cstjohn17

In the good old days we looked at players 6'1 - 6'3 and 240-255 for ILB and players 6'2 - 6'5 and 245-265 for OLB. In the brave new world do we start the look at more traditional MLBs and OLBs?

- Signed,

Confused

BritPat

Probably not, I'm guessing our D will stay fluid, and will interchange between the 4-3 and the 3-4 when needed - the last thing you want is a roster half full with players who can't play on every down or who need to come out when you play certain looks.

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Creator of the Pats must draft Jason Verrett in 2014 no matter the cost fanclub.

mayoclinic

Agreed. We stick to the same kind of player, perhaps with a little more emphasis on players that can handle a change of schemes. We're not going to a Colts/TB kind of 4-3 scheme with smaller, speedy players. Philly runs a 4-3 and has competed with us for a lot of DE/LB types.

Sergio Kindle, Greg Romeus, Ricky Sapp, Brandon Lang and Jerry Hughes are all worth considering at OLB. Brandon Spikes, Rolando McClain, Micah Johnson and Eric Norwood are all worth considering at SILB.

From what I've seen so far of this year's class, I still think Connor Barwin was the best Pats OLB prospect to come out since DeMarcus Ware and Terrell Suggs.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

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ctpatsfan77

And yet BB still didn't have him ranked high enough. . . .

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Ochmed Jones

We did the Florida Troy game yesterday and Lang was absolutely swallowed whole by the Gator Oline. The only time we heard from Lang was when he got the personal foul near the end zone that cost his team. (Very similair to what happened to McClain against Va. Tech.)

The guy to watch at OLB/DE is Carlos Dunlap a Jr. DE at Florida. 6'6" and 270 lbs. He runs well, he is a superior pass rusher and he shows some interest in playing the run. He could excel at either OLB or DE in our system.

The guy to watch at ILB is McCalin. This kid is awesome in coverage and yet shows excellent instincts and mashes really well in the running game. He could excel at either ILB or OLB in our system.

I have taken Norwood (too short) and Spikes(too one dimensinal) off my potential Pats draft list.

mayoclinic

Not sure why Norwood is too short to play ILB for us. He's definitely too short for OLB, which is why I didn't list him there.

I have questions about Lang and Ricky Sapp being stout enough to hold the edge and play the run for us, but I haven't seen enough to rule them out.

Do you really believe that Carlos Dunlap could play 3-4 OLB? From what I've heard and seen he's more like 280-290 than 270#. I'm not sure if he's more in the Julius Peppers mold or the Mario Williams mold.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

Ochmed Jones

I was on the field with him Saturday and Florida can list him at whatever weight they want, but he is much lighter than 280-290. I think he will run in the 4.6-4.7 range at the combine. I see him as more Peppers than a Mario Williams, but not as good against the run at this point in his career as either of those two were. Part of the problem is that Florida will be playing ahead most of the year, which will force opposing to throw a lot and not give Dunlap a chance to grow as a run defender. Alabama and maybe LSU are about the only teams I think can run on Florida.

I watched Lang a lot Saturday and the thing was, if he didn't get the first step on the Florida Oline, he was done. When Florida ran at him, he really struggled. He had a tough time shedding and making a play.

I have not seen Sapp play this year yet, but I will make a point of scoping him out.

borisman

Clemson plays BC this Saturday so you'll be able to see Sapp sooner rather than later. I hope he goes up vs. Castonzo all day long. Castonzo is a future first round LT.

mayoclinic

Any one seen much of TCU's Jerry Hughes play? I haven't. He's 6'3" and 257#, led the nation in sacks last year (I think), and is often mentioned as a likely 3-4 OLB conversion prospect. Tony Pauline listed him first under his "risers" from last week, and had this to say:

"Jerry Hughes/OLB-DE/TCU: Hughes' performance in the opener against Virginia was terrific. He posted 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and another 1.5 sacks. The ability to make plays in space or run down ballcarriers in pursuit excites scouts. Hughes lines up in a three-point stance for TCU but is widely considered an outside linebacker prospect by most in the scouting community."

Risers/Sliders for 2010 NFL Draft - NFL - SI.com

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

reamer

Anyone seen the UConn games? Apparently their DE Witten is absolutely tearing it up, with seven sacks through the first two games. He seems to have good size, but I can't find video online, and I'm completely unfamiliar with his style of play. Still, that's pretty impressive pass-rushing.

After the Mayo injury, I'm desperate to bring in another stud inside 'backer. As much as I love Guyton, I just don't think he's a full-time starter. He needs to remain a match-up only, down-and-distance sort of guy, where I think he excels. Spikes and McClain are probably out of our range, but Micah Johnson or Eric Norwood could potentially make good SILB if we play more 34, and I'm sure cerebral speed-demon, hit and run MLB are out there if we continue to favor the 43 in the following years. Thoughts?