We are taking a few minutes today to discuss some topics among league sources. 

There isn’t many interesting things to watch about the San Francisco 49ers right now.  But for those who follow the scouting end of the game should keep an eye on nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga over the next few weeks. 

With Aubrayo Franklin sidelined, Sopoaga will see a lot more snaps.  He’s been an underachiever up until this season.  Not many interior linemen possess the natural strength and power of Sopoaga, but he’s never been real effective on the field.  He’s always been sloppy with his technique in the past, but made an effort to improve that area of his game last spring.  He’s shown strides this season, but remains inconsistent with his technique.  When Sopoaga uses his hands well and plays with proper leverage, he has the ability to control multiple blockers to clog the middle against the run. 

A few teams – notably the Browns, Jets, and Dolphins will be watching closely at Sopoaga’s play down the stretch as he becomes a free agent this spring. 

I’ve had a lot of people ask me about the future of Vikings WR Troy Williamson.  Could he flourish in a change of scenery?  He definitely needs a change and fresh start.  But I have doubts on whether Williamson develops into a consistent playmaker unless he changes his approach to the game.  He’s worked on catching the ball better this season, although he still drops too many passes.  But many sources question whether Williamson really loves the game.  I believe Williamson is more of an athlete than football player.  He could become a contributor as a downfield target with the right team that has other components around him, but he’ll never be a consistent football player that teams could build around. 

There hasn’t been many positives in Carolina lately, but the development of linebackers Jon Beason and Thomas Davis has been a bright spot.  Neither is a complete player, but both have shown some strengths to build around this season as young linebackers.  Beason began the season on the weakside, but has found a comfort zone in the middle as a rookie after Dan Morgan became sidelined again.  Beason needs to add bulk, but is instinctive against the run and seems to be around the ball a lot.  He does need to found a comfort level against the pass though.  Handling most of the coverage duties among the linebackers has been Davis.  Davis has done a solid job matching up against tight end and running backs against the pass this season.  While Davis has made strides on the mental part of the game this season, he still needs to gain a better feel for his responsibilities against the run. 

As Denver cornerback Domonique Foxworth has been taking on new responsibilities in the secondary, a handful of scouts are keeping an eye on the soon to be restricted free agent.  Foxworth doesn’t play the ball well enough to become a playmaker nor has great physical skills, but he’s a natural athlete in coverage and is very intelligent.  Those two traits are very valuable in this league – speed and smarts. 

It’s very telling how bad the situation is in Atlanta right now when fans cheered when Joey Harrington came upon the field last Sunday after Byron Leftwich’s departure.  I don’t see Bobby Petrino getting a good read on Leftwich this season.  Leftwich is smarter than Harrington and commands better respect from players, but he’s rusty from a lot of injuries the past few years, which has made him even more deliberate in the pocket.  He hasn’t much time to learn a new offense during the season and durability problems have haunted him in two starts this season.  Petrino already knows enough about Harrington.  Although Harrington flashes at times, he lacks the temperament and presence to become a respected quarterback in Atlanta.