FlyHighFalcons Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 So at this point in the season, most of the depth chart spots have a pretty clear picture behind them. So I'll go position by position and say whether or not the player starting at that position is one of six things: Elite, solid starter, rookie with promise, rookie with questions, a backup, unproven player.Elite= Starter for now and the future. One of the best at his position (pro bowl caliber).Solid starter= Very good player that may not be "pro bowl" but could get there.Rookie with promise= A rookie that looks like they'll be able to step into one of the above categories right away.Rookie with questions= A rookie that doesn't appear ready for the big stage.Backup= A player that shouldn't be a starter in the NFL right now.Unproven player= A player that has yet to prove himself as a starter, but has shown flashes of being one.QB: Matt Ryan Elite Ryan has proven himself and will be one of the best QBs in the league for a long time.RB: Michael Turner Solid starter Turner is right between elite and solid starter but his lack of ability to do anything in the passing game puts him behind the group of elite runningbacks. He is an elite runner, and is one of the top 10 backs in the league still.FB: Ovie Mughelli Elite Ovie is a great blocker and reliable for an occasional catch in the flats.WR: Roddy White Elite One of the best and everybody knows it.WR: Julio Jones Rookie with promise Jones is getting incredible praise and could become elite early.TE: Tony Gonzo Solid starter The greatest tight end of all time has his best years behind him, but he's still hungry for that ring.LT: Sam Baker Backup Before you get angry, I don't think Baker is actually a backup. I just think he's better suited as a RT in the NFL, not a very good LT.LG: Justin Blalock Solid starter Very underrated on these boards, Blalock is turning into a very good young guard.C: Tood McClure Solid starter A solid veteran that has a year or two left in him.RG: Garret Reynolds/Mike Johnson/Jose Valdez Unproven None of these guys has seen serious time but I fully expect the winner to be a solid player after winning such a good camp battle.RT: Tyson Clabo Elite Clabo made the pro bowl last year and luckily for us, he's back again.DE: John Abraham Elite Abe is getting up there in Age, but his sacks keep coming.DE: Ray Edwards Solid starter Edwards should be the DE that we've been needing badly for a while.DT: Jonathan Babs Solid starter Babs is a key to our line and has been very consistent.DT: Jerry/Peters Unproven Neither of these guys have shown anything more than rotational material but they could both explode if the line can become consistent together.OLB: Sean Weatherspoon Unproven Spoon showed some promise but the jury is still out after injuries took down his first year.OLB: Stephen Nicholas Unproven Nicholas has shown solid tackling ability but he needs to improve his overall game to stay in the starting lineup.MLB: Curtis Lofton Solid starter I think Lofton is on the verge of elite if he can just become a better pass defender.CB: Dunta Robinson Solid starter Robinson needs to improve a bit to become worth that contract but he's still solid.CB: Brent Grimes Solid starter Grimes is an elite ball hawk but he still gets beat by taller wideouts occasionally. Very valuable.SS: William Moore Solid starter Moore had a great year last year. If he keeps that up he'll become elite.FS: Thomas DeCoud Solid starter DeCoud and Moore are a very good tandem. If they both take one more step forward we'll have one of the best tandems in the league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBorBust Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Using your definition, Clabo is elite but by the more general use of the word he is not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyHighFalcons Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 Using your definition, Clabo is elite but by the more general use of the word he is notYea, I didn't feel like thinking of a different word. He's more like top end starter, but I didn't want to give like 8 different words. Just kinda generalized to show where we're at with each position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdz4i Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 why do you think he is better suited for RT? RT is usually set up to be the best run blocker, which is hardly baker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchdoc57 Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 and to what do you base that Baker is "not a good LT"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdz4i Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 and to what do you base that Baker is "not a good LT"?My linkthis surely doesn t help his cause. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchdoc57 Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 just numbers that can be worked many ways.....I see baker as a good not great LT at this point. I believe the author used the term solid. I can live with that for now. I certainly wouldnt say a bad LT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borat Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Baker's replacement will be drafted within the next 2 years....Also, while I think that your chart is spot on, the fact that you only show the starters in the base offense and defense paints us too rosy a picture of our team. For example, we have no saftey depth, no proven WRs apart from Roddy, and a horrid 3rd CB who cost us 10 first downs in our playoff loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbsmooth1975 Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Agree with all except Baker being a backup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchdoc57 Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Agree with all except Baker being a backup.this is my point, the OP calls Baker a "Back Up" I just think he is much better than that. A starter for sure and I would bet a lot of teams would love to have him protecting there QB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdz4i Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 this is my point, the OP calls Baker a "Back Up" I just think he is much better than that. A starter for sure and I would bet a lot of teams would love to have him protecting there QB.only anthony davis of the 9ers gave up more sacks than baker last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borat Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 only anthony davis of the 9ers gave up more sacks than baker last year.Correct. Baker is a terrible starting tackle. No question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Three Radical Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Baker by any amount of statistics, data, or film study you have on him, is a bad player. It isn't that he isn't fit for the LT position, he simply isn't fit for the field with the way he plays right now. A RT miscast as a LT generally is do to a lack of agility to deal with speed rushing right defensive ends. Baker is just ends of lost and abused on the field. He gave up more than half of all our sacks last year, had multiple penalties, and seems to only get worse as time goes on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leanmachine909 Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 According to ESPN Insider this is the scouting report for Sam Baker going into the 2010 season. They will do a new one pretty soon I'd imagine. I'd also figure that Baker is better at this point in his career than he was a year ago. Anyway, here it is: "Baker showed good overall improvement as a second-year player in 2009. He is a good-sized tackle with excellent initial quickness and good body control. He is a decent knee-bender who can keep his pad level down to leverage blocks, but could stand to add some functional bulk and strength in his lower body. His durability was a question coming out of college and he has yet to play all 16 games of an NFL season. He has strong, powerful hands that can shock opponents and then steer them past the pocket. He has above-average lateral range in pass protection but will let his weight get a little too far forward, causing him to fall off some blocks. If he can stay healthy he gives the Falcons a quality starter on the left side, but he's not an elite lineman"They define him with a grade of 68 which is an average starter. The description of this rating is as follows:69-60: Average StarterA valuable roster player but is not dominant against the better players he faces on a week-to-week basis... Gives great effort and you are glad that he is on your team, but he may or may not go to the next level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tootie Quivers Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Blalock is closer to elite then Clabo, although neither are. Both very good however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyHighFalcons Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 Baker's replacement will be drafted within the next 2 years....Also, while I think that your chart is spot on, the fact that you only show the starters in the base offense and defense paints us too rosy a picture of our team. For example, we have no saftey depth, no proven WRs apart from Roddy, and a horrid 3rd CB who cost us 10 first downs in our playoff loss.I was just covering the starters. Maybe I'll do another one for just backups soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeamPlayer1 Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 I may be wrong but the way I read it Baker did not give up a sack for 2.8 seconds and that is a relatively long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdz4i Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 I may be wrong but the way I read it Baker did not give up a sack for 2.8 seconds and that is a relatively long time.i think the main point is he gave up more sacks than the rest of the line and turner combined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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