jsull87

Very good? yes. Best? a bit too far with LB corps in the NFL such as

SF: Smith, Bowman, Willis, Brooks
Steelers: Woodley, Harrison, Timmons, Foote
Miami: Wake, Misi, Dansby, Burnett
Dalas: Ware, Spencer, Carter, Sean Lee
KC: Houston, Hali, Johnson
Balt: Lewis, Mclain, Suggs, Kruger/Upshaw

mayoclinic

San Francisco, obviously. But some of your other suggestions are a little dubious:

- Baltimore, with an aging and injured Ray Lewis; McClain is nothing special; Kruger has emerged as a good player, but not all world, and Upshaw is emerging, but I'll take Hightower. I'll take the Patriots' group any day.

- Dallas: Ware is all world. Lee is great, but he's on IR so it's not much of a comparison. Carter's never shown any consistency, and Spencer has been hot and cold. +/-

- Miami: Really? Wake sure, though he's a bit one-dimensional for my taste. Dansby is solid, but not better than Spikes or Mayo. Misi and Burnett are nothing special.

Even for the Steelers, Harrison is getting well past his prime and Foote is definitely at the end of his career.

I wouldn't anoint this group "best" yet, but they're certainly on their way to being one of the top groups in the NFL. A little depth would help, though if Dane Fletcher hadn't gotten hurt we might be better still.

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DocHoliday

It's a damn shame Dane Fletcher is injured

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manxman2601

If they could one or both of two things, then I think they could really contend for best:

1. A legit pass rusher from the OLB spot (ie Von Miller). Doesn't have to be quite that good, but ten sacks a season good would be nice. Is this Hightower?

2. That elusive pass defending LB.

Not sure they could add both because, at best, we really only could get away with adding one LB.

supafly

Count me in as one who was starting to feel as though Mayo was not quite living up to his potential just yet. (much to Ausbacker's dismay )

He has been damn reliable, and great at consistently making tackles in the middle, but I will admit that I thought he was somewhat overhyped at times too.

This year we've really seen him step up into even MORE of a leader, and Belichick + the other play of the LB's has given Mayo some flexibility and additional responsibilities that he has taken advantage of in a great way.

Seeing him move outside in underneath coverage in the CB role on Monday not only cracked me up for a minute, but it made me appreciate his responsibilities even more. He's not exactly a good coverage backer, but it's nice to see him taking on whatever responsibilities that are given to him and continue to learn + move around.

He has grown from a reliable run clogging presence to playing an even bigger role in this current defense at times, and that is great to see.

Now let's see them re-up Spikes in the off season this year and continue to keep this going in the right direction, as Fletcher will also be coming back to compete for the precious coverage role next year too.

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PATRIOTSFANINPA

I don't think that it's just a coincidence that they are allowing Mayo to blitz more often now that Talib has strengthened the secondary and made it more stable and stronger.

I thnk the reason why Bill held Jerod back until now was because he couldn't trust his secondary to make up for a possible long pass completion if Mayo didn't get to the QB.

When you have faith that your secondary can hold its own then you gamble more with blitz schemes and we are seeing that now.

Talib has changed this defense and its designed plays more than some think,he has quickly elevated himself to top 3 most important defenders to be on the field.

MrNathanDrake

I agree with most of your post, and in addition to that.....



Dansby is overpaid in Miami.

Timmons is overrated on the Steelers. Foote is just decent.

Spencer has been a big disappointment for Dallas.

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Bring on the 2012 Season

ctpatsfan77

You know, as much as Gary Guyton was maligned here in 2011, he still accomplished far more than Gholston ever did. . . .

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supafly

I think there's a decent chance that we could potentially see 2-3 of these players either on other teams next year or out of work altogether (in Foote's case).

Spencer was playing under the franchise tag I believe, so I'm not expecting that to happen again.

Dansby certainly isn't worth that kind of money for that production.

Timmons--while a great young LB, is the best of this group IMO.

Foote won't really be back "again." Will he, lol?

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supafly

Sure, because he has allowed much better play from Arrington in the slot now too, along with McCourty being able to continue at FS.

It's all worked as one big machine, like it should..and like it used to!

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Patiently waiting to defend the next "bubble" player in this summer's training camp.....