Rotoworld write up: ESPN New York reports the Jets will move Quinton Colpes to outside linebacker. Coples (6-foot-6, 290) is obviously going to have to drop some weight to make the transition to stand-up edge rusher, but it explains why the Jets took Sheldon Richardson with the No. 13 overall pick in the draft. Coples, the 16th pick in last year's draft, led the Jets with 5.5 sacks as a rookie, even though he played just 47 percent of the snaps. Gang Green's new front-seven shapes up like this: LE Richardson, NT Kenrick Ellis, RE Muhammad Wilkerson, OLBs Coples and Antwan Barnes, ILBs Demario Davis and David Harris. It's a very solid group.
If Coples is on the field and playing OLB, it makes the defense a true 5-2, rather than a 3-4, because both OLBs will essentially be playing on the line of scrimmage (rather than walking away). Very hard to run against, but if you don't pressure the QB immediately, you're in a lot of trouble.
absolutely. I am not saying they are correct in their evaluations of players, just that there are scenarios where drafting for the best player available is a better strategy than simply drafting for a position of need.
This is inaccurate. I saw Tomlin's draft presser and he said the reason they liked Jarvis Jones so much was because he played OLB in a 3-4 in college so there was no projection that needed to be made - usually with all the 4-3 defenses in college you have to project a 4-3 college DE to 3-4 OLB in the pros. Jones will be an OLB on Pitt, undoubtedly. Lamar Woodley was a DE in a 4-3 front at Michigan. Worilds was a DE in a 4-3 at VaTech. They had to project those guys to OLB in their 3-4 scheme because of the system they played in at college, but Jarvis Jones played and produced in a 3-4 scheme at OLB so the Steelers have seen on film what he can do there and obviously liked it and hope he will do the same for them. They do not consistently select 3-4 OLB's and move them to ILB. Both Timmons and Foote played OLB in 4-3 defensess in college. 4-3 OLB's, in addition to 4-3 MLB's, are quite typically drafted as ILB's for 3-4 defenses. It is very rare to see a 4-3 OLB drafted to play OLB in a 3-4 - they draft the DE's in a 4-3 instead because they are bigger/stronger/more natural pass rushers. Sean Spence - played OLB in the U's 4-3, projected to ILB in Pitt D before getting injured Chris Carter - played DE in 4-3 at Fresno St, projects to OLB in Pitt D Jason Worilds - played DE in 4-3 at VaTech, projects to OLB in Pitt D Thaddeus Gibson - played DE in 4-3 at Ohio St, projected to OLB in Pitt D Stevenson Sylvester - played OLB in 4-3 at Utah, projected to ILB in Pitt D Timmons - OLB in 4-3 at FSU, projected inside in Pitt D Woodley - DE in 4-3 at Michigan, projected outside in Pitt D I didn't want Jarvis Jones regardless of where people want to play him, I wanted his teammate Ogletree, but what you're saying is inaccurate. It's not 50/50 Jones ends up inside. He was definitively drafted to compete with Worilds at OLB to replace James Harrison. Tomlin essentially said so himself.
Where's the idiot who told me I didn't understand football for suggesting this after they drafted Richardson.
It's not such a bad idea. Coples seems to have a knack at getting to the QB and proved that late last season. The 2 schools for thought here are 1. He started to come on last season from DE so why mess with that. 2. We need a pass rushing OLB and Coples might be the best pure rusher on the team and Mario Williams was able to move to 3-4 OLB at the same size as Coples and have excellent production. Let's see how it goes, I have faith in Rex when it comes to D.
look back to the last 2-3 games of the year last season...i remember him standing up on the edge a bunch of times...
Thank you bradway and casino. That was an educational discourse. Looking back... Can't... memories... too painful...
haha i feel you... after we lost the titan game i just payed attention to coples and was interested in where he lined up.. for the most part they moved him around in every spot but the charger game he stood up on the edge on alot of plays
And this makes the Richardson pick all the more perplexing. Are we really giving up on our #1 pick last year? Replacing him in the first this year and moving him to OLB? Very strange indeed. Clearly Rex made both first round picks, Richardson was not BPA, he was Rex's pick so he can execute this dumb Coples to OLB stunt. What a waste all around, Coples and Wilkerson were just starting to click last year. Coples will flop at OLB, he'll need to drop some weight and get faster, this is just dumb.
Just a thought but wouldn't it have just made more sense to draft an OLB and left our existing linemen intact? I know it's not a permanent shift so that's fine, but seems like it would have made a lot more sense to draft an OLB who is familiar with the role and is the right body weight and everything as opposed to pressing someone into that service.
It sounds to me like the plan is to have him be able to flex out to OLB when they want to, not make him a full time OLB. Maybe I'm misinterpreting but I'm pretty sure Coples will still be mostly a down lineman.
I'm guessing you don't think Jarvis Jones will be successful then? Coples runs faster at 290 (4.7s) than Jones at 240 (high 4.8s and 4.9). Speed and weight will not decide whether he will be a successful, his comfortability standing up or dropping into coverage will.
Jones is going to be a project and everyone agrees the Steelers really reached when they picked him. Coples isn't going to drop into coverage, get out of here...
How is Jarvis Jones a project? The guy was First Team ALL-American and SEC Defensive player of the year last year and for a long considered a top 5-10 talent. He fell due to medical concerns on his spine. That is far from a reach. Hopefully Coples doesnt drop back to often. His is moving to OLB to rush the QB.
We hardly ever run a 'pure' 3-4 D anyway, quite often we'd see 4-3 type line-ups, so I'm not at all surprised and think he'll be very effective there. Richardson is the key here, speed from the middle, I can't wait to see our D get angry
Point is, we have Wilkerson, Coples, Richardson, K. Ellis, Garay, Pace, D. Harris, D. Davis, Barnes, McIntyre to rotate in our front 7. With Rex running the show that's good enough for me.
