[BFritz]

I agree with you guys, I'm not worried at all about the offense. I fully expect them to drop 20+ points on Baltimore's D when we play for real in a few weeks.

The defense concerns me, though. Justin Smith is a decent run-stopper and he's durable, but he just doesn't have that burst to get around the tackle and hit the QB. Geathers is pretty good at getting sacks, but when he's not in the game we get zero pocket pressure.

I really think the secondary should be a strength, but Joseph's hurt foot has me worried, as does your report that O'Neal was limping. I believe Leon Hall is a special talent, but a rookie starting at CB is going to burned a lot, just from lack of experience. I really want Joseph to get healthy and O'Neal to step it up so we only have to bring Hall in on passing downs.

As for the LB's, I also think Brooks is a special talent, and Landon and Jeanty are serviceable. A lot hinges on Brooks' development.

Understandable, and good concerns.

Joseph looks to be back to health, and, by all indications, will play Monday in Atlanta. O'Neal's limp is of no big concern, and the other DBs are also getting back to health, and will be able to fill in the holes in the secondary nicely.

It is hoped that Ahmab Brooks, like I've said in previous posts, can get more physical and be a presence in the middle, but he's still learning to run the defense, which is coming along, and the physical part will follow because it's just a matter of getting the mental part to match the physical part. Once Brooks becomes a bigger force in the middle, it will open up things for the other backers to make plays too.

The only worry that I have is the defensive line, but most of their gaps and missed assigments against the Saints were just miscommunications or a wrong gap to shoot or angle to take. So, while the mental part is huge, I feel like they can get that part down, and then be physical enough to make plays and stop some teams.