I find it interesting that I wrote a post assessing the entire defensive backfield with very little focus on AC -- yet the thread gets high-jacked by the anti-Carroll folks.
No, I don't overvalue Carroll at all. I think he is a talented 22 year old with speed, toughness and upside. I also think he has learning and growing to do -- that is what upside means and what someone should expect when they draft a 20 year old with 2 years of college playing experience.
Carroll is not responsible for Mike McKenzie's melt down, he is not responsible for Slowik's clusterfluck defense that was a disaster, nor is he responsible for being only 20 years old being thrown to the lions during a year when the league changed the rules saying CB needed to wear skirts (after allowing them to mug receivers the season before).
No objective person could say they saw no improvement last season or that the guy is not an NFL player. At 20 years old he beat out the competition two years in a row to start in the NFL -- are you really so naive as to think that any bum can do that? How can you look at a team that went from close to dead last in pass defense to #1 and say you saw no improvement? Look at the numbers and try and make your evaluations based on something more than your emotional reaction to the guy. Do you really think you are a better evaluator than Bates -- who selected Carroll to start over the competition?
Once again I am going to try and steer this thread back to the original premise. The defensive backfield was a disaster two seasons ago. It made a very significant leap forward last season. Now for the first time in 4 years they will have the same system for two seasons in a row. They added significant talent in Woodson and by drafting Blackmon, and the raw young players like Collins, Carroll, Hawkins and a host of talented guys -- who will likely make it in the NFL but probably not in GB because of the depth -- have gained a season of experience and strength.
I am excited by the ability and potential that our Defensive backfield brings into the 2006 season.
porky88 said:
You overvalue Caroll way to much. Will you continue to overvalue him if he doesn't improve. Again I hope your right but I saw a little improvement in him from year 1 to year 2. I hope he takes the big leap but I don't see it.
Like I said their are just so many misunderstandings one guy can have. This guy continues to show a cocky, ignorant attitude in my opinion. He has a lot of growing up to do. I hope your right in that he has done it.
I hope your right but I don't think you are. To me Carroll is a bust and won't see a contract extension. His play on the field speaks for itself. He's not a very good player and he can't cover the better WR's like Gamble can. Though the nickel role might be the perfect fit for him at this point in his career.
For example: While "the other safety position" is not as strong as the other three positions {Collins, Woodson and Harris), I love the fact that Manuel and Roman will be pushing each other. I would not be surprised if they both play depending upon the strength and style of the offense they face -- with Roman being a far better pass defender and Manuel being a big hitter who brings a LB mentality to the position.
I love the hungry competetive attitude that Marquand Groundhog Manuel is bringing to the table as a free agent signed to compete with incumbent Mark Roman for the other starting safety spot.
"Once a groundhog, always a groundhog," Manuel said. "I don't care what (anybody) says. You can make him fat, he's always going to show his true colors. He's always going to be a groundhog."
Manuel says he doesn't assume he will beat out Roman for the starting job. "I'm going to leave that up to the coaches, man," he said, adding that he has a good relationship with Roman.
"Finally somebody gave me an opportunity to come in and be a part of something," Manuel said. "(I'm not) wondering, 'Am I going to make the team?... Am I going to play?' All that's past right now. Now I can focus on different things. Now I can focus on trying to get everybody else on the same page I am. It's going to be fun."
Gotta love it!