JWarren14
Beer Me
Can Alex Gibbs whip the Houston Texans' offensive line into shape?
In an effort to jump-start the running game, Houston hired former Broncos offensive line coach Alex Gibbs. Gibbs was instrumental in teaching the zone-blocking scheme in Denver and succeeded with a somewhat unknown offensive line. The Broncos lived by the motto that the system is more important than the back. However, Houston has spent high draft picks on four of its top five offensive linemen and it's time for those picks to start paying dividends. They should under the tutelage of Gibbs. This will be a new-look training camp for Houston fans. The emphasis with the line will be on quickness, agility and adjusting in space. Houston tried to implement these concepts before in the Kubiak era, but Gibbs is the coach who can actually pull it off and, ultimately, give the Texans some semblance of a consistent running game.
How do the Indianapolis Colts work Marvin Harrison back into the passing game?
Surprisingly, there are more questions on offense than defense this year for the Colts, the biggest being with Harrison's return. The passing game was limited at times last year with Harrison's knee injury and roles changed in the system. Reggie Wayne emerged as the go-to guy in the offense and one of the league's best wideouts. That won't change, but the Colts will want to integrate Harrison back into the offense without limiting the development of young WR Anthony Gonzalez, who showed promise last season with Harrison out. All of this will be done while Peyton Manning misses most, if not all, of training camp. The Colts expect him back for the season opener, however, and the focus will then turn to how quickly the passing offense, which thrives on timing, clicks.
Can the Jacksonville Jaguars finally find a No. 1 wide receiver?
Even though the Jaguars have spent first-round picks on guys like Reggie Williams and Matt Jones in recent years, they just can't find a No. 1 target in the passing game, something that has been absent since the retirement of Jimmy Smith. They also signed Jerry Porter and traded for Troy Williamson in attempts to fill that role. And while Williams finally dropped the bust tag last year and could potentially be that go-to guy, Jones is likely to be released after his recent drug arrest. The biggest challenge for the Jaguars is finding a player who will open the passing game and take pressure off their exceptional ground attack. All the top quarterbacks in the league have a guy they can rely on. All of them except Jacksonville QB David Garrard. While Garrard does an excellent job of spreading the ball around, he needs a go-to target in the offense and establishing that guy will be the team's ultimate training camp goal.
Can the Tennessee Titans find a go-to guy for QB Vince Young?
Young played last season with one of the weakest WR units in the NFL and the team has done nothing to bolster that group in the offseason. And no, signing Justin Gage doesn't count as giving Young an explosive receiver. Young will rely on TEs Bo Scaife and Alge Crumpler in the short to intermediate zones, but until the Titans find a legitimate No. 1 threat outside, it is hard to put a grade on Young's development. Young has a way of making miracles happen -- and the Titans seem to expect him to do just that on a regular basis since they won't give him any help. Now, he must build a rapport with one of his limited targets during training camp.
In an effort to jump-start the running game, Houston hired former Broncos offensive line coach Alex Gibbs. Gibbs was instrumental in teaching the zone-blocking scheme in Denver and succeeded with a somewhat unknown offensive line. The Broncos lived by the motto that the system is more important than the back. However, Houston has spent high draft picks on four of its top five offensive linemen and it's time for those picks to start paying dividends. They should under the tutelage of Gibbs. This will be a new-look training camp for Houston fans. The emphasis with the line will be on quickness, agility and adjusting in space. Houston tried to implement these concepts before in the Kubiak era, but Gibbs is the coach who can actually pull it off and, ultimately, give the Texans some semblance of a consistent running game.
How do the Indianapolis Colts work Marvin Harrison back into the passing game?
Surprisingly, there are more questions on offense than defense this year for the Colts, the biggest being with Harrison's return. The passing game was limited at times last year with Harrison's knee injury and roles changed in the system. Reggie Wayne emerged as the go-to guy in the offense and one of the league's best wideouts. That won't change, but the Colts will want to integrate Harrison back into the offense without limiting the development of young WR Anthony Gonzalez, who showed promise last season with Harrison out. All of this will be done while Peyton Manning misses most, if not all, of training camp. The Colts expect him back for the season opener, however, and the focus will then turn to how quickly the passing offense, which thrives on timing, clicks.
Can the Jacksonville Jaguars finally find a No. 1 wide receiver?
Even though the Jaguars have spent first-round picks on guys like Reggie Williams and Matt Jones in recent years, they just can't find a No. 1 target in the passing game, something that has been absent since the retirement of Jimmy Smith. They also signed Jerry Porter and traded for Troy Williamson in attempts to fill that role. And while Williams finally dropped the bust tag last year and could potentially be that go-to guy, Jones is likely to be released after his recent drug arrest. The biggest challenge for the Jaguars is finding a player who will open the passing game and take pressure off their exceptional ground attack. All the top quarterbacks in the league have a guy they can rely on. All of them except Jacksonville QB David Garrard. While Garrard does an excellent job of spreading the ball around, he needs a go-to target in the offense and establishing that guy will be the team's ultimate training camp goal.
Can the Tennessee Titans find a go-to guy for QB Vince Young?
Young played last season with one of the weakest WR units in the NFL and the team has done nothing to bolster that group in the offseason. And no, signing Justin Gage doesn't count as giving Young an explosive receiver. Young will rely on TEs Bo Scaife and Alge Crumpler in the short to intermediate zones, but until the Titans find a legitimate No. 1 threat outside, it is hard to put a grade on Young's development. Young has a way of making miracles happen -- and the Titans seem to expect him to do just that on a regular basis since they won't give him any help. Now, he must build a rapport with one of his limited targets during training camp.
