[Note by cavortingEagle, 07/04/08 8:52 AM MDT Promoted from Fanposts]
May and June certainly isn't the time to read too much into the state of an NFL football team. But we are in July now, and perhaps this time just before training camp is the perfect time to look at what the prospects for the upcoming season are, especially when compared to previous years. 

There are a few very important things that stand out to me at this point. I remember an article by Dave Spadaro about the same time last year, where he posed the question: "Is it a good thing or a bad thing that the biggest position battle is between the punters?" This is a good point to start from. He went on to say that time will tell. Obviously that is in the history books now, and time has indeed told. It was not good for this team. During training camp last year the biggest question marks involved the punter and the development of Broderick Bunkley. That was it. Looking back, this may have been a factor involved in the release of Jeremiah Trotter. A year on, it is clear that the linebackers that have replaced him and Takeo Spikes is a source of good competition. And eventhough I still yearn to have Trot on the field in green on Sundays, I must admit that the prospect of the current linebacking corps gets me very excited. This could be an example of where increased competition has improved the team.

The linebackers are a very interesting group, with a good amount of competition between them. Eventhough Omar Gaither, Stewart Bradley and Chris GoCong may be penciled in as the starters, competition dosn't have to refer to direct competition. The competition between the linebackers is primarily one where each one of them needs to prove that they are indeed the real deal. And having three young, energetic men vying for respect can be a devastatingly good thing. The important factor is that they seem to have a good relationship, which means that they will push each other in a positive way. The athleticism of this group is further evidence of the good things that youth and competition brings. Stewart Bradley is the prime example. He is bigger than Patrick Willis, Jon Beason and Paul Posluszny (6'3'', 254lbs), and he is more explosive than them (4.17 shuttle time). GoCong and Bradley tied for the lead among this group in bench reps (28). Of course, these are just combine numbers and they don't matter much on game day. But the point is that this group is primed to be an example of how good competition can be for a team. 

During training camp last year, I also distinctly remember William James proclaiming himself ready to take over Sheldon Brown's job at cornerback. When looking at the level of competition at cornerback this year, I can't help but chuckle even more at the thought of James baing a starter on this defense. Something that people seem to forget about the Lito Sheppard "situation" is the level of competition it brings to the secondary. And based on what was evident from camp last year, it seems obvious that competition is a good thing. Having competition between two Pro-Bowlers and an unbreakable shutdown corner, as well as a rising star in my opinion in Joselio Hansen? Well that is something we could only have dreamed about last year. 

Even the undervalued position of fullback is enjoying a huge amount of competition, to the point where it actually seems as if the coaches can't make up their minds! But this could also prove to be very good, as this will probably result in the position being upgraded over Thomas Tapeh. 

Strictly speaking, Quarterback is another position featuring competition. Last year, Donovan McNabb was the starter, A.J. Feeley and Kelly Holcomb were the backups and Kevin Kolb was the youngster. This time around, Kolb appears to have beaten Feeley out to take that second spot, and this means that he is one injury away from starting (usually that doesn't mean much, but unfortunately it is a factor when considering McNabb). Of course, the dynamic becomes even more interesting if Kolb were to get meaningful playing time during the regular season...But I don't see that as being good competition. That could in fact be potentially devastating. 

Other positions that have some nice internal competitions going on include: Running back - This may be the position that has the biggest impact offensively this year, and seeing the competition between Booker, Buckhalter and Hunt for that backup spot is encouraging. Wide Reciever - This battle will be primarily for the 3rd and 4th WR spots between Jackson, Baskett, Avant and Lewis. Tight End - The emergence of Brent Celek and the addition of Kris Wilson means that there will be great competition for playing time behind L.J. Smith. Left Guard - This competition was highly publicized prior to OTA's, but Jean-Gilles has been dissapointing so far and Herremans is the clear favourite. Left End - This is a good battle between the size of Victor Abiamiri, the speed of Chris Clemons and the stability of Jaqua Parker. Strong Safety - Sean Considine needs to make a push to prove that he is worth keeping on this team, while Quintin Mikell is the favourite to start next to Brian Dawkins. 

I see the positions that feature a healthy dose of competition this year as the following: QB, HB, FB, LG, DE, LB, CB, SS.  

That sure is a whole lot more exciting than Sav vs Dirk.