Fuzzy Game Thoughts @SDG Preseason

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I don't know what the point Nick Hayden being on the roster. He seems like a nice guy but between his poor feet and lack of anchor he gets destroyed every snap 1v1.

Davon Coleman needs to get stronger. He certainly is athletic enough to play in this league but he needs better bubble to anchor and needs better upper body strength to fight off blocks and shed them. He is nowhere near ready to play.

Mincey may not be the swiftest DE but he is physical on the edge and quick enough to run line games with.

I certainly noticed when Bishop came in. He was hardly perfect but at least he offered resistance. He is raw as a ribeye cut straight from the cow. You can see him taking to coaching as he is using the technique but he is a beat slow to drop the knee on the double team and his footwork needs to get better on the stretch play. He had his issues but he seem the only DT capable of competing on run downs on the evening.

I am going to rewatch but I have no impression on Crawford.

Now do people understand why Josh Brent is getting another chance?

the starting offensive line consistently blew the chargers off the ball and reestablished the line several yards down field. if we want to run the ball this year then against most NFL fronts we will be able to.

As for the backups the guy that stood out to me was Wetzel. He seem to be solid as did the 3rd string LT. I thought he did okay. Other guys made no impression on the first watch. Need to look closer.

Outside of Hitchens who went a ways toward justifying his draft pick I was pretty unimpressed by the LB. Carter was active but no one else showed up. Wilber was having issues with the second teamers which was really disappointing. In fairness the DL was doing the LB no favors as they were routinely blown off the ball which makes all the gap responsibilities presnap moot.

Brandon Weeden did well. He reacted to the rush well and made plays to multiple receivers. He made good reads and was accurate. Feel much more confident as I imagine he does too.

Too bad about Malena although I was glad to hear it was his quad and not his knee. I think Randle's performance as opposed to Williams' dropped pass and shaky protection has given Randle the inside track. His kick coverage was outstanding. This battle is not over yet.

Dixon is a run stopper. What we need are guys with ball skills and awareness. I don't know that he makes this team. Heath was active as usual.

We missed our corners. but they didn't go after Webb often. Did not see Patmon getting picked on overly much. Mitchell OTOH had some issues and the new guy they brought in cannot run at all. Thank goodness help is on the way.

 

[Corso]

Good stuff.
I missed the game so this is appreciated.

 

[Cowboy from New York]

I cannot recall the site, but it was mentioned that Hayden had the lowest grade for starting Dlineman in the league last year.
Heath took some terrible angles tonight. Although I agree it was hard to grade LBs and Safeties due to offensive lineman being all over the field blowing the dline so far off the ball. on every play.
NFL network missed the start of the game so I didnt get a chance to see Z Martin play. Can anyone share thoughts on him?

 

[Idgit]

I thought Randle, who I'm not at all high on, played really well tonight, too.
I agree, the LBs looked bad, but they really had a tough row to hoe with the DLs skating into them all over the place.

 

[Idgit]

...Heath took some terrible angles tonight.

You mean that screen that he sniffed out properly and then ran to the wrong spot and made the awful whiff of a tackle? Yeah, that was bad.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Good stuff.
I missed the game so this is appreciated.

Glad I could be of service, sir.

 

[CCBoy]

I'll add my thanks also, Fuzzy. I'll sign up for a whole season of this stuff...

Tony better come in with rings on his fingers, bells on his toes, and a bone through his nose...ho ho.

I did like Weeden and a sharpness in Vaughen was appreciated also.

I agree that the 'rooks' need some more time in the weight room and now know why strength is a major attribute in the NFL.

 

[Idgit]

Tony better come in with rings on his fingers, bells on his toes, and a bone through his nose...ho ho..

Rarely have I wanted to understand one of your posts more than this one, CCBoy.

 

[jterrell]

dixon was 1000 times better than heath imho.
he actually runs and makes tackles unlike heath who runs and misses tackles.
heath is very athletic but he has terrible instincts for the game in every way.
dixon will make this team.

the dl was just terrible. the lb was probably worse. they couldn't cover or stop the run.
crawford was in and out of the game in a blink.
we were ghastly bad but some of that was just design.
sd played philip rivers and played their 9 year vet back up QB into the 2nd half, lol of preseason game 1.
bishop and coleman are keepers that you play 10-15 snaps a game right now.
playing those dudes all those snaps was just about gaining experience and film.

hitchens will be a solid LB for us eventually, but asking that in year 1 is crazy.
at least he will get there, i didnt see another LB that can ever start for a winning team in this league.
bruce carter was a coverage linebacker at unc but in the nfl he is absolutely dreadful in coverage. any type of coverage.

poor 41 was as bad a db as i've ever seen.
he literally looked like what you'd expect a guy out of the stands to look like.
he held every play and was burned anyway every play.
i feel bad for that guy because this tape will mean he probably can't even get a shot for semi-pro teams.

 

[CCBoy]

Rarely have I wanted to understand one of your posts more than this one, CCBoy.

My guess he meant that a little native in the mix might right the ship some...and even reflect in a team attitude on the defensive side of the ball. Oh, that was me commenting with verse from an old Country Western song...Clyde, the Camel as a focus.

 

[Idgit]

poor 41 was as bad a db as i've ever seen.
he literally looked like what you'd expect a guy out of the stands to look like.
he held every play and was burned anyway every play.
i feel bad for that guy because this tape will mean he probably can't even get a shot for semi-pro teams.

Yep. But, hey, played an NFL preseason game. That's pretty dang cool when you think about it.

 

[Idgit]

My guess he meant that a little native in the mix might right the ship some...and even reflect in a team attitude on the defensive side of the ball. Oh, that was me commenting with verse from an old Country Western song...Clyde, the Camel as a focus.

See, now...I know this was supposed to help me out, but now I"m even more confused, I think.

 

[CCBoy]

See, now...I know this was supposed to help me out, but now I"m even more confused, I think.

Don't worry, the Russians are still playing their own version of world order and we've started giving life saving supplies in Iraq with targeting to follow.

Sorry, the real world still bruises my heart strings...and I do a little language escape from time to time.

I backed off the notion of the defense just showing a little hostility up front, and behind the line of scrimmage starting their own black and blue zone.

 

[Rogerthat12]

On offense, with most our main players out, I thought Weedon and Randle looked especially good, the starting OL was solid.

Street made some plays and Gavin looked good as well.

Most of us understand the majority of the defense did not play, so this game is a small sample size of a configuration that will not be present on opening day.

However, observing what we could see and what players did actually play, the defense looked rough at best.

Outside of lack of pass rush, the inability to locate and stop the run was problematic. Yes, they threw on us quite well in addition but the aforementioned really was striking!

On defense, Dixon looked active, Mitchell was up and down as we expected and Hitchens made a few good plays but has slow lateral speed.

Coleman and Bishop were a mixed bag, our defense needs to learn how to get off blocks and locate the runner.

On a positive note, the defense made two critical stops, especially the end zone turnover!

 

[CyberB0b]

See, now...I know this was supposed to help me out, but now I"m even more confused, I think.

I'm working on a CCBoy translator app. Should be available on Google Play and iTunes later this year.

 

[ConstantReboot]

I realized that most of our D was out and most of them were rooks and second year players. But for god sake they need to learn to shed their blocks and go after the ball carrier. I think this team has been practicing too much on passrushing. They might have forgotten that shedding blocks and tackling is just as important. I was a bit upset on what I saw. But I believe that they will make some major adjustments and the front seven will have learned something from tonights beating.

Players that stood out was Ahmad Dixon, Bush Coleman and Wilson. All of them still needs work but they were active and showed a glimmer of hope in tonights game. What really hurt us was the corners couldn't cover worth a lick. That has to do with the new people we signed off the street. Fortunately, they won't be part of this team when the season starts.

 

[TheDude]

I don't know what the point Nick Hayden being on the roster. He seems like a nice guy but between his poor feet and lack of anchor he gets destroyed every snap 1v1.

Davon Coleman needs to get stronger. He certainly is athletic enough to play in this league but he needs better bubble to anchor and needs better upper body strength to fight off blocks and shed them. He is nowhere near ready to play.

Mincey may not be the swiftest DE but he is physical on the edge and quick enough to run line games with.

I certainly noticed when Bishop came in. He was hardly perfect but at least he offered resistance. He is raw as a ribeye cut straight from the cow. You can see him taking to coaching as he is using the technique but he is a beat slow to drop the knee on the double team and his footwork needs to get better on the stretch play. He had his issues but he seem the only DT capable of competing on run downs on the evening.

I am going to rewatch but I have no impression on Crawford.

Now do people understand why Josh Brent is getting another chance?

the starting offensive line consistently blew the chargers off the ball and reestablished the line several yards down field. if we want to run the ball this year then against most NFL fronts we will be able to.

As for the backups the guy that stood out to me was Wetzel. He seem to be solid as did the 3rd string LT. I thought he did okay. Other guys made no impression on the first watch. Need to look closer.

Outside of Hitchens who went a ways toward justifying his draft pick I was pretty unimpressed by the LB. Carter was active but no one else showed up. Wilber was having issues with the second teamers which was really disappointing. In fairness the DL was doing the LB no favors as they were routinely blown off the ball which makes all the gap responsibilities presnap moot.

Brandon Weeden did well. He reacted to the rush well and made plays to multiple receivers. He made good reads and was accurate. Feel much more confident as I imagine he does too.

Too bad about Malena although I was glad to hear it was his quad and not his knee. I think Randle's performance as opposed to Williams' dropped pass and shaky protection has given Randle the inside track. His kick coverage was outstanding. This battle is not over yet.

Dixon is a run stopper. What we need are guys with ball skills and awareness. I don't know that he makes this team. Heath was active as usual.

We missed our corners. but they didn't go after Webb often. Did not see Patmon getting picked on overly much. Mitchell OTOH had some issues and the new guy they brought in cannot run at all. Thank goodness help is on the way.

Agree with most of this

Pro
Williams and Randle looked a little beter than I expected.
Nice to see Escobar and Hanna in the passing game.
Oline showed well overall
I thought Dixon showed much more promise than Heath. 11 tackles although he did whiff on the horsecollar play and may have bit or blown one coverage on the long TD. He takes good angles and is a sure tackler. Played good ST


Cons
Thought Hitchens was awful. I dont know if my package has all22 on pre-season, but he overran or misread almost every play except the goalline tackle.
Holloman looked to be on the ground way too much
Hated the last drive before halftime - wheter Weeden checkdown or Garret played conservative I dont know
Sam general cowboys game feel. Aforementioned drive - no urgency to the line, clock the ball, fumbled snap. 10 yard drop on a 3rd and 1 turning INCOMPLETE after running well. Negating sacks on 3rd down with a penalty. I know its first game, but it felt familiar.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Agree with most of this

Pro
Williams and Randle looked a little beter than I expected.
Nice to see Escobar and Hanna in the passing game.
Oline showed well overall
I thought Dixon showed much more promise than Heath. 11 tackles although he did whiff on the horsecollar play and may have bit or blown one coverage on the long TD. He takes good angles and is a sure tackler. Played good ST


Cons
Thought Hitchens was awful. I dont know if my package has all22 on pre-season, but he overran or misread almost every play except the goalline tackle.
Holloman looked to be on the ground way too much
Hated the last drive before halftime - wheter Weeden checkdown or Garret played conservative I dont know
Sam general cowboys game feel. Aforementioned drive - no urgency to the line, clock the ball, fumbled snap. 10 yard drop on a 3rd and 1 turning INCOMPLETE after running well. Negating sacks on 3rd down with a penalty. I know its first game, but it felt familiar.

You guys are making me realize i need to rewatch the game. I was fixated on the line and kind of fascinated at how badly we were getting blown off the ball. They put in Bishop towards the end of the second half and they made that stand but he appeared to wear down in the second half. Coleman was pretty much dominated by guards in the run game the whole way. i told my buddy that people would say he played okay because of that sack but he was pretty horrific overall I thought.

It's really hard to evaluate how a defense is performing when the tackle play is that bad. After Mincey and Crawford left, the edges got run over too. it's alarming and unless something drastic changes we are in trouble.

I can tell I did a poor job looking at the LB and secondary players. That I don't recall the Heath play at all makes that obvious. I was with friends and not really locked in. I am sure I will revisit this weekend.

 

[TheDude]

You guys are making me realize i need to rewatch the game. I was fixated on the line and kind of fascinated at how badly we were getting blown off the ball. They put in Bishop towards the eItnd of the second half and they made that stand but he appeared to wear down in the second half. Coleman was pretty much dominated by guards in the run game the whole way. i told my buddy that people would say he played okay because of that sack but he was pretty horrific overall I thought.

It's really hard to evaluate how a defense is performing when the tackle play is that bad. After Mincey and Crawford left, the edges got run over too. it's alarming and unless something drastic changes we are in trouble.

I can tell I did a poor job looking at the LB and secondary players. That I don't recall the Heath play at all makes that obvious. I was with friends and not really locked in. I am sure I will revisit this weekend.

You guys are making me realize i need to rewatch the game. I was fixated on the line and kind of fascinated at how badly we were getting blown off the ball. They put in Bishop towards the end of the second half and they made that stand but he appeared to wear down in the second half. Coleman was pretty much dominated by guards in the run game the whole way. i told my buddy that people would say he played okay because of that sack but he was pretty horrific overall I thought.

It's really hard to evaluate how a defense is performing when the tackle play is that bad. After Mincey and Crawford left, the edges got run over too. it's alarming and unless something drastic changes we are in trouble.

I can tell I did a poor job looking at the LB and secondary players. That I don't recall the Heath play at all makes that obvious. I was with friends and not really locked in. I am sure I will revisit this weekend.

its really hard to review LBs and Safeties without the all22. I foced on Hitchens for a couple of drives and it was really bad, Perhaps some was due to blockers getting to the second level, but the recognition and speed wasnt there at all save the goalline play.

 

[waving monkey]

Fuzzy al of us really appreciate your efforts. These are the kind of posts that make
message boards worth their salt. Thanks a bunch.