White vs Black position battles 2012

[referendum]

Its time to get started with this years white vs black (or poly in a few cases) starting position battles. Please feel free to make additions, and this list is by no means complete. I'll mention the white starter candidate and his position and any special info or comments.

Arizona, Snyder right guard, listed as starter but was mentioned as in a battle by one source. Bradley at LB, haven't seen him mentioned but figure he'll be in the mix again this year as fighting for a spot.

Atlanta, right guard, Konz and one other white candidate plus a poly mentioned . Update, poly is cut, a white should win this.

Baltimore, Kruger LB, and maybe an outside shot for Gradkowski at left guard.

Chicago, Mcclellin not listed as a started on D line by yahoo, but I'm sure he'll be in the mix no matter what, Stelz at SS.

Cleveland, Paxson listed by yahoo as starter on D line, also I'm picking Greco as a possible starter at guard for a fourth white O-lineman. For tight end, whites Cameron and Moore vs Watson.

Dallas, right now both Dallas guard positions aren't to settled and whites (Arkin and others) could win both, one or none. At LB Conner in a battle.

Denver, center Walton, and D line rookie Wolfe not listed as starter at yahoo right now but like Mcclellin I'm sure he'll be in the mix.

Detroit, Reiff could be in battle against a white or black tackle on O-line.

Green Bay, I have seen mention of Hawk as perhaps facing a challenge from a black, Smith.

Houston, perhaps I'm dreaming but I just can't stand the idea of only one white on O line and so am wondering if Austin or Gardner have a shot at one of the other positions.

Colts, at right guard Mcglynn is now listed as starter, a month ago it was a black, so I'm guessing Mcglynn will be fighting for this. Update, leading black candidate for one of the guard spots, Iljana, is out for year. Colts should start two white guards.

Miami, QB Moore and Tannehill vs Garrard, even if Garrard wins this I don't think it will be for long. Murtha at right tackle, probably not going to beat out black sumo Martin. Also, Steinbach hoping for a spot at right guard.

New England, Larsen at fullback is listed behind mixed race Fiametta, but plays linebacker as well, so that might help. Also, Scott on D line.

New Orleans, Strief at right tackle.

New York, Pascoe at tight end, and will middle linebacker stay white with either Blackburn or Herzlich? Right now they are listed at the position, 1 and 2.

New York Jets, Smith at free safety, Slausson at guard.

Oakland, Schmitt at fullback, and there are five whites listed as top backups on defense, maybe one can emerge as a starter.

San Diego, Hester at fullback, Johnson at LB.

49ers, Boone at right guard.

Seattle, Flynn at QB, Ruud at MLB

Tennessee, Mathews at center (his dad is O line coach)

Washington, Carriker at D line, vs Jenkins who might have won the job last year but for an injury.


I'm not mentioning Woodhead and Hillis, as they will get playing time no matter what, but neither are likely to become the sole one runningback, as they will be in committee formats.

 

[backrow]

As far as Hawk goes, he's safe, at least on early downs.

Eric Smith is already talked about as at most, 3rd safety: i've read some silly **** that people hated him at (starter's amount of) snaps and they will love him at less...

Sean Lee and Dan Connor should both start

 

[Don Wassall]

Cody Pearcy's been screwed already, not that he was in any kind of battle for a starting job at WR. Guess he didn't have enough "upside" -- he's the kid that would have absolutely dominated this year's Combine with his pro day workout numbers.

Falcons waived WR Cody Pearcy. Pearcy set records at D-III Huntington in 2010 with 1,078 yards and 12 touchdowns before dropping to 766 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior. The 5'11", 160-pounder went undrafted in April.

 

[Toby Hillis]

Good list except for one major oversight: Danny Woodhead who may end up the starter or may even end up being cut; you never know. A fantasy football article on ESPN had him ranked somewhere around 80th best RB in the league (an absolute joke!) and all three writers had him ranked as the fourth best running back option on the team behind Ridley, Veeren and even Joseph Addai.

 

[Don Wassall]

A. J. Hawk's job is secure according to everything I've read so far. He's one of those White defenders that the DWFs and media don't like because he's not a superstar despite being drafted so high, but he is a reliable and very good ILB.

I'll be very surprised if Derek Wolfe and Shea McClellin aren't starting by mid-season, Wolfe especially as Denver is very weak on the interior line.

 

[DixieDestroyer]

Good list except for one major oversight: Danny Woodhead who may end up the starter or may even end up being cut; you never know. A fantasy football article on ESPN had him ranked somewhere around 80th best RB in the league (an absolute joke!) and all three writers had him ranked as the fourth best running back option on the team behind Ridley, Veeren and even Joseph Addai.

Gimme a dadgum break! That's just an outright lie! Danny could be a Pro Bowl RB if he got the dawgone carries. :frusty:

 

[dwid]

Good list except for one major oversight: Danny Woodhead who may end up the starter or may even end up being cut; you never know. A fantasy football article on ESPN had him ranked somewhere around 80th best RB in the league (an absolute joke!) and all three writers had him ranked as the fourth best running back option on the team behind Ridley, Veeren and even Joseph Addai.

dwfs are going to upset if they think Ridley is going to have repeat success this year. Watching his games its amazing he was able to put up those stats. He has no agility, not shifty and not explosive. He capitalized on a few plays that ran perfectly where he didn't need to cut, with an increased load his ypc goes down, there was a reason Lawfirm got more carries despite averaging less. I think most people realize this and the reason they are hyping up Shane Vereen so heavily, who supposedly is big and fast at 5'10 205-210 pounds with 4.49 speed. Kind of in the middle there. Regardless, he hasn't shown anything on the field except a few good runs against the Chiefs then the next week 2.6 vpc vs the Eagles. Seems like they are hyping everybody except Woodhead for a big role next year, even the aging Addai who was never anything special. It all depends on what Bellicheck does. It looks like he will give Woodhead a role but the best we can hope for is splitting carries, getting 50 percent of the snaps, because Bill wants a bigger back to come in, he even contacted Sammy Morris. Woodhead should be in the role Sproles is in for the Saints, or how Charles is used for the Chiefs. At least 200 touches a season.


Scott Shanle will be in a fight with a bunch of black linebackers for his position. Like Hawk he has been a solid linebacker but always criticized, every single year yet kept his position. New coordinator, new scheme, hope he keeps his spot. It doesn't matter where a White guy was drafted, if he isn't a star then dwfs think he is garbage. You can't have a "star" at every position, some are just good role players that help win games. Vilma said if it weren't for Shanle doing all the grunt work then he wouldn't be able to do what he was doing. The grunt work goes unnoticed, what is noticed is the few times he gets burnt by someone like Dallas Clark on a perfect pass, but its okay for Roman Harper a safety to get beat by someone like the black te for the Vikings all day.

 

[Truthteller]

Colts, at right guard Mcglynn is now listed as starter, a month ago it was a black, so I'm guessing Mcglynn will be fighting for this.

I would think Tommy Z is fighting for a starting spot in Indy? Considering the Colts had garbage at safety in 2011 and he came from Baltimore with coaches that like him, he might have chance to start, even though he's mostly been caste as a career backup/special teams mascot thus far in his career.

 

[Kaiser_Soze]

Cody Pearcy's been screwed already, not that he was in any kind of battle for a starting job at WR. Guess he didn't have enough "upside" -- he's the kid that would have absolutely dominated this year's Combine with his pro day workout numbers.

Falcons waived WR Cody Pearcy. Pearcy set records at D-III Huntington in 2010 with 1,078 yards and 12 touchdowns before dropping to 766 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior. The 5'11", 160-pounder went undrafted in April.

Honestly it doesn't surprise me that Pearcy was cut after the first minicamp. I watched his pro day 1 on 1 drills on youtube, and it was clear he was struggling bad to run good routes and get separation from even a mediocre DB. It looks like he never got the good training that he needed to take his play to the next level, stuck down in an obscure Alabama college, despite his excellent measurables.

If you want a small school guy to root for, keep an eye on Brenton Bersin. He's the type of guy that NFL teams are looking for: he's big (6'4" with long arms) and is definitely faster than his pro day time (4.56). When Wofford played Clemson last year, he had 127 yards on only 2 catches. He's very explosive and I think he has an excellent chance of making the Panthers squad.

 

[referendum]

Some updates. I've added Jordan Cameron to the list of position battles, for Cleveland's number one tight end.
Also, two quick wins. In Atlanta, the Falcons cut the poly candidate for right guard, so a white man will take that position and in Indy, the black guard Iljana, who yahoo sports actually called a leading candidate for one of the guard positions, is out for the year already. Unless something changes, this should mean both Colts starting guards will be white.
In Dallas, the starting O-line is really murky with two white candidates having minor injuries and the black favorite for one of the positions still not ready to practice.
Bad news is Jets guard Slausson is now considered in position battle with Ducasse, a battle he won two years ago.

 

[referendum]

One more update, sumo O-lineman Brown on the Redskins may be out for an extended amount of time, and white tackles Polumbus and Compton may have a shot at starting in his absence. Right now, Polumbus has been in as starter during drills.

 

[Don Wassall]

in Indy, the black guard Iljana, who yahoo sports actually called a leading candidate for one of the guard positions, is out for the year already.

A. J. Edds suffered a season ending knee injury the same day. He may not have earned a starting position this year but was certainly in the mix down the line as the Colts LBs aren't very good after Pat Angerer. This is Edds' second serious knee injury in three seasons so his chances of playing in the NFL may be over.

 

[TwentyTwo]

Tyler Thigpen(7th rounder) Coastal Carolina vs. Vince Young (1st rounder) Texas....for Bills back up QB to Ryan Fitzpatrick.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

please forgive this double post (i also posted this in the 2012 KC Chiefs thread) ...

over-hyped, over-rated black sumo o-lineman Tony Ugoh announced that he was retiring from football after he left practice in Kansas City on Monday afternoon. he had signed with the Chiefs the Thursday prior. he's 28.

wildly (and widely) lauded as "the answer" to replace Tarik Glenn at left tackle when the Colts drafted him in the second round in 2007, Ugoh was most often the revolving door at left tackle that left Peyton Manning wide open for oft-repeating crushing hits.

the move means that White tackle Eric Winston is likely competing with black tackle Branden Albert for the starting job.

 

[referendum]

Jimmy, all the sites and info about the Chiefs has Winston as starting right tackle, Albert as starting left tackle, even before Ugoh retired, so I think we are in good shape there.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

thanks for the info, referendum. it's also nice that you're sharing good news. cheers!

 

[referendum]

Some more developments. Poly Eugene Amano, who was the leading candidate for center for the Titans, is out for the year. Weenieworld claims black backup Velasco is the leading candidate to replace him, but Kevin Mathews, whose dad is O-line coach, had been considered the leading backup at center before he went down with a concussion type injury last week. Mathews is expected back next week, and William Vlachos has also been mentioned as a possibility. Lets see where the dust settles on this, but the chances of a fourth starting white O-lineman for the Titans is better know than before.

Also, mixed race Tony Fiametta, who was listed as starting fullback for the Pats on depth charts (though the Pats hadn't really used a fullback since Heath Evans in 2009), has apparently retired. Spencer Larsen would be the favorite to replace him, but who knows if he'd really be used much anyway, though Larsen can do linebacker as well.

 

[Don Wassall]

Stewart Bradley was mentioned in the first post by Referendum. He looked really good in the first preseason game and is fully healthy and in his prime at 28. It'll be a shame if he's a backup again this season on perennial coal black Arizona.

It's looking like Bradley, the linebacker Arizona signed from Philadelphia, might pay off for the team, after all.

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic says Bradley is pushing Paris Lenon for a starting job at inside linebacker. Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt: "Stewart's making it a tight competition. I certainly respect Paris and how he's played for us and the leadership he brings to the table. Stewart's an athletic player and when he gets it right, he's a good player. And he's gotten a lot more right this year than he did last year." Noted: Lenon has far exceeded reasonable expectations. In retrospect, the Rams should have held onto him. Bradley is six years younger, however.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/71072/around-the-nfc-west-bradleys-resurgence

 

[referendum]

Don, nice find about Bradley. Would love it if he could crack that lineup, giving Cardinals 7 likely white starters. Some more good news is that Slausson has been declared the winner of his position fight against Ducasse. Also, we may have another white takeover possibility in Miami, where black Artis Hicks is listed as starter at right guard, but the Dolphins did sign Eric Steinbach two weeks ago, so he may be in the mix for that spot as well.

 

[referendum]

Some more updates. It looks like sumo Wharton,the Bengals planned starter at left guard, is out for the season. Weenieworld says that Clint Boling would take over as starter, giving the Bengals a fourth white starter on the O-line. I think we will have to wait and see if Boling in fact takes over the spot, as there are some other black guards listed on the depth chart as well, but at least he's the favorite.
Also, if in fact Desmond Bishop of the Packers is out for the year, the long shot threat to AJ Hawk, D J Smith would take Bishops spot and thus not be a threat to Hawk.
And of course the QB situation at Miami is looking better for a white starter to emerge.

 

[referendum]

I thought we had an all white battle for starting fullback for Atlanta (for what thats worth), between Mike Cox and Bradie Ewing, but Ewing is now out for the year, and the Falcons have signed Polite to create an unexpected position battle between a white and black.

 

[referendum]

One more update, for Tennessee fullback, white Army graduate Collin Mooney vs Quinn Johnson. Some reports have Mooney favored, but most website depth charts have Johnson still in as starter, and I'm guessing the loser of this fight is off the team. Also, seeing reports of Ben Watson on the roster bubble, and if in fact he's cut that gives us another white starting tight end.

 

[referendum]

Don't know if this is a position battle or not, but with the Sumo Buccaneer guard Joseph out for the year, Ted Larsen is expected to replace him, but I don't know if he gets the job uncontested. This makes for at least four cases where injuries to sumos has helped a white player likely gain a starting spot on an o-line, (Wash, Cincinati, Indy and now Tampa), but now it looks like we've lost one with DeCastro out for probably the year in Pittsburgh. Only blessing on that loss is that it weakens the odious Steelers.
Also, some favorable articles about Stewart Bradley having a good shot at beating Lenon for the starting linebacker spot in Arizona. I really hope this is true as that would make the Cardinals a little more likeable when they go up against such anti-white teams like SF and Seattle. It would actually give them a 7th white starter (including the fullback).

 

[Don Wassall]

Also, some favorable articles about Stewart Bradley having a good shot at beating Lenon for the starting linebacker spot in Arizona. I really hope this is true as that would make the Cardinals a little more likeable when they go up against such anti-white teams like SF and Seattle. It would actually give them a 7th white starter (including the fullback).

I was figuring the Cardinals for 6 White starters, so I checked it out and sure enough you're right, they're currently projected to have 3 White starters on the o-line (to go along with White starters at QB, TE, FB and possibly ILB), which is equivalent to an all-White line for most other teams. I don't know offhand the last time Arizona had a majority White o-line but I'll bet it's been longer than any other team in the league. It would take a lot of research to confirm, especially since starters change over the course of a season due to injuries and promotions and demotions, but the Cards having a (crappy) sumo offensive line has been as predictable as death and taxes for a long time.

 

[foobar75]

Speaking of O-lines, what has happened to Houston? Didn't they have a majority White line last year? They started 4 sumos tonight against NO, the lone White being the center. I also only saw 2 defenders (Reed and Watt, I believe), so I assume there were injuries to Barwin and Cushing?

They started 7 Whites tonight (2 on D, C, QB, WR, FB, TE), but I thought the number would be 9, with 4 defenders? To be fair, they seem to run a lot of 2 TE sets, so more often than not, the offense on the field is majority White with 6.