OILERMAN Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 The team is definitely improved in terms of talent from the 9-7 season but all teams have weaknesses in the free agency era. Looking at the current status of the team after the draft here is what concerns me. Mariota's injury: Everything sounds on schedule and good but still concerning. Secondary depth: Searcy is the 3rd safety and the CB position is still thin. They could have upgraded further but it would have came at the expense of the skill people for Mariota. Out of the players in danger from the draft Searcy was probably the best one but he's still a drop off from the starters. The CBs are way better than last year but an injury could really weaken them. Maybe Reed steps up or they sign a vet. Edge Rusher depth: With Dodd still gimpy an injury to either starter would really hurt the pass rush. Orapko is 31 and Wallace hasn't shown much. This is probably the #1 need going forward. Youth on offense: I think Davis and Taylor will both start(Taylor slot) from day one. Smith has time to be eased in but it could be a work in progress for the passing game with two of the 3 main WRs being rookies. Murray's tread: The wheels could come off any time and he's such a huge part of the passing game there could be a drop off to Henry. Not much behind Henry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OILERMAN Posted April 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 Considering a year ago this team was coming off 2 and 3 win seasons it's amazing how quickly Robinson turned this team around. These concerns are really pretty minor compared to the average NFL team. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Face Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 5 minutes ago, OILERMAN said: The team is definitely improved in terms of talent from the 9-7 season but all teams have weaknesses in the free agency era. Looking at the current status of the team after the draft here is what concerns me. Mariota's injury: Everything sounds on schedule and good but still concerning. Secondary depth: Searcy is the 3rd safety and the CB position is still thin. They could have upgraded further but it would have came at the expense of the skill people for Mariota. Out of the players in danger from the draft Searcy was probably the best one but he's still a drop off from the starters. The CBs are way better than last year but an injury could really weaken them. Maybe Reed steps up or they sign a vet. Edge Rusher depth: With Dodd still gimpy an injury to either starter would really hurt the pass rush. Orapko is 31 and Wallace hasn't shown much. This is probably the #1 need going forward. Youth on offense: I think Davis and Taylor will both start(Taylor slot) from day one. Smith has time to be eased in but it could be a work in progress for the passing game with two of the 3 main WRs being rookies. Murray's tread: The wheels could come off any time and he's such a huge part of the passing game there could be a drop off to Henry. Not much behind Henry. These are all what I was thinking about but I'd switch the secondary & edge rushers. I think you can do a lot worse than Searcy as the 3rd safety. But it's probably time to start worrying about Dodd being an injury bust. A stress fracture shouldn't be a big deal but something obviously went wrong last year & I think he hid the injury & played on it. Now he needs to add a screw to his foot.....I think we all remember Jevon Kearse post screw. The guy was a shell of himself. Foot injuries ruin careers. We have slot of cap money, I'm hoping an older, decent edge rusher gets cut. Or maybe a guy like Freeney who was actually a dominant pass rusher last year in a limited role. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
titaninpgh Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 All the concerns come down to depth and injuries. Two years ago it seemed like we only had a couple players on each side of the ball who could be counted on long term. Truly remarkable turn around. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scine09 Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 The depth at linebacker, both inside and outside, to me is the biggest concern. It's been a concern for years now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishTitansFan Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 Orakpo is highly inconsistent too. He's dominant on his day but there's other days he looks like a scrub. Need someone to spell both him and morgan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheChosenTitan Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 Mariota is suppose to run this week right? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number9 Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 2 hours ago, OILERMAN said: I think Davis and Taylor will both start(Taylor slot) from day one. I think they ease him in. Oakland is a big game and it would be good to start out with a win over a SB contender. 2 hours ago, OILERMAN said: Mariota's injury: Everything sounds on schedule and good but still concerning. Confusing. The NFLN draft casters kept saying Mariota would start the season. Are we being presented a more rosy picture on his recovery? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OILERMAN Posted April 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 3 minutes ago, Number9 said: Confusing. The NFLN draft casters kept saying Mariota would start the season. Are we being presented a more rosy picture on his recovery? He'll likely be fine but it's still a concern Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheChosenTitan Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 3 minutes ago, Number9 said: I think they ease him in. Oakland is a big game and it would be good to start out with a win over a SB contender. Confusing. The NFLN draft casters kept saying Mariota would start the season. Are we being presented a more rosy picture on his recovery? I think we all are expecting the worse when it comes to Mariota. I really hope and think he will be ready Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheChosenTitan Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 If he has to miss the first game so be it, it will suck but rather wait till he is 100% Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number9 Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 11 minutes ago, OILERMAN said: He'll likely be fine but it's still a concern 11 minutes ago, KingTitan8 said: I think we all are expecting the worse when it comes to Mariota. I really hope and think he will be ready I see you both knew what I meant to say was they kept saying he would not be available. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cenj Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 Mariota's injury plus young recievers means there will likely be growing pains in 2017 regarding the passing game. Mariota has to stay healthy. We can excuse it all we want, but if this team wants to compete going forward, we need our QB to start the entire season, something that has been strangely difficult to do in TN for years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abenjami Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 If Dodd gets healthy and turns out to be an impact player, that would make a HUGE difference IMO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 5 minutes ago, abenjami said: If Dodd gets healthy and turns out to be an impact player, that would make a HUGE difference IMO. Agreed. This would be the biggest impact anyone could have on our fortunes. I really don't expect Orakpo and Morgan to have another miraculous injury free season either. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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