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Below are ten veteran players in the AFC that I think will have a break-out season in 2009.
QB JaMarcus Russell, Oakland Raiders – This is Russell’s third year in the NFL, but it is only his second year starting. Most improvement from a quarterback usually comes in his second year starting. It is true that Russell hasn’t looked all that impressive in OTA’s, and that the Raiders have brought in Jeff Garcia to put some pressure on him. But look for Russell to have a good season and improve on last year’s numbers, helping the Raiders win more games then they did a season ago.
WR Limas Sweed, Pittsburgh Steelers – With Nate Washington joining the Tennessee Titans, the Steelers are counting on Sweed to step-up and become the player they thought he would be when they drafted him in the second a year ago. He will be given every opportunity to be the Steelers number three wide receiver this season.
WR Pierre Garcon, Indianapolis Colts – With Marvin Harrison gone, the Colts are planning on moving Anthony Gonzalez to his position, so they will be looking for a replacement in the slot. Garcon fits the mold in terms of what the Colts like in their receivers, a receiver with good size and the ability to run good routes. The Colts are counting on Garcon to be a big part of their offense this season.
WR Chansi Stucky, New York Jets - Laveranues Coles is now a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, which leaves a big hole in the receiving core of the New York Jets and look for Stucky to fill that void. Stucky is a lot like Coles in that he is very good after the catch. Last season, Stucky had 32 catches for 359 yards and 3 touchdowns, I look for Stucky to double the production he had last season in 2009.
WR Mike Walker, Jacksonville Jaguars – Gone are wide receivers, Joey Porter, Reggie Williams, and Matt Jones. The only veteran player the Jaguars added at the receiver position was Tory Holt. In week five, Walker had six catches for 107 yards in a loss against Pittsburgh. In that game he suffered a knee injury, which led to an infection and he wasn’t ever able to fully get back to the type of player that he was early in the season. Look for Walker to possibly be the other starting wide receiver alongside Holt.
TE Martin Rucker, Cleveland Browns – The Browns traded Kellen Winslow to Tampa, which opens up playing time for Rucker. Rucker was injured last season, but has all the physical tools to be a starting tight end in the NFL. Rucker might not start the season as the starting tight end, but expect him to finish the season as the starter by seasons end if he can stay healthy.
TE Brad Cottam, Kansas City Chiefs – Cottam is in a similar situation as Rucker, where the team traded their starting tight end, in Tony Gonzalez who was traded to Atlanta. Cottam will be given every opportunity to be the Chiefs starting tight end and should perform well. He brings a great blend of blocking and receiving ability.
LB Keith Rivers, Cincinnati Bengals – Rivers was injured last season with a cracked back block from Steelers WR Hines Ward, and missed the rest of the season because of the injury. The Bengals drafted Rey Maualuga in the second round this season and now the two former USC linebackers are teammates again. With the addition of Maualuga this should help Rivers become the playmaking outside linebacker the Bengals envisioned prior to last year’s injury.
LB Tavares Gooden, Baltimore Ravens – Bart Scott left the Ravens to join the New York Jets and new head coach Rex Ryan, who was the Ravens defensive coordinator last season. That leaves a void in the linebackers, which Gooden will get the first shot to fill. Gooden played at the University of Miami and was thought of so highly coming out of high school that he got permission to wear Ray Lewis’ jersey number 52 at Miami and now gets to play next to him. Gooden has all the talent in the world and just needed an opportunity to play to that potential. Now he has his chance.
CB Leodis McKelvin, Buffalo Bills - McKelvin only started six games last season, making 32 tackles and only two interceptions but played better as the season went on. Now that McKelvin has a full season under his belt he should blossom into very good overall cornerback who has the ability to cover in zone as well as man to man. Look for him to be one of the better cornerbacks next season.
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