- Joined
- May 8, 2014
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Some changes that I think are either coming, or should be coming at some point hopefully this season:
Offense
1. WRs. This corps has enormous talent, and I get that there’s only one ball. But now that we have a QB who spreads that ball around like he does, I think it’s more important to keep an eye on the snaps and who’s getting them. Bailey over Pettis needs to happen. Now. In a critical down/distance with 3x receivers I would have Quick/Britt/Bailey out there plain and simple.
At some point Tavon should be pushing for playing time too, but he’s not as sure of a receiver right now as Bailey is. The key is matching these guys to the QB, who is going to go to whoever has the matchup and in that respect Bailey is going to pay huge dividends once they elevate him to “starter” snaps.
2. TEs. I’m a huge fan of Bayer, who is a guy I believe can help this team in the passing game. He has auto-hands, the dude is always ready to make the catch. Once again, he will fit very well with our QB. Kendricks is the blocker, understood. Cook is the highly paid “talent.” I also understand that. But still, start getting Bayer in there and giving him some chances to show what he can do will help this team. He is a diamond in the rough in my estimation.
3. RBs. Mason has something the rest of the RBs do not have, which is big play burst. He will bust big runs which will help this offense. I assume he has made strides in his pass pro, given that Fish has mentioned him being more involved the other week. I love Stacy but he gets dinged constantly, and Cunningham is a very good depth RB. At some point I see Mason advancing to the top of the class and helping elevate the offense even more.
4. OL. I’ll start by saying the OL has been pretty good at times, so I’m hesitant to mess with it when it’s probably smarter to let them keep gelling as a unit. However, gotta consider the potential for the running game when adding Robinson. How long will it take for him to not be a liability as an OG in blitz pickups? OG isn’t the hardest position assignment-wise, so I would hope by the time the first half of the season is gone he will be in the starting lineup and relegate Joseph to the depth role he should be in.
Defense
1. DB. Tru Johnson’s return looms as the most significant addition to this defense we will see this season. He was really playing well end of last season. When he returns I would guess that Gaines moves to slot which makes this defense stronger especially when they’re manning up back there. Joyner has been a little disappointing and not sure if they see him as a FS but he may end up pushing McLeod. Either way the competition that will result from Tru’s return is gonna be a big addition to this defense.
2. DT. Donald needs more snaps. I understand now why the Rams drafted him, not just because of how good he is, but how underwhelming both Brockers and Langford have been. More snaps for Donald will help this defense, they need to quit sweating him getting tired the dude is a beast.
3. DE. Not sure when Chris Long will return but obviously we need him. He will be a huge boost, as I believe he is a guy who makes everyone better and this DL click.
4. LB. There isn’t a lot of hope when we look at LB other than seeing Ogletree start to play at a high level. He improved as the year went on last season so I would hope that happens again but for now bleh. Honestly I have been wondering whether one of Fisher’s prized young SS’s (TJM or Alexander) can do the job, sort of in a nickel or package role where a DB does run support/blitzing near the LOS. I suspect that’s what we’re gonna see going forward.
Offense
1. WRs. This corps has enormous talent, and I get that there’s only one ball. But now that we have a QB who spreads that ball around like he does, I think it’s more important to keep an eye on the snaps and who’s getting them. Bailey over Pettis needs to happen. Now. In a critical down/distance with 3x receivers I would have Quick/Britt/Bailey out there plain and simple.
At some point Tavon should be pushing for playing time too, but he’s not as sure of a receiver right now as Bailey is. The key is matching these guys to the QB, who is going to go to whoever has the matchup and in that respect Bailey is going to pay huge dividends once they elevate him to “starter” snaps.
2. TEs. I’m a huge fan of Bayer, who is a guy I believe can help this team in the passing game. He has auto-hands, the dude is always ready to make the catch. Once again, he will fit very well with our QB. Kendricks is the blocker, understood. Cook is the highly paid “talent.” I also understand that. But still, start getting Bayer in there and giving him some chances to show what he can do will help this team. He is a diamond in the rough in my estimation.
3. RBs. Mason has something the rest of the RBs do not have, which is big play burst. He will bust big runs which will help this offense. I assume he has made strides in his pass pro, given that Fish has mentioned him being more involved the other week. I love Stacy but he gets dinged constantly, and Cunningham is a very good depth RB. At some point I see Mason advancing to the top of the class and helping elevate the offense even more.
4. OL. I’ll start by saying the OL has been pretty good at times, so I’m hesitant to mess with it when it’s probably smarter to let them keep gelling as a unit. However, gotta consider the potential for the running game when adding Robinson. How long will it take for him to not be a liability as an OG in blitz pickups? OG isn’t the hardest position assignment-wise, so I would hope by the time the first half of the season is gone he will be in the starting lineup and relegate Joseph to the depth role he should be in.
Defense
1. DB. Tru Johnson’s return looms as the most significant addition to this defense we will see this season. He was really playing well end of last season. When he returns I would guess that Gaines moves to slot which makes this defense stronger especially when they’re manning up back there. Joyner has been a little disappointing and not sure if they see him as a FS but he may end up pushing McLeod. Either way the competition that will result from Tru’s return is gonna be a big addition to this defense.
2. DT. Donald needs more snaps. I understand now why the Rams drafted him, not just because of how good he is, but how underwhelming both Brockers and Langford have been. More snaps for Donald will help this defense, they need to quit sweating him getting tired the dude is a beast.
3. DE. Not sure when Chris Long will return but obviously we need him. He will be a huge boost, as I believe he is a guy who makes everyone better and this DL click.
4. LB. There isn’t a lot of hope when we look at LB other than seeing Ogletree start to play at a high level. He improved as the year went on last season so I would hope that happens again but for now bleh. Honestly I have been wondering whether one of Fisher’s prized young SS’s (TJM or Alexander) can do the job, sort of in a nickel or package role where a DB does run support/blitzing near the LOS. I suspect that’s what we’re gonna see going forward.