I agree that TFL is a system thing too. Like I said prior that being a threat to the play anywhere on the field is very hard to find. It's not just speed and agility it's mental processing to be in the right place. I am thinking about that Gretzky quote "I skate to where the puck is going to be."
Poz, Levitre, Byrd, Whitner, Clements, all good players that were WAY OVERPAID in FA.Originally Posted by stuckincincy
Through the years, many top MLBs hardly qualified as physical specimens, although some have. A lot of them have been short and squat. Little speed.
A top MLB is a Field General. Your defensive QB.
The Gretsky quote is perfect.
I was one who worried about moving Alonso to OLB, because that would nail him down to specific responsibilities, and I think he doesn't have the physical skills. Alonso is no thumper, but he speeds to the action. I realize that NFL tackle and assist numbers are fantasy, but Alonso got a good number of stops, valid assists, and a stat not recognized, that of just being in the way of offensive players around the action. Valuable stuff.
His freak injury was a tremendous loss IMO.
Fiat justitia ruat caelum. Noli timere. Laus Deo.
This is very true, and why 4-3 DL and 3-4 rush LB usually are TFL leaders. For instance, last season both Mario WIlliams (15) and Kyle Williams (14) had more TFL than Alonso (11). Jerry Hughes was right behind (9). It is more of a scheme-dependent stat than something that tells about how good a tackler someone may be.
I don't recall anyone ever saying that Bradham was a 1st or 2nd round talent. I'd be curious where you got that from. Either way though, I don't really judge any of our players, let alone a rookie, on how they played under Wannstedt. His scheme was garbage.
I'm not making any predictions about he'll do this year. I'm just interested to see how he does if he wins a starting role since his opportunities were so limited last year.
Here's a "Psst!" BUF should look to grabbing a couple of CIN LBs - CIN is dripping with talent, their PS has been raided routinely.
Keep an eye on Dontay Mock, Jayson DiManche, and J.K. Schaffer.
More than just the system.. It's the game in general. The systems have adapted to the game in general. We had guys like Conlan, Paup, and Spielman who may have penetrated better, but the game has slowly changed. It was changing during London Fletcher's tenure in Buffalo.
There's just no talking down Barnett, we used his aging self as pretty much the only linebacker and he did everything he was supposed to, being the only linebacker and aging. I'm talking snap counts. They used him stupid, he did his job.
Bradham....will be great if it works out, I still think he's a special teams body. Won't hurt my feelings any if he tears it up. He'd better do it soon though, he's on his 3rd year. They've given him a lot of chances to play and he's been a special teams body.
Gifted athlete, do something with it.
Really reminds me of Jerry Hughes. Would be good if it paid off here.
Bradham and Rivers are the best fits for weak side linebacker. Bradham didn't get a lot of playing time last season, but played pretty well when he got the chance. IMO he should be favored to win the spot.
I've made up my mind. Don't confuse me with the facts.
I'm the most reasonable poster here. If you don't agree, I'll be forced to have a hissy fit.
Just curious. What made you think he played pretty well when he got the chance if you were watching the same games I was.
He didn't play not well, would be a reach to get him to anything "average" though. He looked like a special teams lb that had to play defense.
Bradham was our best LB during the last quarter of the season. I expected him and Kiko to be our nickel LBs when Spikes came off the field. He can fill Kiko's spot without a massive dropoff.
So now we're going to rely on Rivers to help out in coverage. I don't know enough about him to have an opinion.
Marrone said Bradham played well last year & did not get enough credit for how well he played.
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