[BossHog]

My thoughts...

Well we didn't win... but we did score. We improved, but still were not impressive.

We probably lost our best DT prospect for the season. He will definitely be sorely missed. Now we HAVE to get a DT which won't bode well in the negotiations for Dalton.

Hall kicked a 47 yarder... that's refreshing isn't it?

Canidate looked better... Watson played like he's fighting for his job... always a good thing.

... some good, some bad... about what you expect from a preseason game... most importantly IMO.. there was marked improvement.

[TennesseeCarl]

As you note, there was improvement. If there's consistent improvement - particularly against that Raven's D - I'll be mollified enough heading into the season.

I guess the negatives - the incessant penalties, the special teams failures, the weak offensive line play - stood out early and really made us seem in worse shape than we probably are.

[Scooter]

I hate to see anyone get hurt, but Friedman is tougher, smarter and meaner than Moore & Brown combined. Looks to me like he'll stick in the middle. And we'll need him there to take some time off the clock. Throwing the ball around might work fine if your defense isn't on the field 80% of the time, getting the ball pounded up the gutt for 4, or 5 yards a pop...

We need help on the D line , no "if's, ands or butts". Oh, and this just in.... Terrell still sucks!

[redskincity]

The Patriots game really filled a void. I was very happy with the running game. I think we should use it more. I think once Coles starts to get double team in the year Gardner must make plays. He is dropping stuff that should be caught!!! I am starting to admire our O-line. They were mean Saturday night. I like both our Fullbacks. Rock is a beast on the run and Johnson is a beast on blocking!!

Defense is O.K. Our LBs are the only ones making plays. Armstead batted down a pass. Trotter is starting to crush on the run and LVA is stopping plays from developing. I am happy

Special Teams (F +)

[Texas Hog]

Didn't get to see the game. I hope we looked better than everything I've read. The Noble loss just crushed me. I was looking forward to seeing him play....and as always have grave concerns for our d-front. Mark my words...this will be a big problem this year. Letting Gardener go was a huge mistake.

Did the d do a better job of stopping the run this week?

What's up with the special coverage teams.....no one hungry enough to make tackles or plays?

[BossHog]

I'm not convinced our D will be as dismal as everyone makes it out to be.

Sure our DT situation is pretty bad, but if we can sign one big solid run stuffing DT, I think we can still be a top 10 defense. No matter what happens on the d-line, it won't change the fact that we have one of the best linebacking corps in football and a pretty decent secondary with one of the better CB tandems in the league. While pass rush will be our biggest weakness, if you're going to blitz... it might as well be with Lavar! (Standing up though, not from a 3 point at DE)

I think Trotter will step up and really help stuff the run too. We just need a body or two to keep blockers off of him.

The most important improvement for our defense this year, will hopefully be our offense. Just being able to keep the D off of the field for more than 3 plays will improve upon last year's performance.

And I think the offense will surprise some people. Everyone is so quick to jump on the team because they're not in midseason form yet... maybe SOS did learn some lessons last year. And one of those might be that you don't get nothing for winning games in the preseason, except a bloated sense of your abilities. Maybe Spurrier just decided to do what many coaches do in the preseason... Coach up some plays, and try to get through it without any significant injuries.

Of course... maybe that's just wishful thinking

I agree with everyone's sentiment that bad penalties are a sign of poor discipline.. which is at this point, is my only concern for Spurrier's progress.

[Texas Hog]

I too am hoping for a signing of a mammoth type DT that can clog up the middle and allow our LBs to play. That'll do the trick and the d will be fine. But moving undersized DEs just doesn't seem like a good solution to me, and concerns me that once again we won't be able to stop the run. If we can't stuff the run, we're toast.

[newshog]