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Thoughts on the rookies
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<blockquote data-quote="HardRightEdge" data-source="post: 696822"><p>The draft part comes first, the "development" part looks like it's got some ways to go with these guys.</p><p></p><p>Clark fell on a ball at his feet for a fumble recovery and had one nice run stop against the Vikings. He's come a long way from absolutely dreadful in camp and early preseason (possibly bothered by a bad back that put him on the shelf during the back half of preseason) to serviceable in rotation. You'll have to wait for next year to see if he can make the jump. He's shown nothing in the pass rush; given this team plays base D only about 20% of the time, I don't think they spent a first round pick on a guy who can't push the pocket and be a 3-down player. We'll see where he goes next year.</p><p></p><p>Spriggs looked pretty decent pass blocking when thrown in at guard to sub for Lang, however his run blocking was pretty dreadful. Not that he was getting physically beaten so much as not in sync with his mates and blocking the wrong guy or taking the wrong angle. Zone blocking is an ensemble effort; it takes time to get the hang of it. It's a testament to the ability of this O-Line that a guy can get thrown in out of position, make mistakes, and they're able to cover for him. He's also been blocking at tackle-eligible TE in short yardage. I don't think he quite has the knack for that quite yet. His footwork and balance bothers me at the OT position; he reminds me of Nate Solder who struggled for a few years before getting to decent. Spriggs may end up at guard next season with advance instructions to put on pounds if Lang is deemed unaffordable.</p><p></p><p>Fackrell's had a flash here and there, but he does get pushed around some and at times looks a little clueless. He's only a guy you want in there on obvious passing downs to edge rush if one of the studs needs a blow. The whole 3-down post snap reaction to run or pass is above his level of competence right now. Then again, few rookies of any draft status step in and play 3-down 3-4 OLB. He needs some additional good weight to hold the edge against the blocks of NFL linemen.</p><p></p><p>Martinez was a starter on day one and the designated signal caller. I think the signal calling was turned over to Ryan since he's been the guy doing all the gesturing and pointing starting around week 3. Then Martinez got hurt. Now he's back, but Thomas is getting a lot of his snaps. Maybe he's not all the way the back. Or maybe the Ryan/Thomas chemistry looks better. It does to me despite Thomas' shortcomings. Yet another case of "wait for next year".</p><p></p><p>Lowry looks serviceable in rotation. Davis has not gained the Rodgers stamp of approval while not having ST utility to get on the game day roster since the end of November. To his credit, I do believe Davis has been the only receiver to beat a defense over the top down the middle of the field this year. It ended in pass interference in the end zone though I can't recall if that was an early game or in late preseason. Murphy's been on the game day roster the last 3 weeks, getting 8 offensive snaps and 3 ST snaps. I can't say I noticed him for good or ill.</p><p></p><p>Of the UDFAs, Brice and Allison are the most notable, getting their most significant playing time this past week against Minnesota. Brice has been a regular fixture in dime all season and as a spot injury fill-in, seeing 10-20 snaps on a regular basis. Allison had a nice game last week substituting for Cobb while alternating wide and slot with Nelson. These guys could be decent players. We need to see more of them to judge.</p><p></p><p>All in all, it's a draft that needs to make the vaunted McCarthy second year jump. I'm not one who says you can't judge a draft until after year 3 unless you've included a learn-on-the-job starting QB in that group. By this time next year you should have a pretty good idea where these guys are heading.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="HardRightEdge, post: 696822"] The draft part comes first, the "development" part looks like it's got some ways to go with these guys. Clark fell on a ball at his feet for a fumble recovery and had one nice run stop against the Vikings. He's come a long way from absolutely dreadful in camp and early preseason (possibly bothered by a bad back that put him on the shelf during the back half of preseason) to serviceable in rotation. You'll have to wait for next year to see if he can make the jump. He's shown nothing in the pass rush; given this team plays base D only about 20% of the time, I don't think they spent a first round pick on a guy who can't push the pocket and be a 3-down player. We'll see where he goes next year. Spriggs looked pretty decent pass blocking when thrown in at guard to sub for Lang, however his run blocking was pretty dreadful. Not that he was getting physically beaten so much as not in sync with his mates and blocking the wrong guy or taking the wrong angle. Zone blocking is an ensemble effort; it takes time to get the hang of it. It's a testament to the ability of this O-Line that a guy can get thrown in out of position, make mistakes, and they're able to cover for him. He's also been blocking at tackle-eligible TE in short yardage. I don't think he quite has the knack for that quite yet. His footwork and balance bothers me at the OT position; he reminds me of Nate Solder who struggled for a few years before getting to decent. Spriggs may end up at guard next season with advance instructions to put on pounds if Lang is deemed unaffordable. Fackrell's had a flash here and there, but he does get pushed around some and at times looks a little clueless. He's only a guy you want in there on obvious passing downs to edge rush if one of the studs needs a blow. The whole 3-down post snap reaction to run or pass is above his level of competence right now. Then again, few rookies of any draft status step in and play 3-down 3-4 OLB. He needs some additional good weight to hold the edge against the blocks of NFL linemen. Martinez was a starter on day one and the designated signal caller. I think the signal calling was turned over to Ryan since he's been the guy doing all the gesturing and pointing starting around week 3. Then Martinez got hurt. Now he's back, but Thomas is getting a lot of his snaps. Maybe he's not all the way the back. Or maybe the Ryan/Thomas chemistry looks better. It does to me despite Thomas' shortcomings. Yet another case of "wait for next year". Lowry looks serviceable in rotation. Davis has not gained the Rodgers stamp of approval while not having ST utility to get on the game day roster since the end of November. To his credit, I do believe Davis has been the only receiver to beat a defense over the top down the middle of the field this year. It ended in pass interference in the end zone though I can't recall if that was an early game or in late preseason. Murphy's been on the game day roster the last 3 weeks, getting 8 offensive snaps and 3 ST snaps. I can't say I noticed him for good or ill. Of the UDFAs, Brice and Allison are the most notable, getting their most significant playing time this past week against Minnesota. Brice has been a regular fixture in dime all season and as a spot injury fill-in, seeing 10-20 snaps on a regular basis. Allison had a nice game last week substituting for Cobb while alternating wide and slot with Nelson. These guys could be decent players. We need to see more of them to judge. All in all, it's a draft that needs to make the vaunted McCarthy second year jump. I'm not one who says you can't judge a draft until after year 3 unless you've included a learn-on-the-job starting QB in that group. By this time next year you should have a pretty good idea where these guys are heading. [/QUOTE]
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