Along comes Salley

Trust me, Shaun Williams is going to be better than McCree as long as he's healthy. It will also be interesting to see how Branch looks after missing a year, since I've been more satisfied with him than seemingly anyone else.

 

McCree was allright, not excellent. I'd have wanted to keep him, but not for what they signed him for. Like with most things, my biggest worry is what we replaced him with. Williams has ongoing health concerns, Branch is coming off injury and a couple reports have had him underperforming (though minicamp doesn't really make much of a damn), and Minter's not getting any younger.

Which seems like more of an issue for the future than for now, as I don't feel horrible about what we'd put on the field with that pairing in some regards. Yeah, we're thinnest there. It's my worry coming in. But if worse comes to worse, I know this will still not be a big liability.

 

Safety depth is definitely an issue, but I'm not too worried about it since we play so much cover 3. A trained monkey could play centerfield in a cover 3.

 

Thru ‘02 Williams was considered a very solid safety, probably better than most . .. then he started getting broken. Over the past three seasons he has missed a whopping 28 games. From my days in NYC I have seen the good he can do, and on a regular basis. If he's healthy Shaun Williams could be one of our best FA acquisitions ever. That IF seems to be a big one though.

 

Yeah I agree a healthy Williams would be an upgrade and I'm not that down on Branch either but is he 100%?

 

cosell got fired for such a remark

 

A buddy of mine in Columbus and a huge Ohio State fan says we got a steal in Salley. Says he's an unselfish, hard hitting safety who wraps up his man and is a sure tackler.

 

Panthers | Contract update: N. Salley
Fri, 28 Jul 2006 0615 -0700

Darin Gantt, of the Rock Hill Herald, reports Carolina Panthers rookie S Nate Salley's three-year deal is worth $1.39 million, with around a $310,000 signing bonus and minimum base salaries for all three seasons.

 

So, what is the status of Williams health? Is he 100% now but has had a history of injury or is he still recovering from his last injury?

 

In all honesty before he got hurt last year, Branch was looking pretty damned good. If you'll remember he was transitioning from FS to SS. He looked WAY better on the Strong side than he did at FS. If he's 100% he may not be a bad option.