From a pass rushing perspective,yes he is at his best on the interior. If this was primarily a base look defense & you wanted to keep his role straight forward, absolutely you'd want him at DT. But a couple things to keep in mind: 1.He isn't the greatest at anchoring the run while in the phone booth.Being stout isn't really his game. He does well setting the edge on the outside b/c he has good wingspan/closing ability as well as the fact that he is much bigger than most edge blockers.But as a 3 down player for RR w/ the other DL pieces in house? Not so much. 2. Rex often refers to "production of others"when referring to Coples. If your an opposing offense & you have guy w/ Coples size/skill set being moved all over the place, you better account for him. If you watch the Jets DL tape you see him routinely occupying multiple blockers & opening seams for the rest of the pass rushers. Why not use all the skills a guy has rather than fixating on only one..even if it is his best? I believe that is Rex's philosophy on Coples.It's partially that he isn't good enough inside to play 3 downs & he does alot of other things pretty well.
He has the strength to hold up on the interior, he did it for us his rookie year, but yes our defense is very multiple in the different looks it gives, and Rex likes to move all ours guys around on the line, but a good amount of the time he rushes off the edge, sometimes he'll put Wilkerson or Sheldon on the edge but very rarely and mainly just to give a different look. Coples problem was we landed a beast like Sheldon that is not going to play second fiddle to Coples on the interior. Still a good linemen I'm just a bit worried that he might not ever be as dominant as he could have been.
2012, Coples was a rookie didn't play much early on and he did come on late in the season. Last season he missed the first few games and was learning a new position and never really showed anything. This is gonna be a telling season for Coples, hopefully he can get it done and show some promise.
I would call it player development... I have no clue how to put together an NFL defense, putting people in the right place to get the job done based on their skills, that I can handle due to my job.
After listening to the clip, I didn't get the feeling that Klecko was really ripping Wilkerson. Also, interesting how he threw in that little tidbit concerning Holmes at the end.
Coples is a really long player. Those guys can be moving pretty fast and seem slower than they are because of the stride length and their overall size. A 6'2" guy has to move his legs faster to cover the same ground. A 6'6" guy can't possibly match that guy stride for stride due to mechanical issues but can be covering the same amount of ground while looking slower in the process.
not saying he's a pro bowl player.. he doesn't have to be one because he was a 1st round pick.. he's a good solid player that could get 5-6 sacks a year..but this idea he's a bust is insane
I don't think anyone has called him a bust (yet). I agree with Klecko, though, that Coples has shown little to this point. He has convinced very few people (except you) that he is a "good solid player." He may develop into one and I hope he does. But so far he has shown very little and that is why Klecko is correctly calling him out.
everyone is entitled to there own opinion… but it drives me nuts when people say that coples sucks at cover TE's/ playing LB… as if they watch him do it all the time…but he's never asked to do it nor does he ever do it.. so nobody should say he sucks at his new position… i understand he is listed as a LB because our scheme says its a 3/4 front. but please go back to the end of 2012 and all of last year and watch where coples is lined up. you will have a better understanding of how there using him. yes he's out of position, but there using him the best way they can, and its a good role for him for now while we have this current roster.
It's hard to disagree with him, but at the same point, he's been injured and changed positions last year. I'd love to see him with a full season under his belt at OLB before I label him anything at this point.
Or maybe the problem is Rex leaves Wilkerson out there for 95% of the snaps? By Rich Cimini | ESPNNewYork.com Defensive snaps: 1,100. Defensive Line: Muhammad Wilkerson -- 1.039 snaps/95 percent Sheldon Richardson -- 880 snaps/80 percent Damon Harrison -- 497 snaps/45 percent Leger Douzable -- 236 snaps/21 percent Kenrick Ellis -- 208 snaps/19 percent It never became a story during the season, but Wilkerson was overworked. He hardly came off the field, which probably explains why his production dipped over the final few games. Only three defensive linemen played more snaps than Wilkerson -- Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich of the New England Patriots and Jared Allen of the Minnesota Vikings. It's an issue the coaching staff should examine before next season. ... That they made it through the season with only five linemen is a rare accomplishment. No one missed a game. Tough group. ... The Jets were in nickel about 60 percent of the time, which explains the relatively low snap count for Harrison, who played in the base.
We don't always agree, Kurt, but this post is on the money. Too many here seem to be looking at Coples's role in as you put it conventional terms. Rex sees him as contending to fill what amounts to a hybrid role. I think Rex is intrigued by this since the opponent is not sure what to expect of Coples. I have my issues with Rex as the HC, but he certainly seems to know much better than most how to evaluate his defensive roster. And in fact after early season health issues, Coples did do what was asked of him toward the end of the season. Having said that I also think Klecko was mostly right about Coples. But it isn't what Coples is being asked to do that is the issue.
This is the feeling I get also, he wants them to be great - to not be satisfied with their current production. He wants them to dominate like he did as part of the Sack Exchange.
This is hilarious. Klecko is just trying to get reactions. Coples had to learn a different role in back to back years and in both started slow but kicked up the heat down the stretch after he adjusted. Coples was looking nice at the end of last season. Hopefully they don't move him again.
