Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Five Young NFL Players to Watch in '07
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Jason Campbell — The Washington Redskins starting quarterback, preparing to enter his first year as the full-time starter, has earned rave reviews this offseason. Noted by all coaches around Redskins Park has been Campbell's perfect attendance, almost religious work in the film room, and growth on the field in OTAs. Campbell showed promise in 2006, completing 110-of-207 pass attempts (53.1 percent) for 1,297 yards with 10 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.
While the numbers aren't staggering, it was Campbell's poise in the pocket and arm strength that wowed scouts and led to speculation that he may be worthy of the picks the 'Skins traded to move into the first-round to get him three years ago. With a top tandem of Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts in the backfield and the deep threat of Santana Moss complemented by TE Chris Cooley's ability to get open across the middle, Campbell will have plenty of options to make his job easier.
Jay Cutler — Cutler stepped up into the starting role in Week 12, displacing QB Jake Plummer amid some controversy. Despite completing nearly 60 percent of his passes, Cutler failed to get the Broncos into the playoffs. But he flashed the talent that made him such a hot commodity coming into the NFL. He has one of the strongest arms in the NFL and is surrounded by a team talented enough to challenge for the Super Bowl title. You can be sure the experience Cutler picked up at the end of the year will have him ready for this year's season and with the addition of RB Travis Henry the running game should again be strong enough to take some pressure off of the young quarterback.
Laurence Maroney — Maroney made an impact with the Patriots last year, splitting duties with RB Corey Dillon. This year, Maroney will be carrying the whole load and will look to improve upon his 175 carries, 745 yards, and 6 touchdowns. There are concerns, however, as Maroney is coming off of shoulder surgery, but Maroney told the Boston Globe that he feels that he will be ready to take the full brunt of the running game without a problem. Luckily for him, Maroney has QB Tom Brady in front of him, which will force defenses to play it safe, especially with WR Randy Moss in the fold as a deep threat now (not to mention the Pats other additions at WR). Keep an eye on Maroney's shoulder, but with the Pats offensive capabilities in the passing game, you have to expect Maroney to succeed if he stays healthy.
Cadillac Williams — Campbell's teammate at Auburn, Williams went through a bit of a sophomore slump after a tremendous rookie campaign. In his first year, Williams rushed for 1,178 yards and 6 touchdowns, but that dropped to just 798 yards and 1 touchdown last year. The reason? Well you'd have to look at the Bucs quarterback problems last year, with Bruce Gradkowski stepping up for the injured Chris Simms in Week 3. But this year, with veteran QB Jeff Garcia likely the starter, Williams shouldn't be facing nearly as many eight-man fronts and will have more room to work his magic. Expect the Cadillac to return to his rookie year form and then some in 2007.
Vince Young — This one's easy. He's the reigning NFL Rookie of the Year, he single-handedly led the Titans to the brink of the playoffs, and he is on the cover of "Madden '07." The point is, Vince Young can be expected to continue his success at the NFL level in 2007. Young went 184-of-357 with 2,199 yards, 12 TDs, and 13 INTs in '06 to go along with 552 yards rushing and 7 (yes, SEVEN!) touchdowns.
But those numbers don't do Young justice. As a rookie QB, Young seemed to know exactly when to make a big play to lift his team, always seemed to come through in the clutch, and forced defenses to play differently anytime his legs started moving. This year, defenses will attempt to key in on Young to keep him from beating them with his legs, but Young has shown he knows how to win at every level he's ever played at and I expect the winning ways to continue now that he's had almost a full year of experience in the NFL.
well about vince young i dont think he'll repeat the great year they sold his weapons i havent heard that they have got en stronger in wr corps in fact they sold a few maybe im wrong plus hes on the cover of madden 07 and thats a jinx another young player tyo watch is vincent jackson