AZ54

On passing downs Dusty just stood there and looked at the offensive players in front of him. He made zero effort to get to the QB. He seemed to start the season well but faded very quickly and it was surprising it took Babich and Lovie so long to get him off the field, especially considering that Adams had played well for us the year before.

Horrible idea. Trade an up and coming TE for WR who's on the downside of his career, whines like a high school girl who got dumped at the prom, and wants more money on a contract he just signed a couple years ago (i.e. he's greedy). On top of that it's esentially giving up a 1st and 2nd Rd pick for Boldin which is even more than the Cards are asking for but I'm absolutely certain they'd make the deal.

Bring him on. I think he's better than either of their two QBs. However, he's not nearly as mobile as he used to be and more importantly, when he was with the Jets he acted like the prima donna he is. He didn't hang out with his teammates at all, didn't spend extra time watching film, etc. He just showed up for practice and the mandatory stuff and then left the scene without hardly talking to anyone. They said he had his own office and spent most of his time in there alone. There's a reason Thomas Jones called him out at the end of the season. If he goes to Minn he'll take the same approach because everyone is going to call him their saviour. I don't mind that dissension in the Viking locker room.

Phenomenal. Thanks for posting the article.

That's assuming at least one and likely two of our young WR step and play well: Bennett, Iglesias, Knox, Kinder.

That's assuming at least one and likely two of our young WR step and play well: Bennett, Iglesias, Knox, Kinder.

I have to wonder if that was that because he was off the juice?

As Peyton would say...sweeet!

I think the guy stepping up will be Bennett. However, let me add here that if he does become our reliable underneath receiver it will help Hester in a big way. Point is Hester could end up with the bigger numbers because of his deep speed but Bennett could be the guy that makes it all work with reliable short routes and consistent hands. WR corps in 09: Bennett Hester Davis (will stick because of experience) Iglesias Knox (unless he is a total bust and deserves to be cut he won't stick on the practice squad without someone else picking him up). Kinder to practice squad I don't see Bears keeping 6 WR especially with our DB situation so unsettled. Players like Melton and Louis could also force an extra lineman on the roster compared to what he carried last year.

He has serious character issues. Maybe he's been humbled, who knows but I think it's worth giving him a tryout so we can get to know him a bit better with no risk.

nor anyone else

I don't think Mike Doss was ever any good, except maybe in college.

I'd be more than happy to see Davis move on after what he did last year. However, what worries me is that he was considered to be playing great during training camp and was expected to have a breakout year. Then he dropped key pass after key pass. Point is that he might be a great practice guy but terrible on game day. Other guys can be the opposite. If that same scenario happens this year will the coaches put more stock in what they see in preseason games versus the practice video?

Don't forget our backup RB is Kevin Jones who should be much improved with another offseason to recover from his knee injury. I also think he'll be back at a lighter weight and we'll see more explosiveness from him this year.

6 TDs were against Arizona.

Part of Rashied's value to the team was that he could be a backup for KR. Well we now have Iglesias who can do that albeit without the explosive you want to see and Knox has also returned punts and kicks but wasn't a full timer at it. So I agree Davis should be on the bubble but with the lack of experience we have at WR I think he still makes the team. If Knox and Kinder impress in camp then I can see us keeping 6 WR. Most likely I'd say Kinder ends up on practice squad. That could be a risk if he plays well in preseason as other teams will likely be keeping an eye on him.

Packers D was bad last year. How are they going to suddenly be so good this year in a new scheme and with so many pieces that don't quite fit the new roles?

That's a heck of a bandaid for a minor cut.

I really feel like Burress is the perfect compliment to the experienced WR we have the on roster but given the good young talent we have at WR I do not want, nor do I foresee, JA going after Burress. I do feel we have 3 good rookies at WR and believe at least two should end up contributing long term to this team. If we are going to add a vet WR these young guys need to see how a real professional goes about learning the craft. Plax is only going to teach them it's ok to skip practices, be late for meetings, get fined and stay home, shoot yourself, whatever you want and the teams will keep giving you money as long as you play well on Sunday. I don't want these guys hearing that message much less seeing it play out in their locker room.

I based the inconsistent comments on the draft profiles I read. His first few seasons he showed raw talent but it didn't translate to the field. Last season he worked hard and it paid off. Today even Dick Tomey came out and said he wasn't on anyone's radar until this season. So I said he was inconsistent during his college years. If Jarron Gilbert had played better his junior season he wouldn't have been there in Rd 3 for us.

On Melton all I'm saying is we grabbed him in the 4th which was higher than where he should have gone just because we felt he was the right player for our scheme. Disregard any comparison to Freeney at all, that was just one situation I though of where a team simply drafted their guy earlier than expected. I guess if I used the Raiders and Mitchell FS scenario it would have been a better comparison. Freeney situation came to mind just because he's a DE. With regards to your relationship with JA, I think now that you've committed to him for this season you'll be hearing about this from all sides until the next offseason. I'll at least grant you that it must one of those love - hate relationships.

The combination of Harvin and Peterson will be tough to stop at least they don't have a QB with a good deep arm to really take advantage of Berrian. I'm really surprised they gambled on Harvin that early. Rewarding bad behaviour by giving a kid a lot of money usually doesn't change them. The other thing about Harvin is that he's not a polished route runner. For this year at least it might give us a chance to smack him around a bit.

I'll take two different approaches...best player this year and best player long term. This year I think it's Gilbert simply because the need for a backup of Harris is significant. Harris has the most lingering injury issues and misses practice time so that means Gilbert runs with the 1st team a lot in practice. Harris also needs a lot of plays off so again Gilbert gets the call on gameday. Second pick: Iglesias as our slot WR. I think he beats out Rasheid Davis just because he can catch. Long term: I'll stick with Gilbert again. second pick: Melton. Love his athleticism and size off the edge and a year or two with Marinelli will get him the skills he needs to be successful.

I like the draft but Nfol's love affair with JA is kinda making me nauseous. Is there no shame left in the world? A couple thoughts on Gilbert and Melton. I believe Marinelli had a ton of input on these picks, especially Melton. Neither guy performed consistently well enough for any of us to get real excited about them. However, they both have a ton of athleticism and that is intriguing. Read the posts in the various threads and it's clear that it's Marinelli's ability to work with these guys that is generating the excitement not the players themselves. I liken the Melton pick to the day the Colts traded way up to draft Freeney. Not saying Melton is anywhere near that level just saying that I think Marinelli really wanted this guy and JA made it happen even though we reached for him at a time we had biggers needs.

If Boldin becomes a big problem for the Cards his trade value (and hence his future contract value) keeps dropping. He and Rosenass need to go back and review the situation and perhaps try a different approach....like dropping the salary demand. Boldin would be best served if he just played this year at $5mil and then pursued his big deal but he's greedy.