today we'll get to see Alan Branch and Lamarr Woodley play in a HUGE game against top competition. our D can use an upgrade at both OLB and DE. since Branch would be a nice fit at DE and Woodley looks like an excellent 3-4 OLB, we should have our eyes on one of these guys. apparently, D-Rob is getting better at NT while still rotating in at DE on roughly 15% of the plays. with Tui and Pouha on IR and Rashad Moore playing well, maybe NT won't be such a big need this Offseason. but Kimo needs to go and therefore we'll have to fill that void. i assume Robertson will continue rotating in, but if Branch can play that spot next to Robertson/Moore/et al and Ellis, that would be a monster DL, freeing up the LB's. at the same time, we don't know what the future holds for Thomas and Hobson. i think one of them will be here for the long haul, so that means we'll need another OLB -- Woodley would be perfect. let's say we're picking somewhere around 18-22 in R1 and both are available. who would you select? you have to figure that by our next pick (in R2) that the other will be gone. i know this can/will all change come Offseason, but as of right now, who would it be? i've been debating this back and forth in my head and can't come to a conclusion. i'd really like to see Woodley because we need more pass-rush; but Branch would solidify the DL. of course, if one is already taken and the other is there, it makes the decision easy. that's why i pose if both are available. thoughts? cheers
i am gonna get killed for this one but what about Jake Long for or RT? Just imagine the line we would have
Woodley has been applying some pressure but I haven't seen much from Branch or Hall or Pitcock. Offenses are thriving. What does that say?
I watched Branch a lot. He sucks. Very athletic, you can tell from the INT and fumble recovery, put they were just running him right out of the pplay every time. He just let them push him whatever way they wanted him to go, there were more than a few times, like that first half Wells run, where he turned his friggin BACK TO THE PLAY, and they go right by him. Not impressive at all. Great talent, no skills.
Woodley looks good, lost some weight he's very quick off the edge. Branch had no real impact on the game, the two turnovers were nice but he didn't apply any pressure or stuff the run. I love Jake Long but I don't see the Jets taking another Lineman in the first round but you never know. Hart is a great running back, lots of players from both of these teams will play in the nfl.
so it seems the general consensus - based on today's game - is Lamarr Woodley. i saw Branch disrupt the OL a couple of times, but he really didn't make himself noticeable (besides the turnovers). Jake Long is a beast, but isn't he a LT? is it plausible to just move him to RT?
I believe this is his first year at LT so he played the last 2-3 at RT. Hart def. impressed me. The OSU RBs had nice long runs but not much else. Smith was alright, Henne too. Hall did not impress me though ginn is a tough matchup. Pitcock didn't do much, neither did Branch. Woodley looked good as did Ginn and Gonzalez. The field was awful and plenty of players got burned on plays because of this.
yep this is Jake Long's first year at LT, did you watch him on run blocking, he was killing them...... he played RT up until this year. That would seal the O-Line for years to come. Branch did suck this game, yeah he had the pick and the fumble recovery but that was it. Woodley looked fast from the edge but he didnt do anything either for the most part. The best was Hart and Long today.
wow, well if Long played RT for 2 years then that's fine. as much as i want us to focus on the D, i don't think i'd complain about picking him first. i mean Brick, Mangold, Long on the OL would be absolutely solid. as for the Branch vs Woodley debate: today, i say i'd want Branch (tomorrow i'll probably say Woodley). i just think that a DL of Branch, Robertson, Ellis would be an excellent 3-4 DL; not to mention, because we have some servicable bodies already at NT, Branch wouldn't be thrust into DE every down because D-Rob could switch with him. this would facilitate the learning process for Branch. the only problem i have with this scenario is, i'd want our first pick to come in and be immediately effective and play all the time, probably because i'm impatient and i've watched this year's rookies perform very well. cheers
Woodley had a monster game.The things he did didn't always show up in the stat book but he had a great game.He had Troy Smith looking over his shoulder all game long.I was very impressed with his performance.
