track record makes me weary of doing just that. If he goes out next week against Washington and puts up another great game, then I'll be more than willing to bump him up. Don't get me wrong, he's walking the fine line in my opinion between my "On The Fence" and "Thumbs Up" designation.

And I did forget about Nakamura, he did a great job as well for the secondary. What makes it even better is seeing him play on that level after going out last season the way he did.

[Purple Nurple]

I cant believe I actually read all that. Only 'cause its you, buddy.

Not a bad summery. Cody blew my mind with that one play where he had an O Lineman on his left hand and just reached out and swallowed the RB with his right. Jump on the bandwagon. If he pans out, its gonna be great.

[AwakenTheDemon]

[quote name='Purple Nurple' timestamp='1281681760' post='450482']
I cant believe I actually read all that. Only 'cause its you, buddy.

Not a bad summery. Cody blew my mind with that one play where he had an O Lineman on his left hand and just reached out and swallowed the RB with his right. Jump on the bandwagon. If he pans out, its gonna be great.
[/quote]

Haha, thanks Nurps

I know I've been one of the... more outspoken people when it comes to Cody, but he impressed me very, very much tonight. I agree one hundred percent about him just reaching out and taking that back down. Another play that comes to mind is when he "flew" (for Cody's standards) into the backfield, and just reached out again and pulled that back down. I had to rewind it and make sure it was really Cody and not someone else.

[Purple Nurple]

[quote name='AwakenTheDemon' timestamp='1281682272' post='450486']
Another play that comes to mind is when he "flew" (for Cody's standards) into the backfield, and just reached out again and pulled that back down. I had to rewind it and make sure it was really Cody and not someone else.
[/quote]

Yep. To me it looked like he just slapped him on the head and down he went like a bag of rocks. My wife kept saying "Is that the guy who's supposed to be out of shape?" Lol!

[AwakenTheDemon]

lmao My girlfriend asked me if that was the guy that I showed her that disgusting picture of him weighing in with his shirt off. I said "Uh... I guess so." If there was ever a player I wanted my initial opinion to be wrong about it's Cody.

[Purple Nurple]

Well, I'm not going to jinx Cody so...... *fingers crossed*

[MsMarvel73]

I agree with your summaries, Demon, but it was only the first game of the preseason.

[ravensdfan]

I agree with your analysis completely. Though I would add a thumbs down to our equipment guy. Did no one else notice that the Ravens' helmets were flying off all over the place?

[poedacrow]

Mr. Demon, I loved your post.

I concur, wholeheartedly, with your post but would like to add a "thumbs down" to Prince Miller. He gave up on a safety blitz in a 3rd and long situation and it ended up as a completion and first down. One caveat; he is a rookie so I'll watch him next couple of games.

I'd also add Mclain and Magahee to the thumbs up list....2/3 of the 3 headed monster looked real good. (BTW the wifey and I missed RR)

Mount Cody gets a big thumbs up as a Nose Tackle....maybe a bit more work required on the FB position (snicker, snicker)

Great post. I'm hoping next time you can add Donte Stallworth in the thumbs up...gotta feeling about that guy...

[I AM LEGEND]

I think dutch should've got a thumbs up..

[ClintLB8]

As bad as I hate to say it I got to give Michael Oher a thumbs down. They guy gave up two critical sacks against I guy I haven't really ever heard of (Tyler Brayton) but I do understand that he is still transitioning into the left tackle role compared to the right tackle. Terrance Cody gets TWO thumbs up from me! Something that confused me a little was the face that Gruden and all those guys said that they believed Troy Smith would be the number 2 guy this year (SHOCKING!). Antwan Barnes and Paul Kruger also really impressed me! Both rookie tight ends seemed like that are going to give our offense a lot of match up problems for other defenses! I am a little bit worried about our run defense though (I do realize that the Panthers had the number 3 or 4 rush offense last year). But maybe we are changing the ways of the defense and are starting to do the bend but don't break mentality (which is fine with me as long as they don't give up a lot of points). One guy I have to give a thumbs up to is Greg Hardy. Got to give respect to someone who has earned it and he earned it. He was a stud. I love the way Cary Williams played and I am glad all of our corners are getting valuable playing time experience because our top 3 guys are out right now. That will help us tremendously build depth for when those 3 return. I give a thumbs up to the defensive play calling early on in the game sending pressure from multiple places. Lastly, I want to give a thumbs up to the defense not giving up that late touchdown. They were faced with adversity but they bowed their necks and got in their and grinded and helped us get a win. OH... and Kelly Talavou gets a big thumbs up for the passion and heart he played with last night! I think he had 2 or 3 BIG sacks that helped us come away with that win! Overall, GREAT effort from everyone.

[AwakenTheDemon]

[quote name='PARavensgirl' timestamp='1281697322' post='450525']
I agree with your summaries, Demon, but it was only the first game of the preseason.
[/quote]

This is only based on the first game, not how I feel each player will pan out after the entire preseason is over.

I forgot all about adding Stallworth, although he would have landed "On the Fence". Not by any fault of his own, he made a nice catch for 26 yards, I just didn't see enough of him (although no one really had over 2 catches, aside from Willis on the screens). Just because Clayton and Stallworth landed on the fence doesn't mean I wasn't impressed with them. If Stallworth had made one more catch like his first one, I would have given him a thumbs up. Although he did show me that he can still play football very well.

[Runnin Raven]

Not sure what to think about Kruger. Gotta go back and watch the game again. 1.5 sacks is great, but I had a sense it was all or nothing with him. Was he out of position a few times? Like pushed out of the play because he was focused on the pass rush maybe? Its a little fuzzy atm, I do need to watch the tape again.

[Ravensfan23]

As well as Joe Cool played, he still has to improve on his deep ball attempts. Now he only threw 2 of them, one being a 30 yard jumpball, which he never really had a problem with, but the first attempt was poorly underthrown.

Now i know many would probably disagree with me, how if we as fans, Joe as a QB, and the Ravens as an Franchise want Flacco to take that next step into elite status and stay there, then he has to be held to a higher level of accountability.

Now true indeed it was just one pass attempt, however like we've seen many times before, one big play can be the difference between winning and losing when it matters the most.

On the play in question, Clayton had a good step on the defender and had the ball been thrown more towards the back of the endzone then Mark would have had a better chance of pulling in the TD pass. However Joe throw the ball as more of an jumpball type, and that allowed the defender to catchup and make a play on the ball.

Now like i said before, it was just one play in the first preseason game, but again if Flacco is expected to take that next step into elite status then plays like that have to be made.

QBs like Peyton, Brady and Brees, would complete that pass more often then not, even guys like Rivers, Schaub, and Ben would make it. If we want, but more importantly if Flacco wants to be as good as, if not surpass these guys, he has to be counted on to make that play and he has to expect to make it.

Other then that i think Joe Cool was great last night. JMO.

[Ravensfan23]

As well as Joe Cool played last night, i feel he still needs to improve on his deep ball attempts. Now he only threw 2 deep balls, and one went for a TD, however the other was poorly underthrown.

The play in question was the deep pass to Clayton on the first drive. Clayton had a step on his defender and had the ball been thrown more towards the back of the endzone Clayton would have had a greater chance of hauling in the TD attempt. Instead, Flacco throw the ball in more of a jumpball type rather then putting the ball where only Clayton could catch it, this allowed the defender to catchup and make a play on the ball.

Now true enough, it was only one play in the first preseason game, but as we've all seen, one big play can be the deciding factor in the games that matter most.

I know many people will probably disagree with me on this, and say it was only one attempt, but if we as fans, Joe as the QB, and the Ravens as a franchise want Flacco to take that next step into elite status, then he has to be held to a higher level of expectations and accountability.

QBs like Peyton, Brady and Brees completes those passes more often then not, and when we are talking elite QBs it doesn't get any better then those guys. So if we as fans, and Joe as a QB wants to be as good, if not surpass those names, he has to be counted on to make those throws when presented the opportunity, but more importantly Joe has to expect to make those type of plays.

Other then that one play, i think Joe Cool played great.

[Runnin Raven]

Regarding Michael Oher, I'm in the early going here reviewing the video but the first sack was on him (a sort of arm/slap move) but it looks like the second was actually on #66 (Grubbs).

[DrMoonTooth]

[quote name='RBates' timestamp='1281760195' post='451313']

[/quote]

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

I really have very little to add to the original analysis, which was excellent.

I think my biggest thumbs up would have to go to Antwan Barnes and Terrence Cody though.

[1/28/01]

[quote name='Ed_Reed_Pick_Six' timestamp='1281760991' post='451328']
I really have very little to add to the original analysis, which was excellent.

I think my biggest thumbs up would have to go to Antwan Barnes and Terrence Cody though.
[/quote]
Agreed bro!!! Ups to Clayton too though!

[DrMoonTooth]

[quote name='poedacrow' timestamp='1281702958' post='450545']
Mr. Demon, I loved your post.

I concur, wholeheartedly, with your post but would like to add a "thumbs down" to Prince Miller. He gave up on a safety blitz in a 3rd and long situation and it ended up as a completion and first down. One caveat; he is a rookie so I'll watch him next couple of games.

I'd also add Mclain and Magahee to the thumbs up list....2/3 of the 3 headed monster looked real good. [b](BTW the wifey and I missed RR)[/b]

Mount Cody gets a big thumbs up as a Nose Tackle....maybe a bit more work required on the FB position (snicker, snicker)

Great post. I'm hoping next time you can add Donte Stallworth in the thumbs up...gotta feeling about that guy...
[/quote]
Every one did...he didn't touch the ball once, which was smart.

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

[quote name='1/28/01' timestamp='1281761108' post='451331']
Agreed bro!!! Ups to Clayton too though!
[/quote]
Yeah he had a nice game too. Barnes was chaos off the edge against an excellent LT in Jordan Gross!

[Ravensfan23]

I'd give thumbs up to both Nakamura and Burgess.

Burgess didn't really make too many impact plays, but he played with good strength and balance on the edge. He also played well on special teams. Kindle not being on the team right now opens the door for Burgess and so far he's taking advantage.

Nakamura just looked like a guy who was just happy to be on the field again. He was flying around making tackles, knockin down passes, sacking the QB and just having fun.

Also another guy was Jason Phillps. Even though he was playing against the 3rd and 4th teamers, he was the best reserve ILB on the field for us thursday night. He attacked the blockers and got to the ball. He made some sure tackles and was rarely out of position. He has a tough uphill battle to beat out McClain, Gooden, and Ellerbe, but i think he played well.

[organizedchaos007]

[quote name='AwakenTheDemon' timestamp='1281677887' post='450450']
*Warning - A Lot of Reading is Ahead of You*

After seeing how the team looked after playing one game together, I've decided it'd be interesting to see who people though did well and who struggled.

[u]Thumbs Up:[/u]
[i]Joe Flacco[/i] - Joe Cool looked composed and confident in the pocket, even under pressure. Aside from a few dropped and off target passes, Flacco's accuracy was spot on, especially on that deep ball to Clayton. If he continues to play as he did tonight, he'll finally take that step towards the top-tier of quarterbacks everyone's expecting of him.

[i]Willis McGahee[/i] - Yes, we didn't really see much of him rushing the ball (just like Rice), however we got to see him catch some screen passes and gallop for first downs. This leads me to believe that Willis can be used in the passing game as well on short routes and screens more so than he used to be in the past. He may not be as effective in the passing game as Rice, but it would allow us to not lose an option for Flacco when Rice is taking a breather. Seems to be carrying the extra weight he packed on extremely well without any real effect on his speed.

[i]Marshal Yanda[/i] - Yanda did a good job blocking for the most part, especially on some downfield blocks. As someone I've always undersold and overlooked on the offensive line, I've started to come to appreciate and take notice of him.

[i]Ed Dickson[/i] - While only notching two catches, they were two [u]nice[/u] catches. Good hands, and a good nose to get as many yards after the catch as possible. Should be a good competition between him and Pitta.

[i]Terrence Cody[/i] - Despite my personal feelings towards Cody, I was actually quite impressed with his play. He did what he did best and stuff the run every chance he got and played much more than I had expected from a man of his size and stamina. If the pressure he got on Cantwell (or was it Pike? I don't remember) had came when he was going up against the starting Carolina offensive line, I would have to have given him some props for that. Still, he played well up the middle, and moved around much more than I had expected. He may still need work on playing fullback, but that's to be expected and not a huge knock on him.

[i]Tom Zbikowski[/i] - He's no Reed, but he played very well in his place. Zibby showed good awareness of what was going on around him, good ability to wrap up the tackle, and get pressure on the quarterback (loved that sack of his). Add that with what we saw from him last year filling in for Reed, and I'd feel more comfortable with him prowling around while Ed's out. Not to mention, he did a good job returning his one punt.

[i]Antawn Barnes[/i] - Barnes played extremely well, coming away with very consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback. Add to that good awareness to get to the ball and fight for the fumble. Made a good showing as the bright star on the back-up linebacker corp.

[i]Cary Wiliams[/i] - Despite not having much major playtime in his prior seasons, he played well (even if it was against second stringers). Was able to see what was going on and get to the ball, as well as the ability to step forward and capitalize on the receivers misgivings to come away with an interception instead of just letting the ball hit the ground. Most likely won't play as well as he did against number one (and maybe even number two) receivers, but showed good progression in his skills.

[i]Paul Kruger[/i] - Again, even though he was playing against the second string offense, Kruger got good pressure on the quarterback, slipping around and shedding blocks to come away with his sack and a half.

[i]Prince Miller[/i] - Fantastic job on returns, namely punt returns. Even though he was going up against players vying just to make Carolina's team, Miller was able to slip, spin, and dodge tackles. Took an early lead in the return job.

[u]Thumbs Down:[/u]
[i]Troy Smith[/i] - I know he had to work with the back-up offensive line, so it isn't all his fault. However, he didn't handle pressure very well, looking confused and indecisive when confronted. The balls he did get off, more often than not, were either off target or poor throws in general. Whether it was scrambling himself into an even worse situation, or just taking too long with the ball, Smith didn't make a good case for himself to be a true challenge for the number two quarterback position.

[i]Jalen Parmele[/i] - Again, another victim of working with a back-up offensive line (however, he was going up against back-up defenders). When he attempted to run the ball, he hurt more than he helped. Seven attempts for negative seven yards, as well as putting the ball on the ground. With Le'Ron McClain having a good day running the ball, and Steele having a good game rushing, he cannot have games like this with that competitive. In my opinion, he lost some ground to Curtis Steele, he had more success running with essentially the same talent at the offensive line.

[i]Edgar Jones[/i] - Now, even though he's running with the back-ups (and being a converted tight end, fullback, and whatever other position he played), he wasn't very effective on defensive, along with bad decision making that lead to penalties, namely the roughing the passer call. Has much work to do.

[u]On the Fence:[/u]
[i]Marc Bulger[/i] - Bulger struggled at first when taking the field, making some off-target passes and taking some sacks. Once he got into a rhythm and started handling the pressure better, he improved immensely with his passes. While showing no threat to Flacco, he solidified himself as the back-up after Smith's woeful night.

[i]Mark Clayton[/i] - If it weren't for his track record of inconsistency, I would have placed him in the thumbs up category. Despite that, he made a pair of very nice catches, namely the 30 yard touchdown lob.

[i]Tavares Gooden[/i] - He may not have had an overall "great" night, but he did show he's able to get pressure on the quarterback when he sliced through the offensive line for a sack. Now he just has to prove he can do that against a starting offensive line.

[i]Dannell Ellerbe & Jameel McClain[/i] - Aside from Barnes and Gooden, the other two "big name" (to Raven fans) linebackers didn't make a big impact for either man's case. Neither showed to be a liability, yet neither made any separation from the other in the ILB starter battle.

[i]Travis Fisher, Doug Dutch & Chris Hawkins[/i] - All three played well enough to avoid landing in the Thumbs Down category, but none played well enough to get a thumbs up. Carolina was able to pass the ball easily at times when there wasn't enough pressure on the quarterback. Luckily, the three were usually able to avoid giving up any big passes. Dutch does get a nod for playing a pass well and very tough at the end of the game without earning a flag.

[i]The Kicking Battle[/i] - Cundiff can kick extra points, which is something we all knew before training camp even started. Graham got all of the (two) field goal attempts. Even though he barely missed a 50 yard attempt, I wouldn't call that a big strike against him. When it comes down to it, we just didn't see enough to influence the opinion for or against either man.

At the end of the night, the pros outweighed the cons, in my opinion. I saw much more improvement and upside in our team, than I did regression and liabilities. It may only be one preseason game, but it bodes well for the team.

Those are only my observations and opinions. Feedback is always welcome, as is everyone else's opinions of what we saw tonight.
[/quote]


Good analysis, I was gonna do an in depth one myself, but good job by you. I agree with pretty much everything, with a few added things.

Flacco, very nice night, its gonna be a joy to watch him this year with all his toys.

O-line depth.... horrible. I know we had two starters out and that snowballed to the backups. (gaither and grubbs). The left side looked shacky with Oher and i believe it was chester. I think that will all get worked out tho. But the oline depth couldnt pass block or run block worth a d*mn.

Troy Smith, horrible night. I kinda feel bad for him, hes kinda been crapped on lately, pretty much ever since he came in the league. Was expected to be starter Joe's rookie year, then got sick and Flacco earned it. Now we sign bulger and Smith is pushed back again. Thursday night, hes stuck with a horrible offensive line, on a night with a terrential downpour. Unfortunately for him, he just hasnt taken advantage of his opportunities when he has had time with the starters, or even second string.

I was impressed with our backfield, except Parmale. If he doesnt step it up, he will be on the bubble. Dont think the Ravens will keep a guy just for KO returns if he doesnt keep the 4th running back position.

Recievers.... Clayton definite thumbs up, who lit a fire under his ******. Thing we all need to realize with him is, hes gonna face teams 4th and 5th cornerbacks when hes in there... and fully take advantage of them. Reed i saw a nice grab for a first down, and saw some potential on special teams. Stallworth, other then the slip... man hes gonna be a matchup prob for alot of teams, Im looking for a good year from him, a suprisingly good year actually.

Tightends: Im HIGHLY impressed with Dickson, he can seriously stretch the field, great hands... really good hands, and is a mismatch prob for linebackers and safeties. He knows how to get open, and hes fast for his size, wow. Cant wait to see more. Played good on special teams also.

Dline: Cody, is a beast. Highly impressed. His stamina looked good to me, he played quite a bit. He owned a probowl center with one arm. Cory Redding, on the strip from Zibby, didnt even look like he wanted to run to get the ball. Hope he grabs some passion from the other players and sticks his nose up in there to get that ball next time it happens. Krugers added weight definitely showed, and he seemed even quicker off the ball, with some good moves to his reportiore. Looking for good things from him.

Backers: only person that really stuck out to me, was Barnes, he got constant pressure and was disruptive. Gooden had a pretty good game also.

Secondary: Cary Williams and Fischer made some big plays. Cary Williams with the breakup in the endzone, blew up a reciver to breakup the pass, and had a INT. Fischer had a missed interception (kinda hard grab tho), and broke up a pass, and had an amazing punt return (i wanna see him against first string special teams). Zibby .... imo... isnt that much of a dropoff from Reed. Hes a hard hitter, not scared to put his nose in there and make a good hit, has good instincts, had 2 INT's in 2 games last year. I love zibby. Nakumura had a great game also, love to see him come along like he has. The ONLY thing i saw he needed to work on, was getting off blocks when coming up to stop the run or from a safety blitz. Our safety depth is nice, fully confident with them.

[DrMoonTooth]

[quote name='organizedchaos007' timestamp='1281792610' post='451456']

Secondary: Cary Williams and [b]Fischer[/b] made some big plays. Cary Williams with the breakup in the endzone, blew up a reciver to breakup the pass, and had a INT. [b]Fischer had a missed interception (kinda hard grab tho), and broke up a pass, and had an amazing punt return (i wanna see him against first string special teams).[/b] Zibby .... imo... isnt that much of a dropoff from Reed. Hes a hard hitter, not scared to put his nose in there and make a good hit, has good instincts, had 2 INT's in 2 games last year. I love zibby. Nakumura had a great game also, love to see him come along like he has. The ONLY thing i saw he needed to work on, was getting off blocks when coming up to stop the run or from a safety blitz. Our safety depth is nice, fully confident with them.
[/quote]
I believe you're thinking of Miller. Miller was the one who had the amazing punt return.