At a glance: DT, MLB, CB, FS
Offense
Many people were surprised by the squad that Josh McDaniels put out on the field last year and quiet frankly, so was I. They really played with some muster despite Kyle Orton's blasé throwing, Demaryius Thomas's ineffectiveness and Knowshon Moreno's injuries. But toward the end of the year fans got what they wanted, McDaniels got fired, Tebow took the field and speculation of how John Elway could change the franchise grew. At this point, the offense needs is time to gel and time for the rookies to wet their feet and get comfortable, (sadly Demaryius Thomas will miss the season with an Achilles tear;) also a TE to take over for aging Daniel Graham would hurt either.
Defense
If the offense needs time to grow, then the defense needs a complete overhaul and under new head coach and 'defensive-genius' John Fox, that's exactly what they'll get. Switching back to a 4-3, after having played in 3-4 the last few seasons. All of which means they need new personnel, likely a 3-technique DT, a run-stuffing MLB and depth in the secondary, because Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins aren't getting any younger. Furthermore, Fox will probably look to build around DJ Williams (most likely at the Will LB spot) and Robert Ayers who can return to his natural DE position.
At a glance: DT, DE, FS, LB
Offense
The Chargers are one of the most stacked teams in the league, loaded with talent like Phillip Rivers, Antonio Gates, Vincent Jackson and Darren Sproles. Not to mention the grooming of Ryan Matthews who is clearly talented. But any real Charger's fan will tell you the development of Louis Vasquez, Seyi Arjirotutu and Legedu Naanee were some of the real keys to take away from last season. Perhaps they could draft another play-making wide-out, or another scat-back in case Darren Sproles leaves, but really the holes if any, are in the training staff for not keeping these guys healthy enough to stay on the field.
Defense
Now here's where the Chargers can improve and under Greg Manusky they definitely will; let me first say I hardly ever agree with AJ Smith and his selections, however last year's pick of Donald Butler at the MLB spot was an absolute steal! Now, I know you're probably screaming at your PC saying, "Yeah Sean, what a steal, the kid got hurt in preseason and never played a down." Allow me retort by saying this kid is RAW, and by that I mean he has a 'Ray Lewis-type' ceiling (little known fact, he set the record for most bench reps for LB's @ the combine w/ 35.) Okay, enough of the 'Butler' tangent; the Bob Sanders signing was huge, finally giving them the leadership in the secondary that's been lacking since Rodney Harrison left, let's just hope he can stay healthy. However, if Eric Weddle decides to walk in free agency they'll need to draft a FS as well as another cover-corner for Nickel sets. But their biggest needs come up front with the 'big-boys' drafting Cam Thomas was a steal (7th Rnd) and the revelation of Antonio Garay was great but really the lack of push from the DL was exposed against run-heavy teams... (The Raider games.) Hence, getting another 'mauler-type' should really help the run defense, preferably DT or a 5-technique DE.
At a glance: LT, C, OLB, WR, DT
Offense
Kudos to Todd Haley for bringing in Charlie Weis and trusting him to turn this squad into the New England Patriots of the west. With Matt Cassel leading the way, they discovered just how good their previous draft was. Emerging weapons Dexter McCluster and Tony Moeaki (Tony Gonzalez 2.0) showcased their skills in tandem with the very dangerous Jamal Charles and the inconsistent Dwayne Bowe, all of which proved to be enough to get them into playoffs but, for an encore performance they'll need to shore-up their offense line and search for reliable receiving target.
Defense
Romeo Crennel certainly had this staff playing at a high level, and their 3-4 set finally displayed some of that potential we kept hearing about. More importantly the leadership of Brandon Flowers as well as the emergence of rookie Safety Eric Berry was a revelation and should become a dangerous secondary for years to come. But the consistency of a pass-rush really hurt them, especially in the playoffs, and I know Tamba Hali had 14.5 sacks last season, however just imagine how many he would have if there were another pass-rush threat opposite him. Moreover, a big run-stuffing DT is a must, especially with the young backs in this division just coming of age (Knowshon Moreno, Ryan Matthews & Darren McFadden.)
At a glance: OLB, QB, G, CB
Offense
I'll be honest, I really expected this team to be in the dumps last year, even though they had some good pieces, but I wasn't the only one shocked heck, the whole division lost to the Raiders last year, and despite going 6-0 in the division they STILL missed the playoffs. The running game finally opened-up, giving Darren McFadden a breakout season, mostly due to the emergence of C Jared Veldheer combined with the learning process of RG/RT Bruce Campbell. However, the question of whether or not LG Robert Gallery walks away in free agency is a major concern. And considering that all free agency matters are clouded by the new CBA, the Raiders best line of action would be to draft more OL depth and a QB to groom behind Jason Campbell. In closing, this offense has very little holes and as long as they remain healthy they should continue to build on the progress they made last year
Defense
The Raiders defense finally unleashed some of that deadly speed Al Davis drafted and showed some of the potential Raider fans always murmured about in the stands. Specifically, draft picks Rolando McClain & Lamarr Houston added heart & toughness to this squad which in turn made defensive-captain Richard Seymour believe that winning in Oakland IS possible. Now the question is how to maintain the progress they've made, the answer is to build depth along the front seven and find another OLB to assist McClain & Wimbley in becoming the best line-backing core in AFC West. Also, with Pro-Bowl corner Nnamdi Asomugha's future in question they should look toward drafting potential replacements.
What's up Sean. I like the blog, so far so good. Look forward to reading in the future.
ReplyDelete-Andrew