Applespider said:Get a good O-line and your QB has more time to make decisions and throw the ball, your RB has more chance of gaining yards... will they become the new 'must-have in depth' commodity in the NFL?
gwuMACaddict said:TO is annoying, the redskins suck, rex grossman is hurt... sounds like 2004 all over again
Applespider said:....One thing that I think might be interesting to watch play out this year is the role of the different positions. With the Vikes trading Moss and the Eagles facing the prospect of playing without T.O. (darn I had to mention him) and the success that the Pats have enjoyed without a true go-to receiver superstar, will this mean if the Vikes/Eagles/Pat enjoy success that the WR position becomes devalued in the salary scale? A little like how the glut of running backs has devalued their free agency value over the last 2 years. I'm sure the QB will always be the highest paid member of the offense but I'm wondering whether the philosophy might shift to a higher proprortion of the cap going to the O-line.
Get a good O-line and your QB has more time to make decisions and throw the ball, your RB has more chance of gaining yards... will they become the new 'must-have in depth' commodity in the NFL?
yellow said:....All that being said, I'm curious what will happen with the Pats this year. The loss of BOTH our offensive and defensive coordinators, who were excellent coaches in their own rights will be a big blow I think. This blow is lessened somewhat by Big Bill's ability to choose other able bodied coaches, and since the defensive scheme comes from his head. But the subtle nuances in motivation and interaction between a coach and a player can make a world of difference. So I'm a little.. "apprehensive" shall we say? But REALLY excited!!
yellow said:IMO, a good team NEEDS to start at the O-line and the D-line. If you're solid here, the mediocre players at the rest of your positions get a little bit "better". Pressure on and off the ball accounts for a TON.
Sox said:I can only hope that this thread does not die the slow death of its cousin, the "2005 Baseball Season."
Welcome to my world. Year after year after year, Bill Cowher's coaching staff was decimated. It finally took its toll. It's no coincidence that Dick Lebeau's return last year as defensive coordinator was the year of the most wins ever for an AFC team (Steelers). The current head coaches of the Bills, Bengals, Saints, Texans, Colts, and Panthers are all former disciples of Bill Cowher. There are also several offensive & defensive coordinators of other teams that came from Cowher.yellow said:All that being said, I'm curious what will happen with the Pats this year. The loss of BOTH our offensive and defensive coordinators, who were excellent coaches in their own rights will be a big blow I think. This blow is lessened somewhat by Big Bill's ability to choose other able bodied coaches, and since the defensive scheme comes from his head.
yellow said:I'm sorry, I hate Hines Ward. And that's STRICTLY becuase he's a Pat KILLER!
Frankly, I wonder about Bill Cowher.. sometimes he's clearly brilliant, but no matter what he had one consistant MAJOR failing (IMO)..
(Sorry, I had to choose that one)
Why, oh why, oh why did he stick with him for SO long??
yellow said:My prediction for the 2005 season..
The undervalued tight end position makes a raging comeback as zone defensive schemes get tighter and tighter on wide receivers, and D-Lines/LBs keep a bigger eye on receiving backs.
I think we'll see more 2 TE sets.
Kordell Stewart was really an enigma. A tremendously gifted athlete, he was durable and strong (routinely ran over DB's when on the run, never got hurt). He had a strong arm, and great footwork. His achilles heel was that he wanted to be a traditional quarterback, and that role just was not using his talents, because he didn't have the capacity to make good decisions that is essential to a traditional quarterback role. He really shot himself in the foot by eschewing the "Slash" role. With Neil O'Donnell as the regular QB and "Slash" in situations, the preparation for the defense was a nightmare. The only reason they didn't win the '96 Superbowl was that Neil O'Donnell (who threw fewer interceptions per pass than any QB in history) went out and laid an egg, tossing easy interceptions on key drives. The offense fell apart after that because Neil O'Donnell wanted more money & left, and Stewart wanted to be a regular quarterback. If that hadn't happened, you might have seen Kordell Stewart have a career more like Hines Ward & Antoine Randle El (both used as "slash"es) and the Steelers probably would've had at least 1 or 2 superbowls in the late 90's.yellow said:Why, oh why, oh why did he stick with him for SO long??
Panthers are gonna rock this year. Steve Smith has apparently grown up, so as long as he remains healthy (along with our other starters), the Panthers should do quite well.stubeeef said:OK make way for the Carolina Panthers!
We are finally healthy, at least this week. I think the Pats had better show up for the game of their life on week 2 this year, in Carolina. We should have, and almost did, beat ya in the SuperBowl, and I think we got your number this year! (boy am I out there!)
Anyway, if, and it is a big "IF", we can keep some stars and starters healthy, the under rated Panthers are coming to turn out your lights!!
Don M. said:Ah, the life of a Saints fan a new season full of promise, doing well, and then a late season utter collapse!