JASON BERRY
NEW CUMBERLAND, PA
Is Caesar Rayford ready? It appears he will be called on to contribute more with George Selvie injured and DeMarcus Ware hobbled. Can he give us anything as a pass rusher?
Nick: That's supposed to be his specialty. They have moved him inside to tackle for a few weeks to add some depth but now that he's back to his natural position, I would imagine he's ready to contribute. If anything else, his size (6-7) could be a factor to disrupt passing lanes. We'll see if Selvie is ready, but if not, I think Rayford has a shot to play.
David: After his five-sack performance in the preseason for the Colts, it would be a shame if he didn't even get a good look in some real action. With the defensive tackle depth taken care of, for the time being at least, hopefully Rayford will get a chance to showcase himself at a more natural position. A lot of that depends on Selvie being available, obviously.
RICK JORDAHL
IVANHOE, MN
Should we be worried about Bruce Carter's future, or did he simply have a bad game against the Chargers? [embedded_ad]
Nick: Let's go with the "bad game" part for now. It was actually just a handful of plays. I think he's a young, smart, athletic linebacker who is still adjusting back to THIS scheme. Yeah, he played 4-3 in college, but the scheme is different. He'll be fine, in my opinion.
David: Before he combusted in San Diego, we were talking about how well Carter was playing through three games. My biggest concern is what the poor performance might have done to his self-confidence, and this upcoming game against Denver doesn't seem like a good opportunity for him to win it back. I think he'll rebound in the long run, but maybe not this weekend – which explains why Ernie Sims is getting reps this week.
