Chris Price on Oscar Lua - Compares favorably with Bruschi. - Page 2 - New England Patriots Forums

captain stone · 08-28-2007, 02:50 PM

I am in complete agreement with RayClay and the Seymonsta.

Lua is only 240? I would hope that he would be at least 245 by now.

Burschi may not have been a starter early in his career, during the Pete Carroll years, but he was a contributor on defense by the end of the 1997 season.

I wonder how Brandon Siler is doing in SD...

Wretch · 08-28-2007, 03:29 PM

has anyone compared Lua's combine numbers to Bruschi's? I'm just wondering how they stack up.

If I remember right Lua was in the 4.8ish range in the 40.

AzPatsFan · 08-28-2007, 10:06 PM

The Pats usually keep 9 LBs. I think the Locks are the Big 5 of Bruschi, Thomas,Vrabel and Colvin. Then the next Three are pretty well assured of making it. Woods, Alexander, and rookie discovery Rodgers. That leaves one or possibly Zero spots in the LB corp. The competitors for that one spot are Izzo, Lua and Mays.

I think mays is behind both so he is cut. That leaves a two man race Izzo the ST leader or the youngster Oscar Lua. They both could be cut if the Pats keep an extra ST DB. But I think in an upset, Izzo doesn't make it, and Lua gets the 9th spot.

OTOH... The easy choice is to keep Izzo and Lua goes to PS, though. Next year is then Izzo's swan song. But I don't think so.

Seymour93 · 08-28-2007, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatriotsDaily.com

and Eric Alexander was actually pretty good overall in the AFC Title Game.

No he wasn't. There's a reason why Alexander had 10 tackles that game... because Dallas Clark and Moorehead were catching everything in the middle of the field. Alexander was inexperienced granted, but to say he played pretty good is a stretch.

RayClay · 08-29-2007, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Christopher_Price

Pats67, thanks for the clarification. I meant in no way to compare a modern-day Tedy Bruschi with a rookie Oscar Lua--that would be the longest of stretches. However, at least two vets said that he compares favorably with Bruschi--it's clear that Belichick think a lot of him--and the physical comparison is dead on.

Someone else on this thread mentioned that Bruschi wasn't really TEDY BRUSCHI his first few years in the league, and it bears repeating. He didn't start a single game his rookie season (he had more special teams tackles than defensive tackles as a rookie), and didn't start more than half the games until his fourth year in the league. In fact, you could make an agrument that Bruschi didn't really flourish until his fifth year in the league--2000, which was Belichick's first season at the helm.

Bruschi was a sparkplug, though. He really was an energizer. The problem, of course was the transition from DE to situational rusher to OLB to ILB.

Thank god they're going to try an actual ILB at the position. I hope he clicks, because we have zero potential ILB starters for the (very near) future.

Having said all that, he doesn't remind me of Bruschi at all. If he's getting the mental part down that's great.

***Box_O_Rocks*** · 08-29-2007, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by captain stone

I wonder how Brandon Siler is doing in SD...

He's a preseason STs' demon, but SD keeps cutting those guys after they go to the Pro-Bowl.

***cstjohn17*** · 08-29-2007, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AzPatsFan

OTOH... The easy choice is to keep Izzo and Lua goes to PS, though. Next year is then Izzo's swan song. But I don't think so.

Izzo is one of my least favaorite Patriots, mostly due to his terrible ability as a LB when he actually gets on the field as a defender but I respect his ability on special teams (albeit totally overated, he has been living on reputation for at least 3 years). Looking at this roster is is very veteran heavy, BB seems to want professionals who understand the little things. Izzo gets the 9th spot. If they keep 10 LBs then maybe Lua gets a spot otherwise he goes to the PS. If he gets picked up or ends up on another teams PS then so be it, guys like Lua are a dime dozen.

captain stone · 08-29-2007, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Box_O_Rocks

He's a preseason STs' demon, but SD keeps cutting those guys after they go to the Pro-Bowl.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniont...s23chnot2.html

Siler also had 2 tackles on defense, plus 2 ST tackles vs. Arizona.

captain stone · 08-29-2007, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cstjohn17

Izzo is one of my least favaorite Patriots, mostly due to his terrible ability as a LB when he actually gets on the field as a defender but I respect his ability on special teams (albeit totally overated, he has been living on reputation for at least 3 years). Looking at this roster is is very veteran heavy, BB seems to want professionals who understand the little things. Izzo gets the 9th spot. If they keep 10 LBs then maybe Lua gets a spot otherwise he goes to the PS. If he gets picked up or ends up on another teams PS then so be it, guys like Lua are a dime dozen.

I could not have said this any better than that.

***reflexblue*** · 08-29-2007, 09:04 AM

After 7 yr's of Belichick drafts I think by now if he were going to draft a LB he would have done it. I think that in the 3-4 defense the LB's are the critical cog in the defense the defense is built around their ability, and he prefers LB's with experiance. Thats way he hasn't drafted one with a high rnd. pick. He doesn't want to take the chance that they won't be able to grasp the position. So he picks them up through as FA's. All this being said Tedy Johnson was 240 lbs as a rookie.