How many LB's to we run in the dime? Do we run a 4-1-6 or a 3-2-6 or both?

In 3rd and long (15+ yards) I would think that you might want to have more speed on the field and thrown in Fox with DJ. I would also stick with the blitzing ability of Bell and DJ in 3rd and 8-15.

Oops, it was nickel AND dime.

Mitchell plays in the nickel. If Bell plays in dime situations, it would be as a down-lineman. Yes, you want speed, but you also only have 1 guy back there to cover the entire inside of the field against the draw...

And I remember DJ getting burned on that draw in the Rams game. :)

But then again I've seen our O burn a lot of teams with the draw even on 3rd and long.

Who do you guys think will be better in coverage, Mitchell or Bell?

I think that they top choices would have to be DJ and Fox but after those two???

As bad as it sounds, I'd MUCH rather have Mitchell than Bell if their sole purpose is pass coverage.

Bell is a pass rusher/run stopper. You want him getting in the backfield as much as possible, which really isn't the role of a nickel/dime LB...

Mitchell. He's ahead of Bell in that aspect. Pissburgh used him almost exclusively to rush. He's been working hard on it, though.

Make sense to me.

Isn't Mitchell pretty fast?

Yeah, but not quite as fast as DJ.

better be our middle linebacker

I'm right after week one.

Even with a handful of mistakes DJ still lead the team in tackles.

If he stays healthy, it better be the MLB, Mitchell.

2nd choice will be DJ due to his speed chasing down the plays.

3rd choice is Knight.

It will never be an DL player, although they never get the credit they deserve.

I missed all those long runs I guess. :)

ROFL

Come on now. Curtis "4 yards in the first quarter" Martin had one long run. It was a whopping 11 yards. :D

oh my bad. o:-)