thecrazyeye

With the emergence of the Browns 3 rookie linebackers, is there anyone who is the odd man out that we could either pick up after they are cut or would be available in a trade?

Kamerion Wimbley and Big Willie on the outside, Andra Davis and D'Qwell Jackson on the inside with Leon Williams ready to play anywhere.

How about someone like Chaun Thompson being brought in and given a chance to play in a very similar system. A player like that might help shore up our defense for next season.

Krazy Koz

Would love to see Andra Davis, but I doubt it would happen.

__________________
"A lie can be the truth, the truth just in disguise"

DaBruinz

Andra Davis was just given a large contract extension.

More likely that Chaun Thompson would be available.

shatch62

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/footb...rowns/home.htm

LINEBACKERS: Starters — SLB Willie McGinest, MLB Andra Davis, ILB D'Qwell Jackson, WLB Kamerion Wimbley.
Backups — ILB Leon Williams, ILB Mason Unck, ILB Chaun Thompson, OLB David McMillan, OLB Matt Stewart, OLB Nick Speegle, ILB Clifton Smith.

The Browns decided to make linebacker the foundation of the defense by using three of their first four draft choices at the position last April. Wimbley led the team with 11 sacks, Jackson was second with 115 tackles, and Williams made 10, 17 and seven tackles in his last three games. Davis led the way with 133 tackles despite missing the last two games with a concussion, but only four were for losses. That in part is because the defensive line did not occupy blockers well enough. McGinest, who made 67 tackles, is well past his prime, but he is valuable as a team leader. With four new linebackers, including McGinest, there was no place for Thompson, McMillan or Stewart to settle in. Unck is one of the top special teams players on the roster; he finished second to Cribbs with 23 stops. Smith and Speegle were late-season additions because of injuries to Davis and Jackson (toe).
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Unck is a restricted free agent and he went undrafted. He is a little small at 6-3, 238 but he could replace Izzo and MAYBE be an option at ILB which Izzo is not.

cstjohn17

Wimberly is just sick, he is going to be a star.

Leon Williams was a player I was hoping the Patriots would take last year. I thought he could come in and play special teams, and provide some punch as a backup. Instead we drafted an undersized TE...

Profile form NFL Draft Scout.
H: 6-3
W: 245
40. 4.54

Positives: Has a well-muscled frame with very good body thickness, tight waist and abdomen, thick chest, long arms, good bubble and well-developed lower body...Has outstanding speed and range to cover the field, demonstrating the lateral agility to chase down plays working along the line...Plays his best when on the move, as he is very capable of slipping past and avoiding blocks...Takes good angles closing on the ball and has the hip snap to come out of his backpedal cleanly...Has the size to neutralize isolated blockers and push the pocket...His speed was a big asset on special teams, where he played on all the coverage units, proving to be an effective tackler on the move and generating the burst to get off blocks.

DaBruinz

And here are the negatives:
Has marginal field instincts, especially in pass coverage, and is usually removed from the game in obvious passing situations...Best when on the move, as he struggles to shed once a blocker gets into his body...Can generate pop on contact, but often is out of position to make the play and despite his loose hips, he fails to recover quickly when he out-runs the play...Lacks natural hands for the interception and also shows marginal hand placement to prevent from getting covered up...Has no feel for zone assignments and seems to wear down as the game progresses...Best when in a simple system, as the mental aspect of the game seems to overwhelm him...Has a great burst into the backfield, but is quickly picked up due to his inability to locate the quarterback in backside pursuit.

Williams reminds me of a brick. He is rock-solid physically and one of the most gifted athletes at this position, but as much as he looks imposing, his mental grasp of the game is lacking. He is a player who needs patient coaching in hopes that the light will finally go on.


I fully understand why the Patriots didn't take him.

cstjohn17

Touche, but I think Cleveland runs a pretty similar system to the Pats and he seems to be fitting in ok. Once you get past Bruschi, Colvin and Vrabel I would take Williams over any other LB on our roster. It sounds like he was able to backup the ILB position, something we could have used last year. Having this type of player on our roster also would have minimized the enormous hole we have at ILB going into 2007. Williams makes roughly $400K, we will be paying 10x that to bring in a vet.