Dutch 874 Posted July 29, 2015 (edited) Going into the 2015 season, considering all of the changes throughout the offseason, what do you believe your teams top 3 strengths are and top 3 weaknesses? Strengths 1. Running attack - The Eagles picked up the rushing leader in free agency with Demarco Murray after trading McCoy. Both are top backs in the league but I believe Murray fits our system more and is a much better fit. My only fear is his fumbling issue. If he can control his fumbling, we will be fine. Bringing in Ryan Mathews, another quality starter in this league truly bolsters our running attack. We can truly wear defenses down with these two backs. Demarco can beat them down and then Mathews can gash them, Having Sproles as our 3 back with his quick elusiveness and speed along with pass catching abilities gives us the most multifaceted and lethal backfield in the game. 2. Pass rush - We were tied for 2nd most sacks in the league and I think our front 7 got much better. We lost Trent Cole who was productive but aging and gave Brandon Graham a full time starting position. In limited snap opportunities playing about 30% of the snaps in each of the past two years, Graham has been the most productive and efficient pass rusher in the game. Can he be as effective in a full time role? I hope so and believe he can. Adding Kiko helps and Kendricks is a blitz nightmare because of his elite speed. He racked up 4 sacks in only 11 games started (injury) and believe he will be more involved in blitzing. He was VERY effective in stunt and twist blitzes up the middle.Barwin had a career high last year in sacks. Fletcher Cox getting double teamed will definitely open up opportunities for these guys and I think we will have another big sack campaign this year. 3. Special Teams - We had the best special teams in the league last year and it helped us win a lot of games. I don't expect another year like last season but I do believe we will still have an elite ST unit and it will contrinute to wins. Weaknesses 1. Corner - Thank God Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams are gone. That alone makes our secondary better. We did sign Byron Maxwell but who knows how he will respond being a #1 corner outside of the Seattle defense being a benefactor opposite Sherman and the best safety duo in the league. Maxwell will be on the spot pretty early going against Julio Jones week one so..lol Still question marks of our 2nd starting corner. Apparently, Nolan Carroll is the favorite but he hasn't done anything that inspires confidence and Eric Rowe is a rookie. 2. Guard - We lost both our starting guards. Evan Mathis one of the best guards in the league and we lost Herremans as well. I have no reason to have faith in the other guys at this point outside of hearing what our camp is saying. But "I" never saw them in full time roles. 3. Safety - Malcolm Jenkins had a very solid season last year but our opposite starting safety is up in the air. Earl Wolff is hanging on a thread and it's either do or die here. Jaylen Watkins name has been thrown around who was a drafted corner last year and Walter Thurmond has been taking reps at safety. Who knows but it remains a concern until I see it improve. Edited July 29, 2015 by Dutch Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FartWaffles 1,857 Posted July 29, 2015 Strengths 1. Defensive line 2. Running backs 3. Cornerbacks Weaknesses 1. Quarterback 2. Linebackers (inside and outside) 3. Wide receivers not named Hopkins Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch 874 Posted July 29, 2015 What are your expectations for Cecil Shorts? How do you think he'll fit in? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FartWaffles 1,857 Posted July 29, 2015 What are your expectations for Cecil Shorts? How do you think he'll fit in? I'm thinking he will wind up being the #2 receiver, and it's a very good thing that he can play outside and in the slot. O'Brien is all about versatility, and Shorts has it. I'm more worried about his past durability issues when it comes to him. Also I expect Washington to put up a good fight in training camp. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted July 30, 2015 (edited) Strengths 1. Running Back. Do I really need to explain this? No, but I'll hit up the rest of the depth chart. McKinnon is going to be lightning as a decoy this year and while Adrian Peterson will likely get the bulk of the goal line carries, if he gets injured, I would argue that Matt Asiata--though he isn't very good at much else--might be one of the best goal line backs in the league. 2. Wide Receiver. Cordarrelle Patterson, even as raw as he is, is 3rd on the depth chart. Jarius Wright and Adam Theilen follow suit behind him, and there are teams in this league that could use either of those guys at the #2 spot. The depth is excellent, and I'm very happy about it. 3. Secondary. Minnesota has a corner who will become elite this year in Xavier Rhodes and a Safety in Harrison Smith who's a few small steps away from becoming one of the best safeties in the league. You factor in Waynes, Newman, Robinson, Sherels, Blanton, and Exum into the equation, too, and Minnesota has one of the deepest secondaries in the league. Weaknesses 1. Offensive Line. You can't convince me that this offensive line will simply get better overnight, and while I don't expect them to be the sieve they were last year, they're going to be a work in progress. Matt Kalil has to play better--he hasn't been as bad overall as dumb fans would lead you to believe--but he hasn't been good enough, not even close. This group has to stay healthy or this team will have trouble blocking for even Adrian Peterson. 2. Linebackers. This is mostly due to lack of experience at the position surrounding a few nice pieces (Barr, Greenway). This position all comes down to how guys like Kendricks and Audie Cole perform. Gerald Hodges is serviceable, but not an ideal player to have back there. 3. Tight End. I know that Kyle Rudolph shows good things when he's healthy, but he's never, ever, healthy. I expect that to be the case again, and that's going to force Minnesota to play Rhett Ellison in blocking situations because MyCole Pruitt is pretty much a Wide Receiver. Nevertheless, Pruitt would need to be ready for the NFL game in order to contribute as a pass catcher if Rudolph goes down. I'm not sure I trust any of these what-ifs in regard to Minnesota's TEs. Edited July 30, 2015 by BwareDWare94 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch 874 Posted July 30, 2015 Strengths 2. Wide Receiver. Cordarrelle Patterson, even as raw as he is, is 3rd on the depth chart. Jarius Wright and Adam Theilen follow suit behind him, and there are teams in this league that could use either of those guys at the #2 spot. The depth is excellent, and I'm very happy about it. Your best receiver, Mike Wallace says Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.AirMcNair. 1,232 Posted July 30, 2015 Strengths: Uh... um... Nothing? We have players who are good individually like Casey, McCourty, Walker, Lewan and a couple others..but a position group that could be listed as a strength as a whole? Doesn't exist. Weaknesses: 7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch 874 Posted July 30, 2015 That made me lol irl a little.. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted July 30, 2015 Your best receiver, Mike Wallace says Yes, I figured Wallace and Johnson were givens, so I talked about the other 3 with the exception of the kid they drafted. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sons of Shula 11 Posted July 30, 2015 (edited) Miami Dolphins Strengths DL: The addition of Suh alongside Wake should provide fits for opposing offenses. Olivier Vernon, who will now be almost certainly seeing single looks, is a competent pass rusher and should flourish at RE. The lone starting holdover at defensive tackle, Earl Mitchell, will also benefit from from the attention garnered by EarthWake & Suhnami ( ). Depth wise, DE Terrence Fede has shown flashes, though his biggest contribution last year was on special teams with a blocked punt vs the Vikings for a safety that sealed the game. Rookie DT Jordan Phillips will also be a player with high hopes as he possesses a massive frame (6'5" 330#) but his knock is his lack of motor. QB: Ryan Tannehill seems the lost QB at times among his draft class of Luck and Wilson, with possible good reason as he is the lone QB with no post season play under his belt, but Tannehill has significantly improved every year. Tannehill will now be in his 2nd year under OC Lazor, whom helped him last year reach plateaus of 4,000+ yds passing and a 66.4% pass completion rate. Tannehill missed the 30 TD mark (27) but also had some very blatant drops in and around the endzone that would have put him easily at 31 if those catches were made (removes aqua and coral shades). I expect nothing less than more improvement from Tannehill in '15 especially with a revamped receiving corp which brings me to my next strength. WR: Long gone are Brian Hartline (afraid of YAC and easily tackled by a blade of grass), Mike Wallace (catch radius of a T-Rex and similar sentiment when it came to playing with others and being a teammate), and Brandon Gibson (Wallace's puppet). Enter Kenny Stills, Greg Jennings, 2nd year player, Mr. Velcro Hands aka Jarvis Landry (75% catch rate) and the anti-Wallace, rookie Devante Parker. Greg Jennings will provide veteran leadership, and though that is a cliche' and an overused saying, it will be needed among the young players we have. Stills will replace the speed void left by the departure of Wallace but also brings the ability to run proper routes, adjust to the ball in the air, and make plays above his head. Jarvis Landry will continue to do his thing in the slot and formed an almost immediate chemistry with Tannehill leading the team in catches (84). Devante Parker will begin training camp on PUP due to foot surgery, but is expected back in time for week 1. Parker will provide a red zone threat that the Dolphins have lacked in Tannehill's years with his size, body control, and soft hands, but needs to improve on his route running to offset his just above average speed. Weaknesses OL: It's been a significant weakness as the Dolphins have led the league in sacks allowed over the span of the past three years. Last year the acquisition of Brandon Albert at LT and the addition of rookie RT Ju'Wuan James helped this unit but after Albert went down with an injury, James was moved to LT, and the lack of talent at both guard positions quickly hurled the line back into poor pass protection status. Albert looks back on track to play in the season opener but we still have questions with our guard play. I'd be pleased to see the Dolphins take a good look and cough up some more money for G Evan Mathis. LB: Ellerbe was traded away for to the Saints for WR Kenny Stills (Thanks, Ireland. Never thought I'd utter those words) and Wheeler was cut. Injuries exposed our lack of depth here with the exception of Jelani Jenkins who became our premier playmaker at LB. Koa Misi will return but questions remain as to whether or not he will stay at MLB with a consideration to Kelvin Sheppard and moving Misi back to strongside. Misi gives consistent average play, but has had troubles staying healthy. Biggest weakness here will be at SLB if the said prior moves don't stick. Many unproven players will vie for the spot but it's yet to be seen who will take it as opposed to someone simply landing there out of default. 2nd year player Chris McCain looks to be the favorite CB: Brent Grimes is savvy veteran but father time is not on his side as his short stature has him rely on his speed and quickness to react. On the other side of the field, your guess is as good as mine. Cortland Finnigan will not be returning and Jamar Taylor is the current front runner as training camp approaches. Brice McCain is the favorite to man the nickel position and Will Allen is recovering from an ACL injury. The Dolphins also acquired Zach Bowman from the Giants and Rookie Bobby McCain (no it's not a McCain family reunion) look to provide depth but overall the unit is very unproven outside of Grimes. Edited July 30, 2015 by Sons of Shula 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theMileHighGuy 656 Posted July 30, 2015 Strengths: 1. Linebacker - Easily the best position group. Outside lurks Von Miller and DWare, with some high hopes for number 1 pick Shane Ray. Inside starting is two of the best tacklers in the league in THE Brandon Marshall (113 tackles over 14 games in 2014) and Danny Trevathan (129 tackles in 2013). 2. Secondary - Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. make for a top tandem on the outside, while Bradley Roby looks to build on his great rookie season while primarily lining up at nickel. T.J. Ward is still one of the better box-safeties in the game. The only question mark will be at FS, and how well Darian Stewart will do coming over from Baltimore. David Bruton could end up beating him out in camp anyway. 3. Wide Receiver - Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are perfect compliments to each other, and we should be seeing a good amount of Cody Latimer this year. He's been itching for playing time, and has been looking good working out with the first team this year. Honorable Mention: Running back - CJ Anderson is poised to tear it up in Kubiak's offense going into the season as the feature back. There's just something about really hungry undrafted guys. If there's any sense in the Broncos' front office at all, Juwan Thompson is going to see a lot more playing time this year over Ronnie Hillman and Montee Bust. 5'11" and 230 lbs with deceptive speed, every time he's gotten playing time he's balled out, but they refuse to give him a permanent position. Weaknesses: 1. Offensive line - 4 new starters this year in a new system, Louis Vasquez being the only hold over (and even he is more suited to the power game). Of the 4 new starters, 2 will probably be rookies, and the other two will likely be untested second-year players. It could be a real disaster. 2. NT - Switching to the 3-4, a lot more emphasis is gonna be placed on the NT, and the best we got for the position is Sly Williams who I don't have very much faith in at this juncture. Fortunately, Wade Phillips has made his defense work with NTs on the smaller side in the past. 3. Special Teams - Connor Barth is an excellent field goal kicker, but he doesn't have the leg anymore for kickoffs, so we're gonna be forced again to carry two place kickers, the other being McManus, who has tons of leg but is incredibly iffy on field goals, even within 30-35 years. Britton Colquitt was one of the best punters in the league in 2013, and one of the worst in 2014, so who knows where that's gonna go. Lastly, we haven't had a good KR/PR for years since we let Trindon "Fumble or Score" Holliday go, and no signs on the horizon of a decent one stepping up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge+ 3,436 Posted July 30, 2015 Nice post, Sons of Shula. Welcome. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AllYouNeedIsLovie 377 Posted July 30, 2015 (edited) Strengths 1. Defensive Tackle - Gerald McCoy, Clinton McDonald, Henry Melton and Akeem Spence is a very, very good rotation. One of, if not the best rotation in the NFL. 2. Cornerback - Alterraun Verner and Jonathan Banks are good starters, Banks really flew under the radar last year and played very well. In addition to them, we have Sterling Moore who should be a good nickel and Mike Jenkins who provides solid depth. 3. Wide Receiver - Wouldn't really say it's a strength but it's the next closest position we have to list as a strength probably. Mike Evans is a stud and V-Jax can still ball, but behind them is where the problem comes. Louis Murphy had some good games last year, but was pretty inconsistent (to be fair, QB play was terrible). Kenny Bell is a 5th round rookie who a lot of people like and think he could be in the slot. Other than that, everyone else is a scrub. Weaknesses 1. Defensive End - Relying on Jacquies Smith and George Johnson to start at DE. Smith looked great when he played last year, but he definitely needs to prove it for a full season before I'm a believer. George Johnson was a solid rotational guy last year on one of the best lines in football. He's gonna have a much bigger role this year and I'm not sure he's ready for it. Behind them, our depth isn't any better with Will Gholston, who is mostly a run stopper and Larry English. Lack of pass rush on the outside is definitely the biggest weakness for this team. 2. Safeties - A lot of unproven players and mediocre/bad veterans. The fact that Major Wright and Chris Conte have chances to start really says it all. While they both know the system and Lovie, they simply aren't good players. Keith Tandy has not seen much significant time and hasn't been special when he has gotten it. DJ Swearinger sounds like another Dashon Goldson, outdated player that's a big hitter and can't cover. Bradley McDougald has shown flashes and displays the most potential and excites me most out of this group, but I wouldn't feel great with him starting. 3. Offensive Line - This line was a disaster last year and probably the worst in the league. While we did add Ali Marpet and Donavan Smith in the draft, Marpet may not start and asking a rookie OT to start usually does not end well. Demar Dotson is solid at RT. Mankins was bad last year, but reports say his mind is back in the game and is in incredible shape (has a 6 pack). I think EDS is garbage and will be replaced by Marpet next year, but I hope he can turn it around this year. Edited July 30, 2015 by AllYouNeedIsLovie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cheesehead4life 6 Posted July 30, 2015 Strengths 1. Quarterback: Having Aaron Rodgers who is one of the leagues best QB's has to rate as a top strength. I expect another 30+ TD's and well over 4,000 yards. 2. Running Back: Eddie Lacy has turned into a true running stud who is only 25 years old. He is only going to improve which is scary because he is already a top NFL rusher. I expect him to reach 10 TD's in 2015-2016 season and get 1,500 yards rushing. 3. Offensive Line: This group gives Aaron Rodgers the opportunity to do what he does best. Josh Sitton didn't allow a sack the entire season last year. Weaknesses 1. Inside Linebacker: Clay Matthews cannot play both Linebacker positions and someone needs to step up on the inside. Sam Barrington and Carl Bradford could be those players, but only time will tell. 2. Playmaking Tight End: Can Richard Rodgers or Andrew Quarless step up and give Aaron Rodgers that reliable TE especially in the Red Zone. Also time will tell on this. 3. Consistent WR's behind Nelson: Aaron needs more reliability behind Jordy Nelson at WR. Randall Cobb can be a productive #2 receiver, but he still needs to be more consistent. He can't put up a dud of a game of 30 yards after a 100 plus performance the week before. A #3 receiver needs to be more apparent as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
butta54 371 Posted August 5, 2015 STRENGTHS Recieving Corps: Even with losing Marshall, Marty B and Alshon Jeffery are two very big targets in the intermediate game that care hard to cover one on one. Add in rookie Kevin White who is a big body with long speed and if he develops along we will be even better than we were last year. Eddie Royal playing the slot and reuniting with Cutler should give us a quick and precise route runner in the slot that we haven't had. O-Line Experience: Not sure exactly how the starting line up will be, but there will be a group of at least four that have been playing together the last two years. Even with Garza gone and rookie Grasu in the mix we should return guys like Ola and De La Puente who played nice minutes filling in last season. Assuming we sign DLP back before the season which is highly likely. Coaching Experience: We have three guys on our staff that were being looked at for HC jobs around the league. That has to end up meaning something. Even with suspect talent on the roster I expect them to get the best out of what they have. WEAKNESSES AND 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FartWaffles 1,857 Posted August 5, 2015 Strengths 1. Defensive line 2. Running backs 3. Cornerbacks 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Milla4Prez63 678 Posted August 5, 2015 For the Bucs our strengths are probably DT, WR and LB. Maybe QB if Jameis is legit. Our weaknesses are without a doubt DE, S and OL. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted August 5, 2015 For the Bucs our strengths are probably DT, WR and LB. Maybe QB if Jameis is legit. Our weaknesses are without a doubt DE, S and OL. I'm don't think I'd consider even the best rookie a strength regardless of position, but especially at QB 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Milla4Prez63 678 Posted August 6, 2015 I was mainly trying to point out that the team is so weak that if Jameis is legit as a rookie, it may actually be a position of strength. Especially with Glennon being a capable backup. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted August 6, 2015 I was mainly trying to point out that the team is so weak that if Jameis is legit as a rookie, it may actually be a position of strength. Especially with Glennon being a capable backup. I suppose "strength" is always a relative term, I was thinking relative to the league, but relative to the team also seems to be a legitimate interpretation 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
56AceInDaPlace 110 Posted August 6, 2015 (edited) Granted we suck but here's how I'd make the list Strengths 1. Linebacker core. I just stated this in the Titans thread. If Zach Brown stays heathly and can play like he did his rookie year, I see this group as a good core. Orakpo, Morgan, Williamson and Brown. 2. Coaching core. Wisenhunt may not be a great HEAD COACH, but he's a good QB coach and is able to get most out of them. We actually have some good position coaches as well. We got Dick Lebeau, Ray Horton, Mike Murlarkey, Croom, McNulty, Jason Michael. These coaches have had success elsewhere and we have them on board. 3. Brett Kern our punter. That boy can punt. Weaknesses Everything else... Edited August 6, 2015 by 56AceInDaPlace 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BenGone 35 Posted August 7, 2015 Strengths: 1. O-line: they're one of the best groups in the NFL. 2. Quarterback: Romo! 3. The field goal unit: Hey, 3 points is 3 points. Weaknesses: 1. Pass rush/D-line: I think they are improved over last year, but it didn't really take much to do so. The team leader in sacks had 6. They really made the DB's look bad. They have a lot of young guys so I think we'll see a lot of young guy mistakes. 2. Running backs: Randle is unproven, McFadden is made of glass, and Dunbar is what he is, a #3. I do think Randle will prove himself as more-than-capable this year. If I'm right about Randle, McFadden can stay healthy, and Dunbar continues to improve, they may turn out to be a strength. But I can only go on what I have to go on, and that's not much. 3. Safeties: God help us. They're good tacklers (hardly anyone gets by Church), but Wilcox is only in his 3rd year, and they're just not that good in coverage. Their backups are shit. Hopefully this Byron Jones kid will help, but I can't count on it too much because he's a cornerback. Those kinds of experiments don't usually work. (I'm just glad I get to talk about normal team stuff this year and not things like "Strengths: 1: Our stadium rocks, 2: our cheerleaders are hot, 3: the team is worth over a billion dollars; Weaknesses: 1: our coach is retarded, 2: our owner is a doosh, 3: Dez slapping his mama. But hey...there's still time.) 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted August 8, 2015 Barry Church is so strange. All-Pro tackler, CFL level cover safety. He's basically a better Taylor Mays lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wattafan 28 Posted August 9, 2015 (edited) I see fellow Texanite fartwaffles has posted in this thread and I differ in some of my estimations thusly:- Strengths Defense D line ILB DB Offense No real "strengths" but WR and O-line should be sturdy. Weaknesses Defense OLB Offense QB RB TE Special teams Punter - Lechler has played elite level. Lacks a really good kick returner. Also, I think the coaching is a strength. Edited August 9, 2015 by Wattafan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Burfict Storm 39 Posted August 14, 2015 Strengths defensive front seven, RB (Hill) Weaknesses HC (the cause for multiple weaknesses), non-threatening vanilla offense when in Dalton's hands Share this post Link to post Share on other sites