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What's in Mosley's Mailbag?
August 8, 2008 2:20 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
Allow me to extend a warm welcome to anyone who's just joining the Mailbag. This is a semi-regular feature in which I promote two-way communication with you, the valued reader and selected family members. Since the dissolution of Hashmarks, I've noticed that some of you are having a difficult time finding my actual e-mail address. This has led to people leaving messages in the Mailbag such as, "Are you the Matt Mosley who coached basketball at Waco Christian Academy 15 years ago?"
The answer to that last question is yes. And soon, I'll provide you with another e-mail address so you can ask a lot of personal questions and make me feel even more uncomfortable than I already do.
With that out of the way, I now present the latest installment of The Bag:
John from Niwot, Colo., writes: Why are the 'Skins 16th in the power rankings? I have them ninth. They could arguably even be a little higher.
Mosley: John, I've always wanted to visit Niwot this time of year. I just spent three days with your Commanders, and I came away with a favorable impression. I think Jason Campbell is ready to take the next step under the tutelage of head coach Jim Zorn, but I need to see it for a few weeks before I put the club in the top 10. You still have two starting receivers who haven't gotten it done in the red zone and two rookies who can't stay on the field right now because of injury. On defense, I think LaRon Landry is an absolute star, but I'd be a little worried about Reed Doughty. Loves to hit, but I could see him getting exposed at times. Right now, I'm leaning toward putting them somewhere in the 12-14 range. The guy who wrote that they would go 4-12 must've seen something I missed while at Commanders Park.
Patrick from Charlottesville, Va., writes: Can you please rank the secondaries of the NFC East? How do these secondaries compare to other groups throughout the league?
Mosley: I see you sneaking back in there for an extra question, Patrick. You'll have to sit the next Mailbag out, kind sir. I'm sure this will make the "Cowboys Bias!" crowd happy, but I have to be honest with my answers. Top to bottom, the Cowboys have the No. 1 secondary in the NFC East. Cornerback Terence Newman and safeties Ken Hamlin and Roy Williams were all Pro Bowlers, although you can certainly argue that Williams received an honorary invitation. Throw in Adam Jones and first-round pick Mike Jenkins and you have some great depth at the cornerback position. And quite honestly, you'll see safety Patrick Watkins in the game more than Williams on passing downs.
The Eagles are a close second with the addition of All-Pro Asante Samuel. I'd be a bit worried about this lingering hamstring issue, but don't lose sleep over it. Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard are both solid players, but Sheppard spent the offseason complaining about his status on the team. And now that the owner has called him out for a poor YPA (not making this up), he's taken his complaining to a new level. If all those guys are healthy -- and somewhat happy -- this is a formidable group.
The Giants are next with Aaron Ross and Corey Webster at cornerback and some healthy competition happening at safety. I like the young kid Michael Johnson and Sammy Knight gives the team a veteran option. I don't see James Butler starting again this season. Last but certainly not least, the Commanders might have the most dynamic defensive back in the division in Landry. It's just that he's playing with an inexperienced guy in Doughty and Shawn Springs isn't getting any younger at cornerback. Fred Smoot's no longer an elite corner and Carlos Rogers is still banged up. When I have more time, I'll break it all down by division. For now, let's just agree that the NFC East secondaries can compete with any division in football.
Ray Ceresa from somewhere in N.Y. writes: Thanks for your great coverage. As a Giants fan living in Ashburn, Va., I have come to realize that Mike Garafolo provides the best coverage of the Giants by far. The Pennington situation and the Goff injury reports are good examples of that. I will be very depressed when someone realizes this and steals him from the Star Ledger.
Mosley: Ray, thanks for the heads up. I'm well aware of Garafolo's fine work, although we've never crossed paths. I usually find myself linking to him on an almost daily basis. When the rest of us were taking vacation this summer, I noticed that Garafolo stayed behind and broke a bunch of Burress stuff. Lots of excellent writers in that part of that country, which is part of the reason I have the best (most compelling) division by far.
Albert from D.C. asks: I'm sure you've gotten 6,000 variations on this same question, but I figured maybe number 6,001 would be the one that persuaded you to answer it. It's not that we don't appreciate such hard-hitting football analysis as a discussion of where and with whom Jason Campbell went fishing this summer (actually, I really enjoyed that piece, I'm just ribbing you), but from watching the Skins in training camp, did you get the sense that Jason Campbell is ready to make The Leap? Before he injured his leg last season (especially in Week 11 against the Cowboys), there were times when he looked like he was ready to be a star quarterback as opposed to a game manager, and lots of us are really hoping his leg injury and all the turmoil in the organization haven't derailed him. Thanks.
Mosley: Albert, you were actually 6,002, but I like the way you phrased your question (praised my work). Jim Zorn didn't come right out and say this to me, but I know for a fact that he's told Campbell he's poised to become a perennial Pro Bowl quarterback. I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I saw something in three practices that convinced me that Campbell's ready to become a star, but I did sit down with him for 45 minutes and heard some pretty promising things. When he got injured in November, he stood on the sideline and studied everything Todd Collins was doing. He said Collins' willingness to check the ball down when plays downfield weren't there had a profound effect on him.
Will he be a Pro Bowl quarterback this season? I really can't say. But I do think that he'll play with a lot more confidence and his fundamentals are already better. This guy is buying into whatever Zorn's selling big time.
Have a wonderful weekend, folks.
August 8, 2008 2:20 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
Allow me to extend a warm welcome to anyone who's just joining the Mailbag. This is a semi-regular feature in which I promote two-way communication with you, the valued reader and selected family members. Since the dissolution of Hashmarks, I've noticed that some of you are having a difficult time finding my actual e-mail address. This has led to people leaving messages in the Mailbag such as, "Are you the Matt Mosley who coached basketball at Waco Christian Academy 15 years ago?"
The answer to that last question is yes. And soon, I'll provide you with another e-mail address so you can ask a lot of personal questions and make me feel even more uncomfortable than I already do.
With that out of the way, I now present the latest installment of The Bag:
John from Niwot, Colo., writes: Why are the 'Skins 16th in the power rankings? I have them ninth. They could arguably even be a little higher.
Mosley: John, I've always wanted to visit Niwot this time of year. I just spent three days with your Commanders, and I came away with a favorable impression. I think Jason Campbell is ready to take the next step under the tutelage of head coach Jim Zorn, but I need to see it for a few weeks before I put the club in the top 10. You still have two starting receivers who haven't gotten it done in the red zone and two rookies who can't stay on the field right now because of injury. On defense, I think LaRon Landry is an absolute star, but I'd be a little worried about Reed Doughty. Loves to hit, but I could see him getting exposed at times. Right now, I'm leaning toward putting them somewhere in the 12-14 range. The guy who wrote that they would go 4-12 must've seen something I missed while at Commanders Park.
Patrick from Charlottesville, Va., writes: Can you please rank the secondaries of the NFC East? How do these secondaries compare to other groups throughout the league?
Mosley: I see you sneaking back in there for an extra question, Patrick. You'll have to sit the next Mailbag out, kind sir. I'm sure this will make the "Cowboys Bias!" crowd happy, but I have to be honest with my answers. Top to bottom, the Cowboys have the No. 1 secondary in the NFC East. Cornerback Terence Newman and safeties Ken Hamlin and Roy Williams were all Pro Bowlers, although you can certainly argue that Williams received an honorary invitation. Throw in Adam Jones and first-round pick Mike Jenkins and you have some great depth at the cornerback position. And quite honestly, you'll see safety Patrick Watkins in the game more than Williams on passing downs.
The Eagles are a close second with the addition of All-Pro Asante Samuel. I'd be a bit worried about this lingering hamstring issue, but don't lose sleep over it. Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard are both solid players, but Sheppard spent the offseason complaining about his status on the team. And now that the owner has called him out for a poor YPA (not making this up), he's taken his complaining to a new level. If all those guys are healthy -- and somewhat happy -- this is a formidable group.
The Giants are next with Aaron Ross and Corey Webster at cornerback and some healthy competition happening at safety. I like the young kid Michael Johnson and Sammy Knight gives the team a veteran option. I don't see James Butler starting again this season. Last but certainly not least, the Commanders might have the most dynamic defensive back in the division in Landry. It's just that he's playing with an inexperienced guy in Doughty and Shawn Springs isn't getting any younger at cornerback. Fred Smoot's no longer an elite corner and Carlos Rogers is still banged up. When I have more time, I'll break it all down by division. For now, let's just agree that the NFC East secondaries can compete with any division in football.
Ray Ceresa from somewhere in N.Y. writes: Thanks for your great coverage. As a Giants fan living in Ashburn, Va., I have come to realize that Mike Garafolo provides the best coverage of the Giants by far. The Pennington situation and the Goff injury reports are good examples of that. I will be very depressed when someone realizes this and steals him from the Star Ledger.
Mosley: Ray, thanks for the heads up. I'm well aware of Garafolo's fine work, although we've never crossed paths. I usually find myself linking to him on an almost daily basis. When the rest of us were taking vacation this summer, I noticed that Garafolo stayed behind and broke a bunch of Burress stuff. Lots of excellent writers in that part of that country, which is part of the reason I have the best (most compelling) division by far.
Albert from D.C. asks: I'm sure you've gotten 6,000 variations on this same question, but I figured maybe number 6,001 would be the one that persuaded you to answer it. It's not that we don't appreciate such hard-hitting football analysis as a discussion of where and with whom Jason Campbell went fishing this summer (actually, I really enjoyed that piece, I'm just ribbing you), but from watching the Skins in training camp, did you get the sense that Jason Campbell is ready to make The Leap? Before he injured his leg last season (especially in Week 11 against the Cowboys), there were times when he looked like he was ready to be a star quarterback as opposed to a game manager, and lots of us are really hoping his leg injury and all the turmoil in the organization haven't derailed him. Thanks.
Mosley: Albert, you were actually 6,002, but I like the way you phrased your question (praised my work). Jim Zorn didn't come right out and say this to me, but I know for a fact that he's told Campbell he's poised to become a perennial Pro Bowl quarterback. I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I saw something in three practices that convinced me that Campbell's ready to become a star, but I did sit down with him for 45 minutes and heard some pretty promising things. When he got injured in November, he stood on the sideline and studied everything Todd Collins was doing. He said Collins' willingness to check the ball down when plays downfield weren't there had a profound effect on him.
Will he be a Pro Bowl quarterback this season? I really can't say. But I do think that he'll play with a lot more confidence and his fundamentals are already better. This guy is buying into whatever Zorn's selling big time.
Have a wonderful weekend, folks.
