AzPatsFan
Veteran Starter w/Big Long Term Deal
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2004
- Messages
- 7,613
- Reaction score
- 853
I have to admit that when TBC didn't step forward last season to get into the OLB rotation, I thought maybe he had plateaued in his development.
But it turns out he had a bad wheel for most of the season, training camp onward,something that BB's injury reports helped conceal.
BB is about as willing to hand out encomiums, as a miser is to give away nickels.
We all heard camp reports of BB chewing on TBC, and interpreted that as TBC getting into BB's doghouse. We forgot that BB wouldn't waste time on people that he thought were irrelevant.
For him to say that this is TBC's best camp is very encouraging. Tedy took four years to become a regular OLB, and then another year to shift inside to ILB. This is TBC's fourth season, so he should have absorbed the Defense by now, and matured. It appears he has.
Recall the season he was drafted. Pre-draft publications had projected him as a second round draftee at DE. But he was injured slightly, and slid into the seventh round. I remember this Board thinking we had a potential steal. He flashed on occasion, in his rookie year, too.
In the time he has played, he certainly seems to be able to pass rush. Three sacks in the small number of snaps he has seen, indicate a very good pass rushing ability, confirming his college reputation as a tweener and a quick, fast, rush end.
BB has said the tough thing for a DE/LB conversion, is learning the pass drops and less so, setting the edge against the rush, as that is a standard DE responsibility.
I have felt all along that the solution to the ILB problem was there from last year, in spite of constant howling from the more shortsighted of our fellow fans. A Bruschi Vrabel duo, has already demonstrated Top Eight statistics against the rush for more than half a season and two games in the playoffs. Together they yielded but 3.6 ypc, equal to 2004 stats, and probably even better, as they had to erase the horrendous starting game results.
Both Tedy and Vrabes have demonstrated the ability to QB the defense, call defenses, and set the Defense. This is important, since we can project that either player could be team with a lesser accomplished teammate, and still present a formidable if not great rushing Defense.
It seems obvious that course of action was what BB had in mind at start of TC. Then Brown showed he was serious about playing another season, got into good shape, and was re-signed. This added to the OLB depth. TBC progress has helped, and Mincey and Woods look to be a little rookie assistance too.
The all reserve ILB players didn't perform well against the #1 rushing team in the League. Some have noted Sully's troubles on the Nose, in his first outing as a NT, playing against the constant clipping of the Alex Gibb's coached Falcons line. It should be interesting to see how theh ILB reserves perform, against the poor rushing Cardinals.
I think Plan A was Tedy and Monty with a fall back to Plan 1A, Tedy and Barry.
Plan B, was to go back to Vrabel and Bruschi but only if necessary, with perhaps Plan C, a move to more 4-3 formations.
More and more events are unfolding that lead me to think Plan B is what will occur. Unlike the CL's here, I always knew that BB had that move in his back pocket, in reserve.
So I was much more sanguine about our LBing situation that many here.
But it turns out he had a bad wheel for most of the season, training camp onward,something that BB's injury reports helped conceal.
BB is about as willing to hand out encomiums, as a miser is to give away nickels.
We all heard camp reports of BB chewing on TBC, and interpreted that as TBC getting into BB's doghouse. We forgot that BB wouldn't waste time on people that he thought were irrelevant.
For him to say that this is TBC's best camp is very encouraging. Tedy took four years to become a regular OLB, and then another year to shift inside to ILB. This is TBC's fourth season, so he should have absorbed the Defense by now, and matured. It appears he has.
Recall the season he was drafted. Pre-draft publications had projected him as a second round draftee at DE. But he was injured slightly, and slid into the seventh round. I remember this Board thinking we had a potential steal. He flashed on occasion, in his rookie year, too.
In the time he has played, he certainly seems to be able to pass rush. Three sacks in the small number of snaps he has seen, indicate a very good pass rushing ability, confirming his college reputation as a tweener and a quick, fast, rush end.
BB has said the tough thing for a DE/LB conversion, is learning the pass drops and less so, setting the edge against the rush, as that is a standard DE responsibility.
I have felt all along that the solution to the ILB problem was there from last year, in spite of constant howling from the more shortsighted of our fellow fans. A Bruschi Vrabel duo, has already demonstrated Top Eight statistics against the rush for more than half a season and two games in the playoffs. Together they yielded but 3.6 ypc, equal to 2004 stats, and probably even better, as they had to erase the horrendous starting game results.
Both Tedy and Vrabes have demonstrated the ability to QB the defense, call defenses, and set the Defense. This is important, since we can project that either player could be team with a lesser accomplished teammate, and still present a formidable if not great rushing Defense.
It seems obvious that course of action was what BB had in mind at start of TC. Then Brown showed he was serious about playing another season, got into good shape, and was re-signed. This added to the OLB depth. TBC progress has helped, and Mincey and Woods look to be a little rookie assistance too.
The all reserve ILB players didn't perform well against the #1 rushing team in the League. Some have noted Sully's troubles on the Nose, in his first outing as a NT, playing against the constant clipping of the Alex Gibb's coached Falcons line. It should be interesting to see how theh ILB reserves perform, against the poor rushing Cardinals.
I think Plan A was Tedy and Monty with a fall back to Plan 1A, Tedy and Barry.
Plan B, was to go back to Vrabel and Bruschi but only if necessary, with perhaps Plan C, a move to more 4-3 formations.
More and more events are unfolding that lead me to think Plan B is what will occur. Unlike the CL's here, I always knew that BB had that move in his back pocket, in reserve.
So I was much more sanguine about our LBing situation that many here.
Last edited:
