SB Nation - Justin Geisinger

Steelers vs. Panthers Preseason Game Preview

Jaxon — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:57:23 -0000

This Thursday night schedule has me all out of whack as all of us, contributors to the site that is, have been busy this week making a detailed preview difficult. The truth is we all know the starters will play very little tonight and so it will be battle of the bubble players for probably 3rd quarters. That puts a damper on some of the drama unless you like seeing sloppy play and guys getting all amped up for making a simple tackle.Regardless I'm going to take a schwag at what to expect tonight in this final preseason game match-up.

Panthers Offense vs. Steelers Defense

The Steelers bring one of the best defenses to Charlotte yet we don't really know how many starters will actually take the field. I realize this is cheating a bit but I jumped over to SBN Steeler site Behind the Steel Curtain to see what the Steelers might be focusing on. It seems former GT alum LB Kenyaron Fox (woot!) will start for Lawrence Timmons:

Mr. Fox: Keyaron Fox got to join the highlight reel of Steelers linebackers making audibly violent hits against Buffalo, when he crushed return man Leodis McKelvin. He continued to thump his way toward recognition, and with the ankle injury to Lawrence Timmons, he'll start at the mack linebacker spot against Carolina. It's up in the air whether Timmons will be able to play in the season-opener.

Fox is one of the best LB's to come out GT so don't think he represents a let down. Also, count the Steeler fans among those that have taken notice of RB Mike Goodson:

In a game that typically only has the allure of watching the 51-55 ranked players on teams fight for special teams spots, it'll be interesting to see how Goodson can handle facing the starting units of two of the best defenses in the game. He's been impressive so far, let's see if he can continue it.

At WR we are still waiting for the explosion from Dwayne Jarrett. Something tells me we might still be waiting come Friday. WR Kenny Moore on the other hand has made a case for the #3 wideout slot. I don't see any other WR making the team except for maybe speedy UDFA Larry Beavers. Beavers at this point has to show enough simply to earn a spot on the practice squad.

The back-up positions along the offensive line appear to be lining up. The release of Gerald Cadogan earlier in the week suggests Geoff Schwartz has earned the back-up RT position. I would assume C/G MacKenzie Bernadeau and rookie G Duke Robinson will lock up two more. That leaves G/T Jonathan Palmer, C/G Justin Geisinger and LT Garry Williams battling for the last spot. My guess is Williams wins the ninth and final spot.

Panther Defense vs. Steeler Offense

I think the Panther 1st team defense might play the entire first half simply to get in more work and evaluate some tough choices. Has high-string B Jeremy Leman done enough on special teams to earn a spot? Now that S Nate Salley has been put on IR does that automatically give Joe Fields a roster spot or could Quinton Teal play SS it in a pinch?

Does the trade for DT Louis Leonard mean UDFA Marlon Favorite is practice squad bound? The biggest focus for me is the performance of the DT against the Steeler running game. RB Rashard Mendenhall is making noise and will look to put up big runs against the Panthers. The Panther secondary will also look to rebound from a dismal performance against the Ravens.

Special Teams:

I've already mentioned the Panthers coverage teams have been suspect so I'm sure Steeler PR Stefan Logan is looking to burn them:

His lack of ability to make the squad solely as an offensive player aside, he's turned enough heads as the first explosive return man the Steelers have had since Antwaan Randle-El. Len Pasquarelli of ESPN writes that the Steelers have had 16 kick returners and 10 punt returners since Randle-El.

Logan, the diminutive pinball from small Division II University of South Dakota, has done enough with returns alone to merit a roster spot.

He sounds like our version of Larry Beavers yet Beavers has yet to do anything notable in live action, except for muffing a catch that is. Let's see if the Panthers can contain Logan or if they give up another lengthy return. On our side I want to see more of Captain Munnerlyn returning punts. He seems to have a nose for the open hole and isn;t scared to take a hit.

Let me hear from you!

Panthers Release Depth Chart with a Few Surprises

Jaxon — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:20:30 -0000

Panthers.com has now posted a depth chart and it has a few surprises worth discussing. I agree it doesn't mean too much at this point but I think it does reflect some things we have already seen in Training Camp. Let's start with the offense:

Offense:

WR1 — Steve Smith, Ryne Robinson, Jason Carter, Kevin McMahan
LT — Jordan Gross, Patrick Brown, Mackenzy Bernadeau
LG — Travelle Wharton, Jonathan Palmer, C.J. Davis
C — Ryan Kalil, Justin Geisinger, Mackenzy Bernadeau, Keith Gray
RG — Keydrick Vincent, Duke Robinson, Justin Geisinger
RT — Jeff Otah, Geoff Schwartz, Gerald Cadogan, Garry Williams
TE — Jeff King, Gary Barnidge, Dante Rosario, Andrew Davie
WR2 — Muhsin Muhammad, Dwayne Jarrett, Kenneth Moore, Marcus Monk
QB — Jake Delhomme, Josh McCown, Matt Moore, Hunter Cantwell
FB — Brad Hoover, Tony Fiammetta
RB — DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, Mike Goodson, Decori Birmingham

In spite of the high praise sent his way in TC C/G Mackenzy Bernadeau is still 3rd string at center and is not listed at guard anywhere. He is instead listed 3rd string at LT (huh?). Justin Geisinger is #2 at center and has obviously improved his stock given he can play multiple positions.
T Gerald Cadogan is listed as 3rd string RT behind Geoff Schwartz. Patrick Brown is slated as Jordan Gross back-up on the left side where I thought Cadogan would compete. This doesn't bode well for Cadogan.
TE Gary Barnidge has passed Dante Rosario (no surprise there)
WR Ryne Robinson remains ahead of Jason Carter.

Defense:

LDE — Tyler Brayton, Charles Johnson, Everette Brown
LDT — Nick Hayden, Marlon Favorite, Lonnie Harvey, George Hypolite
RDT — Damione Lewis, Corvey Irvin, Lorenzo Williams
RDE — Julius Peppers, Everette Brown, Hilee Taylor, Casper Brinkley
OLB1 — Na’il Diggs, James Anderson , Landon Johnson, Kelvin Smith
MLB — Jon Beason, Dan Connor, Jeremy Leman
OLB2 — Thomas Davis, Mortty Ivy, Anthony Heygood
LCB — Chris Gamble, Dante Wesley, Captain Munnerlyn
RCB — Richard Marshall, C.J. Wilson, Sherrod Martin, D.J. Clark
SS — Chris Harris, Nate Salley, Joe Fields
FS — Charles Godfrey, Quinton Teal, Paul Chiara

The biggest surprise here is LB James Anderson is listed above Landon Johnson. Cutting Johnson might save some cap space if Mortty Ivy can fill the #7 back-up LB spot.
DE Tyler Brayton is still listed over Charles Johnson
DT Corvey Irvin is slotted behind Damionne Lewis at RDT and not LDT. It looks like until a vet DT is brought in Nick Hayden and Marlon Favorite will battle for the Kemo's spot.

Special Teams:

K — John Kasay, Rhys Lloyd
P — Jason Baker, John Kasay
H — Jason Baker, Josh McCown
PR — Ryne Robinson, Larry Beavers, Captain Munnerlyn
KR — Ryne Robinson, Mike Goodson, Larry Beavers
LS — J.J. Jansen

Robinson is still getting the benefit of the doubt in kick returns. Beavers over Munnerlyn so far and Goodson over Beavers in KO's.

Any other surprises for anyone else?

Predicting the Arizona Cardinals Record: Part 2

Andrew602 — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:09 -0000

Last week we broke down the first 4 games of the Arizona Cardinals season, and at that point, they were 3-1. While it seems like it could be a good start, a few Cardinal homers feel like starting 4-0 is very possible. Either way, the Cardinals will need a strong start to the season, as the rest of the NFC West, let alone the entire league, will be gunning for them right away. Nevertheless, the next four games are as follows:

Week 6 - At Seattle Seahawks

Key Additions: WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, DT Cory Redding, DT Colin Cole, CB Ken Lucas, LB Aaron Curry

Key Losses: LB Julian Peterson, RB Maurice Morris, DT Rocky Bernard, WR Bobby Engram

Analysis: Last year Seattle tried harder to keep players healthy rather then win, evidence being their 4-12 record. At times they were searching for back ups for their back ups, and were bringing in new players on a weekly basis. With that in mind, they went out in search for a receiver that could fill a hole that was gaping last year, and also brought in some defensive talent. This year the Jim Mora Jr regime begins, and there is sure to be an adjustment period. The Seahawks hope to get back to their winning ways, and it starts by dethroning the defending NFC West champs.

What to watch for: The Cardinals will be going into their 2nd game on the road in 2009, and Seattle is known for giving road teams problems. The "12th man" is sure to be there, and that means false starts for the Cardinals. If they can avoid these and win in a place that's always been a tough place to win for them, it's a good sign for things to come. If the Cardinals do win on the road in Seattle, which would be two years in a row, this is the true sign of the changing of the guard in the NFC West.

Key Match Up: Adrian Wilson vs Matt Hasselbeck - Hmm, I feel a repeat of last year on the road in Seattle ; )

Prediction: Win - At this point the Cardinals are beginning a stretch of tough games, and need a win against a division rival.

Week 7 - At New York Giants

Key Additions: DT Rocky Bernard, LB Michael Boley, DT Chris Canty, WR Hakeem Nicks

Key Losses: WR Plaxico Burress, RB Derrick Ward, DE Renaldo Wynn, S James Butler

Analysis: The Giants began 2008 as one of the best teams in the league and up until Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg, they were. After the loss of Burress, Eli's go-to man, he wasn't the same, and neither was the offense. This year they drafted Hakeem Nicks, hoping to replace Burress, who was released this off season. They also looked to add significant depth to the defensive line. There's no doubt that the Giants will be fired up in this home game against the defending NFC champs.

What to watch for: The most interesting factor to look out for is the battle in the trenches. New York has one of the top offensive lines in the league, and it will be very difficult for the Cards defensive line to battle it out. If they can stop the run and pressure Eli Manning, it would surely give them the W. On the flip side, the Giants have a very aggressive defensive line and have Osi Umenyiora returning. If the Cardinals offensive line can protect Warner and open up holes for the running backs, expect the Cardinals to remain in this game.

Key match up: Cardinals D-line vs Giants O-line

Prediction: Loss - Although it's not an early game, it's still a road game against a very good Giants team.

Week 8 - Carolina Panthers

Key Additions: C Justin Geisinger, DE Everette Brown, DB Sherrod Martin

Key Losses: CB Ken Lucas, OT Frank Omiyale, OG Geoff Hangartner

Analysis: Carolina was one of the best rushing teams in the league last year with their version of "smash and dash", and while their passing offense was suspect, it got the job done. They were aggressive on the defensive side of the ball, and had great talent in Jon Beason and Julius Peppers. Everything seemed to be going their way until they ran into the Cardinals in the playoffs. Numerous turnovers and the inability to stop Larry Fitzgerald ended their season. Other then adding some defensive depth in the draft, not much has changed, and John Fox still has confidence is Jake Delhomme. The Panthers will surely try to build off of last years team, and make another run in this year's playoffs.

What to watch for: This will be one of the toughest tests for the Cardinals defense, as they face a very good rushing offense. If the Cards can repeat what they did last year and get ahead early, it will put all the pressure on Delhomme's shoulders, which we all know hasn't worked out that good in the past.

Key match up: Cardinals linebackers vs Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams

Prediction: Win - Playing against the team at home that dominated them in the playoffs will be a huge factor for the Panthers.

Week 9 - At Chicago Bears

Key Additions: QB Jay Cutler, OT Frank Omiyale, OT Orlando Pace

Key Losses: OT John Tait, OT John St. Clair, QB Kyle Orton, QB Rex Grossman

Analysis: The Bears haven't rebounded from losing the Super Bowl three years ago, and appear to have a new look since then. They feature a different starter at quarterback, running back and wide receiver, then they did that year, and hope to build off of a mediocre season last year. They hope that Cutler is the answer at quarterback, and that he and Matt Forte can vastly improve their offense. On the defensive side of the ball, their solid with the veteran leadership of Brian Urlacher.

What to watch for: The immediate sign to watch for is how the Cardinals handle playing on the road in a considerably cold weather game. The Cardinals may want to jump out to an early lead and pound the ball by running up the middle, and drain time off of the clock. Watch for Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower to get a decent amount of carries in that game.

Key match up: Devin Hester vs Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie- Two speedy players with pivotal action. This should be interesting to watch. Another key match up is Beanie Wells taking on Brian Urlacher.

Prediction: Loss - It hurts to predict this but this may be the upset of the season. The Bears can be dangerous and we don't know right now how the Cardinals will perform on the road in 2009.

------------------------------------------------

Cardinals Projected Record After 8 Games: 5-3

While it may come as a surprise to some, 5-3 seems very likely. This set of four games is a very tough stretch and if the Cardinals were to come out 2-2, it would be successful. It may also mean first place in the division, a place the Cardinals stood this time last year. What do you think so far? Is 5-3 out of this world? Is there another key match up that nobody else agrees with?

Chris Samuels out for the season

Skin Patrol — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:34:22 -0000

Updates of the news and new media news and blogging variety all carry the same ominous update:

After getting hammered all night by Terrell Suggs and the Baltimore Ravens defense, Washington Redskins Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels tore his right tricep muscle at the start of the fourth quarter of last night's loss, he will have surgery as soon as possible and he is done for the season.

Let's try and make heads or tails of what we're doing to replace Samuels:

Soooooooooo Chris Samuels was the anchor on left side at the seasons greetings. Jon Jansen was the presumptive starter on the right side but quickly lost that job to Stephon Heyer, who equifast lost it right back to Jansen. With Samuels out the smart money says Stephon Heyer gets another shot at this starting offensive line thing the only difference is he has to switch to the other side which surely won't present any problem to a young still somewhat untested undrafted rookie with the confidence of a... young somewhat untested dundrafted rookie who was demoted months ago. Heyer would be replacing former Chris Samuels stand-in Justin Geisinger who, per Curly R:

When Chris went out backup center Justin Geisinger came in to play left tackle, he was immediately victimized by Ravens defensive end Terrell Suggs...

But then Geisinger got an injured knee, so he's out. Reader(s) may be forgiven for thinking "I didn't even know we had a backup center." We don't have a lot of things, actually. Jon Jansen suffered a "grade II sprain of the MCL in his left knee" and, much like our offensive line, he doesn't have any backups available to play left knee when his starter goes down. What the deuce is a grade II sprain, anyways, is there a doctor in the house that can explain the difference between a grade I sprain and a grade II sprain? More hit points and mana, I presume? (NERD ALERT.)

Because our backup right tackle is now our starting left tackle and because our starting left tackle is now on injured reserve and because our starting right tackle (formerly starting tackle turned backup tackle turned starting tackle again it is a wonderful tale of redemption and love and hope that will air on Oxygen this coming spring) had to put his own left knee on injured reserve, hopefully temporarily, big boy Jason Fabini will likely get a chance to prove that he's really just now ready to peak in his 12th NFL season. I'm talking about our starting right tackle, here. Jason Fabini.

The backdrop for this is a Redskins team who, per the Official Site, is really just "Trying to Recapture Momentum" which I thought was delightful and optimistic but not those two things at the same time. Recapture momentum? I don't even know what that means anymore after 2 straight losses and a 1-4 record in our last 5. I've got a plan, though, that's sure to catch that elusive momentum and there's absolutely zero percent chance of failure you just have to trust me on this one I stayed at a Holiday Inn:

Did it work?

It is important to note that this is not what panic looks like yet but it is definitely on the radar.

How is everyone else doing? I am well and I hope you are too.

Strange new world: Jon Jansen no longer starting for Washington Redskins

Skin Patrol — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:49:19 -0000

I was something like 16 years old when Jon Jansen was drafted and subsequently immediately thrust into the starting lineup of Your Washington Redskins. Over 1/3rd of my life has proceeded with at least the certainty, that barring injury, Jansen would remain starting at tackle. Even considering injury, someone else was always just renting. Yesterday that era ended:

Right tackle Jon Jansen, the longest serving player in the Washington Redskins' organization... was demoted to second string yesterday, and Stephon Heyer will take his spot in the season opener Thursday against the New York Giants.

Bloggers, predictably, had little to say on the subject. Starting with Sportz Assassin at AOL Fanhouse:

...like Zorn said, Heyer has shown a much better ability to protect Campbell. With Campbell's habit of fumbling the ball once he gets hit ... it is a big deal if you can be the guy that can prevent him from getting nailed.

Yes and no. Yes in the sense that Jansen didn't look too sharp this preseason and as a result Jason Campbell didn't look so sharp, either. No in the sense that if ever Jason Campbell revealed his proclivity for putting the ball on the ground after sacks, he did so last year, in 2007. Campbell claimed 7 lost fumbles last year which, I believe, was a league high. And though we certainly wouldn't want to return a right tackle into the lineup who is responsible for that ghastly number of protection breakdowns, it can hardly be blamed on Jansen. Because he only started one game last year, against Miami. And although current Redskin Jason Taylor did record a sack and a fumble, it wasn't against JC.

Stephon Heyer did start some games in 2007. For instance:

@ Tampa Bay: Campbell had 1 fumble, lost.

vs. Chicago: Campbell had 1 fumble, lost. Todd Collins copied him with one lost fumble.

I presume Heyer played quite well for the remainder of the season (which he started) because Todd Collins was so phenomenal during that period. What I know is that Jon Jansen certainly can't be blamed for Campbell's fumbling problem in 2007.

Ben says:

This is the way things work in the NFL, I suspect when we look back at this decision at the end of the 2008 season it may well be one of those Stephon took the job when Jon was a bit weakened and never gave it back situations...

A final thought on the changing of the ~~guard~~ tackle. When a guy like Jon Jansen who has played as solidly as he has for ten seasons gets displaced by a second year guy that was not even drafted, there is a problem in your organization. It is the natural progression of things that older players are supplanted by younger players, that is the way it works.

Ben also touches on the contractual stuff, which I'm going to address more below.

Yesterday I answered some questions from Big Blue View regarding "surprises" this offseason and which one stood out. My answer was:

Training camp is all about surprises as we've been sitting about ringing hands over the coming season long enough now where every event, no matter how trivial, is new and fascinating and worthy of excessive print. I could rail off 10 things about this team that I wouldn't have thought to actualize at the end of last season. Of those things, off the top of my head, word that undrafted free agent Stephon Heyer is actually pressuring starting tackle Jon Jansen for playing time is baffling to the extreme. Barring injury, Jansen has started every single game of his Redskin career since his rookie season in 1999. That Jon Jansen is now being troubled for his starting spot is simply not something Redskins fans have had much experience with over the last 10 years. Does not compute.

Per Redskins 360, Jansen is upset but utterly professional about the entire affair:

Said Jansen: "There were some reasons thrown around, nothing I felt was reason enough but they’re the coaches and I’m the player. I’ll go out there and do what I’m supposed to do."

Redskin Report:

Juding from what we saw in the pre-season, this is the right move. Heyer may not be a top tier tackle at this point, but Jansen was getting run over by no-names in virtually every game this August.

Mark Newgent stays optimistic:

While I feel for Jansen, I am glad to see an elderly offensive line get a bit younger with Heyer. Heyer impressed last year as an undrafted free agent. In the near future he can be the anchor of a younger stronger offensive line with Chad Rhinehart and Justin Geisinger.

The bad news is that he might very well have to be. This moment was bound to happen because Jon Jansen couldn't simply play forever. The best case scenario is that he clung to his starting job for just a few more years (with no additional restructures) and managed to close out the lion's share of his contract as a player -- opposed to as a sitter, which is what backup linemen do most of the time.

The good news is, at least in March via Warpath Cap Summary: our starting right tackle will cost the team just 373K in 2008. Good on Stephon Heyer.

Uh, bad news... After restructuring his contract in February, Jansen went from an over 5.5M cap hit in 2008 to just an ~750K cap hit. Meaning he spread around a lot of his formerly unguaranteed salary (that we would not pay if, say, we cut him as a too-expensive backup right now) into guaranteed bonus money which was then prorated over the course of his contract.

The following release fees were taken from Warpath Cap Summary although they reflect his old 2008 cap hit of over 5.5M. That tells me that the numbers don't factor in the money since turned into guaranteed bonus, which would actually increase the release penalties. They are:

Over 14M if released this year

Over 9M if released next year

Over 6.5M if released in 2010

Around 3.3M if released in 2011

That should give you a pretty good idea of the future dead cap hit we're going to necessarily take from Jon Jansen. He's set to cost the team somewheres between 4.6M to 7.7M for the next three seasons after this one. That means his release fee exceeds his cap hit at least until 2010. Savings (admittedly this depends on how you cut him, since the cap is spread differently depending on what part of the year you do so) for cutting him won't happen for the next 2 football seasons. And by "savings" I mean it will cost us less to pay him than it will to suffer the dead cap hit from releasing him.

The problem with dead cap hits are that they cost money for no or little return on the investment. Incidentally, under ideal circumstances, that's also the problem with backups; if they see the field that means someone is injured. Typically you'd prefer your backups not be among the 10 highest paid players on the team for that precise reason. Suffice to say, Jansen is atypical in that regard.

The hidden danger of restructuring players with large contracts is that you wake up the next day, or, say, you wake up in September, and you realize the guy you thought had long-term value with the team... didn't. But you're still holding the bill that says "Amount Due" next to "2011" and there's lots of zeroes and you're wondering whether or not it wouldn't have just been better to take your cap licks in 2007 to better position yourself to make a roster decision without a proverbial salary cap gun poking right up against your temple. And when the trigger does activate it's gobs and gobs of green moneys spilling out the side of your head and there isn't a team doctor about (too busy fixing hamstrings, I 'spose) to stuff all that cash back where it belongs.

This is especially difficult because Jon Jansen is one of my favorite Redskins. I really couldn't have imagined a world where he wasn't the starting offensive linemen for the 'Skins. Neither did the front office, apparently.