First 2015 Depth Chart - 54 man

mdmusch

Duke is a capable return man. That's one of his best attributes

gftChris

@the-gipper said:
You want to get rid of Benjamin? Who is going to return punts and kicks?

Off the top of my head, Gilbert, Gabriel, Duke (as above), and Draughn are capable of doing so. I'm sure there are more.

The Gipper

@gftchris said:
Off the top of my head, Gilbert, Gabriel, Duke (as above), and Draughn are capable of doing so. I'm sure there are more.

Gilbert wasn't used. Gabriel and Draughn helped us have like the 31st rated return game in the league. When Benjamin's head was on right, he scored TDs and long returns. Duke is still an unknown obviously.

Mudfly

Actually, Moore(25), Gabriel(24) and Draughn(23) all had better return averages than Benji(20)....

WITH Benji we ranked 28th.....but WITHOUT him we would have ranked 10th......so, it was Benji who dragged our averages down, not Draughn or Gabriel...

He'll never be a top performer....time for someone to beat him out.....

gftChris

@mudfly said:

Actually, Moore(25), Gabriel(24) and Draughn(23) all had better return averages than Benji(20)....

WITH Benji we ranked 28th.....but WITHOUT him we would have ranked 10th......so, it was Benji who dragged our averages down, not Draughn or Gabriel...

He'll never be a top performer....time for someone to beat him out.....

If he can recapture the 2013 form though he'd be a great asset as a pure returner, or maybe with some end-around type plays thrown in. Don't forget he did lead us in TD catches last year...with 3.

Tour2ma

Benji is simply not built to return kicks.

However, if he can get his head right, then he can still be dangerous as a pun returner.

gftChris

@tour2ma said:

Benji is simply not built to return kicks.

However, if he can get his head right, then he can still be dangerous as a pun returner.

pun returning can be...punishing.

The Gipper

@mudfly said:

Actually, Moore(25), Gabriel(24) and Draughn(23) all had better return averages than Benji(20)....

WITH Benji we ranked 28th.....but WITHOUT him we would have ranked 10th......so, it was Benji who dragged our averages down, not Draughn or Gabriel...

He'll never be a top performer....time for someone to beat him out.....

But the year before Benjamin had a couple of long returns for TDs. Yes, last year was bad for him.....he somehow lost confidence. But historically he STILL was their best returner.

gftChris

@the-gipper said:
But the year before Benjamin had a couple of long returns for TDs. Yes, last year was bad for him.....he somehow lost confidence. But historically he STILL was their best returner.

Historically? You mean, that one year?

Tim Couch Pulls Out

Just for shiggles, I created a "WWTCPOD" team in Madden.

Drafted Bryce Petty instead of Xavier Cooper

Drafted Stefon Diggs instead of Ibraheim Campbell.

Signed La'el Collins - 3 yr UDFA contract + $300k signing bonus

Signed Jake Long - 3 yr/ $23 million + $4 million signing bonus

Signed Brandon Spikes - 4 yr/ $13 million + $2 million signing bonus

Re-signed Tashaun Gipson - 5 yr/ $34 million + $4 million signing bonus

Released Thad Lewis

Released Glenn Winston

Traded Mitchell Schwartz + 2016 4th rounder for a 2016 2nd rounder.

Depth chart

DEFENSE:

RDE: Starks / Winn / Hughes

NT : Shelton / Taylor /Kitchen

LDE: D. Bryant / Hughes / Winn

WLB: Dansby / Robertson / Pullard

SLB: Spikes / Kirksey / Robertson

OLB: Kruger / Solomon

OLB: Mingo / Orchard

RCB: Haden /K. Williams / Nelson (eventually Ifo backing up both RCB and LCB, if healthy)

LCB: T. Williams / Gilbert / Gaines

NICKEL: Gilbert/ K.Williams

SS : Whitner / Bademosi

FS : Gipson / Desir / Poyer

OFFENSE:

WR 1: Bowe / Hartline /Mayle / Smith

LT : Thomas / Long / Erving

LG: Bitonio / Collins / Greco

C : Mack / Erving

RG: Erving / Greco / Collins

RT : Long / Erving

TE : Housler / Barnidge / Dray / Telfer

WR2 : Hartline / Diggs / Mayle

SLOT: Hawkins / Diggs / Gabriel / Benjamin

RB: Crowell / Johnson / West

QB: Manziel / McCown / Petty / Shaw

Went 7- 9 first year - Manziel struggled. Traded Manziel in 2016 for a second round pick and started Petty. Petty put together a 9 -7 year with a respectable rating, then won 11 in 2018.

Mudfly

@gftchris said:
Historically? You mean, that one year?

Hahaha(actually half of a year, cause he blew his knee out...remember?).....but, hey, these facts dont matter anyhow.....he's GREAT!!!

Though I do think people should differentiate between "kick" returner and punt returner...cause they are completely different animals and are getting rolled into one thing.....Travis has really only been our "punt" returner, and only this year got involved in any "kick" returns...though Marlon Moore is the primary.....and Travis was the lowest ranked on the team and ranked 84th in the league for kick return average(if that matters)...here's that extensive history he's put up....

2012...Cribbs was our punt returner

2013...Travis took over and was fairly average(ranked 20th) for the 8 games he played...then blew his knee out

2014...Travis completely tanked and was ranked 40th(way below average)

And as a receiver, he's brought very little.....in 3 years, he has 39 catches for just over 700 yds and 5 tds......GREG LITTLE did that in one season and we ran him out of town.....Last year, Josh Gordon played only 5 games and EVERYBODY slammed his effort and performance, yet he had the same # of catches and yards as Travis did in 16 games.....Taylor Gabriel did as much his first year as Benji has in 3.....

Just have to open your eyes to see he's painfully average 3 years in...(or slightly below that even)....nothing wrong with getting better at a position that EVERYBODY knows we have to get better at.....wasnt WR one of our primary needs???

Everyone says we need better receivers, yet theres a push to save the bottom rung one?......who's done nothing special in 3 years except return a couple punts?......this team is getting too good to hang our hats on average anymore....time to move on...

I only want to see better from that position....if Travis is the one to deliver it, thats fine.....but all Im saying is that he hasn't yet....

thenew23

@unsympathetic said:

Desir and Campbell are S.

Gaines is CB, and he will be ahead of Nelson but behind Gilbert.

U sound so sure when Desir only played CB last year and the 2 rookies haven't even seen the practice field...

thenew23

@the-gipper said:
You want to get rid of Benjamin? Who is going to return punts and kicks?

Do you mean who's going to fumble punts for us? Benji has been pretty good at that...

thenew23

Zombo said:

Dude ... what did you do to Gary Barnrdge?

He is 29 and ready to have a breakout year. He blocks, He catches. He has the name of a friendly local State farm agent. He dates hot wrestling chicks.

C'mon, man!

Zombo

4 TEs plus a FB is a lot, but not impossible I suppose...

Mudfly

@thenew23 said:
U sound so sure when Desir only played CB last year and the 2 rookies haven't even seen the practice field...

Campbell is def a SS...a box safety, as a matter of fact......he's basically a small linebacker with limited coverage skills, not a chance he'll play CB....perfect back up to Donte and a great power add for run protection in dime packages...

Desir only really played 2 games last year.....but he did play FS in game 15 and switched to CB in game16 when Haden got hurt.....

So, considering he's the perfect size and he's now played there and we just drafted 2 more CB's....Id say it's a very reasonable assumption to convert him to safety....but see no reason or indication of why they would convert Gaines to safety or Campbell to CB

RoyceRolls

Benji is the bottom of the barrel. Don't have anything against the guy just don't see his limited production being worth a roster spot.

TexasAg1969

@tim-couch-pulls-out said:

Just for shiggles, I created a "WWTCPOD" team in Madden.

Drafted Bryce Petty instead of Xavier Cooper

Drafted Stefon Diggs instead of Ibraheim Campbell.

Signed La'el Collins - 3 yr UDFA contract + $300k signing bonus

Signed Jake Long - 3 yr/ $23 million + $4 million signing bonus

Signed Brandon Spikes - 4 yr/ $13 million + $2 million signing bonus

Re-signed Tashaun Gipson - 5 yr/ $34 mill

Went 7- 9 first year - Manziel struggled. Traded Manziel in 2016 for a second round pick and started Petty. Petty put together a 9 -7 year with a respectable rating, then won 11 in 2018.

That seals it then. We must trade out Manziel immediately if he screws up in Madden!!

(or fire the Madden HC)

thenew23

@mudfly said:

Campbell is def a SS...a box safety, as a matter of fact......he's basically a small linebacker with limited coverage skills, not a chance he'll play CB....perfect back up to Donte and a great power add for run protection in dime packages...

Desir only really played 2 games last year.....but he did play FS in game 15 and switched to CB in game16 when Haden got hurt.....

So, considering he's the perfect size and he's now played there and we just drafted 2 more CB's....Id say it's a very reasonable assumption to convert him to safety....but see no reason or indication of why they would convert Gaines to safety or Campbell to CB

Yep, my fault, thought Campbell was a cb. I was wrong

The Gipper

@gftchris said:
Historically? You mean, that one year?

That was his rookie year....and last year was his second year. Sophomore Slump hopefully. So I expect a bounce back year from him now in his 3rd year.....assuming he is here.

thenew23

@thenew23 said:

Here is my post-draft, pre-UDFAs, pre-rookie camp, pre-90 man TC roster, pre-pre-season way too soon to be accurate 53-man roster...

Bold - denotes starter

Italics - denotes rookie

QB - McCown / Manziel / Shaw

RB - Crowell / West / D.Johnson

FB - M.Johnson

WR - Bowe / Hawkins / Hartline / Gabriel / Mayle

TE - Dray / Housler / Barnidge / Teifer

OT - Thomas / Schwartz / Bowie

OG - Bitonio / Greco / Erving

C - Mack / Seymour

DE - Hughes / D.Bryant / Starks / Winn / Cooper

DT - Taylor / Shelton

OLB - Kruger / Mingo / A.Bryant / Orchard / Solomon

ILB - Dansby / Robertson / Kirksey / Pullard

CB - Haden / T.Williams / K.Williams / Gilbert / Nelson / Gaines

S - Whitner / Gipson / Desir / Campbell

STs - Yount / Lanning / Hartley

IR - Ekpre-Olomu

Notice... I have 11 of 12 draft picks on this roster (and 1 going to IR for the year) as I gave them priority over other players, mostly b/c I have no idea if any of them will or will not be any good. Also, I gave starter priority to the veterans...

Based on feedback, made a couple simple changes. Added Barnidge and dropped Bademosi. Switched Campbell and Desir to S because I like those two in those spots. Moved Gaines to CB.

Could see one less o-lineman and maybe one less LB replaced by maybe one more RB and/or WR.

Also based on some of our vets that aren't on my list, I could see some of our drafted guys getting stashed on the PS, which is always a risk b/c any team could take them. That's why I didn't want us to dratt 10 players, let alone 12...