discounting injury and illness, which player do you think holds the biggest key to a successful season (1 Viewer)

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assuming we are healthy (I know its something you can almost assume the opposite but all teams face it) which player do you think holds the biggest key to our success.

Offense should be better than what was already good. Oline is better, receivers are better, backs are solid

Defense, we will be solid against the run and we should generate pass rush if Dav is healthy. We have some linebackers if we could ever keep them on the field.

So assuming Latt plays all year then it comes down to Janoris Jenkins for me. He could have an outstanding season and we could be a top 6 or 7 defense, maybe even better.

But if he struggles...

That is the player I will be watching the closest I think.
 
I think Jenkins will be alright, but I do agree he is crucial.

To me the big question mark is how Ruiz / McCoy adjust to whatever positions they are going to play. If they both are solid, this OL is going to be nasty. If the learning curve for Ruiz at Center and McCoy at Guard is steep, then we could be in for some rough early games.

Also, is Davenport healthy and steps up opposite of Cam? Who else fills that role if not?
 
I think Jenkins will be alright, but I do agree he is crucial.

To me the big question mark is how Ruiz / McCoy adjust to whatever positions they are going to play. If they both are solid, this OL is going to be nasty. If the learning curve for Ruiz at Center and McCoy at Guard is steep, then we could be in for some rough early games.

Also, is Davenport healthy and steps up opposite of Cam? Who else fills that role if not?

I agree about Ruiz/McCoy. Normally I would have faith in the team to work it out before the real bullets fly but this season has no chance to get them battle tested. I still think our depth has us fine this year but we could have to experience a bumpy start.
 
What a great question. The first player that comes to mind is Davenport. If he's healthy he could take a big step forward in his third season. Dav has been good when healthy but the potential for greatness is there. It's common to see D line guys come into their own in year three. We've seen it lately with Cam Jordan, Rankins, and Onyemata.

And I can't wait to see a healthy AK playing alongside all of these weapons. If he regains his burst then forget about it. There just isn't going to be a way to defend all those guys in the passing game.
 
Davenport.

He is a disruptor & can consistently set the edge. Without him opposite Cam J, we are a bit weaker. Zimmer saw the weakness and exposed us in the w/c game.
 
I agree with you guys choosing Davenport because his having a healthy season is critical. But if is is healthy I think he has flashed what we should expect. He will be a factor when healthy. If anything, its more likely he would hurt us by being too aggressive than because he can't get there.
 
Im framing this is ‘performs at or above expectations helps us get the the Super Bowl:

3 Davenport (If he gets pressure it helps the entire secondary)

Exactly. A great pass rush can hide other deficiencies. Mediocre Corners look good and good Corners look great. Jason David comes to mind. He looked like a good Corner with the Colts because they had Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis blowing up the gameplan.
 
That is the player I will be watching the closest I think.
I agree. A chain is as strong as its weakest link, and a defense is as good as its #2 CB. When we had good ones (2009-11, 2013) we were great. When we had bad ones (2007-08, 2014-16) we were horrid.
 
Since we are assuming good health I wouldn't list Davenport. That's my main question with him.

I'd go with Rankins. If he can get back to 2018 production it's a game-changer. I'd also like to see Peat reach his athletic potential with consistency.
 

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