bullg8rdaddy
11-10-2010, 10:41 PM
I will give out my roster/position grades first:
Quarterbacks
Freeman - B+
Johnson - INC
Carpenter - INC
Notes: For the season: 146/246 (59.3%) for 1722 yards 10 TDs/5 INTs with a rating of 85.8; 12th in the NFC in completion percentage; 7th in yards; 8th in yards per attempt; 7th in TDs; 3rd in least INTs; 8th (80) in 1st downs passing; 4th (25)for passes 25+ yards; t-3rd (6) for passes 40+ yards; 8th in rating.
1. Progress in year 2. I think we can all agree, Freeman is progressing faster than most have imagined at this point. Everyone has heard enough about his fourth quarter comebacks, but it's really important that he has the confidence of the team and staff to do this. Confidence in sports can never be undervalued. Totally cut down on his 18 INTs from his 9 starts last year, that's obvious. This makes me think that he is buying into the live to fight another day mantra that coaches preach. I think I have only seen him do this twice all year, Arizona game late when he took the sack instead of throwing the ball away and against Atlanta where he tried to lob the ball to Mike Williams before he got hit and it got intercepted by Babineaux. Again, to see this from him, at this stage in his career is very indicative of his maturity and vision of the big picture. His accuracy still needs improvement, but I will give him a pass because this is basically and new WR corps for him to work with. I think everyone shoots for 60%+ and remember hearing this as a knock against him coming out of Kansas St., I will wait to ding him on it till next year. 2. Leadership. I remembering reading about all the off-season work and prep he was doing and was excited to see what results it would have, I think that it's clear that we have a very talented young man who is willing to max out his physical talents with hard work. Can't say that for many athletes these days. Very important that our leader and Captain sets this example. Loved hearing some of Josh's sound bites from NFL.com, he's cool under pressure as he is in post game interviews. Never too high and never too low. I would like to mention that I like how he doesn't dress down any teammates on the field. There was a pass against Atlanta where Mike Williams ran the wrong route and pass fell incomplete, Williams knew it and put his head down. Josh didn't let it faze him one bit.
What I would like to see in the second half: a. Get better at going through his progressions. (1st option to 2nd option, etc....)b. Continue to stay healthy and get down when he decides to run. c. get better at throwing the ball away when he has to. d. as with most young QBs, that he doesn't fall into the habit of locking onto his 1st option e. Keep testing opposing defenses down field.
Running Backs/Full Backs
Williams - D
Blount - C+
Lumpkin - INC
Huggins - INC
Graham - INC
Lorig - D+
Note: For the season Cadillac has 92 carries for 225 yards (2.4 avg) and 0 rushing TDs in 8 games. Blount has 56 carries for 268 yards (4.8 avg) and 3 rushing TDs in 5 games.
Among rookies, Blount has the 2nd highest rushing avg.; 4th most carries; 4th most yards; 2nd most rushing TDs; longest run(48 yards); 4th most runs for 1st downs(12); 1 fumble.
Williams - Everyone who has been paying attention knows that Cadillac has been through alot. He's able to catch passes out of the back field, properly pick up the blitz and protect the football. Just seems like he isn't effective as an every down back anymore. I feel, as do most Buc fans, that he should be relegated to third down RB as soon as LeGarrette picks up his responsibilities in pass pro. Blount - I have to say that I have been rooting for Blount ever since 2008 season at Oregon and especially since we signed him when the Titans released him. The first half of the season, when Blount was in at RB, he seems to really ignite the team and hardly ever goes down on first contact. Same doesn't look like it can be said about Cadillac. The things I notice about Blount is that he doesn't dance around alot behind the line of scrimmage. I have no idea how many times he decides to make his own cut and take the play where he wants it, but I can remember 2 plays where he has success and failure. First play was against Arizona in the fourth when we were lined up deep in our own territory. It looked like he was supposed to go inside and he ended up bouncing it around RT and broke off that long 48 yarder. I was pleasantly surprised at his speed on that play. Second instance that he clearly freelanced was against Atlanta, and I think everyone knows how that ended up. Love his power. Love that he seems to say the right things in interviews and praises the vets at his position. Huggins - Can't wait to see if Huggins can return to 100% next year. I wasn't able to watch any preseason games so I can't say that I have seen his speed. Graham - I don't pray but I will keep him and his family in my thoughts since the passing of his mother. I hope to see him more in the second half. Lorig - Going to need some work before we see any production out of him, pretty sure most would agree as well. I understand that he has some time at TE at Stanford. It sucked that Free was rushed and couldn't have gotten him the ball to him in a better spot for him to succeed against Atlanta. As an aside, I love the Jumbo Set where we had Roy Miller lined up at FB.
What I want to see in the second half: Hope Blount can a. stay out of trouble b. keep his nose down c. continue to play with a chip on his shoulder d. give us the type of power and production we haven't seen since A-Train. As for Cadillac, I think we might start to see less of him in the second half. It looks like the team is intent on getting these rookies out there and letting them learn from their mistakes and grow with Freeman. Want to see Graham get some opportunities in the passing game, too. .
Wide Receivers
Williams - B+
Benn - C+
Spurlock - B+
Stroughter - D+
Stovall - D-
Parker - D-
Tight Ends
Winslow - B
Gilmore - C-
Purvis - INC
Offensive Line
Penn - B+
Larsen - B
Zuttah - C+
Joseph - C
Lee - C
Faine - INC
Trueblood - INC
Hardman - INC
Barker - INC
Defensive Line
White - D-
McCoy - C
Miller - C-
Moore - D
Price - INC
Crowder - D
Sims - D-
Bennett - D-
Woods - INC
Magee - INC
Linebackers
Hayes - B-
Ruud - C-
Black - C+
Watson - C+
Hayward - B
Koutouvides - INC
Cornerbacks
Talib - A-
Barber - B
Biggers - B
Lewis - INC
Mack - INC
Safeties
Jones - D
Grimm - C+
Piscitelli - C
Lynch - C+
Special Teams
Barth - B+
Malone - B-
Economos - A
Spurlock - A-
Parker - D
Quarterbacks
Freeman - B+
Johnson - INC
Carpenter - INC
Notes: For the season: 146/246 (59.3%) for 1722 yards 10 TDs/5 INTs with a rating of 85.8; 12th in the NFC in completion percentage; 7th in yards; 8th in yards per attempt; 7th in TDs; 3rd in least INTs; 8th (80) in 1st downs passing; 4th (25)for passes 25+ yards; t-3rd (6) for passes 40+ yards; 8th in rating.
1. Progress in year 2. I think we can all agree, Freeman is progressing faster than most have imagined at this point. Everyone has heard enough about his fourth quarter comebacks, but it's really important that he has the confidence of the team and staff to do this. Confidence in sports can never be undervalued. Totally cut down on his 18 INTs from his 9 starts last year, that's obvious. This makes me think that he is buying into the live to fight another day mantra that coaches preach. I think I have only seen him do this twice all year, Arizona game late when he took the sack instead of throwing the ball away and against Atlanta where he tried to lob the ball to Mike Williams before he got hit and it got intercepted by Babineaux. Again, to see this from him, at this stage in his career is very indicative of his maturity and vision of the big picture. His accuracy still needs improvement, but I will give him a pass because this is basically and new WR corps for him to work with. I think everyone shoots for 60%+ and remember hearing this as a knock against him coming out of Kansas St., I will wait to ding him on it till next year. 2. Leadership. I remembering reading about all the off-season work and prep he was doing and was excited to see what results it would have, I think that it's clear that we have a very talented young man who is willing to max out his physical talents with hard work. Can't say that for many athletes these days. Very important that our leader and Captain sets this example. Loved hearing some of Josh's sound bites from NFL.com, he's cool under pressure as he is in post game interviews. Never too high and never too low. I would like to mention that I like how he doesn't dress down any teammates on the field. There was a pass against Atlanta where Mike Williams ran the wrong route and pass fell incomplete, Williams knew it and put his head down. Josh didn't let it faze him one bit.
What I would like to see in the second half: a. Get better at going through his progressions. (1st option to 2nd option, etc....)b. Continue to stay healthy and get down when he decides to run. c. get better at throwing the ball away when he has to. d. as with most young QBs, that he doesn't fall into the habit of locking onto his 1st option e. Keep testing opposing defenses down field.
Running Backs/Full Backs
Williams - D
Blount - C+
Lumpkin - INC
Huggins - INC
Graham - INC
Lorig - D+
Note: For the season Cadillac has 92 carries for 225 yards (2.4 avg) and 0 rushing TDs in 8 games. Blount has 56 carries for 268 yards (4.8 avg) and 3 rushing TDs in 5 games.
Among rookies, Blount has the 2nd highest rushing avg.; 4th most carries; 4th most yards; 2nd most rushing TDs; longest run(48 yards); 4th most runs for 1st downs(12); 1 fumble.
Williams - Everyone who has been paying attention knows that Cadillac has been through alot. He's able to catch passes out of the back field, properly pick up the blitz and protect the football. Just seems like he isn't effective as an every down back anymore. I feel, as do most Buc fans, that he should be relegated to third down RB as soon as LeGarrette picks up his responsibilities in pass pro. Blount - I have to say that I have been rooting for Blount ever since 2008 season at Oregon and especially since we signed him when the Titans released him. The first half of the season, when Blount was in at RB, he seems to really ignite the team and hardly ever goes down on first contact. Same doesn't look like it can be said about Cadillac. The things I notice about Blount is that he doesn't dance around alot behind the line of scrimmage. I have no idea how many times he decides to make his own cut and take the play where he wants it, but I can remember 2 plays where he has success and failure. First play was against Arizona in the fourth when we were lined up deep in our own territory. It looked like he was supposed to go inside and he ended up bouncing it around RT and broke off that long 48 yarder. I was pleasantly surprised at his speed on that play. Second instance that he clearly freelanced was against Atlanta, and I think everyone knows how that ended up. Love his power. Love that he seems to say the right things in interviews and praises the vets at his position. Huggins - Can't wait to see if Huggins can return to 100% next year. I wasn't able to watch any preseason games so I can't say that I have seen his speed. Graham - I don't pray but I will keep him and his family in my thoughts since the passing of his mother. I hope to see him more in the second half. Lorig - Going to need some work before we see any production out of him, pretty sure most would agree as well. I understand that he has some time at TE at Stanford. It sucked that Free was rushed and couldn't have gotten him the ball to him in a better spot for him to succeed against Atlanta. As an aside, I love the Jumbo Set where we had Roy Miller lined up at FB.
What I want to see in the second half: Hope Blount can a. stay out of trouble b. keep his nose down c. continue to play with a chip on his shoulder d. give us the type of power and production we haven't seen since A-Train. As for Cadillac, I think we might start to see less of him in the second half. It looks like the team is intent on getting these rookies out there and letting them learn from their mistakes and grow with Freeman. Want to see Graham get some opportunities in the passing game, too. .
Wide Receivers
Williams - B+
Benn - C+
Spurlock - B+
Stroughter - D+
Stovall - D-
Parker - D-
Tight Ends
Winslow - B
Gilmore - C-
Purvis - INC
Offensive Line
Penn - B+
Larsen - B
Zuttah - C+
Joseph - C
Lee - C
Faine - INC
Trueblood - INC
Hardman - INC
Barker - INC
Defensive Line
White - D-
McCoy - C
Miller - C-
Moore - D
Price - INC
Crowder - D
Sims - D-
Bennett - D-
Woods - INC
Magee - INC
Linebackers
Hayes - B-
Ruud - C-
Black - C+
Watson - C+
Hayward - B
Koutouvides - INC
Cornerbacks
Talib - A-
Barber - B
Biggers - B
Lewis - INC
Mack - INC
Safeties
Jones - D
Grimm - C+
Piscitelli - C
Lynch - C+
Special Teams
Barth - B+
Malone - B-
Economos - A
Spurlock - A-
Parker - D