Rivera clears up running back speculation..

[Nick_81]

I'm betting that if Wegher would have stayed the path at Iowa, this wouldn't be a debate.  Personally, I think he's got more upside than CAP.  I think he's a better RB as well, but I'm no scout.  

[TheWiz]

I really trust coaching, but I think I'm more disappointed that this seems to be a political answer more than a productivity assessment.  

But they went to the Super Bowl last year without asking me a single question. So I'ma just sit over here and pull for whoever puts on that uniform. 

[KB_fan]

Thanks for the update Jeremy, not a surprise really. 

For those wanting us to keep all 5 guys again, here's why that's less likely to happen this year:

1) Last year we only had 3 TEs on the roster for most of the season.  This year we're likely to have 4.

2) We're probably going to keep 6 CBs this year.

3) 5 DTs or 7 LBs are not out of the question.  Ron specifically mentioned such possibilities in one of his post practice press conferences, saying they don't have a target for numbers at various positions, this is not an exact quote, but he said something like "it all depends on who is best - it could be a 5th DT or a 7th LB".  You've got guys like Kyle Love and Jeremy Cash who could be competing with a 5th RB...

It will be very interesting to watch this battle between CAP and Wegher.  Somehow I think that CAP does have a small advantage being drafted.  Yes, both he and Wegher have a year under their belt, but CAP actually saw playing time last year whereas Wegher did not, and there's more of a negative perception about not keeping a draft pick on the 53 than releasing a UDFA.  Not that I think Gettleman really cares about perception, just that it might be a bit of an unconscious bias towards CAP.

 

[pantherclaw]

If the team cuts Wegher, I'll be disappointed. He is one tough SOB, and runs hard. 

That's my kind of RB. 

That's why I'm such a fan of Stewart. Always has been.

[Mr. Scot]

It's a pretty clear statement of where they are on the depth chart. Might be a bit of a leap to say the loser of the competition is automatically off the 53.

That said, KBF is right. The numbers don't look good.

[ShutDwn]

24 minutes ago, KB_fan said:

Thanks for the update Jeremy, not a surprise really. 

For those wanting us to keep all 5 guys again, here's why that's less likely to happen this year:

1) Last year we only had 3 TEs on the roster for most of the season.  This year we're likely to have 4.

 

 

Why would we keep 4 TEs? 

[KB_fan]

Just now, ShutDwn said:

Why would we keep 4 TEs? 

Because we seem to be placing increasing value on them in our offense.  Ron stated that they felt they were short at the position last year with only 3 on the roster after we released Brandon Williams and Richie Brockel. 

I think they're wanting to have the option of running more 2 TE sets.  I don't see us cutting Sandland since he's a very promising draft pick.  He could basically be redshirted on the roster this year seeing very little playing time.  I can't imagine Dickson staying on the roster beyond 2016, so next year it could be Greg, Simonson & Sandland.

TE is a very complex position in our offense, and not easy for a rookie to learn, so I could see us bringing Sandland along slowly.

[TheRed]

Unless Wegher starts fumbling, and getting arrested in his downtime, he has the edge over Artis-Payne at the moment if it comes down to it.

[Castavar]

WIll be interesting if Cap and Wegher go out in preseason and tear it up, while Fozzy performs per usual (average).

[the_philosopher]

I'm a big Rivera fan, but what's the point of a coach saying publicly that a backup player is safe even before the first preseason game? It seems counterproductive to the competitive mindset you want all your players to have. 

[Mr. Scot]

1 hour ago, Nick_81 said:

I'm betting that if Wegher would have stayed the path at Iowa, this wouldn't be a debate.  Personally, I think he's got more upside than CAP.  I think he's a better RB as well, but I'm no scout.  

To be fair, if that had happened, he probably wouldn't have fallen to us as an undrafted player.

[TheRumGone]

have to look at it a different way. Running styles. Fozzy is more of a change of pace scat back/screens type. We know what we have with him though. CAP and wegher are more in the style of Stewart with wegher being the most similar to Stewart. CAP has bruising ability but he is more twitchy and fluid IMO.

Stewart is in his last year here there is no doubt in my mind he is gone after this season. So the coaching staff and DG need to be very cautious with what they do here because the numbers are not adding up. This is a cut/roster spot for the future. My money is on CAP with wegher being the odd man out which sucks because he seems promising and the heir apparent to Stewart while CAP is more like deangelo. Gonna be interesting. 

[Castavar]

1 minute ago, stbugs said:

I agree. Fozzie is a vet, they know what they have, but Stewart may not be hear in 2017. Releasing him gets us $5M in cap space, which may not seem like much, but if CAP/Wegher show flashes, that $5M could help with extending Short, Star, Norwell, Turner, Ealy, Boston, Benwickere, CJohnson (? - maybe if young DEs don't shine) and even guys like Davis/Olsen (how long does they play?), Addison and maybe Remmers. That's a lot of money if we want to keep them all.

I really, really hope that CAP/Wegher play so well in pre-season that Fozzie can be released. No offense to Fozzie, but he's not a guy like Love, Marlowe, Ball, Wegher, etc. who will get plucked from the practice squad/waivers in a second. It would be better for 2016 and after if we could use Fozzie's spot on another player.

Agreed

[ShutDwn]

14 minutes ago, KB_fan said:

Because we seem to be placing increasing value on them in our offense.  Ron stated that they felt they were short at the position last year with only 3 on the roster after we released Brandon Williams and Richie Brockel. 

I think they're wanting to have the option of running more 2 TE sets.  I don't see us cutting Sandland since he's a very promising draft pick.  He could basically be redshirted on the roster this year seeing very little playing time.  I can't imagine Dickson staying on the roster beyond 2016, so next year it could be Greg, Simonson & Sandland.

TE is a very complex position in our offense, and not easy for a rookie to learn, so I could see us bringing Sandland along slowly.

I do recall him mentioning that now but 4 is a lot, especially when none are great blockers and Tolbert fills many TE roles.

Personally I think Wegher is better now and needs less development than both Cash and Sandland.