Whitner to miss Saturday's pre-season opener (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills open their 2008 pre-season schedule in approximately 71 hours, and the team has already named two veteran players doubtful for the '08 premiere.  After today's practice, head coach Dick Jauron named SS Donte Whitner and WR Josh Reed doubtful for the Bills' road game at Washington.

Whitner, who has battled a sore ankle since this past weekend, has no swelling and, were this a regular season game, would be ready to go.  The same goes for Reed, who has missed a few practices resting his surgically repaired back.

WR James Hardy returned to practice today in a full capacity, but it's still unclear as to whether he'll suit up for the Redskins game.  CB Will James is in the same boat with his groin injury.  DE Copeland Bryan, WR Scott Mayle and QB Matt Baker all missed practice Wednesday as well.

Veterans Resting
Once again, Jauron eased the work load of some of his veterans, and for two key Bills rookies, this was good news.  WR Lee Evans and CB Terrence McGee saw their number of reps decreased; they were replaced on the top unit by rookies Hardy and Leodis McKelvin, respectively.  Both held their own with the ones, as well.

Leodis McKelvin, who got some first team reps at left cornerback with Terrence McGee receiving a lighter workload from the staff, forced a fumble on a catch that was made by Derek Fine.

Hardy got reps with the first team offense for most of the practice during team work as Lee Evans was given a lighter workload Wednesday by the staff. Early in 7-on-7 he made a nice reception on a crossing pattern, catching the ball in stride and heading up field. He made a few other short receptions as well...

This is an ideal situation for Buffalo.  It keeps two of their key veterans healthy, and it allows a couple of key young guys to gain some confidence working with the team's best players.  This situation is sure to present itself a few more times as the regular season approaches; it's likely that further work with the top unit will groom both McKelvin and Hardy to have the immediate impact that the club needs.

Youboty Watch
Ashton Youboty Watch has officially begun at Buffalo Rumblings, as the majority of us yearn to see the 24-year-old earn his keep with this team.  Youboty made his third interception of camp today on a tipped pass by LB Donnie Spragan; if James misses the Washington game, Youboty will have a golden opportunity to move up a slot or two on the depth chart with a strong performance.

Some Notes about the Redskins Game
Looking for the perfect spot to get the most out of Saturday night's pre-season opener?  Make Buffalo Rumblings your first and last stop.  We'll have live coverage of the game with an open game thread, so we will be able to discuss/break down the game as it occurs.  Your humble narrator will also be recording the game on DVR, which will allow us to have a little "film session" breakdown a day or two after the game.  This is where you come in.

There's a lot to take in on game day, so be prepared to give your input after the game as to what you'd like to see covered in the Film Session.  We don't need ideas yet; just make sure that you let us know exactly what you'd like to hear about once the game is over.

Also, we'll be doing a little interview session with Skin Patrol of Hogs Haven over the next couple of days - so if you're yearning for a little knowledge on the 'Skins, head on over to his fine establishment and keep your eyes peeled for that interview.

Reed (right) continues to sit out with back issue (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills are four days away from opening their 2008 pre-season schedule with a visit to Washington, and the team continued its training camp preparations last night despite nearly being driven off the field due to inclement weather.

Rain delayed practice twice, but the Bills were able to complete their full session as they head into Wednesday's 1PM practice.

Not participating in Tuesday night's practice were SS Donte Whitner (ankle), WR Josh Reed (back) and DE Copeland Bryan (hamstring).  Whitner and Reed are expected to be back on the field by the end of the week and should see some (albeit very little) playing time on Saturday.  Rookie WR James Hardy (hamstring) and veteran CB Will James (groin) were scheduled to return to the practice field last night, but due to the slick weather conditions participated only in individual drills.  They should be full go today.

Interesting Debate
An interesting debate that can arise out of a situation like last night is whether or not it's a good thing to have to fight through a practice in those types of weather conditions.  Clearly, the Bills are a young football team, and a large percentage of their most important players have not had to deal with harsh weather conditions on a regular basis before.  That'll happen often in Buffalo.  At the same time, this is just practice - and the team is, in fact, attempting to answer a lot of questions and install a new offense prior to the start of the important games.  There are definitely two strong (opposing) arguments to make.

I'd be very interested to hear what everyone here believes about this topic.

S. Johnson at DE?
As the Bills' defense practiced in nickel packages last night, there was one surprise player playing outside at defensive end:

Spencer Johnson got some reps at defensive end in the nickel package.

This is curious.  Perhaps I'm not seeing the positive spin on this, but this doesn't make a ton of sense to me.  Do I think Spencer Johnson can play end?  Certainly - he's probably the quickest, most explosive athlete the Bills have at defensive tackle.  But to play him outside on passing downs?  To me, that sacrifices some of what little pass rush the Bills already have.  Johnson would be a force to be reckoned with on run downs, but I'd rather see them sub in a guy like Chris Ellis for passing downs.

Clearly, it's far too early to get worked up about this - or to believe it's a permanent wrinkle that Perry Fewell is installing - but it's definitely something to think about.

Youboty Still Making Plays
It seems that every practice, CB Ashton Youboty - seemingly buried on the depth chart - makes one or two good plays.  Maybe it's because he's working on throws made by Gibran Hamdan most of the time, but it also speaks volumes about his work ethic.  He's working his tail off to prove he still belongs on this team; maybe the light is about to go on for this kid.

Ashton Youboty made a nice over the shoulder interception on a deep pass down the sideline from J.P. Losman. Youboty also had a pass breakup late in practice.

Rookie Reggie Corner continues to take first-team nickel back reps with James sidelined, and as krytime discusses, he's been one of the more surprising players on the field for the Bills through the first week-plus of camp.  He leads the team with three interceptions to date.  Leodis McKelvin worked outside with the second unit and also saw some reps in the nickel package with the second unit, as they continue to experiment with ways to get their top draft pick onto the field.

The Bills practice at 1PM today.  They follow it up with another night practice Thursday, a closed practice Friday, and then they hit the field in Washington for the first live game action of the 2008 season.

LB Crowell returns to practice (Photo Source)

After nine days of practices, the Buffalo Bills had Sunday off and returned to the practice field yesterday afternoon for their eleventh day of training camp.  While OT Jason Peters continued his holdout, the Bills did get some good news in the form of veteran LB Angelo Crowell returning to the field of play.  Crowell missed the majority of last week's practices with a left knee injury.

Joining Crowell on the field were newly signed LB Donnie Spragan as well as UDFA rookie WR C.J. Hawthorne, a Hawaii product that the Bills added yesterday.  Hawthorne takes the roster spot of one Jason Peters, and was signed to reduce the number of reps that Buffalo's depleted receiving corps was taking.

Strong safety Donte Whitner missed practice with an ankle injury that required an MRI, but the injury is not considered serious.  WR Josh Reed was also held out of practice Monday as the team looked to reduce his work load and rest his surgically repaired lower back; he's not expected to miss much action either.  DE Copeland Bryan (hamstring) and CB Will James (groin) also missed practice Monday.  WR James Hardy (hamstring) participated on a limited basis in individual drills.

Parrish Stepping Up in Reed's Absence
Not surprisingly, Roscoe Parrish - the other veteran wideout on the team not named Lee Evans - saw an increased workload with Reed on the sidelines.  Buffalo's diminutive return star was making some plays in the receiving game, always a nice thing to hear; he was also, however, showing that he can be physical despite his small frame:

After taking a hard hit from Jabari Greer on a short out route to the sideline that left him on the ground for a minute, Parrish came back with some of his own hitting as he cracked Ashton Youboty on a run play.

Donte Whitner shouted from the sidelines, "I see that Roscoe. You want to hit like that?"

To which Parrish responded, "I'll hit like that all day!"

Parrish isn't the only one with the bug; thing seem to have become a bit more physical as the team gears up for its first pre-season game of the year, this coming Saturday in Washington.  Justin Jenkins also received some first-team reps at wideout in Reed's absence.

Cornerback Competition Update
With Will James sidelined with his groin injury, we've gotten a pretty good look at exactly how Buffalo's depth chart currently shakes out at cornerback.  James - currently the first team nickel back on the depth chart - has been replaced at that position by rookie fourth-round pick Reggie Corner (with Terrence McGee and Jabari Greer holding down the starting slots, as usual).  Ashton Youboty and Leodis McKelvin have manned the outside slots for the second unit.  McKelvin has been taking reps at the nickel spot for both units as well.

Clearly, the Bills are mixing and matching their personnel inside for now to see which players fit best at which positions.  What may be most surprising, however, is the fact that Reggie Corner's role seems to be solidified, while McKelvin's has not.  It seems, for now, that the Bills are working on ways to get their first-round pick onto the field, because at this point, it seems pretty obvious that he won't start right away.

Who's Making Plays
Crowell looked good in his return to the lineup, making several plays in the passing game.  Parrish routinely beat defenders running routes, and has proven to be quite as difficult to cover as Lee Evans has in man coverage.  CB Jabari Greer blocked a field goal yesterday.  Buffalo Rumblings' second-favorite linebacker, Jon Banks, tipped a pass that was intercepted by safety Jon Corto.

You have to love hearing this, as well.  Looking forward to big things from #23 this year.

Marshawn Lynch ran under a reception deep down the far sideline for a big gain.

The Bills will hit the practice field for another night practice today, which runs from 7PM until just after 9.  We'll discuss the developments from tonight's practice tomorrow morning.

Jauron gives his players Sunday off (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills held a morning practice on Saturday, and the big news of the day was that the team agreed to a deal with veteran LB Donnie Spragan.  A player that the team worked out this past May, Spragan is a 32-year old veteran that has been a steady performer for the Broncos and Dolphins.  His signing came in the wake of rookie Alvin Bowen's season-ending knee injury.  Spragan is expected to compete for a reserve role at weak side linebacker and on special teams.

Missing Saturday's workout were QB J.P. Losman (re-aggravated thumb), WR James Hardy (hamstring), and CB Will James (groin).  DE Copeland Bryan left practice early with an apparent hamstring injury.

Practice Getting Boring
Much of the fanfare and interest that surrounded the first week's practice sessions seems to have died down a bit.  With the first pre-season game of the season coming up this coming Saturday at Washington, fans seem more anxious to see this team on the field than to hear about the goings-on on the practice field.  We're not alone, folks; the players are anxious to do the real thing as well:

"It felt really good to let that out and cross that line a little bit," said safety John Wendling. "But it's still your own teammates, so we're looking forward to seeing someone different across the ball and being able to just go at it with them. So we're looking forward to the preseason."

Red Zone Still Getting Emphasized
The Bills continued their focus on red zone work yesterday with another strong session in the red area.  It's becoming very apparent that Bills coaches are very focused on scoring more points this season - quite the novel idea if you're playing in the NFL.

Trent Edwards fared well in the red zone yesterday targeting his two favorite weapons down close (at least until James Hardy gets in more work): Lee Evans and Derek Schouman.

Lee Evans made a nice fingertip grab on a low throw from Trent Edwards near the sideline. He also pulled in a well-thrown ball from Edwards on a fade pass to the end zone for a touchdown.

Perhaps the best executed play came during red zone work when Edwards effectively used a play action fake to get the defense to bite and quickly hit Derek Schouman over the middle for a touchdown.

Defense Makes Some Plays, Too
Buffalo's offense played better than it has of late, but the defense made some plays of their own as well.  Leading the charge was my personal favorite player, LB John DiGiorgio, with a nice interception...

During 7-on-7 John DiGiorgio made the defensive play of the day as he stepped in front of a Gibran Hamdan pass for his first interception of camp.

(I'm not sure that "first interception of camp" is factually accurate, Mr. Brown.  I distinctly remember DiGiorgio picking off a tipped pass by Will James on the second day of camp.)

Cornerback Ashton Youboty - who did not receive as many additional reps as expected with CB James on the sideline - made a nice pass break-up in the end zone as well.

Steve Johnson almost made an outstanding leaping touchdown catch over Ashton Youboty, but Youboty was able to break up the play as the two players came back down to the turf.

The Bills have the day off Sunday and return to the practice field Monday for a 2:15PM practice.

QB Trent Edwards, DE Chris Kelsay at Bills camp (Courtesy twoeightnine)

The Buffalo Bills held their first night practice of 2008 training camp last night at St. John Fisher College, and I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend the festivities.  With pen and pad in hand, I spent the majority of my night frantically taking as many notes as possible.  It was a beautiful night, but unfortunately, I was not overly impressed by what I saw from our team.  Here are some observations, from units to players to coaches, that I hope you'll find useful (this could get long):

Edwards Struggles
For all the good that we've heard from Trent Edwards this early in camp, I saw a guy who struggled a lot last night.  He did mention post-practice that what the team was running last night was a whole bunch of new plays, which may have been the reason he looked so poor.  But he was missing receivers high, he was bouncing throws off the turf, and he was very obviously distraught at last night's misgivings.  He didn't show emotion like J.P. Losman used to, but you could definitely tell he was frustrated.  He did, however, make some very nice throws, including a couple nice deep balls.

Losman did not practice; his right thumb was taped up heavily.  He's also grown a very lovely beard this off-season.  Maybe he thinks Edwards' rookie beard is what caused him to lose his job?

Lynch (and Jackson) Looking Impressive
I absolutely loved what I saw out of Marshawn Lynch last night.  He looks more powerful and more agile than he was as a rookie.  Put aside anything you hear about Lynch's breakaway speed - I'm going to chalk that up to Lynch being beaten down by the rigors of his first NFL season.  The guy looked like a superstar in the making.  He also dove into the end zone for a touchdown (probably unnecessarily), drawing a big cheer from the gigantic crowd.

Interestingly, Turk Schonert had Lynch split out wide in a couple of formations.  He looked good catching the ball, but his understudy, Fred Jackson, looked better.

Jackson won't ever be a guy who can carry a full rushing load, but he's got that Kenneth Davis feel about him - he's above average at everything he does, especially catching the football.  He looked smooth and confident last night, and his style is different from that of Lynch.  They're going to complement each other very well.

Receiver/Tight End Notes
I came away with the impression on James Hardy that I thought I was going to come away with: this kid is going to struggle in a big way between the twenties this year.  He's still not a great route-runner, and looks positively sloth-like getting out of some of his breaks, especially on out routes.  But the dude is just straight up huge.  He'll make plays simply because he's big.  But from the looks of things right now, Josh Reed (who looked good as usual) seems like he's got a lock on the starting spot.  My guess is that Reed will play between the twenties, with Hardy being a mainstay on the field in the red zone.

Out of all of Buffalo's receivers, I came away most impressed by undrafted rookie free agent Jason Jones.  He comes from a very small school (Arkansas Pine-Bluff), but he was making some of Buffalo's corners look silly in one-on-one drills.  He's a smooth route-runner and shows great hands; he even blew past Will James on a beautifully executed deep route at one point.  I'm very interested to see how he performs in pre-season games.

At tight end, Derek Schouman and Robert Royal are light-years ahead of the competition.  They're easily the two most fluid athletes at the position.  Yes, Robert Royal makes Derek Fine and Courtney Anderson look unathletic.  I liked the way that Schouman and Royal played when they were together on the field.  Together, they might be productive enough to make us not hate the fact that they didn't draft a more athletic tight end this past April.

O-Line... well, they just need Jason Peters
Kirk Chambers better not be Buffalo's starting left tackle come opening day; I don't think I saw him successfully block Aaron Schobel in one-on-one drills once.  He's a tough blocker in the running game, but his pass protection is, well, poor.  Here's hoping that Jason Peters is back in camp before long...

The line struggled a bit in pass protection.  In 7-on-7 and 11-on-11, Edwards had the pocket collapse on him a couple times; he was forced to throw the ball away once or twice, and made some bad throws while pressured as well.  There were some holes for the team's running backs, though.

Offensive line coach Sean Kugler was working hard with rookie Demetrius Bell on his stance and pass pro technique.  Langston Walker was chipping in with some advice as well.  Bell looks ultra-athletic, but he was the greenest guy on the field by a long shot.  He's certainly a practice squad player at this point, but he's got big upside if the coaches can harness some of that athleticism.

D-Line Looks Fantastic
Buffalo's revamped defensive line looked outstanding, including the much-maligned (here, at least) starting defensive ends.  The unit was fast, powerful and disruptive - and that included the second unit line as well.

Marcus Stroud can't be blocked by one guy.  He just can't.  He's not a big guy, but his center of gravity is low, and he got a significant push every single play.  He pancaked Brad Butler in a one-on-one drill, and in some double team drills, he was able to slip blocks and get a push in most instances.

I loved the fact that John McCargo was following Stroud around like some sort of gigantic puppy.  Stroud was working with McCargo for a few minutes on block-shedding moves; it's good to see a vet helping out a talented youngster.  Those two looked great working together inside when they got to play together.  (For the record, Edwards and Evans were seen throwing off to the side as well.  They looked rather chummy.)

Copeland Bryan ran with the twos, pushing Chris Ellis to third team end, but I don't expect that to last long.  Ellis is green - he lacks lower body strength, so he certainly won't be playing on early downs - but Bryan was pedestrian.  Ellis should pass him on the depth chart by the end of camp.

Crowell Sits; Young LBs Looking Good
Angelo Crowell missed the practice; he had a wrap on his left knee and came out in shorts.  He watched the entire practice from the sidelines.  Keith Ellison replaced him on the strong side; Marcus Buggs took Ellison's spot with the second unit.

Speaking of Buggs, he has a very realistic shot at making this team.  He made one or two very nice hits in punt coverage drills, and while he's small, he looks like a very good athlete.  He's another young guy to keep your eyes on during pre-season action.

Paul Posluszny looked good.  He looks like he's in the best shape of his life, and, to be frank, like he could snap most of the Bills' receivers in half with a good lick.  He and Lynch are easily the team's most popular players.

Defensive Back Notes: Simpson Dinged
Ko Simpson left practice early with an apparent injury to his surgically repaired ankle.  He was walking on it fine on the sidelines, but he clearly was uncomfortable.  We'll see if he practices today.  To no one's surprise, George Wilson took his place with the top unit; he looks far more comfortable back there than he did last season.  He was making a few hits as well.

It was only his second practice, but Leodis McKelvin continued to struggle.  He looked better than what we heard in one-on-one coverage drills, but you can tell his ball skills are lacking.  He'll blanket a receiver, but he's not instinctual in knowing when to turn his head.  He's very good at making plays coming forward, however.  He also looked great returning punts (even earning the very loud praise of Bobby April on one return), and in positional drills, you can tell just how good an athlete the kid is.  He's very technical in his agility (read: amazing footwork), and when that can translate better to covering receivers, he should be outstanding.

Will James struggled.  A lot.  He repeatedly got burned deep covering receivers in single coverage.  He's still probably a lock to be the team's nickel corner on opening weekend.  Terrence McGee and Jabari Greer seem entrenched as the starters, and that shouldn't change any time soon.  Reggie Corner was actually playing ahead of McKelvin in dime packages; McKelvin played outside with the second unit.  I expect McKelvin to take James' nickel spot early in the season, and Corner is a bigger factor in this equation than many people tend to believe.

Ashton Youboty is very clearly the team's sixth corner - and I thought he looked very good.  He blatantly held Jason Jones in single coverage during one drill, but also made a nice break to intercept a pass in front of Felton Huggins.  He's much more physical than some of Buffalo's young guys, as well.  I hope he stays on the team - he's still got a world of talent.

General Observations
I love watching Perry Fewell and Bobby April coach.  They're loud, funny, and they get their guys moving hard.  Their units were easily the two strongest on the field last night.

The offense struggled mightily last night, but you can tell that Turk Schonert's offensive system will be better than Steve Fairchild's.  The tempo is faster, Edwards looks much more comfortable, and more guys are getting involved in the passing game (most notably Roscoe Parrish).

Overall, I wasn't a huge fan of the night practice experience.  Perhaps it was the idea that I had to go to work the next morning.  But it was good seeing the guys in Bills colors, and it was even better to hear the crowd chanting and reacting to what was going on on the field.  It was a good time.

The Bills practice from 1:00 to 3:05 today.  Buffalo Rumblings will recap the day's action later this afternoon.

Schobel looking to rebound from subpar '07 season (Photo Source)

Prior to the 2008 NFL Draft - in fact, prior to the free agent signing period of this past March - we took a look at the Buffalo Bills' roster position by position, breaking down then-current personnel, finding holes, and building our community needs list.

Now that free agency and the Draft have been completed, and the Bills have infused their roster with new talent, it's time to repeat our process.  Where has Buffalo gotten better?  Where have they gotten worse?  How will additions impact which Bills veterans remain on the roster?  These are questions that we'll attempt to answer over the next week or so.

We continue those discussions today with an examination of Buffalo's defensive ends.  To view our previous discussions on Buffalo's DE situation (pre-off-season), bang it here.

Aaron Schobel: A 2007 Pro Bowl alternate, Schobel is coming off of his most puzzling season to date - Schobel has retained the respect of his peers for becoming far more consistent and a better all-around player, but it's not often that a player earns a trip to Honolulu after notching only 6.5 sacks.  Schobel is an excellent defensive end, but he can't do the job by himself.  In 2006, the left end platoon (see next two names) combined for 11.5 sacks; in '07, that number dropped to 3.5.  No wonder Schobel had trouble replicating his 14-sack '06 output.

Schobel is the Bills' best run end and their best pass rusher.  He'll need to become a much more explosive threat in 2008 if this defense is going to work, however.  He'll be able to do that if some of his running mates step up their play.

Chris Kelsay: A defensive team captain, Kelsay is statistically one of Buffalo's biggest underachievers.  Sure, he's a good player to have on a team - hard worker, tough guy, solid person, good leader.  But Kelsay's 2.5 sacks are a pitiful amount for a starting end, and his inability to rush the passer hurt Schobel's production severely last season.

Kelsay does make the occasional big play - see his tipped pass/interception for TD against the Cowboys last season as an example - but the team would be better served if Kelsay played a situational role.  He's not a starting-caliber end, especially in a Cover 2 defense, and his presence does more harm for Schobel than it helps the defense.

Ryan Denney: See Kelsay, Chris, but add two years and a serious foot injury.  Seriously, these guys could be carbon copies of each other - Denney is a smart, tough football player, and his height makes him an asset on passing downs as an inside rusher and on special teams, but he's only notched 7 sacks in the past two seasons (Kelsay, for the record, has 8 in that time span).  Denney is 30.  This may be his last season as a Bill.

Copeland Bryan: Talk about a waste of a roster spot - Bryan, who was drafted by the Chicago Bears, was acquired by the Bills prior to Week 2 last season after the team decided to release Eric Powell.  Keep in mind that this occurred while the Bills were desperately thin at end - Denney was injured, Anthony Hargrove was suspended, and reserve DT Jason Jefferson was playing end on run downs.

Bryan did not play in that Week 2 loss to Pittsburgh.  He wouldn't play a down for Buffalo until October 28, and ended up playing in a whopping two games for the Bills.  He recorded one special teams tackle in his first season in Buffalo.  Hello, Chris Ellis.

Shaun Nua: Nua is a product of the Steelers' system that spent the last month of the '07 season on the practice squad.  He's not an ideal fit for this defense at end or tackle, and he'll likely be a training camp roster casualty.

Ryan Neill: In the mold of Kelsay and Denney, Neill offers very little at the NFL level in terms of defensive end play.  He is, however, an excellent special teams player - and not just because he's the team's long snapper.  Neill struggled in the elements in his first year as the full-time long snapper, but in general, he performed pretty well in that capacity and should continue to get better.  At this point, he's a virtual lock for the roster.

The Additions: Chris Ellis
There's an unusual amount of pressure on Ellis to perform this coming season as a rookie third-round pick.  It may not be fair, but it's necessary - Ellis is by leaps and bounds the best natural athlete at defensive end on Buffalo's roster and will be counted on to be a situational pass rusher in his rookie season.  Blessed with excellent quickness and a good first step, he should make an impact early - and he's got the potential to be a top-flight starter given time to develop.  I'm really excited about this kid.

The Subtractions: Anthony Hargrove, Al Wallace
These guys won't be missed.  Hargrove is currently out of the league - he is without team and will likely be suspended for the entire '08 season after yet another substance abuse issue.  Wallace looked like he was going to be a nice veteran addition during last pre-season, but a knee injury landed him on IR and he wasn't re-signed.  The Bills will be fine without these guys on the roster.

Pre-Season Outlook: One thing is certain - even with very minor changes within this positional group, there's more healthy talent here than there was last season.  Denney has been participating in OTAs, signifying his return to full health from his foot injury, and Ellis should provide a nice energy boost - especially on pass downs, when Schobel needs the most help.  I actually like the mix of talent here - Schobel and Ellis are the pass rush guys, Kelsay and Denney are the hustle guys with grit.

If the talent here is utilized correctly, this group could be serviceable.  Not elite, but serviceable - and far better than they performed as a unit last season.  And, of course, the help brought in at other positions - specifically the two defensive tackles we acquired - should help as well.

Change: Energy internally; external help.

As always, your thoughts and opinions on this analysis are welcome and encouraged in the comments section.