Crennel - Just keep bringing the heat baby!

[WhiteWhale]

Originally Posted by FAX

I wouldn't fault Crennel for that, Mr. WhiteWhale. It takes time to bring a rookie linebacker up to speed. On several occasions, Houston has said he was a little lost out there at first.

Plus, Houston held out. Basically, the first 10 games were his training camp.

FAX

Hmmm, perhaps I did not make clear what I meant.

I think in the preseason most fans had grasped what Houston excelled at: Rushing the QB.

Houston was not buried on the bench while learning, he was actually starting week 1. For a linebacker learning a scheme with little experience, rushing the QB would seemingly be the easiest way to get him involved. For some reason we did not do that, and he was often dropping into coverage. Coverage is more nuanced than rushing the QB, and thus usually requires more knowledge and experience. Rushing the QB is more like running with the football... the good ones usually are pretty good at it right away.

It seems that the way he was being utilized early was less suited to his specific skillset than what is being asked of him now.