im so sick of these damn threads i could punch somebody. d-rob is no prototype NT but he definitely deserves another year. if vilma gets a pass than Robertson definitely should. switching from a MLB to an ILB is nothing compared to being a 3 technique 4-3 DT and switching to nose. is it me or do people not realize that a good NT is probably the hardest thing to find next to a legit top qb. whatever the same people that complain about this never listen anyways. wait till they find some other fat ass with Raiderjeaux measurables blah blah hed be great go get him. this post has now become a rant. thanks
i disagree with your entire post ...d rob was drafted at 324 lbs and if he had not lost weight to play at 317 last yr he could have easily played at 335+..up 12 lbs from when he was drafted 5 yrs ago..check his measurables against other nt's in the league.. i think you'll find that he stacks up very well..i think we will finally see d-rob play to his potential yr 2 under the mangini regime, ala brian thomas.
did you even read my post? seriously, have you? i stated d-rob isnt prototype NT but hes good and deserves more time. i also stated anyone willing to give vilma a pass for last year definitely owes one to d-rob since the change from 3 technique undertackle to NT is much larger than the switch from MLB to ILB. pretty much what your saying, you with me?
Seems to me we didn't go after a NT in free agency or in the draft. Given that I would think that the position is not the biggest need for the team. Apparently the CS/FO have faith in the guys that have in that position for the upcoming year.
He has a knee issue which may be the reason he can't play at 335 and up? He simply may not have a stable enough knee joint to play at that weight. In which case it might make sense to move him outside or rotate him in the middle when we go 4/3 since we play a lot of 4/3 and 3/4 anyway.
Possibly, but he is a little short for what you look for outside. Typically you are looking for somone 6'4" or better.
Honestly, the Jet's defense was nearly as bad the last 8 games as it was the first 8. We got to play a misfiring Bears team and a Patriot's team unprepared to play on a sloppy field, the only other half decent offenses we faced in the second half were Buffalo (31 points against and a run defense left in tatters) and Green Bay (can't play the long game in snow flurries and sub-zero with the windchill although Favre certainly tried). We played the Texans, the Vikings, the Dolphins and the 10 point a game Raiders. If the defense didn't look ok at that point we were in real trouble. D-Rob is not going to be a good NT in the 3-4. He's not big enough to be immovable, he's not steady enough to maintain his lane and keep people off the linebackers and frankly he's not reactive enough to handle the demands of the position. He's a good DT when he's allowed to freelance a bit and try to make plays. He's much more of a penetrator than a hold the line kind of guy and all a penetrator does at NT in a 3-4 is let blockers out onto the people behind him more often than he should.
Man I am tried of this subject! First I think Drob has to get another year a Nt, he did play better the second half. Not that we have a choice anyway, he is the best we have right now. For all you people who keep saying we need to go out and get a big runstuffing Nt answer me one question....WHERE! They don't grow on trees.
I agree that he's a better fit in terms of penetrating rather than in a 2 gap type system where he's asked to maintain blocks. Where I disagree is the following: 1. The run D might not have improved drastically in the 2nd part of the year, but D rob's play did. This is b/c our Lb's were still overpursuing running plays and teams were running off tackle repeatedly, blowing Kimo completely off the ball. There isn't much D rob can do about that. 2. I respect your opinion whole heartedly, as you are one of the more knowledgeable posters on here when it comes to player analysis. But i wholeheartedly disagree regarding D rob's play at NT. The 2nd half of the year he maintained his gap, got penetration, made plays and controlled the LOS. I'm not sure what more one can ask of an NT. I know it's easy to blame the Nt when the run defense doesnt have success in the 3-4..but in this case..unless my eyes and understanding of a 3-4 DL are failing me(And I used to do scouting of Linemen for a draft web site) D rob did his job just fine, and was truthfully the best player in our front 7. We can agree to disagree I guess...but i will maintain my opinion till the bitter end.
I agree with points one and two, but I will quibble with your intro that he's a better fit for a penetrating scheme. I think his skill set is perfect for the 3-4 NT position, at least as far as Casey hampton plays it. He may not ahve the mass to just lean on the center/guard to maintain position, but his explosion off the snap - something which is typically missing in most NTs - helps him establish position early and then his squat frame, nbatural leverage and innate strength help him maintain it. Getting good inital position allows him to use his awareness to control the play. I wish he had longer arms to maintain separation from the OC/OG, but he most big guys lose that advantage quickly because they tire so easily, so probably no big deal after about the first three plays of a drive.
How about - "the guys we went after". Like I said, the CS/FO have earned enough trust from me, the fan, the casual observer, the guy that doesn't get paid for his opinion, to watch and see what they are up to. Perhaps they didn't like any of the NT in FA or the draft. Maybe they have another plan to compensate for weakness at NT. Maybe they have another creative curve ball warming up. Or maybe there were other moves that could be made that were the priority.
