Chiefs sign Zach Thomas

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

Suggs was a DE in college, but he was drafted with the idea of him being able to play either DE or LB. That is, in fact, precisely what he does in Baltimore. He would have been a smarter pick than Rogers, who was a WR (traditionally high 'positional value').

Then you are an idiot.

The Lions run a 4-3 defense. 4-3 Defenses use 230-240 pound OLBs who are fast and can play sideline-to-sideline. They have to have pure linebacker instincts and they have to be versatile enough to cover tight ends. They are typically not as good at shedding blocks and they blitz only as an element of surprise. A 3-4 OLB/DE (a "hybrid") is a pass rusher who plays coverage moreso as an element of surprise. They are 260+-pound former DEs whose PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY is to rush the passer and know pass rushing technique, and every once in a while they take on some LB responsibility. If Suggs played in a 4-3 like Detroit, he would either be an undersized third-down pass rusher, or he would be an overweight, slow-as-shit OLB. He would have been a better pick than Rogers, but he would have been a huge bust in Detroit. Just the same, if AJ Hawk played 3-4 OLB, he would be an extremely undersized DE/LB who consistently got destroyed in the trenches and probably could generate 3 or 4 sacks at the most.

No, they called it a 'hybrid' (my word), because he took a boatload of snaps as both a DE and a LB. The Ravens wanted him franchised as a LB, Suggs wanted DE money. After a grievance, a new designation was determined.

You obviously have no understanding of a 3-4 defense. A "hybrid" is the same exact position Merriman, Ware, Adalius Thomas, Vernon Gholston, Lamar Woodley, Mike Vrabel,

What do they all have in common? Oh yeah, they all played DE in college. So stop acting like these are OLBs like AJ Hawk or Derrick Johnson. Are you really going to tell me that Derrick Johnson could play the role Merriman plays and get 10+ sacks a year? And are you really going to tell me that Merriman could play DJ's role and cover tight ends on a huge chunk of the snaps? A "hybrid" DE only means they are Defensive Ends who take on some LB responsibility. You even said so yourself, given that Suggs argued he took more snaps as a DE than as a LB. That is completely true.

Suggs plays DE and LB. You can make all the other silly claims and comparisons you wish. Had you bothered to actually read my posts, you'd have noted that the comparison of Hawk and Suggs being made was that they are both linebackers. Given that Hawk has been playing LB in a 4-3 scheme, I'm frankly not even sure what the hell you think was being implied. Then again, you'd take Forte over Mayo, so I'm not even sure why I'm bothering to respond to your posts at all at this point. Talk about poor positional valuation.

Hawk is a 4-3 OLB
Suggs is a 3-4 DE/OLB

If you really want to argue they're the same, then God help you.