ESPN Insider: Talk NFL with Gary Horton

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Talk NFL with Gary Horton

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SportsNation The ShowGirl: Gary Horton's up next to talk NFL, so send in those questions!

SportsNation Gary Horton: As we discussed last week, the NFL is on vacation but we still have some time to talk some football.

Jay (Providence): Hey Gary, even with Nick Saban taking charge, how much better will the Fins be? The QB situation is shaky at best and Vernon Carey doesn't seem to be a real LT. As much as I'd like Leinart in Miami I don't want them in the position to pick him.

SportsNation Gary Horton: I think Miami will be improved in 2005 even though the personnel is not much better. Saban will have discipline and fewer mistakes and they will win a couple of close games. And even if they are in a position they might not draft Leinart because be builds on defense and the running game. They know what they're doing and they will mirror the Patriots in terms if depth and flexibility.

BOB (CINCY): WHO IS THE BEST QB IN THE AFC NORTH ? CARSON PALMER OR BIG BEN

SportsNation Gary Horton: I think both can have solid seasons but I like the way Palmer finished '04 with more confidence, reading Ds a lot better and you got the feeling things were getting better before injury. As fror Big Ben, he's progressed well but will miss Burress as a go-to guy. he's lobbied for more open passing, but a lot of his long completions last season were jump balls to Burress. I think the Steelers will run more than the Bengals and Palmer will have a chance to put up bigger numbers.

Abe (SLC): Do you think that Jim Bates will be able to turn the Packers Defense around?

SportsNation Gary Horton: Bates is probably the biggest offseason acquisition the Packers had. He is an xcellent coordinator who will bring discipline and toughness, but the problem is they didn't bring in new personnel. They are just not talented enough, and one of the most amazing things to me this offseason was Green bay's inability to bring in defensive players. If you think you can fix a defense by bringing in a coach, look at KC and Gunther Cunningham last year. If you don't have the players it's hard to make plays and I think the Packers are in trouble because of their defense.

Kip (Trenton): Don't you think a team like Jacksonville should be willing to part with a 3rd round pick for a proven back like Travis Henry??? Whats the holdup? Why rush Fred back looking at this year alone, and not the rest of his career? If they are looking at this year they should get Henry, while allowing Taylor to work his way back in. Your thoughts

SportsNation Gary Horton: If Taylor is healthy they don't need to make that move, but I'm hearing it is an issue and durablilty becomes a key. Buffalo is in a good position to shop Henry because teams will now have to react when they have injuries and maybe overpay a little bit. If Taylor is not healthy they should make the move because they have to take some pressure off Byron Leftwich and the passing game.

Andy (NJ): With all the new additions on offense, how good can the Raiders be?

SportsNation Gary Horton: I love the Raiders on offense for a couple of reasons. They can put a quality three WR set on the field with Moss, Porter and Curry and force defenses to play nickel and dime schemes. You can't double all of them and Kerry Collins deep ball is the best part of his game. But the best part is how Lamont Jordan and the running game are affected. He will face a lot of soft defensive fronts because of the perimeter game, and behind a big line he will see some lanes and could rush for 1,500 yards. Jordan could be the biggest breakout player this seaosn.

Preston (Shreveport): With Dallas going to the 3-4 defense, where does that leave La'Roi Glover? Jason Ferguson was brought in for the 3-4 and it seems like Dallas' perennial Pro-Bowler and only source of consistency is left in the cold.

SportsNation Gary Horton: Glover is not a great fit in the 3-4, he's more of a penetrator in a 4-3. But they can still play four-man fronts in nickel packages. His workload will be down a little, but even though he may not be in an ideal position he will still have a big role in nickel pass rush situations, and the same goes for Greg Ellis.

Trent (Clifton, NJ): Will Jim Fassel ever turn Kyle Boller into a good NFL starting QB?

SportsNation Gary Horton: To me this is a defining season for Boller. He has no excuses after the upgrades at WR, and he has enough game experience to be expecting more. He also has Fassel and new QB coach Rick Neuheisel. He has a great go-to guy in Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton is a great rookie and a healthy Todd Heap makes for a nice trio of weapons. Boller has to do a better job of reading Ds and not forcing balls into coverages. Fassel will have a little more balance and may not run as much on first and second down, so Boller will have a chance to be in some creative situations. He has to prove in 2005 he can carry this team.

SportsNation Gary Horton: To me this is a defining season for Boller. He has no excuses after the upgrades at WR, and he has enough game experience to be expecting more. He also has Fassel and new QB coach Rick Neuheisel. He has a great go-to guy in Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton is a great rookie and a healthy Todd Heap makes for a nice trio of weapons. Boller has to do a better job of reading Ds and not forcing balls into coverages. Fassel will have a little more balance and may not run as much on first and second down, so Boller will have a chance to be in some creative situations. He has to prove in 2005 he can carry this team.

Greg ( Wheeling, WV ): Who is the best DE in the league, Peppers or freeney?

SportsNation Gary Horton: I would go with Freeney right now because he's the toughest matchup for tackles with his speed and explosiveness are almost impossible to stop, and he's one of the few guys at that position who causes teams to alter their entire blocking schemes. He'll get more attention from backs and ends trying to chip him because there is not a left tackle in the league who can match his quickness.

nick (dayton, oh): Who's your biggest surprise playoff team for next year right now?

SportsNation Gary Horton: I think Cincinnati and jacksonville look like the Cinderella teams. Both have excellent young QBs, Jacksonville has the makings of a dominating defense, and both have some confidence and swagger, and both organizations feel like they are ready to take the next step. And Detroit and Chicago could also surprise people, though they may not be playoff teams. They are young teams headed in the right direction who could be very competitive. But all four have youth at QB and that's always the x-factor.

Shane (Pueblo Co): I am an avid Denver Broncos fan and am excited about the upcoming season. The one are I am worried about going into the season is the backfield opposite of Champ Bailey. What are your thoughts on Lenny Walls? Is he good enough to be a starter?

SportsNation Gary Horton: The secondary is a concern, Shane, and the ability to match up in man is critical to the blitz. They have a lot of questions along the D line as well with some veteran underachievers, and they have to hope to get a rush out of those guys. They are also talking about playing some 3-4 schemes and DC larry Coyer would like to play man behind it and have the possibility to blitz behind them. But they don't have all the bodies at corner to put guys on an island, and Bailey had a little bit of an off year last year. One of the big challenges in camp is working on the perimeter coverages. But I don't know if they'll get much help from the guys up front, anyway.

Christopher (Phoenix): Dennis Green seems to be heading into training camp planning on relying heavily on J.J. Arrington, is this a wise move and will it pay off for the Cardinals?

SportsNation Gary Horton: I don't think they have another option because I don't know how healthy marcel Shipp is. In an ideal world Arrington is a Brian Westbrook player who is versatile, but he's going to be forced to handle a big load. They do have a nice three-WR package, though, and even though Green likes to run the ball I don't know that he has the personnel up front to get it done. Arrington will be on the field a lot and asked to handle a lot of duties, but the pass game will come along first.

Alex (Gaithersburg): The best offensive lineman in the NFL is ______________

SportsNation Gary Horton: ...probably Orlando Pace. Although the more film you watch, you see him and Jonathan Ogden giving up a few more plays than they used to. Seattle's duo of G Steve Hutchinson and T Walter Jones are playing at a high level right now. This is a tough question, though, because there is not one particluar guy who can just shut out the dominant speed rushers out there.

SportsNation Gary Horton: I'm on vacation up in Newport, RI, so my time is up. Look forward to talking to you all next week from somewhere new!