SB Nation Detroit Editor's Pick
A Tuff Look at the Lions Linebackers - Part 3 - Looking Forward
by TuffLynx on May 15, 2011 1:36 PM EDT
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This is the third, and final, part of my look at the Lions linebackers. If you have not read the previous two installments then you can find them at these links:
A Tuff Look at the Lions Linebackers - Part 1
A Tuff Look at the Lions Linebackers - Part 2
It probably is not necessary to read part one in order to understand this fan post, because most of it is rehashed in part two anyway. You probably should read part two in order to gain a complete context on how I am evaluating players to decide which linebackers would be the best fit for the Lions.
In part two we talked about the defensive system that the Lions play and the role that the linebackers fill within that system. Then we looked at the profile that the Lions use to evaluate linebackers to fit within their system. To recap briefly, we determined that the ideal linebacker for the Lions
- Will be over 6 feet tall and 230 lbs in size.
- Are reasonably fast (40 yard dash in under 4.7 seconds)
- Pure speed is not as important as playing speed.
- Must be able to defend the pass while covering running backs and tight ends
- Must be able to play good run defense
- Ability to rush the passer is a plus
- Should be a sure tackler
- Should hit the ball carrier with authority
All of the linebackers we look at will be evaluated based on this profile. There are a number of players that are a possibility for the Lions to acquire. What we do not know is the conditions under which a player will become an unrestricted free agent, we can only guess. I will not bother guessing. Instead, I will present a number of names that the Lions can consider acquiring and I will not distinguish between free agency and making a trade. This article will focus on how each of these players meets our profile and will attempt to rank each player according tho how they will fit in our defense.
A Look At the Players
We will start by taking a brief look at each player and what they can do. I will present a brief scouting report on each player as I see them. You can feel free to disagree with any of my assessments. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
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| Pros: Anderson is a quick, athletic outside linebacker. He can cover large areas of the field and play from sideline to sideline. His run defense is very good and he led all NFL linebackers with 61 stops in 2010. Anderson is a sure tackler and breaks down well in space to make a good solid tackle. He can also play solid pass defense as evidenced by him breaking up 6 passes and intercepting one in 2010. Anderson is fully capable of covering both tight ends and running backs in man coverage. |
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| Cons: Anderson had a breakout year in 2010 and could be a one year wonder. but his play on the field suggests he is the real deal. |
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Overview: James Anderson is my pick as the outside linebacker that the Lions should pursue in free agency this season. If there were a picture of the ideal that Jim Schwartz is using for his linebacker profile, the picture would be of Anderson. Anderson is a great fit for the Lions because he already has proved himself in the Carolina 4-3 defense. He will not have to learn an entirely new defensive scheme in order to fit in with the Lions. He is simply as close as the Lions will come to the prototypical strong side linebacker for their system in the 2011 free agent market. |
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| Pros: Stephen Nicholas is a physical outside linebacker that likes to hit. He plays best when he is allowed to attack up field and make plays in the backfield. Nicholas' strength is his run defense. He shows good quickness and can make tackles in pursuit. He has enough quickness to create pressure on the quarterback in blitz situations. |
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| Cons: Nicholas is a bit stiff in the hips and that can cause him some trouble in pass coverage. He operates best in pass coverage when he can drop into a zone and keep the play in front of him. He will struggle in man-to-man coverage on tight ends. |
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Overview: Stephen Nicholas is best used as a strong side linebacker that is primarily asked to play the run. He is not horrible in pass coverage when properly used, but he will not be a standout in that role. He is still a clear upgrade over any other Lions linebacker in run defense. Think of him as a better version of Zack Follett. |
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| Pros: Manny Lawson is an athletic outside linebacker with excellent speed and vertical jump. He can easily cover the field from sideline to sideline. His pass coverage skills are excellent and he can be counted on to erase the opposing tight end and running backs from the passing game. Lawson's run defense is also good. Manny is capable of pressuring the quarterback when asked to blitz. |
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| Cons: Manny Lawson suffered a torn ACL in 2007 and missed most of the season but he has performed well since then. Lawson is not a tackling machine like some of the other linebackers in this list. |
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| Overview: Manny Lawson is a player that is out of place. His performance in the 3-4 defense in San Francisco indicates that he would probably fit better in a 4-3 scheme. While he can get pressure on the quarterback from the blitz, he is not a beast as rushing the passer. This has limited his effectiveness and snaps for the 49ers. Since the 49ers drafted Aldon Smith, it is likely that Lawson will lose even more snaps. It is possible that Lawson would be happy to change teams in order to get a fresh start in a role that suits him better. |
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| Pros: While Stephen Tulloch is not the fastest player in this list, he makes up for his lack of speed with very good instincts. He is good at filling the hole in run defense and makes sure tackles. |
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| Cons: Lack of speed makes Tulloch a liability in passing defense. He has proved in Tennessee that he is essentially a two down linebacker. |
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Overview: There has been a lot of discussion about Tulloch coming to the Lions. While I cannot discount the possibility entirely, he does not seem to fit the Lions linebacker profile. It is likely that a team like the New York Giants will prize him more highly than the Lions would. |
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| Pros: Thomas Howard may be the fastest linebacker in the NFL. He is so fast that he not only can he cover linebackers and tight ends, but he can also cover wide receivers. He can also get to the passer quickly on blitzes Howard is one of those guys that not only has speed, he can play with speed. |
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| Cons: Howard has not met the expectations of the Raiders at outside linebacker because of his problems in defending the run. He has not developed the strength and skills required to shed blocks effectively and gets caught up in traffic. | |||||||||||||||||
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Overview: Thomas Howard is the polar opposite to Stephen Tulloch. He gives you a superb pass defense and a somewhat deficient run defense. Still, he would be an upgrade to any of the outside linebackers currently on the roster. |
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The Tale of the Tape
All we have left to do is compare each of these players. I will put each of the profile requirements in a table and rate each player accordingly. There are five primary requirements and three secondary requirements. The ratings will be from one to ten with ten being the highest grade for primary requirements. Secondary requirements will be graded from one to five. So let's see how it turns out.
| Player | Size | Speed | Pass Def | Run Def | Blitz | Tackling | Aggression | Total |
| James Anderson | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 46 |
| Manny Lawson | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 43 |
| Thomas Howard | 9 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 43 |
| Stephen Nicholas | 8 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 39 |
| Stephen Tulloch | 9 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 38 |
As you look at these numbers keep in mind that the grades are measuring how the player fits the requirements of the profile that the Lions use to fit linebackers into their system. My grades have placed James Anderson at the top of the list for free agent linebackers. Keep in mind that Anderson may be a one year wonder and that might knock him down a few points if the Lions were the ones doing the evaluation. I think the Lions will look at talent and skills and will not worry that much about only one year of big production.
You might rank the players differently from how I have. You might have some players that you would like to add to the rankings. Feel free to chip in your thoughts and maybe we can get some insight into how Martin Mayhew might be thinking about filling holes in the linebacker corps.
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pride of Detroit or its writers. FanPosts are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable fans.
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Comments
I think Anderson and Nicholas are our best options
I’m not big on Tulloch or lawson personally. Howard isn’t a bad runner up prize but I think these are the two guys we have the best chance to get that can make a HUGE diffrence.
Suh,Fairley,Williams and Hill with the 4 horseman ride or choose your fate and die!
PCP 4 LIFE
+1
.Does your momma have a Big Ass like your head?
by delusional on May 13, 2011 11:33 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
+1
well i like Lawson but got another name to add into the mix Tyjuan Hagler. I think it all depends on first and for most the amount of $$$ Detroit spends on a corner, like if M & S land Asomugha then i would love to see them bring in Howard or Hagler and if there isnt a big signning at corner then i would love to get Anderson or Nicholas.
" Maybe for a writer...but i am sure most of you can tell i am not a writer". det32
I like Manny Lawson and Howard
There not big names like the others and theres no big slack off…..the other guys will be more expensive and i think we should use some of that money for a #1 corner………tufflynx do 1 of these for corners?
To be honest, I'd be pretty happy with any of those players
I’ve always favoured Lawson though for some reason.
RIP Robyn Bailey 1961 - 2010. I love you mum.
I like Lawson too
Maybe he’ll come a little cheaper since he’s switching from 3-4 to 4-3 and I’m guessing his numbers weren’t great in the wrong system. Anderson sounds good too.
"Aside from the stuff I haven’t been diagnosed for yet, I don’t have a problem."- Phil Coke
Contributor, Bless You Boys
by David Tokarz on May 18, 2011 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions
How about Justin Durant?
I don’t know the full story with his situation in Jacksonville, but it sounds like he won’t be back with the Jags. I know there’s some injury issues, but it seems like he would be one of the better all-around 4-3 LB targets. He’s 6’1 at about 240 lbs with 4.5 speed! He’s only 25 and he has shown that he can produce on the field when healthy. I think he might be worth a shot.
by Forward Down The Field on May 14, 2011 12:16 AM EDT reply actions
I will take a look at him and add him to the ratings.
I have seen him play a little bit but I want to do some homework to make sure I am evaluating him fairly against the other players.
Cool
I don’t know much about him first-hand, but what I’ve heard sounds pretty good… a 2nd round pick out of Hampton in 2007, in addition to the 4.5 speed he’s a solid tackler who is strong in pursuit with good instincts, decent in coverage with potential to get better, and has improved at shedding blocks for a speedier linebacker. Pass-rushing nothing of note. Had a good season in 2009 but then missed 2 big chunks of time this past season due to injuries.
by Forward Down The Field on May 14, 2011 3:24 AM EDT up reply actions
I also follow the Jags and Durant will likely be let go this year.
He is constantly getting injured. He has never played a full season in the NFL, with 13, 14, 13, and ten games played. No big injuries, just a collection of small ones that force him to miss the odd game or two or three and hamper his play when he returns.
2010 was his worst year for injuries. I would stay away from this guy.
"Filling a need doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a good player," said Schwartz. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that best fits; it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that’s better than what you have already."
How do you figure that Esmurf?
As far as I know, Levy was available for every game his rookie year and started ten of them. Last year he was recovering from the groin injury and he started the last ten games of the season. I don’t see that Levy is injury prone at all. Do you have some other information that contradicts this?
"Filling a need doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a good player," said Schwartz. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that best fits; it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that’s better than what you have already."
The groin injury nagged him all year. Even when he played, he rarely played to full potential.
I would give him pretty much the 4 games at the end of the year that he was healthy. By your numbers above, Durant has missed 3, 2, 3, and 6 games. That is a total of 14 games over 4 seasons, and average of 3.5 per year. Levy has missed 5 games in 2 years, an average of 2.5 per year. That is close enough alone, but you and I both know that many of those games Levy played he was at best 80%. Had we any depth he would have missed far more than the two additional games last year to put him at 3.5 also. We will see how it goes this year, I am not calling Levy injury prone, its just a pet peeve of mine.
The Lions front office seems to want to center the whole damn defense around Levy, in a league that averages something like 3.4 starters per week injured…. They need to get it into their head that they will need a back up field general to be able to do the job at times.
Ndamukong Suh - Bringing 50's football back to Motown!
"I am not calling levy injury-prone..."
You implied that levy is injury prone in your previous comment. Don’t run away from your statements. There is no basis yet for that suggestion.
Huh ?!?!?!
in addition to the 4.5 speed he’s a solid tackler who is strong in pursuit with good instincts, decent in coverage with potential to get better, and has improved at shedding blocks for a speedier linebacker
No big injuries, just a collection of small ones that force him to miss the odd game or two or three and hamper his play when he returns.
How is responding to that with a comment of Levy 2.0 calling Levy injury prone?
Ndamukong Suh - Bringing 50's football back to Motown!
Maybe you did not mean to, but you replied to my comment.
Which was basically that Durant is injury prone and cannot stay healthy and that is why the Jags are letting him go.
You then called him Levy 2.0. How else could you interpret that?
"Filling a need doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a good player," said Schwartz. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that best fits; it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that’s better than what you have already."
Levy was not injured in his first year at all.
He then missed the first five games of 2010 with a groin injury. That is a lot different than Durant, who has never made it through a sixteen game season healthy in four years.
That is no comparison.
"Filling a need doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a good player," said Schwartz. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that best fits; it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that’s better than what you have already."
No point in arguing in circles
My words are up there, people can read em and interpret as they wish. BTW, for the record, I would not call a guy injury prone unless he has had several injuries to the same part of the body over a course of time. At that point I think it is fair to make the logical leap that something is not right with that part of a players body.
However since roughly 3.4 starters get injured every week in the NFL, and from playing high school football myself, I know that no player goes through a season uninjured, period. It is just a matter of how severe the injuries are and what they can play through.
Just to be clear here, my only mistake in communication was responding to several comments about Durant after YOU called HIM injury prone.
I will try to be more clear in the future to never let anyone think that your words are mine.
Ndamukong Suh - Bringing 50's football back to Motown!
For the record, I call guys injury prone if they injure different parts of their body that cause them to miss games.
Not if he injures one part of his body only. Levy injured one part of his body [groin] that caused him to miss five games. Durant has missed fourteen games spread over ALL four years for a wide array of injuries.
That’s what I call injury prone.
"Filling a need doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a good player," said Schwartz. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that best fits; it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that’s better than what you have already."
You think you could add in Tyjuan Hagler...
" Maybe for a writer...but i am sure most of you can tell i am not a writer". det32
I like Anderson
but with the panthers going to a 3-4., it is very likely that he will be re-signed.
This is the Motor City. And this is what we do...
And God sayeth onto Abraham. "Goeth and spread my word of the P.C.P. and all will well with your people."
the Lions D-Line: the Four Horsemen of the A-sac-alypse
Where do you hear that the Panthers are going 3-4 ?
I am pretty sure they are staying in the 4-3. But I agree with you that Carolina will not let him go easily. He is at the top of his game and a part of the best LB corps in the NFL IMO. The guy they will let walk is Thomas Davis. He has lost the last two years due to serious knee injuries. He will be a big risk to sign, but he is a great OLB when healthy.
Thomas Davis 6’ 1" 240 pounds, 4.60 40, and a former Safety at Georgia.
"Filling a need doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a good player," said Schwartz. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that best fits; it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that’s better than what you have already."
I guess I mis-read the story. Carolina will be using more 3-4 looks. But I assume that the base will be a 4-3
The Charlotte Observer expects James Anderson to be re-signed as the Panthers’ starting strong-side linebacker.Jon Beason is expected to remain in the middle, and new head coach Ron Rivera supposedly thinks as highly of free agent Thomas Davis on the weak side as GM Marty Hurney does. Stout run defender Dan Connor (hip surgery) appears headed back to a reserve role, though Rivera does figure to mix in more 3-4 looks.
This is the Motor City. And this is what we do...
And God sayeth onto Abraham. "Goeth and spread my word of the P.C.P. and all will well with your people."
the Lions D-Line: the Four Horsemen of the A-sac-alypse
I don't blame them for trying to resign Davis.
He should be able to be signed for a relatively small contract and if he returns to form they will have an amazing set of LBs , with an excellent back up in Dan Connor.
"Filling a need doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a good player," said Schwartz. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that best fits; it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that’s better than what you have already."
I have made my preference for Thomas Howard known in an earlier FanPost.
That decision was based primarily on cost and availability. I don’t think there is a chance in hell that Anderson will even be available, and Manny Lawson will be very, very, expensive, if he is available.
"Filling a need doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a good player," said Schwartz. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that best fits; it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that’s better than what you have already."
You might be right.
I purposely did not go into how feasible each of these players will be to acquire so that we would have more to talk about in the comments.
An awful lot will depend on how the new CBA works out. The owners had agreed to unrestricted free agency after four years in the previous CBA. I fully expect that will return in the new CBA and all of the linebackers in this list will be unrestricted. Even if we end up with unrestricted free agency at five years, then Stephen Nicholas is the only player that will be taken off the list.
Carolina will try to keep Anderson. He is a young player that fits very well into their system and the Panthers want to keep the strength of their team intact in order to get a head start on their rebound to respectability. But Anderson is almost certain to be an unrestricted free agent. He will get some serious looks and offers from other teams. Since this contract is likely to take Anderson into his 30’s he may place some priority on getting to a team that has a chance to win more quickly than Carolina. He may not be willing to wait two or three years to have a shot at the playoffs.
I don’t think that Manny Lawson will be as expensive as a lot of people think. His stats are artificially deflated by being in a system that is not right for him and losing some snaps to other players because of it. The 49ers drafted Aldon Smith to play OLB and that means that Lawson is likely to see even fewer snaps. He knows that if he wants to energize his career he needs to get to a 4-3 team because he just cannot provide the outside pass rush the 3-4 teams will be looking for. It is difficult to say how much money he will command as a 4-3 OLB, but it should be well within the budget of the Lions, if we do not sign Nnamdi Asomugha.
Thomas Howard is easily the best pass coverage linebacker in this list. He is a converted safety and has some serious skills. He is the only linebacker in this list that has good enough hips to turn with wide receivers. There is a lot to be said for having a linebacker that can cover anybody on the offense if needed. You do take a hit on his run defense though. He is not bad, he just is not strong enough to fight through the wash across the field. The Lions tendency to play outside linebackers over the tackles might help him since he might be fast enough to get across before the blockers can get out to the second level to stop him.
I do not feel that Tulloch or Nicholas have the pass coverage skills needed to really fit the Lions profile. They both must play zone coverage in order to keep from being burned and they both give up a pretty high completion percentage because of they tend to give the receivers too much room to catch the ball. Of course, that is my opinion and you may disagree.
by TuffLynx on May 14, 2011 9:38 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Funny about Howard though. His PFF pass coverage rating for 2009 was pretty bad.
That was the last year he played regularly [954 snaps]. Rating of – 6.1. Third worst among regular 4-3 OLBs in 2009. Only better than Aaron Curry and DeAndre Levy
Although he does have the speed and athletic ability to be an excellent coverage LB.
I still like him for the Lions.
"Filling a need doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a good player," said Schwartz. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that best fits; it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that’s better than what you have already."
That's what I was wondering about with him
more of that ‘potential’ type…I think we need a proven and consistent LB – at least one of them who can start and not make many mistakes…
""Dont get fairly, dont get fairly, dont get fairly PLEASE DON'T! PLEASE DETROIT! DONT get fairly.....................FUUUUUUUUUCK!!!" - T. Moore
I have no real reason to trust PFF
It’s an interesting site and all, but I take all of their rankings with a big ole grain of salt. Saying you review every play of the season doesn’t mean you review them WELL.
PFF also rates Tulloch as an excellent pass defender and I KNOW that isn't true.
I have watched Tulloch enough to see that he has glaring deficiencies in his pass defense. It seems that PFF is the only one that has a different opinions. I sometimes get confused by the PFF ratings because they are such advanced satats that they compile a lot of different info and reduce that into a composite rating. Depending on how they weight certain aspects of the ranking and what they actually look at to make their analysis, the PFF rankings can either be dead on or wildly wrong. But I have neither done enough analysis of their ratings or have enough of the raw data that they use, to tell you what is correct. All that I know is the passing ratings on the linebackers simply do not pass the smell test for me.
I have to agree with some of your criticisms.
To me, there should be some kind of cross check between their ratings and the stats of the player involved. That would especially show up in pass coverage stats where the player’s completion % against, TDs allowed, INTs and passes defensed, could all be looked at versus the “norm” to try and verify what they are seeing on a play by play basis versus an overall performance.
For instance, the overall team defensive rating can be largely positive, yet the team ranks in the bottom half for yards and points given up. Same goes for O Line ratings.
"Filling a need doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a good player," said Schwartz. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that best fits; it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that’s better than what you have already."
I'd agree with that
It’s mainly their weighting system I find a bit off at times. But yeah, for pass defense, why wouldn’t completion % against and passes defensed be very very important( weighted heavily)?
""Dont get fairly, dont get fairly, dont get fairly PLEASE DON'T! PLEASE DETROIT! DONT get fairly.....................FUUUUUUUUUCK!!!" - T. Moore
Rounding
Rounding numbers can do some amazing things.
I’m with you. By the rules he should be docked some points for that. I think the size thing is ‘weighted’ towards weight. Which is ok if you come out and say that.
My stats say he is 6'0"...
which puts him into the height category of the Lions profile. His weight is actually heavier than than most of the other linebackers in the list. I felt that his height was big enough to not penalize him while his weight was good.
Keep in mind that these are my own rankings and you are free to rank however you choose. It is quite common for different evaluators to come to different conclusions. YOu really need to stop thinking that everybody needs to think like a hive-mind about things.
Rocky McIntosh
Stephen Nicholas
James Anderson
Manny Lawson
Thomas Howard
are probably the LB i am looking at the most… Anderson is unlike though.. think he stays in car or goes to den
RIP KURTIS CHAIVRE
Rocky is one of the worst cover LBs in the league
This is the Motor City. And this is what we do...
And God sayeth onto Abraham. "Goeth and spread my word of the P.C.P. and all will well with your people."
the Lions D-Line: the Four Horsemen of the A-sac-alypse
Nicholas is a two down Linebacker only. He does not fit our scheme.
My understanding is that he is a run stuffer only and really struggles in coverage.
"Filling a need doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a good player," said Schwartz. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that best fits; it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that’s better than what you have already."
And his size or lack of weight does not seem to fit Schwartz/Gunny's bigger LBs mantra
I think that the Lions will sign a guy that is somewhat under the radar. A guy that is in his first 4 years of his NFL career. Someone that they feel they can get cheap, but be coached up. That seems to be their MO.
This is the Motor City. And this is what we do...
And God sayeth onto Abraham. "Goeth and spread my word of the P.C.P. and all will well with your people."
the Lions D-Line: the Four Horsemen of the A-sac-alypse
Yup... and???
This is the Motor City. And this is what we do...
And God sayeth onto Abraham. "Goeth and spread my word of the P.C.P. and all will well with your people."
the Lions D-Line: the Four Horsemen of the A-sac-alypse
here is a two more worth a look
Quincy Black 6-4 240lbs ran a 4.4 40 age 27
Brandon Johnson 6-5 240lbs ran a 4.4 40 age 28
by yamahawarrior89 on May 14, 2011 2:38 PM EDT reply actions
black is from tampa and johnson is from cincy
by yamahawarrior89 on May 14, 2011 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions
I like Quincy Black
it should be very intresting to see who Detroit brings in to compete with Bobby, Ashlee and Zack
" Maybe for a writer...but i am sure most of you can tell i am not a writer". det32
Like this part
Manny Lawson is a player that is out of place. His performance in the 3-4 defense in San Francisco indicates that he would probably fit better in a 4-3 scheme. While he can get pressure on the quarterback from the blitz, he is not a beast as rushing the passer. This has limited his effectiveness and snaps for the 49ers.
Sounds like he fits our MO. It’s that “One Man’s Trash” style that brought us Corey Williams, LoJack, Sims, Palmer, etc.
How did Hoard get a 10 in pass D?
I’d like to know more about his pass deflections and ability to mirror in man as well as quickly react in zone…
I remember reading a stat that Lawson was in the top 3 for LBs in passes allowed…
""Dont get fairly, dont get fairly, dont get fairly PLEASE DON'T! PLEASE DETROIT! DONT get fairly.....................FUUUUUUUUUCK!!!" - T. Moore
Another great article Tuffy!
I hadn’t really considered Anderson due to omission but you sure do reinforce the idea he’d be great for us. More importantly you help emphasize the deficiencies in both Tulloch and Nicholas that so many have overlooked. That said I think either would do alright here but not first on my list. That distinction has to go to Lawson! Also as Desolation points out, his less than ideal fit with the 49rs helps make him even more likely.
The guy I was surprised wasn’t on your list is Mcintosh. The biggest worry besides availability would be his possible salary demands. Based on your evaluation of the other guys I’d peg him as such:
Size 8
Speed 7
Pass Def 6
Run Def 7
Blitz 4
Tackling 6
Aggression 5
Total 43
I’d still take Lawson over him, but I think he’d make for a solid addition.
I look forward to your CB series :)
Individuals should protect themselves. Governments can't protect individuals from themselves, it's just impossible, otherwise they become a tyranical state. -Ron Paul
+ 1000 for the CB series
You have done a excellent write up on the LB series Tuffy, great job I rec’d !
I like Tulloch and Howard
Because they are both pointing. That means they are communicating with the rest of the defense and being team players. I like team players.
I like Tulloch and Howard
Because they are both pointing. I love this comment to no end.
"WR Brandon "I'll stab you bitch" Marshall (who finally got stabbed himself for once) had 10 catches for 102 yards and no TDs". - KDAWG
I did a little video review from those pictures.
Funny enough, they are both saying the same thing as they are pointing……
" Hey, who the $%!!$# is covering that guy? WHO? ME?"
"Filling a need doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a good player," said Schwartz. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that best fits; it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that’s better than what you have already."
by NorthLeft12 on May 18, 2011 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Fantastic
Just a superb superb post. One of the best I have read in the year and a half I have been coming here.
Malek
Hey Tuff,
I gave you a rec on all 3 write-ups. It’s great to see that your getting some big-time props and got bumped to the front page.
Please keep them coming…. Cornerbacks next please!
"There are a lot of places we can get better… Our Philosophy is to take the best player and that’s not going to change… We have a lot more needs than people realize… We’re not drafting to get better for the first game of next season, We’re drafting for the future of the franchise." –Martin Mayhew
Here's something amazing!
This LB issue was on my mind a lot today so when I got home I decided to see what the talk on them was on various SB sites. I came across this mind boggling (to a Lions fan) topic over at 9’rs nation.
The discussion is if Lawson walks or wants too much should they bring back Julian Peterson! It’s crazy to see some there would like the guy we didn’t want for our system over the guy we do want! Sure plenty would rather keep Lawson too tho..
Individuals should protect themselves. Governments can't protect individuals from themselves, it's just impossible, otherwise they become a tyranical state. -Ron Paul
Here is a link to the FanPost and comments that E O is referring to.
I have to admit, when you just compare the stats, I can see where the 49er fans are coming from. But this is definitely a case where the stats don’t tell the whole story. I think this is another example of how much perspective has to do with the judgement of a player’s performance. I am really not sure if there is such a thing as objectivity in the NFL. Particularly, when you are talking about player evaluation.
"Filling a need doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a good player," said Schwartz. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that best fits; it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that’s better than what you have already."
+1
Another man’s treasure…
I’m sure they are thinking back to the glory days he had there and thinking that any drop off in desire/production must be due to the Lion’s organization.
Yes, and then they saw him in Seattle at least a couple times a year when he was still a good OLB.
"Filling a need doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a good player," said Schwartz. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that best fits; it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting a player that’s better than what you have already."
by NorthLeft12 on May 16, 2011 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions
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