Jake Long was a bad 1st overall pick.....

I'd love to know which complete dipshit thinks a guy with 9 career sacks is gonna be an outside backer in a 3-4.

That's probably true. Simply for the fact that 350 lb. lard asses that have some degree of physical skills are harder to find than a needle in a haystack. Why do you think that BJ Raji is getting all this attention, that his teammate Brace is being looked at as a second round pick? Because they are 350 lb. lard asses that have some degree of physical skill. Why do you think guys like Ted Washington stick around in the league for 43 years or so? Because there is only a finite number of 350 lb. lard asses with physical skill on the planet that actually know how to play American football. It's called supply and demand. Duh.

However, I argue that the middle linebacker is more important to the overall success of a defense versus that 350 lard ass or a guy whose only job is to rush the passer. They do more, are required to do more, need to have better instincts, etc.

But if you want to think that the best defensive end in football is more important, I'll see if we can get you copies of all the Chiefs games from the 2007 season. You can watch Allen destroy people as the Chiefs pile up loss after embarrassing loss with the worst defense in the league that also has the best defensive end in the league, who was a late fourth round pick by the way.

DT is way more important than MLB, I still dont know why you can't see this. The best MLB in the game cried bc he didnt have a huge DT in front of him and his play suffered bc of it.

Not more important. Rarer by far, which I guess one can translate into importance due to the scarcity of such individuals. But without the quality ILB a decent, even good, fat ass like Siragusa or Ngata doesn't mean much. (Example: Shaun Rogers in Detroit.) If the fat ass is even half way decent, a very good ILB is going to make him and a lot of other players on defense look a lot better than they probably are. (Case is point - Baltimore with Ray Lewis. You really think that all those guys are as good as they are perceived if Ray isn't on that defense?)

hmmm. Interesting, he didnt mention a word about being completely wrong on Gholston thus far. Yet he hates Orakpo which is the same type of player.

Because anyone who doesnt agree with your enlightened sittin behind a keybord oppinion is a dips*it right? Long worked out awefully for the fins too?

Curry at OLB in 3-4. Maybe I'm dememted, but here goes... top of my head,

Mayock
Kiper
Chris Carter
Al Wallace
Len Dawson
Pro-Football weekly
Michael Smith tonight on NFL live
Schlareth (sp?)
Many draft profiles

He's faster than Brown, and Maybin and bigger.
7lbs smaller than Orakpo and more durable.

If you watch the film, most plays ran away from him. He has a lot of plays causing incompletions or plays for teammates chasing the QB across the field.

I know you know more than all those guys and they're all idiots, but I'd love to bet you that he is at least 3x the player in his 1st year Gholston was.

Wow comparing 3 positions to one. Thats fair.

Lets do RB:

Steelers 08 : Mendelhall 1st

Giants 07: -

Colts 06: Addai 1st

Pats 05: Faulk 2nd, Dillon 2nd

Pats 04: Faulk 2nd, Dillon 2nd

Bucs 03: Alstott 2nd

Pats 02: Faulk 2nd, Smith 1st

Ravens 01: Lewis 1st

Rams 00: Faulk 1st


Holy crap chicken littles, the sky is falling. If LJ leaves draft a RB!!!! ROFL

I disagree. Noone is saying that an inconsistent(one good pass rusher isn't enough) pass rush is going to get anything done with subpar DT's, lb's, and secondary. The Bears defense was only great when Tommie Harris was at the top of his game being disruptive.

I realize inside linebackers play a position where they're asked to do a lot of things, but a pass rusher is valued more highly, the fact that pass rushers practically always go before coverage lb's in the draft is enough proof for me.

Ask the Giants if LB's are more important than Dline.

melbar is right about Kiper, Mayock, and etc predicting Curry can play OLB. several people have projected that Curry can play outside even though he doesn't have experience rushing the passer. He would obviously be a speed rusher. Plus, about 65% of the time Curry would be in pass coverage as an OLB, assuming that Vrabel is primarily the 4th rusher.

How often do we blitz with 5 rushers??? check this article:

http://uponfurtherreview.kansascity.com/?q=node/632


Gunther Gibbs Pendergast
Rush-3 4.9% 2.3% 13.7%
Rush-4 65.2% 69.1% 55.1%
Rush-5 23.8% 15.0% 24.4%
Rush-6+ 6.1% 13.6% 6.8%
Rush-7+ 0.4% 7.5% 1.0%


CB1/WR1 52% 34% 45%

The question is whether or not Vrabel can be that elite 4th rusher. He had a very down year(judging only by stats, sacks), and definitely isn't going to be that guy in a few years.

cool article though

Take away Ngata and Ray Lewis suffers.

:spock: Your point being?

The guy was comparing Curry to different positions, so he did it too.

"The Guy" was me.