Training Camp Ends...What I'm Looking For Saturday Night

Yes, I know that it’s the preseason and wins and losses don’t matter, but I think it’d be nice for us to get used to winning early on.

need him to be a legit starting CB so Winfield can play inside, and in case there is any problems with Griffin. wouldn’t mind seeing Asher Allen get a whole lot better either, he has potential.

it will be cool to see the o-coordinator on the sidelines as opposed to up in the booth (if that rumor holds true).
and i’d like to see more variety. play action, designed roll outs, 2 back sets, 2 te sets. i want to see an approach executed with flexibility as opposed to a set of pre-scripted plays are predicitable.

plus Webb, Gerhart, Rudolph, Arceneaux and Jaymar.

Doesn’t matter where they come from, that’s what I’m going to be looking for. And I’ll be looking to see who committed the mistakes as well.

Naturally I’ll be watching the QB situation like a hawk. I don’t expect to see anyone ‘settled in’ after what, 3 days of practice with the team? But I want to see how each of them is doing, each of them is coming at this from a different level of experience.

I’ll be watching the O-line closely; are they enabling the running game, are they giving our QBs time to put plays together? If not, who’s the weakest link? My money’s on Sullivan.

I’ll be looking out for Jaymar especially, and at BB to see if he’s really holding down a top spot. Rudolph is of tremendous interest as well.

On the other side of the ball….

The LB corps is the only group that I’m feeling good about right now.

I’m hoping that the CBs are solid, but that depends on Griff and Cook. Fingers crossed, I like them both and maybe, without injuries, we’ll be ok there.

The D-line is of great concern, as are the Safetys. I want to see the line hold solid against the run and put in some good pass pressure. Even with mediocre play, our Tampa-2 Safetys ought to be able to hold the line. Let’s see if they do.

The most critical time to watch is the first half, to see how the first string team is looking. After that, we’ll be watching the battles to see who’s going to make the roster and who’s going home for the season.

Our season will hinge not only on the LT spot but on the whole line in general. I am curious on who will step up and emerge as the starter, and/or will we need to find someone else. Also can CB Brandon Burton contribute this season? If he can it will go a long way in helping our secondary.

I’ll be looking to start reverse engineering the offensive playbook, since I feel that is one key to how the whole 2011 season unfolds. (I never have developed a system for who will wind up with a titanium-enhanced femur, and feel how well the defense will do is significantly impacted by how well the offense controls the ball.)

I’ll be scratching my head trying to figure out from the basics available at this stage what Coach Musgrave is trying to set up, and how and where he attacks the Titan’s defense.

I’ll be looking at how quickly the QB’s get the ball away.

I’ll be looking for where Peterson sets up and how often he is used on third downs, as well as how effectively they use Lorenzo Booker..

I’ll be looking at how they use all the receivers, how much Jaymar Johnson has progressed by working with Larry Fitzgerald, and how they use Michael Jenkins.

I’ll be looking at anything new in special teams Coach Priefer might be doing and how the new kick-off rule affects things.

I’ll be looking to see what smoke comes out of Mike Singletary’s ears. (It’s kind of like waiting for a new pope. You have to notice if the smoke is white or black.)

I’ll be looking for dejected Tennesseans leaving LP Field early. That’s always fun.

Wise timeouts?
Replay requests?
Delay of games because it takes too long to call the play?
Hurry up offense is organized?

1. of players on the field and the right player packages?

The actual play calls do not become meaningful until preseason game #3. But the discipline and game management starts here. Especially in establishing the trust, confidence and respect of the players.