Jason Taylor to Make Debut on Saturday!
The “truly blessed” dance man is going to get into the rotation on Saturday, and I’m sure Fed Ex is going to go wild. The unstoppable Jason LaCanfora is the one with the news, and he also says London Fletcher might get in the mix a bit. The report also says that the starters on offense will likely go an extra series.
Of course, that is, those who play at all. The mothership has a quote from Clinton Portis that is understandable and a bit telling, “I don’t feel the need, but if coaches want to see me [play in a game], I’m all for it.” In other words, expect to see CP in for one series against the Jags or not at all. Portis’s injury history in the preseason is part of the reason, but I have to say given that there are new blocking schemes and a huge amount of responsibility in the short passing game for the RB in this offense, I think it behooves the Skins to get him in there. What is Campbell supposed to do when he builds rhythm with Betts and Cartwright and Mason and then Portis steps onto the field and blows an assignment or ends up in a slightly different spot on the field? The West Coast Offense is about throwing to spots on the field in timing. I know there’s practice, but I hope the coaches push Portis on the field a bit.
So back to Taylor. I’m honestly not sure what to expect from Taylor. He looks in great shape and I suspect that there is a pretty large package of defensive plays where all he has to do is go up field and go after the QB. At the same time, what seperates Taylor from your average DE is how he can move around the field and chase plays down. He’s particularly good at sniffing out the screen play and using his hide to disrupt it which is great considering how good the Eagles and Giants are with screen plays. Are those instincts intact or whill he question himself in a new defense? Does he have the speed he had when he was younger? I’m looking forward to finding out. A good game from him will show that at least when managed well, he has the ability to disrupt a game. But don’t assume if he has a poor game that he is washed up. Even at DE there is a transition period.
Here’s hoping Taylor and Fletcher shore up a defense that Greg Blatche said, “stunk like 3 day old fish.” Hail Skins!
-DW
[...] Jason Taylor to Make Debut on Saturday! [...]
August 8th, 2008 at 6:42 pm