Darkhorses for your team?

[Piggly Wiggly 960]

For the Pats...

 

Offense: WR Taylor Price. Has been very good in camp. Looks significantly better than he did a year ago. With Ocho and Welker (and Branch to some extent) getting all of the attention, he could have himself quite a year.

 

Defense: DE Andre Carter. Dude has been beasting in preseason. Last time he played in a 4-3 base (2009), he racked up 11 sacks. Looks primed to put up double-digit sacks or come close to it this season.

[.AirMcNair. 1,232]

Offense: Jared Cook, TE -

 

A 6'5 250 pound man who can run a 4.4 and jump higher than a good bit of receivers in this league. His only issue? Consistency. Rumor is he's fixed his drop problem, and he has looked good so far this pre-season..we'll see if it continues in to the regular season.

 

Defense: Akeem Ayers, OLB -

 

Pretty much from day 1 in camp he's surprised everyone with his quick grasp of the defense and his veteran-esque instincts. Could be a candidate for DROY if he's as good as Jerry Gray and Mike Munchak are saying he is.

Edited August 23, 2011 by .AirMcNair.

[Titanswin472 29]

Offense: Jared Cook

 

See AMs explanation.

 

Defense: Alterruan (spelled wrong probably) Verner

 

He has a knack for being in the right place at the right time and makes plays on the ball. He is already a starter but i believe he could be a star cornerback by the end of next season. He just is a great football player and also a great person.

[KiLaSix9+ 398]

Offense: Aurellius Benn WR. We had high hopes for Benn being our #1 guy until he got injured for most of the year and Mike Williams blew up. He did play towards the end of the season and showed some flashes of what he can do in the passing game. I think with the focus on Mike, Benn is poised to have a big year. He stretches the field and Freemans cannon is the perfect match for his speed.

 

Defense: Mason Foster LB. I haven't seen a guy on defense more fired up, snap after snap then this guy. Non stop motor, very instinctive, hard hitter and can apparently cover better than expected. This kid will only continue to get better.

[Glanvilles Grits 142]

Offense: Harry Douglas WR

 

Douglas had an outstanding rookie season in 2008. Training camp 09 he got injured and missed the entire season. Last season he played bad, but was recovering. He looks great this season. Look for him to be a huge receiving leader for the Falcons.

 

 

Defense: William Moore SS

 

The coaches are really high on this kid. They think he could nab 5 or 6 picks a year. Maybe more once he reaches full potential. And he's not just a coverage guy, he can play the run, and when he hits, he hits HARD!

Edited August 23, 2011 by Chris D

[Milla4Prez63 678]

Offense: Dezmon Briscoe

He's been tearing it up in camp and looked great against KC. I honestly think he may start opposite of Mike Williams on opening day.

 

Defense: Dekoda Watson

I had a hard time coming up with one here. But Watson is going to have a bigger role on defense as a third down blitz specialist and the guy has some serious skills there, he was a beast attacking the QB at FSU.

[Sacks98 28]

I think Doug Baldwin has a shot at making the team as a 3rd or 4th WR behind Rice,Williams and Obo he has done a good job of returning kicks and has shown reliable hands in the slot something Golden Tate has not shown.

[RazorStar 4,025]

Defense: Joe Mays, he's been looking good in camp, and thumps with the best of them. John Fox will never let a rookie start over him.

 

Offense: Eric Decker. He's shaping up to be our second receiver this year.

[oochymp 2,393]

I'm gonna go with guys I think are truly dark horses, I like the previous picks for the Titans of Ayers and Verner on defense and Cook on offense, but, frankly, I'm not sure I consider a high draft pick, a returning starter, and a perennial potential breakout player to be dark horses, so here are my picks:

 

Defense: Gerald McRath--last year's starting left side linebacker will be demoted, pushed out by the drafting of Akeem Ayers, who will be taking that starting spot next to newly acquired middle linebacker Barrett Ruud and across from returning starter Will Witherspoon. So, why am I listing a demoted starter as a dark horse? McRath came into last season with a chip on his shoulder and it's only gotten bigger, as far as opportunity I know the team has put him in as part of the nickel package in the preseason, pulling Witherspoon and Ayers, because of his pass-defending abilities, which is really his strongest skill set, so with the combination of motivation and the team putting him in a position to succeed, I think McGrath could have a very good year.

 

Offense: Javon Ringer--one thing I really disliked about Jeff Fisher was his refusal to shift to a running back by committee system, which rules the NFL right now. Sure, we've got a RB in Chris Johnson (assuming he re-signs) who can carry the whole load, but why should he have to? Ringer has looked great every time he's gotten the opportunity, whether that's preseason or the limited time he's gotten in the NFL (the guy's got a per carry average of 4.9, albeit on a small sample of only 59 carries, and mostly in garbage time) Our new RB coach, Jim Skipper, came to the Titans from Carolina, so he knows how effective a change up at RB can be, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Ringer become a more significant part of the Titans' offense. Not to mention if Johnson's hold out does go into the season, Ringer becomes the primary back.

Edited August 23, 2011 by oochymp

[seanbrock 1,684]

Offense- Vince Young, if Vick goes down we all know that Vince Young is capable of winning games. He has a 30-17 record as a starter I think. That's pretty damn good. It might not always be pretty but he can get the job done.

 

Defense- Kurt Coleman, he wasn't perfect last year but he showed a lot of heart and made plays when he was on the field. He reminds me of Quintin Mikell in that he can be a good leader and he's going to work hard and improve as a player. Really like Coleman and us drafting Jarrett sort of puzzled me. Not saying he's a bad player but Coleman is the starter now and I don't see and CB's or DL's being darkhorse candidates. I see our LB's being flat out bad this year.

[BC 331]

Offense: Aurellius Benn WR. We had high hopes for Benn being our #1 guy until he got injured for most of the year and Mike Williams blew up. He did play towards the end of the season and showed some flashes of what he can do in the passing game. I think with the focus on Mike, Benn is poised to have a big year. He stretches the field and Freemans cannon is the perfect match for his speed.

 

Defense: Mason Foster LB. I haven't seen a guy on defense more fired up, snap after snap then this guy. Non stop motor, very instinctive, hard hitter and can apparently cover better than expected. This kid will only continue to get better.

 

Isn't a darkhorse someone who we don't expect, and will come out of nowhere? Those guys arn't really under the radar at this point.

 

Mike Williams was the darkhorse last year and I don't know that we'll have anyone boom with that level of suprise, but I really like Anthony McCoy, one of our backup tight ends. He has had two outstanding preseasons now, and with Pete Carroll targetting bigger players, he certainly has an advantage or two over John Carlson. Carlson is battling injuries right now. We havn't even seen him in the preseason. We currently have 4 tight ends that we really like, and I think we may be good with Zach Miller and Anthony McCoy

[Sarge+ 3,436]

Offense: Antonio Brown

 

Defense: Stevenson Sylvester(only if Farrior gets hurt).

[NaTaS+ 958]

Offense: Evan Moore

Defense: Buster Skrines or Jabaal Sheard

[Guest MikeyDay]

Offense - Damian Williams, i heard hes been impressing and i hope he shows he can be our #2 guy behind Britt ( assuming he fucking stays out of trouble. ) Hes got great hands and is faster then alot of people realize.

 

Defense - Jovan Haye, hes put on major weight i think hes at 316 or close to that. Hes bigger and def stronger so now he should be able to attack the line better. I put him bcuz i think most Titan fans are thinking he'll be average for us, like he has been before. I think he plays huge for our line this yr, well I would like to hope so. Hes put in hard work, lets see if it pays off big.

[ATL_Predator+ 1,196]

Offense: Jacquizz Rodgers..he might be small, but he's not a toothpick. He's a pretty built running back for his size..lightning quick with agility, and isn't afraid to go north-south when he has too.

 

Defense: Sean Weatherspoon...had some injuries last year, but when he played he proved to be a pretty intinctive linebacker that has pretty good potential.

[Alu Alu 6]

Offense - Dezmon Briscoe, Cecil Shorts (not sure if he's a dark horse)

Defense - D'Anthony Smith, Courtney Greene (not sure if he's a dark horse aswell)

[BwareDWare94 723]

Offense: Tashard Choice as soon as Felix gets hurt

 

Defense: Anthony Spencer. I really think Rob Ryan will turn him into a beast.

[Guest MikeyDay]

Offense: Tashard Choice as soon as Felix gets hurt

 

Defense: Anthony Spencer. I really think Rob Ryan will turn him into a beast.

 

I wouldnt think Choice would be a darkhorse player. We all know he can play. Hes done it before and im sure if Felix goes down, Choice steps up big again.

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

Offense - Dezmon Briscoe, Cecil Shorts (not sure if he's a dark horse)

Defense - D'Anthony Smith, Courtney Greene (not sure if he's a dark horse aswell)

 

dawg... Your avatar is winning. lol.

[BwareDWare94 723]

I wouldnt think Choice would be a darkhorse player. We all know he can play. Hes done it before and im sure if Felix goes down, Choice steps up big again.

 

I guess I'd call him a dark horse to the coaching staff. From what I've heard, Lonyae Miller has sucked in the 2 preseason games so all that talk of keeping him over Choice should die down. Granted, I do think that if DeMarco Murray can go, he'll start ahead of Choice. That's fine by me, because I think Murray will be the starter here within a few years. Felix will get hurt again. I about guarantee it, so we'll have to look at one of these other two.

[Duck Fallas 209]

Offense: Tim Hightower: People don't believe that he can be a full-time starter who carries the ball 25 times a game. I honestly believe that since Torain has gone down with his broken hand, Hightower has solidified a starting spot. He has the skills to excel in Shanahan's offensive scheme.

 

Defense: Josh Wilson. He will be a major upgrade from Carlos Rogers...because he can actually CATCH the ball and doesn't drop easy INT's. He is not a strong of a cover CB, but he makes up for that with his aggressiveness.

[Alu Alu 6]

dawg... Your avatar is winning. lol.

Thanks, Mos Def is great.

[BGColtFreak 3]

Since our offense is pretty much already established, gotta go with defense for both.

 

Drake Nevis - DT

 

Built like a bowling ball, Nevis has push up the middle which our defense has needed for a long time. Has looked great in preseason so far and is hard to keep blocked.

 

Pat Angerer - SLB

 

Great talent that should improve on a great rookie season where he was filling in for the injured Brackett. He's already been talked about as the up-and-comer LB in the AFC South. Great instincts and playmaking ability. Played middle at Iowa but is versatile.

[Piggly Wiggly 960]

Thought I'd bump this since the regular season is winding down...

 

 

For the Pats...

 

Offense: WR Taylor Price. Has been very good in camp. Looks significantly better than he did a year ago. With Ocho and Welker (and Branch to some extent) getting all of the attention, he could have himself quite a year.

 

Defense: DE Andre Carter. Dude has been beasting in preseason. Last time he played in a 4-3 base (2009), he racked up 11 sacks. Looks primed to put up double-digit sacks or come close to it this season.

Recorded his 10th sack of the season this past Sunday.

[Bay 2,003]

I think Doug Baldwin has a shot at making the team as a 3rd or 4th WR behind Rice,Williams and Obo he has done a good job of returning kicks and has shown reliable hands in the slot something Golden Tate has not shown.

 

Good job, man.