I I just looked it up, some are big but to be honest I dont see alot 275 pound linebacker.... Joey porter is 250, eric barton is 242. 8 pounds ? Baron can play Olb, hes quick and decent in coverage
McGinnest is 270, Foley is 260, Thomas is 265, Merriman is 275, etc Barton cant play OLB because hes not a great blitzer. Hobson isnt either, but hes certainly better.
I wonder where you're getting this info from, bro. Barton is a very effective blitzer. I don't think that's he's a 3-4 outside linebacker, but he always had QB pressures with Oakland and even had 6 sacks in 2002 when Oakland actually had someone in front of him. If you put Barton one on one with a guard, I bet you he beats him. None of these players excluding Chatham, whom didn't produce, have played in a 3-4. We don't know what their strengths and weaknesses are really. The only players we know are that Hobson is pretty much subdued to the strongside linebacker spot because of his runstuffing, as is Schlegel. Vilma is punched in at WILB, and then it's really a toss up from there. Even knowing that Hobson and Schlegel are run stuffers I wouldn't be surprised getting so many different looks, I think Vilma is the only player sure to have a spot in the linebacker core, and sure of his position. And while rushbackers are preferably big, that doesn't mean they can't be effective if they aren't. Demarcus Ware is 250, and rather lanky. Clark Haggans is 245 and even lankier. Chaun Thompson is pushing 240. Julian Peterson is 235. Jason Taylor 250. You get the point.
Indeed, he had a great season in Oakland, but from what we have seen of him here, there is otherwise nothing to suggest that he is skilled at rushing the passer. Maybe it was a fluke season, maybe it was something they were feeding him, or maybe it was something in that California water, but the fact is that, from what we have seen of him thus far in NY, he is an ineffective blitzer. Concerning OLB, I completely agree. You dont have to be a Behemoth and knock the guard on his ass on your way to the QB. Though size is nice, it is not a prerequisite. Smaller LBs such as Ware and Porter can also succeed...but they compensate for their lack of size with their technique, and to a lesser extent, their speed. Looking at Barton, its obvious he doesnt have ideal size. Thus he must compensate through other means...unfortunately his technique is sub-par and his speed is less than ideal. Hobson's no burner but his fundamentals in attacking the line are more sound. Theyre both aggressive as hell, but in very different ways, and Hobson's much more aggressive in attacking the block (which isnt to say he has perfect technique either, but still heads above Barton's)
Kudos to Welker83 for specifically calling out schlegel as an ideal ILB for the mangini system next to Vilma.
