Quote:I'm not sure what the story was with Marks in Nashville.


 

McCray has been excellent since he took over for Ball, the best CB on the roster and one of the best in the NFL. However, what does it say about the coaching staff that it took an injury to make him a starter?


 

Some players have developed on defense. Abry Jones, Ryan Davis, and Telvin Smith are notable cases. I'd even be willing to say that Evans is playing better this year, although that's division by zero, and therefore not allowed. Gratz and Blackmon have definitely declined, and Cyprien can be argued. I think he was playing better at the end of last season and in preseason, vs. how he's doing now. The LBs other than Telvin haven't shown much in the way of improvement.

If I remember correctly Marks played the 1-tech for the Titans and Jurrel Casey was their 3-tech.

 

I don't think it taking an injury for McCray to become the starter has any bearing on the coaching staff at all. Kurt Warner and Tom Brady come to mind as guys who got their start due to injury and I don't think anybody gave Belichick or Vermiel to much grief over it, im sure there are others as well that I can't think of right now. Some guys don't show enough in practice but step up when its gametime, thats just how things happen sometimes.

 

Gratz has declined, im the first to admit that. As for Blackmon, an arguement can be made that pre-injury, he was playing at the level he's played at his whole career but that Gus and Co. got the most out of him last season and he played above his head. I think he just came back down to what he's been his whole career so really I would argue that Gus and Co. deserve some credit for even getting him to that level in the first place.

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