This LB corps could be dominant!

[K-Ro 25]

Re: This LB Corp Could be Dominant!

Hobson was a very low risk pickup with a chance to become a solid starter for us. Why you would be so down on him is beyond me. You can't even jump up and down and holler in indignation that we gave up a draft pick for him. As has been stated before, but perhaps you did not pick up on, the NY Jets were misusing Hobson and were playing him out of position at OLB when he had previously been quite productive at ILB. Hobson just didn't get a fair shake in NY.

The Patriots, being rather astute evaluators of personnel that could fit into their system scooped him up with a 1 year prove it deal. That's the normal Pats modus operandi. I will say that I think Hobson can have a similar impact as previous Pats free agent pickups such as Roman Phifer and Vrabel who have worked out quite nicely for us.

Where at Michigan? I agree he can be a solid dependable starter but the odds of him becoming another Vrabel are slim to none

 

[VJCPatriot]

Re: This LB Corp Could be Dominant!

Where at Michigan? I agree he can be a solid dependable starter but the odds of him becoming another Vrabel are slim to none

They play different positions, so of course he can't become Vrabel. I'm just saying he could have a positive impact on our team much like Vrabel and Phifer did. Unlike some people, I'm not dismissing him as a 'scrub' outright just because we didn't give him a big contract or trade a high draft pick for him.

 

[K-Ro 25]

Re: This LB Corp Could be Dominant!

They play different positions, so of course he can't become Vrabel. I'm just saying he could have a positive impact on our team much like Vrabel and Phifer did. Unlike some people, I'm not dismissing him as a 'scrub' outright just because we didn't give him a big contract or trade a high draft pick for him.

ok nevermind then I gotcha. He wont be a scrub b/c at the end of the day he is usually a sure tackler

 

[jays52]

The other thing to think about when evaluating Hobson is proper utilization. This goes past inside/outside linebacker, more so towards situational football. He will be thread in a larger tapestry, but he does offer athletic upgrades.

What I gleaned from watching Hobson was obviously that he was playing out of position. I also saw that he has a very good first step, he plays with his hips low and he gets to the ball well. The really impressive thing that I noted was how he took blockers. Even when a blocker got to his pads, he would stone the momentum. I didn't see anybody really post on him. In addition, he will be playing in back of our line. It's like taking a decent, non-spectacular tailback who played behind a horrendous line, then plugging him in behind Minnesota's line. I really, really think that Hobson is going to be a very good Mike in this system.

The other thing to note is that Mangini really doesn't know how to utilize his backers. Look at the 2005 Patriots. Look at the first 10 games of that season. It wasn't just personel, either, Mangini in my opinion doesn't know how to utilize linebackers. To be completely honest, I don't think he really understands the position like a head coach should. Belichick, Pees and Capers will properly utilize him. He will be placed in the right situations and be given the opportunity to maximize his skill set.

I'm sure many here are going to jump all over me, but I think he is going to be the starting Mike by week 8. Playing the position pretty damn well, too.

 

[memento]

i'm excited about the defense this year, but i'm not going to let hype and past experience empty my pockets in vegas.

i'm really excited as a spectator about to see capers throw some blitzes around.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

I am not worried about the LBer play whatsoever.

However I think the secondary has some issues. There is no play maker in the secondary and unless we get big time pressure up front, teams are going to be able to throw at will against this secondary.

Barring injury passing on CB Cason for "hold the" Mayo may come back on us.

 

[fgssand]

i'm excited about the defense this year, but i'm not going to let hype and past experience empty my pockets in vegas.

i'm really excited as a spectator about to see capers throw some blitzes around.

I think Hobbs will fit right in....I also see Mayo playing a huge role by the middle of the year. Bruschi is a given and I hope to see Jr back with capable back up Alexandar and maybe Ruud makes it as well - what an incredible upgrade to the ILB position that means. Now, subtract AD and add him to the OLB mix and OLB becomes downright scary with Vrabel backed up by Woods and hopefully Crable.

That's a lot of flexibility and depth with a nice mix of veterans and rookies for the upgraded and expanded vetean coaching staff to get serious with.

With such an incredibly talented front line, aided by a healthy Seymour -- these linebackers should really dominate.

As for lining your pockets in Vegas - all you had to have done was jump on and stay on this team since 2001.

 

[cstjohn17]

I think Hobbs will fit right in....I also see Mayo playing a huge role by the middle of the year. Bruschi is a given and I hope to see Jr back with capable back up Alexandar and maybe Ruud makes it as well - what an incredible upgrade to the ILB position that means. Now, subtract AD and add him to the OLB mix and OLB becomes downright scary with Vrabel backed up by Woods and hopefully Crable.

That's a lot of flexibility and depth with a nice mix of veterans and rookies for the upgraded and expanded vetean coaching staff to get serious with.

With such an incredibly talented front line, aided by a healthy Seymour -- these linebackers should really dominate.

As for lining your pockets in Vegas - all you had to have done was jump on and stay on this team since 2001.

If Seau comes back, I agree, the ILBs will be very good. I guess we should know one way or another within the next couple of weeks.

For the OLBs I don't see any depth, if Vrabel or Thomas misses anytime it is a significant drop to Woods / Crable.

I leave my pre-camp rating at good, not dominant.

 

[mmasterkillah]

I certainly expect Hobson to have a significant role early in this season. His style perfectly suits the scheme at one of the ILB spots. He isn't quite the banger Ted Johnson was, but he is smart in coverage and can make plays in tight spaces. Decent combo of size and speed with very solid football instincts. I also feel like his experience with the Jets will actually help him succeed quicker in our defense. I fully believe we could use two new starting ILBs this season (Mayo and Hobson) and I think we might be better off. Bruschi was great, but he isn't the playmaker he was years ago. He can still have a great role in the defense, but he should be a spot player at this point in his career. Seau was very effective most of last year, but he does have his weaknesses and he will be one year older if he does come back.

I don't expect Crable to have too much of an impact in year one, but I think that since he was extremely productive (TFLs) in college he could be something to keep an eye out for.

Last year this LB corps was good, but they were too tired and old. I usually find these criticisms too be vastly overused, but the injected "youth" should certainly be more than a step in the right direction.

You just never know what will happen though since we are so far away from September. We could still sign Seau or make another move. I would also like to see another pass rushing OLB added, but it will be nice to see Vrabel and Adalius play exclusively outside.