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Crimsoncrew
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Didn't get to it last week, but I'm going to try to pick it up again this week.
My overall impression was that it was a sloppy game. And that really says something. Sloppy game on both sides of the ball, and we still controlled a playoff team. I got a little nervous here or there, but never really felt the game was in question. That's impressive.
I'll start with Alex. He's looked very sharp through two games. He's not making sensational plays, but he's throwing with great accuracy and anticipation. He's picking teams apart in the short and mid-range area, and still threatening deep often enough to keep Ds honest. I've been very impressed. Still room for improvement in pocket presence, but he seemed to make the right calls at the line, and was clutch during the final drive. If our guys could catch the ball, his numbers would've been sensational.
Frank looked good again. Giving him 15-odd touches a game looks like it's the way to go. He looks fresh and has a little burst. He's still not going to blow by too many player, but with the blocking and his instincts, he's looking like he's back in his prime. Hopefully he can keep it up.
Kendall was a little hit or miss in this one. Obviously the fumble was bad, and potentially tone-setting. Nice effort by the D to step up and limit them to basically no yards. And he just doesn't seem to have great instincts in the return game. He also had a bad drop. That said, he had a few nice runs and catches. I still like him a lot. Hopefully his first fumble reminds him of the importance of ball security. And the benefit of going down when multiple guys have him held up.
Crabtree had a bit of a coming-out party in this one. He was extremely clutch in that last drive, finally showing what we've wanted to for years. He was plucking the ball and fighting for the first down. He may never be an elite guy, but he can be very good as a "possession plus" type of receiver. I'll take that in this offense.
Davis was great. Did I actually see him making some people miss? Unprecedented! He's just uncoverable. He did have the one drop on a beautiful ball by Smith. It's a tough ball for a muscle-bound guy, but you've got to make that one if you want to lay claim to being one of the best.
Walker had another drop, and was quiet in the receiving game, but he again had a nice block. In a contract year, though, he'll have to do more as a receiver if he wants options. Frankly, I don't mind if he doesn't have options. Easier to keep him.
And the OL was generally great. They're turning into a force in the run game. A bit shaky at times in the passing game, especially when Leonard Davis came in, but the starting five played very well against a good DL. Their play is one of the big reasons we've actually looked competent on offense.
As far as the D, they were more consistent than the offense, but not quite as good as I expect them to be. There were some real breakdowns at times, but fortunately Stafford was just kind of off last night. We got very little pressure in the first half against an OL that certainly won't be mistaken for one of the best in the league anytime soon. We got lucky several times, and we still struggle with screens and passes to the RB in the flat.
Having said that, the D did a great job of keeping a lid on Megatron. Sure, he got his yards, but it didn't feel like it given how the game went. I thought Culliver played a very nice game, and is really developing as a CB. The PI call was just outrageous. Brown also played very well. He might be the most underrated player on our D.
No major specific complaints on the D side. DL was good, but I would have liked to have seen more pressure early in the game. It is nice to have a D that gets better as the game progresses, though. Justin Smith just blew up some running plays, and Goldson was very good against the run as well, in addition to the nice pick.
All-in-all, a solid win they can build on, but it's nice to know that their ceiling is higher than what they've shown to date.
My overall impression was that it was a sloppy game. And that really says something. Sloppy game on both sides of the ball, and we still controlled a playoff team. I got a little nervous here or there, but never really felt the game was in question. That's impressive.
I'll start with Alex. He's looked very sharp through two games. He's not making sensational plays, but he's throwing with great accuracy and anticipation. He's picking teams apart in the short and mid-range area, and still threatening deep often enough to keep Ds honest. I've been very impressed. Still room for improvement in pocket presence, but he seemed to make the right calls at the line, and was clutch during the final drive. If our guys could catch the ball, his numbers would've been sensational.
Frank looked good again. Giving him 15-odd touches a game looks like it's the way to go. He looks fresh and has a little burst. He's still not going to blow by too many player, but with the blocking and his instincts, he's looking like he's back in his prime. Hopefully he can keep it up.
Kendall was a little hit or miss in this one. Obviously the fumble was bad, and potentially tone-setting. Nice effort by the D to step up and limit them to basically no yards. And he just doesn't seem to have great instincts in the return game. He also had a bad drop. That said, he had a few nice runs and catches. I still like him a lot. Hopefully his first fumble reminds him of the importance of ball security. And the benefit of going down when multiple guys have him held up.
Crabtree had a bit of a coming-out party in this one. He was extremely clutch in that last drive, finally showing what we've wanted to for years. He was plucking the ball and fighting for the first down. He may never be an elite guy, but he can be very good as a "possession plus" type of receiver. I'll take that in this offense.
Davis was great. Did I actually see him making some people miss? Unprecedented! He's just uncoverable. He did have the one drop on a beautiful ball by Smith. It's a tough ball for a muscle-bound guy, but you've got to make that one if you want to lay claim to being one of the best.
Walker had another drop, and was quiet in the receiving game, but he again had a nice block. In a contract year, though, he'll have to do more as a receiver if he wants options. Frankly, I don't mind if he doesn't have options. Easier to keep him.
And the OL was generally great. They're turning into a force in the run game. A bit shaky at times in the passing game, especially when Leonard Davis came in, but the starting five played very well against a good DL. Their play is one of the big reasons we've actually looked competent on offense.
As far as the D, they were more consistent than the offense, but not quite as good as I expect them to be. There were some real breakdowns at times, but fortunately Stafford was just kind of off last night. We got very little pressure in the first half against an OL that certainly won't be mistaken for one of the best in the league anytime soon. We got lucky several times, and we still struggle with screens and passes to the RB in the flat.
Having said that, the D did a great job of keeping a lid on Megatron. Sure, he got his yards, but it didn't feel like it given how the game went. I thought Culliver played a very nice game, and is really developing as a CB. The PI call was just outrageous. Brown also played very well. He might be the most underrated player on our D.
No major specific complaints on the D side. DL was good, but I would have liked to have seen more pressure early in the game. It is nice to have a D that gets better as the game progresses, though. Justin Smith just blew up some running plays, and Goldson was very good against the run as well, in addition to the nice pick.
All-in-all, a solid win they can build on, but it's nice to know that their ceiling is higher than what they've shown to date.
