2010 Rookies

[wist43]

I'd put Starks in the middle group. Wilson has impressed me. I think Quarless will be a good player. The guy has a really nice skillset, and he has made some plays for us. He gets open a lot. It's just a matter of maturing and learning the game for him. I think he'll be a really solid player, but he does have the potential to go Tyrone Davis (e.g. ooze potential but never fulfill it).

I don't understand why everyone seems so sure about what Neal will contribute. "Star potential"? When did he show that? He played in just two games, Detroit and Washington. Pretty hard to draw any conclusions from that. I don't feel he proved anything in that time. His potential is no more nor more less than when he was drafted. Basically, 2010 was nothing for him.

I liked him when he was drafted. I don't feel any different about him now because he neither proved nor disproved anything this year.

He proved to me that he is very stout at the point, has a powerful punch, strong hands to shed, quickness to redirect, speed to close, and has a good football mentality.

I wasn't thrilled with the Neal pick back in April b/c I saw our LB'ing corp as substandard to be running a 3-4, and the secondary cupboard was looking pretty bare, and there were some who had him rated lower than where we took him. Of course Jolly was suspended, Williams made a gigantic leap, and Shields came out of nowhere.

The emergence of guys like Raji, Matthews, Williams, and Shields has allowed GB's defense to remain functional even with guys like Eric Walden, Charlie Peprah, CJ Wilson, and Howard Green made to look like they all belong on a top flight NFL defense. No one could have predicted any of that... it's been a lot of fun to watch them all ride the wave.

As for Neal... I see him as a very good rotational DL piece - he'll be a good player.

[Smidgeon]

The last DLineman who impressed was Raji. There was more than one time early in his rookie year that he got me jumping off the couch shouting, "Did you see that?!?" to an empty room...

[Smidgeon]

It's just my opinion based on what I saw. He doesn't have to play a lot or doing anything. It's what each individual sees in the guy. He looked strong (which he was billed to be), but he also looked pretty fast and had better technique and more moves than I was expecting. I think he has star potential. Well, as much as any 3-4 DE can be a "star" (rarely). If he comes back healthy, I think he could be one of the better 3-4 DEs in the league. And I base that solely off what I saw this year--because I had never heard of the guy until he was drafted by the Pack and I didn't watch him at all in college.

Plus, Cliff said in a recent chat that he thinks Neal could be something special. If Christl likes him...

[Smidgeon]

But how many snaps did he really play, and how much can you be certain of from a handful of plays against Detroit and Washington. To me, it just isn't enough to be very meaningful. Certainly a lot of written hype for him though, especially in the weeks before he actually got his brief exposure to league play.

I just hope he doesn't have Justin Harrell disease!

True. A talented player who can't stay on the field does you just about as good as a very average player who does get on the field. Well, less good actually.

[Smeefers]

But how many snaps did he really play, and how much can you be certain of from a handful of plays against Detroit and Washington. To me, it just isn't enough to be very meaningful. Certainly a lot of written hype for him though, especially in the weeks before he actually got his brief exposure to league play.

I just hope he doesn't have Justin Harrell disease!

I hope he doesn't have Ed Zachery Disease! Where his face looks ed zachery like his butt! Zip, Bang, ZOOM!

I'm still waiting for Neal to do a little more. That's a bandwagon I'll jump on next year.

As for Quarless, I don't think anyone expects him to be as good as Finely. I just want him to be better than Lee (and Lee aint too bad.)