Training Camp- which position battles are you interested in?

[danp1990]

Hello Board its been awhile! , but hot dang its training camp time (Basically) lol. So let's get into this topic., no more contract talk please!...Looking at our team heading into Camp and then pre-season which spots on our roster do you see/perceive to the most intriguing? I myself will be looking at the DT/NT, OLB, CB,& WR. Call me Crazy because there really isn't any tape on WR Douglas McNeil III but I think he will be a pre-season surprise to become our deep outside threat .I for one cannot wait to see this season get started! Other more noticeable position battle CB opposite Sherman & our Nickel package CB. Do you think Cary Williams will own the spot or can Jeremy Lane give him a though time? Who will best play that nickel slot CB spot? Bailey?,Tye Smith?Lane? Well these are just some of my thought have but would like to hear ya'lls take on this topic so lets talk guys.
GO HAWKS!!

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

I'm interested in the battle at center and if our boy from the CFL at WR wasn't just a Malcolm Smith flash in the pan Superbowl hero.

Other than that? I want to see if Christine is our future after Lynch. Then the rookies of course.

 

[uncle fester]

Interested in seeing how the DL depth/starters shake out, assuming IR doesn't claim its usual stack of bodies.

OL should be a bit more straight forward, but will be intriguing to see how quickly they all mesh - again, Pete & Cable could run the competition mantra up to opening day, but this time a bit of consistency from earlier wouldn't go amiss.

 

[netskier]

I watched a highlights video of MacNeil playing Arena, and he did look like Superman, for whatever that is worth.

 

[Overseasfan]

Without a single doubt Wide Receiver and Offensive Line. In nearly every other position we more or less know the people who are going to make the roster but these two are different.

Both positions have lots of young upstarts that could turn out to be the next big stars on our team or become simple camp fodder. At this point these two positions are hard for me to fill in completely.

 

[grizbob]

Quarterback :stirthepot:

 

[brimsalabim]

Center! We have a collection of cast off's and conversion projects to choose from.

Also RB - will anyone supplant Michael for the third spot? To date he has looked great in practice but contributed nothing on game day.

Left Guard. Hopefully one of our picks will be adequate as a rookie?

DT - can any one challenge Bain?

 

[SoulfishHawk]

WR and O-Line for sure.

 

[jdemps]

This year feels like everything's in the air yet not much is changing.

Definitely interested to see how the O-line shakes out.

Lots of rookies with a ton of upside to finally see what we've got.

FS and corner: if Earl's not ready to start the season, who's going to get those starts. Will Cary Williams take the RCB spot and run with it or will Simon supplant him and his big a contract. Who's the nickelback and will they suck less than the band?

DL DEPTH! The injuries last year exposed our depth players as just that. We're getting a ton of guys back (Bane, Hill) and adding some rooks (Frank the tank!) and I'm interested to see how it shakes out. Getting pressure on the QB is going to be key if ET misses a few games.

 

[MontanaHawk05]

Center.

After that, wide receiver and defensive line.

 

[hawknation2015]

I'm anxious to see the development of every player at every position.

1. Center is the most up in the air, with Nowak and Jeanpierre each getting first team reps during OTAs. Lewis, Sokoli, and others might get a look with the first team.

2. At Left Guard, I will be interested to see if Bailey has improved as a run blocker and whether Mark Glowinski gets an opportunity there.

3. The LEO competition should be entertaining as a possible landing spot for the rookie Clark.

4. Nickel corner has a few players fighting over that spot in Blackmon and Burley, but also possibly Smith and Shead.

5. At Right corner, it should be very interesting to watch how Williams is acclimating into the LOB. I'm also curious to see how Simon looks, as well as Smith.

6. Three-technique DT could pose a battle of styles between the run-stopper McDaniel and the pass-rusher Hill. Rubin and Dobbs might also be in the mix for playing time there.

7. FS will be a good position to watch if Thomas misses any significant time. I'm excited about Shead's potential this year. We will also need to find a 4th safety among a crowded group of Bailey, Murphy, Wade, Lambert, etc.

8. Backup LBs . . . excited about KPL, but who else will step up this year? Pinkins, Morgan, and Coyle are some of the candidates.

9. Backup RB . . . Turbin is coming off back surgery, Michael has been nicked up a lot, and people seem excited about Rawls.

10. Backup LT should be another position to watch, since Okung is entering free agency.

Honorable mention: how many WRs do we keep?

 

[Hawks46]

I'm anxious to see the development of every player at every position.

1. Center is the most up in the air, with Nowak and Jeanpierre each getting first team reps during OTAs. Lewis, Sokoli, and others might get a look with the first team.

2. At Left Guard, I will be interested to see if Bailey has improved as a run blocker and whether Mark Glowinski gets an opportunity there.

3. The LEO competition should be entertaining as a possible landing spot for the rookie Clark.

4. Nickel corner has a few players fighting over that spot in Blackmon and Burley, but also possibly Smith and Shead.

5. At Right corner, it should be very interesting to watch how Williams is acclimating into the LOB. I'm also curious to see how Simon looks, as well as Smith.

6. Three-technique DT could pose a battle of styles between the run-stopper McDaniel and the pass-rusher Hill. Rubin and Dobbs might also be in the mix for playing time there.

7. FS will be a good position to watch if Thomas misses any significant time. I'm excited about Shead's potential this year. We will also need to find a 4th safety among a crowded group of Bailey, Murphy, Wade, Lambert, etc.

8. Backup LBs . . . excited about KPL, but who else will step up this year? Pinkins, Morgan, and Coyle are some of the candidates.

9. Backup RB . . . Turbin is coming off back surgery, Michael has been nicked up a lot, and people seem excited about Rawls.

10. Backup LT should be another position to watch, since Okung is entering free agency.

Honorable mention: how many WRs do we keep?

Good post, and hits just about everything I"m interested in watching.

Wide Receiver is going to be a fun watch. There's no real stand out candidates, yet the bottom of the roster there loops deep and could challenge. We have some interesting size/speed combos there as well.

Two questions from above: can Matthews build on his Superbowl performance ? If so that makes a tough combo to cover with Graham and Matthews. 3rd down efficiency should go up.

Lockett: how polished is he as a route runner ? Will he get enough separation so Russ can trust him and see him ? How big will his impact be on ST ?

I'm also intrigued as hell by Frank Clark. If he steps up and takes the starting LEO, we're looking at a line of Bennett, Mebane, Hill/McDaniels and Clark. You're subbing in an Avril and a Hill/McDaniels on a regular basis. Thats an incredibly talented DL against both the run and that pass with the same group. We won't be hurt by audibles too much.

 

[seahawks08]

I am interested in defense as a whole and kick returns. With injury bug hitting us just before Superbowl, I want to see how the injured players would do and the new players who can play at a high level and are under the wings of Kam, Earl and Sherm. Lets face it, we may not have them for the next big payday, so I am curios how the others are being developed. I am curios about continuity and given our track record, can we go forward with the same formula and draft well and with great coaching make them the best. If this formula keeps working, we will always be a competent team for many years to come.

I have learned how not to be excited about offense, because most of the times, there are only a handful of drives that we make that convert to points but they are usually quick and I don't even realize we put up points so quickly. I have taken a keen interest on defense purely after following Pete's philosophy and he has greatly influenced the way I watch games

 

[CalgaryHawk]

1) the battle for 2nd Receiver all the way to 6th wide receiver (assuming Baldwin's our No. 1, and all the other positions are up for grabs). That's going to be the most exciting.

2) the battle for the 4th safety spot assuming we keep 4

3) the battle for the 6th LB spot (assuming we keep 6)

I know the center position is the most important, but I find that position the most difficult to watch and assess performance when I'm watching the game so it's not exciting to me. I mostly only notice that position when the center has a bad snap (which was all the time with Unger's shotgun snaps).

 

[LolaRox]

In general it seems I'm way more excited about this year's training camp battles then I was last year. I am looking forward to all the battles, but WR jumps out to me. The newcomers and unknowns added to the veterans will make this very interesting. The WR room is in need of some upgrades and hopefully they will show up this year. Questions that will be answered:

1. Is Chris Mathews for real? I hope his SB performance wasn't a fluke and he shows he can play at that level consistently.

2. Will Paul be ready to play ? There was a video of him at a workout floating around a couple weeks ago and he did not look like a person you just tore is ACL 6 months ago *fingers crossed*

3. Can Lockett make an immediate impact in the passing game?

4. Is BJ any good at WR?

5. Can Norwood hang on to a roster spot? Never been that impressed with him, but we'll see.

Even though there are a lot of starters returning there still seem to competitions all over the field and I'm excited to watch it all unfold.

 

[HawksFan81]

Interested in seeing how the DL depth/starters shake out, assuming IR doesn't claim its usual stack of bodies.
quote]

Same here.

 

[hawksfansinceday1]

C and LG

 

[AgentDib]

I'll be closely following the competition for the starting FB, LG, C and WR. Also interested in competition for depth at RB, TE, WR, OL, DT, DE, CB, LB, FS, SS. Pretty much everything besides QB.

 

[Tical21]

I'm sorry, I can't see myself watching the competition at center. Just a lot of names that don't do a lot for me. I'm intrigued by Sokoli, but really couldn't care less if LJP or Lewis win the job.

I have gone out on a limb and said there will be a rookie that starts several games for us up front. So, I'm not sure which position battle in particular I'm watching, probably LG, maybe Center, but overall, I'm interested in watching those rookies. Also interested in seeing if anyone looks like they could be a LT of the future.

I think we already know how the WR thing is going to play out. Baldwin and Kearse will get the majority of the snaps, and everybody else will be worked in. I'm excited to see Lockett play during the preseason, but not expecting huge things during the regular season, except in the return game. Matthews will play quite a bit early to see what we have in him. I'm excited to watch Kasen, hopefully he can make the practice squad. I think he has a chance to be a better pro than college player.

I'm excited to see how they're going to use Clark, he's an intriguing 4th outfielder.

My preseason crush is Tye Smith. I think he gets himself into heavy rotation. I know the competition he played against was subpar, but I fell in love with his tape. He's really sudden and breaks quickly from zone, and got himself involved in plays where you don't see a lot of corners getting involved. Can Simon come on strong? I'd bet he has a good preseason against the 2's. So CB is probably the position I'm most interested in.

 

[hawknation2015]

I'm sorry, I can't see myself watching the competition at center. Just a lot of names that don't do a lot for me. I'm intrigued by Sokoli, but really couldn't care less if LJP or Lewis win the job.

I have gone out on a limb and said there will be a rookie that starts several games for us up front. So, I'm not sure which position battle in particular I'm watching, probably LG, maybe Center, but overall, I'm interested in watching those rookies. Also interested in seeing if anyone looks like they could be a LT of the future.

I think we already know how the WR thing is going to play out. Baldwin and Kearse will get the majority of the snaps, and everybody else will be worked in. I'm excited to see Lockett play during the preseason, but not expecting huge things during the regular season, except in the return game. Matthews will play quite a bit early to see what we have in him. I'm excited to watch Kasen, hopefully he can make the practice squad. I think he has a chance to be a better pro than college player.

I'm excited to see how they're going to use Clark, he's an intriguing 4th outfielder.

My preseason crush is Tye Smith. I think he gets himself into heavy rotation. I know the competition he played against was subpar, but I fell in love with his tape. He's really sudden and breaks quickly from zone, and got himself involved in plays where you don't see a lot of corners getting involved. Can Simon come on strong? I'd bet he has a good preseason against the 2's. So CB is probably the position I'm most interested in.

Drew Nowak is the biggest unknown on the team. A former DT like Sweezy and Sokoli, he has the power and athleticism that you look for at the center position, and he was one of only two players to receive first team reps at center during OTAs. Although the coaches have seen him in practices over the last year, he's a total unknown to the fans. Someone perhaps equally likely to start at the center position as he is to get cut from the team -- 33.3% starter, 33.3% backup, 33.3% released.