[CBFF] ESPN - 2nd Year Players Ready to Shine

[Jerry Madsen]

 Monday, June 25, 2007
Updated: June 26, 12:47 PM ET
Players tend to improve most from first to second year
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

Even the most optimistic projections for the Carolina Panthers in 2007
don't anticipate second-year tailback DeAngelo Williams' bumping
incumbent starter DeShaun Foster from the top perch on the depth
chart.

But in a league in which most offenses still rely on two backs to
share the workload, the Panthers' brass is counting on more production
from its 2006 first-round selection. And so is Williams, who finished
his college career at the University of Memphis as the fourth-leading
rusher in NCAA history.

DeAngelo Williams
Williams

Running Back
Carolina Panthers

Profile
2006 Season Stats Rush 	Yds 	TD 	Rec 	Yds 	TD
121 	501 	1 	33 	313 	1
"Most of the [tentativeness] is gone now," said Williams, the 27th
overall pick. "I mean, there's a new [blocking] scheme to get
accustomed to, but it's a lot like what we did at Memphis, so I
actually feel more comfortable. It's like second nature for me. And
just having been around the game for a year now, knowing the ropes,
that helps any [second-year] player a lot."

Indeed, the timeworn adage that an NFL player typically improves the
most between his first and second seasons is principally a function of
familiarity. Even at a position like tailback, where the transition to
the NFL is supposed to be made easier because running with the ball is
such a natural act, rookies expend so much effort just trying to get
their feet on the ground, they rarely land in the end zone.

"Your head," Williams said, "is always swimming."

Things didn't always go swimmingly for Williams in his debut season.
He rushed for 501 yards on 121 carries and started two games, but he
wasn't exactly just treading water, either. Williams recorded four
games of 70-plus rushing yards, and in a Nov. 19 victory over St.
Louis, he carried 20 times for 114 yards. On Christmas Eve at the
Georgia Dome, he ran for 82 yards against the Atlanta Falcons, taking
advantage of a quirky game plan in which he often lined up as the
quarterback.

It shouldn't take gimmicks, though, like the single-wing formation the
Panthers broke out against the Falcons, for Williams to bolster his
rushing numbers in 2007.

Foster remains the unquestioned No. 1 tailback and is coming off a
campaign in which he started a career-high 14 contests. But the former
UCLA standout has a résumé filled with past injuries. He started just
10 games in his first four seasons and seems to be more productive
when sharing the workload. Two other elements work in Williams' favor:
He shed five pounds and feels quicker at 212 pounds now, plus the
zone-blocking scheme installed by new offensive coordinator Jeff
Davidson dovetails very nicely with his one-cut running style.

In the new system, the Carolina backs will be provided more freedom to
choose the holes available to them. It is the same system the Denver
Broncos have used for so many years, allowing them to have so many
different 1,000-yard rushers.

"You make one move and go," Williams said. "It's really a running
back-friendly system, and it's one where there's a comfort level for
me. I'm looking for a lot more of myself now, not just because of the
new system, but because it's the second time around for me, and there
is no reason I shouldn't be better."

Williams isn't the lone second-year player in the league for whom
expectations are being ramped up. Here are a few more players who
either didn't get much playing time or fell short of expectations as
rookies in 2006, but are being counted on to play significant roles in
2007:

Antonio Cromartie
Cromartie

Cornerback
San Diego Chargers

Profile
2006 Season Stats Tot 	Solo 	Ast 	FF 	Sack 	Int
24 	20 	4 	0 	0 	0
• Johnathan Joseph (Cincinnati), Antonio Cromartie (San Diego) and
Kelly Jennings (Seattle) all played extensively as nickel cornerbacks
in 2006. Joseph is expected to step into the starting vacancy created
by the departure of Tory James in free agency and the Seahawks
released starter Kelly Herndon because they were confident Jennings is
ready to move into the lineup. Cromartie could wrest the starting job
from Drayton Florence.

One other young corner, Miami's Jason Allen, will be closely
scrutinized. The Dolphins' first-round pick in 2006, Allen played
mostly at safety last season, but spent most of this spring working at
cornerback.

• Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley, a standout at
Florida State, missed much of training camp in a contract dispute,
signed late and never caught up. He appeared in 15 games, but had only
nine tackles and no sacks. Those anemic numbers aside, Bunkley is
projected by coordinator Jim Johnson as a starter for 2007, alongside
another former first-round choice, Mike Patterson. Bunkley needs to
come through for an Eagles defense that slipped to No. 26 versus the
run in 2006.

Vernon Davis
Davis

Tight End
San Francisco 49ers

Profile
2006 Season Stats Rec 	Yds 	TD 	Avg 	Long 	YAC
20 	265 	3 	13.3 	52 	128
• Many observers felt Vernon Davis, San Francisco's wonderously gifted
tight end, might challenge for Rookie of the Year honors, but injuries
limited him to 10 appearances, eight starts and 20 receptions. It
should help Davis some in 2007 that the 49ers upgraded their wide
receiver corps, at least modestly, in the offseason. What will benefit
him more, though, is good health. Davis has the kind of physical tools
to be a monster in the San Francisco offense and emerge as a viable
playmaker.

• Chicago defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek, a 2006 third-round pick out
of Oklahoma, missed his entire rookie campaign because of a foot
injury. But the defending NFC champions lost tackles Alfonso Boone and
Ian Scott in free agency and released Tank Johnson, and will have to
count on young, inexperienced players to fill the breach. Of the
several untested players, Dvoracek, a tough-minded inside defender,
seems to be the one the Chicago coaches hold in highest regard.

• Cincinnati second-round pick Andrew Whitworth started 12 games in
2006, mostly at left tackle filling in for the injured Levi Jones. His
challenge is almost as big this season, when he moves inside to left
guard to replace standout Eric Steinbach, who exited in free agency.
At 6-foot-7, Whitworth doesn't exactly look the part of a guard, but
he's a solid in-line blocker and plays with good leverage. Seattle's
Rob Sims, who started three games in 2006, could claim the left guard
job in Seattle. And Baltimore's Chris Chester figures to start at
either center or right guard.

• Giants wide receiver Sinorice Moss was expected to provide an
explosive playmaker working out of the slot as a rookie, but he was
sidetracked by a quadriceps injury suffered in the preseason and never
got on track. The second-round pick finished the year with a paltry 5
catches for 5 yards. With veteran Amani Toomer coming off knee
surgery, there is a golden opportunity for Moss to redeem himself. But
if he falters, this spring's second-round choice, Steve Smith of USC,
could move ahead of him.

Tarvaris Jackson
Jackson

Quarterback
Minnesota Vikings

Profile
2006 Season Stats Att 	Comp 	Yds 	TD 	Int 	Rat
81 	47 	438 	2 	4 	62.5
• Minnesota didn't get involved in the trade market for Matt Schaub,
never made a move to grab David Carr when he was released by Houston,
and passed on Brady Quinn in the draft. So there must be something the
Vikings' coaches like about Tarvaris Jackson, a second-round pick who
started the final two games of his rookie season, and completed 47 of
81 passes for 475 yards, 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Meanwhile,
Kansas City traded starter Trent Green and opened the door for Brodie
Croyle, a third-rounder out of Alabama, to seize the starting job.
Croyle made two brief appearances in 2006 and logged just seven pass
attempts. Barring monumental upsets in training camp, Jackson and
Croyle will be the starting quarterbacks for their respective teams.

• Tampa Bay coaches have grown weary waiting for former first-round WR
Michael Clayton to return to the production of his 2004 rookie season,
and that has opened the way for Maurice Stovall to make a move on the
No. 2 wideout position opposite Joey Galloway. A third-round pick in
2006 out of Notre Dame, Stovall doesn't have great speed, but he's a
big target (6-4, 229 pounds) who can add yards after the catch. He
posted just 7 receptions for 102 yards in 2006, playing in only nine
games.

• Chad Greenway (Minnesota), Freddy Keiaho (Indianapolis) and Rocky
McIntosh (Washington) started just one game combined in 2006, but all
are projected as their respective teams' starters at weakside
linebacker this season. The Vikings lost Greenway, their No. 1 draft
pick, to a torn left anterior cruciate ligament in the preseason,
wrecking his rookie year, but the former Iowa star has been diligent
in his rehabilitation. A second-round pick in '06, McIntosh is
regarded highly enough by the Redskins' coaches that the team would
not surrender him in trade talks aimed at acquiring Lance Briggs, the
Bears' two-time Pro Bowl performer. Keiaho is the latest young
Indianapolis defender to move into the lineup after a starter departed
in free agency.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.