Give me your dark horse and your dud for 2018

[3wt]

(04-08-2018, 09:10 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: That is a great point on Billings, and I think he is just 22 years old right now.  Huge difference from the 20 year old we drafted, and could still turn it on even more as he develops.  I see flashes, but he seems to wear down, so maybe conditioning and his injury was a part of that?  Either way, if Billings shows what we all seem to think he can be this year, with Baker and some young pass rushers, the defense could soar.

I don't know about Vigil.  If I were to start a thread on "team enigma:  who makes no sense", my vote would be Vigil.  I saw him cover TEs beautifully from time to time.  I saw him fly in to make a tackle on a play (for a loss) and he seemed to diagnose the play very quickly.  Then other times, I see him whiff so badly in the open field on a tackle that he wouldn't have even got the guy down in two hand touch.  

Consistency, or lack thereof, is his biggest weakness.  

 Tackling and shedding were problems for him.   I know Marvin is going to stress tackling this year - mostly in response to the new head down tackling penalty.

Hopefully they will work on the overall technique - including breaking down so as not to let the back just blow by you on one side or the other.

He does have strengths.  As you say he diagnoses well and moves to the action really well.   He just badly needs to get his shedding and tackling technique down...  and stay healthy.

I always have hope for smart players.  And Burfict thought a lot of him at the beginning of last season.   It's also possible playing hurt played into his poor performance.