These are some concerns I have before we set the depth chart for week 1. Starters LG: cut Faneca so is Ducasse ready to start week 1? FS: can we rely on Brodney Pool? K: Nick Folk was terrible last season P: Steve Weatherford... not very good Depth TE: no pass catching alternative to Keller OL: are Wayne Hunter and Robert Turner reliable backups? DL: we have Shaun Ellis, Vernon Gholston (lol), and a bunch of UDFAs LB: what happens if Scott or Harris goes down? can we count on Westerman?
Every great team has concerns. Its getting over the hump of those problems and using each player to the best of there abilities to truly succeed. With a excellent coaching staff and great chemistry our team will certainly find a way to do this.
If we get Sharper my only concern is gonna be whether Rex's new ring is going to fit loose as he loses all that weight. But the only major concern id have is if we lost Revis or Mangold. And with all the corners we got now I think we probably will just be fine even if revis fell (although itd still hurt us) I think we have the weapons on both sides of the ball to make up for any potential injurys. We saw last year how this team responded when Jenks the best defensive lineman on this team was out and we were fine. But losing Mangold is the only thing that I think would truly screw us royally. And maybe the HB situation is reason for concern. We know Greene can perform, but how well will LT adjust, and is this McKnight ready to play now or is it going to take him a year or 2 before he can perform at this level. If Greene goes down this team MIGHT have to suddenly become a pass first team, but still with the passing weapons we have that might not be so disastrous. The other concerns I dont think are significant
Folk played hurt last season. He's been rehab his hip the entire offseason and I have faith he'll be ready to go come preseason. And the best thing is the wind factor in New Meadowlands I've heard is much more beneficial to kickers due to its design so that helps as well.
How many teams have a backup Keller?? We can only ask for so much before it's just crazy. Injuries are a part of the game and when Jenkins went down last year we all thought the season was over. I'm sure if we could have a superstar starting and as a backup we would.
Kicker and Punter are concerns...but that is about it. There are a bunch of decent FA kickers, and a decent punter can come along at any time...at worst we are where we were last year. If you look into most of the stats that have been thrown around, the FO viewed Faneca as the weak link...Ducasse or Slaussen may end up being an upgrade to what is already the best O-Line. --Injuries happen, but you can't stock every position with ridiculous talent...b/c its not available and neither is the money. Backups LB's are pretty easy to come by...and having 8 serviceable lineman is good. ---I wouldn't be surprised to see Douglas come back or for them to add a vet cap casualty at DE...that may be the only position running a little thin.
Starters Ducasse/Slauson + Folk --> it's a gamble... can be better, equal or worse than last season. Pool --> I'm not concerned. Can't guarantee it, but I'm confident this won't be a problem Weatherford --> I do wish we had an upgrade in here; not cut him, but bring in someone else to compete for the job. Depth TE: not concerned; if Sanchez can't pass to the TE, he's still have plenty of targets including 2 guys from the back in McK and LT DL: not concerned; this is Rex's playground; if he's ok, it's ok. I trust in his eye for UDFAs OL: this is the place where I'm concerned, I'll be more confortable with someone else in line. LB: not really concerned; our defense main weapon is on the back, so even if it would hurt us missing a guy in the LB, I don't think that would be really bad.
Forget all those concerns. The #1 concern will always be Sanchez until he becomes a good quarterback. All of our off-season additions won't mean a thing if Sanchez throws more interceptions than touchdowns.
Your a fool if your not concerned about it. He's going to have to develop with these players in order to move forward. Plus only being in season 2 he's still going to make poor decisions and bad throws when he tries to be a hero and go for it all. I have tons of faith that he will put it together but I'll wait til I see Hard Knocks at the very least before I figure out just how concerned I should be. I'm expecting that by midseason he'll hopefully be in total veteran form and control.
I assume a deal gets done with Douglas soon, but until they do you're looking at a very thin defensive line (essentially Jenkins/Ellis/Pouha/Devito). Three players are on the wrong side of thirty, Jenkins is coming back from a serious injury, and Pouha and Devito aren't getting confused for pro bowl candidates anytime soon. Greene and the new LG also both have to step up big time. Rex knows better than we do whether they'll be able to.
Let's see what Rex decides to use him as first. Never know he may just stay #5 CB and STer. Can't wait to read about him in TC and see what kind of play Rex gets out of him.
Donovan Warren is as promising an undrafted rookie free agent as you're going to get, but it's a crap shot for any rookie free agent to even make the team. There's a reason he wasn't in the first 250 players picked, and in Warren's case it's not like he was playing for some unknown school.
You didn't mention Slauson in the OP, but he's a fine backup. Those 3 guys should be alright. If we lose multiple O-Lineman for significant time, then it would be really hard to recover, but that's true of any team. D-Line: Rex has consistently said he doesn't need stars here. Ellis/Jenkins/Pouha/DeVito are a decent core for this year. Certainly it feels a bit thin, but hopefully VG can at least be reasonable depth. Rodrique Wright has some nice potential, as well, if he can stay healthy. It likely won't be an elite D-Line, but it will be adequate given our secondary and linebacker corps. I think our safety rotation will be solid, especially with the chance that Lowery and Warren may be able to spend some time there, too. (I'm not sure about Wilson is this capacity?)
