FP's Preseason Risers

[fieryprophet]

OT Nate Chandler: As has been mentioned elsewhere he's been more than passable in the pass blocking game and has not been committing a string of unforced errors that would concern you given his move back to OT. His athleticism has been a boon as well as, despite his raw skillset, he has shown the ability to recover even against faster and stronger players. His run blocking will need a lot of work, mostly because he simply doesn't know how to utilize leverage to drive a defender off the ball. With hard work this move may prove beneficial to the depth of our offensive line.

 

WR/KR Ted Ginn: I was very concerned with Ginn's route running early in the preseason, as it seemed he simply did not know where he had to go within the offense. But after the Bears game he seemed to settle down and  at least end up in the area he needed to be. There's no denying his speed, and the punt return was a magnificent piece of work considering that he had to dodge a gunner just to take a step. I'm not going to crown him as the #3 receiver or anything based simply on one game, but even if he does nothing but run vertical routes he can be a piece that helps the offense manipulate coverages into favorable situations. Anything more is gravy.

 

DE Wes Horton: Once Nzegwu was cut (and I'm wondering if they will try to sneak him on PS) the coaching attention seemed to fall on this UDFA, who has racked up a lot of snaps but has a couple of sacks and several pressures to show for it. He may not make the final 53 but he flashed a lot and might also be a PS option.

 

P Brad Nortman: I've been pleasantly surprised with Nortman, who seems to have gotten his shaky leg under control and is now consistently booming the ball downfield. The safety play  made by the punt team tonight wouldn't have happened if Nortman didn't crush the ball from his own 30 all the way to the opponent's 3 yard line. And he has had several other excellent kicks with good hangtimes and distance.

 

DB Josh Norman: I don't think Norman has magically figured out how to utilize his ball skills at the next level, because he's always had a nose for the ball. What's more impressive is that he's discovering how to put himself in better position to actually use those skills, sticking closer to receivers and baiting throws (a perfect example being his INT tonight, where he let Landry Jones think he was beat before easily stepping in front of the pass and nearly taking it to the house.) He's still prone to lose receivers playing in front of him at times, but he has also shown a willingness to let receivers challenge him deep without immediately bailing and trying to play the receiver rather than the ball. I don't know if he will get elevated to a starter position, but I have a feeling we will be utilizing a rotational secondary anyways that will allow him to see a lot of snaps no matter what his position on the depth chart.

 

K Graham Gano: Yet another pleasant surprise from our special teams: with the struggles the offense has had at converting opportunities into touchdowns, he's had a number of field goal tries from a range of distances and has made them all look good. His kickoffs have also been consistently reaching the endzone: let's hope this newfound consistency continues.

 

LB Luke Kuechly: This may be blatantly obvious, but it bears repeating that Kuechly has lit it up this preseason. And what's more, his absence in the lineup shows tremendously, as the brain is conditioned to believe that Kuechly will be within three feet of almost every ball-carrier within a second of the snap, so you are surprised when the backup linebacker isn't there to meet them or fails to make the tackle. What's been great to see is that he is finding his way into more passing lanes and breaking up throws or picking them off, something that he couldn't do consistently as a rookie. Seeing that he has continued to develop his game is a boon to our entire defense.

 

DT Star Lotulelei: After a quiet start to his career, he came on strong against a talented Ravens offense, generating interior pressure and commanding constant attention or eating up ballcarriers. He is still prone to traps, but considering the difficulty for a DT to transition to the pro level his positive performance is a great sign.

 

DT Kawann Short: Much like Star, Kawann had strong game against Baltimore that demonstrated his penetrating ability and unusual speed for his size. There's still a lot of rawness in his technique, but he's started to deliver on some of the promise that made him our 2nd round pick and has shown a better motor than advertised.

[TCF2]

I'd add Frank Alexander to that list. Dude looks like a Beast!!

[Kuech the Sneak]

So excited for week one, especially to see our defense

[TCF2]

Me too, but it will be a good test. Mobile QB/ high octane offense, and a stout defense as well. We will have a pretty good idea of what kind of football team we have on our hands after week 1.

In my mind and on paper I have:

49ers

Seahawks

Falcons (whom we should have swept last year)

Packers

Those are the best teams going into the season. We won't play the Packers until the playoffs, but it will be good to see where our offense and defense rank against one of the premiere teams in the NFC next Sunday. Win or lose we will see where we're at and where we need to be if we are expect big things. I certainly am.

[micnificent28]

I think Roh has played fairly well.

[jarhead]

Colin Cole has the biggest ass. That should be worth a honorable mention.