PATRIOT64
In the Starting Line-Up
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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.I disagree with the Wright comparison insofar as comprehension and execution of two-gap technique is involved - Mike picked up on the technique very quickly. LeKevin and Kareem both appear to be as talented as he is, but their transition doesn't appear to be close to Mike's pace - perhaps he had prior exposure to it in college. I think a more valid comparison for LeKevin is Vince, his play this preseason is so similar to Vince's impatience in early 2005 before the lightbulb came on. Hopefully Kareem does as well.Brown is LeKevin with one year less experience, or Wright with two years less experience. It will take time to learn the system and become a valuable contributer. That being said, he seems to be on the path to success, ahead of the deevelopment curve set by Hill or Thomas.
I disagree with the Wright comparison insofar as comprehension and execution of two-gap technique is involved - Mike picked up on the technique very quickly. LeKevin and Kareem both appear to be as talented as he is, but their transition doesn't appear to be close to Mike's pace - perhaps he had prior exposure to it in college. I think a more valid comparison for LeKevin is Vince, his play this preseason is so similar to Vince's impatience in early 2005 before the lightbulb came on. Hopefully Kareem does as well.
My point is that LeKevin is ready now
and Kareem is likely to take a half year or more to be valuable.
Ready for what? He hasn't looked ready to play a 2-gap NT. He has flashed some pash rush and pursuit skills at DE. Is that what you mean?
Valuable at what? I'm not sure if he has been contributing on special teams or not. If he can take some snaps in 2 minute defense where penetration and pressure are key, I would consider that valuable.
I agree with your premise that LeKevin is more likely to see meaningful snaps this year, but "readiness" and "value" are relative to their role. I'm not sure what roles they will be asked to play yet. If Kareem can't convince the coaches that his skills translate to a meaningful role on gameday, I'm sure his role will be "inactive" as I assume you are suggesting above.
Barring injuries, I expect Kareem to be inactive all year. I expect LeKevin to be the 5th DL active, occasionally spelling one of the DE's. He had a lot of preseason playing time at DE, and looked resonable. With regard to NT, the team must believe that Wright or Smith can perform this function, otherwise we would have a 7th DL, an emergency backup NT. Moore looked Ok in that role. One can only conclude that we don't need him.