Defensive Notes
The Jason Taylor trade had a ripple effect on both defensive teams and players in IDP formats. The rundown:
1. Washington’s defense looks much better. A pass-rushing tandem of Jason Taylor and Andre Carter is pretty impressive; this group could finish in the top 10 in sacks (after being just 16th a year ago). They might struggle at times against the run, but they were surprisingly good a year ago (4th), so they can afford to slip a little – and they’ll make up for it by recording more sacks and likely forcing more turnovers.
2. Miami’s defense looks worse. Obviously losing Taylor hurts this defense, and what’s more, the team doesn’t really know who will replace him. They’ve got a bunch of candidates, including talented second-round pass rusher Philip Merling, but penciling him in as the starter would be only a guess. This defense has more position battles than any other team, and combined with an expected shift to a 3-4 scheme, it could be an ugly first season.
3. In IDP formats, Taylor is up, while Carter is essentially unchanged – maybe he’ll get less attention from opponents, but he’ll also lose some opportunities to the talented Taylor. Merling gets a slight bump as a reasonable candidate to lead the Dolphins in sack, but he’s little more than a flier pick; he’s not certain to start, let alone excel.
Other news and notes:
- Brian Urlacher contract extension. The Bears have to be relieved that Urlacher’s unhappiness with his contract won’t extend into training camp, just as those who draft the Bears defense (or Urlacher) don’t have to worry about any kind of holdout from the star middle linebacker.
- Takeo Spikes thinks he still has some football left in him, and he’ll probably sign somewhere in the next week or two. The former standout linebacker was deemed expendable by Philadelphia, but he’s still a productive tackler (86 last year) and at 31 might have another good year or two. Don’t rule out him starting somewhere this season.
- Asante Samuel began Eagles training camp by injuring his hamstring, not exactly an auspicious debut. IDP owners need not necessarily worry about him just yet with the season still six weeks away, but the likelihood of a trade of disgruntled cornerback Lito Sheppard probably won’t increase thanks to this development. We’re a little cool on Samuel anyway, and definitely want no part of Sheppard until developments suggest he’ll be starting somewhere.
- Falcons defensive back Von Hutchins (foot) is out for the year. Hutchins isn't a star, but he puts up good tackle numbers, and the secondary isn't an area where the Falcons could afford to lose anyone. A tough year looms for Atlanta's defense.
—Andy Richardson
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