Camp is around the corner. Talk to me about matchups

[Jeremy Igo]

This that time of year that I ask all of you who you are most excited about or match ups you are interested in.

Brian Burns has had as little hype for a first round pick in recent memory. Not sure why, seems like an exciting player

[Adb6368]

2 offensive tackle spots for 3 players: a former all-pro, last year's breakout player, and this year's second round pick.

Getting this decision right may be he difference between the playoffs and a new coach coming in during the summer of 2020.

[Captain Morgan]

Left side of the O-line.  Can Little win the job at LT?

[Pup McBarky]

Little vs. Burns or Irvin.

WRs vs. CBs - how does Cockrell look after injury

Guards vs. McCoy and KK

Cam vs. shoulder

FS vs. ineptitude

[Go DJ that's my DJ]

Can ANYONE play FS?

[BrianS]

You know what I'm looking forward to?  All of the matchups.  We have good competition across the board, with the possible exception of FS.  What's even better is that the competition is both within each position / group and then offense vs defense.  We have a good offense, it's going to challenge our defense every day.  We have a good defense, it's going to challenge our offense every day.  Looking at our roster, we're going to have to let go of some NFL caliber players in cutdowns.  We're a good team on paper.  It's up to our coaches to turn that potential into performance.

[countryboi]

Who is going to backup CMC and is he going to get any touches?

[jfra78]

Can Cam throw the deep ball. This is the storyline im waiting to see, and will answer many questions about how good our team is.

[Go DJ that's my DJ]

47 minutes ago, stbugs said:

And LG? We’ve talked a bunch about tackles and we have 3 competing but LG is still a big hole to be filled. Van Roten, like Clark, started off looking OK and then fell apart as the season went a long. He’s a backup. I don’t want Cam to get blasted by Donald week 1 because we didn’t find someone better at LG.

I would figure the looser of the tackle position slides in, but I cant count on the rookie to step up, if healthy I know Daryl or Moton could do the job so its a tough decision.

[CBDellinger]

Everything about the defense is going to be interesting.  How much do they flip btwn fronts, how do they line up in nickle, how do they use shaq, does Jackson make a leap in year 2, Bradberry in a contract year, can Burns contribute right away, that DLine tho... and Rons calling the plays from the hot seat. 

They need to defense to come together quickly.

 

[ncsfinest21]

O line vs D line. With our D-line looking like a top 3 d line our o line along with the experience of the d line. Our oline should be ready for anybody. I just pray injuries dont plague us and health isnt a concern. Also, I want to see Moore go against Jackson. With the speed of Jackson, Moore will have to be alot more savvy (he already is) in his route running. Also, I want to see how this 3-4 defense is going to work. Im so accustom to the 4-3. Its definitely going to help against the slants and underneath passes to fill the gaps but I want to see how much pressure it will generate on the QB.

 

[ellis]

Chemistry in the secondary. I’ll be looking to see who’s directing traffic, and how cohesive they are in live action.

I want to see what Paradis can do on the line against multiple looks with remarkable personnel (99, 93. Etc). Line calls. Technique. I’m curious to see all of it.

I’m dying to see 26 on 12. Moore is so damn dynamic, and plays with a nasty streak. Jackson fits that bill too. 

 

[SetfreexX]

In the end I feel the OL shapes up as follows by the first quarter of the season...(barring health)

Little / Williams / Paradis / Turner / Moton.

Marty is on record as saying you don't want to move Moton from RT after how he played last year, Williams off a knee injury + his build + his run blocking / pass pro are even better fits at Guard. You don't pay him $6M to not start so he's going to be out there. 

I feel like the LT position is Little's to lose at this point we traded up in the 2nd round for what the GM / Coach referred to as a franchise LT, and considering the glaring hole there I don't see how we don't start Little there day one. We'll be able to run personnel / plays to help if / when needed, but in my opinion I think this will be our best 5. 

I think GVR / Larsen lead the depth with whoever else they have behind them. I don't think the OL competition is as interesting as some might boast outside of seeing them during the pre-season. 

 

[Lumps]

The oline will be fine. And really has been since the super bowl run (2015 -2nd, 2016- 17th, 2017-10th, 2018-17th) , though consistency is what they struggle with. Not every team is going to have an elite top 5 oline. So if the statistics say we're in the top half of the league (we average #11 best oline in the league since 2015), we are doing well. PFF even predicts we will have the 10TH best oline in the league at least and possibly much higher (https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-nfl-offensive-line-rankings-all-32-teams-units-entering-2019).

I want to see Cam's improved throwing motion and a strong shoulder. Better at reading the field and getting out quick.

It would be nice to see Cam not be called to gain the tough yardage.

Along with Cam, the Dline is the biggest question mark. On paper they're great but (mainly) KK and Poe needs to play better. KK needs to play MUCH better. I think relying on a  rookie will set you up for big disappointment. The rookies will thrive if the vets do, and they're certainly paid to achieve. It's sad to think how much production we got from them last year considering the % of money from the cap they took.

To me those are the big ones but others;

The safety positions are not a question mark. They have been horrible and Reid has been average, when he is looking his best. I'd like to see how well he will play with an offseason being in the league. I'd bet het comes back better than average, he is the disciplined type.

Another match up I'd look for is Moore. The number one WR picked in the 2018  has high expectations.

I expect Jackson in his second year, and Bradberry to look average or slightly above, and even  good if the dlone preforms. That is how our system was built to work.