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Sleeper Alert - Ray Edwards (1 Viewer)

Chaos Commish

Chaos Commish

Footballguy
I almost want to keep him under the radar, but what the hey. :bag:

In the run up to the draft I felt he was a better prospect than Hali. I still do, but opportunity for Hali comes first.

Some quotes from various sources:

But their starting defensive ends, Udeze and Erasmus James, have excelled in the exhibition season, and rookie Ray Edwards has emerged as one of the standouts of the Vi- kings' draft class.

"Of course we're excited," Udeze said. "But it's the preseason, and as much as we're doing, we can still get better. We just need to put a better effort every time we go out there."

That was the question about Edwards, who was projected to have first-day talent in the draft but slipped to the fourth round because of concerns about his character at Purdue. But Edwards has been a model rookie with the Vikings, and he leads the team with two sacks in the exhibition season.

Against the Baltimore Ravens, Edwards had a hand in both of the Vikings' defensive touchdowns. In the second quarter, while spelling James, Edwards closed in on Steve McNair from the right edge when the Ravens quarterback directed a ball toward receiver Mark Clayton. Cornerback Fred Smoot intercepted McNair's pass and returned it 69 yards for a touchdown.

In the fourth quarter, Edwards sacked Ravens third-string quarterback Brian St. Pierre and forced a fumble, which defensive end Khreem Smith recovered and returned 29 yards for a touchdown.

But Edwards is humble about his success, and he is quiet about his past. Asked about his role in the two touchdowns, Edwards said, "I was out there doing my job."

"I think I did some good things, but I saw some things I need to get better at." For instance, Edwards said he needs to work on keeping his hands tighter when linemen try to block him. As for his days at Purdue, Edwards said he embraces a new start.

"Things happen for a reason," he said. "I want to let people know who I really am." Edwards said he would welcome a chance to start at some point. But he added, "I'm just glad I'm here.

"Being a backup to these guys isn't a problem for me," Edwards said.

Udeze said Edwards has been a great infusion to the depth of the Vikings' defensive line.

"He's playing lights out. He's light and quick, and the thing is, he's still very raw," he said. "He's only 21 years old. The sky is the limit for him."

Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin said he is pleased that Edwards doesn't get overwhelmed in games.

"The game isn't too big for him," Tomlin said. "His personality doesn't change when the lights come on, and he's a very confident young man."
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“I think Ray is doing a tremendous job. He’s just getting to the ball every day, playing with technique, making plays. The kid just plays hard. He’s just an effort guy,” Kolodziej said. “It’s just awesome to see somebody come in day in and day out and put in the work like that – especially from a young guy, a rookie, to play with that tempo. A lot of times guys are trying to adjust to the speed and he’s just flying to the ball and it’s awesome to watch.”
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I think key to all this praise is that Edwards is only 21, came out early, and missed a good piece of his Junior season with perceived attitude problems. I know some Purdue homers who clearly blamed the coach, and I believe Edwards is a standup character, above average in that category. I was impressed with his maturity in a tough situation. He's just a pup, but imho he is the best pass rusher in Minnesota right now. I know Udeze has great promise and James was coming on late last season, but reading between the lines, it's pretty clear neither of them bring it quite the way Edwards does (speculating). He is very explosive, reminiscent of Burgess or Osi, but he brings even more to the table. He has LB footwork and when they say he flies to the ball, that's not just pursuing the QB. He's makes a lot of tackles. When the DE/OLB tweeners were worked in LB drills at the Combine, Edwards was the most impressive (it wasn't close, the others looked bad). He has great ball skills, and covers ground very quickly. He's just a great athlete, and what Kolodziej is saying about technique is what impressed me on film. He's got all the DE moves down already. Very slick inside move, bull rushes with power, flies off the edge, spins, swims, etc.

How good is Erasmus James? He's got pressure.

eta: correcting an error and adding the links:

Rookie putting on pressure

Edwards coming on strong

 
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Miami Style said:
With E. James out for the season (ACL)...do you think R. Edwards will start and produce some sacks?
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It sounds like he'll start, but let's curb our enthusiasm. I put a crown on this thread in August thinking dynasty. It's possible Edwards finds himself in way over his head against the run, and that could develop into situational duty. Remember, a big point I'm trying to make about him here (in comparison to say Hali or Kiwi) is that Edwards is a young 21 and he missed most of his Junior year. He's a great prospect but still developmental.I'm starting him in place of Alex Brown this week. :football:
 
Chaos Commish said:
Miami Style said:
With E. James out for the season (ACL)...do you think R. Edwards will start and produce some sacks?
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It sounds like he'll start, but let's curb our enthusiasm. I put a crown on this thread in August thinking dynasty. It's possible Edwards finds himself in way over his head against the run, and that could develop into situational duty. Remember, a big point I'm trying to make about him here (in comparison to say Hali or Kiwi) is that Edwards is a young 21 and he missed most of his Junior year. He's a great prospect but still developmental.I'm starting him in place of Alex Brown this week. :football:
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Bold part #1 - I totally understandBold part #2 - :lmao: , see #1

I just picked him up in blind bidding. So im rooting for him. :thumbup:

 
Soem rumblings (subscription required so no link) that the Vikings may be expanding his role. They need a better pass rush. He got his first sack and a hurry this past weekend in limited opportunities.

 
'May want to take s long term view here and see how he develops.

He needs to overcome some deficit areas.

See profile.

For my money, I think Darrion Scott is a much more intriguing prospect currently. He's captured the starting LDE job and may never give it up given Udeze's current play. Ray Edwards is currently backing-up Udeze on the other side.

 
BearsFan said:
'May want to take s long term view here and see how he develops.

He needs to overcome some deficit areas.

See profile.

For my money, I think Darrion Scott is a much more intriguing prospect currently. He's captured the starting LDE job and may never give it up given Udeze's current play. Ray Edwards is currently backing-up Udeze on the other side.
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First that is one of couple dozen misinformed profiles NFL.com posted prior to the draft. NFL.com was embarrassing with many predraft rookie profiles. It was clear to me and my draftnik friends, who spent hours laughing at profiles and devoted a few to correcting some, that whoever took on the assignment for the flagship site ran out of time and winged it many times. Ray Edwards appears to be such a case. The real story about whatever led to his benching has been kept in house at Purdue, but many close to the team took Edwards' side. He handled it with maturity. He and Pollard were the first underclassmen to declare and the rift between players and coaches was considered influential in the decision. Go back and check out his family, listen to his teammates, hs coaches, etc., this kid is a high character team first player all the way.

Under "Weaknesses" in his profile I would argue (laughing) that each weakness mentioned is actually one of his strengths and the results of training camp and real games has proven as much.

"Doesn't play with urgency." Please. He's quickly earned a rep for his non stop motor.

"Doesn't rush the passer aggressively." Haha. He is the Vikings best pass rusher already.

"If initital move is stopped he quits." Where do they get this crazy talk? Did they ever watch him? I vote no. Edwards has moves on top of moves and I've written about that in this thread and in other threads around draft time. This is a major strength.

"Not explosive to the corner." Yikes! Is this a joke? Just read the quotes from other players above.

"Poor in backside pursuit and fighting off blocks." Buzzz! Wrong again. The guy pursues like an LB (something he's been praised for more than once lately) and his long arms more than adequately against blocks. Ask Kevin Jones about his pursuit.

"Doesn't deal with low cut blocks and goes to the ground easily." I dunno. I think they have canned criticisms they plug in here and there. Covering 300+ college kids is a daunting task. All I know is he was a stud MLB who converted to DE and led the team in sacks. He ran with the Lawsons and Wimbleys at the Combine when they took a bunch of DEs through LB drills and he was by far the best of the lot in coverage and with the footwork.

:shrug: Pimpin' ain't easy...

He is very young therefore a long term project. I agree with that. Scott is four years older than Edwards, and with two years and three camps worth of experience in the league on the same team. He had 40 solos and 4 sacks last year. It should be expected he would be starting at this point. I like the guy. He was a 3rd rounder a few years ago. Edwards is a rookie fourth rounder. Given Udeze's disappointing play and James injury, Scott is the more valuable right now, probably for the whole season, but I think the potential for stardom is Edwards'. Both these DEs are worth a roster spot, imo.

 
I love this place. I thought the IDP Forum was awesome last offseason, but I get the feeling we ain't see nuttin' yet.

And, oh yeah, Kevin Jones got JACKED UP!

 
Ray Edwards made a big impression on me from week 1. he killed a drive late in the game against the Redskins with a pass defended. he was closing in on Brunell, read his eyes and leaped like a reindeer to block this pass on third down. From that point I thought the Vikes had a player. The one thing that jumps out about him is he's affecting the outcome of games

 
Tick said:
What's the outlook on Erasmus James at this point?
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Hard to say. It took him awhile to get settled after holding out his rookie season but he looked good in the couple of games he started late in 2005. As Jeff said, reports are that he'll be ready for camp. James had a pretty severe knee injury, though, tearing both ACL and MCL and then needed a "clean-out" procedure in February, which could mean a lot of different things.I'd guess he rotates in on passing downs initially behind Darrion Scott, then, if healthy and in late 2005 form, moves back into a full time role. Pretty hard to project a 45-10 season from him until he proves himself healthy though.
 
Jene Bramel said:
Tick said:
What's the outlook on Erasmus James at this point?
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Hard to say. It took him awhile to get settled after holding out his rookie season but he looked good in the couple of games he started late in 2005. As Jeff said, reports are that he'll be ready for camp. James had a pretty severe knee injury, though, tearing both ACL and MCL and then needed a "clean-out" procedure in February, which could mean a lot of different things.I'd guess he rotates in on passing downs initially behind Darrion Scott, then, if healthy and in late 2005 form, moves back into a full time role. Pretty hard to project a 45-10 season from him until he proves himself healthy though.
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No doubt. That would be far and beyond expectations. Making it through the season healthy would be an accomplishment in itself much less high performance like that.Just adding that recent news has been positive on James recently for a change. They are speculating maybe he can participate in TC. But we'll see...

Edwards was pretty quiet for having some opportunity. I had hoped for more out of him. But most Dline take some time to get up to playing at this level.

From Adam Doctolero KFAN dot com today:

Another player who did not take part in today's workout was defensive end Erasmus James who is still recovering from a knee injury that sidelined him most of last season. James did make an appearance, but was simply there to watch.

Knee injuries and guys coming back from them seem to be a major theme around Winter Park these days. Last year's number one pick Chad Greenway took part in all the work today and looked fantastic. His physical fitness looks very good and he was not wearing a knee brace.

-Rookie defensive end Brian Robison also had a solid day of work, blowing by several of the tackles.
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Edwards, Robinson and James could all be in the mix as situational pass rushers. I don't see any of the DE locked up as 3 down players at this point.
 
Udeze and James have been busts. Injury problems have played a big part, but neither has shown much the rare times they've been healthy. I have Darrion Scott projected as the top producing MIN end, only b/c he's the most consistent and will see time inside too, even if the others finally live up to their potential, which Scott has the least of all. Edwards is a close second. I think he at least is the third down specialist this year. I've give up on Udeze. James still has plenty of upside, but I'm betting more on Edwards.

 
Tenacious D said:
Udeze and James have been busts. Injury problems have played a big part, but neither has shown much the rare times they've been healthy. I have Darrion Scott projected as the top producing MIN end, only b/c he's the most consistent and will see time inside too, even if the others finally live up to their potential, which Scott has the least of all. Edwards is a close second. I think he at least is the third down specialist this year. I've give up on Udeze. James still has plenty of upside, but I'm betting more on Edwards.
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I think I'd bet on Edwards too, but I don't know that I'm in total agreement with your thoughts on Scott and James.James, while you're right that he hasn't had the impact that a couple of other young ends have had in the same time frame, has shown some flashes of potential. After finally getting some time in the lineup after struggling to get into the flow after a long camp holdout, James had 21 solos and 3 sacks in part-time duty over the final nine games of 2005 while Ted Cottrell was horsing around between 3-4 and 4-3 fronts. The injury worries me a little for this year, but the list of disappointing young ends who break out big pass rush numbers in their third and fourth years is long. James could be next.Hard not to have Scott as the most likely to produce end for 2007, but if all goes well with Edwards and James, he's not going to have a major role this year. He's already been demoted on the depth chart and reportedly more than a little grumpy about it.
 
Brian Robison is a great raw athlete and could take some snaps as a pass rush specialist too. I don't know if there's a three down guy in the bunch, but I agree the Edwards has the highest ceiling of this crew.

 
There hasn't been much word out of Winter Park in regards to James, just this blurb in the Star Tribune that talks about his potential to be on the PUP list...

The only other player with known health issues is defensive end Erasmus James, who is recovering from a torn ACL. James is a candidate for the Physically Unable to Perform list, a decision that will be made when James gets his pre-camp physical next week.
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I'm planning on going to the Viking's training camp when it opens (primarily to see my guy Adrian Peterson) but I'm interested in watching Edwards too. The rumblings I've heard is that the only thing standing in his way is his work effort.
 
But will he be an everydown DE? That is the question. Wondering if MN will rotate people in and out? And yes will he not get kicked out of a game will also be a big question.

 
Chaos Commish said:
redman said:
Nice game yesterday.
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Yes, and that doesn't show the fumble he recovered and returned for a touchdown.ETA: I have him on a D with Little and Anderson. I sat Anderson the first week for Edwards and switched them this week. :)

I'll get it right sooner or later.
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:D Sounds familiar. I've got this rogues gallery to choose from (and to torture myself with all year)

Kearse

M. Williams

Geathers

Carter

Edwards

 
He hasn't done a lot this season, but is right there with Aaron Schobel and Will Smith in points scored for the season. He is only projected here with 1 solo tackle this week against the Raiders, one of the easiest teams for Dlinemen to produce against. Wonder why?

And are there any homers out there that can tell us about his play this year, or anyone who has seen multiple Vikings games?

 
The Man With No Name said:
He hasn't done a lot this season, but is right there with Aaron Schobel and Will Smith in points scored for the season. He is only projected here with 1 solo tackle this week against the Raiders, one of the easiest teams for Dlinemen to produce against. Wonder why?And are there any homers out there that can tell us about his play this year, or anyone who has seen multiple Vikings games?
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I was coming here to look for information on Edwards too. Right now, I have Udezi on my active roster, and Edwards on my Taxi Squad. Edwards has more points for the year. I need to know if he is going to be a starter from here on out, or what the situation is in Minny. Is he for real?
 
SmoovySmoov said:
The Man With No Name said:
He hasn't done a lot this season, but is right there with Aaron Schobel and Will Smith in points scored for the season. He is only projected here with 1 solo tackle this week against the Raiders, one of the easiest teams for Dlinemen to produce against. Wonder why?And are there any homers out there that can tell us about his play this year, or anyone who has seen multiple Vikings games?
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I was coming here to look for information on Edwards too. Right now, I have Udezi on my active roster, and Edwards on my Taxi Squad. Edwards has more points for the year. I need to know if he is going to be a starter from here on out, or what the situation is in Minny. Is he for real?
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Edwards has been the starter all year. He's the real deal, but still has some issues with maturity (temper, etc) that take him out games mentally and lead to some inconsistency. He'd had some minor injury issues earlier in the year, but those look to have resolved. Should be a decent DL2 play this weekend with that matchup.
 
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