Who's your team's darkhorse player?

[thefalconer]

falcons:
OFF - jerious norwood
DEF - trey lewis

we have a lot of potential on defense with many youngsters waiting on the wings for a chance to play including daren stone, jimmy williams, and jordan babineaux.

[JK17]

I'm going to go with a guy I don't think anyone really talks about on defense because he was inactive for most of the season....

Defense- Anthony Waters, LB. He was a potential pick when we drafted him last year and his injury kept him out all year. I do know that a lot of Chargers fans are big on him though and he looked really good last preseason (for what its worth)...maybe not a dominant player but I think he can do a bunch of big things for us next year. They're also talking about experimenting with Paul Oliver at Safety which could turn out to be interesting...

Offense-Legedu Naanee, Util. Naanee is kind of a utility player...techinically he's a WR, but he also gets run out of TE position, and FB. I think he can do a lot for us in an H-Back type role, and really make some key contributions for us next year. Another guy I wouldn't be surprised to see breakout on offense is WR Craig Davis...as the offense becomes transitioned with LT getting older to a bigger passing game, he could have a much bigger role in the slot.

[GaMeTiMe]

About the Eagles, Gaither seems to be pretty well-respected around the league by fans who actually follow the game. I see a lot of fans of other teams praise his talent and potential, so that's why I didn't name him. I think he's already becoming a pretty well-known, and I'm trying to get everyone to dig as deep as possible here. Stewart Bradley was someone I was gonna say, but he's more than likely to be the primary backup at each linebacker spot again and therefore probably won't make a difference, unless he gets enough snaps.

Just because Quentin Mikell started half the year doesn't mean he can't be a darkhorse to be a solid player next year. Not a lot of people know about him, and if they do, they don't know how solid he can be.

[CC.SD]

Originally Posted by JK17

I'm going to go with a guy I don't think anyone really talks about on defense because he was inactive for most of the season....

Defense- Anthony Waters, LB. He was a potential pick when we drafted him last year and his injury kept him out all year. I do know that a lot of Chargers fans are big on him though and he looked really good last preseason (for what its worth)...maybe not a dominant player but I think he can do a bunch of big things for us next year. They're also talking about experimenting with Paul Oliver at Safety which could turn out to be interesting...

Offense-Legedu Naanee, Util. Naanee is kind of a utility player...techinically he's a WR, but he also gets run out of TE position, and FB. I think he can do a lot for us in an H-Back type role, and really make some key contributions for us next year. Another guy I wouldn't be surprised to see breakout on offense is WR Craig Davis...as the offense becomes transitioned with LT getting older to a bigger passing game, he could have a much bigger role in the slot.

Couldn't agree more about Legedu. Everything about this guy screams freak, he's big, quick, and speedy with soft hands. Naanee and Parker working the underneath routes with Chambers, Gates and Jackson running downfield, not to mention a certain player whose name rhymes with Laschmainian...

I like Buster Davis, but it's seriously starting to look like we could have used the pick elsewhere. I don't know how many looks he'll get in 2008.

[T-RICH49]

O = Jeff Webb (I see bigger things next year for him)
D = Jimmy Wilkerson (can play either DT or DE and is productive when he plays)

[NY+Giants=NYG]

I guess my guess of Justin Tuck before the season can't be used for this upcoming one... Hmm. I guess I would say Kiwi.

[SuperMcGee]

Originally Posted by art vandelay

I think Jabari Greer actually is our darkhorse. Fred Jackson got pretty good pub for his mini-breakout at the end of the season and Poz was getting pub before his injury. Brad Butler is a nice choice on offense but I'd go with Langston Walker.

I question just how much Jabari can actually improve. I like him, but I don't see him getting much better and where he's at right now is nothing special.
Walker already had a good year for us, but you could still be right since I doubt many people even knew that.
I like the Butler choice.
Ko Simpson is a guy that has the ability that I'm hoping to see break out.
Poz is hardly a darkhorse, a lot of people expect things from him next year

[Bengals1690]

o-kenny watson
d-nndukwe or however u spell it

[themaninblack]

Bengals
Offense- this one is kinda hard but the only one i can think of is Chris Henry. Ya everyone knows him for his off the field problems and that he has great tools but i could see him finally living up to his full potential this year. He is without a doubt the best WR on our team from a physical standpoint. If he keeps his head on straight he could be a very good WR for us and he could maybe even make CJ expendable down the road.

Defense- Odell Thurman. Again, has had off the field troubles and was awesome his rookie year but this year could be huge for him. Word is he is working his butt off now and is in great shape. Jeff Fitzgerald will get the best out of him and i expect him to be pretty strong this year. A few others could be David Pollack(very longshot), and Ahmad Brooks. Ahmad should have no problem (aside from injury) becoming a household name this season.

[Cashmoney]

Titans

Offense: Justin Gage
Defense: Michael Griffin

[Shiver]

For Atlanta:

Offense

Quinn Ojinnaka

Defense

Daren Stone

[P01ntb1ank]

Browns

Offense: Lawrence Vickers - Since taking over the FB duties from Terrelle Smith, he has been a constant driving force to make way for Lewis. Really is an excellent blocker will only continue to plow the way for our RBs.

Defense: Sean Jones - This guy has been our starting SS for the past two years and has put up respectable numbers (211 tackles, 10 int). He is also apart of one of the up and coming safeties duos with Brodney Pool.

[bored of education]

Originally Posted by T-RICH49

O = Jeff Webb (I see bigger things next year for him)
D = Jimmy Wilkerson (can play either DT or DE and is productive when he plays)

Good call with both. i think Derrick Johnson has an All Pro year this year.

[Burns336]

Cowboys

Offense: Who ever replaces Flozell Adams at LT if he does not take a pay cut to return to Dallas. Either Doug Free or Pat McQuistan.

Defense: Kevin Burnett. Best cover linebacker on the team. Good in run support and Good Blitzer. 2nd Round pick out of Tennessee in the same Parcells' draft that we got DeMarcus Ware. Injuries limited him in his first 2 years. Came on strong last year and was the only LB on the field in the nickel. Could possibly unseat Akin Ayodele for a starting spot this year. He would be Wade Phillips "Donnie Edwards" on our team.

[CC.SD]

Originally Posted by Burns336

Cowboys

Offense: Who ever replaces Flozell Adams at LT if he does not take a pay cut to return to Dallas. Either Doug Free or Pat McQuistan.

Defense: Kevin Burnett. Best cover linebacker on the team. Good in run support and Good Blitzer. 2nd Round pick out of Tennessee in the same Parcells' draft that we got DeMarcus Ware. Injuries limited him in his first 2 years. Came on strong last year and was the only LB on the field in the nickel. Could possibly unseat Akin Ayodele for a starting spot this year. He would be Wade Phillips "Donnie Edwards" on our team.

Whats the deal with Bobby Carpenter anyway? Is he even in the rotation?

[neko4]

Offense: umm, I guess Koren Robinson, only played have the season, and looked good, but has to beat out alot of good WR's on our team to be more than just the 5th or 4th WR.

Defense: Aaron Rouse, this upcoming TC is gonna be a big position battle between Atari, Nick, and Aaron. Im rooting for all 3, but Rouse has the best physical tools and looked good in the time he played.

Special Teams: Will Blackmon, if he can stay healthy he will be great

[yourfavestoner]

Offense: WR Mike Walker - Walker was a third round draft pick for the Jaguars. He had amazing production at UCF, and was originally considered a better prospect than teammate Brandon Marshall. However, he tore his ACL at the end of his junior campaign. Despite the injury, he still played his entire senior season basically on one good knee, and still ran a blazing 4.35 forty before the draft. He was doing very well in training camp, but the Jags decided to put him on the IR, as his knee began swelling in training camp and he was losing some explosiveness. He finally got an entire year to rehab his knee, and will come back and become the Jaguars #1 receiver next year. Trust me. He is Jimmy Smith reincarnated.

Defense: DT Tony McDaniel McDaniel is another young guy who was showing a lot of flashes before his season ended due to injury. I have a feeling that Marcus Stroud's tenure in Jacksonville might be over soon. He's still a very talented player, but injuries have really hampered his ability to stay on the field. Expect the huge McDaniel to get plenty of PT next year, as Del Rio likes to rotate his tackles to keep them fresh anyways.

Also keep an eye on LB Justin Durant. Kid is a beast.

[BaLLiN]

Giants- Defense- Wilkinson/Michael Johnson- Both played sparingly, but when they needed to they made big impacts which resulted in either winning a game or keeping it close

(michael Johnson barely caught Adrian Peterson CHI by the leg on a screen pass)
(Wilkinson's coverage against pats in preseason)

Offense- Steve Smith; Kindof taking Amani's old role as the go to guy. Bradshaw used to be the darkhorse going into the season, but now teams know who he is.

[bigbluedefense]

Originally Posted by yourfavestoner

Offense: WR Mike Walker - Walker was a third round draft pick for the Jaguars. He had amazing production at UCF, and was originally considered a better prospect than teammate Brandon Marshall. However, he tore his ACL at the end of his junior campaign. Despite the injury, he still played his entire senior season basically on one good knee, and still ran a blazing 4.35 forty before the draft. He was doing very well in training camp, but the Jags decided to put him on the IR, as his knee began swelling in training camp and he was losing some explosiveness. He finally got an entire year to rehab his knee, and will come back and become the Jaguars #1 receiver next year. Trust me. He is Jimmy Smith reincarnated.

Defense: DT Tony McDaniel McDaniel is another young guy who was showing a lot of flashes before his season ended due to injury. I have a feeling that Marcus Stroud's tenure in Jacksonville might be over soon. He's still a very talented player, but injuries have really hampered his ability to stay on the field. Expect the huge McDaniel to get plenty of PT next year, as Del Rio likes to rotate his tackles to keep them fresh anyways.

Also keep an eye on LB Justin Durant. Kid is a beast.

I wanted the Giants to draft Mike Walker so bad. I think he's going to be great.

Don't forget Derek Landri. He'll be a great situational pass rusher on the inside.

[yourfavestoner]

Originally Posted by bigbluedefense

I wanted the Giants to draft Mike Walker so bad. I think he's going to be great.

Don't forget Derek Landri. He'll be a great situational pass rusher on the inside.

Yup. If Stroud comes back, our DT depth will have gone from terrible last season to great this season. Henderson, Stroud, Rob Meier (probably the best backup DT in the league), 6'7 300 lb Tony McDaniel, and Derek Landri sets up a very formidable rotation. Add in a couple of new faces at DE, and the defensive line and pass rush suddenly becomes a strength again.

Now, if you guys could just let Gibril Wilson test the FA market so we can sign him to team up with Reggie Nelson and that'd be great ;)

[DeathbyStat]

Offense-Santonio Holmes

Defense-Lamar Woodley


Neither are really darkhorses

maybe a dark horse would be Wiliam G a y at corner or Nate Washington at WR

[Yung Flippa]

Offense: Demertrius Williams & Troy Smith :D
Defense: Antwan Barnes, Edgar Jones & PreScott Burgess

[BamaFalcon59]

Falcons
Offense- Martrez Milner
Defense- Jonathan Babineaux

[The Legend]

Packers
Offence - Donald Lee
Defence - Aaron Rouse

[SchizophrenicBatman]

Originally Posted by Shockey+Manning=Shocking

I guess my guess of Justin Tuck before the season can't be used for this upcoming one... Hmm. I guess I would say Kiwi.

Tuck had been my overall NFL sleeper for the last couple years. I always thought he'd have to get out of the logjam in New York before he really broke out, though

As for the Panthers:

Offense: Dante Rosario - H-back/TE. He was a good special teams player who showed some ability in the passing game late in the season. Seems to have good chemistry with Matt Moore, so expect him to really break out if Delhomme goes down again

Defense: Uh...no one? I mean, our best player who doesnt start is Richard Marshall and probably our most underappreciated player is Damione Lewis but I wouldnt consider either a darkhorse.