There will indeed be changes in 2012 and, I predict that some players will be at risk for losing a spot on the defensive team. Shea Emery and Etienne Boulay are two players who both suffered concussions and missed most of last season. These are quality guys who have contributed to our two Cup wins. Shea Emery at MLB has had good playing time prior to his concussion as did Etienne Boulay at safety. Does anyone know of their state of heath at this time? In addition ,Boulay had a run in with the coach who felt he reported for duty perhaps too early and was not in the required shape at that moment. Will these two guys be reporting for duty at the preseason camp this Summer and will they be physically fit? Tad Crawford who played at safety was not at par and, I have doubts they he will be retained this year. I also have doubts about Dwight Anderson and Kitwana Jones, there two prized free agent signings last year who operated below expectations. I thought Hecht, the rookie, deserved an other shot as a backup and will be retained. Mark Estelles health is another question mark. Marko B's value to the team was assured last season and I expect he will thrive this season.Dix and Williams showed enough to be candidates in the defensive backfield, but, I expect Popp will be bringing new candidates into this backfield. I also wonder if the team will acquire a mean rush end as, Anwar Stewart has lost a step.
On offense this team requires a quality kick return specialist. I don,t expect Maypray and a couple of other who were tried in this role will make it in 2010. I am hoping the Als will be able to acquire a Canadian receiver. If so, I don't expect Desriveaux to make the team this season, and I wonder if Chris Matte will see more game action.
Stewart may have started the season off slow, but seemed to have redeemed himself halfway through and was a strong point on the D line. The question will be, does Popp offer him a contract and if yes, for how much. No doubt it will be for less money, but will Stewart accept. Believe he said he wanted to wait to see what transpired before making any decision as he feels he can still contribute.
Dix - think he remained only due to the fact they were decimated in the D backfiled. Not sure he will be in the mix when the time comes.
Dix is really a mixed bag. Some games, his coverage was fantastic, while others, we’ve seen him be completely useless. I know when you look for players, you’re looking for consistency, but at least he’s had those fantastic games, which is more than can be said for some players. I do hope he returns, since he’s shown us that he can be a great defensive back. There’s always the pre-season and the first few games of the regular season to see if he can really perform at the levels we’ve seen him do so in the past.