SB Nation - Greg Estandia

Final Injury/Practice Report: Cleveland Browns (1-9) at Cincinnati Bengals (7-3)

Kirkendall — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:31:49 -0000

CINCINNATI BENGALS

QUESTIONABLE	PROBABLE
RB Cedric Benson (hip)	DE Robert Geathers (hip)
WR Laveranues Coles (chest)	DT Tank Johnson (knee)
DT Domata Peko (knee)	CB Johnathan Joseph (foot)
LB Keith Rivers (calf)	G Evan Mathis (ankle)
CB Morgan Trent (knee)	LB Rey Maualuga (foot)

CLEVELAND BROWNS

QUESTIONABLE	PROBABLE
LB Blake Costanzo (shoulder)	LB David Bowens (knee)
TE Greg Estandia (shoulder)	TE Michael Gaines (back)
G Rex Hadnot (knee)	RB Jamal Lewis (ankle)
DT Shaun Rogers (ankle)	C Alex Mack (thumb)
TE Robert Royal (thigh, finger)	DE Robaire Smith (shoulder)
RB Lawrence Vickers (hamstring)	WR Chansi Stuckey (calf)

Practice

BENGALS	WED	THUR	FRI
RB Cedric Benson (hip)	DNP	DNP	LP
WR Laveranues Coles (chest)	DNP	DNP	LP
LB Rey Maualuga (foot)	DNP	LP	LP
DT Domata Peko (knee)	DNP	DNP	LP
DE Robert Geathers (hip)	LP	LP	FP
DT Tank Johnson (knee)	LP	LP	LP
CB Johnathan Joseph (foot)	LP	LP	FP
LB Keith Rivers (calf)	LP	LP	LP
CB Morgan Trent (knee)	LP	LP	LP
G Evan Mathis (ankle)	--	FP	FP

CLEVELAND	WED	THUR	FRI
G Rex Hadnot (knee)	DNP	LP	LP
DT Shaun Rogers (ankle)	DNP	DNP	LP
TE Robert Royal (thigh, finger)	DNP	DNP	LP
RB Lawrence Vickers (hamstring)	DNP	DNP	LP
LB David Bowens (knee)	LP	LP	LP
LB Blake Costanzo (shoulder)	LP	LP	LP
TE Greg Estandia (shoulder)	LP	LP	LP
RB Jamal Lewis (ankle)	LP	LP	LP
TE Michael Gaines (back)	FP	FP	FP
C Alex Mack (thumb)	FP	FP	FP
DE Robaire Smith (shoulder)	FP	FP	FP
WR Chansi Stuckey (calf)	FP	FP	FP

Practice Report: Cleveland Browns (1-9) at Cincinnati Bengals (7-3)

Kirkendall — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:00:16 -0000

Untitled Document

Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evening, we'll (TRY TO) update the practice/injury chart leading up to Sunday's game. The chart is pretty self-explanatory. If the player is listed as out, they're out for the game. If they did not participate, they didn't practice. If they were limited, then they only participated during a portion of practice (typically means missing 11-on-11 drills). If the player is listed as full participation, it simply means that they practiced fully and that the only reason they're listed is because injury was an issue the week before.

Practice

BENGALS	WED	THUR	FRI
RB Cedric Benson (hip)	DNP	DNP
WR Laveranues Coles (chest)	DNP	DNP
LB Rey Maualuga (foot)	DNP	LP
DT Domata Peko (knee)	DNP	DNP
DE Robert Geathers (hip)	LP	LP
DT Tank Johnson (knee)	LP	LP
CB Johnathan Joseph (foot)	LP	LP
LB Keith Rivers (calf)	LP	LP
CB Morgan Trent (knee)	LP	LP

CLEVELAND	WED	THUR	FRI
G Rex Hadnot (knee)	DNP	LP
DT Shaun Rogers (ankle)	DNP	DNP
TE Robert Royal (thigh, finger)	DNP	DNP
RB Lawrence Vickers (hamstring)	DNP	DNP
LB David Bowens (knee)	LP	LP
LB Blake Costanzo (shoulder)	LP	LP
TE Greg Estandia (shoulder)	LP	LP
RB Jamal Lewis (ankle)	LP	LP
TE Michael Gaines (back)	FP	FP
C Alex Mack (thumb)	FP	FP
DE Robaire Smith (shoulder)	FP	FP
WR Chansi Stuckey (calf)	FP	FP

Midseason Report: the Cleveland Browns' Offense (Part II)

rufio — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:54:31 -0000

In Part I, I broke down three plays that I felt exemplified the Browns' offensive woes this season. Here, I will break down two plays that did go our way.

The Browns may lack explosive playmakers who could allow us a good offense, but by studying exactly what it is that has (and hasn't) worked for us, a solid offensive coordinator could put together a competent offense without any personnel changes.

Play 1

After stopping the Packers on 4th and 1 midway through the first quarter, the Browns took over at their own 30 yard line. We lined up in a singleback formation with WRs Mohammed Massaquoi and Mike Furrey lined up to the left of the formation, along with TE Michael Gaines. Jamal Lewis is in the backfield, and TE Greg Estandia is on the opposite side of the formation:

I actually like what the coaching staff did with this formation for a couple of reasons.

First, it is hard to run a Cover-2 against a trips formation, so we should have already taken some of Green Bay's defensive options.

Second, double TE sets usually have a built in advantage against an odd front: they match up fairly well with 3-4 OLBs, and Daboll could play a cat/mouse game with Green Bay DC Dom Capers (alternating between keeping the TEs in to block the OLBs and then releasing them to catch passes).

Third, before TE Michael Gaines goes in motion, look at the right side of our line vs the left side of Green Bay's defense above. If we were to run to the right, we'd outnumber Green Bay 4 to 3 on that side. If we executed our blocks well, we could momentarily double-team NT Ryan Pickett, then have RG Rex Hadnot relase to block ILB A.J. Hawk at the second level. Jamal Lewis wouldn't face a potential tackler for 10 yards.

We do end up bringing Gaines in motion, and DA sees that Green Bay is once again in a Cover-1 look:

The motion not only reveals something about the coverage, it also causes confusion between LB Nick Barnett and S Atari Bigby:

Whatever switch Green Bay wanted to happen didn't happen. DA quickly notices that Gaines is wide open, and checks down with an accurate, easy to catch pass

The ball has some touch on it but is still thrown with enough zip that Gaines is able to catch it in stride with enough space between him and the sideline to secure the ball and turn upfield for a nice gain.

Play 2

Later in that same drive, we lined up in a strong I formation with Massaquoi and Robiskie at WR, Estandia at TE, and Vickers and Lewis in the backfield. Green Bay showed a Cover-3 shell before the snap (again), by walking CBs Al Harris and Charles Woodson back before the snap.

Green Bay was walking a safety up into the box all day and basically daring our WRs to beat them through the air. Anderson notices and makes a check:

After the snap Anderson, FB Lawrence Vickers, and RB Jamal Lewis all do a great job of selling a little play-action fake. It isn't a full on "stick it in his gut and pull the ball back out" fake, but with a quick twitch by DA and good salesmanship by Vickers and Lewis, Woodson bites.

Above, you can see Woodson take one false step, and that's all the Browns needed. DA sees that Robiskie has Woodson beaten, but he also notices FS Nick Collins coming over from his centerfield responsibility (out of screen) to cover Robiskie.

DA knows that with the free safety out of the picture, CB Al Harris is truly on an island against Massaquoi. He also knows that because GB is playing a Cover-3, Massaquoi should be wide open on his route, a slant/deep in.

DA throws a great ball, right on Massaquoi's numbers. 20 yards, a first down, and a facemask penalty for good measure.

After a very brief review of what is and isn't working for the Browns' offense, here are my reccommendations:

Simplify the playbook. There is too much wild experimentation, too many plays, and to little mastery of the plays we run. We need to establish some success in moving the ball, and then we can add wrinkles from week to week. Experiment, sure. But first and foremost make sure people know where they need to be and can play fast, "without thinking".
Use the Giants' "Omaha" call. We don't need to use the word "Omaha", but we should have a word that our QB uses to indicate that the snap count is live. Prior to saying the "hot word", whoever our QB is can use the hard count to try to get the defense to show their hand. We should use this at least 50% of the time. Eric Mangini wants to make this a disciplined, intelligent football team, so our strategies should reflect that. This would require our players to be more disciplined than the opposing defense, but could get us some real advantages.
Run when there are 7 in the box, pass when there are 8. The "Omaha" call would give us the upper hand as to determining this (see how those things go hand in hand and they aren't just randomly thrown together?). Far too often, we are trying to run with 8 in the box.
Run the same concepts from different formations. Yeah, it is a little "college offense-ish", but we might actually move the ball if we did it. If we run the ball with a Power O play, run the Power-O play with 2WR, 3WR, 4WR, and from the Wildcat. If we are going to run the Smash passing concept or the Slants concept, run it out of several formations. Have a few plays that work better against MOFO (middle of field open) coverages like cover-2 and cover-4, and some that work well against MOFC (middle of field closed) coverages. Build around the core concepts of the offense.
Find an identity. What exactly are the core concepts that we build around? If we had no idea what the defense was doing and we needed 4 yards, how would we try to get those yards? Run? Pass? Inside? Outside? Do we stretch the field horizontally? Are we looking to make big plays or take short, easy passes? Will we win with strength? Speed? Right now, I don't think we even know what we like to do.

Browns vs. Bears Primer - Joshua Cribbs and Devin Hester

Chris Pokorny — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:29:40 -0000

More photos » by M. Spencer Green - AP

3 months ago: Chicago Bears cornerback Zackary Bowman (35) celebrates an interception during the first quarter of an NFL preseason football game against the Cleveland Browns in Chicago on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

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Here are some news, notes and nuggets as the Browns get set to take on the Bears on November 1st, 2009:

This will be the battle of the best kick returners, with Joshua Cribbs on one side and Devin Hester on the other side. Hester doesn't touch the ball on kickoffs anymore though after absorbing the duties of being the Bears' top wide receiver. Cribbs tried to make a similar adjustment to the receiver position, but his output (10 catches for 38 yards) has been far less impressive. Based on Cribbs' style, it makes sense why he's been more productive in the Wildcat formation on run plays.
Just which player is better at returning kicks? Quite honestly, I think it's unfair to compare the players' contrasting styles. Between the two, personally, I couldn't trade Cribbs for Hester.
The Bears do have a suitable replacement this season at returning kickoffs. Rookie Johnny Knox, who has also emerged as a decent wide receiver, is averaging 29.0 yards a pop in 18 attempts. Cribbs is averaging 28.9 yards a pop in 25 attempts, but also returns punts.
Almost all of Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota will see the Browns vs. Bears game on CBS at 1:00 PM EST, according to the TV Distribution Maps. If you hated the announcing crew from the Steelers game two weeks ago (Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots), then I suggest you mute your television screen in advance this week.
People in the Cleveland area will also get to see the 49ers take on the Indianapolis Colts at 1:00 PM on FOX. I love watching Peyton Manning quarterback, and I rarely get to see him in non-prime time games, so I'm sure I'll be flipping channels throughout our game. Pretty much the whole country will get to see Brett Favre return to Lambeau to face the Vikings at 4:00 PM on FOX. That game is begging for a ratings grabber, and I can't wait to see it.
Kicker Phil Dawson looks ready to return as the Browns' field goal kicker this week. The team didn't release Billy Cundiff though, and there's a chance he might be active as well to continue handling kickoff duties this week. The Browns have not attempted a field goal longer than 31 yards since Dawson's injury.
With tight ends Steve Heiden, Robert Royal, AND Greg Estandia all on the injury report, expect Michael Gaines to continue seeing action this week.
Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll indicated that Joshua Cribbs might be used more at running back moving forward. If that happens this week, I'll be both happy and upset. Happy that we went through with it, but upset that Daboll blew the potential surprise facing the Bears' defense.
Browns RB Jamal Lewis as struggled with a 3.4 yards per carry average this season, but Bears RB Matt Forte hasn't had much more luck with a 3.5 yards per carry average.
Chicago is set to have backup running back "The Other Adrian Peterson" return to action this week. He has been out since Week 4 with a knee injury.
A Browns wide receiver has still yet to catch a touchdown this season. After Carson Palmer torched the Bears for five touchdowns last week, will that change this week for Cleveland? You have to imagine that Derek Anderson will have his "beasting" game at some point...or not.
With D'Qwell Jackson out, the Browns' two leading tacklers this season are Eric Barton and Abram Elam, both former Jets.
Jay Cutler was picked 3 times last week; the Browns' defense has 3 picks all season.
The Browns will be facing their former teammate, RT Kevin Shaffer, who now starts for the Bears. Likewise, the Bears will be facing RT John St. Clair, their former starter.
Last week, Bears CB Charles Tillman struggled all day against Chad Ochocinco, yielding two touchdowns and over 100 yards receiving to the loud-mouthed receiver. CB Zackary Bowman also struggled, giving up an early touchdown to WR Chris Henry.
This is the second time the Browns are headed to Chicago this season. They played their on September 3, 2009 for their final preseason game.

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! Also, don't forget to change your clocks, otherwise you'll mis-time the start of the Browns game!

Midseason Report: the Cleveland Browns' Offense

rufio — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:02:43 -0000

So far this season, our offense has scored 58 total points, for an average of 8.3 points/game. That simply isn't going to get the job done in the NFL.

At times, I have wanted to throw my TV out of my third floor window. At others, I have wanted to lace up my cleats to see if I can run a seam route better than Robert Royal.

Why exactly are we so bad? Where do we need to improve? Is there anything positive to take away from our offensive performance amidst the sea of ineffectiveness?

I finally got my hands on some game film, so I decided to take a look at this past Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers. I will break down three plays that didn't work here, handing out blame to the guilty parties. Look for a breakdown of some plays we ran effectively to be posted Saturday night.

Play 1

This is a play we ran very effectively last year (check out my comment with screenshots). If all goes as planned, Josh Cribbs goes in motion and blocks down on a defender on the line of scrimmage, then LT Joe Thomas pulls around Cribbs, lead blocking along with FB Lawrence Vickers.

I love this play, as it suits our strengths. It allows Cribbs (a tough, physical player for his size who isn't afraid of contact) to catch someone off-guard and light them up. It allows Joe Thomas (a ridiculously athletic man for his size) get out into space and engulf a smaller defender. It allows Vickers (an above-average athlete at FB) to lead block in space, and it runs away from one of our offensive weaknesses; the right side of the line.

The problem with this play starts with the fact that we have RB Jamal Lewis in the game over RB Jerome Harrison. Harrison is much faster than Lewis. Sure, the defense might know we like to run outside with Harrison, but who cares what they know if they can't stop us?

The second problem is that for whatever reason, Cribbs isn't exactly sure who to block:

You can see him ready to block but not taking anyone on above. It was a bit of a weird front, as Green Bay had moved the FS Nick Collins up to the line of scrimmage bewteen ROLB Clay Matthews and RDE Cullen Jenkins. I have a feeling that Cribbs thought he was to block the SS, who TE Greg Estandia took on immediately after the snap.

In this situation, it is better for Cribbs to block the "wrong" guy, but to be wrong decisively. Instead he waits and waits, and even lets RILB A.J. Hawk run right by him...

...and make the tackle.

Who's at fault?

QB: hard to blame Anderson on this play, as it was a solid play call, and could have resulted in a solid gain if DA did everything exactly as he did above.
WRs: Cribbs needs to block someone. Even if he gets the "wrong guy", Vickers or Thomas can adjust an pick up whoever Cribbs lets through.
OL: every lineman pretty much did their job. The play could have resulted in a solid gain even if they did everything the same as above.
RB: I can't put the blame on Lewis for this play. A faster/better back could have gotten more yards, but when you are getting hit behind the line of scrimmage as a RB, someone else messed up.
Coaching: I know that if the coaches always used Lewis to run inside and Harrison outside we'd be predictable. But is this alternative any better? We simply don't have uber-versatile players right now, so why not put the players we do have in position to succeed? Harrison is good at running outside. Lewis is not. Put Harrison in for this play, and then if teams start catching on, throw the changeup.

Play 2

Early in the second quarter, we ran another play that epitomized what is wrong with our offense.

I like that our coaching staff tried something different, lining Hank Fraley up at Tight End. The problem with the personnel package we used, however, is that it failed to create the mismatches we wanted. Fraley does one thing as a TE, and that is block.

Green Bay knows the pass is less of a threat--especially to the bottom of the screen--with Fraley at TE. Because of this, they are able to walk their SS up to put 8 men in the box:

Against an eight man front, we only have seven blockers available (5 OL, 1 TE, 1 FB), which means the defense will have an unblocked player available to make the tackle even if we are able to make and sustain all our blocks. This is why Bernie Kosar always advocates throwing the ball against an 8 man front when he is the color man during our preseason broadcasts.

DA can reasonably suspect that Green Bay is in man coverage because CBs Charles Woodson and Al Harris are lined up directly over WRs Brian Robiskie and Mohammed Massaquoi. Facing man coverage and an 8 man front, we should be in great position to pass the ball. DA can guess with some confidence that Green Bay is playing Cover-1, facing anywhere from a 4-6 man rush. So, DA checks to a pass:

Because of our substitution of Fraley at TE, we aren't in much better position to pass the ball. Green Bay is able to send 6 rushers while still playing man-to-man on all of our receiving options and having deep "centerfield" safety help.

After the snap, rookie WRs Massaquoi and Robiskie struggle to get off the line of scrimmage against press coverage. Further exacerbating the delay in getting open, both WR are running relatively slow developing routes. We are running the "switch" concept (see WRs X and Y, ignore the others):

When DA hits the back of his drop, the WRs are no where close to where they need to be. Instead of looking them off and checking down to FB Lawrence Vickers, who is open and could probably pick up a solid gain, Anderson continues to stare down the WRs.

Compounding the problem is the fact that DA doesn't have another player running a route because RB Jamal Lewis is pass blocking and our other eligible receiver is OL Hank Fraley, who isn't ever a threat to catch a pass.

After hesitating, DA fires a dangerous pass almost right to LB Nick Barnett. He was lucky this wasn't a pick 6.

Who's at fault?

QB: DA can not throw this high risk, low reward pass--at worst it should have been a throwaway over Vickers' head and out of bounds. He also probably shouldn't be checking to a pass with 6 OL in the game. Lastly, when he saw our WRs struggle to get open, he should have looked them off and checked down much sooner. Additionally; why is this a 5-step drop and not a 7- or even 9-step drop for such long-developing routes? If he knows the blitz is coming and that he has to get rid of the ball quickly, why is it not a 3-step drop with quicker developing routes?
RB: Lewis may have whiffed on his block. I can't tell if he was supposed to chip and then release in to the flat or not. Either way, he could have slowed the pass rush more.
WR: They need to get off the press. It doesn't look as bad real-time as it does in the stills, but they could still help Anderson out.
OL: they picked up the 6 man pressure fairly well.
Coaching staff: Why simply sub Fraley in the game at TE? It's a pretty clear signal that we are going to run. Furthermore, it's not at all versatile (something that the coaches want our offense to be) because Fraley is only in there to block. It takes our offense from 5 receivers down to 4. Why not go with an unbalanced line instead, leaving a TE on the field? Why not go with another TE instead of 2 WR, creating a mismatch (our power vs. their speed)? Why is there not a better "hot" route on this play, with the blitz looming?

Play3

We come out in a singleback shotgun formation with WR Mohammed Massaquoi at the top of the screen, and WRs Brian Robiskie and Chansi Stuckey, along with TE Greg Estandia in a trips formation at the bottom of the screen.

DA sends Estandia in motion across C Alex Mack, and then back to his original place in the formation:

This isn't just motion for the sake of motion; it is designed to tell us something about the coverage. Green Bay shows that they are playing man coverage on Estandia because LB Brandon Chillar follows Estandia in motion. This implies that the Packers are also playing man coverage on our other receivers.

Off the snap, Estandia stays in to block, but our protection scheme is such that he has to cross paths with RT John St. Clair to pick up the blitzing LB Chillar (who was trying to deceive us and is actually blitzing, not covering Estandia). Initially, I thought Mack blew our pass protection because he wasn't blocking anyone off the snap...

but Mack actually knew exactly what was coming, as Green Bay's rushers stunted. Anderson, knowing he has Massaquoi basically one-on-one, stares him down. Massaquoi has a step, but Stuckey seems to be getting open behind S Atari Bigby.

I have to blame the play design here. Against Cover-1, there is usually a LB or S playing a short zone in the middle of the field (a "robber"). To me, it's clear that if Stuckey were running an out or a corner route here, he would be open for the 1st down, as there is no help in those areas of the field.

In 2007 when DA was at his best, he was trying to fit balls in to tight spaces, and he was throwing some jump balls (high risk), but he was also taking shots downfield (high reward). He goes that route again here, but he makes a really weak effort. At this point, he has held on to the ball long enough that he knows he is probably going to get hit. Instead of stepping up into the pocket and taking that hit ("like a man"), he tries to avoid the contact...

...and because he doesn't step into his throw, he ends up grossly underthrowing Massaquoi...

...right off of Al Harris' foot. I don't need to talk about how bad of a throw that is, but it should be especially embarrassing because he wouldn't just take a hit for the benefit of the team.

Who's at fault?

QB: DA's arm is supposed to be his strengh. He needs to suck it up, step up, and take this hit.
WR: Stuckey is open, and Massaquoi has a step and a half on Al Harris. I can't see Robiskie's route after it's stem. A WR can always be more open.
RB: Jerome Harrison actually picks up a blitzing linebacker fairly well for a 210lb. man. He could have done a better job, but this play isn't on him.
OL: They could have done a better job, particularly RT John St. Clair. He does have to switch places with Estandia, making it tough to recover.
Coaching staff: I don't know if Estandia was supposed to stop his motion in the backfield and be lined up more like an H-back, but a switch like what happened shouldn't happen, especially on the right side where we are having enough problems pass blocking. K.I.S.S. Why is Stuckey running a square in/post? Here is another example of not putting our players in position to succeed; Harrison is the worst pass protecting back on our roster. Clearly, Green Bay was not worried about him catching the ball, so why put him in the game, only to have him do what he isn't good at doing? Why not have Lewis or Vickers in there to pass block?

Verdict

Here is where I place the blame, from least blame to most blame:

OL: At least in the Green Bay game, the pass protection wasn't bad. Maybe St. Clair really wanted DA to be the quarterback, because he didn't play anywhere near as bad as he used to with Quinn under center (see: Broncos game). He isn't the long-term answer, but I expect the line to continue to improve because of Mack and (hopefully) a healthy Rex Hadnot.
RB: Lewis certainly isn't what he used to be, but Harrison has shown he can be dangerous. Still, both our RB's weaknesses are being highlighted far too often, with their strengths being ignored or underutilized. I would love to be finding out what James Davis could do right now.
WR: Both Robi and MoMass will improve with time, and if they are going to excel in the NFL, they probably don't do so consistently this year. We lack a WR who can consistently get open against straight man or man-free coverage.
QB: He isn't getting much help from his wideouts or the play calling/play design, but DA looks like he is a step slow in reading the defense, he is forcing short throws that he shouldn't make, and he isn't utilizing his own strengths.
Coaching staff: Our players look undisciplined, confused, and out of position. Daboll looks like a jack of all trades but a master of none, his offense lacks any sort of coherence, and he looks like he is out-smarting himself. In my opinion, we should simplify our offense.

We should work three or four runs that we can run out of any formation and master them. We should take three or four passing concepts/route combinations and master those. Ideally, a few of the runs compliment a few of the passes (play actions with the same blocking patterns, etc,) and they'd compliment each other. Once we have the simple things down, then we can put in the wrinkles and the tricky pass protections and the counter punches. As it stands now, we have nothing to counter off of.

Browns Can Only Muster a Lucky-Bounce Field Goal in 31-3 Loss to Packers

Chris Pokorny — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:18:45 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

The Browns weren't even close to competing.

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GREEN BAY PACKERS (4-2)	WEEK 7	CLEVELAND BROWNS (1-6)
	VS.
31		3

Embarrassed in our own home stadium. Before the season started, I was hoping that we could make it to the end of the season without seeing fans with bags over their heads. We didn't meet that goal; heck, we couldn't even make it to the half-way point of the season to reach that point.

As goofy as Mangini sounded in his post-game press conference, he was right about the things the team needs to work on:

(On the style of play he is hoping to get from his players every week)- "Aggressive, intense, tough, physical, finishing, being able to respond to a successful play that our opponent has and come out and create a successful play ourselves, consistency, execution, communication. Good, solid, sound, fundamental, tough football. Physical football. Intense football. That’s what I want every week. That’s what I want every single week. We’ll make mistakes and there will be plays that aren’t executed as well as they should [be] or things that we can do better, but if you play at that level every single week, you give yourself the best chance to succeed."

In summary, we need to work on everything. For a "veteran" head coach, shouldn't we be much further along at this point?

Let's get to the review of the game...

WEEK 7 - GREEN BAY PACKERS VS. CLEVELAND BROWNS (COMPLETE GAME REVIEW)

GOAT OF THE GAME:

Derek Anderson: On the Browns' second series of the game, I was really impressed with Derek Anderson. He made quick decisions to the right players, and his passes were thrown at chest-level with a little bit of speed taken off of them. And then...the timeout came. After that, it was a complete meltdown at the quarterback position. Fumbled snap. Forcing the ball to a triple-covered receiver at the goal line. Horrible accuracy. Anderson should have lost his job with this effort, but Mangini said that's not happening.
I could list a lot more goats, but then I'd have nothing left to talk about in the "general notes" section.

AWARDING GAME BALLS:

Michael Gaines: That's right. A tight end we just signed as a backup while Robert Royal and Steve Heiden are out gets the game ball. All he had to do was catch 2 passes for 30 yards too. Both times he caught the ball, it helped us move closer to the end zone. Both catches were ones that Royal probably would've dropped too. Gaines' second catch was pretty spectacular, as the big man reached underneath and through his defender to haul in the pass while falling to the ground.

GENERAL THOUGHTS

The Packers fans had a lot to celebrate about in Cleveland Browns Stadium.

One Wildcat Play: Two years ago, the Miami Dolphins were the worst team in football. Last year, they improved upon that because they had the coaching staff that was creative enough on offense to implement and stick with the Wildcat formation. They didn't have the pieces to the puzzle at receiver to be a traditional offense, so they utilized whatever assets they had. It paid off, and it didn't even matter who was in the Wildcat either! It worked!

Mangini should've known that first hand from playing the Jets twice. We saw some more promise against the Steelers last week in using the formation more, but this week we only saw it once. Mangini claimed it was because we fell behind to quickly. I can understand that if you're down 21-0 in the first quarter, but half-way through the second quarter, it was still a 7-3 game. Our offense is clearly struggling, and for whatever reason we're failing to use our next best weapon after the departures of Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards.
Stop Rolling to the Left! The only reason Derek Anderson should be rolling to the left is if it's a designed play, or if he steps ahead of the protection because the pass rusher was angled into the backfield. Instead, we again got to see Anderson roll to his left when Joe Thomas had his defender dominated.
Cundiff Still Perfect: Kicker Billy Cundiff still hasn't missed a kick since joining the Browns, which is pretty remarkable given his lack of accuracy historically. He shanked his 22-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter, but it got a lucky bounce off the upright and still went through. Can you believe that? We were up 3-0 in the second quarter.
Smart Football: The Packers played smart football against the Browns (although it was pretty easy to begin with). Case in point: as soon as the Browns brought S Abram Elam on a safety blitz, Rodgers immediately fired the ball to slot receiver Donald Driver for a 70+ yard touchdown. Compare that to Anderson, who always points at the defense as if he recognizes something, only to see him throw it into double coverage or see a running back run the ball right into a stack of defenders.
Missing Edwards: Considering the lack of production we're seeing from the receiver position, I'm certainly missing the threat that Braylon Edwards offered. Brian Robiskie was targeted minimally and was held without a catch, and I don't even remember seeing Chansi Stuckey take the field. Mohamed Massaquoi was targeted several times, but the passes were usually way off.
Lack of a Pass Rush: The lack of a pass rush was more embarrassing against the Packers than any other game this season. What has changed that in Week 1, we were pressuring Brett Favre early and often, but that in Week 7, we can't even lay a finger on Aaron Rodgers, one of the most-sacked quarterbacks in the league? We're too "average" on the defensive line with no youth to speak of. I don't think Shaun Rogers is "quitting" on the team, but I can't imagine he's giving it his all when everyone else around him is playing like crap. I don't blame him, because all of his work usually goes for nothing when other guys are getting dominated.
Patience With Maiava: I can't jump too much on Kaluka Maiava because the only way to see if he can be a starter in the future is to let him get some reps now. There was a noticeable dropoff from D'Qwell Jackson though, and it showed when Ryan Grant gashed the Browns' on the ground all game long. Although it was nearly impossible to do, I believe the announcers also commented that Maiava was the man who came over late when Elam blitzed on Driver's big touchdown catch and run. Maiava was also flagged for a personal foul.
Rogers' Tripping Penalty: Can someone offer clarification on how Shaun Rogers was called for a tripping penalty? I'm not saying he didn't do it, but it seems unusual for a defensive player to do that, and I couldn't find the foul when they showed a replay of it.
Cribbs Fumbles Again: I said this earlier in the season: the Browns need to stop putting Joshua Cribbs into situations where he's going to catch the ball and get hit right afterward. He's a catch and run receiver. He's still to blame for fumbling the ball on his short catch, but the play doesn't utilize his strengths to begin with.

RB Ryan Grant tore through the Browns' defense for his first 100+ yard performance of the season.

Kicked Ball Out of Bounds: The Packers kicked the ball out of bounds twice. That removes the chance for some excitement from Cribbs, but it does give us great field position, something that the contending teams in the NFL would take full advantage of. Instead, we punt the ball and watch the opposition drive 90 yards in a play or two.
Too Much Regression: As bad as Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson have been this season, I don't believe this is the best that either of them have to offer. Both quarterbacks showed a lot more under the previous regime -- why have they regressed instead of improved? Sure, they've lost "weapons" on offense, but that's not what the problem is. The accuracy, decision-making, and overall confidence are just down the drain.
Case in Point: In the third quarter, Derek Anderson fired the ball...right to Charles Woodsen. Even Woodsen looked surprised, because the ball was thrown to his outside shoulder and the receiver he was covering had already broken on the inside, pretty well ahead of him.
Losing Streak at Home: The last time the Browns won a game at home was last season's "WTF" performance against the New York Giants. That was the last Browns game that I personally attended. I might be attending the Monday Night Football game against the Baltimore Ravens. If we win, something fishy will be going on...
Poor Officiating Decision: The officiating wasn't really a problem this week, but it didn't make sense for the officials upstairs to not call for a booth review when Ryan Grant lost the ball heading into the end zone just after the two-minute warning in the first half. The replay might not have been conclusive enough to overturn the call, but it seemed like enough to warrant a review. Boo.
St. Clair's Scuffle: When John St. Clair was mentioned on the Browns' first offensive series for getting into a "scuffle", it was the first time I've heard his name mentioned since Week 2 or Week 3 (which is a good thing, I suppose). Since St. Clair used to play for the Chicago Bears, I wonder if his past rivalry with the Packers had anything to do with the early push-fest.
Put in the Rookies: If we're going to lose in a blowout, then I at least want to have the rookies gain some experience. That includes playing Jerome Harrison, David Veikune, and Coye Francies more. Francies was inactive again, and Veikune was only seeing reps on special teams it appeared. It's smelling like Crennel all over again.
Brownies: I couldn't find anything positive about this game except Gaines' performance, although TE Greg Estandia also had two short catches...I'm worried about blackouts occurring later in the season...the Browns gave up another big run to a quarterback, this time to Aaron Rodgers for 19 yards...I can't believe I picked the Browns to score 28 points in this game, although I still correctly picked us to lose...I didn't mention the running backs for a reason -- they were a non-factor.

Up next, the Browns will head to Chicago to face the Bears. The Bears were atrocious against the Cincinnati Bengals this past Sunday, but they know they are a better team than that. If Jay Cutler gets time, he will rip a defense apart. Considering the lack of pressure we're generating, it looks like it'll be another long day for our defense.

Are the Jaguars a Young Team?

Tkopa — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:59:27 -0000

More photos » by Michael Perez - AP

Jaguars 2008 number 8 overall selection Derrick Harvey represents the youth of the Jaguars. Players such as himself must succeed for the team to follow suit.

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"We’ve taken a very aggressive approach at it; the amount of turnover is unusually large and you can’t continue to do that and have much success. Part of that was moving on, purging guys that just didn’t fit," Del Rio said. "We do have a young team."

I read that and nodded, yes they are a young team. But, then I thought about it. "Hey wait a minute, what does that actually mean?" I thought. A young college team is freshmen and sophomores that probably won't contend for the National Title, I get that. Is a young pro team a lot of rookies? Is it a lot of first and second year guys? What exactly is Jack telling us? I really don't know so I'll leave that question for the comments. Let's look at who the Jaguars kept, and what youth there is on the squad.

Offensive Line: The preseason starting lineup has been Tra Thomas (12th year), Vince Manuwai (7th year), Brad Meester (10th year), Mo Williams (9th year), Uche Nwaneri (3rd year), Tony Pashos (7th year) and Dennis Norman (9th year). I know they want to work Eben Britton and Eugene Monroe in but they should have to earn a spot over a lower performing veteran. I don't see a young team here; in fact this is a group of veterans that should be dependable.

Offensive Backfield: David Garrard is the QB (8th year), Gregg Jones at FB (6th year), Maurice Jones Drew RB (4th year). If you include Tight Ends, we have Marcedes Lewis (4th year), Ernest Wilford (6th year), Greg Estandia (3rd year). Again, a strong group of veterans that should be ready on game day, in fact climbing into their most productive years.

Receivers: Torry Holt is the number one receiver (11th year), Troy Williamson is number two (5th year), number three receiver will probably be a rookie.

Offensive Summary: One guy on the starting offensive team will be a rookie. If they decide to go with Monroe and Britton, they will have dependable veterans right behind them. To be honest, unless there is a problem with the players on this team, this amount of experience on offense should be able to deliver a competitive performance.

Let's look at the defense.

Defensive line: John Henderson (8th year), Reggie Hayward (9th year), Derrick Harvey (2nd year), Quentin Groves (2nd year), Terrance Knighton (1st year), Derek Landri (3rd year), Rob Meier (10th year). Basically I see a nice mix of veterans and youth in here with most of the youth represented by second year guys, Groves and Harvey. I can give a slight nod to youth here, but not inexperience. This line is not as seasoned as the offensive line but is a nice combination of fresh legs and wisdom.

Linebackers: Daryl Smith (6th year), Justin Durant (3rd year), and Clint Ingram (4th year). Brian Iwuh (4th year), Adam Seward (5th year) all represent the core of the lineup. There is nothing but experience in this group and should represent an easy bunch to coach to be productive.

Defensive Backfield: The starters look to be Rashean Mathis (7th year), Brian Williams (8th year), Reggie Nelson (3rd year), Gerald Alexander (3rd year), Sean Considine (5th year) Tyron Brackenridge (3rd year), Scott Starks (5th year), Brian Witherspoon (3rd year) and Derek Cox (rookie). I know they would like to integrate Derek Cox into the lineup but the basic starting lineup will have 3 years or more experience.

Defensive Summary: Harvey, Groves and Knighton represent the true youth in the defense and the line is on the younger side. Other than that, the backfield has a strong mix of experience and should know what is expected. Maybe a slight nod to lack of playing experience?

My Take: When I looked at it, I was surprised at how much experience the Jaguars have. They don't resemble a young college team. If we can't post 8 wins with this group, Gene has more work to do. A lot more.

So help me understand, what do you think Jack is trying to say?

- Terry O'Brien

Luke Links: The Taking Stock Edition

BigBlueShoe — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:16:28 -0000

We bring back the Luke Links after weeks of covering camp and the first two pre-season games. Just a friendly reminder, we are less than three weeks away from actual, real, OMG the games count! football. So, so wonderful.

I also want to use this opportunity to announce that King Richard will be returning to help cover the Colts at Stampede Blue. KR went off on his own to try the "get paid for blogging" gig, and like many things in life, it didn't work out. So, we welcome him back and look forward to him covering some Fantasy Football news, Colts player transactions, and other goodies. I will still post the Luke Links (much to your annoyance, I'm sure).

And speaking of links...

The Indy Star's Mike Chappell reminds us that Reggie Wayne will be lined up all over the place in 2009. Gone are the days of Marvin on the right, Reggie on the left, and Dallas in the slot. Now, the offense is mixing it up.
Staying with the Star, PhilB makes the same observation I've made of late: Kyle DeVan is looking good as a back-up center. He can also play guard. Steve Justice's days as a Colt are numbered.
Edgerrin James is back in the league. This time, he is with the Seahawks. Nice to have Edge back.
18to88 reminds us that Tony Dungy did plenty of "tweaking" on defense when he coached.

I've updated my 53-man roster page, and I've made some pretty bold moves. Gone are both Mike Hart and Tim Jennings. With some spots, I've left them open, indicating that a player cut from another team will fill the roster spot. The Colts have done this routinely in the past. Daniel Muir, who I believe will make the 53-man roster, was cut at the end of pre-season last year. Indy snatched him up the next day. Now, he seems like an important part of the DT rotation.
The Dallas Cowboys, and their douchebag owner Jerry Jones, all have egg on their faces over this scoreboard fiasco. To keep this simple and neat, they were dumb to think that placing a scoreboard over the field, hanging down, would not disrupt the punters. Unlike the Cowboys, the Colts did their due diligence last season when they evaluated placing a similar scoreboard over The Luke. They had then-Colts punter Hunter Smith boom some punts, and determined the scoreboard would indeed disrupt the punters. This is another demonstration of what a team run by adults looks like (the Colts) vs. a team run by a clueless clown (the Cowboys).
Very interesting insight from IFR regarding Larry Coyer and his thoughts on the Colts prior to him joining the team this year:
"The thing that [Coyer] said he always noticed about the Colts when coaching other teams was that while many teams speak of playing through injuries, the Colts actually did it. He cited specifically the Colts’ 2003 postseason victory over Denver, the one that came two weeks after the Broncos beat the Colts in the RCA Dome. Coyer said each team came into the playoff game injured. The difference was the Broncos played like it and the Colts didn’t."
Bill Polian tells the Indy Star that rookie contracts are out of control. Well, if they are so out of control, perhaps NFL GMs should stop giving rookies such contracts.
And finally, Ron Meeks has his work cut out for him in Carolina while Russ Purnell continues to suck as a coach. Only this time, Purnell is in Jacksonville. Meeks lost his best interior linemen for the season early in training camp, and now his best player on defense (Jon Beason) is out for six weeks with the same MCL injury Jeff Saturday had last year. That's tough. I hope Meeks is able to get those guys playing better despite the injuries. Meanwhile, in Jaguars land, Russ continues to leave his wonderful mark on special teams play:
With the Jaguars set to play again Thursday night in Philadelphia, he doesn't have much time to fix the fundamental errors the Jaguars made both in coverage and the return game that helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers post a 24-23 victory over the Jaguars on Saturday night.
The Bucs cashed in on the special teams errors for two touchdowns and that was the difference in the game.

"That's an area we need to be better in," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said.

The Jaguars jumped to a 14-3 lead in the second quarter and appeared to be in control of the game when the special teams gave up a 75-yard return to Sammie Stroughter.

Greg Estandia whiffed on him and then Gerald Alexander appeared to have him and let him get away.

We experienced this type of coaching for seven years. How many games did the Colts lose because of special teams? Hell, the last game they played was lost due in large part to terrible special teams play.

I watched some of the Jets v. Ravens game last night. Joe Flacco is the real deal, folks.

Jaguars vs Dolphins: Winners and Losers

silencecs — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:06:57 -0000

More photos » by Marta Lavandier - AP

Tony Pashos leads a group of players who continue to underperform. Pashos was penalized, and allowed 2 sacks, as the Jaguars offensive line was a major culprit in the teams awful play.

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The Jaguars were handily beaten by the Miami Dolphins on Monday night, and the game raised more questions than it answered. I'll examine the players who performed well, and those who faltered in Monday's season opener.

Losers:

Tony Pashos: The veteran gave up two clear sacks and was penalized on at least one occasion during the game. He is abover average in the run game, but was beaten badly time and time again. I'm not sure he would make a great guard either, and I think his salary is too much for an average guard. Maybe he'll prove me wrong, but he sure isn't showing any improvement as a RT, especially in the passing game. Something needs to be done about the RT position, Tony is not an adequate pass blocker. Period.

Uche Nwaneri/ Brad Meester/ Mo Williams: The starting interior trio wasn't able to allow Garrard enough time to pass, and couldn't open up lanes for MJD or Greg Jones. There is less concern here, because once Vinny comes back to RG, Uche will be able to head back to the bench. Uche is a great back-up, but there is a significant drop-off between Vince Manuwai and Uche, however, Manuwai is a premier guard, so that is to be expected.

Greg Estandia: Greg didn't do a lot to help his case in a crowed TE position. He was called for a penalty, and got very little separation even against the 3rd and 4th stringers of the Miami defense.

Greg Jones: The vet didn't show much in the running or passing game. He dropped passes, and looked nothing like the Greg of old. The line wasn't much help, but he looked very pedestrian in his first outing of the season, as did much of the team.

Brian Williams: The crafty veteran looked bad. He was flagged for penalty after penalty, and was beaten badly on more than one occasion. There is no question the acquisition of Derek Cox is looking like a much better gamble after Monday's game. Hopefully Derek will beat out Brian at some point in the season, and Williams can move to the nickel spot, where he would be much better suited (He'd be closer to the line of scrimmage to help in run defense). His salary is too high to play a nickel corner, so this may be the last season we have B-Dub around. He must improve over Monday's game, though.

Special Teams: Russ' unit looked atrocious. The kickoff coverage now uses the bunch formation (which is where everyone bunches behind the kicker and breaks apart as the ball is about to be kicked). This is amateur hour stuff, folks. It is a tactic that is used to try to confuse the return team's blockers, however, it seemed to have the opposite effect. Scobee made all his FG's, but the punting was inconsistent. The kickoff coverage was the main culprit here, and with the new wedge-ban in effect, it should make it easier on kickoff units to stop returns from going the distance.

Winners:

Nate Hughes: The second-year burner at WR continued to make his case for a roster spot, and it is a strong one. Nate has had a great camp, and that carried over into the preseason opener. He showed good speed and route running, and caught the ball with his hands, literally snatching it out of the air on one occasion. At a weak position, he may be a valuable find.

Eugene Monroe: "The Future" was dominant on Monday, shutting down the defensive ends the entire time he was in the game. He looked solid against the run, but most importantly, he looked like he belonged on an NFL field. The best case scenario involves Eugene starting the season at LT and Tra starting it at RT... Eugene needs to be starting, and if he continues to perform like he did on Monday, the coaching staff is going to have hard time keeping him off the field.

Tra Thomas: The newly acquired Tra Thomas looked sharp on Monday, and shows that Gene Smith knows how to scout offensive linemen. Tra needs to be on the field, and his run-blocking looked consistently strong. He's got remarkably good feet for someone his age, and he needs to be playing at RT over Pashos.

Russell Allen: Wow... Talk about answering the call of duty. Russell was called in to play MLB for Justin Durant when he was sidelined with a hip problem. Allen responded with 4 tackles and one pass defended. He did a good job of getting the defense into position and calling the plays. We may be looking at one of our future LB's here...

Montavius Stanley/Atylliah Ellison: Both made their case for solving the DT problem by stopping the run. Ellison seems to be the better of the two on the line, however, the importance of Stanley's blocked extra point can't be overstated. Special teams can get you on the field.

[Edititorial Note: Thanks to Rufio for reminding me of Thomas Williams]

Thomas Williams: Last year's fifth-round pick looked great. He was making absolutely vicious tackles and continued to show why our LB corp is the team's strongest unit. Williams turned out an all around fantastic performance.

On The Fence:

Troy Williamson: When people are raving over a guy who fumbled the ball, and got lucky on one of his catches, you know things are bad at the WR position. Troy looked OK to me. I didn't like seeing that fumble, because it was before the rain even started, so there is no excuse. He needs to step it up consistently before I start congratulating the guy on an above average performance.

Tyron Brackenridge: The CB had one pass defense, and one tackle. Most importantly though, he didn't look overwhelmed. He seems to be a player the Jaguars are hot on, and I didn't see him make any major gaffes, so I would say he's one to watch.

Zach Miller: This QB turned TE can flat out move. The kid was flying around on offense, and special teams, making a shoestring tackle at the 2 yd like on punt coverage. His only problem may be adjusting to having to catch the ball, especially when David really puts the mustard on it. He had one drop against the dolphins that should've been caught. He's not natural looking at the position yet, and his blocking leaves something to be desired, but he's got major upside, and he showed it Monday.

-Collin Streetman

Poll

Biggest Concern Going Into 2009

Offensive Line

179 votes

Defensive Line

68 votes

Secondary

101 votes

Coaching

54 votes

402 votes | Poll has closed

Jacksonville Jaguars Position Preview: The Tight Ends

JvilleJag2 — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:30:09 -0000

More photos » by Nati Harnik - AP

8 months ago: FILE - In this Nov. 1, 2007 file photo, South Dakota's Byron Bullock (9), unsuccessfully tries to tackle Nebraska-Omaha's quarterback Zach Miller (15), in the first half of a college football game, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File

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Marcades Lewis: Overrated Receiver or Underrated Blocker?

[Note by River City Rage, 08/05/09 5:58 AM PDT ]: Please welcome JvilleJag2 to the Big Cat Country team!

Marcedes Lewis
Entering his fourth season with the Jaguars Marcedes Lewis is in a "prove it" season. Lewis will enter as the unquestioned starter at tight end. He's been improving each season and this upcoming 2009 campaign could turn out to be his best yet. The fact remains Lewis must start showing he was worthy of the 28th overall selection in 2006 NFL Draft.

2006     13 receptions 126 yards 1 touchdown
2007     37 receptions 391 yards 2 touchdowns
2008     41 receptions 489 yards 2 touchdowns

What Lewis brings to the field is a pretty complete skill set. He's physically imposing standing 6'6, 275lbs and seems to have learned how to utilize his size as a mismatch with smaller defenders. Coming out of UCLA Lewis was considered a dynamic pass catcher but poor blocker. However with the coaching of tight ends coach Mike Tice, Marcedes has developed his blocking prowess and is now amongst the better blocking tight ends in football. The only criticism of Lewis is that for a player that was considered a pass catching dynamo in college, Lewis has had an inordinate number of drops. Last season in particular he seemed to have issues bringing in the football, almost as if he was fighting the football as he attempted to corral it. While this may be attributed to his focus on trying to improve his blocking Lewis has worked hard this Spring to improve his pass catching skills.

Greg Estandia
Estandia was an undrafted free agent out of UNLV who ended up on Cincinnati’s practice squad before being plucked by the Jaguars in 2006. Since his arrival in Jacksonville Estandia has wowed with his size (6’8) and athletic playing style. While Greg is a fine athlete and a solid pass catcher he isn’t much of a blocking presence or a threat to score. He offers a little more speed than Marcedes Lewis but isn’t quite the blocker Lewis is. Estandia is a contributor on special teams and that is where he will have to continue to make his mark.

2006     No stats
2007     9 receptions 136 yards
2008     10 receptions 113 yards

Richard Angulo
Angulo isn't going to wow anyone with his speed or hands. He's mainly used as a blocking tight end and he's pretty solid in that. The Jaguars like to run the football almost more than any team so it's likely Angulo, barring a complete meltdown in training camp, will make the roster. Angulo played for Jacksonville’s tight ends coach Mike Tice in Minnesota so Tice has pretty good knowledge of Angulo.

2007 8 receptions 82 yard 1 touchdown
2008 8 receptions 63 yards

Zach Miller
Miller, the team's sixth round draft pick, has opened eyes. The former Nebraska-Omaha quarterback is making the position switch (No Matt Jones jokes please) and has really turned heads this Spring. As a quarterback at Nebraska-Omaha, Miller threw for 4,096 yard and 26 touchdowns while rushing for 3,122 yard and 50 scores. Miller offers something that no other tight end on the roster offers. Yes, the "Wildcat" option, and while the Jags may not employ it like Miami did, the fact Miller does provide the option is intriguing. Miller ran a 4.53 at his pro day and so far that speed looks legitimate. He closed out OTAs with a strong showing. Jaguars GM Gene Smith likens Miller to the Colt's Dallas Clark and Houston's Owen Daniels but says that Miller is faster. While that's high praise it bodes well for an offense looking to create more explosive plays down the field.

Tyler Lorenzen
Like Zach Miller, Lorenzen, a former University of Connecticut quarterback is making the position switch from quarterback to tight end. At UConn he amassed 3,236 yards passing with 16 touchdowns in two seasons as the Huskies quarterback. Lorenzen also showed good running ability by rushing for over 600 yards and five scores in his two seasons at UConn.

Wrap Up: This is a group that should benefit from offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter’s emphasis on working the ball to the tight ends. This bunch is largely defined by two draft picks, Lewis and Miller. Marcedes could finally be realizing his ability this season if he can get back to being the pass catching machine he was in college while not letting his blocking slip. Miller offers versatility at the position while bringing a true down the seam threat. How this group is regarded will fall squarely on the shoulders of Marcedes Lewis and his 2009 production.

-Andy