SB Nation - Jason Banks

Arizona Cardinals Release TE Byrd, Sign LB Monty Beisel

Andrew602 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:31:29 -0000

One of Beisel's rare appearances as a Chief. Beisel only played in three games and was released. He looks better in Cardinal red anyway.

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The Arizona Cardinals have released their 4th string tight end Dominique Byrd today, and signed former Cardinal linebacker Monty Beisel.

Searching for depth at linebacker – especially after Gerald Hayes and Chike Okeafor missing games with back problems and having the inexperienced Reggie Walker and Ali Highsmith on the roster – the Cardinals brought back veteran Monty Beisel today. The Cards wanted Beisel when his contract expired after last season , but Beisel instead followed Todd Haley to Kansas City. Then Beisel was cut after just three games and has been searching for a job since. He had been in contact with the Cardinals in an attempt to come back since then.

To make room on the roster, the Cards decided they couldn’t hang on to four tight ends any longer. They released Dominique Byrd, who had yet to appear active in a regular-season game this season. With Anthony Becht and Ben Patrick taking hold of the two tight end spots on game day and Stephen Spach a more accomplished blocker than Byrd, Byrd was the odd man out.

via azcardinals.com(Urban)

Beisel, an ROTB favorite, was a special teams ace last year and should provide veteran depth to a linebacking corps that has been banged up the last few weeks. In the three years he was with Arizona, Beisel appeared in 40 games and registered 78 tackles. The Cardinals signed linebacker Pago Togafau and defensive end Jason Banks to the practice squad, both also being former Cardinals. They released FB Jed Collins and DT Antoine Holmes to make room.

Arizona Cardinals Training Camp Coverage: Stock Up, Stock Down

Hawkwind — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:47:05 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

Arizona Cardinals' LaRod Stephens-Howling, right, eludes Reggie Walker (55) during morning practice. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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The Arizona Cardinals have completed about two thirds of training camp (that's right the final day is August 20th) but the preseason games are just about to begin. The Cardinals preseason opener against the Steelers is two days away and that's where the real evaluation process will begin with the guys who are buried on the depth chart. While it might be easy for some guys to perform during camp, it'll be a whole new test once the lights come on and the opponent isn't a teammate. The following four games can not only decide a players fate in 2009, it might very well make or break their career.

Before the bullets start flying for real, we figured we'd highlight some of the 'bubble' players who have either helped or hurt their stock so far during training camp. As the preseason progresses we'll update this list and use it as a tool when projecting the final 53 man roster.

Stock Up
LaRod Stephens-Howling: One running back who has benefited from the absence of Chris Wells has been LSH. He's drawn some rave reviews for his speed and elusiveness in the open field, but the best reports we've heard have been about his willingness to run between the tackles. For a back of his size (5-7, 180) that will always be a concern but it'll be interesting to see if he can carry his success over to the actual preseason games. His best shot is still as a kick returner and he'll have to stand out in that capacity to make the final 53.

Jerheme Urban: Urban has been almost light's out during camp so far and it seems like almost a foregone conclusion that he'll not only make the roster but he'll also retain his #4 job at wide receiver. His play has not only been remarkably consistent but the chemistry that he and Kurt Warner have cultivated over the past year and a half is evident. Urban is still praised for his versatility on special teams and it seems as if only an injury can knock him out of the fourth receiver spot.

Leonard Pope: Believe it or not Pope has been impressive during camp so far, despite being left for dead by most of us fans. Every practice seems to be highlighted by Pope streaking down the seam and making a nice catch but the best report has been the one that we haven't seen yet. Long criticized for his bone-headed nature and inability to hold his own as a blocker, Pope seems to have improved greatly in both areas and as a result, he's stayed atop the depth chart at tight end. He'll of course be tested once the preseason starts but look for Pope to be the first tight end on the field against the Steelers.

Keilen Dykes: For Dykes this 'stock up' status hasn't been so much about what he's done as opposed to what his competition has done. Most would agree that the final defensive end spot would be a battle between Dykes and Jason Banks but a serious injury and trip to the injured reserve for Banks has all but erased that battle. That's not to say that Dykes, who showed up in great shape, hasn't been impressive during camp, but so far he's won the job by default. His battle now turns to moving up the depth chart and securing more playing time. His willingness and ability to play both nose tackle and end will help but he'll need strong showing in the preseason to leapfrog either Branch or Iwebema in the defensive line rotation.

Chris Vincent: Vincent is a guy that most of thought had no chance at making the roster but so far all he's done is impress everyone during Wells' absence. Vincent is a guy who didn't even have a position in college (mainly special teams) but the Cardinals keep bringing him back to camp as a running back and so far he's having the best camp of his career. He's showing a good burst to the outside and some toughness near the goal line. He's still a very long shot to make the final 53 but if you're watching the preseason and deep into the fourth quarter say, "wow who is #30?" you'd be looking at Chris Vincent.

Stock Down

Anthony Becht: Becht's training camp thus far has consisted mainly of an injured hamstring that's prevented him for seeing the actual playing field very much. Becht, the team's best blocking tight end, has been a favorite of some to win the starting job at tight end but he'll have to prove that his soon to be 33 year old body can take another season of pounding. Despite those concerns Becht has been extremely durable throughout his career and Whiz has been known to take it easy on veterans in the past, but Becht will have to return the field eventually if he wants to make the cut.

Rodney Leisle: Leisle hasn't been terrible at camp by any means but he also hasn't down much to stand out thus far. For a guy not only trying to beat out a former second round pick (albeit an underachieving one) but also desperately trying to get back in the NFL, he'll have to stand out in order to secure a spot on the 53. He's got the size to contribute at both nose tackle and end so it'll be interesting to see if he's moved around the defensive line during the preseason but wherever he lines up he needs to make a difference.

Will Davis: It's not really fair to grade Davis so early into his rookie season given the tall task of moving from defensive tackle to outside linebacker but that's the nature of the NFL. Any thought that this would be an easy transition for the former wide receiver has been erased and it's pretty clear that he's more raw talent than anything at this point. He has shown on occasion that he can beat offensive tackles off the ball with his speed but he lacks any other pass rush moves at this point and his biggest problem is in coverage, where he's completely lost at this point. He, of course, still has time and no one should have expected a quick learning curve but I'm sure if the cut down day was today, he'd be on the practice squad.

Early Doucet: Doucet status as a 'stock down' player is two fold. First he's obviously been injured and will miss the first preseason game but even more importantly has been the impressive showing by his competition, Jerheme Urban. Doucet hasn't been disappointing in practice by any means, in fact he made a couple leaping catches that we impressive but on a comparative basis, Urban has been much better. Many expected Doucet to have a breakout season in 2009, but to this point it's looking like another season in which he'll only see the field when some one else is injured.

Michael Ray Garvin: Despite putting on a serious gun show every time he rolls his sleeves up, Garvin has had a rough camp in his transition to wide receiver (corner back at FSU). While no one expected the transition to be easy, he's struggled with consistency catching the ball and his route running is very raw. He's clearly not going to make this roster as a receiver meaning that he'll have to impress as a kick returner in the preseason.

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Who else has impressed or disappointed you so far during camp? Who has the best chance of redeeming themselves over the next couple of weeks?

Arizona Cardinals Sign Defensive End Alex Field and More Training Camp Coverage

Hawkwind — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:00:59 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

The new, slim and trim Tim Hightower runs with the ball during running back drills training camp. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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Despite an easy light-hearted day at practice yesterday the Arizona Cardinals front office was busy making moves. Defensive end Jason Banks was sent to the injured reserve list ending his season (torn meniscus) and they signed undrafted rookie Alex Field, also a defensive end. Field (6-6, 267) was originally signed by the Giants but was cut before their training camp started. He started for one season at Virginia and managed 48 tackles and five sacks after spending most of his career backing up Chris Long. As for the other injured defensive end, Keilen Dykes, we've seen one report that he could be out up to four weeks. That would put him out through the rest of training camp and he'd be able to return about a week before the season opener against the Niners, although he hopes to return sooner.

In other injury news the small injuries are starting to pile up and the list of 'walking wounded' now includes two defensive ends (Keilen Dykes and Jason Banks), a couple of tight ends (Anthony Becht and Stephen Spach), a couple of receivers (Early Doucet and Sean Morey), a running back (Beanie Wells) , an outside linebacker (Chike Okeafor) and a fullback (Dan Kreider).

As for the actual practice yesterday, there isn't much to report. It was basically a glorified walk through with the guys not even wearing helmets. They will have two practices today and another one tomorrow morning before finally getting a day off on Sunday. When they come back on Monday it'll officially be a game week with the preseason opener on the horizon (at Pittsburgh on Thursday).

Arizona Cardinals Training Camp Coverage: Update on Keilen Dykes Jason Banks

Hawkwind — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:45:51 -0000

Ken Whisenhunt just met with the media and it's a good news, bad news scenerio for the Arizona Cardinals defensive ends. The good news is that Keilen Dykes has quad strain that the team will keep a close eye on but it should hold him out more than a couple days. The bad news is that Jason Banks has a meniscus tear in his knee that, according to Whiz, will likely need surgery. There isn't a timetable for his return but I think it's safe to safe it won't be anytime soon and this will effectively end his bid for a roster spot. If you remember correctly we projected that the fourth DE spot would come down to either Dykes or Banks and this injury might have cleared up that discussion.

As for practice today, Whiz said it would be light (helmets and shorts) to give the guys a rest after last night's spirited session.

Arizona Cardinals Training Camp Coverage: Dockett, Dansby and the Defense Dominate

Hawkwind — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:14:26 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

Arizona Cardinals' Herman Johnson (67), Alan Branch (78), Chris Vincent (30) and Tyler Palko run plays during evening practice at the Cardinals' training camp Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009, in Flagstaff, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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Yesterday's evening practice is always one of the highlights of training camp because the team moves to Lumberjack Stadium and it's under the lights. These practices are always the most physical sessions during camp and full 11-on-11 goal line drill is a fan favorite for that very reason. Last night was certainly no exception as the final portion of practice consisted of seven plays in which the offense started at the three yard line or closer and attempted to punch one in for six. Of the seven plays, the offense ran six running plays and one pass, but managed just a single touchdown (a sweep by Jason Wright). Even the lone touchdown was up for debate but Ken Whisenhunt over ruled the defense.

The downer of the night is that injuries are starting to pile up as two more players were added to an already crowded sidelines. Defensive end Jason Banks missed part of the morning practice and the entire evening practice with a bad knee and another defensive end Keilen Dykes not only missed the evening practice, but also wasn't working out on the sidelines with the other 'walking wounded.' We should know more about the injury today (Whiz didn't meet with the media after practice) but some are hinting that it could be a significant injury. New defensive coordinator Bill Davis has been praising Dykes all off season and many expected Dykes to not only make the roster but become a solid member of the defensive line rotation so losing him would hurt.

Other random observations from yesterday:

We haven't mentioned Darnell Dockett (he wants to be called "NINE-0" now) but he's having a great camp and several reports are saying that he's in the best shape of his life. He's been unblockable at times during one-on-one drills with the offensive line and he made a nice play during last night's goal line session when he shot into the backfield and blew up a Tim Hightower run.
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie continues to impress and just about every practice report includes some mention of him making a nice interception or breaking up a deep pass. His partner in crime, Bryant McFadden also returned to practice yesterday.
After three straight press conferences talking about his hip, Kurt Warner was visibly unhappy about addressing the status of his rehabbing hip again yesterday. He has spent extra time stretching before practice but he still lists himself at 85%.
We heard over the summer that one of Chris Miller's (QB coach) goals was to improve Matt Leinart's footwork and so far the results have been favorable. Leinart's passes have had much more zip on them than in year's past and it's also made him a more accurate passer. Several reports list Leinart as having the best camp of his young career and that he's shown improvement in every area, including standing in the pocket against a pass rush.
With all of the hoopla over Chris Wells, we have mentioned Tim Hightower very much but his trimmed down physique has made him more explosive. His top end speed won't ever be 'home run worthy' but his short area quickness has noticably improved.
Rookie guard/centre Ben Claxton made his first notable appearance of camp when he got into a near altercation with several defenders but the scrum was broken up quickly.
For an injury update, Beanie is expected to return to practice next week and is (at least for now) expected to play in the preseason opener against the Steelers. Early Doucet however is not expected to return as quickly and is not expected to suit up. There hasn't been much reported on Chike Okeafor's back issue but he was out of practice again yesterday so we'll try and get some information on him. The other two guys Anthony Becht and Dan Kreider both have hamstring issues but niether is expected to be serious.

NFC West Position-by-Position: Defensive Ends

Hawkwind — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:03:18 -0000

In our weekly break down of the NFC West we wrap up the defensive line with the ends, after looking at the nose/defensive tackles last week (check out previous positions here). The Arizona Cardinals defensive ends seem to be set in stone but with the transition to a 3-4 defense there are still some questions that will need to be answered, but how they compare to the rest of the division is the real question.

Arizona Cardinals

After playing an odd hybrid defense for a couple of years, the Cardinals are finally settling into a 3-4 front and of course that will effect the defensive ends. The good news is that the starters at end are virtually set in stone and the depth at the position is pretty decent but the bad news is that no one is quite sure what to expect of the guys who play the position.

The team's best defensive lineman, Darnell Dockett, will be making the move from tackle to end but he doesn't seem terribly pleased with the move and some question whether it's the best position for his skill set. At tackle, DD was able to shoot gaps and penetrate into the backfield of opposing backfields, creating havoc and picking up the occasion sack, but his responsibilities should be very different as a 3-4 DE. We'll have to wait and see how he handles a role that's built more for facilitating others to make plays as opposed to being a play maker. Either way, most expect Dockett to step in and immediately become one of the better 3-4 defensive ends in the league.

Across from Dockett will be Calais Campbell, who was drafted in the second round last year. Campbell's size (6-8, 282) makes him unique and his athleticism, at that size, makes him special. He surprised everyone by starring on special teams last year and as long as he can consistently keep his pad level low, most expect him to compare favorably to recently departed Antonio Smith. Coming out of Miami he had the reputation as a guy who could get to the quarterback and he flashed his pass rush ability a couple of times last year but his test will be when teams decide to run directly at him.

The top backup at both end spots should be another second year defensive end, Kenny Iwebema, as long as he recovers from a surprise surgery to remove a 'growth' in his chest. By all reports the surgery was a success and everyone expects him to be ready by training camp, but ultimately we won't know until he puts on pads. Last year during camp Iwebema drew rave reviews for his strength and even had some veteran lineman saying that he was virtually unmoveable at the point of attack. When the Cardinals were hurting for a nose tackle late in the preseason and even the regular season opener, they turned to Iwebema as the backup and he didn't disapoint. Pass rushing isn't his greatest strength but he did register two sacks in the preseason last year. While he's projected as a backup, he could still get considerable playing time especially against teams that run the ball more often than they pass.

The battle for the fourth defensive end will likely come down to two undrafted second year players, Keilien Dykes and Jason Banks. The frontrunner, Dykes, spent last year on the practice squad after starring at West Virginia as a defensive tackle. He won't offer much in the pass rush department but he's strong at the point of attack and versatile enough to line up at nose tackle in a pinch. Banks was a raw prospect coming out of Grambling State but he's got better size and more athleticism that Dykes. He probably offers more against the pass but we'll have to wait until training camp to see how it plays out.

The only guy we haven't mentioned yet is Bertrand Berry and that's because no is quite sure where he'll line up. He doesn't have the size to play defensive end but most don't think he can handle a full transition to an outside linebacker spot. He was the teams best pass rusher last year though so there's a thought that he might just come in as a situational pass rusher from multiple positions.

Overall the defensive end spot looks pretty solid but maybe that's just because there isn't a great deal (stat-wise) that's expected from 3-4 defensive ends. The depth chart is stacked with young talent and Dockett has the potential to be a great player no matter where he lines up. In my mind, Dockett is an A and the rest of the group is a C so we'll split and difference and give the Cardinals' defensive ends a grade of B.

San Francisco 49ers - Niners Nation

The 49ers are in an odd position in terms of their defensive ends. After bouncing back and forth between a 4-3 and 3-4, they finally settled into a base 3-4 when Mike Singletary took over. Defensive ends in the two formations have different roles, so going back and forth was doing nothing for any sort of consistency.

The 49ers best defensive end is of course Justin Smith. The team signed him to a good sized contract prior to last season and he has met expectations. His numbers might not reflect it, but he did a bang-up job for the 49ers. Before settling in as a 3-4 defensive lineman, Smith actually played 6 of the possible 7 DL/LB positions at some point. As impressive as that might be, it also shows the lack of a defensive identity. Once the team switched to a full-time 3-4, Smith settled in at right defensive end. Smith is a bit undersized for a 3-4 defensive end, but he did not miss a snap last season and 49ers fans look forward to more of the same this season.

Smith is the easy part of the equation. The rest of the defensive ends raise plenty of questions. Isaac Sopoaga has bounced around from DT to DE and in fact might be best suited for the 4-3. While he'll get plenty of opportunities this season, time is ticking on him. He'll be competing with 2008 first round pick Kentwan Balmer for playing time. Balmer did next to nothing last season, leaving many 49ers fans frustrated. However, he's been working with Justin Smith this off season and one hopes that a little bit of Smith's production will dust off on Balmer. This preseason will be huge for Balmer. Many think Sopoaga will have the starting job initially, but a big training camp could mean big things for Balmer. It's too early to call him a bust, but this season is definitely a big one for him to see some improvement.

The 49ers signed Demetric Evans in the off season to add some depth to the defensive end position. He's undersized for a traditional 3-4 defensive end so it'll be interesting to see how the 49ers utilize him. The other part to this puzzle is Ray McDonald. McDonald has serious pass rush skills when he's not jumping off sides. McDonald has had injury problems and is currently recovering from one such knee problem. There's a decent chance he starts the season on the PUP list, thus limiting his early season chances. When healthy I see him as a pass rush specialist. It'd be nice if he could develop into an every down defensive end, but at this point I don't know if that will happen. The injuries are an issue, but also I don't know if he has the discipline to be an every down type of guy.

If this was just about Justin Smith I'd give the unit an A. At this point there are so many questions on the left defensive end side that I'm going to have to go with a C. If I was convinced Balmer would step up this year I'd give it a B. However, numerous questions remain at the LDE.

St. Louis Rams - Turf Show Times

Without a doubt this unit could use another edge rusher, but the top of the depth chart combo os Chris Long and Leonard Little is solid. One represents the future, one the past. The one representing the past will be limited on the amount of snaps he sees in order to keep him fresh. They'll hope that Little has enough juice left to play that role. In 14 games last season, Little made six sacks. With better play in the middle of the line and a true middle linebacker finally on board, that should help the DEs.

Chris Long has a bright future with the Rams, and the question is what level will he make it to. Some see a top-flight DE, others see a "mere" Grant Wistrom. Long possesses athleticism and toughness, but his instincts for the game (and a tireless dedication to be better) make him a stand out. In Spagnuolo and Flajole's defense, he'll be lined up on the outside should of the offensive tackle, where he doesn't have to overpower them and can get a good angle into the backfield.

Behind Long and Little is another May/December combo. James Hall led the team in sacks last year, but he's a year older than Little and will be used sparingly. Victor Adeyanju has been a useful role player for the Rams as a run defender, thanks to his speed and athleticism. On the rush, he's a bit more of a project, but he did pick up two sacks last year. Resigned as a restricted free agent, the new coaching staff believes very strongly that they can find his inner pass rusher. After all, Spagnuolo has a noted history of elevating unheard of defensive linemen.

Making the mix more interesting will be some sets that feature four DEs across the line. Often that will be Adeyanju and Hall, but look for Long to make an appearance or two in that role.

Finding another DE will be an off season priority, but for now this mix gets a solid C.

Seattle Seahawks - Field Gulls

Seattle has numbers and talent at defensive end, but it also has injury concerns and questions marks. Patrick Kerney is the name. He rewarded Seattle with 14.5 sacks in the first year of his six-year, $39.5 million dollar contract. He spent most of the second year on IR. Before his shoulder popped, he was in the midst of another productive season. He had five sacks and two forced fumbles in seven games. Age 32 is a bit of a brick wall for defensive ends. 29 defensive ends, including Kerney at 50, are in the top 50 for career sacks. Those ends averaged 10 sacks at age 30, 9.8 sacks at age 31, but only 7.3 sacks at age 32. Only eight of those 29 reached double digit sacks at 32 and four were Bruce Smith, Reggie White, Michael Strahan and Chris Doleman-four of the top five leaders in career sacks. They totaled 54.5 sacks at age 32. The remaining 24 totaled 150 sacks and averaged just 6.3 at age 32. That's the group that better projects Kerney's future and that's why following his second season ending injury in three seasons, Kerney can no longer be counted on to be a great defensive end.

But he's good. Around him Seattle has talent and depth. It picked up a slimmed down Cory Redding in the Julian Peterson deal and plans on making him a two-down end. Redding was a good player on a botched defense. He's not high-motor; he's weapons grade plutonium. He explodes off the snap. He reappears where the ball carrier is and delivers the hurt. He's not a premier pass rusher, but entering his prime it's still within him. If not singularly great against the pass, he does enough against the pass and the run to be valuable. Unfortunately, he's recovering from a knee injury that might endanger his career. His move to end is in part a move of necessity.

Kerney and Redding are the presumed starters, but in the wings are pass-rush demon Darryl Tapp, developing tools prospect Baraka Atkins, and the physically gifted Lawrence Jackson. Tapp is my personal favorite. Tapp is consistently disruptive. Fans undervalue him because he's yet to produce double-digit sacks, but he's capable. When he's not tackling the quarterback, he is disrupting the quarterback's timing and forcing premature passes. Tapp is from the Dwight Freeney School of defensive ends and his gusto to get to the quarterback often leaves him out of position to defend the run and incapable of sealing the edge. He could be as a good as Robert Mathis, but first Seattle must free him to play.

Atkins is potential making good and in his limited looks last season, he out-produced rookie Lawrence Jackson. The two are kind: Tall, rangy, powerfully built and athletic, but not very skilled and no sure thing to ever be very good. Jackson played on a bad foot all season, but c'mon. He started 14 and never once appeared on the official injury report. Jackson's problem is that he lacks NFL-ready pass rush moves. As the season continued as frustration mounted, he began quitting on plays. There's still a ton of talent inside the guy. More raw talent than any other Seahawks defensive end, but a player can bust fast and after frustratingly bad first season, harbingers of bust loom.

The player that pushes this ranking to a "B" is Mr. Everything Aaron Curry. Curry is auditioning as a situational end. Seattle played Julian Peterson in the role and he embarrassed many a good offensive tackle. Curry has Peterson+ speed and is a chiseled 254, but he lacks Peteron's agility. He's close. And if he can get there, he would be a ransacking nightmare with no clear counter. If he can get there.

With two B's and two C's is pretty clear who the top two and bottom two teams would be, but setting the order from there got a bit more tricky.

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So basically Darnell Dockett lead the way to the top ranking but how comfortable are you with the defensive end position? With DD and CC prove to be quality starters and how will they measure up to their counterparts in the West?

NFC West Position-by-Position: Defensive End

Fooch — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:00:11 -0000

This week we fill out the defensive line, looking at the defensive end position. Even though the various NFC West defenses all employ two defensive ends, there are obvious differences given the use of 4-3 and 3-4 defenses. To this point we've addressed defensive/nose tackle, quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, centers, offensive tackles, guards and total offense. The 49ers have a mix of awesome and questionable at defensive end. I won't qualify the options after Justin Smith as bad quite yet. Rather, they are prone to a whole lot of questions. Bad for now, but could turn into good if things play out properly.

We didn't get together a ranking 1-4. I think Seattle and Arizona are close together with San Francisco and St. Louis behind them.

Seattle Seahawks
Blogger: John Morgan
Seattle has numbers and talent at defensive end, but it also has injury concerns and questions marks. Patrick Kerney is the name. He rewarded Seattle with 14.5 sacks in the first year of his six-year, $39.5 million dollar contract. He spent most of the second year on IR. Before his shoulder popped, he was in the midst of another productive season. He had five sacks and two forced fumbles in seven games. Age 32 is a bit of a brick wall for defensive ends. 29 defensive ends, including Kerney at 50, are in the top 50 for career sacks. Those ends averaged 10 sacks at age 30, 9.8 sacks at age 31, but only 7.3 sacks at age 32. Only eight of those 29 reached double digit sacks at 32 and four were Bruce Smith, Reggie White, Michael Strahan and Chris Doleman—four of the top five leaders in career sacks. They totaled 54.5 sacks at age 32. The remaining 24 totaled 150 sacks and averaged just 6.3 at age 32. That’s the group that better projects Kerney’s future and that’s why following his second season ending injury in three seasons, Kerney can no longer be counted on to be a great defensive end.

But he’s good. Around him Seattle has talent and depth. It picked up a slimmed down Cory Redding in the Julian Peterson deal and plans on making him a two-down end. Redding was a good player on a botched defense. He’s not high-motor; he’s weapons grade plutonium. He explodes off the snap. He reappears where the ball carrier is and delivers the hurt. He’s not a premier pass rusher, but entering his prime it’s still within him. If not singularly great against the pass, he does enough against the pass and the run to be valuable. Unfortunately, he’s recovering from a knee injury that might endanger his career. His move to end is in part a move of necessity.

Kerney and Redding are the presumed starters, but in the wings are pass-rush demon Darryl Tapp, developing tools prospect Baraka Atkins, and the physically gifted Lawrence Jackson. Tapp is my personal favorite. Tapp is consistently disruptive. Fans undervalue him because he’s yet to produce double-digit sacks, but he’s capable. When he’s not tackling the quarterback, he is disrupting the quarterback’s timing and forcing premature passes. Tapp is from the Dwight Freeney School of defensive ends and his gusto to get to the quarterback often leaves him out of position to defend the run and incapable of sealing the edge. He could be as a good as Robert Mathis, but first Seattle must free him to play.

Atkins is potential making good and in his limited looks last season, he out-produced rookie Lawrence Jackson. The two are kind: Tall, rangy, powerfully built and athletic, but not very skilled and no sure thing to ever be very good. Jackson played on a bad foot all season, but c’mon. He started 14 and never once appeared on the official injury report. Jackson’s problem is that he lacks NFL-ready pass rush moves. As the season continued as frustration mounted, he began quitting on plays. There’s still a ton of talent inside the guy. More raw talent than any other Seahawks defensive end, but a player can bust fast and after frustratingly bad first season, harbingers of bust loom.

The player that pushes this ranking to a "B" is Mr. Everything Aaron Curry. Curry is auditioning as a situational end. Seattle played Julian Peterson in the role and he embarrassed many a good offensive tackle. Curry has Peterson+ speed and is a chiseled 254, but he lacks Peteron’s agility. He’s close. And if he can get there, he would be a ransacking nightmare with no clear counter. If he can get there.

Arizona Cardinals
Blogger: cgolden
After playing an odd hybrid defense for a couple of years, the Cardinals are finally settling into a 3-4 front and of course that'll effect the defensive ends. The good news is that the starters at end are virtually set in stone and the depth at the position is pretty decent but the bad news is that no one is quite sure what to expect of the guys who play the position.

The team's best defensive lineman, Darnell Dockett, will be making the move from tackle to end but he doesn't seem terribly pleased with the move and some question whether it's the best position for his skill set. At tackle, DD was able to shoot gaps and penetrate into the backfield of opposing backfields, creating havoc and picking up the occasion sack, but his responsibilities should be very different as a 3-4 DE. We'll have to wait and see how he handles a role that's built more for facilitating others to make plays as opposed to being a play maker. Either way, most expect Dockett to step in and immediately become one of the better 3-4 defensive ends in the league.

Across from Dockett will be Calais Campbell, who was drafted in the second round last year. Campbell's size (6-8, 282) makes him unique and his athleticism, at that size, makes him special. He surprised everyone by starring on special teams last year and as long as he can consistently keep his pad level low, most expect him to compare favorably to recently departed Antonio Smith. Coming out of Miami he had the reputation as a guy who could get to the quarterback and he flashed his pass rush ability a couple of times last year but his test will be when teams decide to run directly at him.

The top backup at both end spots should be another second year defensive end, Kenny Iwebema, as long as he recovers from a surprise surgery to remove a 'growth' in his chest. By all reports the surgery was a success and everyone expects him to be ready by training camp, but ultimately we won't know until he puts on pads. Last year during camp Iwebema drew rave reviews for his strength and even had some veteran lineman saying that he was virtually unmoveable at the point of attack. When the Cardinals were hurting for a nose tackle late in the preseason and even the regular season opener, they turned to Iwebema as the backup and he didn't disapoint. Pass rushing isn't his greatest strength but he did register two sacks in the preseason last year. While he's projected as a backup, he could still get considerable playing time especially against teams that run the ball more often than they pass.

The battle for the fourth defensive end will likely come down to two undrafted second year players, Keilien Dykes and Jason Banks. The frontrunner, Dykes, spent last year on the practice squad after starring at West Virginia as a defensive tackle. He won't offer much in the pass rush department but he's strong at the point of attack and versatile enough to line up at nose tackle in a pinch. Banks was a raw prospect coming out of Grambling State but he's got better size and more athleticism that Dykes. He probably offers more against the pass but we'll have to wait until training camp to see how it plays out.

The only guy we haven't mentioned yet is Bertrand Berry and that's because no is quite sure where he'll line up. He doesn't have the size to play defensive end but most don't think he can handle a full transition to an outside linebacker spot. He was the teams best pass rusher last year though so there's a thought that he might just come in as a situational pass rusher from multiple positions.

Overall the defensive end spot looks pretty solid but maybe that's just because there isn't a great deal (stat-wise) that's expected from 3-4 defensive ends. The depth chart is stacked with young talent and Dockett has the potential to be a great player no matter where he lines up. In my mind, Dockett is an A and the rest of the group is a C so we'll split and difference and give the Cardinals' defensive ends a grade of B.

San Francisco 49ers
Blogger: Fooch
The 49ers are in an odd position in terms of their defensive ends. After bouncing back and forth between a 4-3 and 3-4, they finally settled into a base 3-4 when Mike Singletary took over. Defensive ends in the two formations have different roles, so going back and forth was doing nothing for any sort of consistency.

The 49ers best defensive end is of course Justin Smith. The team signed him to a good sized contract prior to last season and he has met expectations. His numbers might not reflect it, but he did a bang-up job for the 49ers. Before settling in as a 3-4 defensive lineman, Smith actually played 6 of the possible 7 DL/LB positions at some point. As impressive as that might be, it also shows the lack of a defensive identity. Once the team switched to a full-time 3-4, Smith settled in at right defensive end. Smith is a bit undersized for a 3-4 defensive end, but he did not miss a snap last season and 49ers fans look forward to more of the same this season.

Smith is the easy part of the equation. The rest of the defensive ends raise plenty of questions. Isaac Sopoaga has bounced around from DT to DE and in fact might be best suited for the 4-3. While he'll get plenty of opportunities this season, time is ticking on him. He'll be competing with 2008 first round pick Kentwan Balmer for playing time. Balmer did next to nothing last season, leaving many 49ers fans frustrated. However, he's been working with Justin Smith this offseason and one hopes that a little bit of Smith's production will dust off on Balmer. This preseason will be huge for Balmer. Many think Sopoaga will have the starting job initially, but a big training camp could mean big things for Balmer. It's too early to call him a bust, but this season is definitely a big one for him to see some improvement.

The 49ers signed Demetric Evans in the offseason to add some depth to the defensive end position. He's undersized for a traditional 3-4 defensive end so it'll be interesting to see how the 49ers utilize him. The other part to this puzzle is Ray McDonald. McDonald has serious pass rush skills when he's not jumping off sides. McDonald has had injury problems and is currently recovering from one such knee problem. There's a decent chance he starts the season on the PUP list, thus limiting his early season chances. When healthy I see him as a pass rush specialist. It'd be nice if he could develop into an every down defensive end, but at this point I don't know if that will happen. The injuries are an issue, but also I don't know if he has the discipline to be an every down type of guy.

If this was just about Justin Smith I'd give the unit an A. At this point there are so many questions on the left defensive end side that I'm going to have to go with a C. If I was convinced Balmer would step up this year I'd give it a B. However, numerous questions remain at the LDE.

St. Louis Rams
Blogger: VanRam
Without a doubt this unit could use another edge rusher, but the top of the depth chart combo os Chris Long and Leonard Little is solid. One represents the future, one the past. The one representing the past will be limited on the amount of snaps he sees in order to keep him fresh. They'll hope that Little has enough juice left to play that role. In 14 games last season, Little made six sacks. With better play in the middle of the line and a true middle linebacker finally on board, that should help the DEs.

Chris Long has a bright future with the Rams, and the question is what level will he make it to. Some see a top-flight DE, others see a "mere" Grant Wistrom. Long possesses athleticism and toughness, but his instincts for the game (and a tireless dedication to be better) make him a stand out. In Spagnuolo and Flajole's defense, he'll be lined up on the outside should of the offensive tackle, where he doesn't have to overpower them and can get a good angle into the backfield.

Behind Long and Little is another May/December combo. James Hall led the team in sacks last year, but he's a year older than Little and will be used sparingly. Victor Adeyanju has been a useful role player for the Rams as a run defender, thanks to his speed and athleticism. On the rush, he's a bit more of a project, but he did pick up two sacks last year. Resigned as a restricted free agent, the new coaching staff believes very strongly that they can find his inner pass rusher. After all, Spagnuolo has a noted history of elevating unheard of defensive linemen.

Making the mix more interesting will be some sets that feature four DEs across the line. Often that will be Adeyanju and Hall, but look for Long to make an appearance or two in that role.

Finding another DE will be an offseason priority, but for now this mix gets a solid C.

NFC West Roundtable: Defensive End

John Morgan — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:51:33 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

Seattle lacks a single premier pass rusher, but it has a battalion of potential bad asses.

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Seattle has numbers and talent at defensive end, but it also has injury concerns and questions marks. Patrick Kerney is the name. He rewarded Seattle with 14.5 sacks in the first year of his six-year, $39.5 million dollar contract. He spent most of the second year on IR. Before his shoulder popped, he was in the midst of another productive season. He had five sacks and two forced fumbles in seven games. Age 32 is a bit of a brick wall for defensive ends. 29 defensive ends, including Kerney at 50, are in the top 50 for career sacks. Those ends averaged 10 sacks at age 30, 9.8 sacks at age 31, but only 7.3 sacks at age 32. Only eight of those 29 reached double digit sacks at 32 and four were Bruce Smith, Reggie White, Michael Strahan and Chris Doleman—four of the top five leaders in career sacks. They totaled 54.5 sacks at age 32. The remaining 24 totaled 150 sacks and averaged just 6.3 at age 32. That’s the group that better projects Kerney’s future and that’s why following his second season ending injury in three seasons, Kerney can no longer be counted on to be a great defensive end.

But he’s good. Around him Seattle has talent and depth. It picked up a slimmed down Cory Redding in the Julian Peterson deal and plans on making him a two-down end. Redding was a good player on a botched defense. He’s not high-motor; he’s weapons grade plutonium. He explodes off the snap. He reappears where the ball carrier is and delivers the hurt. He’s not a premier pass rusher, but entering his prime it’s still within him. If not singularly great against the pass, he does enough against the pass and the run to be valuable. Unfortunately, he’s recovering from a knee injury that might endanger his career. His move to end is in part a move of necessity.

Kerney and Redding are the presumed starters, but in the wings are pass-rush demon Darryl Tapp, developing tools prospect Baraka Atkins, and the physically gifted Lawrence Jackson. Tapp is my personal favorite. Tapp is consistently disruptive. Fans undervalue him because he’s yet to produce double-digit sacks, but he’s capable. When he’s not tackling the quarterback, he is disrupting the quarterback’s timing and forcing premature passes. Tapp is from the Dwight Freeney School of defensive ends and his gusto to get to the quarterback often leaves him out of position to defend the run and incapable of sealing the edge. He could be as a good as Robert Mathis, but first Seattle must free him to play.

Atkins is potential making good and in his limited looks last season, he out-produced rookie Lawrence Jackson. The two are kind: Tall, rangy, powerfully built and athletic, but not very skilled and no sure thing to ever be very good. Jackson played on a bad foot all season, but c’mon. He started 14 and never once appeared on the official injury report. Jackson’s problem is that he lacks NFL-ready pass rush moves. As the season continued as frustration mounted, he began quitting on plays. There’s still a ton of talent inside the guy. More raw talent than any other Seahawks defensive end, but a player can bust fast and after frustratingly bad first season, harbingers of bust loom.

The player that pushes this ranking to a "B" is Mr. Everything Aaron Curry. Curry is auditioning as a situational end. Seattle played Julian Peterson in the role and he embarrassed many a good offensive tackle. Curry has Peterson+ speed and is a chiseled 254, but he lacks Peteron’s agility. He’s close. And if he can get there, he would be a ransacking nightmare with no clear counter. If he can get there.

Arizona Cardinals
Blogger: cgolden

After playing an odd hybrid defense for a couple of years, the Cardinals are finally settling into a 3-4 front and of course that'll effect the defensive ends. The good news is that the starters at end are virtually set in stone and the depth at the position is pretty decent but the bad news is that no one is quite sure what to expect of the guys who play the position.

The team's best defensive lineman, Darnell Dockett, will be making the move from tackle to end but he doesn't seem terribly pleased with the move and some question whether it's the best position for his skill set. At tackle, DD was able to shoot gaps and penetrate into the backfield of opposing backfields, creating havoc and picking up the occasion sack, but his responsibilities should be very different as a 3-4 DE. We'll have to wait and see how he handles a role that's built more for facilitating others to make plays as opposed to being a play maker. Either way, most expect Dockett to step in and immediately become one of the better 3-4 defensive ends in the league.

Across from Dockett will be Calais Campbell, who was drafted in the second round last year. Campbell's size (6-8, 282) makes him unique and his athleticism, at that size, makes him special. He surprised everyone by starring on special teams last year and as long as he can consistently keep his pad level low, most expect him to compare favorably to recently departed Antonio Smith. Coming out of Miami he had the reputation as a guy who could get to the quarterback and he flashed his pass rush ability a couple of times last year but his test will be when teams decide to run directly at him.

The top backup at both end spots should be another second year defensive end, Kenny Iwebema, as long as he recovers from a surprise surgery to remove a 'growth' in his chest. By all reports the surgery was a success and everyone expects him to be ready by training camp, but ultimately we won't know until he puts on pads. Last year during camp Iwebema drew rave reviews for his strength and even had some veteran lineman saying that he was virtually unmoveable at the point of attack. When the Cardinals were hurting for a nose tackle late in the preseason and even the regular season opener, they turned to Iwebema as the backup and he didn't disapoint. Pass rushing isn't his greatest strength but he did register two sacks in the preseason last year. While he's projected as a backup, he could still get considerable playing time especially against teams that run the ball more often than they pass.

The battle for the fourth defensive end will likely come down to two undrafted second year players, Keilien Dykes and Jason Banks. The frontrunner, Dykes, spent last year on the practice squad after starring at West Virginia as a defensive tackle. He won't offer much in the pass rush department but he's strong at the point of attack and versatile enough to line up at nose tackle in a pinch. Banks was a raw prospect coming out of Grambling State but he's got better size and more athleticism that Dykes. He probably offers more against the pass but we'll have to wait until training camp to see how it plays out.

The only guy we haven't mentioned yet is Bertrand Berry and that's because no is quite sure where he'll line up. He doesn't have the size to play defensive end but most don't think he can handle a full transition to an outside linebacker spot. He was the teams best pass rusher last year though so there's a thought that he might just come in as a situational pass rusher from multiple positions.

Overall the defensive end spot looks pretty solid but maybe that's just because there isn't a great deal (stat-wise) that's expected from 3-4 defensive ends. The depth chart is stacked with young talent and Dockett has the potential to be a great player no matter where he lines up. In my mind, Dockett is an A and the rest of the group is a C so we'll split and difference and give the Cardinals' defensive ends a grade of B.

San Francisco 49ers
Blogger: Fooch

The 49ers are in an odd position in terms of their defensive ends. After bouncing back and forth between a 4-3 and 3-4, they finally settled into a base 3-4 when Mike Singletary took over. Defensive ends in the two formations have different roles, so going back and forth was doing nothing for any sort of consistency.

The 49ers best defensive end is of course Justin Smith. The team signed him to a good sized contract prior to last season and he has met expectations. His numbers might not reflect it, but he did a bang-up job for the 49ers. Before settling in as a 3-4 defensive lineman, Smith actually played 6 of the possible 7 DL/LB positions at some point. As impressive as that might be, it also shows the lack of a defensive identity. Once the team switched to a full-time 3-4, Smith settled in at right defensive end. Smith is a bit undersized for a 3-4 defensive end, but he did not miss a snap last season and 49ers fans look forward to more of the same this season.

Smith is the easy part of the equation. The rest of the defensive ends raise plenty of questions. Isaac Sopoaga has bounced around from DT to DE and in fact might be best suited for the 4-3. While he'll get plenty of opportunities this season, time is ticking on him. He'll be competing with 2008 first round pick Kentwan Balmer for playing time. Balmer did next to nothing last season, leaving many 49ers fans frustrated. However, he's been working with Justin Smith this offseason and one hopes that a little bit of Smith's production will dust off on Balmer. This preseason will be huge for Balmer. Many think Sopoaga will have the starting job initially, but a big training camp could mean big things for Balmer. It's too early to call him a bust, but this season is definitely a big one for him to see some improvement.

The 49ers signed Demetric Evans in the offseason to add some depth to the defensive end position. He's undersized for a traditional 3-4 defensive end so it'll be interesting to see how the 49ers utilize him. The other part to this puzzle is Ray McDonald. McDonald has serious pass rush skills when he's not jumping off sides. McDonald has had injury problems and is currently recovering from one such knee problem. There's a decent chance he starts the season on the PUP list, thus limiting his early season chances. When healthy I see him as a pass rush specialist. It'd be nice if he could develop into an every down defensive end, but at this point I don't know if that will happen. The injuries are an issue, but also I don't know if he has the discipline to be an every down type of guy.

If this was just about Justin Smith I'd give the unit an A. At this point there are so many questions on the left defensive end side that I'm going to have to go with a C. If I was convinced Balmer would step up this year I'd give it a B. However, numerous questions remain at the LDE.

Turf Show Times
Blogger: VanRam

Without a doubt this unit could use another edge rusher, but the top of the depth chart combo os Chris Long and Leonard Little is solid. One represents the future, one the past. The one representing the past will be limited on the amount of snaps he sees in order to keep him fresh. They'll hope that Little has enough juice left to play that role. In 14 games last season, Little made six sacks. With better play in the middle of the line and a true middle linebacker finally on board, that should help the DEs.

Making the mix more interesting will be some sets that feature four DEs across the line. Often that will be Adeyanju and Hall, but look for Long to make an appearance or two in that role.

Finding another DE will be an offseason priority, but for now this mix gets a solid C.

Arizona Cardinals Pre-Training Camp Roster Projections: Defensive Ends

Hawkwind — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:54:42 -0000

More photos » by Matt York - AP

6 months ago: Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt watches his defense run drills during the NFL football team's minicamp Wednesday, June 10, 2009, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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We've looked at the Arizona Cardinals safeties, corner backs, inside linebackers and outside linebackers but today we move to the trenches and take a look at the defensive ends. The Redbirds biggest loss this off season Antonio Smith who flew the coup for the Houston Texans and $35 million over the course of five years. Other than Smith, the rest of the depth chart returns intact and the open spot looks like it will be filled by an internal candidate. Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell are the projected starters and Dockett will be a key to the success of the defensive line. There are a couple of guys who are capable of playing both defensive end and tackle but we'll do our best to lay out all the possibilities.

Locks

Darnell Dockett, Calais Campbell, Kenny Iwebema

On the Bubble

Keilen Dykes, Jason Banks

At best either Dykes or Banks will make the roster but it certainly won't be both, unless one of the top three is injured during camp. A couple of defensive line 'tweeners' like Bryan Robinson and Rodney Leslie could also see some time end and it's possible that one of them could end up being the fourth DE on the roster. I also wouldn't completely dimiss the idea of Alan Branch seeing some time at end during training camp. He's failed miserably at tackle so far but with his size he could be a decent option at end in non-passing situations and he's practiced at the position in the past. Just for the record, Dykes and Banks are both still eligible for the practice squad.

Keilen Dykes: It's no secret that ROTB has been one of Dykes biggest supporters since he was signed as a undrafted free agent last year. A quad injury limited him early in training camp last year and he was never quite able to get back up to speed. At West Virginia Dykes was a four year starter, team captain and first team All-Big East and he carries the reputation as a hard worker and a solid locker room presence. Most of Dykes experience has been at tackle but his size (6'3 294) is better suited at end in a 3-4. Dykes' best case scenerio for this season would be to earn a role in the defensive line rotation and give Dockett and/or Campbell a breather in non-passing situations.

Jason Banks: Banks is essentially in the exact same boat as Dykes considering that he's also an undrafted free agent from one year ago. Banks does have a slight size advantage over Dykes (6'5 300) and he's a better overall athlete but he's very raw. Coming out of Grambling State the book on Banks was that he'd been through four defensive line coaches in as many years so his technique was undeveloped. Banks spent last year on and off the Cardinals practice squad but he's got the physical tools to be an NFL player. It's just a matter of when or if his technique catches up to his physical talents. His best scenerio is the same at Dykes.

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If you don't think that Robinson or Leslie will figure into the mix at defensive end than the battle is simply Dykes versus Banks. If Robinson, Leslie or even Branch see extended time at end then Dykes and Banks could be fighting for nothing more than a spot on this year's practice squad. It's also worth mentioning that Iwebema's health will be something to watch in training camp. I know his operation went well and he's expected to make a full recovery but an operation on the chest area is still something that could linger. So who makes the cut and who gets their "walking papers?" Are you comfortable with the depth at end?