mastershake

Yeah, I mean.... I can't imagine an OL coach and the OC this offseason went into the front office and said "We're good with Newhouse as our starting RT" or "We're all set with our 2nd string lineman in case anyone gets hurt." I doubt that conversation occurred. Instead, I bet the OL and OC made a plea for beefing up the OL, and were ignored by the front office (or they just couldn't make it happen through FA or the draft). Ultimately, I blame the front office.

Well, the coaches decide where the OL players will play, I presume. I'm not quite sure who to blame for the fact that the coaches have been dealt a very bad set of lineman. Perhaps the coaches had some influence on personnel signings/draft picks, but I place the primary blame with the front office.

I presume they've already considered Pugh at LT (as they've shuffled him around already), so maybe they already think he'll stink there? Flowers might just need more reps at LT before really gelling there. Some guys just need more time to develop.

Will Johnson. He helps at FB, but the two other TE's are a disaster blocking. I can't speak for the other TE's on our depth chart, since I haven't seen enough.

Let's also not forget that TE Donnell and Tye can't block worth a damn, and this only compounds our issues at OL.

I agree, and this is one of the main reasons Reese has to go. He's tried to draft OL with pretty high picks (Flowers, Richburg, Pugh), but thus far, they are a C+, B- caliber at best. Meanwhile, Jerry is a C, while Newhouse is an F. The sum of the giants OL has to be considered a C -. Clearly they have failed in evaluating high end OL talent in the draft. Our downfall all year is going to be OL, and a leaky pass defense at the seems with the LBers we have. That's my take on pre-season so far. QB, WR, RB, Secondary (iffy, but should be okay), DL should all be fine. It's the other two gaping areas that keep me up at night.

On that note, regarding the OL: I am not sure who made the decision that Marshall Newhouse in an acceptable starting RT, let alone backup. This guy shouldn't even be in the NFL. Might as well put Bobby Hart out there; he can't possibly do much worse. I want to know who decided this was acceptable. The OL coach? Ben McAdoo? Was it forced by the Front Office against the protest of the coaches?

The offensive line looks atrocious, and I doubt that has it just being the preseason. Get used to a poor OL, particularly the right side, all season long.

I agree with most of this. I just want a tolerable team this year. 8-8 seems likely, then shoot for 10-11 wins next year.

I think we'll go from a #31-32 ranked defense to at best #20-25. Functional? Yes, but not playoff or super bowl caliber.

That's because there wasn't much room for it to get worse in the first place

Are Vernon and "Can opener hand JPP" the same as Strahan, Tuck, and Osi?

Vernon and JPP + 'can opener hand' is not the same as Tuck, Osi, Strahan (and some others in support). Maybe Odigizuwa and/or Romeo Okara develop into something. We'll see; but I wouldn't count on it this season. Just because they won two SB with average LBers doesn't mean that's the template to replicate for each upcoming season. It's still a weakness. I also don't think we have average LBers now. We have backups. Also, I'd remind you that, realistically, Wes Welker won us the last SB.

2007 and 2011 seasons... we had an epic, EPIC defensive line and pass rush, one which will probably be unrealistic to completely mimic consistently in the future. We can't count on this again. Hence, we need to build a defense where we still try for the pass rush, but DON'T neglect everything else. Less, are we going to ignore those SB winners who had good LBs, but only above average pass rushes, and won the SB? There's not a simple correlation between one or the other. The sum of the parts of the ENTIRE defense needs to be good. We were fortunate to have a great pass rush stack in 2007 and 2011 that the sum of the defense was great, but again, do not count on this in the future.

We won two Super Bowls the past four seasons?

We'll see on Goodson. I remember when we said the same thing about Philip Dillard, and also thought Clint Sintim was the second coming of LT. They're both out of the league. Let's also not forget... Goodson is 1 of only 2 LBs drafted by Reese in the past FIVE, count it, FIVE drafts. Consequently, our defense has gotten progressively worse in that time. Coincidence? I think not. Certainly it's not the only reason for the bad D, but it's definitely a big contributing factor.

How so? JT Thomas was the guy Reese brought in here to start WLB, and Robinson at MLB. They're already injured. The rest of the guys are the epitome of mediocrity. It's worth noting Reese's inability to put a halfway decent LB corps on the field, year after year.

Casillas is a backup at best, Brinkley is only ever had like one good year, and Kennard is overrated. None of these guys would start on most other teams, and defintely wouldn't start on any decent team.

Gotta love Reese and his consistent ineptitude in being able to put together a capable Linebacking Corps. Here's how we're doing, as of Preseason game 1: - Keenan Robinson - Injured, out for tonight - JT Thomas - PUP - Uani Unga - Injured Reserve And we're left with the craptacular: - Brinkley - Casillas - Shepperd - Kennard - Herzlich - BJ Goodson (granted, the jury is out on him, but we can't relay on a 4th rounder with 1yr of college starting experience)

Since when is Flowers a stud? He graded horribly last season. He too still has to take a big leap and prove himself.

Not worried about Jerry...Newhouse is the weak link.

Which Thompson? :-)

I agree the numbers look pretty good, and think Apple has all the tools, but to give a little more context...Apple also played on a D whose front 4 and 7 frequently put opposing QBs under duress and pressure. Not sure if I'm reading too much into it, but I'm sure to some degree that helped Apple's effectiveness in college.

A reach really means the player was taken earlier than expected, and where a potentially better player might have been obtained instead. If Thompson becomes a solid starter, we won't care if he was a reach.

So who exactly is our starting SS?