Hooskins Presents the "Who Needs to Step Up" Poll

I'm so glad to see that most agree with me about Rogers!!!!
I voted for Rogers to "step up" because I think he is capable of playing better than he has shown, which is different than saying that he should be let go because he'll never be any good. He dropped way too many potential INTs so he needs to step up and hold on to those, just like he has to react to the pass better. He's already proved to be pretty good in run support, so he helps the team out in that aspect.

So, while we have the same answer for the poll I think we have very different reasons for our answers.

If the team fought their guts out we wouldn't have lost. Sad truth, but it is the truth. I think there were a lot of players that just didn't care, or were frustrated and gave up way too early in the season. Gibbs wouldn't have had to scream at them at the end of the year if they had been fighthing their guts out.

I have a quick question about the "stepping up" cliche. Does "stepping up" imply giving more effort, necessarily? Or rather, does it imply a significant improvement in ones football ability?

I don't think it was a effort problem at all. I thought the whole team fought their guts out every week. They just didn't have the talent to stay close on the road, and lost a bunch of close ones at home.

If "stepping up" refers to the latter, I think you have to look at your young players for improvement. Landry's a rookie. Wade's a seasoned vet. If we have to count on the former, our safety situation isnt so good. The latter is not someone who we should be expecting big things from at LG.

Golston was a mid round pick who should contribute under reasonably low expectations.

So the answer should be the "rest of the above" (Rocky, ST and Carlos). Our young guys need to mature and start providing some return on our investment in them.

I voted for Carlos, because Rocky has still yet to see PT. But I nominate Taylor for a choice in the poll. He needs to make the biggest strides to reach his potential.

It's Hooskins poll, so you'll have to ask him. But I believe essentially it's who needs to step forward (perhaps that's a better term here) and perform at a higher level than last year in order for us to be successful.

Can we, for example, afford another season of drops by Rogers so long as Rocky McIntosh plays like LaVar circa 2002?

GTripp, I hear what you're saying. But I look at a team like Philly. To me, there's nothing special about their defense or their team for that matter. But you know what, they are extremely well coached; Year after year after year.

In my opinion, when your talent only takes you so far, coaching takes you the rest of the way. Coaching is that decisive and competitive advantage that separates poor teams from good teams and good ones from great ones.

When you listen to player post game interviews after a big win, I tend to hear the same thing...."the coaches did a good job getting us ready"...or "we were really prepared for this game". Maybe it's just my selective hearing, but I rarely heard that coming from our locker room last season.

It's Hooskins poll, so you'll have to ask him. But I believe essentially it's who needs to step forward (perhaps that's a better term here) and perform at a higher level than last year in order for us to be successful.

Can we, for example, afford another season of drops by Rogers so long as Rocky McIntosh plays like LaVar circa 2002?Well, I think in that case that it really doesn't matter who steps up, so long as we find a quality player somewhere, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

If Rocky were to play like Lavar2002, it would more than make up for a few dropped INTs. However, its far more reasonable to expect Rogers to put a little time into improving his hands in the offseason than it is to expect Rocky to be the next coming.

I mean outside of the LBs, we are pretty much attacking this thing with the same team as last year. So to expect better results than last year, we have to expect better play than last year. And it can come from anyone, but within reason, we have a new MLB, and a new WLB. So it's pretty much going to have to come from there. The rest of the team is back.

GTripp, I hear what you're saying. But I look at a team like Philly. To me, there's nothing special about their defense or their team for that matter. But you know what, they are extremely well coached; Year after year after year.

In my opinion, when your talent only takes you so far, coaching takes you the rest of the way. Coaching is that decisive and competitive advantage that separates poor teams from good teams and good ones from great ones.

When you listen to player post game interviews after a big win, I tend to hear the same thing...."the coaches did a good job getting us ready"...or "we were really prepared for this game". Maybe it's just my selective hearing, but I rarely heard that coming from our locker room last season.The Eagles also do a wonderful job with their personel year after year. And Reid is the league's top coach right now IMO. But if you kept their personel and made Marty Mornignweg the coach there, I don't think you'd see a noticible dropoff in their team play.

Coaching can provide a strategic (and unpredictable) advantage in the short term, but in the long run, I just feel that the talent on the field has to carry the team.

If the team fought their guts out we wouldn't have lost. Sad truth, but it is the truth. I think there were a lot of players that just didn't care, or were frustrated and gave up way too early in the season. Gibbs wouldn't have had to scream at them at the end of the year if they had been fighthing their guts out.Not true. That assumes that every team that loses could have won if they tried harder. Players who don't go all out on every play don't last very long in this league. It was not an effort issue.

rocky and landry can't step up since they haven't actually played yet. golston did step up, but he doesn't really look like he'll ever be a stud DT.

wade played well in limited time, he just needs to keep it up.

that leaves only rogers that actually needs to step up, but even if he continues to struggle, smoot and macklin are right there, so that's not really an amazing option either.

Other - the entire D, especially the front four.

Hooskins, our poll is getting picked apart. Not surprising I suppose. This always happens with polls.

Hooskins, our poll is getting picked apart. Not surprising I suppose. This always happens with polls.

Lol, well I guess. I think people are missing the point with Landry and Rocky. I guess the poll would be better worded if it was something like pick the player who's play will need to be the best in order for us to succeed.