T1B

Has to step up for your team this season?

Not necessarily your 1st rounder but a young player that is expected to be a major contributor this season.

For Oakland I'm looking at G Paul McQuistin, DE Grant Irons, and LB Thomas Howard.

S Mike Huff is the trendy pick and make no mistake safety has been a crying need for Oakland since Woodson retired but asking a rookie to essentially play the hybrid CB/S position that apparently Oakland will be asking of Huff seems like a lot to ask of a rookie to me.

Besides if it was my call we would be playing a combo of Gibson/ Huff at safety but Oakland still sees something in Stu Schweigert that I simply do not.

McQuistin is a a blue collar, smash you in the mouth type of player that we have far to few of on the Oakland roster. Not a highlight guy, not a headline guy, but an important player nonetheless. The offensive line in Oakland has been downright offensive for the last two seasons and this guy is a step in the right direction. The jury is still out on Gallery and Grove and quite frankly my patience is wearing extremely thin with both.

We have to be able to move the ball on the ground this season. The key to Oakland's entire season might lie with the O line.

Thomas Howard fills a crying need that we have had since......well since I can remember. Young, strong, athletic, we finally have a legitimate LB on the outside to pair with Morrison and Sam Williams or Danny Clark to give us some athleticism at the LB position.

I was ready to kill Rob Ryan for playing Tyler Brayton and Irons out of position the last few years and finally we have gotten our shit together defensively.

Grant Irons is built like a fucking tank and needs to be given his opportunity. Son of a former Raider he has made plays when asked and appears to have much upside.

In this day and age with the recent rule changes controling the LOS is more important than ever and for the life of me I will never understand Oaklands insistance on building from the back in.

My $.02

Thoughts on your team?

Kendall Simmons and Max Starks need to step up big time. If those guys even improve 50% over last year, the Steelers O line will be a force to be reckoned with. If not, things could get ugly.

Bernard Pollard and Jared Page will be taking Greg Wesleys and Sammy Knights place at SS and FS sooner, rather than later.

Cats were flying all over the field last night. Once they learn how to control their aggression and mantain assignments, they'll be the starters.

WR Michael Clayton needs to revert back to his Rookie year in order to give Tampa a nice 1-2 punch w/ him and Galloway. Galloway is geting older and we need to Clayton to be a consistent 85-1200 guy in this league.


OL Dan Buenning and Sean Mahan. Two young lineman who did good last year in the middle of that line, but Tampa doesnt have much depth and we need these two guys to continue to get better and give Caddy some holes.

Lendale White. Chris Brown is an injury waiting to happen. Volek will be slinging it downfield, but to openit up, the Titnas will need some semblance of a running game. Brown and White will be a decent tandem, but I think White will need to play a bigger role as the season goes along and Brown wears down.

Unfortunately, I see White as the next Ron Dayne. Maybe at least with White taking the big hits on 3rd and short, Brown will last a little longer.

^^^^

What about Henry??? When healthy, I think he is your best back.

Cicero wrote:^^^^

What about Henry??? When healthy, I think he is your best back.

there ya go.

And the topic was "What young player?" Henry will be 29 in October. Hardly "young" for a RB in the NFL.

For the Lions, they are littered with young players with a lot to prove. Roy Williams and Kevin Jones are expected to step-up in the new Mike Martz offense. Those two don't worry me...when healthy, they've got the potential to be very good this year. Mike Williams and Charles Rogers are having their feet held over the fire...there's no guarantee either team makes this team. Marinelli and Martz have journeymen and small college nobodies ahead of them on the depth chart. I don't know if they are trying to light something under those two or are they trying to set them up so management can cut them loose and guys like Millen can save face eventhough he was the one that drafted him.

I also think the young linebackers need to show me something. Ernie Sims isn't going into the preseason as the starting weakside backer but should eventually win the job by Week 1. Boss Bailey will be the strong side backer but he's coming off an injury. Teddy Lehman is expected slide into the middle and replace Earl Holmes, the leading tackler from the last few seasons. He's currently on the PUP list. Both Bailey and Lehman have shown flashes when healthy but they're just two in a long line of players can never seem to play an entire season without missing games due to injury.

Reggie Brown needs to emerge as a #1 WR. He showed flashes and has looked good in camp. Still remains to be seen.

IndyFrisco wrote:Lendale White.
Unfortunately, I see White as the next Ron Dayne.

I see White as the next Bill Romanowski.......

difference is Romanowski spit on the OPPOSING players.....

RG - Paul McQuistan
QB - Andrew Walter
C - Jake Grove
LT - Robert Gallery

Good call on McQuistan, Mal.

Don't know if 3rd year guys qualify as 'young' players, but Oakland's O-Line has GOT to do a much better job.
Grove and Gallery BOTH have to start handling their positions.
If not, we're fucked, period.

I see Andrew Walter on the field, maybe sooner rather than later
Art/Al are not going to stay with Brooks if he doesn't soon pull his head out of his ass.
Pre-season, yes, but he's been a total joke so far.

Pat McQuistan - His play could land him as a backup, providing further depth to a suspect O-line
Jay Ratliff - Dude has been throwing players left and right. A pleasant surprise to the defensive front
Pat Watkins - 6'-5" free safety? Almost unheard of, and his play is making a case to start
Chris Canty - This boy has the potential to be a freak. Combined with Demarcus Ware on the right side, this could be a very fun season to watch.

It's time for Patrick Crayton to shit or get off the pot. He seems to have the potential to be a solid #2 but up to this point has been nothing more than a suspect #3.

And DF is right. Canty was a fucking steal for the Cowboys. His detatched retina made him drop in the draft, and now that he's all healed up he looks verrah good. I've got high hopes for that dude.