[70Chip]

The Scouting Department is divided into two parts. College scouting and pro scouting.

The college scouts have done a great job, IMO. Golston, Taylor, Cooley, Campbell etc. The ones we complain about haven't gotten to play (Mcintosh) or have been injury plagued (Manuel White).

The pro scouts have been more of a mixed bag. Marcus Washington was good call. I think Randle-El has done what I expected. Those expecting 80 receptions were unrealistic. That's why they signed Lloyd as well. I thought Lloyd was soft at first, but he seems to be playing with more confidence now. Defensively, Archeleta and Carter look like mistakes at this point. I think Carter may be redeemable if he is used as a 3rd down rusher, but Arch was just a case of poor evaluation. You can't play safety in this league if you can't keep up with Jason Whitten. He just doesn't have the physical skills to play the position. The scouts need to be able to see that and say, "Hold on a minute." Perhaps they did and the coaches overruled them. We don't know.

But I don't think we can say at this point that we need to completely overhaul the personell department. I think we will be surprised by how much talent there is on this team these next few weeks. It gives me hope when I see Golston, Fox, Rogers, Mcintosh, and Holdman play like they did against Carolina. Perhaps they are getting into a groove and will get on another run.

One thing to watch in young players is how they show up in road games. I am firm believer that winning on the road is the difference between playoff teams and average teams in the NFL. We have been bad on the road. We have two road games left and we need to overcome that adversity if we are to get going. I know it's early to talk like that, but even if it doesn't happen for us this year, we can still learn who's who by watching how those young guys play in the away games.

BTW, we are 3-2 at home this year. 1-5 on the road.