A week before the draft (before you can copy Gosselin or Wrights or Mayock's final mocks) post your mock and we'll see if it is more accurate than the source that you laugh at.

That's it?

He said he had "links." Plural. As in "more than one."

And you aren't even using their mock you're using their "player ranking" list which if you notice doesn't typically coincide with a mock.

Perhaps the NFL decision makers feel that Curry is better than the others and justifies a top three pick? That he transcends what is generally considered a position of less importance, at least when drafting unproven college players.

In the past ten years, here are your top 3 rushers:

1998: Andre Wadsworth
1999: N/A
2000: Courtney Brown, Lavarr Arrington
2001: N/A
2002: Julius Peppers
2003: N/A
2004: N/A
2005: N/A
2006: Mario Williams
2007: N/A
2008: Chris Long

Whoops. Wait a minute. You said linebackers. Okay. So scratch Wadsworth, Brown, Peppers, Williams and Long from that list.

So in the past ten years, the NFL decision makers thought that only Lavarr Arrington was worth a top three NFL draft pick. I wonder if they feel that the rush backer position is a position of little importance considering that there has only been one outside linebacker taken in the top three in the past ten years?

I'm not sure how only Arrington translates into "quite a few" though...hmmmm.

Because the MLB must have the knowledge to quickly recognize the offensive sets and call adjustments to them quickly. They also have to possess excellent instincts as they are responsible for finding the ball on every play and stopping the play as quickly as possible. They have to be athletic enough to support both the run and the pass, and cover tight ends, receivers and backs. Their area of responsibility on the field is much greater than other positions.

A rush end has one simple task. Get the quarterback. If they do it but once a game, they are considered a great success. A defensive tackle, depending upon the scheme is basically required to tie up blockers to allow the more athletic players to make plays. It's not asking much for a big fat dude to stand in the middle of the field and waddle towards another big fat dude. However, a ILB is requried to do so much more. And that's why I consider it a position of high importance on the defensive side of the ball.

Why would anyone argue the value of LB in the draft when they just frankly don't go top 5, what are you trying to do argue history?

How bout you supply the links where Curry wasn't ranked in the top five way back when. I know Mayock had him at he top from the get go. He'll your hero Scott Wright has him at #2 right now. You have a link where Wright didn't have Curry top 5?


PhilFree:arrow:

So your hanging your argument on the hope that NFL GM's think that Curry is a better player than Lewis, Urlacher, Mayo, Rivers, Willis, etc?

ROFL

OK.




Interesting that you stopped at 10 years, when the timeline we were discussing was 20 years.

Oh, wait.

I see.

Quite disingenuous of you.



So, which is it?

High importance, or more important that a DE, pass rushing OLB or DT?

Because OTW is having a hissy fit about it. He wanted someone to refute something, said that OLB have been a regularity in the top three in the draft, and I thought I'd oblige him by showing him that they weren't. Go bust his balls, not mine. I was just trying to stop him from squealing "REFUTE IT" over and over.

I'm pretty sure his argument is about how LB's don't go in the top 5....not that they do.

Nothing is hard about that. You made a blanket, ABSOLUTE statement that history doesn't matter. That couldn't be more false.

Valid point. Touche.

That's not at ALL what I said. Quit putting words in my mouth. I never said it happened with regularity, only that OLB's are taken that high much more than ILB's.

"Quite a few" doesn't have to equal much more than one, in this case, as there was only one MLB taken in the Top 5 in the past 20 years. Where I screwed up was changing to Top 3 from the Top 5 that Phil was speaking of.

Arrington
Hardy
Marvin Jones
Mike Croel
Keith McCants
Junior Seau
Derrick Thomas

That's "quite" a few more OLB's to be taken that high versus ILB's.

Kevin Hardy is what I think Aaron Curry is if you want a comparison for what I think his career is going to be.

This.

The whole point is that even the BEST OLB's don't often go in the Top 5. The best ILB has gone that high ONCE.

Look at the above post as proof.

So, people think that Curry is better than all of those ILB's, and most of the OLB's in past drafts?

Seems like he's being touted as such. Casserly, who's done the GM thing before, stated he was the best LB that he's seen in the past 10 years. If other GM's see it that way, then I guess he is or is considered to be. I guess we'll find out on draft day.

I didn't see where you said 20 years. Fine. Here:

1988: Aundray Bruce
1989: N/A
1990: N/A
1991: N/A
1992: Quentinn Coryatt - Whoops. He was a MLB. Sorry, he doesn't count.
1993: N/A
1994: N/A
1995: N/A
1996: Kevin Hardy
1997: N/A

Okay. So in 20 years, you've had NFL teams pick a OLB three times in the top three. Still doesn't seem to be "a lot" does it?

Arrington, Bruce and Hardy. Whatcha think now?

Let's see...we had the best, most complete DE in Jared Allen, but he really didn't seem to get us over the hump. Hell, our defense, even with him on the roster, was the laughing stock of the NFL. Derrick might have been the best rushing OLB in NFL history, but yet, how many playoff games did we win with him on the roster? How many Super Bowls? A defensive tackle? A big fat space eater that's meant to free up the ILB?

I'd like "The more important position on the defense" for $1000 Alex.

What is ILB? Yeah, I win football Jeopardy!!!

Oh no. He specifically said that "quite a few LB were taken in the top three because they could rush the passer and excelled at it in college." His words, not mine.