oaklandhater
02-28-2005, 03:19 PM
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft05/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2001800
INDIANAPOLIS — While becoming the model franchise the other 31 NFL teams aspire to be, the New England Patriots have fashioned a hybrid defensive position that many outside defenders would love to play.
In winning three Super Bowls in four seasons, the Patriots have crafted a double-duty role for outside linebackers that clearly intrigued some of the top "edge" defenders at the scouting combine.
"You look at linebackers like [Willie] McGinest and [Mike] Vrabel, and it's clear that the Patriots have figured out a way to make use of every ounce of talent those players have," said Maryland standout Shawne Merriman, a combination linebacker-defensive end and one of the fastest-rising prospects in this year's draft. "Used to be that, if you were a 'tweener,' you know, a guy who didn't quite fit into one position, nobody wanted you. But the Patriots, man, they've made it cool to be a 'tweener' now, you know?"
Defensive diversity, at least among front-seven players, is suddenly in vogue in a league where imitation always has been the most sincere measure of flattery. And in the copycat NFL, the Patriots' ever-morphing 3-4 scheme demands that any team attempting to duplicate it employ players with great versatility.
And so, in the world of supply and demand, scouting staffs are hustling to unearth hybrid defenders. And players who once might have been regarded as too small to play defensive end and perhaps too slow to be linebackers have enhanced their draft value.
With so many converts, eight teams figure to deploy the 3-4 front as their "base" defense in 2005, and at least three more expect to incorporate it into their repertoires as a complementary scheme. Thus, players such as Merriman are seen as two-way threats — an outside linebacker aligned in a stand-up, two-point stance on first and second downs, and a defensive end rushing the passer in nickel situations — capable of wreaking havoc from a variety of angles.
It isn't happenstance that 20 players at the combine are auditioning for league scouts at two different positions. Or that 18 of the 20 are either ends or linebackers who will work out at both defensive spots.
For years, when he was the Steelers' director of football operations, Buffalo Bills general manager Tom Donahoe analyzed undersized defensive ends by projecting how they might play as outside linebackers in Pittsburgh's 3-4 front. His uncanny ability to identify such hybrid players produced a string of Pro Bowl performers such as Greg Lloyd, Jason Gildon and Joey Porter.
"Clearly, with so many more teams playing the 3-4 now, it puts a bigger premium on those types of players," Donahoe acknowledged. "It upgrades good players who, maybe because of size or speed issues, couldn't really be pigeonholed into one [position]. I think you can see here [at the combine] that some of that is going on."
Prospects who have the ability to make an impact as combination defenders not only are embracing the concept of contributing at two spots but also are being embraced by the franchises anxious to fill the dual roles.
INDIANAPOLIS — While becoming the model franchise the other 31 NFL teams aspire to be, the New England Patriots have fashioned a hybrid defensive position that many outside defenders would love to play.
In winning three Super Bowls in four seasons, the Patriots have crafted a double-duty role for outside linebackers that clearly intrigued some of the top "edge" defenders at the scouting combine.
"You look at linebackers like [Willie] McGinest and [Mike] Vrabel, and it's clear that the Patriots have figured out a way to make use of every ounce of talent those players have," said Maryland standout Shawne Merriman, a combination linebacker-defensive end and one of the fastest-rising prospects in this year's draft. "Used to be that, if you were a 'tweener,' you know, a guy who didn't quite fit into one position, nobody wanted you. But the Patriots, man, they've made it cool to be a 'tweener' now, you know?"
Defensive diversity, at least among front-seven players, is suddenly in vogue in a league where imitation always has been the most sincere measure of flattery. And in the copycat NFL, the Patriots' ever-morphing 3-4 scheme demands that any team attempting to duplicate it employ players with great versatility.
And so, in the world of supply and demand, scouting staffs are hustling to unearth hybrid defenders. And players who once might have been regarded as too small to play defensive end and perhaps too slow to be linebackers have enhanced their draft value.
With so many converts, eight teams figure to deploy the 3-4 front as their "base" defense in 2005, and at least three more expect to incorporate it into their repertoires as a complementary scheme. Thus, players such as Merriman are seen as two-way threats — an outside linebacker aligned in a stand-up, two-point stance on first and second downs, and a defensive end rushing the passer in nickel situations — capable of wreaking havoc from a variety of angles.
It isn't happenstance that 20 players at the combine are auditioning for league scouts at two different positions. Or that 18 of the 20 are either ends or linebackers who will work out at both defensive spots.
For years, when he was the Steelers' director of football operations, Buffalo Bills general manager Tom Donahoe analyzed undersized defensive ends by projecting how they might play as outside linebackers in Pittsburgh's 3-4 front. His uncanny ability to identify such hybrid players produced a string of Pro Bowl performers such as Greg Lloyd, Jason Gildon and Joey Porter.
"Clearly, with so many more teams playing the 3-4 now, it puts a bigger premium on those types of players," Donahoe acknowledged. "It upgrades good players who, maybe because of size or speed issues, couldn't really be pigeonholed into one [position]. I think you can see here [at the combine] that some of that is going on."
Prospects who have the ability to make an impact as combination defenders not only are embracing the concept of contributing at two spots but also are being embraced by the franchises anxious to fill the dual roles.