Off-Season Things To Look At

[edo783]

In response to item #6 - if we can get 6-8 sacks from our DT, we will be in some nice tall cotton. Double didgits for a DT with a guy like Mario playing is a bit much IMO. I would certainly take it, just don't expect it. What I would like to see from him is for him to flush the QB out of the pocket with middle presher. If he makes the QB uncomfortable and gets 6-8 sacks and controlls the middle run to his area, he will have done his job well IMO.

[papabear]

yeah 10 sacks for a DT would be absolutely huge. I think if anyone has expectations like that they are setting themselves up for disappointment. DT is one of those positions that tough on a player in regards to popularity with the fans. Not that that really matters at the end of day, but people expect a lot from high first round picks....a DT can have a great game and have it go unnoticed by the fans. Okoye is still on his honeymoon so to speak, and he did show flashes last year, but if he can just get 6-8 sacks and do his job in the middle against the run then he's done a good job.

[kravix]

1) Will Charles Spencer be back and, if so, as what?
I think he will be. Kubes has been giving him the play time at RG even though he hasnt gotten contact I dont think he would be giving him the reps if there wasnt a huge posibility.

2) Will Ahman Green be a June 1st cut?
Agree with the bed comment. Ahman Green is too much of a cap hit and potential threat to cut. There isnt a RB on the roster that can challenge him for starting time IMO, including Brown. Now if he gets injured this year or doesnt have a good year, bye bye 2009.

3) Does a CB tandem of Petey Faggins and Jacques Reeves have you thinking about marmalade?
Not so much. One - Bennett will start over one of them. Two - I think Faggins is better than most give him credit for.. I have no idea what his deal was last year though. Three - I think that Reeves' performance last year was a product of a scheme that didnt fit and horrible S play from Roy W., whom it arguably the worst S in coverage ever.

4) Is there anyone from this April's draft that will make an immediate impact?
Well it would be great if Brown did. Okam and Moulden have the best shot, but Okam is a first year DT which typically means no. LB is soo deep that Adibi will most likely only see his time on ST.

5) If we can hire somebody to break Kyle Orton's leg, can we trade Sage to the Bears?
I know a guy.

1. Which combination will eventually fill the FS and SS positions? Do we have reason to believe it will be something other than Earl and Brown, together again?
Demps is pretty locked in at one spot i believe. IIRC Kubes was huge on Earl last year and would love to see him play.

2. Can Brandon Frye impress Alex Gibbs enough to make Weary a back-up? Imagine, 2 Hokies on the OL!
I think the question is can he beat out Brisiel or Studdard. Weary is backup if he makes the team at all IMO.

3. Will Mario Williams build upon last year's performance or will teams neutralize him.
From all accounts so far he is going to build a scyscraper ontop of last years performance. The biggest factor is how the other DL play. The DT's had some pretty good pressure up the middle when Mario got some of those sacks last year. But Mario also dominated his guy or 2 on a couple of plays also.

4. With the addition of several LBs this offseason, who will get the most playing time (Thompson, Bentley, Adibi, Moffitt, or Richardson).
Hard one to call. With Diles as the annointed starter they are all put on the back burner. Bently has the best shot to beat Diles, but if Thompson can move down to rush we may see him more than other. Adibi get ST time this year.

5. How potent can the passing game be if we keep AJ, JJ, AD, and Matt Schaub healthy?
I would have to argure that OD is way more integral in the passing game than JJ is, baring injury. I think AJ is the key though, not that the passing game sucked last year (It was better than we have seen in a long time) but the other two are not even close to AJ in terms of what he brings to the table.

6. Now that Okoye has his rookie year under his belt, will he make the type of jump in production that Mario did in his second season? Are we prepared to have a "sophomore slump" out of last year's 1st rounder?
I hope not. Even though I believe that it takes about 3 years to develop a DL, he showed some good stuff last year, even later in the year (See Broncos Game). I am hoping there is no slump for him though, I expect to see him get better technique wise and more consistent.

[KJ3]

Originally Posted by papabear

yeah 10 sacks for a DT would be absolutely huge. I think if anyone has expectations like that they are setting themselves up for disappointment. DT is one of those positions that tough on a player in regards to popularity with the fans. Not that that really matters at the end of day, but people expect a lot from high first round picks....a DT can have a great game and have it go unnoticed by the fans. Okoye is still on his honeymoon so to speak, and he did show flashes last year, but if he can just get 6-8 sacks and do his job in the middle against the run then he's done a good job.

yea, i just looked at mario's improvement (from 4.5 to 14.5 i think) tripling in one year and figured it would be sweet for okoye to double his. but you guys are right, 10 from a DT is over stating amobi especially because of mario being there too. but the possibility of this line being a hellraiser is high. weaver might even get a sack hahaha...

Originally Posted by kravix

3) Does a CB tandem of Petey Faggins and Jacques Reeves have you thinking about marmalade?
Not so much. One - Bennett will start over one of them. Two - I think Faggins is better than most give him credit for.. I have no idea what his deal was last year though. Three - I think that Reeves' performance last year was a product of a scheme that didnt fit and horrible S play from Roy W., whom it arguably the worst S in coverage ever.

i gotta say man, faggins is exactly as bad as i think he is. reeves has a shot to turn his physical abilities into something here, but he's got to prove what he is before i start praising/slamming him.

arguably the worst S in coverage ever? who is arguing that? hahahahaa...

2. Can Brandon Frye impress Alex Gibbs enough to make Weary a back-up? Imagine, 2 Hokies on the OL!
I think the question is can he beat out Brisiel or Studdard. Weary is backup if he makes the team at all IMO.

forgot about spencer already?

5. How potent can the passing game be if we keep AJ, JJ, AD, and Matt Schaub healthy?
I would have to argure that OD is way more integral in the passing game than JJ is, baring injury. I think AJ is the key though, not that the passing game sucked last year (It was better than we have seen in a long time) but the other two are not even close to AJ in terms of what he brings to the table.

indeed. OD's pull in kubiak's offense is going to be greater than jj's unless jacoby cracks into the 2 spot which i'll file under "possible". OD is a consistently open target with good hands......GOT to fix the oopsies though. kubiak almost got thrown under the bus for letting him play through a couple of key fumbles in a row last year. i'm not worried about it though, OD is a man's man.

[NBT]

Petey was never fast, but last year he lost his confidence, something a CB cannot do without. When he got pulled it really seemed to crush him. Reeves on the other hand, we really don't know that much about. Before I call him marmalade, I will have to see how he performs in Hokes secondary.

[NBT]

"arguably the worst S in coverage ever? who is arguing that? hahahahaa..." Nope the worst safety ever (at least for us), was Matt Stevens.

I think this secondary, with the addition of coach Rhoades to help coach Hoke, could be scary good. I don't worry so much about the CB's, they will come around, especially with Dunta spurring them on, the question is with the safeties. C.C. Brown started to come on a little last year. If Earl can regain his form he will help out, but Demps, Dominique Barber, the two Brandon's, and the rest of the wannabe FS's, will tell the tale, IMO.

[kravix]

CC Brown looks to be the starter atm. With Earl playing second team. While I think Earl is the better safety, I kind of like the fact that he wasnt pugged back in as the starter and is having to work for it.

What that does tell you though is that their drop off in talent is pretty small and that neither of them are better than a good player. You cant have superstars at every position though.

I think the Brandons have just become the odd men out. With Demps, Brown, and Earl sitting at the top it only leaves 1 more spot at most. I would think that Barber gets edge on them and I doubt that we carry both on the PS. Ferguson is in there also somewhere but his shot to make the team is pretty small IMO.