Call it what you want. NT is the probably the hardest position on defense to fill and many teams are still searching for one who is starting quality. If you prefer the term JAG then call it that. Sure that pron star, I mean NT, was pretty athletic but he also wasn't expect to get drafted and didn't for a reason.
We have an excellent track record with high round OL and if blowing up our LT was gonna be as easy getting a guy off the streets to come in and destroy Solder he wouldn't be the pick at 17. Hell he probably wouldn't be considered by any team until round 4 or 5.
All players have weaknesses but that doesn't mean just anybody can take advantage of them. The guys I would expect Solder to struggle most with would be guys like Kelly Gregg of Balt or Arron Smith of Pitt but not just any back-up on any team.
Your comparing a HOF,#5 in career sacks and holder of the single season sack record, to a back-up NT. Apples to oranges.
And unfortunately I googled Sumner before seing future posts warning me not to.
:bricks:
- It's doesnt take a Nose tackle, the point is that if you have someone with similar qualities, very heavy with a low center of gravity, with good explosion, he could potentially create a match-up problem who has issues with bull-rushers.
- As far as where he was taken in the draft, it's irrelevant. We drafted Maroney in the 1st and he sucked, Arian Foster wasnt drafted at all. Soldier has TREMENDOUS potential, and if he can realize a good portion of it he'll be a BEAST but he definitely has some issues form the film I've seen on him. IMO, it's how he sits in his stance on passing plays which is starting him off wrong and then leads to a play where he's struggling.
If he needs a fraction of a second to shift his body before he can get up, that's time his opponent has to get past him or push him back when he's not set yet. The other issue with him is that he has a tendancy to lean over to push people as opposed to pulling/pusing with his legs, leaning over is very common for taller people to do, it's an easy and cheap way to generate power because gravity is working with you but it also compromises your structure and leaves you off balance and vulnerable to being exploited.
Check out the plays at :51, 1:10, 2:01, 2:41, and 4:16, what do you see going on?
YouTube - Nate Solder vs. Cal‏
- Regarding taking someone like 'off the street' to cause problems for the opposition, why not? Plenty of amazing football players went undrafted, I think if Sumner went to a bigger school he would have been drafted.
- Regarding Strahan, it's a concept that's important, and it doesnt matter if he uses it or an Amry or a poker player, use what works until your opponent changes what he's doing (IF that makes your tactics less effective).
- Sorry about the non-warning, it's been a while since I googled the guy, I forgot about his alter-ego