Speaking of Lee being fast, how's our youngblood linebackers looking thus far in T.C in Maudlin, Lee & Jenkins? Man. I'm intrigued of the through of Hitman Harris finally being surrounded by all of this youth, speed & athletsmlm. These LBs have definitely been put in good position to succeed considering which type of impactful defensive lineman they'll be playing behind. I think I'm more anxious about our linebacking unit & seeing them compete than any other unit. Our secondary unit too if Pryor can break out into an all pro/pro bowler type of up & comer. Also disheartening to see Forte sitting out with a hamstring. Really wanted to see Forte have a great camp because over the past couple seasons he's ranked top 3 in all-purpose yards from scrimmage. He's getting older but still an animal of a playmaker. How serious is his hamstring injury though? Really haven't heard too much about the seriousness of it. Not to overreact but I hate the word 'hamstring'. Would be a disaster to our offense for Forte to have a lingering hammy.
This is music to my ears. Good to hear this kid making plays. Leonard Floyd and rightfully so has all the hype surrounding his name (1st LB selected) but during their time together as teammates Jenkins overall production ranks right up there with that of Floyd. I'm hopeful this SEC kid can cause havvoc as not only a run stuffing edge setter but also as a pass rusher; his pass rushing ability is stronger than advertised. Playing behind either of Wilkerson, Richardson or Wiliams & he might just emerge as an outside powerbull of an edge presence. Kid has the strength of a Sean Ellis. Toughness throughout his style of play.
Don't forget about Bruce Carter, I mean, I know he's not young, he's 28 but a friend of mine who's a Dallas fan and got to see him play spoke highly of him. I think it's nice to have the depth we have at LB right now.
The person not to forget about is Erin Henderson. This guy is vastly underrated and overlooked but he will make his presence felt. I've already heard a lot of positive things from OTA about how he has taken on a large role as the outspoken leadership of the defense. The Hitman doesn't do a lot of talking he leads by example. There's a reason the Raiders wanted Hendo so badly in FA.
If he refuses to listen and try to improve his blocking, he should be cut. I don't think that will happen but who knows. He doesn't even have to block good, a lot of TEs don't. All he has to do is not be an ass and listen and try to learn about that part of the game. But you know, he won't be the first young player to think he knows it all
Sorry. But I don't think him being a good guy had much bearing on him sticking around for so long. He could certainly get off a great 24 yard shank though.
Good point. Blocking from a tightend is sometimes like an effort check. A lot of them are not great blockers but if they get pad on pad it can usually be enough to hold a linebacker up for a second or two so that the back can slip by. The pick was a bit of a head scratcher at the time with all the receiving talent being selected in that draft. He doesn't wow with great speed, lateral quickness, leaping ability or hands. He's pretty average in all categories and was a bit of a product of a system that forcefed him 5 yard pop passes when the defensive backs played off him at Texas Tech. Go back and even watch some of the play by play videos on YouTube of him vs. certain teams. He piled up a ton of catches on extremely short passes as what seemed to be the obvious hot read. Think Tommy Bohanon flaring out of the backfield uncovered for his usual 4 yard gains once every two games. On the upside he has an extremely big frame and seems to be good at finding open space on the field which can be helpful on third down. We'll see what his usage is like but I imagine we'll see the "Gailey doesn't use tightends" statements start to dissipate as we should have at the very least a *serviceable* option at the spot. The truth of the matter was that Gailey didn't use his tightends if the guys on the roster sucked. Hopefully this is where we see a strong relationship and growth between the front office and coaching staff. No more of the previous regimes tactics in playing veterans because they're veterans or playing X player because the front office likes them. The best guy will hopefully play as we started to see last year when DeMario Davis saw a dramatically reduced role as the season went on because he in fact sucks. By the same token, the staff refused to play Marcus Williams and friends over Cromartie despite his subpar play.
Jake Long, unemployed as training camp begins, is the solution to the Breno problem? Stop. Also why would Foles take a prove it deal as a backup? That makes absolutely no sense. You can't prove anything when you aren't on the field. Think a bit please.
They stuck with him too long. His kicking in practice was the main reason. But they liked him tho. For almost three years they waited for him to get it done on the field. That's a long time to get killed by your punter
He said himself that he understands where he stands. But we'll see. I'll believe it when I see it. Maybe he's just not good enough? He and Milliner are on the clock. I'll take a contribution from one of them at this point. We'll see about those guys soon enough
Jake Long was about to sign with the Ravens. But he didn't want to sign an injury waiver. Even Jake Long doesn't believe Jake Long can stay healthy.
Marshall has been taking reps from Peake according to the folks tweeting from camp. Decker and Fitz both have given Marshall the stamp of approval, pointing out how smart he is. Fitz didn't even know Marshall was a QB and pointed out that he had a QB-like mind. Decker says Marshall already knows the X and Y positions. I think he's gonna stick, especially considering he's a ST guy as well.
I hope so. I'm just envisioning we pull a typical Jets training camp move and cut him for a Jeremy Ross that contributes nothing to offense but can return kicks. A friend is a huge Ohio State fan. He told me Marshall can return kicks and punts but is scary as all hell to watch with what he chooses to return and what he doesn't. The NFL can certainly change that decision making.
Could Marshall and Peake both make it? Marshall Decker Devin Smith Enunwa Thompkins Marshall Peake Would they cut Thompkins to make room for one of them? Would Enunwa technically line up at a different position? This is certainly a fun competition to watch. Jalin Marshall definitely has value as the Jets return man, that cant hurt.
