The Sam linebacker spot will be watched most closely when the Birds defense goes on the field against the Ravens. Who will be the starter, 2nd year rookie Chris Gocong or 1st year rookie Stewart Bradley?
Right now, Gocong is the starter and may have the bigger upside but Bradley seems to have a much clearer command of the position.
I want to see if Gocong is reacting quickly enough in a game situation. Does he have good enough feel for playing in space? I think Chris will be fine against the run because of his work as a defensive end in college. He’s good with his hands and does a good job getting off blocks. Gocong has also shown me he can attack blocking patterns. He needs to get better recognizing blocking schemes but that will come with time. The thing I want to see him do is cover man to man and in zone areas. Will he recognize things quickly enough and be able to tackle these quick speedy ball carriers in open field? If he passes that test he will be the starter at Sam linebacker.
Stewart Bradley is a big, physical player who is much more comfortable playing the Sam linebacker spot than Gocong, right now. Bradley understands how important it is to beat up on the tight end before getting into his drop. He may have trouble covering some of the better TE's and quicker backs in the NFL. He can be a good player very quickly but doesn’t have the Pro Bowl type upside. He senses things and flows better than Gocong who is playing the position for the first time in his career.
Will Victor Abiamiri who is a powerful, physical player, look as good in the game as he has during the training camp workouts? Abiamiri may be stronger at the point of attack than any of the other defensive ends. At times the kid has been dominating, but will we see that in the games. Can he continue to shine against the run? If he does the Birds may have to find a way to get him on the field quite a bit in his first year.
C.J. Gaddis will be battling for his football life on Monday night against the Ravens. He’s trying to hold off free agents Erick Harris, Marcus Pascal and Chris Smith at that fourth safety spot. The kid needs to get surer of the coverages. He’s quick and attacking when he sees something but he’s got to get sharper. Harris will lay a lick on you. Pascall seems to have a feel for getting his hands on the football.
Who do you keep as a backup outside linebacker, Tank Daniels or Matt McCoy? McCoy is much more experienced and polished at this time in his career but Daniels has the bigger upside. It could very well be decided on the special teams. You can’t expect Daniels to help you this year but he could help you at the Sam or Will spots in the future, because of his amazing combination of size and speed. He moves like a safety. McCoy is a little guy who could never play Sam, but he’s the more polished Will linebacker. Daniels shined on the special teams last year but McCoy hasn’t shown much as a special teams player. They could wind up keeping both of them.
How will Australian punter Saverio Rocca work against a live punt block? Will he rush and shank the punt or flow into his steps and boom the ball?
You also have Jeremy Bloom in his tryout as the punt returner. He's got to be sure handed and show some of that speed and quickness which we have seen in the practices.
