Here's my evaluation:
Coaching - looks to be a significant upgrade - In the least, this team is showing far more discipline - We will have to wait for a real game to see how well the coaches plan for games, and make adjustments
Management - continue to be strong - This year will be a big test after last years performance. If the team does not perform well, attendance may start to dip this year. Personally, I still think we need a Pigskin Pete, but that's just a pet peeve of mine.
QB - We appear to be marginally better here - Maas appears to have some more strength in his arm but he is still injury prone. We appear to have at least more potential with Chang, but I'm not certain about depth as Butler has not impressed
RB - Again a marginal improvement - Jesse appears to have benefited from being in camp from day one, as well as some more experience. I hope our offense will have some plays that have Holmes and Lumsden in the backfield to keep the defense guessing who will get the ball. Depth may be a bit of an issue here.
OL - This one could go either way at least at the start of the year - This one confuses me. We keep bringing in great prospects, but still don't seem to have great results. The O-Line still appears to be average, but certainly has a ton of potential and depth with some of the recent young additions. We may be able to trade a Canadian O-Lineman at some time this year to bring in some help.
Receivers - Maybe a little better here - We brought in a ton of players to compete, and appear to have found some decent players, and have recently added Anderson who has shown some skill in the past. The regular season will tell just how good we are, as we have done this in the past, and still have not found a real "diamond in the rough"
Offense - I still believe this may be this teams week spot, although I feel we should be better than last year. Coach Taffe has indicated he wants to run some more. We'll see if Jesse can handle the load. Maas is still a questionable starter. We once again have an unproven receiving corp. Injuries to some key players could make this situation worse.
DL - Little improvement if any - This was a major weakness last year. We suffurred from a poor pass rush last year, and cannot continue to give QBs time to make plays. Possibly the week spot of the D.
LB - Some improvement - It appears they may have found a good one in Moreno. This alone could be a big improvement.
DB - Some improvement - We filled some holes at the end of the year last year, and picked up Karikari. The safety spot still could use an improvement.
Defense - I think we have improved here - If we can stay healthy the backside of our defense could be the strength of our team. The D Line and DEs still appears to be an area of concern. We have some young guys who may improve through the year hear, and if this continues to be an issue, we may be able to find some cuts from the NFL to help. Depth is an issue accross the defense.
Kicking - A definate upgrade - Nick Setta looked good, particualarly punting. I suspect his placekicking may not be as good as his punting. Myers will be on the PR if Nick gets hurt, and appeared to be able to fill in admirably.
Special Teams - An upgrade here - The punting alone will help us with field position. We have done a good job of obtaining players who are good on special teams, particularly if they are not starters. Punt and kick returns will be more of a factor of blocking than anything else. We once again have signed a number of players who can perform this role. We'll see who is smart enough to keep the posiiton.
Overall - I think we can expect to be better, but our results could really be impacted if we have a rash of injuries as we did last year. I like the direction that we are going, we have drafted fairly wisely, and have a lot of future talent, but that talent will take some time to develop. How long it takes to develop, and just how great that talent is remains to be seen. The start of the schedule is rough for us. By Labour Day, we will really know what this team is make of.
PJ