Young players who could take big jumps

[RashanGary]

Bulaga
Lang
Newhouse
Finley
Cobb
DJ Smith
Davon House
Burnett
J Finley (I know, he's been great, but he has a level in him we might not have seen yet)
Shields
Mike Neal

Then we have the young guys we know very little about

Nick Perry
Worthy
Daniels
DJ Williams
Alex Green
Derek Sherrod
Brandon Saine
MD Jennings
Jerron McMillian
Lawrence Guy
Ray Dominguez

Then there is a whole list of unmentionables. Who knows who could step up from that group of developmental guys.

Driver, Woodson and Pickett are the only declining players. All the others are in their prime. . . .



Looking at it, the Packers may not have peaked yet. We could be looking at an all-time great team here.

[Brandon494]

You put Finley twice

[Freak Out]

He likes Finley.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_urvjCXg6c

[smuggler]

Bulaga is already a top-5 RT in the league. There's a case for him as the best.
Lang had a very good, bordering on great season last year. He probably outplayed Sitton. If he doesn't improve and doesn't decline, no one should utter a peep in complaint.
Newhouse had a tough season. I believe he is best suited to be a RT. I am hoping Sherrod will take his job eventually.
Finley needs only be more consistent. His ability has already shown itself, but I could see him "breaking out"
Cobb is capable of an 800 yard, 8TD season among his various other contributions
DJ Smith will probably not see too much action this season, but he looks almost as good as Bishop, and perhaps better in coverage.
Davon House - I have no idea about this guy, but I would love for him to improve and contribute.
Burnett - Already a solid safety, the next step is a pro bowl trip. I don't know if he'll make that step.
Shields need only improve his tackling. His coverage issues will resolve with better play from the defensive line.
Mike Neal - I don't think it's going to happen

[denverYooper]

He likes Finley.


Hell Yes.

[MadtownPacker]

You put Finley twice
Whats up with all The Finley hate?


:lol:

[Bretsky]

NFL Network noted one of these scouting services had Marshall Newhouse rated as the worst starting LT in the NFL

[MJZiggy]

NFL Network noted one of these scouting services had Marshall Newhouse rated as the worst starting LT in the NFL

Are you suggesting he could jump or that he'll be outperformed and replaced?

[RashanGary]

NFL Network noted one of these scouting services had Marshall Newhouse rated as the worst starting LT in the NFL


Always got to pick on the fat guy. . . .

There's only one place to go then. . . . UP!!


I'm in Newhouse's corner. He sucked, but was consistent in his suckiness. It wasn't like he just lapsed and got ran by or over. . . . A good offseason and some experience under his gut and he could be a top 20 LT :) :)

[MJZiggy]

Always got to pick on the fat guy. . . .

There's only one place to go then. . . . UP!!


I'm in Newhouse's corner. He sucked, but was consistent in his suckiness. It wasn't like he just lapsed and got ran by or over. . . . A good offseason and some experience under his gut and he could be a top 20 LT :) :) Or at least top 50...

[Joemailman]

Newhouse is a bit overmatched against top pass rushers. Hopefully Sherrod beats him out. Newhouse would be a damn fine backup at either Tackle or Guard.

[pbmax]

I would be stunned if he was truly the worst. He was never a complete tire fire and plenty of playoff teams have had a smoldering heap at Left Tackle (see Packers, 1996).

But I will be rooting hard for Sherrod anyway.

[Patler]

But I will be rooting hard for Sherrod anyway.

I am hoping Datko's shoulder had been finally fixed. I find him to be a very intriguing prospect at LT.

[Lurker64]

I am hoping Datko's shoulder had been finally fixed. I find him to be a very intriguing prospect at LT.

In terms of pure talent, Datko is possibly the best offensive tackle on the team (in terms of grit and competitiveness, nobody beats Bulaga however.) Did he not miss significant time in college with that shoulder (and development along with time) he would have likely been a first round pick selected higher than Bulaga or Sherrod were. He did not, which is why we got him in the seventh round (I believe most teams gave him the worst draftable medical grade). But if he can get that right, he may well be starting at some point down the line.

[George Cumby]

In terms of pure talent, Datko is possibly the best offensive tackle on the team (in terms of grit and competitiveness, nobody beats Bulaga however.) Did he not miss significant time in college with that shoulder (and development along with time) he would have likely been a first round pick selected higher than Bulaga or Sherrod were. He did not, which is why we got him in the seventh round (I believe most teams gave him the worst draftable medical grade). But if he can get that right, he may well be starting at some point down the line.

Datko had a torn labrum, if I recall. The same injury that robbed James Starks of his senior season. That's an injury with a high recovery success rate. Datko definitely interesting.

I didn't think Newhouse did THAT poorly last year. Some top end guys owned him, iirc, but I seem to remember him acquitting himself well, otherwise.

[sharpe1027]

NFL Network noted one of these scouting services had Marshall Newhouse rated as the worst starting LT in the NFL

Didn't he settled down some after having a rough start? I wonder if they factored that type of thing into their ratings.

[Upnorth]

After facing Pepper x2, Allen x 2 and Hali last year I think he did quite well. I do believe that Newhouse is vastly underrated, however I think you guys have heard me say this before.

[smuggler]

I don't think so. According to ProFootballFocus, he starting improving around midseason, but then relapsed in the last 4 games and especially in the playoff loss to the Giants.

[Joemailman]

I don't think so. According to ProFootballFocus, he starting improving around midseason, but then relapsed in the last 4 games and especially in the playoff loss to the Giants.

He didn't start against the Giants. He eventually replaced Clifton, who was playing poorly. Newhouse did give up 1 sack, but was the better of the 2 LT's that day.

[Patler]

Datko had a torn labrum, if I recall. The same injury that robbed James Starks of his senior season. That's an injury with a high recovery success rate. Datko definitely interesting.

I didn't think Newhouse did THAT poorly last year. Some top end guys owned him, iirc, but I seem to remember him acquitting himself well, otherwise.

The concern with Datko is that he has had the shoulder problem since high school. I believe he had surgery while in high school, and it didn't completely correct the problem. He continued playing with it being less than right all through college, but aggravated it and needed a second surgery his last year in college. He claims it is finally right, better than anytime since high school. Hard to know until he gets back on the field.

[Fritz]

Although I don't necessarily like teams playing games with the injury system, it would be tempting to "redshirt" Datko by putting him on PUP and then making a decision later. I don't think there's room for him on the roster, and if he is healed and has that much promise, he won't stay long on the practice squad.

I am hoping Lawrence Guy, whom I think was more-or-less redshirted last year, will show some promise and production this year. I know KY and others said he was as raw as a porn star's butt, but I hope a year of study and now, an offseason program, will help him make some big leaps. He appears to have the size and quickness to be a remarkable DE. I am rooting for Lawrence "Justa" Guy.

[Iron Mike]

You put Finley twice

That's 'cuz he'll drop one of his opportunities to take a big jump...

[rbaloha1]

Too many to figure-out which is due to TT's staff of identifying and drafting and signing of free agents.

Off the top of my head:

Cobb as a receiver.
Green as an everydown back
Arkansas te steps up as the second te and becomes a legit threat
Sherrod as the eventual left tackle starter (although agree Newhouse is not as bad as reported)
DJ Smith beats out AJ Hawk
Davon House gets significant playing time
Morgan Burnett takes the next step as a fringe pro bowl type

[Pugger]

I would be stunned if he was truly the worst. He was never a complete tire fire and plenty of playoff teams have had a smoldering heap at Left Tackle (see Packers, 1996).

But I will be rooting hard for Sherrod anyway.

I don't believe he was the worst LT either. :no:

[ThunderDan]

That's 'cuz he'll drop one of his opportunities to take a big jump...

Post of the Week!!!! :wave:

[KYPack]

I'm rooting for Newhouse, too. That said, if Sherrod can get healed, he showed a lot in that KC (the game that cannot be mentioned) game. that could be a classic camp battle if both boys are healthy.

The other guy that could really progress on the Oline is Sampson Genus. Saturday is the perfect mentor for Genus. Jeff is at the point in his career where he could transition to a coaching job by bringing the kid along. Saturday was no physical phenom and he could be a perfect tutor for a guy (Genus) who could play for a long time. We need some of the young Oline guys to make the jump. We could really use some Oline depth and this is the time for some of those kids.

[BobDobbs]

As far as guys who were on the team I'm looking for Burnett to really make a jump. He's had a lot of injury problems in his career, but he's shown the potential to really take off. Safety is a really hard position to judge as a fan, but it looked like he blew some coverages last year. I think that if he gets to play with both hands full speed he could help to solidify the back end greatly. And that will make a huge difference on defense.

As far as the rookies I don't know much more than watching 5-10 minutes of youtube videos on everyone. Except McMillian. They don't televise U of Maine's games apparently. I like the bottom of our draft more than the top for now at least.

I'm really excited about Daniels. I think he can take some snaps in the pass rush package and cause a ruckus.

Also, the undrafted Safety Richardson. He has some suddenness. It's not like we're stacked at safety, but there are a lot of guys at that position, so we'll see if he can make a mark.