It's a free for all...

_HD_ wrote:
Datone?  It's all up to you now, buddy...   
 

God, let's hope not. I know he's favoring a bad ankle, but he looked a lot like Jamaal Reynolds playing against KC's 2nd and 3rd stringers. Looked fucking worthless against the run.

_HD_ wrote:Traditionally under McCarthy this team has started out slowly.  I'm far from sold on the Redskins and Bengals, but their record should be interesting come the bye week...

The biggest liability on this team remains the D and the fact that, by now, every O Coordinator in the league has or should have had the opportunity to review the game tape from the Steelers game a couple of years ago through the games to the present, see the consistent patterns and fully understand the liabilities in the Dom Capers D and how to exploit their predictability... Bring the Safety into the box with a run formation.  Go play-action and send your wideouts long to pull the coverage deep...send your slot receiver through to clear out the 'backers from the flats then hammer the void with high percentage passes to your TE/RB coming out of the backfield...or if your QB has mobility--just run for that 10-12 yards.  The whole system relies on consistent QB pressure to work, the Pack just hasn't had that since they inastutely made no effort to retain Cullen Jenkins several years ago and Capers has proven too rigid to adjust.   [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]   This pre-season?  Same fucking thing.

Datone?  It's all up to you now, buddy...   
 

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Agreed, getting pressure up front is first and foremost in making Capers' schemes work.  However, the second component is having DBs who can maintain coverage "on an island."  It remains unclear whether or not we've addressed the former.  Jones and Perry have yet to prove themselves.  However, our secondary is clearly improved.  Cornerback is one of our deepest positions.

Our D actually looked pretty solid against the Seahawks' first string.

It will be interesting to see how this unit does when the real bullets fly.  Fractions of a second mean a lot.  If our pass rush can prove to be disruptive, our secondary should hold up.

A joker in the deck could be Johnny Jolly.  If he and Raji can get any kind of push up the gut our chances will be greatly improved.  Jolly also has an instinctive knack for tipping balls which could be another plus factor.