Andra in the Middle

Yeah I know this happened a couple days ago but I really haven't been able to comment yet -- I've had severe electrical blackout and virus issues of late. Anyway, this is an obviously correct decision. Davis has been one of the few defensive players who has looked really good this preseason. He's big and fast, and he looks like he'd make a strong leader -- if you caught a glimpse of him Friday night with his helmet off you know what I mean.

Unfortunately the other linebackers on the team have not looked so good. Ben Taylor has played the best of the group and occasionally he made an impression against Green Bay. Bentley really has done nothing that has caught my eye yet. Gardner has made a negative impression; maybe he'll look better playing on the outside. I can't say I remember seeing Boyer much, but at least we know he's a servicable player.

Finally, Chaun Thompson deserves special mention -- this guy has played unbelieveably poorly so far. He's got good size and speed, but he just doesn't look like s football player sometimes. I wonder if he is unable to move laterally or what. So many times you see Chaun running hard at weird angles or trying to turn himself around to catch a ball carrier who has accelerated around him. These are all very bad things. I'd say his number one problem is in positioning himself -- he seems to get turned around a lot and is rarely square to the ball carrier or line of scrimmage. On the other hand, there is still some definite promise. He does bring back memories of Jamir Miller in the way he carries himself like a DE playing LB. He definitely has good straight-line speed. And it's not hard to envision him being a good pass rusher, possibly lining up at end on third downs. But as of today, he does not look like a big contributor this season. And that's bad news for a defense in sore need of some positive surprises.