Brown and White

[TheBestPlayersPlay]

The transcript of Eric Mangini's Saturday post-scrimmage press conference.

Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini post-scrimmage press conference 8-7-10
(Opening Statement)- “Really good work. They got what we wanted to get accomplished, accomplished. A lot of different situations, we got the mechanics of the pregame, the halftime, all the things that we were looking for and it was a nice opportunity for us to do it in a game setting before we have to go do it next week.”
(On how he judged everything without any live tackling)- “We had the NFL officials here and all their decisions were final and whoever they decided was (down), it was. That’s how it is in the game. You may not always agree all the time, but whatever the call is, the call is and that’s how we operated.”
(On how he grades a good play versus a bad play when there’s no tackling)- “We’ll be able to look at the blocking schemes, the fits, the defensive linemen, the safeties and see whether everybody was in position to make the play or not make the play. We just didn’t want to have that contact right now. We wanted to be able to work on the specifics of the plays.”
(On how he would judge the overall physicality of the scrimmage)- “I’d say there were too many penalties and that’s something that we work on quite a bit, but the team was split up, totally different scenarios. That’s hard to do, but I thought the coaches did a good job. I thought the players did a good job with it. I’m never happy with penalties and that’s something we’ll continue to work on.”
(On his evaluation of Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace)- “I thought both guys did some really good things. I haven’t seen their final numbers yet, but I thought in terms of the operation, the overall execution, there were a lot of positives.”
(On Brandon McDonald’s interception return for a touchdown and his camp so far)- “Brandon’s had a really good camp and I think that he put himself in nice position on that play. He kind of fell off late, baited Colt (McCoy) into throwing it. Then he did a nice job running with the football after the play to be able to get into the end zone.”
(On if he was okay with the dive into the end zone)- “I’m not a big fan of the dive. That’s something we’ll talk about tomorrow.”
(On the scuffle that occurred on the field)- “No, we’re not going to fight at practice. There was a guy recently hurt in college football, that is going to miss four to six weeks for a fight. We’ll have plenty of chances to show how tough we are.”
(On if Delhomme and Benjamin Watson could be something special this offseason)- “I’ve known Ben for a long time and unfortunately he’s scored a lot of touchdowns against the defenses that I’ve coached. It’s nice to have him and have him scoring touchdowns for us. I think that the tight end group as a whole has done a really nice job and being able to get some production out of that position is going to open up things in other areas.”
(On what he thought of James Davis)- “I haven’t seen the numbers, but he made a couple nice plays. As we talked about, it’s hard to really evaluate without the tackling, but I’m excited to see him get into some live contact next week.”
(On the different positions Joshua Cribbs was playing today)- “Really, that’s how Josh has always been. He plays some quarterback, he plays some receiver, he plays on special teams. The more times you get the ball in his hands, the more chances he has of making explosive plays. You saw some of the things that we’ll do with him and I’m sure we’ll do a lot more as well.”
(On if Brandon McDonald has something to prove this year after his struggles last year)- “I think that competition in any group is a really good thing and we’ve got a competitive group of corners. They’re all working to make the team. They are all working for play time and nobody’s going to give that up easily. That’s a positive thing. The competition is going to help us overall.”
(On how special teams played today)- “I thought they did a nice job. I thought the mechanics for special teams was smooth. Again, you’ve got guys playing in position they may not normally be playing in, but they have to be backups for and there weren’t very many miscues in those areas. I think that’s encouraging and Brad Seely does a great job with that.”
(On how the day went today)- “It was a great day. I came in early this morning, saw the fans here early and you get that electric feeling that you always have when you are coming to the stadium. We’ve got the greatest, loudest group of fans that you are going to find and we thank them for coming out here today and for showing all their support.”

Browns Player Quotes 8-7-10

(Cribbs, Delhomme, Haden, Moore, Wallace, Watson)

Joshua Cribbs
(On the chemistry between him and Seneca Wallace)- "It's like none other. You have two quarterbacks that are out there balling out and playing football. That's what it's all about. I look for him to throw me the ball and he looks for me to catch it. That's the chemistry that we are getting in practice and it is going to lead over into the games."
(On Joe Haden's development)- "He is getting extremely better. He is picking up the game a lot easier than I thought. I noticed the difference in him from rookie camp and OTAs as to now. He has stepped his game up tremendously and I think he'll be ready by the first game."
(On the biggest difference in the team now than this time in 2009)- "I think the guys, not only the organization but the chemistry. I think the attitude is stronger amongst each other. We are more together as a team. Even in bible study. There are a lot more guys coming to bible study and that says a lot about our character."
(On his transition to wide receiver)- "It's going great. Every game, every practice, I try to work on the fundamentals of being more of a complete package. Anytime I'm thrown in there I make sure that I am doing my job and I'm doing it at an extremely high level."
Jake Delhomme
(On the Family Day scrimmage)- “This was new to me. I’ve done different types of scrimmages, but this is truly a game-type setting and things like that. You have got to be realistic about what happened out there, the quarterbacks are not live. There is not live tackling. I think that there are a few playmakers on this football team that can make things happen with the ball in the open field. For the most part, we did some decent things. I’m sure there’s a lot to work on. I feel it’s been a very good and productive first week of camp, I will say that. Now we will get to start focusing in more because we have put a great deal of things in. We can start repeating things and getting ready for our first preseason game.”
(On if the scrimmage shows what guys will be like in a game)- “I think somewhat, I think it does. To me, it’s the competitive spirit. That’s one thing that I liked is you want to see guys playing and fighting and this is why you play this game. It’s a kid’s game. We all play because we have fun, but we play to win. That’s how you play, you play to try to win.”
(On Ben Watson and the tight ends)- “He is very athletic. I think we have a very good tight end group in my opinion. I think Robert Royal is the consummate pro, very intelligent in blocking and does will in the pass game. The other two guys, they can run. They are difference makers. They can really run and whatnot and they are very athletic, both of them, (with) the one-handed catch by Evan (Moore) and the catch by Ben. They’re talented.”
Joe Haden
(On how close he is to knowing all of the information)- “It’s a whole lot closer now honestly because we have all of the install in. All of the plays that we have are in so now it’s just making sure you know exactly what you have got to do. There are no more new plays coming in so now I just feel like I’m getting a whole lot better at knowing which plays we have. I’m real close to it.”
(On the biggest difference between playing in the NFL and the SEC)- “The biggest difference honestly between this and that is that there are so many plays. When is I was in college, there were just a couple of plays and you knew exactly what you are doing. You knew where your help was. In this when somebody motions, it changes the whole defense. You can go from blitzing to half field so just knowing exactly what you have to do is the biggest difference for me.”
Evan Moore
(On how he is approaching camp)- “Just to get better. Last year was actually my rookie year so I wanted to make strides from my first to second year. Most coaches say a lot of your biggest strides come from your first to second year so I wanted to make sure I was doing that and getting better at the things that people said I wasn’t very good at. Pass protection, run game, those are things that I want to continue to get better at to become a more all-around, complete tight end.”
(On if the coaches are noticing his hard work)- “I don’t want to speak for them, you can ask them that, but I believe so. It’s something that I have been working on and it’s going to come. It’s not something I have a lot of experience doing because I played receiver in college, but it’s something that I know I have the capability to do if I keep working at it. It really all comes down to technique, I don’t really think it’s a strength thing or anything like that. I’m just as big as these other guys that we have got. It’s just technique and getting experience at it.”
Seneca Wallace
(On what he took from today’s scrimmage)- “It was fun just to get out there in a regular type of game environment. Obviously, it wasn’t live, but we did some things well on the offensive side of the ball and it’s a lot to grow from.”
(On some of the things he thought they did offensively)- “We moved the ball, that’s the main thing. Moving the ball and scoring some points. We got a field goal. I think that was the biggest thing is that everybody was working, we caught the ball well. We blocked pretty good. Obviously, we couldn’t run the ball, so they are kind of teeing off, but it was fun to try to get the guys out there and work at it.”
(On if the cyclone package is something they would expect to see more of)- “I think it’s going to be very effective with me and Josh Cribbs being back there. It can be really exciting. He’s going to make his plays and I’m going to try my best to make my plays.”
Ben Watson
(On if he knew right away if he was in bounds on his touchdown)- “Yeah I knew. We work on trying to get those feet in bounds and I was pretty sure I was in before they challenged it.”
(On if having a scrimmage like this is helpful)- “It’s just good work altogether for the offense, the defense and the special teams. It’s good to work against each other in a game-type atmosphere and have a game-type mentality. Although it was a practice, it gave us a chance to do some things full speed.”

[YtownBacker]

That is some interesting comments.

I think Mangini said it best when he said today was seeing if people were getting in the right positions and how mentally prepared they are.

Thanks TBPP

[Sez.EJ]

Defense is always ahead of the offense early on in camp. no big mystery.. Best thing!!!!!!!!!! No one carted off the field for injury... call it a success.

[TheBestPlayersPlay]

Yah the further removed I am from what I saw, the better I am feeling about it. Can't wait for next Saturday! I'm going to try and take in one more day of TC before it hits, but I may not get to it.

[Riffer X]

Originally Posted by TheBestPlayersPlay

Yah the further removed I am from what I saw, the better I am feeling about it. Can't wait for next Saturday! I'm going to try and take in one more day of TC before it hits, but I may not get to it.

Gabe, I used to go to these every year, even when they tackled. They are pretty much worthless to me, so unless I have absolutely nothing to do I won't go.

Judging QB's in this "game" is fruitless, although I still remember Couch haters hanging on every throw like it was the determining factor on the kid.

[BernietheKid]

Brown Wins the Day
		By Fred Greetham OBR Browns Reporter Posted Aug 7, 2010 | More The Brown Team beat the White Team thanks to a Delhomme-to-Watson pass.
CLEVELAND—In the end quarterback Jake Delhomme’s five-yard pass to Ben Watson proved to be the difference as the Brown Team held on for a 14-6 win over the White Team in the annual scrimmage in front of 22,311 fans at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Family Day. It was the only offensive touchdown of the scrimmage. Delhomme, unofficially was 10-of-13 for 74 yards and a score. Watson had three receptions for 19 yards, including the touchdown. "This was new to me," Delhomme said. "I've done different types of scrimmages, but this was truly a game type setting. You've got to be realistic about what happened out there. The QBs are not live. There is not live tackling. I'm sure we still have a lot to work on." The first half of the scrimmage provided very little offense, but was highlighted by Brandon McDonald’s interception return for a touchdown after he stepped in front of Syndric Steptoe on a pass by rookie Colt McCoy with 1:27 to play in the first half to give the Brown Team a 7-3 lead. We were in cover two and I used my technique to split the zone," McDonald said. "I was in the right place to make the play. I took the coaching we get in the locker room from the meetings onto the field." The White Team had taken a 3-0 lead on a 48-yard field goal by Phil Dawson in the first quarter. The Brown Team had the ball first. Jerome Harrison took the first carry for one yard and then Delhomme threw to Mohamed Massaquoi for five yards. Delhomme then threw to Massaquoi to the 41 for 15 yards and a first down. After a dropped pass by Harrison, Delhomme hit Robiskie on third down for four yards. Delhomme was 3-of-4 for 25 yards and one drop in the first possession. The White scored first as Phil Dawson hit a 48-yard field goal with 1:58 to play in the first quarter. After starting at theirown 21, the White team moved to the Brown Team 31 before stalling. On the first play from scrimmage, Josh Cribbs took the first snap and looked as though he was going to pass, but ended up tucking the ball and scrambling for 14 yards. Seneca Wallace threw to Bobby Engram for six yards on his first pass, but since they weren’t tackling, Wallace might’ve been sacked by Nick Sorenson as he touched Wallace. Wallace hit Engram for four yards for a first down and then he threw short to Chris Jennings to the 49. Rookie Clifton Geathers was flagged for a late hit which moved the ball to the Brown Team 36. A pass to Evan Moore moved the ball to the 29. On third-and- 3, Jennings lost two yards as Ray Ventrone made the stop. Dawson then hit the field goal. Wallace was 4-of-5 for 20 yards. After the score, the Brown Team started at their own 24 after a return by Joe Haden. Delhomme threw to Chansi Stuckey for 17 yards to the 43 and then a four yard pass to Harrison to the 47 to end the first quarter. Delhomme was 5-of-6 for 46 yards in the first half. Brett Ratliff started the second quarter in relief of Delhomme for the Brown Team and hit for Harrison for 10 yards. On his second pass attempt, linebacker Blake Constanzo intercepted the pass at the 32. On his next possession, Ratliff and the Brown Team were three-and-out with a seven yard completion to Stuckey. McCoy’s first pass in relief of Wallace for the White Team was incomplete to Jennings. He was sacked on second down to the 26. On third-and-16, he had a short completion to Jennings. On the White Team’s second possession starting at the 23, Cribbs took direct snap for one. McCoy threw to Steptoe for eight yards to the 32. McCoy threw to Moore down field , but McCoy was ruled sacked back at the 25 by Eric Barton. McCoy was intercepted on the next possession by McDonald, who stepped in front of Steptoe and returned it close to 35 yards for the touchdown with 1:27 to play to make it 7-3 for the Brown Team. On the Brown Team’s next possession, they started at their 34 with James Davis taking the direct snap and running 66 yards for the touchdown, but Watson was called for holding to negate the run and move back to the 24. After a short completion and an incompletion, Ratliff was sacked. He was 3-of-7 for 19 yards, including an interception. The Brown Team took over with 2:12 to play at their 20, after a short pass y McCoy to Jennings for two yards, Barton was called for a face mask to the 27. Trying to move in the final 1:20 after the interception, McCoy hit Engram for nine yards to the 40. The next pass was batted down by Titus Adams. On third-and- 7, McCoy threw to Cribbs for eight yards and a first down to the 47 with 12 seconds left. On the final play of the half, McCoy threw to the end zone and was intercepted by DeAngelo Smith. Unofficially, McCoy was 7-of-12 for 31 yards and two interceptions. In the fourth quarter, the Brown team took a 14-3 lead with 8:10 to play as Delhomme found Watson in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. "I felt it's been a very productive first week of camp," Delhomme said. "We put a great deal of things in. Now we can start focusing more and start preparing things to get ready for that first preseason game." Ratliff took over for Delhomme in the third quarter after the first series and directed the Brown Team to a big play was some razzle-dazzle as Davis took the pitch left and handed it to Stuckey, who threw back right to Ratliff for 11 yards to the 16. On fourth-and-one, Davis ran over the right side for the first down to the 14 to end the third quarter. Delhomme re-entered to start the first quarter and hit Davis on first down to the nine on a screen. A seven-yard pass to Brian Robiskie moved the ball to the two. However, Floyd Womack was holding on first down to move the ball back to the 12. After an incompletion, Delhomme hit Davis for seven yards and then on third down and goal found Watson in the back of the end zone to make it 14-3. White Team Coach Carl Smith challenged the call, but it stood. Delhomme was 4-of-5 for 24 yards on the drive with a touchdown. Ratliff was 2-of-3 for 20 yards and he also caught an 11-yard pass from Stuckey. The Brown Team went 55 yards in 12 plays for the score. Dawson kicked his second field goal for the White Team from 35 yards out with 1:00 to play to make it 14-6. Rather than lining up for an onside kick, the officials conducted a coin toss with most of the team crowded around the officials. The White Team won the toss and were awarded the ball at the 40. Wallace was sacked on first down by Jason Trusnik and then after an incomplete pass, he threw an eight-yard pass to Eric Wright to the 41. With eight seconds to play, Wallace threw a short pass to Steptoe and then he tried to pitch it back and Wallace ended up with the ball and tossed it out of bounds trying to get it to Cribbs to end the game. "I looked at this as another practice," McDonald said. "We wanted to get the young guys to see what the game atmosphere would be like during the day. This is my fourth year so I'm used to this. I looked at this as another day of practice with just a lot of fans watching." Notebook QB Day: QB Seneca Wallace started with just one series in the first half and was unofficially 4-of-5 for 20 yards. However, he played most of the second half and was 12-of-19 for 123 yards, unofficially. He finished 16-of-23 for 143 yards and was sacked three times. QB Jake Delhomme was 5-of-6 for 42 yards in the first half and 5-of-7 for 28 yards and a touchdown in the second half. Overall, he was unofficially, 10-of-13 for 74 yards and a touchdown. QB Colt McCoy only played one play in the second half and handed it off. He finished 7–of-12 for 31 yards and two interceptions. Meanwhile, QB Brett Ratliff was 2-of-3 for 20 yards in the second half and e also had a reception from WR Chansi Stuckey for 11 yards. Overall, Ratliff was 5-of-10 for 39 yards with an interception. Sack Attack: Unoffically, the Brown Team had seven sacks, including two by LB Jason Trusnik. The White Team had one. Big Mac: DB Brandon McDonald was replaced by DB Sheldon Brown and DB Joe Haden in the rotation but he made his presence felt with an interception and a batted down pass in the first half. Big Ben: TE Ben Watson caught three passes for 19 yards, including the Brown Team’s only offensive touchdown . King James: RB James Davis had some impressive catches and runs and did have a 66-yard run called back on a holding penalty. Barton Barking: LB Eric Barton had a sack and was also called for a face mask penalty in his first action since suffering a season-ending neck injury last season. Haden Returning: No. 1 pick Joe Haden was the kickoff return man for the Brown and returned one to the 24. The Coaches: The White Team as coached by quarterback coach Carl Smith, while the Brown Team was coached by special team coordinator Brad Seely Hardesty Sighting: Rookie RB Montario Hardesty was on the white sidelines with a wrap on his right knee. Other players not playing for the White team were DL Shaun Rogers (ankle) and RB Peyton Hillis (leg) . On the Brown sidelines inactive were LB David Bowens (leg), OL Joel Reinders (right foot), C.J. Mosley, LB Titus Brown and DL Brian Schaefering. P Dave Zastudil was not seen. Roster Move: DB John Bowie was signed to take the place of DB Chris Roberson was placed on injured reserve. Bowie was with the Browns in the off-season, but released before training camp. Bowie was with the Raiders the previous three seasons. He wears No. 36. See Ya Later: LB Marcus Benard and OL Scott Kooistra got into a shoving match with about three minutes to play. Referee Mike Carey summed it up 58 and 74 both will watch the rest of the scrimmage from the bench. Father and Son: Dana McKenzie, son of Browns official supervisor Dick McKenzie, is a head linesman on Mike Carey’s officiating crew that did the scrimmage

Scout.com: Brown Wins the Day

[jason j]

I think the media folks have done a nice job of re-capping for sure. But the one thing I noticed immediately, is the defensive team speed. If you look at the back 7 and compare them to this event one year ago, it's not even close.

That comes from a couple of places. The guys aren't feeling their way around this defense anymore. They are living inside the defense. So it looks faster. The false steps are all but eliminated. Even the new additions are reacting cleanly. Although, you have to realize that if there was an NFL Academic Challenge team, Fujita and Gocong would be among the first selected... so that helps. Ward was also very fluid in his first "live-ish" action.

Secondly, the personnel is just quicker afoot. The only exception being the loss of Kamerion Wimbley... Neither Roth nor Fujita can match Kam's pure speed. Unfortunately Kamerion was fast but didn't always play fast. Roth and Fujita (and Benard and Trusnik) play with great pace. And, while Fujita lacks the burst of the other two, it shouldn't be ignored that they also, to a man play with outstanding leverage and strength. Call 'em what you want; "effort guys," "great motors," whatever, these guys are moving every snap.

One unfortunate blocking scheme left TE Alex Smith one on one with Jason Trusnik on the right edge. Frankly, had Jason and Alex not been previously acquainted in training camp, Mr. Trusnik would have a difficult time picking Mr. Smith out of a lineup. He blew past him so quickly, I'm not sure he actually noticed anyone had been assigned to pick him up. He exploded off the line, set a shallow corner, and was gone.

Add to this that these guys are massive. Trusnik, who's every bit of 6'4" (if not quite his listed 250 lbs.) is easily the leanest of the Outside Backer crew. Fujita the tallest, most angular, Roth and Benard are just big, thick football players.

The advantage there is they can get their outside foot in the ground and still have their hips down far enough while being upright to turn the corner on a pass rush. For those of you who've watched Kamerion Wimbley for years curling over his toes then being brushed past quarterbacks as the leagues top tackles used his speed against him, watch Roth and Benard raise the pad level of their assigned blockers as they get their momentum turned toward the quarterback... as opposed to an imaginary target some two or three yards behind him. It's frighteningly effective.

On the inside, Jackson is still a coverage liability. But Gocong is much more fluid than anyone the Browns lined up out there all year in 2009. The Jackson-Barton ILB crew was less of a sideline-to-sideline backer group and more of a numbers to numbers tandem. And that's not all bad. But it's better today.

Sheldon Brown and Joe Haden are immediate speed and ability upgrades over Gerard Lawson, Hank Poteat, and the cast of thousands Ramzee Robinson anyone? When Brandon McDonald moves to #4 or #5 on the depth chart... suddenly a talent deficit becomes a strength.

The upgrades at safety are obvious. While Ward and Asante have a long way to go, the core of Elam, Adams, and the two rookies appear to be an upgrade over the oft-injured and even more oft-clueless Pool, and the cast of special teamers and utility men playing safety in '09. Sorensen and Ventrone have special team value, but they just don't look like pro safeties to me.

Offensively, if you want to feel better as Browns fans, all you have to do is look at Jake Delhomme's feet. No pitter patter, back and forth, twisting, turning, waiting, wondering, hoping... He snaps, reads, sets, reads (again), throws. The speed with which he runs his progressions should be completely foreign to Browns fans. Only Trent Dilfer in recent Browns history had a grasp of defenses that rivaled Delhomme's... and that's not really all that close. Dilfer's mastery of offense comes from an academic mastery of the material. Delhomme is more of a feel player. Not that I'm calling them Masters... but Dilfer is more of a Mozart, Delhomme's a Beethoven. Not one for music analogies... hmm... Dilfer's a Da Vinci where Delhomme's more of a Pollack.

Now that I'm through showing off with cocktail party analogies, I'll just say, that this is the most comfortable I've been with the Browns' quarterback situation in more than a decade. Only Jeff Garcia gave me a reasonably similar sense of calm... but he didn't have nearly the roster to work with that Jake has.

I don't say this flippantly... but, based on what I see on the field, Browns fans have every reason to be optimistic.... not confident or cocky... but optimistic.

If this team stays remotely healthy, they'll be competitive every Sunday. And you haven't been able to say that about too many Browns teams in the 2000's. The Mangini-Heckert-Holmgren crew have done an outstanding job of turning over this roster into something that resembles an NFL team. It should be an interesting year.

-jj

[Danamal]

JJ,
Good to see your post.
You have a cult like status on this board,it would be really cool to see you post more often but we appreciate anytime you do,good stuff.

[Masters]

Originally Posted by jason j

Not that I'm calling them Masters... -jj

Darn right, because they are no me....lol

[Flugel]

Originally Posted by jason j

Secondly, the personnel is just quicker afoot. The only exception being the loss of Kamerion Wimbley... Neither Roth nor Fujita can match Kam's pure speed. Unfortunately Kamerion was fast but didn't always play fast. Roth and Fujita (and Benard and Trusnik) play with great pace. And, while Fujita lacks the burst of the other two, it shouldn't be ignored that they also, to a man play with outstanding leverage and strength. Call 'em what you want; "effort guys," "great motors," whatever, these guys are moving every snap.
-jj

Great stuff!

As far as Roth goes, he was recruited to be a division I wrestler at Iowa. Consequently, he plays with superior leverage that frequently removes the base/legs of bigger guys blocking him. A wrestler of his caliber means he has to have ideal leverage from a standing position every bit as much as he needs it from a 3 point stance. The good news is he's heavy and agile enough to do either for us given the situation and it's instinctive enough for him to play quick. If he has a hand on the ground, we need him to maintain 2 gap integrity because he's essentially a downlineman on that play.

These unique strengths we see in Roth allow him to maintain the outside contain all the way through the pass rush; but even more critically it enables him to maintain a control of either side of the blocker much more effectively than Wimbley ever could. Roth's wired perfectly for what we need coming off that edge and he seemed like he got to the QBs pretty quickly. I admired Wimbley's hustle but picking a side of the blocker took him out of too many plays IMO.

IMO, the closest guy in this draft to Matt Roth was Michigan's Brandon Graham. He ended up going to Philly. The reason I bring this up is that Alex Hall was kind of wired in the Wimbley mode while Graham looks like he's wired like Roth (not quite as heavy though). The Roth/Graham molds are rare but teams drool over the edge guys that can play through bigger OTs by getting up under them and removing their base/legs. Meanwhile there's alot of Wimbley/Hall/Gholston types struggling to find their niche. Yes, we've seen a Jevon Kearse have an early impact and Wimbley have a good rookie year BUT teams solved these guys and their successes seemed short lived.

I thought our best 2 defenders as the season was closing in 2009 were Roth and Bowens. Neither are speedsters but both guys have instinctive first steps that allowed them to be factors at or behind the line of scrimmage. Not sure what's left in Bowens' tank but I encourage people to go listen to his post practice interview last week. He spoke about how helpful Rubin was at keeping blockers off him and he also said there was no reason for people to be concerned about this dline's ability.
- Tom F.

[Solon16]

JJ, great post....but once you said Dilfer equates to Mozart and DaVinci...I started to get real worried about your evaluation of QBs...

lol

[jason j]

Originally Posted by Solon16

JJ, great post....but once you said Dilfer equates to Mozart and DaVinci...I started to get real worried about your evaluation of QBs...

lol

Yeah... the analogy is to draw comparisons to the approaches, not so much the results.

-jj