[Shep]

Great stuff from both of you guys... and I was actually watching the ILBs more for some reason. I thought Bowens was HORRIBLE and looked like a cut, but it probably won't happen. I know what A's talking about with Gocong -- he was out of position playing forward on at least a few big runs.

It's his strength -- explosion and power -- but he has to learn the position. Totally agree.

I noticed that Benard almost immediately got a hit on the QB when he went in, but also got suckered on a run, playing like he was blitzing the passer with no regard for the edge.

My other concern: Fujita was always outside, right? I though he was moving inside. He is so NOT a pass rusher, although I know he can cover.

Originally Posted by Alo

The issue you've pointed out about the LBs not getting depth definitely showed up. I noticed it most with Gocong, who didn't have a very good game (on Jahvid Best's long run, he went into the block with his inside shoulder, which led to him being unable to get back inside for the tackle).

As others mentioned, Eric Barton isn't very good at this point of his career. Late in the '08 season, Barton showed signs of waning playing strength: he got mauled by blockers, got carried 3-4 yards before bringing the ballcarrier down. My theory is that his neck already was affecting his game. And though he's had the disk surgically repaired, he's having even more tackling troubles.

I wouldn't worry about Bowens just yet. He's always been pretty awful in coverage, which we may have forgotten about because he made such a big impact last year playing downhill. Early last season, everyone was complaining about how slow Bowens was -- some even suggested that he played with a piss poor motor -- yet he had a massive impact late in the year.

With the new additions at LB, Bowens should be allowed to focus on his situational pass rush work: blitzing from the ILB spot, standing up over a guard and blitzing the A/B gap, or lining up at 5 tech on passing downs.

And we need help from Bowens there: Shaun Rogers is going to be out for an unknown length of time, and Matt Roth -- who was our top pass rusher last season -- hasn't notched a sack this pre-season. Hopefully, that stat doesn't mean anything, but you have to be slightly concerned about a guy losing some explosiveness when he adds a lot of bulk.