Surpises on the Depth Chart

Discussion in 'On The Field' started by Zona Horn, Aug 31, 2010.

  1. Zona Horn

    Zona Horn 500+ Posts

    I don't follow practice reports that closely, so some of these may not be that much of a surpise, but there were still some eye openers on the first depth chart. Now, those could be attributable to nagging injuries that have not been reported, or efforts by the staff to motivate some guys to get back up on the 2-deep before the next game. That said, here were the things that stood out to me:

    1. E. Acho moves inside and Dravanti Johnson starts at Sam. All indications were that Earnest was the Mike and Acho would stay at Sam. DJ comes from out of nowhere to take the Sam spot, moving Earnest to 2nd string at Mike.

    2. McCoy at 2nd string QB. I'm not really surprised by this, but it goes against the conventional wisdom coming out of spring. Kudos to Case.

    3. Nolan Brewster? Brewster played a ton last year, and now is nowhere to be seen on the 2-deep. Maybe he is banged up. If not, it looks like Vacarro has taken over the role Brewster played last year, at least in week 1.

    4. The DTs -- who? Again, the CW was that Howell would grab the opther DT spot opposite Randal. Instead he is 3rd team, and relative unknown Higgins is the starter. Expected to see Kriegel in there somewhere.

    5. Cody Johnson at RB. This is a pleasant surprise, at least I think it is. The CW was that this was Newton's job, but apparently Cody has gotten serious and been impressive in camp. I think this will still be RB by committee this year, and Newton could still emerge as the back most likey to gain 1000+ yards, but its something of a surprise.

    6. Mathews at TE and Smith at HB. This may just be the result of my unfamiliarity with how Davis uses these position desigations, but each of these guys are much closer to the prototype of the others' designated position based on size and athleticism.

    Again, its unclear how many of thse designations are the result of minor, nagging injuries or the efforts of the staff to motivate some people. Still, those were the decisions that jumped out to me.
     
  2. general35

    general35 5,000+ Posts

    5. Cody Johnson at RB. This is a pleasant surprise, at least I think it is. The CW was that this was Newton's job, but apparently Cody has gotten serious and been impressive in camp. I think this will still be RB by committee this year, and Newton could still emerge as the back most likey to gain 1000+ yards, but its something of a surprise.
    __________________________________________________

    This is a shocker but I always liked Johnson. I think you will see a lot of power from Jognson and they will bring in Newton for his speed.
     
  3. 71grad

    71grad 1,000+ Posts

    Nolan Brewester has a bad shoulder and will probably redshirt this year. There is a possible return by midseaon if we have other injuries.
     
  4. Zona Horn

    Zona Horn 500+ Posts

    71grad -- That makes sense regarding Brewster. I saw some pictures of him from practice on Mack's webstie and it looked like he was playing full speed in full pads, so I'm a little surprised (and bummed) to hear about his shoulder problems. I hope he gets better and comes back strong.
     

Share This Page