Watching the Dallas-Giant game is making me want an explosive OLB like Demarcus Ware. Bryan Thomas reminds me of (The pre injured)Greg Ellis. They both converted to OLB. If we can get a speedy pass rusher like Lamarr Woodley or Anthony Spencer then our Linebacker core will be amazing. I would also move Victor Hobson to ILB.
If we could get someone like Ware that would be pretty amazing. However, I like Vilma and Barton on the inside.
Hobson didn't have a bad day today. He is a great tackler. I'm sure we could do better, but he has been solid.
Very Solid... Do you notice how he does not get fooled by those QB "jukes" and jump in the air and let the QB scramble for a 1st down or complete a throw. Another player that tyhe CS ha sbrought the best out of.
Look at how many linebackers New England uses. There's no reason we can't get another speed rusher, keep Hobson on the outside and have him rotate in with Thomas and whoever else we get. Hobson has been very solid and is a very sure tackler, something ever team needs.
Vote for Woodley. Hobson had something like 13 tackles today, He is playing well but as you said we could use another speed rusher. We rotate LB's anyway so if kassel and chatum were cut and we got 2 new LB's who could run to rotate in, we would be much better. We need some more speed at LB. I like Riddel and spencer because they have some athletic ability but Woodley should be a priorty.
I like Kassel, and Chatham is good on special teams, but one more LBer for depth would be pretty good, and we either need a hulking DT and move Robertson to DE (I noticed he played end alot today) or get a better DE over Von Oelhoffen
So if we need a speed rusher let's draft one. It doesn't matter who's penciled in as the starter, everyone will see the field in this defensive scheme. Backups are important, so if we rotate Thomas, Hobson, and a draft pick at OLB that is fine with me. You can never have enough good LB's in a 3-4.
they suck when they play in the D, they are slow as shit. Chatham is a career long SP player and that is where he belongs, I thought Kassell would be better but he sucks.
I dont know... Thomas has been getting better at providing pressure every week, and they just signed him to a pretty fat extension. Hobson is no speed burner on the other side, but hes a solid player... I definetely agree that a guy like a Demarcus Ware or a Kamerion Wimbley would be a solid addition to the team, but I dont know if Id put it at or near the top of the draft needs board... bearing in mind that if the Jets were desperate to have that sort of dynamic on the team, they would have made some effort to keep John Abraham. And while its true that Abraham is often injured, that tends to be true for a lot of these edge rushing types. Id rather see the Jets add a cornerback.
D rob I think has solidified the NT spot...I don't think we should mess w/ a good thing there. Kimo is the one who has gotta be replaced. We need a 3-4 DE w/ size and power to compliment D rob's unique skill set.
Thomas has 6.5 sacks, in a season in which he's playing 3-4 OLB for the first time, and the defense was not blitzing much for half of the season. I think we should definitely inquire about adding another LB who has the ability to rush the QB, but it's not like Thomas hasn't shown he has the necessary skills to pressure and sack the quarterback. Given Mangini's defensive system, the more LBs the better, so it'd be nice to have another guy opposite Thomas who can come in on passing downs and apply pressure.
I agree. Robertson and Ellis are both doing a nice job, and are becoming more comfortable in the 3-4. Kimo has been the problem. I think replacing him should be the top priority this off-season, and look to get a Frank Okam-type in the draft.
Robertson is not the long term solution at nose tackle. While he has gotten better he's just not the right body type of skill set to play there long term. With that being said I think he will be a valuable player on the d line in years to come. As we've seen with Mangini he doesn't care about having the best 3 lineman he cares about having 6 or 7 good d lineman. So I expect them to draft an end of tackle and sign another lineman as well.
I don't think it has much to do with body type. He's 6'1, 317. That's only a little smaller than some of the better 3-4 NTs in the league, like Vince Wilfork (6'2, 325), Jamal Williams (6'1, 325), Jason Ferguson (6'3, 310). He's big enough to play the position, it comes down to learning the technique and re-defining the style of football he plays, which is something that he has worked on for a while now and it has shown over the last few weeks.
