This dude stands no chance.

He will take 3-4 years to get to that point. In the mean time, he will earn a nice paycheck by blowing dudes up on kickoff and punt teams.

Nice addition to the worst unit in the NFC East. We may actually be able to keep teams from short drives this year.

Davis is available though, PFT reported earlier today that he was released. I’d like to see him come back, maybe he’ll finally realize and accept his role.

Just sending some excitement your way… What I enjoyed most about training camp when it was at Oxnard (I’m in CA) is that you’re on the field only a feet away from the players. You’ll get a new appreciation for the size, speed and athleticism that close and personal.

Among my favorite experiences at training camp were:
(a) TO’s first TD (on any field, in any circumstance) as a Cowboy. He beat one of the young DBs for a deep pass from either Romo or Bledsoe. I posted the video on the predecessor to this site when it happened. Got hundreds of hits.
(b) its was obvious that Terrance Newman was not like the other players. The guy runs like a gazelle. Other dbs looked like plodding clysdales compared to him. The Sunday camera doesn’t convey this properly.
© Terry Glenn was QUICK. His cuts and explosiveness were at another level back then. Other receivers may be fast, but TG was special. We’ve seen it on the TV, but when you’re there on the field and he’s running at you, beats the DB to the pass, and catches it dragging both feet in-bounds… its special.

Isn’t he our next stud on coverage teams?

If he ever becomes a legit 3-4 ILB, that’s merely gravy.

I think he’s going to be a stud on ST, and if that’s all he ever is, that will be alright. But he also showed excellent tackling skills and decent quickness and range in coverage. He’s smart and agressive and has the potential to develop into a quality back-up or a situational linebacker in pass coverage packages.

Not that the football stuff isn’t fun, but can we get back to what’s really important: how’s Jessica’s birthday going?

You guys are smarter than me about this stuff, what if he lost 15 lbs? Can you play safety and have the coverage skills necessary at 220?

but at 234 lbs. he ran a 4.54 40 at the combine, while Michael Hamlin ran a 4.61 at 207 lbs. (Hamlin later ran a 4.57 at his pro day.) Of course, there’s much more to coverage than straight-line speed.

And as happy as I would be with confused sportscasters (wait. . . aren’t they always confused?), I hoping to see DeAngelo Smith contribute at safety, too.

he’ll be a situational player this season (barring injury knocking on wood) when Brooking and James are subbed out.. but if he shows well at camp, the staff might not be as hesitant as they were in the past to find playing time for young players…..but his athleticism, size and ability to get downfield could be a dangerous mix when he’s bearing down on a returner

Talk all you want about what we coulda, shoulda, woulda done.

This class is soooooooo much better than the players they are replacing.

Athletic, great work ethic, smart, quick learner, intangibles, leader, versitile, special teams demon, and highly productive in college is the common theme among these picks. Add in a developmental QB and OL (with our second pick I might add) and this class will not only compete, but contribute to the success of the team, albeit Special Teams and backups.

Who knows, we may have the defense completely fixed by next year and can then concentrate on OL & WR next draft exclusively. GM Jerry is no longer looking for one year stop gaps…and that is a great thing.

When you think about this defense, you need to start with an appreciation of the quality of our secondary. We hit gold twice in last year’s draft; add in Sensabaugh, and this secondary has the potential to be special.

That will open the rest of the field up, as our inside 7 can be far more aggressive. This type of secondary allows guys to blitz from anywhere, any time. If our front 5 are eating up their offensive line, then guys like Hodge might have the perfect combination of size, speed and nose for the football.

Think about Polumalu (sp?) … he’s coming from the middle, avoiding blockers and making plays. And while Hodge is no Polumalu, he has his own style and potential for making plays. Just look at Hodge’s profile and stats – the fumbles, sacks and tackles for a loss say the guy knows how to play.

All bets are off until they actually put on the pads and start really playing. Hodge could be the next coming… or a total bust. And that is what makes training camp is so great, as we finally start to see potential turn to results. Could Hodge be this year’s Scandrik? Don’t rule it out.