D-Rob is not too small for NT in this defense; he did a good job, especially as the season went on. He is a very poor fit for DE in the 3-4; he played that some under Herm and Cottrell in their 3-4 fronts (with Chester also at end) and was wasted out there. He is quick in the interior but did not do well bringing pressure from the end spot. RDE is the biggest defensive need, even bigger than CB; but historically, value in the draft comes in finding an edge rusher, so if any make it to the Jets' pick, that would probably be the best place to go. A plugger for RDE can be found later. Most successful 3-4 defenses have had pass rushing LB's as their foundation; New England's current version is the first I can recall that has the linemen as the primary pass rushers, but in building the defense, McGinest was the primary pass rusher before they added Seymour. The old New Orleans defense, the Giants defense from that era, Pittsburgh--top 3-4 defenses, all based on OLB's. That's why it makes sense for the Jets to add an athletic edge rusher who can confuse the offense even more....they have to plan for pressure from either side rather than knowing who is most likely to come, and with Vilma, Hobson, and/or Barton on the inside, you have capable pass rushes in those spots as well. Offensive assignments are based on identifying what defensive player will be doing what, and when you have 4 linebackers, of whom any or all may be coming, blocking assignments get confused and the play gets blown up.
No way, Kimo was the worst player on defense by far. Him getting blown 5 yards off the LOS on every snap not only left gaping wholes it also created more traffic for Vilma to filter through. I've watched football for over 20 years now, even played through college, and up until Kimo, I've never witness a defensive player attempt to stop defenders with their back. On almost evry play, Kimo was always getting turned around by the olinemen. It was like he was doing the Freeney spin move except it was only 180 degrees and 5-10 yards downfield.
http://forums.theganggreen.com/showthread.php?p=290038#post290038 In reference to having to replace Kimo, I posted the following back on 09-20-2006: ...Next year I think we will be fine at NT w/ Rashad, Tui and Sione. We will be fine at LDE w/ Ellis, Hamilton and Ball (I think he's better suited on the left-side). I think the big area of concern will be as, it is right now, the RDE spot. Kimo has looked old and Ball, because of his size, is used mostly on passing downs for pass rushing purposes. The RDE is usually the bigger of the 2 DEs and the guy who creates the opportunities for the ROLB to get all those sacks. This position is even more important for the Jets because this is the DE that lines up in front of Vilma. IMO this is the most unheralded and toughest position to find quality players for in the 3-4. The Pats have the best one in the game in Seymore.
Good foresight Legler--and good point about him lining up in front of Vilma. I'm not a huge DeWayne fan, but he gets way too much of the blame for not keeping guys off Vilma. If the Jets go after Terdell Sands, I think that's the spot he'll be playing.
