[GTripp0012]

In 2004, we were an average football team with the potential to be good could we have found some offense. 2004 was the last time we could generate a pass rush with the front four. Griffin was a monster. Springs was a total shutdown corner. We had a great budding middle linebacker, who lacked experience. Marcus Washington was playing great. We had a rookie safety who was going to grow into his talent, and Fred Smoot talking trash all the while. Philip Daniels could rush the passer back then, and Renaldo Wynn was a big run stuffer on the outside. Brandon Noble and Jermaine Haley created a pretty good run stuffing combo, and man, could LaVar bring the pressure on the QB (knees permitting).

That was a GREAT defense.

Every one of those players who are still on the roster as of this day is older and playing like it. Griffin can still play like a beast for the first six weeks of any given season, but he gets banged up and plays average. Phillip Daniels can still play in this league, but is no longer the pass rusher he once was. Marcus Washington is starting to lose some athleticism to age. Fred Smoot is no longer a promising football prospect. Springs is now hovering around average.

We made a huge mistake when we let Pierce walk, but at least for the short term, we finally found a worthy replacement in London Fletcher. The 2nd defensive tackle spot has undergone massive changes, followed then by an influction of youth, but it hasn't really improved. Andre Carter has the pass rushing skills that Daniels lost, but not the complete game Phillip once had. Rocky McIntosh is injured now, looked promising, but he will never replace LaVar. Sean met his tragic end way too soon, but Landry is very much a similar player at a similiar age compared to Taylor in 2004. Overall, this defensive unit is worse than it was in 2004, and father time is the cause.

But the offense is another story. Back in the day of the great Ramsey/Brunell debates, we actually had a running game. Portis was in his 3rd season, and needed just some time to get used to an altered running style to be elite. Portis should have made at least one pro bowl over the last 4 years. Betts was young and unproven. The offensive line was a lot younger than it is now, but not a whole lot different. Samuels, Jansen, and Thomas had a lot less mileage on them, but we were playing with the inexpierenced Dockery, and the terrible Raymer. (The line of course, did improve when Dockery did, and when the gaping hole that was Raymer was replaced). There was one receiving threat to speak of, Coles. Cooley didn't make an impact until mid year.

The receivers are so much better now. Looking back on it, Coles for Moss was a wash, but Cooley has become an elite receiver. Randle El has really become an offensive weapon, and Reche Caldwell would have easily been the number two target back in 2004. This team lacks a competant blocking TE, and constantly looks to the jumbo-sized Lorenzo Alexander...who isn't much of a blocker himself. Dockery became Kendall, but Kendall isn't a whole lot better than Dock was in 2004. Rabach isn't good either, but he's not the gaping hole Raymer was. The big issue here is the running game, where Portis can't seem to hit the holes as well as he could at age 23.

The quarterback situation however is a major plus. Jason Campbell appears to be a great prospect, and Todd Collins played better in 4 games than either Brunell or Ramsey ever did here. Campbell is still improving, and thats the big thing here.

The development of a potentially great passing game offsets much of the defensive decline we have suffered due to age, but the offense hasn't taken the next step due to the inability to develop any sort of power running game, which, honestly is the only type of running game that no team can do without. If you don't have the big play running game, you compensate by throwing. If you don't have the short yardage running game, you have to compensate by throwing, which tends not to be particularly effective.

The core of this roster is stronger than it was in 2004, but many, many critical personnel errors have kept depth from improving. Allowing Pierce to walk, signing Arch and Lloyd, which then in turn kept us from being able to re sign Dockery all killed this team in the long run.

We've spun the wheels and changed a lot, but this team is maybe just a tad better off, and it's all because of what Jason Campbell could potentially be. Because the thread is not asking me to predict what this could become, rather what it is, I have to say no change.