2010 preseason position competitions

[Langlier]

yea its early but lets look at em

QB -
The big one. A "5-way competition" per Cable

Jason Campbell - lots of good tangibles. but he's probably 3rd in arm on the roster (when 1 and 2 are 2 of the best in years... thats ok). I was never impressed with him in wash... that said he has the tools the succeed. I don't know if he has the leadership skills

Bruce Gradkowski - got the team to follow him last year... However he has the least tangibles of the roster (though he's got OK enough mobility). He's got a chance if the team believe in him and makes plays for him

Kyle Boller - new to the roster... Has an arm. Has starting experience. But decision making is questionable. Darkhorse to be our starter IMO

JaMarcus Russell - Cannon for an arm. Gunmetal for head. If motivated and loses the heavy feet... could regain the starting position... but requires a lot of change on his side... Change I don't know if he's capable of.

Charlie Frye - Will fight to stay on roster... that said he's got a decent arm and had the team following him when he saw the field... but was too brittle and didn't prove much in his time. Reminds me of Tui a few years ago.

RB

Bush vs McFadden - Steady pounding or big play? I think we see good doses of each but which we see more of will depend more on the OC I think

FB

We've got a mess here and our players are injured or UDFAs (or suspended). I'll evaluate this more when I know what each brings from the new kids.

WR
starting 2 - Chaz vs Murphy vs DHB
3rd WR - loser of starting 2 vs JLH and Ford

LT

I don't think Mario walks away with this - Veldheer and Bruce have some tangibles... If either just clicks with the OL they could get the start protecting our QBs blindside

RT

Same with LT I think we have to count Veldheer and Campbell into the fight over Barnes. That said I think Barnes could factor into the RG battle too

RG

Campbell, Barnes, Carlisle, Walker and maybe an FA? I don't think we are happy enough here to stay pat.

C
Satele looked to have this last year... I don't know if Morris brings enough to reopen the competition but he kept it close last year. I'd like to bring in a Kevin Mawae just to stir the pot


D

WLB -

Scott vs Howard - I know Scott took over last year and kept it (and looked good). That said Howard it athletic enough and has the experience. With us now having the downhill guys in Wimbley and McClain we could use the coverage guy with them.

That said I'm not sure what we are running as a base D... I think it may be a "big nickel" type or even a 3-3-5 I'm making the assumption we are running a base 4-3 with the rest of the front 7 being MLB - McClain SLB - Wimbley RDE - Shagnasty DT - Seymour DT - Kelly LDE - Houston.

CB2 - I think Johnson may get pushed by Routt again - just because Routt is at his best on the outside.

CB4 - kids battle it out. W McFadden vs Ware vs whatever FAs we bring in

that said the rest of the battles are all backup and ST battles. I think the Goethel kid will end up on the roster - likely at the expense of Ricky Brown

speaking of ST battles

KR/PR - Ford vs Bodiford vs Hubbard vs Figurs vs N Miller - hey look no FBs!

[DonkeyKilla]

you really think Henderson won't be the LT? I'd be surprised if a 3rd round rook took the job, but then again hendo hasn't exactly been great. I'd like to see more of him with competent QB play...

[Langlier]

you really think Henderson won't be the LT? I'd be surprised if a 3rd round rook took the job, but then again hendo hasn't exactly been great. I'd like to see more of him with competent QB play...

I think he'll start out being the LT (barring injury). But I think Veldheer and Campbell have much higher ceilings. If either looks like they can get there soon... Hendo would need to step it up.

[hawaiianboy]

QB:
No competition... There's a reason we went trolling for a vet QB... Campbell's the man on a two year tryout... Grads is an excellent #2... Frye has a great attitude as a three, but I was kinda hoping we'd take a late flier on a guy to develop should Campbell not work out...

RB:
Two current question marks currently... I figure McFadden is the #1 but I think we should give a serious look at signing a break glass in case of emergency guy like Jamal Lewis...

OL:
Henderson-Gallery-Satele-Barnes-Veldheer is the way I think it plays out right now... Lotta questions there... Gotta say that if it were me, I'd bring in Shawn Andrews on a prove it type deal to compete at RG... I'd also seriously consider trading Gallery if we are moving to a Ravens style smash mouth scheme and I could sign Alan Faneca to replace him... Call the ZBS teams like Washington, Houston, Seattle etc to see if there is interest... Maybe even give Khalif Barnes a look at center during camp to get more size and power... Wouldn't be the first guy to kick inside and the strength of his game is supposed to be short yardage blocking...

Front 7:
Front 4 left to right: Houston-Kelly-Seymour-Shaughnessy
LB:s Wimbley-McClain-Scott

[SoCalRaider]

If that's our front 4, teams are gonna pound it up the gut and average 7 yards a carry.

[TheMadStork]

QB: but I was kinda hoping we'd take a late flier on a guy to develop should Campbell not work out...


When Jevan Snead went undrafted, I thought we should have grabbed him. He did pretty good at Ole Miss without a great supporting cast. It would have seemed to be a low-risk move. I was surprised the Bucs signed him, since they already have a very young QB in Josh Freeman.

[CrossBones]

QB -
The big one. A "5-way competition" per Cable

:chucle: :lmao: :rotf: :pound:

No.

[Sleet]

I agree with #1, sort of, but w/o a true NT, I don't expect the 3-4 to be the new base D. #4 is puzzling to me, as I'm one of those Raider fans. #5 was obvious.

What this Draft tells us about the Raiders
Written by Levi "Dizzle" Damien
Monday, 26 April 2010 02:22

There were several things that we knew about this Raider team going into the draft. But what did the the new acquisitions tell us that we may not have known? . . .

Now that the draft is complete and there are quite a few new faces that will be showing up in Alameda in the coming days, there are a few things that can be surmised about the Raiders at this point.

1. There will be a new defensive scheme next season

--The idea of the Raiders switching the 3-4 has been bandied about quite a bit lately. With every new acquisiton, that theory has come closer to being proven correct.

The first time the theory was uttered was the beginning of last season when the Raiders traded their 2011 first round pick for DE Richard Seymour. He has been a 3-4 DE his entire career and went to several Pro Bowls. He is bigger than any of the defensive tackles the Raiders have on the roster, which is just weird.

Near the end of last season, the defense dabbled in some 3-4 sets with Trevor Scott switching from DE to taking over at starting weak side linebacker. The transition was a successful one.

This offseason the team sent their low 3 and 5 round picks to get two 3-4 hybrid outside linebackers in Kamerion Wimbley and Quentin Groves. In the draft itself, they spent their 2 round pick on 300 pound defensive tackle Lamarr Houston out of Texas. Afterward, Cable said his intentions were to use him at defensive end. Like Seymour, you only find 300+ pound DE in a 3-4 scheme.

Then with the final pick in the draft, they pick a guy named Stevie Brown out of Michigan who played safety until his senior season when they switched him to linebacker. So you could call him a "tweener". Not the exact same hybrid tweener we are used to hearing which is the DE/OLB tweener, but a tweener none the less. There are many who think he is simply a special teams pick but that is not what I see. I see a guy that the Raiders hope they can mold into a gem at outside linebacker. At Michigan, he was, at very least known for his hitting ability. If he doesn't pan out as an OLB, then they will at least have a solid special teamer. Teams don't usually spend a draft pick on a guy with the sole intention of putting them in kick and punt coverage. They draft guys that they hope will be much more and if not, then they can hopefully contribute on special teams.

So I don't want to say for certain that the Raiders are switching to the 3-4 exclusively but the defense will at very least have 3-4 looks to it a good portion of the time.

2. The focus is (finally) on the trenches

Tom Cable said in his pre-draft interview that the Raiders have problems in the trenches and his primary goal going into the draft was to fix that problem. He wasn't lying.

The first pick was for a run-stopping inside linebacker. Among his many talents, Rolando McClain specializes in plugging holes and stopping the run. It has been a long time since the Raiders were able to stop the run consistently and while the defensive line was the easy target for blame, the linebackers were just as responsible. After McClain, came the Lamarr Houston pick in round two to further strengthen the defensive run stopping ability. After that it was time to work on the offensive line.

Round three brought small school phenom offensive tackle Jared Veldheer. He may have played at little Hillsdale college but all that did was serve the Raiders ability to grab a steal round three. This kid impressed the Raiders in the East-West Shrine game enough to get their attention. Then once he had that attention, he didn't lose it. He further impressed when he was the only offensive lineman at the combine to finish in the top 10 in every category at his position. In the weeks afterward, he worked his way up the chain of command speaking to line coach Jim Michalczik, head coach Tom Cable and eventually, Al Davis himself. The Raiders would likely have taken him sooner but they knew that his having come from a small school would keep him available until the third round. It was a gamble but one they guessed right.

The very next pick the Raiders got the guy everyone thought they were going to get in the first round-- Bruce Campbell. Sure, he is a workout warrior that everyone thought the Raiders were going to take just because of his measurables. But who cares when you can get a guy with that kind of raw talent and athleticism in round four? They probably just took him because they were so surprised he was still on the board ala Louis Murphy last year (and that pick turned out pretty well).

After that pick, the Raiders were done with the lines in the draft. But they weren't done completely. When the draft ended they went to work filling the trenches with some undrafted free agents as well. Most notably they grabbed talented guard Alex Parsons out of USC and Memphis DT Kellen Heard. I've been known to geek out a little about undrafted free agents but come on, this Kellen Heard is 6'6" and 355 pounds! Uh...can you say monster nose tackle?

3. Jonnie Lee Higgins' days are numbered

Two seasons ago Higgins was the toast of the town with his three kick return Tds while leading the Raiders wide receivers in catches. Last season, we saw the other end of the spectrum however. He was an absolute liability in returns. Early in the season JaMarcus Russell threw a high pass to him down the middle that got him nailed and taken out with an injury. Many attribute that hit to his being timid in the return game because after that, he was never quite the same. I don't see it that way.

If you go back to the preseason the year prior, he looked just as bad. He was fumbling the ball and getting taken down by the first tackler or running out of bounds just as he did last season. At that point, I was wondering how he was still employed in the NFL. Then the season came and suddenly he started to get some space which led to his three returns. But that wasn't Higgins' doing; it was his superior blockers and special teams coach Brian Schneider. The first proof came when the Raiders signed Justin Miller mid-season and he quickly returned two touchdowns of his own. Miller was cut before last season but Higgins is still on the team.

Last season simply exposed Higgins because some of the best special team guys were either not on the team or they were hurt. Combine that with losing Brian Schneider to USC, and JLH had his feet in cement. It was clear the Raiders needed to draft his replacement. Enter Jacoby Ford.

When the Raiders traded up into the fourth round to draft the speedy receiver out of Clemson, I was admittedly a little peaved about it. Not because I don't think he can be any good. I just thought that Kirk Morrison was too much to give up and round 4 was too high to take a kick returner.

But with that much given up to get him high in round 4, the team must have big plans for him. Well, big in the sense that they intend to use him in the receiving game. Bringing in a new WR/KR leaves an odd man out-- Jonnie Lee Higgins just had his job taken from him.

4. Raiders are satisfied with their interior line play

I heard a lot of people calling for the Raiders to draft calling for the Raiders to draft a guard and/or a center to replace Samson Satele and Cooper Carlisle. The Raiders showed in the draft that they are perfectly satisfied with the play of both. And I agree with that.

For all those calling for the head of Cooper Carlisle, I kept wondering ‘Are they watching the same team I am?' Carlisle played quite well last season as he has for the past couple of seasons. I have studied his play extensively and he executes his duties in the zbs extremely well. What a lot of people don't see is that he was often forced to do the duties of two or even three players. Cornell Green would miss a block on the inside and Carlisle looks bad because the running back can't get through the guard tackle gap. Carlisle makes a hole but when the linebacker come up, Luke Lawton can't clear him and the back goes nowhere again. If you watched him as closely as I do, you would see that Coop is doing his job. And apparently the Raider coaching staff thinks so too as they felt no real need to draft his immediate replacement (Bruce Campbell will not be ready for a while at least, if they do indeed move him to guard).

Satele gets a bad rap because he struggled at the beginning of last season. But it always takes a little while to acclimate to the zbs. About week four, he was back at center and after that he did just fine. Besides, I don't think the team would trade for him only to try and replace him a year later. That doesn't make logical sense.

5. JaMarcus Russell is done in the NFL . . . .

6. The Raiders are back...baby . . .

This team had the best draft I have ever witnessed. And I truly mean that. Just the first three picks alone make this draft a rousing success. Combine those prospects with the success the Raiders have had in recent years in the lower rounds [plus a real QB], and by this time next year, we could be looking back at a great draft almost top to bottom.

I share in the excitement I am hearing from Raider fans since the draft and I really look forward to seeing them take the field in mini camps next weekend. As usual, we'll keep you posted on what we see.

[Diceq]

I think we'll find another DT of the large vareity in FA. I don't see Kelly/ Seymour/Joseph/ Houston / Bryant cutting it..especially since Seymour and Houston project as DE's. I doubt they are banking on Chris Cooper to step in.

All in All, a good haul over the weekend

[Diceq]

Just saw PM listed Big John Henderson will be released today. He could provide our answer

[Diceq]

More on the DT front


UDRFA Kellen Heard - RT/DT - Memphis Signed By The Oakland Raiders
by Raymond St. Martin (Saint) on Apr 25, 2010 11:24 AM PDT 37 comments

No, your eyes are not fooling you, Kellen Heard is a very talented player who played on both sides of the ball for Memphis last year. He was a project on the O-Line and a very talented DT that plays with a mean streak. (SOB will love this guy)

At 6-6, 355, he is quite a load on either side of the ball who is best known for being a tough defender who hit Colt McCoy late in 2006.

Here is the You Tube Clip of the hit.

You think he taught Colt to never take his eyes off the filed of his helmet off before he's in the clear?

Once again, the Oakland Raiders have added a multi-talented player that fits two needs. I am very curious how this will play out. I guess we'll know this weekend when the rookies report for the first time in Alameda.

[Sleet]

More on the DT front


UDRFA Kellen Heard - RT/DT - Memphis Signed By The Oakland Raiders
by Raymond St. Martin (Saint) on Apr 25, 2010 11:24 AM PDT 37 comments

No, your eyes are not fooling you, Kellen Heard is a very talented player who played on both sides of the ball for Memphis last year. He was a project on the O-Line and a very talented DT that plays with a mean streak. (SOB will love this guy)

At 6-6, 355, he is quite a load on either side of the ball who is best known for being a tough defender who hit Colt McCoy late in 2006.

Here is the You Tube Clip of the hit.

You think he taught Colt to never take his eyes off the filed of his helmet off before he's in the clear?

Once again, the Oakland Raiders have added a multi-talented player that fits two needs. I am very curious how this will play out. I guess we'll know this weekend when the rookies report for the first time in Alameda.

How good can this guy be? Really? At 355lbs, and not get drafted, or even talked about in the NFL draft? I remember the MLB we signed as an UFA last year, and everyone said that that guy was going to be the answer in the middle. Well, no. That guy is Ro McClain. Someone actually drafted. Now, I'm not saying you can't find UFA studs. But if this guy has any potential, he'll start on the practice squad for a year, no doubt. More likely, he'll just get cut.

[TheMadStork]

How good can this guy be? Really? At 355lbs, and not get drafted, or even talked about in the NFL draft? I remember the MLB we signed as an UFA last year, and everyone said that that guy was going to be the answer in the middle. Well, no. That guy is Ro McClain. Someone actually drafted. Now, I'm not saying you can't find UFA studs. But if this guy has any potential, he'll start on the practice squad for a year, no doubt. More likely, he'll just get cut.

I'm not complaining. UDFA's are low-risk, high-reward. No big loss if they don't pan out and there's always a few diamonds in the rough. He can't be worse than the Big Terd was.

[RaiderRobert]

I'm not complaining. UDFA's are low-risk, high-reward. No big loss if they don't pan out and there's always a few diamonds in the rough. He can't be worse than the Big Terd was.

Exactly. And looking at that clip, he looks all muscle compared to the PB&J that was Turd... I hope we found something. Minimum cash, minimum risk. As opposed to Henderson, who would be maximum cash maximum risk.

[hawaiianboy]

Exactly. And looking at that clip, he looks all muscle compared to the PB&J that was Turd... I hope we found something. Minimum cash, minimum risk. As opposed to Henderson, who would be maximum cash maximum risk.


I don't mind at all giving that big guy a shot, but the chances of him contributing anything close to what Henderson brings is slim at best... How exactly is Henderson this big risk? The guy has missed three games in 8 years and has never shown any kind of knucklehead factor...

[Sleet]

I'm not complaining. UDFA's are low-risk, high-reward. No big loss if they don't pan out and there's always a few diamonds in the rough. He can't be worse than the Big Terd was.

Okay, I'm with you there. Al use to find hidden gems at DT. Who knows. Maybe he found another.

[RaiderRobert]

I don't mind at all giving that big guy a shot, but the chances of him contributing anything close to what Henderson brings is slim at best... How exactly is Henderson this big risk? The guy has missed three games in 8 years and has never shown any kind of knucklehead factor...

If all that were true, then Jacksonville wouldn't have released him...

Look, I know we need more talent, I just happen to wish for it to be of the younger and cheaper kind. Yes, it is more difficult to find. I know...

[hawaiianboy]

If all that were true, then Jacksonville wouldn't have released him...

I was under the impression that it was entirely about a team with financial difficulties being able to play cheaper players...


Look, I know we need more talent, I just happen to wish for it to be of the younger and cheaper kind. Yes, it is more difficult to find. I know...


:shrug: I guess the thing I don't get is that you were all for trading for Shaun Rogers and his contract but now against acquiring a guy that wouldn't cost us anything but a contract that has shown the ability to both one and two gap...

[RaiderRobert]

I was under the impression that it was entirely about a team with financial difficulties being able to play cheaper players...

:shrug: I guess the thing I don't get is that you were all for trading for Shaun Rogers and his contract but now against acquiring a guy that wouldn't cost us anything but a contract that has shown the ability to both one and two gap...

Shaun Rogers is a much more dominant interior player. Just my opinion there. I fought the "trade for Rogers" idea for a couple years, but gave in after this last season. Maybe Henderson is a good idea, but it had better be rock bottom pricing, because his talent and ability have dropped off considerably the last couple years.

[007]

Well, before Heard had to transfer to Memphis, he was among the Aggies top D players. 35+ tackles, 4.5 TFL's in 2007, 2.5 sacks playing NT in 2006.

He's not dynamic but he can play a few different positions, eat some space and play hard.

If anything, our best UDFA's are defensive tackles. Tommy Kelly, Des Bryant, Gravy Jackson, Terd Sands (Not ours) etc.

He could make our roster if he has his head on straight.

I'm fuckin praying we bring in that SI story guy, Callahan Bright. 6-3 340.

[Langlier]

Well, before Heard had to transfer to Memphis, he was among the Aggies top D players. 35+ tackles, 4.5 TFL's in 2007, 2.5 sacks playing NT in 2006.

He's not dynamic but he can play a few different positions, eat some space and play hard.

If anything, our best UDFA's are defensive tackles. Tommy Kelly, Des Bryant, Gravy Jackson, Terd Sands (Not ours) etc.

He could make our roster if he has his head on straight.

I'm fuckin praying we bring in that SI story guy, Callahan Bright. 6-3 340.

if i remember correctly we nabbed Grady in the 5th

[Rupert]

Okay, I'm with you there. Al use to find hidden gems at DT. Who knows. Maybe he found another.

Well, we also created them. Rod Coleman was a rush OLB in college. We made him a DT/NT. :eek:

We found LaRoi Glover, Gravy Jackson, etc. etc. Bottom line is we've been able to manufacture DT's over the years. DE's not so much until the last 2 years with Shag and Scott, but they weren't both out of nowhere. Richardson hasn't blossomed, Moses was a bust, and Brayton got lost in scheme shuffle. So...

[Rupert]

if i remember correctly we nabbed Grady in the 5th

I thought he was a 6th, so I checked. He was a 6th.

[Raidermania12]

I personally think QB is no competition, Campbell is more physically gifted than Grads, more mobile for sure now(two knee surgeries is taking something off your 40 time no matter who you re), more experienced, Far more accurate on passes further than 20 yards, and better throwing on the run.

Russell is no contest against him.

Boller is battling Gradkowski imo and if Grads isn't careful he could overtake him for the backup role.

Charlie Frye shouldnt make the team, but he knows the offense and if Boller doesnt catch fat Frye stays.



RB will be a two man committee I think and imo Bush will get more carries if we are committed to the Running game.

[Langlier]

I personally think QB is no competition, Campbell is more physically gifted than Grads, more mobile for sure now(two knee surgeries is taking something off your 40 time no matter who you re), more experienced, Far more accurate on passes further than 20 yards, and better throwing on the run.

Russell is no contest against him.

Boller is battling Gradkowski imo and if Grads isn't careful he could overtake him for the backup role.

Charlie Frye shouldnt make the team, but he knows the offense and if Boller doesnt catch fat Frye stays.



RB will be a two man committee I think and imo Bush will get more carries if we are committed to the Running game.

If it was based on measurables only I'd hand the competition to Campbell now. That said I think Gradkowski still gets the team to play for him... with better protection and year 2 of DHB/Murphy and year 3 of Schilens... I think he still has a good chance of coming out ahead. That said don't discount Boller completely in this... He has the best arm of the group and quite a bit of experience on his own.

[Raidermania12]

If it was based on measurables only I'd hand the competition to Campbell now. That said I think Gradkowski still gets the team to play for him... with better protection and year 2 of DHB/Murphy and year 3 of Schilens... I think he still has a good chance of coming out ahead. That said don't discount Boller completely in this... He has the best arm of the group and quite a bit of experience on his own.

You're basing that on anything with substance for Grads. Outside of those 4th quarter comebacks and his game against the worst secondary in the nfl he played mediocre and made some really scary decisions(throwing the ball up for grabs too often). Boller is more experienced but he never been efficient enough to be a starter even on a ravens team that could run like nobody's business he couldnt be the gunslinger Brian Billick always hoped for. Not saying either guy could find holy football enlightenment to be better than Campbell but neither guy's resume suggests that they should be a better option. This team may serve itself better getting Campbell in rhythm rather that trying to sweat him out with equal play time in the preseason. With that said i'm not the HC and it'll be up to Cable, but yea I think it's no contest at the moment.

[Langlier]

You're basing that on anything with substance for Grads. Outside of those 4th quarter comebacks and his game against the worst secondary in the nfl he played mediocre and made some really scary decisions(throwing the ball up for grabs too often). Boller is more experienced but he never been efficient enough to be a starter even on a ravens team that could run like nobody's business he couldnt be the gunslinger Brian Billick always hoped for. Not saying either guy could find holy football enlightenment to be better than Campbell but neither guy's resume suggests that they should be a better option. This team may serve itself better getting Campbell in rhythm rather that trying to sweat him out with equal play time in the preseason. With that said i'm not the HC and it'll be up to Cable, but yea I think it's no contest at the moment.

I agree we need to pick our horse and run with him. I don't think we have our horse yet. Campbell has a slight edge right now but I don't think anyone is out of it yet (even Frye). JaRuss is probably out of it based on compensation/desire.

[Crow]

KR/PR - Ford vs Bodiford vs Hubbard vs Figurs vs N Miller - hey look no FBs!

Pfft! Says you.

[Sleet]

I agree we need to pick our horse and run with him. I don't think we have our horse yet. Campbell has a slight edge right now but I don't think anyone is out of it yet (even Frye). JaRuss is probably out of it based on compensation/desire.

With Grad injured, and JR being cut, Campbell will get all the reps Hue wants him to get. Charlie and Mr. California will share 2nd and 3rd team type reps.

[Byron2112]

Well, before Heard had to transfer to Memphis, he was among the Aggies top D players. 35+ tackles, 4.5 TFL's in 2007, 2.5 sacks playing NT in 2006.

He's not dynamic but he can play a few different positions, eat some space and play hard.

If anything, our best UDFA's are defensive tackles. Tommy Kelly, Des Bryant, Gravy Jackson, Terd Sands (Not ours) etc.

He could make our roster if he has his head on straight.

I'm fuckin praying we bring in that SI story guy, Callahan Bright. 6-3 340.

35 tackles is alotta production for a DT.

We don't need him too be dynamic, we've a buncha guys like that around him already, we just need him to be unmovable.

I'm pretty excited about this guy. Looking at him he isn't a sloppy, tub a goo, he looks to be in reasonable shape... now if he's a little bit crazy, that's OK too as long as it's cathartic for him to take it out on opposing offensive lineman.

[fade2black24]

35 tackles is alotta production for a DT.

We don't need him too be dynamic, we've a buncha guys like that around him already, we just need him to be unmovable.

I'm pretty excited about this guy. Looking at him he isn't a sloppy, tub a goo, he looks to be in reasonable shape... now if he's a little bit crazy, that's OK too as long as it's cathartic for him to take it out on opposing offensive lineman.

We need a big guy who can come in on short yardage situations and goal line who can collapse the middle. I would love it if this guy can be that guy. It is possible he could make the team

Kelly
Seymour
Bryant
Heard

Sure I am getting ahead of myself but I can dream, can't I?

[Sleet]

We lost Ellis (DE) and Warren (DT), and replaced them with Groves (DE/OLB) Houston (DE/DT), so, yes, we could use a big DT (not named Joseph).